Nusfjord 🐟
Designer⚙️: Uwe Rosenberg
Artist🎨: Patrick Soeder
[ @lookout_games ] 1-5 players
As an owner of a busy fishing company in Nusfjord, you are tasked with running your business more efficiently than your opponents (or yourself in solo). And while this may sound stressful, time spent with Nusfjord is anything but.
This is not to say there is no tension, because there very much is. Mostly I play this game solo where a lot of that tension comes from blocking your own moves the round prior. In multiplayer people will go to spots that you may have needed and of course others buying shares in your company giving them more fish!
Nusfjord is something else though. I'm someone who enjoys a good Uwe game. They always feel accessible without losing out on depth and strategy. While this has nowhere near the amount of options as say, Feast for Odin, that doesn't mean choices are absent. Nusfjord has many choices, but those choices are more targeted.
You essentially have 3 resources, gold, wood, and fish. Lots of fish. These are all interchangeably used to pay for buildings, deforesting, buying ships, etc. There's still a lot to do and lots of fun engine building to explore. Yet, what I think makes Nusfjord standout, at least for me, is how clean and quick it is. You can make it as crunchy or as chill as you want.
You also can use the help of elders, but only if there is enough fish for the banquet the town has. The boats increase your fish supply. You can grow or cut down trees to make wood or space for more buildings on your estate. Everything flows together so seamlessly and feels like a big huge Uwe game without all the crazy hoops you may have to jump through.
Nusfjord continues to be my favorite Uwe game and will most likely be for some time. A quiet game of thought and curiosity for a solo gamer or a joyous time spent with friends laughing about trees and fish.This cozy game is a treat to bring to the table and never out stays it's welcome.
