Next on the list is a delightful little area control game that can occasionally get pretty vicious and has some unique mechanics that make it shine. In Dokmus there are 8 boards with various terrain elements that you are trying to exploit or get past in order to score the most points at the end of the game. If the game was simply expanding from our start point in a linear direction it wouldn’t be much to write home about but the combination of moves you can make and the gods you can use to manipulate the board add a lot of originality.

Before anyone has taken their turn all of the players draft one of the five gods tiles. Each of them give you a special bonus that you can use during your turn. One of them simply gives you the first player token which at the right time can be super important. The other abilities let you move one of your pieces one space, rotate one of the boards 90 degrees, or even move the board into another position.

Also on your turn you will be placing three little tent structures on various parts of the board in order to get points at the end of the game. Some of the things you score for are being near both the large and small temples, being on top of ruins, and having explored a great many of the tiles. Using rivers you can travel great distances in a single movement but the most efficient way to travel is to manipulate the map so what was once far away is now close!

There is also some terrain the requires sacrificing some of your structures in order to enter. Such as volcanoes and new forests. While it is unfortunate to lose the value pieces as you only have a few to use each turn there is also end game points from having the most pieces sacrificed over the course of the game. So it might be worth the loss if it can get you to a great location.

The ever changing board and simple game play really bring Dokmus into the limelight for us. We also enjoy shining some light on some Scandinavian designers because of our own biases. Regardless of who it was designed by Dokmus is a fun little game to play and experience which is why it is #17 on our Top 100!