Image taken from https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7532921/peninsula

Designers: Juma Al-JouJou, Galen Goodwick
Publisher: Karma Games

As someone originally from Michigan, I had to make the title an ode to one of the most wonderful places in the US (in my opinion). I saw Peninsula show up as an optional add-on game in the pledge manager for Clans of Caledonia, and I’m usually a fan of blank and write games, so I decided to give it a go. For being a game in the blank and write genre, it’s actually quite difficult and thinky; there’s more going on than initially meets the eye.

In theory, the game play is quite simple and typical for a blank and write. Cards get flipped, you select some icons from the cards to use, and then you place them on your map. The trick here is that the symbols you add have to be next to your architect token. Along with that challenge, there are different bonus locations you want to reach, scoring conditions for each symbol to consider, and some larger pattern goals you want to achieve. It’s a lot to think about and a lot to balance.

The gameplay itself is well designed and makes this game fun and challenging (in a good way). There’s also a lot of variability included in the box. Each map sheet is double sided with unique maps on both sides, A and B. There’s also lots of variety in terms of pattern missions, resource card combinations, bonus spot benefits, and more. As of recent, there are also eight challenges on their website you can play through that provide specific set up configurations, in-game rule changes, and/or a minimum victory point requirement. They are difficult but really enjoyable to play through and I greatly appreciate them! The rule book has a link to the site, and when I first started playing, I couldn’t find the challenges, so I contacted Karma Games and they uploaded them within a week. Talk about customer service!

There’s not a lot of art in the game, but it’s still very pretty and looks nice on the table. The map sheets are very well designed. They’re large enough but not too large and include all information you need to keep track of the game and scoring at the end of the game. The player aid sheets are large, as there is truly quite a bit going on in the game between all the different landmark bonus cards and icons and unique scoring conditions, but they are very useful. After the first game, I almost never had to go back to the rulebook – everything I needed to know or had questions on was either on the player map sheet or the player aid.

If you’re a fan of blank and write style games and don’t mind something a little more complex (but not heavy) than the average title and design in this genre, I’d definitely check this one out. It provides something that feels familiar while also being fresh and innovative. It can be quite difficult, but it has a really interesting puzzle and great variability between games making the replay value quite high in my opinion, especially for this game style.