€74,99
Sardegna
The Frogames review
A majority game: battle for the provinces around each fort
The two face-up fort cards point to intersection 6, you've still got the Sentinella in hand, and an opponent's priest is blocking your villagers right there.
It's 14th-century Sardinia and you're bringing your people to the island: villagers, a priest, villages, ships in the harbours and forts at the intersections. You want the strongest influence across the 16 provinces.
On your turn you play one of your 7 character cards and take one of its actions. Whoever plays the Sentinella triggers scoring for the provinces around the indicated fort, and everyone takes their cards back. Once 11 forts have been scored, the player with the most points wins.
This is the new edition of Kreta, Stefan Dorra's 2005 game, now set in Sardinia and published here in Italian by Oliphante. Illustrations by Wanjin Gill and Jiyeon Lee; the box and board are one single piece.
Game mechanics tap one to see other games that use it
Only here: The box opens out to become the board
Category:Medioevo
At a glance
Why we like it. The Sentinella holds everything together: whoever plays it decides when scoring happens and forces every player to take their cards back, so holding a character in hand becomes a weighty choice. With two forts always face up, you can plan your move, but the next card revealed can shift the target.
Good to know. With two players, each harbour holds just one ship and no points go to second place, so majorities pay off less: the game is at its best with four.
What kind of gameFrogScore + LuckChance only picks the forts StrategySeven cards, one per turn InteractionMajorities and a blocking priest PaceOne card, one action, move on Replayability11 of 26 forts per game Rated by Frogames · from the rules · what the levels mean
We set the levels by reading the rules, always with the same yardstick: a 3 means the same on every game.
Luckmostly you
- you decide
- mostly you
- half and half
- often chance
- chance decides
Strategybuild for later
- one choice per turn
- plan a few turns
- plan half the game
- build for later
- the whole game is a plan
Interactionyou compete for things
- each to their own
- you compete for things
- you get in the way
- you hit each other
- you attack each other
Paceshort turns
- lots of waiting
- long turns
- medium turns
- short turns
- you play together
Replayabilitya lot changes
- always the same
- card order changes
- part of it changes
- a lot changes
- every game is different
When to bring it outWith four players, for a half-hour tussle
Best player countfilled = best ·
How to play
Watch a game
Official rulebook (PDF) →- 1Play a characterChoose one of your 7 cards and take one of its actions.
- 2Occupy the provincesVillagers, priest and villages give influence; ships and forts give it from outside.
- 3Gather the cropsThe Contadino takes agriculture tiles connected to one of your harbours: points and new villages.
- 4Call the SentinellaThe provinces around the fort are scored; after 11 forts, the player with the most points wins.
What’s in the box
1 boardThe box opens out to become the island, with 16 provinces, 7 harbours and 26 fort spaces.
60 player pieces15 per colour: 1 priest, 2 ships, 3 forts, 4 villages and 5 villagers.
28 character cards7 per colour: Ammiraglio, Comandante, Prete, Contadino, Architetto, Regina and Sentinella.
26 fort cardsLaid out in a row beside the board, two always face up: they show which intersection gets scored.
Cards in the box · 58
- 28 character cards
- 26 fort cards
- 4 summary cards
Questions about Sardegna
How do you win at Sardegna?+
The player with the most points after the 11th fort card is scored wins. Points come mainly from the provinces: whoever has the most influence takes the full value, and second place gets half, rounded down. More points come from the agriculture tiles you've gathered, worth 1, 2, 3 and 4 points for tiles of the same type.
Does Sardegna work with two players?+
It can be played with two, with two rule changes: each harbour holds only one ship, and no points are awarded for second place in the provinces. In the BGG player poll, 52% advise against playing with two, while 74% rate four as the best number.
How hard is Sardegna to learn?+
The rules take just a few minutes to explain: on your turn you play a card and take one of its actions. There are 7 character cards, the same for everyone. Its weight on BGG is 2.61 out of 5; the rules to remember are the limit of 7 pieces per province, the priest's block and the chain of villagers needed to gather crops.
Do you need to know English to play Sardegna?+
No, this edition is in Italian. There's no text to read during play: the cards show their actions with symbols and the fort cards carry only a number.
Does Sardegna hold up over many plays?+
Yes, because each game scores different forts in a different order. Only 11 of the 26 fort cards are scored per game, 14 of the 16 agriculture tiles are placed at random, and whoever plays the Sentinella can change the revealed card. On top of that, there's the official Sentinella variant.
How much space do you need for Sardegna?+
You'll need a table big enough for the open box, since the box itself becomes the board. Beside it goes the row of 11 fort cards with the deck, plus space in front of each player for their played character cards.
How long does a game of Sardegna last?+
A game takes around 30 minutes, as stated on the box. It ends once the 11th fort card has been scored.
Is Sardegna suitable for children?+
The box gives an age of 14 and up. The rules are short, but the majorities and deciding when to play the Sentinella call for thinking a few turns ahead.
How much does luck matter in Sardegna?+
Only in which forts get scored. The characters' actions have no random outcomes, the character cards are a fixed hand and two fort cards are always face up; whoever plays the Sentinella can even discard the revealed card and draw another.
Can you play Sardegna solo?+
No, the game is for 2-4 players and the rulebook has no solo mode.
What does the priest do in Sardegna?+
The priest blocks opponents in its province. Anyone without their own priest there can't add villages or villagers, nor move those already present; the priest's owner plays as normal. The priest also gives 1 influence point.
What does the Sentinella variant change in Sardegna?+
The variant gives more control over scoring. Each player keeps a private fort card to use instead of the revealed one, and the Sentinella can only be played once you have at least 3 other character cards already played in front of you.
“Seven cards and a Sentinella: deciding when to score matters as much as being strong on the map.”
Who is behind Sardegna
Who designed it, who drew it, who publishes it, and what else they made.
Designer
Stefan DorraAlso: For Sale, Turn the Tide
Artist
Wanjin GillAlso: Can't Stop, Thurn and TaxisAll 27 games illustrated →
All the BoardGameGeek data · #2226 overall · #1117 tra i Strategici · Powered by BoardGameGeek +
- Rating
- 7,03/10 · 2133 ratings
- Rank
- #2226 overall · #1117 in Strategici
- Designers
- Stefan Dorra
- Artists
- Wanjin Gill, Jiyeon Lee, Rotraud Meiler
- Categories
- Medioevo
- Mechanics
- Action Retrieval, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Hand Management
- Language dependence
- Nessuno
Powered by BoardGameGeek
Sardegna in short. A majority game for 2-4 players by Stefan Dorra, the new edition of Kreta (2005), in Italian from Oliphante. A game takes around 30 minutes, ages 14 and up. Every player has the same 7 character cards, and whoever plays the Sentinella decides when the provinces are scored, forcing everyone to take their cards back. Italian edition, available at Frogames.it
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