Tenby
🐸 Details from BoardGameGeek
Consiglio BGG sul numero di giocatori
Categorie
Meccaniche
Design & Art
Lingua
🐸 How pre-orders work
🐸 A wise frog knows when to split the order… and when to wait for the right leap.
- Arrives
- by the end of December 2026
Si abbina bene con
The FroGames Review
You’ll draw cards at sunset to make choices by morning. You’ll build colorful streets while gazing at the sea. And in the end, someone will have the most beautiful waterfront, someone else will have crooked houses, and everyone will want to play again right away.
ABOUT
Build the most beautiful city in Wales, one card at a time
Tenby is a small coastal town in South Wales, famous for its colorful terraces, seaside piers, and golden beaches. Benjie Talbott, a British designer and artist, turned his town into a card game in 2025, published by Cranio Creations for the Italian market. The game debuted on Kickstarter, gathering over 1,600 backers and arriving with an average rating of 7.65 on BGG.
At the table, you build your Tenby tableau by choosing cards representing terraces, piers, residents, and iconic locations. Each round has two intertwined phases: the Night determines the drafting order for the Day, and the Day determines the order for the next Night. After 10 rounds, the player who has accumulated the most points through patterns, sets, and card combos wins the game.
What they're saying abroad
A pocket-sized city builder that leverages drafting and long-term planning. It works surprisingly well solo.
— FroGames
"Tenby is designed to be accessible but not trivial: every card can open different paths, and the play order changes constantly."
— Cosy Cub Games
Tenby
The game includes official solo rules with a graded scoring system and goals to beat. The experience is complete (draw, choose, build) but you lose the tension of competitive drafting: you don't have to anticipate your opponents, just optimize your own tableau against the 10-round clock.
FrogScore · editorial rating FroGames · based on the rulebook, international reviews, and game sessionsThe building blocks of the city
Four card types that build Tenby
Terraces
The colorful houses that make up Tenby's streets. Each terrace has a color and can trigger points if combined with others of the same shade or arranged in specific patterns.
Piers
Structures that extend into the sea and give points based on their length and connectivity. Placing them well means securing fixed scores and opening spaces for residents.
Residents
Local characters that offer immediate bonuses or end-game points. Each resident has a unique ability: some reward piers, others terraces, and others complete sets.
Iconic locations
Historical buildings and landmarks of the real city: the castle, the beach, the lighthouse. They give high scores but require specific conditions to maximize them.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
Each round is divided into two phases that influence each other: the Night decides who chooses first during the Day, and the Day decides the order of the next Night.
Each player draws a certain number of Night cards (varies based on the number of players). Choose a card and pass it to the next player, who chooses one and passes. At the end, everyone will have one Night card that determines the pick order for the Day phase.
In turn order (determined by the Night phase), each player chooses a Day card from the common pool. Day cards are what build the city: terraces, piers, residents, locations. After the choice, the turn order reverses for the next round.
After choosing the Day card, you place it in your tableau according to placement rules (some cards go into specific streets, others have adjacency constraints). If it is a resident, you immediately activate their ability. If it is an iconic location, you mark the requirements for final scoring.
Unchosen cards are discarded, the pool is prepared for the next round, and the process restarts from the Night phase. After 10 rounds the game ends: points are tallied from placed cards, completed sets, resident bonuses, and iconic locations. The person with the most points wins.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
First cards, first doubts
You draw Night cards and choose the one that will put you first (or last) tomorrow morning. You don't quite understand yet which cards you need, but turn order already counts. Someone positions themselves aggressively, you play it safe.
The first streets take shape
You've placed three terraces and a pier. You start to see a pattern: if you manage to grab the yellow one next turn, you'll complete a set. But the Night order has put you third. Someone will take that card before you. You need a plan B.
The battle for residents
The first residents with strong abilities appear. The one that rewards long piers is perfect for you, but you are fourth in the Day order. The person before you takes it. You grab another resident, less powerful but one that fits well. You adapt the plan on the fly.
The tableau is completed
You are at round 7. Your Tenby has taken a direction: long piers, red and yellow terraces, two residents that reward both. You look at the other tables: one is betting everything on iconic locations, another on a rainbow of colors. No one is building the same city.
The last round, the last calculation
Round 10. You draw the final Day cards. You already know how many points you have, but that card could give you the final set you’re missing. You take it. You place it. You count. Someone wins by 3 points. Everyone wants to flip the table and start again.
🐸Good to knowThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know
Three things to keep in mind
The order changes every round
Choosing the Night card determines when you play during the Day, and the Day card determines the next Night order. This double intertwining is the heart of the game, but in the first few games it can be confusing: you need to plan two turns ahead and understand when it’s better to be first or last. Those who play by instinct might lose points.
Patterns are not obvious
Cards reward sets, colors, adjacencies, lengths. But the conditions are written on the cards themselves and are not always immediate to read during drafting. You need a game to understand which combos to look for. Those expecting an immediate city builder like Kingdomino might be caught off guard.
It slows down with 5 players
Tenby scales well up to 4, but with 5 players the waiting time between turns grows. The Night phase requires simultaneous drafting, but the Day phase is sequential: if someone is slow at analyzing cards, the game can stretch beyond an hour. Ideal with 2-3 players to keep the rhythm fluid.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat counts at the end▼
How it ends
How to win and lose
The game ends after the tenth round. There are no eliminations, but those who build poorly lose by a wide margin.
Victory
- Accumulate the most points through sets of terraces of the same color or patterns of different colors
- Build long, connected piers that provide fixed points multiplied by residents
- Complete requirements for iconic locations and activate resident bonuses at the right time
Defeat
- Choose cards without a clear direction and end up with a tableau without combos or completed sets
- Ignore turn order and let others snatch key cards every round
- Place residents and locations without meeting their conditions, accumulating dead cards
Tenby is a city builder you can take anywhere, with a drafting mechanic that rewards those who plan two moves ahead. If you're looking for a strategic but not heavy game that also works well solo, this is the right table.
💬Frequently Asked QuestionsQuick answers before the cart▼
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Tenby
What mechanics does Tenby use?
Tenby uses action drafting (you choose cards that determine turn order), open drafting (cards visible to everyone during the choice), pattern building (you build sets and combos in your tableau), and hand management in the Night phase. It is a mix of classic drafting and game-order planning.
How does the solitaire game work?
The solo mode uses the same basic rules but with graduated scores to beat: you build your Tenby in 10 rounds and try to exceed increasing scoring thresholds. You lose the tension of competitive drafting (no one steals your cards), but the tableau optimization remains intact. Great for understanding combos before facing others.
How long does a game actually last?
With 2-3 players, you’ll stay within 30-45 minutes after your first game. With 4 players, you reach 50-60 minutes. With 5 players, you might exceed an hour if someone is slow at drafting. Setup is fast (shuffle, deal, go) and there are no maintenance phases between rounds.
Is it suitable for those who have never played modern board games?
Yes, but with a warning: the rules are simple (draw, choose, place), but understanding which cards to take and when requires a "break-in" game. It's not an immediate gateway game like Ticket to Ride: those playing for the first time might make random choices and lose by a lot. Better as a second or third modern board game.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes, the Cranio Creations edition is completely in Italian: cards, rulebook, player aids. You don’t need to know English to play.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they have done.
Tenby is a card game for 1-5 players, recommended age 8+, duration 30-60 minutes, designed by Benjie Talbott and published by Cranio Creations. It uses double-order drafting mechanics (Night and Day phases influence each other) and pattern building to build the most beautiful coastal city in Wales. Includes an official solo mode and supports 1 to 5 players without drastic changes. Ideal for those seeking a pocket-sized city builder that is strategic but not heavy, with high replayability thanks to variable card combinations. Available on FroGames.it.
Tenby
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
⏳How do pre-orders work?
Pre-order the game before release, payment is immediate, and the game is reserved for you. As soon as it arrives, we'll ship it right away! If there are any delays, we'll update you promptly.
🔒Can I trust buying here?
Absolutely! Secure payments, tracked shipments, and a team that loves board games as much as you do. If something goes wrong, we'll do our best to fix it.
🛠There's a problem with my order, what should I do?
Write to us now! Whether it's a missing part, damage, or an error, we'll help you resolve it as soon as possible. Your experience truly matters to us.