REVIEW FROM BOARDS EYE VIEW –

Ever wonder what all those billionaires and oligarchs get up to when they gather together in Davos every year? We reckon that Tanel Kapp’s New World Order is close to what this exclusive not-quite-secret Illuminati club is all about, but it’s a game that you don’t have to be an oligarch to play. And you won’t need to be a billionaire to own a copy.

In New World Order, players take on one of eight characters, each with their own special ability. The 2-5 players will each be drafting cards from a display to make sets which they can then exchange for Achievement Tiles laid out in a pyramid display. As you might guess, you can only claim Achievement Tiles that are unobstructed – not those that are even partially covered by another tile – so the number of Achievement Tiles available increases as more are claimed, much like the card display in 7 Wonders Duel (Repos). The tiles all have a victory point value but they too can be organised into sets of matching colours: collect a matching set of three tiles and you can claim a Great Goal card which will give you another 500 point bonus.

This is essentially a hand management set collection card game but one that’s played with open hands: you know what cards all the other players are collecting, which means you have the option of taking cards as much to deprive an opponent as to benefit yourself…

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Review by Marko “Mörö” –  Experienced Boardgame Enthusiast

Finding a game with thrilling themes but easy gameplay may seem like an impossible task at times.
Luckily these times are now officially over, since I’ve recently been introduced to something simple and fast paced, yet rather deep and with a proper amount of strategy – New World Order by Tanel Kapp.
The game comes in a compact package and is very easy to set up – just pick a character, distribute the cards and set up the achievement pyramid (and I’d suggest admiring the quite awesome artwork while doing it all, too).
So what’s it all about? Here’s the premise – it’s 2033 and everything is f***ed, society has collapsed and you will be one of the 1% who has options to make the most of this final free-for-all and create a new world order as you see fit.
It’s basically a set building game – collect sets of corporation cards to trade for achievement cards later and keep an eye on some extra ways to earn points like color schemes and your chosen character’s unique abilities.
There are some interesting quirks and choices to be made throughout. One of the main ones for me was the dilemma of when to pass. Who passes first (ends his/her turn), gets to start the next one when new cards will be dealt the table. I mean, there may be a lot of useful cards still on the table but the option of being the first one to get your hands on a fresh batch may turn out to be a massive perk.
And of course players are presented chances to ruin a rival new world order creator’s game from time to time, because why the hell not?
There are rules after the collapse of society?? Hmm, how to conclude this short review… As I said in the beginning, the game is rather intricate and strategy rich, considering its modest form. I don’t know if Tanel’s New World Order will take over the world but at least YOU can do so!