Faraway Review
Advert: this game was gifted by Hachette Board Games UK, this has not affected our opinion.
I was in the faraway lands of Spiel Essen, Germany, when I first heard mention of the card game Faraway. Those that read My Top 10 New to Me Board Games will know I missed out on actually securing my own copy of this card game. Deciding I would try a friend’s copy before buying it. Then playing it and realising I needed it in my life – only to return to a ‘Sold Out’ sign.
No need to feel too sorry for me, because the lovely people at Hachette Board Games sent me a French copy of the game, one of only three advanced copies they had ahead of their UK distribution (of the English version). Wanna know what got me so excited in Deutschland? Read on to find out…
But wait, one more little thing. You will see some cool little figures in some of the photos, these are a completely superfluous promo that you probably won’t be able to get in the shops. However, I’ve got them, so I’m gonna show them off!
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Setup
Shuffle all the cards in the two decks of cards. They are different sizes so your intuition should suggest you don’t mix them, but in case it isn’t clear, don’t mix the two decks!
I’m a fan of the advance set up, whereby you deal five of the larger square region cards to each player, who choose three to keep. The alternative is to just deal three cards to each player. Less choice here equals less strategy.
Reveal cards from the larger square deck equal to the number of players plus one. Have the smaller deck of Sanctuary cards nearby. You’ll notice I may not be referring to all the cards by their correct name. That’s the trouble of only having a French rulebook and only studying French at GCSE level nearly three decades ago. My French is no longer something I can do les doigts dans le nez!
Fortunately, that is set up complete.
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Gameplay
Over the course of the game you will choose and play exactly eight Region cards from left to right. At the end of the game you will flip your personal tableau of eight cards over. You will score them by flipping them back face up from right to left, scoring from the visible cards only. This represents you going on an exploration and travelling back, which might help contextualise things a bit.
Once this has been established, the anatomy of a card is all that you need to know to get playing. The big number in the bottom right corner are the points, these can be straight up points, or multipliers. Above this are often small symbols that are required to be visible for the card to be scored. Top right, has symbols, I’m sure they have names, but to me they are pineapples, blue rocks and stag heads! These are the symbols you will require to meet the scoring conditions of other cards.
Top right on a card is a number, unless I have made a translation faux pas, these represent the number of hours it takes to get to these newly explored lands. These will also dictate who gets to choose a region card first, lower number first as they were quicker to get to it. The circle around this number, as well as the background of the card shows whether it is a day or night card.
When playing cards, if you play a card to your tableau that is higher in number than the previous card, you gain a Sanctuary card. A map icon on a card allows you to take an additional Sanctuary card. You still only gain one, but you have more choice. Sanctuary cards are important as they are always visible for scoring.
Once you have played your eight cards, tally scores and declare the winner!
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What it’s like
Most people will only truly understand the concept of Faraway after their first play. Fortunately the quick play time means you can then have another game with them. It’s only after scoring the first game that the game clicks and you understand the full cycle of the game. There is nothing complicated here, it just takes a playthrough to get to grips with it as it is quite different.
Some will say there is a lot of luck in which cards come your way. I cannot deny there is some luck in the game in that regard, but not to the detriment of the game. I have always felt like I have something to work towards. In Faraway, like so many games, I have to adapt my strategy to optimise whatever comes my way. However, once in a while because you are only playing eight cards you will get a completely duff score.
I really appreciate the quandary of the numbers you play. The game rewards you for playing in ascending order and the benefits of the Sanctuary cards is clear. However, the bigger scoring cards are generally the higher numbers and require more symbols to activate. This means you would like to play your cards in descending order. Balancing when to play what adds the much needed dollop of strategy to the game.
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Table Presence
I wasn’t sold on the artwork of Faraway at first. In fact, I thought some cards were cool, and others were just weird and ugly. However, I have grown to enjoy and like all the different cards and the bold and distinctive style. I would fully understand those people that don’t.
The rulebook was tricky for me as it was French, but will be much easier for you if you buy it in the correct language! Joking aside, I have found a copy of the English rules online and with the caveat I already knew how to play, they seemed fine.
The card stock is good and the box, although a little too big, wasn’t the worst offender of having too much air inside. There is even a score pad included.
I really like the wooden promos but cannot deny they are completely and utterly superflous, but they look good in the photos right!
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Final thoughts on Faraway
I know some may say Faraway is just a simple tableau builder that you score in reverse. For me, it feels unique and fresh as much as any game I have played over the last year. It’s clever, it’s quick and I am so happy puzzling out my options every single game.
I will often play a couple of games back to back. I could see an argument for making it ‘best of three’ as my only real complaint ever is that it is over too soon. Some games outstay their welcome, Faraway is the antonym of this – I am always left wanting more! That’s a pretty good gripe to have with a game!
I haven’t been as excited for getting hold of a game this much since Akropolis. I have been really impressed by this little card game and have already played it lots of times. I can’t wait to play it more!
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Key Facts
Number of players: 2 to 6
Board Game Review Recommended Age: 9+
Publisher’s Recommended Age: 10+
Playing Time: 20 minutes
Setting Up and Take Down Time: 1 minute
Designers: Johannes Goupy and Corentin Lebrat
Publisher: Catch Up Games / Hachette Board Games UK
RRP: £20.00
Summary
Of all the little, quick, filler card games, Faraway has soared to being one of my absolute favourites. I think it packs a whole lot of clever gameplay and fun inside a small box. Bear in mind you will need to play this one twice to really get in the flow of the strategy!
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Artwork and Components
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Complexity
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Instructions
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Interaction
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Value for Money
Overall
Pros
- Quick to play
- Unusual reverse scoring
- Feels fresh and different
- Plays up to six people
Cons
- Some luck of the cards
- Can feel like it is over too quick
- Often need a playthrough to fully understand the game
Need more games?
If you already own Faraway and enjoy it, or are looking for other inspiration, you might also like these similar games:
- Santa Monica
- Funfair
- Wild Space
- Imperial Miners
Buy Faraway
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Reviewer’s Note
For clarity: we don’t get paid for our reviews. However, we were kindly gifted this game by Hachette Board Games UK. We have tried not to let this affect our review in any way.
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