Lowlands

Description

Designed by Claudia Partenheimer, Ralf Partenheimer

On the wave-battered coast of the North Sea, hard-working folk make a living by the sweat of their brow. Under constant threat of storm and flood, communities rally together to build dikes that keep the rising water at bay. But every citizen constructing a dike is one fewer citizen tending flocks and maintaining the family farm. In Lowlands, you must carve your farm out of this rough landscape while also working with your rivals to ensure the safety of all. Each player receives a pool of farmers that can be assigned to complete tasks such as buying sheep or constructing farm expansions. To get the most out of them, you must think strategically, customizing your farm to become as efficient—and profitable—as possible. Ultimately, you are free to pursue whatever strategy you see fit, building a farm that is uniquely your own.

No matter what you do on your farm, the water will eventually rise and threaten to to sweep away some of your hard-earned profits. To prevent this, you can contribute farmers and resources to the construction of dikes that protect everyone. A sturdy dike will reward those who helped construct it. If players neglect the dike, however, it will inevitably break, forcing those that contributed the least to take dike breach tokens that have adverse effects at the end of the game. Will you successfully maintain the balance between profitable sheep breeding and building the dike, or do you have a different agenda?