Explore Arydia, the Lands of Galzyr, and Other Lands Betwixt and Between

Explore Arydia, the Lands of Galzyr, and Other Lands Betwixt and Between
• Updates to the SPIEL '21 Preview — not to mention all of the other previews and game release lists — continue, with one of the newest titles on the list being Betwixt and Between, an adventure game for 1-4 players from Tobias Hall of All Or None Games that was funded on Kickstarter in January 2020 — which might be the worse month in which to have had anything funded.

Board Game: Betwixt and Between

Here's an overview of the setting and gameplay:
Quote:
You've finally found a way in to the home of the spirits and the fae, the Betwixt and Between, a tangled and uncharted web of strange places where most peculiar creatures dwell. Be wary — this land is steeped in ancient magic, and you're far from alone in here...

Betwixt and Between is a strategic adventure board game for 1-4 players, mixing eerie European folklore with magical creativity and euro-inspired mechanisms.

In the game, you take on the role of mystics who have found their way into this strange land to explore and harness its magical essence. Throughout the game, you will unfold your mystic's story by drafting exploration cards that determine what you discover and might encounter. You must cleverly combine card placement with character movement to create dynamic combinations in order to interact with the otherworldly beings and absorb magic. You then build on this magic weave to uphold spells that evolve your mystic with new abilities and points.
• For another take on the adventure game genre, let's turn to Lands of Galzyr from designers Sami Laakso and Seppo Kuukasjärvi and publisher Snowdale Design, with Laakso and Snowdale being largely synonymous with the Dale of Merchants deck-building series to this point.

Board Game: Lands of Galzyr

Here's a possibly far-too-succinct summary of the world and gameplay in this 1-4 player design:
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Lands of Galzyr is an adventuring game with an open and persistent world, with everyone's actions having consequences in both the current and future games. Players assume the roles of cunning adventurers traversing the lands while completing quests and trying to gather fame and prestige.

Each game continues where the previous one ended thanks to a clever save-and-load mechanism, with no need for paper-and-pencil bookkeeping. You can play the game as many times as you wish and even swap players between sessions.

Lands of Galzyr is set in Daimyria, the same world as both the Dale of Merchants series and Dawn of Peacemakers. Go adventuring with both familiar and new animalfolks!
For more details, you can head to the Gamefound crowdfunding project that's running through the end of August 2021.

• Speaking of adventure games that are being crowdfunded, let's consider Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread from designer Cody Miller of Far Off Games, best known for Xia: Legends of a Drift System. The price of this game on Kickstarter (KS link) is pricey, but all the miniatures come pre-painted, which is not typical.

Here's an overview of the game, which is, yes, for 1-4 players. Apparently that player count is industry standard for this genre...:
Quote:
Arydia is an open world, campaign-based, co-operative, fantasy-based, "green legacy" role-playing board game. The game of Arydia is built on four design pillars: Exploration, Progression, Combat, and Role-playing.

Board Game: Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread

• Exploration — Arydia is an open world to explore as you wish. Make your way across the world map, discovering new locations, interacting with memorable characters, fighting vicious monsters, and scavenging long-lost treasures. The world pulls you in through detailed descriptions and vivid artwork for each place you visit. Every location is unique, not randomized, and is built piece by piece as you explore.

• Progression — Arydia is played as a campaign over the course of a number of game sessions; you start each session right where you left off! As you play, the game keeps track of your actions and decisions. Your characters will grow in power, collecting new items, weapons, and skills. NPCs and locations will change, depending on how you interact with them. All of this progression is done using a simple, but powerful, index system, which allows for quick and easy set-up and tear down.

• Combat — Many of the locations you'll visit in Arydia are hostile, so you'll need your weapons, skills, and co-operation to overcome the challenges you encounter! Arydia features a tactical, co-operative combat system. Enemies are controlled by game cards and dice, while you and your companions work together to defeat them.

Board Game: Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread
Player board teaser

• Role-playing — Take on the roles of a wide cast of characters as you encounter them throughout your journeys. Step into the shoes of a disgruntled shop owner, sniffling brat, or a poorly-dressed bandit leader. The incentive-based role-play system encourages you to engage in dramatic storytelling, without being intrusive.

As for being a "green legacy" game, publisher Far Off Games notes that Arydia features all the hallmarks of a legacy game — packages to open, hidden information, progression, discovery, exploration, all the while wrapping it in high-quality components — but allows you to reset the game when you have completed it so that you can start again or pass it on to someone else.

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