Is Tenby a Good Board Game?

Tenby board game is a card drafter that takes some familiar mechanics from other games and blends them with new elements in a very satisfying way. The turn begins with player tokens placed on Night cards; these have icons showing which Town cards (terraces, piers and landmarks) the players can action during their turn. Night cards also have a number on them; the player who chooses the lowest number gets to pick their Night card first next round, giving a significant advantage in street building. The higher-numbered night cards, however, allow you to pick up more cards, so there is always a decision required between going first and definitely picking the cards you need, or going high in number for more cards, but risking all the visible ones disappearing before your turn. It's a balancing act, and the player who picks first can shaft other players before they even get to choose a card! A satisfyingly crunchy start to the round.

Once all players have chosen their Night cards, it's time to pick up Town cards. There are three town cards: Terraces, which form the meat of your street, joined together buildings with businesses or houses. There are Piers, either empty of buildings or with small business shacks, but often lots of seagulls and binoculars and then there are Landmarks. Players can only add buildings together in their street if the edges of the cards match; a terrace house cannot go next to a pier unless the edge of the Terrace card shows the start of the pier and water. A street can also only have one Landmark card in it, so working out which landmark will give the biggest points boost is critical. The bottom of the Town cards show the scoring bonuses they provide, such as the number of seagulls on cards on either side, or the number of lampposts on cards two either side. Placement is everything and can make or break a big score. This feels very similar to Welcome To Your New Home, the flip-and-write game where you must customise your own 1950s suburban street. Tenby is much more crunchy, however, with a greater level of player interaction.

Much like bonus cards in Wingspan, Tenby has Resident cards which provide ways to increase your score dramatically at the end of the game. Ensuring you have the right number of lobster pots visible on your completed street could net you another 10 points or more, so it's worth increasing your hand of Resident cards when you get the chance. There are other scoring conditions included in the game, such as Accolade cards. Players who are clever with their life ring tokens will quickly increase their street cards, too.

Tenby is a really interesting blend of the feel and speed of a roll-and-write with the crunch of an engine-building game. You're aiming for high-scoring combinations, but the game moves at pace, limiting the time you have to make the right impact.

After ten rounds, the game ends, players tot up their scores, and whoever has the highest wins. Once learned, Tenby is very easy to play, which means you can spend more time furrowing your brow and plotting out your street strategies.