Mi Tierra: New Era

If someone pitched me “a farming euro for up to 6 players that plays in under an hour,” my first reaction would be a huge X. It sounds like a recipe for a cash-in and, with so many titles under my belt by now, it is not exactly a theme that gets me excited. And yet, Mi Tierra: New Era was a pleasant surprise.

It is a production-based euro, straightforward in its approach but not lightweight. The game revolves around developing your production and offers more than one route to victory: you can invest in farming, in livestock, or pursue a more balanced approach.

What matters to me is that these routes do not seem to lead everyone toward the same thing. Still, in my four-player game it felt very open and free, with player interaction not putting me under as much pressure as I would have liked. I strongly suspect that at five or, ideally, six players, the space will tighten up and everyone else’s choices will carry much more weight.

The first edition from 2010 would probably fall squarely into the category that makes me wary. The 2016 edition, however, has a few extra touches—four or five additional things—that make it a much fairer game. Very good, then; I just want to see it again at the right player count. We shall return, when the stars are right!