Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun

Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun is a successor to Teotihuacan only in the broad thematic sense: another substantial dice-placement point salad, but a noticeably more cooked one. If this sort of euro does not appeal, there is little reason to lift the lid. For those who do, it is a notably tight Grand Austria Hotel clone, with a fair amount of thematic chrome bolted on.

At its centre is a permanent dice pool from which players take dice to use actions; the pool is depleted, then gradually replenished. The interesting decision is which die to take now, and what to leave behind, because its colour and position relative to the obelisk's shadow determine whether it is fully usable, usable with a handicap, or temporarily unavailable.

That produces continuous optimisation rather than a sequence of merely good moves. Dice selection disrupts plans often enough that this cannot fairly be called multiplayer solitaire, while the obelisk's shadow keeps shifting the shape of the available choices. Concordia's hand, in different work clothes.

The first encounter does produce the little click of a circuit breaker in the brain: the table is dense with information, and the side of the shadow aid that explains where each die goes is not an ornamental detail. Two or three rounds are enough for the system to come into focus, and by the end of the game its developing structure has made a repeat play feel entirely warranted.

I would retain one reservation: the first session suggested that single-minded commitment to one scoring path may be rewarded more heavily than one expects from a point salad. One play is not a verdict, but Tekhenu already looks like a very good, demanding optimisation game that deserves a second reading.