Wayfarers of the South Tigris

Wayfarers of the South Tigris begins Garphill’s new trilogy in a familiar design register without simply replaying earlier work. It is an absorbing, occasionally brain-scorching design, and its systems connect with a pleasing internal logic rather than merely being draped over the theme.

The core is tableau building: you develop your own set of options, then use it to drive an expedition forward. Several progression routes run alongside that engine, so building efficiently is not sufficient; you must decide which advances to pursue, and when to pursue them. The interesting decision is how much attention to give the engine itself and how much to spend turning it into progress before the opportunity passes.

The first read looks more forbidding than the game proves to be. Once the links between its systems start operating, the play is remarkably fluid. There is an unevenness, though: some progression paths lean more heavily on RNG than others, so the race does not always offer the same degree of control. It is a tightly integrated system, just not equally rigorous on every route through it.

Updated session

A second visit confirmed that the game remains pleasant and good-natured, even when repeated openings from the other players let one score run well ahead. It also confirmed the central limitation: this may be the most multiplayer-solitaire entry in the series. Other players’ choices did not feel as though they were putting real pressure on me, or materially changing my plan.

It remains a sound opening for a trilogy, but the lack of interaction reduces the urge to return. Next to the much more substantial Architects and Paladins, Wayfarers of the South Tigris is an elegant but less essential stop.