My cousin Tracey came to visit and brought with her a game I don't have in my collection (!)
Norderwind is a simple but fun game with some great components. The cardboard construct ships greatly contribute to the nautical theme, as well as providing 3D player boards on which to store the goods that are bought for trading and to complete the deliveries needed to score. Play is otherwise on a grid representing three island ports. Each turn, players choose which of the islands to sail to and they turn over initially up to four tiles.
The tiles indicate actions that can be taken (buying or selling specific goods, upgrading your ship, repelling a pirate attack or harbouring and delivering the goods, gold or captive pirates required at that location. Players can take up to two actions per turn; if they take just one, they earn a card that enables them to duplicate out of turn an action taken by another player.
Norderwind is undeniably a game of luck. (And I say that having won the game!) Nevertheless, a game can rely more on luck than skill yet still be fun to play. Norderwind scores on those criteria: its charm reinforced through the great components.
(Review by Selwyn Ward)