Tabletop Game Review: Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne

RUNES Edition

Play Time: 30-45 Minutes

2-4 Players

Vikings are becoming increasingly popular in media, with video games, television, and even anime all using the ancient seafarers for storytelling. It only makes sense for there to be some neat tabletop games featuring Vikings, right?

Lindisfarne is a competitive dice-rolling game for 2-4 players in which everyone acts as the jarl of their own clan. Players will choose European locations to raid and pillage over the course of six rounds with the objective of scoring the most points. Three boards represent the various places that players can invade, and coming out on top is dependent on what players roll.

Lindisfarne is divided into six rounds, called expeditions. During each expedition, players are given six dice (Each dice represents a ship) to roll. The turn player will roll all six, then decide how many they want to dedicate to a specific board. Once they pick where to place their dice, the next player will go and do the same. When their turn comes back around, the turn player can only roll dice that have not yet been dedicated to a board. A player may also pass, ending their participation in a round, but gaining perks for the next expedition.

Each board has a different condition for scoring. One board simply requires the highest total number rolled to take the lead on, while another needs the most dice results with the same number. The player who leads on a certain board gets to claim a destination card, which acts as a victory point. The next player can take what’s left. After everyone has claimed their spoils, the board is cleared and the next expedition begins.

Rather than going for the most destination cards, players win by collecting sets. Each card has a destination associated with it, and players will want to gain certain combinations of locations to score. In addition to locations, each card also has art that contains a piece of a bigger mural. Collecting sets of murals gives players additional points, adding more layers to the final scoring.

The game is simple enough, but it does take a second to get used to the flow of Lindisfarne. It can be difficult to know what board to shoot for, and it can be even tougher to decide what destination card is needed. Still, once players get used to Lindisfarne‘s gameplay loop, the game can be massively enjoyable. Rolling dice and choosing what to hold on to will make or break the game for players. Knowing when to give up a board or try to take one over at the last second builds a nice amount of tension to Lindisfarne. Despite being a dice-rolling game, I found myself surprised at how much strategy is required to succeed in the game. I expected much more luck.

Lindisfarne is still a dice game, so luck does play a significant part in choosing the winner. Despite this, I felt like Lindisfarne is much fairer than other dice-rolling games. It’s somewhat easy to adapt to bad rolls, and proper planning will help a player avoid any pitfalls. This is certainly a game where players are capable of making their own luck, which makes it one of the best games of its genre. The sense of strategy is further enhanced with players being able to just not roll the dice. Doing so grants them runes which allows them to alter the results of future rolls. Players can also shoot for destination cards that don’t give points but instead grant powers to make the game easier. All of these elements make Lindisfarne a fair and delightful game for players to enjoy.

As enjoyable as Lindisfarne is, it’s a bit too slow when played with four players. We found three players to be the game’s sweet spot. Three players offered the best blend of pacing and strategy. There are some rule variations for two-player games, and we found those rules to work rather well. Lindisfarne isn’t ideal as a dueling game, but it is still enjoyable.

The components are also of good quality but overall don’t stand out much. The boards are the highlight, utilizing a nice double-sided design to cover the needs of gameplay and scoring. Everything comes in a nice, compact package that gives Lindisfarne the kind of portability that a dice-rolling game should have. This game can easily be taken to a pub and played on a table.