You do not see too many EURO-type games discussed on my blog, but when you do, then these are the titles which made an impression on me – usually quite positive. Recently I got possibility to multiple times play one of the Uwe Rosenberg creations – Nova Luna – and has to confirm this puzzle-like titles has something, which makes you come back to it again and again. In below article I will share some of my observations and impressions, but let us first start with game description!

The game

The new moon is a symbol for a new beginning, the perfect time to start something new and to plan your future — and that is what Nova Luna (Latin for new moon) is all about. In each round of this abstract tile-laying game, you have to plan your future anew, developing a new strategy to cope with what the moon wheel has to offer you.

On each turn, you have to decide which new tile from the moon wheel to place in front of you. Every new tile brings a new task you have to fulfill. In order to do so, you need to place tiles of the correct color adjacent to the task you want to complete, but these of course again bring you new tasks. Each time a task is solved, you may place one of your markers on it. So decide wisely and be the first one to place all your markers. Your goal is to be the first to place all of your tokens!

The sessions

After quite brief introduction to the game we were able to start the sessions. The rules are not overly complex, in the end this is puzzle-type game, but requires from you pretty good forward planning. At the same time, the game offers endless replayability with many combinations of tasks to fulfill. Below some of our games – it plays reasonably quickly so you can easily fit two sessions 1.5 hour slot:

  • The main element of the game is a circle depicting moon phases. You move Moon around it by 1, 2 or 3 tiles and choose which one you will take.
    The main element of the game is a circle depicting moon phases. You move Moon around it by 1, 2 or 3 tiles and choose which one you will take.
  • Then you start to build your "mosaic" by adding the tiles in particular way - so the tasks are fulfilled.
    Then you start to build your “mosaic” by adding the tiles in particular way – so the tasks are fulfilled.
  • That was probably the luck of the newbie. In my first game (playing with orange) I managed to grab victory in the last move, beating Magda and Maria by 1 point.
    That was probably the luck of the newbie. In my first game (playing with orange) I managed to grab victory in the last move, beating Magda and Maria by 1 point.
  • The immediate re-match was again very close - still, the newbie luck continued and my orange scored victory again (yet one more time by only 1 point, at the very last moment!)
    The immediate re-match was again very close – still, the newbie luck continued and my orange scored victory again (yet one more time by only 1 point, at the very last moment!)
  • Quite recently we again brought Nova Luna to the table. And guess what - I played with orange again. The rest you can deduct...
    Quite recently we again brought Nova Luna to the table. And guess what – I played with orange again. The rest you can deduct…

The impressions

We played enough to be able to formulate some observations about the game:

  • The first thing that stands out is definitely the graphical representation of the game and its components. This is simply beautiful, functional and also thematic. So this is also not surprising that my wife loves that game!
  • For such a short set of rules and limited number of components, Nova Luna brings very good replayability. Not only each session is completely different, but there is that urge of “one more try” when you lose.
  • It is also a game for everybody. We play it with kids, we play it two players although with four we have best fun. Easy to learn, hard to master, beautiful in look – this is probably why everybody likes it so much.

Summary

Uwe Rosenberg does not stop to surprise positively. While he is mainly known for his “food saga”, i.e. Agricola, Le Havre, Caverna, etc., the puzzle-like titles he designs also are of top quality – at the same time being accessible to much wider audience. Definitely, if you have not done yet, try Nova Luna!