Above & Below

My whole family loves this game. The art is great and it’s one of the reasons we were drawn to the game. The kids love megaland too so they were excited to get this. I think each of us has won at least once so the game can be different every time. You just need to decide on what area you’re going to focus whether it’s exploring more or building up supplies, or building buildings, etc. The stories and dice rolling decisions are such fun. When you explore, you read random stories and have to decide what to do and what’s worth the risk. It’s the favorite part of all 4 of us.

I love all the aspects of this game but the stories when you go below the ground sold me on this one!

If you are looking for something new and different as your gaming experience try Above and Below. This is an interesting mix of light civilization building and exploration. The best part, my son's favorite part, is the choose your own adventure story book that activates when you explore under ground. While the stories are very simple and short, it is enough to excite my son and husband. The other downside is there is a bit of a learning curve and we have to reference the rules every once in a while when a card comes up and we do not recognize the symbols.

If you are looking for something new and different as your gaming experience try Above and Below. This is an interesting mix of light civilization building and exploration. The best part, my son's favorite part, is the choose your own adventure story book that activates when you explore under ground. While the stories are very simple and short, it is enough to excite my son and husband. The other downside is there is a bit of a learning curve and we have to reference the rules every once in a while when a card comes up and we do not recognize the symbols.

This might crack my top 5 favorite games. So many different ways to strategize and win this game. The artwork of the board and pieces along with the storyline when exploring the caverns really draws you into it. A lot of fun mechanics that work together nicely. This is a great game that seems to not get enough attention.

This might crack my top 5 favorite games. So many different ways to strategize and win this game. The artwork of the board and pieces along with the storyline when exploring the caverns really draws you into it. A lot of fun mechanics that work together nicely. This is a great game that seems to not get enough attention.

GAMEPLAY: The story telling element from exploring Below are nice and we actually use a house rule of adding flavor context to the rewards of each encounter to enhance that. The city building aspect is fun and varied enough with the Key Buildings changing and the decks for Above and Below. The pacing is somewhat frantic as you quickly realize you won't have enough time to do everything you may wish to do. I have played it quite a few times at 4 and 2 player. It plays well at any count. QUALITY The cards/tile are a nice thick textured cardboard that looks like it will hold up for a nice long while. As always, the artwork by the creator Ryan Laukat is charming and whimsical. Price/Value: I backed this game on Kickstarter and must say my family and I are very pleased. Having payed full price (I did get the premium bits, but seeing the regular ones I think I would have been just as happy) I think this game is a great value at full price not to mention the price here.

GAMEPLAY: The story telling element from exploring Below are nice and we actually use a house rule of adding flavor context to the rewards of each encounter to enhance that. The city building aspect is fun and varied enough with the Key Buildings changing and the decks for Above and Below. The pacing is somewhat frantic as you quickly realize you won't have enough time to do everything you may wish to do. I have played it quite a few times at 4 and 2 player. It plays well at any count. QUALITY The cards/tile are a nice thick textured cardboard that looks like it will hold up for a nice long while. As always, the artwork by the creator Ryan Laukat is charming and whimsical. Price/Value: I backed this game on Kickstarter and must say my family and I are very pleased. Having payed full price (I did get the premium bits, but seeing the regular ones I think I would have been just as happy) I think this game is a great value at full price not to mention the price here.

One of the first things you'll notice about any of Red Raven's games is that they are gorgeous works of art, and the illustrations by Ryan Laukat (designer and artist) truly pull you into the world of his games. Above and Below stands out, even among an already impressive series of titles, as not only a mark above in beauty, but also as a seamless integration of excellent, middle-weight Euro mechanisms with RPG-lite exploration. The game is played over a series of seven rounds, with each player taking a single action on each of their turns, trying to be the one with the most points at the end of the game. This is accomplished by expanding your village with new buildings and exploring for goods in the caverns beneath you. This is where the game truly shines, as every exploration you take gives you new choices to make, and brings the possibility of new rewards. You might earn goods, which can bring you income; or you might free a trapped slave who then joins your company; or you might even discover a lost civilization that is more than happy to share its knowledge you. I have read before that Ryan Laukat and his designs have been compared to the grand storytelling of Hayao Miyazaki's movies, and there is no better game that demonstrates this similarity than Above and Below. Very highly recommended.

One of the first things you'll notice about any of Red Raven's games is that they are gorgeous works of art, and the illustrations by Ryan Laukat (designer and artist) truly pull you into the world of his games. Above and Below stands out, even among an already impressive series of titles, as not only a mark above in beauty, but also as a seamless integration of excellent, middle-weight Euro mechanisms with RPG-lite exploration. The game is played over a series of seven rounds, with each player taking a single action on each of their turns, trying to be the one with the most points at the end of the game. This is accomplished by expanding your village with new buildings and exploring for goods in the caverns beneath you. This is where the game truly shines, as every exploration you take gives you new choices to make, and brings the possibility of new rewards. You might earn goods, which can bring you income; or you might free a trapped slave who then joins your company; or you might even discover a lost civilization that is more than happy to share its knowledge you. I have read before that Ryan Laukat and his designs have been compared to the grand storytelling of Hayao Miyazaki's movies, and there is no better game that demonstrates this similarity than Above and Below. Very highly recommended.