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Strange World Above the Clouds
The Frogames review
Card-drafting and tile-laying game: build a 4x4 world among the Tzimime
Your neighbour passes you a second water card: put it next to the other one and a Tzimime gobbles it up.
Above the clouds you build a strange world, one Land card at a time, with mountains, waters, volcanoes and dimensional portals. You're after Stars, but the Tzimime are waiting for every placement slip so they can devour your cards.
Each turn you get 3 cards, pass 2 and then 1 to your neighbour, then play them one at a time next to your World. Break a restriction and the card flips to its Tzimime side, worth nothing. After 5 turns, with the 4x4 grid complete, whoever has the most Stars wins.
Released in 2024, designed by Florian Grenier and published by GRRRE Games. The artwork is by Grenier himself and Valériane Holley.
Game mechanics tap one to see other games that use it
Only here: Monsters that devour badly placed cards
Category:Gioco per famiglie · Puzzle · Party game · Carte · Costruzione di città
At a glance
Why we like it. With 3 cards in hand and tight restrictions, every placement becomes a puzzle. The draft means your neighbour often passes you exactly the card that's hardest to fit.
Good to know. Interaction stops at the draft and two shared piles: otherwise everyone builds their own World without touching anyone else's.
What kind of gameFrogScore + LuckFace-down cards, tempered by the draft StrategyA 4x4 grid to plan InteractionOnly cards passed to your neighbour PaceOne card each, three rounds ReplayabilityStarting card: 1 of 4 Rated by Frogames · from the rules · what the levels mean
We set the levels by reading the rules, always with the same yardstick: a 3 means the same on every game.
Luckhalf and half
- you decide
- mostly you
- half and half
- often chance
- chance decides
Strategyplan half the game
- one choice per turn
- plan a few turns
- plan half the game
- build for later
- the whole game is a plan
Interactioneach to their own
- each to their own
- you compete for things
- you get in the way
- you hit each other
- you attack each other
Paceshort turns
- lots of waiting
- long turns
- medium turns
- short turns
- you play together
Replayabilitypart of it changes
- always the same
- card order changes
- part of it changes
- a lot changes
- every game is different
When to bring it outTo open a game night or over a lunch break
Best player countfilled = best ·
Solohow solo play works +official mode, with a score to beat
- Against whom
- Against your own score: at the end of the game your Stars are compared with a ladder of levels.
- What changes
- No draft: you make 7 piles of 3 cards with the top one face up. Each turn you choose a pile, play the face-up card, then reveal the other two and play them in whichever order you like.
- What you need
- The Land cards marked for solo play, one starting Land card and 3 Traveller cards revealed at random.
- How to win
- Score 80 Stars or more to reach the top level; with 59 or fewer, a Tzimime devours you.
- Difficulty
- The ladder has five rungs: 59 or fewer, 60-69, 70-74, 75-79 and 80 or more.
Language dependenceNessuno
How to play
Watch a gameStrange World Above the Clouds - How to Play. Complete, Clear, Concise Board Game Tutorial · Meeple University
Official rulebook (PDF) →- 1Receive three cardsEach turn you're dealt 3 face-down Land cards from the shared deck.
- 2Pass to your neighbourGive 2 cards to your neighbour, then 1, in the direction shown by the Sun card.
- 3Place in your WorldPlay your 3 cards one at a time next to your World, respecting the restrictions.
- 4Count the StarsOnce the 4x4 grid is complete, add up Stars from lands, Dark Cities and Travellers.
What’s in the box
Land cardsThe main deck: land on one side, the Tzimime devouring it on the back.
5 Dark City cardsA pile of decreasing value: 9, 7, 5, 4 and 4 Stars.
8 Traveller cardsCharacters welcomed through the Portals, each with a requirement to meet across two rows.
1 Sun cardShows who goes first and, with 3 or 4 players, the direction of the draft.
Questions about Strange World Above the Clouds
Does Strange World Above the Clouds work with two?+
Yes, it works well with two. The Land deck is made from the solo cards plus those marked for 2, and you always draft towards the other player. In the BGG poll, 65% recommend it for two and 26% consider it ideal.
Does Strange World Above the Clouds hold up over lots of plays?+
Yes, because the draft makes every hand different. The starting card (1 of 4), the card order and the Travellers you meet all change; the 4x4 grid, the 5 turns and the scoring criteria stay fixed.
How much English do you need to play Strange World Above the Clouds?+
You don't need to read any text during play. The edition is in English, but BGG lists no language dependence: scoring and restrictions are shown with icons, which you learn once from the rulebook.
How much space does Strange World Above the Clouds need?+
You need room for a grid of 16 cards, 4 by 4, in front of each player. Traveller cards go beside the World; the Land deck, the Dark City pile, the Fumaroles and the Travellers sit in the middle.
Is Strange World Above the Clouds hard to learn?+
No, a turn is simple: you play a card next to your World. The rules to remember are the Tzimime restrictions, Volcanoes with Fumaroles, and Portals; on BGG it weighs 1.93 out of 5.
How do you win Strange World Above the Clouds?+
Whoever has the most Stars once everyone has completed their 4x4 grid wins. Points come from the largest mountain range, waters with adjacent cards, wheat (3 Stars each), different animals (2 Stars each), Dark Cities and Traveller requirements.
How long does a game of Strange World Above the Clouds take?+
A game lasts 10 to 20 minutes. You play 5 turns of 3 cards each until your 16-card World is complete.
Is Strange World Above the Clouds suitable for children?+
It's recommended for ages 10 and up. There's no text to read, but the placement restrictions mean thinking ahead about the grid.
Can you play Strange World Above the Clouds solo?+
Yes, the rulebook includes solo rules. You choose from 7 piles of 3 cards, and your final score is compared with a five-level ladder, from 59 Stars or fewer to 80 or more.
What player count is best for Strange World Above the Clouds?+
The favourite count is 3. In the BGG poll, 68% consider it ideal with three; with 1, 2 and 4 players it's still recommended by over half of voters.
What are the Tzimime in Strange World Above the Clouds?+
They're the monsters on the back of the Land cards. When a card is placed breaking a restriction, it flips to its Tzimime side and scores no Stars at the end of the game.
Can you mess with your opponents in Strange World Above the Clouds?+
Only indirectly. You never play in someone else's World, but you can pass awkward cards to your neighbour in the draft and grab the higher-value Dark Cities or the best Travellers first.
“Twenty minutes of puzzling: the worst card you're passed is the one you need to make work.”
Who is behind Strange World Above the Clouds
Who designed it, who drew it, who publishes it, and what else they made.
Publisher
GRRRE Games
Designer
Florian Grenier
Artist
Florian Grenier
All the BoardGameGeek data released 2024 · #3414 overall · Powered by BoardGameGeek +
- Rating
- 7,32/10 · 881 ratings
- Rank
- #3414 overall
- Complexity
- 1,93/5
- Year
- 2024
- Designers
- Florian Grenier
- Artists
- Florian Grenier, Valériane Holley
- Categories
- Carte, Costruzione di città, Puzzle
- Mechanics
- Closed Drafting, Tile Placement
- Language dependence
- Nessuno
Powered by BoardGameGeek
Strange World Above the Clouds in short. Card game for 1–4 players by Florian Grenier, published by GRRRE Games in 2024. A game takes 10–20 minutes and it's suitable from age 10. The tight 3-card draft and the threat of the Tzimime turn every card you place into a little placement puzzle. English edition, with no text to read during play, available at frogames.business
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