Faraway

Why Faraway.

Faraway is a small card game with one idea that turns out to be deep: you play eight cards in a row over eight turns, but at the end you score them in reverse order, last card first. Each region card has a scoring condition, points for every sheep icon you have, points if you have three different colors, and it only counts what was played before it in scoring order, meaning after it in play order. So the card you play first scores last and sees everything, while the card you play last scores first and sees nothing. Planning a game means thinking backwards from the finish.

Each turn everyone drafts a new region from a shared row, with the numbered cards deciding who picks first next time, and playing a card with a higher number than your previous one earns a sanctuary card, a small bonus with its own scoring. The rules take three minutes, the game takes twenty, and the aha moment when someone realizes how the reverse scoring rewards a slow build is worth the price on its own.

It plays two to six with almost no downtime, since turns are simultaneous and short, and it is at its best at three or four. The box is tiny and the art is lovely. It belongs on the same shelf as Sea Salt & Paper and Sushi Go as a filler with real thinking in it, and it is the most puzzle-like of the three, which makes it the one for players who like to sit quietly and optimize.

No paid placement. No sponsorship. We chose it on merit. The Amazon link funds the lights - if you'd rather buy direct from a local game store, find one via BoardGameGeek.