Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
I’m a fan of small box games, especially ones that punch above their literal weight. In Alpina, from HELVETIQ, players cooperatively build a tableau in the Swiss Alps, and earn points along the way. Let me tell you about Alpina!
Alpina Overview
Alpina is a tableau building game for 2-4 players. Over a number of rounds players will place a scenery card into a 5 x 5 grid. The only rule is that you must place your card directly adjacent to an existing card. Players can then choose to place one of their wooden hiker pawns onto their card, or a card directly adjacent to their card.
Repeat until the 5 x 5 grid is filled, then score.
“Whoah” you might say, “that’s simple”. And you’d be right, if that were all there was to the game. Because what I haven’t explained is why you’d pick one of your cards over another, and why you’d decide to place it in a specific location.
Alpina Scoring
As you look at each card, the first thing you’ll notice is that it looks just like a Polaroid, with a top area featuring either a bird, frog, or goat. Each “photo” also shows an icon in the bottom left corner indicating the type of landscape (mountain, lake, or forest). The final thing you’ll notice is that the bottom area of the card features a series of icons, each representing a scoring possibility. Some of them are simple: 1 point for each hiker pawn of any color on a forest card, 2 points for each lake card directly adjacent to the scoring card. While others are more complex and require longer planning: 2 points for each type of landscape to the left of the card (in the same row), or 1 point for each bird connected to this card orthogonally.
And remember…you don’t have to put down a hiker as soon as you place your card. You can bait an area, hoping another player will bite. And then when they’ve placed their hiker, you can close the trap and place your next card along with a hiker to claim the scoring condition.
Alpina is clever that way.
Alpina Final Thoughts
There’s not a lot to Alpina: 56 scenery cards, 32 player pieces (scoring piece and hikers), and a box that also doubles as a scoreboard along the outside rim. And turns are quick: placing a single card and potentially placing a hiker. But the game is devious and requires players to pay close attention to the board as it develops.
The game starts with a single card already out on the table, which might wind up in the middle or might not, depending on the placements. That means in a two player game each player will place 12 cards with 8 hiker pawns. But in a 4 player game you’re only placing 6 cards with 4 hiker pawns. The board closes up quickly and unless you’re really monitoring game state, you might miss an opportunity to not only place the card you need, but to put down a hiker to secure points for the end game.
Alpina is also quick, with games averaging around 15-20 minutes. So it’s a perfect way to whet your appetite for longer and more strategic fare, or as a way to close out a game night and wind down from your games of The White Castle or Clans of Caledonia.
So if you’re looking for a small box game that offers strategy and looks, then Alpina would like a word with you.
Alpina details
- Designer: Luc Rémond
- Artists: Crocotame
- Publishers: Helvetiq, Reflexshop
- Release Date: 2024
- Player count : 2 - 4
- Age range : 10+
- Time range : 20 minutes
- Mechanism(s):
- BGG Geek Rating: 6.5836 - converted to Meeple Mountain scale: 3.5.
- More articles about Alpina.
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