Will the Eagles, Bear and Horses be on your side as you compete in this two-person struggle for dominance of the lowlands or will your opponent outsmart you with better strategy to tie up more of the grassland spaces and outscore you? In Great Plains, as foxes or snakes, players ...Will the Eagles, Bear and Horses be on your side as you compete in this two-person struggle for dominance of the lowlands or will your opponent outsmart you with better strategy to tie up more of the grassland spaces and outscore you? In Great Plains, as foxes or snakes, players take turns claiming caves – which are starting points for your tokens to move across the lowlands. The lowlands consist of grassland tiles or areas containing animal symbols. Next, the foxes and snakes are placed turn-by-turn with the goal of earning the most points by being able to claim dominance over grassland areas by having the largest presence in as many grassland groups as possible.
The larger the area that is dominated, the more points each one brings and if there is a spring in the area, it will add an additional point. There are Eagle, Bear and Horse tokens that can also be gained by placing a token onto a lowland tile with these symbols. The Eagle can fly over mountain areas to more quickly advance a player token into another lowland area (perhaps to land in an area that the opponent is attempting to control).
The Horse can jump over a tile (occupied or unoccupied) to move to an unoccupied lowland area. The Bear allows a player to push an opponent into either an unoccupied adjacent space or completely remove them from the board by pushing them into a mountain or off the edge of the board. This game, while quick to learn and simple to play, can be very strategic and initiate multiple battles for control or it can be more peaceful if players claim as many areas as possible while avoiding conflict.
Any way you choose to play the game, it is a great opportunity to engage and strategize while being small enough to easily carry with you to the park or to the patio for outdoor gameplay. For two players, with an approximate 20-minute game time.