Luna the Domain of the Moon Priestess

Luna is a very complex yet very exciting worker placement board game for 1- 4 players. My first attempt at Luna ended with half my board set up and a video of Rahdo running through the game, several times (not too mention I cried… a lot). Yes, I could definitely blame my ADD for not being able to focus on the rule book (or maybe the rule book for not being very organized?). However, the game is definitely a bit heavier in comparison to board games we’ve seen recently, especially coming from TMG. The level of flavor and options in this game outweigh a typical worker placement. I did enjoy the theme and eventually, I appreciated the components and level of depth involved in this game. I feel that once you get down the concept, it’s all strategy from there (and Luna is definitely a title that pushes its limits to how versatile the tactics are). When you are looking for a well rounded, strategic, worker placement that swims against the grain, check out Luna the Domain of the Moon Priestess.

My Experience

I spent most of my playthroughs running the game with 1 other player, so my review will focus on a 2 player game. After set up (which gets better with time) I was first to allocate my workers. So I enjoy starting with an Herb and a temporary worker when I begin play, so I allocated my 4 sets of 2 workers on every other island aside from those two (hopefully that explains allocation?). I have to say I am a huge fan of Luna, I feel the different strategies to gather points are unique in a way that they don’t conform to your typical worker placement. Your allocation of workers are as temporary as how often you’d like to change your strategy up (remember, versatile). For example, At some point I will no longer need to collect certain tokens from an island, therefore I’ll have to relocate my workers to a new island, or maybe even sanctify them into the castle for more points. My opponent’s main focus was the council of priests, so with her emphasis on building shrines (stationary workers), she was able to always have a worker available to exhaust in order to climb the ranks as a priest. Which, in the end was a pretty fantastic decision (one I didn’t see while we played). My main focus was sanctification. I rushed to climb into the castle, hiring new workers and rushing off the rest to the roadway toward the castle. I had a handful of workers available on the bribery island in order to reserve my spots behind the guard (because I bribed him to let me sanctify tokens that weren’t available yet). So yeah, a lot of my points came from sanctifying (which in the end, I won!).

Final Thoughts

I would say this title is one of the most exhilarating. I always bring it to board games nights (especially more than once because the first time is to teach the game) in order to bring it to the table. Great artwork, fun mechanics, and the variety of options has us back-to-backing this game (more often than not). However, I wouldn’t say this title is perfect. I feel the rule book could have done a better job organizing it’s thoughts in a way it would be better distinguishable from the filler text, for example. I think finding out what 2 player changes are necessary from the 3 or 4 player game is something that shouldn’t be hidden in a block of text. I also feel this game is in dire need of visual examples throughout the book. This is more than a visually learning title and the rule book just doesn’t clarify the game play that well (which is why Rahdo was a big help). I think I can back up my statement with this–What I do find interesting is, when it comes down to teaching the game to new players, it’s all about the walkthrough The examples of turns. It’s the visual examples of what workers do and how we score points that I find help new players get the hold of things.

You will like this game if you’re interested in a innovative way to experience a salad point system. This has a great theme and the game centers around it strictly.

You will not like this game if setup time means a lot to you, this game takes some time to set up. You will not like the level of strategy this game involves if you’re interested in light games.

Final thoughts? It’s exciting, it’s unique, it’s aesthetically pleasing, and it proves to be a very solid title for any gamers shelf. Looking to buy it?