Resafa is a thoughtfully designed medium-weight Euro game that transports players to the 3rd century AD Middle East, where they take on the roles of merchants establishing their businesses in the ancient desert outpost of Resafa. This strategic game masterfully combines resource management, route building, and action selection mechanics while maintaining strong thematic elements that reflect the historical significance of this trading hub.
At its core, Resafa presents players with meaningful decisions through a clever dual-action card system. With each turn, players must choose which half of their action card to utilize, affecting both their immediate moves and future possibilities. This creates an engaging puzzle where timing and planning are crucial, as each card can be used for its main action and an associated color action, offering multiple strategic paths.
The game’s depth comes from its interconnected systems. Players construct workshops to produce goods and resources, build gardens to generate additional benefits and develop water networks crucial for the city’s survival. The trading aspect feels particularly well-implemented, with players managing their camel caravans to transport goods between various trading centers, each offering different economic opportunities through a dynamic market system.
What sets Resafa apart is how it rewards long-term planning while maintaining tactical flexibility. The workshop and garden placement mechanism creates interesting spatial puzzles, while the water network system adds another layer of strategy through its unique scoring mechanics during the “Rain” phases. The game cleverly ties these elements together through a merchant token system that allows players to specialize in different aspects of city development.
The production quality and artwork effectively convey the theme of a bustling desert trading post, with the board layout and components working together to create an immersive experience. The game scales well between different player counts, including a well-designed solo mode that maintains the tension and strategic depth of the multiplayer experience.
While the initial rules overhead might seem substantial, the game flow becomes quite intuitive after a few turns. The six-round structure provides a satisfying arc, with early-game decisions significantly impacting end-game scoring opportunities. The multiple scoring paths ensure that different strategies are viable, from focusing on trading networks to developing efficient production engines or maximizing water network benefits.
One of Resafa’s strongest features is how it creates interesting interactions between players without direct conflict. Competition for trading opportunities, workshop selections, and optimal garden placements creates tension without feeling overly aggressive, making it an excellent choice for groups who enjoy strategic depth without direct confrontation.
The game successfully balances complexity and accessibility, offering enough strategic depth to engage experienced gamers while maintaining clear enough systems to be approachable for those familiar with medium-weight Euro games. Each game feels fresh due to the varying card combinations and trading tile arrangements, providing high replayability through different strategic approaches and market conditions.
Resafa stands out as a solid addition to the genre, offering a unique blend of familiar mechanics with innovative twists, all wrapped in a compelling historical theme. It rewards careful planning and tactical adaptation while maintaining engaging player interaction throughout its roughly 90-120 minute playing time.
