Clans of Caledonia

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Overall Rank: #35 | Trending Rank: #98

Clans of Caledonia is a mid-to-heavy economic game set in 19th-century Scotland. At this time, Scotland made the transition from an agricultural to an industrialized country that heavily relied on trade and export. In the following years, food production increased significantly to feed the population growth. Linen was increasingly substituted by the cheaper cotton and raising sheep was given high importance. More and more distilleries were founded and whisky became the premium alcoholic beverage in Europe. Players represent historic clans with unique abilities and compete to produce, trade and export agricultural goods and of course whisky! The game comes with nine different clans, a modular board with 16 configurations, nine port bonuses and nine round scoring tiles.

Players:1 - 4

Playtime:30 - 120 min

Year Published:2017

Minimum Age: 12

Learning: 3.00 / 5[Vote]

Strategy: 3.33 / 5[Vote]

Designer: Juma Al-JouJou

Publisher: Karma Games

Artist: Klemens Franz

Mechanics: Variable Player Powers [+2]

Categories: Economic [+1]

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philryuh

Adding missing information, Added categories

mdoom

Added mechanics, Added official website

Skippan

Designer, price

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User Ratings & Reviews

by kingkippen

Trade interest - Low

by Synthezoid

With a group, it's a neat, highly economic, territorial farming game. I get Terra Mystica vibes, but without such a complex, mammoth set of rules and a greater focus on straightforward economics. While there are engine building elements, it's less about building an engine and more about opportunism. How is your engine going to feed into the contract you want to finish next round, or the end-of-round bonuses? The clan powers are interesting, but they really aren't as exciting or as obviously useful as the ones in, say, Marco Polo. They're neat, but they might not have the same anticipation when starting a new game with a Shiny New Playstyle. It's charming and pretty cool, and I'm interested in revisiting, though maybe not owning. Glad to see it on BGA when I need my pandemic gaming fix too.Solo is a bit dry and I wouldn't recommend it. Even as practice, the tweaked scoring and inability to use neighbor bonuses and no incentive to compete for land when you can get it at your own pace make it less than ideal. A lot of the dynamism fades away when played alone. Playing to beat your high score is also rarely a satisfying structure for this sort of game. Maybe not every game needs a solo mode.

by amacleod

A somewhat dry but nevertheless good economic game with much, much replay value. It is not a heavy economic sim (like Planet Steam, Terraforming Mars, Automobile or the incomparable Container), but what it does it does well. It feels, at times, like multi-player solitaire; but you MUST keep an eye on what your opponents are doing to succeed!I like Frans Klemens' art; but in Clans of Caledonia, he didn't seem to hit his usual mark. As for the theme: well, it's there...barely...almost to the point of being laughable.

by Spyron

Had a play in tabletopia.... very good game! A lot of wood and very thematic game.

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Clans of Caledonia metal coins and other recent acquisitions

philryuh Supporter

updated 18 days ago

My metal coins for Clans of Caledonia finally arrived. It took me a while to decide between getting this vs. metal coins for Concordia or Viticulture. In the end, I decided to upgrade Clans since #Viticulture: Essential Edition hasn't been seeing that many plays ever since we got Clans and Concordia.

Anyway, the metal coins are almost exactly the same as the original chitboard coins in size and design. They have a nice weight to them and as you can see, they just look realllllly good :)

Now I'm waiting for #Pax Pamir (Second Edition)'s metal coins to arrive and I also got a copy of #Brass: Birmingham Deluxe under Board Game Atlas to write my review. Trent got his own copy as well and he and his wife have been enjoying it a lot. Really looking forward to getting to that one because everything about that game screams that I'll love it.

What are your recent acquisitions and what are you most excited about?

[Clans of Caledonia, Clans of Caledonia: Coin Set]

Like 4 | 16 comments

Highly rated games that aren't talked about as much

philryuh Supporter

updated 18 days ago

As gamers, we're blessed to have tons of great games to play! And I don't know if it's just me, but I sometimes feel like there are many great games (highly rated, actually) that don't seem to get mentioned all that often when I look around different communities such as reddit and facebook.

So, is there a highly rated game in your collection that's oddly not mentioned all that often? What do you think is the reason?

Mine is #Clans of Caledonia. It came out in 2017, places at #42 on BGG, and raised around $450K when it launched on Kickstarter. I really like this game (in my Top 5 actually!), but in comparison to other highly rated games on BGG, I feel like this one isn't talked about/mentioned all that often around the different communities. Maybe it's just me?

Hmmm I'm not sure but perhaps the reasons could be (1) it's not a staple in the hobby like Agricola and (2) it's not a particularly "exciting" or genre-defining kind of game that goes off the beaten path. Don't get me wrong, I love what it offers because it's a melting pot of various great game's mechanisms and presents it in such a nice package. To me, this game is more of a "comfort food" than a fancy meal at a restaurant, and that's okay. It's such a nice puzzly experience that my wife and I can enjoy every time. Lastly, even thought they're different, it could be that Clans gets overshadowed by #Gaia Project.

[Clans of Caledonia]

Like 4 | 30 comments

Clans of Caledonia Tabletopia

Playthrough

sdirrane Supporter

updated 18 days ago

Got in a game of Clans of Caledonia with a buddy from Colorado and @philryuh last night (and a random guy from Quebec). First time I've won.

I'm so glad I got to get a digital board game in with someone from the community. There were some things that slowed us down (ie we are in the process of sleep training our youngest), but I had a great time.

Of course the physical game is better, but it was nice to connect with others from BGA.

I think online I'd only play with 3 tops in Clans, it did take a while, but I think some of that was interface learning curve. I think the future plays will be quicker.

Also, I can't wait until I can hook up to Discord and have some conversation when playing online too.

What'd you think Phil?

[Clans of Caledonia]

Like 4 | 16 comments

Let's Fight

sdirrane Supporter

updated 18 days ago

Who has played? What do you think? Has anyone considered some Military house rules? Has anyone tried them?

Cheers!

[Wingspan, Viticulture: Essential Edition, Clans of Caledonia, Western Legends, Tapestry, Scythe]

Like 4 | 9 comments

Clans of Caledonia clan review and bling

WadeB1977

updated 18 days ago

https://youtu.be/l2KY6l6GeyI

Per request, I posted video of my brief overview of each clan with a few thoughts on each. I am a simple man...so simple thoughts. I thought it might be fun to show off the bling I have for Clans as it's prehaps (next to Scythe) my most blinged game.

[Clans of Caledonia, Clans of Caledonia: Coin Set, Clans of Caledonia: Realistic Upgrade Set (64-piece Set)]

Like 3 | 18 comments

My Top 4 Board Game Changes (1 per game)

sdirrane Supporter

updated 18 days ago

This is one is going to be a little bit nit picky and it certainly isn't meant to say these games aren't great by themselves, but I like to think of tweaks sometimes just for the fun of it.

#Viticulture: Essential Edition - Small one here but I don't love the glossy cards, I like a bit of a matte/rough finish.

#Western Legends - I've said before I actually think I'd like this game with meeples. Smaller box, smaller board, and I just love the simplicity of Meeples (which a lot of you know)

#Scythe - I know it's not the stated direction of the game, but I'd love more combat. Still one of my top games, and I do enjoy the Cold War aspect. But sometimes with a lot of experienced players it's all Cold War all the time.

#Clans of Caledonia - Bigger box. Not even that much, it just needs a few centimeters here and there and everything would fit perfect. (amiright @philryuh)?

Does anyone else have something they'd like to change in their favorite games?

[Viticulture: Essential Edition, Clans of Caledonia, Western Legends, Scythe]

Like 3 | 8 comments

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User Activity Feed

What's your Board Game Purchase Priority List | Comment

PoeticParson 7 hours ago |

Love little lists like this!

#Food Chain Magnate - The heavy game itch has been getting me recently and this bad boy is at the top of my list.
#Clans of Caledonia - I've heard a lot of good things about this one and I want to give it a shot. The streamlined, shifting market interests me, as well as the spatial element the board provides. Just looks like a nice, solid euro.
#Inis: Seasons of Inis Expansion - Going to nab this one whenever it finally restocks. Which, hopefully, will be very soon. #Inis at 5p sounds fun and the cards and tiles really intrigue me.
#El Grande Big Box - Been eyeing this one for a while. Another great area control game that works better at higher player counts, which is something I'd love to add to the collection. The auction mechanisms and surprise of the Castilla seem right up my alley.
#Imperial 2030 - Board Game Barrage put me onto this one. Their description of it is very intriguing and I'm a big fan of Concordia, another Mac Gerdts game.

Great post!

What did you teach this month? | Comment

philryuh Supporter2 days ago |

Hmmm I'll need to prep a lot as usual. Hopefully it won't be tooo bad. I have a feeling that she might end up liking it more than #Clans of Caledonia, but we'll see! I just loved how quickly that game gets you into the posture of being businessmen :D

Out of Print or Rare Board Game Giveaways (11/23) | Comment

Asynithistos 3 days ago |

1. I am always interested in different game designs and combinations of mechanics (I design games myself). I have not heard a lot about #Obsession, but the art and mechanics catch my interest.

2. My current go to worker placement is #The Pursuit of Happiness. I enjoy playing this game with my family. It has a twist on worker placement where you block yourself, not your opponents (though you can still take cards they want). It's one of the games in my collection where I don't care if I lose. It's so much fun just to play. If you win or lose, it's a great experience. And the solo mode is enjoyable as well, even though the goal is always exceeding a score threshold and 3 global goals.

3. Perhaps #Clans of Caledonia, as I see that often OOP.

What are your personal picks for these award show categories I just made up? | Comment

TK2187 New User9 days ago |

The best overall design: I dunno I'm terrible at "best" but I'm loving #Yokohama right now
Your best memories: #Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 editing to also add #Mechs vs. Minions
Best cover art: #Viticulture: Essential Edition
The best euro: #Clans of Caledonia
The best quick game (30m or less): toooo many #Secret Hitler?
The most fun you can have with your clothes on: #Steampunk Rally
The first game you loved: #Catan
The best game you can can fit in your pocket: #Coup
The most immersive experience: #Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
Your most played game: either #Pandemic or #Secret Hitler
Your favourite components: #Brass: Birmingham or #Wingspan
The 'to put it politely, I can't fathom how anyone can enjoy this' award: #Splendor

What are your personal picks for these award show categories I just made up? | Comment

sdirrane Supporter10 days ago |

I love lists! I'm sure no one will be suprised if to see one game feature heavily on my list...

Allow me to submit this as a more readable template before I come up with answers of my own:

The best overall design: #Root
Your best memories: #Root
Best cover art: #Scythe
The best euro: I'm not sure that I even own a Euro
The best quick game (30m or less): #King of Tokyo
The most fun you can have with your clothes on: Ummm what?
The first game you loved: #A Few Acres of Snow
The best game you can can fit in your pocket: #Sushi Go!
The most immersive experience: #Root (the asymmetry just makes you need to drive in so much and really know what others are trying to plan)
Your most played game: #Root
Your favourite components: It's close between #Root and #Clans of Caledonia, but Root edges out because of the unique/screen printed meeples, and the card quality
The 'to put it politely, I can't fathom how anyone can enjoy this' award: #Catan and I really don't have any interest in roll and write games

Games you don't want to get too good at? | Comment

sdirrane Supporter10 days ago |

Great question!

I have sort of thought about it from the standpoint of the few games I play solo. However, I'm so bad at multiplayer (or I always finish 3rd or 4th) that I'm not worried about it with #Clans of Caledonia. In my opinion the #Scythe Automa is so different from regular players that I don't think it would make or break unless you played it alllll the time (especially if you run 2 - 3 Automas).

However, I do think solo play of #Viticulture: Essential Edition has made me a very potent player (I don't know that I've ever lost), and so I try not to get that out solo anymore.

But yeah, I never want to play a game where there is no way I can lose because that would be less fun for everyone else at the table.

What are your personal picks for these award show categories I just made up? | Comment

philryuh Supporter11 days ago |

This is so tough... some of these I could swap between 2-3 different games at any point!!

The best overall design: I'm thinking of this category as the best "all-rounder". #Concordia
Your best memories: #Viticulture: Essential Edition (my wife and I's first modern board game purchase)
Best cover art: #Brass: Birmingham
The best euro: With enough plays, possibly #Brass: Birmingham. Currently, I think #Concordia edges out #Clans of Caledonia for me
The best quick game (30m or less): #Skull
The most fun you can have with your clothes on: #Camel Up (Second Edition)
The first game you loved: #Root
The best game you can can fit in your pocket: #Skull
The most immersive experience: #Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated
Your most played game: #Viticulture: Essential Edition (combined with plays of #Tuscany: Essential Edition)
Your favourite components: #Pax Pamir (Second Edition)
The 'to put it politely, I can't fathom how anyone can enjoy this' award: Honestly, zero. I haven't yet come across one that is an absolute disaster. If we're talking games that I personally want to avoid, it would be #Apples to Apples. I prefer #Dixit so much more.