Continue if you are looking for games like Realm of Sand and are curious about what similar games to play next. The Queen of Ragusa has embarked on a journey to the Realm of Sand to save her home. While she travels the plane awaking the power of the glyphs, you as a royal magician must act quickly to assemble those glyphs and stabilize the magic to reconstruct the realm of sands.
To determine this list we broke down Realm of Sand to what it is. Realm of Sand is an abstract strategy game that surrounds drafting and personal grid pattern building. If you are looking for something similar, you have come to the right place. We took all this into consideration and came up with this list of the 5 board games like Realm of Sand.
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#05 | Kingdomino
Kingdomino makes the list of games like Realm of Sand because it too has that defining quality of being very simple in rules in gameplay, but complex in options and strategy. You know it is quality because it won a Spiel des Jahres. Like Realm of Sand, you are building your own grid by drafting what is available in the communal pile against other players.
The game uses tiles with two sections, similar to Dominoes. Every turn, each player will select a new domino to connect to their existing kingdom, making sure at least one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type in play. The order of who picks first depends on which tile was previously chosen, with better tiles forcing players to pick later in the next round. Your goal is to make touching groups of the 6 different types of terrain with as many crowns as possible. For 2 – 4 players, games run 15 – 20 minutes.
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#04 | Azul
Azul makes the list of games like Realm of Sand because it too is a fantastic title in the same space, earning both the top spot on the list of the best abstract strategy games and a Spiel des Jahres award. Like Realm of Sand, the game surrounds ingenious drafting and building that requires a simple yet deep strategy.
In Azul, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player board. Later in the round, players score points based on how they’ve placed their tiles to decorate the palace. Extra points are scored for specific patterns and completing sets. For 2 – 4 players, games last 30 – 45 minutes.
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#03 | Dragon Castle
Dragon Castle makes the list of games like Realm of Sand because it brings a fantasy element to a similar abstract strategy game. Inspired by the ancient classic Mahjong, the drafting component brings an interesting component that makes so so much sense it is a wonder no one has ever done it before.
You take a pair of identical tiles from the central “castle” (known as the Dragon Castle) and place them on your own realm board to build your own castle. From time to time, you may sacrifice these tiles to acquire shrines in their place. Every time you create a set of tiles of the same kind, you “consolidate” them, i.e. flip them face down to score points. For 2 – 4 players, games run 30 – 45 minutes.
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#02 | Sagrada
Sagrada makes the list of games like Realms of Sand because it is one of the best draft and build games out there. You are fighting against other players for the right resources, but then fighting against yourself by putting the right piece in the best place. Dice are a big component and how you bring them in adds some fun and worthwhile layers.
You need to build a stained glass window by building up a grid of dice on your player board. Each board has some restrictions on which color or shade (value) of die can be placed there. Dice of the same shade or color may never be placed next to each other. Dice are drafted in player order, with the start player rotating each round, snaking back around after the last player drafts two dice. For 1 – 4 players, games last about 30 – 45 minutes.
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#01 | The Isle of Cats
The top spot on the list of games like Realms of Sand goes to another amazing fantasy puzzle game, The Isle of Cats. This fun title is similar because you are also drafting from a communal center into your own personal tableau, and the theme ways heavily into how you need to proceed. Mix the right mix of cats to get the right points.
You are citizens of Squalls End on a rescue mission to The Isle of Cats and must rescue as many cats as possible before the evil Lord Vesh arrives. Each cat is represented by a unique tile and belongs to a family, you must find a way to make them all fit on your boat while keeping families together. You will need to manage resources while you explore the island, rescue cats, find treasures, befriend Oshax and study ancient lessons. For 1 – 4 players, games run roughly 60 – 90 minutes.
