This Land is Your Land - Terra Mystica Review

More than any game I’ve written about recently, Terra Mystica is hard to review. I find myself torn between actual enjoyment and the reviewer’s tendency to point out little things that are not to my taste. I don’t really like games like this as a rule. There’s only so much brain-burning for its own sake that I can handle before the game isn’t worth the effort anymore. But in a small way Terra Mystica has taken up residence in my head. After each session, we’ve had a fascinating conversation on strategy and what could be done differently, how the winner won and how the loser got buried. The design and strategy is compelling enough to overcome my own biases and leave me with an overall positive impression, though perhaps one of admiration rather than true enjoyment.