Description
Oros: A Game of Demigods, Land Manipulation, and Wisdom Gathering
In Oros, players become Demigods sent by the Wise One, the immortal keeper of wisdom and knowledge, to guide their Followers in the study of the mountains' mysteries. The Demigods possess earth-moving powers, allowing them to shape the landscape and harness the wisdom within.
Oros is an action-economy strategy game with unique mechanics involving tile-colliding, volcano erupting, mountain-making, and wisdom gathering. Players move their Followers on individual player mats between action spaces, enabling them to manipulate a shared environment resembling a giant puzzle of plate tectonics.
Action spaces allow players to:
- Shift rows of land
- Move and collide land tiles
- Form and erupt volcanoes
- Worship to gain wisdom
- Journey with Followers through the ever-changing landscape
- Build sacred places of study and worship on mountains
Building sacred places and worshipping in them generates wisdom, which can be used to improve the abilities available for each action space. Wisdom also increases the end-game value of each sacred place built and helps achieve other goals worth end-game points.
As Demigods build sacred places, they ascend a ziggurat, acting as a timer for the game. When one reaches the top, players complete the round before tallying their final scores.
At the heart of Oros is the ability to shift, move, build up, erupt, and reposition land within an infinitely connected play environment. This mechanic transforms every action into a puzzle requiring creative problem-solving, abstract thinking, and constantly evolving strategy. The player mat utilizes a minimal worker placement mechanic to govern action opportunities and maintains an action economy that develops differently for each player as they invest gained wisdom into various action improvements. With these core aspects, players can explore dozens of strategies, making each game unique and competitive.
