Played
OAK
Fun and folklore
Designer: Wim Goosens | Publisher: Game Brewer
There’s a grand oak tree in the back alley behind my house. Well over 200 years old, this gnarled giant calmly kicks up the concrete beneath it, creating a cracked furrow of crisp packets and disposable vapes. In lieu of two garages stands the tree; an inconvenience for the neighbours yet a reminder for everyone else of the oak’s importance and longevity. Oak invites players to recognise this importance, ludilogically recounting a time when oaks acted as our social and spiritual community hubs, all whilst affording players the joy of ruthlessly competing for victory.
Taking its themes and aesthetic details from a wealth of Druidic folklore, Oak plants players in a fantastical woodland world where people and the landscapes around them live harmoniously. Players are aiming to rack up points by unearthing artefacts, building shrines, brewing potions, befriending mythical creatures, and ascending the central sacred oak – all within the boundaries of worker-placement mechanics – as they compete to be deemed worthy of the mighty tree spirit’s ancient knowledge.