Ever since my trip to last year’s Pax Unplugged, I feel like a veil has been lifted from my eyes. I thought I knew what all the new board games were and had my finger on the pulse of the boardgaming world. Well, that wasn’t really the case, and with how fast new games spring up, it’s basically impossible to keep up with all of them. I saw this one hit the App Store though and I knew I had to get it. Raiders of the North Sea($9.99) is a worker placement game for up to 4 players that puts you in the role of a viking intent on setting sail in the pursuit of plunder and glory. You will need to assemble supplies and a crew in order to prepare your attack. Each turn you get to either set sail to raid or take two options in your town that help you prep your ship. As you gather shipmates to your cause and amass supplies, you can start attacking harbor locations. With enough crew strength and supplies, you can push further inland to more heavily fortified locations for greater rewards. This is a game built around choice and leaves little to chance. There is a little bit of card draw randomness but strategy is going to win out over luck the vast majority of the time when you play Raiders of the North Sea.
Worker placement board games are a staple of most serious table top diets. From the Dungeons and Dragons rooted Lords of Waterdeep to the nuclear proliferation based Manhattan Project, you can find a theme of any stripe to toss meeples at. What Raiders of the...