Cartref: City of the Hut Traders
Design and art by Chris Scaffidi
Medium-weight engine-builder of competitively constructing a shared city to maximize end-game bonuses
1-3 players / Ages 13+ / 33-33 minutes
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You are a goblin land baron and member of the Hut Traders guild–purveyors of magical real estate for weefolk, bigfolk, and everyone in between. Use your wits and magic to amass the greatest wealth in the budding city of Cartref.
Distinctive Mechanics
Players score Mandates (objective cards) twice–once when initially achieved and again at the game’s end. This creates the tension of a race while also provides a framework for strategic planning through the very last turn.
Invoking a card creates pollution (“bad karma”) that prevents invocation. This creates a need to purify before re-invoking, serving as a “burn down” mechanic to limit spamming. It also indirectly generates wealth, as the guild rewards players for cleaning up pollution.
Recent Feedback
“It is puzzly, replayable, and makes me feel quite clever at times.”
“It’s a unique, quick, easy-to-learn engine-building game.”
“The game was fun and easily understood by everyone.”
“It’s a competitive boardgame without being too mean! It’s easy to pick up, but it takes multiple attempts to develop good strategy.”
“I liked being able to invoke and that it didn’t take up the whole table. Because the game finishes quickly, you feel ready to play again and do better.”
“I liked the synergy between many of the building types their inhabitants and the mandates. It’s a dynamic game!”
“We liked the fact the rewards are ‘doubled’ and the potential strategy of getting early a mandate that is not so rewarding in the first moment but can prove very valuable when the game ends.”
“Like the other games Fervent Workshop has developed, Cartref delivers a well-paced, nicely-balanced game suitable for anything from a relaxed game with friends to a fierce battle between rivals.”
“Individual strategy can vary widely; the routes to victory are limited only by the wit and creativity of the competitors. A player may win handily with a steady, straightforward strategy, but the game provides opportunities, also, for those with devious minds who prefer to lie in wait and win (or lose) it all in a single, risky, long-plotted, game-ending trap. Whatever your preferred play style.”
“Cartref delivers a fun, memorable experience and will make a great addition to any board game collection.”
“It is an interesting card placement game that works well solo.”
“I liked the relative simplicity of the automata. I thought I was going to win by a landslide, but I didn’t!”
“Cartref’s is a unique mixture of city building, card synergy, and more, all within the landscape of a fast-pace, dynamic board. The rules are easy to learn and the game can be played quickly, in less than an hour. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon with friends!”
Cartref Status
40+ playtests, including 8+ blind playtests, with 15+ people since October 2022, in TTS and physical prototypes. I’ve started preparing to self-publish(in order to kickstart a PNP after the BGG 2-player PNP contest ends).
Photos of prototypes from blind playtesters
Courtesy of Federico and Nani… (Thanks, Federico & Nani!)
