The Umineko Clan in Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North
Journey to the north with the looming threat of winter for the Umineko clan in Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North.
At the moment, I’ve been working on playing through my unplayed solo games in alphabetical order. I hit a little snag for “J” but found an unplayed expansion for Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North! The Japanese clan of the Umineko seemed like the perfect way to return to the game and discover some brand new elements. Off to sail across the table!
Game Overview
Game Name: Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North
Publication Year: 2019
Designers: Joanna Kijanka and Ignacy Trzewiczek
Artist: Roman Kucharski
Publisher: Portal Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
A chosen scenario provides some parameters and an overall victory point threshold for a chosen clan. With buildings and expeditions to islands, a civilization takes shape over the course of just 4 rounds. Although similar to Imperial Settlers, there are plenty of differences!
First Play
September 22, 2020
Complexity
3
Latest Play
July 26, 2024
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
25 Minutes
High Score
52
Game Area
26" x 24"
Low Score
32
Returning to Winter
There were a few reasons why I started off with the first solo scienario. First, this one appears first and is a little more straightforward. Much easier to get back into!
Second, it’s most certainly winter around here. I’ve been freezing and watching snow squalls roll on through.
Maybe it would have been more accurate for me to find a scenario where winter already arrived, though. Ha ha!
However, I never loved these solo scenarios. They’re rather static and don’t create a coherent campaign, so things can feel a big stagnant. How well I know winter!
The Umineko Clan
Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North Japanese Islands introduces a pair of clans, and I could only figure out how to play the Umineko Clan in solo… So that was my clan!
There were a lot of new rules to learn, plus new phases. In other words, not the easiest clan to jump back into the game with! Yet I was prepared with the difficulty level.
I wasn’t quite sure how this would pan out since it seemed like the right cards needed to come out very early.
One minor but incessant quibble: These rulebooks have so many typos, and one card even has a misspelling. Yikes!
Monkeys in the Bay
There were plenty of Calico Critters nearby, and I picked the perfect family without even realizing it! A group of monkeys started to explore the game as I set it up.
Flipping through the deck, they were quite pleased to showcase a card meant for them: Silver Monkey Bay!
Oddly enough, penguins, seagulls, and fish outnumbered the lone monkey on the card. Ha ha! Apparently, the residents were visiting me instead.
All of the storage, docking, and transport options definitely required a lot of thought to plan things out.
Hidden Details
Alas, this wasn’t a day for the Stealthy Elephants who sometimes make appearances in my photos, but I paid close attention to all of the new cards.
The artwork is certainly charming and almost feels nostalgic, although I can never quite name what it reminds me of! Still, there are lots of hidden details.
Take Yahiro Store, for instance. This is the only card of its type in the deck. Look very, very closely… See something?!
The phrase, “I choose you!” seemed to fit the Umineko clan quite well after this discovery. Ha ha!
Round and Round
Perhaps one of the biggest differences is the action wheel, which can have a unique configuration after the pieces are shuffled around during each setup. Very neat!
These additional actions were vital to get my civilization moving along, although I’ve found that sailing is almost always mandatory. New islands provide tons of benefits.
It just didn’t feel as fun as Imperial Settlers, though. And I originally loved this game from the very start! So… Hmm.
There were some repetitive rounds and trouble getting my storage working well. But what made it so unsatisfying?
In with the Old, Out with the New?
For the most part, I’ve treated this as a game all on its own… But at the same time, it’s definitely a spinoff of the original, Imperial Settlers. The issues with this session didn’t boil down to what the game had to offer, though. I enjoyed the different concepts and streamlined elements that changed the formula enough. Yet, what was it?!
After a little thought, I found it: The solo mode. In the original, there is a solo opponent that has a direct impact on gameplay. Drafted cards must be split up, while cards might be stolen based on partial information. There is a lot more going on than only building up a civilization oozing with victory points. Wait… That doesn’t sound right. Ha ha!
In this case, solo scenarios provide some guidelines and different rules, yet victory comes in the form of a victory point threshold. It’s not exactly a beat-your-own-score model, but it feels like it. What’s missing for me? Conflict. This is more of an optimization puzzle than a strategic matchup. A lot of that comes down to the luck of the draw, too.
This set of solo scenarios is also quite limited, so each clan feels like it has a finite number of possibilities. Even then, repeating everything over again with a different clan hasn’t interested me that much. Hopefully, I’ll discover something that might work in a future expansion, or possibly settle on the fact that I prefer the original!
Monkeying Around
Little did I know that while I pondered these very random thoughts about the game, someone decided to explore all of the different resources. Barrel of apples, indeed. Ha!
That’s an aspect I appreciate with the entire series, though. Resources are generally kept pretty generic, so there aren’t a ton of different components to sift through.
This Calico Critter monkey was certainly sifting, though! Sometimes I forget how cute these photo shoots can be.
Not surprisingly, the Umineko clan did well enough and prepared for winter without too much effort.
Session Overview
Play Number: 5 and 6
Expansion: Empires of the North Japanese Islands
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Winter is Coming Scenario
Outcome: 36 Points and 35 Points (2 Wins)
My ports never quite panned out, although a lot of what I needed turned out to be at the bottom of the deck. TWICE! It was still an enjoyable time even though I had some doubts about the solo mode. I’ll just have to see what happens with some of the next expansions to see if this will continue to stay in my collection. For now, still fun!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
5
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each clan plays very differently and takes some time to master, especially with new phases or unique mechanics.
- Action selection choices are often important, as is deciding to spend food to take additional special actions.
- Card combinations provide interesting results that aren’t always obvious at the start with nuanced effects.
- Play time is rather quick with just 4 rounds for the solo game and practically no upkeep in between rounds.
- The islands provide many different options, while each one might be more beneficial to a specific clan.
- All of the components fit the included storage solution, which includes extra room for some expansion clans.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The included solo scenarios can feel a bit limited, particularly since they feel repetitive after a handful of plays.
- Some clans rely on synergies and mechanics, but these might be buried in cards at the bottom of the draw deck.
- Without a direct solo opponent, nearly every option is available and there isn’t always a sense of tension.
- Rulebook errors abound, mainly in the spelling and grammar areas, but reading the separate FAQ is required.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Scenario
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete the Outpost scenario.
Complete the Pirate's Den scenario.
Complete the Winter is Coming scenario.
Continue the Conversation
What are your thoughts about Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North? Do you have a favorite clan or way to play? It may have been all of the new mechanics of the Umineko clan that bogged me down, but I’m hopeful that I’ll return again to find more of the initial fun! There are a lot of elements to enjoy, and my monkeys seemed to love the game. Ha!
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