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- BGG #13,068
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Cartaventuras
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- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2021
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- BGG rating
- 7.5
Essentia
2010
Rules assistance for Essentia
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Essentia
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Essentia is a board game released in 2010 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Fernando Lafuente and its main mechanics are Grid Movement and Modular Board.
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About the game
Far away, in a land called Essentia, two Orders of spell casters have fought for the territory’s possession through the years. Sworn enemies, the Wizards of Dawn and the Sorcerers of Twilight strive for their opponents’ end in every battle. But the number of magicians is small and their life is priceless, so they do not fight on their own but by means of golems under their command. These battles are carried out on a strange zone where a special magic named essence provides the golems with new powers. That place, called The Changing Land, consists of several different terrains: plains, plateaus, rocks, forests and mountains. There also exist other weird zones, such as springs and circles of essence. Every magic terrain gives a certain magic power to whom tread on it so that it allows them to move or attack in different ways. Today, one more struggle is about to begin. A skilled wizard of Dawn and a clever sorcerer of Twilight are the chosen ones to handle the golems to solve the battle. The game includes: - Organic cotton case (Format 1). - A4 flexible pad board. - 28 printed and laser-cut tiles. - 16 dark onyx laser-cut acrylic golems. - 16 translucent white laser-cut acrylic golems. - Rulesheet.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- nestorgames
Questions and answers
Essentia supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Essentia is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Essentia for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Essentia has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Essentia belongs to these categories: Fantasy and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Grid Movement and Modular Board. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Essentia are: Fernando Lafuente. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Essentia as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.