It’s picnic season, ants – and we’re in luck! We’ve found a picnic blanket covered in treats. If we position our queens just right, our colonies will be able to claim those sweets! But…who will claim the most?
As you roam the land of Alula, you’re sure to find secrets, meet citizens, and discover wonders. As you meet the inhabitants, they’ll grant you fame if you can fulfill their needs. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to experience meteorite season in Alula, which can change the land in interesting ways!
What Is It?
🎯The Goal of the game is to have the most points
⚙️Expansion – Under Starry Skies is an expansion for the Faraway base game that adds new region cards which allow players to leave cards face-up during scoring, which can help them with their goals. Some cards also have new requirements, such as discarding sanctuary cards in order to score
Who Is It For?
👥4 to 6 Players – I think it works at any count, but when adding in so few expansion cards, I like 4-6 so there’s a better chance at seeing the new cards
👥Ages 10 & Up – I think you definitely need some gaming experience. It’s not a heavy game, but understanding flipping cards and scoring can be a little confusing the first time or two
👥Fans of card games with set collection, hand management, tableau building, and end game bonuses. This expansion is, of course, for fans of the base game who want the potential to keep cards face-up at game end
PROS
🟢Aesthetics – Nice art. I like the color scheme of the new cards; they are also well-labelled in case you want to separate them out
🟢Rules are short and sweet so it’s easy to add into the base game
🟢Adds a fun new layer to the strategy and opens up opportunities for more scoring
CONS
🔴Luck of the draw – you may see a lot of the new cards at once, or potentially not see some of them, especially at lower player counts
🔴I think the game itself is very “samey” play to play, even with this, though it helps
Final Thoughts
Faraway isn’t my favorite game, but I have played it a bunch because I know a lot of people who really like it, and I still enjoy it from time to time. I think this expansion adds a nice layer to the strategy of the game which overall made it more interesting to me, so it’s something I’d add in for all my personal plays. If you already like the game, it’s worth checking this expansion out!
Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 7/10
Designers – Johannes Goupy, Corentin Lebrat
Artist – Maxime Morin
Publisher – Pandasaurus Games
MSRP – $9.95
Website
*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*
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Another month of 2026 gone! I can’t even believe it. I didn’t get a ton of new games, or games in general, to the table this month… I’ve been a bit obsessed with video games lately. But I still made time for a handful of faves and a few new things! Did you get anything cool played in April?
❤️ – Loved It/Definitely Want to Play More (I rate it a 9 – 10)
😄 – Liked It/Will Likely Play Again (I rate it a 7 – 8)
🤷🏻♀️ – Okay/Take It or Leave It/Could Play Again (I rate it a 4 – 6)
👎🏻 – Didn’t Like/Would Not Play Again (I rate it a 1 – 3)
⚙️ – Prototype (so take the rating with a grain of salt)
🤷🏻♀️Survivor: Let’s Go To Rocks
😄Endangered Rescue #2: Lemur Leaf Frog – This one was definitely on the easier side, but I still enjoyed it!
😄Faraway: Under Starry Skies – Great expansion!
🤷🏻♀️Super Trains
🤷🏻♀️Dreams of Yesterday
🤷🏻♀️Scrabble: Texas Spell ‘Em
🤷🏻♀️Tembo: Survival on the Savanna
😄Adventurous – Solid solo puzzley game
😄Holiday Hijinks #11: The New Year Nightmare
😄Codenames: Back to Hogwarts – I am not a big Harry Potter fan anymore, but I really enjoyed Codenames having special powers for both sides!
👎🏻Unlock!: Short Adventures – The Ascent
🤷🏻♀️Unlock!: Short Adventures – The Ocean’s Heart
Welcome home, aliens! It’s time to vote on what different things and ideas we found on Earth … and maybe figure out if a human or two made their way back with us as well!
Do you think luck is on your side? It’s time to find out! Push your luck as much as you want to score BIG – but watch out for duplicate cards and negative modifiers or you’ll fall behind quickly!