When you think of Vikings, what images come to mind? Perhaps you imagine fierce warriors with horned helmets, two-handed axes, or the legendary berserkers. Maybe you even think of a football team from Minnesota. I admit, those are the first things that pop into my head. But we should also remember the explorers, like Leif Erikson, who is believed to have reached North America 500 years before any other Europeans. Hopefully, those with a more civilized mind think of him first.

This brings us to the game Knarr by Pandasaurus Games. In this game, players take on the role of Viking leaders. Your goal is to gain reputation by exploring new trade routes and discovering territories. Knarr is primarily a hand management game, but it also includes racing and engine-building mechanics. A game typically lasts around 30 minutes and is designed for 2 to 4 players.

Game Overview

Knarr is played in turns, and each player has the chance to complete three specific steps during their turn.

1. Reputation: First, players move their score marker. The distance they move depends on the highest level of their reputation marker.

2. Action: Recruit or Explore: Next, players choose one of two actions to take.

• Recruit: You take a Viking card from your hand and play it to your crew zone. Your crew is arranged in columns based on color—there are five different colors. After playing a card, you gain the assets listed on the other cards in that same column. Then, you take a new Viking card of that color from the supply under the game board to replace the one you used.
• Explore: You can choose to gain one of the three Trading Lands or three Lands of Influence cards. To do this, you must spend the crew members shown in the upper left corner of the destination card. Once paid, you instantly gain the assets listed in the upper right corner and place that card above your ship sheet. You then draw a new destination card to replace the one you took.

  Players may also trade before or after their action. By spending 1 to 3 silver arm rings, you can gain assets listed on your ship sheet or from your collected destination cards.

  

  After completing these steps, the turn passes to the player on the left. The game ends when a player reaches 40 victory points. The current round finishes, and the player with the most points wins.

  Game Experience

  Knarr features beautiful art and high production values. The Viking cards have excellent detail, which really reinforces the theme, along with the ship sheets, destination cards, and game board. All components are durable quality, though you likely won’t need to sleeve them. However, there is one design issue: the reputation track. It is placed on the left half of the board in a zig-zag pattern. It should have been spread across the width of the board. As it stands, it looks crowded, especially with 3 or 4 players.

  

  A strong point for Knarr is that every turn is fast and productive. The reputation step is quick, and the action step—whether recruiting or exploring—immediately gives you assets and cards. Trading is optional and not used every turn, so the game keeps a brisk pace. Even when you spend crew to get destination cards, you are always gaining something useful for your short or long-term goals.

  Knarr also handles luck very well. While the draw of Viking and destination cards involves some chance, the game gives you tools to mitigate it. You have recruit tokens that let you choose which crew card you take after recruiting, rather than just drawing blindly. You can also use these tokens to meet the cost of exploring if you are short on specific crew members. This mechanic is great because it helps you keep your crew columns organized and ensures you can still reach your goals even if the cards don’t fall your way.

  

  Finally, the game strikes a nice balance between building and breaking your engine. You gain Viking cards to build up your asset production, but you must spend those crew members to explore and break that engine. Players are limited to holding only 3 recruit tokens and 3 silver arm rings at a time. This cap prevents hoarding and forces you to use your resources wisely.

  The only downside is that if a player neglects the reputation track, the game can become a runaway leader. There is no catch-up mechanic. Since players move their score based on their reputation level every turn, staying close to others on both tracks is crucial. If you fall behind, it is very hard to catch up.

  Final Thoughts

  Knarr is a great game with excellent art and production, aside from the minor design flaw on the reputation track. Turns are fast and productive, providing assets every time. The game offers solid luck mitigation and a well-balanced engine-building system.

  Players need to manage the reputation and score tracks carefully to stay competitive. Without a catch-up mechanism, falling behind can be fatal to your chances of winning.

  Final Score: 4 Stars – A great hand management and racing game that plays fast and has excellent engine-building and breaking mechanics.

  Hits:

  • Well produced
  • Fast and productive turns
  • Luck mitigation mechanics
  • Balanced engine building and breaking

    Misses:

    • Minor design issue with the board
    • No catch-up mechanic