SKU: 4729788362

Rise to Nobility

Sale price$37.25 Regular price$41.39
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $10.35 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 29 - Aug 3

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

Rise to NobilityFive years after the events of Cavern Tavern, where a fragile peace was brokered between The Five Realms, the High Queen Tabita Orestes has ordered a new city to be built. The city of Caveborn will be the capital of the Five Realms, a place where all the races will learn to live together in harmony, with the main purpose being to bring them closer and prevent another war. The Queen needs to keep the alliance between the races and ensure that Caveborn

Five years after the events of Cavern Tavern, where a fragile peace was brokered between The Five Realms, the High Queen Tabita Orestes has ordered a new city to be built. The city of Caveborn will be the capital of the Five Realms, a place where all the races will learn to live together in harmony, with the main purpose being to bring them closer and prevent another war. The Queen needs to keep the alliance between the races and ensure that Caveborn is peaceful and prosperous. To that end, a Settlers Council has been formed with Berk the Town Clerk as its chairman " but Berk is getting old and needs a successor. Are you that person? Rise to Nobility is a worker (dice) placement game set in the same fantasy world as Cavern Tavern. You each own a small piece of land in the newly built city, and your job is to rise from anonymity, make your way to the title of lord, and take over the head seat at the Stone Council. You can achieve this by upgrading your land and increasing its value, satisfying the demands of the settlers' council, attracting and housing as many settlers as you can, accommodating their needs, finding them jobs, and helping them develop from apprentices to guild masters, thus insuring you have people in high places all around the city of Caveborn. BLOG

Its always a pleasant surprise when designers manage to keep tried and tested game mechanics feeling fresh and exciting. The genre has been around for nearly two decades, with early examples such as and still drawing newcomers into the world of tabletop gaming. But thanks to the seemingly endless creativity within this current golden age of gaming, this simple mechanic of placing a meeple on a map to take/block an action continues to demonstrate innovation. Today we take a look at Rise to Nobility, a game which demonstrates innovation whilst retaining a classic and familiar feel. So, Whats it About?

Rise to Nobility marks Final Frontier Games second trip into their colourful world of the Five Realms, following on from 2016s . Set five years after its predecessor, Rise to Nobility sees players take step into a world of dwarves, humans, elves, high-elves, trobits, and halflings. Following a peace treaty between the races, Queen Tabita has created the new capital of Caveborn, a white-walled city promising peace and unity. The Queen is looking for a new leader to help the city prosper and has called upon local landowners to rise to the rank of lords and compete to become the new head of the Stone Council. The game will see one to six landowners attracting settlers heading down from the nearby Cavern Tavern to their newly built properties. Once settled, these new inhabitants can become apprentices in the local businesses, or perhaps even guild masters! After 10 rounds, whoever has accrued the most victory points through housing settlers, constructing buildings, satisfying the needs of the Stone Council, and gaining nobility, will win the game! I Thought Nobility Was a Birthright?

Well, apparently not! In fact, to quote , Ëœnobility is defined by ones actions. This is certainly the case here as players take actions through the use of dice, gaining resources, influence, and eventually nobility along the way. Rise to Nobility uses a dice placement mechanic, a six-sided spin on the popular worker placement mechanic. Each round, players will roll all of their five dice before taking turns to assign a single dice to one of several spaces on the board. To take the action associated with that space, the die value must also match the values printed there. Once all dice have been placed, an upkeep phase begins before moving on to the next round. The twist in Rise to Nobility is that the total value of dice pips you can spend during a round are directly linked to your characters reputation. All players start with nine reputation, with opportunities to increase this throughout the game. Possessing only nine reputation therefore means that a player may only make use of combined dice values up to nine. This could result in you placing all of your dice in a turn if you rolled four ones and a five for example, but you could potentially roll all sixes, leaving yourself with just one usable die. This system works well, and in my opinion, is an excellent example of mechanics displaying theme. Its understandable to think that a landowner of questionable reputation would face difficulties in carrying out their plans. So, How Do I Become a Lord?

Assuming youve rolled your dice well, now is your chance to demonstrate your hospitality! Most of the spaces on the board consist of various guilds, each offering different goods. By collecting these resources you will entice faraway settlers to make your land their home. Six settler cards are always present at the top of the board, with each card detailing the minimum and maximum amounts of preferred goods that race requires to take up accommodation. Presuming you have a house available (a separate action costing five gold), the settlers will move in, granting you one victory point per resource spent, and a number of workers. Some wealthier travellers will also grant bonuses to your nobility track too. Im a big fan of this variable method of scoring points. Not only is it reasonably thematic, but the flexibility in being able to choose how many goods you wish to trade for points is interesting and notably different for this type of game. Many strategic worker placement style games stubbornly insist on precision, occasionally making the gathering of resources a stressful experience. Rise to Nobility on the other hand takes a more relaxed stance, giving players a bit more control over how and where they score points. Of course, this doesnt mean the game lacks opportunities for important decisions. Players still face the dilemma of which valued dice to choose, as well as strategising over whether to invest in guild workshops or community buildings. Will you opt for a couple of high value rolls, or several lower ones? Do you want to employ settlers at your workshops for extra goods, or have them bolster your community for money and reputation bonuses? The agonising decisions are still there, but are more elegantly designed to cater to how you want to play, rather than strictly defining how to score points. How Do I Win?

Whilst fulfilling settler cards is the dominant way of scoring points, its not the only way. Throughout the game you will need to construct various buildings in order to maintain a good flow of resources. These come in the form of tiles, with six of them forming a market at the bottom of the board. Using specific values of dice rolls and gold, players can take building tiles, placing them either on the main board or their own. Green tiles go on the mainboard and consist of the various workshops available for each guild. Placing the tile will net the player an amount of victory and nobility points as well as adding new actions to that guild. Yellow tiles are placed on the player boards, again granting victory points but also generating bonuses to that player each round. Fulfilling goods and money requirements on the various Stone Council tiles is also a means of getting points but has a negative impact on your reputation. These are best sought after towards the end of the game, letting you shift the last of your goods for a tidy payoff. Furthermore, gaining enough nobility can result in a hefty end game scoring boost of up to 15 points. As you can see, there are many routes to victory, but your success will depend on your ability to balance your options. Popping down a new workshop will get you those much needed points but you need a worker to run it! Moving a worker from the apprentice slot outside the guild to the workshop within it must be done at the right time, as apprentices are the only way of securing a regular gold income each round. You may have got the points but youve also left a space open for another players apprentice to earn more gold, potentially setting them up to purchase several building tiles! Its tough stuff but thoroughly engaging. What About Player Interaction?

As is usual for these types of games, player interaction increases with more players. The game works very well with two though, and makes for a swifter experience. At the higher player counts you will receive bonuses for players using your workshops more often, but the two-player game balances this by doubling any bonus you would normally receive. If player interaction is less of an issue for you then the game also offers a solo mode. It may not be a level solution, but it does remarkably well at simulating a two-player game, whilst adding a number of unique solo objective goals. It also manages to be clever and challenging enough without requiring tons of components or set-up changes. All thats needed is a die of each colour and a single objective card. This mode can be good if you fancy a relatively quick challenge, and is also a great way of learning the game before introducing it to new players. Final Thoughts for Rise to Nobility

Ive had a lot of fun with this game. From its ability to convey theme through mechanics, to its innovative dice placement restrictions, Rise to Nobility is a welcome addition to the worker placement genre. It may have a lot of components but gameplay is surprisingly simple and runs at a good pace. Gamers looking for a step up from or should be able to handle the transition to this mid-weight Euro fairly painlessly, and have a great time doing so. If you are looking for a classic feeling worker placement game but with just enough design ingenuity to keep it feeling fresh, then a foray into the Five Realms should tick the box. Many Euro-gamers will be drawn attracted to Rise to Nobility thanks to s colourful and accessible art which oozes fantastic folkloric theme. Some may be put off by what seems like a generic fantasy theme, but Rise to Nobility wears its influences proudly whilst injecting some fun into a genre which has become increasingly grim in recent times. Despite its familiar high-fantasy stylings, this a world I truly want to invest my time in. Final Frontier Games are understandably proud of the game world they have created. In fact I hear they have even created a series of further exploring the worlds of Cavern Tavern and Rise to Nobility, and bridging the gap between them! It is fantastic to see Final Frontier Games expanding their stories through terrific games and other media, and in the same way I sometimes yearn to revisit the bucolic charm of , I can see myself returning to the Five Realms of Rise to Nobility for many years to come.

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 4729788362

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.5 ★★★★★
Based on 17 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
J
Verified Purchase
Jessika
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 4
Definitely worth the read!
Format: Kindle
After taking a deep breath and taking in that wicked twist of an ending, I have finally composed myself. My first thought when I started this book was that I love Reyna's character. I was intrigued by her connection with her familiar and the Ruin that is plaguing her land. It came as no surprise that she took her sister's place in an attempt to protect her. When they reach the Air Court everything slows down. This is where it was iffy for me. First of all, I like multiple POV's in books however 7 is a bit much. It starts to interrupt the story line. I felt like I was finally making progress connecting with one character, then it was switched to another person. I felt they all had necessary or pertinent information but not necessarily were they all POV worthy. The only other thing that annoyed me was that Reyna constantly was " trapped." She would rush off without thinking, only to need rescuing. She is brilliant in a fight, but she really doesn't think through anything. Lorcan is amazing. I know he might be on the "bad" list, but his background is so interesting. Eislyn(Reyna's sister) is really so sweet, but calculating. I enjoyed her and Thane's dialogue. The author did an amazing job with the imagery in this book. Everything was so detailed it was easy to fall into the scene. I love unexpected twists and while part of the ending I expected, I wasn't expecting how it took place. All in all, I found it very entertaining and I am very invested in continuing this series. Favorite quotes: "The truth may be twisted but never false." "Who was she if she was not the enemy of the Air Court? What was her purpose of she no longer has that?" "In a war-torn land, love was always a lie."
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020
K
Verified Purchase
KAB
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 5
Great Read!!! Great story!!!
Format: Kindle
The series is long, but Ms. Wolfhart does a fantastic job of weaving this tale while bringing so much to the characters. Surprises and plot twists along the way to keep you intrigued. There is some graphic sex, but is no way the focal point. Grammar was excellent (a rare find with a lot of self publishers) with only a few noted errors. I rarely give 4 stars, let alone 5.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2021
E
Verified Purchase
Elisa
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 3
Sadly, DNF
Format: Kindle
I read this thru KU. I LOVED the synopsis. And then I began reading... and it was a DNF at 68% after picking it up and putting it down several times because I really loved the main female character. *****SPOILERS***** Pros: The world is unique, intriguing and fun. The primary female character is bad-a** but not a b*tech or a mary sue. The primary female has depth. I really want to know what happens to her even tho it's been weeks and I don't remember her name. The villains to the point I read are pretty good -- an ever present threat of mysterious and possibly many culprits. Cons: Way, way too many points of view. I stopped counting at 7. It's the prime reason why I don't care about most of the characters or remember their names even when I like them. There's just too many points of view so almost none of the characters have enough book space for the author to properly develop them. This literally killed the book for me. Actually it killed my desire to read. For weeks. The main male is more villain than hero. He agreed to marry the main female then locks her up & eschews her for her sister, all while bad mouthing her as unfit to rule when he never spent any time with her getting to know her. He is actually unfit to rule as he is blind to the woes of his own kingdom and starts off a peace mission to secure a ceasefire through marriage by murdering an inn full of people in her country for no real reason. Plus, he constantly makes promises he does not keep. And it's gross of him to pine for the sister behind the main female's back. ***** As much as I really wanted to see what happened to the main female character, it wasn't enough for me to keep trying to slog thru this book. There was a lot of potential here that just fell short. Hence, 3 stars.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2021
M
Verified Purchase
MaryBeth K
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
Fae Courts with High Intrigue
Format: Kindle
This book is one that just builds and builds and then surprises you to no end. You may think you know the villains and then you are jolted in another direction. Princess Reyna is a real gem, strong of character, a fierce fighter, and loyal to her family and kingdom. Just when you think she and Lorcan, well you know, the plot is flipped. Can't wait to see where this goes in book two.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2023
K
Verified Purchase
Kindle Customer Maureen
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 4
Slow, sorry but good
Format: Kindle
This was a slow moving book. Lots of character pov chapters, lots of superfluous descriptions and endless courtly appearances stalled this book to start. Once you get into the heart of the story, it takes off. Before you know it the book is done. My favorite character is Reyna. She is so strong. She is true to herself. She gets into a lot of trouble with her headstrong ways but it's entertaining. I have high hopes for Lorcan. He is honorable to a fault. Thane had turned out to be better than I thought but i still don't like him. Eislin is useless. Great plot twists at the end. I'm looking forward too book 2.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2020

recommand products