Tanis
2 players | Ages 14+ | 20-30 minutes
Publisher: Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2024
Art: Mila Harbar
Tanis, named after the ancient city in Lower Egypt, is a unique tile-digging game for 2 players. The game begins with 40 beautiful wooden domino-sized tiles randomly placed in the custom-made box. These tiles represent pieces of scrolls that the players are trying to reassemble in this fast-playing competitive game. The players also have cards that provide special powers that may be used to enhance their actions. A single game takes under 20 minutes to complete.
For a very long time I wanted to design an archaeology-themed game where the players would actually dig down through layers of components… somehow. I tried making this idea work with cards but let’s just say that got very messy! I wanted every dig action to reveal something about what was below, but not everything. I realised that thick domino tiles layered in a lattice pattern would do the trick. When a player takes one tile, they will reveal two halves of two different tiles below. This shaped the way the whole game developed. It became quite a thinky 2 player only set collection game. It was so important to get the physicality right for the tiles (and the box that holds them during play) and Eagle-Gryphon came through with a great production. One of my more unique games, and a favourite of mine to play.
Links
➚ Tanis at BoardGameGeek