Ezra and Nehemiah is part of the "Ancient" series, along with the Raiders of Scythia, Hardian's Wall, Legacy of Yu, as well as the upcoming Skara Brae and The Anarchy.

Great review! Good insights. It's interesting what you say about replayability and how different factors weigh in on that for different people. I have 14 plays so far (all solo) and I still have it tabled and reset to jump into another game at my earliest opportunity. And I've only enjoyed the game more and more as I've played it. I would say it started off at around a 7 the first time I played it but has since risen to 9.5 or 10/10 territory. It's a simple premise with only the three different actions but the scroll tiles (particularly the two middle levels) lend themselves to trying different strategies each game. And then the card pulls require tactical shifting of those strategies to try and optimize your efficiency. I enjoy the tightness in resources, workers, banners, and timing very much. And the solo mode is challenging but super simple to implement. Another HUGE hit for me from Garphill Games.

Great review ! So when will we get your complete ranking of all Garphill Games ??

Glad you're doing this video! My copy just arrived this week! Looks awesome!

I will be picking this one up from my FLGS. The kickstarter was at the same time as a couple other games I was ordering so it had to wait. Thanks!

Great review. Your comment about the resources on the board was also raised in our group. I've only played this game solo or 3p (and all my plays have taken about 3 hours :) ). I really loved this game, and my copy is on the way at the moment (but I still like Scholars better).

Theme... just for background... Ezra was a priest who taught the people about God's Law when the Jews returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity/exile. Nehemiah was a layperson who organized the people to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem. Now I'm sure you'll be able to reach a much higher score! Thanks for the review.

I just played it last night for the first time (2 players). I enjoyed the puzzles of managing resources, playing the 6 cards efficiently, and trying to figure out how to maximize scoring, but it felt like it would be better with more players. Rarely did we get the gate connection bonuses with 2 and it felt like a lack of competition in several areas. Can't wait to try it with 3 or 4.

Here's as many victory points as you feel you deserve!

Hahaha what a cop out, I dont know what the theme 😂

Wow the board is overflowing with a crazy amount of symbols. Their recent games seem a bit over designed to me