Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
The dam construction competition is in full swing in Dam It! Who can build the most valuable dams from the different types of wood?
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
The dam construction competition is in full swing in Dam It! Who can build the most valuable dams from the different types of wood? The tallest dams bring the most points, but you need to keep the garbage clear of your dams because no one likes to see that, so don't neglect the beaver garbage collection crews. In detail, before play begins, lay out the fifteen dam cards in five piles based on the "dam sum" total at that top of the cards; for cards with the same number, stack the cards worth more points on top of those worth fewer. Shuffle the deck of wood, garbage, and garbage removal cards and lay four out in a face-up row; give each player four wood cubes. On a turn, a player either builds a dam or takes a card. The player can take the leftmost card for free; if they want a different card, they must place a wood cube on each card they skip. (If you take a card with cubes on it, add them to your supply for possible use later.) If you pick up a wood card, add it to your hand. If you pick up a garbage card, immediately discard a garbage removal card or else place the garbage in your scored dam pile. If you pick up garbage removal, add it to your hand; you can use it to remove garbage drawn later, or you can use it in a dam. When you build a dam, you lay down wood cards of all different types, with each wood card having a value of 1-3. Based on the sum of the dam, take the topmost dam card that best matches the value of the dam. If you play a garbage removal card in a dam, count it as a joker wood of value 2. When the deck runs out or all the dam cards have been claimed, the game ends. Sum the points on all dam cards collected, add 1 point for each two wood cubes you have, then subtract the square of the numbere of garbage cards you've collected, up to a maximum of -25 points. Whoever has the most points wins!