​In the two-player strategy game Children of the Sun, players take control of the mighty dragon children of Ino'itl, the Sun god. He sent his children to Earth in order to create a beautiful landscape as an ode of love to Xochanama, the Moon goddess forever fated to be out of his reach.
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During the game, players draw and place Elemental Tokens onto the game board, flanking opponent pieces and flipping them over. For every opponent token flipped, along with the token placed, the player gains corresponding Elements of Creation.
Elements are used to gain Creation Cards, which represent the fantastic landscape being crafted by the players.
Creation Cards come in five different types: Terra, Aqua, Species, Source, and Wonder. Each of these card types has their own unique scoring mechanic.
Terra Cards score for the player who creates the most expansive landscape. Aqua Cards score based on the difference in value from one card to the next. The more varieties of Species Cards you create, the higher your point value. Source Cards grant the player extra resources, and also score for each corresponding Creation Card crafted. Wonder Cards score points for each token flipped to your side at the end of the game.
In addition to scoring, Creation Cards affect each other through an interconnected ecosystem that tightly balances the game. You must generate enough Terra to support your Aquatic creations, or else they are discarded. Aqua is needed to keep your Species alive, with each species type requiring different amounts of water to survive. If a Habitat Icon shown on one of your Species cards matches a Habitat on one of your Terra cards, you gain valuable bonus points.
Components
Main Playing Board
20"x10" Unfolded
43 Creation Cards
Ivory Core & Linen Finish
38 Elemental Tokens
Plastic Discs w/ Sticker Art
50 Elemental Resources
Machine Cut Wooden Tokens
2 Sun Tokens
2 Moon Tokens
14 Dragon Power Tokens
6 Flourish Tokens
1 Cloth Drawstring Bag
1 Scorepad
2 Player Reference Cards
1 Rulebook
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Along the way, players can acquire and use Dragon Powers to try and get a one up on their opponent. These abilities include actions like creating additional cards on your turn, flipping tokens on the board, increasing your hand size, and even discarding an opponent's Creation Card. Players can also spend resources to Flourish their Creation Cards. Flourishing cards generates more Aqua, Terra, and Splendor Points. And once per game, each player may summon the aid of the Sun god and Moon goddess to recharge their powers or discard and redraw a new hand of Creation Cards.
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​Whichever of the Sun god's children creates the most beautiful landscape wins the game!
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Children of the Sun is launching on Kickstarter this July 2nd, with the expected landing date of April 2025.
The base game will retail for $49.
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You can also find Children of the Sun on BoardGameGeek.com.
Read the Children of the Sun Designer Diary!