14ers
There’s a quiet hum in the air. The kind that only exists before a climb.
The morning light stretches across Colorado’s rugged peaks as you feel that irresistible pull of adventure. Not just for reaching the horizon, but to be a part of an experience like no other…
The mountains are calling. Can you feel it?
Entry: before playing the game
First Impressions
I remember my first and only climb, when I was seventeen. Let’s call it a partial climb, since part of the ascent was covered by a jeep. You can only climb so much with asthma. It was Keokradong, in Bandarban, Bangladesh. 3,173 feet.
While Keokradong is nowhere near the giants of Colorado, some moments must feel the same. The thrill at the start, the brief rests in between, the moments when you think of quitting, and then that final push to the peak.Â
Ah, it’s been too long. Maybe it’s time to test my lung capacity again!
All the memories of my first climb came rushing back when I went through the game files of 14ers. I recently discovered a knack for games that keep nature close, kudos to Growing Grounds. And thanks to Grazing Bear Games, I didn’t have to wait long for another. Having played their flip-and-write Château Gardens last year, I knew I was in for something special.
A bit on the game
As mentioned by Zach, the game designer:
‘Colorado is a state full of adventure, but its greatest challenges are the mighty mountains towering above. The highest of these peaks reach over 14,000 feet elevation, and are called “14ers.” Can you conquer these climbs and assemble the best collection of peaks bagged and stories earned across one summer?’
14ers invites you to take on Colorado’s tallest peaks from your gaming table. Each turn, you add or tuck a Climb Card under your Hiker Card, unlocking abilities that help you tackle harder routes or earn extra points. It’s a tableau-building game, where each climb shapes the next, as your strategy evolves with every card tucked. And there’s more!
Weather can disrupt your plans, guides provide extra support on tough routes, and variable scoring goals keep each session fresh. After nine rounds, you tally your points and reflect on the climbs you’ve conquered and the choices you made along the way.
All you need
The only component of 14ers is sixty tarot-sized cards. Since I received the PnP game files, I spent a good time printing and pasting the sides of the cards. And I enjoyed the process more than I usually do, thanks to the stunning artwork and fun facts of the 39 mountains featured in the game.Â
The artwork alone makes the boxed version worth grabbing, especially for anyone who loves climbing.
And as for the game itself, it’s time to find out!
Entry: after playing the game
Findings
Close to the real deal
From my first go at 14ers, I began noticing the elements integrated into the game and realized how they made the gaming experience so immersive. It’s the real deal minus the risk of falling!
Whether it’s the hiker attributes, gear, training, changing weather, or the mountains with different climbing requirements, you feel a steady and realistic sense of progression throughout. You begin with a basic skill set and strategize your way to gain more abilities, collect equipment, climb mountains, and use that experience to unlock new opportunities.
The Climb Cards, Hiker Cards, Accolade Cards, and Weather Forecast Cards each add layers that let you develop your strategy before taking on tougher challenges.
Compact!
It was my first go at a tableau builder, and I found the concept really interesting. It took me a round or two to get the hang of tucking cards without making a mess, but once I did, I started enjoying it a lot. But what impressed me the most was how differently each type of card is used to create the overall experience.
+ The four sides of the Climb and Hiker Cards are used to assess and track the abilities gained in the tableau.
+ The Counter Cards are placed perpendicularly and overlapped to track hiker attributes.
+ Each Accolade Card has two levels; you rotate the card to the level you want to play and cover the other with an unused Accolade Card.
+ The Weather Forecast Cards track weather changes by sliding an unused Accolade Card down every round.
+ The Hiker Cards feature different levels of hikers on each side.
All these clever integrations make 14ers feel like it’s packed with far more than sixty cards. Zach managed to make the most out of every single one. Bravo!
Replayable?
Quantitatively:
You have 39 Climb Cards in total, out of which you might encounter 9 to 12 cards at best in a round. Each Climb Card comes with its own unique requirements across four levels of difficulty. Add to that the basic and advanced levels of the Hiker and Accolade Cards. And if you bring weather into play, you get two modes as well, temperate and severe. Fusing a packed game with multiple levels across multiple variables? Replayability is inevitable.
QualitativelyÂ
I’ve played 14ers a decent number of times, and there have been plenty of moments where I had to pick a mountain from ones I’d already explored. Sounds familiar, right? But it’s not. Your tableau is never the same, and neither is your opponent’s. Their choices constantly shift which cards you take and how you plan your strategy, and vice versa. The game keeps reshaping itself every time someone plays differently, making it even more replayable than I initially thought.
My climb
Over the course of two weeks, I played 14ers in both solo and 1v1 modes. While I enjoyed the solo mode with the simulated Hiker Gerry, I lean more toward 1v1 or multiplayer for one reason in particular: conversations.
Playing with my wife, a single round took about an hour, almost twice the usual time. We talked about the mountains, walked through our strategies, and almost felt like we were co-oping our way through all nine rounds.
With friends, even while playing competitively, the game felt less about a clash between climbers and more about coming together for an adventure. A co-op mode would suit this game very well.
From my experience, don’t rush this game. It gets better when you let it unfold at its own pace.
Can you feel the mountains calling?
For someone who barely made it up a 3,000-foot mountain, I’ve proudly reached the peaks of several 14ers in the game universe, and I feel amazing! A big thanks to Zach, not only for creating such a unique game, but also for giving me the chance to explore the breathtaking heights of Colorado. A part of me belongs there now, all thanks to 14ers.
With its Kickstarter campaign already reaching impressive heights in just a few days, back the game while the campaign lasts!
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Game Overview
Publisher: Grazing Bear Games
Designer: Zach Sullivan
Artist: Hinterland Outdoors
Number of players: 1 to 4
Difficulty level: Medium
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn: 1 to 2 rounds
Game duration: 30 minutes
Available on: Kickstarter
Theme: Tableau builder | Climbing mountains
Number of pages and color: 32 (color print)
Assembling difficulty level: Moderate (print and paste the 60 cards)
Lamination: Not recommended
Additional elements required: None
Time to learn: Within 20-30 minutes
Travel-friendly: 10/10
Shelving friendly: 10/10
Rating from PnP Time: 9/10
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
