Confusing Lands is a one or two player, eighteen card, microgame where players draft landscape cards and overlap them to create floating islands while trying to score the most points.
This quick to learn card game has only a single page of rules but features a lot of depth. This is one of those simple to learn but difficult to master games, as each card not only presents terrain to place but also has a scoring opportunity on it.
Disclosure: Thanks to Envy Born Games for giving us a review copy of this small deck card game. Some links below are affiliate links. Using these links costs you nothing extra and helps us offset the cost of running this blog. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Learn about Confusing Lands from Envy Born Games
Confusing Lands is part of Envy Born Games’ Tiny Game Series. It’s a small, eighteen card, tile laying game that plays in about ten minutes. Though it can be a bit longer when you are first learning the various scoring conditions and how they work. That said, with two experienced players the game can also have a lot of thinking and back and forth and can go even longer.
Zak Eidsvoog is both the designer and the artist for Confusing Lands. This drafting game is quick to learn, with only a single page of rules. It’s designed mainly for two players but can be played solo as well.
Confusing Lands is a card drafting game where you get two cards but only keep one, the other goes to your opponent. Both cards are placed into a growing landscape where each new card played must overlap, at least in part, a previously played card. Each card is two sided and one side presents a new scoring condition, but you have to watch out as each scoring opportunity can also cost you points.
Physically, Confusing Lands comes in a small and sturdy box that holds up well to being tossed into a bag, purse, or glove box. A nice bonus is that the lid has indents to make it easy to get it off. In this compact box you will find a plastic insert with a set of good quality cards, instructions, a scoring pad and even a pencil. If you are really worried about space when taking this game out and about, you could easily ditch the box, and possibly even the scoring pad.
The instructions are clear and contain lots of examples and a detailed description of each of the scoring opportunities for each of the eighteen cards. On the back of the instructions is a reference sheet explaining each of the eighteen different scoring conditions possible in each game.
In addition to the base game, Envy Born Games also released Confusing Lands Promo Set #1 which includes six new cards, with six new scoring conditions as well as new double feature spots. These add both additional variety and replayability to the game as well as make it a bit longer.
We originally talked about Confusing Lands on The Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Episode 253, Size Matters: Great Microgames. I recommend checking that out if you are curious about other microgames we’ve enjoyed, including Sirens, another game from Envy Born Games. You can also check out my written review of Sirens right here on the blog.
Building a Landscape in Confusing Lands
There’s almost no set up required to play Confusing Lands. All you have to do is shuffle the eighteen-card deck, then draw one card and place it scoring side up and place it between the players. This sets a shared scoring condition for both players for that game.
Each round players draw a hand of two cards. Each player choses one card to place into their growing, sky island landscape. Once both players have done this they exchange their other cards and then must each place that newly gained card into their tableau.
When placing a card (except your first one) it must overlap at least one square of an existing card. You cannot cover up any part of a scoring condition on any card when doing this. Cards played can be rotated any direction and placed either side up. One side of each card shows six landscape squares featuring different types of terrain, the other side has two of those squares replaced by a scoring condition.
The features on the cards include Rivers, Villages, Mountains, Wolves, Forests, Elk, Crystals and Prairies. Scoring conditions on the cards are based on these features. With eighteen total I’m not going to explain all of them (the back of the rule sheet has a great summary), but here are some examples:
You may score your longest river, get points for “thriving villages” (aka village features with lots of other features near them), for your “shaded streams” (aka rivers that pass by mountains), for your “valley guardians” (aka crystals that are exactly four squares away from mountains), etc.
Play continues until each player has eight cards in their tableau, at which point there will be one card left over in the deck. Then both players score points for the shared scoring condition that was revealed at the start of the game plus each of the scoring condition they placed into their tableau.
Here’s the kicker, both players then lose ten points per scoring condition they have as part of their island.
Note you don’t loose any points for the shared scoring condition but if you don’t add any scoring conditions to your own tableau you score zero overall (which could still win you the game.
Of course, what this means is trying to make sure you only include a scoring condition in your tableau if you know it will score you more than ten points by the end of the game, and figuring that out is why this game can be difficult to master despite it’s straightforward rules.
Confusing Lands also includes solo rules. When playing by yourself you draw two cards, play one and discard the other. You then discard the top card from the deck and have to play the one under that. Repeat until you have eight cards in your tableau, and score as normal.
Once you have your score you can compare it to the scoring track on the rule sheet to get a rank ranging from a loss with nine or less points to “astounding” for fifty or more points.
How Confusing Lands Won Me Over
When I first saw Confusing Lands I was immediately reminded of two other ‘overlapping cards’ style games, Hokkaido and Honshu, and I admit I gave it a quick look and moved along because of that. It was Deanna that decided to give the game a longer look. She did a demo of the game and left thinking it would be the kind of game we would enjoy playing on date nights at local pubs or coffee shops, and she was right.
I still think there’s some overlap between Confusing Lands and those two Japanese themed games I just mentioned, but Confusing Lands has its own thing going on, and that’s mainly due to the fact this is a microgame. The other games I just mentioned include large decks of cards, with multiple rounds, lots of different options, and playtimes to match. Confusing Lands is more tight and succinct with just eighteen cards, only sixteen of which get played each game.
I have also heard Confusing Lands compared to Circle the Wagons from Button Shy, which is another small deck card game where you overlap your cards, but I’ve yet to try that game myself to compare them.
Of all the “overlap your cards” games I’ve played, Confusing Lands feels the most like a puzzle to be solved and is very unforgiving. While the mechanics are dead simple to learn, scoring well is not easy. The game is a great mix of planning ahead, knowing what’s in the deck and reacting tactically to the cards you get each turn.
The scoring system in Confusing Lands is brutal. None of the scoring conditions are easy to complete and you almost never draw a card that just happens to fit what you’ve already built. Making things even more difficult is the fact that there is a lot of open information. Your opponent can clearly see what you are trying to score and what your landscape currently looks like. That combines to make the drafting in Confusing Lands very interesting and satisfying, but don’t be surprised if you end up with a negative score for your first few games.
To play well you need to pay attention to everything on the table, keeping on eye on what your opponent is up to and not handing them a huge scoring opportunity, sometimes at the expense of your own tableau. The small card count means you can make an educated guess as to what’s coming up next. The more both players get to know the cards and the count of each feature, the tighter and more competitive Confusing Lands gets.
Knowing the deck makes Confusing Lands more strategic. Right from your first hand you can start building your landscape in ways to potentially score later by doing things like like playing all of your mountains four squares away from crystals just in case you end up getting that specific scoring condition, making sure your wolves are away from villages, etc.
The big downfall of how important experience can be in Confusing Lands is a big imbalance between a new player and someone who knows the game. While I love playing with Deanna over and over with each of us trying to outdo the other, when introducing the game to a new player I find I totally crush them if I try to win at all and that can be discouraging.
Another aspect I like about Confusing Lands is that it has a point salad aspect, which is something I love in games. I adore how every single card can be played just to add more features, or as new features and a scoring opportunity. Another thing you have to watch for is that there’s no way to flip over or cover up a scoring condition. Once they are in play you are stuck.
One aspect of Confusing Lands I did find lacking was the solo rules. They just aren’t very interesting. There’s no AI character, no one to compete against, and it’s just about getting the highest score possible. You also lose the fun of taking a sub par card for yourself just so you can really screw over your opponent.
Your mileage may vary as I’m not a big solitaire game player in the first place, but this one wasn’t for me. If you are looking for a solid small deck solitaire experience I instead recommend challenging Orpheus in Sirens.
As of right now Confusing Lands is my favourite game from Envy Born Games. It feels very well balanced, polished and playtested. Each game we’ve played has been engaging and the game continues to get better as I get to know the cards better. I also enjoy introducing this one to new players and it’s been popular at our public play game nights, though it does play best with players of similar experience levels (I don’t usually play myself, rather teach couples and pairs of gamers).
If you are looking for a small box game that’s almost pocket sized, something that’s small and will easily fit in a coat, bag, purse or glovebox, and that’s quick to play but has lots of fun and engaging decision points you can’t go wrong with Confusing Lands. It also has the added bonus of being playable solo, which is a great way to get to know the cards so you can play better when you have an opponent.
Finally, if you are a fan of Hokkaido and/or Honshu, you should definitely check out Confusing Lands. It will feel familiar while also being quite different and way way shorter.
FAQs
How hard is Confusing Lands to learn?
I know it’s a cliche but Confusing Lands really does fit the category of games that are simple to learn but difficult to master. The core loop is simple. You get two cards, play one, pass the other and play the new card your opponent just handed you. The only real hurdle is learning what all the scoring conditions mean, but the game includes a great reference sheet for that.
Is there a Print & Play version of Confusing Lands?
There is indeed a P&P version of Confusing Lands. You can get it directly from envyborngames.com and it’s only $5. Oddly there doesn’t seem to be a P&P version of the Promo Set #1.
I love Confusing Lands where can I get more?
In addition to Confusing Lands Promo Set #1 which I mentioned in the above, there’s actually a new version of the game coming soon: Confusing Lands Icebound Isles. It features new frosty scoring conditions and icy challenges.
From what I know right now it should be playable stand alone or as an expansion to Confusing Lands, and I’m sorry but I don’t know the release date yet.
It’s always great to discover a new indie publisher and to watch them grow from the first time you run into them at a con to seeing what they have going on a couple of years later. It’s been awesome to watch Envy Born Games grow and I can’t wait to see what they have coming next!
I love discovering new games for Deanna and I to enjoy on our game filled date nights, like Confusing Lands. If you are interested in other games we love to have with us when we go out check out our 24 More of the Best Two-Player Board Games for Date Night article.
Curious about other Microgames we enjoyed? Check out Size Matters: Great Microgames, Episode 253 of The Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast.
- Confusing Lands is played over 4 rounds of card drafting and card placement where players will be building their own floating worlds infront of themselves. The winner is the player that created the best confusing landscape! Which is to say… the player with the most points at the end of the game!
- Immerse yourself in a whimsical floating landscape gaming experience, featuring 18 unique scoring conditions and opportunities as you build your own unique floating world.
- 5 to 15 Minute Playtime, Ages 10+, 1 – 2 players. The Tiny Game Series accommodates diverse preferences, making it suitable for both casual gamers and seasoned board game enthusiasts.
