New Zealand had a long history of innovation, so it’s nice to see Endeavor, the board game, begin to turn heads internationally. Released by Z-Man Games, Endeavor was created by Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray from Wellington, New Zealand.

In the game, you live in the time of Empire: maps are still blank and need some colour and shape. As a great power, you need to send ships to new countries, negotiate new deals, and conquer when politics fail. There’s great wealth and power to be found around the world, but they need to be discovered and exploited … Do you have the tactics and strength to create — and control — your Empire?

Your character operates on behalf of an expanding Global Power whose glorious (and imperialistic!) endeavor is to conquer and hold the sea lanes and continents across the ocean. Utilising your shipping companies and explorers, creating armies and forming political alliances, you must contend with other colonists and take control of land and natural resources, exploiting the wealth to the best of your ability. However, it’s important to find a balance between your financial reach and your political power; your cultural influence and your need to press forward. With hundreds of paths to victory, Endeavor is a very balanced strategy game where the decisions you make determine the lie of the land.

Endeavor is a board game for explorers and brings out the evil imperialist in all of us! Your colonising efforts are rewarded with increased wealth, while the use of force drains away your young men and the money to fund them. Politics, Industry, Culture and Finance are the four legs that prop up your rapidly spinning globe; and without one, you’re entire game plan will fail. Game play begins with setting hte shipping lanes and, when they are full, you place buildings which represent your resources. You also have people to deploy throughout your growing empire and they do special actions which include buying and selling resources, fights and negotiating. If you sufficiently increase your political skills, you are able to perform more complicated (and high value) plays later in the game.

There’s a reason that Endeavor has been one of the top-selling games worldwide since its release this year. Find out how good it is yourself.

Looking to find the best deal on Endeavor in NZ, then visit Seriously Board to find the best deals on board games in New Zealand.