Beacon Patrol, brought to harbor by Pandasaurus Games, presents a nautical adventure that encourages 1-4 players to navigate the coast of the North Sea to secure its waterways. As Coast Guard captains, players are tasked with mapping the coast by exploring the waters and inspecting lighthouses and buoys. Lay tiles, move your ship and collaborate with the other captains to traverse the sea.
The objective of Beacon Patrol is to expand the board by laying tiles to “explore” tiles. A tile is considered explored when it is connected to other tiles on all four sides. Points are awarded for each explored tile, with additional points for features found on the tiles, such as buoys and lighthouses. Two mini-expansions included in the box add piers and windmills.
The gameplay anchors its core in tile placement, urging players to adapt to the evolving board and plan ahead. Unlike most tile-laying games, Beacon Patrol requires all tiles to be oriented in the same direction causing some tough placement decisions. Once per turn, the active player may trade a tile with another player, allowing some flexibility. Tiles that cannot be placed are discarded and removed from the game reducing your potential score.
I found the gameplay to be fun, cozy and easy to learn. Trading tiles between players felt more like a collaborative effort rather than just taking a tile for myself. Finding myself in a situation where I had to discard a tile due to the luck of the draw was disheartening. Scoring the board can become tedious when there are numerous gaps in the map. Despite minor setbacks, Beacon Patrol’s cozy ambiance and strategic play promise many delightful voyages on the board gaming seas.
