Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Easier to teach
High replayability
Low interaction
Scales well
Light strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Draft versatile cards, build a scenic stretch of California highway, and connect landscapes and landmarks into the most rewarding road trip.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
Big Sur is a compact card-drafting and pattern-building game inspired by California’s Pacific Coast Highway. Players draft cards from a shared display and decide whether each card will become a road section or be spent as a resource to build something else. Every highway grows in a single line, rewarding connected terrain, scenic mileage, and card-specific scoring conditions. Small one-mile stretches can strengthen a resource engine, longer sections provide efficient distance, and two-mile cards introduce tactical scoring effects. Optional landmark tiles add recognizable locations and another layer of objectives. Because the same card can be route, payment, or future flexibility, each turn asks players to balance immediate construction against the shape and efficiency of their final drive.
