Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Easier to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Assign archaeologist dice to changing expedition sites, recruit specialists, assemble maps, recover artifacts, and earn the secret order’s invitation.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Set Collection
Gather related items that become more valuable when scored together.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Worker Placement with Dice Workers
Use Worker Placement with Dice Workers as a recurring structure for player decisions and resolution.
Read the full game description
Order of the Gilded Compass is a dice-assignment game about rival treasure hunters seeking admission to an elite archaeological society. Each round, players roll their personal pools and take turns placing dice at five expedition locations. Every site asks for a different pattern or majority: a carefully timed placement might win a treasure map, recruit a useful specialist, secure an auction lot, recover a rare find, or enlist help from the Illuminati. Once a location resolves, its dice return and the reward economy shifts, so a number that looks weak at one building can become decisive at another. The board is assembled from five of nine location tiles, creating a new combination of incentives from game to game. Set collection and area-majority pressure make the system interactive without making every placement destructive. At the end, maps, artifacts, specialists, and other treasures convert into prestige; the most accomplished explorer receives the Order’s coveted invitation.
