Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Build desert routes, supply cities, manage water, and turn multi-use cards into a thriving trade network across ancient Resafa.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Network and Route Building
Create connected routes that improve reach, delivery, control, or scoring.
Tile Placement
Place tiles to build a shared or personal spatial arrangement.
Multi-Use Cards
Use the same card in different ways, making each play a trade-off.
Pick-up and Deliver
Use Pick-up and Deliver as a recurring structure for player decisions and resolution.
Read the full game description
Resafa is a strategic network-building game set around a fortified city on an ancient caravan route. Multi-use cards force every turn to carry an opportunity cost: a card spent to extend roads or canals cannot also support the goods and actions printed elsewhere on it. Players move resources between settlements, build workshops, improve water infrastructure, and position themselves for scoring across an increasingly interconnected map. Shared routes and limited spaces create constant indirect competition, while pickup-and-deliver planning rewards efficient timing. The historical setting is expressed through the practical pressures of travel, trade, and water management, producing a demanding Eurogame whose systems become more legible as the network grows.
