PALIFORT

Palifort is a strategic card game (with a custom die) where players construct buildings, call on citizens, and attack their rivals to claim victory. Manage your resources, plan your moves, and seize the right opportunities. The moment you reach 5 victory points, the other cities won't let you win that easily.

Hi ! I'm Arnaud Spick-Saucier (Quebec, Canada), the creator and illustrator of Palifort. I'm proud to announce that I drew all the illustrations digitally by hand; no AI.

Here is some information about the game :

Why this game exists?

(1) I've always liked games that let you build a medieval city, gather resources, and defend against enemies. But usually these board games are heavy and too studious for many players, and I could never find one that fit both my taste for strategic depth and the more casual pace my family and friends wanted for a game night. So I boiled it down to its simplest form while keeping all the essential, strategic stuff that I like. The perfect blend of deeply strategic yet fast and accessible, something anyone could sit down and enjoy, whether it's their first game night or their hundredth.

(2) Every game feels different, because new opportunities keep arising and other players make bold or creative moves that keep you on the edge of your seat, hoping your plans still hold.

How does it play ?

(1) The cities of Palifort have long competed for dominance, and only one will endure. Build yours, defend it from those who want to see it fall, and aim to reach at least 5 Victory Points from undamaged Buildings at the end of your turn. Victory Points are represented by the total number of star symbols shown on the Building cards in your city. You must then survive all other players' turns. If you still have at least 5 Victory Points from undamaged Buildings when your next turn begins, you win. If not, the game continues.

(2) You draw your cards at the end of your turn, so you can think about your next strategic move while the other players take their turns. But be ready, because someone might decide to invade your city!

(3) Will you focus on rallying plenty of citizens to your cause and threatening everybody with the biggest army? Or will you stay quiet while amassing resources, ready to pivot the moment it counts? Or will you quickly build defensive buildings to protect yourself from attacks? Or just rush toward victory point buildings and claim the win outright?

(4) For 2 to 4 players, each player manages their own city. For 5 or more, form teams of 2; teammates jointly manage 1 city and act as 1 player. With an odd number of players, one player stays solo. There can never be more than 4 cities in a game. Conspire freely; plotting together against the rest of the table is half the fun!

Tutorial