The latest game by Shem Phillips, Shipwrights of the North Sea Redux
Image credit: Garphill Games

Shem Phillips and Garphill Games are back with more beloved games set in familiar and new franchises. During a YouTube stream, Phillips spoke about a number of his upcoming projects to the joy of fans of the designer’s established games, to wit Wayfarers of the South Tigris, Architects of the West Kingdom and yes, Raiders of the North Sea.

Players Will Be Building the Most Impressive Viking Fleet 

Now, the designer is bringing a brand new game due to arrive in 2024. Shipwrights of the North Sea: Redux will bring you back to the beloved Nordic Viking saga and take you on a brand new trip across the seas.

Players will compete to hire craftspeople and gather resources to form a formidable Viking fleet and dispatch it. The game is set in the early days of the Viking Age, circa 800 AD. In the game, 1-5 players will try to build the biggest and strongest fleet on the North Sea, collecting oak, wool, and iron to manufacture sturdy vessels. 

Gold will be among the most precious resources so a fair warning – it must be spent wisely, the publisher and designer caution. Once again, the game has a rather prosaic end goal in sight – amass the most Victory Points before the end-game condition is triggered. Yet, Shipwrights of the North Sea: Redux is meant to play and feel like one of the best experiences in the acclaimed series so far.

The game is a brand-new title that will stand on its own entirely, and independent from the previous versions named Shipwrights of the North Sea published in 2014. Phillips has come a long way as a designer since and fans of his games are definitely looking-forward to having their hands on this new title as well. 

Phillips, though, has confirmed that the core gameplay has been completely rebuilt to be more in line with what fans of Garphill Games have come to expect and enjoy. The game is due to arrive in 2024, and it promises to be a worthwhile addition to the beloved series. Oh, and for the collectors amongst you, a new Explorers of the North Sea Collector’s Box.

Stoyan Todorov

Stoyan entered the hobby over seven years ago and his collection has been growing at a pace his spouse has described as “concerning.” Willing to push the boundaries of the connubial bliss to its extremes, Stoyan is here to bring you the latest updates and developments from the world of board games.

Stoyan entered the hobby over seven years ago and his collection has been growing at a pace his spouse has described as “concerning.” Willing to push the boundaries of the connubial bliss to its extremes, Stoyan is here to bring you the latest updates and developments from the world of board games.