Fountains Board Game Review
When The OP sent over Fountains, it wasn’t actually the game in the box I was most excited about: that was Tea Witches. But when speaking with the media representative for The OP, they assured me that Fountains was a game tile laying fans were going to love because it takes traditional tile laying and makes it…vertical? While I wasn’t sure what was meant by that, I do love a solid tile laying game. So while Tea Witches was calling my name, I dove into Fountains first. Also, I was waiting for deluxe components for Tea Witches that I ordered, in full transparency.
In Fountains, players are drafting tiles of various shapes and creating a fountain in front of them. Fountains can sprawl across the table if you desire, but ideally you will be building up. There aren’t a ton of rules in Fountains; in fact, you generally just need to make sure that specific ponies on the tiles line up with points on the tiles below or adjacent to them. The rest, I suppose, is up to you.
As you place tiles you will attempt to create flowing streams from one area of the fountain to the next. This is important because of the pawns moving around the central board. There are three pawns, and you’ll move one up to three spaces on your turn and collect the tile you land next to. What pawn you move will depend on which fountain feature you want to score, because when a pawn reaches its starting spot on the central board, you will score that feature as long as you have a properly flowing fountain. The more features you link together, the more points you score.
I love how players have control over these pawns and which ones they want to move. Yes, you are attempting to pick up specific pieces to make your fountain grander than the ones next to you, but you are also looking to move pawns that will score features you have a lot of. After all, what good is a piece you get if the scoring you are about to do doesn’t net you any points. The constant pull between tiles and scoring features is fascinating game-in and game-out, and even after getting this tabled a lot over the past month, I’m still intrigued by each and every game.
The variations in how things score is fantastic as well. Lily pads score for having them in groups and score based on their level. Fish score based on their level as well, but whoever triggers the scoring picks the colour of fish that scores that round. Pools within the fountain score based on who has the most, regardless of level.
Another thing I like about this scoring system is that you can’t just load up on one thing. Sure, you might do well when you get to choose what feature is scoring, but you are at the mercy of others when they choose. Don’t have any fish? That sucks, because while everyone else is banking a good number of points, you are left looking at a fountain full of lily pads and not a lot else. Balance is the puzzle here, and it’s one hell of an intriguing puzzle to figure out.
The game also comes with cards that act as a variant and provide some additional optional scoring objectives. Adding these to the puzzle took the experience to yet another level, and while we don’t recommend it for your first few plays – this is a fairly unique game after all, and does stuff you probably haven’t seen elsewhere – we do think it’s a great addition once your group has the basics down pat.
I was most excited about Tea Witches when The OP box arrived in the mail, but Fountains really struck something in me. I’m not one for puzzle games generally, but this one is so appealing and fun. And bonus, your finished fountain is always something to marvel at. If you love puzzles and like to lay tiles for points, this is one of the best games I’ve played in 2025. You don’t want to miss this one!
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Article By Adam
