Fountains, with their bubbling water and glimmering artistry, bring me joy and peace. The designers of Fountains, Kedric Winks and Shaun Ellis, seem to have drawn their inspiration from a fictional Renaissance city. Artists and scientists of the time used the power of water to fascinate and inspire. Small automatons would have wowed their patrons. Wealthy Renaissance courtiers may even have played board games using the power of water.

The Fountains board game inspired me with its aquatic theme and has a few tricks up its sleeve for us to explore. Let’s dive in.

Gameplay Overview:

Fountains is a tile drafting and placement game that cascades between strategy and accessibility. The theme lends itself beautifully to learning the game.

Solo variant incorporates a bot player with a gear shaped piece.

Gameplay is simple and easy to pick up. A central basin board holds three pawns which, when moved up to three open spaces, allow each player to draft a tile from the corresponding pile (there are 6 plus small bonus tokens). Water must flow from a jetted fountain or else a pool becomes stagnant with pond weed.

Each of the pawns also corresponds to one of three scoring or reward mechanics on the basin board— gain points by building multiple pools, lily pads, or stocking koi. The higher a player builds the fountain, the more points rain down. Players continue gameplay by taking turns moving the pawn of their choice. When a player lands on a space that corresponds to the pawn, they trigger scoring for the feature for all players.

Players continue to place tiles, trigger scoring, and move along the victory track until one of the piles of tiles is emptied. This triggers the end of the game, and once the last player in turn order finishes, all scoring paths are then tallied. Optional final scoring cards expand the base scoring.

Watch out! Stagnant ponds grow algae.

Gameplay Experience:

The pawn movement system is the crown jewel of this design, as it brings a layer of tactical innovation that elevates the standard tile placement formula into something truly sparkling. The gameplay bubbles with both defensive and offensive options as players move the pawns to construct their aquatic networks, building more pools, stocking them with fish, and connecting lily pads. Throw some coins in the fountain for an instant 5 points.

Meeples for the victory points remind players of classic fountain features.

I found Fountains to be a crunchier game than I expected, as I continually evaluated my action choices against the ever-changing context. Do I move a pawn past a potential scoring opportunity to block an opponent? Do I stick to my strategy of a big endgame scoring opportunity? Or, do I capitalize on the near-term options and take a tile with a pool with coins in it to earn an instant 5 points?

Additionally, players may wish to become master designers but aesthetics are not the objective here. During my first playthrough, I found I was lured by my desire to make my own masterpiece and ended in last place. Optional end game objectives cards act like side quests and offer players an additional points surge.

Despite offering levels as rich as the Peterhof Grand Cascade, the game maintains a refreshingly light current. Victory points flow actively throughout the experience, creating eddies of tension where position changes can bubble up until the final turn. I noted that players who tend to be more adept at planning ahead had to be more flexible as options changed. For players who plan their move as they make it, I noted some tendencies towards analysis paralysis. Spatial planning skills will help your fountain effervesce.

Different shapes stack to build the best fountains.

I had the opportunity to play at all player counts but three. There is a notable difference in the gameplay at 2 compared to 4 or 5. A head-to-head game predictably brings out a different style of play. Higher player counts may lead to alliances that drown out possibilities for a particular player.

The solo mode deserves special mention—it is a fully-fledged challenge rather than a shallow puddle of afterthought content. However, it channels a significantly different experience. It’s like Solitaire is to Go Fish. You’re playing with the same cards, moving cards around and building piles, and, in this case, the player interaction or lack of it, just makes for a different game.

Finally, the production on this game is solid. I found the hand feel of the fountain pieces to be pleasant to work with—substantial but not heavy, thanks to the foam core. The design reflects the homage to classic fountains while maintaining a clean look that allows all important scoring features to shine through. The player markers, rule book, and even the storage box carry the theme. And practically speaking, I so appreciated the included organizers.  Having glowed like the recently restored marble of the Trevi fountain about production and design, others may find this game to be a table hog. Fair enough.

Final Thoughts

Fountains is a medium light strategy game with creative game play design that will be a regular at my board game nights. The mechanics are friendly and intuitive. Set up is easy. Gameplay can range from head to head to light competitive. And, of course, the theme sparkles.

Final Score: 4 stars – With multiple streams leading to victory, Fountains offers a wellspring of meaningful choices while maintaining the crystalline clarity of straightforward mechanics.

Hits:
• Premium production quality
• Clever mechanical design
• Balanced complexity
• Dynamic scoring

Misses:
• Analysis paralysis potential
• Table space requirements