Every once in a while, my game group wants to punch cows, build railroads, and fight Cthulhu monsters, all before we’ve had our second cup of coffee. That’s when I pull out this box of weirdness for an evening that ends with both laughter and mild existential dread. In this review, I’m sharing what works, what doesn’t, and whether you should grab this game or leave it for the next unsuspecting soul. Buckle up, because things get wild when tentacles and trains mix!
How It Plays
Setting Up
Lay out the map of Australia (yes, the whole thing, minus the kangaroos). Each player gets a port, some trains, farms, and a handful of resources. Monsters called Old Ones are plopped face-down all over the place, which is a little unnerving. Everyone grabs some starting money and bits, then you all take a deep breath and get ready for some Cthulhu farming action.
Gameplay
Players take turns using actions. You can build railroads, plop down farms, mine resources, or whack monsters. All of this costs time — your marker races around a time track instead of taking standard turns, so whoever is furthest back gets the next go. At some point, the Old Ones wake up and start fighting back, rampaging across the board and munching on your hard-earned farms. You have to balance growing your empire with fighting off the monsters, all while watching your time tick away.
Winning the Game
When everyone runs out of time (or sanity, if your group is like mine), the game ends. You score points for your farms, resources, and defeated baddies. The Old Ones get points for any shenanigans they pulled — like eating your sheep. Whoever has the most points at the end wins, unless the Old Ones do better than everyone; then, Cthulhu wins and you can all blame each other equally.
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for AuZtralia.
The Wild Outback Meets Cosmic Horror: Auztralia’s Bold Theme and Cthulhu Twist
I have played my share of train games and my fair share of Lovecraft-themed games, but Auztralia is the first one to mash them together and make me question my sanity and my ability to run a sheep farm. The game’s premise sounds like something I’d come up with after eating cheese too close to bedtime: you’re building railways and farming in an alternate-history Australian outback, set after the Cthulhu mythos has wrecked the rest of the world. That’s right—rail tycoons meet unspeakable tentacled evil. Only in board games, folks.
The moment you set up the board, you know you’re in for something different. There are cute little sheep tokens and chunky cubes for resources, just like any good Euro game. Then suddenly you’ve got Cthulhu monsters lurking off the coast. They’re just waiting to ruin your day (and your crops). I remember laughing when my friend Tom built a beautiful, sprawling network, only to have a Shoggoth slither down the tracks and eat half his cows. If that doesn’t count as Australia-specific horror, I don’t know what does.
Where most games put you against other players, Auztralia makes the Old Ones a shared enemy. Sure, you might sabotage your friends with clever moves, but the real threat is always the cosmic horrors. This adds a fun layer of tension—I don’t often trust Steve with monster control, but in Auztralia, sometimes you have no choice. The setting gives classic train-game optimization an exciting, unpredictable twist. Even if you have no idea who Howard Phillips Lovecraft is, the theme stands out as both clever and a little bonkers.
Next up: let’s see if the gameplay and strategy are as wild as the story. Grab your compass and your cattle prod!
Gameplay Mechanics and Strategy in Auztralia
Let me tell you, Auztralia is not your grandpa’s choo-choo game. Sure, you build railroads, but there’s plenty more happening on that dusty map. On your turn, you can farm, mine, lay track, and hire oddball folks with names like “Sharp-Shooting Sheila.” It almost feels like a resource management buffet, and you’re the hungry kid with a plate.
But here’s the real kicker: every action eats up precious time instead of using old-school turns. When you spend more time, the Lovecraft monsters (called Old Ones) get restless and start stomping your shiny new farms. It creates this delicious tension. Do you push your luck and build more before the Cthulhu crowd starts the party, or do you invest early in defense? I still hear my mate Tony’s lament: “I just needed ONE MORE turn to buy sheep!”
You’ll need to juggle your resources, plan your routes, and decide when to poke the Old Ones with a big stick. Combat is simple—maybe too simple—but at least you can’t blame dice for every disaster, since there’s a tactical card system too. The solo mode is actually fun, and I found myself talking trash to the cardboard Cthulhu. It’s a game that wants you to think and balance risk, but never forgets the fun of blowing up a shoggoth with a locomotive.
Next, we’ll peek behind the curtain and see if the game keeps things fair, or if the cultists are handing out loaded dice…
How Much Does Luck Play a Role in Auztralia?
If you hate games where you lose just because you rolled badly, welcome to my support group for sore losers. Let’s talk about how Auztralia balances choices and luck, because honestly, this game sits in the middle ground. It’s not Monopoly, but you won’t win by planning alone either.
First, you have full control over your actions—where to build, when to expand farms, or when to charge into battle with a surprising amount of bravado. The time mechanic means your choices really matter. Want to build another rail line? That costs time. Want to hire a grumpy general? More time. If you’re like me, you’ll spend half the game staring at the time track, sweating, and regretting every choice you ever made. It’s amazing.
But then the Lovecraftian gods, also known as The Old Ones, show up. Their appearance order and location are random. Sometimes you’ll reveal a friendly sheep, and sometimes you’ll awaken Cthulhu right next to your new farm. This adds tension and keeps everyone guessing. Some battles go well thanks to smart planning and card management (that’s you, Rain Man). Other times, you pull a card and your shiny new artillery blows up in your face. Oops.
I’d say Auztralia makes you feel clever more often than it punishes you with bad luck. It’s not fully balanced though—get a run of bad draws and you might have to watch your empire get eaten without much recourse. That said, if you enjoy making meaningful choices with a side of chaos, you’ll have a blast. Next up: how does Auztralia feel in solo mode, and what happens when you throw your friends into the mix? Hold onto your helicopter!
Solo vs. Multiplayer: Which Auztralia Adventure is Best?
So, you’re sitting at your table, cackling with excitement, but no one else is around? No problem! The solo mode for Auztralia is here to save you from a night of eating microwaved noodles and feeling sorry for yourself. I’ve spent enough evenings with only my cat and a cup of lukewarm tea for company, so when a game offers a proper solo mode, I pay attention. Auztralia’s solo experience isn’t just tacked on—it’s a real battle against the AI Cthulhu (Old Ones, but I call him Cthulhu since we’re on first-name terms now). The automa rules are clear, and the game gives you a real challenge. There’s tension, and the board doesn’t make it easy on you. It feels like you’re racing a nasty, cosmic timer as you build railways and try to outwit eldritch horrors. My cat watched cautiously as I shouted at the board, so you know it’s good.
But what about multiplayer? That’s where Auztralia shines even more. With friends, the game takes on a whole new life. Three or four players all vying for land, resources, and not being eaten by tentacled monsters? That’s a weekend I won’t forget—mainly because my buddy Tom tried to betray us all and woke up Cthulhu early. The mix of competitive banter and urgent teamwork makes every session wild and memorable. Turns are fast (unless you’re playing with Dave, who reads rulebooks at the table) and the chaos level ramps up in the best way.
Bottom line: Auztralia is worth it for both solo and multiplayer. If you like strategy games with a unique twist, go grab it. Highly recommended—unless you’re allergic to fun.
Conclusion
Auztralia surprised me big time. You get trains, farms, and Cthulhu all crowded onto one board. That’s the stuff board game dreams are made of (or nightmares, if you play like my friend Dave—he lost to an angry octopus again). The time system keeps everyone on their toes, and there’s plenty of room for smart planning, even if the odd Elder God might toss a spanner in the works. I liked that both solo and group games felt balanced and fun—rare for these hybrid monster games. It’s not perfect: lucky card flips can still ruin your master plan, and sometimes the luck of the draw can sting. Even so, if you want a clever, tense, and unusual game night, Auztralia will not let you down. This wraps up my review, but if you see my farm full of zombies, send help!
