by Tanghe Dimitri
When the sun reaches its lowest point and the nights are longest, Yule begins. In the shadow of the Yule Oak, the Nissen weave Wishes into its branches, while the Wheel of the Year slowly turns. Preserve warmth, protect life, and give the winter cold its place — every choice shapes the story of winter.
Presentation
- Duration: 2½-3 hours
- Player count: 2-4
- Language: English
YULE is a strategic and atmospheric board game about making choices in the darkest time of the year. While the world seems to stand still around the winter solstice, players do not struggle with weapons, but with intention, timing, and insight.
Players take on the role of Nissen, ancient guardians who roam the land during the sacred nights. In every zone—each part of the landscape—every action represents a precious night. You move deliberately, because each step activates rituals, opens new possibilities, or closes others forever. Yule rewards not haste, but attentiveness.
At the heart of the game stands the Yule Oak. From its branches hang Wishes: goals that preserve warmth, protect life, or honour the stillness of winter. Building and claiming branches feels tangible and meaningful; the tree visibly grows through the collective choices of all players. At the same time, the Dark Cold creeps through the game. The Dark Cold stills growth, disrupts plans, and forces players to weigh risks. Ignore the cold, and it will turn against you.
In game mechanics, Yule combines strategic movement, shared objectives, and careful resource management. Players take turns performing a limited number of actions, with positioning on the board determining which rituals, Wishes and interactions are available. While the Wheel of the Year regulates the Tree. Rituals offer powerful, situational effects that can alter the board state or interact with the Yule Oak, but use them at right. Many systems are shared, ensuring constant indirect interaction and meaningful player influence without direct conflict.
The game experience of Yule is one of constant tension between control and letting go. You optimize resources, manipulate the Wheel of the Year, use powerful rituals and respond to a tree that is never entirely yours.
Yule feels thoughtful, mystical, and layered. Each playthrough tells a different winter tale, shaped by what players protect, sacrifice, or leave to the cold. When the light returns, the Yule Oak remains as a silent witness to all the choices that were made.
About the designer
Dimitri Tanghe is a game designer focused on creating thematic board games where player experience, atmosphere, and meaning are central. Rather than designing for efficiency alone, he builds games as coherent worlds in which choices feel purposeful and connected. Inspired by nature, cycles, and ritual, his work explores timing, consequence, and interaction within living systems. Competition exists as part of the experience, not its goal. Dimitri designs games that encourage intentional play, reflection, and decisions that resonate beyond the final score.
