Clans of Caledonia

Overview

Clans of Caledonia is an economic engine-builder designed by Juma Al-JouJou that drops players into 19th-century Scotland to grow their clans, build production chains, and trade commodities across a fluctuating market. I played one four-player session in a quiet, focused environment with a group of experienced strategy gamers; our session ran closer to two hours than the advertised 75 minutes. The game sits squarely in the medium-heavy complexity range and will reward players who enjoy careful planning and optimization rather than casual table time.
From my play, the game’s target audience is obvious: serious strategy gamers who like deep economic puzzles and a bit of historical flavor. The design blends mechanics such as commodity speculation, contracts, income, a market that moves with supply and demand, a modular board, and network/route building. There are also variable clan powers and a pass order turn system that creates tension around timing. Our group appreciated the familiar comparator—think Terra Mystica with a far deeper economic and trading focus—so if you’ve enjoyed that sort of engine-building, Clans of Caledonia will likely land in your wheelhouse. That said, if you prefer lighter games or dislike long downtimes between turns, this might not be a good fit: the session felt long, somewhat mechanical at times, and downtime was noticeable between player turns.

Setup and Components

Setup took about 10–20 minutes as we sorted a number of boards, tokens, and player pieces—there are a lot of elements, but everything has a dedicated place, which helps. Production quality is solid: the components are good-quality, the artwork is functional and supportive of the Scottish Highland theme, and there were no component issues during our play. Iconography and reference information are mostly clear, though a few symbols around market shifts and shipping required a double-check in the rules during setup.
The modular board and various tokens contribute to an initial visual complexity, but once organized the table looked clean and purposeful. The designer’s choices enable tidy organization of goods, contracts, and income tracks. The overall tactile experience felt sturdy and professional—enough that the components supported long-term strategy play rather than feeling like a one-off prototype. Still, the number of separate pieces means setup and teardown are non-trivial; expect to spend a little time getting everything in place before the first round.

Gameplay and Theme

Gameplay revolves around expanding your clan’s production, producing goods, shipping and selling those goods to the market, and fulfilling lucrative contracts. Each round we took turns expanding production chains, balancing internal income against market opportunities, and timing shipments to maximize profit. The market mechanic is a highlight: supply and demand move dynamically, and the timing of when you sell can swing outcomes dramatically. I distinctly remember a tense moment when the market shifted against a teammate who had banked on a spike—it felt nail-biting and meaningful.
Mechanically, the game leans heavily into skill over luck. Strategic depth is high: every decision about building, upgrading, or taking a contract affects future chain optimization. The variable clan powers warmed up different strategies and contributed to high replayability. Our group spent a fair amount of time in strategic discussions, weighing whether to invest in long-term production or chase immediate contract gains.
That said, two friction points stood out. First, the shipping mechanics and nuances of market fluctuation took some time to fully grasp; a few rules were only mostly-clear and required on-the-fly clarification. Second, downtime between turns can be long—when players are plotting multi-step optimizations the table can slow to a crawl. This made parts of the session feel mechanical rather than organically tense. Player interaction exists, but it's mainly indirect (competing for market positions or shipping routes) rather than confrontational, so the social texture is about shared puzzle-solving rather than direct conflict.
Theme integration is one of the game’s wins. The Scottish Highland motif, clan specializations, and 19th-century economic flavor are woven neatly into the mechanics. It felt authentic rather than pasted-on, and the artwork and production supported that immersion without distracting from the strategic core.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Clans of Caledonia is an excellent economic engine builder that rewards careful planning and efficient optimization. Our group found satisfaction in building production chains and timing market moves, and the game offers high replayability through different clan powers, variable market conditions, and multiple scoring routes. That said, the experience is not without trade-offs: the game can feel mechanical, some rules around market and shipping were confusing at first, and downtime can be long—these factors pushed my personal rating down in a session with experienced players.
If you are a dedicated strategy gamer who loves long-form economic planning and doesn’t mind analytical downtime, this will be a title you return to often. I can see players saying “definitely!” to replay after a first successful run. On the other hand, casual players or anyone who dislikes extended, analytical turns and occasional rule ambiguity should probably skip it. If the designers could tighten up a few rule clarifications and add mechanics to reduce downtime or encourage more direct player interaction, Clans of Caledonia would move even closer to its potential. For now, it’s a rewarding, thoughtful experience best enjoyed with the perfect group size of serious economic gamers.

Pros

• Deep economic engine building that rewards long-term planning and optimization
• Strong theme integration with functional artwork and solid production quality
• High replayability thanks to variable clan powers, modular board, and shifting market dynamics
• Satisfying market mechanic that creates tense, meaningful decisions

Cons

• Long downtime between player turns can slow gameplay and feel mechanical
• Some rules—especially market fluctuations and shipping—are confusing at first and need clarification
• Not ideal for casual players; game length and analytical depth may be off-putting