• Review: Through the Ages – A New Story of Civilization
    Review

    Review: Through the Ages – A New Story of Civilization

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    Here is your chance to make history! You will start with a small tribe with the goal of building a great civilization. Expand your farms and mines to gain resources, progress technologically, advance your forms of government, and erect impressive wonders that will endure through the centuries. Choose wisely the leaders who will leave a legacy that allows your people to achieve greatness. A strong economy, technological advancements, a happy population, and a powerful military will be what your civilization needs to progress properly in every aspect. You may excel in one, but you should try not to neglect the rest. Adjust your strategy to the opportunities that come your way. Your rivals will seek to outmaneuver you through various tricks. But do not neglect the most important thing, as the civilization with the most cultural influence will be proclaimed the winner.

    This is how we are presented with Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization, by the great Vlaada Chvátil. This is a revision of one of his greatest works, Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization (the use of the word “New” is key). This new version was published in 2015 by Czech Games Edition (CGE), to great public and critical acclaim. The illustrations are handled by Jakub Politzer (Adrenaline) and Milan Vavroň (Space Alert, Prophecy, or Shipyard).

  • Review: Twilight Struggle
    Review

    Review: Twilight Struggle

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    In 1945, the Allies defeated the German war machine with great difficulty, while the most devastating weapons created by humanity forced Japan to surrender under a rain of fire. Where many powerful nations once stood, only two remained standing. The world barely had a second to breathe before a new conflict began. But unlike the great conflicts that preceded it, this one was not going to be fought with soldiers or tanks, but with spies and politicians, scientists and intellectuals, artists and traitors. Twilight Struggle is a two-player game that simulates the 45 years of intrigue, prestige struggles, and occasional military conflicts between the Soviet Union and the United States. The entire world is the stage on which the two colossi fight to keep their ideologies and ways of life safe. The game begins among the ruins of a devastated Europe, as the two “superpowers” compete over the debris of World War II, and ends in 1989, when only the United States remains standing.

    This is how Twilight Struggle is presented to us, a design by Ananda Gupta and Jason Matthews (1960: The Making of the President, Founding Fathers, or 1989: Dawn of Freedom). The game was first published in 2005 by GMT Games, receiving numerous reprints and localizations into other languages. The illustrations across the various editions have been handled by the following artists: Rodger B. MacGowan (Commands & Colors: Ancients, Paths of Glory, Here I Stand), Mark Simonitch (Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, Commands & Colors: Napoleonics), Chechu Nieto (Dominant Species, Cuba Libre), and Viktor Csete (The Manhattan Project, Dark Moon, The Thing).

  • Review: Star Wars – Rebellion
    Review

    Review: Star Wars – Rebellion

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    We find ourselves in a period of civil war. The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away; the entire galaxy is subjected to the Empire’s reign of terror. Its newly constructed combat station, the Death Star, is powerful enough to destroy anyone who opposes its dictatorship. But a new hope has emerged. A group of brave individuals has decided to fight against imperial tyranny. From their hidden base, these rebels plan to overthrow the Empire and restore freedom to the galaxy. Star Wars: Rebellion allows players to reenact the epic conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Players take control of iconic characters from the Star Wars saga to undertake secret missions or lead their troops into battles across the galaxy.

    This is how Star Wars: Rebellion is presented to us, a new title by Corey Konieczka, the designer behind games like StarCraft: The Board Game, Battlestar Galactica, or Eldritch Horror. The game was published in 2015 by Fantasy Flight Games. The artwork does not bear the signature of any specific illustrator; instead, the publisher pulled from archival images already used in numerous titles set in the galactic franchise.

  • Review: The Castles of Burgundy
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    Review: The Castles of Burgundy

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    When you discover a new designer, usually because you have tried one of their great games, you tend to go through a phase of euphoria where you get the urge to find out about everything they have published to date. We check BGG, look up rankings, read and reread reviews, until we fall right back into board game consumerism. And this, my friends, is exactly what happened to me with the beloved Stefan Feld. When my collection was still in its infancy, the community hype skyrocketed after the presentation in Nuremberg of the now-famous Bora Bora. Shortly after, I decided that this game had to be mine. And so it was. After being delighted with the mechanics and gameplay feel, the “Feldian” fervor took over me. And that is how my collection welcomed what is, to this day, the highest-ranking game on the BGG overall list: The Castles of Burgundy. The Loire Valley during the 15th Century. As influential princes, players dedicate their efforts to careful building and trading to make their domains stand out.

    This is how The Castles of Burgundy is presented to us. As we have already mentioned, it was designed by Stefan Feld, designer of other great games such as In the Year of the Dragon, Bora Bora, or Trajan. The illustrations are done by Julien Delval and Harald Lieske. The game was published by the Ravensburger – Alea tandem in 2011.