We successfully kidnap Hitler in #blackorchestra! The story of what comes next after that seems like it might be an interesting hook for a Timewatch game. Anyway, one of the interesting things about Black Orchestra is that more than most euro-type boardgames, it aims to be a more historical evocation game (like a wargame) than a genre emulation that follows some rules of narrative (like Pandemic, Lord of the Rings, or Last Friday). So instead of rising stakes or cycles of tension and relief or foreshadow and reveal you’ve just got a semi-historical flow of events which can provide you opportunities (or not) at various times which are not very predictable. So you have to put yourself in a position to win, by being able to jump on opportunities when they occur, rather than plan for the specifics of how you’re going to pull it off and when. Our win today felt a little fluky; we were in generally bad shape but then had a surprise opening with about a 40% shot, we took it, and pulled it off. In a narrative sense, it could feel weird. But that was the nature of the many Hitler assassination plots, all of which failed. The opportunities were dicey, random, and fleeting. So it works, but you need the right mindset. Plus, you get to kill Hitler! Or try anyway - the game is hard, so if you win, there is a sense of accomplishment 😄 Here is the slightly tweaked way we play, which I recommend: use the standard difficulty; then for each stack of event cards, pull out the Key Events, set aside 3 cards, then shuffle the Key Events back in; for stack 7, shuffle the Documents Located into the bottom half of the deck; and use the optional rule where you can assassinate Hitler’s deputies and have to get both Hitler and 2 deputies to win. It’ll be hard, but that’s fair, and being able (and required) to go after the deputies as well gives the game a bit more action. #bgg #boadgamegeek #boardgames #gamesalute
