#phalanxgames

The Carthaginians have a leadership convention in eastern Sicily while Regulus runs amok in Libya in the Hamilcar scenario of Hannibal & Hamilcar. I’ve enjoyed the scenario but, after three games, it definitely does not feel as solid as a usual Mark Simonitch; I’m guessing most of the work here was done by the credited co-designer (Joro Andruszkiewicz). It just feels a bit slack and rules-y. It’s still fun - plenty of people who have tried to rip off the Hannibal engine have done way, way, worse - but still, clearly not on the same level as the classic. Next time out I think we’ll try Hannibal with a few of the new variants. Regardless, even if Hamilcar isn’t as good as Hannibal, that’s a very high bar and it’s a fun variant and the Phalanx production is quite nice. #bgg #boardgamegeek #boardgames #phalanxgames https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnhh5uHhl2K/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1812eb4jok56w

The Greeks are pressed but barely hanging on in Freedom! We just discovered there is a #tabletopsimulator module, so we switched over from Tabletopia, which is unfortuanate; if the quality was close I’d prefer to use Tabletopia, but it’s just not. Anyway, the Ottomans won (again), but this time it was super-close and came down to the last die roll of the last card play. We had thought a little bit about how to play the Greek defenders and I employed some new tactics which did seem to help; but the Ottomans also played a slightly more methodical game, taking time to build up a few cannons in row 5, which I think is probably not their best plan - I think they want to just go for the jugular and get engaged with the defenders on the walls ASAP (within reason). I also think they probably want to avoid the lagoon. But, card flow will enable various different approaches. I still think the Greeks are behind the 8-ball here, I think they need to both play a very tight game and not have any kind of really bad luck while the Ottomans can afford to take some chances and make some errors. But - it was a tight game, and when it’s competitive, Freedom! is definitely a fun game. It’s probably got a few games in it still, and if we can tighten up the balance either through evolving tactics or just a balance adjustment it may stick around longer. #gaminginthetimeofcovid19 #bgg #boardgamegeek #phalanxgames https://www.instagram.com/p/CDSSJMMBLPN/?igshid=18lqcowb47qex

Another play of Freedom! from @phalanxgames on #tabletopia. I’ve been really enjoying this - I’m already up to 5 plays after adding a few more post-pandemic online - but the Greeks have been having a hard time being competitive. Anyone else playing this? Any tips for the Greeks? I just asked on #bgg too. Advice welcome. My current theory is that they need to build cannons more aggressively early. #gaminginthetimeofcovid19 #phalanxgames #boardgamegeek #virtualgamenight https://www.instagram.com/p/CCVH2m4hXga/?igshid=xs903y56kijn

Another couple games of Europe Divided. This has been pretty sturdy through 4-ish plays, playing out differently each time. Plus the playing time is only about 90min, which is a big win. One interesting difference between the two sides, is that the EU/NATO generally needs to score fewer, but higher-scoring headline cards, and so needs to have a slightly longer time horizon; Russian can score easier, lower-scoring headlines and be more reactive. Interesting game. I do wish it had more Advantage cards and a bit more flavor though. #phalanxgames #bgg #boardgames #boardgamegeek #tabletopgames #boardgamenight https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Xv_jZhkUN/?igshid=q342psuuhi1y

Play #2 of Europe Divided. I switched over to play Russia this time, and managed to win by the narrowest of margins with a comeback in the last headline phase. Still enjoying; it’s clever and interestingly evocative and quite playable. Not super-deep, and I doubt it has major replayability, but fun as a game-of-the-moment. I like the fairly light asymmetry; the two sides play differently in interesting ways that are done with very few rules, but they’re not *so* different that it can’t be just a pretty direct fight. One of the interesting traps of highly asymmetric games is that it sometimes feels like the players are not actually interacting in interesting ways. I feel like the case study for this is Labyrinth: while it’s a super-interesting piece of design work, the sides end up playing different games to such a degree that it’s actually rarely worth it for them to interact, and it ends up mostly being a race for the two powers to try to achieve victory in their own spheres without actually going after each other - which is obviously not what we want either as a game or a model. I like how Europe Divided uses the headline cards to mix things up. In my last game we ended up with knock-down, drag-out fights over Ukraine and Moldova as we both had objectives in the area; this time our objectives overlapped less, so we had less direct confrontation and more jockeying and sniping until right at the end. Anyway, as I say, I suspect there isn’t quite enough depth here to keep me interested long- (or maybe even medium-)term, but it does do a bunch of interesting things so I’m enjoying it for now. #bgg #boardgamegeek #phalanxgames #europedividedgame https://www.instagram.com/p/B9JS6OVBU9P/?igshid=imyyidpt3ugy

Europe Divided. This is another euro-y game from Phalanx which, like Freedom! or one if the co-designer’s Undaunted: Normandy, seems to be trying to bring euro-y design sensibilities to wargame-y topics. This is the post-Cold War struggle between the EU/NATO and Russia over Eastern Europe. Kind of a deck builder, kind of an area control game, kind of a resource management game. It has a nice asymmetry between the two sides, which play a bit (but not radically) differently but without a pretty elegant and coherent set of rules. Not as immediately compelling as Freedom! for me - I could have used a *little* more chrome I think, as was the case with Undaunted: Normandy - but it has room to grow on me. Looking forward to giving it a few plays in any event! #bgg #boardgamegeek #boardgames #phalanxgames https://www.instagram.com/p/B8xX1HgBPSz/?igshid=1szlv7mbv515n

Another play of Freedom! from @phalanxgames - those guys on the beach are bad news for the Greeks. I wasn’t totally sure if this was going to make it, but after 3 plays I’m happy with it. There is definitely significant luck - the Greeks particularly can be undone by some swingy luck in attack rolls and the pleas to the government - but there are just a lot of great competing pressures on both players. The inclusion of the supporting surrounding areas, which can feed resources to the siege and feature heavily in the first phase, is a great addition to the basic Stronghold structure. Both players have to be aggressive and find ways try to seize the initiative; the Greeks can’t just hang back and try to resist the siege, since they are critically short food and the Ottoman victory conditions (getting people into one fort or one beach) are pretty achievable with just a run of luck if the Greeks aren’t vigilant. Anyway, fun! Pretty streamlined and quick-playing. A distant cousin to Twilight Struggle, but I found it much more intense, plus significantly shorter with stronger narrative. Like Twilight Struggle, it’s right on the edge between euros and light wargames, but I found it to be much more successful in harnessing the good features of both genres while avoiding the pitfalls. Looking forward to Europe Divided now, which should be along soon. And I seem to be doing a fair amount of gaming at friends’ places who have large windows and interesting light. #phalanxgames #boardgames #boardgamegeek #boardgamesofinstagram #boardgsmeday https://www.instagram.com/p/B7AsfbfBjl7/?igshid=qj2anoxk7k1u

Another run at Freedom! from #phalanxgames. I played the Greeks this time. The Greek position is tough - the Ottomans have a lot of different approaches to choose from and need to stay focused, but the Greeks are constantly on the brink of disaster. Both sides are under a lot of pressure. Pay attention to the probabilities of the various attacks; they’re not totally obvious. Various matchups seem to favor the Greeks because of their low to-hit numbers, but really the advantage the Greeks have is their ability to attack a lot. Still enjoying this; I doubt it’ll end up having long-term replayability, but it’s a rather interesting design with a lot of tough choices. #bgg #boardgames #boardgamesofinstagram #boardgamenight #tabletopgames https://www.instagram.com/p/B67FBGPBhEe/?igshid=1byc2b2wtv6bm