Vikings

Vikings are known for being great warriors, but they are also known for being great explorers.  In "Vikings" players become great explorers, but still need that fierce viking spirit to fend of attackers and defend their discoveries. 

Goal of the Game

Players are a Viking leader exploring the islands near their homeland.  Once discovered, craftsmen, nobles and fishermen settle on the islands and start to make their home.  Warriors are needed to protect the settlers from attacking ships; from which they can also gain fame and gold.  The most successful leader wins.

Contents / Set-Up

There are certainly a lot of components inside the box.  Both the components and the artwork is of the highest quality and they work together to create a fulfilling game experience. 

To start out there are eight square cube player markers (2 of each color, ivory, orange, light brown, dark brown),   One is used on the game board to keep track of their score.  The other one is placed on the player's homeland to show their player color. These homelands are the starting point for the player.  One is included for each player.

There are also 45 coins, 20 silver 1 gold, 15x5 bronze gold, and 10x10 yellow gold.  I wish the colors had been reversed for the 1 and 5 coins, but the numbers on the coins are large and you won't mistake the colors.  The amount of gold a player receives depends on the number of players.  When there are two players they receive 30 gold, 25 gold with 3 players, and 20 gold with four players.

There are 76 total tiles.  62 are the island tiles and 14 are ship tiles.  The start tiles each have a different back-side from the other tiles, it has a Viking meeple outline on the back.  Each player receives one start tile.  The rest are returned to the box.  This tile is added to a player's homeland on their first turn.

The other tiles are shuffled and placed into 6 stacks of 12 tiles each face down.  These are placed on the 6 places on the game board. The game board needs a bit of assembly before your first game.  The Wheel needs to be attached.  The game board has supply space for the tiles and special tiles, the wheel with spaces for the tiles and Vikings next to it, and the scoring track to record the players' victory points. 

There are 78 viking meeples, 13 of each color.  The blue meeples are fishermen, yellow goldsmiths, green scouts, red nobles, black warriors, and grey boatmen.  All these are placed into the cloth sack and mixed thoroughly. 

The players choose a start player and they take the start player figure (a stand up Viking ship) and place it in their area next to their homeland. 

Each player is also given one of the four scoring summaries to assist them throughout the game. 

Playing the Game

The game is played over 6 rounds, in each, one of the 6 tile stacks is used (from the left to right from the supply spaces.)  At the beginning of each round, the players lay out and offering of 12 tiles with 12 Vikings.  First the start player takes the next stack of tiles from the board (left to right) and places the tiles face up on the 12 spaces next to the wheel. 

He places the tiles around the wheel according to the following:

• the first island drawn is placed on the 0 value space, additional island tiles are placed on increasingly costly spaces (e.g. 1, then 2, then 3, and so on)

• the first ship tile drawn is placed on the value 11 space, additional ships tiles drawn are placed on decreasingly costly spaces (e.g. 10, then 9, then 8, and so one) 

Next, the start player draws 12 Vikings from the cloth sack, at random, and sorts them by color.  He then places the 12 Vikings on the places provided for them around the wheel, one per place.  The Vikings are placed starting at zero and moving clockwise around to 11, placing all of one color before moving to the next, and so on.  They are placed in the following order: all of the blue fishermen, then the yellow goldsmiths, then the green scouts, then the red nobles, then the black warriors, and finally all of the gray boatmen.  If there are no Vikings in a color, it is skipped.

Now, in clockwise order, players take turns acquiring tiles and Vikings, one set (1 tile and the corresponding Viking) at a time.  After taking a set the player immediately adds both the Viking and the tile to his homeland.

When all 12 tiles and Vikings have been taken, the round ends with scoring.  What is scored depends on the round:

• After the 1st, 3rd, and 5th rounds is a small scoring with goldsmiths

• After the 2nd, 4th, and 6th rounds is a large scoring (all but blue)

• After the 6th round, there is also a final scoring (special bonuses)

Acquire Set (Tile and Viking)

On their turn each player must acquire and pay for 1 set (tile and Viking).  The player must pay the cost, in gold coins, shown next to the set on the wheel (0-11).  Then they immediately add the tile and Viking to their homeland. This continues until 12 sets have been acquired.

• A player may only acquire the set at space 0 on the wheel, when the Viking there is the only Viking of that color still on the wheel.  Except for that one restriction, a player may acquire any set he can afford. 

• On his turn, a player must always take the Viking/ tile set.  If a player has no coins or insufficient coins to acquire the least expensive set allowed, he must take the 0 set, even if this breaks the rules above regarding the 0 set.

• A player may, at any time, exchange victory points for coins at a 1 to 1 rate.  The player immediately moves his scoring marker back on the turn track 1 space for each gold coin taken.  They may not move their marker below the 0, however.  So, a player may not have negative victory points or money!  A player is never required to exchange victory points for coins, to avoid having to take the set on the 0 on the wheel. 

Move the Wheel

After a player has acquired a set, if there is no 0 (the player just acquired the 0 set), move the wheel clockwise until you reach the first set still on the wheel.  Therefore, all the sets still on the wheel are reduced in price.

Place Tile and Viking

The Different Rows


The player's homeland is his base for placing tiles and Vikings.  All tiles they acquire must be placed adjacent to the base or to an already acquired tile.  The base has one row for each type of Viking.  In each row a player may place any number of tiles. 

Placing a Tile

During their turn, a player acquires one set which they immediately place in their play area or on their homeland.

When they acquire a ship tile they must place it in the first row (next to the ship picture on the homeland).  The first ship acquired can be placed in any of the first three columns of the ship row.  Future ships must always be placed next to another ship.  Ships cannot be placed in columns 4+ until columns 1-3 are filled. 

When a player acquires an island tile they must place it according to the following rules in one of the other five rows of their homeland.

• When placing an island tile, the player must place it so at least one of its sides is touching either another tile or the base.  Touching only diagonally does not fulfill this rule.  

• All island tiles have specific orientation.  The player may not place a tile up-side-down

• If a player places a tile to the right or left of another island tile, a newly placed island tile must match either sea to sea, or land to land (or sea to base).  

If the player cannot place the tile anywhere legally, he discards the tile from play and places the Viking on his base next to the boatmen graphic.

Note:  When a player places the first ship or island tile on his homeland, he places the start tile at the same time.  The order of playing the two tiles is not important (either may be placed first).

Placing a Viking

When the player places an island tile in the row the matches the color of the Viking that was taken as part of the set the player may immediately place the Viking on the island tile he just placed.  The player may not place the viking on a different tile in the same row or any other row.  Once a Viking is placed on an island tile, it remains there for the rest of the game.  If the player does not want to place the Viking on the tile, he places it on the base next to the boatmen graphic.

When the player places an island tile in a row other than the row that matches the Viking, he places the Viking on his base, near the boatman.  The player is not required to place the island tile into the row matching the viking, even if it is possible.  The player may be able to move the Viking to the base before the next large scoring by using a boatman viking.

When a player acquires a Viking with a ship tile, he must place the Viking on his base next to the boatman.  When a player acquires a boatman Viking, he must always place it on his base next to the boatman graphic.

Only one Viking may be placed on each island tile.

A Viking may only be placed in its own row, or next to the boatman.  The player may never trade tiles or vikings amongst themselves.  A player may place as many vikings as he wishes next to the boatman graphic.

Scoring

When there are no more tile/ Viking sets around the wheel, it is time for a small or a large scoring.  Players earn points or gold for Vikings on the island, regardless if the island is complete or not. 

Small Scoring

The small scoring occurs at the end of rounds 1, 3, and 5.  A player earns 3 gold coins for each goldsmith he has on an island (not the base).  If a goldsmith is threatened by a ship he earns no coins. 


Large Scoring

The large scoring occurs at the ends of rounds 2, 4, and 6.

The player take turns in clockwise order, beginning with the start player, executing actions and scoring.  Each player moves his scoring marker on the score track immediately to record the points he earns.  The player scores the Vikings from top to bottom in their play areas.

1.  Boatmen:  Only at the beginning of a large scoring can the boatsmen move Vikings form the base to the islands.  1 boatman can move all Vikings of one color or 1 Viking of each color form the base to empty island tiles.  All rules for placing Vikings must be followed.  In each Large Scoring, a player may use as many of his boatsmen as he wishes.  A player may only use a boatman to move Vikings form the base to the islands.  He may not move Vikings among the islands.  After a player uses a boatman, discards it from the game.

During the third large scoring (after the 6th round) each player must use all boatsmen that they can to move any remaining Vikings form the base to the islands.

2.  Ships:  A ship threatens vikings that stand on islands directly below the ship.  The effect of the threat extends to (including) the row that matches the color of the ships sail.  Any Viking threatened by a ship cannot earn points.  To emphasize its effect, players should put affected vikings on their sides during scoring.

3.  Warrior:  When a warrior stands on an island tile directly below a ship, the warrior repels the threat of the ship.  Vikings below the warrior are not threatened by the ship and the player collects coins or points indicated on the ship.

4.  Noble:  For each noble standing on an island tile, the player earns 2 victory points.  If a noble is threatened by a ship, the player earns no points for the noble.

5.  Scout:  For each scout standing on an island tile, the player earns 1 victory point.  In addition, the player earns 1 victory point each for a goldsmith or fisherman, which stand directly below a scout.  If the scout is threatened by a ship, the player earns no points. 

6.  Goldsmith:  For each goldsmith standing on an island tile, the player earns 3 gold coins.  If the goldsmith is threatened by a ship, the player earns no gold coins.

7.  Fishermen:  The fishermen are only responsible for supplying the Vikings with food, which is only scored in the final scoring.  In the large scoring, he counts only in connection with the scout.

Next Round

After the scoring, the start player gives the start player figure to his left neighbor, who begins the next round by placing a new supply of tiles and vikings in the spaces around the wheel.

Final Scoring

After the six stacks of 12 tiles have been exhausted and the third large scoring has been completed, the players perform the final scoring.  The final scoring is scored as follows:

Ships:  For each ship not repelled by a warrior, the player must give up the value shown on the ship - in coins or victory points.  If a player has to give up coins, but has none left, he gives up victory points instead on a 1 for 1 basis.

Gold:  For each 5 gold in coins the player has, they score 1 victory point, returning the scored coins to the bank.  The remaining coins are kept in their area.

Boatsmen: The player with the most boatsmen left on his base earns 10 victory points. In the large scoring at the end of the 6th round, each player must use as many boatsmen as he has to move Vikings from his base to empty islands.  He cannot choose to leave Vikings behind if they have an empty island to go to and a boatman to take them. 

Completed Islands:  The player with the most completed islands left on the base earns 10 victory points.  If players tie for the most, they each earn 7 victory points.  A completed island has a left and right end, and any number of middle pieces, with no empty spaces.  The tiles need not be occupied by Vikings.

Longest Island:  The player who has the longest completed island earns 5 victory points.  In this case, longest means the island with the most tiles.  If player tie, the each are given 5 victory points.

Over and Under Supply:  Each player counts the number of vikings he has (both on islands and his base, including remaining boatsmen).  All Vikings must be supplied with fish to eat.  Each fisherman standing on an island that is not threatened by a ship can supply himself and 4 other vikings with fish to eat.

For each additional Viking in that the fisherman could supply, the player earns 2 victory points for over supply.  For each existing Viking that the player's fishermen cannot supply, the player loses 1 victory point for under supply.  If a fishermen is threatened by a ship or a fishermen stand on the player's base, not on an island, he can supply no Vikings, but must be supplied.

Game End

After the final scoring, the game ends.  The winner is the player with the most victory points.  If there is a tie for most points, the player among those tied with the highest value in coins is the winner.  If there is still a tie the players rejoice in their shared victory. 

My Thoughts

Vikings is a great game that unfortunately is a bit hard to find, because it is out of print.  Since Z-Mann and Hans im Glück announced their new partnership there has been a lot of call to reprint the game.  I hope that happens because it is truly a joy to play.

Tile placement games are always a weakness of mine.  They are a lot like putting a picture together without knowing what the puzzle is supposed to be.  At games end you have created a small world, which is unique every time you play. Vikings isn't about conquering or pillaging, it's about exploring and discovering so tile placement really fits that theme. 

The components are beautiful, I love the different colored Viking Meeples and how they are used in the game.  I'm not thrilled with the wheel, since putting it together means the board won't lay flat in the box.  We never did put it together and instead lay it on top and it works fine.  Even the back of the board has a picture of a viking ship, I love when companies do that.

There is a lot of luck in the game, but planning and strategy is still very important.  Tiles and Vikings come out randomly so being the starting player certainly gives an advantage.  You are first to choose your island / Viking combination.  Getting the right island tiles and planning your homeland is important.  There have been a few times where I had to set my island piece aside because it wouldn't work.  I hate doing that.  You also need to be careful with your funds.  Without gold you will have a hard time getting the best islands.  You never want to take victory points away for gold even if the option is available to you. I like that the prices for the sets change during the round as players choose and Vikings of one kind are taken.  I especially like taking that 0 set whenever I can. 

While placing your tiles and Vikings you need to watch which round it is.  I like the three unique types of scoring used.  It adds both a bit of tension and relief to the game.  Tension because you may want to focus on protecting your goldsmiths for the small scoring or getting the right combination of scouts, fishermen and goldsmiths for a large scoring.  Relief because you know you don't need to worry about fishermen to the final scoring.

For that final scoring you also have to keep in mind how many islands you are creating and how large they are.  Getting the start and end pieces is not always the easiest thing to do, you do need to be a little lucky.  The ships can also be a bit of a problem if you don't have the warriors to protect your land.  If you do, the islands can be a great source of victory points and gold.  Oh, and now you also need to worry about having enough fishermen to supply your Vikings, even the ones not on the island. 

The game play simple and quick, but the decisions are deep and strategic.  Luck plays a part, but it can be mitigated by careful game play and planning.  Watching you homeland grow as your Vikings discover and settle new land is fulfilling and fun.  The three types of scoring keeps the game interesting as players make decisions based not only on the current round, but that final end scoring. 

Advanced rules involving auction and special tiles are also included but since I usually play the game two-player auctions rarely work.  I really hope to see this game reprinted one day, because it really is unique. 

Quick Stats:

Designer:  Michael Kiesling

Artist: Harold Lieske, Michael Menzel

Players: 2-4

Publishers:Abi, Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH, MINDOK, Rio Grande Games, Smart Ltd

Time:60 minutes

Ages: 10 & Up

Mechanics: Auction / Bidding, Tile Placement

Photo Credits: Steve Duff (UnknownParkerBrother), john aminass (whoami), Svetlana (LanaDove), Tom Delme (tdelme), Scott Petersen (scottredracecar), Antony Hemme (Toynan), Rik Van Horn (Rokkr) (3), Ender Wiggins (EndersGame), I love Auction/Bidding games (allenj82), Ender Wiggins (EndersGame) (2), Tom Delme (tdelme), Antony Hemme (Toynan), Guilherme Estevao Goulart (Galender) john aminass (whoami), Antony Hemme (Toynan), Karen Messenger (cmessenger)

Thanks for taking such beautiful photographs and sharing them with us!

Tournay

Tournay, built by the Romans along the Scheldt River, is considered one of the most important cultural sites in Belgium and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The game of Tournay, is set after the 881 Norman invasion which left the city in ruins.  The people have returned to their homes and are starting to rebuild.  Players are constructing new buildings, managing the citizens, and vying to once again make Tournay a prestigious city.

Goal of the Game

Players are trying to build the most renowned district in Tournay by gaining Prestige Points.  These are earned from Prestige buildings, combating event cards, and from regular buildings and people in their district.  The player with the most Prestige Points at the end of the game is the winner.

Components / Set-Up

The game includes the base game and one expansion that can be used after players are more familiar with Tournay.  The components are beautiful, I love the artwork.  Fans of Troyes will see some resemblance to that game. 

The base game comes with 90 activity cards.  There are 30 of each color, 10 for each level I-III.  The expansion comes with an additional 18 activity cards.  There are 6 of each color for levels I & II.

The cards are made of a linen finish, which is my favorite kind for a card game.

They have a nice feel but players will need to pay close attention to the icons.


The cards are sorted by color and level into 9 decks of 10 cards each.  Each of the 9 decks should be shuffled and placed in descending level order below the appropriately colored slot of the game board. 

The game board is double sided.  One side is the score track, not used until the game is over.  The other side is the supply side for the extra citizens available for purchase during the game. It is placed above the activity cards with the supply side showing.  Three of each citizen color are placed in the designated spots.   Thirty-three wooden citizen meeples are used to perform actions.  There are 11 red for military, 11 white for religious, and 11 yellow civilians.

15 Event cards are also included.  These cards are made into a deck and placed above the board next to the first black spot.  The top 3 cards of the Event deck are revealed and formed into an event queue by placing them above the other three black slots.

There player is given one of the 4 plaza cards in the player colors (white, blue, orange, and green) and one of the four wooden scoring tokens in their player color.  They also take two citizens for each class and place them, standing on their plaza card.  They also take 6 deniers.

Currency used in the game is called Deniers and comes in denominations of 1 and 5 coins and then 10 in a card.  There are also 20 double-sided damage and gray citizen tokens.  6 cardboard Player aides are included as well.  These tokens and cards are all placed in a general supply.

The starting player is given the start player marker.  They keep this the entire game, as it is used to determine when the game ends.

Activity Cards

There are four types of Activity Cards in the decks: Buildings, Characters, Prestige Buildings, and Town Criers.

Buildings (House Symbol):  Players construct these in their districts.  They can be activated with citizens of the same color in order to benefit from the buildings effect.  For example the Farm House gives a player 1 denier per empty space in their district.

Characters (Person Symbol):  Players place these in their districts, and they interact with the card situated in the same row and column, as indicated by the four arrows around the edge of the card.  You never place a citizen on a character card to activate it.  One example of a Character card is the Bishop.  When a white building in the same row / column as the Bishop is activated the player may gather their citizens lying near the Plaza card.  

Prestige buildings: (Castle Symbol):  These are the Level III Cards, which can provide prestige pints at the end of the game.  Each prestige building built causes a scoring for all players at the end of the game.  For example the Cloth Hall earns player Prestige Points per visible yellow card of Level I or Level II in their district (both building and characters).

Town Criers:  there is one of these in each of the 9 decks.  These cards announce events.  When such a card is drawn, the events in the queue are activated.

Game Play

Players take turns in clockwise order.  There are two phases that must be played in order:

1. play a card from your hand (optional)
2. perform an action with citizens (mandatory)

Phase 1:  Play a card from your hand 


You may play one card from your hand in order to build it in your district.  In the upper-left hand corner of the card a construction cost is shown.  This cost must be paid in order to play the card.  The card must be placed orthogonally adjacent to a card already placed.  The first card placed is an exception to this rule.  Each district cannot extend more than 3 rows or 3 columns.

You may place a card on top of another card of the same color.  They will then be stacked on top of each other.  If you want to play a card is a space occupied by card of a different color, the old one is discarded face-down under their respective deck before being replaced by the new card. 


It is possible to place a card on a card occupied by a token.  If it is damage marker or a gray citizen, it is returned to the supply.  If it is one of your citizens, it is laid next to your Plaza card.

When building Prestige buildings, you may not build two with the same name.  You can place two Level I or Level II cards with the same name.


Phase Two:  Perform an action with citizens (mandatory) 

With your citizens you may choose to perform one of the following actions:

1. Draw a Card
2. Activate one building in your district
3. Combat an Event Card
4. Earn deniers
5. Gather you citizens to your plaza.

You must use one or more available citizens of the same color to perform an action.  You can use the available citizens on your own plaza card (standing) or you may pay 2 deniers per citizen to use available citizens on your opponent's Plaza cards.  This is paid to the citizen's owner and the citizen still belongs to the same player, but it is unavailable for the time being.  It is possible to use citizens from several players for one action. 

1.  Draw a Card

With a single citizen you can draw a Level I card of the same color as the citizen.  Two citizens of the same color permit you to draw Level II card of the citizens' color.  Three a Level III card of the citizens' color.  The citizens used to draw the card are laid down, beside the Plaza card from which they came.

When you draw a card you may take the first face-up card from the deck, if there is one, or take the first two face-down cards from the deck, look at them, then choose one and put the other face-up on top of the deck.

You may choose this second option when a card is already face-up on top of the deck.  First, place the face-up card, face-down on the bottom of the deck.  If there are only two cards in the deck, regardless if one is face-up), draw them both, keep one, and put the other back face-up.  If there is only one card, you may take it.

Drawing a Town Crier and triggering the events:  If one of the two face-down cards drawn is a Town Crier you must draw an additional card before choosing which card to add to your hand then:

1.  Place the Town Crier card under the deck from which it was drawn, at a 90 degree angle.  This shows that there will be no more town criers found in that deck the rest of the game.

2.  Place a 1-denier coin from the supply on one empty circle on each of the Event cards in the queue.  If all the circles are already full do not add coins to that card.

3.  All players are affected by all cards in the Event queue.  Each effect is applied once for each coin on the card (regardless of whether a coin could be added to the card in the previous step).

Each player can construct a rampart playing one Rampart card from their hand to avoid the effects of one entire Event card of their choice, regardless of the number of coins on the card.  The card is placed face-down in the district.  It will all bring the player one prestige point at the end of the game.  It is possible to construct multiple ramparts in order to defend against several event cards triggered by the same town crier.  All Rampart cards are played in a single pile.


2.  Activate a building in your district

You can put a citizen to work in an unoccupied building in your district.  The citizen and the building must be the same color.  If the citizen comes form another player's Plaza, lay it on its side beside its own plaza, and then place a gray citizen token form the supply on the activated card. 


3.  Combat an Event Card

You may work diplomatically against one of the events in the queue that has at least one denier on it.  In order to combat and event card that makes you lose deniers, you must use 2 citizens of the color designated in the upper-left hand corner of the card.  In order to combat the other types of Event cards, you must use one citizen of the color designated on the card and pay a ransom equal to the number of coins present on the card, plus 1 denier.  In both cases, lay the used citizens beside the Plaza card from which they came.  Return the coins on the card to the supply, and take the Event card into your hand.  This can later be built as a Rampart.  Replace the old even with a new one from the deck.

4.  Earn deniers

You can use one or more of your citizens of the same color to earn 2 deniers per citizen.  The citizens used must come from you own Plaza card.  Lay the citizens down beside your Plaza card after this action.

5.  Gather your citizen on your Plaza card

This allows you to move all your citizens, including those that were played on building cards, onto your Plaza.  Citizens should be placed standing upright.  Return any damage tokens and gray citizens in your district to the supply.  You can even execute this action if you still have citizens on your Plaza card.

You may never have more than four cards in your hand at the end of your turn.  If your turn ends and you have more than four cards, you must discard one card back to its appropriate deck.  You can build one or more ramparts at the end of your turn in order to reduce your hand to 4 cards; but a Rampart card build this way will not protect you from attack.

End of the Game

Two conditions must be met for the end of the game.  The end of the game is triggered at the beginning of the start players turn if Condition 1 is met by at least 2 players or Condition 1 and 2 are met simultaneously. 

• Condition 1:   A player has constructed a district of 9 spaces with at least 2 visible prestige buildings
• Condition 2:  one Town Crier card more than the number of players has been revealed and placed under the decks.

Each player may take one final turn.  After this last turn, all players may play one last card face-down from their hand into their district.  Then, the players reveal their card at the same time, paying its cost, and gaining any benefit from extant character cards in the same row or column that are triggered by that one card.  The players can place all their Rampart cards from their hand into their pile of Ramparts.

 

Now the final scoring commences:  Flip over the game board to reveal the score track, and set the players' discs next to the board.  Each visible prestige building earns Prestige Points for all players.  For each element in his possession that is scored, the player who built the building earns the left Prestige Points.  Other players earn the right Prestige Points.  Score the cards one by one, starting with the start player.  Place a damage token on each building as it's scored to keep track of which have been already scored.  A player cannot score more than 12 points for each prestige building.  Prestige Buildings of the same name only trigger one scoring.  Anyone who built the building earns Prestige Points on the left; other players the right.

Next, each player earns the Prestige Points indicated just below the costs on all cards in their district.  Covered cards also count for this.  One Prestige Point is earned for each Rampart.

Advanced Rules

Once players have learned the game and wish to play a longer more strategic game they may try these advanced rules.  Players now start with only one citizen of each type on their Plaza but have 9 deniers.  Three citizens more than the number of players are placed in each of the 3 supplies.  There is also a new 6th action:  Recruit a Citizen.  Players can spend 5 deniers and recruit a citizen form the general supply.  The citizen you use and the citizen that is recruited must be of the same color.

Lay the citizen you used beside your Plaza card.  Stand the recruited citizens on your Plaza, it is available for use.


My Thoughts

Tournay was not a game that I loved the first time I played it, but it has grown on me to become one I enjoy playing, and whose mystery I seek to unlock.  The mystery I refer to is the strategy  needed to succeed in gathering Prestige Points.  Tournay is a game that definitely rewards experience and thoughtful strategy.  Knowing the cards, the combinations of buildings, and which Prestige Buildings would work best in your district is important.  This knowledge can put new players at a disadvantage when playing with those more experienced with the game.  So be cautious and kind to new players.  I also think this lack of experience for new players can lead to some analysis paralysis issues.  These will go away as one learns the game.

Another issue that can hurt game play, at least at first, is the icons.  The Icons enable this game to be language independent but they can be confusing until you get used to them.  I didn't find the player aide to be that helpful and we constantly passed the rule book back and forth to read the description of the individual cards.  Unfortunately the Event cards and the Expansion cards are described inside the rulebook.  Making a copy of the descriptions for each player would be helpful.  As you play the game multiple times, and get to know the cards, this won't be an issue.


The game is rather quick as well, rarely does a game last sixty minutes, at least not with two players.  Since you are only to build a building and take one action, turns won't last very long and there will be very little downtime.  It also leaves little time to plan.  There is also a lot of luck involved in which cards you draw and when the Events will occur.  There were three events that occurred in one game during the first few turns, leaving us behind before we even got a chance to start.  It actually lead to an interesting end game, where both of us were holding back our last Prestige building to gain the most points before meeting the second end condition.


I know others have complained about the end of game scoring but I like it.  You have some idea of where you stand when you look at others districts and compare them to your own.  Yet, you don't know until the last person scores who the winner will be.  It makes for an exciting end game where players carefully tally their score and wait with baited breath as others are scored.

I may sound like I didn't enjoy this game, but that is not the case.  I think Tournay will be like a fine wine, getting better with age.  I enjoyed building a district that maximizes my score, compliments each other, and protects against negative events.  The events also add to the game play.  Sometimes they are good, but most hurt you.  Being prepared and defending yourself adds another layer.  I hope that future expansion will offer greater diversity in the buildings and characters, and some new Prestige Buildings.  For now, I'll play a few more times and hope to solve that mystery.

Quick Stats:

Designer:Sebastien Dujardin, Xavier Georges, Alain Orban

Artist: Alexandre Roche

Players:2-4

Publishers: Heidelberger Spieleverlag, Pearl Games, Z-Man Games

Time: 60 minutes

Ages:12 & Up

Mechanics:Card Drafting, Hand Management

Photo Credits:  from www.boardgamegeek.com: W. Eric Martin, (W Eric Martin), Henk Rolleman (henk.rolleman), W. Eric Martin (W Eric Martin), sébastien dujardin (sebduj), fabrice vandenbogaerde (fabricefab), Roberto Méndez (Zoroastro), Paul & Marieke (ZaNaBoZa)

Thanks for the wonderful photos!

D-Day Dice

The battles of World War II have inspired movies, novels, and even games.  D-Day Dice is a fine example of a game that can result from that inspiration.  This cooperative dice game focuses on beach invasion of D-Day, June 6, 1944.  The Allies goal is to rescue France from the Germans, who aren't giving up without a fight.  Players must work together; manage their resources, and use weapons, items, the knowledge and courage of their men to win the day.  Will they be successful, or will France remain in Axis hands?

Overview

In the basic game of D-Day Dice, players are Allied soldiers trying to attack an Axis machine gun nest. 

The players start with a unit and nothing else and as the game progresses they collect resources and advance on the beach, sector by sector, growing stronger and deadlier along the way.  The players cooperate without each other to defeat their common enemy.  If one player fails, they all fail.

Components / Set-up

I was very impressed with the components for the game, they are artistic, thoughtful, and made of high quality materiel. There are four double-sided battle maps.  These are pretty small maps, but a large board isn't needed and many scenarios call for you to place maps side-by-side.  They are made of a very thick cardboard that I know will hold up for years to come.

There are four invaluable Resource Dial Cards in the four player colors (brown,  green, yellow, and blue) I don't think I would enjoy the game as much without the resource dials.  I wouldn't want to keep track of my resources with pen and paper!  Each player receives one of these in their player color.

Each player is given one of the 4 decks of 13 regular specialists cards, in their player color.  Next, they are given their Unit marker die, and one set of the 6 special dice (2 red, 2 blue, and 2 white).  The dice are nicely engraved and the detail is great.  Players are also given the player aid which is a very helpful reference sheet during game play.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Almost any game can benefit from a reference sheet and I'm very glad when designers are thoughtful enough to include them. 

The game also comes with four regular black six-sided dice.  These dice are used for rolling machine gun fire (MGF) and for landmine damage.  The six is red because on some maps a six causes special damage.

Besides the 4 player decks cards included in the game are 11 unique specialists, 10 regular item cards, 18 special item cards, 6 vehicle cards, and 12 Award cards.  The cards are small, which I usually don't like, but now I appreciate for this game.  Being small you can lay them out on the table and not worry about space, if they were bigger this could become an issue as you built up your force.   Different combinations of these cards will be used depending on the map and scenario used. There is also a token sheet included with four sets of numbers 1-6 and 6 green dots.

I also want to add that the rulebook is also stunning.  I love the look and feel of the book, and that it looks like a real regulations book.  Each map, in the rulebook is also dedicated to units, photographers, and other brave men who fought in that battle or were killed on their way to the battle.  Those few lines add so much meaning and though to the game.

Game Start

After players have received their dice, resource token, and specialist deck they then select a battle map.  Each map will come with special rules and notes on which items, unique specialists, vehicles, and so forth to use.  Players then place their unit marker on the maps starting position, marked with an S, this is usually sector 1.  One chevron should be showing on their unit die.  These unit markers move on the map as units advance to track the unit's position.

Now, players look at the list of available specialists and items for their selected Battle Map.  The available items and Unique Specialists are placed in the "pool" on the table so they are accessible to every player. 

The Regular Specialist cards are drawn by every player from their own deck, and kept on hand.  The unavailable items and Specialists are placed back in the game box.  Award cards are also placed on the table, but they are not part of the pool.

Players then note the starting resources printed on the map, adjust their Resource cards.

Turn Sequence

Game play is simultaneous.  All players go through the turn sequence together.  The turn is divided into 5 phases.  Each phase is completed in order, by all players, before starting the next phase.

1. Phase 1:  Roll the Dice (until you have your "Final Tally")
2. Phase 2:  Upkeep (count "Red, White & Blue" bonuses, earn awards, adjust Resource cards and change the face of Unit markers)
3. Phase 3:  Recruit Specialists / Find Items (also trade resources, purchase awards)
4. Phase 4: Move (fulfill new Sector requirements if applicable)
5. Phase 5: Combat (lose soldiers from your unit according to your sector)

Phase 1:  Roll the Dice

 Every turn a player rolls 6 dice.  On the 1st roll (and only then), 2 of these dice must be "locked" and cannot be re-rolled.  The player can keep or re-roll any of the remaining 4 dice for the second roll.  On the 3rd and final roll, any or all of the remaining 4 dice may be re-rolled.  The only dice that can never be re-rolled are the two locked dice.  Players can consult each other and discuss while rolling the dice.

When rolling is finished, the dice on the table are the "Final Tally."  Players must take note of every die and proceed to the next phase.

There are six different symbols that may be rolled:  Skull, Star, 1 Soldier, 2 Soldiers, Medal (courage) and Tool.  A skull rolled cancels another die.  For every Skull a player has in their final tally, 1 other die of his choice is cancelled.  A Skull cannot cancel another skull.  A star gives points for recruiting Specialists.  Each specialist has a specific cost in stars.  When a player has enough Stars to recruit a Specialist, that Specialist joins the player's unit.  A player may not recruit more than 1 Specialist per turn.  1 or 2 Soldiers are added to help accomplish the mission, depending on the die result.  A medal gives courage so units may advance.  It takes courage to move toward the bunker while the enemy is firing.

A tool helps the unit to obtain items.  These represent items collected from fallen comrades, supply bags, and other resources. The number of tools in a player's tally will determine how many item points are gained.  1 tool gives 1 item point, 2 tools give 3 item points, 3 tools give 6 item points, 4 give 12 item points, 5 24 item points, 6 give 48 item points, and for every tool after that they are given 24 more item points.

 Red, White & Blue (RWB)

If a player rolls three identical results on 3 dice of different colors, he scores a "Red, White & Blue" special bonus (RWB).  These bonuses are in addition to the dice themselves; they don't replace them (with the exception of the skulls).  Many of these bonuses offer 2 different possibilities (separated by an "Or), giving the player the choice depending on their needs.

3 Skulls = Dead Man's Gift:  You find a fallen soldier's gear bag.  Gain +20 Item points, and ignore the negative effect of these skulls (they don't cancel any dice).

3 Stars = Leadership:  Add 1 white result of your choice to your Final Tally: this can trigger another RWB bonus or another unit gains +2 courage.

3 1xSoldier = Reinforcements:  Add +4 Soldiers to your Unit, and +4 soldiers to another Unit of your choice

3 2x soldiers = Fresh Troops:  Gain +6 Soldiers


3 Courage =  Battle Cry:  Gain +3 soldiers Or, if you move this turn, ignore all the requirements for the Sector you move to and don't spend Courage to get there.  Landmines are not ignored in this way, and Combat occurs normally once you have moved


3 Tools = Special Find:  you can find a face-down item of your choice (you must still pay its cost in item points) or gain +2 Stars

Straights = Award: If a player rolls one of each symbol (regardless of color) he earns an Award.  The Award is in addition to the dice themselves.

Phase 2:  Upkeep

After looking at their Final Tally, all RWB bonuses and Awards are then collected along with all the resources rolled by players in their Final Tally.  Everything is noted on the players' respective Resource Cards; Soldiers, Stars, tools, and Courage accumulate from turn to turn. 

Also, it is during Phase 2 that players change the face of their Unit marker.  1, 2 and 3 Chevrons indicate how many turns you have spend in a Sector.  Change the face to an additional chevron each Upkeep.  If three chevrons are already showing during upkeep, change the face to the red arrow.  Use this face to indicate that you Unit will move this turn.  Use the two green arrow face to indicate that you will move using a Battle Cry RWB.  The Black shield face is used when you are in a "Can't stay here" Sector.

Awards

Awards can be obtained in two ways.

• If a player obtains 1 of each result in his Final Tally (a straight), he chooses 1 Award card during phase 2 or
• If, during Phase 3, a player spends 6 Courage, he draws 1 Award card at Random

Certain battle maps can also give awards to units.  Awards are played just like regular items, but must be played at the end of any Phase 1 (after the Final Tally is obtained), unless other noted.  Once used, the Award if placed face-down on the table and cannot be earned again for the remainder of the game.  Once there are no cards left in the Award deck, no more Awards may be earned.  A unit cannot draw more than 1 Award per turn.  When an Award card allows players to recruit a Specialist or fin an Item, these never count toward the 1-per-turn limit.

Phase 3:  Recruit Specialists / Find Items

Specialists

These specially trained soldiers are essential for the survival of a Unit.  A player must roll Stars on his dice to recruit Specialists.  Each one has a specific cost (4 Stars for the Medic for example) and a permanent ability that affects the Unit he joins (that ability is lost if he dies).  Specialists' abilities are cumulative:  if you have a Veteran and a Chaplain, for example you'll get +1 Soldier and +1 Courage for every RWB you obtain.


There are 2 kinds of Specialists:

• Regular Specialists are available to all player (they come in each color)
• Unique Specialists are placed in the Pool with the Items.

At the beginning of the game, player must look at the list of available Specialists according to the Battle Map they have chosen.  All Specialists that are not on this list must be placed back in the game box (they cannot be recruited).

Once a player collects enough Stars, he can spend them to "recruit" a Specialist (only 1 Specialist may be recruited per turn, per player.)  The Specialists cost is subtracted from your Resource Card and take the Specialists from the pool.  They are now part of your unit.


Specialists also count as soldiers, so a player can choose to lose them during combat.  Once a Specialist dies, he cannot be recruited again.  They are placed face-down on the table as a reminder.

Items

Tools results generate Item Points.  Once a player collects enough Item Points, they can spend them to "find" and item.  Only one item may be found per turn.  Subtract the cost of the Item from your Item Point total on your Resource Card, take the Item card from the Pool and place it in front of you face-up.  That item is now part of your inventory.

There are 2 kinds of Items:

• Regular Items are always available, whatever the Map (except when noted)
• Special Items are only found on certain Maps

Items can only be used once, and must be discarded afterward.  While Specialists have permanent effects, Item have "one-shot" effects that take place immediately after they are used.  Although players can find only one item per turn, there is no limit to how many be used in a given turn.


 Items can be used anytime (except where noted), and some may be used the instant they are found.  Units that affect the DEF value or Machine Gun Fire of Sectors affect all Units present in the Sector until the end of the turn.



Vehicles

There can usually be found in specific Sectors on certain Battle Maps (like Juno or Sword Beach), or with the "Legion of Merit" Award.  A Vehicle is found just like and Item (with Item Points), but works more like a Specialist:

• Its special power is permanent and affects all Units present in its Sector
• Contrary to Specialists, Vehicles do not count as Soldiers
• Vehicles can never move over Landmines (even if your Unit ignores Landmines)
• Vehicles can never enter a Bunker
• A Unit may not have more than one Vehicles at one time
• Vehicles can be traded or they can be abandoned, but once they are abandoned, they cannot be found again

Vehicles are plainly visible, so they are not "found" in the strictest sense: the Item Points you spend are for the various parts necessary to make them run.  

Trading

 Since this is a cooperative game, and the loss of 1 player means a defeat for all, Units must help each other whenever possible.  The survival of he whole operation depends on it.


Trading Resources

When 2 or more Units stand in the same Sector, they may trade resources between themselves.  These include Soldiers, Courage, Stars Tools, Items and Vehicles between themselves.  Awards and Specialists may never be traded this way (except the Messenger).  A Unit cannot trade with a Unit that stands in a different Sector (unless otherwise noted).  A Unit can trade resources for nothing in return.  Trading can be done at any time.  During Combat, trading is allowed after rolling the MGF but before the Unit suffers casualties, to help them cope with the losses.

Trading Dice with the Lieutenant

When using the Lieutenant Specialist, each Unit can trade 1 (and only 1) die with 1 other Unit.  Units don't need to be in the same Sector to trade dice (the Lieutenant communicates with hand signals or a radio).  Note the virtual results given by Sectors or the the "Leadership" RWB cannot be traded away:  only real dice can be traded.  When trading dice with the Lieutenant, make sure you have 2 dice from each color before rolling during the next phase 1.

Awards

A player may spend 6 Courage to draw 1 Award card at random. 

Phase 4:  Move

Battle Maps are split into spaces, call "Sectors."  Units are allowed to stay in any Sector for a maximum of 3 turns (sometimes less or more, depending on its special attributes).  They then must leave.  Unit markers have Chevrons printed on them.  When you move your marker into a new Sector, it should show 1 Chevron, indicated your first turn there.  During Phase 2, you must change the face of your marker to add 1 chevron.  Once you cannot add any more chevrons to your marker, i.e. it already shows three; change the face to the red arrow, to remind you that you must move during the next phase 4. 

When a unit decides to move (or is forced to), it must move to an adjacent Sector (moving its marker and placing it back on its one chevron face).  A Unit can only move once per turn, and can never visit the same sector twice.  It can move laterally or forward, but can never move backward.  When a Unit moves forward (changing row), it "Advances."  If a Unit must move, and cannot do so (whatever the reason), it is wiped out (and the players lose the game).

Advancing

A player must spend Courage every time he Advances.  The amount of Courage necessary depends on the Battle Map (the number is printed at the left end of the horizontal line that was crossed, in the Courage icon.)  Entering the Bunker also counts as Advancing: the Courage necessary is printed on the Bunker in a Courage icon.

Sectors

Sectors on the Battle Map have specific attributes.  Bunkers also count as sectors.  These attributes are shown as icons.

The attributes are described in the Map's legend or text.  At the bottom of all Maps, the starting sector can be identified by the s symbol, indicating their respective starting resources.  Here are the most common Sector attributes:

Special Instructions:  Simply follow the printed instructions.  Sector instructions take precedence over the general rules of the game.  Refer to the Map's description for the full meaning of these instructions.  When printed in green, instructions are beneficial to the players; when printed in red, they are not.

Black Shield - Can't stay here:  Sectors with a black shield are Sectors where you cannot stay more than 1 turn.  This means you must move during the next Phase 4.

Red Check - Requirement:  Must have XXX to move here:  Many Sectors require a Unit to have a specific Specialist to move them.  A Unit must always have the required Specialist at the moment it enters into the Sector.  It cannot recruit said Specialist at the moment it moves into the Sector.  It cannot recruit said Specialist later on.  This requirement must be met only once: if the required Specialist is killed later on, the Unit can stay.  The only way to ignore the requirements of a Sector is by moving in with the Battle Cry RWB. 

Red X - Requirement:  Sacrifice XXX to move here:  When you need to sacrifice a Specialist, you must have the Specialist in your Unit when you arrive.  Sometimes a sacrifice will mention "1 Specialist," in which case you can choose a Specialist to fulfill this requirement.  This sacrifice happens during Phase 4 and is not counted toward the casualties suffered during Phase 5.  The only way to ignore requirements of a Sector is by moving with a Battle Cry RWB. 

Bonuses per turn:  Some Sectors give bonuses (depending on the icon present), which are added to the Final Tally of Phase 1.  These bonuses do not have a specific color, cannot allow a player to obtain an RWB bonus and cannot be traded with the Lieutenant. 

Penalties per turn:  Some Sectors will take away specific dice results (depending on the icon present).  These penalties occur every turn: simply subtract the penalty from the Final Tally.  If you don't obtain the specific result in your Final Tally, you don't suffer the penalty.

Defense (DEF)

Every Sector has a big number written in a sheild: this is the number of Soldiers every Unit must lose.  The higher the number, the deadlier the Sector.  Sometimes the DEF shield will be black instead of white: this simply means that Units cannot stay more than 1 turn in the Sector; it has no bearing on the DEF itself.

Some Sectors have more than one DEF:  in these cases, you must use the first (and lowest) DEF during your first combat turn, then the second one for the second Combat turn, and so on.  The number of chevrons on your unit marker indicates which DEF to use.  Some Items and effects allow players to reduce the DEF of a Sector (flame-thrower, bazooka).  When this happens, the DEF value changes affect all Units present until the end of the turn.  Note that all DEF reducing effects are cumulative, but if a Sector's DEF is reduced below 0, treat it as being 0. 

Machine Gun Fire (MGF)

Some sectors are exposed to Machine Gun Fire (MGF).  These sectors have a special symbol besides their DEF; a red cross-hairs.  When units are present in such a sector, one player rolls a D6 counts the pips, and adds this result to the DEF of the Sector.

MGF dice can be re-rolled or changed in special circumstances or when certain items are used (Binoculars).  If something modifies the MGF for any reason, all Units present in the Sector benefit or suffer from it.  On some Battle Maps, some Sectors have more than 1 MGF symbol.  When this happens, all MGF dice are added together and count as one result.

Special Damage

Sometimes, an MGF may inflict specific damages when a "6" is rolled.  When this is the case, a die icon will appear beside the MGF symbol.  Simply refer to the legend of the Battle Ma to see what the Special Damage is (usually, the player will lose 1 Courage or 1 Specialist of his choice).  Special Damage is activated by any die with a result of 6:  in Sectors with multiple MGF symbols, you may suffer multiple Special Damage.  The Special Damage is always added on top of the regular MGF damage.

Landmines

When moving from one Sector to another, if a Unit crosses a line with Landmines, it must immediately roll 1 die to determine its losses.  A Medic can reduce this number by 1, and a Minesweeper can entirely prevent this loss.  Landmine dice can be modified by some effects (like using the Binoculars).  If more than 1 Unit crosses the same Landmines during the same turn, they must each roll a die (because some Units are luckier than others when treading the minefields).

Barriers

Barriers are impassable:  Units can never move over them, even with the Battle Cry RWB.  Some cards provide an exception to this rule. 

Phase Five:  Combat

Whether a Unit moved or not, it suffers casualties at the hands of the enemy during Phase 5.  The number of Soldiers Units lose is equal to the Defense (DEF) of the Sector (plus Machine Gun Fire if applicable).

Casualties

Whenever a player suffers casualties (during any Phase), he must subtract that number from the total number of Soldiers in his Unit (don't forget that Specialists also count as Soldiers).  If there are not more Soldiers or Specialists in a Unit, it is wiped out and the players lose the game.

Winning

All players must enter the Bunker and survive with at least 1 Soldier to win the game.  If even 1 Unit fails to do so, all the players lose the game.  When a Unit successfully enters the Bunker, the Unit is considered "safe" and no longer in harm's way (it stops rolling dice).  The player places his surviving Specialists beside the Bunker by 1 point for the remaining Units.  If 2 or more Units enter the Bunker at the same time, they cannot benefit from each others Specialists this way.  The game ends when the last Unit successfully enters the Bunker. 

Losing

To succeed in their daring invasion, the Allies need all the men they can spare to secure the beach exits.   The loss of even 1 Unit is enough to let the enemy regroup and jeopardize the landings.  The game ends in defeat for the players if one of these 2 things happens: a player has no more Soldiers or Specialists (Unit is wiped out), or a Unit is forced to move and cannot do so because of Sector requirements or lack of Courage

Rules Conflicts and Ties

In the event of a conflict between rules or card text, use the following order to precedence to resolve the issue:

1 - Awards (override everything else)
2 - Items & Vehicles
3 - Specialists
4 - Sector Attributes
5 - Game Rules (overridden by all the above)

Also, if ever there is a tie between 2 Units who try to do the same thing (find an Item, pick up an Item or an Award from a Battle Map, etc.), the Unit with the least Soldiers always has priority.  If the tie persists, the players should roll dice (or settle without rolling)

My Thoughts 

Quite a few months back my husband told me about this project and how it was up on Kickstarter.  I was hesitant to buy in; but as the support, rewards and praise for the game grew, I encouraged him to make a pledge.  Many months later we finally got a package in the mail.  I was amazed as we opened the box to explore all the wonderful things that came inside and was even more eager to try to game.

The production quality is amazing, but it's not just pretty, everything in the game serves a purpose and makes the game better when added.  The Resource Cards, the double-sided boards, the dice, the Awards, all work together to create a truly thematic, engaging, and creative game. 
 
This is a game that has been a print and play for awhile and that shows in the solid game play. The rules are simple and easy to remember.  When learning to play, the player aide is priceless.  The Iconography used throughout the game is clear and easy to read.  You understand even after just the first game.

It's fun to roll the dice, even when you don't get the results you want.  I enjoy the RWB system; it's clear from the very beginning how important it is to get those bonuses.  It can also make you want to change your strategy when you are close to an RWB bonus in something you don't necessarily want, but would find useful. 


The game is hard, yes I was killed twice during the Practice Run, but optional rules and many of the expansions help to increase or decrease the difficulty.  For example you can play with "Bazooka Joe" who allows all Special items to be in the Pool regardless of the map, or "Well Equipped" that allows all Units to start with 10 Item Points.  To make it harder you could try the "Blind Start" where you ignore the starting resources of the Battle Map and roll the Unit Markers.  If you roll chevrons you get that number of soldiers, the red arrow gives you one star, the green arrows two starts, and Shield gives you nothing.  Solitaire rules are also included. 

We also found the MGF dice are a nice addition to the game and can help make the Machine Gun Fire less damaging.  You lose one point of whichever symbol is rolled or soldiers when you roll the skull.  Of course, if like me, you have zero of the resource rolled, you lose six soldiers.  Using these can change your strategy for the game because you may want to make sure you have all the resources.

Another helpful expansion is Badges.  Players can choose to take a Badge when Battle Cry RWB is rolled.  They have permanent effects for the Unit; usually helping them to obtain an RWB bonus with fewer dice.
 

This is a very thematic game and well researched.  Weapons, items, Specialists vehicles do the things that you would expect.  The Bazooka is useful against a Bunker, while a Bangalore helps out in the open; as they would have during a battle.  These items and Specialists also add a lot of variety to game play.  They caused a lot of discussion during that game as we worked to getting what would help us the most in the long run and immediately.  It was also nice to have a few items as added insurance when going up against the unknown MGF fire or landmines.  There is one clear objective for every map, but multiple ways to defeat the enemy.

From the beginning of the game, you know what you are up against and can start to prepare.  Of course this is a little abstracted, since you probably wouldn't know all the details in a real battle.  I guess that "fog of war" is achieved from the use of MGF and Landmines.  I like this set-up since it helps me focus my resources from the beginning, and lets me know what I need to work towards.  There is also a lot of playability with the double-sided maps and scenarios included in the rule book and with the expansions. 

Players who want more player interaction or to play against an opponent may want to pick up the Atlantikwall Expansion.  In this expansion a player can now play as the Germans defending against the invaders.  They can be added to any existing map, transforming the game into a head-to-head competition.  


Few games fully encompass my attention, but this was one of them.  I couldn't believe that after reading the rules we played three games the first night.  I don't always want to play a new game multiple times in one night, after being defeated twice, and certainly never a war game.  But I did and I really enjoyed it.  Everything comes together to create a strategic, thematic, fun, and meaningful game.  I think my husband found another war game that we can play together and we just may be waiting with anticipation for the upcoming "Airborne in Your Pocket" Kickstarter Campaign from Emmanuel Aquin.

Quick Stats

Designer:Emmanuel Aquin

Artist: Emmanuel Aquin, Mark Poole

Players: 1 - 4

Publishers:Valley Games, Inc.

Time: 45 minutes

Ages: 10 & up

Mechanics: Cooperative Play, Dice Rolling, and Simultaneous Action Selection


Photo Credits: from www.boardgamegeek.com: Emmanuel Aquin (Amiral), Philip Reed (PhilReed), Jonan Jello (Hex_Enduction_Hour), Ryan Bruns (kingofthegrill),

Brian Thomas (MusicToEat)

Thanks for the beautiful photos!