Leader 1: Hell of the North

Besides gaming another hobby that seems to take up a lot of space in my home is cycling.  We have mountain bikes, road bikes, shoes, helmets, and other such accoutrements sharing space with all our games.  Cycling is another hobby my husband and I enjoy together, even if he is better than me.  We do it for the fun, exercise and cool tan lines!

Leader 1:  Hell of the North was a natural choice for us as a combination of the two hobbies.  I haven't actually ridden in any races but I can understand the rules of the game and see how they translate to real life.

The mechanics make sense, it hard to go up mountains, I was cursing a few on my last ride even if they were merely hills, food gives you energy, Clif Shot Blocks are priceless sometimes, and some riders are just better at certain things.  And riding, like Leader 1 is fun. 

Components / Set-Up

Race Configuration 

One of the best parts about Leader 1 is the modular board.  The game comes with 20 "route" hexagons that can be set up in almost any way you want, and as long or short as you want.  This gives not only a lot of flexibility, but a lot of re-playability.  There are four different types of routes, the flatland (green edged), hills (orange edged), mountains (red edged) and downhill (black edged).  One these routes are there could also be three types of asphalt; normal (light gray), treacherous (dark gray), and cobblestones (cobbles).  The routes are a thick glossy quality cardboard.

These hexagon routes are placed one after the other to form the race.  To create a race you should follow these steps:  Place a "Start Line" token at the beginning of the race and a "finish line" token" at the end.  These tokens show a checkered flag and the game comes with one of each.  The "Sprint Zone Start" token is placed before the finish line on one of the two last hexagons.  If the finish line is on a mountains pace, the Sprint Zone token cannot be placed.

At the beginning of each Mountain a "mountain climb category token" should be placed.  There are eight of these with values 1 to 4.  The token determines the difficulty of the climb and the crack risk.

How long the race is, determines how many feed zones will be placed.  The feed zone token is the round token with the red, yellow, and green water bottles.  There should be 1 feed zone for a 10 hexagon stage or classic race.  If the race is 15 to 20 hexagons there are 2 feed zones.

There are 36 square feed zone tiles, 12 red, 12 green, and 12 yellow.  These should be shuffled into the three piles, of their color, face down on the table.

If playing with weather conditions these should be placed as well.  There are six different weather tokens, and I'll discuss these later in the review.

The Riders

The 12 cyclist figures are really neat and much better than the cyclists from previous editions.  The base is a lot smaller, and the paint actually seems like it will stay on these cyclists.

There are four different jersey colors for the four different teams.  Each team is made up of 3 cyclists.  Each cyclists has a different colored base that shows the characteristics of the cyclist; the rouleur (green base), leader (yellow base), and climber (red base).  Each team also has one support rider token.  Players decide the number of cyclists they will play with.  They can play with 1, 2 or 3.

The Peloton

The peloton is represented by a token on a card stand and a tile.  The token is moved along the race by the result of a die roll.  The tile is placed on the table.  The riders considered in the peloton will be placed on it, the support riders token always stay on the tile.  The tile is divided in 2 areas: back of the peloton and the front of the peloton.  All cyclists can stay in the back or the front of the peloton.  The support riders can only stay in the peloton's front area.

Energy and Number of pursuits

All cyclists begin the race with the same amount of energy and all the teams (support riders tokens) begin the race with the same number of available pursuits.  The energy each cyclist receives is easy to determine.  Add the values on the mile stones of the hexagons used in the race.  The team's starting available pursuits are 6.

Every player is given the agreed on number of cyclists, the support token for his team, and an energy table.  He writes the total energy given by the race to his cyclist/s, the pursuits given to his support riders, and the name of the riders on the table.

The table is very nice and full color.  You do receive a large pad with the game but a concern is that you could run out.  Laminating a few and using dry erase markers might be a wise idea. 

Cyclists qualities

Each player decides which of their cyclists has a further quality: descender, sprinter, and fighter (mark the corresponding square on the energy table).  The same cyclist cannot have more than one quality.  Two cyclists of the same team cannot have the same quality. 

Descenders:  receive an extra free square for every movement starting downhill

Fighters:  will run the risk of fall only from the second blackened square they pass during their paying portion of movement

Sprinters:  will receive an extra free square for every movement starting in the sprint zone (area placed between the sprint zone start token and the finish line or "bonus time" token.)
 
Peloton Organization

Place the peloton token in its card stand on the starting line.  At the beginning of the race, all riders are considered in the peloton and are placed on the peloton tile.  The first to place is:  the leading team in general classification if you are playing a stage race or the team of the player who last went cycling if you are playing a classic. 

Placement of the support riders

Players place their riders' support token first.  The first player places it in first position on the peloton tile (near the arrow).  The other players will place their tokens downward.  The support riders' tokens determine the playing order of the actions of thee peloton.

The player whose team is leading takes the die. 

Placement of cyclists

According to the order given by the support rider, players will then choose to place their cyclists at the back or at the front of the peloton tile.  The first to choose is the player whose team is in the lead (the nearest to the arrow), then the player whose team is second, etc...

Goal of the Game

Figuring out the goal of Leader 1 is easy; be the first cyclist to cross the finish line with a part of the bicycle.  That cyclist is declared the winner of the race. 


Game Play

There are five phases of the game

1.  Movement of the cyclists that broke away
2.  Breaking away
3.  Movement of the riders inside the peloton
4.  Notification of the peloton's pursuit and peloton's movement
5.  Movement of the cyclists dropped by the peloton

1.  Movement of the cyclists that broke away


The cyclists move on the route's squares.  There can never be more than one cyclist on a square.  Cyclists cannot go through a square occupied by another cyclist unless they do not have another choice.

• Once a cyclist has broken away, he will be moved (1st action of every turn) according to the classification order.

• Once a cyclist has opened a gap ahead of the peloton, the player must place him on the board.  Every cyclist receives a free base movement which varies according to his specialty (leader, rouleur, and climber), his quality (descender, sprinter, or fighter) and according to his position at the beginning of his movement (plan, hills, mountains, or downhill).  Downhill all cyclists receive four free movement, on a hill (yellow) they all receive 2.  Roulers have three free movements on plains and one on mountains.  Leaders have 2 free on both plains and mountains, and climbers have 1 free on plains and three free on mountains.

• After the base movement, a cyclist may choose any paying movement.  This paying movement is immediately subtracted on the energy table. For one extra square they pay 1 energy, 2 extra 3 energy, 5 energy for 3 extra, 8 energy for 4 extra, 11 for 5 and 15 for 6 extra.

• Cyclists can only move straight ahead or diagonally.  It is forbidden to stay still or move to the side unless the lateral square finishes ahead. 

Particular case:

A cyclist can pass through a space occupied by other cyclists only when the width of the route is completely occupied.  However, they must choose the longest path and pay 1 additional energy point for each occupied square they pass through.

If a cyclist reaches another cyclist after a movement, he will move first on the next turn.  It is wise to place the overtaking cyclist slightly ahead to determine the turn order.  (This is important during sprints).

If the peloton gets next to a broken away cyclist, the cyclist will be absorbed in the front of the peloton.  If the peloton overtakes a broken away cyclist, the cyclist will be absorbed in the back of the peloton.

Energy Recovery

Due to Feed Zone

When a cyclist passes the "feed zone" tile (both broken away and in the peloton), his cyclist draws a "feed zone" tile.  The player draws a green card if the cyclist is a rouleur, yellow for a leader, and red for a climber.  These give additional energy to the cyclist (2 to 5 points).  This energy can be added to the cyclist's energy immediately or it can be kept secret and added later during the race.  If you forget to draw a tile, and the following cyclist has already moved, you lose it.

Due to a Move

Cyclists that move less than their total number of free moves (basic movement + possible slip streaming + quality) immediately get 1 energy point back for each unused free square.  The recovered energy is added to the cyclist's total energy on the energy table.

2.  Breaking Away

Starting with the player whose support riders' token is in 2nd place, and then the 3rd, the 4th, and finally the 1st place player, each player may take one or more of their cyclists out of the peloton.

Only cyclists in the front of the peloton can break away, cyclists in the back cannot.  To break away, a cyclist must make a move of at least 4 squares.  After leaving the peloton, the cyclist acquires his characteristics and qualities.

3.  Moving the Peloton

It is now the turn of the cyclists in the peloton to decide if they want to move within the peloton.  Based on their position, they are allowed only certain movements.  If they are in the back of the peloton, they are allowed to stay in the back, to move to the front of the peloton or to be dropped willingly.  They may be dropped to help team mates in difficulty.  In the front of the peloton, they are allowed to stay in front or move to the back of the peloton.

4.  Notification of the peloton's pursuit and peloton's movement

Pursuit

At the beginning of the race, each team's support riders have 6 pursuits (right column on the energy table).  These allow the support riders to accelerate the peloton.  Starting from the first support riders' token, players decide if they want to accelerate the peloton.  As soon as a player declares to speed up the peloton, his support riders' token is placed in the 1st position.  A new turn order may result from this pursuit.   

If a player decides to accelerate the peloton, he subtracts 1 pursuit from his support riders' column on the energy table.  A player cannot accelerate more than two times in a row.  If no player accelerates, the support riders' token position does not change.

 

Peloton's Movement

The peloton occupies 2 squares lengthways.  The peloton moves on the dotted squares if present.  The player whose team is leading the peloton rolls the die and moves by its result.  If the pelotons pursuit is announced the movement will increase by 1 square.  When the player's movement is over, all cyclists in the peloton must pay according to their position.  If the peloton's movement is 3 or 4 all cylists in the back of the peloton do not pay energy points or if they are in the front they pay 1 energy point.  If the peloton's movement is 5 or more, all cyclists in the back of the peloton pay 1 energy point and in the front they pay 2 points.

If the peloton's movement starts in a mountain square, all the rouleurs in the peloton pay 1 extra point.  If the peloton's movement ends on the blackened square, all cyclists in the peloton do not risk.

If there are no cyclists in the peloton, its movement is increased by 1 square.

5.  Movement of Cyclists dropped by the Peloton

A cyclist is left behind if he cannot pay after the peloton's movement, if he punctures, or if he willingly wants to get dropped.  After the peloton's movement, the cyclist will be placed on the square immediately behind the peloton.  During following turns he will play after the peloton and according to his characteristics.  Cyclists who have been left behind will be moved in classification order and they can never benefit from the peloton's slip-streaming.

Events

1.  Slipstreaming

A cyclist that ends its move exactly behind another one, before the latter's movement, will enjoy the benefit of one free move in his following turn.  This occurs after the front cyclist has moved.  If this cyclist should stay still after a fall or a puncture, the back cyclist would lose the slip-streaming.  Slip-stream is also lost if the cyclist ahead makes a move of at least 6 squares starting from a square on plains, hills, mountains, or at least 5 squares starting from a cobblestone square and of at least 8 squares starting from a downhill square.

2.  Run risks:  Crack and Fall

A player may decide to make a cyclist run a risk (crack or fall) where this can occur.  The risk is resolved by a dice throw.  The more a cyclist risks the more his chances diminish.  At every new risk the cyclist takes the required die result rise:

1st Risk:   the die results must be higher than 3.  Regardless of the die result, the player must cross out the 1st square of the cyclists run risk line.

2nd Risk:  the die results must be higher than 4.  Regardless of the die result, the player must cross out the 2nd square of the cyclist run risk line

3rd Risk and more:  the die results must be higher than 4 orange or the 4 blue.  A cyclist can risk crack only if he has enough energy to pay for it.

Crack

At the beginning of the each mountain hexagon a "mountain climb category" token is placed.  The number on the token indicates the maximum number of paying squares, on a mountain, a cyclist can move without the risk of crack.  When after a movement on mountains, if a cyclist exceeds the token's value he risks crack and rolls the die.

If he cracks, he must pay double the energy cost of his placement.  For example, if the move cost 5 and he cracked, he must pay 10 energy.

There is an exception if the climber breaks away from the peloton on a mountain square, he will not risk a crack for this movement.  

Fall 

When a cyclist ends its movement or passes on treacherous asphalt during his "paying" portion of movement, he risks a fall.  A cyclist can only risk once during his movement.  

The blackened squares are fall areas. Cyclists do not risk a fall if they pass on these squares during their free movement.  If a cyclist does risk a fall, he rolls a die after his movement.  If a cyclist falls, place him next to the square where he ended his movement.  He pays his movement and skips a turn.  After a fall, the cyclist starts from the square where he fell and follows the classification order.   If his square is occupied, he moves after the cyclist occupying the square has moved.  The fighter will only risk a fall from the 2nd blackened square he crosses during his paying portion of movement.

3.  Puncture

When the peloton die is rolled and it falls on the red face, all cyclists risk a puncture.

1.  First the peloton is moved according to the die value or more.
2.  Then, all cyclists roll the die according to their classification order.  If the red 4 is rolled, the cyclist punctures.
3.  In the peloton, cyclists roll the die according to the support riders' order

If a cyclist punctures, in the following turn, they will play last, after the peloton.  The cyclist that punctured will stay on his square; any slip-streaming is lost (both for that cyclist and anyone following him).  Cyclists in the peloton that puncture are placed one square behind the peloton.  On the next turn, they will play after the peloton.  Other cyclists are not allowed to stop in a punctured cyclists square, but can cross it without paying additional energy.

4.  Cobblestone

When a cyclist passes cobblestone, players apply the same rules as in normal asphalt.  However, if he passes on treacherous asphalt during the paying portion of movement, he risks a fall or puncture.  If a cyclists risks after his movement, he must roll the die and if he fails, suffers the fall or puncture effects, but does not mark the risk on the risk line of the energy table.  On cobblestone, slip-stream is lost if the cyclist ahead makes a move of at least 5 squares starting from a cobblestone square.  The fighter keeps his quality.

5.  Weather

Player may decide to play with the weather rules when preparing the race.  They decide on the number of tokens and place them face down along the race.  There can never be more than one weather token on each hexagon. 

A weather token is turned face-up as soon as the first cyclist or the peloton enters the second to last square on the hexagon before the one with the token.  The weather condition shown on the token is applied to the entire hexagon.  The peloton is not affected by weather tokens.


Rain:  cyclists risk fall if they pass on the blackened squares of a rainy hexagon during the free or the "paying" portion of their movement.  The fighter keeps his quality.

Heat:  if a cyclist moves 6 or more squares on a heat hexagon, he suffers from the heat.  The player must reveal to all the other players one of his feed zone tiles.  This energy must be immediately added to his energy table.  if the cyclist does not have a feed zone tile, nothing happens. This movement of the cyclist can be partial, complete or totally crossing the hexagon.

Contrary wind:  if a cyclist moves on a contrary wind hexagon without slip-streaming, he pays 1 or 2 (according to the token) extra energy points from his movement. 

Favorable wind:  if a cyclist moves on a favorable wind hexagon, he subtracts 1 or 2 (according to the token) extra energy points from his movement.

My Thoughts

"Leader 1:  Hell of the North" is a game I feel doesn't gets enough love.  It really is a amazing game, with a great fan base and seemingly endless possibilities.  Rio Grande had this game set up at a local convention, my husband and I were waiting to demo another game (the real purpose of being there) and I watched as many people came by, looked at the components, picked up the rules, and then moved on to the next thing.  While there really weren't many people demoing the other games there I was surprised that not one person sat down to actually play.  I mulled over why, but I'm still not sure; did the rules seem to complex, was the theme not that enticing, or maybe people just didn't want to take time out to play?  We discussed asking the next person who seemed interested to actually play the game with us but didn't want to miss our demo.

So I'll try to explain what makes "Hell of the North" a great game.  I'll start with the modular board.  I like modular boards in many games and it works so well here.  First you can make a race any size that you want.  Don't have time for a long race, use only a few tiles.  If you want to send a couple of hours playing, make the race longer.  If you want to teach new players, try using just a few tiles to let them get the feel and then move on to a longer race.  I think this also makes the game appealing to so many levels of gamers.

 I'll even make the argument that this one game can become a gateway game, a medium weight game, and with stage races, possibly even a heavier game. 

There are so many possible combinations.  You can just pick out a few random tiles and make any kind of race you desire or you can actually use the tiles to emulate real races.  As I've said there is a great fan base and they have made some amazing files.  Want to test your legs with the Tour de France? TH Jensen (Gubban) from Board Game Geek has all 21 stages mapped out for you with his amazing file found here:  Le Tour de France.  Or if you are interested in a one day race try out his file for 14 World Tour races here:  World Tour Races.  If you find yourself wanting more tiles you can by Leader One or Giro d'Italia.  Some of the races in the files actually require the use of these games as well.  It is amazing that the game allows you to create both unique and real world races using the same tiles.  Many other racing games use real world tracks but few allow you to create you own. Plus you can play a season, keep team scores, play a stage race, or just a single race.  All of gives you a games with years of re-playability, you'll never be bored playing the same map or race over and over again.  Or, if you wish play the same map more than once, and really get to know the route.  In real life I'm riding the same routes over and over, getting to know them, and getting better with each ride.

Hell of the North is a race but it is also a resource management game.  You start the game with so much energy and you need to make it to the end with careful use of that energy.  People who enjoy that math of resource management will really like this in Hell of the North.  When do you push, when do you break away from the peloton, do you hang back or do you go for it, and can you risk that fall?  Those tactical questions and choices add a lot of depth to the race.  Plus the hidden info of the feed tokens keeps you guessing the real amount of energy your opponent may have.

Because energy comes from the mile markers on the tiles every race seems to give you just the right amount of energy.  I think of the feed tile you start with as how you are feeling that day.  I haven't competed in any cycling races but I've run my share of cross country and track events and I how I felt that day definitely influenced my race performance. The energy from the feed zones corresponds with getting to those rest areas in the race, eating and drinking right, and then getting back on the bike to finish the race.

Getting to the finish line spent means you used your resources to the fullest.  During a recent game we were disappointed at the end to see how much energy we had left, we felt like we didn't push the pace as much as we should have.

I also don't think the resource management is so overwhelming that new players will struggle.  The player aide is wonderful, I'm always referring to it during the game, and since you write everything down on your sheet it is easy to keep track of both yours and your opponents' information.  You may help newer players but after a few moves they will probably no longer require your assistance.  I am a cyclist so the jargon and how it works in real life is familiar to me, others may find it more difficult but it fits the theme and it makes sense.

Working together as a team is an important aspect of cycling and it comes out well in "Hell of the North."  Riding on someone's wheel is still frightening to me and something I struggle with on my bike.  If I could just stay there I could conserve my energy so much better and enjoy the ride a lot more.  Slip-streaming in Hell of the North lets players conserve there riders energy and use either their own or others players cyclists to pull them along the route.  This strategy showed its importance in our last game when my husband pulled way ahead with his two riders and my one lone rider was left behind to struggle on his own.

Using the strengths of your cyclist - being the sprinter, descender, or fighter and being the leader, climber or rouleur is also important.  The climber can help others up the mountain or create a bigger lead for you team and that sprinter may just pull off that come from behind victory.

The peloton changes a bit in Hell of the North.  Now players can be either in the front or the back of the peloton. Being in the front means you can break away, but being in the back means you use less energy.  It can be hard to get away from that peloton.  It always seems to be right there threatening to pull you back in every game.  This is especially true when others keep using their pursuits.  I wasn't sure what to think of the new peloton rules, but I think it can be very helpful.  When a rider starts using too much energy I put him in the back and let him take a bit of a breather until he's rested and then he can push a bit more.  Or I can use my pursuits to catch up with my opponents and bring them back into the group.

Another change in "Hell of the North" are the cobblestones.  Rough pavement can be very dangerous to cyclists and rough on your body.  The Paris Roubaix is one of the more famous races on cobblestones and the inspiration for Hell of the North.  In the game and in the race they are difficult to maneuver over, risky, and dangerous.  I cringe when the race reaches them and am pleased when I safely pass through.

Weather was also added and it can add some difficultly or some help with the favorable wind.  Players can choose to use the tokens or not and I appreciate this new extra to the game.  The cyclists in "Hell of the North" are far superior to earlier versions.  Leader 1's figures always felt tacky and like the paint would come off in your hand.  The bases to the new cyclists are smaller and the paint is much better.  They like the game have been streamlined.  The other components and even the box is smaller than the original version.

What I don't like about the game is the rulebook.  The English translation is rough and while it has been cleaned up in "Hell of the North" it isn't the best.  More helpful fans have even created "Leader 2" rules found here:  Leader 2, which clean the rules up and make them easier to understand.  The rules seem to make the game more complicated that it really is, so if you are new player try learning from a more experienced player.  If you can't push through the rules, play the game, and use the player aide.  It will make since once you play it.  Print out the Leader 2 rules or some of the fan created player aides if you wish.

All in all Leader 1:  Hell of the North is a wonderful racing game.  It has been streamlined in many ways from its predecessors and the components have greatly improved (no more sticker dice).  The modular board enables players to choose both the difficulty of the race and the length.  The new additions of the Peloton rules, cobblestones, and weather add enough reasons for those who already enjoy the game to pick up this newest version.  I know I enjoy the cycling theme but it can appeal to those who enjoy racing, resource management, and strategic game play.  Get pass the difficult rules and you have a game with some amazing flexibility and hours of fun. 

Quick Stats

Designer:  Christophe Leclercg, Alain Ollier
Artists: Giorgio De Michele, Tony Rochon
Publishers: Blackrock Editions, The Game Master BV, Ghenos Games, Homoludicus
Number of Players:2-10
Game Length: 45 minutes
Ages:  14 & Up  
Mechanics: Modular Board, Simulation

Photo Credits:  W. Eric Martin (W Eric Martin)(2), Andrea Ligabue (liga), Hans Van Tol (Brainmaster), Federico G (vetinari7878) (2), René Christensen (Slotracer) (2), René Christensen (Slotracer), Henk Rolleman (henk.rolleman), Hans Van Tol (Brainmaster), Matt Hiske (matthiske), René Christensen (Slotracer)(3), Federico G (vetinari7878) (3), René Christensen (Slotracer) (2), Hans Van Tol (Brainmaster), Matt Hiske (matthiske), René Christensen (Slotracer) (2)

Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures!