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During the First World War, the British and French made a secret agreement to carve up the Ottoman Empire – literally drawing on a map in red and blue ink – without respect to the peoples, culture, or history of the region. This would have devastating effects over the next century.
In Sykes-Picot, two players take on the roles of infamous diplomats Mark Sykes and Francois Georges-Picot, using red and blue markers to carve out territories to control and to influence on a dry-erase map. Trick-taking card play and table-talk negotiations drive the proceedings, with the winner of each trick choosing one of the two cards to implement, and the loser consoling themselves with the remaining card. Each player has a set of hidden objectives they're trying to achieve. Players may be as co-operative or as competitive as they wish in pursuit of these goals.
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Tonally, the game is light, reflecting the distance and cavalier attitude of these imperialist powers. We feel there's something horrifying in that, and this approach captures some of that horror.
In Sykes-Picot, two players take on the roles of infamous diplomats Mark Sykes and Francois Georges-Picot, using red and blue markers to carve out territories to control and to influence on a dry-erase map. Trick-taking card play and table-talk negotiations drive the proceedings, with the winner of each trick choosing one of the two cards to implement, and the loser consoling themselves with the remaining card. Each player has a set of hidden objectives they're trying to achieve. Players may be as co-operative or as competitive as they wish in pursuit of these goals.
Tonally, the game is light, reflecting the distance and cavalier attitude of these imperialist powers. We feel there's something horrifying in that, and this approach captures some of that horror.
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This two-player game is a tenth-anniversary edition of her Shields & Swords series of medieval battle games, and as the cover at right says, it "collects and revises scenarios from all nine previous games, and includes two new scenarios".
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The original games appeared between 2015 and 2020 and included Our Royal Bones: The Battle of the Bouvines, We Happy Few: The Battle of Agincourt, The Great Heathen Army, and Kingdom of Dyflin.
A Battle...Hostile includes a dry-erase map that allows you to play out the twenty-four included scenarios as well as possible future expansions.
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Moytura comes from the design team of Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, best known for the Undaunted series from Osprey Games. Here's what awaits in this 45-minute game that will be crowdfunded in 2025:
The battle of Moytura has begun. As a leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann, spread your influence across the land to succeed in your quest to become High Ruler of Ireland, invoking the powerful deities of the Tuatha Dé Danann to aid you in your cause with their command of water, travel, war, and creation — but the road will not be easy for in your path to legend stand the sinister Fomorians and other mythical beings hungry for battle, not to mention a rival clan with ambitions of their own...
In Moytura, you and your opponent command competing factions of the Tuatha Dé Danann, but you are not the only ones struggling for control of ancient Ireland. Three enemy clans act together as a third opponent faction that competes with the players and scores points. Points are gained by having the most influence across Ancient Ireland at the end of each era. Within each of the eleven regions, the faction with the most or second most units across all the spaces of a region will score the indicated points. After two eras, the faction with the most points wins.
Each round, the two players and the enemy faction each take a turn. On their turn, a player selects a deity tile (possibly spending worship tokens to reach it), then performs that deity's actions. When used, a deity tile resets to the most expensive position in the track. Deity tiles let players expand their influence and battle enemies according to the deity's unique abilities: Ériu expands quickly over land, Bóand expands quickly over water, Morrigan is strongest in battle, and Dagda allows for dynamic expansion. Players can also permanently upgrade each deity tile for themselves at a cost.
On the enemy faction's turn, an activation card is revealed from the deck that expands one of the three clans. Some activation cards are stronger than others, and players must carefully track which clans are most likely to attack and where. Only the player who cleverly outmaneuvers their opponent while carefully keeping the enemy faction in check will be able to secure the victory.
Moytura features seven map set-ups for any combination of clans. The game also includes three special enemy clans that replace 1-3 of the standard Fomorian clans. These special clans introduce more challenging foes with asymmetric abilities: the Ellén Trechends (three-headed beasts) expand in all directions, the Oilliphéist (sea serpents) expand rapidly along the coast, and the Banshees invade targeted regions instead of spreading out from their largest group.
In Moytura, you and your opponent command competing factions of the Tuatha Dé Danann, but you are not the only ones struggling for control of ancient Ireland. Three enemy clans act together as a third opponent faction that competes with the players and scores points. Points are gained by having the most influence across Ancient Ireland at the end of each era. Within each of the eleven regions, the faction with the most or second most units across all the spaces of a region will score the indicated points. After two eras, the faction with the most points wins.
Each round, the two players and the enemy faction each take a turn. On their turn, a player selects a deity tile (possibly spending worship tokens to reach it), then performs that deity's actions. When used, a deity tile resets to the most expensive position in the track. Deity tiles let players expand their influence and battle enemies according to the deity's unique abilities: Ériu expands quickly over land, Bóand expands quickly over water, Morrigan is strongest in battle, and Dagda allows for dynamic expansion. Players can also permanently upgrade each deity tile for themselves at a cost.
On the enemy faction's turn, an activation card is revealed from the deck that expands one of the three clans. Some activation cards are stronger than others, and players must carefully track which clans are most likely to attack and where. Only the player who cleverly outmaneuvers their opponent while carefully keeping the enemy faction in check will be able to secure the victory.
Moytura features seven map set-ups for any combination of clans. The game also includes three special enemy clans that replace 1-3 of the standard Fomorian clans. These special clans introduce more challenging foes with asymmetric abilities: the Ellén Trechends (three-headed beasts) expand in all directions, the Oilliphéist (sea serpents) expand rapidly along the coast, and the Banshees invade targeted regions instead of spreading out from their largest group.
Thompson has been posting a designer diary bit by bit on the BGG game page.
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The Lung Mei, or dragon paths, are lines of energy that cover the Earth. They are derived from the Four Auspicious Beasts: the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North. When a path runs in a straight line, that energy builds in power, but these paths can be broken up by barriers such as mountains, which diffuse the energy.
Invoke the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts, carefully channel their energy through the Earth, and triumph in this battle for qi and wisdom that will shape your destiny and intertwine it with the Beasts of legend.
In Azure, players position their stones to gather qi (cards) and wisdom (points) from the realm. They also compete to bring the Auspicious Beasts to their aid. The first player to reach the end of the path of wisdom wins.
Players take turns placing a stone, gathering boons from the space they cover, and gaining the favor of Auspicious Beasts. In order to place a stone in a space, the player must be able to pay the qi cost. The color of the domain (board) tells you the color of qi needed, and the number of boon symbols in the space tells you the amount of qi needed. Through careful management of the qi cards in your hand, you'll be able to grow in power.
The qi cost of any space can be reduced by the bonds provided by your other stones. Each of your stones that is horizontally or vertically in line with the space provides one bond, which is equivalent to one qi in whatever color is needed, unless blocked by a mountain.
Each Auspicious Beast will favor whichever player has the most stones guarding its mountain. The first player to play two stones that guard a Beast's mountain immediately gains the unique favor of the Beast. If at any time the opposing player has more stones guarding that Beast's mountain, they take it from you, gaining its favor while you lose it.
The Gifted module for experienced players provides a variable one-time-use ability that can help turn the tides in your favor.
Invoke the power of the Four Auspicious Beasts, carefully channel their energy through the Earth, and triumph in this battle for qi and wisdom that will shape your destiny and intertwine it with the Beasts of legend.
In Azure, players position their stones to gather qi (cards) and wisdom (points) from the realm. They also compete to bring the Auspicious Beasts to their aid. The first player to reach the end of the path of wisdom wins.
Players take turns placing a stone, gathering boons from the space they cover, and gaining the favor of Auspicious Beasts. In order to place a stone in a space, the player must be able to pay the qi cost. The color of the domain (board) tells you the color of qi needed, and the number of boon symbols in the space tells you the amount of qi needed. Through careful management of the qi cards in your hand, you'll be able to grow in power.
The qi cost of any space can be reduced by the bonds provided by your other stones. Each of your stones that is horizontally or vertically in line with the space provides one bond, which is equivalent to one qi in whatever color is needed, unless blocked by a mountain.
Each Auspicious Beast will favor whichever player has the most stones guarding its mountain. The first player to play two stones that guard a Beast's mountain immediately gains the unique favor of the Beast. If at any time the opposing player has more stones guarding that Beast's mountain, they take it from you, gaining its favor while you lose it.
The Gifted module for experienced players provides a variable one-time-use ability that can help turn the tides in your favor.
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