Geek Syndicate
mous, so you’ll need a decent sized table to lay it out on. You could use the floor, but that will get uncomfortable very quickly. Aside from the map area there are various ‘tracks,’ used to illustrate how the balance of power in the game is shifting (more on that later), to monitor the supply lines and to keep an eye on the time. There is also a “Wildings” section at the top which adds an extra twist to the game (again, more on this later.) There are innumerable tokens to press out, playing cards to admire and playing pieces which are easily identifiable, simple and pretty. It’s at this point that you see the size of the rule book and begin to panic a little. Here is my critical piece of advice – get to know the game well in advance of inviting your friends around. I had several play tests on my own and latterly with my wife, just to get the feel of play, begin to digest the rules and figure out how best to communicate them to my friends. This is a subtle, complicated and extremely difficult game to just pick up and play on the fly. You will find your time well rewarded if you persevere, though. cal wrangling, which are both represented in this game. Each player takes control of a “House” – a leading family, with supporters (or ‘Bannermen’) they can call upon for aid. The game is primarily a military one, moving small armies across the map to try to take control of key locations, whilst protecting their own interests. Political wrangling is represented in two ways. Directly – by bidding against each other on the Influence tracks, and more subtly – by players advising and cutting deals with each other. A wild card is ever-present; the thre ]? H?[[???^H\?HH?\??\?X????H ] ?X][?? H ??H??[?[? ?]?\?H ???[? ^H[??YH[?]?H ?[XY?H0?H?[?\?H?Y? ?[Y\? ? L????H?X][??X???? ] H ^Y\??]\???[????\??Y[?? Z\?]] X[ ?\ ?] H ???X?H???? Z\????[\ZY??\??[[??H?] ?Y[?[?Y?Y? [??[? ???[?? ??]\?XZ?\???H ?[[??[? [?\]YH^ \?Y[??K?[ [X][ K H ^Y\??]?HH ?] [YH
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