Freedom!

With Imperial Struggle and the new Labyrinth already waiting in line as strong two-player games, Freedom! had one of its last chances to reach the table this year. I’m glad it took it. What I want from a siege game is cannon fire, charges, dice, and death; the dryness that so often comes with strongholds and their relatives is not exactly my drink.

Here, the siege plays out as an uneven struggle, but not as a historical duty you merely have to endure. There are different paths to victory, attacks and cannon fire carry weight, and events can turn around a position that looked lost. The players interact directly and harshly: one side presses, the other endures and searches for the crucial opening, while morale remains a constant part of the conflict.

Thankfully, the rules are approachable. I can teach it to a lighter gamer without drowning them in procedures, and give them a very good first taste of CDGs. Then, naturally, you can serve them pain and jihad in Labyrinth so they run away screaming. But Freedom! works nicely as the more immediate, martial introduction: the decisions are clear, the friction between the two sides is constant, and the game does not need to act clever to pull you in.

Our game was epic. The Turks had nearly wiped out the Greeks through starvation, until government aid arrived at the critical moment on an 11 roll. Surgical cannon shots and events followed, sending Turkish morale into the gutter. In the fifth round, the Turks finally entered the city after endless fighting, only to lose on morale because they had entered through a random wall rather than a fortress. That is exactly what I want: the contest ends and everyone has a story to tell.

An honest game, making a sincere effort to portray the inequality of the period without sacrificing the game itself. It loses a few points on production, especially the map colours, but it is a minor issue. The evening ended with War Chest and the familiar disagreement over whether it or Undaunted is more fun. A difficult choice; I’m simply glad I own both. Brace yourselves: the horizon is getting heavier.