Hegemonic

When I got it, I was more excited than I probably should have been. Today I cannot say Hegemonic is still one of my favourites, but I still see it as one of the good heavy games that can support six players and give them something substantial. Provided, of course, that they know what they are getting into.

It is fairly cut-throat, with plenty of pressure and strategy. It asks you to build long-term plans, while also being ready to change them on the spot when the state of the table demands it. Interaction is not decorative: other players’ moves can force you to rethink things, while retaliation tactics are always there, making the atmosphere sharper.

The problem arrives when every turn becomes a private analysis session. The game is prone to AP, and once players start searching for an answer only when their turn comes around, the whole thing burns out. To me, that suggests something has gone wrong with the preparation: you should have thought ahead, rather than discovering your plan at the moment you need to execute it.

Despite the five-hour length and the related grumbling, my own session ultimately goes down as a positive experience. It had struggle, pressure, and a tiny gap at the end, with victory coming down to the card. Those are the moments that justify the ordeal — not that they make it disappear.

It needs a clear head, plenty of time, and definitely not a Friday night after an exhausting five-day work week, with calls, emails, children, and cats all demanding attention. The rules require serious reading and plenty of examples, otherwise misunderstandings are waiting around the corner. If we play again, we will definitely use the unreleased expansion, which fixes quite a few of the game’s problems. Hegemonic has pain to give anyone who engages with it — it just needs the right group, the right moment, and a great deal of patience.