Hexpanse

In Hexpanse, we are supposedly invasion forces on a planet. In practice, though, it is not enough for me to conquer an area: I also have to get my gymnastics displays right. It is one of those games that won me over precisely because, behind a simple idea, I found something much more cunning than I expected.

Players deploy troops onto the planet and contest specific areas, within a straightforward area-control framework. The goal, however, is not simply to spread my forces wherever it suits me: the mission deck asks for particular placement patterns, so every deployment has to serve that requirement as well.

That is what makes the interaction interesting. The areas are a field of conflict, but at the same time the positions of my troops need to form whatever my mission demands. So other players’ moves are not merely an annoyance in the area-control contest; they can force me to rethink how I will set up my entire plan.

Its rules are very simple and a game fits into roughly an hour, yet its depth is noticeably greater than it appears on a first read. I do not see it appealing to everyone, but it left a very good impression on me and it will definitely hit the table again soon, this time with all the rules as well. Otherwise, Charterstone and God help us.