Hidden Leaders (Kickstarter Edition)

I brought Hidden Leaders out for six people and it was much lighter on its feet than expected. You do not need to turn it into a project. At six, though, it goes so yolo that careful planning steps aside and the table starts laughing. I am still not sure how fair it feels at lower player counts.

On your turn, you play cards and try to move the shared track. That is a simple idea, and it reads clearly across the table: everyone is pushing things somewhere, while not necessarily wanting the same destination.

At the end, the track decides which faction wins; then the players who secretly backed that faction reveal themselves and one of them takes the win. That is the whole trick, and it is obvious enough that casual players grasp it straight away. The endgame still leaves me a little cold, but I can now see that this clarity is exactly what it does well.

It is well made, quick, and not a bad gift choice at all, especially with a Greek edition available. I would not choose it when I wanted deep decisions, but as an immediate filler for a group, it does precisely what it should.

Updated session

The later plays changed my view of it. The children in the group kept asking for it because it is so easy to read and so easy to get straight into. In the bag of summer fillers, alongside flip 7 and fleet roll & write, Hidden Leaders has earned its place after all.