Hidden Leaders (Kickstarter Edition)

I had initially been thinking of Struggle of Empires or Galactic Era for six players, but after my fourth dose of the new vaccine and its minor side effects, there was no way I was going to wrestle with anything complicated. So I finally dusted off Hidden Leaders. And here is the big discovery: when you cannot handle a heavy game, a quick and simple game is exactly what you need.

Everyone plays cards and tries to influence a track. The track's position determines which faction wins at the end, so every card is an attempt to push the final state toward the side that suits you.

The nice part is that our support for the factions is hidden. Once the winning faction is revealed, the player who had secretly supported it gets to lift the cup. That gives the game some interest, although with six players the whole thing probably becomes completely yolo: lots happens, and it is hard to control where things will ultimately land.

I do not know whether it is equally fair at lower player counts, but I would not call it bad. It plays quickly, it has its fun, and I can very easily see it as a Christmas gift—especially now that it has been translated into Greek.