La Belle Époque

La Belle Époque has the appeal of a game that does not make a great fuss about itself. Its rules are simple, its play has a pleasingly steady flow, and it can make an evening at the table feel rather more purposeful than a Tuesday after work has any right to.

At heart, it is an area-control game in which Britain, France, Russia and the Central Powers become entangled in war and diplomacy before the First World War. Each side pursues its own historical objectives, but none is locked into a single prescribed route through the game.

It has that cheerful, historical asymmetry that makes each nation feel like it arrived with its own agenda. The struggle for control and the reversals keep matters alive to the end, even when the dice decide to put you on trial; the only real drag is a three-to-three-and-a-half-hour length that feels a little generous for such a clean design, though familiarity with every nation’s aims should help.

It is not especially easy to find, and the scoring can too easily become a muddle of markers — a small but noticeable indignity for a game otherwise so clear. For groups that enjoy Quartermaster General, this is a very good choice: a little rough in its physical finish, but substantial and quietly excellent on the table.