Successors (Fourth Edition)

Successors: Fourth Edition is one of those boxes that warns you, before you even begin, that you have not come for a quick little game. Phalanx has made it super blingy: a large map, miniatures, careful production, and an overall table presence that suits the weight of its subject. The new rulebook is twice as large and clearly helps with learning, although, ironically, it does not always help you quickly locate what you need during play.

Here we take on the roles of Alexander the Great's successors and fight over two things that are anything but peaceful: who will bury him, and who will end up on the throne. The initial random distribution of generals seems to have a major effect on how you assess your position, something I think becomes clearer as the same group returns to the game and better understands what it has in hand.

The interaction is harsh, exactly as the theme and the design's age promise. Battles are murderous, while some cards allow for especially intense nastiness. It has some very good ideas, but it does not serve them with gloves on: you need to be ready for opponents to hit you and for the road to the throne to involve plenty of blood.

I had not played the previous editions; I only remember an unsuccessful attempt at the second edition more than ten years ago. This time, including the explanation and food, it took us a fair five hours, with some fatigue during the game because we were constantly looking up rules. I assume that improves over further plays with the same group. I recommend it to large groups with the time and appetite for a demanding, thematic CDG—and once the monster is back in the box, it is bedtime, supermarket, harvesting the fellow players, and straight to the playing field.