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Main Catalogue | BOARD GAMES & CARD GAMES | Phalanx Games | Justinian

Justinian

Price: £29.99

This item usually ships in 2 to 3 days.

RRP - £34.99, our price = £29.99

Board Game; 2-4 Players; Ages 10+ by Phalanx Games In Justinian players compete for the sympathy of emperor Justinian I. To reach their goals and strengthen their position at his imperial court, they invest in Justinian’s counsellors by pushing them up the ladder of popularity, or down when they are not serving the player’s needs. There are four combinations of counsellors that may be valued during the game. At the end of each round one of these combinations is the basis for scoring. The higher the reputation of a counsellor, the more victory points a player may get. Watch out though: in the game only three out of four issues are counted! ++++++++++++ Counter review ++++++++++++ 2-4 players, minutes designed by Alessandro Saragosa and Leo Colovini reviewed by Greg Schloesser Phalanx has a reputation of producing games that look great, with sturdy components and a hefty feel. Justinian, from designers Alessandro Saragosa and Leo Colovini, is no exception; indeed, it may be overproduced. The main board and corresponding personality caricatures are quite large - far larger than need be. Still, it does make for quite an impressive presentation, which has become a Phalanx trademark. Set in the reign of Emperor Justinian I, the game challenges players to garner influence with the chief advisors to the emperor and maneuver their favored advisors to the most influential positions. Three scoring rounds - whose timing varies - yield points for the players depending upon the position of the advisors. Ultimately, the player who accumulates the most influence (that is, the most points) achieves greatest power in the realm. The large board houses twelve plaques, each depicting one of Justinian\'s trusted advisors. These advisors will increase and/or decrease in influence throughout the game, being repositioned on the board accordingly. Players will place influence tokens on the advisors, and the net result of the tiles placed upon each advisor will determine the movement of that advisor. This mechanism is identical to that used in Schrille Stille, but missing is the nifty CD gadget included in that title. Other components include a board depicting the score and turn/influence tracks, and four decks of cards in four suits. Each deck contains 12 cards, one for each advisor. Players are dealt two cards from each deck, which they keep hidden. Further, each player possesses a set of 22 influence tiles, ranging in value from -3 to +3. These are mixed and placed face-down in front of a player, and each player takes ten of these tiles behind their screen. This is yet another borrowed mechanism, this time from Reiner Knizia\'s Samurai. Each turn, players alternate placing an influence tile from behind their screen onto either an advisor, or onto the influence track. A maximum of three tiles may be placed upon an advisor, so it is difficult for a player to drastically sabotage or promote a particular advisor. Tiles are placed face-down, so it is a matter of pure guesswork when attempting to assess the value of the placed influence tiles and judge the actions of your opponents. It\'s blind placement, a mechanism of which I am admittedly not fond. It works in Schrille Stille due to the light-hearted musical theme and potential role-playing of the game, but seems out of place here. A key factor is that players do not replace influence tiles as they play them. Rather, they secure only two new tiles when they elect to pass and play no further tiles in a round. Thus, players must beware of depleting their supply of influence tiles too rapidly, as the replenishment rate is quite low. Deciding when to pass and when to continue playing tiles is one of the key decisions to be made throughout the game. Once all players pass, influence tiles on the advisors are revealed. The player who passed last decides whether to assess the change in advisor status from the left or right side of the board. This can be a major decision, as it will often affect the final position of one or more advisors. Each advisor is then moved according to the net value of the influence tiles placed upon him. Influence tiles are then discarded. Players then declare whether they wish to invoke a scoring round. To do this, they must have placed influence tiles on the influence track whose value equals or exceeds the printed amount for the current round. These amounts are 5, 9 & 12 the for game\'s three rounds. If no one triggers scoring, another placement round is conducted, beginning with the player who passed last. If a scoring is triggered, players reveal their tiles on the influence track, and the player who has the greatest amount of influence gets to decide which suit of cards he will score. The other players immediately receive victory points equal to the value of the tiles they placed on the track. When scoring a suit, all players reveal the two cards they possess in the called-for suit. Each advisor\'s plaque has three openings - one for each round - revealing values beneath. The value of the corresponding advisors for the current round is tallied, and the result marked on the score track. Advisors who gain in position increase in value, while those who fall decrease in value. The further an advisor climbs or falls, the greater the point differential. Cards scored are discarded. Players should attempt to trigger scoring when both advisors in one of their suits are at or near their peak in value. Of course, only the player with the greatest value of influence tiles gets to choose the suit to be scored, so this usually results in keen competition on the influence track. Since there are only three rounds (and possibly even two) in the game, one suit will ultimately not be scored. Following a scoring round, each player has the opportunity to discard a card of their choice, drawing a new card of the same color. This allows players to discard a card of an advisor who has fallen into Justinian\'s doghouse and hopefully acquire a more favored advisor. The game concludes after three scoring rounds, or after all players have depleted their supply of influence counters. In the latter case, a final scoring is conducted, and the player with the greatest cumulative value of points earns the victory. I must admit that my first game of Justinian was better than I had feared. There was a tenseness permeating the placement and revealing of influence tiles, with angst in deciding which advisors to influence and which to ignore. Managing your supply of influence tiles is critical, and one must resist the temptation to place too many during a round. Tiles can deplete quickly, and it is even possible for everyone to have placed their entire supply of tiles before the second round is even completed. This results in a game with only two scoring rounds, which occurred in my second game. That was a disappointing experience. Still, that is more the fault of the players than the game system. One must realize that there really isn\'t much control here. Everything is placed blind, and even the mix a player receives is random. It is common to find yourself with a predominance of negative tiles, in which case you must play a round or two hammering certain advisors. Further, if you attempt to make a major move in a round by playing numerous tiles, you will be handicapped in subsequent rounds with few tiles. Another major consideration is that choosing which suit scores is extremely powerful. Falling just one point short on the influence track can have a devastating effect. This forces players to play numerous tiles to the influence track, which rapidly depletes the supply of tiles. This is a tense aspect of the game, but can also lead to a premature ending. Sadly, further playings of Justinian have not sustained my initial reaction. The tension and angst of the first game has virtually vanished, the excessive amount of blind placement and lack of control is simply too prevalent. The game is a bit long to serve as an appetizer, and there isn\'t enough meat here for a main course. I fear it is a game that just doesn\'t find a niche, and it won\'t find a home in my collection.

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Main Catalogue | BOARD GAMES & CARD GAMES | Phalanx Games | Justinian

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