Tribune: Primus Inter Pares

GaGarfieldstar6.0

It's ok, but I guess I will always prefer another game to play. Why? Because I think too much depends on who can start and usually you don't care if someone takes over your faction. And I don't like games where someone suddenly says "oh I fulfilled everything, I won". [c] Theme: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Little --> Gameplay: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Interaction: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Fighting for factions --> Artwork: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok, nothing special --> Luck: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Random cards --> Strategy: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Obvious and not many possibilities --> Components: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Play duration: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Easy to teach: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok (30min) --> Rules quality: <!-- size 7]not read --> Setup time: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> No downtime: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Plays quite fast --> Replay value: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Random cards? :D --> [/c]

EvEvanstar4.6

This is a worker placement game with a lot of blind bidding. Players try to win control of the various factions by playing the best set of cards as defined as a sum of cards of the matching color that's greater than the previously played set, or more cards of the matching color than the previously played set. Having control of the faction gives you their special ability for the round. Cards are taken from the worker spaces on the central action board. Each space has a different method of taking the cards, and since this is an older game, those methods need to be looked up on the player aid or the rulebook as there is no indication on the board that one space resolves differently than another. The order of operations is also very odd from a graphic design perspective, as during resolution you do the bottom of the board, then the top of the board, then your faction unlocked abilities on the player aid, then if you are using it you jump to the expansion board. Ultimately the game is a race to be the first to complete some number of different goals as defined by a goal card that gets set or drawn at the start of the game. If two players finish all their goals at once, then it comes down to points. This system allows you to customize the length of the game for player count and for preference. There are some interesting things happening here, but the game can be subject to flip luck in that if one player takes control of a faction early with a small set, and then no other cards of that set hit the board, they have a pretty big advantage as they continue to get the benefit of that faction's ability round to round. Additionally, there are multiple situations where you can lose your action due to someone else's move, and you really have no recourse. I would play it again, but I'm not overly impressed by it. ☆ Art, Iconography and components functional ★ Clever or interesting mechanisms ★ Reasonably low downtime between turns with mildly AP players ★ Multiple plays stay interesting ☆ Low or mitigatable luck elements ★★★☆☆ Raw enjoyment

Benjamín Amorínstar6.0

On the "race" mode, if there's a difficult objective the game gets too streamlined for every player, Interesting worker placement with hand management but kind of mean and abstract.