by Neil Thomson
This review continues my series of detailed reviews that attempt to be part review, part resource for anyone not totally familiar with the game. For this reason I expect readers to skip to the sections that are of most interest.Summary
Game Type - Thematic Conflict Game
Play Time: 80-120 Minutes
Number of Players: 2 or 4
Mechanics - Card Driven, Dice Rolling Combat, Simultaneous Action Selection
Difficulty - Moderate (Can be learned in 30-60 minutes)
Components - Excellent +++
Designer(s) - Rob Daviau (Betrayal at House on the Hill, Axis & Allies: Pacific, various Heroscape and Risk releases including Risk Legacy) , Craig Van Ness (Battleship Galaxies, various Heroscape and Stratego releases) and Alan Roach
Image Courtesy of victorywt
Overview
Queen’s Gambit is nothing short of a classic Ameritrash title that will have you rolling dice till you get RSI in your wrists!
It’s also the best Star Wars based board game, that I am aware of, to ever be released and also represents one of the best titles to be published by Hasbro under its Avalon Hill division.
The downside to all this is that Hasbro discontinued production of the game many years ago and now it goes for ridiculous prices…although some of those prices are not without warrant.
So what makes it so good? Queen’s Gambit takes the central conflict between the forces of the Trade Federation and those of Naboo and creates a battle-based game using the climax to the Star Wars Movie, 'The Phantom Menace', as the thematic backdrop.
Now before any anger for that movie can take hold allow me to tell you that this is quite possibly the only decent thing to come out of The Phantom Menace! Oh yes folks, I was once a fanatical Star Wars fan and it was that movie that jolted me out of my devotion and saw me stop collecting all manner of ‘stuff’ forever.
But this game really is amazing. It combines card driven play with multiple fronts that need to be managed and all of which have a major impact on the outcome of the war. At times you simply don’t know which area to prioritise first and it is also a game that fully revels in the fact that the dice can and will turn on their wielder many times in a single game. And if all that wasn’t enough the game looks freakin’ amazing with its 3D Theed Palace and assorted units.
This is Ameritrash greatness…this is 'the out of print game you are looking for!'
NB - Review Side Note - A new feature I'm including in my reviews this year has been the addition of the Designers in the opening stats. It shows who they are and what other notable designs they've worked on. When you look at this team they really have some excellent Ameritrash titles to their credit and Rob and Craig in particular have developed some innovative ideas based on classic licenses (Risk and Battleship in particular). The work both have also done on Heroscape and Stratego, where the focus is on thematic forces also seems to fit Queen's Gambit as a project earlier in their careers. Moving from this game to those projects somehow has a nice arc to it...kind of like a young boy who finds power in the force only to be seduced by the dark side before eventually redeeming himself for the love of his son...no no...was a fan!
Ok reviewer naval gazing mode disengaged...now to do some work.
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The Components
Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit is renowned for its stunning visual. That doesn't mean that it is artistically brilliant...but instead it uses the 3D factor to catch the eye of passersby...
Boards –The game uses two main boards to manage 3 of the 4 key locations featured in the game. A brightly coloured green board depicts the Plains of Naboo and artwork depicting the defensive shield of the Gungans is also present. The board is divided into hexagonal spaces upon which the various units are positioned for play. At the top and bottom ends of the map a strip is used to show the health of the large vehicles, animals and machines used by both sides.
The other main board depicts 2 key areas. At one end a space zone is present and contains a number of fields that represent sectors of space defended by Droid Starfighters. This is the area where Anakin can be activated as he tries to reach the Droid Control Ship.
At the other end is the Generator Core where the Jedi battle takes place between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. This area also connects to a hall leading into the Theed Palace and this is important to the play of the game.
This second board also has health tracks located in the center and sides to track the health of Princess Amidala, her decoy, Captain Panaka and the Jedi.
In truth these boards are more functional than mind-blowing but that is because something else takes center stage...literally.
Images Courtesy of big-chad
3D Theed Palace – So here is the candy. The Theed Palace consists of 3 smaller rectangular boards to create the ground floor and levels 1 and 2. These boards create the 3D visual effect by being inserted into 4 tall plastic stands that have grooves to hold the board corners in place.The result is a really cool structure that sits in between the 2 main boards and one lip is designed to be slipped under the Jedi/Anakin board to link the hall to the palace proper.
The Palace then holds an array of units once set up. Players are likely to bump the Palace numerous times during a play as they try to move and remove figures and whilst this can get a little annoying at times, it is a small price to pay for the visual treat.
Image Courtesy of BoardGameGeek
Figures – In all there are 155 figures that make up the various forces of both sides. Compared to some games these are not all that impressive. The detail is decent enough but some figures are made from a softer plastic that is highly flexible and this can lead to spears drooping and the like.If it was a serious miniatures game it might be an issue but here it isn't that big a deal. All the figures look different and resemble what they are meant to. The droids in particular are quite good as they use a firmer plastic and the stand for Anakin's ship is a nice touch.
To help identify figures and make set-up easier, each unit type comes in a different colour.
Given that the game dates back to 2000, the materials used for the figures is probably a little more understandable when compared to today's significantly improved figure quality. But there is no doubt that cost would have been a factor.
Images Courtesy of big-chad
Dice – The dice are a core element in the play of the game and help to differentiate Queen's Gambit from other titles of the day by having different dice used by different units (several of the newer Risk titles replicate this such as Risk 2210 A.D.)All of the dice are 6-sided and they are chunky affairs. The faces require stickering, which can lead to wear and tear after many plays but my second hand copy is still looking good.
The dice come in 5 colours. Red and gray dice are used for attack, with red dice having a higher chance of hitting and thus are used by more skilled units. The gray dice have a lower chance of success and are used by the Battle Droids, Gungans and Palace Guards.
The blue dice are defense dice and are used by various units.
Then there are the Green and Gold dice, which are special defense dice used by the Jedi.
The dice have 2 main features, attack hits and shield symbols representing a successful defence. These feature on all dice types although defense symbols only feature on the blue and Jedi dice. Attack dice also have some blank faces to represent a miss.
The only other anomaly is found on the Jedi defense dice. Here a hit result can also be found and is called a Riposte. This symbol reflects a Jedi's ability to wound their attacker whilst in defence, whether it be deflecting a blaster bolt or parrying a lightsaber and landing a blow.
Image Courtesy of big-chad
Cards - Being a card driven game it is very important that the design layout and functionality are spot on. In this respect Queen's Gambit gets it right. The cards represent orders to influence the 4 battlefields present in the game. The majority of the cards are used to create 2 decks for each side. One deck contains cards for the Naboo Battlefield. These cards contain orders to be given to units on the Naboo Battlefield or orders to enable Anakin to try and fly through defended space.
The other deck contains cards relating to Theed Palace. These cards offer orders to move and attack with droids, guards and special units in the palace. They also contain cards to activate Darth Maul or the Jedi.
Most cards offer options, of which one must be chosen. Some more powerful cards only offer one option but they can be game changers or help a side to better plan future moves.
The final types of cards are the Starfighter Cards. These represent additional waves of Droid Starfighters that can be added to a sector of space to try and stop Anakin from reaching the Droid Control Ship.
Like the figures, the card art is not breathtaking but their design is very clear and functional, which allows the game to flow smoothly and keep the focus firmly on the battles as they unfold.
Image Courtesy of Darkman
Reference Charts – Each side is given 2 reference charts, which outline the various movement, attack and defense values of various units in a table. These remind me of similar components to that used by games like Axis and Allies.They are extremely helpful for those first 4-5 games and at the beginning of battles if you are a little rusty. After 30 minutes or so the players tend to have the stats committed to memory.
Image Courtesy of Darkman
Damage Counters – Small round plastic tokens are used to track the health of various figures on their health charts.
Image Courtesy of Jormi_Boced
Rules and Storage – The rules are well put together, choosing to look at each of the battlefields individually after covering the basic mechanics of the game. This helps to find rules quickly when first learning. They also outline some strategic elements of the game and provide numerous examples to assist first time players. Storage wise the game box uses a pretty open format with 2 smaller trays to hold cards and smaller pieces. It does the job and fits the components in.
Image Courtesy of TMJJS
With the exception of the 3D Theed Palace, no one component really stands out on its own, although the number of figures when all set up is impressive. Instead it is the overall combination that makes the game look amazing. Queen's Gambit is easily one of my top 5 best looking games when all set-up.
Image Courtesy of jtkauff
The Set-Up
NB - Before I begin I'll point out now that the bulk of the review will look at the game as a 2-player experience, including the set-up. I'll cover any changes to the set-up and general play for the 4-player Teams game in a separate section just prior to The Final Word.
Whilst the game looks great it does come at a price. Queen's Gambit is a good 20-30 minute set-up proposition. It's well worth the effort mind you but between the set-up and the play you will need to set aside a good chunk of time.
The biggest jobs by far are constructing the 3D Palace and then getting all those figures onto the board in the correct locations. Thankfully each hex and location has small printed letters to denote what needs to go where.
Battle Droids always have 4 figs to a unit (at the Plains of Naboo Battlefield), Gunguns have 3 and Kaadu units come in pairs as do the Destroyer Droids (Plains of Naboo Battlefield). Everything else including all figures in the Theed Palace are a case of 1 figure per hex or location.
The card decks then need to be shuffled, including the Starfighter Cards.
The damage counters are all placed on the images representing each of the key characters and vehicles. The Naboo player will need to decide which of their Queen figures will be the real Queen Amidala and which will be the decoy. One of the damage counters contains a picture of the Queen inside it and whichever image it is placed upon (the red or purple Queen) denotes which Queen is the real one and which is the decoy.
Each side then takes 10 cards (5 from each deck) and the 'Go First Token' is given to the Trade Federation as evil never waits for the initiative. The game is ready to begin!
Image Courtesy of songbird
The Play
In a game such as this, with its 4 battlefields all on the go at once, it is important to know the ultimate objective - how to win, as that ultimately drives how you attempt to juggle the 4 battles all at once...
Winning the Game - Ultimately Queen's Gambit is all about control over Theed Palace.
For the Naboo Forces to win they must destroy all of the droids in play and have a majority of forces in the Theed Palace. The 2 Viceroys in the Palace cannot be attacked and along with Darth Maul are the only 3 figures not classed as droids. So the Naboo forces have a lot of work to do and must have at least 3 figures in the Palace to outnumber the 2 Viceroys. Of course the easiest way to take care of the droids is to have Anakin destroy the Droid Control Ship.
The Trade Federation have a rather simpler equation - reduce the Naboo forces to 2 or less in the Theed Palace to win. This can be easily achieved by having Darth Maul defeat both Jedi (although he is outnumbered) but they can also bring reinforcements from the Naboo Battlefield into the Palace with various cards. In doing this they can try to wear down the Naboo forces in the Palace through sheer attrition as the Naboo player cannot reinforce in any way...their numbers are finite!
It will however require the killing of at least 1 Queen or Captain Panaka plus all the Palace Guards plus any Jedi that make it into the Palace should they defeat Darth Maul.
Sound like fun...well it is!
The Basic Flow - The best way to cover the game I think is to outline the basic flow of a game turn and the key mechanics of; combat, earning bonus cards and hand management. Then I'll look at each Battlefield in detail - outlining the strategic implications of key decisions that have to be made.
Ok to the basics -
A single game turn is divided into 4 key stages -
Select Cards – With 10 cards in hand, each side must choose a total of 4 to play in the upcoming turn. Any cards can be chosen, focusing on 1 battlefield or several. Once selected the cards must then be placed in the order that the players wish them to come out.Once this is done the cards are placed face down ready for play. In effect the cards selected really simulate orders to your forces. I wasn't sure where to state this but here seems as good a place as any...
I really wouldn't be surprised if Richard Borg of Memoir '44 fame looked to Queen's Gambit and took inspiration for his Command and Colours series of games. I mean Queen's Gambit visually features 3 sections and the card driven play here is fine-tuned and implemented in that series as well. I have no idea if he has spoken about this or not but there are definite comparisons to draw between the two. Thankfully I love both Gambit and the C&C series. So it's win-win for me.
Strategic Implication - The use of 4 separate battlefields and the need to manage them all at the same time is genius when combined with the ability to only play 4 cards at once. The game in effect poses the question, 'Which battlefields must you prioritise?' Will you focus hard on a particular area or two to gain advantage at the cost of others or will you spread your orders around at the potential risk of being overwhelmed somewhere and potentially achieving little? How important are the Jedi vs. the Naboo Battlefield vs. the Theed Palace which represents the victory condition vs. Anakin and the Droid Control Ship?'
Whilst the Theed Palace is the ultimate consideration all of the other battlefields represent a 'means to an end'. It really is brilliant game design.
This is the very heart of the game and makes for that most elusive element that every game needs - hard choices coupled with limited resources!
Add Bonus Cards – Bonus Cards can be earned from the Plains of Naboo Battlefield and these are added to the chosen cards of each side in the following turn. When a bonus card is earned it can be taken from either deck but the active player never gets to see the nature of the card. It is simply placed face-down in a bonus card pile. After the players have chosen their 4 cards in the following turn they simply add any bonus cards earned from the previous round to the bottom of the deck. Thus each side will play their 4 chosen orders first with any bonus cards following after that.
If the Plains of Naboo Battlefield was heavily utilised on the previous turn and combat went well, it is highly possible for a player to earn 3-4 bonus cards, which will set up a massive 7-8 card turn in the following round. These turns can be devastating if all goes well.
Resolve Orders and Combat – In truth the previous 2 phases take no more than a minute or two at most. It is the execution of those orders where the majority of the game is played out. Both sides take turns by revealing the next card in their Orders deck, with the first player to act being shown on the 'Go First Token'.
Most cards offer one of two options. A player simply needs to state which one of the options they will utilise. As each card plays out the players can refer to the Reference Charts to identify the movement allowances and combat stats of units that are ordered, roll the dice and hope to hurt the enemy.
Hits result in casualties unless the target is entitled to defence dice. In this instance the defender rolls any defence dice allowed, hoping to roll defense shields. If the number of defence shields equals or exceeds the number of hits, then no damage is suffered. For every hit result that is not countered by a defence shield a figure must be removed or a damage inflicted on a unit that takes wounds.
The play of each turn is that simple with both players taking turns to reveal and execute their orders. It is quite likely that one side will have more orders than the other due to the addition of Bonus Cards. In this instance the side with cards remaining simply plays them one after the other until they are all executed.
Draw Cards & End Turn – A single game turn comes to an end with each side drawing 4 cards back to their hand. Each side must choose 2 cards from each of the two decks and this can have strategic implications for the game. Should one side play a large number of cards from a particular deck, they will find themselves short of them in quick time. This needs to be considered carefully and may also influence which deck they take their bonus cards from. The final action before completing a single game turn is to pass the 'Go First Marker' to the other side to highlight that they go first in the upcoming turn.
Provided one side or the other has not triggered the victory conditions required to end the game, a new turn is ready to begin.
The Battlefields
What I love most about Queen's Gambit is that the above mechanics simply enable the play, but really it is the 4 Battlefields and the play that unfolds there that is the heart of the experience. Unlike so many games, Queen's Gambit does not bog itself down in mechanics that require 'rule-lawyering'. In doing so the game play is allowed to unfold and be enjoyed...from one crucial dice roll to the next.
Let's take a closer look at those battles...
Plains of Naboo Battlefield - The Forces
Naboo is a bloodbath of units and combat. It is the square-off between the Droid Armies of the Trade Federation and the forces of Naboo with their primitive Catapults and inept Gungan and Kaduu units.
The droid forces have a slight advantage in that their Battle Droids consist of 4 figures to a unit, whilst the Gungan units only have 3 figures each. Given both roll a grey dice per figure, the Gungan units are outnumbers and will also die quicker.
The Destroyer Droids and the Kaduu units are a little better balanced in that both units feature 2 figures each but in terms of firepower and defense, the Destroyer Droids are superior. In fact it is the Destroyer Droids that cause the Naboo player the most grief throughout the game.
Then there are the special forces of the Catapults, the Fambaas and their Defensive Shield, the Deadly AATs (Armoured Attack Tanks) and the MTTs (Multi Troop Transports). But these all have strategic implications so I'll cover them in the next section.
Image Courtesy of Jeff
Plains of Naboo Battlefield - Strategic Implications
Underlining the importance of the Naboo Battlefield is the fact that it is awash with strategic considerations...where to start?
Bonus Cards - The ability to earn bonus cards that can have an impact in any of the battlefields is a major driving force on the fields of Naboo. Earning bonus cards requires the total elimination of any one unit. In the early exchanges the droid army certainly has a small advantage as a 4-dice rolling Battle Droid unit has the ability to destroy a Gungan unit, whilst the reverse is not possible unless multiple Gungans attack the same target.
Failure to recognise the importance of bonus cards can see one side gain a major advantage in Queen’s Gambit. Being able to execute more bonus orders than the enemy turn after turn is likely to result in a decisive victory.
The Gungan Shield – An inhibiting feature of the Naboo Battlefield though is the presence of the Gungan Shield, which prevents the powerful Armoured Attack Tanks from getting into the battle proper. The Shield is maintained on the backs of the 2 Fambaa units. Only one of these 2 units needs to be destroyed to bring the shield down. With the shield down those deadly AATs can enter the fray proper and earn bonus cards for the Trade Federation with ease.
The Catapults - The trick with those shields though is that they are located fairly deep behind Gungan lines. So the Droid forces need to advance into the shield and clear a path to the Fambaas before they can be attacked.
This then brings the Naboo forces' Catapults into play. With a range of 3 and a hefty attack ability, the Catapults help to keep droid limbs scattered around the field as they get blown to smithereens!
The MTT's and Reinforcing the Palace - Another option the Trade Federation player has is to move droids from the Grasslands of Naboo to the Theed Palace. The Palace has 10 spaces where reinforcements can enter and hope to outnumber and overwhelm the Naboo forces. Remembering that this is one way to win the game for the Trade Federation, the Naboo player really has to try and wipe out as many droids as possible at the Grasslands of Naboo before they cause trouble elsewhere.
Making it even trickier for the Naboo player is that the Droid Army can use some cards to reinforce the Naboo Battlefield with already defeated droids. This representing the ability of the MTTs to bring fresh troops to the battle. The Naboo forces don't have this ability so they have to be really careful to not get outnumbered too early.
To Kill or Maim? - The final consideration at the Grasslands of Naboo is in deciding which units to target. Because units on both sides roll a certain number of dice based on the units left standing, a viable tactic can be to weaken multiple units knowing that the enemy is unlikely to waste orders on them given a lack of attacking ability.
The counter to this tactic is that bonus cards will not be earned for simply weakening a unit and the Trade Federation player may need to eliminate units to create line of sight to the shield mounted Fambaas.
The Generator Core Battle - The Forces
This is the location for the battle between Darth Maul and the two Jedi in Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. Movement is essentially irrelevant whilst the battle is on as the forces here cannot leave the Generator Core until one side or the other has prevailed.
Image Courtesy of Big A
The Generator Core Battle - The Strategic Implications
Quite often it is this battle that can have a big say in how the whole conflict pans out. That is because whoever prevails is free to move into the rear of the Theed Palace and start slicing up the enemy forces there, which they do quite efficiently.
Darth Maul is stronger than both the Jedi with a total of 15 health, whilst the two Jedi have 10 health each so they do have a 5 health advantage overall.
It usually pans out that Darth Maul takes at least 1 Jedi out and then it comes down to who will stand victorious and how weakened they are in doing so. Even though Jedi can be devastating in the Palace, if they only have 2-3 health left they can still fall to overwhelming numbers and sheer attrition.
Whilst Darth Maul may be outnumbered and slightly down on the health, he does have 2 advantages over the Jedi. Firstly he only requires one particular card type to order him, where the Naboo player has the orders for both Jedi split between some cards.
The other major advantage for Maul is that he is able to kill one Jedi more often than not. When that happens the Trade Federation player earns 3 bonus cards and they can be crucial in really pushing the Naboo player to the brink in the following turn. Those 3 bonus cards (6 should both fall) can really provide a surge for the Trade Federation player, as do the 5 bonus cards (for Naboo) should Darth Maul fail. Those surges really spike the tension of the game and make the players feel either all powerful or totally on the brink!
The Generator Core is always a tense affair, as is the game in general. There is no sweeter feeling than marching your figure out of the Core and into the Palace for some laser bolt deflecting action.
Anakin and the Droid Control Ship - The Forces
Well this one is fairly simple - It's Anakin vs. the various sectors of space.
How this battle works is that Anakin must be ordered with a card, which allows him to take on the current sector of space he finds himself in.
What will face Anakin will be a sector either on the board itself or a Starfighter Card that has been placed onto a sector to provide additional defense.
Before Anakin takes on a sector in the hope of getting closer to the Droid Control Ship, the Trade Federation player must roll 2 grey dice. Each dice that rolls a hit result can be added to an empty location on the current Starfighter Card to increase the defenses that Anakin will face.
Each card features locations numbered 2-12 and for Anakin to defeat/dodge the Droid Starfighters located there the Naboo player must roll 2 six-sided dice and roll a total that shows empty space.
Doing so allows Anakin to take on any additional cards located at that space. If the last success was the board space itself then Anakin moves to the next sector of space, where he will have to do it all over again when issued another order on a future turn.
Image Courtesy of TMJJS
Anakin and the Droid Control Ship - The Strategic Implications
The implications of Anakin are quite straight forward but no less challenging to balance. The most direct point that has to be made is that Anakin is essential as the Droid Control Ship must be reached and shut down in order for the Naboo forces to have any chance of winning (as all droids must be removed from play and actually killing them all is very difficult to do).
On the flip-side, succeeding in destroying the Droid Control Ship all but gives the victory to Naboo.
But here is the kicker. Ordering Anakin takes a card and it is the only thing that the card achieves. It is quite common for Anakin to fail in moving beyond a sector of space as the Trade Federation player can play cards that add 1, 2, 3 or more cards to a single sector of space. Naturally they will try to fill any gaps on the most highly probable numbers and if that occurs then basic statistics win out more often than not and Anakin can fail several times in a row.
Making the decision to order Anakin at the expense of not earning any bonus cards at Naboo, losing units in Theed Palace or allowing Darth Maul to get the upper hand over the Jedi can be dangerous. Factor in that a failed Anakin attempt equates to achieving nothing with an order and those moments can become frustrating and costly indeed.
On the other side of the ledger, the Trade Federation player can have a hard time justifying the option to play an order that simply adds a Starfighter Card to a sector of space when that could hand the Naboo forces an advantage somewhere else.
Time is often the key determinant. The Trade Federation want to get some additional defenses into play sooner rather than later, whilst Anakin can gain some good ground if he can fly through a sector or two before additional defenses are put into play.
This element of the movie is wonderfully implemented into the game in a meaningful way.
Theed Palace - The Forces
The Theed Palace is filled with Battle and Destroyer droids for the Trade Federation, who are there to protect the two Viceroys on the 3rd floor.
The forces of Naboo consist of the Palace Guards who are led by Captain Panaka, Queen Amidala and her Decoy.
The forces of Naboo are located on the ground floor of the Palace whilst the droids are scattered throughout all 3 levels.
It should be noted that the two Viceroys cannot be attacked or harmed, but their presence is crucial to the numbers when counting for the majority.
Image Courtesy of TMJJS
Theed Palace - The Strategic Implications
The Theed Palace is really a war of attrition as each side fights to gain the majority. Bonus Cards cannot be earned en-masse here but the Palace does represent the central victory condition, which all the other battlefields are trying to influence in one way or another!
This then leads to that final tough decision when selecting orders. Other battlefields may well seem more important for all the reasons I have outlined above, but should one side focus their forces here they can do some serious damage and ultimately make the other battlefields irrelevant in the final analysis.
The forces of Naboo have one key fact not in their favour...lost Guards and other units cannot be replaced. For Naboo, their units are finite, unlike the Droids, thus every casualty is acutely felt.
The advantage for the Naboo player though is that they have Captain Panaka and the two Queen figures to help destroy the enemy as they roll a more deadly attack dice than the Palace Guards and the Battle Droids.
The advantage for the Trade Federation player (despite being able to bring in reinforcements from the Naboo Battlefield) is that the death of Captain Panaka offers up a Bonus Card and the death of the real Queen reduces the movement of the Palace Guards as their morale falters.
Queen Amidala and her Decoy - At the start of the game the Naboo Player must decide which of the 2 Queen figures they will make the real Queen and which will be the Decoy.
With clever movement of forces and possible double bluffing by moving Palace Guards to protect the Decoy (or is that the real Queen?) the Naboo player can give the Droids some headaches as to who to attack.
Palace Movement - This is a lesser consideration but towards the mid to endgame it can be significant. There are two ways for the Naboo forces to move through Theed Palace. The most obvious is to use the stairs at the end of each level.
But some cards also allow the Naboo forces to use their grappling hook guns to move up a level via the Palace window ledges. Moving up levels too quickly can be disastrous for the Naboo forces as they can become quickly outnumbered. But if the Naboo forces have whittled the Droid numbers down well, moving via the window ledges can help keep their remaining troops away from the ground floor where Droid reinforcements can enter the Palace.
Even if this only buys the Naboo player a turn or two extra before being overwhelmed, it can be crucial, as that time may just allow Anakin to destroy the Droid Control Ship and win the day!
The 4-Player Game (2 Teams of 2)
The changes are as follows -
Each player starts with a hand of 6 cards and selects any 2 cards to play on a given turn. One player in a team takes responsibility for Theed Palace and the Generator Core Battle, whilst the other takes control of the Grasslands of Naboo and the Anakin Space Battle. All players can play cards for any battlefield but the controlling player for a given field makes all movement and combat decisions.
All players draw 1 card from both decks at the end of a turn. Players in a team are allowed to discuss cards that they have and talk tactics, however the swapping of cards is not allowed. All bonus cards earned go under the cards of the Naboo/Anakin player. The 4-player game is great fun and isn't diminished like some other games can be when using team play. I think this is because both players have very real and meaningful decisions to make. The shared experience is also key - The ability to share those killer turns with 'high fives' are great and responding with a 'face-palm' when your partner rolls total rubbish are hilarious.
The Final Word
Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit is a wonderful game for several reasons.
First it gets the basics of game design spot on...It provides turn after turn of tough decisions that will have the players biting their nails deep in thought. Resources are tight and there is never enough time to achieve all that you have to. You may have just pulled off a devastating turn and still wish you could have hurt that one other unit!
It's wonderful also, to play a game where both sides are so evenly balanced from the get-go, even if they have to go about it slightly differently. In this way the game offers up two quite different experiences (in getting to know how to play each side well) and that lends the game longevity.
Second, the game is great because it provides all that game play whilst looking beautiful at the same time. The components are lovely and the visual when it's all set up is stunning.
But it is the 3rd reason that makes the game truly shine - It's how the game feels and what it gives back to the players. Queen's Gambit is so rewarding because it builds a narrative and with each success and setback the players begin to invest in the game. Those setbacks are remembered painfully and if finally overcome it makes the victory all the more sweeter.
For a game that can last 90 minutes to 2 hours it is fantastic that both players can realise when it is over with a smile...regardless of whether they won or lost. A game like this is all about the journey and it's a pure delight to have shared that journey with someone else, whether they be foe or a team-mate if playing with 4.
The result here is not the satisfying element but rather the play to get to that point. Even the loser can have many satisfying moments as the play unfolds. The game is all about constantly changing fortunes as one side thinks they have the other covered only to suffer a 'smack down moment' that changes the game completely.
As for theme, the game does a wonderful job of replicating the Star Wars universe and the movie itself. As a Star Wars fan may I stand on record as saying that apart from the Darth Maul Generator Core Battle theme music...this game is the only other redeeming thing to come out of The Phantom Menace.
Till next we meet 'May the Force be with You' and not with Jar Jar...seriously...worst character EVAR! [microbadge=21407]
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