For Finnish users, there’s a new review at my web site: Web of Power.
I’ve played lots of this lately and as you might notice from my Top 10 list, I value the game very highly. It works nicely from any number of players from three to five (I like it best with four, then three, then five and will be glad to play with any number, really).
Why? First, it looks gorgeous (Franz Vohwinkel is one of my favourite artists). It plays fast (under 30 minutes) and offers tough decisions to make. There are two scarce resources, advisors and empty space on the board. It’s a hard struggle and you’re not allowed to make many mistakes.
I don’t think it’s too luck oriented. It’s definitely skill-oriented — in my experience, newbies usually lose. The advisor scoring is probably the issue there — it’s hard to understand before you see it in action. If you know how to draw right (and the technique isn’t complicated), you can pretty much manage to hold a pair in your hand throughout the game. Sometimes you’ll be screwed, but that’s rare.
All in all, it’s a game I love. It packs a lot of punch to a tight little package.