New Game Round-up: Europe vs. Russia, Greeks vs. Ottomans, and Everyone vs. Everyone Else

Freedom! is a siege game, a test of will, endurance and tactics between the besieged freedom fighters and the besieging imperial forces, who have come to crush the rebellion. This universal contest is presented through a dramatic history of the siege of a Greek Holy City (Messolonghi) by Ottoman forces during the Greek War of Independence.

The battle takes place in two maps: one showing the actual city and the forces involved in the siege, and one with the surrounding areas, highlighting the support that each of them provides to both players.

This game features asymmetrical play. The goal of the invading forces is to manage to get inside the city before the end of the game or force the citizens to abandon the cause by dropping their morale to zero. The defenders, on the other hand, try to withstand the siege and protect the city long enough for the invaders to abandon their attempt either by deciding to leave on their own or by having their morale dropped to zero. The actions of the players are driven by the cards in their hands, which highlight actual events and personalities of that time, while the combat is dice-driven to allow for quick and exciting game-play.

During the Orlov Revolt in 1770, the fleet of Messolonghi was defeated and the town passed to the Ottomans. Messolonghi revolted on 20 May 1821 and was a major stronghold of the Greek rebels in the Greek War of Independence, being the seat of the Senate of Western Continental Greece. Its inhabitants successfully resisted a siege by Ottoman forces in 1822. The second siege started on 15 April 1825 by Reşid Mehmed Pasha whose army numbered 30,000 men and was later reinforced by another 10,000 men led by Ibrahim Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt. After a year of relentless enemy attacks and facing starvation, the people of Messolonghi decided to leave the beleaguered city in the "Exodus of its Guards" (The Sortie) on the night of 10 April 1826. At the time, there were 10,500 people in Messolonghi, 3,500 of whom were armed. Very few people survived the Ottoman pincer movement after the betrayal of their plan.

Due to the heroic stance of the population and the subsequent massacre of its inhabitants by the Turkish-Egyptian forces, the town of Messolonghi received the honorary title of Hiera Polis (the Sacred City), unique among other Greek cities.

The end of the Cold War ushered in a new age of European expansion. Central and Eastern Europe had emerged from dictatorships and wanted to consolidate their democracies. They sought European integration to ensure they would not fall back into the Russian sphere of influence. The EU and NATO offered a guarantee of this, and the EU was also seen as vital to ensuring the economic success of those countries. Russia — a shell of its former power as the Soviet Union — could do nothing to slow the European expansion.

But then things changed. Oil prices increased, bolstering Russia's economy. Putin came to power, and despite political discontent in Russia, his popularity remained strong. In 2008, war broke out between Russia and the NATO-aspirant, former Soviet country of Georgia. Russia's resurgence had begun, exemplified by the 2014 annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine.

Europe Divided is a game of an expansionist Europe, a resurgent Russia, and a new Cold War. In the game, you control of one of the two powers: Europe (controlling both NATO and the European Union) or Russia. You manage conflicts of political and military influence, vying for control over Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Caucasus. Europe is powerful and rich, but bureaucratic and slow to react. Russia lacks Europe's resources, but can respond rapidly.

Europe Divided takes place over two periods: 1992-2008 (European Expansion) and 2008-2019 (Russian Resurgence). Players score victory points by having dominant influence in contested countries in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus. They can also score victory points by bringing key historical events to fruition. The player with the most victory points at the end of the two periods wins.

Europe Divided is rich with history and includes today's potential flashpoints, but it features a quick-playing card-driven core mechanism. Players use cards associated with countries they control to establish political and military influence, gain money, and build and deploy their military presence. An elegant deck-manipulation mechanism weakens players' decks as they increase their influence, creating a tension point between seeking to expand and overreaching. Players also compete over key political events throughout the game. Will the Velvet Revolution result in the split of the Czech Republic and Slovakia? How will the Bosnian War end? The players will decide the fate of history throughout this period of Europe Divided.

What's happening here? It looks like your neighbors have gathered to create a pyramid out of straw, wood, and stone. Cool! But wait, why do some people seem to be causing small collapses on purpose? And why does little Susie have a blowtorch?

In Flaming Pyramids, players are building one pyramid together using square tiles, but each player is trying to be the first to get rid of their own tiles. The game has forty tiles, each with a unique combination of color, number, and material. You have a hand of five tiles from which to choose, but are constrained by the building regulations and the luck of the draw. If your placed tile causes mayhem (a collapse, fire, or explosion), the damaged tiles go back in your supply...

In Flipology, players try to score the most points over three rounds. At the start of each round, each player receives nine cards, then picks seven of them to arrange in a face-down row. On your turn, you must flip one of your seven cards (up or down), with some cards having effects that enable you to flip additional cards, including those owned by opponents. Cards depict animals in different types of environments, and they have different effects and point values depending on what's shown at round's end, such as the sloth which is worth positive points only if it's still face down.

In the "Great Tree" variant for 2-4 players, five cards are dealt to each player and two turns are taken. Then a second set of five cards cards are dealt out which go above the first row and two more turns are taken, with the added wrinkle that players now control two rows and adjacency means up and down as well as side to side. Finally, a third set of cards is dealt out and players take a final two turns, then calculate their total score.