Tabletop_Gaming__April_2019

is game encourages a chess-like mentality. You

have to think about the ramications of your moves,

and try to predict how the inevitable battles will play

out. ose battles can be tedious, which has led some

players to prefer the app version of this game over the

cardboard original. Each unit has an initiative value,

and all units with matching initiative will attack at

the same time. Casualties are cleared, and the next

highest-initiative units attack. You’ll love the look on

your opponent’s face when you point a weak-but-

fast unit directly at a lumbering death machine

that was sure to cause your ruin. at death

machine will be cleared o of the eld before it

ever gets to act.

Variety is the spice of life, and Neuroshima

Hex has it in spades. As of this writing, there

are at least 18 dierent factions available.

I own 11 of them and want to collect the

others. In even better news, the game

was re-tooled and re-themed in 2018 as

Monolith Arena. I have this as well, and it is

just as excellent as I knew it would be.

Gamers talk about their ‘forever’ shelf.

Neuroshima Hex will always be on mine. I

should probably do something about the

failing duct tape that is holding my box

together. To Michal Oracz, thank you for the

inspiration and entertainment!

E

arth lies in ruins. ose who didn’t die

in the war are left to band together,

struggling to survive in the

wastes. Sentient machines

roam the plains, while

mutated creatures swarm

the cities. Many will ght,

but only one faction

will prove its mettle on

the battlegrounds of

Neuroshima Hex

My favourite board game

of all time is Neuroshima Hex,

set in the post-apocalyptic RPG

setting of Neuroshima,

designed by Michal Oracz,

and published by Portal/Z-

Man Games. Mr. Oracz just

happens to be my favourite

designer, as well. For my

money, there is nobody better

at designing asymmetric games.

You could call this game an abstract strategy title,

thanks to its hexagonal cardboard tokens, but I think

that sells it a bit short. e factions all have cohesive

themes and sometimes wildly dierent play styles. e

mutant army of Borgo is very melee-focused, the Steel

Police features many ranged units and the robotic

Dancer consists of only three super-powered units.

One of the things I like about this game is that it

forces you into tough decisions on every turn. On

your turn, you will draw three tiles from your entire

force, kept in a facedown stack. is is the only luck-

based element in the entire game. You must discard

one of these tiles and, since you only go through your

stack one time, anything discarded will never be

played in this session. Sometimes the choice is very

easy to make, but other times you will want to play all

three tiles!

e genius of this design decision has many

repercussions. First, it keeps the game moving at a

predictable pace since in general you will get about a

dozen turns. Second, it prevents analysis paralysis by

only letting you choose between three tiles at a time.

Finally, it allows astute players to keep track of what

you have played/will never play versus what you may

yet play. Every time I teach this game to a new player I

advise that, when in doubt, always take the action that

will result in the most carnage, even if it’s yours. at’s

actually good advice for any game.

April 2019 tabletopgaming.co.uk 17

Gamers talk

about their

‘forever’

shelf.

Neuroshima

Hex will

always be

on mine.

my favourite game

e SEAL Team Flix co-designer and House of Spirits creator

explains why the tough tactics of Neuroshima Hex make for

his ideal post-apocalypse

MARK THOMAS

is game encourages a chess-like mentality. You

have to think about the ramications of your moves, have to think about the ramications of your moves,

and try to predict how the inevitable battles will and try to predict how the inevitable battles will play play

struggling to survive in the