This review was originally posted on nerdbloggers.com.
Some of the most epic and memorable scenes in novels and movies have involved the siege of a fortress. The story of defending one’s home against overwhelming odds is one that resonates deeply in the human spirit. These stories span time and setting, and have been told throughout history. The timeless fantasy world of Middle Earth saw a climactic siege in The Lord of The Rings, when the capital of Gondor was rushed by a sea of enemies. Ancient Greek mythology is full of these stories, shown to enthrall audiences even in modern times by the success of the blockbuster movie 300, and its bloody, violent retelling of the siege of Sparta. <PERSON> also brought siege to feudal Japan in his final epic theatrical masterpiece Ran. Siege makes for exciting and tense storytelling, and it’s no surprise that it invokes those same feelings when presented in a game.
In 2009, game designer <PERSON> brought siege to the table with the board game Stronghold, a non-symmetrical game of siege and defense, where one player uses his limited resources to defend his stronghold against the seemingly unending horde of Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins controlled by his opponent. The invading player uses his massive army to build siege equipment, cast destructive spells, man the ramparts, and ultimately scale the towering walls to breach the stronghold. The defending player must valiantly defend his keep by utilizing his limited time and manpower to train men, repair damage, build traps, and position his dwindling forces to effectively turn the tide of the incoming army. Whoever ends the siege with the most glory is the ultimate victor.
Stronghold was published in limited quantities during its first print run in 2009, and quickly sold out, leaving many prospective players wishing for a copy of their own. In 2010 Valley Games picked up publishing rights to the game, and began a second printing, incorporating a few rules changes targeting some balance issues, and including a rewritten manual to address concerns over readability in the first edition. After a few minor scheduling setbacks, the Valley Games edition of Stronghold hit retailer’s shelves in March of 2011.
At first glance, the game Stronghold may seem like a typical Euro style worker placement game, and in many ways it is. 504
There are preprinted spaces on the board where players put their pieces to accomplishdifferent tasks, the game box contains what seems like a million wooden bits (319, all hyperbole aside), and the winner of the game is based on whoever has the most victory points. But, delving further into the game it becomes apparent that there is more to Stronghold than meets the eye.
First of all, unlike most games, players in Stronghold do not start out on equal footing; the defender starts with all of his pieces on the board, and the attacker with none. In fact, the spaces that each player can occupy on the board, the actions that they may take, and the rules that they follow during gameplay are all completely different. It is almost as if both players are playing different games that come together at the wall that segregates the board. The Valley Games printing of Stronghold even comes with two separate manuals: one for the invader, and one for the defender. This non-symmetrical structure fits the game theme very well, giving the defender the feeling of being trapped inside a falling fortress, while the attacking player feels like he has the support of an army of thousands behind him.
Stronghold also embraces direct conflict and randomness, things not found in typical worker placement games. Randomness can be found at the start of each game turn, when the invading player randomly draws troops from a bag; and also when using siege machines, where success and failure is determined through the draw of a card. Another non-Euro aspect of Stronghold is found in the confrontation that permeates the game; even though each player plays with different rules, practically every decision that one player makes will affect the other player directly. It is through this direct conflict, random elements, and tight integration of theme that Stronghold really blurs the line between “Euro” style games, and “American” style games.
Components:
Game Board – Stronghold’s foldout game board is deceptively large for the size of box that it comes in. It is beautifully illustrated; one of the most visually compelling game boards that I have seen in awhile. The stronghold and its surrounding grounds are richly depicted on the game board in a top down view, with squares and circles on the delineating where units can be placed. Starting positions for the defender’s pieces are noted on the board itself, making the setup of many small pieces very easy.
There is a second smaller board called the “Glory Board” used for scoring. As the game progresses, glory tokens are added, removed, and moved around the glory board to represent the current victory points each player has amassed. 336