Columbia Games Richard III: The War of The Roses

A fun game based on The Hammer of the Scots game system but modified. The game seems to favor the Yorkist just a tad with it being more challenging to play as Lancaster. Combat is a breeze. Solitary playable is four out of five stars. Kingmaker it isn't but a refreshing take on this popular period in History. Any of the royals can become king in order. I would buy again but I am a sucker for games in this period. I need to fine some battle systems like Henry V and The Black Prince that let me recreate the main battles like St Albans, Barnet, Towton, Tewkesbury, Northhampton, etc.

Really fun, very light game that well captures the feel of the conflict without a lengthy rule book. The components look great and a full session could be played in 2-3 hours easily after a learning game (which probably wouldn't go longer than 3.5 hours anyway). The option to play a shorter game also helps to get this game to the table faster. I've played it 3 times now and still want to get it back to the table.

The delivery was super fast, the game is everything I read about.

I really enjoy the game but I can't get my wife to play with me !

This is a fast paced abstraction of the 15th century English Wars of the Roses complete with high stakes and often high casualty combat, regicide, the plague, nobles committing treachery and switching sides mid battle, and much more. I enjoy this game more each time I play but I'm extremely interested in the historical period so a more general audience will need to proceed with a little caution.For those familiar with Columbia block games this plays similar to Crusader Rex and Hammer of the Scots but with enough topic unique rules to avoid being merely a straight up copy. Generally you can expect the play time to be shorter (full game 21 cards vs. 45/scenario in Hammer and 36 in Crusader). You can also expect damage in big battles to be more devastating - there is no retreat allowed in round one and all hits from a firing unit are taken from the strongest enemy unit as opposed to adjusting which unit is strongest after each hit is applied. To add to the carnage certain heirs to the throne on each side by taking on some additional risk can target a specific enemy unit to take all the damage. Without going into excruciating detail Richard III consists of three campaigns (seven cards each) separated by a political adjustment where the Kingship can be usurped. This is somewhat similar to winter turn in HOTS and CR but provides a somewhat different flavor.For those not at all familiar with Columbia block games, where to begin? Basically you play as one of two sides - Lancaster or York - contending for the crown of England. Heirs (the King and potential kings if the king dies or is deposed), nobles, and various other combat units are represented by wooden blocks defining combat strength and other factors. Each side's blocks are played facing the owner so you do not see the strength of your opponent's approaching blocks. Lancaster starts as King and thus places several blocks in England while York starts in exile in Ireland and Calais (a portion of modern day France right across the English channel from England). Both sides also start with potential units not in play which can be recruited into action throughout the game.Each player is dealt seven cards per campaign (a complete game is 3 campaigns). Without diving into too much detail, these cards govern how much movement and recruiting of off board pieces a player can perform during his turn. A handful of the cards in the deck allow special plays beyond movement and recruiting. Card management is key to success as it will limit what one can do in each campaign. There is a constant trade-off between using cards to recruit which gets you more pieces on the map and using them to move which enables you to attack your opponent. At the risk of over simplifying, the object of the game is to move into areas that your opponent occupies and engage in battle under circumstances favorable to you with the ultimate goal of either killing all of your opponent's pieces who are eligible to be king (a rare occurrence) or having the most heirs and nobles in England at campaign end thereby making your side King (the player who is King at the end of campaign 3 wins). The game provides some interesting curve balls (e.g., a mechanism for enticing opposition nobles to commit treachery and switch sides changing the balance of a battle, a plague card which can damage large concentrations of armies in a city, etc.) to add flavor above and beyond just move and fight.I love this game but a couple of warnings. Although what I've outlined above sounds and is fairly simple, there are a small number of fidgety rules (e.g., exceptions to the norm). These require some getting used to. More importantly, bringing off-board pieces into play (known as recruitment) is limited to specific regions on the map representing the power centers of the various factions involved. The pieces and the map are illustrated with shields representing which pieces can start where which is helpful but it takes some time for 15th century English geography to become second nature and gaining familiarity with which pieces can be placed where is important for smart game play. I would summarize by saying your first play or two of this game will be learning experiences and multiple plays are required to get a good feel for strategy and tactics.Nonetheless I heartily recommend Richard III to anyone interested in low-medium complexity war games and/or the history of the Wars of the Roses.

I really enjoyed this game. The block mechanic has quickly become a favorite of mine. It's really simple to use and understand. This is definitely a step up from games like Julius Caesar. There's a bit more to deal with and more to keep track of than in the previously mentioned game. Even so, it's still a smooth ride down a historical battlefield. The added depth of game play is heightened with the ability to turn the other player's units to your side. I also like the addition of the cards. This brings me back to Julius Caesar and the love that I have for that game. The theme is very prevalent throughout the game. You will definitely feel like you're caught up in the historical conflict between York and Lancaster. Like with all war games, this does take quite a bit of time to play though. Don't expect to sit down for an hour and be done with the game. Unless of course you're just really bad at playing. Even with the longer play time, the game really plays well. It's just a matter of carving out the time to play it.The art work is really nice throughout. The pieces are great and are lots of fun to play with. There's lots of strategy and you will find yourself in a bit of a brain burner at times. Analysis paralysis has been known to set in from time to time as you try to figure out the best course of action for your units. The history and theme of the game is very prevalent throughout each step. I definitely recommend this game for history buffs as well as those that have a passion for war games. It's also a great little teaching tool for home schoolers like myself, as it allows the student to actually play a part of history instead of just reading about it. I really enjoyed this game. You will too. So saith the King.