If you want to have a discussion about what is and is not art, you’ll probably need to start a new thread and set aside a few hundred years… 
7 Likes
But there’s art and Art.
Huuuge difference, the latter is basically a hype driven money laundering scheme.
2 Likes
Then there is the Old English way of saying Are…
2 Likes
And a Yorkshire man saying ‘heart’… 
3 Likes
I saw A War of Whispers mentioned again, and it’s maybe my favourite concept for a game ever, but most reviews also say that it can fail if everyone starts with similar or same objectives. There’s also concern that the last round just has everyone swapping to the winning teams.
But I hear there’s an official variant where each player has a random different faction in their 2nd slot at the start of the game, and one that “locks in a different high and low scoring faction for each player” etc.
Lots of love for it on these forums in different threads, do people recommend it?
6 Likes
due to reasons this sits on my shelf of shame forever.
I wanted to play these kinds of Meeples on a Map games for a while really badly but found nobody in my local circles enjoyed it as much as I did and now I have area control anxiety or something like that.
5 Likes
I backed the latest crowdfund and have played a little but not as much as I’d like. I agree that at the last change everyone tends to align themselves with the winning faction; haven’t tried the variants but I’ll do that next time I play.
2 Likes
I really like War of Whispers - we play it with the variant that enforces a different high-scoring faction for each player, which seems to work well.
3 Likes
I am selling it. It’s good, but not getting enough play. Will cut you a deal
4 Likes
I think I’m after the Collector’s Edition, as Zatu currently have it for £42 (instead of £99). I just need to check if it has the updated rulebook etc from 2nd edition.
Edit: From the KS page, it does - Collector’s is 2nd ed with better pieces and some expansion cards. Given that 2nd ed is going for £39 and Collector’s for £42…
Another edit: I think I like the cubes better though. Going to watch some unboxing vids to decide which components to go for.
2 Likes
I will say, if you don’t want a box full of air, you’re probably better off grabbing the fancy version.
5 Likes
I got the basic version and then 3d-printed pieces mostly taken from the TTS mod - still cubes for armies, but cities, forts and huts are my custom plastic. I think this is the best avaliable version, but then I would.
6 Likes
I’ve only played it the one time, and it was just a 2-player game, but I really enjoyed it. What became clear as we played is that we both had the same 1st faction, so I started totally ignoring that faction and just worked on seeing what I could do for my second or third place factions, even if it involved screwing over the first place faction, as the score for that one was irrelevant. We’d both score the same amount for it, so it just stopped being a factor in my mind. My last actions taking territory from the first place faction with my second or third place ones won me the game.
And I think that’s how you need to go about this game. Each player can only do two swaps total, as once you swap and reveal a loyalty token, it’s locked in place. Anything that you have the same as your opponent no longer matters, especially if they’ve locked it in place with a swap. Start focusing on your second and third place factions, especially if they are the ones that are negative for your opponent.
Obviously my experience is very limited, but I think at least in a two-player head-to-head game, the swapping will not be too much of an issue, as it can just create new opportunities. I would really like to try a three or four player game though, to see if it feels similar.
4 Likes
I recently sold A War of Whispers. It’s a perfectly okay time. The trouble is that it promises hidden agendas, scheming, intrigue! Or as Matt would put it, Game of Thrones in an hour! The reality is that you’re silently moving tokens and cubes around and occasionally going ‘hm’ (or just discussing other things as you play). It’s very similar to ‘The King is Dead’ in that way. I’ve never had a bad game of it, but I’ve never really had a great game of it either.
I would, however, recommend playing with the variant where you get a bonus point for every unrevealed loyalty token at the end of the game (it’s not in the manual, but I think the designer admitted they always play with this as well).
5 Likes
Did Yucatan immedietely disappeared from the face of the Earth after fulfilment?? Anyone played it?
4 Likes
I really enjoyed War of Whispers as an experience, but not sure I would want to play it repeatedly. It is elegant in the best way possible - simple ruleset that strongly evokes an atmosphere - but can see it being a bit samey once everyone knows what they’re doing.
Firmly in the “100% try it out at a boardgame cafe or con, but don’t buy it” territory for me.
For me, I prefer Dogs of War for that “betting on who is going to win the war” type game. It is more abstract than WoW, but through the abstraction it does a bit more to make games feel varied.
5 Likes
I played war of whispers yesterday and didn’t rate it. An hour plus of tit for tat murder before everyone changes allegiances to the leading factions in the last round. The winner/loser is basically determined at random at the start by who is unfortunate enough to have the faction that ends up doing best in their 2nd slot. Not impressed.
5 Likes
This was on my wishlist for a long time. I did not pull the trigger for this reason, this opinion seems to be repeated over and over across every board game community. The game has a promise, and a reality, and they don’t line up.
There is a semi-official variant, mentioned by a bunch of people already, for setup. This seems to eliminate the least interesting games. Some people say it fixes the game completely so that it finally delivers on the promise. Still, it sounded inconsistent to me, a game that would have amazing and mundane sessions in an unpredictable sequence.
2 Likes
This is why I’m asking: it’s SUCH an excellent idea for a game, manipulating from the shadows, but sounds like it’s definitely not A+ to play.
1 Like
If you can find it, it’s in GAME stores for £11 atm
1 Like