Sunday, December 14, 2008

Saturday Gaming - A House Divided

The Brigadista bailed on our planned Third Reich game on Friday night.  He was babbling something about being sick and Viking funerals.  It was all rather incoherent.

However, I did get in part of a game of A House Divided with the Future Poltergeist.  (Yes, my friends are real people with real names.)  I have the Phalanx Games edition of the game and it's been sitting on my shelf for a few years.  A House Divided is considered to be a classic of sorts and I've really meant to get around to playing it.  It was designed by Frank Chadwick and I generally like his games.

If I had to sum up the game in a phrase, it would be "simple without being simplistic."  It was easy to get into the game and it played quickly.  It confronts players with different strategies and paths to victory.  My favorite aspect of the game is the unit promotion system.  All units start at militia quality, but can be promoted to veteran or crack.  Every time you win a battle, you can promote one of the participants.  This feature gives a very nice feeling of building up your army over the course of the game, both in terms of quantity and quality.

Unfortunately we had to cut the game short because the Future Poltergeist's back started bothering him and he couldn't continue.  Apparently the seating arrangements in my gaming bunker are not to his liking.  What does he expect, ergonomic gaming chairs???

Look for a more complete review of A House Divided in the future.

3 comments:

Brigadista said...

I got better.

Peder said...

So did I.

Alfred T. Mahan said...

Are you certain neither one of you were turned into a newt?

Incidentally, mea maxima culpa on missing this opportunity; I didn't get the message until, oh, 8 PM that night.