I and my friend met for lunch the other day downtown, in an attempt to escape the heatwave that is currently making it unbearable to be anywhere unless they have AC. We also decided to take advantage of the AC in the restaurant and do some gaming while we were there as well. And we chose the 2-player game of Sola Fide.
Sola Fide: The Reformation, a rundown
The game has a few years on the game shelf. But I would not say that it was something that made itself known. In the game, the players take on the role of the Protestants and the Catholics. Attempt to install Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire or try to prevent it.
On a player's turn, they can do one of two things. Play a card and follow its instruction. Or draw a card. So the core mechanisms in the game are fairly simple from that aspect.
The game is a battle of control in the ten Holy Roman Empire's Imperial Circles. These are, ironically, represented by big square tiles. These can be controlled either by the Nobles or the Commoners. But a player does not only have to completely control one side. That faction has to also be in control of that circle. MEaning there is a lot more jocking for positions than you initially might expect.
The game ends when all ten circles have been won. Then the players add up the points they have gotten for the circles they control, and any extra points they gained during the game. The player with the most points is the winner.
My thought on the game
This was the first time both I and my friend played the game, I lost by the way *sigh*. We both enjoyed it. And it was a fairly quick affair. It pretty much took the advertised 45 minutes to play. And with repeat play, I think you can get that time down some as well.
The game came down to who won the last circle. Wich was good. Because it is never fun playing an already won/lost game just because you want to finish it.
We each had a deck of 15 cards. But the game has a total of 45 cards for each side included. And the advanced rules are where you draft your own deck. Wich I think will add a great addition and dimension to the game. That way you are able to try and focus and hone a strategy. So I can see myself playing this game at least a few more times.
After we both had run through our decks one or two times we became more familiar with them and understood how we were supposed to play them better. So it was a lot of setups while you try to cycle the deck looking for the card you need to be able to execute the two moves you need to win a tile. Most of the hard had a combination of two actions on them, so you tried to set yourself up in a position where you could use the right card to control and claim a circle in one go.
The game had all unique cards, but the flavor on them was nothing more than just that, a little flavor. And it had no impact on the actions of the cards. But the game designers were open about it not being a simulation, so I thought that was completely fair.
If you like card-driven area control games I think this game will be a nice fit for you. And as it has a few years on the shelf you can fit it for pretty cheap on the secondary market. Wich is another big plus.
See you on the interwebs!
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/200834/sola-fide-reformation