Kampen om Norge (Battle of Norway) was recently given an excellent review by Mark Rivera at Boardgames in Blighty. We hope to meet some new KoN gamers at SPIEL in Essen later this month. Hopefully the people who play it there will feel the same way as Mark. We can also reveal that we will bring a fully functional prototype of a brand new game that we are developing to the fair. It is based on the same game engine as KoN, but deals with another WW2 conflict.
People planning to go to SPIEL in Essen can pre-order their copy of KoN here.
Here are a few quotes from the review:
I spotted this game on the Boardgamegeek Essen 2013 list and thought, I’ve got to play!
The first thing that you notice is the production quality of the components of this game. The artwork is very nice indeed. […] The map looks lovely and is clearly marked with the areas for movement.
There are shorter campaigns included with the rules which can be played, and in fact I recommend this so that you can learn how to play. The short campaigns are excellent in themselves and an interesting challenge.
ITS ALL ABOUT THE CARDS – The coolest part of this game is the card system. The cards for all three armies are the engine for getting things done. […] This is a very clever, and user friendly system which gives the players a feel for the options available to the commanders during the Norway campaign. The system is very easy to use and the clarity of the green/red system aids the players and allows you to keep the game flow moving. The cards are used for specific operational actions or can be traded in for reinforcements.
The basic game rules are plenty to get stuck into. They work very well and come together smoothly. There is a similarity to Axis & Allies – type games which if you are familiar with them will make this game a breeze to learn and get into. The card system is the stand-out feature of the game.
Did I enjoy Kampen om Norge?
I can comment for playing Kampen om Norge with the the basic rules and say that I think that it is a brilliant game. The design is clean, and well structured. The rules are clear and its pretty easy to get into. The subject matter is not found in many games at all yet, it is very unusual due to the the mix of military factors involved and the challenges for the combatants. You really get a sense of the risks involved for all sides and that this campaign could have gone either way. It feels very tense with victory on a knife edge. The game looks great and you don’t feel overwhelmed as you might in some of the Axis & Allies games as there are a limited amount of units in play.
The card system is a master stroke and really gives you operational options which are interesting and pushes you to think through how best to use your cards. Having said that, the game turn plays pretty quickly and with a limited amount of units, moves along nicely.
This games avoids the “death by chrome” problem found in far too many war games and gives you just enough historical elements, and most of this is resolved in the cards and when you play them for a specific effect. Really nice. The ability to use card effects during your turn or your opponent’s turn is an interesting and clever mechanic and gives you some interesting choices. The relatively limited amount of spaces and limited movement means the crunch points will be combat led. And yet, its not a static game due to the spread of areas of conflict.
Overall, Kampen om Norge is a lovely game, nicely designed, with nice components. It is a game you can pull off the shelf for a quick game using the scenarios or crack open for a longer game for the main campaign and advanced rules which I suspect don’t add too much complexity and time but do add a deeper coverage of the wider elements in what is a very interesting campaign. I am itching to get this to the table soon and also to read up on the campaign and those two points alone tell me that I can wholeheartedly recommend it.