Alliances (2013)

About this game

In Alliances, you will play a superpower nation seeking world domination along with its ally. The game is mainly based on trick-taking mechanisms, with each trick representing a local struggle to control a country in the world. The world is composed of a vast number of countries, each one represented by a tile on the table. Each country also has its own defensive attributes: a certain military strength, economic strength and political strength which need to be overcome. In order to win, your alliance has to dominate the world by gaining control over the most countries. Alliances includes three different games in one box: For 2 players, a confrontational trick taking game. For 3 players, a game in which each player in turn plays a superpower empire while the other two players fight him off as rebels. For 4 players, a game in which you and your ally will team up to fight your rival alliance to control the world!

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 2.2/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.