Liberté covers the French Revolution from 1789 and the meeting of the Estates General to the Directory and Bonaparte’s coup d’état in 1799.
The game is played in four turns. In each turn there will be a variable number of rounds, followed by an election to see which faction becomes the government. There are three factions, the Radicals (red), the Moderates (blue), and the Royalists (white). The most common action is for a player to place faction blocks on the board. He shows he controls these blocks by placing one of his tokens on top of the stack.
The cards are divided into two sets, set 'A' and 'B'. The 'A' deck is used first and tends to favor the moderates and Royalists. Once this deck has been exhausted the 'B' deck comes into play, which tends to favor the radicals.
The election is triggered when all of one type of faction block has been exhausted. The faction blocks will determine which faction forms the next government. Players are attempting to score victory points by having the most influence in the government and opposition. Points can also be picked up in later turns for being the general in charge at a victorious battle, and for winning elections in specific provinces.
Normally the player with the most victory points will win. However, there are two sudden death game end conditions that may alter the outcome. The first is a radical electoral landslide, triggered by the red faction gaining 17 or more votes. The second is successful Royalist counter-revolution, precipitated by Royalist control of seven counter-revolutionary provinces. In both cases, victory is determined by a different set of criteria, in which accrued victory points do not count. The player who is ahead on points must be aware that one mistake could lead to defeat at the hands of the Jacobins or Royalists!
It is likely that you will never have played a game quite like this one and you may find yourself wondering what strategies to employ. Do not despair! Once you have completed your first game you will realize that amongst the apparent chaos of the game there are many opportunities for long-term planning.
Liberté is #6 in the Valley Games Classic Line
- Elegant, accessible with a deep political feel
- Interesting governance + revolution dynamic
- Potential for future reprint by original designer
- Licensing issues have slowed reprints
- Less widely available currently
- Backroom influence and revolutionaries vs government factions
- French Revolution era political intrigue and power balance
- Strategic, political powerplay with behind-the-scenes maneuvering
- Ticket to Ride (war game)
- Game of Thrones (board game)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting and blocks of influence — draw and allocate influence cards to back factions
- control and manipulation of power — play cards to influence the throne and revolutions
- simple core rules, depth through strategy — four-page rule set but epic sweep
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the cards can actually become the terrain, you're creating the battlefield as you play
- it's organic, not like rigid and sterile landscape
- Splendor starts with everyone just silent, then the game escalates into intense negotiation
- you can play cards to become the terrain so you're building the battlefield as you go
- you can kind of bluff and read each other with the command and colors system
- it's a pure and accessible civ-like experience that scales well with人数
- the negotiation and hotel-dynamics in Lords of Vegas create a very social table
- Age of Steam-level purity with Steam's maps adds a refreshing clarity