Europe is in turmoil! The unifications of Italy and Germany are almost complete. The strong-willed Otto von Bismarck leads the small but militant Prussia into a series of conflicts with its neighbors, including the crisis-ridden Austria, and a flourishing but militarily unprepared France under yet another Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon III. Who will Italy side with? And will Bismarck create a new European power?
Realpolitik is a board game for 3-4 players. It is a standalone expansion for Coalitions, with its own distinct game board and four playable nations (Prussia, France, Austria, and Italy) included in the box. Realpolitik is different from Coalitions as it features action cards instead of Wheel of War, trains to allow Generals and Units a pre-move, and a different approach to diplomacy.
Featuring
- new playable powers in a new setting
- standalone game based on Coalitions’ rules
- focus on diplomacy and war
PLAY TIME 60-240 min
PLAYER COUNT 3-4
AGE RATING 14+
TDG: Coalitions: Realpolitik
Images
- Incredibly fun system
- Relatively quick games
- Great diplomatic aspect
- Great combat aspect
- Movement aspect is loved
- Envoy system works and is fun
- Diplomatic phase is engaging and unpredictable
- Packs a huge punch for what it is
- Fantastic game
- Host did not get allied with anyone in their playthrough, though they still won.
- 19th century leaders seeking influence
- mid-19th century
- Coalitions
- Raison d'État
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players seek to gain influence points by controlling territories, including home territories of other players and disputed territories.
- Card drafting (battle cards) — Each player has their own battle card deck, and cards are played face down during battles.
- Combat — Involves tallying strength points, playing battle cards, spending morale, and potentially gaining influence points for winning.
- Hand Management — Players use a deck of action cards and must use a dispatch card to retrieve them.
- Influence Points — The primary scoring mechanism, gained through controlling territories and winning battles, with the first player to 25 winning.
- Movement — Involves using trains for movement and a separate regular movement phase where an envoy is selected.
- Set collection (alliances) — Players form alliances through a diplomacy phase where tokens are revealed to confirm acceptance.
- Simultaneous action selection — Players play action cards at the same time, similar to the original Coalitions but with a deck instead of a rondel.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Coalitions: Realpolitik from Phalanx.
- You know, the three hardest things to say are, "I'm sorry, I was wrong, and Worcestershire sauce."
- On the Cody scale, I'm going to go ahead, I'm going to give Coalitions: Realpolitik a 9 out of 10. It is fantastic.