Funded!
almost 5 years ago
– Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 08:12:37 AM
Yes, you have brought Europe Divided to life. Thank you so much!
Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s pass the microphone to the game Designers, as this is their moment. David is talking to us from the Origins, where he presents the game to the public.
Phalanx: Hello David!
David Thompson: Hello Everyone! Thanks so much for all the amazing support! It’s exciting and a great relief to see that Europe Divided has funded so quickly. This game has been a labor of love over these last five years. When I originally conceived Europe Divided, I knew I wanted to make a game about the post-Cold War period in Europe. I think it’s an interesting time period that, although we have lived through it, we take for granted. We think back to the end of the Cold War, and we think not much has changed, but we couldn’t be more wrong! Europe — in the form of the EU and NATO — has expanded so much. And in the last ten years, Russia really has become a resurgent power. After its long and winding road from a sketch of an idea in 2015 to a final product, we’re very proud of what Europe Divided has become. With Chris’ help and insight, I was able to transform a streamlined core design into a tense game with tons of player interaction. Our play testers worked tirelessly to help us refine the design. And of course, Jaro and the PHALANX team pushed us beyond our comfort zone to make the final improvements. I’m really excited for everyone to get this game into their hands and give us your thoughts. We’ve done our best to craft a game that provides political, economic, and military elements, a game that provides tension from beginning to end. If you’re Europe, you’re going to struggle with inefficiency and difficulty in coordination. If you’re Russia, you're going to struggle with resource scarcity. Thank you for allowing us to make this dream a reality and for allowing us to make this game for you!
In the meantime, Chris Marling has written an article on his Go-Play-Listen blog, describing the process of blending two genres of games (euro game and war game) into a cohesive whole:
Want to talk to David at the Origins in person?
David at Origins Game Fair
Thanks to our US distributor, Ares Games, our games are present at Origins Game Fair (June 12-16, in Columbus, OH, hall A, booth 105). If you plan to visit Origins, please stop at Ares booth to meet David Thompson and play a demo game of Europe Divided! (Please note, this is not David on the picture below).
David will make a live entry from the fair at Board Game Geek TV today at 10:45 am EDT (GMT-4). Please use this link to join him there: https://www.twitch.tv/boardgamegeektv
Add-ons
Like in every campaign, we are going to offer you some game add-ons, letting you acquire other PHALANX’ games, that aren’t available in wide distribution.
To include add-ons in your pledge, please click on the Manage Your Pledge button. To include any items you would like to receive, simply increase your total pledge for the amount of the add-ons (i.e. +£60 for the Nanty Narking). After the campaign ends, and the pledge manager is open, which will take some time, you will be able to manage your choices.
The estimated shipping cost of The Nanty Narking, Freedom and Magnates is +£8 per item; Germania Magna, Days of Honour, and HUNGER is +£5 per game.
You need to purchase at least one copy of Europe Divided to be able to include any add-ons in your pledge.
Council Meeting
In the previous update you could read Eric G.L. Pinzelli’s notes on the Headline cards. And now let him speak about the strongest argument in the players’ hands - Advantage cards. We will start with the Council Meeting card, a perfect tool for the Western player to play the trumps used again.
NATO and the European Union are essential partners who share strategic interests and a majority of member nations. The two organizations are developing closer cooperation to promote governance in the defence and security sector of partner countries. NATO and the EU hold regular political consultations on security issues in Europe and its neighborhood. Europe and NATO’s most important decision-making bodies are the European Council and the North Atlantic Council.
The European Council is the EU’s key strategic and crisis-solving body, the symbol of European power, that enables member states to react to challenges both inside and outside Europe, while defining its strategic guidelines. Established as an informal summit in 1975, the European Council was formalized as an institution in 2009 upon the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. The Council, composed of the 28 Presidents and Prime Ministers of the member states and the President of the European Commission, constitutes the arena in which those leaders can develop collective strategies to defend vital national interests against other powers, against external threats, and deal with other major World players. The Council formulates joint positions for negotiations in international and global organizations and in other forums, such as trade negotiations within the G8 and G20.
On April 4, 1949, NATO established a Council under Article 9 of the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO’s founding document), on which each member is represented, to consider matters concerning the implementation of NATO obligations. The Council (NAC) is organized to be able to «meet promptly at any time». The NAC is comprised of Permanent Representatives from all NATO member states. Any policy, decision,or action that NATO undertakes is previously discussed and approved by the NAC on a unanimous basis. The meetings of the NAC are chaired by the Secretary General of NATO. Since its creation, NATO was more unified than most multilateral organizations due to the common character of Alliance members, all were democratically elected governments.
Written by Eric G.L. Pinzelli
Thank you for your support and have a nice weekend!
Michal & PHALANX
PS. We will return on Monday, with some surprises. If you want to know more, please find Michał Radecki’s comment, as he has a nose for this kind of things. :)
