Saturday, June 4, 2016

The Grizzled: An Eerie Card Game About World War One

The Chaplain’s Retreat that I mentioned in my last post is over, and while there the Padre Geek Contingent played a lot of games.   I got introduced to an addictive boardgame called Lords of Vegas, a kind of Monopoly meets craps game where cuthroat intrigue and strategy can stand or fall on the roll of a dice.  There was a game about racing camels that involved shaking bespoke dice out of a cardboard pyramid.  That was fun.   

However, the game that hooked us all was a small card game called The Grizzled, a cooperative card game about soldiers trying only to survive in the trenches.

 

 

A game for 2-6 players, The Grizzled (an English translation of the word poilu, the French slang equivalent of Tommy Atkins or doughboy), features poignant artwork and some simple mechanics to create a quickly building sense of doom and menace.   The object is for players to survive a series of missions and come through the war unscathed, so they can all go back to their village where they were childhood friends.   As the missions surmount, players’ characters accumulate psychic wounds, called Hard Knock cards, that make it harder to survive.   Between missions, players can try to benefit one another through kind acts in a phase called the Recovery Phase, to help heal some of these wounds.

It’s a hard game to win.  We played it three times straight, and we lost each time, but there were many theories as to how we could have done better.

There’s a review of The Grizzled here.  One sad thing mentioned in the review is that the lovely art for the game was done by Tignous, aka Bernard Verlhac, a French cartoonist who was killed in the Charlie Hebdou attacks in 2015.  

The Grizzled isn’t a wargame, per se, but it is a very effective way to think about war and to empathize with those who have fought wars, which is one reason why many of us play these games.  Highly recommended.

Blessings,

MP+

16 comments:

  1. Sounds like an enticing game. I'm already looking for a card game that Andy Chambers and others formerly of GW had at Adepticon. Although a card and dice game, the players are pickpockets in a medieval town trying to avoid the city watch, and infamy while getting loot and gear.
    I've discovered that there are several card games with fun, fast, and dynamic play.

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  2. A new geek shop has opened here in Wollongong, and they have a copy of this game on the shelves. I will have to give it another look. Thanks for the review.

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  3. I have been meaning to pick that one up.

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  4. As I read that, my mind went to Verdun. Let's hope we don't have another one, but I won't wager you good odds.

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  5. Had my eyes on this for some time now. Probably about time now to pick it up ;-)

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  6. Thanks for drawing it to our attention,I think I will have to get this.
    Alan

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  7. I've just ordered a copy on the strength of your recommendation.

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  8. Now this looks interesting, definitely worth a closer inspection.

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  9. Somehow when I think 'Retreat' I picture meditation rather card games about violence and horror but somehow that works too.

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  10. Thankls for the review I shall be picking up a copy when I see it.

    Cheers,

    Pete.

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  11. We've had several very enjoyable games of this game. I highly recommend it.
    Cheers, Peter

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  12. I might have to pick that one up. Good find.

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  13. Wow! Sounds good, but I'm not sure I could bear it.

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  14. Looks like a really interesting game, might well look into it.
    Best Iain

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  15. I like the sound of this one. My regular gaming group is not very competitive, so the coop idea may well get their attentions.

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  16. Thanks for the tip, Padre. Just placed an order with my FLGS.

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