Been playing games with Renata for years now and it’s rare one earns a genuine “new favorite” from both of us at once, but this one did within the first session. Picked it up on a recommendation thread comparing it to a Knizia abstract crossed with political intrigue, and that description undersells how much personality this thing has once it’s on the table.
The core loop is card drafting that shapes what actions you can take that round, and the actual conflict system is where it separates itself from anything else on my shelf. Combat isn’t a dice-off, it’s an attrition mechanism where both sides commit clans and the numbers decide it cleanly, which sounds cold on paper and plays out tense every single time because you’re never fully sure your opponent’s holding what you think they’re holding. First game we played I built up territory and avoided every fight I could, which in hindsight was the wrong instinct, the drafting and the tension between players is where the actual game lives, not turtling.
Three victory conditions running simultaneously, most territory, most connected land, or triggering a straight-up win by racking up enough Seasons of Plenty, keeps every game from playing out the same twice, since which path opens up depends entirely on what cards come through the draft and what your opponent’s clearly building toward. At four players I’ve read this can get crowded on the board and tip toward kingmaking, but at two, which is our normal count, it stays tight and legible the whole way through.
One small ding, and it’s really more a compliment than a complaint: play it with actual Celtic music going in the background if you can. Sounds like a gimmick suggestion, isn’t, it changes the whole feel of the table.
Best two-player strategy game I’ve picked up in years. Full stop.