There are a variety of power cards – most of them help with combat and/or influence contests, some have actions you can take instead of the ones listed in your player booklet, and others have anytime actions which you can play anytime during the action phase and doesn’t count as one of your actions. I wasn’t in the winning position, but because my role was to be ‘the bully’, they treated me like I was. Root’s victory points are public, which helps avoid this. In Crescent Moon, everything’s kept secret. Is that a good thing? Crescent Moon is played over three years (rounds) for the standard game, or four years if you prefer to play a longer game. Each year is divided into three phases: Having the Nomad replaced by a faceless bank seems a minor change, but it’s in the details that Crescent Moon shines brightest. It’s a game of small specifics that gently nudge players towards competition and cooperation through a mix of conflicting and harmonious abilities without stifling the opportunity for memorable stories around the table.

I also have to commend the art. The game looks stunning. Navid Rahman’s box art aches with beauty – it wouldn’t look out of place in a gallery. The hexes themselves aren’t too busy – and rightly so; they don’t need to be. The wooden buildings are superb. Now that I’ve played with 4 of the 5 factions in the game, I think that is bearing out to be true. Simply, the Warlord is as plain as vanilla ice cream and I’ll never choose to play as the Warlord again. When compared to my experience playing as the Nomad, it’s just night and day how interesting it is.Like many of the greatest board games of all time - designer Steven Mathers has cited perennial classic Dune and Eric Lang’s beloved Warhammer game Chaos in the Old World as key influences - Crescent Moon’s best moments are driven by the necessary interactions between players. Crescent Moon is a glorious mix of area control, hand management and asymmetric factions. Some factions will have to work together to stand a chance of winning. So throughout the game, uneasy alliances with other players will form, but nobody can ever be sure when these are broken as the power on the map shifts. The Murshid is really interesting; they have the most cards available for other players to buy on the market, and they work to establish their political influence all over the map. They break ties in places where they have influence. Sometimes, other players will have to pay the Murshid just to make sure they don’t sabotage their plans. It didn’t feel satisfying to play the game at this kind of pace. I wanted Crescent Moon to be a 90-120 minute game, at most. Dancing To The Designer’s Beat Crescent Moon has been designed to provide a very high level of interactivity, both on the board and in negotiation, while avoiding being predictable. In area control games it is often advantageous to promise and betray - that comes with the territory (literally). But in Crescent Moon, while it is very hard to win without at least some negotiation, it is not required to always negotiate in bad faith. Because each faction has different ways of scoring points, it is not a zero-sum game. Faction positions can co-exist and overlap on the board. Players can make mutually beneficial agreements that don't inevitably end in betrayal.

The Caliphate is in turmoil. The Murshid spreads its influence and whispers into the Sultan’s ear, trying to affect where they build their magnificent towns and cities. The Warlord ravages the lands, plundering and destroying everything in their way. Nothing is safe and everyone has their own goals. So as the sun sets on the deserts, mountains and fertile lands and as day turns to night, the warring factions prepare for another day and get ready to put their plans into action. For now, though, it’s the time of the Crescent Moon by Steven Mathers from Osprey Games. The Setting But if you can split the difference and ensure you have exactly 5 players, Crescent Moon is a must buy.

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Power cards are used to gain the upper hand in battles, but sometimes come at the cost of paying your opponents. | Image credit: Osprey Games In another particularly devious detail, the influence-exerting Murshid can use the sway of their influence tokens - which can coexist alongside another player’s military control of a space, signifying the separate rule by iron fist or hearts and minds - to offer support to another player fighting in a nearby region in exchange for a number of victory points. If the warring player wins, the Murshid gains the points - whether or not they did actually throw in with the side, encouraging them to help without guaranteeing that they will follow through on the promise. Crescent Moon has been designed to provide a very high level of interactivity, both on the board and in negotiation, while avoiding being predictable. In area control games it is often advantageous to promise and betray - that comes with the territory (literally). But in Crescent Moon , while it is very hard to win without at least some negotiation, it is not required to always negotiate in bad faith. Because each faction has different ways of scoring points, it is not a zero-sum game. Faction positions can co-exist and overlap on the board. Players can make mutually beneficial agreements that don't inevitably end in betrayal ... Each character is a role, and players should play their roles with relish, but also good humour and grace." Money and military might both balance on the precarious links between each faction. Players must rely on each other to have any chance of expanding their influence and control over the land and pursuing their own ends. Each player scores points in unique ways at the end of each round - representing one year in the game’s universe - with an additional bonus only available during the first year, smartly pointing players in a suitable starting direction. Each faction’s reference booklet provides clear guidance on their possible actions and unique abilities, alongside helpful advice on how to lean into their distinctive strategies. Will you successfully navigate this web of rivalries and rise to prominence, or will you squabble with your lesser adversaries and fade into obscurity?

The Sultan's market is a prime example of how players must interact, with the Sultan able to haggle over prices with the rest of the table. | Image credit: Osprey Games I want to call out this chain of events for one reason: Crescent Moon claims to be a game that will accommodate 4 or 5 players only. In reality, Crescent Moon should be played with 5 players, full stop. You can play it at 4, and while it is still very good, it is not the same game, and that version isn’t as exciting. Plus, each faction scores points differently. The Warlord wants to duke it out. The Caliph is the military match for the Warlord, but the Caliph is mostly interested in ruling civilized territories, hexes with cities and influence tokens. The Sultan likes cash, a lot. Using its ridiculous cash engine to acquire mercenaries and get towns and cities built all over the board, the Sultan also has its own market of cards which can be had in exchange for cash and future favors. If you’ve played Root to death and want something else with that same lop-sided, territorial tussle, Crescent Moon is great. The factions in my – admittedly limited – experience seem really well balanced, and the rules are very easy to follow. It’s also worth trying if you’re tempted by the COIN games but aren’t used to the GMT style of rulebook.Using one of the set-up options listed in the rules, Crescent Moon lays out its intentions simply: play 3 or 4 rounds, take 4 actions per round, and find a way to end up with the most points while manipulating influence and military might on a tiny map. A key part of taking actions is tied to the market of Power Cards available in the game. Crescent Moon, our exciting asymmetric area control game for 4-5 players, is out now! From designer Steven Mathers and with art by Navid Rahman, this game of power and politics has been getting a lot of buzz and is finally hitting tables ...