IT IS HAPPENING

I actually thought the same thing a couple of months ago then I started digging in a little deeper and it is a very very rich historical game (which I know is not everyone's cup of tea). It is based around a 19th century Afghan conflict called the Great Game, so naturally Cole Wehrle thought it was appropriate to make a game about it. Mechanically, the game is quite simple, you can buy a card from the market, you can play a card from your hand, or you can do an action on a card you have played (sometimes they are free actions based on the active suit, which changes). The appeal of the game to me is that it is very tactical, the game state can change dramatically from one turn to the next so you have to think on your toes. You can assassinate an opponents leader causing them to lose ownership of a certain territory, you can destroy all of the roads that lead into an area to protect your one measly tribe protecting a region, you can betray the country you are loyal to and switch over to a more lucrative allegiance. It is a very political game and a game that shines when players are interacting with one another, which may be why on the surface it looks like a dry game. It reminds me of #El Grande in a sense, simple actions, area control, but you can REALLY mess with other people. 

Also I believe the game to be one of the most beautiful out there, with a cloth map displaying the VP track and the different areas to control, and all of the art on the cards are art pieces from the time that Cole carefully curated and he can even provide official citations on where he found the art, along with the resin coalition blocks make for a gorgeous experience. The more I have dug into the the game the more impressed I am with the detail, the tactics and in a sense the meanness of the game. 

Hopefully that helps paint a picture of why I am pumped for the game! Heavy Cardboard also did a play through with Cole teaching the game as well that really painted an awesome picture for me.