This year at GenCon, Asmodée debuted a new card game called Iliad, in which players lay siege to the walls of Troy. Continuing their dedication to aesthetics, Asmodée has made Iliad a fantastically attractive game, and the game play is intriguing.

Play in Iliad takes place in sieges. Each hand is a siege, and players – all Greeks outside the walls – try to amass the largest army to win the most glory. Of course, since every player is attempting to out-perform the others, a certain amount of infighting occurs. These Greeks may all be united in attacking Troy, but sometimes the most dangerous enemies are the ones on your side.

There are four kinds of cards in Iliad. The first category is army cards. These cards are the actual play cards players will use to build their armies during each siege. There are hoplites and archers, elephants and catapults, chariots and the legendary Trojan horses. Players add these cards to their army, and regularly use them to knock out troops in other armies.

The Oracle cards are either Thanatos or Gorgons, and they determine how the siege unfolds. In a Thanatos siege, players play as normal, but in a Gorgon siege, the entire battle is quick and cutthroat. Hero cards add to armies near the end of the siege, and victory cards hold the key to winning.

During either kind of siege, players take turns laying down one card at a time. These decisions can be tricky – if you lay down a hoplite before you lay down a wall of spikes, an enemy chariot might kill your troops before you can build a decent force. But if you lay down defenses before you build up your forces, you may wind up allowing the other players a head start from which you cannot recover.

Each kind of card does something different. Only hoplites, archers and chariots actually add points to your armies. Elephants can protect two cards, and double their values. Ballistae can destroy elephants or chariots. Archers can destroy hoplites or other archers. Chariots can also destroy hoplites or archers, but can act faster, before defenses can be erected. Trojan horses can hide your troops and protect them from enemies, but they can be destroyed by enemy catapults. Knowing the interaction of the various army cards is critical to outwitting your opponents.

Another tactical consideration is the fact that you start with twelve cards, but only get three more at the top of every siege. If you commit all your resources to a single siege, you may win that one, but players who were a little more careful will have a huge advantage in later turns. After all, you cannot add army cards you don't have.

At the end of a Thanatos siege, the player with the largest army takes the Agamemnon tile (worth 1 victory point) and a single victory card. The lowest army gets the Thanatos card, which subtracts from victory points. Victory cards come in three flavors – triremes, cities and Helen. Triremes are 1, 2 or 3 points, as are cities, and Helen is worth a whopping 5. The player with the most points in Triremes gets the Poseidon tile (2 victory points) and the player with the most points in cities gets Athena (also 2 points).

Gorgon sieges play out using the same rules, but the winner is determined differently. Players cannot play Trojan horses, so troops are not as protected. And instead of a carefully planned, long-range plan, players must keep themselves in the running all the time; the first time a player starts his turn with more points than anyone else, he or she wins the whole siege, and the other players wind up empty-handed.

The first player to amass 12 victory points wins the game. This goal is easier than it might seem; a player with only 8 points can suddenly pull ahead with a single siege, with just a single point of triremes granting the Athena token and the Agamemnon token. The end game is vicious and intense, with players scrambling to stop the leader while trying to preserve their own forces to have a shot at the win.

Iliad can be a little challenging for the first game. It can take playing the game once or twice to understand when it is a good idea to play cards, or to spot when an opponent is gaining a considerable lead. First-time players might be a little frustrated, but if you give the game a chance, it is fun and challenging, demanding a wide range of decision making and long-term tactics.

Not only is the game play solid with Iliad, but the graphics are amazing. The beautiful illustrations on every card really evoke the siege of Troy, and even the rule book is easy on the eyes. The rules are clear and easy to learn, though it will take a couple plays to understand all the possible combinations of playable cards, and how to play them given the victory points, heroes and oracle for each siege.

With Iliad, Asmodée continues to bring high-quality games to the American gaming public using beautiful graphics and fantastic game play.

Style: 5 – Some of the finest illustrations in games today grace every card in Iliad.

Substance: 4 – A little imposing for first-time players, Iliad nonetheless presents a great game with tons of replay value.

In 2 reviews, average style rating is 4.50 and average substance rating is 4.00.