Lowenherz (or Lionheart) is a game of medieval politics / warfare. The board is made up from six sub sections, and a border. The orientation of the sub-sections means that the play area can be subtly different each time the game is played. Around the edge of the board is the power track. Power is the name of the game. At the end of the game, the player with the most power wins.

Each turn, the top option card is revealed. This card will usually show three options which each player may opt for. Should more than one player opt for a particular action, there will be a power struggle to determine which of the players gets to carry that option out. Power struggles are either simple negotiation (I'll let you have the action if you give me five gold) or a secret bidding session, with whoever bids the most getting the action.

The actions themselves range from simply getting money, right through to expanding territory and placing more knights on the board. The knights dictate where you can expand. If your neighbour has more knights than you, you aint going that way.

The action is heated up through the use of politics cards. These have various effects. The funniest are the renegade and alliance cards. By playing a renegade card, you effectively steal a knight from a neighbouring player - Not Nice when it's done to you. When the alliance card is played, you stop a neighbouring player from stitching you unless they pay 10 gold. Sometimes it's worth it.

At the end of the game, money doesn't count for anything, so it's a fair balancing act to make sure you've got enough money to win the important power struggles, but don't end the game with a fist full of useless paper.

Evaluation

This game is inexpensive, considering the number and quality of the components. I don't think the multi-piece board works. I haven't had mine long, and already, the individual pieces are beginning to warp. They also don't seem to fit together too well.

The rules to this game could do with a re-write. There were some situations which we couldn't find a rule for. Having said that, once we'd got the hang of it, the game flew by.

Definitely worth a look.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)