Blytz

Whilst visiting the Zatu stand at UKGE, I was chatting to one of the crew, “have you checked out Blytz? Its really good!” in short, I hadn’t heard of it, so I pulled up a chair with one of the designers Dom and he ran me through the game. And I’m so glad that I did!

Blytz is a war themed card game, your objective? World domination! The game supports 2-5 players and claiming the spoils of war will take around 60 minutes. The box is slim which is amazing considering the number of cards that you get in the game. But this makes the game highly portable and very letterbox friendly when you get it delivered!

What Are We Fighting For?

In Blytz you have one mission. Collect 3 countries within 3 continents, sound easy? Well, when your being attacked from multiple angles the battle may require a little more planning. But when your objectives are achieved and your opponents have been crushed, you will be able to bask in your glory. The battlefield holds 2 decks of cards, one deck is the countries you can draw on your turn and place into your tableau. All the cards are colour coded into their continents, which, makes it easier to group cards together. Each card will have a list of countries that you can attack, so you can’t just pick and choose who you can attack.

The second deck is where you will build your military might. Troops, lieutenants, and war machines can be placed below your countries face down (you will never know your opponents might). Each card has an attack and defence attributes, aiding you in battle whether you are defending your assets, or charging into battle. If you manage to obtain generals these can be placed above your countries, adding further strength to your regions with a grouping bonus. But as we know, not all is fair in war, the deck has some special cards intertwined within it. If you manage to get some of these, you can certainly turn the tides. My personal favourite was operation switch-a-roo.

On your turn you will be able to take up to 4 actions. You can draw new countries into your empire, place defences into your regions or head off into battle to try and defeat your opponent and claim their land as your own. Once this is done you draw back up to 5 cards and the play moves round. Each action you take could affect the outcome of battle, so there is always plenty to consider so you can maximise your turn.

Ball Room Blytz

I really enjoyed Blytz. I had so much fun trying to strategize and plan my turns, but also keeping an eye on what my opponent was doing and the countries he had. The artwork is great, I love the style in which it is done, and it certainly makes the game more approachable. Card quality is high, a lovely linen finish really makes them feel good to hold. I think the game would really hit the sweet spot with 3-4 players, it offers some great player interaction, inevitable banter, and a good dose of take that. The game will suit all levels of gamer with enough depth to keep the most seasoned gamer engaged. And as previously mentioned the game is so portable, easily fitting into your travel bag. The designers have done a fantastic job on this, and for the price it should be filling many shelves and gracing many tables. With its release scheduled in August I will be looking forward to my copy deploying.