Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile - Board Game - First Impressions

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My first impressions after one play of Oath at Pax South 2020. From BGG: In Oath, one to six players guide the course of history in an ancient land. Players might take the role of agents bolstering the old order or scheme to bring the kingdom to ruin. The consequences of one game will ripple through those that follow, changing what resources and actions future players may have at their disposal and even altering the game's core victory condition. If a player seizes control by courting anarchy and distrust, future players will have to contend with a land overrun by thieves and petty warlords. In a later game, a warlord might attempt to found a dynasty, creating a line of rulers that might last generations or be crushed by the rise of a terrible, arcane cult. In Oath, there are no fancy production tricks, app-assisted mechanisms or production gimmicks. The game can be reset at any time and doesn't require the same play group from one game to the next. A player might use the fully-featured solo mode to play several generations during the week and then use that same copy of the game for Saturday game-night with friends. There are no scripted narratives or predetermined end points. The history embedded in each copy of Oath will grow to be as unique as the players who helped build it. —description from the publisher #oath #Wehrle #ledergames Gameplay overview from publisher: Every system in Oath is built from the ground up to be responsive and adaptable. A single decision could reverberate for dozens of games afterwards. The core rules are simple: Players will spend their turns adventuring within the Chancellor's realm and the lands that surround it. They will gather support, recruit warbands, and discover dark and dangerous secrets. Over the course of the game, players will collectively populate the world with a cast of strange and wonderful characters and institutions. This world is essentially a shared tableau, which every player can interact with and seek to control. Most players begin as Exiles, powerful figures living on the edge of polite society. An Exile wins the game by directly challenging the Chancellor's power or by attempting to fulfill a new Vision. The Chancellor wins the game by maintaining their grip on the empire. To this end, they may wish to make offers of citizenship to one or more Exiles. If accepted, these new Citizens will help the Chancellor maintain control, but the Chancellor will need to be careful. These new Citizens present threats to their own succession. Though players will sometimes need to work together, only one player will ever win. In the video below, Cole, Oath's designer, will walk you through a few turns of the game so that you can see some of the systems in action: