Out of the Box: Ahotnik

About Ahotnik, from BoardGameGeek:

DISCLAIMER One of our authors is Moldavian and she loves her culture and her language so much she wanted to put some of that love in our game. We can assure you that everything you see in Ahotnik is related to the fictional world we created for our game. The only place we can accept fighting and war is in a boardgame, other than that, as authors, players and human beings, we strongly reject war and violence and we firmly stand for peace and inclusivity. In Ahotnik, the players form pairs and act as the pilots of giant robots called “Ahotniks”-each of which has its own unique designation of “OXO-##”, for this reason, they are also known as “OXOs”. Their goal is to be the first team to eliminate a rival Ahotnik. But, during their battles, otherworldly creatures referred to as “Demons” emerge from mysterious Portals and try to wreak havoc on Earth by destroying the Ahotniks. The teams must fight on both fronts if they are going to be the one to bring glory to their nation! But beware: Your thirst for power must not come at the cost of total global annihilation… A game of Ahotnik is played over a series of rounds which are divided into 4 phases: Pilot Phase: Pilot pairs try to coordinate by using their Action tiles, which represent the cerebral commands they send to the Ahotnik. The success of their strategy depends on their level of synchrony. Ahotnik Phase: The Ahotniks operate in this phase depending on the actions thought up by the pilots in the Pilot Phase. In order, the OXOs will carry out: Tactical Actions: A set of actions that can have offensive, defensive, or strategic effects. Movement Actions: Move the OXO on the game board. Attack Actions: The main (though not the only) method to damage your enemies. Demon Phase: Beware of incoming threats! This is the turn of any Demons in play. The Radar will also indicate if any new Portals open and increase the Global Threat Level this turn. Recovery Phase: Certain game elements are restored so a new round may begin. Rounds are repeated until an Ahotnik falls victim to another OXO or a Demon. Who will achieve total dominion of the planet?