Syncanite Foundation | REVIEW

About Syncanite Foundation, from BoardGameGeek:

Syncanite Foundation - The ultimate strategy & conspiracy board game
A game, designed and written by Timon Thöne, lead visual design by Polarwiesel // M. Rockatansky and TEAM SYNCANITE - based on the upcoming novel FLUX – ZUGZWANG by Timon Thöne SYNCANITE FOUNDATION is a deep economic strategy and area control game with variable victory conditions and no player elimination for 2¬–4 players (1-6 with expansion). Force the crisis of your choice to exploit its momentum and win. Want some example? Trigger a war and annihilate your rivals! Or trigger a revolution and get crowned as supreme chancellor-the choice is yours! Intro:Syncanite-materialized power. For the masses it is the main source of energy. For the elites it is the key to immortality. As an independent trade league, the Syncanite Foundation regulates the mining and distribution of the syncanite mineral, ensuring political, economic and military stability. But behind the noble guise lurks a secret society of machiavellian oligarchs. At the levers of power, it is easy for them to push the continent into mayhem. How far will YOU go? How to Play:Easy to learn: Syncanite Foundation is a complex game that is not complicated to play! Fight your power struggle in four phases per cycle: I. Conflict phase: Claim regions & resources"Only those who dominate can shape the future." Soric Flasyra, Guardian of the Rhielian Imperium Every member of the Syncanite Foundation commands a private army. Use it to occupy regions of the continent to claim the resources there. But be careful; other players can outbid your military contingent. As long as this cold war prevails, the troops cannot fight, only displace each other. In addition to sheer mass, the clever use of operations and doctrines are decisive for this phase. II. Offering phase: Use profits for corruption"With the right contacts, momentum becomes a method." Wator Abrius, Chairman of the Tycan Conglomerate The market prices for your resources are in your favor? Sell or buy stock for capital and use your profits in a bidding contest against the other players to win over the continent's dignitaries. Their powerful effects will drastically change the course of the game. In the later game, this phase holds many more offers and opportunities for the players. III. Parliament phase: Manipulate and assasinate"When good words are not enough, clearer messages are needed." Maverid Czylark, Speaker of the Avadian Conclave Influence the course of the continent by intervening in parliamentary votes. How many votes you have is entirely up to you and your abilities: prevent laws that stand in your way and pass those that benefit you. Damage your competitors with a variety of means, from denunciation to insidious assassination. IV. Foundation Phase: Pull the levers of power"When the Nations collide, we profit." Attributed to the founder of the Syncanite Foundation Use the unique power of your Role to steer the continent in a direction that benefits you: invest in infrastructure, censor the media, manage democracy, steer the markets or control the military of a faction of your choice. Eventually, prepare for the next cycle: a new conflict phase awaits-and maybe even a crisis. How to win-the unique Crisis MechanicsThis world is a powder keg. Every operation, every law, and every market driven to extremes can trigger crises. A single spark can ignite the Continent. Immediate events create unstoppable chaos and add crisis-specific mechanics to the game phases, opening the way to multiple victory options. There are five crises in total with unique paths to victory: Revolution - The Diplomatic VictoryUse your parliamentary privileges to your advantage. Drive the integrity of parliament into crisis and provoke hard measures. With the Revolution crisis, you can eliminate your political opponents and be elected ruler of the continent. Monopoly - The Economic VictoryLiberalize the parliament, privatize the institutions and reap gigantic profits. If by legal and ethical means is entirely up to you. With the Monopoly crisis, you lay the foundation for a plutocratic system of oligarchs who bid with obscene wealth for the last remnants of the once-almighty state. War - The Military VictoryUse force against your opponents. Ignore the conventions of war and place yourself above the laws of parliament and nobility. With the War crisis, you can enforce the law of the strongest and eliminate your rivals. Triage - The Hero VictoryReduce access to resources and drive up their prices immeasurably. Provoke hunger and want. Push the population to the limits of their endurance. With the Triage crisis, you and your rivals will face considerable costs to save the people. Who of you will become the people´s savior and direct the anger of the masses against those in power? Tyranny - The Story VictoryGive in to your greed for the syncanite and make a pact with the Order: Help its leader to the emperor's throne and serve under him to your own advantage. With the Tyranny crisis, you face a final boss scenario that circles around one question: Will you accept the emperor and win alongside him, or will you all join forces at the right moment to restore the Foundation?