Alliance

About this board game

Alliance is a Napoleonic-era game of diplomacy and warfare for 1–7 players, with an approximately 480-minute playing time and a distinctive Columbia Block System twist.

Choose to play as Austria, Britain, France, Prussia, Russia, Spain, or the Ottomans. These major powers cannot survive alone, so they must seek the assistance and support of neighboring Minor States.

At the start of each turn, players receive five cards and discard one. They then take turns playing a card, moving and building units, and conducting combat operations when necessary.

When leaders are played, the game enters a political phase. During this phase, the major powers make diplomatic plays for the Minor States, creating opportunities for changing relationships and carefully negotiated support.

• Diplomacy: Forge alliances that can last for a year or more.
• Alliance conditions: Gold tributes, border disputes, and non-aggression pacts can shape the terms of cooperation.
• Flexible player count: Minor States add depth to the two-player game, while the game is best with 3–7 players.
• Solo play: Innovative solo rules are included.

Alliance combines card play, military operations, and political maneuvering in a setting defined by major powers and the states surrounding them. Every diplomatic arrangement can carry conditions, making the struggle for support an important part of the wider conflict.

By default, victory goes to the player with the most Victory Points in cities at the end of the game. Whether played with a full group, a smaller number of players, or solo, Alliance puts the fate of the Napoleonic world in the hands of its competing powers.