‘Divide Et Impera’ Board Game Review
After spending the last few weeks playing back-to-back games of Divide Et Impera (D. E. I.) during the Christmas break, I feel pretty confident in stating that not enough people are playing this game. I am not sure why this is, but I think somewhere between the very bleak, mottled snowscape that the board and artwork present and the “looks like a wargame” gameplay, people are perhaps being put off. They shouldn’t be, because D. E. I. defies expectations in numerous ways that repeatedly surprised me.
D. E. I. is a competitive, post-apocalyptic hand management, drafting, action selection and resource gathering game played on a board that includes a simple area control/influence mechanism. Whilst it looks like it’s probably pure area control – or maybe even a conflict game – the area control part is more nuanced than you will probably imagine, and the conflict is almost non-existent.. D. E. I. begins with the players choosing from four asymmetric factions (or five, if they have the White Death expansion that was kindly sent to us.) Each faction has its own special ability and a mildly different set of starting cards, with the combination of ability and cards giving the factions a specific flavour (such as mobility, or power.)
The board in D. E. I. is completely unique, with between 9 and 12 three-dimensional tiles being laid out on the table. When I say three-dimensional, I do mean it – as each tile has up to two tiers of raised card to give the effect of creating a ground level and then a rooftop that sits high above. This is reflected in the gameplay, with more common resources being randomly seeded on ground level spaces, and slightly more valuable ones appearing on the roof. The higher spaces can also only be accessed either via teleporter drone or if a player is willing to build an elevator at the cost of an action.
Also on the board will be control depots of three colours – red, blue and green. Because D. E. I. is a card-driven game, players will also want to take note of the four card markets that offer upgraded cards – three of these match the red, blue and green of the depots, and those who control more depots of a certain colour will gain access to more of the cards within that market. Each of these markets offers cards that relate to the type of depot (for example red is all about deploying units and control, and blue focuses on logistics and collecting resources.) A fourth market (The Black Market) offers versatile but generally expensive cards.
Each turn, the active player will take two actions – which is more often than not done by playing two cards. Sometimes, you’ll break this cycle slightly by playing a card face down and buying one from the market instead, thus increasing your options. It is perfectly fine to use your first action to burn a card and buy a new one, then use it immediately with the second action. I really like this idea because players are forced to balance the desire to increase their capabilities long-term by making purchases, but in doing so, they sacrifice half their turn in that particular round.
This is compounded by the importance of every move in D. E. I.. This is not a game where players move all over the map with ease, or gain access to game-breaking abilities that allow them to cross large areas. Your leader and their troops will literally trudge through the snow space by space, with most turns (unless using an upgraded card) allowing at most a couple of spaces to be traversed if you also intend to do something else (like recruit, claim resources or build a bridge or elevator. In D. E. I., if you find yourself out of position early, it can be difficult to recover – and this adds to the feeling that is a seriously strategic game, rather than classic area control or dudes on a map as it might seem to be.
Scoring in D. E. I. is also interesting, with players randomly seeding a mission board during the setup of the game. Mission objectives are visible from the start of the game and at the end of each full round of turns, each player places their token on one mission – which may score either now or later. Missions include some as simple as holding X number of each resource type, which others demand that the player controls the highest number of drone cards, or simply the most depots of a specific colour.
On the subject of drones, D. E. I. uses these powerful units in yet another interesting way. Each faction is linked to a particular drone, and by including that faction in the game, the applicable drone will also be there. However, that player has no specific control over “their” drone… Rather, they do have one card that activates it, but more cards for that drone will be seeded into each market deck (for purchase by any player.) Every drone is different, with one collecting resources for the player that activates it, one killing a single enemy unit and another offering the ability to teleport units across the board (but only 1 or 2 depending on whether they are going to a low or high location.)
D. E. I. really surprised me. There are moments where clever tactics can really change the game, but more often than not it’s the player who plans and executes the best strategy that will win. Using the unique ability of your faction (collecting more than one item per turn, adding more power to a space for control purposes, etc) is absolutely key, as is good use of all the available drone cards. Knowing when to make a purchase and when not to is also a key decision, and yet D. E. I. never becomes programmatic because the nature of which cards appear in the market is random, as can be the setup if you wish.
As a completely unique experience, D. E. I. really shines. There is no other game I can really compare it to, and whilst it was a bit jarring at first to come to terms with the unusual three-dimensional board and the way the game plays, I am really glad to have it in my collection. D. E. I. is definitely one of those games that defies “normal” design logic and asks questions that I think will have future designers considering when creating similar games. Great production brings the bleak, post-apocalyptic theme to life, and overall Divide Et Impera (D. E. I.) is well worth your time and attention.
