Primal Hex

Are you up for some quick hexing?

Primal Hex is a strategic game for 2 to 4 players in which we hex each other. This hexing mainly involves taking over your opponent’s tiles and replacing them with your own so that you can fill the battlefield with your color as much as possible.

Abstract gameplay

In each round, we roll our 10 d6 dice to determine the number of available actions. All results of 4+ will give us action points, which we will spend on our actions.

There is an interesting twist. Each player has 6 identical actions to choose from, and we will distribute 3 of them across our territories. Two of them will be face down, and one will be face up. Each turn, we will use one of these actions, and we have the option to use it multiple times by spending successes from the dice.

Actions allow us to attack hexes from a distance or up close. We can collect points with harvest, destroy our opponent’s hexes with prayer, or move mountains. We also have defenses that allow us to protect our territory.

Where we place our action tokens is very important, because if our opponent clears our hex with a token, we will not be able to perform that action. In fact, this phase of the game is like a game within a game. By placing tokens alternately, we can strategically prepare for our opponent’s moves. This is where the sensational element of bluffing comes in. Is there a shield under that covered order that will negate the enemy’s attack, or is it an action that is very important to us? I really like this, and I literally loved those moments when I managed to outmaneuver my wife. She liked it a little less, but this is my review.

Oh, that randomness

The fact that we roll dice to determine the number of available actions can be a little annoying and cause someone to do a little more on their turn. But don’t worry, because we have a slight influence on this randomness.

First of all, we can try our luck and, by discarding one die, we can reroll all the others. Unfortunately, this also applies to those with a positive result. Are you lucky, punk?

Another thing that will affect the number of available actions are reroll tokens. Each chief will provide us with a few of these tokens, so it’s worth saving them for a convenient moment.

The last factor affecting randomness is tactic cards. Each round, we will play one of them. They can change the results on the dice, provide us with additional actions, give us new opportunities to score points, and even cancel our opponent’s tactics. The last one in particular can be very brutal. I found this out the hard way.

However, sometimes this randomness with the number of available actions can really mess up our plans. Although there are several factors that influence it, if you are unlucky, you will do less than you would like. I’m not fond of this solution, because I prefer the balance of available actions to be fairly similar, with any disparities resulting only from the fact that I simply played a little better than my opponent.

Asymmetry the way I like it

The gameplay itself consists of scoring points and destroying your opponent’s hexes. However, there is something that asymmetrically affects its course. At the beginning, each of us chooses our chief and his advisor.

The tribal chief modifies the basic actions and provides us with a different selection of tactic cards and reroll tokens.

The advisors will only be known to us, and each of them has a special one-time ability when revealed that affects our final score.

In this prototype, I didn’t have much choice because I had 4 commanders available, and each of them had their own advisor. However, I really liked how our chiefs influenced the available actions. One of them allowed you to charge 3 spaces instead of 2 and was deadly when positioned correctly. There was also a leader who provided a free first shot with a bow.

My favorite, however, was the red commander, who gave us 5 points after activating the defense token. The combination with the advisor, who, when revealed, gave the defense ability to any action token, was simply overpowered. It quickly allowed us to jump ahead on the scoring track.

Late start

One thing I don’t like about Primal Hex is the initial selection of tactic cards. We get quite a large pool of cards to choose from, and this delays the start of our duel. I also don’t like the fact that we only get 6 cards and we don’t have the option to exchange tactics or draw new ones. This meant that sometimes we played a tactic just for the sake of playing it, rather than to do something cool. Maybe this isn’t a serious complaint, but I prefer solutions where I have a little more choice.

Summary

Primal Hex provided us with tactical clashes in a slightly abstract style. Even though it is a tile-based game in which we try to flood the board with our color, we could make a lot of strategic moves here. This is mainly due to the fact that the game has several phases in which we try to outsmart our opponent and position ourselves appropriately for warfare. My positive impression of this game is influenced by the fact that we also have different chiefs to choose from, each with great asymmetrical abilities that can change a lot in the gameplay itself. This diversity is further enhanced by the fact that the game offers us several scenarios that change the layout of the board and that we will score completely differently each round.

At the moment, I can say that the game is good, and I am eager to see how this hexagonal project will develop further. However, there is a bit of randomness in the number of available actions, and I would prefer some other solution to balance our turns.

Pros

• Tactical plays
• Dynamic gameplay
• Simple rules
• Asymmetric leaders
• Varied scenarios

Cons

• Long selection of tactic cards
• Randomness of available actions 

[Game provided by Smart Flamingo]