Welcome to Phalanx Games

Phalanx Games produced exciting and clever board and card games. Their games were easy to learn but difficult to master. Most important, they were meant to be fun! This was their website from 2006 -2009<

MORE HISTORY: In 2009 – 2012 we cooperated with Phalanx Games b.v. from the Netherlands.
In 2013 they decided to change their logo and start to work completly on their own, as Phalanx Games b.v. ended its business.
In 2011 they won the Polish Game of the Year 2011 title with the Boże Igrzysko game, a redesign of Martin Wallace God’s Playground game.
In 2014 their game 1944: Race to the Rhine was nominated to the Golden Geek Awards and was a runner up in a Wargames category.
Currently they collaborate with the biggest partners in the boardgames industry, like KOSMOS Verlag and Mayfair Games, Inc.

The current site for Phalanx Games is at: www.phalanxgames.pl/en/

Enjoy a nostalgic look back to a partial line up of their 2006-2009 games.

 

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For my family, the Phalanx Games were a cornerstone of my children's upbringing, offering countless hours of engaging and imaginative play through their board and card games. My now young adult children were thrilled when I shared the news that I had secured the domain for phalanxgames.net, a nostalgic piece of our family history. I wanted to ensure that this domain would continue to reflect the spirit of the original Phalanx Games website, preserving its legacy.

On the day I began to work on the website, amidst the chaos caused by my wife's two Bombay cats playing tag around my workspace, I had a moment of inspiration. As I cleaned up after their mischief, I realized that just as Phalanx Games had brought us together for years, there was another game that had recently captured my interest and enthusiasm: pickleball. Having become a competitive pickleball player, I found the fast-paced, strategic nature of the game to be a perfect counterpart to the thoughtful challenge of Phalanx Games. It struck me that players who enjoyed the tactical depth of Phalanx Games would likely find pickleball equally compelling, representing the best of indoor and outdoor games respectively.

Inspired, I decided to incorporate this new passion into a business, creating content dedicated to pickleball, including tips for players, equipment recommendations, and personalized pickleball gifts that I knew fellow enthusiasts would appreciate as inspirational. This new venture not only connected my family's past with my present interests but also offered a unique way to engage with the Phalanx Games community.

As we sat down the other night to play Italia II, it was clear that the spirit of Phalanx Games was still alive and well in our family. And with pickleball now part of our repertoire, we've found another way to challenge ourselves and bond over a shared love of games, both old and new.

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CIRCA 2006 -2009

 

 

About Phalanx Games

Phalanx Games: “A truly satisfying and fun gaming experience”

In 2001, Phalanx Games b.v. was founded to publish strategic yet accessible games aimed at an international audience.

Phalanx develops unique games; their quality is among the very best in the world. The games are physically outstanding and appealing. The artwork is well executed and the designs are top notch.

Phalanx intends to release classic designs and brand new ones. The games are fairly easy to learn and play, yet always hard to master.

Since the start of the company a large assortment of award-winning board- and cardgames have been released. Our bestsellers are Hey! That´s My Fish!, Maharaja (Dutch Game of the Year 2004), Mesopotamia, and Chicago Poker.

The international character is already showing. Next to the “standard” Dutch, German and English version of our games, we have published games in French, Italian, Czech, Greek, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, and Russian language.

 

 

The Golden Age

Theme

Around 1600, a "Golden Age" started in the Northern provinces of the Low Countries. In 1602, the United East-Indian Company (VOC) was founded, the first ever company with shares. A maritime trade and transport network to the Far East was established, with fortified trade posts along the way. 
The Low Countries developed steadily in many areas. The Seven Provinces were led to glory by Johan de Witt, an astute statesman who built an effective, modern navy led by superior admirals. Rich entrepreneurs were influential from many European ports to the Far East and the West Indies. William of Orange, murdered in 1584, lived on in the hearts of his people as the Father of the Fatherland. 
Meanwhile, success also loomed in other fields. In science, the philologist Lipsius, the naturalist Leeuwenhoek, the philosopher Spinoza and, last but not least, the father of the "law of nations", Hugo Grotius all advanced their expertise considerably. In arts, the "Flemish School" with Rubens and Van Dyck and the "Dutch School" with Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Vermeer, and Rembrandt became famous. 
 

Game

In The Dutch Golden Age the players try to amass victory points in a variety of fields (culture, trade, arts etc.). 
The first player who accumulates 33 points is the overall winner. 

The Dutch Golden Age is played in player turns. The starting player conducts his player turn, then the player to his left, and so on until a winner is determined. During his player turn a player does the following:


  1. 1. He rolls the dice and moves the king.
    1. 1.2 He performs as many free actions as he intends. Free actions are:
      1. Moving one movement token,

      2. Gaining the control of a guild on the Guilds Chart,

      3. Placing a new influence marker.

        Note: A player may always perform free actions (as long as he intends to conduct it and can do so) as many times as he likes and in any order.

    2. 2.2 He performs special actions with his own influence markers. Each influence marker entitles a player to purchase a specific card or a movement token per player turn, depending on the position of the influence marker. After each such action, the corresponding influence marker is flipped over onto its inactive side.

    3. 2.3 He may conduct auctions.

  2. 3. At the end of a player turn, a player adds up his victory points and declares his score.

  3. 4. When a player is done, he flips his influence markers back to their active sides.

    Note: Free actions can be combined with special actions and auctions. Therefore, a player could first conduct a free action, then do an auction, then perform a special action and finally conduct another two free actions.

    The Dutch Golden Age is a fascinating gaming topic that is rarely gamed. Its simple rules and beautiful graphics result in a very variable yet exciting gaming experience. 
     

Contents

1 large game board, 110 playing cards (27 culture, 22 arts, 21 investment, 21 spices, 19 colony cards) 20 movement tokens in four colors, 24 influence markers, 1 pawn "Steward", 60 guilders coins in three denominations, 2 dice and 1 rules booklet.

Players: 3 - 4
Playtime: 60 minutes
From age: 

Author: Leo Colovini & Giuseppe Baù
Illustrator: Michael Menzel

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Italia

Eleven Centuries of Conquest

Topic

Italia brings to life almost 1100 years of Italian history, from 330 BC to 1100 AD. During this time numerous tribes, nations and empires invaded the Italian peninsula. Most of these tribes were trying to settle down and to displace, conquer or submit the ruling nations or classes. However, the new rulers could not hold their power for long: they were, in turn, defeated by other invaders. 

Game

Italia consists of two different games: 
Italia I is a three player game simulating the history of ancient Italy until 80 BC, i.e., the rise of the Roman Empire. 
Italia II is a four player game which sets off at the fall of the (West) Roman Empire in 390 AD and simulates the medieval history of Italy until 820 AD. 

Each player in either version of Italia does not control just one nation but usually many different ones. These nations appear, try to play their part as best as possible and vanish again in the dust of history. 

Contents

Italia contains 1 large game board, 624 game pieces, 30 nation cards, 2 player aid cards, 6 dice, 2 note pads, and 1 rules booklet. 

Players: 3 - 4
Playtime: 180 minutes
From age: 12

Author: Andreas Steding
Illustrator: Craig Grando

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Bison

Thunder on the Prairie!

Topic

Bison is a boardgame set in what is now Idaho in the Northwestern part of theUnited States of America, in times before arrival of the white man. The only inhabitants are the Nez Perce, a native American nation of fierce warriors. They lead a peaceful, partly nomadic existence. During the hunting, fishing and gathering season, they set out from their winter quarters and wander in bands from one hunting ground to another to catch deer, bison and fowl. In Bison, each player leads a band of hunters and sets out to find hunting grounds and rivers for fishing. The players try to amass as many provisions as possible. For when the first snow falls, all hunting bands must return to their common winter quarters. The player who supplies their nation with the most provisions for the harsh winter to come, will be the most respected warrior and win the game. 

Game

In Bison, you lead your proud hunting band on a quest to find the most fertile pastures and richest rivers before the first snowfall. By amassing the greatest larder of provisions for your people before you must return to your winter quarters, you will be known as a great warrior and powerful spirit... winning much renown (and the game)! 

Contents

Bison contains 21 land tiles, including 3 starting tiles, 32 hunters (wooden cubes in blue, red, yellow and green), 12 wooden scoring cubes, 24 teepees, 24 canoes, 4 player boards, 16 white action markers, 1 totem pole, and 1 rules booklet. 

Players: 2 - 5
Playtime: 90 minutes
From age: 10

Author: Wolfgang Kramer, Michael Kiesling
Illustrator: Franz Vohwinkel

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Revolution

The Dutch Revolt 1568-1648
Revolution: The Dutch Revolt simulates the Eighty Years’ War between Spain and the Netherlands. This epic struggle lasted from 1568 until 1648 and eventually brought independence to Holland and the northern provinces. In the south, the revolt was less successful and Belgium did not emerge as an independent state until after the Napoleonic era. During the initial stages of the struggle, William of Orange became the symbol of freedom. His main adversary was the Spanish King Philip II, who sent in the Duke of Alba with his formidable conquistadores to stop the rebellion. 

Revolution: The Dutch Revolt 1568-1648 is a game of skill for 2 to 5 players. It depicts a power struggle in which each player represents one of the principal factions involved, the Catholics, Habsburgs, Nobility, Burghers and Reformers. Some factions tend to have similar outlooks but they are not allies - each has its own motives and objectives. 

This game is not a detailed military re-enactment of the Eighty Years´ War. It tries to capture the flavor of these interesting times in a much broader sense. It contains an element of warfare in the form of battles and sieges but the main theme is built on economic, religious and political control. The constantly shifting balance of power, caused by temporary alliances, makes Revolution an immensely challenging game. 
Revolution: the Dutch Revolt was more than 15 years in the making, and marks Francis Tresham´s long-awaited return to the forefront of game design. He is most famous for his widely acclaimed board game Civilization and the 18xx series. 

Contents
1 large game board, 41 playing cards, 416 colorful game pieces, 1 player aid card, 1 rules booklet

Players: 2 - 5
Playtime: 360 minutes
From age: 12

Author: Francis Tresham
Illustrator: Franz Vohwinkel

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NoNo

Oops...too late!
NoNo is a fast and exciting game for the whole family (it is also very suitable as a party game). The aim is to find a certain term from a card most quickly. Special dice give your search a twist, because thety forbid to use certain words or letters or tell you how many syllables the word needs to have. The quickest players scores points, but make a mistake and you loose points. NoNo guarantees fun for the whole family!

 

Players: 3 - 8
Playtime: 20 minutes
From age: 10

Author: Michael Schacht
Illustrator: Michael Schacht

 

 

News items

 
Rise Of Empires, Graphics Almost Completed

I´m happy to report that the graphics for our June release, Martin Wallace´s Rise of Empires, are almost complete.

 
Bödefeld Testing

Recently I had the chance to test both Automobile, our October release, and a yet unannounced game from Italy, at Michael Schramm´s wonderful gathering of gamers at Bödefeld.

 
Automobile Artist Selected

We have selected an artist for our October release, Automobile (by Martin Wallace).

 
Interview Of Klaus-Jürgen Wrede

You´ll find an interesting interview of Klaus-Jürgen Wrede at: http://brettspillguiden.no

 
Hippodice Finals

Last week the Hippodice gaming club of Bochum, Germany, again hosted the annual finals of the game authors´ competition.

 
Steam Release

The game is in production and moves along nicely. Steam will be produced in Germany at leading manufacturer Ludo Fact.

 
Release Dates

In the European board gaming industry, most of the titles are either released in October (at the Essen fair) or in February (at Nuernberg). However, does this really make sense?

 
IDEAG - Italian Game Designers´ Meeting

I had the pleasure to attend the annual Italian Game Designers´Meeting (IDEAG) last weekend for the first time. It was held in cold but beautiful weather near Torino. 

 
Season Greetings

I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone Happy Holidays and an excellent & peaceful year 2009! I hope you find the time to play.

 
Automobile

Did I say 2009 will be a Martin Wallace year? Yes, it will!

 
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