Crescent Moon

Product Information

While it will inevitably draw comparisons to Root, Crescent Moon manages to escape its shadow to stand alone as a fascinating and engrossing board game in its own right. From my fairly short time with it so far, it’s not quite an instant classic in the same way, but it’s well worth your time whether you’re looking for a Root alternative or not. Crescent Moon, by Osprey Games, is an asymmetrical area control game. Five different factions compete to dominate the lands of the Middle East in the 10th century. It’s inevitable that a game of this nature gets slung into the same sentence as Leder Games’ phenomenon, Root.

Crescent Moon, our exciting asymmetric area control game for 4-5 players, is out now! From designer Steven Mathers and with art by Navid Rahman, this game of power and politics has been getting a lot of buzz and is finally hitting tables ... In the player booklets, each character has primary and secondary objectives which score every year. Additionally, there's a year-one objective everyone has which is not only achievable, but it gives players something to aim for as they are learning the game. I found it to be super helpful for learning and teaching the game. I got 3 plays completed within about two weeks; each play was with 4 players. Each time I set up a night to get it to the table, our 5th player had to bail, got COVID, life happened, etc.If you’ve played Root to death and want something else with that same lop-sided, territorial tussle, Crescent Moon is great. The factions in my – admittedly limited – experience seem really well balanced, and the rules are very easy to follow. It’s also worth trying if you’re tempted by the COIN games but aren’t used to the GMT style of rulebook. As one of many competing factions in the region, you must grab history by the reins and seize power for yourself. Will you successfully navigate this web of rivalries and rise to prominence, or squabble with your lesser adversaries and fade into obscurity?

Crescent Moon is an asymmetric war game for four or five players, with no AI options or scalable way to reduce the player count, making it even harder to get played than most games of its ilk. Will you successfully navigate this web of rivalries and rise to prominence, or will you squabble with your lesser adversaries and fade into obscurity? The other option for lower player counts would have been AI/ Automa opponents, as GMT do with the likes of Gandhi. Granted, it introduces more cards into the game, and more flowcharty decisions to run the bots, but it at least means you can play with two people – or even on your own. I can’t see any obvious reason to not do this for Crescent Moon, other than the overhead of design and playtesting, and it’s a real shame. The game, despite my quibbles, is a really good one. Sadly it’s a game that many people will never buy, because they know they’ll seldom get to play it.

FAQ

Take the example of the Nomad, Crescent Moon’s weapons dealer who thrives on supplying others with their means of conquest. Several of the players must strike a deal with the roving band of mercs to wield any military power, but the Nomad player can use their own turn to disband units, resulting in the need to keep them somewhat friendly - or at least unaware - or risk seeing your army suddenly switch sides at a crucial moment. It’s deliciously fraught with will they-won’t they betrayal.

The Caliphate is in turmoil. The Murshid spreads its influence and whispers into the Sultan’s ear, trying to affect where they build their magnificent towns and cities. The Warlord ravages the lands, plundering and destroying everything in their way. Nothing is safe and everyone has their own goals. So as the sun sets on the deserts, mountains and fertile lands and as day turns to night, the warring factions prepare for another day and get ready to put their plans into action. For now, though, it’s the time of the Crescent Moon by Steven Mathers from Osprey Games. The Setting Importantly, interactions between players are left loose but vital enough to encourage a constant thread of diplomacy even as those same players wrestle over valuable spots on the map, hoping to hold onto them to score points and gain income at the turn of each year. So I found myself referring to my player leaflet a lot. I also had to refer to the rulebook almost every time we had to resolve combat or an influence contest. I feel Crescent Moon is the sort of game that you have to play regularly, at least once a week, and then it probably will start to flow after 3 or 4 games. Maybe that’s just me and others are able to absorb the information more easily. The Verdicta contemporary sense of ‘identity’.” It goes on to say that “rulers transgressed sectarian boundaries through marriage in pursuit of power [and that] dynastic families of Turkic ethnic origin often Persianised their mores to cultivate a stronger link to a pan-Islamic cultural prowess.” As well as strongholds, you’ll need to recruit troops. The Murshid and the Sultan can hire them from the Nomad. The Warlord and the Caliph have other methods of gaining troops. Hiring is a separate action, as is moving them from hex to [empty] hex. As is moving troops into a hex controlled by another player. Then combat (with cards) occurs; and, once again, the neighbouring Murshid can get involved… Objectives: Earn Yourself Some Crescent Presents

My game as the Murshid was filled with many laughs towards the end because everyone knew I didn't have helpful cards, but they still wanted my support in the case of ties. I learned the importance of having a variety of cards in hand, and also that the Murshid spreading too much influence too fast can be dangerous for other players.

At the same time, easier games such as Cascadia may be too simple for advanced players and lead to everyone waiting for their next turn to do something they planned out four turns ago. Typically, it’s best to choose a difficulty level that serves the majority of a group, as more experienced players can help newcomers and a group of fresh players puts everyone on a level playing field.