İttihat

About this game

İttihat ("The Union") is a strategy board game based on the power struggle between the Young Turks and Sultan Abdülhamid II in the late imperial era of Turkey. The Sultan's absolute reign has lasted 33 years and he has no intent to surrender his power. He controls his entire Empire using the spy network he created. He suspect the Young Turks would dethrone him. thus, the Sultan rules the Empire and paranoia rules the Sultan. In İttihat, there are 3 factions: The Unionists, the Sultan Abdulhamid II and his Spies, and (with at least seven players) and the Separatists. In the game, the roles of unionists and spies are hidden, while the player who plays the Sultan has his card face up. Other players build their strategies without seeing each others' roles. Players bid for control of key provinces, some of which grant military strength. The Unionist players win if their side controls four of the of the provinces in play at the end of the game or when they stage a successful coup. The Separatist player wins if no other faction controls four provinces at the end of the game. Otherwise, the faction of the Sultan and of the Spies wins.

What it feels like