Asymmetric, 2-player, card-driven wargame. Beautifully presented. Streamlined, tense and very replayable. War, logistics and politics.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Community proofreading
over 4 years ago
– Wed, Aug 28, 2019 at 12:28:12 AM
Hello Everyone,
We are hapy to announce that we have finished laying-out the game files. Now we are uploading them here, for your final proofreading. Please take a look at the files - if you have any remarks, please mark them directly on the files, using the Dropbox tools. We will be collecting them till Wednesday. Then our native proofreaders will use them for the final edition of the rules and we will be able to put them to print.
We have also received samples of dice trays dedicated for the game. The quality is outstanding! :)
SUCCESSORS
Last but not least - we have started a new Kickstarter campaign, for renowned SUCCESSORS game. It is one of the best multiplayer strategy games ever published (previous editions by Avalon Hill in 1997 and GMT Games in 2008). Designed by the legendary Richard H. Berg, Mark Simonitch, and John B. Firer, Successors brings you the best of this kind of game: tense and ruthless gameplay in a world of ever-changing alliances.
Production and Pledge Manager
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Aug 02, 2019 at 12:10:21 AM
Hello Everyone!
Production update
The production of the game runs on schedule. We have just received the samples of wooden pieces from the factory:
The same time we are finishing editing the game files. Soon we will upload them here, for your final - community - proofreading. After that we will send them to print.
Pledge Manager closing soon
With the game entering production soon, we have to compile a final list of backers and pre-orders, which forces us to close the Pledge Manager.
Looking at the calendar, the best time to do this is the end of this week. That gives you a few days to complete your orders and close your pledges. And there are still many of you who need to do it:
That is why you should no longer hesitate, so please visit the Pledge Manager today! Log in with your Kickstarter email and finalize the procedure. Please note, that the pre-order will be closed at the same time. Your cards will be charged this week as well. Thank you!
As this particular project is drawing to a close, then what about...
The Next Project
You have been waiting for this one since the end of our Hannibal&Hamilcar campaign. Successors is one of the best multiplayer strategy games ever published. It now returns in full glory in brand new, exclusive edition!
PLEDGE MANAGER AND PRE-ORDER ARE LIVE
almost 5 years ago
– Wed, Jun 05, 2019 at 03:19:19 AM
Hello Everyone!
The Backerkit Pledge Manager (PM) is now open, and you should receive an email invitation soon. If not, please check your SPAM folder. If you still can’t see the invitation, please go directly to https://freedom-4.backerkit.com/ and use your Kickstarter registration e-mail to get your invitation.
After you click the invitation link, please choose your country. This will set up your shipping charge.
Then continue with the add-ons. Please add to your cart the additional items you wish to have in your order - as it is done in a regular web shop. Your pledged amount is your available credit (reduced by the Freedom! 42 GBP pledge, that you already have in your basket, including the game itself and free Resin Round Marker miniature and Solo Mode Expansion). But you can purchase any extra items, and total to be paid will be created indlucing the shipping price.
Finally, enter your shipping address, pay the balance, and click "Place Order" and you'll be all set.
Please note that the Freedom! pledge contains both the free Resin Round Marker miniature and the Solo Mode Expansion. These will be added to every additional game that you order.
Once you respond to your survey, you can still go back later and change your choices until we close the surveys and get our final counts. If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://freedom-4.backerkit.com/
If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://freedom-4.backerkit.com/faq
If you have any questions about the Pledge Manager or how your order is processed, please make sure to contact Backerkit Support first, as the tool is very user-friendly and has a solid helpdesk. If they can’t help you, please contact Agata Jurczyszyn, our BackerKit Manager: agata.jurczyszyn[at]vertima.trade
The pledge manager will be open by the end of the month.
PRE-ORDER
The Pledge Manager is open for anyone who would like to receive the game at the same time as the Kickstarter backers. Here is a link to the preorder page (it works like a regular web shop): https://freedom-4.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Please note that the Solo Mode Expansion is sold separately (as an add-on), as it was free only for Kickstarter backers. Everything else is the same as in the campaign, so you will be receiving just the same game as Kickstarter backers (including all stretch goals, the Resin Round Marker miniature etc.).
Happy gaming!
Michal & PHALANX Team
PS. Please check the preview page of our next project - Europe Divided - the campaign starts at 10th of June:
Σας ευχαριστώ!
about 5 years ago
– Thu, Apr 11, 2019 at 03:17:24 PM
Hello Everyone,
Thank you for bringing Freedom! to reality. 750 backers is a huge number for a classic wargame project, with quite a niche theme. We are extremely happy that it has found such a large audience.
Crossing 30k mark means that you have funded the second stretch goal. Congratulations!
It means that the final game components list is as follows:
Europe Divided
This was a short, but very satisfying campaign. It was a pleasure to host you here for another run. What are we planning for the next one? Let’s get back in time for a while. In 1918 Sir Halford Mackinder, one of the founding fathers of geopolitics, wrote the following, significant words:
Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland;
Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island;
Who rules the World-Island controls the world.
If this principle is true, one of the most important battlefields of world geopolitics is located in the Eastern Europe. David Thompson and Chris Marling have designed an outstanding game based on this theme. We are proud to introduce you to EUROPE DIVIDED:
The Greek War of Independence was like turning a stone which then causes an avalanche. Eric G.L. Pinzelli describes this process in his final historical capsule written solely for this project. Thank you, Eric!
What has started in Greece, has soon spread to the other corners of the continent. The revolutions of 1830-32 were a lengthy continent-wide crisis involving many forms of political change and full-fledged revolutions. These interrelated outbreaks were a real turning point, eventually modernizing European politics. Similar to the earlier revolution in 1789 and the subsequent one in 1848, the revolutionary upheaval in Paris in July 1830 served as a signal for further revolutionary movements in other countries, which shook the European states to their foundations up to the spring of 1831. These national upheavals were accompanied by a heightened sense of nationalism amongst the population of many states, which had been encouraged by Enlightenment ideas, spread throughout Europe by the Napoleonic conquests. The spirit of revolution was in the air, and any attempt to rob the people of the degree of liberty which they enjoyed was very likely to precipitate a revolt against tyranny!
The initial revolts were encouraged by the Parisian «July Days»: On July 25, 1830, the autocratic King Charles X promulgated ordinances aimed at strengthening his power and limiting public liberties. Strikes and protests were followed by armed confrontations. After three days of fighting (July 27–29), King Charles X had to abdicate the throne. The Duke of Orléans Louis-Philippe became “King of the French.” When the July Revolution was over, a constitutional monarchy was created, and the upper middle class, or bourgeoisie, had secured a political and social ascendancy.
The shedding of blood in Paris and Brussels helped to stimulate national fervor, while military conflict also intensified the crises. In the United Kingdom, support for parliamentary reform reached unprecedented heights. Radical reformers in England and members of the nationalist movement in Ireland both declared their solidarity with the French July revolutionaries. There was unrest and social protests. Organized unions sprang up in every town. Threats of marching an army upon London were made. For a time, the authorities even lost control of Derby, Nottingham and Bristol. Castles and country houses were hastily reinforced against attacks.
But in the end, liberals throughout Europe who had hoped for a general social revolution, would be disappointed. King Louis-Philippe could not afford a war with Russia and, contrary to expectations, would not support the Poles, who had revolted against the Russian tsar Nicholas I.
The final spark that ignited Warsaw had been a Russian plan to use the Polish Army to suppress France's July Revolution and the Belgian Revolution. During the Warsaw uprising in November 1830, armed Polish civilians forced the Russian troops to withdraw north of Warsaw. Soon, the entire Polish army joined the uprising and a Provisional Government was created. On 13 December, the Sejm pronounced the National Uprising against Russia, and all the Poles hoped for foreign support and intervention.
However, French necessity to avert a new Holy Alliance of autocratic powers made its government cautious in the Polish affair, especially as Austria and Russia were relatively untouched by the crisis. Equally, British support for change was very limited and did not want to favour an ancient traditional ally of France.
Consequently, the Poles, left on their own, fought desperately for eight months. After a few indecisive battles, they suffered a significant defeat at Ostrołęka in May 1831, allowing Russian forces to attack Warsaw from the west. When, in mid-August, the Polish army withdrew into the city and did not oppose the Russians, indignant gentry radicals and the populace revolted against the moderate government. This made it easier for the Russians to take the city. By mid-October the whole country was in Russian hands, forcing thousands of Poles to flee abroad as resistance faded with the peasantry refusing to rally to the cause. Congress Poland was incorporated into the Russian Empire and Russification was enforced in every possible way. Polish refugees spread over Europe, most of them based themselves in France.
On a more positive side, several German rulers were either ejected or forced to concede constitutional change. In Brunswick the duke fled after crowds burned his palace. Belgium declared its independence from the Netherlands, and it was recognized in 1831 as a separate nation. In August 1831, King Willem of the Netherlands made an attempt to reconquer Belgium and restore his position through a military campaign. This "Ten Days' Campaign" failed because of swift French military intervention.
Absolute monarchy was ultimately overthrown in Portugal and undermined in Spain. Political reform was successful in Finland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom where a revolution was averted. In Italy unemployment, demands for land, and higher wages also led to revolts.The secret society of the Carbonari sought to combine the patriots of all Italy in a grand stroke for liberty and union, but nothing came yet from their efforts.
The independence of Greece and Serbia was also confirmed. For several years the Greeks had been fighting for their independence from the Ottoman Empire, and in 1832 the European powers recognized Greece as an independent sovereign state. Hence 1830 encouraged the modernization of political life and debate. But the people in Europe generally demanded a greater share of liberty.This was to become clear in 1848, when another and more extensive revolutionary wave coursed across Europe.
Written by Eric G.L. Pinzelli
The Next Steps
Please read the following info, as this is very important post-campaign data that all of you need to know:
1. We will be setting up the pledge manager as soon as possible - we will use BackerKit.com. It will allow you to:
manage your pledges (check your items, add or remove items from your pledge),
purchase extra copies of the game, add-ons etc.,
enter your delivery addresses.
Please do not send us messages containing the above information, as we will be unable to process it. These kinds of choices are made in the pledge manager ONLY.
2. People who have missed the campaign will be able to pre-order the game in the pledge manager. The free resin round marker miniature was a bonus for Kickstarter backers only, but you will be able to buy the Solo Mode Expansion as an add-on. The Kickstarter version of the game is the same as pre-ordered or retail version.
3. Once the pledge manager is open, you will receive an email notification. There is also going to be a separate update too. You really can’t miss it, although please check your spam email from time to time. ;)
4. The pledge manager should go live in 1 month after the campaign finished, as we need to make the final quotes for shipping based on the number of backers from each country, and setup all the products in the manager. It will be live for another 1 month. The pledge manager works like a standard webshop where you choose the items you want to get for your credit (the amount pledged during the campaign). You will be able to increase your credit, to pay for shipping and add-ons, if you choose any.
5. Current payments are processed by Kickstarter, so please contact their help desk if you have any problems with charging your cards. Sorry, but we can't help you in any way, as this is run solely by Kickstarter and we have no influence over this process.
6. We will keep you updated about game development and production status. We won’t be spamming, but we will try making a at least a single update a month, or more if there is anything important to share.
That’s all for now. See you in the comments section and in the next updates!
Thank you, and happy gaming!
Jaro, Waldek, Michal and PHALANX Team
The Final Day
about 5 years ago
– Wed, Apr 10, 2019 at 07:57:14 PM
Hello Everyone,
This is the final day of the siege. You have taken not only the fortress itself, but the first surrounding stretch goal. Will you get the second? It is all in your hands now!
After Action Report
Vangelis has written a new part of his After Action Report for Freedom! Both players are in a difficult position and everything hangs by a thread. Who will prevail?
And this is his almost final writing for this campaign. Today he will give us a brief description of tools, that we were using to kill each other two hundred years ago.
«We swear above all that between us and the tyrants of our homeland, fire and iron are the only instruments of reconciliation and nothing else!"- Filiki Eteria’s oath.
In the Ottoman Empire, non-Muslims were not allowed to carry weapons or ride horses. Thus, early in the war, many insurgents had to use captured muskets and swords from the Ottoman troops. Of course, this did not apply to the local militia (armatoli) or the bandits (klepths) who played the predominant role during the Greek Revolution. In any case, the distinction between mercenary company and brigand band was quite minimal. The terrain of Greece was favorable to small units and guerrilla, hit and run tactics. The insurgents employed their intelligence network, knowledge of terrain, occupation of the high ground, genius for cover and concealment, control of the passes, and mostly ambuscade to defeat the slow-moving Ottoman columns sent against them. But their combat methods too often included premature retreat, plunder, and abandoning their comrades at crucial moments.
«Frequently attacked and continually threatened by powerful neighbors, Greece has often found it expedient to resort to unconventional methods of warfare to defend or liberate its soil.» Hugh Gardner.
At the time, the standard firearm was the muzzle loading flintlock rifle in use since the 17th Century. Klephts and armatoli weapons were personal items with a great sentimental value, often their most valuable possession, and they had an important role in demonstrating the social status of their owner, so most of them were richly ornamented in typical «oriental» fashion with themes from folk tradition, antiquity, Byzantium and religious symbols.
Gilded yatagans, silver-mounted pistols or rifles, the chieftain’s splendid weapons were passed on from father to son. The arms and dress of the the palikari were made in imitation to Southern Albania’s garbs while the most wealthy were using gold-embroiled waistcoats, while hanging from the leather or silk belt were the self-prepared cartridges, pipe and tobacco, along with their beautiful and deadly cold steel weapons. Today, visitors of the he National Historical Museum and the Athens War Museum can still contemplate luxurious flintlock muskets, pistols, yatagans, sabers, cartridges, war axes, leather belts, as well as various accessories used by the some of the most celebrated Palikari.
Since the 15th Century, the primary weapon used during a siege (for attack or defense) was the cannon. While in Western Europe, cannons had become standardized since the mid-18th Century, most of those used during the war of Independence were captured Turkish bronze or iron guns from various fortresses with a wide variety of gun carriages, and many were even former Venetian cannons fallen into Turkish hands a century before during the 1715 Serenissima’s final loss of the Morea. Many pieces were also naval guns of various calibers and from just about any geographical origin.
Artillery was used to destroy walls of cities and fortresses, to create a breach that could be used by the besiegers to storm the crumbling defenses. Besiegers fired their heavy cannon around the clock for days. A completely different tactic was the artillery duel, or counter-battery fire. The muzzles would be elevated for long range, and the fire directed on an enemy battery, which would of course reply. Observation of the fire could correct the aim of the cannon for maximum effect. Only targets that could be seen from the battery, or from a nearby height, could be attacked by observed fire.
Solid shot was the standard, and case shot (filled with musket balls or nails) was used against cavalry and infantry in close ranges with devastating results. At the end of the 1825 campaign, sometimes stones were fired by the Turks against Messolonghi, when iron cannonballs were lacking.
Mortars were a separate type of ordnance. With very wide bores, short-barreled, they were muzzle-loading artillery piece used in siege warfare for lobbing balls and later bombs at a very high trajectory (over 45°). Their shorter range depended on the angle, the weight of the projectile, and by varying the amount of power charge. Thus, even in the hands of trained teams, accuracy remained extremely flawed.
Bombs were fired by mortars since the 3rd half of the 17th Century. In 1687, during the Venetian siege of the Acropolis, a bomb fired by Antonio Muttoni, Count of San Felice, had accidentally blown up the «Temple of Minerva» (the Parthenon) that the Turks were using as power magazine.
To fire the mortar, a set amount of loose powder was measured into it and positioned in the powder chamber at the base of the bore. A shell was then loaded into the mortar. The larger heavy-round projectiles had a ring to facilitate their loading. The shell was positioned so that the fuze faced the top of the bore. Placing the fuze against the powder chamber might cause its malfunctioning on firing. If the fuze was toward the muzzle, it was lit by means of linstock or port-fire, just before the main charge was lit and the shell lofted into the air. Ultimately gunners learned that windage allowed some of the charge to escape around the shell and ignite the fuze. This greatly reduced the hazard for the gunners.
During the siege of Missolonghi, mortars used by the Turco-Egyptian forces during the spring of 1826 reduced most of the city’s building to rubble in a few days. According to historical sources, the defenders also had 4 mortars had their disposal but the very limited number and the much wider outside area occupied by the enemy made them much less effective.
There was an alternative to pounding down a wall with artillery fire: Dig under and destroy from below. Attackers started their mines at the edge of, or close to the glacis, until they reached their target and created an underground chamber, filled with explosives. In the 17th Century, Raimondo Montecuccoli remarked that 30 or 40 barrels of powder were sufficient to bring down a bastion.
With round-the-clock bombardment, explosive mines and shell-firing mortars, no fortresses stood a chance, it was just a matter of time until the garrison would have to surrender or suffer the consequences of a successful assault.
Written by Eric G.L. Pinzelli
So, load your guns with coins (when the shrapnels run out) and let’s take the second goal before the time ends!
