FIDELITAS: IS THIS MEDDLING GAME RIGHT FOR YOU?
Sometimes you have high hopes for a game. Fidelitas was one of those times. It's designed by Jason Alan Kotarski and Phillip DuBarry, the latter of whom designed Courtier, a favorite of mine in the Tempest line of games, all of which I love. (Okay, I haven't played Canalis or Patronize, but I love the others.)
The art is really cool, and the theme is funny. So many hopes.
If you're not fond of videos (or my sense of humor), you can read my much-streamlined written review of Fidelitas at News for Shoppers.
OTHER REVIEWERS' OPINIONS
True confession: I won every single game of Fidelitas I played. (And I didn't cheat like I did on the video, either.) That should ensure that I like it, but it just didn't work for me. You might get the impression that I hated it, but that's not exactly true. I just had higher expectations than it could deliver.
But not everyone agrees with me.
Father Geek had kids, parents, and gamers play it. The kids and parents liked it, the gamers thought it was "so-so." They liked it, but not enough to buy it.
Tom Vasel called Fidelitas "light and fun."
Nick from Board Game Brawl was frustrated with the rulebook and agreed that luck can play a huge part in the game. He said if you can get past those things, it can be a lot of fun.
FOR NEWBIES
If you're new to games, know that you may have to make some decisions — a.k.a. house rules — about the rules and then just stick with them.
Let anyone you're teaching know up front that this game shifts a lot. If they take it lightly, they can have fun with it, but if they're too serious, they'll be frustrated.
KID-FRIENDLY?
I haven't played this game with kids, but I think it might be a very good choice.
It has fairly straightforward choices, the game shifts a lot, and it's quick enough that kids won't lose interest. Plus the art is really great and there's nothing inappropriate.
WHAT MY HUSBAND WANTS TO DO TO THE GAME
Andrew wants to make all of the Missio cards (the missions that score you points) worth two or three, not having any worth one or four.
But he didn't make the game.
FULL DISCLOSURE (IN CASE YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE VIDEO)
I got a review copy of Fidelitas from Green Couch Games. That doesn't affect my ability to give you an honest review. If it did, I wouldn't write reviews.
SHARING TIME
If you like this, please share it. And stay tuned, because I'm working on a guide to board gaming for newbies. It's going to have everything I wanted to know about board games and then some. (You can sign up for my newsletter now, and I'll send you one when it's done. Seriously.)