Beschrijving
Banish the Snakes
Banish the Snakes is a cooperative game that simulates Ireland in the 5th century, while the Roman Empire was collapsing in the west and Ireland was turning to the Christian religion.
“If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples.” – St. Patrick
Legend has it that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. True, there are no snakes anywhere on the island- but there have been none since before the last Ice Age! The legend is actually an allegory about his successes in converting Ireland to Christianity.
Players represent Saint- Patrick and others who set out to convert the pagans on the island. You must work as a team to convert the people of Ireland before the barbarians completely overwhelm Britain. If you fail, the Irish will not be able to save Civilization in the following centuries!
Gameplay
The game board shows a map of Ireland in the 5th century. There are four Provinces -the same as today- but no counties yet. Wooden tiles represent the People, Druids, Chiefs, and Kings, and of course the High King at Tara. It is your job to break into the interrelated influences between these groups of people and get your new ideas accepted.
Each turn a card is drawn, throwing new challenges at your team. The severity of the event is determined by the previous card, and so no two games can ever play the same. The cards introduce events and ideas of the time, new saints, and historic figures- like Neil of the Nine Hostages.
There is a diagram of Great Britain to keep track of the steady decline of Roman civilization in Great Britain. As different parts of Britain succumb to the barbarians, more and more difficult challenges are added to the deck. When finally Britain is completely overwhelmed the game ends.
If you succeed in your endeavor, Christianity will thrive in Ireland, while paganism overruns Western Europe. The arts, writing, literature and history will flourish on the Emerald Isle! Soon, Irish missionaries will bring these civilizing attributes back to Great Britain and mainland Europe. As Thomas Cahill says in his book, the Irish will save Civilization.
But if you fail…
Summarised
Banish the Snakes is a game with a simple rule set and an interesting concept in the tradition of block wargames. Turns are fast and the different Saints are made so that the players really need to work together to beat the system. This game stands out compared to other cooperative games because you start in losing position and when you improved your position you can never be sure it will stay this way.
