Wouter & Ymke 
In Philharmonix, players step into the shoes of orchestra band managers, aiming to make their band the most esteemed within the exotic Malaya system. Their mission is to acquire prestige through various means like staging magnificent symphonies, accomplishing record objectives, securing region majority, amassing musicians, and winning over patrons.
👥 1-4 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 90-120 minutes
📝 Designer: Faris Suhaimi
🎨 Artwork: Daniel Cunha
🏢 Publisher: Archona Games (prototype copy provided)
https://www.archonagames.com/
The game unfolds over five rounds, with players choosing actions or opting to pass. On their turn, players can select a basic or major action, and perform free actions. Every action consumes a predetermined number of action points, which change with each round and depend on whether other players occupy the action space.
🎵 Players can choose to perform several major actions. They might wish to develop their orchestra, gaining experience points, or upgrade their action point limit. They could also recruit new musicians from the market, or practice, thereby upgrading their musicians and training their conductors. Other options are composing new symphonies, performing existing ones, or attracting and activating patrons.
🚀 Alternatively, a player might opt for a basic action, which entails moving across the Malayan planets and earning money. The game also allows for free actions, which can be performed before or after the main action. These actions can provide small but game-changing effects, such as reducing the action points required or moving your ship around the map.
🌟 Your progress in Philharmonix is tracked on the Band Rating Track, representing the collective star rating of the musicians in your orchestra. As players recruit or train musicians, they progress along this track, which in turn affects the amount of money they gain when performing symphonies.
⌛ When a player chooses to pass, they receive money or experience based on their unused action points, and depending on when they choose to pass, they also gain an advantage for the next round’s player order.
🏆 When all players have passed on the 5th round, the game concludes, and you proceed to end game scoring based on record cards, regions where you have the most performance discs, and remaining money. The player with the most prestige is declared Virtuoso, having proven a high level of skill, creativity, and mastery to lead his orchestra to great heights.
Philharmonix is a medium-heavy weight eurogame, designed by Faris Suhaimi and published by Archona Games. The game invites players into the intriguing universe of orchestra management set within the backdrop of interstellar exploration. The unique blend of themes is refreshing and engages players in a new experience.
🎼 Each round in the game offers an engaging puzzle of balancing action points. The challenge lies in making choices between expensive actions you desperately want to execute and less useful but cheaper actions, allowing for more actions within a round. As each action has a different cost that changes with each round, the game keeps players on their toes, requiring constant adjustments to their strategies.
🏆 The game’s key appeal lies in its various paths to victory. You can focus on developing your orchestra, attracting patrons, and securing regional majorities. This diversity of strategies brings depth to the gameplay and promises high replayability. One must also adapt strategies based on fellow players’ moves, enhancing the game’s interactive nature.
🎵 The Band Rating Track marks progress in the game. You move along this track as you recruit and train musicians, influencing the money you acquire when performing symphonies. The rewarding progression system and the possibility to upgrade the action points limit give a sense of fulfillment to your strategic efforts.
⏳ However, be prepared for a steep learning curve. The assortment of basic, major, and free actions might initially overwhelm new or casual players. Additionally, the game length, stretching to around 90-120 minutes, could be a potential concern for those who prefer quicker games. Downtime is another aspect that might need consideration. An early pass in a round could result in a significant waiting period before the next round, potentially leading to periods of inactivity for some players.
👽 As for the execution, Philharmonix presents a well-crafted game board with two musician stages for each player. The custom wooden components and game art, crafted by Daniel Cunha, enhance the game’s aesthetic appeal. Despite being a prototype, the artwork and components make a good impression. The humorous touch with the aliens depicted on the patron cards and musician tiles adds to the game’s charm.
💭 With its rich decision-making process and an array of options at every turn, Philharmonix stands out from the crowd. Its unusual space orchestra theme makes it a unique and worthwhile addition to any medium to heavy eurogames collection. Indeed, Philharmonix crescendos into a gaming delight, leaving players eager for an encore performance
🚀 Archona Games is launching a crowdfunding campaign for Philharmonix on Kickstarter in August. It’s important to note that we played a prototype of the game, and this review is based on our experience with the prototype. All components shown in the pictures are prototype versions and may change in the final product.
📝 Finally, we want to extend our gratitude to Archona Games for allowing us to experience and review the prototype of Philharmonix. We’re eager to see (and hear!) how the final product turns out.
