Oriflamme Review – Game of Thrones in 20-Minutes or Less

Oriflamme taps into our human need for doing weird stuff and making it competitive. In addition to attaching a commentary track to die car racing, to extreme ironing, to whatever this is. There seems nothing we can’t turn into a game or make entertaining. Oriflamme proves this again by turning line waiting at the DMV into a political blood sport.

It all starts with every player receiving the same 10 cards and randomly removing three. Then one at a time, each player places one card face down at either the front or end of a card queue in the centre of the table.

Once everyone’s placed a card, these cards activate one at a time from front to back. Killing, maiming, and ambushing all other cards in the process. Other cards only generate influence, but we don’t talk about those.

We want blood!

After six brutal rounds, the player with the most influence is crowned the new monarch.

Politicking, Intrigue, and a Whole Lot of Bluffing

It’s easy to draw comparisons between Oriflamme and Game of Thrones. Thematically, both are about houses vying for power and control, and both take place in gritty fantasy worlds mimicking the Middle Ages.

The comparison doesn’t stop there.

Oriflamme is as much about hand management as it is about politics and cunning. Each card begins in the queue facedown, but during the activation phase, you’re given the choice to reveal it and activate its power or leave it facedown to accrue influence points.

There are many reasons you’d leave a card face down. Chief among them is the additional influence points that pile up on a face-down card. But there are other reasons too, like the ambush card. Whereby if someone attempts to destroy the ambush card, you’re given more gold than in the Iron Bank of Braavos.

Or, I guess, influence.

Then there are cards you want to hide until they’re protected by cards on either side of them. But also cards you want to secretly sneak into the middle of the queue before unleashing the damage they’ll cause.

Much like in Game of Thrones, having and hiding your agenda is key to winning the game. Although easier said than done since there’s a lot of open information in Oriflamme.

As such, you’re always keenly aware of who’s winning, how many cards and rounds remain, and the current state of the queue. Thereby creating a perfect blend of known information and mystery. Keeping you interested round after round, as you change the target of your attacks and decisions based on what you know, and what you think you know.

Variability Through Brilliant Game Design

For a card game with such a small footprint, Oriflamme changes more times with each play than a Faceless Man. Due to the powerful nature of the cards, and your ability to only play 6 in the game.

Furthering this variability is the order in which cards are played, where in the line they sit, and whether they are face up or not.

For example, I played games where the queue was 8+ cards long, and people activated abilities, right, and centre. Then other games where there’ve been only a couple of cards in the queue. During this everyone was scared to put down another card for fear it would be destroyed

Then I played games where every point of influence was a dogfight. While other games still, where the heavens would open, and influence rained down. You never know what kind of game you’re going to get.

This type of variability is a game design wonder and keeps Oriflamme exciting even after many plays. Along with its short playing time, it makes for a fantastic game for those time-conscious gamers.

Is it Worth Stabbing Someone in the Back For?

I love small box games, but lately, it feels like we’re going through a drought. Overtaken by large Kickstarters where if you can get past the barrier of cost and time to play, you’re still left questioning where you’re going to store it.

So, it surprised me last year when Studio H’s Oriflamme got some buzz. Further surprising me when it turned out to be such a great little game. The bluffing, the strategy, the hoping and praying that everyone is thinking how you want them to.

Overall, Oriflamme is a fantastic game, and if it’s not a breakout hit, then it is destined to become a cult classic. Worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with other small box greats like Welcome to the Dungeon and Love Letter.