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Vienna Connection is a 1-5 player campaign game from Portal Games. The game, set in Cold War era central Europe, sees you aiming to complete four missions. The first mission starts with the death of an American citizen in Austria, known as Mission White Bee. From that point onwards, you find yourself immersed in some pretty murky water.
So, what’s in the game? Well *looks out of window* I’m not really sure I can tell you.
No, seriously.
You see, in each of the mission folders you are told your objectives and given other information, but because this is a campaign game, I’m very reluctant to say too much about what is in each folder. The box also contains special tokens. These can be used to buy information or to enable operations that come with each mission. The rulebook insists you don’t read ahead, nor look at information other than what you’ve been given.
I Repeat, We Have No Intelligence!
There are two main ways you can receive information during Vienna Connection. The first of these are lead cards. These cards are categorised into four colours. White represents CIA safe houses and places that are safe for the team. Blue represents public places like bars and hotels. Yellow represents areas that are policed or criminally influenced. Finally, red places are under the control of foreign intelligence. Every time you are given a new piece of information, you may increase the amount of exposure. Too much exposure can become troublesome, as the mysterious Man in Black becomes aware of your team’s snooping. I’m assuming he isn’t going to leave a box of Milk Tray on your bedside table.
The second way you can receive information is through the large portfolio of files. As well as information, the files and lead cards can give you puzzles to solve, directions to other relevant pieces of information, or the opportunity to earn more tokens.
The game also has a website, which is where you enter puzzle clues that you’re given. There are also recordings of audio intelligence you have intercepted. You are also encouraged to research parts of the story based on real life events. You cannot underestimate the amount of research that’s clearly gone into making this game. I love history, so the fact you are given the opportunity to learn about the Cold War during the game is fantastic. It is a must for historians. The game is meticulously planned, as there are several routes to finding out information. The files are very realistic in their appearance, meaning as a player you completely immerse yourself in the experience.
Ohhhhhhhhh Viennaaaaaaaaa
At the end of each mission, your team chooses two of several recommendations which then directs the plot of future missions. At the end of the first mission, one of my friends looked at me and said “so… did we win?” to which I responded with a “well, I guess we did in our own way.” Some people might not enjoy the lack of immediate pay-off that comes at the end of each mission. It is an alien experience for there to be no obvious win or loss.
I realise I’m using the word ‘experience’ rather than ‘game’ a lot, but that’s not an accident. Winning and losing are part of board game culture. Removing that concept allows Vienna Connection to be something a little more. You get to a point with each mission where it stops feeling like a game. You start to look like Jenny from Gogglebox when she’s watching Line of Duty, sitting there with a notepad and pen. Your table becomes a patchwork of files and lead cards. Your laptop becomes an accessory to solving puzzles. You start mentally mapping out connections, timelines, and theories in your head. Each person starts to develop their own roles within the group without realising.
Oh, Vienna
Any criticism of Vienna Connection I have is minor. The tokens don’t feel like they fit in with the rest of the game. The game has a moody feel to it, so the brightly coloured tokens look a bit out of place. Also, each mission has a group of local agents who add one token to your pool and then play no further role in the game, making them feel a bit pointless.
I’ve played Vienna Connection at two and three players, and have found that to be a good number. I imagine four or five players wouldn’t have too much impact with it being a cooperative game where there’s no set roles or order. It can be played solo, which I didn’t enjoy as much. The great thing about the game is being able to bounce ideas off people. Discussing what you think the next steps should be. You don’t get that same pay-off in the solo mode. The box also has a playtime of 2-3 hours. I assume that must mean per mission rather than the entire game, because there is a lot of reading involved.
Final Thoughts
Vienna Connection is a cooperative experience, unlike anything I’ve had before. It’s really hard to explain what makes the game so good without going into detail. I don’t really want to do that, at risk of spoiling the discovery for others. Even when we were spending two-three hours on a mission, the time completely sped by. The game is also very educational, allowing you to explore themes in more detail at your own discretion. A few months ago we looked at the educational merits of board games, and Vienna Connection definitely fits the brief.
I could keep going on about Vienna Connection, but *hears knock at the door* I think I’ve already said too much.
