Usually, Sci-Fi board games involve epic battles waged across the stars. From Twilight Imperium to Arcs, chances are that if you're playing a tabletop game set in space, you'll be spending your turns blowing up fleets of enemy battlecruisers. Philharmonix takes a decidedly different approach. Instead of conducting full scale interplanetary warfare, you'll be conducting an alien orchestra. Philharmonix is slightly bloated, maybe a bit too complex for its own good, and it's my favorite board game of the year.
In Philharmonix, every player takes charge of their own ensemble of interstellar musicians. Each of you tours the galaxy composing new pieces, earning the favor of patrons, and performing concerts.
You slot members of your orchestra onto a 3d stage that you assemble yourself using punch-out components from the box. This is simultaneously the game's best and worst feature. The stage looks absolutely terrific, particularly as it starts to fill up with more and more performers, but it's also more than a little bit fiddly and can quickly collapse if you don't put it together correctly.
You build up "prestige", Philharmonix's version of victory points, by putting on concerts. Every region of the galaxy has different , randomized, musical tastes, and you earn extra points if you're able to put on a show that appeals to their sci-fi sensibilities.
The theme of Philharmonix is what really makes it sing. There's just something about being a space-faring Leonard Bernstein that's captivating in a way that's difficult to describe.
Perhaps it's because one of my favorite science fiction novels is Look to Windward by Iain Banks. Like Philharmonix, Look to Windward is all about performing classical music in space. Considering there aren't currently any plans to develop a real life version of Azad, Philharmonix is the closest thing to an Iain Banks board game that's out there, and that's one hyper specific niche that I'm incredibly glad to see filled.
Philharmonix is a crunchy game, there's no hiding that, but if you're looking to lose yourself for a few hours fine-tuning some elegant alien melodies, there's nothing else like it out there.
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