Originally Written June 2000

Hera & Zeus is a two-person card game designed by Richard Borg, who won the coveted Spiel des Jahres in 1993 for Bluff. The title of the game should be a highly suggestive give-away of the concept which is being put into play: Hera and Zeus are feuding, and this time things have gotten serious – hostages have been taken, and the Gods, Demigods, and Heroes have divided their loyalties between them.

Each player receives a specialized deck: One for Hera and one for Zeus. Both decks are functionally identical, although there is a degree of customization in terms of the fluff text which surrounds each card’s functionality. (For example, Hera’s player has Artemis and their Attack 6 cards, while Zeus’ player has Apollo for their Attack 6 cards.)

Play proceeds in turns, with a set of elegantly designed mechanics guiding each player as they commit their forces to a tightly defined playing field. These forces challenge each other, with each player attempting to accomplish one of two goals: Either wiping out of the other player’s forces (by clearing all of his cards off the playing field), or rescuing their designated hostage in a Stratego-esque fashion by challenging the concealed hostage card (Zeus holds Argus hostage, while Hera holds Io).

The simple-yet-dynamic basic mechanics of the game are given an added luster through the use of special Mythology Cards which possess special powers. For example, challenging a Medusa card with anything other than an Amazon or Hero causes you to defeat yourself. Borg has crafted a set of rules which allow for a number of successful strategies – which is always a sign that a game is not only enjoyable in the short term, but is possessed of an endurance which will make it enjoyable time and time again.

My only quibble with an otherwise excellent design is the decision to print the special rules for the mythology cards on two reference cards (one for each player), rather than directly on the cards themselves. On the other hand, by keeping the cards clear of all but the most basic reference text, the package is far more attractive and appealing – and the special rules are simple and few enough that you quickly assimilate them with ease.

Hera & Zeus comes highly recommended by this reviewer.

Components: Two decks of cards; two wooden counters; two reference cards; rulebook

 Grade: A-

This review was originally written for Games Unplugged, but I can’t find any record of it actually being published. So this may be the first time anyone has had the chance to read it.

Back around the time this was written, I used to play a lot of two-player board games. My ex-girlfriend and I would play them, and I had several other friends I would also get together and play with this. I remember this one being a lot of fun and it did, as I wrote in the review, have a lot of rewarding replayability. It’s been years and years now since I took it off the shelf, but that’s largely because I don’t play two-player board games any more: My wife and I spend our one-on-one time on other activities, largely because a lot of our other social time is spent playing other board games in larger groups.