I will be bringing this to the table with other groups and I expect I will continue to see mixed reactions… but that’s part of the fun right?
Jordan Macnab
MeepleGamers
7.5/10
Publisher: Grail Games
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Game Type: Fantasy
Game Type: Area Majority
Initial Year of Release: 2017
Age Range: 10+
Expected Playtime: 30 Minutes
Number of Players: 2-5 Players
Theme and What is it?
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8/10
You take the roll of a nobleman trying to gain favour with the king as he passes through the many provinces connected by the King’s Road.
Can you out manoeuvre the other nobles and put yourself in a position of power and influence and become the most favoured member of the court?
Gameplay Mechanics
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8/10
Kings road is an area-majority game in which each player has an identical set of 11 cards that include 3 special abilities and 8 provinces. Each round all players choose 3 cards from their deck and play them simultaneously placing nobles on the board based on the cards that have been played. The king then moves around the board one position at a time along the Kings Road and the province is scored accordingly. Who ever has the majority in that area gains the equivalent points.
Initial Impressions
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8/10
I went into Kings Road with no previous knowledge about it at all, however, I liked the look of the components and the map, so it had my attention pretty quickly.
Game Build Quality
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8/10
There aren’t many components to Kings Road but what there is can be considered good quality. The card stock is good so there is no bend to the cards etc. All the tokens are wooden and of a very high standard.
Artistic Direction
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8/10
As above there aren’t many components that required artwork but the but the few there are simple but effective. All the card art is repeated for each player so there is some repetition but based on the gameplay I can understand why this was required. I personally like the sigils on the tokens to differentiate the noble factions. I thought this was a nice touch. The map is also very “fantasy” but my one critique about the map would be is that sometimes the boarders of the provinces were hard to see. Not a deal breaker but I would have liked to have seen clearer divides.
Fun Factor
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8/10
This game received mixed opinions in my gaming group. Some felt Kings Road was too simple and nothing to it. Others loved the simplicity and potential depth of the strategy required to win. I sit in the latter group. I thoroughly enjoy our play throughs, I thrived on trying to anticipate the other players moves and trying to think several turns in advance… which is very tough for me because I was never great at chess. The fact that everyone has the same deck of cards again adds to the simplicity but also means you know what the players “could” play… can you figure out what they “will” play???
Age Range & Weight
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10/10
The simplicity of this game and the quickness of the gameplay lends itself to pretty much any age group. I will be teaching this to my 8yr old and the next available opportunity. She might not get the strategical side of the game right off the bat but I guarantee she will figure it out pretty quickly. The lack of text and minimal amounts of variable powers lends its self well to a younger age group.
Conclusions
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7.5/10
Kings Road has the potential to split opinions. There will certainly people who will appreciate the simple but tactical nature of the game like me but there will also be others who see a hollow experience due to the lack of content in the box.
Which ever side of the fence you end up sitting on this is still worth a try for anyone who enjoys an area majority game but is looking for something that wont take all night to play.
I will be bringing this to the table with other groups and I expect I will continue to see mixed reactions… but that’s part of the fun right? Give it a go, see what happens.
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