A large-scale strategy board game of skill and intrigue set in an ancient, crumbling kingdom where players are heirs vying for control of a vacant throne. The game features card-driven conquest mechanics with heavy emphasis on bluffing, blind bidding, and tactical maneuvering as players attempt to claim locations and outmaneuver their opponents.
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The Verdict
based on 22 reviews
“It's simply the most surprising, joyous, visually spectacular, strategically sparkling, thematically fulsome board game I've played in recent memory. I believe it's one of the best board games ever made.”
“It’s the masterful blend of art and gameplay that evokes a wider world, one halfway submerged between legend and reality. That this is Pablo Clark’s freshman project is frankly astonishing.”
The reviewer from Shut Up & Sit Down expressed exceptionally high praise for 'The Old King's Crown,' considering it a potentially phenomenal and beautiful game that could be one of the best releases of its year.
“The Old King’s Crown sharpens up a delightfully cut-throat competition of competing factions and ruthless cardplay that has quickly made it my most anticipated release of next year.”
The Old King's Crown features clever mechanics and fresh design choices, creating an engaging and tense experience driven by risk and reward, which makes it arguably one of the most exciting games of the year.
The reviewer highly praises "The Old King's Crown" as a visually stunning game with engaging tactical card play and hidden information, although they note potential downtime with four players. They consider it one of the best games played that month.
The reviewer highly praised 'The Old King's Crown,' calling it one of his recent favorites, particularly highlighting the solo mode as being exceptionally well-designed for this competitive area domination and card-based combat game.
“Beneath all the hype, The Old King’s Crown is indeed a very good game. It is full of lies and tricks, feints and triumphs.”
“The Old King’s Crown is just wonderful. It’s the kind of game that you’d imagine would lead to some ‘kill the king’ when someone races ahead, and to some extent that’s true, but for every ally with a hand on your shoulder, you’d better believe they’re holding a stiletto tip at your ribs too.”
The reviewer highly recommends 'The Old King's Crown' for its solo mode, praising its stunning artwork and innovative design within the lane battler genre, though noting it might not appeal to everyone due to its specific style.
Rahdo explores why The Old King's Crown is highly ranked on BoardGameGeek's hotness list, indicating its strong appeal and widespread positive reception within the board gaming community.
“The Old King’s Crown is a grab bag of concepts from all sorts of other board games, each given a loving polish and shape to fit it into a greater whole, wrapped in the most amazing eye candy, creating a unique package.”
The reviewer highly recommends "The Old King's Crown," praising its unique Kingdom cards, strategic depth, and engaging player interaction, though noting a potential learning curve for the first few plays. They consider it one of the best overall games.
The reviewer enthusiastically praises "The Old King's Crown" as an absolutely fantastic game, particularly highlighting its wonderfully realized solo mode and stunning artwork, which successfully implements intriguing blind bidding mechanics and asymmetrical factions.
“In all facets, The Old King’s Crown embraces excitement. While some may rebuke this creation, others will embrace it with infatuation. I’m far more in that latter camp.”
The reviewer highly praises "The Old King's Crown" as one of the most fascinating and unconventional board game debuts in a long time, noting its refined and sophisticated gameplay that becomes very tight with familiarity. However, they acknowledge it is not for everyone due to its busy nature, lack of immediate intuitiveness, and potentially punishing consequences for bad moves.
The reviewer highly praises "The Old King's Crown" for its exceptional beauty, stellar production quality, and stunning artwork, noting that the game appears complex due to its substantial rulebook.
The Old King's Crown is praised for its stunning visuals, mechanical ambition, and deep strategic gameplay that offers a unique experience for players who enjoy psychological warfare and are willing to delve into its complexity. While one reviewer found it convoluted and chaotic, another highlighted its 'Cosmic Encounter' feel and surprising enjoyability for those who invest time in mastering it.
The reviewer found 'The Old King's Crown' to be a fun game with appealing artwork once he delved past the initial presentation, despite some issues with the Kickstarter campaign's organization and a lack of immediate engagement in its initial minutes.
The reviewer found "The Old King's Crown" to offer engaging tactical decisions, betting, and bluffing, but highlighted that its full appreciation requires a dedicated gaming group due to the rules complexity being slightly above the gameplay and the potential for long play sessions.
The reviewer praises the game's gorgeous artwork and intriguing card system, but notes its complexity and highly interactive, confrontational nature might make it divisive and potentially leave some players feeling disengaged in multiplayer sessions.
The reviewer cautions against buying The Old King's Crown, noting that despite its enormous depth and layered decisions, its excessive complexity often feels like administrative overhead. They emphasize that the overwhelming hidden information can lead to a perception of randomness, making it a game best suited for dedicated and consistent play groups rather than casual or rotating game nights.
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If BGV helped you pick your next game, buying through our links helps our small team keep the site running.
