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riches? And how do we deal with the fact
that the king has recently taken a mis
- tress who’s pouring poison in his ear?
s-
The stories in this game are coherent, carefully constructed and unfold at just the right pace. More mundane
side stories alternate with the main plot’s dramatic twists. Whereas the stories in Rise of Queensdale
or Charterstone are just a necessity, here the six central plot lines are actually
don’t expect
a mundane tally
of points; the last
game is actually
quite dramatic. It’s
a thrilling showdown
between Houses, which seals the fate of the kingdom. As in the games leading up to the final game, winning this campaign is almost irrelevant. Our group of five
never had a dull moment. There was a feverish excitement look- ing forward to the next game,
a bit like waiting for the next season of your favorite TV series. If you’re looking for a change from the all-too-familiar meeple games, this is it. The king is dead. Long live
different ways the campaign can turn out, and each group will
write its own story.
I Basic game mechanics Game mechanics for The King’s Dilemma are simple. If you break it down, it essentially amounts to reading, dis-
cussing, and voting – which is clearly not something for hardcore Euro
gamers or solo game
nerds. This game
has somewhat
of a role-play-
ing feel to it and
should ideally be
taken on by four or
five players who will
enjoy the intense stories told
here. I say intense because
there is no middle-of-the-
road in this game; it repeatedly confronts us with harsh stories.
The rulebook even begins with a dis-
claimer: “This game is set in a fictional and often cruel fantasy world.” The first time I read this, I smiled and
thought to myself, “That’s just for effect.” How wrong I was! The game deals with issues such as the death penalty, war crimes, and medical experiments on humans; there are no warm and fuzzy feelings here. No, here things are rough, and you’re repeat- edly confronted with tricky moral questions. Do we punish the starv- ing poacher, or do we show mercy? Do we finance the expensive expedition into the desert in the hopes of
thrilling and interesting and all different much like the votes around the table. Sometimes everyone agrees and sends through a quick decision, and other times there is a heated discussion and you’re all fighting for your choice.
From an editorial standpoint, there’s next to nothing to criticize here. Illustra-
t,
,
the king!
Gerald Rüscher/tw
tions are varied and set the ambiance well; the texts are expertly worded. I found a few gaps in the rules, but they’re easily remedied with a bit of common sense. All in all, I take my hat off to this publisher who had the courage to break new ground and produce this elaborate game. It does, however, require the right group of people. Here, strategiz- ing and victory points take the back seat, which could be frowned upon by hardcore gamers. Others will experience this game as a fast-paced journey through an excit-
ing fantasy world.
I A spirited finish
Each game lasts about 60 minutes. As
with all games of this style, it’s best to play with the same group, which helps to complete the campaign faster. When you reach the end, after about 15 games,
Title: Publisher: Designer:
Artist:
Players: Age: Duration:
Price:
The King’s Dilemma Horrible Games Lorenzo Silva, Hjalmar Hach
Giorgio Baroni, Carlo Burelli
3–5
about 16+ years about 60 minutes per session
about 60 €
Reviewer Playing appeal
Gerald Rüscher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Wieland Herold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Harald Schrapers* . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
* An extremely impressive epic that captivated me for 18 games. Although as a non-roleplayer I didn’t pay much attention to the narrative – I preferred to fight for scoring positions on the board – I found the progress very interesting. The stories on the cards are so good that I had no problems accepting that the actual goal remained unclear until the end.
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