From: David Kitcat <kitcat@mac.com>
Subject: Kings & Castles review

I thought the members of this forum might be interested to hear about
Kings & Castles - a new (?) game by Ragnar Brothers. I found it in the
Orc's Nest in London on Friday. I think that their little-known game
'Angola' is a gem, and of course HOTW is a classic. I note that it can
be ordered from Ragnar Brothers via http://ragnarbrothers.co.uk. The
theme of the game is the reign of the Angevin and Plantagenet kings of
England from William I to Richard III. Over the course of 24 turns up to
4 baronial factions (in blue, green, turquoise and plum!) vie to raise
as much income as possible by manipulating the kingship and controlling
regions on a cloth map of the British Isles and Northern and Western
France. The game wears its theme comfortably and elegantly simulates the
history of the period (spot the man who's been playing too many German
games recently). The rules are short (9 A5 pages) and their execution is
more reminiscent of a Euro game than a traditional wargame. I'll give my
first impressions of the game. Please note that I have only played the
game twice - a solitaire game to learn the rules myself - and a short
two-player game with my wife to prepare for a four-player game tomorrow
(the short game ends after 12 turns, and also in a period of civil war).
I'll take it around to my games club on Wednesday for a more thorough
testing. The full solitaire game took me 2 hours. I tend not to
over-analyse my moves, but then I did not have any downtime in which to
plot them either. 

The map depicts England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and part of France,
and is divided into 32 regions. Each region is named after a town and
has an income value. London alone is worth 3 tax income, while 7 other
regions are worth 2 each (e.g. York and Bordeaux) and the rest are worth
1. The game starts with 31 of the map's 32 regions occupied by black
'enemy' units. The player controlling William the Conqueror starts in
Rouen ready to attack Canterbury. 

Each player has a faction card with spaces for their 'household',
'array' and 'king's bonus' units (explained below), and their taxation
markers. Each faction has 24 units (8 each of knights, men-at-arms and
archers valued 3, 2 and 1 respectively). The players start with 12 units
in their household and the other 12 mixed in a cloth bag along with the
13 remaining enemy units, 10 mercenaries and 10 castles (all divided
into 3,2,1 strengths, too). 

A Royal Succession (turn) chart runs along 2 edges of the map. A turn
represents the reign of a king. Some long-lived kings' reigns cover 2
turns (e.g. Edward I and Henry VI). At the start of the game the players
alternate in placing the 6 crown counters of their colour to claim that
particular turn for their faction. A turn will have a 'kings bonus' (a
value from 1 to 4) and the name of a country on the map. The king's
bonus represents the king's level of activity in the form of bonus
units, while the country is where the king's activities were
concentrated. For example, Henry V has 4 bonus units and France.
Likewise, Edward I has 4 bonus units and Wales on his first turn, while
his second turn has 3 bonus units and Scotland. The unfortunate Henry VI
has 1 unit and England. (Note that there are an equal number of bonus
values for kings, but most of the royal activity happens in England and
France). 

During a turn the active faction's units are 'royal' and the other
factions represent 'baronial' troops. At the start of the game and the
end of their turn a player will fill their 10 array spaces from either
their household (they know what troops they will get but the household
is never replenished) or from the random mix in the bag. They can (and
will) therefore end up with an array comprising royal, baronial, enemy
and mercenary units and castles. A player can attack with any units in
his array (yes, even if they are not in his faction - devious or
destructive depending on your personal preferences). 

Each region is occupied by one unit (and possibly a castle). The value
of the unit (combined with the value of the castle, if present)
represents the defensive value of the region. To conquer a region, a
player attacks it with a unit or units whose combined value is greater
than the defender's. The strongest attacking unit remains in the newly
conquered region and the defending unit is placed on the discard pile
along with any extra attacking units. A conquered castle is also
discarded. The discarded units are left next to the board until the draw
bag is empty - then they are used to refill it. Mercenaries can only
attack in conjunction with royal or baronial units, and are immediately
discarded after the attack. The king can place a castle in a region that
does not have one. 

While there are black enemy units in a country (a disputed country) the
royal and baronial units can attack only their regions. Once a country
is cleared of enemy units it becomes 'undisputed' and then it is time
for civil war to break out between the factions. Royal units can only
attack in the country listed on the turn chart. In addition, the king
can designate one other country where baronial forces can attack.
Therefore in any turn royal units can fight in one country, baronial
units in that country and one other. 

In disputed countries royal/baronial units can attack enemy regions from
any royal/baronial-held region. In undisputed countries (i.e. civil
wars) they can only attack from a region that their faction already
holds. Black enemy units can attack out of enemy regions in disputed
countries but if France, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are completely
conquered then each has a 'banner' region where new uprisings will
occur. England does not have a banner region, so once the 'Saxons' are
conquered then all attacks in England are inter-faction affairs. In
addition each country has an 'anchor'/'portcullis' region where royal
invasions will enter (e.g. Canterbury and Calais). This is not just the
first target for the king invading a disputed enemy country - where the
king's faction holds no regions in his designated country that is also
undisputed it will represent the king landing in the country at the
start of a civil war. 

At the end of a turn the king can raise taxes. The player flips over 1
of his 3 taxation markers and scores every region controlled by royal
and baronial troops, but counts those controlled by royal units at
double their value. Players receive money markers to record their
scores. A player's score is kept secret. 

There is quite a bit to consider in the game. One is how to best use
opposing factions' units on your array. Do you sit on them, or do you
use them so you don't fill your array with useless units? Being an Up
Front player, my tendency is to use them so I can cycle more units
through my array and hopefully draw enough of my own units, mercenaries
and castles to offset the help I give to the other players. One can also
conduct the attacks by baronial units in such a way that they cancel
each other out, resulting in no net gain for your opponents. Attacks
will also no doubt be aimed at a perceived leader, but since a player's
score is secret this is not a clear-cut option. You might in fact be
helping the real leader inadvertently. 

You have to collect taxes on 3 of your 6 turns. Choosing the right
moment can be quite difficult. In the early stages you may not hold that
many regions, but if you leave the taxing until later you may be forced
to collect them when it is much more advantageous to your enemies. 

I've noticed in both the games I played that the end of the game showed
a resurgence of enemy attacks towards the end of the game. Both the
short and full-length versions of the game end in a period of civil war
- the royal units have to operate in England. The best way to put those
barons in their places in the other countries is by using the enemy
units that have been collecting on your array. 

Enemy units are also a good way to open a route into an undisputed
country where you have no units: attack a faction unit sitting in a
banner region, then the country becomes disputed so you can bring your
royal units in from any neighbouring region to quell the revolt. This
will not work with England as it does not have a banner region. You have
to invade via Canterbury.

Phew, that took longer than I expected. This review is probably longer
than the rules themselves ;-) There is more to discuss, but I'll wait
until there is a proper discussion going. The game has made a very
favourable impression on me. It handles its subject matter effectively
with a minimum of rules. I like what I've seen so far. I just hope it's
play matches my initial impressions. 

Dave