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The Old King's Crown |
| 2026-02-11 |
The Old King's Crown
Bernardo lead me through a learning game of The Old King's Crown. We did two years while a standard games goes to four or five. Not bad for a learning run.
In the spring, you prepare for summer, in the summer you resolve the clashes, and in the autumn, well, you fight in the councils. Winter, I don't remember.
There is a handful of games that come to mind. Maybe at first, Levy and Campaign for the "seasons and logistics", but the map here is symbolic, there are three regions, "the Highlands", "the Plateau", and "the Lowlands". Each region is divided in two locations, hence "the Castle" and "the Wilderness", "the Harvest Field" and "the Battlefield", finally "the Shrine" and "the Necropolis".
Castle - Harvest Field - Shrine... "bellatores", "laboratores", "oratores"... Those who fight, those who work, those who pray.
Then Oath and Arcs come to my mind. TOKC is not a legacy game like Oath, and it's way less dreamy, and its locations are static, but the cards remind me those of Oath, and the quest for power too. What about Arcs? Maybe it's the cards too. Probably it's just because Cole Wehrle and Leder Games helped Pablo Clarck designing and building TOKC.
I have the impression that TOKC is "tighter" than Oath and Arcs. It's "wider" than Pax Pamir. When Bernardo architected and unleashed his second year clashes against me, I told myself "better not drink while playing this game", sat down and took the blows. Three or four players, that will be a crossfire hurricane.
In Arcs, the map lures me, it makes me want to control the nodes and sail my ships. TOKC is basically the "Battle" game I played when a kid. French cards meet in pair and the highest wins, same thing here with Faction Cards and what is won is not the cards but the regions. Now add spring actions and leverage effects before resolving.
Do I even have remaining faction cards to journey or to send sit in a fall council? After the first year, I had the impression that my hand was exhausted, that my posture was too static and leaking potential.
What a great game, what a difficult ship to steer. Thanks Bernardo!
