I have found that this game's reputation is not particularly great, and that for some, playing it is underwhelming. While I think there are some understandable reasons for this, I believe they have more to do with the people playing, and their gaming preferences, than with the game. This game is quite chaotic and unpredictable, and planning ahead just doesn't work. And it wasn't intended to. Here you are forced to play in the moment, making timely choices and spotting opportunities. Sometimes turns consist of making the best bad move possible, or the least damaging. For some it seems that strategy is not built into this game. I disagree. But it is true that this is not a typical strategy game, or a conventional one. It is also not all about luck. It may fool you into believing that it is.The board is quite nice in appearance, and consists of 4 pieces that fit together. Around the edges are the seats of King Arthur's round table. In the center of the board there is a wheel, which actually turns during the game. Around the outside of the wheel are point values, and 3 color sections. These are green, yellow and red. Each point position on the wheel corresponds to one of the seats on the board. These seats are where plastic pawns will be positioned at the beginning of the game. Some belong to the players. Some are called royalty pieces, and represent princes. One royalty piece is the king.
This is really just a fancy card game. Players have their own small deck of cards, shuffled at the start. These cards may allow you to move one of your pieces, or a royalty piece. General movement is clockwise around the wheel, although certain cards allow you to move counter-clockwise. You play 2 cards from a choice of 6 in hand, one at a time per turn. Each allows you to move a piece. When you do, it allows you to move a certain number of spaces. You always score points each turn, based on the point value of the seat where you left from when you moved. So if you're seated in the green section (positive points) and leave from seat 8, you score 8 points. Same scenario except you leave the 8 seat in the red section (negative points), you lose 8 points. The yellow section is always near the king piece, and is neutral. No points are awarded there. After playing 2 cards, players draw back up to 6 cards. Play continues until each player has played all of their cards in their deck. Then the game ends.
Simple so far. It gets difficult fast, however. As you move pieces around the board, they end up changing sections frequently, alternating between positive and negative point value seats. You may think you can control this. That's not possible, because of one critical mechanism. The wheel is always aligned to the king's position, and his position can change. This then causes the wheel to rotate, which changes where the color sections end up. The seats the pieces are at do not change, but their point values (positive, negative or neutral) do. Not only can the king move during the game, but the king piece can change between the various royalty pieces during the game. Again, the wheel always turns to align with the current king's position.
The advanced game included in the rules is a must for this game, and adds measurable strategy. It adds 6 scoring cards to each player's deck. These are like goals. They require you to align your pieces in certain ways on the board, and then score them collectively. If you're unable to achieve one of them, you'll take a steep point loss penalty. Sometimes you must score negative points, to avoid a steeper point loss. Strategy is possible in the game, but it takes the form of hand management. Knowing what cards you will still draw and have to deal with is critical, and knowing what certain important cards have already been played by other players is important. You must constantly assess when it is a good time to play a card, and when to hang on to cards. You also must always monitor which types of cards you are playing. You have 3 types of cards you can draw from and play. Your draw deck is divided into these 3 types of cards. Keeping some of eachavailable during the game is critical. Lack of proper card management can lead to devastating point losses at the end of the game.
I happen to love this game. I think it's different than many, and it stands out because of it. Different isn't always good, but for me it is here. But this is not a game that everyone, or even most people, will like. It benefits the most from repeated plays, when you can start to see the very subtle intricacies of it. It can also seem a bit dry, and a bit heavy of a mental exercise. But if it clicks for you, you'll love the challenge of it, and even the frustration of it. Good luck!
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