But you also make your worker group a more tempting prize for others looking to cut the legs away from under you. The trademark iconography that carries through to all of the games in the series is easy to interpret, and immediately familiar to anyone who’s played any of the other games. There aren’t any reference cards in the box (come on, why the hell not) and the first thing you do in play is draft your hand of buildings. In addition to including components for an extra player, Age of Artisans adds the new Craft Cards, a dual-layered Guildhall Board, two new Player Boards and a variety of new Apprentices and Buildings.

In Architects of the West Kingdom: Works of Wonder, builders from far and wide have travelled to partake in the King’s latest endeavour -. I think it’s an excellent substitute for that aggressive player in your game group and it really adds to the game. From games to books, anything that could show me a shinier and more exciting world has always fascinated me. You see, for those shady individuals who don’t abide by the law there are also advantages to be had – sure, they lose points at the end of the game, but they don’t have to pay taxes.There is a virtue track found on the left edge of the board as well as a market for apprentices in the bottom right.

Included inside every copy of the Collector's Box is a promo card set which adds 4 Adornment Cards, 3 Building Cards, 6 Apprentice Cards, and 1 Contribution/Consequence Card. I do appreciate that this game is a nice, lightweight worker placement game, with a twist and I love that twist. I remember my first learning playthrough, and thinking to myself “Okay, so you have 20 turns, one per worker”, which didn’t feel like enough.

Architects of the West Kingdom represents the start of a second series of games, (The West Kingdom Trilogy).

I often think of these reviews as lecture notes for a course I will never deliver, so please forgive me my occasional diversion. The game offers the same fulfilling choices as Raiders of the North Sea, while upping the stakes with implementation of the Virtue track. This deluxe Collector's Box is designed to fit Architects of the West Kingdom, Works of Wonder, and all additional content, such as promos, metal coins, and sleeved cards.They’re like stately old manor houses: Impeccably designed, perfectly kept, and a bit dry and stuffy.

You just score points like in a normal game (cathedral progress, building points, virtue track position, petty cash for leftover resources, and minus points for unpaid debts). There are plenty of spots at the court for you to take, plenty of rewards to gather if you can just get him to look your way! I have gone pretty deep into these games, backing a lot of the most recent releases, looking at the expansions and Collectors edition boxes to keep it all in, with the colourful Folded Space inserts to boot. It’s so simple and yet so clever that it forces you to make important strategic decisions while standing on a rickety roulette wheel.If you’ve not played Architects of the West Kingdom yet, play it a few times before getting this expansion, just to make sure it’s a good fit with your group.