Architects of the West Kingdom Review - The Broken Meeple
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มิ.ย. 2024
- Architects of the West Kingdom is set at the end of the Carolingian Empire, circa 850 AD. As royal architects, players compete to impress their King and maintain their noble status by constructing various landmarks throughout his newly appointed domain. Players need to collect raw materials, hire apprentices, and keep a watchful eye on their workforce. These are treacherous times, and rival architects will stop at nothing to slow your progress. Will you remain virtuous, or be found in the company of thieves and black marketeers?
The aim of Architects of the West Kingdom is to be the player with the most victory points (VP) at game's end. Points are gained by constructing various buildings and advancing work on the Archbishop's cathedral. Throughout the game, players need to make a lot of moral decisions. However, only at game's end will their virtue be judged. A few underhanded deals here and there might not seem like much, but fall too far and you will be punished. The game ends once a set number of constructions have been completed.
I liked Raiders of the North Sea, which was in this style, but the other helpings in that series didn't wow me. Now we have a new series with that same look so can this one do better? Hold on, when do I get my workers back?
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Credit to BGG & Scott King for imagery.
Credit to www.freesfx.co.uk for use of music/sound - เกม
Thanks for this review, Luke! I've been really looking forward to this game, and can't wait to get my hands on it! Raiders of the North Sea, with both expansions, is my favorite worker placement game, so this game is right up my alley! I pre-ordered the game around Origins time, so I've been waiting patiently. Hopefully it releases soon! Thanks again!!!
Thanks for reviewing this! Loved Raiders and just got my kickstarter package for Architects so def looking forward to getting this played esp if you think it’s even better!
I'm a big fan of new twists on worker placement. Awesome to hear that you liked it so much; I'll be getting my copy played tonight, tomorrow, or Sunday.
Great style of review. Like the way you elaborate on each point you make. Also like how you discuss how easy this game is to teach as I have 3 teenagers with short attention spans. Will probably add this to the collection!
I found that the rules themselves weren't that complex to grasp. Stick to A sides first game.
What a nicely done all-around and really cohesive review! You got me excited to play TAotWK. Can't wait for it to arrive.
Thank you!
Good review. I like the review style. I just bought this myself so looking forward to it!
A really good review. Well structured and well elaborated on your key points.
Sons of Anarchy doesn't have worked recall at the end of rounds. It also has a timing split between moving to a location, and doing the action of that location, with other players able to move there and block you unless you either convince (bribe, threaten, etc) or you fight for it. It needs a higher player count to work otherwise that interaction is minimal, but a great game if you like a highly interactive worker placement game.
Just got my Kickstarter pledge yesterday. Looking forward to getting some solo plays in this weekend.
I agree with almost everything you said. I think this one will actually crack my top 10. I also really enjoy Raiders and I think I like this one more. I need a few more plays but pretty confident in that. I love how the game flows and that there is almost no downtime. And I loved the intro! :)
Heehee thanks! Out of curiosity, what did you not agree with? :-)
@@TheBrokenMeeple just the small nitpick. I feel the low virtue track is a viable win condition. I was one worker "placement" away from overtaking the leader in my last game and that was without climbing the cathedral track at all.
Oh it's viable, but I don't think it's beginner friendly. You have to be careful not to get frontloaded with a ton of debt.
The Holy Grail credits music at the beginning cracked me up. :)
Some intros work but mainly because of Monty Python!
The closest similarity to this flow is Simurgh. In Simurgh you either place one worker or you spend your turn to retrieve as many workers as you want. So Simurgh has no rounds either. Simurgh also has a similar end game trigger to Architects, where players can ensure either a short game or a long game depending on what locations they choose to use. Having played (and like) both, though, Architects is overall smoother.
Sounds similar, though maybe more similar to Manhattan Project. With Architects it's the fact that opponents can grab your workers and profit from it.
It doesn't include worker jail, but _Simurgh_ from NSKN does not have rounds most of the time (I think maybe only at game end, so everyone has the same number of turns). Each turn you must place one worker or recall one or more workers (and certain other events or actions will return them to you).
_Islebound_ from Red Raven does not have rounds most of the time (only at game end, so everyone has the same number of turns). You gain crew as you play. You don't really 'place' your workers, but various events can exhaust or injure (double exhaust -- must rest twice, basically) crew members. You can restore them to service (get them back on deck where you can use them again) by resting at certain locations (your home port, certain other ports).
Islebound I'm wanting to play that one! Red Raven usually won't let me down.
Great, now I might just have to get this one. Just when I said I was not buying any more worker placement games 😆
10!!!! Whoa! Ok, I need to play this.
I’ve only played it once; but in Notre Dame, I believe that workers don’t get recalled. Once you add them to a space, their effect is cumulative. However, you can move a worker freely to another space on a later turn. Also, the game does have rounds.
Notre Dame is the closest thing, which I've played, but yeah it's still pretty different from Architects.
It seems to me that the part of sending other players' workers to the prison for collecting rewards and have them being forced to bailed out has something in common with the mechanism of rewarding tile flipping for reviving resource production in Concordia, though the subjects of the bounty hunter and the action bail-out are possibly the same in the latter and the bail-out may have some spillover effect that benefits others.
Don't you DARE sir compare this to Concordia! Lol! 😂
I agree with the importance of being Virtuous, and also think that building the Cathedral is on the powerful side.
I got to the top of the Cathedral and finished third in a five player game. The person who was the least virtuous won. Maybe it was just our group, not sure...
I love the nod to Monty Python! Way to make architecture funny!
great review! this worth for solo only? its to easy?
Oh no it's a significant challenge.
It's a great game, and I didn't really like Raiders at all. This is so much better, the turns are super fluid like you said and our group had a blast throwing other people in jail. I also really like the asymmetrical player abilities and starting resources. It really gives you a strategy starting out. Just a fantastic game, very innovative.
Great review. how does this game scale with two?
I've enjoyed it equally with 2 players, but there's more tension for having people round up with more players. However there are some tweaks you can make by adding a bot player which works fine.
@@TheBrokenMeeple I've read that adding the solo opponent tightens things up a bit more. Whether you play with the normal or harder opponents. Saw Rhado run-through with it and seems to work well for more tension.
Yea it is definitely very had to win finishing in the bottom of virtue! But the game is designed that way, otherwise there would be high reward without any risk. The low virtue player needs to have a strategy to get out before the game ends!
Whereas the virtuous player trades the advantages of black market, tax stand, and not paying tax, for a points increase. No risk, small reward.
As a low virtue player, I think you can also manipulate when the black market resets happen, do it when opponents have lots of workers in jail, knocking them down a peg on the virtue track and giving at least one of them a debt.
As soon as I saw moose I knew what was coming.
He he yeah I wanted to give a heads up but then the music was also a giveaway. 😂
Will this be at PAX U?
I'd be surprised if it wasn't, but not being from America I wouldn't know.
Lovely nod to Monty Python... excited to play a new twist on worker placement.
Would be nice to see more pictures while you are talking
Usually did, but when I started the brief overview section, I felt enough pictures were there. it's a trial and error test run anyway before Season 3 begins.
With 1-3 players the game takes about 30 minutes. Crazy quick!
1 player maybe, but 2-3 yeah that's pushing it. The game shouldn't take longer than 90 minutes even with 4, but 30, that's like no thinking on any turn and that's just not happening in most realities.
@@TheBrokenMeeple our recent 3 player game took 38 minutes. There's not a lot of AP inducing brain burn in this game.
I would much rather have a big box! Raiders box is too small . when they released two expansions nothing fit in the original .. if you wanted it all to fit you had to buy a bigger box . it’s nice to have everything in one box! based off the reviews and success of this game, I can only imagine they will be releasing expansions. Also I hope this isn’t a thing company plan to do to make extra money ..
You make a good point about the expansions - I would like to hope that expansions for this will be kept small - i.e. just more cards, nothing bulky. Then it should be fine. Otherwise yeah make a bigger box, but I doubt that will happen.
My guess the expansions will have extra board and cards new tokens ect most likely the same size raiders .. that way the can bring it to ks charge 75$ plus shipping 👎🏿 oh and charge for a bigger box ;)
Sounds like there is already an expansion in works. If so, That's a huge plus. Received this the other day but have yet to get it to the table. It'll happen as I think this is a very interesting worker placement game. Something that I think my fiancée will enjoy. That said as mentioned before it's nice to read that there are already rumblings of an expansion.
Cool . I pre ordered a copy for my cousin for Christmas. He is a fan of raiders and euros I think he will like different twist on worker placement this offers .. I will eventually buy the game but will be glad to play his copy when he gets it :)
My hovercraft is full of eels
Carolingian era is like Medieval History 101 for 12 year olds...
I find the box too small lol because you know this company is going to make 5 expansions for this wonderful game :)
Targi has family members in jail 😊
Edit: I meant Istanbul. 😁
I did wonder about that as I almost grabbed Targi off my shelf to check! :P
Is it such a tall order to look for the meaning of the word? That you don’t know about the Carolingian Empire is already rough in the first place, but not bothering to take 5 seconds to google the word and realise it is actually not fictional?
And sure, it is possible to ignore this thematic layer of paint, but I don’t get this display of willingness to remain blissfully ignorant about the world.
Charlemagne (in Latin Carolus Magnus) became Emperor in 800. He was the first to be called this title in Western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire 400 years earlier. This event is considered the end of the dark ages period and Charlemagne, a founding father figure for both Germany and France - which emerged as distinct entities a few generations later.
I did enjoyed the review. You go deeper than average in your thoughts and comparisons.
Why is this guy’s accent half British and half American
I watch a lot of American shows. 😉
lose the background music
Really? Was it too loud or do you find it too distracting? It sounded boring to me without something to back it up.
Zap...what a wanker thing to say. Luke won’t say it because it’s his channel and he will be mindful not to alienate potential subscribers. But yeah, it’s not my channel so find some effing manners.
It's ok David, but thanks anyway. I'm perfectly fine with constructive criticism on the style of the vids, I'm after all looking at what to change for Season 3. I wanted to at least know the reason why though as opposed to a blanket statement.
Constructive being the key word. No problems and thanks for continuing to try new things and yes, I grew up with the Pythons so fully appreciated the nod to their comedic stylings