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I applaud you for taking the audacious step of choosing a game that wasn't released in 2020 as one of your 50% Game of the Year. The King is Dead hadn't been on my radar, but now it is firmly ensconced on my wishlist. I love your videos.
Your videos have come a long way since you started the channel - this is one of those where the quality upgrade of just about every aspect is very palpable. Good job.
I am the owner of a VERY small collection. "The King is Dead" was the final game I allowed in, largely thanks to this review. My friends aren't too into board-games, so too many moving parts will overwhelm them, but we're all competitive thinkers, so we need those few parts to do a lot strategically. It needs to be able to seat all four of us when the time arises, and be very fun at 2 people. After 8 months, it's rare that I've played TKiD with more than two people, though I did remake the game-mode that came with the first addition to spice things up. It seems like a real flaw is that TKiD is rather predictable- We know how many cards another player has, we know how many regions are left and how they will turn if left untouched, and we see each-other's courts. It feels like we're trying to bluff with open hands. This is mitigated if turns are timed, but then it feels like the timer is stopping us from playing the game... I think I may need to replace it. We'll trying playing with hidden courts, first.
Several games in and YES, hidden courts does indeed make the game more fun! I made cute lil' shields using a spare deck of Bicycle cards. I have one more idea to improve the game involving drafting the advanced cards rather than randomly dispersing them. (I wrote four paragraphs about the advanced-cards problem and the inspiration for the solution, as well as the drafting method I have in mind, but my writing was deleted due to a mis-click...)
Late to the comment party, but just need to tell you guys thanks for this review of King is Dead. I was aware of it before, but didn't realise how interesting it was until your review. I was lucky enough to grab a copy and it has quickly become a favourite with my group. What a gem! Keep up the outstanding work you guys. I really appreciate it.
Thank you for bring The King is Dead to my attention. I've been interested in Pax Pamir 2E but I felt it's too complicated for me and my friends. This seems perfect. And the icing on the cake is that the original version of this is the inspiration for Cole Wehrle.
I bought The King is Dead based on this review. It was an instant hit with our group. Played thrice straight away. Theme and mechanics work together well to immerse players and inspire plenty of terrible accents around the table. Great review, thank ks.
The king is dead seems like a perfect boardgame for me and my friend. We mostly play 2p and we miss a game like this. It's cheap (on sale at half price right now) but soon going to be printed in Italian so unsure whether or not to wait for the deluxe edition. Decisions, decisions decisions! As always great games, great review and great video, I hope you are having a good start of 2021!
The King is Dead is one of my favourite games (played exclusively two-player so far) and the production of this edition is lovely. I'm so glad to see it getting some more attention thanks to this video.
I tried the king is dead and it is quite a weird game. You end up in a tie all the time and then whoever played last or first wins the game. I don't really like the mechanics of this game . What did you enjoy most playing this game ?
Just here to say that I was really puzzled by Elaine's choice and investigated further and oh boy thank you so much for putting it on my radar, what an incredible game The King is Dead is!
Been wanting to play the kings dilemma from the moment I've heard about it. Hadn't heard of the king is dead but it sounds interesting as well. Thank you for the great review
We established the rule that you have to cover the preview of the outcomes of the dilemmas so that you not only have to discuss which is "best" for the the kingdom, but also about what outcome the story card could possibly entail. It really endorses listening carefully to what the cards say and sparks your creativity à la: "I think submitting to a religion of golden sheep is a good idea because they will allow slavery and thus increase wealth!" "No they will just decrease our knowledgde because we'll get even more stupid!" The discussion about the possible outcome is just as good as the bidding iteself! Thanks for the video!
I wasn't really interested in The King is Dead until you mentioned Pax Pamir 2e, which I have only played once and is not my usual type of game (hence non-interest in TKID) but now I'll give it a try given the opportunity. Also, separately, if Airecon goes ahead this year will you be going? It was my best con experience last year... and only.
@@NoPunIncluded You are likely right, and I'd support that decision. I am not local to the area so probably won't be traveling until a vaccine is available to me anyway. But it was fantastic to see you guys there last year though!
The picture of The Welsh slayed me..."That's a Moray" “The breathest fresh of air”. More "oh boy" moments than the first season of Quantum Leap. And Grilled Cheese... This is why this is 50% the video of the year.
Does the King is Dead have another cover from the same publisher (Osprey Games)? I always overlooked the black box and thought about it as a GoT rip off. Does the black box also have the advanced rules? I'm putting it right now on my wishlist!
I would agree with your take mostly, I would love for a second game like this but with less emphasis on the symbols on the card and more on guessing the outcome based on the story text.
Oh holy shit, The King is Dead (first edition) is my favorite board game of all time - can't wait to ascend into the mainstream held aloft by a chorus of NPI angels.
NGL I like the look of The King is Dead, but the borders of that map peeve me no end. Northumbria stretches all the way to Kings Lynn but doesn't reach Alnwick? Strathclyde takes in Berwick but not Penrith? 'Devon' is the name of the region encompassing historic Wessek and West Sussex? Why did they draw the borders like this?
Are there any rules differences between The King Is Dead and its original version The King of Siam? The King of Siam was amazing, a knife fight in a phone booth. Edit - Having watched to the end, it seems the advanced mode is the new addition to the game system.
The King is Dead has been one of my favorite games for many years. In the first edition, I love the King Arthur theme. Losing to the Saxon invasion or having the game immediately end when Mordred's loyalists win a power struggle can truly change the decision you have to make. The shift to a French invasion seems interesting, do you feel the change is enough to pick up the 2nd edition? I admit I adore the edition I have.
Little late to the comment section, but wanted to blab a bit about King's Dilemma. TL;DR -it wasn't as good as we wanted it to be, but we'd definitely play a second version. We really liked the bidding mechanics, moment-to-moment gameplay, and the story threads, but were disappointed when the story threads didn't weave themselves into a coherent tapestry (tricky to do with branching narratives, of course). The most serious complaint about the gameplay was that the mechanics worked against the roleplaying: we wanted to roleplay our houses / our positions on the dilemmas better so as to not focus purely on the mechanics, but were constantly forced to admit that story was taking a backseat to mechanics. We didn't have the sense that "it's just like politics," as Efka said, but rather "it's just like playing a bidding game." But in a way it speaks to success of a design that at least got close to the Holy Grail of rping. In any case, we were thrilled, as people are, to open envelopes and find more surprises, and for the most part the designers pulled off an incredibly difficult challenge (not the least of which was keeping five players happily playing the same campaign for 13 sessions).
The King is Dead seems a lot like 8-minute Empire Legends; limited money/moves, cube to add/move, small areas, various ways to win... Colour me intrigued!
Owning both of them I can tell you that they feel very different. The fact that "the king is dead" gives all players the same cards, makes it more a tactical card game with the board just representing the current status of power and control. "8 minute empires legends" feels a lot more like area control (plus set collection)
König von Siam (2007) is a fantastic game with some fascinating history behind it. Every subsequent edition of the game has become more generic and added more superfluous elements, but it is still a great game. 👍
@@mikolajwitkowski8093 Right here! Two teens and a spouse at home regularly playing 4 player games. With the pandemic on we've actually been playing MORE games together which is fantastic for me (they're not all as gung-ho for board games as I am). But I sympathize for those without a built-in gaming group.
The King Is Dead reminds me of the game King of Siam. Edit: I commented that a few minutes into the review of King is Dead....hehehe. Now that I finished the review I see....
Still trying to find a group to play Kings Dilemma!! Until then... Yeah I’m gonna need to get The King is Dead. I’m a HUGE pax pamir and Root fan, so this is hype.
I would love to play The King is Dead, it looks like a fantastic game! Sadly it's not the type of game my group would enjoy and the theme is unappealing.
I feel like the Kings Dilemma is just multiplayer Reign (the mobile game). Maybe in the board game sphere it's innovative, but as someone who has played (and loved) Reign. Kings Dilemma is good, but feels SUPER derivative to me.
I think this is massively underestimating The King's Dilemma. Reigns was a fine funny game that I enjoyed, but integrating a genius multiplayer bidding system is what really gives this game legs. Think of it this way, if someone shows you a car for the first time, you're not gonna say: "thanks, I've heard about bicycles - they're fine."
And I think that post severely underestimates Reigns :) Adding a Kill Doctor Lucky push your luck as a bidding mechanic is a great way to create winners and losers. Again, I think Kings Dilemma is a good game, but there is nothing in that box I haven't seen before. I'm only talking on the calls of innovation, not execution. The execution is great.
This video is sponsored by Skillshare. The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/nopunincluded01211
Would you say re-potting a 🌵 is... Prickly 🤪
“The breathest fresh of air” this is why I am subscribed
Came here to say this.
Ditto. I backed up to make sure I heard it right :D
I just joined you guys. First vid, instant subscription!
I applaud you for taking the audacious step of choosing a game that wasn't released in 2020 as one of your 50% Game of the Year. The King is Dead hadn't been on my radar, but now it is firmly ensconced on my wishlist. I love your videos.
Your videos have come a long way since you started the channel - this is one of those where the quality upgrade of just about every aspect is very palpable. Good job.
I am the owner of a VERY small collection. "The King is Dead" was the final game I allowed in, largely thanks to this review. My friends aren't too into board-games, so too many moving parts will overwhelm them, but we're all competitive thinkers, so we need those few parts to do a lot strategically. It needs to be able to seat all four of us when the time arises, and be very fun at 2 people. After 8 months, it's rare that I've played TKiD with more than two people, though I did remake the game-mode that came with the first addition to spice things up. It seems like a real flaw is that TKiD is rather predictable- We know how many cards another player has, we know how many regions are left and how they will turn if left untouched, and we see each-other's courts. It feels like we're trying to bluff with open hands. This is mitigated if turns are timed, but then it feels like the timer is stopping us from playing the game... I think I may need to replace it. We'll trying playing with hidden courts, first.
Several games in and YES, hidden courts does indeed make the game more fun! I made cute lil' shields using a spare deck of Bicycle cards. I have one more idea to improve the game involving drafting the advanced cards rather than randomly dispersing them. (I wrote four paragraphs about the advanced-cards problem and the inspiration for the solution, as well as the drafting method I have in mind, but my writing was deleted due to a mis-click...)
Late to the comment party, but just need to tell you guys thanks for this review of King is Dead. I was aware of it before, but didn't realise how interesting it was until your review. I was lucky enough to grab a copy and it has quickly become a favourite with my group. What a gem! Keep up the outstanding work you guys. I really appreciate it.
NPI's game of 2020:
50% a game from 2019 and 50% a 2nd edition of a reskin. Top work! 😋
The quality of your videos is just fantastic! You got my sub after just minutes of watching my first video of your channel!
Wow what a fantastic channel, can’t believe yt algorithm has never recommended it to me despite, wasting so much time watching other bg channels!
I see what you did there...lauded two games with "King" in the title, featured a (THE) Queen album in the background. God save the NPI!
It's the only Queen I accept.
Thank you for bring The King is Dead to my attention. I've been interested in Pax Pamir 2E but I felt it's too complicated for me and my friends. This seems perfect. And the icing on the cake is that the original version of this is the inspiration for Cole Wehrle.
I bought The King is Dead based on this review. It was an instant hit with our group. Played thrice straight away. Theme and mechanics work together well to immerse players and inspire plenty of terrible accents around the table. Great review, thank ks.
"That's A Moray" 🤣🤣🤣 That's good 😆
The king is dead seems like a perfect boardgame for me and my friend. We mostly play 2p and we miss a game like this. It's cheap (on sale at half price right now) but soon going to be printed in Italian so unsure whether or not to wait for the deluxe edition. Decisions, decisions decisions!
As always great games, great review and great video, I hope you are having a good start of 2021!
The King is Dead is one of my favourite games (played exclusively two-player so far) and the production of this edition is lovely. I'm so glad to see it getting some more attention thanks to this video.
I tried the king is dead and it is quite a weird game. You end up in a tie all the time and then whoever played last or first wins the game. I don't really like the mechanics of this game . What did you enjoy most playing this game ?
"Welsh cubes" is a treat I'll have to try if I ever go there.
It's like Welsh rarebit in that it's not what it sounds like. They're actually just tetrahedrons.
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, thats a-moray!!!!!
When an eel lunges out and it bites off your snout that's a moray!!!
Pretty sure we all got that already, but thanks just in case someone didn't.
When your lips start to feel like you're kissing an eel, that's a moray!
This makes a Spider Robinson fan happy
@@johnathanrhoades7751 When the jaws open wide and there's more jaws inside that's a moray!
All bow before the mighty house of Smodney-Rith!
Never to be confused with that evil house of Rodney Smith, just plain evil house ignore them.
Glad you enjoyed the King is Dead and particularly please you liked the advanced mode!
I got The King is Dead after listening to your review on the podcast. I thought it might end up being your game of the year. Can't wait to play it!
Every time I think they made a video I will enjoy, I’m right.
Just here to say that I was really puzzled by Elaine's choice and investigated further and oh boy thank you so much for putting it on my radar, what an incredible game The King is Dead is!
Awesome episode we’re gonna have to check out these games for sure!
As a beekeeper, I cannot see the point in Elaine's criticism of The King's Dilemma.
What a great review! I didn't know "The King Is Dead" either. -> Backed a german edition right now on Spieleschmiede. Itś already funded. :)
Smodney Rith, brilliant
i thought it would be Sleeping Gods - I like the "dueling pianos" approach to this review. Nice job, guys.
Sleeping Gods was released in 2021
The king is dead - will it work to play with 4 players all-against-all instead team mode?
Been wanting to play the kings dilemma from the moment I've heard about it.
Hadn't heard of the king is dead but it sounds interesting as well.
Thank you for the great review
We established the rule that you have to cover the preview of the outcomes of the dilemmas so that you not only have to discuss which is "best" for the the kingdom, but also about what outcome the story card could possibly entail. It really endorses listening carefully to what the cards say and sparks your creativity à la: "I think submitting to a religion of golden sheep is a good idea because they will allow slavery and thus increase wealth!" "No they will just decrease our knowledgde because we'll get even more stupid!"
The discussion about the possible outcome is just as good as the bidding iteself!
Thanks for the video!
I wasn't really interested in The King is Dead until you mentioned Pax Pamir 2e, which I have only played once and is not my usual type of game (hence non-interest in TKID) but now I'll give it a try given the opportunity. Also, separately, if Airecon goes ahead this year will you be going? It was my best con experience last year... and only.
I don't see any way how AireCon could go ahead.
@@NoPunIncluded You are likely right, and I'd support that decision. I am not local to the area so probably won't be traveling until a vaccine is available to me anyway. But it was fantastic to see you guys there last year though!
The King is Dead sounds amazing, just hit my radar in a big way.
Super choice ! Loving it to the moon and back x
That video.. much sooner than I expected!
"But that would be stupid." LoL Brutal honesty is something that the rest of the world could use more of.
The picture of The Welsh slayed me..."That's a Moray" “The breathest fresh of air”. More "oh boy" moments than the first season of Quantum Leap. And Grilled Cheese...
This is why this is 50% the video of the year.
Stock.. cubes... Gravy was a pretty good double entendre too though. Especially since 'gravy' or 'Its all gravy' is slang for 'it's all good'
thank you for calling me wonderful :)
Does the King is Dead have another cover from the same publisher (Osprey Games)? I always overlooked the black box and thought about it as a GoT rip off. Does the black box also have the advanced rules? I'm putting it right now on my wishlist!
The first edition with different darker artwork does not have the advanced rules. That was added for the second edition.
I love the king is dead, but I can never play it more than once at any given evening. The game is not long, but causes my brain to burn every time. :)
I would agree with your take mostly, I would love for a second game like this but with less emphasis on the symbols on the card and more on guessing the outcome based on the story text.
I just played it last night on tabletop 3x's in a row. Amazing game. I couldn't stop thinking about it while I tried to sleep. Great recommendation
I really laughed at your goldfish analogy! It's a good one!
"The breathest fresh of air"? nice.
Will King is Dead fit in my collection if Condottierre already hits the table quite often?
I feel like I haven't watched NPI since last year!
This channel is gold.
When can we expect your next Arkham
Horror LCG video?
Will you be reviewing Nemesis?
Is the first edition good enough now there is a second?
Man, i love your haircut!
Woman, i love your dungarees!
Thanks for entertaining video :)
i was convinced to buy the king is dead because of this and found it new for 21 euros, big yay.
Is that a Roots Manuva reference at 0:46???
It's a Rodney Smith reference.
Oh holy shit, The King is Dead (first edition) is my favorite board game of all time - can't wait to ascend into the mainstream held aloft by a chorus of NPI angels.
Also, now that it's back in print, I can stop awkwardly hoarding a second copy in case the other one is destroyed in a pub related incident. Yaay.
You won me over with a flying baguette!
Both of your choices are fantastic.
NGL I like the look of The King is Dead, but the borders of that map peeve me no end. Northumbria stretches all the way to Kings Lynn but doesn't reach Alnwick? Strathclyde takes in Berwick but not Penrith? 'Devon' is the name of the region encompassing historic Wessek and West Sussex? Why did they draw the borders like this?
Great review!
Britain I miss you!
Greetings from Germany.
Ahh great album on display..great taste and great album.
It's Queen - A Night at the Opera
Are there any rules differences between The King Is Dead and its original version The King of Siam? The King of Siam was amazing, a knife fight in a phone booth.
Edit - Having watched to the end, it seems the advanced mode is the new addition to the game system.
Ah yes, Smodney Rith, the house of tabletop fame.
Great video! Wasn't expecting that! I'll have to try The King is Dead now, the production is looking super neat!
Cool games and great video as always
That's a-morey
Haze Amaze!
Found the King Is Dead the other day and it instantly went on my wishlist
Everything you said about The King is Dead made me think it would go over well with Tammany Hall fans.
Great reviews
The King is Dead has been one of my favorite games for many years.
In the first edition, I love the King Arthur theme. Losing to the Saxon invasion or having the game immediately end when Mordred's loyalists win a power struggle can truly change the decision you have to make.
The shift to a French invasion seems interesting, do you feel the change is enough to pick up the 2nd edition?
I admit I adore the edition I have.
Does the previous version have the asymmetrical cards?
It does not.
Little late to the comment section, but wanted to blab a bit about King's Dilemma. TL;DR -it wasn't as good as we wanted it to be, but we'd definitely play a second version. We really liked the bidding mechanics, moment-to-moment gameplay, and the story threads, but were disappointed when the story threads didn't weave themselves into a coherent tapestry (tricky to do with branching narratives, of course). The most serious complaint about the gameplay was that the mechanics worked against the roleplaying: we wanted to roleplay our houses / our positions on the dilemmas better so as to not focus purely on the mechanics, but were constantly forced to admit that story was taking a backseat to mechanics. We didn't have the sense that "it's just like politics," as Efka said, but rather "it's just like playing a bidding game." But in a way it speaks to success of a design that at least got close to the Holy Grail of rping. In any case, we were thrilled, as people are, to open envelopes and find more surprises, and for the most part the designers pulled off an incredibly difficult challenge (not the least of which was keeping five players happily playing the same campaign for 13 sessions).
Thank you GREAT review that got me a few big laugh, aaahhh Ze French ! carry on! ( like ze movie)
The King is Dead seems a lot like 8-minute Empire Legends; limited money/moves, cube to add/move, small areas, various ways to win... Colour me intrigued!
Owning both of them I can tell you that they feel very different. The fact that "the king is dead" gives all players the same cards, makes it more a tactical card game with the board just representing the current status of power and control.
"8 minute empires legends" feels a lot more like area control (plus set collection)
'that's a Moray' oh my
König von Siam (2007) is a fantastic game with some fascinating history behind it. Every subsequent edition of the game has become more generic and added more superfluous elements, but it is still a great game. 👍
I have a genuine question here. How many times do you guys, in particular, play a game in order do to a review about it?
Thank you. I'm going to buy both now. Just... NOW.
Got the Quantum Leap reference. Why is that robed figure over there carrying a scythe?
Haha what happened to Ireland in this map? 😂 I can't unsee it now that I've noticed it. Looks like a very nice game though I'm stoked.
So when a moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie... that's not Moray?
I don't know anyone who could even play a 3-5 player game in 2020 unfortunately.
@@mikolajwitkowski8093 Right here! Two teens and a spouse at home regularly playing 4 player games. With the pandemic on we've actually been playing MORE games together which is fantastic for me (they're not all as gung-ho for board games as I am). But I sympathize for those without a built-in gaming group.
Can't wait to watch this!
I love both games, happy with that result 😁
The King Is Dead reminds me of the game King of Siam.
Edit: I commented that a few minutes into the review of King is Dead....hehehe. Now that I finished the review I see....
I like the review... but i like the dog more :)
You convinced me! I just bought it from BGG. Sort of.
Is it Pipeline?
Very good.
I'm French and I approve this message.
Funny thing: Peer Sylvester has only 7 games rated a perfect 10 on bgg - 1 of which are The Kings Dilemma.
WEIRD STUFF!
Nice on the quantum leap joke
Still trying to find a group to play Kings Dilemma!! Until then...
Yeah I’m gonna need to get The King is Dead.
I’m a HUGE pax pamir and Root fan, so this is hype.
Isn't the king's dilemma a re-release? If so that kind of muttle things, with so many reprint out and about.
There's no prior edition if that's what you mean, but it is technically a 2019 game.
@@Arrowstorm122 yeah, I played it in 2019.
Wonderful, as always. I missed The King is Dead, and as I play many titles with just my girlfriend, I appreciate your 2-player thoughts!
Own it. Agree completely!!!
I would love to play The King is Dead, it looks like a fantastic game! Sadly it's not the type of game my group would enjoy and the theme is unappealing.
The King's Dilemma AND The King is Dead? NPI are staunch monarchists confirmed!
+1 Like for Smodny-Rith gag
Really shocked no Jaws of the Lion
I have repotted a cactus.
Very sold on King is Dead this looks like my dream game
I feel like the Kings Dilemma is just multiplayer Reign (the mobile game). Maybe in the board game sphere it's innovative, but as someone who has played (and loved) Reign. Kings Dilemma is good, but feels SUPER derivative to me.
I think this is massively underestimating The King's Dilemma. Reigns was a fine funny game that I enjoyed, but integrating a genius multiplayer bidding system is what really gives this game legs. Think of it this way, if someone shows you a car for the first time, you're not gonna say: "thanks, I've heard about bicycles - they're fine."
And I think that post severely underestimates Reigns :) Adding a Kill Doctor Lucky push your luck as a bidding mechanic is a great way to create winners and losers. Again, I think Kings Dilemma is a good game, but there is nothing in that box I haven't seen before. I'm only talking on the calls of innovation, not execution. The execution is great.
Crap, I got the Osprey edition last year (well, last-last-year). I'd love to try those advanced cards!