“Disaster,” “Heresy,” “Mongols,” and “Pope.” Not only a brilliant guess on Codenames but four of the evocative cards available to play in the new to Kickstarter game, Medieval.
“Medieval is the game where you wage war, unleash the plague, excommunicate the unworthy, and drive back the Mongol hordes. You know, fun 13th Century stuff.”
The game, set in the 13th century is, “built around warfare, skullduggery, and good old-fashioned ‘screw your neighbor’ gameplay.” It also features a Mongol Horde, and what game can’t be improved by the arrival of Ghengis Khan?
The Journey to Kickstarter: The Adventure Begins!
Like many of the best adventures, this Kickstarter journey started in an inn. Well, with beer.
Pete Gade has been playing Medieval for years. At games’ nights and conventions, he’d bring it out, much to the acclaim of his friends. With the current board game renaissance and the explosion in the availability of games with excellent quality components, Pete’s battered old copy was starting to look like something that had come out of the Dark Ages.
A few pints into a session, Pete and a group of friends decided the time had come to bring Medieval back up to date. They didn’t do what most gamers do after chewing the fat late into the night; go home and sleep it off. No. They tracked down the designer and bought the rights to the game. They decided to make their dream a reality and so, the company HGN was born.
If Kickstarter was built for anything, it is surely to allow people who are passionate about something the opportunity to share it with the world. For me, the Medieval project is the embodiment of what crowdfunding should be about.
What is Medieval?
Medieval is a board game for 3 – 5 players. Each player represents a shadowy cabal, bent on manipulating nations to gain control of Medieval Europe. It’s like the EU but with the Black Death rather than Nigel Farage. Games should last 90mins to 2hrs and involve strategy and skullduggery.
What are the available pledge levels?
The main thing you’re interested in is that $65 will bring you home the game. Pledge in the first 72 hrs and you can have it for $60. There’s no reason to delay! Shipping (in the US) is $12.
There are some stretch goals available too. These include 2 and 6 player variants, wooden ships, bigger board, and a felt pouch.
What’s in the box?
For that sort of pledge level, you’ll be expecting some cardboard for your cash. Don’t worry, Medieval has it. Inside the box, you’ll find:
- 18″ X 26″ Hard Mounted Map Board. This looks amazing and pretty warrants a shout of “Shut up and take my money!” all on its own.
- 75 Wooden Playing Pieces.
- 120 Counters – Including Disasters, Heresies, and Civil Wars.
- 130 Cards – Including the Mongol Horde!
- 10 Double-Sided Map Tiles.
- 20 Page Rule Book
- 5 Player Aids
How do you play the game?
Games of Medieval takes place on its beautiful map board. Not all of this map is available at the beginning of the game. It is revealed as players explore, using map cards. The central mechanic of the game is area control. Each province on the map, a player controls, gives them Florins. The person with the most Florins at the end of the game, wins.
Players manipulate things to their favor using a mix of power and event cards. Land grabs and assassinations are the order of the day. Some of you may even get to be Pope. If intrigue isn’t getting you where you want, it might be time to go all out for conquest.
Each turn has a myriad of decisions to be made. Whether it’s better to be subtle or direct is a constant question. Whatever you decide, make sure you keep a constant supply of Florins coming in. Money keeps the world turning in the 13th Century just as much as it does today.
As the game progresses, Mongol warriors arrive to take chunks out of the map. Fend them off or find yourself losing vital territory. Once the final Mongol horde has arrived the game is over. It’s time to count those Florins and declare the new ruler of Europe!
Why back Medieval?
If you like deep, thoughtful boardgames backing Medieval is a no-brainer. It’s a tried and tested game, updated for the modern gamer. It’s a work of passion, a labor of love. This is not a quickly made, poorly tested design. The people behind HGN and the Medieval Kickstarter are taking something they love and making it better. Who doesn’t want to be a part of something like that?
