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| City of Kings | |
|---|---|
| Title | City of Kings |
| Designer | * Frédéric Guérard |
| Illustrator | * Iñaki Miranda |
| Publisher | * Tasty Minstrel Games |
| Players | 1–4 |
| Playing time | 60–120 minutes |
| Release date | 2018 |
| Genre | Cooperative board game, Scenario-based, Campaign |
City of Kings is a cooperative scenario-driven board game combining exploration, tactical combat, and campaign progression. Designed by Frédéric Guérard and illustrated by Iñaki Miranda, the game places a small band of heroes into a modular map where they confront monsters, complete quests, and improve abilities over multiple sessions. It aims to bridge influences from legacy campaigns such as Gloomhaven, Descent: Journeys in the Dark, and classic tabletop traditions like Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer Fantasy Battle.
City of Kings casts players as individual heroes drawn from archetypes familiar to fans of Pathfinder, Shadowrun, and The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. The structure emphasizes a persistent campaign similar to Legacy of Dragonholt and Pandemic Legacy: Season 1, while mechanically relating to tile-based exploration found in Mansions of Madness and Mage Knight Board Game. Scenarios use modular map setup evocative of HeroQuest and Tales of the Arabian Nights, incorporating narrative events akin to Arkham Horror: The Card Game and mission objectives comparable to XCOM: The Board Game. The cooperative framework echoes design patterns from Forbidden Stars and Space Hulk: Death Angel.
Gameplay in City of Kings revolves around scenario setup, action selection, and resource management influenced by systems from Twilight Imperium and Scythe. Players choose actions such as move, craft, heal, and attack, paralleling the tactical decisions in Gloomhaven and Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition). Combat resolution uses dice and token mechanics reminiscent of Star Wars: Imperial Assault and probability elements seen in The Resistance: Avalon and Risk Legacy. Character progression borrows campaign upgrade concepts from Descent, Zombicide, and Kingdom Death: Monster, allowing permanent enhancements similar to Betrayal Legacy features. Exploration tiles are revealed during play like in Betrayal at House on the Hill and The 7th Continent, with event decks recalling Dead of Winter and Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island.
The game supports solo play and cooperative groups up to four, reflecting trends in Aeon's End and Spirit Island. Scenario objectives range from rescue missions to boss battles comparable to confrontations in Descent and Gloomhaven, while logistics such as inventory and time pressure evoke This War of Mine: The Board Game and Frostpunk: The Board Game. Tactical positioning and area control relate to maneuvers in Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team and Krosmaster Arena.
City of Kings was developed amid rising consumer interest in campaign-driven tabletop experiences highlighted by titles from Cephalofair Games and CMON Limited. Frédéric Guérard worked with publisher Tasty Minstrel Games and artist Iñaki Miranda, joining a lineage of designers influenced by Isaac Childres and Rob Daviau. The game underwent crowdfunding and preproduction similar to projects on Kickstarter and distribution patterns matching Asmodee-distributed launches. It released in 2018 into markets shared by hobby retailers like Games Workshop stockists and online outlets such as Amazon (company) and specialty stores participating in Gen Con and Spiel conventions. Post-release support followed practices used by Fantasy Flight Games and FryxGames in issuing errata and promotional scenarios.
Critical response compared City of Kings to landmark cooperative titles like Gloomhaven and Pandemic Legacy, noting its accessibility relative to heavier systems from Kingdom Death: Monster while maintaining campaign depth akin to Descent expansions. Reviewers from outlets referencing BoardGameGeek community discussions praised artwork in the tradition of Kevin Wilson-designed packaging and the clarity of components paralleling Sierra Madre Games products. Critics highlighted solo mode parity with group play, an approach also lauded in Mage Knight Board Game reviews. Some commentary referenced pacing and difficulty balance concerns similar to debates around Nemesis and Dark Souls: The Board Game.
Following the base release, expansions and revised editions adopted strategies similar to supplemental content for Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion and deluxe upgrades offered by Fantasy Flight Games for core lines like Arkham Horror. Add-ons included new hero classes, additional scenarios, and component upgrades comparable to expansion models used by Z-Man Games and Plaid Hat Games. Some retail-exclusive editions mirrored marketing tactics of Wizards of the Coast and boxed expansions parallel to those released for Descent: Journeys in the Dark.
City of Kings contributed to the surge of cooperative campaign titles alongside Gloomhaven, Pandemic Legacy, and Descent: Road to Legend, influencing subsequent indie designers and publishing trends at events like Origins Game Fair and UK Games Expo. Its blending of accessible mechanics with campaign persistence informed discussions in communities around BoardGameGeek, academic game design symposia such as those hosted by MIT Game Lab, and design essays similar to works by Jamey Stegmaier and Eric Lang. Collectors and players cite City of Kings in archival lists along with HeroScape and Talisman as part of an evolution in cooperative, narrative-driven tabletop gaming.
Category:Board games