No build-up play but an abstract logic game

There are already many reviews on Kingdom Builder, however, the somewhat controversial game of the year 2012. Interesting for potential buyers should be especially what you are getting with Kingdom Builder and why the game is so controversial. I want to describe the times in my view:

Kingdom Builder is a game with very simple rules: A map gives each round before on what kind of hexagon fields of the board I may put three settlement blocks. With the deft placement of settlements then you try to reach the changing and drawn at the beginning of game objectives - to put about as many settlements in a number or to build a large settlement area. Here a certain special help that you can get through the placement of settlements in certain fields. Are the settlements a player used up, the game ends and who has best achieved the objectives game (considering known as "Gold" in the game victory points) won.

Why is now a builder Kindom so controversial game?
In my opinion, it is because it is actually an abstract puzzle game, although the title and German subtitles "build your kingdom" actually implies the opposite. The theme - Ritter / settlements / UK - is however placed in a purely Kingdom Builder and was nowhere implemented by particularly apt acting mechanisms. Presumably, the game became an abstract puzzle game created with a board on which the fields just had 6 colors and one for ründlichen color specifications can hang chips on 5 of these colors. The issue was subsequently added artificially to the game (as a kind of successor Dominion) being able to sell better. So you wake but at the buyers a false expectation and risk that some will be disappointed.

As an abstract logic game Kingdom Builder is good, however, also has simple rules and a significant luck factor by dragging the landscape maps (which you can reduce by the way, if you break the rules always draw two cards and can choose one). The combination of these factors made it probably a logical candidate for the "Game of the Year". The extension "Nomads" makes the game a little better, but - above all by the new game objectives - even more complicated for younger players.

Conclusion: As a game of logic, it is good and deserves (especially with the extension Nomads) good 4 stars. As the promised topic has been processed, however, is annoying and often leads to safe disappointed expectations. There is at me a star deduction.