Varied game with small Weaknesses

CONTENT AND ORGANISATION

Kingdom Builder is a game for 2-4 players who play with either white, black, blue or orange tiles. Each player is dealt 40 tiles in house shape. There is also a scorer. The game board is in each round another: From a total of 8 pitches four pieces are selected and form the board of the current game. The pitches are made of hexagonal landscape fields. The optical proximity to "settlers" while that catches your eye. There are forests, meadows, flower, canyon and desert areas on which one can build his game pieces, and water fields (which can be occupied only in special cases, and even mountain fields that are not buildable. This landscape fields are rigidly predetermined, the variation is due to the combination. Each of the 8 Rinks in addition the landscape fields namely three so-called local and Burgfelderplatz.
On a local field are chips that allow a special trains. Each pitch but still has only one Ortsart. This means that out of the eight possible special trains there are only four that are eligible for the current game round is used.
As last game material there the cards - the one the ten "Kingdom Builder 'cards, set out the objectives of the round: three are selected or drawn, the other come aside; second, the terrain maps that are drawn to determine the rally, the player must make. The "Kingdom Builder 'cards have several jobs, so the game aim to bag as many points, can be achieved differently in each round and must.

Game play

Game play is simple. The player draws a terrain map. Now he has always put three of his pieces on the drawn landscape. He pulls out a desert, he must therefore make three pieces on three desert fields. The rule here: If the player is already a token in addition to a free desert landscape, it must build on this! If not, the player or not in addition to a free desert field, but he may otherwise try searching for somewhere on the board.
If the player next to a local field, he takes the place marker in the following game features offers him more building options. Examples: A harbor makes it possible to move a place on a water field, an oasis allows an additional construction on a desert field, a horse paddock allows the transfer of a coin by two landscapes (and here applies the pressure of having to stand next to the countryside, then not!). As already said, there are 8 different local fields, but only four in a game round. The aforementioned Burgfelderplatz bring any additional options, only points.

And that was it already. Man sets, makes its additional action (s), if any, and is ready. The next player's turn. This continues until one player has used his last tile, then just go the round ends, then is evaluated. And because you only have 40 tiles, there are only about 10-15 rounds, depending on how many additional trains makes a player like that.

FOR SCORING

This shows only after several rounds of play, how important can be a game strategy: It is now considered, how much "gold" (= points) were earned. Change the "Kingdom builders" cards that yes from round to round. So it may be that there are in this round points for settlements on mountains, settlements on water and settlements of town or castle fields. Sounds simple but is hakelig: The tough building regulations, it is not easy to spread evenly throughout. Here we will see who had the better game goals in mind (and who stretched the better land tiles - read more in the criticism). It gets really exciting when the orders contradict each other. So it can give points for each single detached settlement area and at the same time, over another order card points for the largest contiguous area of ​​settlement. Or as many settlements should be in a horizontal line, as well as many horizontal lines have at least one own settlement. As it is said in the run-up to keep the enemy in the eye, to thwart his plans and yourself as possible to focus on what can promise an even more points! Whoever has the most points wins nunmal.

ASSESSMENT AND REVIEW:

Kingdom Builder is fun! Some rounds seem simple - simple jobs, a pleasing game board; some seem impossible, the orders contradict each other, the board will help with its special fields little - and yet is just one challenge. Should we build for example contiguous settlement areas and places with each other, but no port field has available, the more difficult than if the port provides the opportunity to occupy and water fields.
One can but unfortunately really unlucky. Because one always has only one land tile per train, this can in a game turn mean sometimes that no strategy may rise, because you can not build in time to a field, which brings an even comes close in victory direction. We now have about 20 rounds behind us, and twice it came as a total failure in a player. (This is similar to the risk, if you hang in Australia and South America, but Europe and to liberate Africa - it's just not good.) On the other hand, it is still so that you can take advantage of many small tactics to his game strategy to success bring. If you just does not take the cards that you have, you have to make the best of it. Does not always work, but it's not chess, what you play here. The luck factor, however, is significantly higher than the already mentioned several times "settlers".
For Kingdom Builder is significantly varied by the different, varying in each round game objectives. Earn points, yes - but what does it this time points? To stand in many places, forming lines, or build as many individual settlement groups? And how do you create these groups, if you like the last time does not have the ability to easily enforce a settlement out of a series? This is what makes a lot of fun! The same board, but several orders, or same jobs, but another game board that will instantly make a different strategy is necessary. And what difference it makes whether the large water box is the game the edge or in the middle board, it shows only after several rounds of play.
This also makes the game a lot of fun for two - who plays with the "dealer and barbarians" extension of "settlers" a two-player game, will be remembered that that does not make a lot of fun. Here it is different.

Get little criticism on the edge, and thus a point deduction in the beauty rating but packaging, instructions and design. The color of the tiles may be a matter of taste, but why there are orange, not red? Why is there absurd large resealable plastic bag, rather than provide a nice pad for the game material in the lush cardboard? But but the cards are stable, the playing fields are made of solid cardboard. The game manual does not answer all questions exhaustively. For the special train options are super visualized - one has understood the principle, you no longer need because the instruction data sheets. (Personal note: The local field "tower", which allows to build a settlement at the edge of the game board, seems rather pointless, but that leads us too far.)

CONCLUSION

Kingdom Builder has to offer a lot of fun in spite of the factor luck. Especially the high variety, the rethinking of the strategy (both in direct comparison to the last round and during a running game, because you were still built over somewhere) and not escalating season contribute to make Kindgom Builder to an addictive game. Who quickly upset about the frustration when drawing cards, the game but should rather buy on offer than the normal price. Who does not have problems with the luck factor, but the play soon realize that it's a good idea to plan his next move carefully. Where there still a point or two rauszukitzeln? As I hau the opponent broke his plan? And I get the both back on a train? Not ??? Yes, what I decide then? Oh oh, and the pieces are slowly running out, many trains no longer stay ...
From me a strong buy recommendation.