Kingdom Builder

Yes, Kingdom Builder is a blast from the past. It has that slightly odd feeling of a game that is not entirely sure what it wants to be, yet that uncertainty never weighs it down at the table. It ends up being fun: an honest puzzle that does not wear you out — and honestly, that is valuable.

At its core, the experience rests on simplicity: the choices remain easy to read, and the game does not smother you under layers of procedure. Rather than constantly asking you to remember exceptions and little rules, it lets you focus on the puzzle in front of you.

Interaction comes mainly from the shared table and from the way other players’ decisions shape the space available for your own choices, without making the game tiring or aggressive. It is one of those light games that moves along clearly and briskly, without requiring an entire teaching ritual before you can begin.

The Big Box edition I bought is its major strength as an object, though: it contains so many variants that you can play it to death without feeling as though you are replaying the exact same game. It is honest value for money, although I would like the way the various expansions are mixed together to be a little more organised. At a time when quite a few social and light games are excessively overengineered, this fresh simplicity feels almost luxurious. A summer pick, especially when it comes to reading and explaining the rules.