Paladins of the West Kingdom

Paladins of the West Kingdom is an interesting addition to the West Kingdom series: heavier than my beloved Architects, with more of a sense that I am building an entire career. In my first encounters with it, though, it felt a little more predictable and repetitive than I wanted.

At the heart of the game is my journey through the 12 paladins that will appear. The order in which they arrive strongly affects how my career develops and which directions feel most natural each time. That gives the game structure, but for a game that feels almost luck-free to me, it sat a little awkwardly that this order could shape the outcome so heavily.

Interaction was not the part that stayed with me most; my experience was mainly a personal effort to make the best possible use of the path the paladins opened up for me. That is why, after a certain point, the game could feel predictable: I could see an efficient route and felt that I was simply following it again.

So at first I regarded it as an appealing game for another three or four plays, but not as the contender that would knock Architects off its throne for me. It is heavier, certainly, and it is interesting, but it had not won me over completely.

Updated session

The later play changed that impression substantially. I had played it long ago with a group that had not really grasped its point, and even on my next play it had merely seemed better rather than exciting. Last time, perhaps helped a little by the tomes as well, I saw that it is not as dry as it first appears and that it has plenty of “karate.” It was easily my best experience of the trilogy, everyone at the table liked it, and I now definitely want to play it again this year.