The Old King's Crown

On first contact, The Old King's Crown can feel alienating: it is one of those games that does not go easy on players who do not yet know what the opposing factions can do. But as a fan of this kind of game, I found it fair and increasingly compelling as it revealed itself. After playing it on the trip, where gfilios brought it along and sent me into spending mode, my impression was that this is, in practice, the game I wanted Arcs to be.

Each player takes a different faction, with its own deck and distinct mechanisms. The central aim is to contest regions on the board by playing one card at a time. The cards are not merely numbers or tools for establishing presence on the map: they bring abilities with them, so each faction's deck also shapes how it approaches conflict.

The interaction is direct and can be very harsh. The assassins in particular can easily put off an inexperienced player; once you have taken that hit once and understand how to stop them, though, they stop feeling like an unfair trick. The game really takes off on the second and third plays, when everyone has an idea not only of their own faction, but also of the opposing decks and special powers.

My final verdict remains very positive: it is a very good game for a regular group, provided that group gives it the plays it needs to open up. It is not immediately welcoming, but its harshness has a logic to it and, for the most part, rewards knowledge.

Updated session

I came back for two back-to-back games, and the second was noticeably better than the first precisely because we all now broadly knew the asymmetric powers of every faction. The strong first impression not only held up, but was confirmed. After three plays, though, I want the expansion so the faction mix changes more and there is variety from game to game. Otherwise, I can see a risk of it becoming tiring, especially when certain power tiles are simply too disruptive for no obvious reason — such as the one that forces you to discard two cards.