Viscounts of the West Kingdom

With three of the four games in Tomesaga already on a path to victory, it was finally time to open Viscounts of the West Kingdom. I do not know how we had left it untouched for so long—probably because I had moved it into the second sub-vault, where games do not merely get stored but practically vanish. Bringing it back to the table, though, was one of those pleasant surprises that makes you wonder why you waited so long.

At its core is a distinctive modified rondel. Moving through the regions puts cards and options in front of you, but each region does not offer the same things every time. That variability introduces a fair amount of luck into the equation without cancelling out the cleverness of the system. On the contrary, it creates some very satisfying moments and tasteful decisions.

The other side of that instability is that it is not easy to plan your next turn with confidence. By the time your turn comes around again, the board may have changed completely and the cards available in the regions may be different. So interaction mainly comes through this constant reshaping of the shared space: even if you are a hotshot heavy-euro player, you will have to down tools a little in the face of how quickly the situation shifts.

Despite that difficulty with long-term planning, Viscounts left me with an excellent impression. For me, it is without question the best game in the West Kingdom series. We will definitely revisit it as a standalone game with its expansion, although Tomesaga in general probably works better without expansions.