Bidmeadman's Besties: July

The Duke (Catalyst Game Labs) is a 2-player strategy game with a feudal theme and a timeless, classic feel.

The game is played on a 6x6 square grid, with each player having a set of double-sided wooden Troop tiles. The Troop tiles each display an abstract pattern indicating its move set.

Both players start the game with the same three tiles; one Duke and two Footmen. These are placed on the board, and then on a turn a player can either draw a new tile randomly from their bag and place it adjacent to their Duke, or move one of their tiles already on the board according to that tile's move set.

After a tile is moved it is flipped over. As mentioned before each tile is double-sided, and the two sides have slightly varied move sets. This means a tile's movement changes back and forth between two configurations with each placement.

When a Troop tile moves in to a space occupied by an enemy Troop that Troop is captured and is removed from play. The game is won as soon as a player captures the opponent's Duke.

There is a good variety of movement between the pieces. Some can simply move a few squares in a direction, some can jump over other pieces, some can slide across the board however many squares the player wishes in one direction, some can strike other pieces without moving, some can move other pieces. Often a piece can do a number of these things.

It's an abstract strategy game that feels like it's been around for centuries. An understandably common comparison is Chess. The difference in The Duke is that you can't plan too far in advance as the tiles are drawn randomly, so you have to think on your feet and adjust your strategy according to what you draw and what it adds to your tiles already in play. This is one of the reasons I am so fond of The Duke. I'm not very good at Chess as I'm not good at coming up with long term strategies, but each game of The Duke is different due to each sequence of tiles in each game being different.

The rulebook lists variations of play/alternative objectives you can try once familiar with the basic game. There are capture the flag type games you can play using the Flag tiles included in the game. There are games that pit one particular Troop against several other Troops. There are games that require you to win by earning points through specific objectives.

There are also enhanced tiles that can be included in the basic game rules to add variety and extra strategy. The Dragon for instance is a neutral tile that attacks Troops if they come within range of it. One of its sides is vulnerable however, and although it can't be captured, attacking it makes it more aggressive and lash out. So the right positioning and timing can be used to a player's advantage to create problems for the opponent.


The basic rules on their own bring plenty of replayability, but the inclusion of the other variations of play and bonus tiles means The Duke will be back on the table again and again.

They even include a couple of blank tiles and sheets of customisation stickers so you can create your own Troops.

The Duke is a fantastic game; the tile drawing fills each game with anticipation; the multiple move sets and variety of movement makes each game unique, varied and exciting. Each game is often quite short - usually around 20-30 minutes, depending on a player's analysis paralysis. Although never feeling too short, it always makes you want to try again and see which tiles show up next. This also makes it a good warm-up game or a game to play while waiting for your group to arrive.

The Duke is a modern game with a timeless feel that more than earns its place among the Besties. It's length and accessibility make it an easy choice when looking for a solid two player game, and you'll probably be playing the basic game for ages before you even think about including things like the Dragon or the Mountain. And then there's the alternate objectives/variations of play to explore. And the customizable tiles! There's plenty to explore and experiment with, but at the heart of The Duke there is a solid, fun, satisfying strategy game that feels familiar yet unique.

Do you have an opinion on The Duke? Do you know of any other abstract strategy games I should check out? Let me know here or on Twitter.

Castles Of Mad King Ludwig

If you want to know a bit more about how Castles Of Mad King Ludwig (Bezier Games) plays before reading this post go here.

I'll tell you right now what I think of this game - I absolutely love it!

I keep playing it, and the more I play it the more fulfilling it becomes. A few of us have found ourselves half way through a game and saying to each other "I can't wait to play this again!". It takes a special game to want to play your next game while you're already playing. Building a castle in itself is satisfying, but the room pricing mechanic, with the Master Builder setting the prices and collecting the money the other players then spend on the rooms adds a depth to the strategy and a nice level of player interaction that could've easily been lacking.

I've played several games with each player count (1-4) and I can't decide which I prefer. Playing it solo takes out a big part of the fun: the Contract board. If you are the only one buying room tiles then there's not much point setting the prices for yourself. In a solo game the prices for the rooms are set randomly based on the drawing of the cards. Fun can still be had building your own castle, and the rulebook lists score milestones to reach in an attempt to add a challenge to playing it on your own. The bonus cards (Utility cards) are still included in solo play, but the Favors become obsolete.

At the start of the game each player is given three Utility cards - two of which they can keep - and more Utility cards can be collected by "completing" Utility rooms (more on completing rooms later). Utility cards give you extra points at the end of the game for specific things. For instance, one card might give you 1 point for each square shaped room you have in your castle at the end of the game. Another might give you 8 points if your castle has at least one of every type of room in it at the end of the game.


Favors are similar to Utility cards in that they give you extra points at the end of the game. However, Favors add a little more direct competition. The Favors are placed on the Contract board above the room tiles for all to see. Above them are point amounts for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th . So, one Favor might display square rooms; the player with the most square rooms in his/her castle at the end of the game will score 8 points, the player with the second most scores 4 points, and so on. This injects a little healthy competition and further spices up the pricing step, as players have a better idea at a glance what rooms their opponents might be aiming for.

Rooms are worth points for simply building them, but also points can be gained or lost based on which rooms are adjacent to each other. Finally, each type of room has a completion bonus. When every doorway of a room in your castle leads into another room that room is complete. Once this happens you gain the completion bonus for that room. These range from taking an extra turn, to collecting extra money, to re-scoring the completed room. A good game relies on utilising all methods of point scoring (makes sense, doesn't it) to get the maximum points during a turn and also to build up lots of points at the end of the game. You can find yourself creating satisfying little combos; placing a room and scoring the centre room bonus, but at the same time completing a room which lets you take an extra turn, which allows you to buy and build another room, which means you complete another room and score another completion bonus. You get the picture. It's fun!

I would've assumed that the game would be more fun the more players you have, but Castles works great with two players. It still remains challenging, and the game time seems to be exponentially shorter with 2 than with 3 or 4, at least with the games I've played so far.

Castles may look complicated (at least that's what I've been told by people who have sat down to play their first game) but it's actually really simple to play. The challenge comes with setting room prices and capitalising on the many methods of scoring points. Once the rules are explained and a new player has begun to play you can actually see the realisation dawn on them that: 1. The game is actually quite simple; 2. There's an exciting amount of ways to score points; and 3. Laying down rooms and seeing your castle take shape is a surprisingly joyful experience!

   

I've reached the end of a game of Castles and spent time before packing it back in the box just sitting and admiring the layout of my castle. Building each unique, wacky castle layout is so much fun. Figuring out where you're going to slot the next awkwardly shaped room in to your growing masterpiece surely shouldn't be this exciting? I swear there have been times when I've thought do I put this room over here where it'll score more, or over there where it'll look better? They have been tough decisions! 

It took at lot of planning to get these two Cabinets side-by-side.

The game feels nicely streamlined, and the simplicity makes room for strategy and fun. Each turn you just buy a room, and also set the prices if you're the Master Builder. Even on your first playthrough your brain's not over-loaded with rules and turn sequences and such. It's just about making awesome castles and getting the most points for your money. And in that it manages to be really fun and satisfying.

I think Castles Of Mad King Ludwig is one of the most fun games I've played. While there are strategies to develop and things to learn in order to pull off a decent win, it's immediately fun. It doesn't make you earn it through try-harding and repeated play, the fun is just there straight away to grab hold of. And within that fun there is still competition and conflict and progression and technique. It is a game that I will be playing lots more, and will keep getting excited about playing.

Do you have any thoughts on Castles Of Mad King Ludwig? Feel free to drop me a message.