The Old King’s Crown by publisher Eerie Idol Games and designer Pablo Clark has been confirmed for Kickstarter launch in a developer’s update shared on BoardGameGeek. More details have been released, with Clark outlining the process that has gone into the development of the game and the public reception since it was first introduced publicly in 2022.
The game has been in the works for the past four years, a process that took a lot of effort in putting the right core systems in place and imbuing the gameplay with fresh ideas.
Clark and his team received a lot of support from Leder Games, including Core Wehrle, Nick Brachmann and Patrick Leder, who are known for games such as Root, Vast, Pax Amir, and others, and who proved invaluable to the development process, of the encouragement that has gone in nurturing The Old King’s Crown and helping it step on sound foundations.
The latest confirmation of the forthcoming crowdfunding campaign is encouraging, too, as fans who have followed the project have been growingly equally eager to find out more, specifically a Kickstarter launch date. The Old King’s Crown is designed as a card game set in a fantasy realm which involves mechanics such as betting and bluffing, hand management, and variable player powers. The action is driven by cards where players will compete as the heirs of a now vacant throne.
Only one of the heirs may sit on the throne, which will require each player to lean in on their followers’ strengths, as well as get involved in various secretive machinations as is befitting a future monarch. Players will move their Herald to stake claims at different locations.
New Myth Cards, Slier Competition, and High Stakes
Players will then have to play cards from their hands simultaneously with the face down. Cards are then revealed and resolved, allowing some players to win and gain advantage in the kingdom, and others to fall behind.
To win, a player must reach a set number of influences. There are some further details as to how much influence you need to win based on the available players, currently set at 1-4 people with gametime posted at 45-90 minutes.
In terms of complexity, the game seems to be on the more difficult side to pick at 3.00/5.00 but not too bad. A major shift in a recent update provided by Clark now reveals that the kingdom has itself become more vivid and immersive, with new stories to enrich the plot and its inhabitants coming forth.
Factions have taken different routes as well, with asymmetry increasing in the process of development, and each faction now relies on its myth cards and quests to fulfil. Heralds are not the only ones that will venture out and contest regions, as so would entire companies, Clark writes.
To add to the poker-like quality of the game, the team has also expanded the range of available cards to play with “deadlier” options on the table. Players can now bolster neighboring regions, use feints, and pathfinders to find their way through the wilderness. The game feels highly thematic and very worthwhile, and the art – well that’s a gorgeous addition that ties the entire product together.