Off Topic > Other Games
Kingdomino
dirk2112:
If you already don't have Kingdomino, you need to go out and buy it right now. For $18 - $20, you more than get your money worth. This is the perfect 15 minute filler game. It also is perfect to introduce a newbie to modern euro games. It has been nominated for the Spiels de Jahres for this year and I would bet it wins.
Players
The game can be played with 2 to 4 players. I have played it with 2, 3, and 4 players. I prefer it with 2 and 4.
Theme
You play as a king trying to build the greatest 5x5 domino kingdom in the world. The theme is rather weak, but for a game like this it really doesn't matter.
How it works
In a 4 player game, everyone gets one meeple. You put the first 4 tiles face down in order from lowest to highest. You randomly pull meeple to see who goes first. You flip the dominoes over and everyone chooses one. You then put out 4 other tiles face down. In the next round the turn order goes by who picked the lowest numbered tile. So if in round 1, I picked domino #37, Decar picked #19, Dan picked #24, and Jungleboy picked #7, Jungleboy would get to pick first in the next round, followed by Decar, then Dan, and I would go last. The numbers on the back of the tile represent their theoretical value. Their actual value to you may not be so great, so it isn't in your best interest to always pick the highest numbered tile.
In a 2 player game, both players get 2 meeple. On the first round one player gets first and last choice of dominos and the other player gets the 2nd and 3rd choice. In following rounds each meeple gets a turn based on the tile value. In the example in the picture, the green player took the highest numbered tiles this round. In the next turn, she will end up with whatever tiles the yellow player doesn't want. Because of this, I don't take the highest valued 2 tiles unless they really pay off.
After tiles are collected, you lay them in your kingdom. You can lay any tile next to your castle as it acts as a wildcard. When the castle is not involved, you must lay a tile in such a way that one side of it matches one of the preexisting tiles. In the photo yellow is getting a forest/forest tile. The only valid placements for it are next to his only forest or next to the castle itself. At the end of the game, it isn't uncommon to get stuck with a tile you cannot use.
End of Game Scoring
After each player places the last domino, you all score your kingdoms. Points are scored based on crowns and land type. You multiply the number of crowns in an area by the number of domino halves it takes up. In my photo, I have 2 crowns in an area of wheat at the top. 2x4=8 points. The wheat at the bottom is not connected and cannot count. The castle also cannot be scored. Areas without crowns are worthless.
7x7
In a 4 player 5x5 grid game, all of the tiles get used. For a 2 and 3 player game, there are some leftover tiles. Fortunately the game designer knows how much I hate leaving tiles in the box, so you can play a 2 player game and use all of the tiles making a 7x7 grid. This is by far my favorite way to play the game. It still only takes 10 to 15 minutes, so why not?
Bonus rules
#1 Score 10 additional points if your kingdom is in the middle of your grid.
#2 Score 5 additional points if your grid is complete (you didn't throw away any dominoes)
When playing with these rules, it is really hard to win if your opponent's kingdom is in the center and yours is not. I will say it is much easier to complete your grid without the kingdom being in the center, so that is why we always play with these rules.
Conclusion
On weekdays we get home from work, get dinner, and don't have much time for really long games. This is perfect for those nights. The time to play this, the price point, and the quality make this a great pickup if you like tile placement at all. The game is rather small too, so you could take it while traveling. There is a lot of strategy in this little game. You can acquire tiles you know your opponents needed or force a player to take a tile he or she can't use. Afterward you get a cute little kingdom with some interesting things added to the art. I do believe I see the Lochness Monster.
Thanks to Jungleboy for introducing me to this game. He would have written this review, but he is playing real life Tokaido (but in Spain :(y) )
Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=3408.0
Decar:
No doubt you've heard my stories about playing this at Essen 2016. I caved in recently and decided to play this at the UK Games Expo.
Edit: sorry hit enter too soon there:
Thanks for the write up, the 7x7 play sounds the most interesting, I'm hoping to get this to the table.
Decar:
Giant Kingdomino
dirk2112:
All of the fun, but none of the portability. I am not sure what to think.
Decar:
Well you know what they say: 'Think Big, or Go Home'...but if you Think Big you'll have to Go Home in order to play it.
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