Tabletop Talks Week 8

Happy Friday Tabletoppers! This week we’re going back in time for our favorite Medieval games and Mods! Well...more specifically, Medieval with the occasional light and well-themed Fantasy flourishes. From historically grounded strategy to some epic knight-slaying-dragon opportunities, TTS blog will be going back in time to explore some of our favorite history-kissed board game titles out there. And, along the way, we hope that we give you a little inspiration to add grand historical conquest and feudal political intrigue to your next game night!

Author’s note: Strongly consider reading this with a flagon of ale in hand!

Kingdoms

Use classic trading card techniques to achieve victory

If you have ever struggled to decide whether to play Magic the Gathering, Yugioh, or another trading card dueler, we have the perfect game for you! Kingdoms from Blake Entertainment Studios takes the best parts of those trading card games and combines them to create an entertaining, fast-moving, edge-of-your-seat tabletop game. With mechanics that include deck-building, cost-to-be-paid, and randomization, Kingdoms is a tabletop experience that is as replayable as it is deep. Kingdoms pairs these fulfilling mechanics with a Medieval Fantasy theme, letting you create your own fantastical story as you collect and duel your way to victory!

Kingdoms was inspired by the mechanics and ideas of the most popular and influential trading card games. This game took these different ideas and rebuilt them from the ground up to create a completely unique card-dueler that leans into fast strategy and fantastical adventure. Kingdoms will also be sure to keep its theme fresh as the lore of the game is constantly changing and becoming deeper. Take it from us, after the first time you jump into the medieval fantasy of Kingdoms, you don't want to leave until you have decimated every foe in your way!

Tabletop Simulator has been involved with Kingdoms for a while, even helping the team at Blake entertainment Studios to play a few of their games’ trading card inspirations! Now, Kingdoms has a fully playable mod! Also, check out their discord for info and updates, and be sure to keep an eye out for their Kickstarter launching soon.

Regency

Take up the mantle of the world's most (in)famous rulers

Our favorite part of historical board games is the chance for absolutely epic escapism. Nothing can pull you away from your desk job or beige cubicle quite like taking command of sweeping armies and blossoming bronze-age civilizations. This escapism is delivered in full by Regency! In this 2-6 player tableau builder/set collector, you are able to take control of a legendary historical leader and their burgeoning fiefdom. Choose from Alexander the Great, Cleopatra VII, Suleiman the Magnificent, or Queen Elizabeth I, as you seek to amass the greatest civilization in all of history while outpacing your opponents. Your regency must reign supreme! Remember, building an empire is hard work, as you must contend with rival regents attempting to attract citizens away from your fiefdom, whether by allure, by force, or by treachery. And, by using set-collection mechanics to exercise influence over a fluctuating populace, Regency guarantees that its high stakes are blacked up by deep and rewarding strategy.

Regency was designed to be a lightweight, quick-to-play, and overall accessible tabletop gaming experience. And, by combining that wonderful design with a unique, across-the-eras battle royale and fun gameplay mechanics, the team behind Regency has crafted a game that is rewarding but won’t be so long that you grow a beard during one playthrough. On top of all of that, its smart design and dignified artwork guarantees that Regency will have you feeling like an unstoppable regent in no time!

Regency has powered through the pandemic with the help of Tabletop Simulator and has already made a big splash with a successful Kickstarter ending on March 12th! You can purchase the game online on their website.

A Battle of Onin

A fight for political influence during the Onin War

One of the most classic mechanics in all of card gaming (and tabletop gaming in general) is trick taking. But the standard trick-takers can get a little repetitive. That’s why we fell in love with a Battle of Onin from Guise Gaming! This reimagined card game takes the basic idea of trick-taking and beautifully integrates it into a Feudal Japan-themed quest for influence and power. Players take on the role of a political advisor during the Onin War as they try to manipulate the conscripts of different factions to balance power and come out on top. Players use a beautifully reimagined deck to bid on and take tricks to gain influence, while also managing the dangerous corruption that comes with too ambitious of a power play. Only once a player has reached a certain amount of influence and corruption, can they truly claim victory in the battle of Onin.

The team at Guise games created this game to mix up the monotony of 3-player card nights. So, they got to work reimagining the classic trick-taking mechanic with unique rules, breathtaking artwork, and a truly unique theme to create one of our favorite card games. A battle of Onin also prioritizes accessibility in more than one way! While they created this game to be easy to learn, they have also made sure that it is color-blind friendly to be sure that as many people as possible can take up the challenge of Onin! And, with a beautifully realized theme and well-designed, modular gameplay, A Battle of Onin encourages you to write your own story in the history of Feudal Japan!

A Battle of Onin successfully launched on Kickstarter at the end of March and is currently in the process of planning a physical release. Until then, be sure to check out their Tabletop Simulator Mod as well as their website!

Canterbury

A new take on a city-building classic

Not every medieval tabletop game needs to be about epic quests and the slaying of scores of enemies (or the occasional dragon). Sometimes the deepest, most strategic, and most rewarding medieval board game explores the period through the subtlety of city building or good old political intrigue. If this is the kind of gaming experience you are after, we wholeheartedly recommend playing Canterbury from developer Andrew Parks and Quixotic Games! In this 2-4 player strategy/tile placement game, players take on the role Saxon Lords and are charged with building the former Roman City into a prosperous capital. The Saxon Lords must use the city's meager starting resources to build up the 25 districts of Canterbury and provide key services to its citizens. This wonderfully themed premise is paired with a luck-free strategy that forces each lord to balance cooperation and competition for the betterment of the city...or themselves. Only by achieving the greatest prosperity can one lord rise above the rest as the new metropolis completes its rise!

Author’s note: While Canterbury and its tale of medieval city-building was originally released in 2013, we are featuring this game because of an exciting new TTS mod of the game! Designed and implemented by Timur Tabi, this is a polished, fully scripted experience of the Canterbury. With game-changing inclusions, such as automatic scoring calculators and result displays, this new mod is the perfect opportunity to take your first dive into the world of Canterbury or to dust off your chainmail and return for another round of city-building!

You can check out Timur’s new mod! You can also check out Quixotic games’ website for more information and some other great games!

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