The King is Dead

There is something about the delicate balance that some board games have when it comes to depth and rules.  Designing a game that has the ability to provide enough strategy for those that want it, while having simple enough rules to make it accessible for anyone to play is no easy task.

The King is Dead does this exceptionally.  Eight actions. That is all you get for the entire game. Eight simple actions that move cubes around the map, introduce new cubes to the map, and change card order.  The beauty comes when you realize that you can use those 8 actions whenever you want. You could use them all in the first round if you wanted. This probably will not be a winning strategy, but you can do it.

The game rules start you off with the same exact actions as your opponent. This is a great way to learn how the game works and to get your head around when and how to use your action cards.  After about 2 games you should be comfortable enough to include the advanced rules. These make the actions that you and your opponents have different.  You won’t know which actions they have and the same for them. The game gets much better at this point.

These new actions can determine your strategy for the game and provide powerful abilities that your opponent will not have. It adds doubt into your mind. You no longer have perfect information.  The more you play, the more comfortable you become with those action cards and you can start to anticipate them, however, all action cards are not in every game. You may have to anticipate an action that will never happen, but the threat makes the game more intense.

To add another level of strategy without adding much more complexity, the game can end in two different ways. The winner will be determined differently depending on which of the two endings has triggered in the game. Both are still very easily understood and the game has a very good tiebreaker mechanic that makes sure you clearly understand who wins if there are ties.

A few things to be aware of, the better, more experienced player will probably win most games.  Although this rewards good strategy, it can turn off some people considering how easy the game is to play. There is also a high likelihood of ties. As I mentioned above, the tiebreakers are clearly defined and easy to understand, however, I understand how some people may not like seeing as many ties as this game tends to have. In a game that plays this quickly, it is easy enough to clear the board and start a new game.

The King is Dead has become on of our favorites in our collection.  Overall a beautifully illustrated and marvelously designed game.  It will be a staple in our traveling game library, so next time you see us out somewhere, ask and I will gladly teach you how to play.