Thanks to a welcome second printing, I finally got my hands on excellent competitive fantasy board game The Old King’s Crown. Though my expectations were high, I was still deeply impressed by the title’s elegant rules set, nail biting clashes and commitment to subtle world building. However, the most profound and unexpected joy came from how The Old King’s Crown handled asymmetry – more specifically, how it uses such differences sparingly and meaningfully rather than packing the factions with arbitrary, empty contrasts.
The Old King’s Crown is one of the best board games out there in part because of an unerring commitment to its own fundamentals. Broken up into seasons, the game has you manage a deck of cards representing your faction’s assets as it battles for influence. The goal: to claim custody of a gorgeously rendered fantasy kingdom. The twist: despite the factions being asymmetrical, your starting decks are, mechanically, identical.
Though your faction’s powers and unlockable extra cards are distinctive, the identical decks lower the barrier to entry by allowing you insight into what your opponents are capable of. You don’t have the tedium of having to memorize the decks of your opposing factions; each takes the same shape, even if the context varies.
This helps the asymmetry itself shine through. For instance, when playing as the faction of sneaky rebels, I was able to be a lot more cavalier when using my assassin. Thanks to my faction power, I could easily spirit my killer away to a safe house if the enemy revealed cards that were too tough for her to murder.
Conversely, when I was playing as the rugged and nomadic Clans, I could easily reposition my forces with a faction power. This ensured that, despite matching my allies pound for pound, I could easily place my supporters exactly where they need to be, hitting my opponent where it hurt.
This sort of limited asymmetry is inspired, and makes The Old King’s Crown well worth a look.
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Source: Wargamer
