Review of Cover Your Kingdom

Game: Cover Your Kingdom

Published: Grandpa Beck Games

Players: 3-6 Players

Playtime: 30-45 Minutes

Play Type: Set Collection

Synopsis:

Congratulations! You have become the ruler of your very own kingdom! Unfortunately, your kingdom is currently devoid of life and magic.Your job will be to convince the various magical creatures roaming the valley to inhabit your kingdom rather than your competitors kingdoms. It is a soaring housing market, so the competition is fierce. Work your hardest to be crowned “THE MOST NOBLE AND SUPREME MAJESTY OF MAGICAL MIGHT!”.

Game Play:

Cover Your Kingdom is a cut-throat set collection game. Each player will have their own kingdom board in front of them. Throughout the game they will be attempting to form clans to grow their kingdom by playing matching cards down into their kingdom. Players continue to play until the draw deck of the kingdom is depleted.

On your turn you may take either one or two actions. There are five actions that players may choose to take:

• Start a Clan: Players may either play two cards from their hand, or pair a creature from the discard pile with one card from their hand. In either option, players will immediately place the two cards into one of their kingdoms. This forms a new clan, and cannot be paired with prior matching clans. Cards must go into the Kingdom that matches the symbol listed in the top left hand of the card, directly under the point value.
• Attempt to Rule a Clan From Another Kingdom: You may try to steal a clan from another player by revealing a creature that matches one of the two clans on the top of their kingdom piles. That player may retaliate by playing another matching card or wild card. If this happens, the attacker will have the opportunity to place another matching card or wild card. The challenge will continue to go back and forth until a player cannot play another card or chooses not to. The winner takes all cards, and combines them with the original clan. That clan is then placed (or remains) on the top of the proper kingdom pile of the winner.
• Add a Creature to an Existing Clan: You may add a single creature to an existing clan if it matches the top clan of one of your kingdom piles. Wild creatures may not be added using this method.
• Employ the Service of a Free Creature: Play a free creature from your hand, complete the action and then discard separate from the discard pile.
• Discard a Creature and Draw a New One:  If you cannot do anything else, you MUST do this action.

Play continues with each player taking one or two actions. When a player’s turn ends, all players who expended cards during that turn draw back up to six cards. The round ends when the draw deck is empty and players cannot play any of the cards remaining in their hands. Players may then choose to end the game, or play another round.

Components:

Grandpa Beck Games has provided The Meeple Street with a pre-release copy of Cover Your Assets. Game components are subject to change during the Kickstarter.

The game includes 6 player mats and a deck of creature cards. The creature cards are illustrated in a humorous way, with plenty of puns. In addition to the clear illustrations, the cards also have a clearly illustrated point value and clear kingdom symbols. The wild cards each clearly explain at the bottom of the card what their ability is.

I love the illustrations and the clear division between the two kingdoms on the player mat. I would prefer however if the cardstock was slightly thicker because I could see it becoming damaged over several plays.

Overview:

Positives:

• High Player Count
• Easy to Teach
• Quick to Play
• High Player Interaction
• Humorous Illustrations
• Easily Transported

Negatives:

• Plays Better at Higher Player Counts
• Heavy Take That
• Players Can Easily Target Others

Cover Your Kingdom is a fast paced, highly engaging, cut throat set collection game. Due to the game being very easy to explain and quick to play, I could easily see it being a gateway game to highly competitive players. However, players do need to have the right disposition for Cover Your Kingdom. The game heavily features a take that mechanic, that has no mechanic to protect a single player from being ganged up on during game play. I have seen multiple games where players have stolen almost every clan from a single player throughout the game. This can be extremely frustrating for players in that situation.

However, the high player interaction is part of what makes Cover Your Kingdom an excellent game. Players must pay consistent attention to what is going on around them, and it keeps player’s interest throughout the entire game because of its relatively short playtime. If played with the right group, the take that mechanics will keep players laughing and create an environment of friendly competition.

The small footprint of the game and ease of set up make this the perfect game to take with you on the go. I could easily see this game being played at a bar or restaurant as a quick way to kill some time. The humorous cards filled with puns would especially appeal to young adults. That being said, the game definitely could be played with older children.  Due to the card stealing mechanic, the game would play best at 4-6 players. It allows players more opportunities to steal, and lessens the chance of one player becoming the sole target of the game.

If you enjoy set collection games, or games that involve plenty of player interaction then you will likely enjoy Cover Your Kingdom. The game provides the perfect mixture of humor, player interaction and simplicity to make it an enjoyable filler game. For those who have played Cover Your Kingdom or Goat Lords, the game has a very similar feel and would likely appeal to those who have enjoyed them. If you are interested in seeing more on Cover Your Kingdom, be sure to be on the lookout for the Kickstarter which will be going live on June 4th at 11am CDT.