S10.E06 :: Dice Management in the Court of Kings
Jun 18, 2015
King's Forge, designed by Nick Sibicky, is a dice management game about becoming the best craftsman in the king's court. Play happens over the course of 3 phases: gather, craft, and clean-up. In the first phase, players use their dice on gather cards that will allow them to acquire more dice. During the crafting phase, players roll those dice they have collected in hopes of crafting beautiful items that they king has requested. These cards represent the items needed to win the game. In the final phase, dice are cleared from the cards or returned to players' stashes, and the game continues. The game ends when on player crafts 4 cards. While this game sounds simple, the strategy in the game revolves around the fact that players cannot use the dice they acquire during gathering on the same crafting phase. Players must weigh the acquisition of new dice with the potential acquisition of game end points.
Our discussion focused on the driving strategy of the game, which is, as I wrote above, the balance between instant gratification and patience for a better future. We also learned much about how Nick designs his games as well as the kinds of games that draw Nick as a player.
If you wish to learn more about King's Forge or wish to purchase a copy, please check out Game Salute's website. Also, Nick hosts a youtube video podcast about Go, which outlines so much about a game from centuries ago.