The 1974 classic strategy board game of the Wars Of The Roses, Kingmaker, by Andrew McNeil is going to be coming back to the tabletop in 2023 with The Royal Re-Launch by Gibsons Games. Watch out for a titanic Medieval clash featuring a whole host of content from past iterations of the game.

Kingmaker: The Royal Re-Launch // Gibsons Games

Kingmaker drops you right into the heart of the 15th Century and the Wars Of The Roses. Two to six players will take on the role of nobles from twenty-four different families in England and Wales, all looking to gain control over Royal pieces on the board. You can also just eliminate Royal pieces to weaken your opponents if you see fit! The game has been designed to mimic the political and military machinations of the time and you'll need to be strong, silver-tongued and devious if you want to win.

Kingmaker: The Royal Re-Launch - Gameplay (image via Rob Lacy) // Gibsons Games

So what's included within The Royal Re-Launch? Well, it's actually four games!

• The new Kingmaker II is for 2 to 5 players, for those who prefer a shorter game with a greater variety of win conditions, including prestige gained through domination of the government, cities, and the church.
• The original Classic Kingmaker for 2 to 6 players, where the only path to victory is through controlling the last crowned Royal piece.
• Extended Classic Kingmaker with extra Crown and Event cards along with additional optional rules for Parliament and battles, in which dice can be used to determine whether Nobles and Royal pieces live or die.
• The Solo Challenge, for solitaire play.

I like that they have introduced different ways of playing the game to suit newer players and those who are old veterans. The solo affair will be good for a lot of folks, as will the new Kingmaker II with its shorter playtime. It originally came in at four hours so having a quicker game seems like a good idea!

I never actually played the original game of Kingmaker and whilst this style of game might have been phased out with my group, it does sound fascinatingly massive.

"At the beginning of your turn, you draw a card from the Event deck, and all players follow its instructions. During your turn, you may move your Noble pieces, fight battles, and conduct sieges. You may also have the opportunity to call Parliament to gain the benefit of additional Titles and Offices, and perhaps the chance to crown a new King. At the end of your turn, you draw from the Crown deck, which may enable you to add a new Noble to your Faction or increase the power of a Noble already in play."

Kingmaker: The Royal Re-Launch had a successful Kickstarter campaign in September of 2022 and should be delivering to backers and becoming available to more folks in 2023. Could you be tempted by this?

Did you check out the Kickstarter Project?