Kings & Things

A fantasy wargame on a board built from hex tiles, where your face-down creature counters are half army, half bluff.

Designers: Tom Wham, Doug Kaufman, Robert J. Kuntz
Publishers: Games Workshop Ltd., West End Games, Z-Man Games
Editions by: Hobby Japan, Pegasus Spiele

Hex tiles, fantasy creatures and a grudge match that eats an entire afternoon. Kings & Things is a 1986 design by Tom Wham in which you carve a kingdom out of a board that is built fresh every game from hex tiles. Your armies are counters kept face down, so everyone sees a stack but nobody knows what is in it, and half the fun is bluffing about how dangerous your 'things' really are. You move into new land, roll dice to fight, stumble into random events and try to hold more territory than the others. It is a wargame with its tongue firmly in its cheek, closer to a cackling romp than a cold calculation.

Board built from hex tiles, new every gameFace-down creature counters invite bluffingHumorous fantasy wargame with random events

Who it's for

You have four people and a free afternoon and want a wargame that does not take itself seriously, with plenty of table talk and bluff.

Not for you if…

You want a tight, balanced, short game. Three hours of dice and fantasy slapstick can drag if the table is not in the mood.

Vibe's take

Loud, chaotic and a little silly. Fights hinge on dice and on what you dare to claim about your hidden stacks, so you will spend as much time smirking at the table as planning moves.