King's Bounty: The Card Game

King's Bounty: The Card Game
Game information
Developer	Aleksei Kalinin
Publisher	Hobby World
Series	King's Bounty
Release	2012
Genre	Fantasy
Universe	Endoria Universe
Technical data
Format	Tabletop

Based on the popular video game series of the same name, the game accommodates 2-5 players and takes approximately 30 minutes to play. In this card-driven game, players compete to earn titles and victory points by capturing castles and obelisks in a fantasy realm.

Gameplay

In King’s Bounty, players take control of one of five races-elves, dwarves, orcs, humans, or the undead-and use their armies to capture castles and obelisks, earning victory points. The main objective is to acquire prestigious titles, which are far more valuable than territories in securing victory.

Each player begins with six cards from the deck. On their turn, a player may either play one card or exchange cards from their hand with cards from the deck. The game features three primary types of cards: castles, monsters (troops), and obelisks.

Players must first play castle cards before they can deploy monster cards of the corresponding race, as monsters require a castle of their matching race to be played (with humans being an exception as they don’t have castles but are always ready for battle). During the game, players can capture opponents’ cards by playing creatures with higher power values.

The strategy involves carefully timing when to play powerful cards, as becoming too strong too early may result in other players targeting you. The titles, which grant victory points, can change hands throughout the game as players fulfill specific conditions, such as controlling the most castles or obelisks of certain types.

Components

The game includes:

• 48 Troop cards representing five races (each race except humans has 9 troop cards: 3 archers, 2 fighters, 2 wizards, 1 hero, and 1 monster; humans have 12 cards with different distribution)
• 36 Property cards (24 Castle cards and 12 Obelisk cards)
• 21 Title cards
• 1 Last player card
• 1 Rulebook

Setting

The game is set in a fantasy world where King Maximus has announced a tournament to determine which lord is most skilled in warfare. Throughout the land, adventurers gather forces under their banners while lords fortify their castles. The kingdom has become a battlefield where unusual alliances form-dwarves defend elven woodlands against undead legions, dragons raze ancient obelisks, and heroes capture enemy castles through both might and cunning.

Development

The card game preserves many elements from the video games, including the fantasy races, unit types, and conquest-focused gameplay.

Reception

The game has been described as simple and fast-paced, making it accessible for casual play sessions. Reviewers have noted that while not particularly deep in strategy, it offers an engaging experience that doesn’t require intense concentration. The game’s attractive illustrations and connection to the popular video game franchise have been highlighted as positive aspects.

With its quick setup and playtime of approximately 15-20 minutes, King’s Bounty: The Card Game has been positioned as a light strategic card game that captures the essence of its video game inspiration while offering a streamlined tabletop experience.