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Game Info
Year
2024
Collection
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Description
"Gold is the lifeblood of the war!"
As the Hun horde swept across Europe, they forced the Germanic tribes into exodus. These warlike peoples spread within the borders of the Western Empire and, by dint of looting and war, will eventually cause the collapse of the Empire. In the twilight of antiquity and at the dawn of the Middle Ages, the so-called "barbarian nations" founded kingdoms on the former imperial territory.
In Barbarian Kingdoms, an asymmetrical and competitive strategy game, each player controls their own nascent kingdom and competes for supremacy over Western Europe. The first player to control seven territories or to eliminate two opposing kings wins. On a turn, each player chooses and resolves a single action of their choice:
Recruitment: deploy a warrior from the reserve by paying a cost
Taxation: collect money from the provinces in their kingdom
Assault: invade a province or attack an enemy unit
Maneuvers: reposition their units in their provinces or towards the sea
Claim: try to take control of a province by paying a cost
Assault and claim actions can be immediately challenged by an opponent and resolved by a battle. During the battle, a bribe may be paid to the opponent to try to reverse the outcome.
Players must be vigilant in positioning their forces (with the constraint of a maximum of one unit per province), keep an eye on their opponents, and take advantage of their two asymmetrical powers: that of their kingdom and that of their king.
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video njiOemm7trQ
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 56:27 sentiment: positive
video_pk 96383 · mention_pk 279752
Click to watch at 56:27 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Very Positive
Pros
- Surprisingly strategic and tactical
- Quick gameplay with simple actions
- Engaging 'bribe' mechanic in combat
- Limited units keep the board from being overcrowded
- Approachable for a 'dudes on a map' game
Cons
- Can be tedious if you dislike 'dudes on a map' games
- Potential for analysis paralysis with bribe mechanic
Thematic elements
- Conquest, Kingdom Building
- Western Europe
Comparison games
- Clash of Cultures
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — On your turn you will take one action and there's only five actions to take.
- Area Control — The winning condition is controlling seven provinces.
- asymmetrical powers — Take advantage of their asymmetrical two asymmetrical powers that of their Kingdom and that of their King.
- bidding — The bribe. I'm going to take a look at what money I have and I'm going to put it in cute little bag.
- Combat — You can assault which is basically take one of your units and move into a province that's either neutral or not controlled by you and you can perform a potential assault by attacking if there's an enemy unit there we'll do a battle.
- Dudes on a map — It's a dudes on a map game where you compete for domination over Western Europe.
- King of the Hill — When somebody starts climbing out that Hill everybody starts grabbing at and trying to pull them back down.
- Limited Units — You got your king and you got four units that's it. There's only five units that you're really having to deal with.
- Resource Management — It's a closed economy meaning the money that you start out the game with that's behind your shield and that's pre-populated on the board that's all the money that there is in this game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It was more strategic than I anticipated.
- Setup is immediately way quicker than trying to set up these square tiles.
- Now there's a whole new element of tactics that comes into play play when it comes to Elevation.
- This is where the game gets fun and chaotic.
- It is brutal where you feel like haha I stole something from you.
- Players must be vigilant in positioning their forces with the constraint of a maximum of one unit per province which is key keep an eye on their opponents and take advantage of their asymmetrical two asymmetrical powers.
- Big surprise for me Barbarian kingdoms.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yIYmejGnaok
Board Stupid Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 40239 · mention_pk 121711
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Very interactive and fast-paced for a six-player game
- Innovative closed economy and bribery system creates strategic tension
- Distinct asymmetry between factions and kings adds depth
- Engaging arc with a slow burn that escalates as you gain territories and wealth
- Solid balance of direct combat and strategic planning; not overly thematic but highly tactical
Cons
- Not beginner-friendly; some rules require careful study to execute well
- Requires active diplomacy and negotiation, which may not suit all players
- Engagement can become chaotic at higher player counts if players don’t stay focused
Thematic elements
- Area control, asymmetric power, bribery economy, and king-centric victory conditions.
- Medieval/early-war fantasy kingdom skirmishes on a hex grid with six players competing for control and king slay victory.
- Direct combat with high player interaction, political maneuvering, and hidden-money negotiation mechanics.
Comparison games
- El Grande
- Blood Rage
- Rising Sun
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players place troops to control territories; only one troop per space; victory via seven controlled territories or by killing two kings.
- Asymmetric Player Powers — Each faction and each King provides unique abilities; losing a King removes a power, but the faction’s power can still influence play.
- Asymmetric powers (Kings and factions) — Each faction and each King provides unique abilities; losing a King removes a power, but the faction’s power can still influence play.
- Bribery / combat resolution — During combat, players bribe opponents with coins from a hidden pool; the winner is determined by combat points rather than straightforward strength, creating dynamic power shifts.
- Closed Economy — Money is kept behind a personal screen and on the map; no central bank; controlling zones creates revenue to pay for reinforcements.
- Closed economy / money on map — Money is kept behind a personal screen and on the map; no central bank; controlling zones creates revenue to pay for reinforcements.
- Embarkation via ports — If a unit is on a port, it can move into the sea and embark to other ports, enabling long-range maneuvering and tactical surprises.
- Enforcement / claim mechanics — Invasion or reclamation actions are backed by shields on the territory; control thresholds trigger victory conditions.
- one action per turn — Players perform a single, clearly defined action per turn (recruit, move, invade, or claim), contributing to a fast, snappy flow.
- Turn Order: Claim Action — Invasion or reclamation actions are backed by shields on the territory; control thresholds trigger victory conditions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the closed economy system I think that needs to be done more; it really encourages going out and getting resources
- one action per turn so you can think as much as you want but you still have to actually do it
- the bribing system is amazing
- two victory conditions are public: seven territories or killing two kings
- it's an anchor game; you need to be ready for some heavy interaction
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video -_-JSFSRACI
Board Stupid Top List at 4:52 sentiment: positive
video_pk 34988 · mention_pk 104328
Click to watch at 4:52 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Beautiful production
- Innovative bidding mechanic
- Shorter war game with depth
Cons
- Potentially heavy for new players, complexity of multiple factions
Thematic elements
- War, conquest, resource management
- World map conquest with barbarian hordes
- asymmetric warfare with hidden bidding
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Majority — Control territories for scoring
- Asymmetric Player Powers — Factions have different abilities
- Asymmetric powers — Factions have different abilities
- Auction / Bidding — Coins placed in a bag and passed to opponents to influence actions
- hidden bidding / bribery — Coins placed in a bag and passed to opponents to influence actions
- taxation and war funds management — Balance resources vs. military needs
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- oh my God how good it is
- it's absolutely fantastic
- Mega clever
- no rarity barrier
- it's absolutely delightful
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video gZ3yqAd_mB0
The Dice Tower Review at 0:15 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 31944 · mention_pk 94216
Click to watch at 0:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Chess-like, low randomness with strong strategic depth
- Distinctive movement and ocean/port mechanic adds tension and planning
- Thematic flavor with historical setting and unique abilities
- Good player interaction and negotiation around territory control
Cons
- Combat can feel deterministic without currency influence for variety
- Not universally appealing; niche focus may alienate players seeking more traditional war games
- Rules can be somewhat intricate and potentially confusing for new players
Thematic elements
- Historical warfare and kingdom management with a streamlined, chess-like feel
- Fifth-century Europe, historic kingdoms contending for dominance
- Strategic warfare with high interaction, minimal randomness, and historical flavor
Comparison games
- Risk Europe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- combat_resolution — Battles are resolved by comparing power values (control tokens, kings, troops) with players able to spend money to boost power; losers retreat, kings removed, and defeating two kings can win the game.
- economy_and_claiming — Money flows between treasury and board; taxes reduce money based on controlled territories; money spent to recruit also populates the territory, influencing other players' choices.
- movement_and_castling — Units move to territories you control; a special castling move lets you swap your king with another unit under defined constraints.
- ocean_and_ports — The ocean is a single space; ports can jump to the ocean, and the ocean can jump to ports, enabling long-distance travel between coastal positions.
- territory_control_and_plunder — Gaining control of territories requires spending money to place control tokens; plundering a captured territory yields coins added to your treasury.
- turn_actions — Players take exactly one action per turn from a set of five: maneuver, castling, recruit, tax, and territory-related actions.
- victory_conditions — Win by eliminating two kings or by controlling seven territories; the game ends when a victory condition is met.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Barbarian Kingdoms is almost chesslike in how it plays.
- There is very little luck in the game.
- It's not for everyone because this game is unique and different.
- I like it. I think it's interesting.
- It's a fun style game, but I would sometimes prefer dice or a more meteor feel.
- One that feels different than most games out there.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video JHXdRPRsErA
Board Stupid Award Show at 23:25 sentiment: positive
video_pk 30175 · mention_pk 298957
Click to watch at 23:25 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- innovative bribery mechanic adds depth
- compact, engaging, multiple players
- strong thematic integration
Cons
- rules can be dense for newcomers
Thematic elements
- area control with bribery and skirmish fighting
- 5th-century warrior kingdoms
Comparison games
- Blood Rage
- Small World
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — control territories to gain power and influence in battles
- bluff / bribery in combat — pay-offs to opponents to influence outcomes of fights
- multi-round conflict resolution — a sequence of battles with strategic decision-making
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Harmony is pushing toward the middle, maybe the top end of our beginner category
- it's a fabulous game
- Barbarian Kingdom is a mosH pit of a game of area control
- Ironwood such an amazing game
- Rebirth is absolutely fantastic
- Lord of the Rings DW is a great pick
- Joy Ride Survival of the Fastest is an amazingly striking game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5