In this cross between Game Of Thrones and Monty Python become a medieval Lord and puppet master, and use your monstrous and loyal henchmen who will do ANYTHING to help their master satiate his thirst for prestige!
Henchmania is a strategic board game taking place in an odd medieval universe. Each player is the Lord of one family, among four. With the help of your loyal henchmen, capture parts of the city and use your influence to win the battle! The objective is to win as many prestige points as possible in four days, or to be the first player to reach 30 prestige points. There are many ways to earn (and also lose) prestige points! At the end of each day, everyone counts their points before the beginning of the next day.
So battle, strut, pray, denigrate... It's a no-holds-barred war to become the new seneschal of Montfleury!
- deep strategic depth with multiple pathways to scoring
- strong thematic integration through distinct locations and card types
- duels create tense player interaction and counterplay opportunities
- high replayability from many card abilities and deck themes
- optional King's whims variant adds variance and variety
- high rule complexity can deter casual players
- numerous interacting mechanics require careful teaching
- Trump cards are powerful but limited to one active per day
- political intrigue, duels, henchmen, and card-driven scoring
- town of Montflury over four days, with a civic power struggle to become bailiff
- narrative, player-driven with theme flavors per location
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — control majority of henchmen in a board location to gain cards and bonuses
- deck drawing by location — draw cards from location-specific decks when placing a henchman; each deck has its own theme
- duels with gloves and dice — duels resolved by dice rolls and cards from hand; wagers may shift points
- end-of-day scoring and day progression — points come from performances, duels, and special cards; reaching 30+ ends the game early
- reserve and play system — cards played go to a Reserve; some cards provide ongoing effects or end-of-day scoring
- throne room manipulation — reverse player order actions can move existing henchmen to shift majorities
- Trump cards and rotation — each deck contains a single Trump card; only one active at a time and not savable between rounds
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the goal of the game is to have the most points
- the sanctuary location is added in with the second edition of the game
- rotate this card to add one to a die value when attacking or defending
- you can only have one trump card active at any point in time