In Royals, players take on the roles of the great noble houses of the 17th century, fighting for supremacy in Europe at that time. With the help of the right country cards, they occupy influential positions and obtain bonuses for this in the form of victory points. The higher the rank of the title associated with the position, the more country cards required. Already-occupied positions can be contested by playing intrigue cards.
The game proceeds over three periods, with a scoring taking place after each of them. During scoring, the players with the greatest influence in each of the four countries score victory points. After the third period scoring, the game ends with the scoring of the individual titles. The player with the most victory points wins.
The Component Game - Round 2
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Bollocks.
- This is a Splatter game that got a reprint a few years ago.
- I'll probably jump off a [ __ ] bridge or something.
- Stop [ __ ] lying.
- I'll personally come around your house with a slapstick and whack you around the head.
References (from this video)
- quick to learn and teach (roughly five minutes to grasp the basics)
- tight three-round structure that remains compact yet with meaningful depth
- satisfying area-majority and influence mechanics that create meaningful tension
- works well with five players and keeps pacing brisk due to short rounds
- artwork and map aesthetics feel dated or utilitarian, not visually striking
- thematic presentation can feel dry or underwhelming to some players
- end-of-round and end-game scoring can be slightly opaque without quick references
- area control, influence, and national identity expressed through color-coded country cards and personality elements
- Medieval to early modern geopolitical setting where nations compete for control of cities and territories across a map
- macro geopolitical struggle with rulers (personalities) on the board guiding regional influence
- A Game of Thrones: The Board Game
- Game of Thrones (board game)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area_control — players place cubes on the board to establish influence over cities and personality spaces; majority in a country yields scoring benefits
- country_cards_and_deployment — country cards are drawn or taken from face-up selections and are used to enable moves and determine where influence is placed
- influence_removal_and_reassignment — injury/entry cards allow a player to displace an opponent’s influence in a city, moving their cube to a Cathedral space while still preserving some influence
- majority_scoring — at end of each round and end of the game, players score based on who has the most influence in each country and on personality cards
- multi_round_structure — the game unfolds over three rounds, each with its own setup and scoring emphasis, providing a self-contained arc
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "it's very quick to play"
- "it's very quick to learn"
- "it's got a layer of depth to it but not one that's gonna get you confused or where you don't really have any options"
- "Royals place five players... it's very very quick to play"
- "it's almost like it's taken out of your houses... the unwanted lodger has moved in"
- "it's polite... it really cares about your feelings"
- "it's quick to teach five minutes to grasp"
- "three rounds, each with its own unique quality"
- "it's basically looking to grab victory points based on area majorities and personality card majorities"
References (from this video)
- Elegant, streamlined design with tense interaction
- Simple core concept that scales well
- Designer name not as recognized as some peers
- Occasional confusion about country cards and timing
- Influence and card-based governance
- Court/political intrigue across countries
- Strategic, backstabbing intrigue
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area influence/cube pushing — Acquire country cards and push influence cubes to gain favor in courts.
- majority scoring — Higher influence yields scoring bonuses and control of the court.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Race for the Galaxy is a fantastic card game
- it's a real pain in the ass to learn/teach because it's got a rather bamboozling icon system
- it's a really rewarding game made even better with a couple of the expansions
- I love Puerto Rico I love the feel of it and it's just a classic game
- Captain Flip is such a simple promise
- Carnival zombie is a rip roaring rolicking romp
- this game is basically chaos in a box
- it's a deck building racer
- Royals is effectively a que pushing game
References (from this video)
- Multiple viewers convinced host to keep it
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I know the games I play. I know the games I love to play. And I know the games that I theoretically want to play but don't actually play.
- I need at least one of those two things in play - either high personal interest or good reputation
- Designers, reviewers, other people mentioned
- I'm going to be trying to be more mindful about reality as opposed to the desires that I have
- These tend to be less of a priority. Like occasionally I dive into an unplayed game that isn't a review copy, but more often than not if I'm diving into an unplayed game, review copies do take precedence
- I have so many euros I love and so many that I'm behind on
References (from this video)
- highly interactive
- dynamic region control
- feelings can be hurt; friendships can suffer
- area control and political maneuvering
- Historical European powers
- murderfest of control
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — fight to control regions in Europe
- direct player elimination — kill or remove opponent pieces
- interaction emphasis — constant backstabbing and negotiation
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a race game it makes it super interactive
- it's really quite mean
- this game is mean but it's only mean at two players
- it's so highly interactive
- this is easily one of my favorite auction games ever