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Game Info
Year
2021
Players
1-5
Age
14+
Playtime
90 min
Collection
Ratings
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
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Description
For years the humans, elves, and dwarves have been slowly encroaching on your territories and slaying your kind in the name of progress. They've built their citadels, keeps, and villages as they push you further into the darkness. Now is the time to rally your troops and lay waste to their kind and bring forth the reign of the Shadow Kingdoms!
You are a Warden hungry for the destruction of Valeria. You must outwit the other Wardens to earn the right to command an army for the Shadow Kingdoms. Visit dark Shrines to gain minions, magic, gems, and gold to fuel your war machine. Command monsters into battle to conquer the lands and earn Victory Points. The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game will be declared the winner.
On your turn, you must move your Warden from its current location to a new location. When your Warden enters one of the 5 Shrines, you first take any available die from the Shrine and place it on your player board, then perform the Shrine action associated with the Shrine.
There are 5 troop types (die colors) in the game: Goblin (green), Orc (red), Skeleton (white), Gargoyle (purple), and Gnoll (brown). Send your Warden to the Camp on your player board to use your minion dice to resolve battle plans and place Victory tokens on your Campaign board.
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video Js6i8iqyM94
The Dice Tower Analysis at 6:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 151908 · mention_pk 426256
Click to watch at 6:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Pretty solid one
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Shadow Kingdoms of Valeria. The Valeria games keep getting better as the time goes by and this was a pretty solid one.
- Ankh: Gods of Egypt. I know this is some people's favorite of the trilogy of Blood Rage, Rising Sun. It's not mine.
- Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age. There's a lot of great roll and writes out there. Um Yahtzee of course is one of the OGs, but this is also one of the original games and I think it holds up very well.
- So Clover. What a fantastic party game. This is one of those games that when you get it right, everyone at the table is just so excited that figured it out.
- Links. And this is from Play to Z. And this is about trapping links. I'm not I don't love the theme, but it and it but it felt like a stock market game. it just wasn't very fun.
- Mycology, a game about mushrooms. The guy who designed it loves mushrooms, but I don't know about the game.
- Queen's New Capital, I almost liked this one, but there's just too much going on in it. A little chaotic, and honestly, this Queen's New Capital has been replaced by ironically, the King's Crown.
- Wine Cellar, a game with really giant cards here. Kind of a drafting game. I don't think it works well the full count of players, but with every other count, I I enjoy this drafting game.
- The Other Links, uh this one here is about Tetris, dropping Tetris shapes into a thing, and that worked pretty well. I liked it.
- 12 Rivers has a gimmick of rolling marbles down. It's a fun gimmick. Um but it also has some good decision space. It's not a very complex game, easy for people who haven't played many games, I think they would enjoy it.
- Jungo or Jungo, I this is a great little, very simple card game. Um trying to get rid of all the cards in your hand, but sometimes picking up them so that you can play a bigger hand later on. Found that to be a lot of fun.
- Star Wars: Battle of Hoth. What a fantastic uh game. Star Wars: Battle of Hoth is Memoir '44 Star Wars, something I've wanted for years, and I finally got it. So exciting. And it was exactly what I wanted it to be.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video sLDj7q_7VWU
Top List at 15:33 sentiment: positive
video_pk 134360 · mention_pk 382234
Click to watch at 15:33 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Great game loved for a long time.
- Upgradeable player powers and boards are awesome.
- Really cool game.
- Expansions add a lot of interesting tactics.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Fantasy, Orcs, Skeletons, Lizardmen
- Players take on the role of the 'bad guys' conquering orcs, skeletons, or lizardmen.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — You get a draft of dice. And depending on the number of that dice um if it's a lower number, you'll get and and you're going to card buy and it's a low number, you get discounts.
- Color Matching — You have to match the colors of the dice to the colors of the cards.
- Dice Drafting — It's a dice drafting game where then you're using these dice to defeat these monstrous bands.
- Upgrade Player Board — You have a player board that upgrades as the game goes by.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
- I really do enjoy the way this game works.
- I love the pandemic system that's used.
- It's it's almost become like a a household uh name at this point, right? As far as board games are concerned, it's that good of a system.
- Vindication is a great game where you're whatever your whatever your starting story is. You're thrown off of a ship, you're kicked overboard, you're thrown out of a plane, it doesn't matter. You end up on this island and you're there to vindic vindicate yourself by collecting cubes, turning them into other cubes, exploring this island, buying pets, um you know, getting new modes of transportation.
- I don't know how to explain vindication. It is such a cool little game. Not a cool little game, it's a cool big game.
- Vindication's a fantastic game. It really is.
- Um, I just don't want to play it anymore until I get to play Vestage. though.
- And then you're like, "Oh, I'm just pushing cubes around the board. OH, THAT'S NOT FUN AT ALL."
- having Scythe in this list and Vindication in this list, dungeon pets in this list,
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video VYx-d4PjCl4
Getting Games Discussion at 49:56 sentiment: positive
video_pk 91457 · mention_pk 245438
Click to watch at 49:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- dark fantasy with goblin/evil factions
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video QsOZViHpRZ0
Let's Table It Discussion at 0:49 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 87920 · mention_pk 230508
Click to watch at 0:49 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- shadow kingdoms and intrigue
- Valyria
- Unknown
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- unknown — Not discussed in transcript.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I am excited to show you my daily Magic game shelf
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video fobXs9iivh4
Meeple University Preview at 0:11 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64621 · mention_pk 158120
Click to watch at 0:11 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong engine-building element
- great flexibility in strategies
- balanced dice selection
- standalone game that doesn’t require other titles
- has a solo mode
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- wardens outside the kingdom gathering armies to reclaim and fight back
- fantasy kingdom of Valyria
Comparison games
- Valyria Card Kingdoms
- Villages of Valyria
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- battle plans — Players fulfill battle plans to gain points and unlock features on their boards.
- card market — Cards cycle through a market; players can acquire cards to gain bonuses.
- Card/Chit Market — Cards cycle through a market; players can acquire cards to gain bonuses.
- Dice Drafting — Players pick a die from a shrine, then use it to complete shrine actions; dice values influence outcomes.
- End Game Bonuses — End-game objectives provide focused goals; first to satisfy seven battle plans ends the game.
- End game objectives — End-game objectives provide focused goals; first to satisfy seven battle plans ends the game.
- Resource Management — Gems, gold, dyes, and dice are managed and spent to activate various effects.
- shrines and actions — Five shrines on the board offer actions; players optimize which shrine actions to take.
- solo mode — An automatic opponent provides a solo play option with its own scoring.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- shadow kingdoms of valyria is a dice drafting euro game set in the fantasy kingdom of valyria
- the game features a strong engine building element
- there is a great deal of balance in dice selection
- standalone and distinct game requiring no experience with the others
- a solo mode
- to be released in 2020 shadow kingdoms of valyria
- five shrines each containing four dice in one of five colors
- choose a new shrine take one of the dice and then complete a small shrine action
- the higher the total value of the dice used the more points are gained
- gathering armies to try to fight back and take over the kingdom
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _iQQ7127QH8
Meeple Mountain Top List at 4:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38753 · mention_pk 116781
Click to watch at 4:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong dice drafting design
- consistent Daily Magic quality
Cons
- potential for analysis paralysis in some groups
Thematic elements
- dice drafting and resource management
- Valeria city-state with colored dice
- strategy-forward with modular decisions
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action location control — select locations to perform actions with matching dice
- Dice Drafting — draft and use dice to perform actions in different locations
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- i just love how the mechanics blend well with the theme
- it's a more complex pirate game with so many choices
- most importantly i feel like i've enjoyed this game every single time i've played it
- this is my new favorite title of theirs
- it's cooperative and that might not make sense but if you are curious then you should totally check out the crew the quest for planet nine
- this is a nice medium weight game that game brewer hit out of the park in my opinion
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video EKBNTJVAFls
Meeple Mountain Rules Teach at 0:12 sentiment: positive
video_pk 28083 · mention_pk 82144
Click to watch at 0:12 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Deep strategic decision-making without excessive complexity
- High replayability due to variable setups (battle plans, campaign board, and champion cards)
- Rich thematic tie-in with Valaria world and engaging art
- Colorblind-friendly design and intuitive color mapping
- Flexible mechanics allow players to optimize through gems, magic, and discounts
Cons
- Endgame requires shrine-based scoring to claim all awards, which can be hard to execute perfectly
- Early game limits dice slots; planning and resource management required; may be challenging for newcomers
- Costs for champions increase with same-type cards, which can slow early progress if you chase specific cards
Thematic elements
- Conquest, defense of sacred spaces, and rallying troops to restore order in Valaria
- A dark fantasy realm where humans, elves, and dwarves are encroached by shadow kingdoms; players defend their territories and rally to reclaim the darkness.
- Campaign-driven strategic puzzle with evolving board state and layered objective tracking
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Battle plans and combat resolution — Battle plans demand specific color/quantity of dice; players pay gold and assign dice to execute plans. Strength calculations depend on dice, influence, and potential discounts.
- Campaign board and scoring — A separate campaign board provides nine areas of scoring; placing victory point markers unlocks abilities and triggers chain bonuses for adjacent bonuses.
- Champion cards and card economy — Champions grant instant or ongoing effects with costs that can rise as you collect more of the same type; discounts from dice can influence purchase price.
- Color troop system and accessibility — Five troop types (goblins, orcs, skeletons, gargoyles, Knolls) align with die colors; colorblind-friendly cues are provided; gems can flip dice to meet plan requirements.
- Dice allocation and strength management — Players draft and place dice on shrines and battle plans; the combined dice strength contributes to troop power, with a cap influenced by the player's influence track.
- Endgame and chain bonuses — Game ends after seven battle plans; players gain bonuses from chain placements and adjacent bonuses, increasing total scoring opportunities.
- Player boards and upgrades — Each player has a board with ten victory point slots. Unlocking slots and advancing on the campaign board offers new abilities and higher scoring potential.
- Resource Management — Gold buys battle plans and champions; magic powers shrine actions and card effects; influence caps maximum troop strength and progresses the score track.
- Shrine-driven actions — Wardens visit shrines to collect dice and activate shrine-specific powers. Gems, magic, and gold modify outcomes and enable strategic dice manipulation.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Shadow Kingdoms of Valaria has a lot of things I like to see in a game
- it's a great experience
- the game is never the same
- art from the Miko is great
- gems are awesome
- colorblind you can always look at the bottom right to see what troop type it is
- you won't be able to do absolutely everything
- gather your troops, hire your champions and get your battle plans ready as you fight to become the general of the dark army
- the theme could be anything Valaria but I still think the theme is great
- the objective of the game is to visit the shrines on the board gaming troop dice for battle and activating shrine powers to give you extra bonuses
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–7 of 7