Game Info
Year
2023
Collection
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Description
The Last Kingdom Board Game is game of war and politics for 2-5 players by renowned designer John D Clair that's based on the Netflix series The Last Kingdom.
In this world, the kingdoms of Britain are at war. Many have already fallen to the invading Danes, leaving the great kingdom of Wessex standing alone and defiant under the command of King Alfred. You are one of the great commanders and politicians in this war-torn land known today as England. Both Saxon and Dane armies openly battle for dominance, and it is up to you to title the scales of power. To claim these lands, you will need to tread a dangerous path between both sides of the conflict. Will you betray your allies for power? What part will you play in the birth of a new nation, and will you ultimately rule it all?
The Last Kingdom Board Game plays over the course of two rounds during which players will perform actions to command armies to shape the course of the war. Your allegiance to the Saxons or the Danes can be firm or fickle, and your score will reflect not just your prowess in battle, but your political skill in maneuvering the competing forces of Britain.
Each of the ten leaders offers unique benefits to your strategy and provides special cards to start your hand. At the start of each round, players complete their hand by drafting cards from a deck specific to that round, then the war begins in one of the five regions. Players take turns playing cards to command Saxon or Dane armies, gaining affinity with the different factions, or positioning their heroes and leaders to shift the tides of war. Players also have access to a rotating market of actions that are available to everyone.
Alternatively, players may choose to not act on their turn and instead pass to see what moves their opponents make.
Once all players have passed consecutively, the war in the current region will be decided by the strengths of the Saxon and Dane armies battling there. Players gain victory points if they are aligned with the winning faction and based on their level of affinity. The focus of the war then moves to the next region, and the battle continues.
After the fate of each of the five regions has been decided, the round ends. After two rounds of play, the player who has accrued the most points wins.
-description from publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video _N3jJMD072s
Getting Games Discussion at 38:11 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88905 · mention_pk 235291
Click to watch at 38:11 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- interesting combination of drafting, area control, and shifting alliances
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- area control with shifting alliances
- historical/allied factions in late 9th/early 10th century
Comparison games
- Blood Rage
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hand drafting; alliance shifting — draft cards at round start; alliances can change during play; three factions plus a Danish faction; cards drive actions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm incredibly biased and I'm not going to sit here and tell you to back the Kickstarter campaign for this one
- I wrote the rulebooks for all these four games
- distilled two-hour 18nxx experience
- I judge games by their cover; Katamino Tower looks cool
- Clover really surprised me with how much I've enjoyed it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yviB5CKthx4
Allies or Enemies Review at 0:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88166 · mention_pk 231804
Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong and surprisingly robust two-player experience
- high interactivity with tense player reads and counterplay
- card drafting paired with action tokens creates layered decision-making
- ten diverse leaders ensure high replayability
- components are clear and well-executed; rulebook solid
Cons
- color-blind accessibility concerns due to red/green faction colors
- art direction relies on TV stills, which may not appeal to everyone
- perceived heaviness; not ideal for absolute beginners
- two-player mode is excellent but the game shines best with 3-5 players
Thematic elements
- political intrigue, shifting allegiances, and backstabbing within a map-driven conflict
- Viking Britain, around the 800s, on islands with competing kingdoms
- asymmetric powers, faction switching, and hidden objective manipulation
Comparison games
- Inish
- The King is Dead
- Blood Rage
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action tokens economy — tokens are spent to perform market and secondary actions, with tight supply influencing pacing
- Area Control — regions on the board are contested through armies and influence, driving scoring and conflict dynamics
- Asymmetric Player Powers — each leader/faction provides unique abilities that affect strategy and timing
- Asymmetric powers — each leader/faction provides unique abilities that affect strategy and timing
- Card Drafting — players draft a large pool of leader and action cards at the start of the round, shaping options and strategy
- Conflict resolution and scoring — conflicts are resolved by relative power in regions and scoring occurs through regional control and affinities
- Hidden Information — cards and tokens are drafted or kept hidden behind screens, creating uncertainty and bluffing elements
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the interaction is off the charts
- it's not combative, it's like combative and sneaky at the same time
- I was shocked by how good the two-player game is
- this is 100% a strategy game and a card play game and a card drafting game
- the pacing here
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _qeaVjxzhck
Neon Gorilla Interview at 1:35:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 81273 · mention_pk 200913
Click to watch at 1:35:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- fantastic game
Cons
- flew under the radar
- nobody played it at all
- too expensive
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)
- I mean, you had ready, set, bet. Like, uh, The Last Kingdom was like a a fantastic game that just flew under the radar. Do you know what I mean? Nobody nobody played it at all, you know?
- They charged a hundred quid for a game that was made out of a bog roll.
- I think I compared my copy of War of the Ring to a Garen Hospital.
- I have 15 burner accounts just just tearing you down.
- It's all me. I've got 15 burner accounts just just tearing you down.
- I don't care whether AI has had a hand in designing it. If the game is good and I find it fun, then I'll play it.
- I don't care whether it's designed by a woman, by a man, by, you know, a capybara.
- The incentive system is totally broken.
- I honestly think like the whole board game review system in general is like is broke, especially if you are and we can't afford to get all these games. You do have to get some review.
- I think there's something to say for people um wanting to maintain publisher relationships.
- You know, my core audience are grumpy old white men that just want to hear somebody slag off a game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video GDmPiqN-y9Q
Review at 0:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69742 · mention_pk 166433
Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Full of surprises and provides draw-dropping moments.
- Massive amount of options available through action plaques and cards.
- Constant changing of allegiances keeps players on their toes and adds intrigue.
- Captures the spirit of the TV show wonderfully.
- Phenomenal experience that blends best parts of previous Dudes on a Map games.
Cons
- Aesthetics of the game look drab and muted, may put people off.
- Can be a little bit too long, stated playtime on box is a lie.
- Intellectual property (being based on a TV show) may put some people off initially.
Thematic elements
- Anglo-Saxons vs. Danes
- England
Comparison games
- Space Base
- Ready Set Bet
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Allegiance Switching — Players can change their allegiance during the game, which can drastically shift the balance of power and scoring.
- Area Control — Players vie for control of different regions on the map to gain victory points.
- bluffing — The changing allegiances and hidden intentions encourage bluffing and intrigue among players.
- Card Drafting — Players draft cards in a specific phase which they can then play for actions.
- Hand Management — Players manage a hand of cards and must be careful how they use them, not blowing their stack too early.
- Variable player powers — Characters from the show are included, each with unique abilities and allegiances, providing a thematic boost.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Destiny is all
- This game is full of surprises has me on the edge of my seat every time and it's fantastic
- The Aesthetics of the game make it look drab
- It can be a little bit too long for my liking
- This game is absolutely fantastic it captures the spirit of the TV show wonderfully with its shifting allegiances and player Powers John declair has created a phenomenal experience which takes the best part parts of previous dudes on the map games and blends them into a near Game of the Year bundle it is that [__] good
- For me this is like a toss up for Game of the Year this all station 4 at this moment in time
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video jf1wI-CDlQ4
Top List at 6:48 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69635 · mention_pk 166275
Click to watch at 6:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Great for fans of the TV show.
- Features lots of backstabbing and intrigue.
- Satisfying area control mechanics.
- Highly thematic.
Cons
- May be overlooked by players unfamiliar with the TV show.
Thematic elements
- Viking and Saxon conflicts
- The Last Kingdom TV show's historical setting
- Tied to the TV show's narrative
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players use cards to manipulate different armies on the board.
- Card Play — Cards are used to manipulate armies and influence conflicts.
- Hidden Traitor (implied) — Alliances can change, leading to backstabbing and intrigue.
- Variable Player Powers (Implied) — Players take control of characters from the TV show, suggesting unique abilities or starting conditions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's not a top 10 and that is because we didn't really play too many new games last year right and coupled that with the fact that a lot of games last year were completing out dog [__] and they were far too [__] expensive for my budget
- void fall is not on this list that is because I haven't played it yet I have dabbled with the tutorial but the game is far too complex for my psize brain
- RVE Caesar is probably one of our favorite games of all time
- the thing that makes this game [__] awesome is that there's a shop where you're going to be able to buy loads of extra [__] you're going to be able to get loads of different weapons you're going to be able to get different attachments for your robot
- if you love the TV show then you're going to love this and I suppose if I had to pick a negative out of this is if you're not familiar with the TV show you'll probably walk right by this game and that is a real shame because if you do you are missing out on one of the best games of the year
- Station 4 is a complete and utter bastard to teach you do really need to be familiar with the game before you play it
- in my opinion station 4 is an absolute Masterpiece of a design Matt Eckland has created one of the best games of all time in my opinion and that makes station 4 our game of the year for 2023
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video xkZrEfrFTa8
BoardGameBollocks Top List at 5:55 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6202 · mention_pk 146683
Click to watch at 5:55 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong thematic tie to a popular drama
- Engaging multi-region play with shifting allegiances
Cons
- Theme alignment may not appeal to all players
Thematic elements
- TV, historical drama-inspired strategy
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area direction of influence — Move or influence factions through card play and region control.
- Card-driven actions — Use character/action cards to influence control and events.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition is an absolute Masterpiece
- Vindication offers some shocking replayability value
- Memoir 44 is probably my favorite war game of all time
- Station 4 is probably the greatest achievement in board game design in the last 10 years
- Monikers is absolutely hilarious
- The cycles edition is about to drop in January
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6