You are a tiny kingdom with big ambition. You want to expand your population throughout the realms, learn powerful magic, build grand towers, and have your neighbors quiver at the mention of your name. The conflict? All of the other kingdoms want the same thing and there's not enough room for everyone to succeed...
In Tiny Epic Kingdoms, a 4x fantasy game in a pocket-size package, each player starts with a unique faction (which has a unique technology tree) and a small territory. Throughout the game, players collect resources, explore other territories, battle each other, research magic, and work to build a great tower to protect their realm.
Note the Deluxe editions now have their own entries:
Tiny Epic Kingdoms: Deluxe Edition (first edition)
Tiny Epic Kingdoms: 2nd Edition – Deluxe Edition
- Compact 4X-style gameplay in a tiny box
- Interesting asymmetry with multiple strategic routes
- Early production and art aren't as polished as later editions
- Expansion can fix balance, but base game has rough edges
- Empire-building with magical pathways and competitive score tracks
- Fantasy kingdom-building with multiple race allegiances
- Asymmetric, multi-path routes to victory
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players navigate three resource tracks and multiple victory-point routes.
- area control and action selection — Players navigate three resource tracks and multiple victory-point routes.
- card drafting — Initial card options set up various actions and strategies each round.
- card drafting / hand management — Initial card options set up various actions and strategies each round.
- magic track and race tracks — Advancement on tracks provides bonuses and points, influencing strategy.
- Track advancement — Advancement on tracks provides bonuses and points, influencing strategy.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "I found it a bit tricky because it went a bit quick my people got killed off too fast before I really got a sense of how to use them"
- "there are a bunch of cool options with the characters and I did find them interesting"
- "it's a 4X game all in a small box"
- "the expansion apparently it adds a ton of this a ton a ton more to this game"
- "two-player viability with added pieces"
- "two-player play works surprisingly well"
- "the follow mechanic ... keeps you invested every turn"
- "Man the box fits the minis in that box... tardis-like"
- "this is a Zelda vibe... Zelda e as you can get"
- "the divisive part comes from this poker hand mechanic"
- "the bullet dice are pretty cool"
- "it's the best one"
References (from this video)
- Compact epic experience
- Resource management and conquest
- Fantasy kingdom building
- Compact epic strategy
- Small World
- Kingdoms
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — control hex tiles for points
- Dice rolling — roll dice to collect resources
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- yeah i'm also working on this crazy fast 4x space game called last light that's gonna be coming out
- you can actually build residential buildings and double triple stack tiles to make them taller
- it's a spin-off of the katan series
- final score is 14 out of 20
- you are correct it is rising sun
References (from this video)
- excellent entry point into the Tiny Epic line
- fast and accessible with deep strategic options
- some players find the pace a bit slow after multiple plays
- fantasy empire management with variable player boards
- fantasy kingdom-building with warring clans
- compact, crunchy engine-building within a tiny epic framework
- Tiny Epic Galaxies
- Tiny Epic Vikings
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control / hand management — Control resource-rich regions while optimizing your actions.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Tiny Epic Galaxies is by far my favorite tiny epic game
- it's so good, I can't wait to play it
- worldwide six games with the game hall bag—worldwide, anybody can win
- the art is amazing
- this game has no right to be as good as it is
- I'll play this game anytime