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Description
Viscounts of the West Kingdom is set at a time when the King’s reign began to decline, circa 980 AD. Choosing peace over prosperity, our once strong King began offering our enemies gold and land to lay down their axes. But peace is a tenuous affair. As poverty spread, many people lost faith in his ability to lead and sought independence from the crown. Since finding favour in his courts, our future has also become uncertain. As viscounts, we must be wise and decisive. Loyalty is to be upheld, but gaining favour among the people must be our priority, should there be a sudden shift in power.
The aim of Viscounts of the West Kingdom is to be the player with the most victory points (VP) at game's end. Points are gained by constructing buildings, writing manuscripts, working in the castle and acquiring deeds for new land. Players begin with a handful of townsfolk, but should quickly seek out more suitable talents to advance their endeavours. Each turn they will be travelling around the kingdom, looking to increase their influence among the various areas of society. The game ends once the Kingdom reaches poverty or prosperity - or potentially both!
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2020
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Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 3 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video -w-JNqfJxsI
Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews game_review at 0:08 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 62337 · mention_pk 154849
Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- multiple paths to victory
- efficient, space-conscious component design
- cards provide both on-board and off-board benefits
- thematic tension between virtue and corruption adds tension and pacing
- inter-player interaction through placement and track mechanics
Cons
- theme can feel loosely connected to the mechanics for some players
- teaching the system can be challenging due to interwoven rules
- early game complexity may slow initial enjoyment for new players
Thematic elements
- virtue vs corruption, loyalty and political maneuvering within a realm under a capricious ruler
- medieval city-state in a western kingdom where nobles seek wealth and must decide loyalty to a controversial king
- strategic resource management with thematic tension between virtue and vice
Comparison games
- Architects of the West Kingdom
- Paladins of the West Kingdom
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- building placement and area development — construct buildings on the board to unlock new actions and gain rewards; proximity yields shared bonuses
- corruption and virtue track interaction — two interlocking tracks that move with player choices, driving endgame timing and scoring incentives
- deck-building with drafting and tableau — start with a deck of cards, draft and place them to unlock on-board effects and future benefits
- set collection — collect ribbon-colored tokens and sets to gain victory points and bonuses
- set collection and ribbon-based bonuses — collect ribbon-colored tokens and sets to gain victory points and bonuses
- worker placement — your viscount and other workers are placed on the board to take actions and influence tracks
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I really like games that have multiple paths to victory
- space management is that a word space manager
- you can use gold to get up to that certain threshold you need
- the corruption/virtue track acts as a timer
- there's four main actions that you can do
- the card tableau works really well
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video A-t7tTiXh2I
Allies or Enemies analysis at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 61160 · mention_pk 153727
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- High-quality production and a striking 3D castle centerpiece
- Beautiful Micho artwork across the trilogy
- Expansions add meaningful paths and broaden strategic options
- Solo mode is strong, with varied AI boards
- Tight integration with the broader West Kingdom series
Cons
- Base game castle-focused path can feel dominant
- Expansions feel like they should have been in one box
- Not ideal for new players or non-gamers due to complexity
- Lengthy turns at higher player counts
Thematic elements
- political influence, virtue versus corruption, city-building, manuscript collection
- Medieval realm in the West Kingdom where counts vie for political influence during a tenuous peace
- Loose trilogy-wide story about counts jockeying for power during a fragile peace
Comparison games
- Architects of the West Kingdom
- Paladins of the West Kingdom
- The North Sea Trilogy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- building and slot management — Build and replace buildings; interact with the castle and spaces.
- Card-driven action economy — Actions are driven by card icons and costs on cards you play.
- Deck building — Players start with a small deck, cycle cards, and gain actions through playing and discarding cards.
- deck-building — Players start with a small deck, cycle cards, and gain actions through playing and discarding cards.
- end game bonuses — The virtue and corruption decks determine end-game scoring.
- end-game scoring via virtue and corruption — The virtue and corruption decks determine end-game scoring.
- Resource management — Gaining and spending resources, goods, and virtues/corruption to progress.
- Rondel — A circular movement track around the board guiding actions as the viscount token travels.
- Rondelle movement — A circular movement track around the board guiding actions as the viscount token travels.
- set collection — Collect manuscript boards and sets to earn points.
- set collection / manuscript tracking — Collect manuscript boards and sets to earn points.
- variable player boards / expansions — Expansions modify boards and add new mechanics and scoring options.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- shem phillips games have always been well made and this is no different
- the west kingdom trilogy is maybe the best complete trilogy in board games
- this is a terrific last chapter
- also the expansions add another layer to all of this
- the biggest downside there however is that the two expansions do kind of feel like they should have come together in one box
- 3d castle is a terrific centerpiece
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1RcXw6gbP18
Allies or Enemies top_100_list at 6:10 sentiment: positive
video_pk 61082 · mention_pk 153517
Click to watch at 6:10 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- castle action is fun and thematic
- expansion boosted other strategies
Cons
- can be fiddly and a bit fiddly with iconography
Thematic elements
- castle-building, card-driven actions
- medieval fantasy with courtly politics and castle-building
- mechanical kingdom-building with a medieval flair
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric Mechanics — factions or paths provide different strategic routes
- asymmetric progression — factions or paths provide different strategic routes
- Card-driven action selection — play a card to determine the action you can take
- icon chaining — three cards on your turn determine action strength and direction
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's ugly as is a game comes
- Prelude expansion which I'm going to say is the only expansion you need for this game
- it's the chess of racing games
- it's a game of inches
- the Wind Waker-esque board game that is out there
- the campaign element really nicely and I like that they group The like the each play is three chapters in a setting
- you can play a game of this in an hour and a half with two players
- you are building that Tableau and your Tableau gets outrageous
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video j2vb2MFZBQE
Stonemire Games top_10_list at 4:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 39765 · mention_pk 120026
Click to watch at 4:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Core idea of ongoing discounts driving future actions
- Satisfying planning and timing rewards when multiple discounts align
- A thematic, durable engine build within a historically rich setting
Cons
- The complexity can be high for newcomers
- Some players may find the discount management dense
Thematic elements
- Advancement through incremental discounts via buildings and cards
- Medieval city-building with political control and church influence in a hill kingdom.
- Strategic, with a focus on planning and timing
Comparison games
- London (mentioned as a similar temporary/ongoing discount vibe)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Conveyor belt card flow — Cards and discounts shift across the player board, requiring timing and pivoting.
- Ongoing discounts via cards on the player board — Discount icons provide persistent reductions to costs, enabling engine-building over time.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Skyler: My favorite game featuring ongoing discounts is Flamecraft.
- Dylan: This is my favorite of the West Kingdom trilogy, and managing ongoing discounts is a major key to success in the game.
- Aaron: Space the final frontier. These are the voyages of whatever you name your ship.
- Caitlyn: In Ark Nova, you can claim partner zoos in four of the five continents. And whenever you play an animal into your zoo that matches one of your partner zoos, you get a three credit discount on the animals cost.
- Skyler: This creates a very low conflict environment where everyone helps to improve the town, making it awesome for families.
- Jamie: Lord of the Rings Duel for Middle-earth really got me thinking about the decision space of do I spend money on a card now or wait to get the resource that a card provides so I don't have to pay it in the future.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video crEXyYdeDWM
Board Game Garden deck_building at 11:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 28244 · mention_pk 82811
Click to watch at 11:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging blend of deck-building with additional mechanics
- Interesting rondelle conveyor setup keeps gameplay dynamic
Cons
- Can be heavy for first-time players
- Rules interactions can be intricate
Thematic elements
- West Kingdom / medieval civic development
Comparison games
- Architects of the West Kingdom
- Hadrian's Wall
- Paladins of the West Kingdom
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — Contributes to council influence and building presence on the board.
- Area majority / building planning — Contributes to council influence and building presence on the board.
- Deck building — You build a deck of workers and actions to gain influence and perform tasks.
- deck-building — You build a deck of workers and actions to gain influence and perform tasks.
- Rondel — Cards cycle through in a belt-like fashion, activating actions as they slide forward.
- Rondelle / conveyor belt style tableau — Cards cycle through in a belt-like fashion, activating actions as they slide forward.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Clank in space is fantastic
- this is quite a popular deck building worker placement game
- Concordia is not really a deck building game but it is a deck building/hand configuration game
- Lost Ruins of Arnak... the act of getting the most done on a turn as you possibly can
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wqg6Mi0dUmQ
Unknown Channel game_review at 0:09 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 7853 · mention_pk 23176
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Fascinating game that feels fresh and original
- Seamless integration of multiple mechanics into a cohesive whole
- High replayability due to multiple paths to victory and unique starting characters
- Deep deck-building with meaningful decisions and long-term planning
- Permanent building upgrades add tangibility and strategy over time
- Vibrant theme tightly coupled with gameplay mechanics
Cons
- Steep learning curve and tricky to teach because all parts are highly interconnected
- Can feel overwhelming for new players and may require a dedicated teaching session
- Without focus, players may experience frustration trying to do too much in a single game
- Interaction density can slow play and require careful management in heavier sessions
Thematic elements
- Political maneuvering, civic development, and personal advancement within a fragile kingdom
- Medieval West Kingdom during a period of instability and decline; rulers navigate debt, crime, and shifting loyalties to grow influence
- Emergent, player-driven outcomes shaped by deck-building, worker placement, and building upgrades
Comparison games
- Great Western Trail
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action economy and card order — Choose which of the three cards to play each turn; cards shift to the right and new ones are drawn to the left, determining available actions and their strength
- Building upgrades and permanence — Construct buildings that grant permanent upgrades and boost various rewards; placement adjacency matters for extra rewards
- Deck building — Start with a basic deck and customize over time; cards drive actions and bonuses, with a shifting left-to-right play order and special icons
- deck-building — Start with a basic deck and customize over time; cards drive actions and bonuses, with a shifting left-to-right play order and special icons
- Manuscripts and manuscript-related actions — Acquire manuscripts at inner locations using cross and ink wells; manuscripts contribute to scoring and strategy
- Morality track and collision dynamics — Morality tokens shift when certain actions collide; end-of-turn positions determine rewards for all players
- Trade and outside locations — Trade resources at outside locations using money and specific resources; spending silver can supplement trades
- Trading — Trade resources at outside locations using money and specific resources; spending silver can supplement trades
- Wild and special icons — Criminal icon acts as a wild, while lightning, ongoing, and discard-related icons provide varying immediate or ongoing benefits
- worker placement — Place workers in castle spaces to gain resources and bonuses; bumping other workers and paying costs shapes board state and rewards
- worker placement and resource management — Place workers in castle spaces to gain resources and bonuses; bumping other workers and paying costs shapes board state and rewards
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Viscounts is a fascinating game that feels fresh and original
- I've personally never played something that combines all these different mechanics quite so seamlessly
- there are many ways to get points such as controlling the center of the castle and the crazy mess that goes on there
- the path to victory is very different each time
- your main decision each turn is which one of these three cards do I play?
- however, this game is tricky to teach as every part of the game play is interconnected
- not having a focus will lead to a frustrating play experience
- like this idea but love collecting Cows, consider Great Western Trail
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video i5uCwSmMWwA
Dice Tower general_discussion at 5:21 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 5647 · mention_pk 16784
Click to watch at 5:21 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Solid mechanics, good interaction
Cons
- Not everyone loves the West Kingdom family
Thematic elements
- Worker placement/euro engine-building
- Medieval governance/feudal rule
- Strong thematic feel
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- worker placement — Tasks with workers to gain resources and score points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Shark Park, a memory kind of game.
- they're essentially just more complex versions of the last.
- it feels like it's a bigger game that was streamlined and streamline is often very good, but this one I felt almost a little streamlined too much.
- This one's almost there. And I know a lot of people love the Talisera.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1BFj_tPQ07Y
Game Played Live game_playthrough at 4:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3978 · mention_pk 11600
Click to watch at 4:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Complex strategic gameplay
- Multiple paths to victory
- Interesting resource and deck management
- Unique mechanics involving virtue and corruption
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Complex rule interactions
- Long playtime
Thematic elements
- Political intrigue and kingdom management
- Medieval kingdom
- Players are viscounts competing for power and influence
Comparison games
- Architects of the West Kingdom
- Paladins of the West Kingdom
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck building — Players acquire and manage a deck of cards representing different actions and characters
- Resource management — Collecting and spending various resources like silver, gold, and stone
- worker placement — Players place workers in the castle and different board locations
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Who knows - the Clovis family motto
- Sometimes you gotta kill a habit you can't control the kingdom without killing a few rabbits
- The active presence of criminality
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–8 of 8