Between Two Castles: Secrets & Soirees – First Impressions
Review copy provided by the publisher
I have introduced Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig to about half a dozen gamers now and it continues to be a game that I think is one of the better introductory games for people who are relatively new to the hobby. I’d recommend it over Pandemic to avoid quarterbacking and I’d offer it as a choice instead of 7 Wonders because of the more meaningful player interaction.
And with the release of the Secrets & Soirees expansion, the game has solidified that position for me. The introduction of secret rooms and activity rooms broaden the scope of tile selection just enough to provide a wealth of gameplay over time. Also, the new game variant “The Mad King’s Demand” creates another way to enjoy the castle-building experience with each player focusing on their own castle, while forcing the players on their left and right to adjust to tiles that they may not want.
More tiles and options than before with a new way to play that iterates on the collaborative castle-building DNA of the original experience. That’s what Secrets & Soirees brings to the table.
But there’s more! The expansion also offers up an Automa system for gamers who want to enjoy it all on their own, sans those pesky individuals posted up in seats around the table. Solo gamers will be able to experience the base game and expansion of Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig while facing off against the notorious Automa.
That’s a pretty good deal when you consider that it comes in a nice little insert that sumptuously stacks with the other game trays in the main box. Goodbye, superfluous cardboard! Hello, organizational zen!
What It Does
Photo credits: Stonemaier Games
The castles are getting grander and the stakes are getting higher! When the king throws a party, the whole kingdom perks up because it’s bound to get downright monarchical. That’s right, we’re talking about the Mad King. But not Dice Throne. And also not Game of Thrones. The other one. The other Mad King. You know.
Stonemaier Games has released the Secrets & Soirees expansion for Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig and it successfully supports the strengths of the original experience in addition to providing more ways for players to engage with the content. While the usual game is designed for 3-7 players, now 2-8 can enjoy a variant designed to create tension on every turn. Also, the popular Automa system that features in many Stonemaier games arrives in the land of Ludwig as well.
Alongside the potential for new players, there are two new room types (activity and secret rooms), a new specialty room type (ballrooms), more bonus cards, and a new throne room.
The party is starting! Let’s take a look at who is on the guest list.
1 box - But you won’t need it because the next item makes it obsolete.
1 custom Game Trayz tray - This is wonderful because it fits in the base game box.
1 wooden castle token - Now you can bring eight players to the table!
24 activity room tiles - There’s so much room for activities!
16 ballroom tiles - Now put other players’ hard work to work… for you!
16 secret room tiles - Behind the bookcase, obviously!
2 promo tiles - Because we always have to give a shoutout to the board game industry.
48 regular room type tokens - So you know what secret rooms are what.
8 bonus cards - The more bonuses, the better.
1 throne room - Gotta complement the extra castle.
21 regular room tiles - This packs a punch in terms of variability over time.
8 reference cards - New rooms require new references. Bust out the CVs.
50-page scorepad - Same joke. Just apply it to this scorepad.
24 Automa cards - Solo play all the way, baby.
4 Automa room type cards - Yeah, it’s the stuff for solo play.
1 double-sided Automa turn-order card - There’s just a little bit extra.
3 double-sided Automa player aid cards - I swear that’s the last bit.
How It Does It
Here’s how it all works.
Secret rooms are the most interesting. They point a particular direction and then fully copy the room tile that it’s directed at. That means the type, the adornment, and the scoring conditions. Secret rooms can’t point at each other but they can create links of interconnected secret rooms, as long as there is a regular room tile at the beginning of the chain. Secret rooms can also break some of the limitations of regular room types, like being downstairs when others can’t or allowing rooms to be built on top of them even if they’re copying outdoor rooms.
It’s a whole whirlwind of possibility for players to discover.
Activity rooms are an entirely different experience, with a spatial scoring element that is interesting. Each room tile scores for tiles that are directly above, below, or left and right of the main activity tile. But they will only score one point total if any of the eight surrounding tiles are a particular room type. So maybe one activity room will not want any sleeping rooms near it. Or outdoor rooms. Or whatever. It causes a little more finagling when players build out the castles to avoid decreasing the scoring power of the activity rooms.
Other room tiles, bonus cards, and scoring opportunities exist in the game, but I’ll leave you to discover that on your own…
Cough
And then two game modes are now available to mix things up.
Solo gamers, rejoice! The Automa has arrived in the world of Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig. Check it out! You can now build castles without the interruptions of other humans. They really do slow things down and make it all the harder to complete a project.
But when you must play nicely with others, you can now play… not as nicely. The Mad King’s demand gameplay variant is here and it’s a delicious twist on what came before. Players build out their own castles and then also choose one room tile to pass either right or left. Then, when revealed, players use the one tile they selected for themselves and one tile that an adjacent player picked for them. In the second round, the rotation switches so that new players are funneling tiles to each other. Highest-scoring castle wins! So it flips the script on the original formula but gives you that same fun interaction with other players.
It’s a lot of stuff packed into a small insert. Which then packs itself into the base game box. Not too shabby!
Why You Might Like It
The secret rooms add a new layer of strategy for players to consider as they construct larger networks of room types than ever before. Activity rooms and more tiles for each of the other room types further increase depth.
Solo play with the Automa and a new 2-8 player variant with a singular focus on the castle in front of you. That’s two new ways to play Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig in one small box.
Why You Might Not
The overall gameplay loop is the same. If you’re looking for a longer game or a more intrusive set of expansion rules, this doesn’t provide that. It’s focused on improving what’s already there.
Activity rooms provide another spatial puzzle for players to weigh when building a castle, but they are definitely the weakest link in the chain of new content from the Secrets & Soirees expansion.
Final Thoughts
This is a solid expansion that makes a good game great. I’m always on the lookout for games that are accessible to players from all backgrounds and while Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a mouthful, it’s also one of the simplest games to get people engaged. Relying on cooperation, there is still only one winner, and it’s a great combination of mechanics to show people who aren’t as enmeshed in the hobby.
Secrets & Soirees adds just a dash of complexity while maximizing depth. The two new room types and two new game variants (enabling solo play and solo castle-building) are the perfect touches to complement what already worked in the base game.
Just like Scoundrels of Skullport for Lords of Waterdeep, it’s an expansion that I’ll likely always use when playing the game.
I like secrets. And I like fancy gatherings in castles. So this one is a win-win for me.
If you want to check out the Secrets & Soirees expansion, you can visit Stonemaier Games or read what the community thinks on BoardGameGeek.
For fans of Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, the Secrets & Soirees expansion adds a perfect amount of content to give that game a little boost.
Let us know in the comments and give a recommendation for other games of which to share our first impressions.