The West Kingdom Tomesaga – First Impressions
Review copy provided by the publisher
Renegade Game Studios and Garphill Games have partnered for some wonderful projects from Shem Phillips and his design collaborators. And just as the North Sea trilogy was augmented by the Runesaga expansion, so too has the West Kingdom trilogy been bolstered by the recent release of the Tomesaga expansion.
It’s a small box, but it contains some big ideas that fans of the trilogy should appreciate. Thankfully, you also don’t need to own all three games if you want to take advantage of the new mechanics and changes to the worker-placement gameplay, but a part of the contents includes a “campaign” through the entire trilogy so it’s best if you have Architects, Paladins, and Viscounts.
With the release of Viscounts and this expansion, the West Kingdom trilogy is officially complete (minus all of the expansions for the individual games that are planned), so there is no better time to look at what medieval magic is stored within.
What It Does
There are two major gameplay variations that are introduced in The West Kingdom Tomesaga:
A Tomesaga campaign that involves all three games and the pursuit of objectives and tomes across Architects, Paladins, and Viscounts
Co-op scenarios, for each of the three games, that pit players against the Overlord
For the campaign, two to four players will compete across the arc of the West Kingdom narrative, collecting Tomes, vying for victory in each unique worker-placement experience, and totaling up their score at the end of the campaign. It could be done in one epic session of playing or you could break it up into individual plays.
For the cooperative variants of each game, players will experiment within a modified version of Architects, Paladins, and Viscounts. Everything is done “while under constant tyranny from the King’s most trusted ally—a brutal and vile overlord, hellbent on outworking the King’s commands, at any cost.” If it sounds like a challenge, it is! Players will have to rethink what they know about these games, shifting their competitive stance away from the other players at the table and toward the AI opponent that threatens their chance at victory.
Also, for the collectors out there, as well as anyone who appreciates more variability, the Tomesaga expansion includes some promo cards for each of the three West Kingdom games.
How It Does It
The campaign involves an additional play area known as the Tome Board which holds the Crest Tokens, Crest Tomes, and other Tomes during each of the three games.
Some specific setup instructions are required for Paladins and Viscounts, but the Tome Board is where most of the expansion content resides. And players will be competing to acquire three different kinds of Tomes—Objective, Victory, and Crest Tomes. Objective Tomes are won by achieving the listed requirement on the card. Victory Tomes are bestowed upon players who were in first or second place at the end of the game. And Crest Tomes are given to players who have collected the right number or set of Crest Tokens, which are awarded to players who get second and third place at the end of the game.
At the end of the Viscounts game, you’ll score for the entire campaign based on the Tomes that players have collected.
As for the co-op scenarios, the Overlord will function in a brutal and effective fashion. He schemes, threatens, and moves to thwart any advancement or success of the players. Each game integrates the Overlord into the system of play already in place. In Architects, you’ll encounter a foe who has his own player board, scheme cards, demand cards, and event cards. The combination of cards creates a punishing environment that will force players to coordinate their movements and actions to best overcome the external threat. In Paladins, the Overlord continually batters the Honour of the West Kingdom knights by presenting threats that must be dealt with to avoid further loss of resources and points. He’s a malicious entity that requires strength and planning to defeat. In Viscounts, another physical presence looms over the castle and kingdom. His workers will challenge your movement into the tiered castle and the Overlord will not stop until you have established such a majority of control that he cannot interfere anymore. Even the progression of poverty and prosperity will be affected, so be careful.
Why You Might Like It
If you really enjoy the West Kingdom trilogy, then there is a lot to like here. A competitive worker-placement game with the innovative design typical of Shem Phillips has been transmuted into either a campaign (legacy-ish) adventure or a cooperative challenge that tests your knowledge and grit.
I recommend getting Tomesaga only if you have all three of the West Kingdom games… or if you really, really like one of them and want an excuse to play it more.
Alternatively, if you or someone you know wasn’t a huge fan of the game because of the competitive nature, then the co-op scenario might be a reason to try it again.
Those three types of gamers could benefit from the Tomesaga. Fans who love it all and want more of the goodness—they’ll value the additional variability and the depth of replay that the expansion offers. Passionate gamers who have a West Kingdom favorite can widen the reach of Architects, Paladins, or Viscounts by opening up a cooperative mode for their friends and family. And then big proponents of cooperative games will be able to turn really innovative gameplay into the team-based challenge that they prefer.
Why You Might Not
There will be gamers, however, who don’t see the value in Tomesaga and I can appreciate that.
Many gamers want their expansions to be a meatier dish served up on the table. Yes, you can embark on an epic three-game campaign. And you can also team up with your fellow gamers to take down the evil Overlord. But it’s not Scoundrels of Skullport. It’s not Nightfall. It’s not Rise of the Empire. It’s not one of the many expansions that deeply influences, positively alters, or dramatically enhances the core gameplay. What you’re looking at is a situational improvement for many. Not a substantial addition to every game played. If you’re looking for that kind of expansion, then Tomesaga probably won’t do it for you.
Also, there are some gamers that have not found the West Kingdom trilogy exciting enough in the first place. If you aren’t already a fan of one or more of these games, then Tomesaga is not likely to change your mind. It’s not enough of a seismic shift to register for these gamers who didn’t find what they were looking for the first time around.
Fall into either of those two categories? Then I don’t think you’ll get the value out of Tomesaga that others might.
Final Thoughts
I like most of what Shem Phillips puts out. There are several of his games that I still haven’t played, but I own all three of the West Kingdom games. Each one has something unique about it that I enjoy and they are all crunchy little worker-placement games with an accessible start and a high ceiling for mastery.
And as someone who values space, I really like how small the expansion is for what it adds. It’s a thin little box stuffed full of the few components that make some big changes. For what it adds and for the price (around $30), I think it’s a good deal.
I typically prefer competitive play over cooperative, but the Overlord is a prickly little bastard who makes me want to work together to take him down. A gameplay variant that makes me engaged enough to try out a co-op scenario whenever there is a perfectly good competitive mode is impressive. And my family and friends enjoy gaming enough where I can see us getting some legs out of the campaign mode—once the pandemic is less of a problem.
I want to hear what you think, though! Do you like the West Kingdom games? Give a shoutout in the comments for your favorite of the three. Are you interested in the Tomesaga expansion? Which part excites you the most—the campaign or the co-op scenarios?