RockyMountainNavy T and myself had another Saturday Boardgame Night featuring Kingdomino Origins (Designer Bruno Cathala from Blue Orange Games, 2021). Whereas last week we used gameplay mode 1. Discovery Mode, this week we stepped it up to gameplay mode 2. Totem Mode. Once again, the genius design of Kingdomino Origins showed itself and contributed to another very thinky-but-enjoyable play.
In Totem Mode there are resources added to the game of Kingdomino Origins. Grasslands get Mammoths, Lakes have Fish, Jungles hide Mushrooms, and Quarries yield Flint. If a Volcano erupts and throws fire into a territory with a resource, that resource is destroyed. A very interesting game mechanism is that at the end of every turn, the player with the most of each resource gains the Totem for that item. The most Mammoths is worth 3 points, most Fish is 4 points, most Mushrooms 5 points, and most Flint is 6 points. This Totem can pass back and forth every round. At the end of the game, the player holding the Totem gains that many bonus points.
All-in-all the rules for resources in Kingdomino Origins are very simple, but once again that “simple” set of rules adds another layer of challenge into the game. Do I sacrifice a resource for that Fire? Do I try to have the most Flint? This “simple” extra layer is on top of the demand for a centered homeland in a 7×7 territory (normally 5×5 but 7×7 in a two-player game).
Compared to the last time we played Kingdomino Origins, at least this time I completed a perfect 7×7 territory. Last time that was the margin of my loss. This game I thought I was doing well with plenty of Fish and Mushrooms. When the final score was tallied, I was flabbergasted by RMN T’s score…43 points ahead of me! How did he get that many more resources?
Alas, while I had been concentrating on trying to maximize resources, RMN T never lost sight of the basic scoring mechanism in Kingdomino Origins. While I worked to collect the most Fish and Mushrooms, RMN T used very cleverly placed Fires and built a territory with two huge scoring lands at 55 and 49 points each. That focus on the basics, coupled with just enough resource competition, gave him that run away win.
Once again, Kingdomino Origins has shown that the game we are very familiar with can present a new and more challenging version without onerous additional rules. I have the feeling that Kingdomino Origins will become our two-player, go-to Kingdomino title to play. RMN T and myself already agreed that next week we will try gameplay mode 3. Tribe Mode that adds Cave People to play.
Feature image courtesy RMN
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