You're the shy, unassuming type who likes to be in charge, but shuns the public eye. That makes you a perfect candidate for Kingmaker from Avalon Hill, a medieval strategy game based on the War of the Roses that asks you to build a faction capable of eliminating other pretenders to the throne while you position your own candidate to become King.
This particular period in English history was a confusing one. Most of the real power wasn't held by the ruling members of the Royal Family. Instead, various nobles working behind the scenes tried to position the nobles they controlled into favored positions. Obviously taking that as their cue, the designers of this game seem to have gone out of their way to make this confusing as hell.
To quote directly from the reference manual, "For the first few games, the best strategy might seem bewilderingly obscure." Truer words have never been spoken. I was sorely tempted to toss this into the trash can and write a scathing review after a couple of ineffectual tries. However, my devotion to duty, along with the knowledge that my boss wouldn't particularly care for that approach, made me keep playing. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that one you figured the game out, it was fun.
Control is the most important part of this game. In order to become Kingmaker and win, you must eliminate all other pretenders to the throne so that your own ineffectual puppet can take charge. The 15th Century was a much harder time than the 1990s. Losing an election these days simply means a policitian becomes a highly-paid lobbyist. Backing the losing side in The War of the Roses meant that you had an imminent appointment with the executioner.
There are nine Royal Heirs, split between two separate lines of succession. Your goal is capture all the heirs, and eliminate all but one. When this happens, your lackey takes over the country, making you a very important person indeed.In addition to the Royal Heirs, there are a number of titled and untitled nobles cluttering up the landscape. These people are the members of the different factions who battle for control of the country.
Building your faction, which takes place at the beginning of the game well before the first battle, is the most important part of Kingmaker. This is where you discover which nobles are backing your cause, and what resources are available to you. By assigning the available offices and titles available to your faction to your untitled nobles, you can improve your chances of success.
Once the game begins, your main goal is to capture Royal Heirs. Some are relatively unprotected and easy to catch, while others are held by opposing factions. Once you control an heir, you don't have to worry much about paying for their keep. Since the object is to control one pretender to the throne, you'll find that it doesn't make much sense to cart more than one around the country, which means you'll be executing any extra ones you might pick up.
The game's interface provides little or no relief in your battle to figure out the game's strategy. While the information menus, which help you change your own faction and track other factions and royal heirs, are easy to use, moving your units around is difficult. When you reach this stage, the screen changes to a close-up view. Since your often moving out of the area that's pictured, you spend a lot of time bouncing between screens.
Despite all the problems, I really enjoyed Kingmaker once I figured it out. With all of the different characters involved, there's a premium placed on planning that puts this in a different category from most of your basic medieval strategy games. You won't get to sit on a throen while you play Kingmaker, but you'll enjoy absolute power, which is definitely a crowning achievement.
