Look and Feel
The game components are striking, full of feudal images of heraldry and parchment, and the places, people and terms all use actual mediaeval English. This is done without detracting from playability; in fact, the colorful and striking heraldic emblems are used just as they were designed, making identification easier than reading names. There can be some difficulty with some of the names of places and families, where non-British players (especially) may be unsure of the pronunciation. There have also been shifts in spelling and pronunciation since the 15th century. The Scrope family, for example, is referenced in Shakespeare's Henry V with the spelling 'Scroop,' which is likely the correct pronunciation for the era.
The game makes no attempt at reproducing the historical chain of events which occurred in the Wars of the Roses; the players are free to do as they see fit, which is likely to be quite different each time Kingmaker is played. The role of the royal heirs in the game, as mere pawns in the Machiavellian plots of the noble families, reflects the roles of some but not all of the real heirs. The relationship could be viewed as the Royal Heir running the faction they travel with rather than the reverse. Actual holdings of land and titles of different nobles has been broken down and simplified in many cases. However, reflecting the common view of that time, where few really cared which royal house had the more "rightful" claim, there was as much fighting within the houses as between them. Loyalty might change as the wind blows and a ruthless climb to power was often rewarded by betrayal and a cataclysmic downfall. This is faithfully reproduced in Kingmaker.
Some details are changed from historical fact to improve playability. Henry Tudor is not present in the game (see Beaufort Family for details), and some titles are removed from the nobles that historically held them. Also, the troop strengths are modified for different nobles for game balance. The Beaufort noble piece becomes the Heir to the Lancastrian claim if all Lancastrian heirs are killed.
Kingmaker won the Charles S. Roberts Award for Best Professional Game of 1975.
Read more about this topic: Kingmaker (board Game)
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