Middle Ages

The Game

Middle Ages is a game from Marc Andre (Splendor). You compete to collect tiles to add to your kingdom. There are eight different types of tiles, and they generate income (i.e. victory points) in different ways. They also have various abilities. Usually the more tiles you have in one type, the more powerful they become. You play 16 rounds, and the highest scorer wins. 

Middle Ages is a reimplementation of Majesty: For the Realm from 2018. One big change is how the tiles are picked. 

Tiles are laid out in rows, with each row having a number of tiles one more than the number of players. You take turns placing your lord on a tile in the current row. The earlier your turn is, the more options you have. The last player still has two options. This is how you pick tiles. When you pick a tile from a row, you are also deciding the turn order for the next round. Whoever picks the leftmost tile will go first next round. This is an important consideration, especially if there is an important tile you must get next round. When you start the next round and move your lord to your next pick, you claim that tile you lord is vacating. The tile goes to your player board, and its powers take effect. So you see there is a delay in the tile power getting triggered. It is not triggered when you claim the tile. It is triggered when you pick a tile next round. 

Tiles have various powers. Most help you make money (i.e. victory points), some attack your opponents. When you gain a barrack, you attack everyone else in the game. Whoever has fewer forts than you have barracks loses a tile. Many tiles affect or are affected by other tiles. There are combos which help you make more money. 

You will keep adding tiles to your player board. That tile on the right is land you have lost due to attacks. It is possible to recover such lands. 

An event occurs every four rounds.

The Play

This is a game with a simple core mechanism. The tile powers take more time to explain. However it is important to understand how the tiles work, so that you can make meaningful choices. The game has ample player interaction. This is not just about the attacking and defending. It is also about people wanting the same tiles. You need to know what your opponents are trying to collect, and you have to decide whether to compete or to spend your efforts elsewhere. 

I went military. I had many barracks and forts. Forts and farms combo well, so I had many farms too. 

The Thoughts

This is a light strategy game and family game. Pleasant, with decent interaction, and the tiles have some fun combos.