On a geek list at www.boardgamegeek.com, I was reading some comments, and one gamer stated that "Italy was simply not known for its vast quantity of hard-core board gamers." I seriously think that this will soon change, due to the immense amount of excellent games coming out of that country. Viva il Re! (Da Vinci Games, 2003 - Stefano Luperto) is yet another example of such a game. (Mayfair also produces a version called King Me!)
And while I have yet to see anyone claim that this is their favorite game, many folk (myself included) have lauded this game as an excellent filler, a short fun game, one that can easily be added to any gaming session! It's from the same company that gave us the fascinating game Bang!, another fun multiplayer game (although King Me! doesn't polarize the gaming community like Bang! did). The game is setup and played in ease, one of the things that ensures its likeability.
A small board is set up in the middle of the table, showing the king's castle, with its seven floors. Shockingly, there is a scoring track around the outside of the board, where each player places a scoring cube of their color. Each player also receives some voting cards, one "yes" card of their color, and then a certain amount of "no" cards (from two to four, depends on amount of players.) Each player then draws a secret goal card from a stack of twenty-six cards, keeping it hidden from the other players. The goal card shows which six of the thirteen characters in the game that player favors. One player is chosen to go first, and the first round begins.
The first part of a round consists of putting the characters in the castle. Starting with the first player and continuing around the table, each player places any of the thirteen characters onto any of the first four floors of the castle. Each player puts out an equal number of characters, (only four are allowed per floor), with the leftover characters going into the servants floor, below the first floor. After this, the ascension to the throne occurs. Since the king so kindly is giving up the throne, players are trying to maneuver one of their six favorites to become the next king. On their turn, a player can move any one character up one floor, as long as there is room on the floor above him. If any character is moved into the top floor - the throne - an election immediately takes place.
In an election, each player chooses one of their vote cards and places it face down on the table, after which all votes are revealed simultaneously. If all votes are "yes", that character becomes king, and the round ends. If any vote is "no", then that character is killed and all "no" votes are discarded for the remainder of that round. The game then continues, until eventually a character becomes king.
Once a character becomes king, the round ends, and scoring takes place. Each player reveals their card, and gets points for the characters they favor who are still on the board. Each character earns the players who favored it points equal to the floor the character is on, except for servants - who score no points, and the king - who scores 10 points. All players then get their "no" cards back, and the next round begins. In the third round, if a player scores no points, they get 33 points (kind of like shooting the moon). After the third round, the player with the most points is the winner!
Some comments on the game:
1.) Components: The artwork is very cartoonish, but fits the theme of the game well, and certainly fits the lightheartedness of the game mechanics. Each character is a fairly large sized cardboard rounded tile stuck in a plastic stand. The characters all have a different name, each starting with a different letter. On one side of the character, this letter is huge, allowing easy visibility to see which character is which, while on the other side, a picture of the character graces the token - each one a different color. All this makes the characters very easy to distinguish. The board is bright and colorful, again matching the theme. A large crown token is provided to show when an election is taking place - but I really don't see the point of using it. All these cards and other components fit well in a nice, sturdy box.
2.) Rules: Unlike many Italian games, I really haven't found any problems with the translation of this game - it's very well written. The rules come in a medium-sized booklet, with five languages, each with three pages. Color illustrations and examples round out the extremely simple rules, which certainly don't need to be consulted after the game is played once. I found that people pick up on the subtleties of the game (such that are) almost right away, and folk of all ages understand it quickly.
3.) Voting: The voting process is as fun as it's fast, and the results are often unexpected. Sometimes you'll move a candidate up to the throne for the sole purpose of kicking him out of the game, but you don't want to waste one of your own "no" votes (or don't have any more). Then you hope that someone else uses their "no" vote. Of course, if everybody thinks this, the candidate can win, disappointing all those who should have voted "no". So there is an aspect of bluffing in the game, as the players must determine exactly when to vote "no", and when to save these few votes they have. It's annoying when you vote "no", and so does two or more other players - as you feel you wasted a card.
4.) Shooting the Moon: Although it's not called this, it has the same feeling. Sure, you can try to get all of your favorite characters knocked off in the last round, but if one survives, you are going to be in a world of hurt. However, if you manage to do it - oh the glory and the satisfaction! This rule makes the last round a lot of fun.
5.) Time and players: The game plays fairly well with three players, but I prefer more, since any voting game seems to work better with more players. The time goes quickly, as long as nobody takes a long time to vote. Most games last twenty to thirty minutes (as stated on the box), and you're involved the whole time. This game is one of my favorite fillers, as it's easy to teach and pick up right away, and everybody has a good chance of winning. (Unless you're a moron when you vote).
6.) Theme and Fun Factor: The theme fits the game rather well, in my opinion, and really helps the game a little. All the artwork contributes to it, and even that stupid crown piece. There is strategy in the initial layout, and when to move what character. But the real meat of the game, the "funnest" thing of all - is the voting, and it's what makes King Me! stand out from the crowd.
So I highly recommend King Me! I don't think that there are many people who will dislike the game, as it's quick, fun, and players have some control over what happens. Even though there is nothing in the game to distinguish it as the Ultimate Game Ever Made, it's a fantastic filler and well worth the price. Whether playing with young or old, or mixed groups - Viva il Re! is a worthy game to add to your collection!
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© Copyright 2004 by George Phillies.
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