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Paladins of the West Kingdom Review

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Paladins is the second game in the West Kingdom series and is notably the heaviest and most involved one. This is a worker placement game with a unique twist. There are 6 types of workers in the game, and each action requires a specific combination of them. And following the design philosophy seen in other titles by Shem Philips and S J Macdonald, most actions reward additional resources and workers, enabling extra actions in the same round.

Worker placement mostly happens on individual player boards and as a result, players cannot be blocked from accessing action spaces. Moreover, players have the opportunity to clear action spaces and perform some actions multiple times within the same round, although at a cost. Player boards are divided into two sections, with actions on the left side offering resources, immediate or ongoing benefits, the chance to clear any action space, and development that allows upgrading the six main actions on the right side of the board.

There are three attributes in this game: faith, influence, and strength. The six main actions, each focusing on a different aspect of the game, require one of these attributes and provide another in return. Progressing attribute markers to the end of their tracks significantly contributes to endgame scores. The strategic interplay between these actions and the optimization they require makes the game highly enjoyable.

While it’s impossible to focus on all six areas of the game, players can aim to maximize points in two or three of them. The option to upgrade the six main actions is also available, making those actions and advancing attributes more efficient. Upgrades can reduce the initial requirement of three workers of different types for each action to two or even one. This enables players to take more actions with their limited number of workers each round.

One simple but brilliant aspect of this game is the Paladins cards. Every player has a deck of 12 cards each providing various temporary attributes, workers and benefits or discounts when taking certain actions. At the beginning of each round players draw three cards, choose one for that round, place one on top of their deck and put the third one at the bottom. This simple mechanic is great for two reasons: cards that are not a good match for any given strategy can be sent to the bottom of the deck and at the same time, players know one of the cards coming up in the next round and can prepare for it.

In each game, three king orders and five king favors are gradually revealed as the game progresses. King orders are endgame objectives revealed in the first three rounds, while king favors are extra actions shared among players and are revealed starting from round 3. These cards are randomly selected and change from game to game, offering variety and replayability.

In terms of interaction, aside from the five shared actions on king favor cards and a shared tax pool that could allow players to force opponents to take debt cards, there’s minimal player interaction in the game. While we don’t mind limited interaction in games, it may not suit everyone’s preferences. This also makes the game a better option for lower player counts.

Paladins is a complex game, yet its rules are simple. This simplifies the teaching process for new players, sparing everyone from having to read the rulebook, which is a plus for a game of this complexity. Particularly, the actions are intuitive and follow consistent rules. That said, there are a few unclear actions, particularly on king favor cards, which are not properly explained in the rulebook. At times, we had to search BGG forums to find answers.

Paladins of the West Kingdom

Let’s highlight the depth of this game and the importance of planning. Playing Paladins requires brainpower. Players who don’t enjoy planning ahead or thinking through their future actions or even future rounds might find the game frustrating. Without careful planning, it’s easy to fall short of meeting attribute, worker, or resource requirements for actions. On the other hand, fans of heavier games will love this game and enjoy satisfying rounds for the same reasons.

In summary, Paladins of the West Kingdom is an excellent worker placement game with brilliant mechanics. Its heavier weight compared to the other two games in the series and limited player interaction may not make it the right choice for everyone. However, it’s sure to satisfy fans of heavier worker placement and engine-building games.

Disclosure: We received a review copy of this game. Also, there may be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.


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