- Publisher : Origames
- Designer(s) : William Liévin
- Artist(s) : Marina Coudray
- Players : 2–4
- Playing time : 30–60 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.00
What's this?
In Royal Cities , the king is dead and the kingdom is in chaos. Six provinces are vying for power, and you play as a Noble determined to take the throne. To achieve this, you must build the most influential Cities, take control of the provinces, and accumulate Victory Points (VP).
How do you play?
A game takes place over several Seasons and each Season has two main phases:
1. Phase 1: Foundation of Cities (turn-based)
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Play a card (optional) : Discard a card from your hand or the highest card from one of your Cities to activate its effect (examples: steal a card, draw, discard a card from the market, etc.).
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Buy at the Market (1× per Season) : Buying capacity depends on the total number of cards in the Market and Reserve. You can take multiple cards if you have enough Buy Points, but only one Buy action is allowed per Season.
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Add a card to the Market (required if you don’t buy) : Draw and place a card in the Market. Starting from the 3rd row, you can gain VP… or cause a Revolt if too many cards of the same color appear, resulting in discard and a forced purchase.
Cards have an Influence value (cost and strength for majorities), a color (linked to a City), and an effect triggered by discarding them. White cards are Jokers that fit into any City, but require building with a card of the corresponding color.
2. Phase 2: End of Season (simultaneous)
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City Building : Place your cards in ascending order of Influence and city color. Jokers can complete any color.
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Calculating Majorities : In each color, the one with the most Influence wins the VP associated with that City (visible crowns, size of the largest City, total influence divided by 3, etc.).
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Catch-up Bonus : If you are behind the leader on the VP track, draw additional cards.
The game ends after the 3rd Season with 4 players or the 4th Season with 1-3 players. The player with the most VP becomes king or queen.
Is it good?
Royal Cities offers interesting mechanics where, each turn, a first dilemma arises: should you use a card for its powerful effect or build it to ensure a majority in a City?
Another notable element: its risk-taking mechanic with a clever “stop or encore” system when filling the market. On your turn, you can choose to buy cards immediately (“stop”) or draw a new card to enrich the market (“encore”), hoping for better options later. But be careful: if your draw brings a third card of the same color to the market, you trigger a Revolt … which benefits your opponents.
This constant dilemma, combined with the difficult choice of using each card for its effect or for your majorities, creates a strong interaction where you must constantly evaluate the risks and sometimes even bluff about your intentions. You will also be crossing your fingers hoping that your opponents provoke a Revolt: jubilant!
The scoring system remains fairly classic: it is mainly about dominating the different Cities with the majority of influence.
However, the game can be criticized for its detailed rules (multiple scoring conditions, management of Revolts, bonuses, specific effects per City), which can sometimes lead to confusion and require sustained attention. With two players, the game becomes more calculating and strategic; with four, it is more chaotic, with sessions that can drag on.
In summary , Royal Cities is a game to watch for fans of accessible but deep strategy, offering numerous twists and turns and a constant dilemma mechanic that maintains the tension until the final crowning.
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Royal Cities Review
Positives
- Original and tense “stop or encore” mechanics
- Constant dilemma between using effects or building majorities
- Strong interaction between players
- Strategic depth and difficult choices
Negatives
- Detailed rules that may seem cumbersome at first
- Multiple scoring conditions that are sometimes confusing
- Quite chaotic at 4
