The classic boardgame KINGMAKER comes to the computer! Go back in time to England, at a time of civil war and the executioner's axe. KM places you as a noble in England of the 1460s. You're a power broker - one of those 'behind the scenes guys.' The goal: to get your royal heir crowned king (or queen) and to eliminate the competition.
You begin KM with some assorted nobility, a few titles, and some men. You assign the titles and men to your nobles, and begin scouring the countryside looking for royal heirs. There are seven of them, and their locations are well known, so it's not much of a search; rather the strategy lies in figuring out WHO you can easily capture. Once you've snagged an heir, you can win by getting them crowned king. What, there's already a king? Better bump him off. What, your heir isn't next in line to be crowned? Get the executioner's axe out. You can win only by having the sole remaining heir, and by getting him crowned.
Of course, there are other factions roaming about the countryside too, and their goals are the same as yours. So after a few moves, heirs are captured left and right, and you've got to go into battle against the other factions just to grab them. As forces take to the battle field, armies rise and fall, and royal heirs are swapped back and forth. Soon only one heir is left, you crown him - and you're the Kingmaker!
KM takes all of the elements that made a successful boardgame and puts them into a computerized setting. You can choose how many other factions you wish to compete against (although it appears you can only have one human player at a time. It's a shame, as this game appears ideal for a multi- player, or play-by-email setup). In addition, you can use advanced rules for weather and plague (weather hinders movement and harms ships, while the plague kills anyone in the town where it hits).
This is a heavy strategy game, although you can fight the battles using a kind of miniatures approach (not reccommended until you're really familiar with the game - but micromanaging the battles gives you a chance for your highly outmanned troops to kill that other pesky noble before you're slaughtered). The manual gives many hints and tips on strategy, which is good, as the goals are a little different in KM. Careful planning (and plotting) will win the day in KM.
The graphics are lush, with a highly detailed map of England looking like it was peeled right off the KM board! You can find out about the other factions, the royal family, or any of the game's elements via an on-line help facility which is excellent. And I love the royal family's family tree. As heirs are captured, their name gets underlined in the faction's color. When they die, a big red slash is drawn across their name. It's easy to see who's where (and who's left) in a glance. KM sports animation in a few places (one being the executioner's axe, complete with a few drops of blood afterwards) and an evocative soundtrack. Digitized audio is also present in a few places. There's also a great introduction, narrated by one William Shakespeare, to set the stage for the game to come.
If you love strategy, plotting, and intrigue, you'll go for Kingmaker.
This preview is Copyright (C) 1994 by Chuck McMath for Game Bytes Magazine. All rights reserved.