I’m continuing my slow walk through the alphabet looking at games that start with each letter. This time we’ve made it to “K.”
Kingdom Builder
In Kingdom Builder, players are placing out settlements on a shared board to earn points in a number of different ways that change from game-to-game. The goal cards include things like having majorities in the four quadrants of the board, having settlements next to water, or connecting locations with your settlements. Placing out settlements feels very restrictive, as each turn the player will draw a terrain and the newly placed settlements must be on that terrain, next to an already-played settlement of the same color, if possible. There are also special actions that players can collect by placing settlements next to various tiles on the board.
I like the strategy of Kingdom Builder. The placement rules feel very constraining, but if you can place out your settlements so you cut off one terrain type or another, it gives you the chance to branch out to other parts of the board. I also like having to adjust each time for the variable goals and special actions.
Karuba
Karuba is a tile-laying game where players are laying out paths to get their explorers to the right temples on their island. Each player starts with an identical board with explorers placed on the beach and temples in the jungle all in the same places. Throughout the game, one player is randomly drawing tiles, and each player uses the same tile by either placing it on their island or discarding it to move an explorer along a path. The goal is to get the explorers to the same-color temple first.
I love the simultaneous play of Karuba and the puzzle of how to lay out the tiles to get everyone to their correct temples. There’s also the decision of when to start discarding tiles to move your explorers so they aren’t just stuck on the beach. More often than not, I end up stranding someone on a path that goes nowhere, but they might be able to pick up some jewels along that way, at least.
Kodama: The Tree Spirits
In Kodama: The Tree Spirits (or “Kodama” for short), players are growing trees and collecting elements to make their Kodamas happy. Players start with a tree trunk that shows one element. Then, on each turn, they’ll draft a card from the market and add it to their tree, either creating a new branch or extending another. They’ll get points based on how many of the elements of the just-placed card are in the branch.
Of course I was drawn into Kodama because of the art, but I also really enjoy the game. There’s certainly some luck involved, as sometimes the cards in the market just don’t quite mesh with the Kodama cards you have in hand, but then you can start working on getting points based on other symbols. I also love the look of the trees as they are all built out on the table.
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What are your favorite games that start with the letter “K”? Or is there one from my list that you love or are hoping to try? Let me know in the comments!