Kingdomino turns an old piece of the game into the next hit board game

Kingdomino, the award-winning board game, is a huge success. Launched in 2016, the tile-laying game succeeded on the convention circuit to reach store shelf space at major retailers across the country. Now, designer Bruno Cathala is preparing to release a new, more advanced version of the game. Polygon sat down last month to chat with him about the birth of the franchise and how its next title: Kingdomino origins – is based on the original.

Cathala lives and works in the French Alps and, in addition to her work as a hobby game designer for the global market, she also hires local clients. One of those clients was a nearby ski lodge, which had commissioned him for three consecutive seasons to create unique gifts for its guests.

“This ski resort wanted a new, small, very small game every year for the people coming into the station,” said Cathala. “The first year I made a little card game. The second year was a very small, tiny game, and the third year was a game of dice. And they asked for a fourth set, and I had no idea. I had to do it very, very fast. […] Immediately, I don’t know why, I saw dominoes. ”

Today, dominoes are considered by some to be in the same category as blocks and other children’s toys. But the objects date back to 13th century China, where they were originally a kind of playing card that was used in many different games. Later, dominoes appeared in Italy in the 18th century. They are still a common tool used to play many different types of popular games today.

“Everyone knows dominoes, because it reminds you of your [childhood]”Cathala said,” but for me … for me – I I never played a game of dominoes, which was interesting to me. So it was a good way to use this component of the game to create something. “

The result was a game that focused on creating landscapes on the table.

In KingdominoEach player draws dominoes from a communal set with the goal of creating the largest contiguous landmass on the table. Connect as many fields or mountain mosaics, all arranged together, to score points.

“I immediately tried to make colors, and not numbers,” Cathala said, “and place them, not in a line, but to fill a square. And I immediately saw that some areas have been created, and it could be a good way to create something interesting for me. “

The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. It’s a concise and satisfying concept, one that combines strategy, geometry, and simple math into something almost magical.

Of course, that original version of Kingdomino It was only available to families in the French Alps who paid for a week pass at the nearby resort. But the game eventually expanded into the version we know today, a game that is tremendously easy to teach, even for young children, and that comes packaged in a small, portable box priced at $ 20. The game (originally published by Pegasus Spiele and distributed by Blue Orange Games in the US) would go on to win the 2017 game of the year, one of the most prestigious international awards for board games.

However, Cathala never stopped working on the game. He kept playing, hundreds of more times, and couldn’t help but improve the design. That experimentation led to an expansion, called Court, which became available for free online in March 2020. It added characters and resources to the game, adding another layer of strategy.

“The problem is that this expansion is too expensive to produce,” said Cathala. “Kingdomino it is not an expensive game. If you produce this expansion with all the resource tokens, the expansion will cost quite the same price as the original game, which is not really acceptable in our market. So my editors say, ‘No, we won’t.’ But for me, I want to play with this. “

As a result, Kingdomino origins was born. Instead of a medieval theme, the game turns the clock back to prehistoric times. Instead of competing for victory points alone, players attempt to accumulate multiple resources: mammoths, fish, mushrooms, and flint. In the more advanced game mode, there are also lava spewing volcanoes that spew flaming debris across the map. What was once an open plain to ancient elephants can quickly turn into a burned and arid wasteland. Players can even spend points to hire additional helpers, little cavemen and women who can help them earn more points.

“It all adds a little fun factor and a tactical factor to the game, which I really enjoyed,” said Cathala. “So it was a good opportunity for me to balance the game exactly how it has to be, and add some interesting things that [couldn’t have been incorporated] in the original Kingdomino. “

The increasing popularity of board games has exposed many new consumers to the hobby game space. A trip through the toy section of your local Target or Walmart confirms that there are more unique new titles on the shelf than ever before. But how have these new big retailers changed the design process for creatives like Cathala?

“It’s difficult to answer these questions,” Cathala said. “I think that [the] The American market and the French market are different. This type of [big-box retailer] does not exist [here]. […] When I’m working on a game, I never, frankly speaking, never think about the market. I do not mind. Because I am thinking that a game designer is someone who is creating a path […] I am not one of those who try to analyze the market and think that I have to go in that or in that direction. No, I want to show my direction and try to convince people to follow me. “

So what about the next iteration of the Kingdomino franchise? Cathala has ideas, but right now they are fleeting, at best. He says we’ll have to see what comes up after he’s had a chance to play another hundreds of rounds of his newest game.

Kingdomino origins will be available for purchase online at the Blue Orange website from September 16. download the rules starting today.

Kingdomino origins was seen with a pre-production copy of the game provided by Blue Orange Games. Vox Media has affiliate associations. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find Additional information on Polygon’s ethics policy here.

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