Brian Boru: High King of Ireland Review

boardgamequest.com:

We review Brian Boru: High King of Ireland, published by Osprey Games. In this area control and trick taking games players are vying for the most points to be the next king of Ireland.

“Who?” is the obvious first question. Those willing to step into the realm of Brian Boru will learn much about the historical impact of the High King of Ireland on the first page of the rulebook. And rightfully so. Brian was quite ambitious; he had a hand in driving away invaders, dabbled in local politics, and built monasteries in the region. It sounds like he was well liked, even if he also married off various family members to forge alliances along the way.

What a fear iontach, this Brian Boru. And what better way to be celebrated than by having your name gloriously embossed on the cover of an Osprey Games production. In a new design from Peer Sylvester, featuring art from Deirdre de Barra, three-to-five players strive to gain control of regions, repel the invading hordes, seek a hand in marriage, and get in good with the church. You know, the Brian Boru way.

The main board features a map of Ireland separated into eight regions. Each region’s size dictates the number of towns that must be represented to become activated for points. And you guessed it, the larger the region, the more points up for grabs. The board also features a marriage track, a battle and church area, as well as eight claim tokens associated with the different regions. At the outset, a starting town is placed in a unique region (no sharing) by all.

To start a round, a marriage card is revealed from a small stack of cards that acts as the round tracker. The final marriage card is always Estrid, Princess of Denmark. These rest atop a marriage track in which players vie