Funded in 2017, Kingdom Death’s new Gambler’s Chest expansion still needs work
Kingdom Death: Monster, among the highest-earning crowdfunded board games of all time, is a rare beast in part because of its price point, which currently stands at $420. It’s also because of production issues, meaning that the game has been out of print for long periods of time ever since its first run in 2015. But if you get the chance to actually play it, as I have, you’ll find the mechanics are quite literally to die for. The base game features complex monsters and elaborate turn-based battles, a potent crafting system, and a fascinating take on colony simulation. Beloved characters will die horribly and often, potentially putting an end to your campaign after scores of hours. Add to that mix dozens of the industry’s most gorgeous multi-part plastic miniatures and you can see why I once called it “the Everest of board games.”
Now comes the game’s first big-box expansion, a second $400 crate of cardboard and plastic called Gambler’s Chest Expansionthat was originally promised to backers in December 2020. More than three years later — nearly seven years after it was originally funded, mind you — it’s finally available for purchase. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a mess that further complicates an already over-the-top complex game. Unless you’re here for the miniatures alone, I simply can’t recommend it.
What makes the original Kingdom Death: Monster so compelling is the presentation. It’s a giant black box full of secrets, but those secrets are neatly organized thanks to an ingenious plastic pack-in. Lift the lid and you have at your fingertips, indexed and elegantly sorted, everything needed to play the game: hundreds of different playing cards, tokens, tiles, and dice all lined up and ready to roll. The manual reads like a storybook, with clearly marked sections for every step of the deadly journey ahead. All you need to do is turn to page one and get started.
The experience with Gambler’s Chest Expansion is nearly the complete opposite.
Billed as a collection of
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