Heavy Thursday: The Old King's Crown

The old King is dead. The throne lies empty. An ancient kingdom, long overgrown and fractured, is waiting for someone to claim it.

In The Old King's Crown, you take control of one of four distinct factions, each with its own abilities, strategies and approach to the struggle for power. You'll need to expand your influence, outmanoeuvre rival factions and decide when to reveal your hand — and when to keep your plans hidden.

This is a game of area control, bluffing, hand management and strategic card play, where every decision can have consequences.

You'll send your Heralds across the kingdom to stake claims to important locations, while secretly positioning your forces and playing cards to influence conflicts. Cards are played face-down before being revealed simultaneously, creating plenty of opportunities for clever plays, unexpected reversals and calculated risks.

Winning these confrontations can give you valuable rewards, strengthen your position and increase your Influence — the key to ultimately claiming the crown. But simply controlling territory isn't enough. You'll need to manage your cards carefully, exploit your faction's unique abilities and anticipate what your opponents are planning.

The game also features deck-building and engine-building elements, allowing your faction to develop and become more powerful as the game progresses. Each of the four factions has a very different style of play, meaning there are multiple approaches to victory and plenty of reasons to return to the kingdom for another attempt.

With its beautifully illustrated, crumbling fantasy setting and a clever mix of open information, hidden intentions and simultaneous card reveals, The Old King's Crown is a game for players who enjoy having meaningful decisions to make every turn.

Heavy Thursday is all about getting stuck into bigger, more involved games without having to tackle the rulebook alone. Our Games Guru will guide you through the game, explain the rules and help you get up and running, so you can concentrate on the strategy and enjoy the experience.

No previous experience with The Old King's Crown is required, and beginners to heavier strategy games are welcome.