Matthew BaileyGame 4# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “The Crooked Crown” by Outset Games.
Played here with Jack(9) and Toby(6)
“The Crooked Crown” is a simple card game for 3-8 players where the goal is to keep the Crooked Crown by the end of the eighth round.
Players start with a hand of five cards, with one player holding the Crooked Crown. All the other players are trying to steal the crown by the end of the game.
On your turn, you can play a card from your hand or multiple cards if you have more than one of the same. For instance, there is a card that allows you to move up the hand track, thereby allowing you to draw more cards. You can use two of these cards to move two spaces. There’s also a card that allows you to lower the number of cards another player has in their hand, look at a player’s hand, and, most importantly, steal a card at random from another player’s hand.
The goal is to steal the Crooked Crown and hold on to it until the end. You do this by trying to make your hand as large as possible, reducing the chances it will get stolen, while making other players’ hands as small as possible to increase the chances that their Crooked Crown will be stolen.
It’s quick and fun, but if I’m being very honest, it’s nothing special. I personally would have liked more cards and mechanics to make it a bit more interesting. When we played with three players, we found that viewing other players’ hands was largely pointless because it was quick to work out who had the crown, and it was just a case of bluffing when it went missing. This game definitely plays better at a higher player count. When I took it to work and played it with a group of six, the deduction aspect worked a lot better.
Overall, I did enjoy playing it, but I’m not convinced it’s a game we’ll get out time and time again. However, it is very simple and could definitely be fun for young children. Part of the issue, though, is that the bluffing about having or not having the crown is integral to the game’s function, and I imagine children old enough to understand this might want a bit more complexity.
From a production point of view, the game is gorgeous. I absolutely love the artwork; the standees are really nice, the board is well-made, and the artwork on the cards is great as well. The cards are made of good cardstock, which makes shuffling, which can be quite hectic to begin with, an absolute breeze.
This is very much a middle-of-the-road review. There is definitely something here that I can see a lot of people liking, but I would have liked to have seen more variety in powers.
Disclaimer – A copy of “The Crooked Crown” was provided for the purposes of review by “Outset Media” via the “UK BG Review Circle.” All of our thoughts and opinions are our own.
