Wars of the Roses

By Richard Moore

Wars of the Roses
Z-Man Games
Ages: 13+
Players: 2 to 4.
Playing Time: 90 minutes.

Price: $130.

If you know nothing about the Wars of the Roses, don't worry about it.

Just think of knights, battles and heaps of treachery and you'll pretty much sum up the struggle for power in England between 1455 and 1485. And in Wars of the Roses from Z-Man Games you get all the bribing, side-switching and double-crossing you could wish for.

It is based on Avalon Hill's Kingmaker - a much beloved game in this house - although you unfortunately don't get to butcher your rivals' faction leaders.

No in Wars of the Roses you sit behind your cardboard castle walls (literally) and secretly plot to try to bribe away key nobles from your opponents.

You also build armies and send them to battle enemies, boost your treasury through control of ports and cities and then try to keep the other brutes from grabbing your nobles to their side.

It's all about controlling key areas of the realm and having enough influence in Parliament to decide which side is going to win - Yorkists (yay) or Lancastrians (boo, hiss).

Wars of the Roses is a very big game but is easy to learn and is one heck of a lot of fun to play.

It is beautifully made and worth every penny. Three of my regular gaming buddies love it enough to get a copy for themselves.

95%

Return Boardgames