Medieval

Step back into the turbulent thirteenth century with Medieval, a card game that takes you to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. What makes it special is that the cards are everything here. They form not only the powers and events you play with, but also the board itself. The map is made up of 19 cards, of which only eight are on the table at the start. The rest appear along the way, at the pace you set together. You lead an ever-changing group of powers, from the strong but divided Holy Roman Empire to England, France and all kinds of Islamic realms. Even distant and mysterious regions turn up. With spies, assassins, accusations of heresy and crusades, you try to get as much of Europe into your hands as you can. And then there are the popes. Whoever becomes pope can forge alliances, excommunicate players and call crusades. A fine way to earn money. But a dark cloud hangs over all of this: the Mongols. No one knows exactly when they will come, though the cards give you hints and some time to prepare. Once they appear, they devour the map from east to west and make powers simply disappear. Whoever stays standing longest and controls the largest part of Europe wins. Expect around two hours of play once you have the system down.