Kings & Things (play-by-mail game)

Kings & Things (also known as Kings & Things*) was a fantasy play-by-mail game published by Andon Games and was active in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the game, up to twenty players took the role of leader of a kingdom and recruited "things" or creatures to assist them in becoming the next emperor. Combat, diplomacy, and magic played significant roles in this fantasy role-playing game. Reception was generally positive with comments about cumbersome turn results during the late 1980s. The game enjoyed peak reviews and ratings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning the Origins Award for best play-by-mail game in 1988.

Gameplay

Up to twenty players took the role of the leader of a different kingdom in the land of Kadab, trying to become the next emperor.[1] Each of the countries—with names such as JUJU, SULU, and TERRAIN KINGS[2]—had a different power such as increased offense or additional income per turn.[3] The twenty kingdoms were located on a 12 x 12 map. Twelve of the twenty kingdoms were unique. Seven received special terrain bonuses for fighting in home terrain type, two received magical bonuses, and two received spying/stealing bonuses.[4]

Players, who took the role of a minor noble, tried to recruit "things" for their armies, which could be ""a slime beast, killer turtle, swamp gas, flying buffalo … or bird of paradise".[5] Players began the game with an entry level of "things" and acquired more for their army by adding more and different territories, vanquishing foes, or simply buying them.[6]

Combat was a central part of the game and allowed the player to make choices about ranged weapons, melee, and acceptable losses.[7] Like many fantasy games, magic also played a significant role, and kingdoms possessed and could train additional wizards to employ in combat, which could enable an otherwise outnumbered army to win the day on the field of battle.[8] A more unusual tool available was the random event, which could be used against enemies, including in combat.[lower-alpha 1] These included events such as "nomadic Tribesman, Laziness, Vandals", and others.[10] Players who added to their territory list from successful combat gained additional food and income per turn from the territory based on its type.[11]

Game mechanics allowed players other actions as well, to include the ability to build several types of forts including towers, keeps, castles, and citadels, in increasing order of strength.[12] Players could also conduct spying and stealing missions from other kingdoms.[13]

Development

In the Sep/Oct 1987 issue of Paper Mayhem, Andon Games advised that game development was proceeding quickly with a developing rulebook and nearly-filled playtest games.[14] The first playtest game was expected to begin in August 1987 with game release before December 31, 1987,[15] but in the Nov/Dec 1987 issue, Andon Games announced that playtesting was being delayed by a few weeks due to some recently-fixed programming issues.[16] In the late 1980s, Andon Games cut down on the descriptions of battles to reduce the size of the turn results since a battle description could take up an entire printed page and turn results were costing excessive amounts of postage; Paper Mayhem editor in chief David Webber noted in a 1989 issue that some turn results cost 85 cents or more in postage .[17]

In the Sep/Oct 1992 issue of Paper Mayhem, the company name for Kings & Things was changed to Graaf Simulations.[18]

Reception and Legacy

David Webber of Paper Mayhem magazine, wrote a review of Kings & Things in its March/April 1989 issue, noting that both he and his wife, Elaine, played the game.[19] He stated that he enjoyed the game and would play again, pointing to the "mix of power and diplomacy" as a positive aspect.[20] His only noted drawback was the "cumbersome" amount of printed material in turn results, although he noted at the time that Gary Smith of Andon Games had recently made, and was continuing to make, game modifications.[21]

Kings & Things's ratings and reviews peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s, after which they gradually declined. The game won the Origins Award for "Best Play-by-Mail Game" in 1988.[22] The game tied for second place as "Best PBM Game of 1989" with Alamaze in Paper Mayhem magazine.[23] In the January/February 1990 issue of Paper Mayhem, a journal for play-by-mail gamers, Kings & Things placed 11 out of 53 relative to other games in reader-rated categories of playability, design, and product understanding.[24] In the July/August 1991 issue, it placed 29 of 79 games.[25] In the September/October 1992 issue, the game placed 66 of 84 games, with the company name changed to Graaf Simulations.[26] In the July/August 1993 issue, the game was listed as 73 of 81.[27] By the July/August 1994 issue, Kings & Things was no longer listed in Paper Mayhem's list of 72 rated play-by-mail games.[28][lower-alpha 2]

Reviews

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. Additional non-combat Random Events were also part of gameplay. These included such events as Concentration, Good Harvest, and Mother Lode.[9]
  2. As game ratings were generated by gamers sending in ratings to the Paper Mayhem editorial staff, this meant that (1) no Kings & Things players submitted a rating of the game prior to the 1994 issue, or (2) the game was no longer available for play.

References
  1. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  2. Meckel 1989. p. 8–9.
  3. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  4. Trice 1989. p. 10.
  5. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  6. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  7. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  8. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  9. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  10. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  11. Webber 1989. p. 7.
  12. Webber 1989. p. 6–7.
  13. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  14. Andon Games (1987). "Andon Games". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. Sep/Oct 1987 (No. 26): 24.
  15. Andon Games (1987). "Andon Games". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. Sep/Oct 1987 (No. 26): 24.
  16. Andon Games (1987). "Gameline: Andon Games". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. Nov/Dec 1987 (No. 27): 25.
  17. Webber 1989. p. 6.
  18. Paper Mayhem 1992. p. 52–53.
  19. Webber 1989. p. 7.
  20. Webber 1989. p. 7.
  21. Webber 1989. p. 7.
  22. Origins 1989.
  23. Paper Mayhem (January–February 1990). "Where We're Heading: Best PBM Game of 1989". Paper Mayhem. No. 40. p. 2.
  24. Paper Mayhem 1990. p. 23.
  25. Paper Mayhem 1991. p. 54–55.
  26. Paper Mayhem 1992. p. 52–53.
  27. Paper Mayhem Jul/Aug 1993. p. 44–45.
  28. Paper Mayhem 1994. p. 44–45.

Bibliography
  • Meckel, Steven L. (1989). "The Kingdoms of Kings & Things*". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. March/April 1989 (No. 35): 8–9.
  • Paper Mayhem (1990). "PBM Game Ratings: As of 11/12/89". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. Jan/Feb 1990 (No. 40).
  • Paper Mayhem (1991). "PBM Game Ratings: As of 5-19-91". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August 1991 (No. 49): 54–55.
  • Paper Mayhem (1992). "PBM Game Ratings: As of 07/20/92". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. Sep/Oct 1992 (No. 56): 52–53.
  • Paper Mayhem (1993). "PBM Game Ratings: As of 04/04/93". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. May/June 1993 (No. 60): 44–45.
  • Paper Mayhem (1993). "PBM Game Ratings: As of 06/06/93". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August 1993 (No. 61): 44–45.
  • Paper Mayhem (1993). "PBM Game Ratings: As of 5/29/94". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August 1994 (No. 67): 44–45.
  • Trice, John (1989). "Kings & Things – Strategy". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. March/April 1989 (No. 35): 10–11.
  • Webber, David (1989). "Kings & Things* PBM". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. March/April 1989 (No. 35): 6–7.
  • "1988 Origins Awards winners". Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
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