Game Fusion

A while back, I wrote in praise of Between Two Cities, a board game that managed to support the large player count of a party game (up to 7) while presenting some of the tactical choices more expected of a strategy game. I might have wished for the game to present even more interesting decisions, but it nevertheless was a great option for a game night where you have a lot of players and aren't necessarily up for another game of Codenames.

My wish has been granted with Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig. It's the combo/spinoff of two previous board games, a real "two great tastes that taste great together" creation, the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of board games. From Between Two Cities, it takes the tile-laying, infrastructure building challenge of sharing one city with the player on your left and a different city with the player on your right. From Castles of Mad King Ludwig, it lifts a more complicated array of things to be built -- numerous types of rooms each with unique symbols and relationships to other types of rooms in the same castle.

The result improves on a great thing. The drafting elements of Between Two Cities are still here, and they shine. You can plan with your two partners what to look for in future selections, and can leverage which direction you're passing as a way to get two things you really want. (Pass to your partner and count on them to take the second choice.) You still have to balance both your construction efforts, thanks to the game's quirky scoring -- your score is the worse of your two castles.

The broader array of tiles, inspired by Castles of Mad King Ludwig, gives you more options to aim at. Each category of room has its own way of scoring, with each room having its own conditions within that way of scoring. Collect three of the same type of room and you'll trigger a bonus -- a different kind of bonus, depending on the type. The castles you're building with the players on your left and right will be completely different; the game has enough diversity to support it.

Also notable, the game comes with some cleverly designed plastic trays to hold the tiles in a way that also serves speedy play -- each well in the tray holds the number of tiles each player needs to draw to begin a round. And with snap-on tops, they don't slide everywhere inside the box once you put the game away. It's a thoughtful add-on from designers who have clearly considered how their game will actually be played "in the wild."

After discovering Between Two Cities, my group didn't go on to play it as much as I might have expected (or hoped). But I feel like Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, being a bit more advanced, should also have more staying power. I give it an A-. Any gaming group that routinely fields more than 4 or 5 people for a game night should consider it for their collection.