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Kingdom Kickstarter is loose

The Kingdom kickstarter is live. It has broken its chains and is prowling the city streets, possibly looking for a skyscraper to climb, to better swat passing biplanes. This thing is out of control. But if I don’t have Power, I am totally okay with having Touchstone or Perspective.

Ben Robbins | September 22nd, 2020 | , | 1 comment

Kingdom Kickstarter Coming In September

Wait, it’s September now? I better get busy. My plan is to launch the Kickstarter for the new edition of Kingdom on September 22. Of course it is 2020, which means anything that can go wrong will, but that’s my plan so set your alarms. I’m also gathering testimonials and quotes from people who have […]

Ben Robbins | September 6th, 2020 | ,

K2 Playtest Ends September 15

After six months of great games, it’s time to wrap up the Kingdom playtest! I’ve gotten a lot of excellent feedback already, but if you’ve got more, now’s the time to let me know! Playtesters, try to send me what you’ve got by September 15. And don’t forget to include the names of everyone you […]

Ben Robbins | August 27th, 2020 | ,

Your Kingdom’s Legacy

I sent out the June update of the Kingdom playtest a few weeks ago. The vast majority is the same as the previous version, except for the Touchstone changes I already talked about and some clarified language. But tucked in the back is a brand new thing that I’ve been keeping under wraps: Kingdom Legacy. […]

Ben Robbins | July 19th, 2020 | ,

The Trouble With Touchstones

I am very happy with how the Kingdom second edition playtest is going. Kingdom has always been a fantastic game and the new version does a much better job of capturing that magic. But dear reader, let me tell you a secret: the Touchstone rules have been my cross to bear. A game design thorn […]

Ben Robbins | June 21st, 2020 | , , | 2 comments

New K2 for June

Hello, playtesters! I’m working on new draft of Kingdom second edition that should be ready sometime in June. So if you’ve played and you’ve got feedback for me, I can incorporate it into this revision. If not, don’t worry, there will be a call for feedback before the playtest ends. Right now most of the […]

Ben Robbins | May 28th, 2020 | , | 3 comments

Kingdom Duet

Given all the chaos in the world, I’m keeping the K2 playtest open for the foreseeable future. Don’t worry about any deadlines right now, just play and have fun. If you have feedback or posted about your game somewhere, send it my way. But again: just play and have fun. Lots of people have jumped […]

Ben Robbins | April 30th, 2020 | , , | 3 comments

Kingdom Playtest Wants You

I played another sweet, sweet game of Kingdom last night, convincing me beyond a shadow of a doubt that the new edition is ready for external playtesting. That means you! Want in? Email me at kingdom-playtest at lamemage.com or leave a comment here. There’s a hidden comment field for your email address that I can […]

Ben Robbins | March 1st, 2020 | , | 110 comments

Kingdom, Second Edition

I’ve had a second edition of Kingdom simmering for a while now and it’s finally in a place I’m really happy with. It’s looking very good. I love playing Kingdom. Love it. My hit rate for engaging and dramatic sessions with Kingdom has always been very, very high. The game itself is great. But the […]

Ben Robbins | February 18th, 2020 | , | 8 comments

K2

“That feeling when you revise your rules and cut your page count IN HALF.” Spoiler alert: Kingdom, 2nd Edition, is in the works.

Ben Robbins | February 14th, 2020 | , | 5 comments

Kingdom: Return of Time Passes

I’m experimenting with a new way to do Time Passes in Kingdom. I removed it for one-shot games in the latest revision, but you can use this new rule in both one-shot and multi-session games: TIME PASSES When it’s your turn to make a Crossroad, you can instead say that Time Passes. Immediately play out […]

Ben Robbins | September 2nd, 2017 | , , | 2 comments

Kingdom v1.3

I released Kingdom three years ago, but every time I play it I’m still looking for ways to make it better. It’s a crowd-favorite at Story Games Seattle so I’ve had a lot of opportunities to try out refinements that streamline the rules and make things simpler, faster and more fun. This rules update includes […]

Ben Robbins | July 25th, 2016 | , ,

A Kingdom Without Issues

Time is precious gaming treasure. To streamline Kingdom character creation, I’ve been experimenting with removing Issues and using Bonds to take over that duty. I’ve found it to be faster and actually make better characters, for reasons I’ll go into below. To use this change, simply remove the Issues step entirely. When you are creating […]

Ben Robbins | April 4th, 2016 | , ,

Uncontrolled Orders & Predictions

A small but important official change to the Kingdom rules. If you switch Roles and leave orders or predictions behind, it’s up to the players who have Power or Perspective during Crossroad resolution to decide whether they happen. Kingdom Rules Update: Uncontrolled Orders & Predictions (one-page PDF) Update: I revised and simplified the text to […]

Ben Robbins | May 29th, 2014 | , | 2 comments