Aristoocrazy (2012)

Aristoocrazy is a game about the Middle Ages which deals not with the clichés of that period – such as religious fanaticism or cruelty – but rather with slightly exaggerated relationships within the noble families. It offers deep strategic choices, but spices them with fun, humor, and player communication. Relive this comedy about the Middle Ages and have fun with Aristoocrazy!

Each player has ten unique characters from his family at his disposal – five noblemen and five noblewomen – but he starts with only one pair of aristrocrats. Throughout the game, characters will struggle to conquer neutral regions or those controlled by an opponent, in addition to using the benefits of their abilities. Each character has three abilities, which are helpful for gaining victory points (VPs) or attacking other characters. The game has nine different abilities, which are represented by cardboard tokens. When a male and female character marry, new characters are born into play, with the newborn children inheriting its parents' abilities.

If two characters with a close family relationship meet, however, there is a risk that their child will be "different". When such a child grows up, naturally you'll need him to take care of your domain or a military campaign that you're running – but if his wits aren't in the right place, he won't be of much help. (And who would want to marry such a dud in the first place?)

Aristoocrazy lasts twelve rounds, and at the end of each round the victory conditions for the current round are evaluated. The players try to optimize their actions – moves on the board, attacks, the use of abilities – in order to fulfill the victory conditions defined on the event card in place for that round. The players who best fulfill the victory conditions are rewarded with VPs or special action cards, which can help them in certain situations in future rounds. The player with the most VPs after the final round wins!