New Game Round-up: Fighting for What's Mine in Kings Under Mountains, Factions and In-Fighting in Coup & Gerdts Reinvents Deck-Building in Concordia

Players command four fantasy races in Kings Under Mountains — orcs, dwarves, goblins and giants — and they use these creatures to secure mines up for grabs, then develop those mines. Why would they do this for you? Because you're the king of one of these races, that's why!

Each card in the 80-card deck is double-sided; one side depicts a creature from one of the four races and a numerical value (0-9), while the other side depicts a mine with a defense value, a size value, and a point value. To start the game, shuffle the deck, lay out four mines, deal each player a hand of six cards, then lay out four cards creature-side-up to form the Camp; group like creatures on top of one another. Each player also receives a King card to show which race he represents.

On a player's turn, he must play a creature on (1) a mine currently up for grabs or (2) a mine that he's previously claimed. In both cases, the creature being played must have a higher number than the creature currently on top of the stack — except for a 0, which can be played on a 9. In the former case, you can play a card of any race, while in the latter case you can't play a card of your own race! When the number of cards on an available mine matches that mine's defense value, the King of the race on the card last played claims the mine. (If that race isn't in the game, whoever played the card claims the mine.) Move all of the cards played into the Camp.

When the number of cards on a claimed mine matches that mine's size, discard all of the creature cards to the Camp, then place the mine under your King — unless the mine bears an overseer symbol, in which case you need to first play a creature of your own race on top of the creatures developing the mine (following the rule for how to play cards) before you can score the mine and place it under your King.

To end your turn, you refill your hand to six cards by drawing the top card from the deck or from one of the four race piles in the Camp. When the deck runs out, the game ends. Players score points for all of the mine cards that they've fully developed (that is, mine cards under their King), then lose points for mines claimed but not yet developed. The player with the highest score wins!

Coup: Reformation adds new cards to the game and rules for factions and team play that increases tension in the early stages for four or more players and (thanks to 15 additional character cards) allows Coup to be better played with up to ten players.

With Coup: Reformation, each player must declare himself either Protestant or Catholic and can target only members of the other faith. Conversion is possible, however, for yourself or for another player by paying a charitable donation to the Almshouse. Like all factions, once you have eliminated the other sect, you just descend into in-fighting, so there's still only one winner and no second place.

Coup: Reformation adds a new fluid team dynamic to Coup as players jostle with their allegiance to take advantage or seek protection in the early stages of the game.

Many players know me for my rondel games. In Concordia you choose your actions with cards. It's a very easy system: Each time when it is your turn, you play one of your cards from your hand to your personal discard pile and execute the related action. Each player starts with the same seven cards and has the choice between six different actions (as you start with 2 Prefects). Among the cards is the Tribune that lets you to take back your discarded cards into your hand again, and the Senator that allows you to purchase additional cards.

As easy as it is, this system provides interesting choices: Which cards do you play, and in which order do you do so? As the choices get fewer with each turn, you also have to decide when to take back the played cards. And finally, you should purchase additional cards: Which cards do you need, and at what time do you buy them? With a rondel, the decision tree is the same for each player. With cards that you can purchase, you build your very own personal decision tree. The cards, on sale inside the display area on the game board, have a price that is following the rules of supply and demand: The longer cards are there, the cheaper they become. This makes for another tough choice: You should purchase a personality card that you really need before it becomes so cheap that it is snagged away by your opponent. On the other hand, you should not spend your valuable resources too early on too many cards because you also need your goods to build up an economic empire.