cucullus non facit monachum: Board Game Review - Viscounts of the West Kingdom

I recently had a fun time learning Viscounts of the West Kingdom from Garphill Games and Renegade Game Studios. This is the third in the "West Kingdom" series and yet another amazing game from Shem Phillips.

As with the other West Kingdom games, players strive to earn the most victory points by hiring various workers and using their resources to advance their goals. Similar to the first two games, you must work to build a deck of workers that will best help ensure you have the right resources and influence to carry out the tasks at the right time.

Available actions are determined by moving your Viscount figure around a Rondel that outlines a specific path around the board. The amount you can move depends on which worker you play on your turn (though you can adjust this slightly by paying coins or building a certain building). When your Viscount ends movement, you are presented with a handful of different actions.

You can Trade for the resources or influence you need, build a building, write a manuscript or send workers into the castle. Each of these actions will benefit you later and lead to victory points. The trick is determining the most effective way to manage your actions, your workers and your movements.

As an additional twist, there is a Vice/Virtue track on your player board. Depending on the actions you take and the workers you hire, your Vice and Virtue levels will be adjusted until eventually they collide. This collision will result in a benefit or reward for you as well as a potential benefit or reward for other players. I found this an intriguing addition and a lot of fun to try and predict and manipulate.

I played Viscounts twice and enjoyed it both times. I feel like a bit of a Shem Phillips fanboy because I really enjoyed all three (as well as his North Sea games) and I will always be excited to play one of his games again and will seldom turn down a chance to play.