Mark's #36: Web of Power

Jay Tummelson, head honcho of Rio Grande Games, has done many things right in his tenure as the "guru of reprinting German games." Renaming Kardinal & Konig (Cardinals & Kings) wasn't one of them. The original name actually reflects the theme (ecclesiastical orders manuevering for political power in medieval Europe) and sounds kinda cool. Web of Power sounds like it's the younger brother of Nik Sewell's Web of Gold.

Now that I've got that rant out of the way, let's actually talk about the game. It's just about perfect: a 45 minute area majority game with enough luck of the draw to keep players from locking down a particular strategy and yet plenty of opportunities for subtle & intelligent play. It's been called El Grande lite - which I kind of understand - but I think K&K (sigh, Web of Power) stands on its own two feet.

There are two simple expansions available: "The Duell" which makes a two-player game not only possible but very workable; and "The Vatican" which offers yet another way to influence scoring. Web is sadly OOP, but China (Web of Power with some changes) was released earlier this year.