What can be done about the starving peasants? Should an example be made of the heretics? And is the throne able to finance the next costly expedition? It’s questions like these that the players will be discussing as members of the Council of the Kingdom of Ankist. Their decisions will have direct consequences on the stability of the realm, but each player is also duty bound to the interests of their own noble house. This leads to all sorts of conflict and so Council meetings will see stubborn negotiations, cunning arguments and spirited bribery. A vote will determine each decision, the effects of which will be felt for a long time, as these decisions drive the narrative strand of the game. Over around 20 individual games, each group will experience their own unique version of the history of Ankist spanning several centuries.

Politics in a fantasy world? Since the success of Game of Thrones at least, we know how entertaining that can be. And playing the game you quickly start to feel as if you were actually living through a meeting of the “Small Council”. The narrative strength of the game is astounding: with just a few short paragraphs of text, the game succeeds in creating an immersive and mysterious world. The minimalist game mechanics help to offer the perfect stage for grand political theatre.