The King in the North. NAC WARGAMES

The King in the North is a 2-player game that represents the First Carlist War, which took place between 1833 and 1839, between the Carlists, supporters of Infante Carlos María Isidro of Bourbon and an absolutist regime, and the Isabelinos, defenders of Isabel II and the regent María Cristina of Bourbon, whose government was initially moderately absolutist and later became liberal to gain broader popular support. Although the war took place in various regions of Spain (Basque Country, Navarre, Catalonia, Aragon, and Valencia), this game only represents the fighting that occurred in the North. One player controls the Isabelino side, composed of five factions: Royal Guard, Regular Army, Militias, Chapelgorris, and Foreign Legion. The other player controls the Carlist side, also made up of five factions: Álava, Castilla, Guipúzcoa, Navarre, and Vizcaya.

This is a block wargame with cards for each faction, played on a beautifully mounted board. With mechanics similar to the famous games Sekigahara or Granada, those familiar with these games will find it easy to grasp the rules and start playing quickly. Each player's blocks are only visible to themselves until battles occur, creating a very interesting "fog of war" effect. Not only do you need to select your blocks wisely before entering combat, but deploying them effectively is also crucial. A huge army is useless if you cannot deploy it in battle. These two dynamics create a controllable chaos that greatly enhances strategy and bluffing.

Each player has a deck of cards that are vital for movement and combat, as well as for gaining initiative. The dual fog of war, created by hidden blocks and cards in hand, makes each turn very tense and produces exciting situations. You can never be completely sure whether that stack of blocks waiting in a location is weak or strong, or if your opponent can maximize the deployment of their units to halt your advance.

The game also includes many new features and rule changes, making it slightly more complex to adapt to the new theme, but on the other hand, it adds tension and excitement to each game, with important decisions to make every turn. It will delight strategy enthusiasts.

If you are familiar with similar games and these types of mechanics, you will notice significant differences in The King in the North:

1. The map has more cities and a larger road network, with 3 types of routes: main roads, secondary roads, and paths (the latter especially useful for the Carlists and their guerrilla warfare).

2. Naval factor: the liberals have fleet blocks (Anglo-Spanish).

3. There are factions, 5 per side, more leaders, and additional special troop blocks (carabineros, customs officers, partisan units, guerrillas, elite troops such as hussars and requetés). There are also blocks for infantry, cavalry, and artillery.

4. Sieges are tougher, making the use of artillery almost essential.

5. There are cities, fortified cities, and towns with fortified houses. These add significant defensive elements and provide unexpected results for enemy advances, as well as victory points.

6. Each deck contains special cards and event cards that provide benefits to both players.

7. Loyalty cards in Sekigahara and The King in the North work differently. Non-loyal troops become deserters and flee from battles!

8. If the liberal player captures the Don Carlos (Charles V) block, there is an immediate victory. Protect him at all costs!

9. The movement restriction table based on the number of blocks in a stack is different. Simpler and easier to manage.

10. There are also possibilities for retreats in certain cases.

11. The scoring system is completely different, with immediate victory conditions for each side.

Contents of The King in the North game

● 1 double-sided game board, 86*60 cm

● 4 sheets with stickers for blocks, barrels, markers, and discs

● 165 wooden blocks

● 154 cards (Tactics and Strategy)

● 9 wooden barrels

●3 wooden discs

● 5 wooden markers

● 20 small wooden cubes

● 2 printed cloth bags

● 1 control sheet

● 2 player aid sheets

● 1 rulebook

● 1 game book

(Language-dependent components are included in duplicate, such as manuals, aid sheets, and cards with text.)

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Games and TCG - Board games - Wargames