A not so Rusty Throne

The solitaire PnP wargame A Rusty Throne tells a tale of revenge: King Alric is mad. He accused your father of treason and had him executed. As the assassinated lord's son, you set out with your army to conquer the castles of the King's allies, and ultimately the palace of the King himself.

The game consists of a map of the island where the events take place and 18 cards (plus 9 extra cards for hard mode). The gameplay is entirely card-driven and bears some similarity to Twilight Struggle. On every turn, you will have to pick a card from your hand that will dictate what the King does and how many action points you get. This will often be a difficult decision, as the same card may also be valuable in case you are attacked. You generally try to not let the King receive reinforcements, and not let him perform two actions instead of one.

The top tier of each card shows symbols used in battle. The middle of the card shows the King's actions, and the bottom tier shows your action points. Your goal is to take control of all four castle areas on the map. This can be achieved if you play carefully and have luck on your side, but if you are a little sloppy (like me) and/or unlucky, the King may easily arrive at your doorstep and send you to meet your dad.

The King's battle behaviour is defined by a random card draw, and he always performs a turn of his own after yours is finished, again based on a draw from the main card deck. Battles are often suspenseful, as you may think you have chosen a good defense/offense and then reveal a card for the King and be destroyed. Still, wise choices on your part come a long way and victory is not impossible.

If you enjoy card-driven games, this is a must-try. The rules are very clear (you may need to read them twice to 'digest' them), and the PnP build is very easy. You can find the WIP thread on BGG. Highly recommended.

#ARustyThrone