--- product_id: 11325859 title: "Kingdom Builder" brand: "asmodee" price: "19435F" currency: XPF in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 category: "Asmodee" url: https://frenchpolynesia.desertcart.com/products/11325859-kingdom-builder store_origin: PF region: French Polynesia --- # 45 min playtime 2-4 players 10 unique scoring cards Kingdom Builder **Brand:** asmodee **Price:** 19435F **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Summary > πŸ‘‘ Build your empire, outsmart rivals, and never play the same game twice! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Kingdom Builder by asmodee - **How much does it cost?** 19435F with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [frenchpolynesia.desertcart.com](https://frenchpolynesia.desertcart.com/products/11325859-kingdom-builder) ## Best For - asmodee enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted asmodee brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Compact & Quick:** 45-minute sessions fit perfectly into busy schedules without sacrificing depth. - β€’ **Skill Meets Luck:** Balanced mix of tactical planning and chance for thrilling gameplay moments. - β€’ **Family & Friends Unite:** Engaging 2-4 player interaction that balances competition and fun. - β€’ **Strategic Yet Accessible:** Easy to learn with layered strategy perfect for all skill levels. - β€’ **Dynamic Kingdoms Every Game:** Randomized boards & scoring keep gameplay fresh and unpredictable. ## Overview Kingdom Builder is an award-winning strategy board game designed by Donald X. Vaccarino, featuring 2-4 players building settlements on a modular board with randomized scoring objectives. With a 45-minute playtime, it offers a perfect blend of accessible rules and strategic depth, making it ideal for families and casual to advanced gamers seeking high replayability and engaging competition. ## Description Product Description The award winning game designed by Donald X. Vaccarino. In Kingdom Builder the players create their own Kingdoms by skillfully building their settlements, aiming to earn the most gold at the end of the game. A highly variable game board and varying scoring conditions will ensure that you won’t be playing the same game ever, unless you want to. From the Manufacturer The latest release from the designer of Dominion. In Kingdom Builder, the players create their own kingdoms by skillfully building their settlements, aiming to earn the most gold at the end of the game. Build an engine to control more tiles, which give access to more abilities -- which help you earn more gold. Each game, players will use a random set of Kingdom Builder cards (3 of the total of 10 cards), special actions (4 of possible 8), and terrain sectors to build the map (4 of 8 tiles), ensuring you won't play the same game twice. Review: Limited strategy and options, but loads of fun ~ - Kingdom Builder has won many awards, but looking online, I noticed a lot of 'meh' reviews. Still, we picked up a set when it was $35 during the board game Gold Box deals day. I am happy to say that we absolutely love this game. We'll give you a quick overview then discuss the reasons for the pros and cons of this game designed by Donald X. Vaccarino of Dominion fame. + Amazing design and lovely art + High quality components + Variety of goals to accomplish + Several map boards can be interchanged + Very fun with high replay + Scoring at end of game rather than as game flows - Less freedom of placement - Less head to head gameplay Now let's explain: In Kingdom Builder (KB from here out), the goal is to settle the map and gain gold (victory points). Players assemble a map from four of the eight included map boards. Each quadrant has a castle or two and a location or two. They also contain grassland, canyons, desert, forests, flower fields, mountains and water. The players will then draw three cards from the mission or goal cards. These cards tell the players what they must accomplish in order to gain gold (VPs). These tasks will be completed and added up at the end. Some tasks include having the most settlements in a quadrant or having a lot of settlements on one horizontal line, or gold for settlements next to water tiles or mountain tiles: there are ten in total and three are used each game. Players will draw one card from the terrain cards. This card tells players where they must play settlements. Each player MUST play three settlements on their turn onto the depicted terrain (in a rare instance where all those terrains are full, they draw a new card - we've never encountered this though). The real trick here is that settlements MUST be played adjacent to existing settlements - if this is possible! So if you have settlements on forest only and draw a desert card, you will look to see if any of your forest settlements touch desert hexes. If so, you have to play the new settlements starting with the desert hex touching the settled forest hex. If you draw a card and there are no settlements in or touching that terrain type, you can play anywhere. There are two interesting things that happen when you eventually settle next to a castle or location. If you put a settlement next to a castle, you score 3 gold at the end of the game (don't score immediately, because you CAN get a location tile to move settlements). If you place a settlement next to a location tile, you gain the extra move associated with that location and collect one of the two tiles on that location. You can only gain these once per city / location no matter how many settlements touch either. It is possible to gain two different location tiles if you settle next to two different locations and they have a tile remaining - but you cannot take two from the same. These location tiles offer additional, optional moves, such as placing an additional settlement on any grass hex, placing adjacent if possible and so on. These are optional moves and do not have to be completed. Also, they can be done before settling your three mandatory settlements - but you must reveal your terrain card first (since several optional moves have terrain specifics depending on your card). Once you have taken mandatory and optional moves, you end your turn by drawing a terrain card and keeping it secret. This way you can look over and plan your next moves while the other players are placing their settlements. If the terrain draw stack is depleted, reshuffle (this is common and we found usually we shuffle once per game). The game ends when a player places their last settlements and all other players have taken one more turn afterwards. Therefore it is possible to end the game with a lot of settlements unplayed - though this is not a good thing! Score is tallied by adding gold acquired for each goal. The cards specify how much (you might get one gold for every two settlements..., or one gold for each settlement..., and so on). Then you add 3 gold for each castle a player has at least one settlement next to (so even four players can gain gold for one castle if they each have a settlement touching it). The game is fun with any number of the players from 2 - 4. Granted, it gets a bit more confrontational with more players since players will be vying for more limited space. With two players, it is a more peaceful game and typically players will be going for the goals in separate parts of the map. We found that there isn't really any best number of players since it plays differently with each number of players. The complaints I hear are that the game limits your options: and it does to a certain extent. Often you are forced to settle in one specific area due to the 'adjacent' rule. But then there is strategy where you might avoid placing settlements touching another terrain type, so that you can move anywhere on the map (when the adjacent rule doesn't apply, you can place settlements on any terrain matching the drawn card). Also there is a lot of strategy once you have the location tiles. I found often that if I had one that allowed me to play something not using the adjacent rule, I could do that before playing my mandatory actions and therefore open up a new area for settlement. In terms of Euro games, it is a medium to light game though since your moves are restricted. Though this also helps to level the playing field somewhat for those who are not too accustomed to these types of games. I've found the game is a lot of fun. There is a lot of variety, especially since you can mix up the maps and each map section having different location tiles with different optional moves to acquire. Also, having three unique missions to compete for in each game keeps things fresh. I highly, highly recommend it for both those new to Euro games and those with a moderate level of skill in Euro games (or advanced players wanting a game with a level playing field for all skill levels). Review: Looks like Catan, plays like Blokus & Ticket to Ride - I'm pleasantly surprised! Upon first receiving the game (my fiancΓ© ordered this one), I wasn't interested at all. However, the game is really simple to learn, easy to play, and it's a great deal of fun. The game is literally just about building (placing) settlements on the board and trying to make the most of score multipliers. Score multipliers are shuffled, and only 3 (out of 10, I think) are in play during any given game. These cards dictate how your game strategy will go. On top of that, there are 8 board pieces total and you make your board out of 4 of them (shuffled and randomly drawn). Therefore, there is a lot of replayability. Gameplay: On your turn, ALL YOU DO (bare minimum) is place 3 settlements on the board. Your placement is dictated by terrain cards, which are shuffled and drawn by each player. The terrain card tells you which type of terrain you can build (simple, right?). Then, you place your 3 settlements in a terrain that matches the card. Your #1 priority is to follow the terrain. Your #2 priority is to build, if possible, adjacent to previously existing settlements of *your* color on the board. That's the entire gist of the game. There are a few more mechanics that up the complexity, but for the sake of keeping this review shorter than the rulebook, I'll refrain from explaining further. Overall: It's the Goldilocks between simplicity, luck, and competition. It plays a little bit like Blokus in that your first priority is to build in contiguous/adjacent lines/areas/etc to your own previously built establishments. However, it can get a little bit like Ticket to Ride in that, with score multiplier cards which dictate the best strategies, you may run at a crossroads with other players and begin trying to block them out of winning strategies. It's 50/50 "luck of the draw" and strategy, which is a relatively nice ratio. ## Features - Strategy game for the whole family - Beginners to advanced players - High level of interaction - Easy to learn - Playing time: 45 minutes ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B005COHOM6 | | Age Range Description | 8 years | | Are Batteries Required | No | | Best Sellers Rank | #325,559 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #8,473 in Board Games (Toys & Games) | | Brand Name | Asmodee | | CPSIA Cautionary Statement | Choking Hazard - Small Parts | | Color | Kingdom Builder Int | | Customer Package Type | Standard packaging | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 659 Reviews | | Edition | [POSSIBLE] New Edition | | Educational Objective | Develop strategic planning and critical thinking skills | | Estimated Playing Time | 45 Minutes | | Genre | Family, Strategy | | Global Trade Identification Number | 04010350608326 | | Is Assembly Required | No | | Item Dimensions | 11.6 x 3 x 11.6 inches | | Item Type Name | board game | | Item Weight | 1.77 Kilograms | | Manufacturer | Publisher Services Inc (PSI) | | Manufacturer Maximum Age (MONTHS) | 1188.0 | | Manufacturer Minimum Age (MONTHS) | 120.0 | | Manufacturer Part Number | QUG60833 | | Manufacturer Warranty Description | No Warranty | | Material Type | Cardboard | | Minimum Age Recomendation | 8 | | Model Number | 60833 | | Number of Items | 1 | | Number of Players | 2-4 | | Operation Mode | manual | | Set Name | Kingdom Builder | | Size | 3 inches (W) x 11.6 inches (L) x 11.6 inches (H) | | Sub Brand | (-) | | Subject Character | (-) | | Theme | Kingdom Building | | UPC | 791743693535 | | Unit Count | 1.0 Count | ## Images ![Kingdom Builder - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/710Z6BhMCPL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Limited strategy and options, but loads of fun ~ *by C***T on August 6, 2015* Kingdom Builder has won many awards, but looking online, I noticed a lot of 'meh' reviews. Still, we picked up a set when it was $35 during the board game Gold Box deals day. I am happy to say that we absolutely love this game. We'll give you a quick overview then discuss the reasons for the pros and cons of this game designed by Donald X. Vaccarino of Dominion fame. + Amazing design and lovely art + High quality components + Variety of goals to accomplish + Several map boards can be interchanged + Very fun with high replay + Scoring at end of game rather than as game flows - Less freedom of placement - Less head to head gameplay Now let's explain: In Kingdom Builder (KB from here out), the goal is to settle the map and gain gold (victory points). Players assemble a map from four of the eight included map boards. Each quadrant has a castle or two and a location or two. They also contain grassland, canyons, desert, forests, flower fields, mountains and water. The players will then draw three cards from the mission or goal cards. These cards tell the players what they must accomplish in order to gain gold (VPs). These tasks will be completed and added up at the end. Some tasks include having the most settlements in a quadrant or having a lot of settlements on one horizontal line, or gold for settlements next to water tiles or mountain tiles: there are ten in total and three are used each game. Players will draw one card from the terrain cards. This card tells players where they must play settlements. Each player MUST play three settlements on their turn onto the depicted terrain (in a rare instance where all those terrains are full, they draw a new card - we've never encountered this though). The real trick here is that settlements MUST be played adjacent to existing settlements - if this is possible! So if you have settlements on forest only and draw a desert card, you will look to see if any of your forest settlements touch desert hexes. If so, you have to play the new settlements starting with the desert hex touching the settled forest hex. If you draw a card and there are no settlements in or touching that terrain type, you can play anywhere. There are two interesting things that happen when you eventually settle next to a castle or location. If you put a settlement next to a castle, you score 3 gold at the end of the game (don't score immediately, because you CAN get a location tile to move settlements). If you place a settlement next to a location tile, you gain the extra move associated with that location and collect one of the two tiles on that location. You can only gain these once per city / location no matter how many settlements touch either. It is possible to gain two different location tiles if you settle next to two different locations and they have a tile remaining - but you cannot take two from the same. These location tiles offer additional, optional moves, such as placing an additional settlement on any grass hex, placing adjacent if possible and so on. These are optional moves and do not have to be completed. Also, they can be done before settling your three mandatory settlements - but you must reveal your terrain card first (since several optional moves have terrain specifics depending on your card). Once you have taken mandatory and optional moves, you end your turn by drawing a terrain card and keeping it secret. This way you can look over and plan your next moves while the other players are placing their settlements. If the terrain draw stack is depleted, reshuffle (this is common and we found usually we shuffle once per game). The game ends when a player places their last settlements and all other players have taken one more turn afterwards. Therefore it is possible to end the game with a lot of settlements unplayed - though this is not a good thing! Score is tallied by adding gold acquired for each goal. The cards specify how much (you might get one gold for every two settlements..., or one gold for each settlement..., and so on). Then you add 3 gold for each castle a player has at least one settlement next to (so even four players can gain gold for one castle if they each have a settlement touching it). The game is fun with any number of the players from 2 - 4. Granted, it gets a bit more confrontational with more players since players will be vying for more limited space. With two players, it is a more peaceful game and typically players will be going for the goals in separate parts of the map. We found that there isn't really any best number of players since it plays differently with each number of players. The complaints I hear are that the game limits your options: and it does to a certain extent. Often you are forced to settle in one specific area due to the 'adjacent' rule. But then there is strategy where you might avoid placing settlements touching another terrain type, so that you can move anywhere on the map (when the adjacent rule doesn't apply, you can place settlements on any terrain matching the drawn card). Also there is a lot of strategy once you have the location tiles. I found often that if I had one that allowed me to play something not using the adjacent rule, I could do that before playing my mandatory actions and therefore open up a new area for settlement. In terms of Euro games, it is a medium to light game though since your moves are restricted. Though this also helps to level the playing field somewhat for those who are not too accustomed to these types of games. I've found the game is a lot of fun. There is a lot of variety, especially since you can mix up the maps and each map section having different location tiles with different optional moves to acquire. Also, having three unique missions to compete for in each game keeps things fresh. I highly, highly recommend it for both those new to Euro games and those with a moderate level of skill in Euro games (or advanced players wanting a game with a level playing field for all skill levels). ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Looks like Catan, plays like Blokus & Ticket to Ride *by J***T on December 13, 2016* I'm pleasantly surprised! Upon first receiving the game (my fiancΓ© ordered this one), I wasn't interested at all. However, the game is really simple to learn, easy to play, and it's a great deal of fun. The game is literally just about building (placing) settlements on the board and trying to make the most of score multipliers. Score multipliers are shuffled, and only 3 (out of 10, I think) are in play during any given game. These cards dictate how your game strategy will go. On top of that, there are 8 board pieces total and you make your board out of 4 of them (shuffled and randomly drawn). Therefore, there is a lot of replayability. Gameplay: On your turn, ALL YOU DO (bare minimum) is place 3 settlements on the board. Your placement is dictated by terrain cards, which are shuffled and drawn by each player. The terrain card tells you which type of terrain you can build (simple, right?). Then, you place your 3 settlements in a terrain that matches the card. Your #1 priority is to follow the terrain. Your #2 priority is to build, if possible, adjacent to previously existing settlements of *your* color on the board. That's the entire gist of the game. There are a few more mechanics that up the complexity, but for the sake of keeping this review shorter than the rulebook, I'll refrain from explaining further. Overall: It's the Goldilocks between simplicity, luck, and competition. It plays a little bit like Blokus in that your first priority is to build in contiguous/adjacent lines/areas/etc to your own previously built establishments. However, it can get a little bit like Ticket to Ride in that, with score multiplier cards which dictate the best strategies, you may run at a crossroads with other players and begin trying to block them out of winning strategies. It's 50/50 "luck of the draw" and strategy, which is a relatively nice ratio. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It seems simple enough.... *by K***R on August 17, 2012* On your turn you place three of your settlements on the board. Sounds simple enough, but there are a few qualifications to consider: First, you need to put the settlements on the type of terrain that matches the terrain card in your hand. Then, if possible, you need to place your settlements next to any existing settlements you have already placed. Then you need to consider the goals of the current game that will determine how you will score points (three goal cards randomly drawn at the outset of the game). And if you can get a settlement next to a castle (additional points) or one of the special locations (extra settlement placement options) all the better. Finally, if you enjoy a little cutthroat play, place some settlements where they can frustrate the plans of your competitors. These are all placed on a game board consisting of four randomly drawn quadrants combined to make a multi-terrain countryside (the game supplies eight quadrants to draw from at the start of the game). Simple enough or too simple, that is the question. If the goal of the game is to provide a 20 to 30 minute playtime with enough in-game strategy to be fun and enough variation to entice players to play again, then I feel this game is a winner. This game was the hit at our family's reunion this year because players could learn it quickly and get a different game experience each time they played. Like Carcasonne and Settlers of Cataan, this game is fun enough on its own but could really take off as newer expansions are added. Additional quadrant boards, additional goal cards, new settlement types and differing gameplay options with new locations could earn Kingdom Builder's a prime spot on a gamer's shelf. If you have any questions about the gameplay or need some input on rule interpretations, the boardgamegeek website has a forum with an active community (and the game's designer even responds to the occasional rule question). --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://frenchpolynesia.desertcart.com/products/11325859-kingdom-builder](https://frenchpolynesia.desertcart.com/products/11325859-kingdom-builder) --- *Product available on Desertcart French Polynesia* *Store origin: PF* *Last updated: 2026-10-04*