Moods of the Mad King, Game Review

To write is to pour your blood out onto the page. To act is to pour your soul out on the stage. To write plays is to combine the two. And, if you are writing plays for a whimsical king, it could mean literally the pouring of your blood on the stage.

Moods of the Mad Kingby Alan Bahr and from Gallant Knight Games (website and Facebook) puts you in the role of a playwright who is writing for a king. He is a moody person however. And, your goal is to create the best play you can in an attempt to match the king’s mood while also following your muse.

Game play

Moods of the Mad Kingis designed for 2-5 players (2 player variant rules are available from Gallant Knight Games) and is easy to learn. A game lasts for 10 to 15 minutes. Four of us sat down and played Moods of the Mad King at SaltCon (website and Facebook) 2018 and were able to learn the game and complete it with the fifteen minute mark.

Each player starts with cards placed face down, to keep them secret form the other players, in front of them on the table and a hand to play from.

On the table, everyone starts with a muse, matching to the plays being used in the game. Along with the muse, you start with a three act play, which consists of one card for each of the Acts I, II, and III (these cards are set to match the muses in play).

For example in our game I started our game with the muse, Lord Jeanpaul, who likes romance. My acts were Act I, romance, Act II, Comedy, and Act III, Tragedy.

From the Players deck of cards each person is given one card to start as their personal hand.

No one knows the mood of the king when the game starts. The king has five Mood cards, which remain face down. At the end of the game his mood is revealed by turning over the top card of the pile, however, there are ways for his mood to change during the game.

On your turn you draw one card from the Player cards, then use or discard one of your cards for your turn. The Player cards allow you to make changes to the current situation of the game. Some cards allow you to switch your muse with another player. Other ones cause Acts to rotate around the board. You even get the chance to change the mood of the king.

There are 25 cards in the Player deck and when a player is unable to draw one, the game moves to scoring. You turn over the card to see what mood the king is in and then everyone turns over their table cards to score points.

Scoring is done by matching. If you have matching Acts you score the points for the Acts in their placement, 1 for Act I, 2 for Act II, and 3 for Act III. But there must be a match. If they are all different, there are no points. Then, for each Act matching the mood of the king you gain an additional point. And, each Act matching your Muse scores an additional point.

Moods of the Mad Kingis easy to learn and fast to play.

Artwork

The cards are illustrated by Dani Powers. Moods of the Mad King is designed to be a fast past somewhat whimsical themed game and the art of Dani Powers plays into the theme.

The graphic design is by Robert Denton. The layout and feel of the game is wonderful and useful.

Overall

Moods of the Mad Kingis a great filler game and cabin game (one deck of oversized cards with the rules printed on cards instead of a separate piece of paper) for the whole family. The box lists play for ages 10+, but younger players who can read would have few issues with being able to play. The layout on the cards makes them easy to read. And, after a couple of times, the artwork and titles on the cards make them easily recognizable.

This is not a game requiring a lot of thinking during game play. You do need to try to remember what cards you have seen and where they are now at. You can have a conversation while playing with concern about missing what another player has done.

We enjoyed our game so much that one of the players in our group bought Moods of the Mad King along with the game mat that was available at the convention. I know it will be one game that comes out while we are waiting for the rest of the gaming group to arrive.

Mood of the Mad Kingis designed by Alan Bahr, artwork by Dani Powers, and graphic design by Robert Denton. It is published by Gallant Knight Games. It is designed for 2 to 5 players of age 10+ and to last 10-15 minutes.

You are at the edge of the stage as the curtain rises on what you believe could be one of the best romance plays you have ever written. The king is sitting in his private booth. As the lights are dimming, you see a sour look on his face. The evening appears to be shaping up to be a long night.

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