(New Cover, 2010)
(Old Cover Art, sans lettering, 1985)
[Original Design as KoTT from The Dragon Magazine #77, Tom Wham and Rob Kuntz, with Illustrations by David Trampier (see at BoardGameGeek) ]
For those who keep up on my board game designs you will be pleased to know that this year ZMAN Games will be re-releasing Kings & Things. Note the link at BoardGame Geek.It has been OOP for too long a time, IMO. As it was an award winner, that makes it a double treat to see. :)
I didn't realise it was yours.
ReplyDelete--I saw it back in the Davie Compleate Strategist back-in-the-day, and always wondered after it.
I'll have to get a copy this time 'round. :D
Love the art!
ReplyDelete@TS: Yeah, it's a cool game. Never plays the same way twice.
ReplyDelete@Journalizer: I posted the original cover, which I still favor, even though the penguin is cute. :)
Hi, Rob! I own still another version of the game with a cover which was clearly taken from Robert Asprin's Myth-series. Is it just a coincidence or has the game been influenced by Aahz and Skeeve?
ReplyDeleteHey Moritz! :)
ReplyDeleteI am sure it was a coincidence as the original design is based upon our King of the Tabletop bg as appearing in the Dragon #77. Another cover? I have not seen that. Only the Japanese version issued form Hobby Japan Bitd.
Kings and Things is a personal favorite. Glad to see this classic getting a re-release!
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to the cover I mean: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/5/51/KingsAndThingsBox.jpg
ReplyDeleteYeah. That was Pegasus Spiele's German translation of the game with West End Games. This game has had quite a publishing history. The Dragon Magazine, West End Games (in concert with Games Workshop), Pegasus Spiele, Hobby Japan, back to Pegasus Spiele, then the English version through Z-Man, upcoming.
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda boggling.
Ah Wicked!!, I love Wham's artwork.. What is the overall concept of this game?. Do you know if they are going to republish his older games?. I never got my hands on Mertwig's Maze. TSR put out some really neat board games in the late 70's. I found a copy of Warlocks & Warriors in the plastic, and it's a lot of fun to play with family & friends.
ReplyDeleteTom Wham's artwork reminded me of Crumb ... just had to add that thought. :-)
ReplyDeleteDelve, the map is constructed anew, differently, each game, and things change during play.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/58/kings-things
@Delve. I don't know what Tom is doing with his other games, there are so many. Some were published through Steve Jackson and through Troll Lords, with a semi-new one, Dragon Lairds w/James Ward, available.
ReplyDeleteCrumb influenced Tom to a high degree. He was also an avid collector of Shelton's comics (such as FFF Brothers, etc.), and many other Undergrounds...
I'll be catching up with Tom at GaryCon2 in March and will query him on his publishing activities then.
ReplyDeleteHere's Tom's website: http://www.tomwham.com/
ReplyDeleteI played the heck out of King of the Tabletop with my brother and a friend when it came in that Dragon issue. I bought the GW edition years later and it didn't quite hold up to the games we remembered, but I think the mechanics were pretty much the same. I lost the boxed set but might still have the Dragon version somewhere. Glad to see it's back in print!
ReplyDelete