''Kingmaker'' (known as ''Kingmaker: The Quest for the Crown'' in Europe) is a

turn-based strategy Strategy video game is a major video game genre that focuses on analyzing and strategizing over direct quick reaction in order to secure success. Although many types of video games can contain strategic elements, the strategy genre is most commo ...

game published by

Avalon Hill Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the compan ...

in 1993. It was developed by American studio TM Games based on the ''

Kingmaker A kingmaker is a person or group that has great influence on a monarchy or royal in their political succession, without themselves being a viable candidate. Kingmakers may use political, monetary, religious, and military means to influence the ...

'' board game.

Gameplay

''Kingmaker'' simulates

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

. ''Kingmaker'' reproduces the look and play of the board game almost exactly, allowing the player to compete with up to five computer controlled factions. The major change from the board game is the addition of a battle interface where the player can control his or her army in combat, but it is very simplistic and the option to resolve battles by the original method remains.

Reception

In ''Computer Gaming World'' in July 1994, Terry Lee Coleman rated the computer version of ''Kingmaker'' 3.5 stars out of five. While criticizing the lack of multiplayer in an adaptation of "a classic multiplayer boardgame" the reviewer said that it was "strangely addictive, and a class act". Approving of the "clever and varied AI", Coleman wrote, "Challenging and fun, despite its lack of high-tech glitz or multiplayer options, ''Kingmaker'' establishes a fine beachhead for AH's return to the computer wargame market." James V. Trunzo reviewed ''Kingmaker'' in '' White Wolf'' #48 (Oct., 1994), rating it a 5 out of 5 and stated that "Avalon Hill gets good marks for creating a game that runs even on a 286 machine, but it gets a failing grade for its memory demands." The editors of ''

PC Gamer US ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...

'' nominated ''Kingmaker'' for their 1994 "Best Historical Simulation" award, although it lost to ''

Lords of the Realm ''Lords of the Realm'' is a turn-based strategy computer game published and developed by Impressions Games. It was first released on June 15, 1994, and is the first game in the ''Lords of the Realm'' series. Summary The game takes place in a ...

''. By August 1996, ''Kingmaker'' had sold over 40,000 copies. In his ''Computer Gaming World'' column, Coleman summarized these figures as "decent for a computer wargame". However, he noted that it had outsold every Avalon Hill computer game released since, and that Avalon Hill's brand reboot on computers had not gone as hoped.

References

External links

''PC Gamer'' review
(German) {{Avalon Hill 1993 video games Amiga games Atari ST games Avalon Hill video games DOS games Single-player video games U.S. Gold games Video games based on board games Video games developed in the United States