The Cousins' War (2nd ed)

Now in a larger box with large-format cards, there is some real complexity to this take on the Wars of the Roses. The players represent the noble houses of Lancaster (red rose) and York (white) as they compete militarily and politically for control of 15th century England. They play cards to gain influence and troops before meeting in a climactic battle each round.

The really clever bit is the dice-based bluffing mechanism (think Liars' Dice) that decides the battle, whittling away the troops until one side has left the field. If one player can control all the regions of England, they win outright; otherwise it's the player with most influence after five rounds (50 years of history).

This is a clever, subtle game that plays quickly and keeps your attention throughout. The second edition includes the Events cards that were originally published as an expansion to the first edition. Ad now there's an expansion for solitaire play (below).

For 2 players, aged 12+, playing time 30 minutes: £13.00 (£10.83 tax free outside the EU)
 

In stock

The Cousins' War was designed by David Mortimer and is published by Surprised Stare.

Find out more:
    The Cousins' War on BoardGameGeek

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Solo expansion

It's a small deck of cards that provides an automated opponent, nicknamed the Baron of Turncoats or BoT, for The Cousins' War. A couple of pages of rules cover the BoT's priorities and are backed up with a player aid.

Intriguingly, the BoT's card shows what it claims as its die roll for a battle. Only if you challenge do you roll dice to see if the BoT's bluffing or not! That's a clever little mechanism and leaves you playing the odds. I'll be trying this just as soon as I've dug out my copy of the game.

For 1 player (with base game), aged 12+, playing time 30 minutes: £6.50 (£5.42 tax free outside the EU)
 

In stock

The Cousins' War Solo Expansion was designed by David Mortimer and is published by Surprised Stare.

Top of page / Full list of games / Games from Pevans Home

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