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As avid board gamers, the concept of gamification is close to our hearts. Whether it’s learning a language, hitting exercise goals, or educating ourselves or our kids. The simple process of making a game of it can be the difference between success and failure.
The people at History Heroes clearly know that and have produced an epic series of card game’s across a multitude of categories. Each History Heroes set includes 40 cards with each card dedicated to a prominent figure in the genre of the set. In this set, Kings and Queens, they attempt to inject some fun into that staple of history classes, the last thousand years of the British monarchy.
A Game Of Thrones
History Heroes: Kings & Queens is built on a really simple structure that all the History Heroes sets use. Each card is dedicated to an individual, with a name, illustration and facts. In this case we have the King/Queens name followed by the years of their reign and where they ruled.
Then 6 key facts about our character divided into 3 difficulty levels. Green is easy. Amber is medium. Red is tough. This is followed by an often unbelievable Joker Fact. The rules of the game are left purposely flexible with house rules and experimentation avidly encouraged.
The main gist though is that all players are dealt equal hands from the deck. The first player then asks for a fact from the first card of the player to their left. If our first player successfully names the monarch this fact belongs to them. They gain the card and go again with the player to the left of their previous victim. When they can’t guess the appropriate royal then play passes in a clockwise manner until one player holds all the cards.
Do you know which British Monarch was the first to travel by train? How about which King, despite ruling for over a decade, only spent 5 months in England? I didn’t either, but I do now, and I think ultimately that’s the aim of History Heroes: Kings & Queens. This is not the next ground-breaking Euro strategy game. However it is an excellent quiz based memory aid and educational tool for learning more about British Royal history. As such History Heroes has a specific demographic that it will appeal to.
If you’re an unabashed History geek, an avid pub quizzer or have school age kids then this game is for you. If like me, you’re all 3 well that’s even better!
Final Thoughts
The graphic design is clean and clear, artwork is attractively cartoonish and aids with the memory process. The facts are well chosen with an even mix of interesting, shocking, funny and memorable. The traffic light system of difficulty means the game can be scaled for parties of different ages and proficiencies. Coming in it’s small tuck box this deck of 40 cards is eminently portable too, fitting in a shirt pocket even. With their reasonable price tag, sustainable card, recyclable packaging and being made right here in the UK it’s hard to find any chinks in the History Heroes armour!
If you’re looking for an educational and Interesting little game that’s easily portable and quick and easy to play then History Heroes: Kings & Queens has it all to offer. I can see it appealing to parents, teachers, and history buffs alike. The really cool thing is if you like this set then there are tons of other History Heroes sets to choose from next!
