Game Overview
World Without End is a traditional European-style strategy board game, thematically built around the events that take place in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, from 1337 to 1361, almost 200 years after the construction of the imposing cathedral known as The pillars of the earth. Players take on the role of merchants, farmers, and builders who strive for wealth and prestige while leading a pious and loyal life. The object of the game is to get the most victory points. These are mainly obtained by participating in various construction projects and caring for the inhabitants of Kingsbridge who are affected by the plague, known as the Black Death. However, life in Kingsbridge is not easy. Players have to continuously fight to get enough food, show loyalty to the church and the crown, pay taxes, and deal with sudden misadventures that occur randomly during the course of the game.
The most important component of this game is a huge four-panel board of excellent quality representing Kingsbridge and the surrounding lands. On the game board there are several places such as:
- production spaces: the quarry (producing stone), the forest (producing wood) and the fields (producing grain)
- various construction sites where players can contribute stone or wood and earn victory points
- the town of Kingsbridge with its houses and market. Some of the families get sick during the plague and can be cured, granting HP and various bonuses. In the market, players can exchange wool and cloth for money.
The game takes place in 4 chapters (time periods), each of which consists of 6 rounds. Each chapter represents a time span of a few years, during which players participate in various construction projects, thus earning precious victory points and having to deal with various unexpected events. At the end of each chapter, all players have certain obligations. Failure to do so costs victory points and additional penalties that occur at the start of the next chapter. In each round the same sequence of actions occurs:
- The active player (the one with the active player token) reveals an Event card. Events can be immediate or have a lasting effect until the end of the chapter.
- After resolving an immediate event, the event card is oriented on a special town hall space at the top edge of the game board. The active player chooses a targeting that fits their current goals, as it affects two elements of the game: each player’s personal income and a special bonus just for the active player.
- Players receive their personal income based on the orientation of the card.
- The active player receives his special bonus as he is favored by the Prior/Prioress, King/Queen, Guild Master, Merchnats, Earl of Shiring, Bishop or Outlaws.
- Starting with the active player, each player plays an action card. All players have the same set of 12 action cards. These actions include: sell wool or cloth at the market, trade wool for cloth (which is more valuable), build a house that provides a bonus when rented, rent up to 2 houses, get a grain, get a resource (wood or stone ), obtain the mercy of the cathedral, care for the sick, participate in a construction project by contributing wood or stone, or repeat the action chosen in the previous round. In this phase, players choose one card to play and discard another. Thus, throughout the chapter, they will play 6 actions and discard the rest.
At the end of the chapter, players have the following mandatory obligations: prove they live a virtuous and pious life by paying 2 piety, prove they have enough food to sustain themselves by paying 2 grain, and pay a tax. To determine the amount of the tax, the active player rolls a die. By failing to fulfill one or more of the above duties, players lose victory points and suffer additional penalties that occur at the start of the next chapter, such as losing their income in the first round of the next chapter or playing one less action card. It is possible to avoid the additional penalty by paying 1 Loyalty.
At the start of the third chapter, the plague strikes the village and certain plague tokens are placed, face down, on each house in Kingsbridge. Each round, a family in one of the houses can get sick and can be cured, using the appropriate action card to award victory points and other bonuses to players who choose this action. To care for the sick, players must have sufficient medical knowledge.
Now let’s go over our usual scoring categories:
Components
All game components are very beautiful and of high quality. The game board is visually stunning, with the town of Kingsbridge and surrounding lands beautifully drawn, giving players a feel of 14th century England.
Resources (wood, stone, grain, wool, cloth) are made of wood, of the appropriate color. They also have shapes that resemble their actual shape, especially grain and cloth. That’s rare for a standard edition of a game. The houses are also made of wood and have the shape of a house, the color of each player. All other components: mercy and loyalty markers, deck markers, money and medical knowledge are made of thick cardboard with attention to detail and with appropriate shapes as well. The action and event cards are made of heavy stock and deserve a special mention. Its design is elaborate and its background has the visual sensation of paper used in the Middle Ages. That also applies to player screens. All in all, the components will satisfy even the most demanding gamer. Congratulations to Michael Menzel, who is responsible for the game’s artwork and graphics. 9/10
how to play
World Without End has rich and deep gameplay that will challenge the lovers of strategy games. Luck does play a role in the game, but not in a way that would mess up a player’s strategy (at least not entirely). After all, life is full of surprises and things don’t always go as planned. I think this is the concept the designers had in mind when they decided to bring Event cards into the game. Some of them are really frustrating and can spoil your plans, but think of it as a challenge for your mental abilities. The more they improve the replayability factor. There are eleven event cards for each chapter and in each game you randomly choose which six of them will be included. In this way, each game is different from the others. The game is about maintaining an often fragile balance between sourcing food, money, and mercy, which are the duties of all players at the end of the chapter. And among all these, fight for the collection of resources and earn victory points by participating in construction projects. One design element that some people may object to is the way personal income is determined: by our opponents. It could be considered another element of luck, but I think it makes the game more interesting and unpredictable. Never during any of my games did I feel like my fate was in the hands of random events or luck. Each player takes their turn targeting an Event card, which is a good chance to get what they need plus the added bonus of favor. Also, by manipulating action cards and houses, it seems like you can be in control of your strategy. That is easier in 2 player games than in 4 player games because in 2 player games you will control your income 50% of the time, while in 4 player games only 25% of the time. In terms of player interaction, there isn’t much to this game. Opponents’ resources are hidden behind special screens, so you have to pay attention to what other players get and need. The only way to interfere with their plans is to target an event card so they don’t get something they need. However, in most cases you will consume yourself in your own problems and you will direct the card so that you obtain what you want. In fact, you don’t have the time or the inclination to worry about what the other players are doing, you already have enough problems. There are so many things to do in this game that you cannot get bored easily. I’m always up for playing a game of World Without End on any board game night. 8/10
Learning curve
Although the game is not very complex and there really isn’t much to do each round, it takes a bit of time to get used to all the game components and the strategic elements of the game. World Without End is quite easy to learn but hard to master. What will puzzle you especially at first is what your priorities should be. There is so much to do that decisions about event card orientation and the play of your actions will be difficult. After playing your first game, you’ll probably get the full picture and start to do much better and appreciate its depth. 7/10
Theme
World Without End is a themed game. This element is strongly supported by the text printed in italics on the event cards, which describe a particular event from the book, and by the formidable game board that brings the world of the book to life. All the mechanics are also tied to the theme, from the sale of wool in the market, to the healing of the sick and the sudden appearance of events that influence the life of the town. If you’ve read the book, you’ll appreciate the game more, but even if you haven’t and you’re looking for a Eurogame with a strong theme, this game is definitely for you. 9/10
replayability
The depth and versatility of the game ensures that you won’t lose interest in it easily. The random event cards and the way personal income is determined ensures that no two games are the same. Personally, I’m more than willing to play World Without End at any time. 7/10
Fun:
It is not funny, so you will laugh while playing it, nor will it provoke humorous comments among the players. But I find it fun to challenge one’s mind to overcome obstacles and manipulate game mechanics in the most ingenious way to win. Still, complaining about misfortunes due to event cards can be kind of fun, don’t you think? 7/10
Advantages:
- beautiful components
- challenging gameplay
- good topic
- Just as good with any number of players.
Cons:
- Some may be upset by the luck factor or the way income is determined.
According to our new scoring system, scoring categories have different weights. Components are 15% Weight, 40% Playability, 5% Learning Curve, 5% Theme, 25% Replayability, 10% Fun. Based on this system and the above scoring in each category, the overall weighted score for the game is:
Overall: 7.8