Oh, what a delightful little adventure Kingdomino turned out to be! Picture me, nestled in a sunlit corner with a warm cup of tea, joined by a couple of dear friends as we unboxed this charming kingdom-building game.

The pieces are adorable sturdy little square tiles, each illustrated with whimsical terrains—wheat fields, forests, lakes, swamps, mines, and grazing pastures—all just waiting to become part of your tiny kingdom. Notice the dragon flying over the field of sheep…so adorable.

There’s also a lovely set of chunky wooden king tokens in bright colors, and a neat little pile of domino-style tiles that form the heart of the game. Here are all the meeples in the set.

Each of us began with a square starting tile and a castle placed sweetly in the center. The rest of the tiles were shuffled and drawn in sets of three each round, laid out in order, and sorted by the tiny numbers on their backs. Each piece must be placed around the starting piece.

On your turn, you select a tile and then place it to expand your personal kingdom. But there’s a twist—you must connect matching terrains, just like you’d expect from dominoes, and you’re aiming for a perfect 5×5 grid.

Each terrain type might have little crowns on it, and those are the key to scoring big at the end. You multiply the number of connecting tiles in an area by the number of crowns there. It’s elegant and simple, but with just enough decision-making to keep your brain happily humming.

I went for a lovely mine and wheat strategy, collecting mine tiles and chasing after those glittering crowns. The above snippet of my board has 3 mine squares x 4 crowns and 1 wheat crown x 5 wheat cards, for a total of 17 points.

One of my friends aimed for forested lands, rich in mushrooms and mystery. The tiles kept us giggling and pondering. Do I take the tile I want, or the one that will give me a better pick next round? Who ever chooses the top card gets first chance to select a card the next round, so the selection creates an initiative order.

Before long, we’d built our kingdoms, tallied up our scores, and admired the patchwork beauty of it all. There was something so satisfying about seeing my little kingdom spread out before me, peaceful and complete.

Kingdomino is like a easy to learn, beautiful to look at, and a joy to share with friends. Whether you’re new to games or a seasoned tabletop traveler, it offers a peaceful yet playful experience that fits perfectly into a cozy afternoon.

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