@meeplemountain on Twitter asks:

“Curious what you think. I liked [Queendominio], but I’m unsure if it’s “better” than Kingdomino.”

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My answer:

This is not an easy question nor does it have a cut and dry answer. I picked up Kingdomino first, right in the middle of our Extra Life event last year. I grabbed a demo copy off the local game store shelf, read the rules and minutes later my wife and I were playing our first game of Kingdomino. We enjoyed it so much I walked over and bought a copy right away.

I wouldn’t, no actually I couldn’t, do that with Queendomino. The thing that is so great about Kingdomino is that it’s really simple to learn and just as easy to teach. The rulebook is just a folded sheet of paper. It takes minutes to go from opening the game to enjoying it. Not many games can boast that.

Not so with Queendomino. Now Queendomino isn’t complex, or hard, nor are the rules long, but they are significantly more complex than Kingdomino. Actually, Queendomino’s rules include all of the rules for Kingdomino but then add in a whole bunch more. There’s now a central market, money, economics, taxing, knights, towers, different map colours and even a dragon!

What all this means is that Queendomino is a more advanced, more complex, version of Kingdomino. The question though is, does that make Queendomino better?

Easy answer: No.

More complex answer: It depends.

Queendomino is more of a “gamer’s game”. It’s a light to medium weight euro. Whereas Kingdomino is a family game. It’s very light, almost a kids’ game.

Which game is better? Well, it depends on what kind of game you are looking for. Are you looking for something to play with your kids? Go with Kingdomino. Do you want to kill fifteen minutes while waiting for that other group to finish their game? Kingdomino. Do you like games where it’s all about optimizing your turns and waiting until just the right minute to use your resources? Queendomino. Do you want to kill forty-five minutes while waiting for that game of Mombasa to finish so you can set up your copy of Food Chain Magnate? Queen. Do you want a solid light euro with some great decision points that you can play in under an hour? Queen.

Personally, I think Kingdomino is more fun. It’s light, we laugh, we chat while playing, we make fun of the player who messes up and leaves a gap on the board.

I still like Queendomino though. It’s a solid game. There is more thinking and less talking, and winning feels like a real accomplishment.

One bonus: you can combine Queendomino with Kingdomino to play with more players or make an even bigger map. I’m happy to have both in my collection, though I do sometimes wonder why this wasn’t sold as one game with two modes of play.

VS