Collaborators: Moods of the Mad King

Unfortunately, we are having trouble getting quality audio from morning drive audio notebooks, so we will have to pause those for the time being. Luckily, we have plenty of other content to give you on Wednesdays. Today, we’ll have the first article discussing our collaborators and their upcoming projects.

Pine Box Entertainment presents Moods of the Mad King – Revised

The following describes the next project from the publishers of Doomtown (previously known as Doomtown: Reloaded) and the upcoming 7^th Sea: City of Five Sails card game coming to Kickstarter in 2021. Moods of the Mad King is published by Pine Box Entertainment and designed by Gallant Knight Games.

Moods of the Mad King is a micro-game for 2 to 4 players, where the players assume the role of a playwright in the court of The Mad King. The Mad King demands a play to suit his current feelings. The King’s ever-changing moods and propensity for beheadings requires the playwrights to gather information and steal secrets from each other. Oh and by the way, the playwrights also have to please their Muse who actually inspires their efforts. The playwright(s) who please both the Mad King and their Muse will thus create the perfect play!

The King has 5 Moods, each corresponding to a different genre: Joyous (Comedy), Brooding (Drama), Lamenting (Tragedy), Passionate (Romance), and Operatic (Musical). When playing Moods of the Mad King, each playwright attempts to discern the King’s Mood and then create a play whose genre corresponds to that mood. At the same time, playwrights are also accountable to their Muse. Unlike the fickle Mad King, each Muse patronizes only one preferred genre. The playwright’s task becomes easier when their Muse’s genre aligns with the Mad King’s mood. Then again, a playwright often has to satisfy both a King and a Muse who have different ideas about what constitutes an ideal play. 

Each Playwright starts off with one each of a Mood and Muse card. Thus they begin the game knowing what genre will please their Muse. On the other hand, they only know which one of five moods will displease the Mad King.  Each Playwright receives between 3 to 5 action cards that they can use to either improve their own play or undermine the other Playwrights. Now the Playwrights can begin to create their masterworks.

For their turn, a Playwright first draws a Play card. They can either add the card to their play, or give it to another Playwright. If they choose the latter, they may then play an action card from their hand.  Each player takes turns until The Show Begins card is revealed. It’s that simple.

At this point, the King’s Mood card is revealed and each Playwright also reveals their Muse. A Playwright who has one of their acts match the King’s Mood AND their Muse’s genre wins. Otherwise the Playwright loses. Multiple Playwrights can win, but on the other hand, it is possible that nobody wins.

Overview of changes from the first edition of Moods of the Mad King:

Action cards no longer come from a shared deck (a draw one/play one style). Instead they are dealt out at the start of the game, so players have a “hand.” You draw Play cards, but never gain more Actions once the game begins.

Players are now dealt a Mood card (rather than drawing from an existing Mood deck), so they have insight into the game state. The remaining mood is the King’s Mood.

The “The Show Begins” card has been added to indicate the end of the game.

Players no longer start with three act cards.

The turn has been totally reworked. The previous edition featured a “draw one/play one” style akin to Love Letter. 

Now you draw a Play card, and you may keep it or give it to another player. If you give the Play card to another player, you may also play an action card.

Your action cards no longer refresh (e.g. you only have the actions you start with).

The win condition is totally changed. It used to be based on matching. Now a player wins only if at least one act matches the King’s Mood AND at least one act matches the genre preferred by their Muse.

Pine Box Entertainment plans to launch Moods of the Mad King Revised as a Kickstarter in 4^th Quarter 2020