Excalibur

About this board game

Excalibur is a 1989 board game for 2–6 players, with games lasting around 120 minutes. Each player takes the role of a knight of the Grail, sent by King Artus to the valley of Camelot to prove their ability to reign and become lord of Britain.

Every game year unfolds across spring, summer, autumn, and winter. During the warmer seasons, your knights can supervise the seed or lead knights and mercenaries into new fiefs. Movement may be simultaneous in three phases or secretly written down, according to the players’ agreement.

• Conquer new fiefs and fight opposing players, who may retreat into castles.
• Besiege and loot villages or one of the valley’s two monasteries.
• Return to your own fields in autumn to supervise the harvest and collect grain.
• Use winter to reorganize possessions, pay salaries, and spend the gold earned during the year.

Winter is also the time to improve your position. Salaries can strengthen your men through experience, while new knights and mercenaries may be hired. You can also focus on the economy, build castles and mills, or develop the resources needed to maintain expanding landed properties with beehives, fishermen, and foresters.

At the beginning of each new year, a random event such as plague, floods, or robber barons can disrupt plans. Optional rules add religion, requiring a chosen faith and churches or Celtic stone circles, along with honour, weather affecting harvests, and troop loyalty.

In Excalibur, the first player to own 21 of the valley’s 40 fiefs wins. With the optional ten-year game, the winner is instead the player with the highest amount of honour.