Architects of the West Kingdom adds a sixth player and upgrade cards in expansion Age of Artisans

Architects of the West Kingdom, the first instalment in designer Shem Phillips’ post-North Sea trilogy, is getting an expansion.

Architects of the West Kingdom: Age of Artisans adds an extra sixth player to the worker-placement game, which sees players competing to impress their ruler by building various landmarks in the city and utilising underhanded tactics, including the opportunity to capture their rival builders’ workers.

The biggest gameplay addition comes in the form of multi-use cards that can be played to upgrade buildings and apprentices, opening up some extra ways for players to manage their team of builders and earn victory points. As well as the new upgrade cards, the expansion will include other buildings and apprentices for players to gain.

There’s also a brand new dual-layer Guildhall board that will reset and discard apprentices, keeping the market fresh throughout the entire game.

Age of Artisans is due for release next year, with its creators – Phillips and co-designer S J Macdonald – apparently undecided about whether the expansion will come to Kickstarter or be released directly.

Phillips has also started to tease details about the third game in the West Kingdom trilogy after Architects and its sequel Paladins, responding to fans in a BoardGameGeek forum thread.

The untitled game is said to currently be in development, with its gameplay described as “a deckbuilder, with a twist” similar in complexity to the previous games. Architects and Paladin’s morality system will make a return, as will debt cards – but Phillips says that the game will be “a very different play experience” overall.