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Queen's Necklace |
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Availability:
Out of stock
List
Price:
$24.95
Our Price:
$19.95
You Save:
$5.00 (20%)
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Description:
Paris, on the eve of the French Revolution... The Queen’s necklace is missing -- and soon enough her neck may follow! From the slums, where purse-snatchers and courtesans work their respective trades, to the inner salons of the Louvre, where confessors, royal astrologers, musketeers and court favorites mingle and scheme in hushed conversations -- the position of the King’s jeweler has suddenly become a lot more dangerous!
Two to four players compete as Royal Jewelers, selling rare jewels to the Queen and her court. Jeweler's loupe in hand, you must decide how best to spend your hard-earned ducats: on the acquisition of beautiful gems--diamonds, emeralds, and rubies; or to buy the favors of the various court followers. After three years of craftsmanship, the jeweler who sells the most precious gems and builds the largest fortune will receive the coveted title of King's Jeweler and a place at the Court!
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Our Review:
Queen’s Necklace, published by Days of Wonder, is a strategic card game in which players attempt to craft the most fashionable jewelry for the king, queen, and their court. Nobles, however, are known for being extremely fashion-conscious, so only jewels that are in vogue or are extremely rare can fetch a high price when the merchant pays a visit. On his turn, a player has an opportunity to spend his limited resources to acquire gems or curry the favor of influential members of the king’s court. Any gems or nobles that are not taken by the first player are devalued, new resources are added to the mix, and the next player has an opportunity to get the leftovers at a bargain price or be the first to snatch up a newly available resource. The three merchant cards turn up after approximately each third of the cards in the deck has been played, dividing the game into three roughly equal rounds. When the merchant card is drawn, players decide what types and amounts of jewels to sell to the court. The value of each gem is determined by its popularity and its rarity. Popularity is determined randomly at the beginning of the game and can be manipulated at any time with the right noble card. Rarity, on the other hand, is determined at the time of sale by the total number of gems put up for sale by all players, with the least common gem worth the most points. Points are awarded by gem type, but go only to the player with the greatest number of that type of gem.
Queen’s Necklace plays best with two to three players, although it can support four players. It takes a fair amount of time to learn what each type of noble card can do when played, but beyond that, the game is quite easy to learn. Queen’s Necklace capitalizes on forcing players to make tough decisions based on limited resources—do I spend all of my money on a powerful card, or pick up three so-so cards? The rest of the charm in the game is found during the sale. It is difficult to predict the sales strategy of a wily competitor. Likewise, it is difficult to master the delicate balance between rarity and popularity needed to maximize your points during a sale. Rarely is the game out of reach after the second sale, keeping things interesting to the end. The game has enough strategy and depth to please gamers and still plays fast enough to be classified as a filler. Queen’s Necklace is a great game for two to three players.
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User Reviews:
|  Unique and charming
Days of Wonder has a hit on their hands. The title of the game can be a little misleading. To me, it didn't reflect the amount of fun that was to be had upon opening the box. From beautifully designed cards to competitive sales, this game has a lot to offer and it comes as no surprise to me that it was the family card game of the year for 2004
by Evan (Jan 06 2006)
| Good for two players
This is one of only a handful of games that plays very well with two players. The theme is the selling and buying of jewels. Some jewels are more fashionable than others. Some jewels are more rare than others. During each round, players buy up jewels. At the end, players choose which jewels to sell. Fashionable jewels are worth more than not-so fashionable jewels. Rare jewels are worth more than not-so rare jewels. The fun comes from the fact that the players affect the rarity and fashionability (is that a word?) of the jewels. For example, say diamonds are the most fashionable jewel. Players will try to buy up as many diamonds as possible because these will be worth a lot at the end of the round. However, at the end of the round, players will be trying to sell a great many diamonds, which will decrease their value because they are not very rare. I highly recommend this game to seasoned gamers looking for a game that plays well in small groups. I enjoy this game most with just two players. For an added challenge, try removing the "confessor" cards (they allow you to see another players' cards--this seems to be an unfair advantage when playing with only two players).
by Carolina (Mar 01 2005)
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Rate Queen's Necklace by Days of Wonder:
All reviews become the sole property of Wasatch Game Company. |
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