Viva il Terry

This week's main game was a new Martin Wallace game "Discworld: Ankh Morpork". This is unusual for Wallace in being a licenced spin-off from the hugely popular (not least among game-geeks) series of comic fantasy novels by Sir Terry Pratchett.

The game may not please all the Wallace fans as it may be seen as less of a "gamers' game" than his others. Since he is presumably hoping to market this to the legions of Pratchett fans, and to see it stocked by a much wider range of outlets than the normal "Eurogame", it is probably inevitable that it be given simpler rules and strategies.


Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and its card-driven action and found it easy to learn and play but not unsatisfying. It drips with Discworld theme, with the board being based on a map of the city of Ankh-Morpork and its various disreputable regions and with many of the well-known characters appearing on the action and event cards.

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaMy goal (defined by a random, hidden character card - Lord Rust) was to control 4 areas of the city at the beginning of my turn. After a number of rounds I was surprised to find that I had got away with my strategy and announced my win. What surprised me was not that I managed to gain outright control of the areas but that I was somehow allowed to keep control by the three other players (The Professor, MaOldie and Crabro) until my own turn again. Simply adding a minion, or removing one of my own buildings or minions, in one of the areas would have thwarted my plan. I believe that the others were simply too involved in their own strategies to notice the situation. Despite my motives being under close scrutiny a few turns before.




I enjoyed the game and would be happy to play it again. Stripped of its theme, there are many games to equal it but it is an enjoyable game and the theme, at least to a Discworld fan, takes it to a new level.

During the first game, Petra Pan and MrWendell arrived and having been issued with a hot beverage were seated at a second table where they amused themselves with a Mystery Rummy, while we finished Morporking. We then joined up for a six-player game which was Viva il Re.


Viva il Re, is a very simple game: a filler really. It is played simply by moving one piece one level up the building and voting (using a set of three cards) whether or not the person reaching the throne shall be ruler or shorter by a head. Each player is issued with a random card at the start, which lists the names of those courtiers which will bring points if they survive.

The voting cards consist of a returnable "yes" or crown card and two non-returnable "no" cards. Players take it in turns to position a piece on the board (a cross section palace building with several floors, each capable of holding four nobles) they then move one up each turn. When one is moved into the topmost room a vote takes place.

Possibly because I have played it before, I managed to win the first game quite convincingly but in the second I game only second having had several of my favourites beheaded. It is a very simple game and one with a high luck factor but it is attractive colourful and fun as a quick and simple filler.

We finished the evening with a quick delve into the mines of Diamant once more and either through bad luck or bad judgement (cowardice) I managed to lose, although it was quite a high scoring game.