- BGG rating
- 6.6
Crusader Kings: Councilors & Inventions Expansion
- 1–5 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,772
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Crusader Kings
2019
Rules assistance for Crusader Kings
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–5 players
- 180 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.4/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Crusader Kings
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Crusader Kings is a board game released in 2019 for 1–5 players, 180 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Jon Manker, Nils Karlén, Tomas Härenstam, and Martin Takaichi and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Trading, and Area Majority / Influence.
Expansions
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About the game
You are a crusader King, striving for wealth, political power, religious influence, and military might across the continent and across generations. Reshape the history of medieval Europe in your own image — if only that dimwitted son of yours set to inherit the throne doesn't spoil your grand plans... The board game "Crusader Kings" captures the essence of the Crusader Kings video game experience in a physical tabletop format. This is a strategy game at heart, but with a special focus on characters, intrigue, and drama. It's a big, beautiful game centered on a map of medieval Europe, using cards for actions, characters, and events and well-crafted plastic miniatures to represent knights, armies, castles, and more. In this game, your goal is to spread your influence over medieval Europe and lead your dynasty to triumph over its rivals. To do that, you need to groom your family over the generations, build and develop your dominion, be shrewd in the realm of diplomacy and intrigue, and use your vassals wisely to grow your wealth and military power, while at the same time fulfilling your duty to partake in the crusades to the Holy Land. To win, you need to survive invasions, plots, crusades, and even marriage! Or at least have children or siblings standing by to take over the throne if your regent dies. Failure to raise a suitable heir can mean the end of your dynasty. —description from the publisher
Mechanics
Publishers
- Ion Game Design
- Paradox Interactive AB (I)
- Free League Publishing
Questions and answers
Crusader Kings supports 1–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Crusader Kings is 180 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Crusader Kings for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Crusader Kings has a complexity rating of 3.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Crusader Kings belongs to these categories: Wargame, Video Game Theme, and Medieval. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Trading, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Crusader Kings are: Jon Manker, Nils Karlén, Tomas Härenstam, and Martin Takaichi. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Crusader Kings as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.