''The Great Khan Game'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a co ...

that was published by

TSR, Inc TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had b ...

in 1989.

Overview

''The Great Khan Game'' is a game about acquiring countries, by gathering the various rulers and important people of the lands. This card-and-board game humorously presents the epic sweep of politics, trade, and warfare, among budding fantasy empires. Peoples and rabble join with heroes and leaders to form nations intent on the economic, political, and military conquest of the known world. The game is described in the sourcebook ''

Forgotten Realms Adventures Forgotten Realms Adventures is an accessory for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. The book, with product code TSR 2106, was published in 1990, and was ...

'': "This is a whimsical board/card game of conquest and intrigue set in the Whamite Isles, several tiny specks of land in the Sea of Fallen Stars. Players try to direct the fortunes of nations to amass the most power before the Historian draws events to a close."

Jeff Grubb Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957) is an author who writes novels, short stories, and comics and a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the ''Dragonlance'' campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the ...

and

Ed Greenwood Ed Greenwood (born July 21, 1959) is a Canadian fantasy writer and the original creator of the ''Forgotten Realms'' game world. He began writing articles about the Forgotten Realms for '' Dragon'' magazine beginning in 1979, and subsequently sol ...

(1990). ''

'', p. 154. TSR, Inc. .

Gameplay

Players gather ''melds'' (groups of cards representing leaders and peoples), into rich and powerful nations that vie for control of territories on a map. To win, a player must control the most territory and have the richest treasury at the end of the game. The game offers various ways to gain gold (trade with and conquest of other nations, for example) and to gain control of nations and territory, usually by war (battles between melds of cards representing nations) and political coups (in which a nation changes hands when a competitor plays a more powerful meld than the existing meld representing a given country). As players draw cards each turn, new leaders and peoples come into play and event cards signal disasters (assassins, rare diseases, earthquakes, and peasant revolts) and windfalls (trade caravans, fleets, and philanthropists) for the competing nations.

''The Great Khan Game'' is a folio boxed game with a 32-page rulebook, a game map, 162 playing cards and counters.

Publication history

The game was designed and illustrated by

Tom Wham Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

with Richard Hamblen; the game map and playing cards were designed by

Jeff Dee Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. He was the youngest artist in the history of pioneering role-playing game company TSR when he began his work at the age of eighteen. He also designed the ''Villains and Vigilantes'' superhero gam ...

and Amanda Dee.

Reception

In the July 1989 edition of ''

Games International ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 19 ...

'' (Issue 7), James Wallis was a bit put off by the price, which was significantly more than TSR's previously published Tom Wham game, '' Mertwig's Maze''. He found that ''The Great Khan Game'' was based on "a very simple and playable idea," but he felt that the basic idea had been lost because "the designers seem to have wanted to expand it into a wargame." He called the complex combat system with its numerous variables "a daft idea," and felt there were "other unnecessary twiddly bits which obstruct the game rather than adding to it." Wallis concluded by giving the game a below-average rating of 2 out of 5, saying "''The Great Khan Game'' is ..playable and perhaps enjoyable, but without question has a number of complex and unnecessary elements ..By all means buy t especially if you're willing to do some work to unearth the good game that lies beneath, but as it stands, I cannot recommend it." In the April 1991 edition of '' Dragon'' (Issue 168),

Ken Rolston Ken Rolston is an American computer game and role-playing game designer best known for his work with West End Games and on the computer game series ''The Elder Scrolls''. In February 2007, he elected to join the staff of computer games company B ...

noted the game's "goofy, cheerful tone and play style" with "Vividly characterized fantasy peoples and rabble", noting that the game "neatly combines epic scale and mock-epic tone in simultaneously exploiting and parodying the most distinctive excesses of the grand-fantasy genre setting". He said the game "boasts Tom Wham's light touch, simple and readable rules, and a vivid, imaginative fantasy setting focusing on the personalities, virtues, and foibles of various creatures, heroes, and stooges". Rolston considered the game's artwork "spartan and modest", and called the illustrations "cute, lovable, and perfectly in keeping with the tone of the game". He noted that game "is sold unblushingly as an ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''

Forgotten Realms ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...

product, despite no discernible relationship to the ''AD&D'' game or the Realms. This lapse in marketing taste is excusable only because anyone who looks at the game box can tell immediately that its tone and style have nothing to do with either the Realms or the FRPG." Although he was confused by the rules from time to time, he found it to be "well play-tested", indicated by the thoughtful remarks on play within the rules. Rolston added, "the informal tone and style of rules writing invites you not to take the rules too seriously. Only someone who misunderstood the intent of a Tom Wham game could get involved in a rules squabble." He concluded the review by saying: "''The Great Khan Game'' is a pleasant, light-hearted fantasy game with an excellent flavor and an enjoyable, pleasing play style. Its competitive, diplomatic elements are nicely balanced by a mock-epic tone, and the epic conflicts of fantasy kingdoms play out like a grand, profoundly cheesy fantasy novel."

References

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