Der Schwarze Prinz (1983)

Der Schwarze Prinzor "The Black Prince"

This is an abstract conflict game along the lines of chess, with high production values for its time, in which 2 players aim to capture the central piece of the opponent's army. The rules stress that is based on the first major land battle of the Hundred Years' War, the 1345 Battle of Crécy, but only if you ignore factors as terrain, the tactics of the time, the fact that the French had twice as many troops, the decisive deployment of the longbow by the Welsh and English archers, and that there was only one Black Prince (on the English side). And that it actually took place in 1346, on August 26.

So, stripped of any historical constraints, both Field Commanders now oversee 2 identical armies, consisting of 4 different soldier classes, each with different movement options, but also, like chess, of equal capturing strength. Besides armies on the board, both players always have 3 special cards which are the main engine behind the thrust of the game.

Whether an attack is successful or not doesn't depend on the attacking piece, but if the attack card, that gets played with each attack, can be stopped by a suitable counter card held by the defender. Since players always have a hand-size of three cards, the battles are not decided by clever maneuvering and the interaction of different pawn abilities, but simply by the luck of the draw. Nothing will save you if you have the wrong cards.

Combining a chess-like game with card play was a nice idea, but unfortunately the way it was implemented simply reduced the board game element to a mere sideshow, and put luck firmly at the center of each victory.

Publication history: one of Johann Rüttinger's earliest games, and when it appeared by Noris Spiele in 1983 it even became his second nomination for Spiel des Jahres in two years, after "Vokabo" made the shortlist in 1982.

Awards

• 1983 Spiel des Jahres Recommendation.