REVIEW - The Royal Limited

 

The Royal Limited (2023)

Button Shy Game

Players - 1

Playing time - 10-15 mins

Easy to Learn

Ages - 10+

The Royal Limited, as you can see from the image above, is one of the many wallet sized games released from the fabulous Button Shy Games. Designed to be transportable, engaging and repayable, I am constantly astounded at the creativity and depth that the game designers get out of such small packages. With 'The Royal Limited' we have an 18-card game designed by Scott Almes that provides as much replayability and depth as games with 10 times that amount of cards!

The first thing to mention about 'The Royal Limited' is that it is a purely solo game with no option for multiplayer. The game takes up very little table space (see image below) and hence is ideal for solo travels away.

The premise of the game is simple, you are responsible for loading passengers onto a luxury travel train in 1960s England and must use your deck management and planning skills to ensure you maximise passengers on the train and, ultimately, score 0 points.

Over the course of four rounds, you must construct a train and add passengers. You draw five cards and then begin to plan your play. With only four rounds to the game, and one mistake potentially costing you the chance to complete, its worth spending some time thinking about your moves. The first few games may take some extra time as you get used to the cards and flow of the game, but after a few turns you will find yourself playing quickly and developing strategies based on your card knowledge. Some trains cost more than others to play (cost being x amount of cards to discard) and there are several rules to follow on how trains can link.

You may think with there being only 18 cards and 5 drawn each time that this game can get samey very quickly? That is where the VIP cards come in.....

As pictured above, the VIP cards add a new dynamic to the game. There are 5 double sided VIP cards in the game, of which you draw 2 each time. Each one has their own conditions how they must be laid and this completely changes the dynamic each time.. Drawing a certain combo of cards will impact your game in a fundamentally different way than if you draw another two, and these VIP cards are what keeps the game fresh and makes each play feel different.

Many times I have sat down and played this 4-5 times back to back, and it is the VIP cards that keep that challenge coming.

The image above illustrates how the game unveils and "almost" what it should look like towards the end. The aim of the game is to use every single card in your hand. It is a lot easier said than done! The game is pitched perfectly in terms of difficulty, as it is not too easy (hence reducing replay-ability) but is just the right level of tough. On many occasions I have been left above with one card in hand. Your score is calculated by what you have left in your hand (cards in hand, unused cars in the train, VIPS not on board etc). Anything over 4 points and you have failed! I haven't beaten this game as many times as I would like and that is one thing that keeps me coming back for more!

Overall, The Royal Limited it a superb, quick to play and small solo card game. With a perfect balance of difficulty, endless repeatability and an overall enjoyable theme, this is one solo game I will keep coming back to time and time again. If you want to try solo gaming, and are put off by the big box style games, then look no further than 'The Royal Limited'.

8.5/10 

Pros - Great theme, quick to play, small and a good level of challenge

Cons - Be aware the game is Solo Only

How to Play?

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