Building a Legacy: History, Mechanics, and Strategy of Architects of the West Kingdom

Architects of the West Kingdom (2018) drops you into the bustling, gritty construction sites of the Carolingian Empire circa 850 AD. Designed by the prolific duo Shem Phillips and S.J. Macdonald, and brought to life by the distinct, rugged illustrations of The Mico, Architects turned the “polite” world of worker placement on its head.

A Brief History

Architects is the first entry in the acclaimed West Kingdom trilogy (followed by Paladins and Viscounts). It was born from the success of Phillips’ North Sea series, but it quickly established its own identity. It was designed to feel faster and more interactive than traditional Euros. Instead of the standard “place and retrieve” cycle, Architects introduced a “growing presence” mechanic that makes the board feel alive—and dangerous.

Core Mechanics: Momentum and Moral Gray Areas

In most worker placement games, you have 3–5 workers. In Architects, you start with 20. The game doesn’t use rounds; it flows in a continuous stream of turns until the “Guildhall” (the game-end trigger) is full of workers.

• The Power of Stacking: Unlike other games where spaces are “blocked,” most locations here can hold infinite workers. The twist? The action gets stronger every time you visit. Your first worker at the Quarry gets you one stone; your fourth worker there gets you four.
• Capturing Workers: This is the game’s “Gotcha!” moment. Any player can visit the Town Center to “capture” an opponent’s large stack of workers, removing them from the board and holding them hostage. You can then “deliver” them to prison for a silver payout. This creates a brilliant risk-reward loop: Do you push for one more massive resource haul, or pull back before your rivals jail your entire workforce?
• The Virtue Track: Every choice has a moral weight. Robbing the Tax Stand or using the Black Market provides quick riches but tanks your Virtue. High virtue earns you points and access to the Cathedral, while low virtue lets you ignore taxes but bars you from holy work.

Common Strategies for Mastery

1. The Cathedral Rush: Contributing to the Cathedral is expensive in terms of Marble and Gold, but it offers high point ceilings and “Reward Cards” that provide immediate boons. A “holy” player focuses on keeping Virtue high to ensure they aren’t locked out of these top-tier points.
2. The “Tax Evasion” Scoundrel: Conversely, staying low on the Virtue track can be incredibly lucrative. By hovering at the bottom, you stop paying taxes on various actions, saving a fortune in silver. Skilled players use the Black Market to bypass rare resource costs, then “atone” late in the game to avoid end-game point penalties.
3. The Apprentice Engine: You can hire up to five Apprentices, each providing passive bonuses or “symbols” required for complex buildings. A common strategy is to hire specialists that boost your primary resource (like a Mason for extra stone), creating a feedback loop that allows you to build massive structures in a single turn.

Conclusion

Architects of the West Kingdom succeeds because it feels rhythmic. You build up momentum at a location, get captured, regroup, and strike again. It’s a game of ambition, where the most successful architect is the one who knows exactly when to play by the rules—and when to spend a night at the Black Market.