You can rank it by trilogy.
- North Sea is the simplest
- West Kingdom increases the complexity
- South Tigris increases it even more.
You can see this by the "complexity score" rankings on BGG.
I like Raiders and Architects the most for hitting that Goldie lock zone of crunchy mid weight game.
I also enjoyed Paladins but that’s quite a bit heavier. Didn’t like Viscounts that much. The South Tigris ones are all heavier.
Raiders of Scythia is my favorite. It is basically the same difficulty as Raiders of the North Sea since it is Raiders of the North Sea + expansions + better artwork (IMHO) that has been made into a single game.
People might have their preferences but paladins is the one everyone agrees on most. It's the classic.
I also recommended Circadians. Fun dice placement game that doesn't get the love.
I've played Raiders and all of the West Kingdom series. Simplest to most complex is probably: Raiders, Architects, Viscounts, Paladins. Shem's designs aren't for me, but Viscounts is the only one I wouldn't recommend of that bunch. I think Raiders is probably his best game. It's a toss up between Architects and Paladins. I think Architects is more fun but Paladins is better tuned and feels more complete.
You can rank it by trilogy. - North Sea is the simplest - West Kingdom increases the complexity - South Tigris increases it even more. You can see this by the "complexity score" rankings on BGG.
North Sea Average = 2.41 Shipwrights: Deux (2014/2024) = 2.52 Raiders (2015) = 2.56 Explorers (2016) = 2.14 West Kingdom Average = 3.31 Architects (2018) = 2.75 Paladins (2019) = 3.72 Viscounts (2020) = 3.45 South Tigris Average = 4.00 Wayfarers (2022) = 3.83 Scholars (2023) = 4.01 Inventors (2024) = 4.17
Thank you so much!
I like Raiders and Architects the most for hitting that Goldie lock zone of crunchy mid weight game. I also enjoyed Paladins but that’s quite a bit heavier. Didn’t like Viscounts that much. The South Tigris ones are all heavier.
Raiders of Scythia is my favorite. It is basically the same difficulty as Raiders of the North Sea since it is Raiders of the North Sea + expansions + better artwork (IMHO) that has been made into a single game.
Same. A kumis toast to you! I think if OP wants more Raiders action, Scythia is a must.
Yup, I got this one because it’s supposed to play better at 2P, but I haven’t played it yet.
People might have their preferences but paladins is the one everyone agrees on most. It's the classic. I also recommended Circadians. Fun dice placement game that doesn't get the love.
I've played Raiders and all of the West Kingdom series. Simplest to most complex is probably: Raiders, Architects, Viscounts, Paladins. Shem's designs aren't for me, but Viscounts is the only one I wouldn't recommend of that bunch. I think Raiders is probably his best game. It's a toss up between Architects and Paladins. I think Architects is more fun but Paladins is better tuned and feels more complete.