Description

TorKings is the game connoisseur’s (geek-worthy) extreme upgrade of the classic game of alignment.

There’s new rules, new game options and hardware from the distant future. It's now a whole lot more than the old game of line up 4!

The games now range from the classic game of Align4 (4 in a row) to TorLord – the creative mode where you win title of TorLord or TorKing and the right to change and evolve your own rules of engagement with a diversified set of tokens.

In between those games are the games of TorGalor and TorKings – both radical and massive improvements to the game of alignment that truly unleash the genre’s strategic depth and gameplay diversity to the next level.

Then there’s the new interactive cooperative team play mode that blows the dynamics out of the water even further. A game mode that really hits the sweet spot with satisfying, engaging fun for families and friends.
New Developmental Tool: With both enhanced strategy games and interactive cooperative team play, TorKings is a new cross purposed STEM and Social IQ building tool. Idea for developing minds and team building alike.

The Geek Spectrum: TorKings gameplay is adaptive to suit the full spectrum of players. Pick your board size, pick your game and pick your team. Wherever you lie on the spectrum – there’s a game option to suit.

As immersive and fun as good Euro-games are they are unfortunately cursed by lengthy rules that are difficult to access, long gameplay and lengthy setup.

TorKings is a complete matrix of game options to suit your occasion. The rules are super accessible, the game depth is selectable from newb to guru, the game duration is also selectable, the setup practically instant, you can play on a single, double or triple sized board and you can play one-on-one or play interactively in teams! – That’s one freaking convenient and dynamic piece of gameware!

So players of all ages can dive into the fun of the game of their choice in no time. – Quick, easy, super engaging and a load of fun!

Way Back: The classic game of alignment goes back 5 decades (released as Connect4 in 1974). It’s one of the most popular board games in the western world. We’ve either grown up with it (or a clone) or we’ve been adults with kids who have played it to infinity and beyond.

But it’s a classic - so why change it? The answer is that the gameplay is massively underdeveloped!
The telling proof of that is the general attrition of the game by the time players hit their tweens. Albeit - they then grow up and return to the game for a similar time period with their own kids!

The reasons for tween attrition are many but the most important factor is that the gameplay of chasing a single alignment is not strategically rich enough to maintain interest for naturally expanding minds. It’s too confined, too routine and lacks diversity. If only those problems could be fixed…

By comparison other strategic games like Go and Chess have a good following as minds mature. Those games have the strategic richness to match and engage evolving minds.
But how do you make the game of alignment strategically richer to engage growing and mature minds? The answer is layered but here are the basic elements of the solution:
1. Kill the sudden death approach.
• Getting a single alignment is fun. But getting multiple alignments is a lot more fun - so in the new rules a side wins by getting the most alignments in a game.
• That finally opens up the new possibility of getting more points for multiple alignments.
• As the game plays on through alignments there is a far richer move and counter-move dynamic set up. The dynamic shift to achieving the more dynamic multiple alignments while of course blocking the bigger game or your opponent.
• Such a simple and obvious rule change – but with a massive cascade of instantly compounding strategic depth and dynamics
• You now also get paid for each new alignment you make - from your opponents unplayed tokens. That’s also the super simple way you keep score! Again super satisfying and adding another layer of risk management, separation anxiety and competitive dynamics. – Genius!
2. Expand the game board size
• Modular board games allow the board to get wider and that finally allows the strategic development to expand. The result - a massive increase in player engagement and satisfaction.
3. Introduce a diversity of token characters with new properties to meaningfully contribute to the gameplay and diversify game options further. A satisfying upgrade for seasoned strategists.
4. Open up interactive co-op team play
• The modular boards are a total natural fit for others to join and play interactive cooperative team games. The result is a further cascade in dynamics as the human element is introduced. It’s easily one of the most fun ways to play. It’s also one of the most accessible co-op styled board-games in the world! A true contender that may finally bring cooperative styled boardgaming into the mainstream!
Flexibility: The options above can be toggled on or off in different game options to allow players to grow into the new gameplay levels. Combining all of the above entirely unleashes the true potential of the strategic alignment genre. Once you play the new games it feels strange indeed that it’s taken 5 decades to finally make this most obvious transition.

The Revolutionary New Hardware:
• Smart Tokens: Now your tokens finally sort themselves and shoot straight back at you at the press of a button. That gives you more game time and turns the tedious task of manually sorting tokens into a magic treat for everyone, every game!
• Modular Gameboards: Players can now join up to 3 boards together to make a bigger fully integrated board. The result is a massive boost to gameplay diversity and depth.
• Iconic 3D tokens: We’ve turned design thinking inside out when we developed the TorKings tokens. They are a mixture of sculpted 3D forms and voids beautifully framed by the surrounding torus. They are a breakthrough in visual accessibility that allows token diversity to explode along with gameplay depth. They are also very tactile and visually stunning in the game grid.
• Snap Latch : We’ve put an end to the violation of your tokens randomly releasing in the middle of your game. The snap latch snaps shut and secures your game.
• Spinners: The tokens can spin in a variety of ways. They are handy as timers, selectors and impressively cool play things in their own right.
• Safety: The tokens re designed to allow airflow regardless of orientation in an airway. That allows parents to breathe a little easier when younger kids inadvertently wander into the mix.
• Premium Quality: We’ve designed the game to be a very different premium journey for players of all ages. It’s a completely new level of enjoyment and fun.

Description from the designer - James T.