Kingdom Crossing
Seven bridges, four actions a day, and never the same bridge twice.
You are a beaver collecting lumber, stone, sap and food, and hiring the animals of the forest, for the Queen's new bridge. It looks like a family game and your turn is short, but the points are built over four rounds.
Can you cross all seven bridges?
The kingdom has four regions joined by seven bridges. In one day, that is one round, you can cross each bridge only once. You start in the West: tap a gold bridge to cross it.
Tap a gold bridge and your beaver crosses it. A bridge you have used turns grey and stays closed for the rest of the day. The numbers only name the bridges: you can cross them in any order.
The sixth bridge of the day earns you 3 points and the seventh another 4. That is why you try to cross them all.
It is the only way to move without using a bridge. You pay coins and fly to any region you choose: 3 coins if the Balloon is in your region, 10 if it is elsewhere. It stays where you land. Coins are the game's money; in this trial they never run out, we just count how many you spend.
You start in the West. Three bridges are open.
On foot you can never get past six: it is the famous puzzle of the bridges of Königsberg. In this trial the Balloon starts in the West, next to you. Map redrawn from the game board.
Your turn fits in three steps.
The game lasts 4 rounds, and in each round everyone plays 4 actions, one at a time. You cross bridges to reach the region with the card you want.
Pick an Action tile
You have 6 and will use 4 each round. With the tile you either Rest and take coins, or Work.
Cross the bridges
Working means crossing the exact number of bridges shown on the tile. You leave a paw on each one so you remember it is used. Your paws don't stop anyone else.
Hire someone
In the region where you stop, you pay for a Character (a forest animal) or a Structure (a building or transport) and use its effect at once. If a bird is sitting on that card, you take its bonus first.
Characters and Structures
Characters are forest animals: you pay coins, they give you something at once and join one of five guilds, the animal families listed below. Structures are buildings and transports: they give you their bonus now and again at the start of every round.
Resources and coins
Lumber, stone, sap and food move a marker along four tracks on your board. Coins pay for cards. An Invest action moves a marker along a track, or cashes in the coins it shows.
Income and Houses
Income is what your cards pay at the start of each round. You place a House each time you complete a set of all five guilds; ending the day in a region with your House earns one more income.
The Queen
Each round there is one Queen card, and only one player can take it. It gives a small bonus, joins your guild cards, and makes you the first player: the one who starts the next round.
The birds
At the start of each round a bird token lands on every card on the map. Whoever buys that card also takes the bird and its small bonus, such as 2 coins or 2 points.
Every two cards of a guild pay you at the start of each round
2 points
An Invest action, which grows your coins
Trigger one of your Structures again
Upgrade an Action tile
A resource of your choice
Which two tiles will you leave out today?
Each tile can be upgraded by flipping it for good. Tap a tile to see its better side. The longest walk is 3 + 2 + 1 + 1 bridges: exactly the seven.
Everything you collect is multiplied by something else.
The turn is simple. The final score is the real game, because the four sums below depend on one another.
Guild cards × stars
Some Characters give you Flowers and Sculptures, tokens with stars that you place on your resource tracks. A star only counts if your marker has passed it. Each guild is tied to one track.
Structures × weakest resource
If your lowest resource track is at 3, each Structure is worth 3 points. One neglected resource drags them all down.
Bridge goals
Six shared goals, such as having 3 lumber and 5 sap. Whoever reaches one first gets the most points.
Favors of the Queen
Personal scoring tiles, such as 1 point per bird. You start with one and can earn more.
- Points scored during the game46
- Invest track, which is also worth points at the end7
- Guild cards (Foxes 6, Owls 8, Bears 0, Boars 3)17
- 3 Structures at 3 points each9
- 2 Favors of the Queen13
- Total92
Morning, noon and evening.
You collect your income: every two cards in a guild pay you, and every Structure pays you again. Then a bird lands on each card on the board, as a bonus for whoever gets there first, and a new Queen card is revealed.
Everyone plays 4 Action tiles, one at a time around the table. Only one player per round can meet the Queen, and that player becomes first player.
If your worker ends the round in a region with one of your Houses, you collect one extra income of your choice. So you have to plan not only where you go, but where you end up. Then tiles and paws come back: tomorrow all the bridges are open again.
Wooden beavers and a lot of cards.
Contents: 80 Character cards, 20 Structure cards, 40 bird tokens, 26 Favors of the Queen, 5 Queen cards, 6 double-sided Bridge goals, 40 Flower and Sculpture tokens, 60 coins, 4 player boards, 14 solo tiles.
The solo game: you against Paco & Paca.
A real automated opponent, not a score to beat. Two beaver twins take cards from the board in front of you, so the card you wanted can vanish.
Two tiles, two actions
You reveal 2 tiles from their stack, one at a time. Each one says what they do.
Cards for free
Some tiles show a bird: they take the card marked by that bird, for free and with no effect. Others show a crown: they take the Queen and move the Balloon.
No bridges, no income
They have no worker on the map and collect no income. Only you are tied to the bridges.
Same sums as you
Each card moves one of their resources, so they also earn stars, Structures and Bridge goals. The rulebook's example ends with 96 points.
Your round, alone
- They start first. The first player only changes when someone meets the Queen.
- Goals are checked before you claim. If they had already met that goal, they take the first slot and you the third.
- The Balloon moves on its own. Every crown tile moves it to the next region clockwise, so keep an eye on it.
- Everything else is as usual. Your 4 actions, income, bridges and Houses don't change.
| Level | Rest tiles in their stack |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 3 |
| Initiate | 2 |
| Expert | 1 |
| Master Builder | 0 |
With a Rest tile they do nothing for that action, so fewer Rest tiles means more cards for them. At the end each of their Favors scores 2 points for every Rest tile used.
What to watch: they ignore costs, so don't count on an expensive card staying there. Grab what you can't do without before their tiles come out.
Kingdom Crossing in eight answers.
Movement on a map, income that grows each round, set collection, shared goals.
Over 1,440 votes. Friendly look, simple turn; the challenge is making the scoring come together.
Random: which cards appear, which birds land, which Favors you see. Everything else is your choice.
Nobody blocks your bridges. You steal cards and birds, the single Queen card, and first place on goals.
10 decks are placed at random on the board, 6 double-sided goals, 26 Favors, 4 Queen cards out of 5.
That's what BGG voters prefer, on a range of 1 to 4. In 2 or 3 some birds are removed, and decks run out more easily in 4.
Despite the beavers, the box says 14+. With children, expect to help with the scoring.
Cards and tiles work with symbols. The rulebook's appendix explains them all.
Rules and a full game, on video.
From the Before You Play channel, in English.
Is it right for your table?
You'll like it if
- you come from family games and want your next step
- you love building something that pays more every round
- a puzzle on a small map appeals more than a huge rulebook
- you play alone and want an opponent that takes things from you
Skip it if
- you want a game for young children: the cute look is misleading
- you want to attack other players directly
- end-of-game sums with several multipliers put you off
In your first game, use the easy goals.
The rulebook lets you put all the Bridge goals on their Easy side. And look at the scoring before you start: it tells you what to collect.
What people ask before buying
What kind of game is Kingdom Crossing?
A competitive game of movement and engine building by Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini, published in Italy by Cranio Creations, for 1 to 4 players, 45 to 90 minutes, ages 14 and up, weight 3.0 out of 5 on BoardGameGeek. Over 4 rounds you cross bridges to hire Characters and collect resources for the Queen's new bridge.
Is it a family game?
It looks like one and the turn is simple, but BoardGameGeek rates it about 3 out of 5 and the box says 14+. It suits people who already play family games and want a step up.
Why can't I cross all seven bridges?
The map has four regions and seven bridges and each bridge can be crossed once per round: like the Königsberg puzzle, on foot you can reach at most six. The seventh needs the Balloon, which costs 3 coins if it is in your region and 10 if it isn't.
How do I score points?
During the game from tiles, Fox cards and Bridge goals. At the end from the Invest track, guild cards multiplied by the stars your resource markers have passed, Structures worth as much as your least advanced resource, and Favors of the Queen.
What are Action tiles?
You have 6 and play 4 per round. Each lets you Rest for coins or Work: cross 1, 2 or 3 bridges, or stay put and take the Queen card. Tiles can be upgraded.
How much luck is there?
Little. Cards, birds and Favors come out at random, but there are no dice and what you do with them is up to you.
Do other players block my bridges?
No, your Paw markers only remind you which bridges you have crossed. Players compete for cards, birds, the single Queen card and first place on Bridge goals.
How does the solo mode work?
You play against Paco and Paca, two automated beaver twins. Each turn you reveal 2 tiles and they take the cards shown for free, without using bridges. There are 4 difficulty levels.
How many players is it best with?
BoardGameGeek voters prefer it with 3, on a range of 1 to 4.
How is it replayable?
10 decks are placed at random on the map, the 6 Bridge goals are double-sided, and there are 26 Favors of the Queen.
Is it for children?
The box says 14 and up. The look is friendly, but the final scoring has several multipliers.
Seven bridges. One will always be missing.
Our assistant has read the Kingdom Crossing rulebook. Ask whatever you like: you stay on this page.