About Siege Perilous, from BoardGameGeek:
Sally forth into a living Arthurian world, a competitive sandbox teeming with knights and courtiers, sorcerers and warlords, giants and dragons - all drawn from over five hundred years of literature and lore. Deeds of derring-do await the worthy, but winning the famed seat known as the Siege Perilous will require more than a powerful sword arm. The knight who claims the chair will be an exemplar of both skill and virtue. Gird fast your harness, gather your arms and retinue, and forge a new legend - your own!
In this expansive (and expandable) Euro-style board game, 1 to 4 players will traverse 12 kingdoms that compose Arthur's Britain, each kingdom containing unique interactable locations, including castles, churches, training towers, ports, markets, fountains, dungeons, and the famed Forest Sauvage. The map itself changes throughout the game, as new events arise, foreign campaigns become available, and Merlin appears with a task that needs doing.
As a player, you will choose from among 8 Player Characters: Dame Britomart, daughter of King Rience; Sir Claudin, son of the Gaulish tyrant; Sir Galleron, proud son of the Northern wilds; Dame Marfisa, warrior queen of the East; Sir Morien, hailing from distant Africa; Sir Priamus, descendent of Judas Maccabeus and Hector of Troy; Sir Sadok, former vassal of the foul King Mark; Sir Wigalois, a lost son of Camelot. Each character begins with a unique set of statistics, which you will endeavour to increase throughout play, plus a starting quest unique to them. From there, embark upon your knightly career as you see fit:
At one of 6 Tournament and Politick castles, test your Skills against one of 100 Courtiers and Knights to earn rewards, allies, and perhaps enemies.
Visit Churches to increase your Virtues, earn blessings, and heal wounds. Visit Training Towers to hone your Skills, earn spurs, and shed dishonour. Pass through a Market to earn coins and purchase one of 100 combat, court, horse, and nature assets to add to your equipage.
Take ship and seek adventure and glory abroad on one of 20 Foreign Campaigns: accept a diplomatic mission to Rome, destroy a sorceress's deadly bower in Ireland, take the pilgrim's road in Spain.
Undertake one of 20 intrigues for Merlin: solve the mystery of the Hound Knight, investigate a ship of Solomon, explore an ancient city beneath the waves.
Pay fealty to the High King Arthur at Camelot and be granted one of 20 Quests. Should you meet with success, you'll choose from Earthly, Divine, or Wisdom rewards. Sanctify the ill-favoured Chapel Perilous, venture into the Otherworld to rescue a kidnapped damsel, end the curse of the lady who bathes in the blood of innocents.
Drop your reins and let your fate lead you to strange adventures and deadly peril in one of 30 Forest Sauvage encounters: visit a faerie market, decide the fate of a wounded giant, track and slay the ferocious Cath Palug, and perhaps receive a test - and if ye be worthy - a mighty gift from the Lady of the Lake.
Win and wield one of 22 Treasures - magical weapons, artifacts, creatures, and conveyances: the ancient spear of Lugh, the Chariot of Morgan Mwynfawr, the lord of hounds Cavall.
End your turn by visiting a Fountain for healing and reward, a Dungeon to imprison captured villains, or a Contest Site to test your mettle against your fellow players.
Earn Arthur's favour to win one of 40 Titles to strengthen your claim to the Siege Perilous.
And that is just the base game. Undertake one of 6 Legendary Tales that introduce new challenges, characters (including new Starting Characters), and treasures: endeavour - collaboratively - to keep Arthur's kingdom intact during a time of rebellions and invasions, wage an epic war against the emperor of Rome, thwart the nefarious plans of Morgan Le Fay, meet the challenges of Gloriana, the Faerie Queen.
Every element of the game - each character you meet, treasure you claim, weapon, follower, mount or animal companion you acquire - has been hand-painted using traditional Mediaeval techniques, pigments, and gold leaf by renowned artist Jay Johnstone - more than 250 original paintings in all, each of which conveys additional lore in its details.
Likewise, every narrative piece is derived from extensive research of Arthurian literature and adjacent texts-from Irish myth and ancient Welsh folklore, to the historical chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth, the courtly romances of Chrétien de Troyes, and the work of Thomas Malory. The game's story elements incorporate mediaeval tales from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, all the way up through the Elizabethan allegory of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
But, in the end, this is your tale to weave, one threaded with each decision you make, each die you roll, as you explore the realm, increase your virtues and skills, and, ultimately, write a new legend by claiming the fabled - and deadly - Siege Perilous.
