The Kingmaker and the Underdog: Board Game Politics in Play

Every game night has that one player. The strategist. The tactician. The one who, no matter the odds, always manages to emerge victorious. Is it skill? Is it luck? Or is it simply an undeniable force of nature, a gravitational pull that bends the game in their favor?

How do you deal with them? Do you form alliances to take them down? Do you play it cool, avoiding their attention while waiting for the perfect moment to strike? Or are you the kingmaker, choosing who rises and who falls in a desperate bid for second place?

And then, there’s the underdog. The player everyone discounts until, against all odds, they pull off the impossible. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching a long-shot victory unfold, seeing the shock, the disbelief, the dawning realization as the reigning champ watches their empire crumble.

The Power of the Table

Board games aren’t just about mechanics and strategy. They’re about people, personalities clashing, alliances forming and dissolving, whispered negotiations, and cutthroat betrayals. Some games, like Survive: Escape from Atlantis! and Cosmic Encounter, thrive on table politics, where persuasion and deception can be more valuable than the most substantial hand of cards. Others, like Risk or Twilight Imperium, have an inherent structure that allows power to ebb and flow, making each move as much a political decision as a tactical one.

At every table, the dominant player shapes the game. Maybe they’re brilliant strategists who command every aspect of play or social masterminds who convince others to fight their battles. Either way, they are the inevitable focus of the table’s energy, players either rallying to bring them down or falling in line to ride their coattails to a respectable finish.

The Underdog’s Triumph

There’s nothing quite like an underdog victory. The player who’s been overlooked, underestimated, and perhaps even pitied suddenly reveals a masterstroke of cunning. Maybe they were quietly hoarding resources while others were at war. Possibly, they saw an opening while the power players were too busy backstabbing each other. Whatever the case, when an underdog seizes the win, it is legendary.

A great underdog story can be the stuff of a gaming legend, recounted at every gathering for years. And if you’ve ever been that player, the one who came from behind and shocked the table, you know that moment is pure magic.

Playing the Game Within the Game

Understanding board game politics means knowing when to push forward and when to fade into the background. The best players aren’t always the ones with the most enormous armies or the most points; they’re the ones who understand the people at the table. They manipulate, maneuver, and strike at the precise moment to tip the balance.

So, the next time you sit down for game night, could you take a moment to look over the field? Who’s the power player? Who’s the dark horse? And most importantly, who’s going to be the kingmaker? Because in the grand theater of board gaming, sometimes the most powerful move isn’t the one that wins the game but the one that decides who does.