Medievallons

a fast-paced card game and claim to the crown

Reorganise the kingdom and be the first to form three guilds with like-minded people.

At Spellenspektakel Utrecht 2025, I had the pleasure of meeting Ruud Nederpelt, founder of Wulfhorn Games. It's no surprise that the name caught my attention because of the wolf in the logo. When I took a closer look at the stand, I immediately noticed that this publisher is also fully committed to sustainability and ecology. It proudly presented its diverse range of games, including Medievallons, a game conceived and illustrated by Coen Balkenstein.

Rating

Overall                    8
Story                        7
Game system         7
Design & art            9
Replayability           8

Medievallons is a fast-paced card game for two to five players aged eight and up. It is very accessible and has a manageable playing time of about 30 minutes.

The story

Oh dear, the empire is in mourning: the beloved monarch has died. However, this also creates a power vacuum. Who will rule the kingdom? Multiple parties compete with each other to assemble guilds powerful enough to claim the capital and the throne of the kingdom.

Expand your network, but use your wisdom: each Medievallon has its own unique powers.

The goal is to be the first to get 3 guilds on the table.

Game rules

When setting up the game, make sure to place the cycle breaker card at the bottom of the draw pile with the red side facing up. When you encounter this card during the game (when the draw pile is empty for the first time), turn this card over to the yellow side with the crown.

Each Medievallon has a unique power; these are clearly shown on the reference card that each player receives. There are 13 different Medievallon types: assasin, artisan, beggar, jester, knight, merchant, monk, noble, priest, ranger, star, wizard and witch.

A turn consists of performing one action and ending your turn by taking a card from the draw pile.

Performing one action

You can choose from the following actions:

• Play a card
• Play a guild
• Activate a guild
• Expand a guild

Play a card: Choose a card from your hand and place it in front of you. Then perform the card's power (explained on the reference card). After performing the power, place the card next to the draw pile on the discard pile.

Play a guild: When you have three or more cards of the same type in your hand, you may choose to display them as a guild. A guild must always contain at least 3 cards. The jester card type acts as a wild card and may therefore be included in the row. For example: 2 assassins and 1 jester.

When you decide to play a guild, its power is also executed immediately that turn. Now that this guild is on the table, it is exposed to the other players' attack cards: witch,
assassin and ranger. Be sure to take this into account! There is no maximum limit to the size of a guild. You may also have two guilds of the same type.

Please note: if one of your guilds no longer contains 3 cards due to an opponent's attack, you immediately take the remaining 2 cards back into your hand.

Activating a guild: During this turn, you may choose to activate the power of one of your own guilds. When you do this, you execute their unique power during your turn.

Expanding a guild: If you have one or more cards in your hand of the same type as one of your guilds in your playing area, you may choose to add them to the existing guild.
There is no limit to the number of cards you can add to your existing guild during this action. When you expand a guild during your turn, the power of your guild is also activated and you perform it.

End your turn by taking the top card from the draw pile.

It is now the next player's turn.

End of the game

The game ends immediately when one player is the first to have 3 guilds in front of them,

or

when the draw pile is empty for the second time and the crown becomes visible. The player with the most guilds in front of them wins the game.

Content and design

The game design and illustrations are by Coen Balkenstein. The drawings are cartoonish and add a cheerful touch to the game.
The rulebook is very clear and user-friendly. The different steps are very accessible, with plenty of examples. The reference cards that you lay out next to you while playing are clear and of good quality, as are the playing cards.
Since both Dutch and English rules are included with the game, the
reference cards are double-sided (NL/ENG).

The box is compact and easy to carry; there is also enough space to add the expansion later.
A description of the expansion can be found here.

Wulfhorn Games publishes under the eco-friendly games label. In all aspects of production, careful consideration is given to the most ecological way to design the game.

Box content

• 2x rulebook (ENG/Dutch)
• 104x cards (8 of each guild)
• 5x reference cards
• 1x cycle break card

Conclusion

The cards have their own unique powers, so I can only conclude that the game does indeed require strategy. This makes the game highly replayable and ensures sufficient dynamics in the game.
Medievallons can be played with two players, but I believe it offers more dynamics when played with at least three people.

It is a fun tactical and dynamic card game. The game concept is not very original, but it is well designed. It is ideal for a quick game. The rules are easy to explain and not too complex.
However, it is important to note that this game can be quite intense. The dynamics of the game require you to constantly try to outmanoeuvre each other, because if you don't, you lose the game.

Perhaps that is why I prefer to play with three people. When you play with two people, you are constantly attacking each other. This means that you have to be careful when playing the game with children aged 8–9, who may not be able to handle this intensity.
I certainly don't want to detract from the game. On the contrary: if you enjoy a game of bullying and your fellow players can laugh about it, then this is an ideal game to play together!

I am delighted to see that this publisher also supports the eco-friendly and plastic-free aspect and that it attaches great importance to the sustainability of its games. For me, this is always a great added value.
You can read the review of the expansion here.

Text and photography: Esmeralda Wolf