Players: 1 to 5 players
Age: 12 and up.
Length: 60 to 90 minutes                                               

Contents:1 game board showing plot locations, 4 individual character cards for the Musketeers, 5 figurines (Milady and 4 Musketeers, 10 special dice (6 blue and 4 red), 2 double-sided quest boards, 70 tokens, 110 cards, 1 hourglass, 1 screen, Game guide and rulebook

        With so many takes of the Three Musketeers available in game form, any addition had better be special to survive in today's competitive market. Rio Grande's "Mousquetaires du Roy" is that title, maybe even setting a new standard for strategic board games. Francois Combe and Gilles Lehman's masterpiece is an elaborate presentation of Alexandre Dumas's beloved 17th century heroes, one player takes on the role of the evil Milady and tries to bring shame upon the queen, thwart the king's siege on the city of La Rochelle the musketeers. The rest of the players don the role of different musketeers (up to 4) and try to restore the queen's good name by going on epic quests to secure her diamonds and other important items. What sets this one apart from most other board games is the beautiful artwork of the high-quality game pieces, especially the playing board. Richly illustrated in resplendent color, the board resembles a montage of stills right out of a Miyazaki Hayao anime. You are right there living out the action of the characters, and not just merely playing a game.

        The game begins with Milady directly trying to thwart the musketeers at various locations, or indirectly doing so by bringing shame upon the queen with the use of certain cards. After selecting a location of her choice, Milady must draw a Paris card related to one of the musketeers quests, followed by a treachery card which can play upon to take action against the musketeers. Play is then shifted to the musketeers, who are allowed to take their turns in order they choose per round. This mechanism of the game is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Even though Milady sets the conditions for victory, the musketeers' unordered turns puts them back on equal footing, making things very interesting! It also works to their advantage in that there will be situations in which certain tasks are best performed in a certain order by musketeers adept at the relevant skills necessary. I find that such a radical excursion from is a breath of fresh air and really gives gaming the kick in the butt that it needs. BRAVO!

        The musketeers must then each take turns with a number of actions per turns, depending on how many of them are in the game. Drawing cards, moving, and duels are just some of the tasks which must be performed in order for the musketeers to complete a quest. Victory is achieved when all 4 quest boards are completed before Milady can complete her victory conditions. This is not as easy as it seems as the time track advances and time starts to run out on the musketeers and the king's military laying siege to La Rochelle, while dishonoring of the queen by the villainess looms closer! Should the queen be either dishonored, the musketeers fail to complete their quests before time runs out, the siege of La Rochelle fails, or Constance dies in Paris as a result of 6 wounds inflicted upon by Milady through the Paris "abduction" card, then Milady wins. Milady may also try to slow down her adversaries with a treachery "emergency" card where the musketeers are forced to finish their current turn within the time allotted by the hourglass, or the mission will end in failure. The musketeers, therefore, must work together efficiently as a team if they are to reach their goal.

        It should be noted that it is actually easier to complete the quests when there are more musketeers. Milady will then be forced to focus more on trying to eliminate a higher number of opponents, as well as delivering a larger number of wounds (hit points) distributed amongst the musketeers in order to knock them out. The elimination of a musketeer may work in favor of Milady, because it also removes any skill potentials along with it which may be needed later on. As to drawbacks, I would have to say that the rules are a bit complex and time-consuming to learn. I would recommend reading through the rules completely before actually trying to play the game so that you can get an idea of what to expect, instead of waiting for the situation to arise and fumbling through the rulebook for an explanation.

        Renowned for their sustained excellence. Rio Grande has shown once again why they're at the top of the alternative gaming world. "Mousquetaires du Roy" features high-quality game pieces, incredible artwork, and a well thought out mechanism. All of these components combined together add three-dimensional depth and character to an already deep and challenging game. "Mousquetaires du Roy" is certainly is one of the best modern strategy games to be released in recent years, pulling out all the stops with enough fun, action and excitement one could ever hope for in an RPG, and is bound to be a classic in the years to come! 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

My Ratings Scale are as follows: