Queen Alice: how to play, edition differences and when it arrives in Spain
Preparing a coronation takes more than setting the table when your helpers are chess pieces. In Queen Alice, rooks, bishops and knights help prepare Alice’s banquet. Their movements determine what you can do, while the court tries to influence the future queen’s colour.
The board game from Combo Games combines this premise with cards and actions that improve as the game progresses. Its release also raises a practical question: what does the Upgrade Pack offer over the standard edition, and how will it be available? The announced Spanish release schedule also provides a reference point for the game’s arrival.
Queen Alice: a court through the looking-glass
Designed by Héctor Carrión and David Heras, this Eurogame features illustrations by Amelia Sales and graphic design by Dossom Studio. It draws inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There to tell its own story: players are members of the court organising the coronation, each hoping to become Alice’s right-hand adviser.
The game accommodates one to four players, ages 14 and up, with an advertised playing time of 90 minutes. Its medium-to-heavy gameplay centres on engine building: acquiring cards and benefits that let you do more with the actions available. The campaign offers Spanish, English, French and German versions.
Interest ahead of Essen has been considerable. In its analysis dated 7 October 2026, Brettspiel News ranked Queen Alice first among independent releases on BGG’s GeekPreview, with 705 “Must-have” and 1,228 “Interested” votes. These express interest from registered users; they help gauge anticipation, but do not represent sales or establish the game’s quality.
How to play: two cards to decide your next move
Your turn begins by playing two cards with different roles. The first provides a resource or reward. The second lets you move a chess piece of the indicated colour and may provide an additional bonus. After moving, you receive the resource associated with the destination row and perform the action in its column. Your choice of cards is therefore closely tied to the positions of the pieces.
Familiar chess movements determine which spaces you can reach. From there, the actions let you develop different aspects of your court, such as acquiring cards to improve your hand or collecting flowers that grant permanent benefits. A card’s value depends on how you use it, an idea we also explore in Eternal Decks.
The other important decision is which colour to steer the coronation towards. Alice’s Wishes are scoring objectives, but only some will score, depending on how red and white influence develops. You might prepare your court for certain objectives, only to discover that the other players are pushing the game towards different ones. Alongside improving your actions, you therefore need to watch which outcome your fellow players are working towards.
Standard edition or Upgrade Pack: what actually changes?
The main difference offered by the Upgrade Pack lies in its materials. Its BGG listing describes 152 wooden components that replace cardboard pieces: 40 hearts, 40 diamonds, 32 flowers, 27 books, 12 crown markers and one first-player marker. The upgrade affects pieces you handle during play, as well as the game’s table presence.
| Feature | Standard edition | Game with Upgrade Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Components replaced by the pack | Cardboard versions | Wooden pieces |
| Alternative crown variant announced during the campaign | Included | Included |
| Standard storage boxes | Included | Included with the base game |
| Upgrade Pack | Not included | Campaign and participating retailers |
Two clarifications can help you make an informed purchase. Campaign Update 16 confirms that the alternative crown variant is also included in the standard edition. Update 22 shows the storage boxes included in the base game. It is worth distinguishing these shared features from the components that actually justify paying for the pack.
Furthermore, “Gamefound exclusive” still allows sales through participating retailers. Combo Games states that the Upgrade Pack will not receive general retail distribution during this first edition, with an exception for retail backers. A retailer offering a preorder that includes the pack is therefore consistent with that policy; it does not guarantee that you will be able to buy the pack separately later.
Release timing, availability and pricing
Queen Alice has an estimated delivery date of December 2026. The project is currently in the Late Pledge phase on Gamefound, with preorders also available through specialist retailers in Spain. Copies have therefore not yet begun shipping or reached Spanish shop shelves.
The projected schedules for retail distribution and backer fulfilment both fall in the final quarter of 2026. As is common with crowdfunded games, exact arrival dates at shops and backers’ homes may vary depending on final production schedules and international logistics. Buyers elsewhere should check the estimate for their chosen language edition and delivery region.
For price reference, the standard edition has a recommended retail price of €69 in Spain, while the option including the Gamefound-exclusive Upgrade Pack costs around €99, before any preorder discounts. If you are interested in the upgraded version, check whether a participating retailer’s preorder includes the wooden component pack, as it will not receive general retail distribution.
Our thoughts
The standard edition looks like the most sensible choice for anyone looking to discover Queen Alice. The design’s appeal lies in how it connects your hand of cards, piece movement and influence over the scoring objectives. The Upgrade Pack makes sense if you particularly value wooden components and want to devote some of your budget to that tactile experience. The alternative crowns are also included in the base game, so we would not use them as a reason to choose the more expensive version.
On paper, we like the idea that preparing a banquet requires us to watch both our own court and everyone else’s intentions. There is something intriguing about improving your tools while trying to make Alice want exactly what you can offer her. Only at the table will we discover how much depth emerges from that relationship between planning an action and changing the course of the coronation.
