[Mad Hatter]

Princes Kingdom actually encourages you not to escalate, I would argue. You don't gain a new pool of dice, just a few extra traits you might have (and don't even necessarily have to have--you can load up with all social). The only thing escalation gets you is more potentially harmful fallout.

Regarding the review, I found it excellent and fair-minded. I think this is an excellent game, and the few criticisms Jim had are insightful. I've been playing the game with my 9-year-old daughter and a 11-year-old neighbor girl, both playing princesses close to their own age (and they were quite insistent on the title, which I'm fine with). They get the rules pretty well, and have been asking me to run it every weekend.