Monkey Palace: Co-designer David Gordon on the next Lego board game

Your chance to build a jungle-set skyscraper out of toy, plastic bricks

The Monkey Palace set-up

How do you build your Lego?

Are you a stickler for rules, methodically following the instructions brick by brick to create your own realistic miniature world? Or an agent of chaos, smashing sets together in a world of imagination, and of little structural sense, before bundling the whole lot of in a gruesome mess in a box?

That is, of course, the question explored in unexpected psychological depth in 2014’s The Lego Movie, pitting the philosophical differences of Chris Pratt’s childlike everyman Emmet Brickowski against Will Ferrell’s rich, jaded corporatist Lord Business.

Careful collector’s may have watched that movie disappointed to discover that their seemingly harmless hobby of building a cityscape out of toy bricks out of nothing more than sheer enthusiasm and love put them at risk of being seeing as a terrible overbearing parent.

But, no matter, for there was a range of Lego products that intersected these two world views. Titles such as Lava Dragon and Race 3000 consisted of brick-built structures that could change in shape and style depending on the whims of the individual ongoing game. Thus, those who wanted to create from scratch could have their playstyle satisfied, while the instruction followers had their own set of rules to play by. Perfect!

Except of course, lol, no. Because by the time of The Lego Movie’s release, the Lego board games range, after four years and 29 releases, had been scrapped.

A period of darkness followed, in which the Business/Brickowski paradox was left unchecked. Some new games have flickered, but, unlike the previous range, which was in conjunction with game designers, original releases and aimed at hobbyists, these have either been IP tie-ins or based on classic games.

A new dawn is emerging though. Earlier this year, Lego and Asmodee announced a new original board game: Monkey Palace, a jungle-themed, family-friendly title created by Floristry co-designers David Gordon and TAM.

Due for release in October, the publishers promise it contains collaborative and competitive mechanics, with gameplay focused on building as tall a structure as possible.

Further details of the game and its creation have also been quite guarded up until now. So, we spoke to David to get further insight into what gamers and Lego builders can expect when Monkey Palace is launched.

David Gordon

Firstly, what kind of game is Monkey Palace. It seems there are both competitive and collaborative elements. Is any of it skill/dexterity-based, or pure strategy? 

DG: Monkey Palace is a competitive family game. On your turn, you will add Lego elements to a central structure, the palace, that all players are collaboratively building.

After your turn, you will score the part you added. You’ll score based on how many Lego elements you used and how high you built.

So as players take their turns, the palace emerges and by the end of the game, you will have a majestic creation that’s photo-ready

I usually display my palace on a shelf until I play again.

How did Monkey Palace come about? Was it pitched to Lego and Asmodee, or did they approach you? 

DG: In January of 2023, TAM and I pitched our game to Bezzerwizzer Studio, an Asmodee studio, partnering with the Lego Group on this project.

Monkey Palace will be the first official game created using Lego for a while. Why do you think it’s returning to this market, and why do you feel this idea has been the one to mark this return?