Wk- Faq (uoff)
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FAQ and Optional Rules v3.0, July 22, 2006 Amended from the original Fantasy Flight FAQ v1.0 By The Brothers Kelley This document contains errata, frequently asked questions and optional rules for the Warrior Knights board game.
HEAD OF CHURCH AND CHAIRMAN OF ASSEMBLY Q: If the Head of the Church loses some Faith, such that I now have more Faith than any other player, do I immediately become Head of the Church? A: No! The Head of the Church only changes hands when a player using the “Serve the Church” Action card has more Faith than any other player. Chairman of the Assembly works the same way with the “Rally Support” action. Except for a few Agent and Event cards, “Serve the Church” and “Rally Support” are the only way that these tokens change hands.
ERRATA In the “Draw Fate Cards” step of battle, neither player may draw more than 10 cards. The players may draw additional Fate cards for “Draw 1 Fate” as usual, however. The component list shown on page 2 should have the following corrections: • • • • •
NOBLES
93 Crown Tokens (in 1’s and 5’s) 44 Influence (in 1’s, 3’s and 5’s) 24 Casualty Tokens (all –100s) 18 Breach Tokens (singled-sided) 44 Agenda Cards
Q: I have a Noble with 150 troops and 100 Casualties. Do I have to pay wages for all 150 troops? A: Yes, you must attempt to pay all your Regular troops, and you must pay each Mercenary if you do not want them to desert. In game terms, troops add to a Noble’s strength and Casualties take away from it by reducing a Noble’s strength but without necessarily killing troops. Therefore, Barons must always pay wages for their troops, regardless of Casualty Tokens.
The setup diagram on page 9 should read “Draw a number of Mercenary cards equal to one more than the number of players and place them face up, as shown here.”
Q: If my Noble takes Casualties outside of a battle (for example, because of the “Assassin” Event card) that reduce him to 0 strength, does he instantly die? A: Yes. If the number of Casualties on a Noble is ever equal to or greater than the number of troops in the army, the Noble leading that army immediately dies.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CANCELING EVENTS Q: If I have a lasting Event played on me (such as “Heretic”), can I cancel it at a later time or do I need to spend the Faith as soon as the card is played? A: Event cards must be canceled at the time that the Event is played. Once an Event card with a lasting effect is played (and not canceled), the victim is stuck with it for the remainder of the game. Only a Private Motion will allow a player to get rid of one of these cards (see also the “Miracles Can Happen” optional rule, below).
Q: I have a Noble with 250 troops and 200 Casualties. The Wages phase is triggered and I cannot pay for one of my 100 Mercenaries, so they desert. What happens to the Noble (who is now at -50 strength)? A: The Noble dies, since he now has Casualties equal to or greater than the troops in his army. This is a good reason to remove Casualties from your Nobles (if you get the chance) and to be sure to keep money for the Wages phase (see also the “Abandoned Nobles” optional rule in this FAQ).
GENERAL COMBAT Q: If an opponent controls a City and has a Noble in the City’s area, can I move a Noble in this area and attack the opponent’s Noble in open-field battle? A: No. Defending Nobles in a region with a City their Baron controls are considered to be in the City (middle column, page 14), so they may only be attacked by assault or siege.
Q: If a Noble loses all his troops but has no Casualties, does the Noble die or is he simply removed from the board? This matters for such cards as “No Heir.” 1
A: The Noble is removed from the board (because he has no troops) but he does not die unless he has Casualties assigned to him. The Noble may return to the board on a later turn normally. This similar to when a Noble moves and another Noble in his area transfers all his troops to the moving Noble. The nowtroopless Noble is removed from the board, but not considered dead for the purposes of “No Heir” and “Broken Line.”
STRONGHOLDS
Q: I have two Nobles attacking an opponent in battle. Is only the commanding Noble exhausted or are both of my Nobles exhausted after the battle? A: Any and all Nobles that move or attack using “Mobilize Forces” or “Versatile Action” are always exhausted after they move and/or attack, regardless of whether or not they are the commanding Noble. However, remember that if you are the attacker and you have multiple Nobles in an area, you do not have to attack with all of them (and any Nobles that do not move or attack would remain unexhausted).
ABANDONED NOBLES
Q: Can I place my Stronghold in a space with a razed City? A: Yes! A Stronghold may be placed in any Kingdom space (not overseas) that does not contain a plastic City piece or an opponent’s Stronghold.
OPTIONAL RULES If a Noble dies because of desertion he is considered abandoned instead of dead, even with Casualty Tokens. Abandoned Nobles are removed from the board and treated the same as Nobles that have died (i.e. remove Casualties/troops) except that abandoned Nobles are not considered dead for such cards as “No Heir.” This variant makes Mercenary desertion a little less harsh.
MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN With this variant, Barons may cancel Events with continuous effects (e.g. “No Heir” and “Heretic”) long after they happen by paying 1 additional Faith over the printed cancellation cost that he could have paid at the time the Event was played.
Q: Does the “Circle” Noble’s +200 strength count for purposes of his ability (“does not pay wages for troops if army size is under 450”)? Do the strength of “maintained” troops gained from the Assembly count towards the 450? A: The “Circle” Noble’s +200 strength represents strength from leadership, not troops, so do not count it towards the 450. Do count maintained troops’ strength since they are in fact troops.
Example: the Noble Esteban di Gaudi has just become victim of the “No Heir” Event card. His Baron, Guillaume de Limon, does not have the 2 Faith required to cancel this Event, and di Gaudi is therefore stuck with it. On a future turn, Baron de Limon accumulates 3 Faith and uses it to cancel “No Heir.”
SIEGES These miracles have limits. In the above example, Baron de Limon would not be able to cancel “No Heir” (or “Broken Line”) after Esteban di Gaudi’s death!
Q: When comparing the attacker’s and the defender’s strength to determine whether the attacker may choose to siege, are Casualties and Breaches taken into account? A: Yes!
GARRISONS Q: My Noble is besieging a City and takes Casualties so that he no longer has enough strength to siege the City on a future turn. Can I have another Noble enter the area and assist in the siege? A: Yes, you may have another Noble assist in a siege. You could even have a different Noble enter the area while the first Noble leaves, so that a different Noble finishes the siege. However, if you ever leave the area of the siege without any Nobles, the siege is lifted.
A Noble can leave behind a garrison of troops to maintain order in a City he owns, or to add to its defenses. Like any other type of troop transfer, the Noble must be in the City, and may only do so during the Upkeep phase. Garrisoned Troop Cards are placed beneath the City ownership marker. To keep a City from revolting the garrison must equal at least half its strength. A garrison less than that number can still be deployed for defensive purposes, but revolts will occur as usual. The number of troops garrisoned cannot exceed the strength of the City. The strength of all garrisoned troop Cards is added to the City’s defense during battles.
Q: Can a besieged Baron send reinforcements with “Versatile Strategy” or “Mobilize Forces” without engaging combat? A: Yes. Keep in mind that Nobles who are in an area with a City their Baron controls are always considered to be defending the City. Therefore, a player could move into one of his besieged Cities with a Noble, but would not be able to move out until the siege is lifted.
Garrisons take Casualties like any other army does, but are lost permanently during a revolt, or if the City falls to an enemy. They must be paid Wages per the usual rules whenever a Wages phase is triggered.
Q: Can a Baron place an off-board Noble at his Stronghold if it is under siege? A: Yes. Although off-board Nobles may not be placed at besieged Cities, a Baron is always able to place off-board Nobles (and assign Mercenaries acquired through the Mercenary Draft) to his Stronghold.
RANSOM Once defeating a Noble and his army, the victor’s Baron can opt to capture the Noble instead of killing him for the opportunity of ransoming him back to his Baron, either for Crowns or whatever can be negotiated.
SURRENDER
Q: If I’ve started a siege this turn, do I have to finish the Siege during the next game round? A: No. You may finish the siege on any future game round (unless the siege is lifted, of course).
A Baron can pledge allegiance to another Baron, giving that Baron control of all he has. The surrendering Baron is now out of the game and all his forces go to the Baron he surrendered to. 2
TREACHERY
REMOVE CASUALTIES
If at any point during the game a Baron reneges on an in-game deal and betrays the trust of another Baron (such as pledging to ally, agreeing to a truce, or promising not to make a certain move) his standing in the Kingdom is damaged and he must return 1 Influence token to the Pool. If the betrayal results in the loss of a City the offending Baron forfeits 2 tokens, for the death of a Baron or Noble 3 tokens, and the loss of a Stronghold 5, all cumulatively. If the Baron does not have enough Influence to forfeit to the Pool then he pays only what he can, but is branded a Heretic as though he had drawn that Event Card.
The “Muster Troops” neutral Action Card still allows Baron’s to remove all Casualty Tokens from a single army at a cost of 2 Crowns per token. However, for gamers who find that this card is not drawn often enough for their playing style, a variant could be used that would allow Barons to remove 1 Casualty per turn during Phase 6 of Upkeep at a cost of 2 Crowns.
TROOP LEVIES Once a Noble takes control of a Kingdom City (one that is not overseas), he may enlist a military from its citizenry equal to the City’s strength. This is done by picking Mercenary cards from the top of the deck and paying 2 Crowns for each. If the City is not diplomatically controlled he must also pay 1 Faith for each. The Noble must of course reside in the City to accomplish this, and may do so only during Upkeep per the usual rules for transferring troops. To indicate Kingdom troops the cards are placed face down, always with a strength of 100.
CAPITULATION A Noble in a besieged City can ask for a truce. This allows the Noble and his army to leave safely if he hands over his City to the attacking forces, and no troops are lost on either side. If the terms are accepted, the besieged Noble and his army move one space away and the City ownership marker is replaced. A player laying siege can always refuse the truce offer, but once accepted must abide by its terms for the duration of the turn. If he reneges on his promise not to attack and the Treachery optional rule is in play (which is recommended), the Noble is guilty of Treachery and must suffer the consequences described. This rule could be used for Barons when laying siege to a Stronghold as well if an elimination variant is being used.
When Kingdom troops are levied a Casualty Marker is placed on the City for each 100-troop card, temporarily reducing its defensive force. These can be removed per the normal method. Penalties for Casualty Markers and Breach Tokens on Cities are not cumulative (e.g. if a City has both a Breach and Casualty, it only has a penalty of 100). Once the maximum number of troops has been levied from a City (i.e. 100 troops per 100 City strength), no more can be until at least one Casualty Marker is removed. If a City with Casualty Markers becomes neutral due to a revolt (the citizenry having mustered their own troops to replace what had been levied) all markers are removed, but they remain if taken over by another Noble.
DIPLOMATIC CONQUEST Barons may attempt to enlist a Kingdom City’s support (not one overseas) diplomatically by sending a Noble with an appeal to its citizenry. This is initiated with either a “Mobilize Forces” or “Versatile Action” card, playing it like any attack and placing it in the “Assembly” or “Wages” area appropriately. The Baron then spends either 1 Faith or twice the City’s income in Crowns. For neutral Cities or Cities forcefully controlled by another Baron, the top Fate Card is drawn. If the result is “Revolt!” the Noble takes control of it immediately, placing a Control Marker beneath the City, and a Baron Marker next to it. If the result is “No Revolt” the City’s loyalty lies elsewhere and the Faith or Crowns he spent campaigning are gone, although he is free to make another attempt on any subsequent turn. For Cities that are diplomatically owned by another Baron, 3 Fate Cards must be drawn, and only if all 3 are “Revolt!” does ownership change.
DEFECTOR Barons may attempt to turn an opposing Noble by spending 30 Crowns or 3 Faith and drawing 3 Fate Cards. If the result of all 3 cards is “Revolt!” the Noble defects, but if one of them is “No Revolt” he stays loyal. A defected noble is controlled just like any other Noble, although upon defection he loses Regular troops, who return to the first Baron’s Stronghold, and if he held an office it is discarded. If the Noble refuses, the Baron retains the Crowns he offered, but can never attempt to turn a Noble of that color again. Whether the Noble accepts or rejects the offer, however, the Baron must forfeit 3 Influence points back to the Pool, as his devious actions have become known.
Offers cannot be made to Cities if the controlling Baron has a Noble or a garrison (refer to the “Garrison” variant) in the City. Nor can offers be made to a City once that Baron has at some point in the game attacked or besieged it. Barons may send a Noble to renegotiate the diplomatic takeover of a City they have lost as long as they have never attempted to take it by force.
ALTERNATE 2 or 3 PLAYER RULES Instead of razing 11 Kingdom Cities for a 2 or 3 player game, raze 9. The rule restricting the placement of Strongholds on the outer rim is nullified. Put 20 Influence in the Pool per player.
If a Baron forcefully takes over a City that is diplomatically controlled by another Baron, the Baron Marker of the previous owner remains next to it to indicate its political disposition. That Baron can always come back and retake the City by merely paying 1 Faith or twice the City’s income in Crowns, without having to draw a Fate Card, as long as the current Baron’s owner does not have a Noble or garrison in the City. If the City revolts or is diplomatically taken over, however, the Baron Marker of the previous owner is removed. Diplomatically controlled Cities have a much smaller chance of revolting, allowing Barons to draw 3 Fate Cards during Upkeep. Only if all three cards show “Revolt!” do they do so.
LIMITED HEIRS It is assumed that every Noble has at least one heir that can take his place if he dies, barring the “No Heir” Event Card (although see “Miracles Can Happen” above). When the first heir is killed the Baron draws a Fate Card. Unless he picks a card with the symbol for the Noble that was killed, he has another heir and can be replaced on the board during Upkeep. To make it more difficult this can be reversed, in which case the Noble has an heir only if his symbol is drawn. This process could also be used to determine the lineage of Barons if some form of elimination variant is being used (see “Modified Player Elimination”). 3
ADVANCED OPTIONAL RULES MODIFIED PLAYER ELIMINATION With this variant Barons have at least 1 heir, and possibly more, ala the “Limited Heirs” optional rule, using the Baron crest on the Fate Card to determine if an heir exists (i.e. the Baron has no heir if he picks his own crest). If a Baron’s Stronghold is razed but he is either not executed (see “Win By Influence”), or has an heir, the defeated Baron must forfeit half of his Influence to the Pool, then during Upkeep may replace his Stronghold as stated in “Attacking A Stronghold” in the original rules, although with 4 breaches on it, indicating it’s still being constructed. If “Win By Influence” is being used the victor is instantly awarded 3 Influence tokens (instead of 1 City and half the defeated Baron’s Crowns). If the attacking Baron shows no mercy and the executed Baron has no heirs, then use the optional “Player Elimination” rule in the original book with two changes: all his Influence tokens are returned to the Pool, and his Nobles remain on the board. If any Nobles were in the Stronghold, the victor may decide to execute the Baron but spare his Nobles, which for the time being should be placed to the side of the board. During Upkeep, it’s possible that surviving Nobles might pledge fealty to one of the Barons, who in turn may spend Crowns or Faith to vie for their loyalty. Starting with the Baron with the most Influence and proceeding accordingly (draw Fate Cards to determine ties, the Baron who picks his own crest first going before the other), each Baron draws 1 Fate Card. If a card with one of the surviving Noble’s symbols on it is picked, that Noble has approached the Baron and offered his allegiance. The Noble is immediately placed on the Baron’s Stronghold. The Noble retains his army, but must “Draw for Deserters” (see “Noble Death” in the rules), and any offices he held are discarded. If the Fate Card a Baron draws does not match the symbol of a surviving Noble then he gains no new Noble. No more than one Noble can be given to each Baron per elimination. A Baron may attempt to influence a particular Noble by paying 10 Crowns or 1 Faith before drawing his Fate Card, giving him the ability to draw 3 Fate Cards and picking the Noble symbol of his choice. However, even if none of his Fate Cards depict a surviving Noble he loses his Crowns or Faith. Any Nobles remaining after every Baron has drawn are removed from play along with all troops, having given up on their quest for power.
WIN BY INFLUENCE A Baron is crowned king only by possessing the most Influence when the Pool runs out. Political favor becomes more important than sheer amount of property owned, but owning Cities is still fundamental to winning. With this variant Influence is flexible and may fluctuate up and down as the game proceeds. Although still accumulated during Upkeep at a rate of 1 token per City owned, certain actions or events cause a rise or fall in Influence instantaneously. Instant Influence is awarded no matter what circumstances a Baron finds himself in, while the Influence gained during Upkeep is affected per the usual rules (e.g. a Baron who’s Stronghold is under siege would not get Influence for Cities during Upkeep). The below table depicts a list of what will cause an instant Gain or Loss of Influence.
Win By Influence Gain/Loss Table Action/Ownership Kingdom City Overseas City Diplomatic City Loss of Stronghold Half of Unrazed Kingdom Cities Raze a Stronghold Battle Victory at 1:2 Odds Battle Defeat at 2:1 Odds Head of Church Chairman of Assembly Each Single army of 500 of more Act of Kindness Attempts Noble Defection Treachery
Gain N/A N/A N/A N/A 3 3 1 N/A 3 3 1 1 0 0
Loss 1 2 0/1 Half 3 N/A N/A 1 3 3 1 N/A 3 1-8
Note that taking over a City does not provide an instant boost to Influence, which is still gleaned during Upkeep per the normal rules. However, losing a City does impart an instance Loss. Items that have a Gain and Loss that are equal indicate those that provide a boost in Influence only so long as the condition exists or the item is held, while others have a more permanent impact. It is recommended that the Treachery optional rule be used. If not, the Treachery item will of course not apply. The Loss value for diplomatically owned Cities is based on how the City is lost. If taken over by force, which leaves the Baron Marker in place, there is no loss of Influence, but if taken over diplomatically or due to revolt, in which case the Baron Marker would be removed, 1 Influence is lost. Acts of Kindness include: the Head of Church giving a Green Event Card to another Baron or taking a Red Event on himself, a Baron using Faith to cancel a Red Event that’s affecting another Baron, covering the cost of a Red Event for a Baron who can’t afford it, granting Capitulation (if Capitulation is used), letting a Noble go free after defeating his army instead of killing him or holding him for ransom (if Ransom is used), cutting taxes in half for all Cities Taxation, or paying double Wages to all troops Wages. More Gains and Losses could be added but should be carefully considered and agreed upon.
WIN BY INFLUENCE 2 Another variation of this optional rule removes the acquisition of Influence each turn during Upkeep for Cities, placing it into the same category as other items for instant Gain or Loss. In this case, starting Influence is not calculated based on the number of players participating, but on the number of Kingdom Cities that are razed at the start of the game, plus 5 (e.g. for 3 players the number of tokens in the Influence Pool would be 7+5=12). Replace the Gain/Loss values for Cities in the previous table with those below.
Win By Influence 2 Gain/Loss Table Action/Ownership Kingdom City Overseas City Diplomatic City City under siege
Gain 1 2 2 N/A
Loss 1 2 1/2 1
If at any time a Baron who has pledged fealty to the new King takes an action the King feels is treasonous, the King may brand him a traitor, at which time the offending Baron suffers the penalties of “Treachery” (even if the “Treachery” variant isn’t being used for any other aspect of the game). That Baron is then once again at risk of City revolts along with Barons who refused to pledge fealty. If at any time all remaining Barons concede the throne to the King, or if every unrazed Kingdom City falls under his control, the game ends.
The “City under siege” item constitutes a temporary loss only, and the Influence is returned if the siege is lifted. If the City is lost as a result of the siege, the Influence lost for the siege is subtracted from the Loss listed for losing a City (e.g. a Kingdom City under siege causes a temporary loss of 1 Influence as long as the siege is going on, meaning that if the siege were to lift the Influence would be returned, but that if the City were to be lost, the Influence would be permanently gone, and if the City was overseas, an additional Influence would be lost at the time of takeover since the total Loss of an overseas City is 2).
If a Baron manages to raze the Stronghold of the new King but chooses to spare his life, or if the King has an heir, the royal power he had vanishes. He loses half his Influence, 3 Votes and 3 Faith, and he is subject to any elimination options in play. The Baron with the most Votes becomes Chairman of Assembly and the Baron with the most Faith becomes Head of Church. Iif the Baron who was King still has enough Votes or Faith he retains either position, although cannot retain both, keeping whichever he has the most tokens for. Revolts for all Barons revert to the normal process, and play continues until the Influence Pool runs out again.
CORONATION In this variant the game is not over when the Influence Pool runs dry, but it does give the Baron with the highest Influence score the sole claim to the throne. That Baron now has the blessing of the Kingdom and the church and is crowned King. He gains 3 Votes and 3 Faith, and receives the Chairman of Assembly and Head of Church status. Furthermore, his Cities as well as the Cities of any Nobles who ally with him will never revolt, even without the presence of a Noble (or garrison, if the “Garrison” option is being used). Conversely, for all Cities not under his authority Barons must draw 2 Fate Cards instead of 1 when they check for revolts, with a revolt occurring if either card shows “Revolt!” If a City revolts it falls under the control of the King, who places a Control Marker beneath it.
4
HEAD OF CHURCH AND CHAIRMAN OF ASSEMBLY Q: If the Head of the Church loses some Faith, such that I now have more Faith than any other player, do I immediately become Head of the Church? A: No! The Head of the Church only changes hands when a player using the “Serve the Church” Action card has more Faith than any other player. Chairman of the Assembly works the same way with the “Rally Support” action. Except for a few Agent and Event cards, “Serve the Church” and “Rally Support” are the only way that these tokens change hands.
ERRATA In the “Draw Fate Cards” step of battle, neither player may draw more than 10 cards. The players may draw additional Fate cards for “Draw 1 Fate” as usual, however. The component list shown on page 2 should have the following corrections: • • • • •
NOBLES
93 Crown Tokens (in 1’s and 5’s) 44 Influence (in 1’s, 3’s and 5’s) 24 Casualty Tokens (all –100s) 18 Breach Tokens (singled-sided) 44 Agenda Cards
Q: I have a Noble with 150 troops and 100 Casualties. Do I have to pay wages for all 150 troops? A: Yes, you must attempt to pay all your Regular troops, and you must pay each Mercenary if you do not want them to desert. In game terms, troops add to a Noble’s strength and Casualties take away from it by reducing a Noble’s strength but without necessarily killing troops. Therefore, Barons must always pay wages for their troops, regardless of Casualty Tokens.
The setup diagram on page 9 should read “Draw a number of Mercenary cards equal to one more than the number of players and place them face up, as shown here.”
Q: If my Noble takes Casualties outside of a battle (for example, because of the “Assassin” Event card) that reduce him to 0 strength, does he instantly die? A: Yes. If the number of Casualties on a Noble is ever equal to or greater than the number of troops in the army, the Noble leading that army immediately dies.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CANCELING EVENTS Q: If I have a lasting Event played on me (such as “Heretic”), can I cancel it at a later time or do I need to spend the Faith as soon as the card is played? A: Event cards must be canceled at the time that the Event is played. Once an Event card with a lasting effect is played (and not canceled), the victim is stuck with it for the remainder of the game. Only a Private Motion will allow a player to get rid of one of these cards (see also the “Miracles Can Happen” optional rule, below).
Q: I have a Noble with 250 troops and 200 Casualties. The Wages phase is triggered and I cannot pay for one of my 100 Mercenaries, so they desert. What happens to the Noble (who is now at -50 strength)? A: The Noble dies, since he now has Casualties equal to or greater than the troops in his army. This is a good reason to remove Casualties from your Nobles (if you get the chance) and to be sure to keep money for the Wages phase (see also the “Abandoned Nobles” optional rule in this FAQ).
GENERAL COMBAT Q: If an opponent controls a City and has a Noble in the City’s area, can I move a Noble in this area and attack the opponent’s Noble in open-field battle? A: No. Defending Nobles in a region with a City their Baron controls are considered to be in the City (middle column, page 14), so they may only be attacked by assault or siege.
Q: If a Noble loses all his troops but has no Casualties, does the Noble die or is he simply removed from the board? This matters for such cards as “No Heir.” 1
A: The Noble is removed from the board (because he has no troops) but he does not die unless he has Casualties assigned to him. The Noble may return to the board on a later turn normally. This similar to when a Noble moves and another Noble in his area transfers all his troops to the moving Noble. The nowtroopless Noble is removed from the board, but not considered dead for the purposes of “No Heir” and “Broken Line.”
STRONGHOLDS
Q: I have two Nobles attacking an opponent in battle. Is only the commanding Noble exhausted or are both of my Nobles exhausted after the battle? A: Any and all Nobles that move or attack using “Mobilize Forces” or “Versatile Action” are always exhausted after they move and/or attack, regardless of whether or not they are the commanding Noble. However, remember that if you are the attacker and you have multiple Nobles in an area, you do not have to attack with all of them (and any Nobles that do not move or attack would remain unexhausted).
ABANDONED NOBLES
Q: Can I place my Stronghold in a space with a razed City? A: Yes! A Stronghold may be placed in any Kingdom space (not overseas) that does not contain a plastic City piece or an opponent’s Stronghold.
OPTIONAL RULES If a Noble dies because of desertion he is considered abandoned instead of dead, even with Casualty Tokens. Abandoned Nobles are removed from the board and treated the same as Nobles that have died (i.e. remove Casualties/troops) except that abandoned Nobles are not considered dead for such cards as “No Heir.” This variant makes Mercenary desertion a little less harsh.
MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN With this variant, Barons may cancel Events with continuous effects (e.g. “No Heir” and “Heretic”) long after they happen by paying 1 additional Faith over the printed cancellation cost that he could have paid at the time the Event was played.
Q: Does the “Circle” Noble’s +200 strength count for purposes of his ability (“does not pay wages for troops if army size is under 450”)? Do the strength of “maintained” troops gained from the Assembly count towards the 450? A: The “Circle” Noble’s +200 strength represents strength from leadership, not troops, so do not count it towards the 450. Do count maintained troops’ strength since they are in fact troops.
Example: the Noble Esteban di Gaudi has just become victim of the “No Heir” Event card. His Baron, Guillaume de Limon, does not have the 2 Faith required to cancel this Event, and di Gaudi is therefore stuck with it. On a future turn, Baron de Limon accumulates 3 Faith and uses it to cancel “No Heir.”
SIEGES These miracles have limits. In the above example, Baron de Limon would not be able to cancel “No Heir” (or “Broken Line”) after Esteban di Gaudi’s death!
Q: When comparing the attacker’s and the defender’s strength to determine whether the attacker may choose to siege, are Casualties and Breaches taken into account? A: Yes!
GARRISONS Q: My Noble is besieging a City and takes Casualties so that he no longer has enough strength to siege the City on a future turn. Can I have another Noble enter the area and assist in the siege? A: Yes, you may have another Noble assist in a siege. You could even have a different Noble enter the area while the first Noble leaves, so that a different Noble finishes the siege. However, if you ever leave the area of the siege without any Nobles, the siege is lifted.
A Noble can leave behind a garrison of troops to maintain order in a City he owns, or to add to its defenses. Like any other type of troop transfer, the Noble must be in the City, and may only do so during the Upkeep phase. Garrisoned Troop Cards are placed beneath the City ownership marker. To keep a City from revolting the garrison must equal at least half its strength. A garrison less than that number can still be deployed for defensive purposes, but revolts will occur as usual. The number of troops garrisoned cannot exceed the strength of the City. The strength of all garrisoned troop Cards is added to the City’s defense during battles.
Q: Can a besieged Baron send reinforcements with “Versatile Strategy” or “Mobilize Forces” without engaging combat? A: Yes. Keep in mind that Nobles who are in an area with a City their Baron controls are always considered to be defending the City. Therefore, a player could move into one of his besieged Cities with a Noble, but would not be able to move out until the siege is lifted.
Garrisons take Casualties like any other army does, but are lost permanently during a revolt, or if the City falls to an enemy. They must be paid Wages per the usual rules whenever a Wages phase is triggered.
Q: Can a Baron place an off-board Noble at his Stronghold if it is under siege? A: Yes. Although off-board Nobles may not be placed at besieged Cities, a Baron is always able to place off-board Nobles (and assign Mercenaries acquired through the Mercenary Draft) to his Stronghold.
RANSOM Once defeating a Noble and his army, the victor’s Baron can opt to capture the Noble instead of killing him for the opportunity of ransoming him back to his Baron, either for Crowns or whatever can be negotiated.
SURRENDER
Q: If I’ve started a siege this turn, do I have to finish the Siege during the next game round? A: No. You may finish the siege on any future game round (unless the siege is lifted, of course).
A Baron can pledge allegiance to another Baron, giving that Baron control of all he has. The surrendering Baron is now out of the game and all his forces go to the Baron he surrendered to. 2
TREACHERY
REMOVE CASUALTIES
If at any point during the game a Baron reneges on an in-game deal and betrays the trust of another Baron (such as pledging to ally, agreeing to a truce, or promising not to make a certain move) his standing in the Kingdom is damaged and he must return 1 Influence token to the Pool. If the betrayal results in the loss of a City the offending Baron forfeits 2 tokens, for the death of a Baron or Noble 3 tokens, and the loss of a Stronghold 5, all cumulatively. If the Baron does not have enough Influence to forfeit to the Pool then he pays only what he can, but is branded a Heretic as though he had drawn that Event Card.
The “Muster Troops” neutral Action Card still allows Baron’s to remove all Casualty Tokens from a single army at a cost of 2 Crowns per token. However, for gamers who find that this card is not drawn often enough for their playing style, a variant could be used that would allow Barons to remove 1 Casualty per turn during Phase 6 of Upkeep at a cost of 2 Crowns.
TROOP LEVIES Once a Noble takes control of a Kingdom City (one that is not overseas), he may enlist a military from its citizenry equal to the City’s strength. This is done by picking Mercenary cards from the top of the deck and paying 2 Crowns for each. If the City is not diplomatically controlled he must also pay 1 Faith for each. The Noble must of course reside in the City to accomplish this, and may do so only during Upkeep per the usual rules for transferring troops. To indicate Kingdom troops the cards are placed face down, always with a strength of 100.
CAPITULATION A Noble in a besieged City can ask for a truce. This allows the Noble and his army to leave safely if he hands over his City to the attacking forces, and no troops are lost on either side. If the terms are accepted, the besieged Noble and his army move one space away and the City ownership marker is replaced. A player laying siege can always refuse the truce offer, but once accepted must abide by its terms for the duration of the turn. If he reneges on his promise not to attack and the Treachery optional rule is in play (which is recommended), the Noble is guilty of Treachery and must suffer the consequences described. This rule could be used for Barons when laying siege to a Stronghold as well if an elimination variant is being used.
When Kingdom troops are levied a Casualty Marker is placed on the City for each 100-troop card, temporarily reducing its defensive force. These can be removed per the normal method. Penalties for Casualty Markers and Breach Tokens on Cities are not cumulative (e.g. if a City has both a Breach and Casualty, it only has a penalty of 100). Once the maximum number of troops has been levied from a City (i.e. 100 troops per 100 City strength), no more can be until at least one Casualty Marker is removed. If a City with Casualty Markers becomes neutral due to a revolt (the citizenry having mustered their own troops to replace what had been levied) all markers are removed, but they remain if taken over by another Noble.
DIPLOMATIC CONQUEST Barons may attempt to enlist a Kingdom City’s support (not one overseas) diplomatically by sending a Noble with an appeal to its citizenry. This is initiated with either a “Mobilize Forces” or “Versatile Action” card, playing it like any attack and placing it in the “Assembly” or “Wages” area appropriately. The Baron then spends either 1 Faith or twice the City’s income in Crowns. For neutral Cities or Cities forcefully controlled by another Baron, the top Fate Card is drawn. If the result is “Revolt!” the Noble takes control of it immediately, placing a Control Marker beneath the City, and a Baron Marker next to it. If the result is “No Revolt” the City’s loyalty lies elsewhere and the Faith or Crowns he spent campaigning are gone, although he is free to make another attempt on any subsequent turn. For Cities that are diplomatically owned by another Baron, 3 Fate Cards must be drawn, and only if all 3 are “Revolt!” does ownership change.
DEFECTOR Barons may attempt to turn an opposing Noble by spending 30 Crowns or 3 Faith and drawing 3 Fate Cards. If the result of all 3 cards is “Revolt!” the Noble defects, but if one of them is “No Revolt” he stays loyal. A defected noble is controlled just like any other Noble, although upon defection he loses Regular troops, who return to the first Baron’s Stronghold, and if he held an office it is discarded. If the Noble refuses, the Baron retains the Crowns he offered, but can never attempt to turn a Noble of that color again. Whether the Noble accepts or rejects the offer, however, the Baron must forfeit 3 Influence points back to the Pool, as his devious actions have become known.
Offers cannot be made to Cities if the controlling Baron has a Noble or a garrison (refer to the “Garrison” variant) in the City. Nor can offers be made to a City once that Baron has at some point in the game attacked or besieged it. Barons may send a Noble to renegotiate the diplomatic takeover of a City they have lost as long as they have never attempted to take it by force.
ALTERNATE 2 or 3 PLAYER RULES Instead of razing 11 Kingdom Cities for a 2 or 3 player game, raze 9. The rule restricting the placement of Strongholds on the outer rim is nullified. Put 20 Influence in the Pool per player.
If a Baron forcefully takes over a City that is diplomatically controlled by another Baron, the Baron Marker of the previous owner remains next to it to indicate its political disposition. That Baron can always come back and retake the City by merely paying 1 Faith or twice the City’s income in Crowns, without having to draw a Fate Card, as long as the current Baron’s owner does not have a Noble or garrison in the City. If the City revolts or is diplomatically taken over, however, the Baron Marker of the previous owner is removed. Diplomatically controlled Cities have a much smaller chance of revolting, allowing Barons to draw 3 Fate Cards during Upkeep. Only if all three cards show “Revolt!” do they do so.
LIMITED HEIRS It is assumed that every Noble has at least one heir that can take his place if he dies, barring the “No Heir” Event Card (although see “Miracles Can Happen” above). When the first heir is killed the Baron draws a Fate Card. Unless he picks a card with the symbol for the Noble that was killed, he has another heir and can be replaced on the board during Upkeep. To make it more difficult this can be reversed, in which case the Noble has an heir only if his symbol is drawn. This process could also be used to determine the lineage of Barons if some form of elimination variant is being used (see “Modified Player Elimination”). 3
ADVANCED OPTIONAL RULES MODIFIED PLAYER ELIMINATION With this variant Barons have at least 1 heir, and possibly more, ala the “Limited Heirs” optional rule, using the Baron crest on the Fate Card to determine if an heir exists (i.e. the Baron has no heir if he picks his own crest). If a Baron’s Stronghold is razed but he is either not executed (see “Win By Influence”), or has an heir, the defeated Baron must forfeit half of his Influence to the Pool, then during Upkeep may replace his Stronghold as stated in “Attacking A Stronghold” in the original rules, although with 4 breaches on it, indicating it’s still being constructed. If “Win By Influence” is being used the victor is instantly awarded 3 Influence tokens (instead of 1 City and half the defeated Baron’s Crowns). If the attacking Baron shows no mercy and the executed Baron has no heirs, then use the optional “Player Elimination” rule in the original book with two changes: all his Influence tokens are returned to the Pool, and his Nobles remain on the board. If any Nobles were in the Stronghold, the victor may decide to execute the Baron but spare his Nobles, which for the time being should be placed to the side of the board. During Upkeep, it’s possible that surviving Nobles might pledge fealty to one of the Barons, who in turn may spend Crowns or Faith to vie for their loyalty. Starting with the Baron with the most Influence and proceeding accordingly (draw Fate Cards to determine ties, the Baron who picks his own crest first going before the other), each Baron draws 1 Fate Card. If a card with one of the surviving Noble’s symbols on it is picked, that Noble has approached the Baron and offered his allegiance. The Noble is immediately placed on the Baron’s Stronghold. The Noble retains his army, but must “Draw for Deserters” (see “Noble Death” in the rules), and any offices he held are discarded. If the Fate Card a Baron draws does not match the symbol of a surviving Noble then he gains no new Noble. No more than one Noble can be given to each Baron per elimination. A Baron may attempt to influence a particular Noble by paying 10 Crowns or 1 Faith before drawing his Fate Card, giving him the ability to draw 3 Fate Cards and picking the Noble symbol of his choice. However, even if none of his Fate Cards depict a surviving Noble he loses his Crowns or Faith. Any Nobles remaining after every Baron has drawn are removed from play along with all troops, having given up on their quest for power.
WIN BY INFLUENCE A Baron is crowned king only by possessing the most Influence when the Pool runs out. Political favor becomes more important than sheer amount of property owned, but owning Cities is still fundamental to winning. With this variant Influence is flexible and may fluctuate up and down as the game proceeds. Although still accumulated during Upkeep at a rate of 1 token per City owned, certain actions or events cause a rise or fall in Influence instantaneously. Instant Influence is awarded no matter what circumstances a Baron finds himself in, while the Influence gained during Upkeep is affected per the usual rules (e.g. a Baron who’s Stronghold is under siege would not get Influence for Cities during Upkeep). The below table depicts a list of what will cause an instant Gain or Loss of Influence.
Win By Influence Gain/Loss Table Action/Ownership Kingdom City Overseas City Diplomatic City Loss of Stronghold Half of Unrazed Kingdom Cities Raze a Stronghold Battle Victory at 1:2 Odds Battle Defeat at 2:1 Odds Head of Church Chairman of Assembly Each Single army of 500 of more Act of Kindness Attempts Noble Defection Treachery
Gain N/A N/A N/A N/A 3 3 1 N/A 3 3 1 1 0 0
Loss 1 2 0/1 Half 3 N/A N/A 1 3 3 1 N/A 3 1-8
Note that taking over a City does not provide an instant boost to Influence, which is still gleaned during Upkeep per the normal rules. However, losing a City does impart an instance Loss. Items that have a Gain and Loss that are equal indicate those that provide a boost in Influence only so long as the condition exists or the item is held, while others have a more permanent impact. It is recommended that the Treachery optional rule be used. If not, the Treachery item will of course not apply. The Loss value for diplomatically owned Cities is based on how the City is lost. If taken over by force, which leaves the Baron Marker in place, there is no loss of Influence, but if taken over diplomatically or due to revolt, in which case the Baron Marker would be removed, 1 Influence is lost. Acts of Kindness include: the Head of Church giving a Green Event Card to another Baron or taking a Red Event on himself, a Baron using Faith to cancel a Red Event that’s affecting another Baron, covering the cost of a Red Event for a Baron who can’t afford it, granting Capitulation (if Capitulation is used), letting a Noble go free after defeating his army instead of killing him or holding him for ransom (if Ransom is used), cutting taxes in half for all Cities Taxation, or paying double Wages to all troops Wages. More Gains and Losses could be added but should be carefully considered and agreed upon.
WIN BY INFLUENCE 2 Another variation of this optional rule removes the acquisition of Influence each turn during Upkeep for Cities, placing it into the same category as other items for instant Gain or Loss. In this case, starting Influence is not calculated based on the number of players participating, but on the number of Kingdom Cities that are razed at the start of the game, plus 5 (e.g. for 3 players the number of tokens in the Influence Pool would be 7+5=12). Replace the Gain/Loss values for Cities in the previous table with those below.
Win By Influence 2 Gain/Loss Table Action/Ownership Kingdom City Overseas City Diplomatic City City under siege
Gain 1 2 2 N/A
Loss 1 2 1/2 1
If at any time a Baron who has pledged fealty to the new King takes an action the King feels is treasonous, the King may brand him a traitor, at which time the offending Baron suffers the penalties of “Treachery” (even if the “Treachery” variant isn’t being used for any other aspect of the game). That Baron is then once again at risk of City revolts along with Barons who refused to pledge fealty. If at any time all remaining Barons concede the throne to the King, or if every unrazed Kingdom City falls under his control, the game ends.
The “City under siege” item constitutes a temporary loss only, and the Influence is returned if the siege is lifted. If the City is lost as a result of the siege, the Influence lost for the siege is subtracted from the Loss listed for losing a City (e.g. a Kingdom City under siege causes a temporary loss of 1 Influence as long as the siege is going on, meaning that if the siege were to lift the Influence would be returned, but that if the City were to be lost, the Influence would be permanently gone, and if the City was overseas, an additional Influence would be lost at the time of takeover since the total Loss of an overseas City is 2).
If a Baron manages to raze the Stronghold of the new King but chooses to spare his life, or if the King has an heir, the royal power he had vanishes. He loses half his Influence, 3 Votes and 3 Faith, and he is subject to any elimination options in play. The Baron with the most Votes becomes Chairman of Assembly and the Baron with the most Faith becomes Head of Church. Iif the Baron who was King still has enough Votes or Faith he retains either position, although cannot retain both, keeping whichever he has the most tokens for. Revolts for all Barons revert to the normal process, and play continues until the Influence Pool runs out again.
CORONATION In this variant the game is not over when the Influence Pool runs dry, but it does give the Baron with the highest Influence score the sole claim to the throne. That Baron now has the blessing of the Kingdom and the church and is crowned King. He gains 3 Votes and 3 Faith, and receives the Chairman of Assembly and Head of Church status. Furthermore, his Cities as well as the Cities of any Nobles who ally with him will never revolt, even without the presence of a Noble (or garrison, if the “Garrison” option is being used). Conversely, for all Cities not under his authority Barons must draw 2 Fate Cards instead of 1 when they check for revolts, with a revolt occurring if either card shows “Revolt!” If a City revolts it falls under the control of the King, who places a Control Marker beneath it.
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