Courtisans of Versailles
Courtisans of Versailles Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. Object of the Game
You are at the court of the Sun King, in the prestigious setting of the Château de Versailles. You will successively take on the roles of several members of one family of COURTISANS, sometimes a man, sometimes a woman. Your goal is to make a fortune and to receive honours and riches. There is only one way to do it: please the masters of the place. But beware, the other courtiers will do everything they can to lower your standing with the King and the Queen and send you to a less pleasant residence, the Bastille.
The first player to amass 50,000 livres wins.
2. Components
A box of COURTISANS contains:
- 1 game board showing the Château de Versailles, the apartments of the King and those of the Queen, with a graduated scale from -2 to 9 that shows each player's STANDING (cote) with the King (blue) and with the Queen (red). The higher a courtier's standing, the easier it is to obtain favours from the King.
- 1 deck of 110 cards.
- 2 figures representing the King and the Queen.
- 24 courtier silhouettes (4 per player), serving as markers on the standing scale and identifying each player.
- 2 ten-sided dice, one blue and one red.
- 1 rulebook.
- 1 pad of sheets forming the Great Register of Courtiers (Grand Registre des Courtisans).
The publisher permits private reproduction of the courtier silhouette sheet so that the game can be played with 7 or 8 players.
3. Etiquette
Court life at Versailles is not like anywhere else. Life at court is governed scrupulously by Etiquette, and the formal "vous" form of address is mandatory. During the game you will need to use correct and courteous language when addressing the other players and when defending your own interests.
Players must address one another giving, in this order: QUALITY (Madame, Mademoiselle or Monsieur); DIGNITY (Maréchal); NOBILITY TITLE (Duc, Marquis, Comte or Baron); FAMILY NAME (d'Argenson, and so on); and finally the OFFICE held (Gouvernante des Enfants de France, Contrôleur Général des Finances, and so on). A player may cite only some of these elements, but never in a different order. A courtier who holds several noble titles is addressed by his highest title.
Breaches of etiquette are immediately sanctioned by the GRAND CHAMBERLAIN in office. Examples are a mistake about a courtier's sex, a mistake about his name, or saying "A toi Jojo" instead of "A vous mon cher Marquis de La Trémière". The Grand Chamberlain has the power to impose penalties of 1,000 livres for each error observed, which he notes immediately on the Great Register of Courtiers. If the player has no money, the debts are noted instead (-1,000, -10,000...).
At court, "fair play" is required. If the Grand Chamberlain himself commits a breach of etiquette, he must withdraw the usual penalties from himself.
4. The Grand Chamberlain
One player is designated, or drawn by lot, to be the first Grand Chamberlain. He is both game master and referee: the Grand Chamberlain sees that the various phases of play run correctly and that etiquette is respected. He keeps the Great Register of Courtiers, where he notes the players' incomes. Above all, he imposes penalties for failure to respect etiquette. At the start of the next turn he is replaced by the player seated on his left.
5. Party and Origin of the Queen
Each courtier defends the interests of a foreign power at court. Three powers are represented in the game: England, Spain and the Netherlands. One speaks of "being of the English party, the Spanish party or the Dutch party". "Being of the Queen's party" means, for example, being of the English party when the sovereign is originally from England.
At the start of the game, each player draws lots to determine his party. Afterwards, when a courtier dies and is replaced by a member of his family at court, the new courtier freely chooses his party.
6. Setup
Laying out the board
Spread the game board in the centre of the table.
The board includes several kinds of spaces whose functions you will discover during play. The 3 spaces in the upper left of the board are used to locate the court: it may be "at the hunt" (à la chasse), "at war" (à la guerre) or "at Versailles". The presence of the King's figure on one of these spaces determines where the court is (see 7.3). Below these location spaces are 3 locations that receive cards. The "War Ministry" (Ministère de la Guerre) receives declaration-of-war cards; the "King's House" (Maison du Roi) collects offices, titles, dignities and pensions that have not been assigned; and "the draw pile" (la pioche) holds the undealt cards. Below these locations appear the royal apartments of the Château de Versailles: the Queen's apartments are outlined in red and the King's in blue. In the upper right of the board, the map of Europe is used to indicate the Queen's origin by placing her figure on her country of origin. Finally, the last two spaces on the board serve, one to imprison at the Bastille the courtiers who do not have standing, and the other to transport exiles to the distant French colonies.
Place the King's figure on the "Versailles" space. This means that "the court is at Versailles".
Shuffle the deck of cards and deal 6 cards to each player. The remaining cards form the draw pile, which you place face down in the centre of the board on the space provided for it.
Designate the player who will be the first Grand Chamberlain (the role changes every turn). Give him a pen. During a turn, he is responsible for "running the game", keeping the Great Register of Courtiers, and marking the penalties (fines) he gives to players.
Give each player a set of 4 courtier silhouettes of the same colour: 2 men and 2 women. Indeed, during the game you will have to play male and female characters in turn.
Each player chooses:
- a NAME for his courtier (de Quelque Chose... de Maintenon, de la Tour qui Penche, and so on). The Grand Chamberlain writes it at the top of the Great Register of Courtiers.
- the sex of his character (choose it according to the cards that were dealt to you), to be noted in the QUALITY box of the Great Register of Courtiers.
At the Grand Chamberlain's invitation ("Monsieur de Bourgengelle, please roll this die..."), each player rolls the die to determine the PARTY of his first character. The dice used are ten-sided dice. A "0" counts as 10. A result of 1, 2 or 3 places you in the English party; 4, 5 or 6 in the Spanish party; 7, 8 or 9 in the Dutch party. Re-roll the die if you rolled 10. Note your party on the Great Register of Courtiers.
Set the goal of the game, that is, the amount of fortune to be reached to be declared the winner. The rules suggest choosing between a quick game: 30,000 livres (a game of about 90 minutes), or a complete game: 50,000 livres (about 2 hours 30 minutes).
Ask "an innocent hand" to draw lots for the origin of the first Queen. Roll a die and proceed as before. Place the Queen's figure on her country of origin on the map of Europe on the board.
THE GAME MAY BEGIN.
7. Course of the Game
A turn is made up of 4 successive and independent phases.
7.1. Phase 1: Presentation at Court
A courtier who arrives at Court for the first time (at the start of the game or after a death) must be presented to the King and the Queen. This is an important moment, when his first standings are determined. When the Grand Chamberlain calls for it, each player rolls the two ten-sided dice. The red die gives the standing with the Queen; the blue die gives the standing with the King. If a die shows 0 (10), roll it again.
Players who are "of the Queen's party" add 2 points to their standing with the Queen. The maximum standing is 9.
Each player places his 2 courtier silhouettes (either men or women, according to his earlier choice) on the spaces matching his results in the King's apartments (blue on the board) and in the Queen's apartments (red). Of course, several players may be on the same space.
7.2. Phase 2: Negotiations (5 minutes maximum)
This is one of the most delicious moments of the game, since you will try to persuade the other players to take actions in your favour during the game. The players talk to each other, may form alliances, or on the contrary join forces to the detriment of a courtier who is "very much in favour". They may negotiate around the table or withdraw to a neighbouring room. A player may show his cards to another player (but exchanging cards between players is forbidden). Monetary transactions are possible: you may pay another player to play one of his cards in your favour, or to have the court move, or to intervene on your behalf with the King, to convene a tribunal, and so on.
7.3. Phase 3: Location (by the Grand Chamberlain)
The Grand Chamberlain decides whether the court stays at Versailles or goes "to the hunt". If he chooses the hunt, he moves the King's figure from the "Versailles" space to the "hunt" space. Be careful: if France is at war, the court stays at war to support the morale of the troops (see 9.3).
7.4. Phase 4: Round of Play
The Grand Chamberlain always plays first, then it is the turn of the player seated on his left, and so on. At the end of the round, the Grand Chamberlain plays a second time to complete the round. He then passes the role to the next player, who in turn becomes the Grand Chamberlain for the new turn of the game.
7.41. Breakdown of a Player's Turn
On his turn, a player may take several actions:
Take a card
The first card of the draw pile, or a card of his choice from the face-up pile on the "King's House" space.
Play a card
For himself, or for or against another player, or for or against the King or the Queen. For example: an "Accident in the hunt" card against the Queen, or a "War wound" card against the King. To play a card, place it face up on the table facing the targeted player and immediately apply its consequences. Some cards require, to take effect, that the player who plays them submit a REQUEST (requête) to the King or to the Regent when the King has died (see 8.0). Once played, cards are discarded (except for exceptions). They will be returned to play when the draw pile has been emptied.
Request an audience
These audiences have 6 possible purposes: take an office from another courtier, marry, remarry the King, intervene for or against a courtier, free someone from the Bastille, or bring back someone from exile (see 8.4).
Give one or two cards to another player
This constitutes a single game action.
Each player has two actions per turn. These two actions may be different or identical.
Example: I take the first card of the draw pile, then I play a card from my hand.
Another example: I speak well of another courtier to the King, and then I ask the King for the title of Marquis (a request card), and so on.
In addition to his two actions, a player may also use a POWER granted by an OFFICE card.
Use a power
Certain OFFICE cards grant particular powers. These are indicated at the bottom of the card. A power may be used only once per turn (see 9.5).
Payment of income
At the end of each player's turn, the Grand Chamberlain notes the player's income on the Great Register of Courtiers, in the FORTUNE column: he totals the sums shown on each exposed card.
Example: a player who has in front of him a Marquis card (5,000) + a Maréchal de France card (2,000) + a Pension card (2,000) receives 9,000 livres at the end of his turn. The Grand Chamberlain adds this sum to the Fortune column (cumulative sum).
Be careful: the income of a married courtier is shared equally between the two spouses. Since the Grand Chamberlain plays twice per turn, he receives his income only at the end of his second turn of play.
Discard
You may not have more than 10 cards in hand at the end of your turn. Discard any excess cards at the end of your turn.
8. Requests
8.1. Definition
Using certain cards obliges the courtiers who play them to present a request. Making a request means asking the King (or the Regent) for a favour. A request may be made for oneself, or for or against another player. The cards that require requests are the PENSION, NOBILITY TITLE, OFFICE, MARÉCHAL and LETTRE DE CACHET cards. Only the player who holds the card may make the request, either for himself (asking to be made Duc, Maréchal, ... or to be granted a pension), for another player (his wife, his husband, an ally), or against another player (sending him to the Bastille by a Lettre de Cachet).
8.2. Presenting a Request to the King
A request is granted by the King (or the Regent). The player presenting a request rolls a ten-sided die to see whether it is granted. If the result of the die is less than or equal to his standing with the King (or the Regent), the request is granted and he places the card in front of him. If it is a "Lettre de Cachet", he returns it to his hand.
If the result of the die is higher than his standing, the request is refused. He immediately loses 1 point of standing with the King (his silhouette is moved back one space in the King's apartments), and the card is placed face up on the "King's House" space.
8.3. Bringing in the Queen
If a player has a better standing with the Queen than with the King, he may ask the Queen to present the request in his place. In that case there are 2 die rolls: a first one to see whether the Queen agrees to intervene, and a second one to see whether the King accepts the request. Both die rolls are made against the player's standing with the Queen.
Example: a player has 1 standing with the King but 8 with the Queen. He has the Chancelier card in his hand and would like to obtain that office. Having only a one-in-ten chance with the King, he prefers to ask for the Queen's intervention. He therefore rolls the red die twice. On the first roll he gets 7, a result lower than his standing with the Queen, so she agrees to intervene. He may then roll the die again to see whether the King agrees to listen to his wife. He gets 5, again lower than his standing with the Queen, so the King grants him the post of Chancelier.
If the first roll fails, that is, the result is higher than the standing with the Queen, the player loses one point of standing with her and may not make a second die roll. If the second roll fails, that is, the result is higher than the standing with the Queen, the player loses 1 point of standing with the King: despite his wife's intervention, it is he who is refused the request.
8.4. Audiences
There are 6 reasons for an audience with the King, the Queen or the Regent. Audiences are resolved like requests, but they do not require a special card.
Take an office (audience with the King or the Regent)
One may take the office held by another player, either to appropriate it, or to give it to another courtier, or so that it has no holder (the card is then placed in the "King's House"). An office may change holder only once per turn.
Be careful: the Royal Treasury pays the pensions attached to an office only once per turn of play.
Example: Paul obtains from the King the office held by Jean. No one can take this office away from Paul again during this turn. But Jean played before Paul and has therefore already received the income from the office. Paul will therefore receive nothing this turn for this office!
Marry between courtiers (audience with the King or the Regent)
Two characters of opposite sex may marry. It is enough for the King to authorise it (audience of one of the two). The marriage is binding as soon as the King has accepted it. There is no divorce. The other partner does not need to agree.
The wife takes the family name and the noble title of her husband, but not the card (mind the respect of etiquette). The spouses share the income each of them receives separately, except when one of them is in the Bastille (see 12.0).
A widow keeps the noble title(s) of her deceased husband.
Example: Mademoiselle de la Tour qui Penche marries Monsieur le Marquis de la Trémière. He has her obtain the post of Gouvernante des Enfants Royaux. At the end of her turn, Madame la Marquise de la Trémière receives half of her Gouvernante des Enfants de France pension; the other half is paid, at the same time, to her husband. At the end of the Marquis de la Trémière's turn, the Marquise receives half of the Marquis's pension.
Remarry the King (audience with the King)
If the King becomes a widower, a courtier may present him with a foreign princess to marry, for example a princess from the country whose interests he defends at court. If the King accepts, the Queen's figure is placed on her new country of origin. At once, all the courtiers are presented to the new sovereign, and those of her party add 2 points to their new standing.
Intervene for or against a courtier (audience with the King, the Queen or the Regent)
This is the act of saying good or ill of another courtier, either to the King or to the Queen. As with a request, the player rolls a die to see whether the chosen sovereign listens. If the request is accepted (result less than or equal to his standing), the royal ear hears it! The die is rolled again to determine the result of the intervention: 1 to 5: plus or minus 1 point of standing for the targeted courtier; 6 to 10: plus or minus 2 points of standing for the targeted courtier. One point is added, or subtracted, if the player making the intervention has a standing of 8 or more with the sovereign concerned.
Example: the Marquis Jean de la Trémière obtained from the King an office previously held by Paul Serizet Van Broutmou. Piqued, Serizet Van Broutmou therefore INTERVENES with the King: he says all the ill he thinks of the Marquis de la Trémière. Serizet Van Broutmou has a standing of 8 with the King. The first roll gives a 4, so the King listens. A second roll gives a 6: Jean de la Trémière drops by 2 + 1, that is, 3 points of standing with the King. To complete his revenge, Serizet Van Broutmou complains to the Chamberlain that he was addressed by the ridiculous nickname "Paul" by his adversary... who must immediately apologise to him and pay a fine!
Free a courtier imprisoned in the Bastille (audience with the King or the Regent)
If the King (or the Regent) agrees, the freed courtier immediately presents himself at Court.
Bring back a courtier from exile (audience with the King, the Queen or the Regent)
If the King, the Queen or the Regent agrees, the courtier returns from exile and immediately presents himself at Court.
9. Cards
9.1. Conditions of Use
On his turn, a player uses cards for or against his own character, for or against the character of another player, or for or against the King or the Queen. There are conditions of location, sex and minimum standing for a character to "receive" a card, good or bad. These conditions are represented by symbols drawn at the top of each card.
Location condition
The court may be in three different places: at the Château de Versailles (château), at the hunt (hunting horn), or at war (cannon) on the theatre of military operations. The court is normally at the Château de Versailles, but the Grand Chamberlain may decide to go to the hunt (see 7.3). Finally, a war may break out at any time and "force" the Court to go and support its troops (see 9.3).
Cards with "a château" may therefore be played only if the court is at Versailles; cards with "a cannon" only if the court is at war; and cards with "a horn" only if the court is at the hunt. Cards that have no location symbol may be played wherever the court is.
Sex condition
Some cards may be played only on women and others only on men. These cards are designated respectively by a portrait of a woman in red and a face of a man in blue.
Minimum standing condition
The coloured number indicates the minimum standing the character must have in order to receive the card. The colour indicates with whom this standing is required: blue for the King and red for the Queen.
Example: a blue 5 indicates that the character receiving this card must have at least 5 points of standing with the King. A red 5 means the character must have at least 5 points of standing with the Queen.
Other conditions
Other conditions may be required to play a given card. These conditions are stated in the body text of the card:
- Titled: the character must have at least one NOBILITY TITLE (Baron, Comte, Marquis or Duc) to present this request or receive this office.
- Lover of the Queen or Favourite: this card may only be played against the character who is the LOVER OF THE QUEEN or the current FAVOURITE.
- Someone in the Bastille: the JUSTICE card may only be played against a character imprisoned in the Bastille.
- Exiled courtier: the GLORY TO THE COLONIES card may only be played on a character in exile.
- Woman who has used POISON or a PHILTRE: these cards may only be played against courtesans who have actually used one or more POISON or PHILTRE cards during the game.
9.2. Cards with Requests
This category includes all the cards that provide INCOME, plus the LETTRE DE CACHET cards.
Lettre de Cachet
Allows a player who does not have standing (0, -1 or -2) with the King or the Regent to be sent to the Bastille. This card is played against one person at a time. If the request is accepted, the card is kept; if the request is refused, the card is placed on the "King's House" pile.
Nobility Title
Duc, Marquis, Comte and Baron. A single courtier may hold several noble titles.
Office (Charge)
Chancelier, Contrôleur général des finances, Secrétaire d'État à la Guerre, Maître de la chasse, Gouvernante des Enfants de France, Première dame de compagnie de la Reine, Dame d'atours de la Reine, Gouverneur de Gascogne, de Normandie ou du Bourbonnais.
A courtier may hold only one office at a time (except provincial governorships, which may be held together). If he obtains a second office, he gives up the first one by placing its card in the "King's House".
Dignity
There are 2 cards that grant the dignity of Maréchal. Of course, these 2 cards may not be combined.
Pension
2,000 or 4,000 livres of income. Pensions may be combined.
9.3. War Cards
France enters a war, and the court leaves Versailles to go to the front, when a "WAR AGAINST..." card is played by one of the players. The card is immediately placed face up on the "War Ministry" space of the board, and the King's figure is moved to the "war" space. France may be at war with several countries at once if several "WAR AGAINST..." cards are played in succession.
A single "THE WAR IS WON" or "THE WAR IS LOST" card immediately ends the conflict. All the cards stacked on the War Ministry are then discarded, and the court returns to Versailles (move the King's figure to mark the new location). The death of the King or of the Regent also immediately ends the war, and the court returns at once to Versailles (see 10.1).
Finally, the office of "Secrétaire d'État à la Guerre" grants the special power to declare or to end a war (see 9.5).
9.4. Event Cards
Event cards are there to spice up the course of the game. Place these cards in front of the targeted player and apply their consequences directly. There are four kinds of possible consequences:
Variation of standing with the sovereigns
Apply these variations immediately by moving the courtiers' silhouettes in the royal apartments.
Variation of fortune
The Grand Chamberlain immediately notes the money gained or lost, up or down.
Elimination of a character
Permanent (death of a character) or temporary (in the Bastille or in exile). This concerns the King, the Queen, the Favourite or the Lover of the Queen, or any other character.
Privileged status with a bonus to requests
Example: the Favourite has a bonus of -2 for requests to the King, that is, each time she makes a request to the King, 2 points are subtracted from the result of the die, which noticeably increases her chances of seeing her request granted.
Notes: all these cards, once played, are discarded, except the FAVOURITE and LOVER OF THE QUEEN cards, which the player must keep and place in front of him to remind everyone of his privileged position with a sovereign.
9.5. Powers Granted by Certain Offices
Five office cards grant additional powers. These powers may be used only once per turn, during the player's own turn. This action is "free": it is performed in addition to the turn's actions. The power is summarised at the bottom of the cards.
CHANCELIER
May bring a courtier imprisoned in the Bastille before a court. Roll a die to learn the verdict: 1 to 3, death penalty; 4 to 6, exile; 7 to 9, a fine equal to half of the courtier's fortune*; 10, acquittal*. (* : immediate presentation at court.)
May have imprisoned in the Bastille the courtier of his choice who does not have standing with the King or the Regent (space 0, -1, -2).
CONTRÔLEUR GÉNÉRAL DES FINANCES
May have an exceptional pension granted to the courtier of his choice, or to himself. Roll a die. The amount of the pension, paid immediately, equals the result of the die multiplied by 500.
SECRÉTAIRE D'ÉTAT À LA GUERRE
May sign peace with all the countries then at war against France. The court immediately returns to Versailles. The cards stacked on the War Ministry are discarded.
May declare war, once per turn, on the country of his choice (same as a "WAR AGAINST" card). The courtiers who support that country immediately lose 3 points of standing with the King and 2 with the Queen (unless she is originally from that country). The court goes to the front.
MAÎTRE DE LA CHASSE
May take the whole court to the hunt. Move the King's figure to the "hunt" space of the board.
May bring back the whole court from the hunt, which returns to Versailles. Replace the King's figure on the "Versailles" space.
Be careful: these actions are impossible while France is at war.
GOUVERNANTE DES ENFANTS DE FRANCE
May say good or ill of another courtier to the King or the Queen, who gains or loses 3 points of standing with the chosen sovereign.
10. Changes of Sovereigns
10.1. Death of the King and Regency
When the King dies, the courtiers' silhouettes present in the King's apartments are removed from the board. There is no longer a Favourite; the card is discarded. The court returns to Versailles. The Queen becomes Regent with all the powers of the King.
The Regency ends at the end of the turn following the turn of the King's death, when two new sovereigns then take the throne. If the King was a widower at his death, the turn of play ends immediately (see 10.3).
10.2. Death of the Queen
All the courtiers' silhouettes present in the Queen's apartments are removed, along with her figure. There is no longer a Lover of the Queen. There is no longer a Queen's party. A widowed King may remarry a foreign princess (see 8.4, "Remarry the King" — the printed text refers to this as "8.4.c").
Special card: SECRET MARRIAGE. A widowed King may also marry his Favourite. However, this marriage will remain secret. The Favourite does not become the Queen, so there is no presentation and no intervention with the Favourite-Wife. The cards that involve the Queen have no effect, as do those concerning the Favourite, who is now the King's morganatic wife. The King, not being able to be bigamous, will marry no other foreign princess as long as his secret wife is alive.
10.3. Death of the King and the Queen
The turn of play ends immediately and unpaid income is not paid out. All the courtiers' silhouettes are removed from the board. A new turn of play begins with a new Grand Chamberlain and the accession of two new sovereigns. The origin of the new Queen is drawn. At the Grand Chamberlain's call, the courtiers are Presented (see 7.1).
10.4. Death of a Courtier
The player's silhouettes are removed from the board. His exposed cards are lost, and the OFFICE, DIGNITY, PENSION and NOBILITY TITLE cards are placed on the "King's House" space, unless the courtier is married: indeed, on the death of a titled husband, a widow keeps the noble titles of her husband and continues to receive their income. This is not the case for a widower.
The player keeps his other cards and is temporarily eliminated from the game until he presents a new character at court during the Presentation phase at the start of the next turn of play. The dead character is then replaced by a member of his family (same FAMILY NAME), but of the opposite sex. "The niece inherits from her uncle, and the nephew from his aunt." The heir receives the whole fortune (or all the debts) of the deceased. The player chooses the party of his new character. On the Great Register of Courtiers, the Grand Chamberlain notes the new quality (H for a man, F for a woman) and the chosen party.
11. The "Exile" Space
When a courtier is sentenced to exile, his two silhouettes are placed on the "Exile" space. All his offices and pensions are removed from him (except his Noble Titles and his Maréchal Dignity); these cards are placed on the "King's House" space. If he held them, the "Lover of the Queen" or "Favourite" cards are discarded.
A courtier in exile may no longer make requests, receive an office, title, pension or dignity, or marry. But he may still take the first card of the draw pile, give one or more cards to another player, play a card, receive the income due to him, and negotiate with the other players so that they attempt an audience with the King on behalf of his pardon.
He returns from exile with the authorisation of the King or the Regent (audience made by another player), or automatically at the accession of two new sovereigns. He then presents himself with the other courtiers. The card "Glory to the Colonies" also allows the exiled courtier to return to favour.
12. The "Bastille" Space
On entering the Bastille, the player loses his pension and office cards (stack these cards on the "King's House"); he may keep only his Noble Titles and his Maréchal Dignity, but the income related to them is no longer distributed to him. If he held them, the "Lover of the Queen" or "Favourite" cards are discarded.
An imprisoned spouse no longer receives the income of his or her partner, who keeps everything.
In the Bastille, the player may not make requests, play a card, marry, or receive offices, titles, pensions or the Maréchal dignity. But he may take the first card of the draw pile, give one or more cards to another player, or play a JUSTICE card for himself.
He may leave the Bastille when authorised by the King or the Regent on an audience by another player, or after being brought before a court on an order of the Chancelier (see 9.5), or by means of a JUSTICE card. Once freed, he immediately presents himself to determine his new standings. Prisoners are automatically released at the accession of two new sovereigns.