Feudum Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Bits
• The Board
• Setup
• Playing the Game
• Playing a Round
• Step 1: Take Actions
  • Extra or Sequential Action
  • Long Live the King
  • Card Symbols
• The Eleven Action Cards
  • 1. Migrate Action
  • 2. Move Action
  • 3. Influence Action
  • 4. Improve Action
  • 5. Explore Action
  • 6. Harvest Action
  • 7. Tax Action
  • 8. Conquer Action
  • 9. Defend Action
  • 10. Repeat Action
  • 11. Guild Action
• Guild Membership
• Feudums, Vassals & Military Service
• The Six Guilds
  • 1. Farmer Guild
  • 2. Merchant Guild
  • 3. Alchemist Guild
  • 4. Knight Guild
  • 5. Noble Guild
  • 6. Monk Guild
• Step 2: Nourish Pawns
• Step 3: Roll Progress Die
• Step 4: Advance Epoch Marker & Score Epoch (if triggered)
• Step 5: End Round / Game & Final Scoring
• The Winner
• Attack & Defense Summary
• Goods Summary
• Royal Writs

The Bits

• 1 Game Board
• 9 Vessels (3 per kind)
• 44 Location Discs (outposts, farms, towns and feudums)
• 55 Action Cards (11 in each of 5 player colors)
• 17 King's Seals / Rosary Beads
• 12 Archery Targets
• 1 Epoch Marker
• 16 Royal Writ Cards
• 15 Pawns (3 in each of 5 player colors)
• 1 Starting Player Marker
• 50 Silver and Gold Shillings (43 silver "1s" and 7 gold "5s")
• 20 Player Discs / Reeves (4 in each of 5 player colors)
• 100 Influence Markers (20 in each of 5 player colors)
• 1 Progress Die
• 5 Player Pouches (1 in each of 5 player colors)
• 30 Saltpeter Goods
• 30 Sulfur Goods
• 30 Iron Goods
• 30 Wood Goods
• 50 Food Goods
• 1 Haversack
• 2 Monsters (1 behemoth, 1 sea serpent)
• 24 Region / Landscape Tiles
• 3 Rulebooks, 15 Reference Cards (German, French and English)

The Board

King Daniel's dominion is divided into 6 regions (sea, island, forest, desert, badlands and mountain) and flanked by 6 medieval guilds (Farmer, Merchant, Alchemist, Knight, Noble and Monk).

The board also features 22 spaces for location discs (outposts, farms, towns and feudums) and a host of other functional areas relevant to gameplay, including the Scoring Track, the Military Service Track, the Region / Landscape Tiles area, Ferryboat Routes, the Region Tile Chart, the Epic Voyage Track, the Wine Barrels, the Guild Track, and the Trade / Pull / Push guild functions.

Setup

Place the board in the middle of the table. Each player selects a color and puts the following into his personal supply: 3 pawns, 4 player discs/reeves, 11 action cards, 7 influence markers, 7 food, 7 shillings, 1 player pouch and 1 reference card. Each player places his blank player disc on the scoring track.

Now, create a general supply of resources as follows: Place the vessels near the Alchemist Guild. Place the influence markers and monsters near the Knight Guild. Place the king's seals/rosary beads near the Noble Guild. Place the shillings and archery targets near the board.

Shuffle the Royal Writ cards and put them facedown. Create six stacks of region tiles in descending order. Remove the double-sided location discs including the 12 feudums and put them in the general supply. Shuffle the remaining locations and place the ones marked with a circle on the starting spaces circled in pink, and the others on the remaining map spaces. Finally, turn all the location discs face up.

Place goods into the Merchant Guild as shown, leaving the last space in the saltpeter and sulfur rows empty. Place goods into the Alchemist Guild as shown, leaving 2 spaces in the food cart and 2 in the sulfur bowl empty. Also, randomly draw 2 vessels and place them in the guild. Put the rest of the goods into the haversack. From the general supply, place 2 influence markers per player in the Knight Guild as shown. If there are fewer than 4 players, add "dummy" rows so there are at least 4 colors in play.

Shuffle all 17 king's seals (red side up) and draw 4 to place on the scrolls in the Noble Guild as shown. Draw 4 more and flip to reveal rosary beads and put them in the Monk Guild on the rosary. Draw 1 more and flip to reveal a rosary bead and place it atop a chicken in the Farmer Guild. Randomly draw 10 goods from the haversack and put them in the barn in the Farmer Guild.

Place the epoch marker on the epoch I space (the first sunray). Randomly select 6 goods from the haversack and place 1 in each region beside the location featuring the letter "N". Randomly select a starting player and give him the starting player marker and the progress die.

In turn order, each player selects 3 different goods of his choice from the haversack. If a player chooses a sulfur good, he must decide whether to put it into his wine barrel (it helps nourish your pawns) or into his personal supply (it lets you play two actions in a row).

In turn order, select a character icon on one of your pawns and position it face up beside one of the 6 starting locations circled in pink. Immediately place an influence marker from your personal supply onto the 5 vp hexagon in the guild bearing the same icon as your pawn. If the hexagon is occupied, place it on the 3 vp hexagon. You are now ready to play the basic or advanced game.

Advanced rules appear in these nifty little scrolls throughout the rulebook.

Playing the Game

The object of Feudum is to be the "most venerated in all the land." Less loftily put, players try to score the most veneration points (vp) over 5 epochs — typically 7-10 rounds. Each round, players use action cards to move pawns, influence locations, interact with guilds and a slew of other things.

During the game, you will secure membership status in different guilds by putting pawns and/or feudums into play. You will also race to rule locations, as this reinforces your guild status, and unlocks additional actions. Latecomers must settle for serfdom — but this can be advantageous!

Players who hurry to improve locations in each region are rewarded immediate vp and valuable region tiles! Tiles can be traded for any good, or used by your serfs to tend landscapes. As tiles are drawn, the dawn of each epoch is triggered and vp are scored for status in the guilds, landscapes tended and regions in which you are active.

If you are ambitious, you may acquire a feudum to become a vassal and increase your guild status immensely. However, you then must pay homage to the king by conquering opponents throughout the game to avoid negative vp for disloyalty.

All players may trade with guilds to get the resources they need. However, only guild members may move goods from guild to guild in return for immediate vp! You may decide to thwart the flow of goods, but be warned, a player could throw you a "feast" and perform your guild powers while you are incapacitated.

When one region tile stack is empty the game ends and final vp (such as Royal Writs) are scored.

Playing a Round

Each epoch is made up of 1 or more rounds. Each round consists of 5 steps:

• Step 1: Take Actions. All players secretly select 4 out of their 11 action cards. Then, each player executes them one at a time in turn order.
• Step 2: Nourish Pawns. All players must sustain pawns on the board with food and/or wine.
• Step 3: Roll Progress Die. Roll the progress die to determine a region tile to remove.
• Step 4: Advance Epoch Marker & Score Epoch (if triggered). If a new epoch is triggered, advance the epoch marker, score veneration points and replenish the board with resources as directed. Otherwise go to Step 5.
• Step 5: End Round or End Game & Final Scoring. Pass the starting player marker clockwise and begin a new round. If epoch 5 was triggered during the round, the game is over. After scoring the epoch, perform final scoring.

Step 1: Take Actions

All players secretly choose 4 action cards from their decks to create a hand for the round. Unselected cards are set aside. When everyone is ready, the starting player plays 1 card face up and carries out the action. Play continues clockwise, one card at a time, until all players have played all of their chosen cards.

Regular Action: Any player may perform the regular action depicted on the top section of the card.

Special Ability (Advanced Game): Possession of a certain good or having a particular pawn in play gives you the option to perform the special ability depicted at the base of the card. Special abilities enhance or replace the regular action. For example, a move action card depicts the monk pawn and his special ability.

Extra or Sequential Action

During card selection, you may play a saltpeter or sulfur good to gain a bonus during this round. Place the chosen good on top of your player pouch to signal which bonus you intend to use:

• Extra Action: Playing a saltpeter allows you to add a fifth action card to your hand.
• Sequential Action: Playing a sulfur allows you to play 2 action cards back to back on a single turn. Sulfur stored in your barrel may NOT be used for sequential actions (see Nourish Pawns).

After the extra or sequential action is carried out, remove the good from your player pouch and discard it into the haversack. You may play either an extra or sequential action once per round, but NOT both.

Note: You must play at least 1 selected action card each turn, however you may forfeit the action.

Long Live the King

If you wish, you may wait to see if anyone before you in turn order has placed a saltpeter or sulfur onto his player pouch before you finalize your card selections. When a player makes his selections, he must announce, "Long live the king." Once this is uttered, a player may not change his selections.

Card Symbols

The following symbols appear on some action cards:

• This card may be played again by using the repeat action card later that same round.
• This card may not be played again in the same round even if the repeat action card is played.
• This card may not be the last card you reveal this round.
• Perform the regular action or the special ability, but not both.
• Score veneration points (vp).

The Eleven Action Cards

1. Migrate Action

You may migrate 1 of your pawns to or from the board. If you choose to migrate a pawn onto the board, turn in a food for the journey. Now, take a pawn from your personal supply, rotating it so that 1 of its 6 characters faces up. Finally, place it beside a location already containing 1 of your pawns or influence markers. If neither are in play, place your pawn beside 1 of the 6 pink-circled starting locations.

If you migrate a pawn from the board, return it to your personal supply without food penalty.

Note: Having a pawn in play earns a player membership status in 1 of 6 guilds.

"Distant Kin" (Advanced Game): If you have an Alchemist pawn already on the board, you may migrate a new pawn onto the board to any of the 6 starting locations instead (even without one of your pawns or influence markers there).

The Six Pawn Characters: Farmer, Alchemist, Merchant, Knight, Noble and Monk.

2. Move Action

Your total movement allowance is equal to the number of pawns you have on the board. Movement may be divided among multiple pawns. Pawns move from 1 location to the next and may move along roads or special vessel routes.

Pilfer Resources: At the end of your Move Action, if one of the pawns you moved is beside a location containing a resource, you may pilfer 1 resource from that space. (This includes resources atop landscape tiles such as goods, targets or shillings.) You may not pilfer from a farm you rule or a landscape that your own serf is tending (limit 1 pilfered resource per movement action).

Vessels & Vessel Routes: If you have a vessel in your personal supply, you may place it under 1 of your pawns on the board, and move along the vessel route matching the vessel. The pawn remains atop the vessel until the pawn moves away from the route. Deploying a vessel does not count as an action and can be done at any time during your turn. Once the vessel is placed, it may not be taken off the board. Routes: submersible route, ship route, flying machine route.

Abandoned Vessels: If you are using a vessel and decide to continue movement to another location requiring another mode of travel, you may abandon the vessel and continue movement on a road, or by deploying a different vessel from your personal supply. On a future turn, any player (including you) may board the abandoned vessel during a movement action.

Ferryboats: Ferryboat routes can be used by any player for a payment of 2 shillings to the general supply. Each payment grants a single, one-way trip. Important: Ferryboat routes are closed if the Alchemist has 1 or more vessels for sale within his guild!

Epic Voyage: If you successfully play the Move Action twice in a single round (see Repeat Action), you may take 1 of your player discs and place it on the first space of the epic voyage track. If you are already on the track, advance your disc to the next space. Upon reaching a space marked with a card icon, draw 2 Royal Writ cards and keep 1 of them. Return the other card to the bottom of the deck.

The epic voyage track is divided into sections. At the end of the game, the leading player disc in each section will score the higher of the two veneration point values printed in that section (3/5, 7/9, 11/13 vp). If 2 discs are tied, they both score the higher value. The fourth section contains only 1 space: the monastery. Any marker reaching this spot will receive 17 vp. Note: A pawn must move at least 1 space for the move action to be successful.

"Godspeed" (Advanced Game): If you have a Monk pawn on the board, that pawn may move +1 space at the end of your regular movement action. The monk pawn does not have to be part of your regular movement action. If you have multiple monks, choose 1 to perform this ability.

3. Influence Action

You may add 1 influence marker to each location containing one of your pawns. For example, if all of your pawns were at different locations, you could add 3 influence markers.

During the game, a location may hold a maximum of 3 influence markers belonging to 2 different players. No player may have more than 2 of his own markers at a location.

Rulers, Subjects & Serfs: If you are the first to add an influence marker to a location, place your marker on TOP of the disc to become its ruler. If you are the second (and different) player to add a marker, place it beside the disc to become a serf. This earns you the right to tend a landscape.

On a future turn, either player may add 1 final influence marker. If you are already the ruler, add your marker beside the disc to reinforce your rule as a subject. If you are a serf, bump the ruler down to the serf position, leaving your new marker on top as the location's new ruler.

Guild Status & Active Regions: The locations you rule may increase your guild status, and earn you veneration points for active regions.

"Money is Influence" (Advanced Game): If you use your Merchant pawn to influence a location ruled by an opponent's SINGLE marker, you may pay 1 shilling to the general supply to move his marker to the serf position and place yours on top as the ruler (even though you are merely tied for influence). If you have multiple merchants, choose 1 to perform this ability.

4. Improve Action

Turn in the required resource to improve a location you rule as follows:

• outpost to farm (wood)
• farm to town (iron)
• town to feudum (king's seal)

Replace the location disc with the NEW one from the general supply and place your ruling influence marker on top. If you improve a town to a feudum, choose one with an icon related to the guild in which you wish to gain status.

Note: If you improve from a farm to a town, discard all goods that were on the farm into the haversack.

Region Tiles & Veneration Points: As a reward for improvement, draw the top region tile from the stack that matches the region where the improvement occurred. The tile must be from the current or a former epoch, or it is prohibited. Consult the region tile chart and score veneration points based on the tile's epoch number and the new location. For example, if you improved a farm to a TOWN and the tile drawn had the Roman numeral I on it, you earn 3 vp as printed on the chart.

If the tile is prohibited, draw a former epoch tile from a different region tile stack. You score NO points for collecting this tile. If there are no former epoch tiles available, do not draw a tile.

Wild Tiles: Collected region tiles are considered "wild," and may be substituted for any good (food, wood, iron, sulfur or saltpeter) at any time. Alternatively, they may be used as a landscape. Note: Removing region tiles may trigger the next epoch.

"Tend Landscape" (Advanced Game): If you turn in Wood to the haversack, you may place 1 of your collected landscapes beside any location where you are the serf and score 2 vp. Only 1 landscape is allowed per location. Landscapes may not be replaced. Important: Play this instead of the regular improve action.

Immediately upon placing a landscape, AND at the dawn of each subsequent epoch (after scoring), take 3 designated resources and add them to the tile. Each time, you may choose to collect all of the resources that have accumulated, or let the resources continue to grow. When you decide to collect the resources, you must pay 1 resource to the location's ruler. The landscapes and their resources are:

• Orchard: food
• Archery Butt: targets
• Silver Mine: shillings
• Sulfur Mine: sulfur

Note: Targets are traded in for influence markers from the general supply when you collect the resources.

At the dawn of each epoch (before adding resources), score veneration points for each landscape tended by your serf(s). Score 2 vp per empty landscape and 4 vp per landscape containing 1 or more resources. In order to score the higher value, players may forego immediate collection of resources. Of course, be aware that other players may pilfer resources! Note: Tended landscapes count towards active regions during epoch scoring.

5. Explore Action

If you rule an outpost, you may play the explore action. Draw 2 Royal Writ cards, +1 card for each additional outpost and/or feudum ruled, and keep 1 of them. Return the other card to the bottom of the deck.

Royal Writs: Royal Writ cards come in 2 varieties: Mandates and Charters. Mandates grant you resources (from the general supply) or attack strength, and may require you to either turn in a good (outlined by a square) or achieve guild status in order to realize the award. Charters grant you end game veneration points based on completed objectives. Mandates are already sealed by the king and can be played and discarded at any time; however, in order for charters to become valid, you must obtain a king's seal and place it on the card at the END of the game. You may not have more than 3 Royal Writ cards at a time, but may discard unused cards to the bottom of the deck at any time.

"Shovels & Swords" (Advanced Game): If you turn in an Iron to the haversack, draw 2 additional cards and pick another one to keep! Note: This is done AFTER the normal explore action is taken.

6. Harvest Action

If you rule a farm, you may play the Harvest Action to randomly draw 5 goods from the haversack to place beside 1 of your farms, and score 1 vp. Add +1 good for each additional farm and/or feudum ruled, and +2 to +5 goods for each rosary bead in your possession.

Note: The maximum harvest permitted on a single action is 10 goods — even if your yield calculation is higher. Note: If a farm has 10 or more goods, you may not harvest there again until the farm drops below 10 goods.

On a future turn, you may play the Guild Action (trade) to move all goods from a ruled farm to the Farmer Guild to acquire 1 food or 1 shilling for every 2 goods traded.

Favors: In lieu of placing the total harvest onto 1 of your ruled farms, you may choose to randomly draw and place a partial harvest there, and then randomly draw and place the remaining goods (favors or "kickbacks") into your personal supply. Consult the harvest chart to see how a total harvest breaks down into a partial harvest plus favors.

Total Harvest	5	6	7	8	9	10
Partial Harvest	4	5	5	5	6	6
Favor(s)	1	1	2	3	3	4

Rosary Beads: Rosary beads increase your total harvest yield from +2 to +5 additional goods for as long as you possess the bead(s). However, if you take the allotted favors (a rather unholy act), your bead(s) are immediately flipped over and become king's seals (you give up future harvest bonuses, but gain king's seals).

"Inspect the Harvest" (Advanced Game): If you have a Farmer pawn in play, you may visibly choose your favors after randomly drawing the total harvest.

7. Tax Action

If you rule a town, you may play the Tax Action to collect 2 shillings. Add +1 shilling for each additional town and/or feudum ruled.

"Reinforcements" (Advanced Game): If you have a Knight pawn on the board, you may also collect 1 influence marker from the general supply, or from the Knight Guild if the general supply is depleted. If you have multiple knights, you still only receive 1 influence marker.

8. Conquer Action

If 1 or more of your pawns occupies the same location as an opponent's pawn or feudum, you may attempt to conquer and remove it from play. Important: The Conquer Action may not be your last action in a round. Also, outposts, farms and towns may NEVER be targeted.

A successful Conquer Action scores you 2/4 vp and lets you move 1 of your player discs onto the military service track.

Players may attack or defend with multiple pawns; however, only 1 pawn or feudum may be targeted. Pawns or serfs belonging to a third player do NOT factor into the battle. To win, your attack value must be greater than your opponent's defense value. A tie is a failed action.

Conquering a Pawn: When attacking a pawn, players add up the attack and defense values of:

• Character pawn(s): +1 attack, +2 defense
• Monster pawn(s): +1 attack, +1 defense

If the attack is successful, score 2 vp, return the conquered pawn to the opponent, adjust guild status and, if desired, move 1 of your player discs (blank side up) onto the military service track. If the pawn was atop a vessel, the vessel remains on the board.

Conquering a Feudum: When attacking a feudum, players add up the attack or defense values of the following:

• Character and/or Monster pawns
• Ruled feudum: +2 defense
• Defending subject: +1 defense
• Rebelling serf (of attacker): +1 attack

If the attack is successful, score 4 vp, replace the feudum with an outpost, adjust guild status and, if desired, move a player disc onto the military service track. Return all influence markers to their respective owners unless you had a rebelling serf there. If so, place the serf atop the outpost to rule it. Any goods or landscape tiles remain.

Saltpeter & Weapons: Turn in 1 saltpeter to the haversack to increase your attack by +1. Important: Typically, you may only use 1 saltpeter. However, if your knight is involved in the attack, you may use as many as needed! Additionally, any of your pawns may use weapons to increase your attack by +1 or +2. Saltpeter and/or weapons may be added even after your opponent flips over a defend action card.

"Starve the People" (Advanced Game): If you have a Noble pawn beside a location with an opponent's subject or serf, you may conquer 1 of them and return it to its owner. Important: Play this instead of the regular Conquer Action. You do not earn veneration points (as this act is quite ignoble), but you may move one of your player discs onto the military service track. Important: After a successful "starve the people" action, remove ALL alms (rosary bead discs) atop the chickens and return them to the general supply.

9. Defend Action

If an opponent attacks 1 of your pawns or feudums, and you preselected the Defend Action, you may flip it over out of turn and add +1 to your defense and score 1 vp. If no one attacks you during the round, you still collect 1 vp.

"Royal Immunity" (Advanced Game): If you turn in a Food to the haversack, you may play this action out of turn to nullify a noble's Starve the People action against you. Additionally, place a king's seal from the general supply beneath your subject or serf to denote royal immunity from further Starve the People attacks! You may remove and use the king's seal at any time; however, your subject or serf will revert back to its unprotected status.

10. Repeat Action

The Repeat Action lets you execute any action card you have already played during that round again, provided it features the (x2) symbol at the top.

"Déjà vu" (Advanced Game): If you turn in a Saltpeter to the haversack, you may execute a card that does not feature the (x2) symbol a second time in the round. For example, the Migrate Action could be played a second time in the same round to enter a second pawn onto the board. Note: The Conquer and Defend Actions may never be played twice in one round as indicated by the (x2) symbol.

11. Guild Action

A Guild Action lets players interact with 1 of the 6 guilds that flank the game board. A Guild Action lets you perform 1 of 3 guild functions: trade, push or pull. Any player may trade for goods depicted at the base of each guild. The player with the highest status in a guild is the guild master and may perform the push function. The player ranked second in status is the journeyman and may perform the pull function. Note: In a game with 4+ players, the third ranked player is the apprentice.

Repeating Guild Action: If a player plays the Repeat Action to perform the Guild Action again, he must interact with a different guild.

1. Trade (Any Player): You may trade for resources at a guild (even if you are not a member).

• Farmer Guild: 1 food (from haversack) or shilling for every 2 goods sent to Farmer Guild
• Merchant Guild: 1-3 goods for stated shilling price
• Alchemist Guild: 1 vessel for 3 shillings
• Knight Guild: 1 row of Influence markers for 3 shillings
• Noble Guild: 1 or 2 King's Seals for 3/6 shillings
• Monk Guild: 1 rosary bead for 3 shillings

Trading Procedure: When you trade shillings for resources, you must pay guild members in rank order. For example, if the total cost is 3 shillings, you would pay: 1 shilling to the guild master, 1 shilling to the journeyman, and 1 shilling to opposite side of board into the farmer's purse or church coffer. (The apprentice's share ALWAYS goes to charity!) If guild members are absent, return their shillings to the general supply (except for the apprentice's share). If the cost of resources is higher than 3 shillings, simply repeat the sequence until the cost has been satisfied. Important: Even though guild members who trade with their own guilds will pay themselves, they still MUST have the total shillings required to complete each purchase.

2. Pull (Journeyman): The journeyman pulls resources into his guild (from the guild on the left) to score 3 vp and to draw 2 Royal Writ cards, keeping 1 of them. Return the other card to the bottom of deck. Note: The Monk Guild is to the left of the Farmer Guild, and the Alchemist Guild is to the left of the Knight Guild.

3. Push (Guild Master): The guild master pushes resources out of his guild (to the guild on his right) to score 4, 5, or 6 vp based on outcome.

"Feast" (Advanced Game): If you turn in a Sulfur from your wine barrel to the haversack, you may throw a feast for any pawn or feudum owner your pawn is beside. Perform his push/pull function to score his regular points +3 vp. If a push function triggers the distribution of the church coffer or farmer's purse, take his share of the shillings.

Guild Membership

Guild membership is a crucial part of the game. Not only does it enable you to perform the push and pull functions during a Guild Action for immediate veneration points, it also earns you recurring vp at the dawn of each epoch. Membership in a guild is realized by earning related status stars as follows:

• Each related pawn in play: +1 (primary)
• Each related feudum ruled: +3 (primary)
• Each related location ruled: +1 (secondary)

You must have at least 1 of the guild's primary criteria (pawn or feudum) in play BEFORE the guild's related location (outpost, farm or town) counts towards status in that guild.

Guild Track: If you have earned 1 or more status stars in a guild, you MUST immediately place an influence marker from your personal supply onto the related guild track. If you have no influence markers in your personal supply, place one in the guild as soon as you get one. Influence markers in guilds may not be voluntarily removed.

Guild Status: The player with the most status stars places his marker on the space furthest to the right on the guild track denoting him as guild master. Players with the second and third most status stars place markers to the left in descending order and are known as the journeyman and apprentice respectively. The guild master, journeyman and apprentice score 5, 3 or 1 vp respectively at the dawn of each epoch. Note: The apprentice space is NOT used in a game with less than 4 players. Whether or not the space is occupied, the apprentice portion of a payment is ALWAYS sent to the opposite side of the board to the church coffer or farmer's purse.

You must surpass (not tie) another player in status stars to take his spot on a guild track. When this happens, replace his marker with yours and bump his marker 1 square to the left (or return his marker if no space remains).

Reeves (Advanced Game): When you perform a journeyman's pull or a guild master's push, you may add a maximum of 1 Reeve disc to the guild (top left or right respectively) to immediately score a bonus of +1 vp AND another +1 vp if your second reeve is in play at another guild! A future push or pull done with your reeve present will score in the same manner. Note: Players who throw feasts do NOT score for their opponent's reeves. If you switch from journeyman to guild master or vice versa, move your reeve to that side of the guild. If you are demoted to apprentice (4 to 5-player game), or get bumped off the guild, return the reeve to your personal supply. Note: Using your reeves may limit you from entering the Epic Voyage and Military Service Tracks!

Feudums, Vassals & Military Service

The moment you rule a feudum, you become a vassal, earning you powerful status in the related guild. However, you must now pay tribute to the king in the form of military service. If you do not perform several conquer actions by the end of the game, you could lose veneration points for disloyalty. Tip: Even one conquer action will help a vassal immensely.

The military service track works as follows: When you conquer an opponent, you may place 1 of your player discs (blank side up) on the FIRST catapult projectile space on the military service track. After each subsequent conquer action, place another one of your discs on the SECOND space and so on.

If you fail to perform conquers by the dawn of the epochs designated with catapult icons, you must subtract the vp noted in the epoch's related catapult space, as well the negative value in the uncovered space(s) before it. In this way, penalties for disloyalty are cumulative. You may satisfy your military service earlier (or later) than the designated epoch.

For example, epoch 4 was just triggered. The yellow player has a feudum but is not on the military service track. At the dawn of epoch 2, he lost 3 vp. Now, he will lose 4 vp, plus another 3 vp for still not covering the first catapult space. So far, yellow has lost 10 vp. If he fails to get a player disc onto the track before the end of the game, he will lose another 12 vp, for a total of 22 vp lost over the course of the game.

Non-Vassals: If you do not rule (or no longer rule) any feudums, you are not subject to point deductions. Even without a feudum, a player may still put player discs onto the military track for each successful conquer action in anticipation of becoming a vassal later.

The Six Guilds

When playing a Guild Action, you must choose 1 of 3 guild functions. Note: There are limited resources in the game and a shortage may weaken or prevent a guild action.

1. Farmer Guild

Trade at Guild: Any player may send all goods from one of his ruled farms to the Farmer Guild to receive 1 food or 1 shilling for every 2 goods sent. Note: Acquired food and/or shillings are taken from the haversack and/or general supply.

Surplus: Any goods sent to the Farmer Guild above its limit of 10 go back into the haversack, UNLESS there are beads atop the chickens. The sum of the beads here is the number of goods that randomly "spill over" into first the Merchant Guild and then the Alchemist Guild if space permits. Whatever is left, or does not fit, goes back into the haversack.

Pull into Guild: The journeyman at the Farmer Guild pulls 2 rosary beads from the Monk Guild with the lowest and highest values and gives them to an opponent who secretly divides the beads into two closed fists. The journeyman selects a fist and places the chosen bead (alms) onto an empty chicken space in the Farmer Guild, returning the other to the rosary. If the new sum of beads atop the chickens is 5 or more, score 3 vp and draw 2 Royal Writ cards keeping 1 of them.

Push out of Guild: The guild master at the Farmer Guild moves 5 goods (fewer if impossible) from the Farmer Guild to the Merchant Guild. Place the goods in their respective bins. If there is no room for a particular good, you may not transfer it. If you complete 1/2/3 rows or columns, you receive 4/5/6 vp respectively. Note: During this function, you may complete rows or columns, but not both, as a good may not count twice toward your goal.

Farmer's Purse: When the guild master at the Farmer Guild performs the push function, he splits any shillings in the farmer's purse with the journeyman, keeping the odd numbered shilling. If there is no journeyman, that portion remains in the purse for the next distribution.

2. Merchant Guild

Trade at Guild: Any player may purchase a maximum of 3 goods from the market. The shilling cost is located under the good itself.

Pull into Guild: The journeyman at the Merchant Guild moves 3 goods (fewer if impossible) from the Farmer Guild into the Merchant Guild. If you complete at least 1 row or column, score 3 vp and draw 2 Royal Writ cards keeping 1 of them.

Push out of Guild: The guild master at the Merchant Guild moves 4 goods (fewer if impossible) from the Merchant Guild to the Alchemist Guild. If you complete 1/2/3 carts and/or piles, you receive 4/5/6 vp respectively.

3. Alchemist Guild

Trade at Guild: Any player may purchase 1 vessel from the Alchemist Guild for 3 shillings.

Pull into Guild: The journeyman at the Alchemist Guild moves 2 goods (fewer if impossible) from the Merchant Guild to the Alchemist Guild. If you complete at least 1 cart/pile, you score 3 vp and draw 2 Royal Writ cards keeping 1 of them.

Push out of Guild: The guild master at the Alchemist Guild completes 1-3 inventions (either vessels and/or barrels of krud) by removing available goods from the carts/piles per the production chart and returning them to the haversack.

Production Chart:

• Ship: 1 food + 2 wood
• Submersible: 1 food + 2 iron
• Flying machine: 1 food + 1 iron + 1 wood
• 1st barrel of krud: 2 saltpeter + 1 sulfur
• 2nd barrel of krud: 1 saltpeter + 1 sulfur
• 3rd barrel of krud: 1 wood

If you complete 1/2/3 inventions, you receive 4/5/6 vp respectively. Note: While the first krud barrel will always cost 3 goods, multiple barrels created are completed with increasing ease.

Vessels & Closed Ferryboat routes: When vessels are completed, the creator stacks them on the vessel space covering the ferryboat symbol. Note: If the symbol is covered by one or more vessels, ferryboat routes are CLOSED!

Krud Barrels: When barrels of krud (gunpowder) are invented, the creator fills up the leading barrel section in every player's row with influence markers at the Knight Guild! Each player has a row divided into 3 barrel sections. The first barrel holds 1 marker per player, the second holds 2 markers and the final barrel holds 3. If at least 1 player has an entire row empty, 3 barrels can be invented — otherwise barrel creation is limited. ("Krud" is Old Danish for gunpowder and was made by mixing saltpeter, sulfur and dry wood.)

4. Knight Guild

Trade at Guild: Any player may pay 3 shillings to acquire all the influence markers in his row.

Pull into Guild: The journeyman at the Knight Guild pulls goods from the Alchemist Guild to invent either 1 krud barrel to add influence markers, or 1 vessel to place in the Alchemist Guild. Either way, score 3 vp and draw 2 Royal Writ cards keeping 1 of them.

Push out of Guild: The guild master at the Knight Guild pushes 1-3 different colored influence markers to the general supply and exchanges them for king's seals to place onto the scrolls in the Noble Guild (without peeking at the values underneath). If you complete 1/2/3 rows or columns, you receive 4/5/6 vp respectively. Note: During this function, you may complete rows or columns, but not both, as a king's seal may not count twice toward your goal.

Tame the Beast (Advanced Game): After purchasing a row of 3 or more influence markers, you may return 3 of them to control a single monster. (Return 2 to the general supply, and place the third marker onto the related monster icon to indicate ownership). Then, immediately deploy the monster to any location containing one of your influence markers or pawns. (Sea Serpent must be on a port bordering the sea or river). The sea serpent is limited to ship and submersible routes. The behemoth is limited to roads and flying machine routes. If either monster is defeated, return it to the Knight Guild for reuse and retrieve your influence marker.

Behemoth & Sea Serpent: Monsters add to your movement allowance, and can pilfer, conquer and use weapons just like pawns. However, there are some differences:

• Monsters pin opponent pawns unless the pawn migrates off the board, or defeats the monster
• Monsters have only a defense of +1
• Monsters can NOT influence locations, perform feasts or use vessels
• You do not need to feed them (they eat people)

5. Noble Guild

Trade at Guild: Any player may purchase 1 or 2 king's seals for 3/6 shillings.

Pull into Guild: The journeyman at the Noble Guild pulls 2 different colored influence markers from the Knight Guild into the general supply and exchanges them for king's seals. If you complete at least 1 row or column of scrolls with the seals, you score 3 vp and draw 2 Royal Writ cards keeping 1 of them.

Push out of Guild: The guild master at the Noble Guild pushes 2 king's seals (fewer if impossible) over to the Monk Guild and flips them to reveal rosary beads. If the sum of the numbers on the rosary beads reaches at least 5/11/17, score 4/5/6 vp respectively.

6. Monk Guild

Trade at Guild: Any player may pay 3 shillings for the chance to collect a favorable rosary bead. Take 2 beads from the rosary with the lowest and highest values and give them to an opponent who secretly places each bead into a closed fist. Select a fist and place the bead into your personal supply, returning the other to the rosary. Rosary beads increase your harvest yield during the harvest action.

Pull into Guild: The journeyman at the Monk Guild moves 1 king's seal (land grant) from the castle over to the rosary and flips it to reveal a rosary bead. If the sum of the rosary now totals 11 or more, score 3 vp and draw 2 Royal Writ cards keeping 1 of them.

Push out of Guild: The guild master at the Monk Guild takes 2 beads from the rosary with the lowest and highest values and gives them to an opponent who secretly places each bead into a closed fist. Select a fist and place the chosen bead (alms) onto a chicken space in the Farmer Guild, returning the other to the rosary. If the new sum of beads atop the chickens is at least 3/6/9, score 4/5/6 vp respectively.

Church Coffer: When the guild master at the Monk Guild performs the push function, he splits any shillings in the church coffer with the journeyman, keeping the odd numbered shilling. If there is no journeyman, that portion remains in the church coffer for the next distribution.

Step 2: Nourish Pawns

After the last action card is played in a round, you must nourish your pawns with food and/or wine (using a wild tile is optional). Unnourished pawns go back into your personal supply. If losing a pawn takes you out of a guild, retrieve your influence marker from that guild.

Food: To nourish a pawn with food, turn in 1 food to the haversack. Player-controlled monsters do not need feeding.

Wine: To nourish a pawn with wine, remove a sulfur good from your wine barrel and place it atop the pawn to sustain it for 2 full rounds. At the end of the following round, simply remove the sulfur from atop the pawn to satisfy the nourishment requirement (the pawn has sobered up). While wine is a more efficient way to nourish pawns, it carries a risk! Important: During the first round when the pawn carries the sulfur, its defense and attack capabilities are reduced to 0.

Wine Barrels & Sulfur: Upon purchasing, pilfering, or acquiring a sulfur in any way, you must decide whether to place it into your personal supply, or into your wine barrel. Your wine barrel may hold a maximum of 3 sulfur goods. (Medieval wine was preserved by placing sulfur in the wine barrels.)

Step 3: Roll Progress Die

After nourishing pawns, roll the progress die and remove a region tile matching the region rolled. The tile to be removed must be from the current or a former epoch. If it is not, roll again until one is removed. If no region tiles from the current or a former epoch remain, do not roll the progress die.

Step 4: Advance Epoch Marker & Score Epoch (if triggered)

After rolling the progress die, consult the region tile chart to see if a new epoch has been triggered based on the following criteria:

Epoch Advancement Criteria:

• Epoch II: 4 epoch II tiles must be showing
• Epoch III: 3 epoch III tiles must be showing
• Epoch IV: 2 epoch IV tiles must be showing
• Epoch V: 1 epoch V space must be showing

If a new epoch was triggered, advance the epoch marker to the next sunray and do the following:

1. Score Epoch (dawn of all epochs):

• Guild Status: 1/3/5 vp
• Landscapes: Empty landscape 2 vp; Landscapes with at least 1 resource 4 vp
• Active Regions: 1/3/5/7/9/11 vp (score for each region occupied by either a ruler or a landscape-tending serf)

2. Subtract for Disloyalty (epochs 2, 4 & 5 only): Subtract for disloyalty (-3/-4/-5 vp) if you rule a feudum but have not covered the current epoch's catapult space. Also, cumulatively subtract points for previously uncovered spaces.

3. Replenish Landscapes (dawn of all epochs): Add 3 appropriate resources to each landscape tile. Serfs must decide if they wish to collect all accumulated resources or leave them on the tile. When serfs collect, they must pay 1 resource to the location's ruler.

4. Replenish Map (epochs 2, 3 & 4 only): Randomly select goods from the haversack and place 1 in the southern, eastern, or western-most location in each region per the direction icon in the sunray. Look for the locations containing the letter S, E, or W (goods are placed at Northern locations at the beginning of the game). Goods placed on farms become part of that farm's harvest.

5. Replenish Guilds (dawn of epoch 3 only): At the dawn of epoch 3, replenish the 6 guilds with resources so they cover the spaces indicated at setup. (Leave any extra resources where they are.)

Step 5: End Round / Game & Final Scoring

At the end of the round, pass the starting player marker clockwise, take up all your action cards and begin a new round. However, if epoch 5 was triggered during the round, the game is nearly over. Complete all remaining actions and score the epoch as usual.

Then, perform Final Scoring as follows:

• Epic Voyage: 3/5, 7/9, 11/13, 17 vp. Score the higher value if you are in the lead (or tied) in any section.
• Large Empires:
  • Each outpost, farm, town ruled: 1 vp
  • Each feudum ruled: 3 vp
  • 3 identical locations ruled: 3 vp (Here, a feudum is "wild" and may either match itself or another location type)
• 3 Shillings: 1 vp
• Royal Writ with king's seal: vp per the card

The Winner

The player with the most vp is heralded, "most venerated in all the land!" If there is a tie, the player with the most sulfur left in his barrel wins (sobriety is more honorable). If there is still a tie, the players share in the victory.

Attack & Defense Summary

• Pawns: +1 attack, +2 defense (0 on wine)
• Monsters: +1 attack, +1 defense
• Saltpeter: +1 attack (knight unlimited)
• Weapons: +1 or +2 attack
• Feudum: +2 defense (feudum attacks)
• Defending Subject: +1 defense (feudum attacks)
• Rebelling Serf: +1 attack (feudum attacks)

Goods Summary

• Saltpeter: extra action, +1 attack, déjà vu
• Sulfur: sequential action, nourish pawns, feast
• Iron: improve to town, shovels & swords
• Wood: improve to farm, tend landscape
• Food: nourish pawns, royal immunity
• Region tile: good of choice

Royal Writs

Mandates (play once anytime):

• Use bow for free: +1 attack
• Turn in wood: +2 attack
• Use sword for free: +1 attack
• Turn in iron: +2 attack
• Turn in food: 3s
• Turn in wood & food: 7s
• Turn in iron, wood & food: 9s
• Turn in sulfur, iron, wood & food: 13s
• Turn in food: flying machine (drawn from supply)
• Turn in wood: ship (drawn from supply)
• Turn in iron: submersible (drawn from supply)
• Reach 3 in 1 guild to earn 3 goods, 3s or any vessel (drawn from supply)
• Reach 3 in 1 guild to earn 3 influence, 1 seal or 1 bead (drawn from supply)

Charters (play at game end):

• End game with 2 or 3 sulfur in barrel: 5/7 vp
• If you defeat either monster during game: 7 vp
• Eastern Kingdom (per location ruled): 3/5/7/9 vp
• Western Kingdom (per location ruled): 3/5/7/9 vp
• Northern Kingdom (per location ruled): 3/5/7/9 vp
• Central Kingdom (per location ruled): 3/5/7/9 vp
• Southern Kingdom (per location ruled): 3/5/7/9 vp
• Isolated Kingdom (per location ruled): 5/11/17 vp

…the fable continues in the expansion, Windmills & Catapults.

Author: Mark Swanson. Artist: Justin Schultz. © 2017 Odd Bird Games.