Fief: France 1429 – Politics Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• P1.0 Attendants (6)
  • P1.1 Arsène – The Thief
  • P1.2 Esméralda – The Bohemian
  • P1.3 Gauthier – The Toll Collector
  • P1.4 Mathilde – The Spy
  • P1.5 Jaufré – The Minstrel
  • P1.6 Ancelin – The Strategist
• P2.0 Noble Attributes (21)
  • Phase 1. Hear Ye, Hear Ye
  • Phase 2. Draw & Play Cards
  • Phase 3. Income
  • Phase 4. Purchase
  • Phase 5. Movement
  • Phase 6. Battles
  • Opportunity Effect

P1.0 Attendants (6)

At the beginning of a game, each Player randomly draws an Attendant token who will serve the Player's family during the game. Below, each attendant is described in detail.

P1.1 Arsène – The Thief

At any time during the game (similar to an Opportunity card 2.4), the Player controlling the Thief may attempt to steal money from another Player (the victim). To do so, the Player chooses a victim who must then conceal all of his Deniers, in any combination, in his two hands. The Thief Player then chooses one of the victim's hands, and takes all the Deniers in it. After this, the Thief token is discarded from the game, not to be used again.

Note: The victim may choose to put all his money in one hand, leaving one empty.

P1.2 Esméralda – The Bohemian

Once per round During Phase 2. Draw and Play Cards (2.0), the Bohemian's Player may discard one card drawn from either the Lords or the Fortune and Disaster cards. For Lords and Fortune cards (brown and grey backed), the Player draws the card, looks at it, and chooses whether or not to discard it. For Disaster cards (black backed), the Player must choose whether or not to discard it before looking at it.

P1.3 Gauthier – The Toll Collector

During Phase 3. Income (3.0), the Toll Collector's Player collects 1 Denier from the Bank for each Bridge (as seen on the map) directly next a Village he controls. (This could be up to 5 Deniers, because there are a total of 5 Bridges on the map.)

The Player who drew GAUTHIER is the Starting Player at the beginning of the game.

P1.4 Mathilde – The Spy

Once per round the Spy's Player may look at another Player's hand. He may then steal a card and exchange it for one of his own cards. If the Spy steals a card, the Spy token is discarded from the game. The Spy may take this action any time during the game, similar to an Opportunity card (2.4).

P1.5 Jaufré – The Minstrel

During Phase 1. Hear Ye, Hear Ye (1.0), the Minstrel's Player receives an additional vote during the King's election if his family includes at least one female Lord!

P1.6 Ancelin – The Strategist

At the beginning of Phase 5. Movement (5.0), the Strategist's Player may choose to move all of his Lords and Troops:

• First, before all other Players move, or
• Last, after all other Players moved, or
• Remain in his current player position.

The other Players keep their normal turn order.

P2.0 Noble Attributes (21)

Note: the source's introduction says "18 Noble Attribute cards" while this heading and the list below give 21. Both are transcribed as printed.

During game setup, shuffle and place the Noble Attribute Cards in a draw deck next to the game board. When a Player places a new Lord card onto his Family Board during Phase 2. Draw and Play Cards (2.0), the Player also draws a Noble Attribute card. This card is placed under the Lord card, either face up or face down.

The Player may decide if he wants to reveal the card immediately. If so, he places the card face up. If it is a bad attribute that the Player wishes to keep secret, he may place the card face down. The Player MUST reveal an attribute, if it could affect game play in any way.

When a Lord attached to an Attribute card dies, the card is placed onto a Noble Attribute discard pile. If all Noble Attribute cards have been drawn, the discard pile is shuffled and becomes the new draw deck.

Below, the Noble Attribute card descriptions are arranged by Phase or Opportunity Effect:

Phase 1. Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• The BASTARD – May never marry.
• The UGLY – To marry, the Lord needs to pay 2 Deniers to the other Family.

Phase 2. Draw & Play Cards

• The BLESSED – This Lord is not affected by the Plague (but his Troops are still affected).
• The CURSED – For each Disaster card, roll a Battle Die in addition to the 1d6 to determine which Bishopric is affected by the disaster (2.3). On a Battle Die 'ff' (two hits) result, the 1d6 roll is ignored and the disaster affects the Bishopric or Outremer where the Cursed Lord is located.
• The UNLUCKY – The Bishopric this Lord occupies cannot have a Bountiful Harvest or Good Weather played on it (not even to remove a Disaster card).

Phase 3. Income

• The GOOD – This Lord receives +1 Denier, if he occupies a Fief's Principle Village during the Income Phase.
• The EXTRAVAGANT – This Lord's Player collects 2 Deniers less income per Title granting Victory Points (VPs) the Extravagant Lord has (i.e., the Pope, the King and any Fief Titles).
  • Example: ARTHUR is a Fief Baron and the King. The Player receives 4 Deniers less income.
• The TYRANT – This Lord extracts 2 extra Deniers from the Village he occupies during the Income Phase. Other Players may play an Uprising card on this Lord and his Troops at any time. The Uprising does not affect the Village the Tyrant Lord occupies, nor other Lords and Troops located in the same Village.

Phase 4. Purchase

• The AMBITIOUS – This Lord pays 2 Deniers less to purchase any Fief Title or the Cardinal Title.

Phase 5. Movement

• The STORM – This Lord can move (and battle) in a Bishopric affected by Heavy Rains (2.3.1).
• The SWIFT – This Lord may take 3 Moves (like d'ARC), if moving only with Knights.

Phase 6. Battles

• The COWARD – If this Lord is alone (without other Lords), he cannot initiate a Battle. If he is attacked by an opponent who has a greater SP army, he immediately surrenders (6.3), is captured, and all of his Troops are taken off of the map.
• The CRUEL – This Lord takes NO prisoners. All captured Lords are killed!
• The CUNNING – This Lord always has a 1 Battle Die Siege Engine counter with him. He may immediately attack a Stronghold/Fortified City and, without besieging it, his Siege Engine cancels 1 Attacker Battle Die Penalty (6.2.1).
• The FEARLESS – This Lord receives a +1f Battle Die bonus when he is the attacker and rolls at least one Battle Die.
  • Note: the printed text reads "+1f"; it is transcribed as printed.
• The LOYAL – This Lord cannot attack allied Lords (by marriage). He may, however, defend against any ally who attacks him.
• The PERSUASIVE – Before a Battle begins, this Lord may convert 1 Man at Arms from an opponent to his own.

Opportunity Effect

• The HEART BREAKER – This Lord can choose to permanently break a marriage alliance, if he captures either of the spouses.
• The ORDINARY – This Lord has no special attribute.
• The SAINT – This Lord may, once per game, take an unrevealed Relic from a Village he currently occupies.
• The SHADOW – This Lord may, once per round, execute a Secret Passage card effect (10.2) without having or playing the card. However, he may be accompanied by only one other unit.