King Arthur
King Arthur Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setting Up the Board
Before the first game insert four 1.5 volt batteries of the type (Penlight) AN LR6 into the stone. (If you're done, remove the batteries to ensure longer live & prevent leaking if the game isn't used for a longer period of time)
In addition, for the first time the three major sections should be carefully punched out of the folded cardboard. Then there are the four badges with the colors of the knights, the 12 equipment Tokens, 20 Pendragon Tokens which should be punched out.
Thereafter, and for each new game the part where the edge with the characters depicted, will function as the game board. The game board with the stone fits on top of this board. The whole is put in the middle of the table. The players will seat themselves so that they can all see the display of the stone. The sword is then gently inserted in the stone.
Each player chooses a knight and the badge of the same color, which will show throughout the game which color he/she plays. If less than four players participate, the remaining knights and badges will be placed in the box.
The equipment Tokens (armor, horse and lance) are sorted as well as the Pendragon Tokens and placed in four open stacks beside the game board.
There are 15 cards with a shield, or a (silver) sword or supplies. (In Dutch = Schild, Zwaard & Voorraad / In German = Schild, Schwert & Lager) These are goods cards. (Dutch = Goederen kaarten / German = Waren Karten)
Each player receives 1 shield, 1 sword and 1 supplies. The remaining goods cards are sorted in three open piles beside the game board.
The remaining 21 cards are adventure cards. They consist of 8 person cards, 4 potion cards, 4 golden swords, 3 item cards and 2 dragon treasure cards. Only when during the course of the game a character is referring to them, these cards will come into play.
Names of the Locations
The stone's locations are listed below with their German names as printed and their English names.
| No. | German | English | No. | German | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schwartze Burg | Black Castle | 12 | Ruin | Ruin |
| 2 | Höhle | Cave | 13 | Burg | Castle |
| 3 | Turm | Tower | 14 | Fährboot | Ferryboat |
| 4 | Hügelgräben | Tumuli | 15 | Gasthaus | Inn |
What's So Special About King Arthur?
The stone on the board includes electronics which invisibly and "magically" play along with the players. It brings the many characters to life, by reacting to the players and keeps putting up new challenges for them. Each game has a different course and even after having played the game often, you still encounter new characters and situations.
The Electronics
During the game the knights will be running along the roads from place to place. In each place, the player must decide whether to take an active or passive role. In both cases there will be a reaction that determines the further course of the game. At the bottom of the board, opposite the stone, there are:
2 Action Fields: "Explore" (Dutch: Verkennen / German: Erkunde) and "Do Nothing" (Dutch: Niets Doen / German: Nichts Tun, Passive)
5 Reaction Fields: "Friendship" (Dutch: Vriendschap / German: Freundschaft), "Fight" (Dutch: Gevecht / German: Kampf), "Retreat" (Dutch: Terugtrekken / German: Rückzug), "Ignore" (Dutch: Negeren / German: Igoriere), and "Give" (Dutch: Geven / German: Geben)
In the meantime the pawn may now not be moved. During the game play different acoustic signals play a role. To learn to recognize those signals, you must use the on/off button on the back of the stone, so the game is started. After the introduction by Merlin (No. 47 on the display), a random pawn should be placed on the 22: Lake field. Next simultaneously touch the pawn & the action field Explore.
The Six Sound Signals
- Harp (ascending): The fame of the player raises
- Harp (descending): The fame of the player reduces
- Drum roll: The player may play one or more cards or get Tokens
- Bird Cry: Nothing happens and the player can continue his turn
- Clock Stroke/Chime: A player's turn is over
- Error Sound: The player has performed an illegal move.
There are also sounds that indicate that a change of fame occurred, an indication on the display has appeared or that the batteries are low.
Choosing an Action or Reaction
A player chooses an action or reaction by simultaneously pushing the appropriate field (with a finger of one hand) and his knight's helmet (with the thumb and finger of your other hand) as long as until an electronic response follows. (If the air is very dry it is possible that the response takes forever. In this case it is advisable to moisten the fingertips by means of a sponge.)
On the face of the stone there is a display with numbers. Once a character comes into play, a 2-digit number appears. The same number is on the edge along the game board, so you can see with whom one has to deal. A flashing digit indicates that one of the five actions has to be executed (See next page for those actions). These actions can also be found on the edge of the board (upper right corner). They should be played immediately.
| Flashing Digit | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Move your pawn to the named field. |
| 2 | Move your pawn back to the previous field. |
| 3 | Take 1 Goods Card. |
| 4 | Return 1 Goods Card to the pile. |
| 5 | Return 2 Goods Cards to the pile. |
If you press the left button on the frontside of the stone (2), the last command is repeated, in case it's not properly understood. This button can also be used, if desired, to skip the introduction by Merlin and directly start the game ("skip intro").
By touching a knight and the button on the right in front of the stone (1), the display will tell you the amount of fame on the knight. A player may, at any time, determine the number of his knightly fame. All the knights start with 10 fame. Depending on the courage with which a knight travels through the adventures, he may lose or win fame, and therefore power.
Objective of the Game
In order to become king of England, you will need fame and equipment Tokens.
Fame points are obtained by:
- Exploring places and participating in adventures. (e.g. fight a dragon, save a lady) and
- Bringing Pendragon Tokens to the abbey.
The fame points are counted and tracked electronically. A player can at all times - as described on page 5 - check up on his fame points.
Equipment Tokens (armor, horse, lance), can be bought in the castles with the goods (shield, sword, or supplies) found throughout the course of the game or received as payment.
Two Types of Games
- The short game: The first one with 30 or more points of fame and two of the three equipment Tokens who returns to the rock, is the new king of England.
- The long game: The first one with 40 or more points of fame and all the equipment Tokens who returns to the rock, is the new king of England.
In order to make the game your own, it is advisable to start with the short game.
Turn Order
The game starts with the on/off switch on the back of the stone. At the start Merlin gives a brief introduction to the game and some clues. Then the youngest player starts. He places his knight on the "stone" (see list on page 2).
- To activate the short game, he simultaneously touches his knight and the action field "do nothing".
- To activate the long game, he simultaneously touches his knight and the action field "explore".
Merlin greets the player with further instructions.
The Greeting
Next, the player left to the starting player places his knight on the board. He holds it and touches "do nothing". And then the player left to him, etcetera. Until all players have their knights on the board Merlin greets every knight and this ensures that the game knows which knights are in play.
If all the knights are welcomed this way, the actual game starts.
The Actions on a Field
The youngest player starts, then the player to his left and so on. The player whose turn it is decides whether he:
- leaves his knight on his current position,
- or moves him one field further.
In both cases, he then decides whether he is active in that place ("explore") or that he is passive ("do nothing").
- "Explore": the player simultaneously touches his knight and the intended action field. This begins an adventure and one of the characters will ask the player for a response.
- "Nothing": A player simultaneously touches his knight and the intended action field. Usually a bird cry sound will be produced, which means that nothing happens. It is possible though, that a character will ask for a response from the player.
Please note that after a bird's cry this player's turn does not end. Whenever this signal sounds, the player performs the above options:
- It remains in place and decides to "explore" or "do nothing"
- or moves along 1 field and decides to "explore" or "do nothing"
Only after the clock stroke sound is a player's turn over. The next player's turn starts.
As a rule, fields cannot be skipped. There are two exceptions:
- A player begins his turn and hands in three shields. Then he puts his knight directly in a field of his choice.
- A character gives the order to any knight to move to a specified field. On the display the number "1" flashes. The knight must then immediately be moved.
Note: Not to be confused with the advice of Merlin (No. 47). For example "Go to the ruin. The first one there..." Here the knight does not move, because the display is not blinking with the number "1".
It is allowed for more knights to be in the same place. For a good contact with the electronics on the board it is important that the knight whose turn it is, is in the middle of the field. Other knights present just have to make way.
Reactions on Characters and Adventures
Both actions ("explore" or "do nothing") can trigger a character, and so forth an adventure. In this case, the voice of that character and his/her number appears on the display.
Some adventures have direct consequences for the player. Instructions to the player should be followed immediately. Then the clock stroke sounds and the next player's turn starts. (If a player gets asked to give a good he does not possess, nothing happens. Also, a crown cannot be given instead of the required good.)
Some adventures require a response. If a knight comes across a character, the players have five response options available:
-
Friendship: The player touches his knight and the corresponding response field to express the character that he is benevolent.
-
Friendship [sic]: The player touches his knight and the corresponding response field to attack that character. (Editor's note: the source prints "Friendship" for this option. Its description ("attack") and its field icon ("Gevecht", Fight) identify it as Fight, so the heading is shown as printed but the option is Fight.)
-
Retreat: The player touches his knight and the corresponding response field. Then he retreats his knight to the field from which he came. This takes it out of the adventure. The knight will stand there until his next turn. You will hear a Clock Stroke to indicate that this turn is over. In his next turn the player may move his Knight via the road to any adjacent field.
Note: In the event that a knight didn't come via an adjacent road (thus through handing over 3 shields or at the direction of a character), the player chooses an adjacent field.
-
Ignore: The player touches his knight and the corresponding response field to indicate that he ignores the character and isn't accepting the proposals of that character.
-
Give: This response field gives the player two options:
-
The character asks for something. If the player wants to respond positively, he touches his knight and the reaction field "give". He may do so only after the requested Tokens and cards are discarded.
-
The player's knight wants to fight a very tough battle against a character. To this end, he discards a sword and then touches knight and the action field "give" (instead of "fight"). In this way he ups his chances for success. These types of battles can only be fought against characters with a shield & sword symbol on the top right of their picture.
Once a player's knight and the chosen field of action have been touched, there is a reaction. The following may occur:
- The adventure continues. The player must again choose one of the five response options.
- The adventure and turn of the player are ended by the clock stroke.
- The display flashes a number between 1 and 5. In this case the player should look up the action on the edge of the board and carry it out. Meanwhile, the clock stroke sounds to indicate that the turn has ended.
- In exceptional cases, an adventure ends with a bird cry. The turn of the player is therefore not finished. He must then choose, just like the beginning of a turn, whether his knight will stay in this field or continues. In both cases he chooses to either "explore" or "do nothing".
Illegal Actions
If the player touches one of the two action fields ("explore" or "do nothing") while a response is required ("friendship", "fight", etc.), the error tone sounds. This tells the player that he had made a mistake. The error tone also sounds when it's the other way around, when the player touches a reaction field ("friendship", "fight", etc.), while an action is expected of him.
Cards & Tokens
There are 3 types of Goods cards: Shields, Swords and Supplies. These are needed to buy equipment Tokens (Armor, Horse and Lance) or to trade.
On the adventure cards are also Goods symbols or crowns in different numbers and compositions shown. (The advantage is that one possesses many Goods with just one card.)
These goods may, at any time, be traded for the displayed goods cards. Crowns can be exchanged to goods of your choice. Four adventure cards are potions. They can give the players extra cards or Tokens (see page 10).
The Tokens show a horse, a lance or an armor. The triangular tiles are the Pendragon Tokens, family crest of King Arthur. Horse, Lance and armor are needed to win the game. Pendragon Tokens help to increase fame. Among others, the Abbot (from the Abbey), will ask players for Pendragon Tokens.
Examples of Adventure Cards
- For example, a character says: "ik zal je begeleiden (NL)," or "Ich werde dich (D)" Then the player will search the adventure cards and take the card of this character.
- Do you hear: "neem deze zilveren stijgbeugel voor je paard (NL)" or "Nehmen Sie dieses Silber Steigbügel für Ihr Pferd (D)" then the player takes the card with the silver stirrup.
- If the player is offered a golden sword, he may take any card with a golden sword.
If a character tells the player to take two goods, the player then decides which of the three goods cards (shield, sword, supply) to take. Does the character tell the player to take a certain good, then the player must take that type of good. Exception: if a certain type of good is not available, then the player may take another good of his choice.
How to Get Cards & Tokens
If a player receives cards or tokens during his turn, a drum roll sounds and one of the characters (numbers on the display) lets the player know what he gets.
The cards gained must be placed in front of the player, with the picture side down, so the other players can't see which cards you have. Tokens are placed open in front of you.
How Cards & Tokens Are Played
During his turn a player can use his cards and tokens in the following ways:
Reaction field "Give" is touched:
- Question: A character has expressed a desire and expects a response. The player is willing to give the requested.
- Tough battle: The player gives a sword which increases his chance of success.
Reaction field "Give" is not touched:
- Trade: Some characters (merchant, blacksmiths, and innkeeper) propose the player an exchange of goods. Then the clock stroke sounds. The player can accept the deal or decline. But he doesn't touch the "give" field.
- Move your Knight: instead of going to an adjacent place, the player can discard three shields and move his knight to a field of his choice. There the player must choose an action "exploring" or "do nothing".
- Pendragon Tokens: During or at the end of his turn a player may discard a shield, a sword and a supply and take a Pendragon token. He may do this as many times as he can afford.
- Additional turn: At the end of his turn a player may discard two supply cards and take another turn. Note: This may only be done once per turn.
- Potions: The Druid offers the player to choose a magic potion. These cards may be played when a knight moves onto a space containing another knight. He performs the action that belongs to the card and then discards the potion. Note: A player is only allowed to have one potion card in his hand. If a player gets a second potion, he has to discard one immediately.
Potion effects:
- The owner of this potion asks another player for a Pendragon.
- The owner of this potion takes a random card from another player.
- The owner of this potion gets two cards from another player. The other player may choose which cards he gives.
- The owner of this potion gets three goods cards from another player. The other player may choose how he gives the goods. (In the shape of Goods cards, adventure cards and/or crowns).
The crowns on the bottom of the cards are only used in the 1 player game.
Cards may be traded amongst players, doesn't have to be 1:1.
At the end of his turn, a player may not have more than 8 cards. Extra cards are discarded, traded with other players or used as described.
If a player receives more than 8 cards in another player's turn, he doesn't have to discard down to 8 until it's the end of his own turn.
The End of the Game
The game ends when a player has reached the objectives for victory (dictated by the game type, short or long) and ends his movement on the (21) stone. He touches his knight & "explore", pulls the swords from the stone & receives all the praises & congratulations. After this the electronic brain is automatically shut down and all the game information is lost.
A 1 Player Game
Those who play King Arthur by themselves, try to finish it in the least amount of turns.
Those who succeed in:
- less than 40 turns, are good.
- less than 30 turns, are very good.
- less than 20 turns, will become King of England for once and for all!
The following rules are added: Before taking a turn, a player can recall the number of turns he already played by simultaneously touching the knight and the reaction field "ignore". (In a multiplayer game, the stone will make the error sound). Then Merlin will ask the player to discard 2 Supply. If the player does this, he gets a free turn, which isn't counted. To do so, he discards the two supply cards, touches his knight and the reaction field "give". If the player doesn't want to do this, he touches "ignore". The player may buy several turns this way, as long as he has enough supply.
On each potion card a crown is shown. Which means that each potion card can be traded for a good of the players' choice.
Upon the player's return to (22) the Stone Merlin will show him the amount of turns needed to finish the game.