Князья (Knjaz'ja)
Князья (Knjaz'ja) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Your Turn
…allows you to do one thing: either draw a card from the deck, start a war, or play one of the "peaceful" cards you hold in hand.
Any card may be played:
- on any player, including yourself (placed in front of that player face down);
- on your own city or another player's city (placed next to that city card face down).
More than one card may be played only during a war, or where this is stated separately.
Your Cards
…will certainly differ from one another, which is no surprise, since the deck contains them in five kinds. Each card briefly explains how and why to use it. The effects of some cards are described in more detail in the rules.
Nothing stops you from playing any card on an opponent, but it is wiser to keep cities, buildings, troops, and useful chronicles and events for yourself. Military cards are meant for capturing cities. "Harmful" events and chronicles will come in handy against one of your rivals.
Cards may not be given or exchanged, but players may negotiate with one another.
Once a card is played, it takes effect.
Played cards are not returned to the deck.
If the text on a card contradicts the rules, the text on the card takes precedence.
Some cards affect the interests of all participants.
Your Victory
…is almost in your pocket. It is enough to finish the game with the greatest might.
Your Power and Cities
…is the key to victory. Cities (грады, grady), are very valuable, because together with their buildings they bring a player might. Remember that victory goes to whoever finishes the game as the most powerful.
The number on a city card is its might. For example, "Chernigov" gives three points of might, while "Smolensk" gives only one.
If you have a city card, you may play it, placing it face down in front of you.
Once a city is built, that is, its card has been played, it remains in the game until the end.
A city can be obtained in three ways: by playing it from your hand onto yourself, by taking it from an opponent in a war, or by taking another player's city with certain event cards.
A player may own any number of cities.
Your Buildings
…are placed face down on city cards. A city passes to another player together with all of its buildings and walls. They can be discarded only by certain cards.
Buildings come in two types: "peaceful" and "military". Some buildings increase the valour of defending troops, others increase the might of a city.
At the end of the game, the might of a city and of all buildings constructed in it are added together. A city may contain any number of identical buildings, including buildings of the same type.
Building cards carry inscriptions such as "+2 to might" or "city might ×3", and so on. In the first case, add 2 to the city's might. In the second, multiply the city's might, together with all its buildings, by three. The "Metropolitan's Court" (Митрополичье подворье) card does exactly this when played on a city, increasing its might ×3. As soon as a second such card is played, the first one must be discarded.
All buildings in a city may be burned with the "Red Cockerel" (Красный петух) card.
During a war, a city's defence depends on the walls built in it. Walls increase the valour of the defenders but give no might.
Wall cards carry inscriptions such as "+3 to valour", "+4 to valour", and so on. Take this into account when starting a war or defending. A city may have only one set of walls. However, one set of walls may be replaced by another. In this case the previous wall card is simply discarded. Old walls may be removed and new ones built during the same turn.
The game contains a "Moat" (Ров) card, which improves any walls. The Moat by itself gives nothing.
If you have played the "Impregnable Fortress" (Неприступная крепость) card on a city, nothing more may be built there.
Your Troops
…allow you to defend your own cities and capture other people's. Troop cards carry numbers that indicate valour.
The more valiant the troop, the harder it is for enemies to defeat it. Here everything is simple: a 2 beats a 1, a 3 beats a 2 or a 1, and so on.
However, if a city has walls built, only a troop with valour higher than the defender's may attack it. A tie is meaningless!
For example, a "Druzhina" (Дружина) troop with valour 2 cannot attack "Novgorod", because the city contains a "Palisade" (Частокол), which gives +2 to the valour of the defenders. Thus the attacking and defending forces are equal.
Some troop cards have no numbers. This is the "Militia" (Ополчение). Militia valour equals the might of the city being defended, together with all the buildings it has at that moment. Militia cannot be used to attack a city.
Example: The valour of the Militia in Vladimir is 2+1+1+2+2 = 8. Vladimir's might is 2, two "Schools" give +1 each, the "Library" gives +2, and the "Craftsmen's Quarter" (Ремесленный конец) gives +2 (Vladimir's base might). So only troops with valour 9 and 10 can defeat this Militia card.
Example: The valour of Kiev's Militia is 3. However, the city has "New Walls", so only troops with valour greater than 6 can attack Kiev.
When military operations end, all troops that took part in them are discarded.
The exception is foreign troops who were lured over with the "Fat Purse" (Тугая мошна) card. Just in case, the foreign troops are: Varangians, Lyakhs, Polovtsians, and Ugrians.
Your Events
…happen whether you want them to or not.
Events are one-time cards. That is, after being played they are immediately discarded.
Note that some events cancel certain basic rules. In case of a conflict, the text on the card takes precedence. Do not rush to play event cards; wait for your moment, and then… (the original ends with a stretched-out, comic "kaaak…" – "how…")
Your Chronicles
…give permanent bonuses or penalties to a player for the duration of the game, or are counted when the final result is calculated. Your own or another player's chronicle cards may be discarded by playing certain event cards. A chronicle remains in effect until it is discarded.
A chronicle card is placed face down in front of the player it was played on. A chronicle played at the right moment can influence the outcome of the game.
Your Wars
…are waged for cities. Cities can not only be built but also taken from neighbours. Event cards and troops of various valour are used both to capture other players' cities and to defend your own.
You may attack any player's city during your own turn. Name the city you want and play one troop card from your hand. But only one! If the city's owner holds a stronger troop or a suitable event in hand, he may repel the first attack by placing his own card on yours. After that, all cards used in the first fight are discarded. It is not allowed to make one attack with two troop cards, or to repel one attack with two troop cards.
If the city has walls, take them into account. For example, if a city with might 1 has "New Walls" (+3 to the valour of the defenders), only a troop with valour greater than 4 can capture it.
If you have no cards for a new attack, or no longer wish to fight, your turn ends. If you do have suitable cards, you may act. The number of attempts you may make to take a city equals the number of suitable cards in your hand. The second and every subsequent attack follow the same rules. However, during one turn you may attack only one city.
Only two take part in a war: the attacker and the defender. The other players may offer only moral support to the combatants.
If the defender cannot or does not wish to repel the attack, the city is taken and the war ends.
An unrepelled card is discarded. The city card, together with all its buildings and walls, is moved to the new owner.
During a war some event cards may be played. Such cards take effect immediately after being played. If one event is played against another event, the attacker's card acts first. After play, event cards are discarded. These cards bear the same symbols as troop cards.
The following may be used to defend a city: "Metropolitan's Word" (Митрополичье слово), "Fat Purse" (Тугая мошна), "Ambush Regiment" (Засадный полк), and "Patrol" (Дозор).
The following may be used to attack a city: "Siege" (Осада), "Fat Purse" (Тугая мошна), "Underground Passage" (Подземный ход), and "Treason" (Измена).
The War for Pskov (Example of Battle)
Suppose you want to acquire Pskov. Its base might is 2, the "School" gives +1, the "Library" gives +2, and there is also the "Metropolitan's Court" (might ×3). In total (2+1+2) × 3 = 15. That is exactly how much might Pskov will give when points are counted.
In addition, the city has walls: "Stone Masonry" (Каменная кладка, +2 to the valour of the defenders). To attack Pskov you need a troop with valour greater than 2. This holds if its owner has no "Militia".
You attack Pskov using the "Lyakhs" troop with valour 5. The opponent defends with the "Militia", whose valour equals Pskov's might, that is 17. Both cards are discarded.
(Translator's note: the printed example states that Pskov's might is 17 here, but the calculation given above yields 15. The figure is transcribed as printed.)
You do not wish to retreat, and you play the "Druzhina" card with valour 7. The opponent answers with the event "Ambush Regiment". This card allows any troop to be repelled. You have failed again!
You make one more attempt: you play the "Underground Passage" and destroy the walls in Pskov. Then you play the "Druzhina" with valour 4. The opponent has nothing to repel the attack with, and surrenders the city. However, as a parting gesture he plays the event "Ruin" (Разорение) and destroys all the buildings. Thus you receive Pskov with its base might of 2.
Your Game
…ends in one of two cases:
-
The "Batu" (Батый) card is played. Then everyone takes one more turn, and the turn of the player who played this card will be the last. The game therefore ends immediately after the player who played "Batu" has taken his turn. However, until the turn comes round to him, the game may be extended by playing the "Secret Message" (Тайное послание) card. In that case all participants take one more turn each, and the game ends with the turn of the player who played the "Secret Message". The player who played "Batu" may also play the "Secret Message".
-
The last card is taken from the deck. After this, each player takes one more turn, and the game ends with the turn of the player who took the last card. However, while the players are taking these final turns, someone may play the "Secret Message" card. In that case all participants take one more turn each, and the game ends with the turn of the player who played the "Secret Message".
Note that the "Batu" and "Secret Message" cards, once played, cannot be discarded, intercepted, or cancelled by any other cards.
Your Power
…is counted at the end of the game. It consists of the might of all your cities, together with all the buildings constructed in them.
Do not forget what the chronicle cards give you and what they take away from you. Only cards that have been played are counted in the total. Cards left in your hand do not matter.
Victory goes to the player who has reached the greatest might.
Your Dream of Absolute Power
…is attainable. If your own successes seem insufficiently impressive to you, or you believe your defeat was an unfortunate accident, try the tournament system. Add up the results of several games. Whoever first attains enormous might, or, to put it more simply, reaches one hundred points, is the winner.
It is all very simple: each game gives the participants a certain amount of might. Record your results and add them together.