Legends of Andor: The King's Escort
Legends of Andor: The King's Escort Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Follow the instructions on the Installation card first.
Important: Shuffle 3 Peasant tokens face down: 1 Man and 2 Women. Return the remaining token to the box.
Additional setup:
- Place the Witch, the 15 Creature tiles, the Poison, and 3 black dice next to the game board.
- Place Stars on the D, the H, and the N spaces of the Legend Track.
- Place the "The Old Vagabond" and "In the Mine" cards next to the game board.
- Place Gors on spaces 10, 20, 39, 43, 48, and a Skral on space 45.
- Place one Creature tile face down on each letter from B to H inclusive on the Legend Track, and a second Creature tile on C and on E (so 9 Creature tiles are placed in total). These tiles will be revealed when the Narrator reaches the corresponding letters.
This Legend consists of 8 cards: A1, A2, A3, D, H, N, 1 "The Old Vagabond" card, and 1 "In the Mine" card.
Now read Legend card A2.
Legend Card A2
Note: If the Narrator must reach a space on the Legend Track where both a Legend card and a Creature tile must be resolved, the Creature tile always takes priority.
- Roll the red die (tens) and a Hero's die (units) to determine the spaces where 5 of the 6 Runestones and 2 Flasks are placed.
Melkart the Guardian had summoned the Heroes to the Tree of Songs. He wished to share a troubling rumour with them.
Place all the Heroes on space 57.
"They say the King has lost his mind," Melkart reported. "Alone and dressed in rags, the old man set off toward the south before his loyal followers could stop him. His trail has been lost since."
Place the Peasant tiles face down on spaces 24, 28, and 34. A Hero on the same space as one of the tiles may reveal it (or a Hero on an adjacent space, with the Spyglass). If one of the Peasant Women is revealed, she may be brought to the Castle under the usual rules.
If the Peasant Man is revealed, you have then discovered the King. As soon as a Hero is on his space, read the "The Old Vagabond" card aloud.
Now read Legend card A3.
Legend Card A3
Place a Star on the Peasant tiles so that you do not forget the "The Old Vagabond" card. The King functions as a normal Peasant tile; he is moved by the Heroes. If a Hero moves with the King onto a space containing a Creature, or a Creature enters the King's space, he is defeated and the Legend is immediately lost.
Melkart lowered his gaze. "But that is not all: our scout has reported that creatures are gathering for a large-scale attack on the Castle. You must not only save your King, but his kingdom as well!"
Missions: The Heroes must defend the Castle, find and escort the King so that he arrives safely at the Dwarven Mine (space 71). When the Narrator reaches the H space of the Legend Track, the King must be at the mine.
Equipment: Each Hero begins with 1 Strength Point.
The group receives 5 Gold Coins and 3 Strength Points, which you may distribute among the Heroes.
Note: The Heroes begin the game on a Merchant space, so they may make a purchase before taking their first action.
The Heroes left the Tree of Songs under pouring rain, ready to save Andor once more.
The Hero with the 2nd highest Rank begins.
Legend Card D
The Gors emerged from the undergrowth. Had they been informed of the King's perilous escape? Were they searching for him?
Place a Gor on spaces 47 and 63.
A Hero was sunk up to his ankles in mud when he recognised the stooped silhouette of Garz, the dwarf merchant. "It cannot keep raining like this forever, my friend," Garz shouted at the Hero. "Soon it will start hailing and snowing, eh?!" He continued, laughing: "You Heroes, you fight a battle that is lost in advance. I hope you know that, hm? But one has to recognise something in you: you never give up. Here!" He tossed the Hero a flask containing a dark liquid.
One Hero of your choice now receives the Poison. The Poison can be used twice. The Hero may use the Poison during a combat after rolling his die and before the Creature's counterattack.
The Poison has two effects:
- When the Creature loses Will Points, it does not lose only the difference between the two combat values, but immediately drops to 0 Will Points.
- The Hero does not receive a reward for Creatures defeated with the Poison. The Creature is not placed on space 80; it is removed from the game. The Narrator does not advance one space on the Legend Track.
Garz turned around and stamped his feet. "That is my philanthropic contribution to the country," he said. "But don't tell anyone about it. I have a reputation to maintain."
Legend Card H
The Legend is immediately lost if the King is not on the Dwarven Mine (space 71). If he is on the mine, you may continue reading.
Place a Troll on spaces 40 and 45.
The King and Prince Hallgard talked at length. The dwarf laid out the final conditions of a new alliance. The Heroes were to uncover the secrets of the mine, find precious gemstones of great value, and perhaps even recover the lost Astral Shield. That story is the subject of another Legend. For now, the Heroes had to look after their sovereign. The King seemed pale and exhausted. When he reached the mine's exit, he seemed able to stand only with great difficulty.
Missions: The Heroes must escort the King safely to the Castle (space 0), before the Narrator reaches space N of the Legend Track. As soon as he is at the Castle, the Narrator is moved to space N.
Important: For each space on which a Hero moves with the King, the Hero must spend Will Points:
- with 2 players, 2 Will Points per space;
- with 3 players, 3 Will Points per space;
- with 4 players, 4 Will Points per space.
Example with 4 Heroes: a Hero has only 3 Will Points left. He may not move with the King, since the move would cost him 4 Will Points.
Legend Card N
The Legend ends well if... ...the King is at the Castle and... ...the Castle has been successfully defended.
The King had finally regained the Castle thanks to his escort. The rain finally stopped, and a rainbow stretched over the inner courtyard. The world seemed more peaceful. The Heroes could enjoy a few days of rest before honouring the King's promise made to the dwarves and discovering The Secrets of the Mine.
The Legend ends badly if... ...the King is not at the Castle... ...the Castle was not defended.
The Hero stepped toward the old man in rags. "Sire, is it you?" The King recognised the Hero and briefly explained why he had fled. "I am old and worn out. Yet I would not want to leave my Kingdom without protection. Long ago, I broke a powerful alliance with the dwarves and their Prince Hallgard. I had refused to give them back the Astral Shield, out of greed. This expedition toward their mine may seem like an act of folly to you, but it is not. I am trying to atone for my past faults and regain the dwarves' trust, so as to better prepare Andor for the dangers that lie ahead. I unfortunately overestimated my strength." The Hero supported the King. "Come, my Lord. You are no longer alone."
If you want to reduce the difficulty of the Legend somewhat, during setup place the second Peasant Man token, Golden Shield side up, on the Defence spaces near the Castle.
Translation note: the printed sheet reads "lors le la mise en place" here, which is garbled French; it is rendered as "during setup".
The Old Vagabond
This card is revealed as soon as a Hero is on the same space as the Peasant Man tile.
Mission: The Heroes must escort the King safely to the Dwarven Mine (space 71), before the Narrator reaches the H space of the Legend Track. The King must not pass through the Castle beforehand.
When the King is at the mine, immediately read the "In the Mine" card aloud. Place a Star on space 71 to remind you.
Important exception: If a new Creature must be placed, by the action of a Legend card or a Creature tile, on the same space as the King, the Creature is moved to the next adjacent space following the arrow. This applies only to new Creatures entering the game, not to Creatures that move.
In the Mine
This card is revealed as soon as the King is at the mine (space 71).
The Heroes had succeeded, and the King had reached his goal, exhausted and weakened. The dwarves' welcome was icy. They led him into the antechamber of the cave, the throat of the mine. Prince Hallgard, Chief of the Shield Dwarves, opened his eyes wide when he saw King Brandur, both surprised and wary. They had not seen each other for a long time, and they had parted on bad terms. Yet Brandur knelt and began to speak in a low but firm voice. That was the beginning of a very long discussion...
The King may leave the Mine only once the Narrator has reached the H space of the Legend Track.
Goal of the Legend: The Heroes must escort the King safely from the mine to the Castle, before the Narrator reaches the N space of the Legend Track.
Important: For each space on which a Hero moves with the King, the Hero must spend Will Points:
- with 2 players, 2 Will Points per space;
- with 3 players, 3 Will Points per space;
- with 4 players, 4 Will Points per space.
A Hero may not drop to 0 Will Points by moving with the King. He must keep at least 1 Will Point.
As long as the King is with the Shield Dwarves, the Heroes must above all protect the Castle.