Mad Monks and Relics Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Game components
• 3. Set up
• 4. Sequence of play
• 5. Knowledge and piety levels
• 6. The Cards
• 7. Movement
• 8. Relic recovery
• 9. Victory
• 10. Death
• 11. Gold
• 12. Trading and sale of cards
• 13. Optional rules
• 14. Two Player rules
• 15. Commentary and notes

1. Introduction

The game may be played by 2 to 5 players. A complete game with 4 players takes 2 to 4 hours, depending on how quickly relics are recovered. The players assume the role of an historical character, moving around a map showing major cities, religious locations, and travel routes of early 14th century Europe and the Middle East. The game scale is abstract, with each turn representing 1 to 3 months.

Several abbreviations common in the hobby are used in the game:

• 1d6: One six-sided die
• 2d6: Two six-sided dice

• : Greater than

• <: Less than
• =: Equal to

In addition, the following definitions are used:

• Generalis card: Action or event card (the main deck)
• VP's: Victory points
• Islamic: Any location in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Minor (Turkey) except for Constantinople. Locations have minarets.
• Christian: Any location in Europe that is not Islamic. Locations have turrets or spires.
• Port: Any named location that contains coastline. A list of these is found in the back of the rules book.
• Veneration: A ceremonial test to determine if a relic is authentic

2. Game components

• 1 map (17 x 22 inches, point to point movement) of Europe and the Middle East, circa AD 1300
• 219 cards, representing events, knowledge, and relics (plus 21 blanks)
• 48 Counters
• 5 Player pieces
• 5 Player mats
• Rule booklet

Also needed for play are 2 six-sided dice.

THE MAP: The map depicts Europe and the Holy Land in the late middle ages. Movement is from point to point or from sea area to sea area. Rate of movement depends upon how the player travels (foot, horse, or ship). At each named location, a player may search for knowledge, find relics, or face events.

THE CARDS:

Major event cards: These cards represent some of the major historical events that occurred in the period. When one of these cards is drawn, play is temporarily suspended and the event is resolved. Once the Black Death card is drawn it becomes necessary to resolve the Black Death Phase at the beginning of each turn for the remainder of the game. Most of these major events have a corresponding counter which is placed on the map. The player that drew the card is NOT allowed to draw another in its place. Major events happen only once per game, so remove the card from play after it is resolved.

Mad Monk/Scholar cards: These cards represent many of the knowledgeable persons of the day. One is drawn by each player at the beginning of the game, and is their "persona" until that character dies or the game ends. The card lists the character's beginning knowledge, piety, gold, and any special skills.

Event cards: These cards are played against other players. At the top of the card is a heading, which lists the event. Underneath that is the location affected. Only the active player (the player whose turn it currently is) may have an event card played against them (but all players present are affected), and usually only if they are is in the listed location. They read the effects of the event card, makes a dice roll, and place it face up in the discard pile. All players present at that location are affected, but each roll separately on the appropriate table, using their own modifiers.

Knowledge cards: These cards represent knowledge gained through the consultation of old texts, and by talking to other scholars. Each card has a heading which gives the original source of the knowledge and the author of the text. The more cards that a player has with the same heading, the more complete their knowledge of that particular subject and the greater the likelihood of recovering a relic at a particular location. All of the cards with a particular heading form a "set" of cards which represent a certain body of knowledge. Knowledge cards may be kept in the players "hand" or placed face up in front of them. A Location card is a Knowledge with a location listed on it. Anytime a knowledge card is discarded it is immediately shuffled back into the knowledge deck.

Relic cards: These cards represent religious relics. The most important of these is (of course) the Holy Grail, but the Grail may not always be found. Other relic cards have a heading which names the relic, a picture of the relic, and a number which gives the relative value of the relic. Relics may be used to win rewards from the Church, or be sold for gold pieces, which adds to the players wealth. Relic cards must be placed face up in front of the player until they are sold, donated to the Church, or the game ends.

Other cards: Other cards will be drawn by players that do not fit the above categories. These include MAPS, LIBER INVENTUS, and others. These cards are held, played, or discarded as players see fit.

3. Set up

3.1 Separate the card decks. There should be a Relic deck (20 cards), a Knowledge deck (75 cards), a Mad Monk/Scholar deck (16 cards), and the Generalis deck (108 cards) containing the general cards. Separate out the 9 major event cards. These are added to the general deck after the initial deal of cards.

3.2 Players dice to determine first player.

3.3 Each player is dealt 8 Generalis cards and 1 Mad Monk/Scholar card. Each player places markers matching the values on their tracks adjacent to the map (knowledge, piety, and gold). Keep the Mad Monk/Scholar card face up on the play mat, so as to remember their name and any special skills. Shuffle the Generalis card deck, adding in the 9 major event cards. Place the deck on the GENERALIS space on the map. Shuffle the knowledge deck, and place on the KNOWLEDGE space on the map. Shuffle the relic deck and place on the RELIQUIAE space on the map. Set aside the Mad Monk/Scholar cards, as they are used again when a player character dies. Discards are placed on the discard space on the map.

3.4 Select a player at random to be the first player. The first player places their character piece on their starting location, and takes their turn. Play proceeds clockwise around the table.

4. Sequence of play

4.1 Black Death phase. If the Black Death major event card has been drawn, continue to move the marker randomly, and resolve any PLAGUE rolls caused by this. See 6.6 for details.

4.2 Event phase. Any one player may play an action card against the player whose turn it currently is. If more than one player wishes to do so, first choice is of player to the left of the current player.

4.3 Action phase. The player may do ONE of the following:

• A. Move to another location, and draw a Generalis card.
• B. Stay at location, and draw a Generalis card.
• C. Move or stay, play a LIBER INVENTUS card to uncover knowledge cards, and draw a Generalis card.
• D. Move or stay, and attempt to uncover, sell, or donate a relic, then draw a Generalis card.
• E. Move or stay, and shuffle the Generalis or Knowledge deck, adding in any discards they wish, then draw a Generalis card.
• F. Pay 5 gold and draw a knowledge card directly from the Knowledge deck, then draw a Generalis card.

Note that a player always draws a Generalis card at the end of their turn, even if they are "at sea."

4.4 Discard phase. The active player discards excess cards.

4.5 Play proceeds to the next player, who begins their turn with 4.2 above. After all players have had a turn, a new round of turns is begun, and the First player resolves 4.1 (if necessary).

5. Knowledge and piety levels

5.1 Knowledge levels range from 0 to 10. 0 is quite stupid, 10 is very learned. Knowledge allows a player to read and interpret obscure texts. A players knowledge level is raised by 1 for each complete set of works he uncovers. This is the only way to permanently raise your knowledge level. A successful knowledge roll at a named location allows the recovery of a relic, and is achieved by rolling < or = to your knowledge level on 2d6. A roll of 11 or 12 is an automatic failure.

There are two cards (Techne Grammatike and Questionnaire Erotemata) representing texts that raise your knowledge by +1 each, for as long as the card is face up on your player mat.

5.2 Piety levels range from 0 to 10. 0 means totally corrupt, and 10 means you are a saint. A successful roll allows a player to escape charges of heresy. It also allows you to sell relics to the church. A player's piety is lowered by 1 each time he completes a set of works (which raises their knowledge by 1). A players piety level is raised by the donation of relics to the church (raised by the value of the relic) but never above 10. A successful roll is similar to the knowledge roll, and is achieved by rolling 2d6, with a roll of < or =, and 11 or 12 being automatic failure.

6. The Cards

6.1 Up to 10 cards may be held in a player's hand (any excess must be discarded). Once a player has 2 or more knowledge cards with the same heading, these may be placed face up in front of them. This represents their current scholarly work. Once at least 3 cards of a set, including a location card, are face up in front of a player, that player may attempt to recover that relic. Cards face up in front of a player do NOT count towards the limit of 10. Players are not limited by the number of spaces on the player mat.

6.2 Action cards may be played against the player whose turn it currently is. The other players have the opportunity, beginning with the player to the left of the active player, to play an action card against them. A player is affected by the following cards:

• A player in a named location is affected by card naming THAT LOCATION or by a FORGERY card.
• A player in any Islamic location is affected by an ISLAM card.
• A player at sea is affected by a STORMS AT SEA card ONLY.
• A player that has spent more than one turn at current location is affected by any HERESY, PLAGUE, or BANDITS card, regardless of location named on card.

EXCEPTIONS: HERESY may NOT be played against any Islamic location, nor against any location in England (but Ireland may), nor against any Byzantine location (Constantinople, Adrianople, or Thessaloniki), nor against Athens, Durazzo, Belgrade, Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, Denmark, or Tonsberg. Locations are coded to show this: Islamic locations have minarets, Christian locations where heresy cards cannot be player have squared towers, and Christian locations where heresy cards may be played have spires.

ISLAM cards affect players in any location in North Africa, Middle East, or Asia minor location EXCEPT Constantinople. BANDITS may also be played against a player in an Islamic location if he has spent more than one turn in that location. Islamic locations have minarets to identify them.

IMPORTANT: Only one player may play a card against the active player, so turn order is important. In the above case, a maximum of ONE of each type of card (except ISLAM, Storms at Sea, or a card naming the location) may be played against a player while he is at a single location. Any number of ISLAM cards may be played against them on successive turns. Any number of Storms at Sea cards may be played against a player that is "at sea" on successive turns.

IMPORTANT: Major event cards are never held in a hand, but are immediately revealed and resolved.

6.3 Explanation of cards:

PEASANT REVOLT (Major event) All players currently in France must immediately make a roll on the BANDITS table. Discard, with no further effect.

PIRATES (Major event) Place a pirates marker in the appropriate sea area. Any character entering that sea area must make a roll on the BANDITS table. Discard, but the marker remains in the area for the remainder of the game.

TURKS IN BALKANS (Major event) Place an Islamic marker in Adrianople or Sofia, as directed by the card. The marker signifies that the location is now an Islamic location (and subject to any ISLAM cards).

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR SUPPRESSED (Major event) Place the "suppressed" marker on the island of Rhodes. It may never be entered for the remainder of the game. In addition, all players currently in France must immediately make a piety roll, with those failing facing the Inquisition.

CATALAN COMPANY (Major event) Place the "Catalan" marker on Athens. Any character entering Athens must make a roll on the BANDITS table immediately.

BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY (Major event) Place the "Pope" marker on Avignon. Rome no longer is a location for sale or donation of relics - Avignon takes its place for these purposes for the remainder of the game.

BLACK DEATH (REALLY Major event) Place the "Black Death" marker in the Black Sea area. Each BLACK DEATH phase of the turn (4.1) roll for its spread. See 6.6 below.

HERESY Make a piety roll; face the inquisition if roll is > piety, as printed on the card.

PLAGUE Make a plague roll, as printed on the card.

BANDITS Make a bandits roll, as printed on the card.

ISLAM Play ISLAM card in defense, or make an Islam roll, as printed on the card.

CARNIVAL Make a carnival roll, as printed on the card.

STORMS AT SEA If player is out to sea, make a storms roll, as printed on the card. If no port is available in the sea area (such as in Atlantic 2 or Atlantic 3), treat a shipwreck as death. Otherwise, shipwreck means the character is deposited at the nearest port.

VENERATION OF RELICS Is the relic you are carrying a fake? Roll 2d6. If < or = its value, it is real, otherwise discard.

FORGERY May be played against a player at any location. Roll one die (1d6). On 1-4 it is a minor forgery, and the player removes one knowledge card from their hand (at random). On a 5-6 it is a major forgery, and the player loses one knowledge card from their face up cards (determined by the player that played the card). These cards are immediately shuffled back into the knowledge deck. Note that this may force a knowledge card off of the player mat, requiring them to take back cards into their hand (unless there are still at least 2 of the same set present), and those in excess of the limit must be discarded during their discard phase.

MAP There are 2 map cards - by Conrad of Basle or Albertus Magnus. Each cost 5 gold to turn face up in front of you. Either allows a player to move 2 sea areas instead of 1 each turn at no additional cost. Modify all STORMS AT SEA rolls by -1. More than one map has no further effect.

TECHNE GRAMMATIKE and QUESTIONNAIRE (EROTEMATA) 2 cards that allow players to decipher texts faster. Cost to turn face up is 5 gold for each. Allows a player to add +1 to their knowledge rating. This bonus lasts as long as the character holds this card.

LIBER PROHIBITORUM may be played against any player at any location; that player loses their turn.

AUTHENTICA HABITA cancels the effects of LIBER PROHIBITORUM. Play this card in defense.

JULIANA OF CORNILLON May be played in defense, canceling a VENERATION OF RELICS roll. May be played against a player, forcing a VENERATION OF RELICS dice roll at any Christian location.

LIBER INVENTUS Allows a player at the named location to draw Knowledge cards. Player reveals (then discards) this card when making their draw from the Knowledge deck. The number of knowledge cards drawn is determined by a modified die roll. The player rolls 1d6 and modifies it by the number listed after the location. That is the number of Knowledge cards he then draws from the Knowledge deck. Example: The player has a card that reads LONDON -1. If in London, he reveals the card, and rolls 1d6. He rolls a 4. This is modified by the card (-1) which means he draws 3 Knowledge cards from the deck. The Liber Inventus card is then discarded. Rolls of <1 mean that no cards are drawn. Rolls of >6 mean that number of knowledge cards are drawn.

6.4 Modifiers for all rolls on the various tables are always cumulative.

6.5 Cards that are lost due to forgery, storms at sea, bandits, or the inquisition are placed in the discard pile. Cards lost due to the death of a character are reshuffled as per rule 10.1. Action cards are placed in the general deck discard pile, Knowledge cards are shuffled back into the knowledge deck.

6.6 The BLACK DEATH major card requires several special rules. When the card is first drawn, place the marker in the Black Sea area. On each of the following turns, the marker moves randomly during the first phase of each turn. Each land location the marker occupies forces any character in that location to roll on the PLAGUE table.

6.6.1 On the first turn, the marker moves from the Black Sea area. Roll one die. On 1-5 the plague marker is placed in Genoa, on a 6 it is placed in Venice. On each of the following turns, roll one die (1d6) during the plague phase. Randomize the possible locations so that each land location has an equal chance. EXAMPLE: The plague marker begins the turn at Genoa. There are 3 possible locations it could move to - Rome, Pavia, and Marseilles. On a roll of 1-2 it moves to Rome, on a 3-4 it moves to Pavia, and on a 5-6 it moves to Marseilles. EXAMPLE: The plague marker begins in Paris. There are 6 possible locations it could move to - Aachen, Metz, Lyons, Orleans, Chartes, and Boulonge. On a roll of 1 it moves to Aachen, on a 2 it moves to Metz, etc. If there are fewer than 6 locations, assign one number to each and reroll as needed.

6.6.2 The first player should make the location determination and the die roll, specifying the locations and their roll. As long as the assignment is random, so that each adjacent land location has an equal chance, any method may be used.

6.6.3 The plague marker NEVER moves to an Islamic location (much better methods of sanitation). Never count an Islamic location as a possible move for the plague marker.

6.6.4 On any turn when the marker begins in Boulogne, count London as a possible location. On any turn that the plague marker begins in London, count Boulogne as a possible location. These are the ONLY way that the plague may ever cross a water barrier.

6.6.5 There are certain locations that will never be bothered by the plague marker, such as any Islamic location (including Adrianople and Sofia if controlled by Islam), Crete, Cyprus, Denmark, etc. This is intentional.

7. Movement

7.1 A player may move:

• By foot: Cost is 0 gold. May move from one land location to another.
• By horse: Cost is 1 gold. May move up to two land locations.
• By ship: Cost is 2 gold. May do 2 of the following: from port to sea area, from sea area to adjacent sea area, or from sea area to port.

Note 1: If a player is out to sea, and out of gold, he is deposited at a port within that sea area (determined at random). This counts as their move for the turn.

Note 2: If a player moves two locations, such as by horse, ship, or with the use of a map, that player may NOT end up back at the location that they started from (if they wish to end up there, then stay put).

Note 3: A map allows a player to move 2 adjacent sea areas rather than just one. This means a player already out to sea could move a possible 4 sea areas in one turn if he doesn't enter a port - and this is the best way to avoid stopping in the Atlantic 2 and Atlantic 3 sea areas.

Note 4: Ship passage for the English Channel and Irish Sea - it costs only one gold to move from Boulonge to Canterbury and vice versa, and only one gold to move from Wales to Ireland and vice versa.

7.1.2 Ports are any named location that contains a piece of coastline. Example: London is a port, and the English Channel is the adjacent sea area that may be entered from London. For one move, a character could leave London and move into the English Channel, then move into the North Sea, ending their move. Alternatively, the character could move from London into the English Channel, then from the English Channel into the port at Ghent, ending their move.

Note that many ports are adjacent to two sea areas. A character leaving Genoa, for example, could move into either the Med 1 or Med 2 sea areas; Likewise, Genoa could be entered from either of those two sea areas.

7.2 A player may spend more than one turn in a given location, but this enables other players to play event cards against them (HERESY, BANDITS, or PLAGUE) regardless of the location named. This provides an incentive to "keep moving" and prevents a player from sitting in one location, turn after turn, and drawing action cards. It also makes recovery of a relic more difficult if not accomplished on the first roll.

7.3 In the above case, a maximum of ONE of each type of card (except ISLAM, Storms at Sea, or a card naming the location) may be played against a player while he is at a single location. Any number of ISLAM cards may be played against them on successive turns. Any number of Storms at Sea cards may be played against a player that is "at sea" on successive turns.

7.4 A player may be required to make a PILGRIMAGE due to an inquisition roll. Such a player must travel by foot (if possible) to the pilgrimage destination. If they were on an island (such as Rhodes) they may use sea movement first, but must land at the first available port, and then continue by foot. A player on a pilgrimage may not have any HERESY cards played against them during the journey, and they may NOT collect any action or knowledge cards along the way. Once they reach the pilgrimage destination, they are released from obligation and raise their piety by 2 (maximum of 10). This character will never be required to make another pilgrimage during the game. Their subsequent turns are handled normally.

8. Relic recovery

8.1 Once a player has at least 3 cards (including a location card) of the same set face up in front of them, they may attempt to recover a relic. They must, of course, be at the location named on the card.

8.2 The player rolls < or = to their knowledge level, to recover the relic. The roll is modified by +2 if they hold 3 cards, and +1 if they hold 4 cards from that set. There is no adverse modifier if they hold all 5 cards. The roll is modified by -1 if they hold both location cards. A successful roll allows the player to draw a relic card from the relic deck. If not successful, they may roll again on subsequent turns. All modifiers are cumulative.

8.3 Relics recovered are turned face up in front of the player. They "hold" that relic until they dispose of it, lose it, or die.

8.4 Disposal of relics:

• In Rome: Roll < or = to piety level; if successful, then value of relic x piety level = victory points. This represents a major donation to the Church. Also, raise your piety by 1.
• In Constantinople: Value of relic x 5 = gold.
• In any Christian (non-Islamic) location: Value of relic = rise in piety level (to a maximum of 10). This represents a minor donation to a local Church.

8.5 Relics which are disposed of or lost for any reason are out of the game.

8.6 Cards which are used to recover a relic are removed from the game permanently. They are placed aside and do not reenter play. Other cards from the same set are now almost worthless and should be tossed by the owning player for a single gold each (not sold as in 11.2).

9. Victory

9.1 If in recovering a relic, a player draws the Grail, the game ends automatically. The Grail is worth victory points equal to your piety level multiplied by 20. Count victory points.

9.2 When any player has their second character die, the game is over and victory points are counted.

9.3 If neither of the above occurs, the game continues until the last of the relic cards is drawn (15 of the 20). Victory points are counted.

9.4 Victory points:

• Each gold point is worth 1 VP.
• Each VP gained by donation of relics to the Church is worth 1 VP.
• Each relic held is worth its value x 8 in VP's (except the Grail, which is worth Piety x 20 in VP's).
• Subtract VP's for any loans taken out.
• Subtract 10 VP's for each character of yours that died during the game (including if the game has just ended due to 9.2 above).

10. Death

Whenever a player's character is lost, they start over with another one. They discard all relics they hold, then take all cards they hold, both face up and in their hand, shuffle them and keep 1/2, rounded down. The rest are returned to the discard piles, which are IMMEDIATELY shuffled back into the decks (Generalis cards into the Generalis deck, knowledge cards into the knowledge deck). The player draws a new Mad Monk/Scholar card, and re-enters the game on the following turn with the new values listed on the card. Victory points are NOT lost.

11. Gold

11.1 If a player finds themself low on gold, they may sell relics at Constantinople or borrow gold. If they are at their home location, the rate of borrowing is 10 victory points for 10 gold. At any other location they must use a shylock, and the rate is 10 victory points for 5 gold. These are permanent points lost by the player, even if the character that lost them later dies.

11.2 A player may sell knowledge cards, but ONLY if they are completely out of gold OR has only one gold remaining. This is not considered an action, and they may use the gold to travel by horse or ship during the same turn. One knowledge card is discarded, and the player collects gold equal to a die roll (1d6) divided by 2, rounded up. See also 8.6.

11.3 In any case when the player rolls an event that would cost more gold than they own, they pay all they can and ignores any deficit. (Pleading poverty sometimes works.)

11.4 Borrowing gold, or selling cards for gold, is not an action, and may be done during any part of a players turn.

12. Trading and sale of cards

12.1 If more than one player is present at the same location at the same time, they may trade or sell any cards at whatever terms they work out.

12.2 If an event is played against a player at the beginning of their turn, all players present at that location are affected (but each roll separately on the appropriate table, using their own modifiers).

12.3 Players may announce, at any time, whatever cards they hold and would consider selling or trading.

12.4 Selling or trading of cards between players at the same location does not count as an action, and may be conducted at any time during either player's turn.

13. Optional rules

13.1 Postus Fastus (aka Tabellarius Imperialis or Federalis Expressis). This option speeds up play, and may be used when players desire a shorter game. Allow players to trade/buy/sell cards while not at the same location (becomes an exception to 12.1).

14. Two Player rules

Set up the game, with each player drawing a Monk card at random. Then look through the Generalis deck and select the first two Liber Inventus cards you find. Reshuffle the deck. Do not draw any other cards to start.

At the end of each player turn (as in 4.3 Actions), when the player draws and reveals one Generalis card, it is resolved and affects any player at the named location. For example, Heresy, Plague, Bandits, and Carnival. An Islam card affects all players at any Islamic location. A player may play a held Islam card in defense. If no player is affected by the revealed Islam card, the phasing player may take the card into their hand for defensive use in a later turn.

If a Liber Inventus card is revealed, the phasing player takes it into their hand.

Storms at Sea affects all players currently at sea.

Forgery affects the phasing player.

Veneration of Relics affects the current player.

Liber Prohibitorum means the phasing player loses their next turn (unless they have an Authentica Habita to cancel it).

The two map cards, along with Techne Grammatike and Questionnaire Erotemata, and Authentica Habita, are taken by the phasing player into their hand.

Juliana of Cornillon will affect the phasing player if they hold a relic and are in a Christian location. If not, the phasing player takes the card into their hand for defensive use in a later turn.

7.1 Movement is speeded up. Foot movement and ship travel are the same as listed in 7.1. Movement by horse is 1 gold for either 1 or 2 locations. So, for example, for 3 gold a player could travel either 5 or 6 locations.

Rule 11.2 is modified: Roll 1d6 to see how much gold is received (not halved).

Optional rule 13.1 is always in effect, so players may freely trade/sell cards with each other regardless of their current location.

Players may also use these rules for the 3-5 player game, which creates a faster and less of a "take that" game.

15. Commentary and notes

Why? We wanted a game that would have simple mechanics and still be challenging. It had to be playable in one evening, and able to handle a variable number of players, especially 3 and 5, when we couldn't get the 4 regular guys for Britannia (TAHGC).

The Grail has always fascinated me. I loved the movie, and resisted the temptation not to let the game become very silly (no killer rabbits!). Basically, medieval knights were the moral equivalents of Hells Angels. If anyone was going to find the Grail, it wasn't going to be a bunch of overgrown adolescents in boilerplate. They weren't smart enough. So who was smart enough? Right - your local monk or medieval scholar, sometimes driven to madness by the weight of their learning (imagine being the only one in your town that could read and write!). Each of the characters on the cards actually existed, but sometimes lived years apart. I opted for time compression (like in Republic of Rome) to concentrate on action and to explore the historical (and ahistorical) possibilities.

Religious relics were big business in the late middle ages. There were lots of fakes, and the Church seemed to make quite a bit of profit from all of this. If they had television, one could imagine the infomercials produced by the local clerics. ("Yours for only 20 bezants - the finger bone of John the Baptist! Order now and receive, absolutely free, a piece of the true cross!"). The television series Black Adder was correct about all of this (especially the "Archbishop of Canterbury" episode).

Player notes

Players should keep several things in mind. First, the turn sequence is set up so that the player whose turn is next has the first opportunity to play an event card against the current player. The game can be as friendly or as nasty as players wish. Players can agree to hold off on play of the really bad event cards, or can play them on every turn. Second, that several of the event cards seem innocuous, but are actually very deadly. Cards that require a player to simply lose a turn don't seem that harmful, but do in fact leave the player vulnerable to a barrage of bad cards in following turns, since the player has now spent more than one turn in the same location. A LIBER PROHIBITORUM card followed the next turn by a PLAGUE card can mean death for your character.

Low value relic cards are good for raising piety, which aids a player in defense against heresy. This is usually a better deal than holding onto them for VP's. For medium value cards, players will have to decide if they can get along without the gold they could generate. Obviously, the high value cards should be donated to the Church in Rome for the big points.

Sea travel is dangerous. Players should consider a route that allows them to "hug the coast" and jump from port to port, so as never to be "at sea" where a STORMS card could hurt them.

Historical notes

Relics ("RELIQUIAE", from the Latin) were among the cornerstones of medieval Christianity. They represented, among other things, the link between the natural and spiritual worlds. The root meaning of RELIQUIAE is "corpse" and early relics were usually associated with martyred saints (their bones or clothing). Cottage industries grew up around the shrines of these relics, and local churches profited. Churches would often resort to a variety of means to acquire new or more renowned relics, including theft, purchase, and outright forgery. When Guibert of Nogent wrote "On the Relics of the Saints" in AD 1120, he was attacking the authenticity of many relics. Specifically, he objected to the shrine of Christ's foreskin at Charroux. There were at least three churches that claimed to possess this true relic.

Tests were developed to determine a relics authenticity, and often included trial by fire. This was often used on pieces of the true cross, so forgers often used petrified wood! Some people, such as Juliana of Cornillon, could supposedly divine a true relic on sight.

Travel was dangerous and time consuming. Bandits, disease, and other perils abounded. Yet scholars and students held a special place, especially where civil law was concerned. For example, the Treaty of Bretigny (AD 1360) declared that students traveling in France were to left alone by all civil authorities (due to the Hundred Years War, however, this protection did not apply to English students in France). A person could disappear between towns and nothing was thought of it. Communications were slow or nonexistent, and law enforcement very localized.

Further reading:

• Eisen, Gustavus. The Great Chalice of Antioch. New York: Fahim Kouchakji; 1933. Great volume; Arabs excavating in Antioch in 1931 break into hidden chamber and discover the Grail (!?); even has color plates.
• Baigent, Michael. Holy Blood, Holy Grail. New York: Delacorte Press; 1982. Really fascinating book, especially if you like conspiracies.
• Durant, Will. Age of Faith. New York: Simon & Schuster; 1950. Volume 4 of The Story of Civilization; good general reading on the period, and the heresies.
• Strayer, Joseph R. (editor). Dictionary of the Middle Ages. New York: Scribners; 1982. 13 volumes, best parts describe scholarship.
• Ashe, Goeffrey. The Quest for Arthur's Britain. New York: Praeger; 1968.
• Jaffray, Robert. King Arthur and the Holy Grail. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons; 1928.
• Nutt, Alfred. Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail. London: David Nutt; 1888.
• Waite, Arthur. The Holy Grail. New York: University Books; 1961.