Majesty: For the Realm
Majesty: For the Realm Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About These Rules
This rulebook is divided into several sections:
- Pages 2 and 3: The SETUP and BASICS sections explain how to start playing the game.
- Pages 4 and 5: The structure of YOUR TURN is explained.
- Page 6: Each location's SPECIAL ABILITIES are explained in detail.
- Page 7: How to perform FINAL SCORING once the game is over.
- Page 8: A brief SUMMARY, as well as playing with SIDE B AND BEYOND.
The SUMMARY RULESHEET contains thorough explanations for each location's abilities.
Setup
1A. Location cards have a number and a letter in the bottom-left corner. There are eight locations, each of which has both a side A and a side B.
Each player takes one of each location card.
1B. Arrange your location cards in front of you with side A faceup, in ascending order from left to right.
Leave some space below each location to place your character cards.
2A. Shuffle a number of worker cards equal to the number of players (ensuring that the card with the knight is among them) and deal one to each player. Place this card faceup above your location cards. Then, each player places 5 meeples on his or her worker card.
The player who has the worker card with the knight is the first player.
2B. Your workers are represented by meeples. Place the remaining meeples as a supply within easy reach of all players.
3. Your wealth is tracked by chips:
- 10 1-point chips (copper coin)
- 25 2-point chips (silver coin)
- 25 10-point chips (gold coin)
- 6 50-point chips (precious gem)
- 4 100-point chips (1 each: dagger, goblet, ring, and circlet)
Place these chips as a supply within easy reach of all players.
4. Shuffle the tier 2 cards (with red backs) and place them facedown in a pile in the center of the table.
Then, shuffle the tier 1 cards (with green backs). Using the chart on the right, set aside the number of tier 1 cards listed. Place the set-aside cards on top of the tier 2 cards to create the deck. Return the unused tier 1 cards to the box.
Finally, create the character display by placing the top 6 cards of the deck faceup in a row next to the deck.
- In a 2-player game, set aside 6 tier 1 cards.
- In a 3-player game, set aside 14 tier 1 cards.
- In a 4-player game, set aside 26 tier 1 cards.
Basics
In Majesty: For the Realm, you control your own realm, which consists of the eight different location cards in front of you. Nearby, you and your rivals compete for the loyalty of the people, who will aid you.
The goal of the game is to enlist these subjects and to use their skills to bring wealth to your realm. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.
Gameplay
The player who has the worker card with the knight is the first player.
On your turn, you must take one character from the display and place it at its matching location in your realm. Doing so activates that location, which can result in you gaining points or meeples, attacking other players, or even causing other players to gain points. Then, play proceeds clockwise to the player on your left, who also takes one character from the display, places it in his or her realm, and activates its location.
When you gain points, take the appropriate value of chips from the supply. When you lose points, return the appropriate value of chips to the supply. At any time during the game, you can exchange your chips with those of equivalent value from the supply.
Play continues as described above until each player has exactly 12 character cards in their realm. At that point, players perform final scoring and compare points. The player with the most points win.
Your Turn
Taking a Card
At the start of your turn, choose one character card to take from the display. The character card farthest from the deck is in the front space of the display, and the character card nearest to the deck is in the back space. The character card in the front space is always free to take. To take a card in any other space, place one of your meeples on each card, starting with the front space, leading up to your chosen card.
You cannot choose a character card if you do not have enough meeples to place one on each card leading up to it.
Example: You want to choose the Knight, but you have only two meeples. Instead, you choose to take the Noble. You place one meeple on the Witch, one on the Miller, and take the Noble from the display.
The meeples remain on cards in the display until they are taken.
Gaining Meeples
You can gain meeples by either taking a card with meeples on it from the display or resolving a location's ability (which is explained on the next page). When you gain meeples, place them in empty spaces on your worker card. If you still have more meeples to place, but there are no more empty spaces available, keep them next to your worker card until the end of the turn.
Example: On a later turn, you take the Miller, which has 2 meeples on it. Your worker card has only one empty space. You place one meeple on your worker card, and one next to your worker card.
Placing Characters
After you take a character card from the display, place it at its matching location.
Each character card has an icon in the top-right corner. This icon shows where the character is placed and is used by location abilities to reference character cards. When you place your character at its location, activate that location and resolve its abilities. There is no limit to how many characters can be at a location.
Split Character Cards
Some character cards show two characters, one split on each half of the card. When you take a split card, choose which character to use by placing it with the top character at its matching location.
Example: You can place this split card at either the Brewery as a Brewer or the Cottage as a Witch.
These are the different characters and locations, and this is how they are arranged:
| Character | Location |
|---|---|
| Miller | Mill |
| Brewer | Brewery |
| Witch | Cottage |
| Guard | Guardhouse |
| Knight | Barracks |
| Innkeeper | Inn |
| Noble | Castle |
Resolving Abilities
After you place a character at its location, resolve that location's abilities from top to bottom. Abilities typically provide points and/or meeples based on which characters are currently in your realm.
Some locations have special abilities written on a signpost, which are explained on the next page. The summary rulesheet explains each location's abilities in detail.
Example: You take a Miller and place it at your Mill. You gain 2 points.
On your next turn, you take another Miller. You gain 2 points for each Miller, for a total of 4 points.
Then, you take a Witch. You gain 2 points for each Miller, Brewer, and Witch in your realm. Since you have two Millers and one Witch, you gain 6 points.
End of Turn
After you have resolved the location's abilities, your turn ends.
If there are any meeples next to your worker card, return them to the supply and gain 1 point for each meeple you return.
Then, close the gap in the display. To do this, slide each remaining card one space toward the front space. Then, draw the top character card and place it faceup in the back space.
Remember to keep meeples on their cards.
Play then proceeds clockwise to the player on your left.
Example: At the end of your turn, you still have a meeple next to your worker card. You return it to the supply, and gain 1 point.
Slide each remaining card one space toward the front. Then, place the top card of the character deck faceup in the back space.
Special Abilities
Four locations also have a special ability written on a signpost above their other abilities. When activating a location with a special ability, remember to resolve abilities from top to bottom (meaning to first resolve the special ability, followed by the other abilities on the card).
Defend
While you have a Guard at the Guardhouse, you can defend against attacks from other players.
Attack
When you place a Knight at your Barracks, you individually attack each opponent. If an opponent has the same number of Guards or more than you have Knights, your attack fails, and nothing happens. If an opponent has fewer Guards than you have Knights, your attack succeeds.
Example: The defender has two Guards, and the attacker has one Knight. This attack fails.
Example: The defender has two Guards, and the attacker has three Knights. This attack succeeds.
That player moves his or her leftmost character to his or her Infirmary, placing it facedown on top of any other characters already there.
For each attack, only one character can be sent to the Infirmary per player. Location abilities do not count characters at the Infirmary.
Example: You were attacked, so one of your Brewers is sent to the Infirmary. While at the Infirmary, it does not count when resolving abilities that reference Brewers.
Heal Top Card
When you place a Witch at the Cottage, return the top card from your Infirmary to its matching location, without activating the location.
Example: You take a Witch and place it at your Cottage. First, move your Brewer from the Infirmary and return it faceup to the Brewery (The Brewery does not activate). Then, because you have two Brewers and two Witches, you gain 8 points.
When you heal a split card, choose where to place it. Because healing is resolved first, the healed character counts when resolving the rest of the Cottage's abilities.
Game End Only
The Infirmary's special ability happens only during final scoring. You do not lose points when placing characters at the Infirmary.
Final Scoring
When all players have exactly 12 characters in their realm, the game ends, and final scoring begins. Each player follows these steps:
1. Infirmary
For each character in your Infirmary, you lose 1 point. Then return those cards to the box; they are no longer part of your realm.
Example: For the two characters in your Infirmary, you lose 2 points.
2. Variety
Count the number of your locations that have at least one character. You gain points equal to that number multiplied by itself.
Each location card has the full set of icons in the bottom-right as a reminder of this step.
Example: You have 12 total characters, but they are only at four different locations. You gain (4 x 4 =) 16 points.
Example: You have 12 characters, this time spread out over six locations. You gain (6 x 6 =) 36 points.
3. Majority
On the bottom-right of each location card is a coin showing that location's value.
Each player counts the number of Millers at his or her Mill. Whoever has the most Millers among all players gains points equal to the Mill's value. Repeat this process for each location with a location value. In case of a tie, each tied player gains points equal to that location's value.
Example: The Mill's value is 10. You have the most Millers, so you gain 10 points.
Claim the Crown
All players compare points, and the player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the tied players share victory.
Summary
- Take one character from the display and place it at its matching location in your realm.
- Resolve that location's abilities, including any special abilities on signposts.
- Play proceeds clockwise around the table.
- Players repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 until all players have exactly 12 character cards in their realm.
- Perform final scoring. The player with the most points wins!
Side B and Beyond
Side B
After you have played a few times with the location cards on side A, you are ready to try side B. To do this, flip over your location cards so that side B is faceup during setup. On side B, the locations become more risky, but also more rewarding, and you must make your decisions with greater care. Just like when playing with side A, make sure that all players have all of their cards with side B faceup.
Mixing Sides A and B
You can also experiment with some unofficial combinations, by having some cards showing side A and some showing side B. When playing this way, all players' realms must be identical.
Customizing the Character Deck
For even more variance, you can try combining the character cards together. To do this, during step 4 of setup, shuffle the tier 1 cards with the tier 2 cards to create the character deck. Do not set aside any tier 1 cards.
Summary Rulesheet — Location Cards: A-Side
Reminder: Each Location Card is activated when you place the appropriate Character Card underneath it. Your Characters only gain points for you, in your own realm. However, the Characters of the other players may gain them points on your turn, if you activate a Character with the black "all players" icon on it. Also, only unwounded Characters are counted when activating any newly placed Characters. Those in the Infirmary, as well as the "bottom" side of split Character Cards, are not counted.
Exception: Healing a Character and returning them to a Location does not activate that Location.
1A — Mill (Miller)
The first Miller you place gains you 2 points. If you place a second Miller you gain 4 points, and so on.
2A — Brewery (Brewer)
The first Brewer you place gains you 2 points and 1 Meeple.
The second Brewer placed gains you 4 points and 2 Meeples, and so on.
After that, you must clearly announce that ALL players (including yourself) who have placed at least 1 Miller gain 2 points.
Example: You place your third Brewer. You immediately gain 6 points and 3 Meeples. You must place 2 of those Meeples next to your worker card as there is only room to place one of them. You now announce to all players that if any of them has placed at least 1 Miller, he gains 2 points. Since you also have a Miller, you gain another 2 points.
Since it is now the end of your turn, you must return the 2 Meeples not on your worker card to the supply, and gain 2 points for this. The next player then takes his turn.
3A — Cottage (Witch)
When placing a Witch in the Cottage, first check to see if you have any wounded Characters in the Infirmary. If you do, the top one in the stack is cured. (Only the top Character is cured, regardless of how many Witches you already have.) Then gain points for the placed Witch, for each Character depicted on the card. You do not need a set of these Characters!
Example: You place your second Witch, and heal the top Character in the Infirmary. This is a Miller, who is returned to the Mill (without activating the Mill). You now gain points. Since you have a total of 5 Characters depicted on the card in your realm, you gain 10 points.
4A — Guardhouse (Guard)
The Guard works much in the same way as does the Witch. You gain 2 points for each Guard, Soldier and Innkeeper in your realm when placing a Guard in your Guardhouse. In addition, the Guard can also defend you – see page 6.
5A — Barracks (Knight)
When placing a Knight, first check if the Knight's attack on each other player is successful or not – see page 6. You then gain 3 points for each Knight in your realm.
6A — Inn (Innkeeper)
Placing an Innkeeper in your Inn gains you 4 points for each Innkeeper in your realm. You must then announce that ALL players (including yourself) who have placed at least 1 Brewer gain 3 points.
Example: You place your third Innkeeper, gaining you 12 points. Then, every player with at least 1 Brewer gains 3 points.
7A — Castle (Noble)
When placing a Noble in the Castle, you gain 5 points and 1 Meeple. For your second Noble, you gain 10 points and 2 Meeples, etc.
8A — Infirmary
All Character Cards placed in the Infirmary are placed face down in a single stack. Unfortunately, at the end of the game you lose 1 point for each Character still in the Infirmary.
You may look at your wounded Character stack at any time, but you may never change the order of the cards in the stack.
Summary Rulesheet — Location Cards: B-Side
We recommend using the B-sides of the Location Cards only after having played at least 5 times with the A-sides. The basic game rules remain the same, but the activation conditions are different.
We will only highlight the B-side Locations that have a completely new special function, or are more unusual than their respective A-sides. Pay close attention to the new Majority values for each Location. The Variety scoring remains the same as it is for the A-side.
2B — Brewery
First, you gain 1 Meeple for each Miller and Brewer.
Then you check to see if you have at least one set of both an Innkeeper and Noble. If you do, you gain 10 points. Even if you have more than 1 set, you still only gain 10 points.
Then, as at the end of each turn, return any additional Meeples that cannot be stored on your worker card to the supply, and gain 1 point for each one returned.
With this card, it is possible to gain no points at all when activating it.
6B — Inn
First, you check to see which type of Character you have the most of in your realm. You gain 2 points for each of these Characters. Remember that you gain that amount for each Innkeeper in your realm.
Example: You place your second Innkeeper. In your realm, you currently have 3 Witches and 3 Guards, so they are tied for the type of Character you have the most of, which is 3. 3 Characters x 2 points = 6 points, but since you have 2 Innkeepers in total, you gain 12 points.
7B — Castle
First, you may trade 1 Meeple for 1 point, or vice versa. You may do this up to 5 times (since your worker card will either be completely empty or full after that). After that, you gain 4 points for each Noble in your realm and wounded Character in your Infirmary.
Example: After placing an Innkeeper, you decide not to trade any Meeples/points. For your 2 Nobles and 1 wounded Character in your Infirmary, you gain 12 points.
8B — Infirmary
As with the A-side, the Infirmary is only scored at the end of the game.
In contrast to the A-side, however, you now lose 2 points for each wounded Character still in the Infirmary.
In addition, the player with the most wounded Characters in their Infirmary at the end of the game will lose another 10 points. If there are multiple players tied for the most wounded Characters, they all lose 10 points.
Acknowledgments
From the Designer
First designed in 2014, Majesty: For the Realm has been through a long creative process, and I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way. Special thanks go out to Sébastien Pauchon for his good advice about removing the original game board, Gaetan Beaujannot for his tireless support all the way to the end, and the Hans im Glück team, for their top-quality work and their confidence in my game.
From Hans im Glück
Deepest thanks to Gaetan Beaujannot (from Forgenext) and Marc André for trusting us with their amazing game. It was such a pleasure to work with them, and we can't wait to do it again! We would also like to thank our diligent playtesters, promoters, proofreaders, and partners, who all worked with us on this project. Thank you, and without your feedback (conscious or otherwise), this game never would have made it where it is now.
Special thanks goes to Anne Heidsieck and Andreas Resch for the illustrations and design process, and the Z-Man Games team for the English localization.
Credits
- Game Design: Marc André
- Game Development: Hans im Glück Team
- Technical Editing: James Meier
- Cover & Interior Art: Anne Heidsieck
- Image Layout & 3D Rendering: Andreas Resch
- Publisher: Steven Kimball
- Playtesters: Gregor Abraham, Bernd Argesheimer, Silke Bansemer, Johanna & Rita Dorra, Laurin & Luca Dorra, Michael Fronia, Tom Hilgert, Dennis Hofeld, Dirk Rösch, Torsten & Tina Schlender, Karl-Heinz Schmiel, Thorsten Wagner, and especially Dieter Hornung.
© 2017 Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH. © 2017 Z-Man Games.