Medieval Mastery Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Components
  • Cards (126)
  • Tiles (39)
  • Dice (60)
• Setup
• Setup Diagram
• Map
• Card and Icon Reference
  • Card anatomy
  • Icon details: relics and general icons
  • Icon details: territory and effect icons
• Game Flow
  • Summary of a turn
  • 1. Place knights
  • 2. and 7. Playing Support cards
  • 3. and 8. Using the Crown
  • 4. Redistributing knights
  • Supply lines
  • 5. March
  • 6. Combat
  • Combat sequence in detail (page 12)
  • Combat example (page 13)
  • 9. Repairing Relics
• Goal of the Game
• Optional Rules (page 14)
  • Loyalty (for those who want to win by forming teams)
  • Siege (for those who want to attack castles)
  • Cut-Throat (for those who want a more intense game)
  • Skirmish (for those who want a quicker game)
  • Chaos (for those who want to roll dice more chaotically)
• Glossary
• Quick Reference

Introduction

Medieval Mastery is a tactical territory-conquest game based on the feudal system of medieval Europe. Set in a turbulent time in France, as a succession dispute for the throne flares up across the country, each player takes the role of a local lord. In the struggle to claim the crown, you must send your brave knights out to conquer the territories around you.

Components

Cards (126)

The 126 cards consist of six player card decks of 18 cards each (108 cards) and 18 Relic cards.

• Conflict cards: Played face down during battle. The total of the values 2 to 5 on the Conflict cards played is the player's combat value. Each Ambush attack card adds the result of its die roll to the combat value instead of its printed value.
• Support cards: Played during battle. Each Heroic Effort card adds +1 or +2 to the player's combat value. Play Support cards to snatch victory from rivals.
• Aid cards: Give the player bonuses such as "reinforce", "draw an additional card", "destroy an opponent's Relic" and "make an additional march". Play each Aid card at the best possible moment to maximise its advantage and turn the flow of the contest.
• Relics: Three kinds: the Crown, the Sceptre and the Orb. Each player is dealt one Relic of each kind at random. Combine their special abilities.

The four icons shown on the Aid cards in the components illustration correspond, from left to right, to: draw a card, reinforce, make an additional march, and destroy an opponent's Relic.

Tiles (39)

The game uses three types of tile: 6 Castle tiles, 3 Lake tiles and 30 Territory tiles. These tiles are used to build the medieval realm that forms the stage of the game.

• Castle: Each player starts the game with their own castle and knights. Knights gained during the game are placed in the player's castle. If a player is defeated in battle, the surviving knights retreat to their own castle.
• Lake: Players cannot take control of lakes. A player who controls a territory adjacent to a lake can march into any territory adjacent to that lake. The lake rule applies to all territories adjacent to it.
• Territory: There are many kinds of territory. Most have special abilities that affect the game. Every territory is worth 1 to 3 victory points.

Dice (60)

There are 60 dice in six colours, 10 of each colour. At the start of the game each player is given the 10 dice of their colour. Each face of a die represents one knight. During the game, the dice given to a player represent the knights that player owns on the map. Dice are only rolled for an Arena or an Ambush card.

Setup

Before playing the game, set up as follows.

1. Choosing a castle. Each player chooses one of the six castles. Each player takes the 10 dice and the card deck matching the colour of the castle they chose. The 18-card decks are all identical, so choose freely by colour.

2. Setting up the map. The map is made by arranging tiles, and the arrangement changes with the number of players (see the Map section). Building the map is simple: choose a tile arrangement and place the tiles in the correct positions. Set aside the Lake tiles. Divide the Territory tiles into three piles by their victory points. Shuffle each pile and place it face down. Starting from the centre, turn tiles face up and place them in the positions shown in the diagram, drawing from the piles as needed. Each player places their castle in the position shown in the diagram so that the castle is in front of them.

3. Dealing Relics. After setting up the map, divide the Relic cards into the Crown, the Sceptre and the Orb. Shuffle each group and deal each player one of each kind. Each player places the three Relics they receive face up in front of them. Beginners may find it helpful for each player to announce their Relics and read their abilities from the quick reference, so that everyone knows how the others can use them.

4. Putting away unused components. Return to the box the tiles, cards and dice that are not used in the game.

5. Setting up player areas. Each player takes the components assigned to them. Each player shuffles their own deck and places it face down in front of them, leaving a space beside the deck for a discard pile. Each player's dice are placed beside the deck as a supply.

6. Placing knights. Each face of a die represents one knight. Each player begins the game with 6 knights. These knights are distributed evenly between the player's castle and the homeland territories adjacent to it. For example, if one homeland is adjacent to the player's castle, that player places 3 knights in the castle and 3 knights in the homeland. Conversely, if no homeland is adjacent to the player's castle, all 6 knights are placed in the castle. Each player's castle can be adjacent to at most two homelands.

The game ends immediately when any one player gains 13 or more victory points from territories. That player is the winner.

Setup Diagram

The setup diagram shows an example two-player setup: the map, each player's area (castle, deck, supply of dice, discard space and hand), the three Relics in each player's area, and the cards played during a battle.

Map

Each map is made by combining castles, lakes and territories according to the number of players in the game. The map diagrams show how to combine the tiles for 2 to 6 players. The territory tiles, divided by victory points, are shuffled and used so that the map is different in every game.

Note: the game box contains enough tiles to play three games at the same time. For example, you could play a 3-player game twice, a 2-player game once and a 4-player game once simultaneously, or a 2-player game three times at once.

Map diagrams (page 4): one layout for each of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 players. Castle tiles, Lake tiles and Territory tiles are placed in the positions shown; the territory numbers (1, 2, 3) are the victory points of each tile.

Card and Icon Reference

Card anatomy

Each card shows: its illustration, its name, its card type (for example Conflict), its ability text, and its value. Victory points appear on territory tiles.

Icon details: relics and general icons

Most of the Relic cards and territories in the game use icons to show their abilities. Some icons appear on several cards, while others appear only on certain Relics or territories. The effects of the icons used in the game are listed below. The icons are designed to be logical, and after several games you should no longer need to refer to this page.

Icon	Effect	Keywords
Blue down arrow	When you use this ability, you are the affected player.	Most Relics
Red up arrow	When you use this ability, your rival is the affected player.	Defiance, Savagery, Influence (keyword labels as translated)
Clock with "1"	You may use this ability only once during your turn.	All Crowns
Red bullseye	When you use this ability, any player may be the affected player.	Decay, Prosperity
Gold trophy	If you use this ability after the combat result is determined, you always win the combat.	Savagery, Greed, Resolve (keyword labels as translated)
Skull	If you use this ability after the combat result is determined, you always lose the combat.	Purification, Self-sacrifice, Revival
Starburst	If you use this before playing a Conflict card, you are always the attacking player.

Keyword labels are transcribed from the keyword lists printed beside each icon in the translated source. Where the English card title was not legible in the source, the label is the translator's rendering.

Icon details: territory and effect icons

Icon	Effect	Keywords
Starburst with "+"	At the start of combat, the attacking player adds +1 to their combat value.	Grassland
Shield with "+"	At the start of combat, the defending player adds +1 to their combat value.	Oath, City, Fortress
Square with "#"	This territory cannot hold 6 knights. Instead it holds the number of knights shown.	Cave, Battlefield
Blue square with cross	If combat takes place in this territory, the players cannot use Support cards.	Mountains
White pawn	The affected player places one additional knight in their castle.	Self-sacrifice, Village, City, Cathedral
Black pawn	The affected player loses one knight from a territory in conflict.	Savagery, Marshland
Six cards	The affected player draws cards until their hand has 6 cards.

Note: when a player conquers a territory, that player is always the affected player when that territory's abilities are resolved.

Game Flow

Summary of a turn

1. Place 3 knights.
2. Play a Support card.
3. Use the Crown.
4. Redistribute knights.
5. March.
6. Combat.
7. Play a Support card.
8. Use the Crown.
9. Repair Relics.

1. Place knights

When it becomes your turn, place 3 knights in your castle. Show the placement by adding pips to the dice already in your castle. If the dice already placed are not enough, take dice from the supply and place them in the castle to show the knights. If the unfortunate situation arises that the supply has no dice left, the knights that cannot be added are lost.

A castle has no limit, so a player may place as many knights in their castle as they like. You cannot conquer another player's castle, so you do not need to keep knights in your castle to defend it.

2. and 7. Playing Support cards

Each player's deck contains four Support cards: Summon, Influential Person, Tactical March and Destroy. When you play one of these Support cards, always show it to the other players, apply its effect, and then place it face up on your discard pile.

• Influential Person: When you draw this card, play it immediately and draw 2 more cards.
• Summon: This card can only be played during your turn. When played, add 2 more knights to your castle.
• Tactical March: This card can only be played during your turn. When played, you may redistribute your knights once more and march again.

Summon and Tactical March can only be played before or after you redistribute knights and march on your turn. They cannot be used during redistribution, but they can be used during a march or in combat.

• Destroy: At any time*, play this card to cancel the effect of one of an opponent's Relics, and discard it.

*A Destroy card can only be used during your own turn, or when an opponent uses one of your Relics. It cannot be used during redistribution or a march. It may be used in the following cases:

• Before or after you redistribute knights and march on your turn.
• When one player announces the use of a Crown: starting with that player and going clockwise, each player in turn may play a Destroy card against that Crown.
• Just before a Sceptre or Orb ability is applied during combat: starting with the attacking player and going clockwise, each player in turn gets a chance to play a Destroy card against one of those Relics.

Once every player has had the chance to destroy a Relic, apply the effect and continue play.

Note: a Relic that has been destroyed is turned face down. Until it is restored and turned face up again, its ability cannot be used or applied (see page 13).

3. and 8. Using the Crown

A player may use their Crown's ability once per turn. The Crown's ability cannot be used during redistribution, but it can be used during a march or in combat. The Crown is therefore best used before you redistribute knights and march on your turn.

The Crown of Vitality is an exception: it is best used just before you finish your turn. A player does not have to use their Crown's ability on their turn.

Note: when using the Crown 慧眼の王冠 (its English title is not legible in the source; its ability lets you look at the top four cards of a deck), if the deck contains only 4 cards, the player shuffles the discard pile, turns it face down and places it under the remaining cards. Then, as usual, they look at the top 4 cards of the deck and rearrange their order.

4. Redistributing knights

Redistribution is the process of moving knights between the player's castle and the territories they control. A player may only redistribute knights on their own turn, once, before their march. If a player plays a Tactical March card, they may redistribute and march a second time in that same turn. This lets the player return knights to their castle to prepare a march, while also gaining the chance to reinforce a weak territory that is about to be attacked.

When redistribution starts and when it ends, the total number of knights on the map must be exactly the same.

To redistribute, a player may reduce the number of knights in their castle and/or in the territories they control, and then increase the number of knights in their castle and/or in the territories they control by the same total amount. Remember that a march is made using knights in the castle. Unless stated otherwise, a territory can hold up to 6 knights. Every territory a player controls must always hold at least 1 knight. You cannot redistribute by moving all the knights out of a territory, or by placing knights in a territory beyond what it can hold. Where possible, the player should show the knights in a territory with one die.

Example (page 9 of the source): the player moves 3 knights from a territory of value 1 and 1 knight from a territory of value 3. Moving the 3 knights into the castle makes 6 knights in the castle. The remaining 1 knight is moved to the territory of value 2, which then has 5 knights in total.

Supply lines

A territory a player controls must have a supply line. A territory has a supply line if it is adjacent to the player's castle, or if a route can be drawn from it to the castle through lakes and other territories the player controls. Lakes are always considered to be controlled by all players, so any player may use a lake when drawing a supply line.

If a territory has no supply line, the knights in that territory cannot be moved during redistribution, and no other knights can be added to it. Furthermore, you cannot march into a territory that is adjacent to a territory without a supply line, unless another territory with a supply line is also adjacent to it.

Example (page 10 of the source), left: the red player draws a supply line from territory A through territory B to their castle, which shows that territory A has a supply line. All the territories in this example draw supply lines to their castles, so they are all considered to have supply lines.

Example (page 10 of the source), right: the yellow player marches into territory B and conquers it. Territory A has no supply line. The yellow player can draw a supply line from territory B to their castle through the lake, because lakes can be used by all players.

5. March

March is the process of moving knights from a player's castle to territories that are not under that player's control. A player can only march once per turn, unless they play a Tactical March card. Knights march from the castle into territories adjacent to the castle, or into territories adjacent to territories the player controls.

A player can normally march no more than 6 knights into a territory, which is the number of knights a territory can hold. If a player controls a territory adjacent to a lake, that player can march into any territory adjacent to that lake, because lakes connect all the territories adjacent to them.

Example (page 11 of the source), left: the red player can march into any green territory.

Example (page 11 of the source), right: the red player chooses to march into one of the territories controlled by the blue player. Both players fight using the knights in that territory.

If a player marches into a territory that no player controls, that player conquers it and applies its effect. If a player marches into a territory controlled by another player, the two players must fight using the knights in that territory. A player does not have to march on their own turn.

6. Combat

When one player marches into a territory controlled by another player, combat takes place. The marching player becomes the attacking player, and the other player becomes the defending player. Only the two players in combat are rivals of each other. The territory is classed as in conflict until the combat ends.

Both players in combat begin the combat with a combat value equal to the number of knights they have in the conflict territory. For example, if a player has 4 knights in the conflict territory, that player begins combat with a combat value of 4. Each player's combat value is determined at this point.

During combat, players add to their combat value by applying territory effects or Relic effects, and by playing Conflict cards or Support cards from their hand. The player with the highest combat value wins the combat.

Combat sequence (summary, as printed on page 11):

1. Apply territory effects.
2. Draw cards until you have 5.
3. Apply the Sceptre effect.
4. Play Conflict cards.
5. Play Support cards.
6. Determine the combat result.
7. Apply the Orb effect.
8. Knight losses and retreat.
9. Apply territory effects.

Combat sequence in detail (page 12)

1. Apply territory effects. If any territory in conflict has an effect, apply it at the start of combat.

2. Draw cards until you have 5. Both players draw cards from their own deck until their hand has 5 cards. If either player draws an Influential Person card, that player plays it immediately after finishing their draw. If at any point a player cannot draw from their deck, that player shuffles their discard pile, turns it face down and places it in front of them. This becomes their deck, and they continue drawing until their hand has 5 cards.

3. Apply the Sceptre effect. Starting with the attacking player and going clockwise, each player in turn (including players not in the combat) gets a chance to play a Destroy card against a Sceptre owned by one of the players in combat. After every player has had the chance to destroy the Sceptre, if it has not been destroyed, its effect is applied.

4. Play Conflict cards. Each player chooses one Conflict card from their hand and places it face down in front of them. If a player has no Conflict card in hand, they are treated as having played a Conflict card of value 0. When both players have played a Conflict card, they reveal them at the same time. Each player adds the value of their Conflict card to their combat value. Played Conflict cards stay on the table for reference until the end of the combat.

5. Play Support cards. Starting with the player whose combat value is lower, both players alternately play Support cards from their hand. A player may stop playing Support cards partway through; otherwise the alternating play continues until no cards remain in either player's hand. Each player adds the value of their Support cards to their combat value. Played Support cards stay on the table for reference until the end of the combat.

6. Determine the combat result. Compare the two players' total combat values. The player with the larger combat value wins the combat, by the difference between the two combat values. If the totals are equal, the defending player wins the combat by a margin of 1 point.

7. Apply the Orb effect. Starting with the attacking player and going clockwise, each player in turn (including players not in the combat) gets a chance to play a Destroy card against an Orb owned by one of the players in combat. After every player has had the chance to destroy the Orb, if it has not been destroyed, its effect is applied.

8. Knight losses and retreat. The losing player loses knights from the conflict territory equal to the difference between the two combat values. Those knights retreat, and the knights of the losing player that remain in that territory return to their castle. Even if the difference in combat values is greater than the number of knights in the territory, the losing player only loses the knights that are in the conflict territory.

9. Apply territory effects. If the attacking player won the combat, they must conquer the conflict territory and apply its effect. If the defending player won the combat and keeps control of the conflict territory, that player keeps it. All Conflict cards and Support cards played during this combat are discarded to the discard piles at this point, and the attacking player continues their turn.

Note: each player is responsible for checking that all Sceptre, Orb and territory effects have been applied. If an effect was overlooked, players may "rewind" play to the point where the overlooked Relic or territory ability should have been applied.

Combat example (page 13)

The attacking player moves 6 knights into a city held by the defending player's 5 knights.

Attacking player, combat value 14: 6 knights; Sceptre of Rage (+1); Conflict card (5); Support card (+2). Defending player, combat value 12: 5 knights; City (+1); Conflict card (3); Support card (+1); Support card (+2).

1. At the start of combat, the City's effect applies and the defender's combat value is increased by 1 (attacker 6, defender 6).
2. Both players draw cards.
3. The attacker plays a Destroy card to destroy the defender's Sceptre of Defiance. The attacker's Sceptre of Rage applies, adding 1 to its combat value (attacker 7, defender 6).
4. Both players play Conflict cards face down, and reveal them. The attacker's card has value 5 and the defender's has value 3 (attacker 12, defender 9).
5. The defender has the lower combat value, so the defender plays a +1 and a +2 Support card, one after the other (defender 12). The attacker answers with a +2 Support card (attacker 14).
6. Neither player has any Support cards left, so the combat result is 14 against 12. The attacker wins by 2.
7. Nobody plays a Destroy card against the attacker's Orb of Savagery, so its effect applies: it forces the defender to lose 1 knight from the city. The defender's Orb of Resolve does not apply in this combat.
8. The defender loses 2 knights from the city (the difference between the combat values). The defender's remaining 2 knights retreat to their castle.
9. The attacker conquers the city and applies its effect, which places 1 additional knight in the attacker's castle.

9. Repairing Relics

At the end of each player's turn, that player repairs all the Relics that were destroyed and turned face down during their previous turn, and turns them face up. If one of the player's Relics is destroyed during their turn, that Relic cannot be repaired until the end of that player's next turn.

When a destroyed Relic is repaired, that player ends their turn. A Crown repaired in this way cannot be used at this point. Turns pass clockwise.

The Crown of Corruption card is shown on page 13 with the icons for "once per turn", "any player" and the starburst. Its full card text is too small to read in the source, so it is not transcribed here.

Goal of the Game

All territories carry 1 to 3 victory points. Each territory a player controls gives that player its victory points. The goal of the game is to gain 13 or more victory points from territories.

When only one player has knights in a territory, that player controls it. As soon as any one player gains 13 or more victory points, the game ends immediately and that player is the winner.

Note: a territory a player controls still gives victory points even if its supply line can no longer be drawn.

Optional Rules (page 14)

The optional rules are grouped by the type of game they suit.

Loyalty (for those who want to win by forming teams)

4-player or 6-player games only. This rule divides the players into teams of 2 or 3.

• Two-player teams: If the players are divided into teams of two (two teams in a 4-player game, or three teams in a 6-player game), teammates sit facing each other across the table. If a team of two gains 20 or more victory points together, that team wins.
• Three-player teams: In a 6-player game, the players divide into two teams of three and sit alternately around the table, so that each player's neighbours are opponents. If one team gains 30 or more victory points with its three players, that team wins.

This rule cannot be used together with the Siege rule. A player may not march into a territory controlled by a player on the same team. During combat, players on the same team are given the chance to play Support cards to help each other, adding to a teammate's combat value. The helping player gets a turn in clockwise order until no Support cards are played.

Siege (for those who want to attack castles)

Players may march into other players' castles. When a castle is in conflict, the defending player fights as if the castle held 8 knights, regardless of how many knights are actually in it. A player can march no more than 6 knights into a castle. If a player conquers another player's castle, that player wins the game. Players can also win the game by the normal means.

Cut-Throat (for those who want a more intense game)

When a territory can no longer draw a supply line, immediately remove all the knights in that territory from the map. These knights do not retreat, so they do not return to the castle.

Skirmish (for those who want a quicker game)

The game ends when a player reaches 11 victory points instead of 13. All homelands count as 0 victory points.

Chaos (for those who want to roll dice more chaotically)

Each player adds 6 more knights to their castle to start the game. When a player wins a combat, before the Orb effect is applied, they roll one die for each knight in the conflict territory. Each 1 rolled means the knight is lost. If this leaves the conflict territory with no knights, the player immediately loses the combat. A player who originally lost the combat does not retreat; they choose either to conquer the territory or to keep control of it. If no knights remain in the territory, the combat ends.

Glossary

• Draw a card: Take a card from your own deck and add it to your hand. Do not show cards you draw to other players.
• Knights: Shown by the faces of dice.
• Redistribute: Move knights between your castle and the territories you control.
• Repair: Turn a destroyed Relic card that is face down back face up.
• March: Move knights from your castle into a territory you do not yet control.
• Discard: Place a card face up on the discard pile.
• Conquer: Gain control of a territory by marching into a territory that no player controls, or by winning a combat as the attacking player.
• Combat: Takes place when a player marches into a territory controlled by another player.
• Combat result determination: Comparing combat values to decide the winner.
• Combat value: The number of knights a player has in the territory, plus the effects of Relics and territories, plus the values of the Conflict and Support cards played.
• Retreat: Return the knights remaining after a combat to the castle.
• Hand: The cards a player holds. Keep them hidden from the other players.

Quick Reference

The Quick Reference page of the source repeats the icon tables above and summarises three sequences.

Game setup

1. Choose a castle.
2. Set up the map.
3. Deal Relics.
4. Put away unused components.
5. Set up player areas.
6. Place knights.
7. Draw 5 cards.
8. Decide the starting player.

The game is won with 13 victory points.

Turn sequence

1. Place 3 knights.
2. Play an Aid card.
3. Use the Crown.
4. Redistribute knights.
5. March.
6. Combat.
7. Play an Aid card.
8. Use the Crown.
9. Repair Relics.

Combat sequence

1. Apply territory effects.
2. Draw cards until you have 5.
3. Apply Sceptre effects.
4. Play Conflict cards.
5. Play Support cards.
6. Determine the combat result.
7. Apply Orb effects.
8. Knight losses and retreat.
9. Apply territory effects.

Editorial note: the source's index page and the feudalism background essays (sidebars on pages 9 and 10) and the credits block (page 14) are not transcribed. The index is navigation only, the essays are historical flavour, and the credits are attribution.