Noble Treachery: The Last Alliance Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Objective
• Contents
• Alliance Tokens
• The Dice
• Cards
  • Common Cards
  • Uncommon Cards
  • General Card Rules
• Set-Up
• Game Play - The Round
  • I. Roll the Dice Phase
  • II. Bet Phase
    • Round Type
  • III. Challenge Phase
  • IV. Claim Spoils Phase
  • V. Discard and Deal Phase
• Winning the Game
  • Tiebreaker Rules
• Table Talk
• Dice Combination Bonuses
  • Throne
  • King's Straight
  • Poison
• Common Card Effects
• Uncommon Card Effects
  • Resolving End of Turn Effects
  • Card Effects that Prohibit Card Play
  • Cards
• Noble Houses
• Quick Reference / Round Sequence

Overview

Noble Treachery is a card and dice game for 4 to 6 players where players risk their tenuous political alliances during the chaos of war or the treachery of diplomacy to form new alliances with the noble houses of Black Rose. The first player to form an alliance with each of the noble houses becomes the King or Queen of Black Rose and wins the game. Players utilize armies, knights, nobles, clerics, spies, castles, witches, thieves, mages and poison in an ever-changing quest to win the support of the noble houses.

Objective

The first player to form an alliance with each of the 5 noble houses (i.e., collects an alliance token of each color) becomes the ruler of Black Rose and wins the game.

Contents

• (1) Rulebook
• (80) Cards
• (5) Dice
• (1) Round Type Counter
• (25) Alliance Tokens

Alliance Tokens

In order for a player to win the game a player must form an alliance with all 5 of the noble houses (i.e., possess one alliance token of each of the 5 colors). When this occurs the player becomes the ruler of Black Rose and wins the game. When a player forms an alliance with a noble house, he or she receives an alliance token that matches the color of the noble house.

Each of the five noble houses has a specific alliance token color (a brief history of each noble house is included near the back of the rules): House Rebah - Red (R), House Behrenstoke - Blue (B), House Grymm - Black (K), House Carpanzini - Yellow (Y), House Calin - Green (G).

There are 25 alliance tokens (5 of each color). Each alliance token has a unique alliance value (1 to 25). It is important to note that the alliance value number is only used for placing bets and for tiebreakers (i.e., each alliance token represents one alliance regardless of the alliance value number). The example is a red alliance token with an alliance token value of 17.

Alliance tokens that are not controlled by a player are kept in the bank. Each player starts the game with two alliance tokens. There is always one less alliance token of each color in the game than there are players (e.g., in a 5 player game there are only 4 red alliance tokens, 4 yellow alliance tokens etc.)

VERY IMPORTANT! When an alliance token is taken from the bank, the alliance token with the lowest alliance value (of the proper color) must always be taken first (unless otherwise proscribed).

It is possible for a player to have more than one alliance token of the same color.

The Dice

There are 5 six-sided dice used in the game of Noble Treachery. Each die is a different color (black, blue, red, green or yellow). The colors of the dice match the colors of the cards and alliance tokens.

Cards

The Noble Treachery card deck is comprised of 80 cards. Ten cards are removed from the deck before each game (i.e., each game is played with a deck of 70 cards). Each card has a name, color code, base power and an effect. There are two classes of cards: uncommon and common. There are 45 common cards and 35 uncommon cards in the deck. Examples in the rulebook are three cards: Army, Mage and Thief.

Noble Treachery uses 5 different colors of cards. Each card has a "base power" that ranges from 1 to 9 (e.g., the base power of the Mage card in the example is 7). There are 5 different colored dice that match the 5 colors of the cards. Note: (K) is used as the color code for black and (B) is used as the color code for blue.

Each player must play one card each round. At the end of each round the "total power" of a card determines whether the card will win the round. The "total power" of a card is the base power of the card plus the value of its matching colored die. This mechanism is called the Cardicean game mechanic. The "total power" (a.k.a. the power) of a card changes during the round if the value of its matching colored die value changes. While the "base power" of a card ranges from 1 to 9, the "total power" of a card typically ranges from 2 to 15.

The rulebook illustrates three example cards: a red Army (base power 9), a black Mage (base power 7) and a blue Thief (base power 4). Their effects are explained under Common Card Effect Examples below.

Common Cards

There are nine types of common cards: Army, Knight, Mage, Witch, Castle, Thief, Cleric, Spy and Noble. There are 5 cards of each common card type (one of each color). All common cards of the same type have the same base power but typically have a different effect based on each card's color.

Example: There are 5 Army cards. Each Army card has a base power of 9. There is one red army card, one black army card, one blue army card, one yellow army card and one green army card. Each of these cards has a different card effect. The red Army card effect is, "Roll any die except the red die" whereas the yellow Army card effect is, "Roll any die except the yellow die".

Determining the Power of a Card (from this point on, "total power" will be referred to simply as the "power" of a card):

1. If the red Army is played and the red die has a value of 4, the power of the red Army card is 13 (base power: 9 + red die: 4).
2. If the blue Thief is played and the blue die has a value of 2, the power of the blue Thief is 6 (base power: 4 + blue die: 2). If the next player that plays a card, rolls the blue die and the blue die value changes to 5, the power of the blue Thief card immediately changes to 9 or (base power: 4 + blue die: 5).

Common Card Effect Examples:

The Army in the card example is a red common card with a base power of 9. The value of the red die is always added to the base power of this card to determine the Army's power. When the red Army card is played, play stops. The player that played the card must immediately roll any die except the red die. The player chooses which die he or she will roll. After a die is rolled, play resumes normally.

The Mage in the card example is a black Mage with a base power of 7. If the round type is War, the value of the black die is added to the base power of this Mage to determine its power (just like every other card). However, if the round type is Diplomacy and the value of the black die is 5 or less, the value of the black die is subtracted from the base power of this Mage to determine its power (if the die value is a 6, the value of the die is added just like in War). The Mage is the only card that acts in this manner.

The Thief in the card example is a blue Thief with a base power of 4. The value of the blue die is always added to the base power of this Thief to determine its power. When the Thief is played, play stops. The player that played the Thief may roll the blue die. After rolling (or choosing not to roll), if the blue die is the lowest value die or tied for the lowest value die, the respective player must take a blue alliance token from another player.

Uncommon Cards

There are 35 uncommon cards. These are identified by small diamonds in the card's base power circle. Uncommon cards function exactly like common cards. The only difference between the two classes of cards is that there is only one of each uncommon card in the deck (i.e., each uncommon card is unique).

General Card Rules

Card effects are not optional and should always be interpreted as a must unless the word may is written on the card. In the card examples, when Army is played, the player that played Army MUST roll a die.

If a card effect requires an action (like rolling a dice etc.), play must stop, the action is immediately performed and then play resumes normally. Unless otherwise proscribed, the text on a card always refers to the player that played the card (e.g., "you" means the player that played the card). Card effects do not cross from one round to the next round. Once a round is completed and the cards are all discarded, their effects end.

Set-Up

I. Each player rolls one die. The player that rolls the lowest is the dealer (reroll ties). Noble Treachery is played with a deck of 70 cards. The dealer must choose 10 UNCOMMON cards that will not be used in the game. These 10 uncommon cards are shown to all players and then they are removed from the game table. All 45 common cards must be included in the game play deck.

II. Not all alliance tokens are used in each game. The banker must remove the highest numbered alliance tokens from the game until each color has one less alliance token than the number of players in the game (e.g., in a (4) player game, the bank should only have (3) alliance tokens of each color). The alliance tokens that are removed from the game should always be the highest numbered alliance tokens of their respective color.

The remaining alliance tokens are placed in the bank in an organized manner (low to high alliance value numbers and separated by colors).

III. Each player starts the game with two randomly chosen alliance tokens (taken from the bank). The dealer rolls all five dice. The dealer takes the lowest value alliance token from the bank that matches the color of the highest value die. If more than one die is tied for highest value, the player must take the lowest value alliance token of the tied colors. Remember: When a player takes an alliance token from the bank, he or she must always take the lowest value alliance token of the proper color.

Next, the player to the dealer's left rolls the dice and repeats the procedure. This continues in a clockwise order until the last player gains an alliance token. At this point, the last player rolls a second time to gain his or her second alliance token and the order reverses until the dealer takes the last starting alliance token from the bank.

If there are no alliance tokens of the respective color available, use the second highest value die etc.

IV. The dealer shuffles the entire deck of 70 cards. The dealer will discard some of the cards before dealing based on the number of players in the game. The discarded cards are kept hidden and are placed face-down in a community discard stack (IMPORTANT: These cards are NOT removed from the game, they "seed" the discard stack). The number of cards discarded at the start of the game depends on the number of players in the game:

No. of Players	Cards Discarded
4	18
5	15
6	10

V. The dealer deals seven cards to each player (one at a time in clockwise order beginning with the player to the left of the dealer). These seven cards are a player's starting hand and are kept hidden from opponents. The remaining cards are placed face-down in a dealer stack near the dealer (they will be dealt to players later in the game).

Game Play - The Round

The game is divided into rounds. There is a round sequence quick reference guide on the back of the rulebook. The following five phases occur in each round (in order):

I. Roll the Dice Phase

The player that is currently in LAST place rolls all five dice (See: Winning the Game - Tiebreakers to determine which player is currently in last place). An alliance token that matches the color of the highest value die is taken from the bank and placed in the center of the table (the lowest value alliance token of the proper color is taken from the bank). This alliance token is called spoils. The winner of the challenge phase may claim/take this alliance token (i.e., claim the spoils).

If 2 or more dice are tied for the highest value, the lowest value alliance token of the tied colors is taken from the bank and is placed in spoils.

If there are no alliance tokens of the proper color in the bank, the color of the next highest die is used. If the bank is empty, no alliance token is placed in spoils. In this case, the winner of the round invokes an "alternate action" which is explained in the Claim Spoils phase of the rules.

The player that rolls the dice may gain dice combination bonuses from this roll. If a dice combination bonus is rolled, the player gains the bonus prior to placing spoils (See: Dice Combination Bonuses).

II. Bet Phase

During the betting phase, players risk losing their alliance tokens by betting them to take control of the challenge phase. The player that makes the highest bet takes control of the round and is called the challenger. Each player is allowed to bet only once per round. The betting starts with the player to the left of the player that rolled the dice (in the Roll the Dice Phase) and continues in a clockwise order (the player that rolled the dice is always the last to make a bet). Only one player can win the betting phase and take control of the round.

Each player may pass or bet any number of his or her alliance tokens up to a max of 3 alliance tokens (by pushing the alliance tokens forward toward the center of the table). Bets should be clearly separated from a player's personal treasury of alliance tokens and from the "spoils" alliance token. The amount bet is the total of the values of the alliance tokens that were bet (e.g., If a player bets a black alliance token with an alliance token point value of 8, she is making a bet of 8). The next player that bets must pass or make a higher bet. In this example, "higher" is an alliance token that has a value of 9 or greater or a bet of multiple alliance tokens.

To determine which is the highest bet when players bet more than one alliance token, follow these general guidelines:

• A bet of 2 alliance tokens is always higher than a bet of 1 alliance token regardless of the sum of the alliance values of the 2 alliance tokens.
• A bet of two different colored alliance tokens is always higher than a bet of two matching colored alliance tokens.
• A bet of 3 alliance tokens is usually higher than a bet of two 2 alliance tokens regardless of the sum of the alliance values of the 3 alliance tokens, however, in the case where all 3 alliance tokens are the same color, a bet of two different colored alliance tokens is considered a higher bet.
• See: Winning the Game - Tiebreaker Rules for a full explanation of the tiebreaker rules.

When one player makes a higher bet than another player, the previous bet (i.e., the lower bet) is immediately negated and those alliance tokens are returned to the respective player's treasury of alliance tokens.

After all players have placed a bet or passed, the player that made the highest bet takes control of the round and is called the challenger. If all players pass, the last player in the betting order becomes the challenger and does not have to bet any alliance tokens.

VERY IMPORTANT! (THE BET IS OUT OF PLAY DURING THE CHALLENGE PHASE): During the challenge phase of the round, the alliance tokens that were bet are out of play (Do not place the bet into spoils!) until the winner of the round is determined. The bet cannot be affected by any card or dice roll (i.e., the alliance tokens in the bet cannot be taken or passed and they are not part of spoils or the bank). The only exception to this is if a card effect specifically references the bet. Keep the bet clearly separated from spoils and clearly separated from a player's personal treasury of alliance tokens.

The challenger completes the following actions (in order):

A. The challenger MUST roll any single die once. Dice combination bonuses may be gained from this roll.

B. The challenger must choose the round type: War or Diplomacy. The challenger receives the round type counter, places it near the bet and flips it to the proper side: War or Diplomacy. Placing the War/Diplomacy token next to the bet helps clearly identify the bet.

C. The challenger chooses whether he or she will play the first card in the challenge phase or whether the player to his or her left will play the first card of the challenge phase (more common because the challenger gets to play the last card in the round in this case).

Round Type

Each player will play one card during the challenge phase. The round type determines how the challenge phase winner is chosen. There are two possible round types:

War: The player that played the highest power card (at the end of the challenge phase) wins the challenge phase.

Diplomacy: The player that played the lowest power card (at the end of the challenge phase) wins the challenge phase.

III. Challenge Phase

During the challenge phase each player must play one card from his or her hand (one player at a time in clockwise order). Depending on the round type (War or Diplomacy), the highest power or the lowest power card played wins the challenge phase.

The first player to play a card is determined by the challenger. The challenger must choose to play the first card or have the player to his or her left play the first card. After that, each successive player in clockwise order must play one card. If a card has an effect that requires an action (e.g., roll one die or pass one alliance token) play stops when the card is played and the action must be immediately resolved before the next card is played.

Once every player has played one card, the winner of the challenge phase is determined using the final power of each card. The power of a card is the base power of the card plus the value of the matching colored die (at the end of the round). It is important to note that the power of a card may change throughout the challenge phase as players roll dice.

In the case of War, the card with the highest power wins the challenge phase. In the case of Diplomacy, the card with the lowest power wins the challenge phase. If there is a tie for the highest or lowest power card, the tiebreaker is determined by the challenger's decision on which player played the first card during the challenge phase. If the challenger played the first card, then the tied card that was played first in the challenge phase wins the tiebreaker. If the challenger chose to play the last card, then the tied card that was played last in the challenge phase wins the tie breaker.

If the challenger wins the challenge phase, the challenger regains his or her bet immediately. If the challenger did not win the challenge phase, his or her bet is lost and is added to the "spoils" alliance token (the bet becomes part of spoils).

IV. Claim Spoils Phase

The winner of the challenge phase takes an alliance token from spoils. If there is more than one alliance token in spoils, the player may only claim one alliance token. If at least one of the alliance tokens is a color that the player does not possess, he or she MUST take an alliance token from spoils (can be any alliance token). Any unclaimed alliance tokens from spoils are returned to the bank.

If the challenge winner already has all of the colors of alliance tokens that are in spoils (or there are no spoils to be taken), he or she may opt to choose an "alternate action" instead of claiming spoils.

The "alternate action" if the round type is War: The challenge winner takes one alliance token from any opponent (the challenge winner chooses which alliance token is taken). The challenge winner can take a token that matches the color of a token that was in spoils.

The "alternate action" if the round type is Diplomacy: The challenge winner chooses a color and a direction (clockwise or counterclockwise). All players must pass one of their alliance tokens of the chosen color one player in the chosen direction. In this case, the player that passes the alliance token chooses which alliance token to pass (of the proper color). Players that do not have the proper colored alliance token do not pass a token in this case, but may receive a token. The challenge winner can have tokens passed that match the color of a token that was in spoils.

V. Discard and Deal Phase

All of the played cards from the current round are discarded into a community discard stack (face-down) and cannot be viewed again for the rest of the game. The dealer deals one card face-down (from the dealer's stack) to each player (beginning with the player to the dealer's left and continuing in a clockwise order). The cards are placed in each respective player's hand. If there are no cards remaining in the dealer's stack, no cards are dealt and play continues. It is important to note that at the end of each round ALL PLAYERS must have the same number of cards in their hand.

The round sequence is repeated until all players have played all cards from their hands or a winning condition is met.

Winning the Game

If a player has at least one (1) alliance token of each color at the END of any round, he or she wins the game. It is important to note that a player cannot claim a win until the END OF A ROUND.

Tiebreaker Rules

The tiebreaker rules are used for the following purposes:

A. If all players run out of cards to play and a winning condition has not been met, the tiebreaker rules are used to determine the game winner.

B. At the beginning of each round, the players must determine which player is in last place (if the game were to end at that moment). The last place player at that moment rolls the dice at the start of the round.

C. To determine the highest bet when multiple players bet alliance tokens.

The tiebreakers occur in the following order:

I. The player with the highest number of DIFFERENT colors of alliance tokens (alliance token values are not considered).

II. The player with the most total alliance tokens (alliance token values are not considered).

III. The player that has the highest sum of alliance token values (each player adds up the alliance values from all of his or her alliance tokens).

IV. The player with the alliance token that has the highest alliance token point value.

V. If two or more players do not have any alliance tokens, those players each roll a die. The player that rolls the highest (reroll ties) wins this tiebreaker (i.e., the player that rolls the lowest is considered to be in last place).

Tiebreaker Example:

Player A has 3 alliance tokens: Yellow 6, Yellow 21 and Red 14. Player B has 3 alliance tokens: Green 2, Blue 11 and Red 7. Player C has 3 alliance tokens: Yellow 15, Blue 1 and Red 4.

Player B and C each have 3 different colored alliance tokens. Even though player A also has 3 alliance tokens, she only has 2 different colors so player A loses this tiebreaker and is in last place. Player B and C each have 3 alliance tokens so they remain tied for the second tiebreaker (player with the most total alliance tokens). In this case, had player B had another green alliance token for example, player B would have won the second tiebreaker. The total alliance token point values for both player B and player C is 20 so they both tie again for the 3rd tiebreaker. Player C has the alliance token with the highest point value (Yellow 15) and therefore wins the 4th tiebreaker.

Note: The same procedure would apply if the three players had all bet the alliance tokens stated in the example (i.e., player C's bet would be considered the highest bet. Player A's bet would be considered the lowest bet).

Table Talk

Noble Treachery is a card game and therefore conforms to the standard "No table talk" rules of card games. In general, players cannot communicate what cards have already been played or have not been played. Once cards are placed in the community discard stack (a.k.a. "buried"), they cannot be viewed by any players for the rest of the game. Trash talking however is encouraged.

Dice Combination Bonuses

Each time that a player rolls at least one die, if the result matches one of the dice combination bonuses below, that player immediately gains a bonus. All five (5) dice must be included in the dice combination (even the dice that were not rolled). There are three (3) types of dice combination bonuses:

Throne

When a full house is rolled (i.e., a three-of-a-kind and a pair), the player that rolled the dice immediately takes an alliance token from the bank. The player must take an alliance token that matches the color of one of the dice in the pair (not the three-of-a-kind). The player chooses the alliance token color but must take the lowest value alliance token of the chosen color.

Below is an example of a Throne roll. In this case, the player can take either a green or blue alliance token from the bank. If neither of the colors is available in the bank, the player may take either a green or blue alliance token from an opponent. In this case, the player chooses the exact alliance token that is taken and does not have to choose the lowest value alliance token of the respective color.

King's Straight

When five (5) consecutive dice are rolled, the player that rolled the dice immediately takes an alliance token from the bank. The player must take an alliance token that matches the color of the lowest value or the highest value die from the bank. The player chooses the alliance token color but must take the lowest value alliance token of the chosen color.

Below is an example of a King's Straight roll. In this case, the player can take either a red or black alliance token from the bank. If neither of the colors is available in the bank, the player may take either a red or black alliance token from an opponent. In this case, the player chooses the exact alliance token that is taken and does not have to choose the lowest value alliance token of the respective color.

Poison

When a five-of-a-kind is rolled, the player that rolled the dice "poisons" an opponent of his or her choosing. The player that rolled the dice immediately takes all of the poisoned player's alliance tokens (note that alliance tokens that are bet are not taken).

Note: In all three types of Dice Combination Bonuses, the alliance tokens that are in the bet cannot be taken or affected.

Common Card Effects

Army (9) - When an Army card is played, play stops. The player that played the card must roll any single die except the die that matches the color of the Army card. After the die is rolled, play resumes normally. This is a good card when playing a War type round.

Knight (8) - When a Knight card is played, play stops. The player that played the card must roll the die that matches the color of the Knight or the player must roll the highest value die that does not match the color of the Knight. If there is a tie for the highest value non-matching die, the player can choose from the tied dice. After the die is rolled, play resumes normally. This is a good card when playing a War type round.

Mage (7) - The power of this card is different depending on the round type. If the round type is War, the matching colored die value is added to the base power of this card (same as all other cards). If the round type is Diplomacy, the matching colored die is subtracted from the base power of this card but only if the value of the die is 5 or less. If the value of the matching colored die is 6, the value of the die is added to the power of this card even during Diplomacy.

Witch (6) - When a Witch card is played, play stops. The player that played the Witch must make a prediction about a die roll result: "Higher" or "Lower". After making the prediction, the player rolls the die that matches the color of the Witch card. If the player successfully predicted that the roll would be higher or lower (than the value of that die was before making the roll) the player that played the Witch can take an alliance token that matches the color of the Witch card from the bank. If there are no alliance tokens of the matching color in the bank, the player can take an alliance token of the matching color from another player. After the alliance token is taken, play resumes normally. If the die value did not change or the prediction was incorrect, no alliance token is gained.

Example: A player plays the Red Witch. The player must roll the red die. The red die value is currently 5. The player predicts "Lower" (i.e., that the result of the red die roll will be lower than 5). If the player rolls a 4 or less, the player is successful. If the player rolls a 5 or 6, the player fails.

Castle (5) - When a player has a Castle card in play, it protects the alliance tokens in his or her personal treasury. No alliance tokens can be taken/passed/destroyed in the respective player's personal treasury. The protective effect of this card supersedes the effect of all other cards, dice combination bonuses etc. This protection lasts until the end of the round (even protects a player from an "alternate action" by the winner of the challenge phase). The bet however is not part of the player's personal treasury and is only protected by this card if the die that matches the color of the Castle has a unique value (i.e., it is not tied with any other die value). If a player's bet is protected and he or she loses the challenge, he or she regains her bet and does not place the bet in spoils.

Thief (4) - When a Thief card is played, play stops. The player that played the Thief may roll the die that matches the color of the Thief card or pass and not roll the die. Then (after rolling or not rolling) if the die that matches the color of the Thief is the lowest value die (or tied for the lowest value die), the player that played the Thief can take one alliance token that matches the color of the Thief card from an opponent. The player that played the Thief chooses the exact alliance token of the proper color that is taken. The player can target an alliance token that is in an opponent's bet. If no opponent has the proper colored alliance token, no token is taken (do not take from the bank). After the alliance token is taken, play resumes normally. A player cannot take an alliance token first and then make the roll.

Cleric (3) - When a Cleric card is played, play stops. If the value of the die that matches the color of the Cleric is tied with the value of at least one other die, the player that played the card must force ALL players to pass one alliance token, one player to the left or the right. Only one direction can be chosen. The player also chooses the alliance token color that must be passed by ALL players. The player that passes the alliance token chooses which alliance token of the proper color will be passed. After the alliance tokens are passed, play resumes normally. If a player does not have the proper colored token, he or she does not pass a token, but may still receive a passed token. Alliance tokens from the bet are not passed.

Spy (2) - When a Spy card is played, the player that played the Spy card must roll one die. After rolling, the player must draw a random card from the next player's hand in the round order (i.e., to his or her left) without viewing the target player's hand. The drawn card becomes the targeted player's played card for the round. This effect does not cross over from round to round. If the last card played in a round is a Spy, the player that played the Spy does not draw a card.

Example: Jill plays a Spy (she rolls a die). Jill then draws (without viewing Jack's hand) a random card from Jack's hand (he is to her left). The drawn card is Jack's played card for this round. Jill's played card remains the Spy. Note: All players must have the same number of cards in their hand at the end of each round.

Noble (1) - This card functions exactly the same as an Army card. This is a good card to use when playing a Diplomacy type round.

Uncommon Card Effects

Some card effects require that play stop and an action occur when they are played. It is assumed that after the action has been completed that play resumes normally.

Resolving End of Turn Effects

If more than one card is in-play that allows an action at the end of a player's turn (during the challenge phase) the cards are resolved one at a time in the order that they were played. These type of effects occur before the winner of the challenge phase is declared if the effect occurs after the last player's turn during the challenge phase.

Card Effects that Prohibit Card Play

Some cards prevent a player from playing a card of a certain base power or color etc. When this occurs and it is not possible for a player to play a card legally, the player must still play a card and is allowed to violate the prohibition. However, in this case the player must show his or her hand to the player(s) that is prohibiting the play (to prove that a legal play cannot be made). The hand is not revealed to any other players.

Cards

Alchemist - The green die value is not added to the power of this card. The blue and yellow die values are both added to the power of this card. The Alchemist is still considered a green card.

Amulet - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played the card must swap the values between any two dice. The two dice must have different values. The player can score dice combination bonuses. Example: If the blue die has a value of 5 and the red die has a value of 2, the player changes the red die to a value of 5 and the blue die is changed to a value of 2. The value of both of the dice must change (e.g., a player cannot change a die from a 3 to a 3).

Assassin - If playing a Diplomacy type round, the value of the blue die must be added to the power of all opponents' cards. This is in addition to the dice values that would normally be added (i.e., blue cards must add twice the value of the blue die to their respective power). In the case of a blue Mage, the blue die value is subtracted (per standard rules) and then the blue die value is added (per the Assassin).

Bard - Each opponent must add one power to his or her card for each alliance token that he or she possesses (include the alliance tokens in the bet). This is a good card to play during Diplomacy.

Blood Ring - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played the card may discard a card from his or her hand (only if the player's hand is not empty). If the player discards, the discard is shown to all players and is then placed face-down in the discard stack. The discard stack is shuffled and the player draws a random card from the discard stack and places it in his or her hand. The card is not revealed. If a card is discarded, the power of the Blood Ring is reduced by 3 points.

Captain of the Guard - When this card is played, play stops. The player that plays this card may change its color to black or red before it is played. The change remains for the rest of the round. It is important to note that the color change occurs before the card comes into play (i.e., the card is not first played as a blue card and then changed to a black or red card). If the color of this card is changed, it is no longer considered a blue card.

Champion - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card may roll the red die. This card also has an effect that remains for the entire challenge phase: All players that play after the Champion is in play must play a different colored card than any other card in play (including the cards that were played prior to the Champion). (See: Card Effects that Prohibit Card Play).

Crown - Four is subtracted from the power of this card when playing a Diplomacy round and four is added to the power to this card when playing a War round. The base power of this card is still 5. The value of the black die is still added to the power of this card in both cases.

Curse - When this card is played, play stops. All alliance tokens (even the alliance tokens of the player that played Curse) that match the color of the lowest value die (the die cannot be tied) must be returned to the bank. Curse also affects the bet and spoils (i.e., the bet is in play in this case).

Cyclops - When this card is played and at least one die has a value of one, play stops. The player that played this card must force one opponent to discard his or her in play card (target card must be in play when Cyclops is played). Any effects of the discarded card are negated. Any actions that occurred when the card was originally played are not reversed when it is discarded. The targeted player is still in the round (he or she can gain or lose alliance tokens etc.), but does not have a card in play and cannot win the round.

Diplomat - When this card is played during Diplomacy, play stops. The player that played Diplomat may trade it with another card that is currently in-play (only if Diplomat is not the last card played in the challenge phase). In this case, the Diplomat becomes the in-play card of the targeted player and the stolen card is resolved as if it had just been played by the player that originally played the Diplomat. This can only occur if the new card can be legally played.

Divine Intervention - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card takes one alliance token from spoils. This only occurs if the player doesn't have at least one alliance token of the color taken. This card also has a secondary effect: No player can win the game even if a winning condition is met in the current round. The win is not declared and all players must play another round. If it is the last round of the game, the secondary effect of this card is ignored.

Dragon - No players can play cards that have a base power of 8 or greater after this card is played (in the same round). The only exception to this rule is if a player has no choice. This card ONLY affects cards that have an 8 or greater in the power circle in the upper left corner of the card. (See: Card Effects that Prohibit Card Play).

Druid Priestess - If at least one other green card is in-play, 4 points must be added to the power of this card. One point must be subtracted from the power of this card for every black card in-play. Note that the base power of this card is still 6.

Fateweaver - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played Fateweaver can immediately take one red alliance token from the bank (only if there is one in the bank). If the player that played Fateweaver does not take a red alliance token from the bank, he or she has the option to change War to Diplomacy or change Diplomacy to War at the end of the next player's turn (i.e., the player to the left of the player that played Fateweaver). If Fateweaver is the last card played in the challenge phase the player cannot change War to Diplomacy or Diplomacy to War (See: Resolving End of Turn Effects).

Fairy - When this card is played, play stops. The discard stack is shuffled. The player that played this card randomly draws the number of cards (from the discard stack) equal to the value of the green die. The player does not reveal these cards. The player may discard all of the drawn cards and keep the Fairy in-play or the player may play one of the drawn cards in place of the Fairy card. If a new card is played, the Fairy and all of the un-played drawn cards are discarded and are not revealed. The new card is resolved as if it had just been played. In all cases, the discarded cards are not revealed to the rest of the players.

Goblins! - When this card is played, play stops. If the round type is Diplomacy, the round type counter is flipped to War and the round becomes a War type round. This does not occur if Goblins! is the last card played in a round.

Gypsy - After Gypsy is played, the player that played Gypsy affects the rest of the players that have not yet played a card in the current challenge phase. As each player is about to play a card, the player that played Gypsy draws two random cards from the respective player's hand. The cards are not revealed (except to the target player). The targeted player must choose one of the cards to play and returns the other card to his or her hand. This continues for the rest of the round. If a card is played that disrupts the choice of what card will be played (e.g., a Spy allows a player to choose a random card from the next player's hand), the effect of Gypsy in negated for the rest of the round (in this case, the new Spy card would supersede Gypsy). Because of this exception the player that played Gypsy should not immediately choose two cards from each player's hand but wait until just before each player plays a card.

Jester - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card may pass or roll ALL of the dice.

Kraken - The effect of this card is resolved at the end of the next player's turn (i.e., the player to the left of the player that played the Kraken). If the value of the blue die is 1 at the end of the next player's turn, the player that played the Kraken can "poison" an opponent (same as the dice combination bonus). If the value of the blue die is 6 at the end of the next player's turn, the player that played the Kraken loses all alliance tokens (the bet is not affected). If the value of the blue die is 2, 3, 4 or 5, no special effect occurs. If Kraken is the last card played in a round, it has no special effect (See: Resolving End of Turn Effects).

Merchant - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card must trade one of his or her alliance tokens with one of his or her opponent's alliance tokens (the player that played Merchant chooses both alliance tokens). If the player that played Merchant does not have any alliance tokens (or all of his/her alliance tokens are in the bet), the player still takes an alliance token but does not have to give an alliance token. Unlike most cards, the player can target an alliance token in an opponent's bet. In this case the alliance token that is traded (if there is one) is placed in the opponent's bet.

Monk - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card must roll one die. After rolling, the player chooses a color (can be any of the five colors of cards). His or her opponents cannot play a card of the chosen color for the rest of the round (See: Card Effects that Prohibit Card Play).

Mystic - When this card is played, play stops. If the round type is War, the round type counter is flipped to Diplomacy and the round becomes a Diplomacy type round. This does not occur if the Mystic is the last card played in the challenge phase.

Snake Charmer - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played the card must take the lowest value alliance token from the bet (i.e., the bet is in-play in this case). This only occurs if the bet has two or more alliance tokens.

Necromancer - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card may choose to add the base power of a randomly drawn card from the discard stack instead of adding the black die value (for the rest of the round). The decision must be made prior to drawing a card. The discard stack is shuffled prior to drawing the card. Only use the base power of the drawn card (do not use any special abilities of the drawn card). Place the drawn card near the Necromancer. The drawn card is "out of play" for the rest of the round (i.e., it is just a place holder to keep track of the value and cannot be affected.) The drawn card cannot be prohibited from play. If the Necromancer card is taken, destroyed etc. the drawn card remains with the Necromancer.

Sorceress - One power point is added to the power of this card for each non-red card that is in-play. This is in addition to adding the value of the red die.

Scout - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card views an opponent's hand (the hand is not revealed to other players). The player must take one card from the target hand and place it in his or her hand. The player must give a card from his or her hand to the target opponent. The stolen card can be returned. If at least one of the players does not have a card in his or her hand, this effect does not occur.

Soothsayer - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card must change the value of 1 or 2 dice (not optional). The value of any changed die must be changed either up or down 1 point. Dice combination bonuses can be gained as a result but only after all dice changes have been made.

Sword - When this card is played, the yellow die cannot be changed for the rest of the round. This protection supersedes all other card effects. For example, if a Jester is played, the player that played Jester rolls the other four dice only. In another example, if a card effect is "roll the highest value die" and the yellow die is the highest value die, no die is rolled.

Thaumaturge - Only dice that have a value of 2, 4 or 6 (even) are added to the power of cards. Treat dice that have values of 1, 3 and 5 (odd) as if the value of those dice were 0 (only for purposes of determining a card's power). This card affects all players (even the player that played Thaumaturge).

Tome - This card allows the player that played it to roll one die at the end of every player's turn during the challenge phase of the round (after Tome is played). (See: Resolving End of Turn Effects).

Wall of Thorns - This card allows the player that played the card to roll one die at the end of the last player's turn during the challenge phase but only if playing a War round. This is resolved after the last player in the challenge phase has played and resolved his or her card but before the winner of the challenge phase is declared. The roll is optional. (See: Resolving End of Turn Effects).

War Troll - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card must roll the black die and may choose up to two other dice to roll. All dice must be chosen before the roll is made.

White Widow - All dice that have values that are 3 or less must be added to the power of this card. No dice that have a value of 4 or greater are added to the power of this card. These limitations also apply to the green die. Example: if the red die is 2, black is 3, green is 4, yellow is 1 and blue is 6, the power of this card is 7 + 2 + 3 +1 or 13. The green and blue dice are not added to the power of this card.

Wizard - When this card is played, play stops. The player that played this card must change any single die to any value that he or she wishes; however, the new value must be different from the original value. Dice combination bonuses may be gained as a result.

Noble Houses

House Calin - Several generations old, House Calin endures the erratic and unforgiving forests of the north. Their borders are protected by the impassible Wall of Thorns. The secret route through the massive thicket is guarded by the Druid Priestesses. Using a plentiful fur trade to amass wealth, the House rose in influence and power until their banner was well known and their borders secure. The fox under which they have flourished is often used to describe their members: cunning and mischievous. They quickly adapt to the ever changing conditions of the wild north and they are known to stir the pot and disrupt plans. They capitalize on opportunities while foes are left to gather their wits.

House Rebah - House Rebah has seen drastic swings of influence and wealth throughout the last five centuries. A century ago, this House was the most powerful in Black Rose. Continuous dragon assaults over a 50 year period left this House in desolation and near ruin. In their darkest hour, Lord "Sam" Samuel offered massive wealth and the blood of his kin to the surrounding sorcery guilds in return for their allegiance in a war against the red worms. The dragons eventually retreated to distant lands. The secret pact with the guilds continues to this day. Lord Samuel forged the Blood Ring to mark the victory and the ring now passes to each new lord of the house. The inscription on the Blood Ring reads, "Offer all in pursuit of magic and value land over blood".

House Carpanzini - House Carpanzini is a relatively new noble house. Its massive financial resources are its main political strength. House Carpanzini controls a vast merchant marine fleet, with a near monopoly on several key trade routes for luxury goods and key war supplies. Though the House seeks a moderate position in public dealings with other Houses, they are known to be ruthless in defense of their trade routes and in the pursuit of increased financial power. Dante is eldest son of the late Antonio Carpanzini. Together with his wife Isabella, they turn House Carpanzini with precision and efficiency.

House Grymm - House Grymm is the most feared of the noble houses and they like it that way. They control the trade routes through the western moors with ruthless cunning. Many armies have marched on the moors but none have returned victorious. Unlike most noble houses, the Crown of Grymm (a.k.a. the Crown) is not passed peacefully to the eldest heir. Upon the Lord of the Moors' death, the Crown is claimed by the strongest of the House in the Tournament of Skulls. Poison, assassination and domination are the noble traits of this house. Many of the other noble houses refer to them as the Black Skulls because of their alleged tie to dark magic and necromancy.

House Behrenstoke - House Behrenstoke occupies the Copper Coast where savage rocks are scattered along a forbidding boundary between land and sea. "No Safe Harbor" are the watchwords of House Behrenstoke. This harkens back to a family legend where Lord Adalais Behrenstoke and a crew of forty men, crashed on the rocky shores, drawn in by a mysterious siren call. The family is defined by men of great character who earn their living by the sea, but are somewhat untrusting, especially of those who speak with a silver tongue. It is local mythos that the Lord of this House may release the Kraken once in his lifetime to ravage invading enemies.

Quick Reference / Round Sequence

I. Roll Dice

• Last place player rolls all of the dice
• Take a token that matches the color of the highest value die from the bank as spoils
• Place spoils in the center of the table

II. Bet

• Each player bets alliance token(s) or passes
• Betting starts to the left of the last place player
• Player with the highest bet:
  • Must roll one die
  • Choose War or Diplomacy
  • Play first card or have the player to his or her left play the first card

III. Challenge

• Each player plays one card
  • War - Highest power card wins the challenge
  • Diplomacy - Lowest power card wins the challenge
  • If the challenger wins the challenge he or she reclaims the bet. If the challenger did not win the challenge his or her bet is placed in the spoils.

IV. Claim Spoils

• The player that wins the challenge can take one alliance token from spoils
• If the player already has the color token in spoils, he or she can choose an alternate action:
  • War - Take a token from an opponent
  • Diplomacy - All players must pass one token of a chosen color either left or right

V. Discard & Deal