Paladins of the West Kingdom
Paladins of the West Kingdom Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
Be the player with the most victory points (VP) at game's end. Points are gained by building Outposts and Fortifications, Commissioning Monks and confronting Outsiders. Each Round, players enlist a specific Paladin and gather Workers to carry out tasks. As the game progresses, players increase their Faith, Strength and Influence — which affect their final score and determine the significance of their actions. The game ends at the end of the seventh Round.
Components
- Workers: 22 Labourers (white), 18 Scouts (green), 18 Merchants (blue), 18 Fighters (red), 18 Clerics (black), 18 Criminals (purple)
- 32 Workshops, 28 Outposts, 28 Monks, 28 Jars (4 of each number), 12 Attribute Markers (4 of each colour)
- 48 Paladin Cards, 32 Townsfolk Cards, 36 Outsider Cards, 10 King's Favour Cards (green seal), 6 King's Order Cards (red seal)
- 24 Debt Cards, 24 Suspicion Cards, 24 Tavern Cards, 24 Wall Cards, 17 Scheme Cards (solo)
- 50 Silver, 40 Provisions, 1 Start Player Marker, 1 Resource Marker (solo), 4 Player Boards (reverse = AI board), 2 Main Board parts
Setup
- Join the 2 Main Board parts. 2. Shuffle Townsfolk into a facedown Draw Pile on the left; reveal 5 faceup above the top left. 3. Shuffle Wall Cards into a facedown pile above the center. 4. Depending on player count, place 5–8 Silver above the Main Board (the "Tax supply"). 5. Place Debt Cards in a Draw Pile "Unpaid" side faceup, above the top right. 6. Shuffle Suspicion Cards facedown to the right of the Debt pile. 7. Shuffle Outsider Cards into a facedown Draw Pile on the right; reveal 6 faceup below the bottom right. 8. Shuffle King's Order Cards, place 3 facedown on the left end; shuffle King's Favour Cards, place 5 facedown to their right (return unused unseen). 9. Shuffle Tavern Cards into a facedown Draw Pile below the bottom left. 10. Place remaining Silver, Provisions and Workers in a supply. 11. Give each player 1 Player Board, 8 Workshops, 7 Monks, 7 Outposts, 3 Attribute Markers (on zero), 7 Jars, 12 matching Paladin Cards, plus 3 Silver and 1 Provision. 12. Each player shuffles their Paladin Cards into a facedown Draw Pile. 13. Randomly give a player the Start Player Marker. 14. In reverse turn order, each player Recruits 1 Townsfolk from those visible (no cost); then refill the Townsfolk row.
(When recruiting Townsfolk, some have immediate rewards pictured on the left.)
Gameplay Overview
Played over 7 Rounds. Each Round, players select a Paladin and gather 6 new Workers. In turn order (clockwise), players each take a single action on their turn, repeating until all pass. Then a quick board reset brings out new Townsfolk and Outsiders before the next Round.
Round Structure
Each Round:
- Pass the Start Player Marker clockwise (ignore in Round 1).
- Reveal King's Order/Favour Cards for the current Round (per the Round number in the green shield). Rounds 1–2: 1 King's Order revealed. Round 3: a King's Order and a King's Favour. Rounds 4–7: a single King's Favour.
- King's Orders offer bonus scoring to all players who meet the condition by game's end: the first scores +4 VP, the second +6, the third +8.
- King's Favours open new action spaces (each usable once per Round; cannot be cleared with Pray).
- Reveal Tavern Cards equal to players plus 1.
- Each player draws the top 3 Paladin Cards and: chooses 1 to use this Round (facedown on their board), places 1 facedown on top of their Draw Pile (seen next Round), and 1 at the bottom of their Draw Pile. Each Paladin rewards 2 new Workers, gives temporary Attribute boosts, and has a special ability for the Round.
- Starting with the first player (clockwise), each reveals their Paladin and collects its 2 Workers, then selects 1 available Tavern Card and collects its 4 Workers. (One Tavern Card always goes unclaimed.)
- Starting with the first player (clockwise), each player takes an action or passes, until all pass.
- Refresh the Main Board: If a Townsfolk Card remains in the right-most space, discard it, slide the rest right, and refill from the Draw Pile. If an Outsider Card remains in the left-most space, discard it, slide the rest left, and refill. Remove all Tavern Cards to the discard pile. Return all Workers on King's Favour Cards to the supply (from Round 3 on). (Do not reshuffle Townsfolk/Outsider discards — they are limited.)
Taking Actions
Players place 1 or more Workers from their supply onto their Player Board or onto revealed King's Favour Cards. Left-side actions focus on engine building and resource gathering; right-side actions focus on scoring and increasing Attributes. Right-side actions require a particular Attribute (left of the banner) and reward a different one (right of the banner). E.g. Fortify requires Influence and rewards Strength.
Worker placement rules: Any Workers may go on transparent spaces; the correct colour must go on coloured spaces; Criminals (purple) are wilds (any space). Some actions require specific Worker types.
Important Rule: Players can only ever do 7 of each Commission, Fortify, Garrison, Absolve and Convert. There is no limit on Attack.
Player Board Actions
Develop
Requires exactly 2 Workers of any type and costs 4 Silver. Move the left-most Workshop from your board to one of the right-side action spaces (dotted boxes around the 2 left Worker spaces; max 2 Workshops per action). This lets you use fewer Workers for that action in future. Immediately gain the Worker indicated from where the Workshop was taken. (You may place a Workshop where a Worker already rests — return that Worker to supply first.)
Recruit
Requires 1 or 2 Workers and may cost Silver (printed below each Townsfolk). The 2 left-most Townsfolk may be Recruited by taking a Debt instead of paying. (You must decide to place 1 or both Workers as a single action.)
- 1 Worker (any type, left space): discard a Townsfolk Card from above the left of the Main Board, gaining the top-right immediate reward.
- 2 Workers (1 a Fighter): Recruit a Townsfolk into your crew, gaining the bottom icons (an ongoing ability for the rest of the game, plus possible immediate rewards). Kept faceup by your board.
Hunt and Trade
Both require 1 or 2 Workers. 1 Worker (any type, left space): gain 1 resource (Provisions for Hunt, Silver for Trade). 2 Workers (the right must match: Scout for Hunt, Merchant for Trade): gain 3 resources total.
Pray
Requires 1 Cleric and costs 2 Silver. Immediately remove all Workers from 1 action space on your board (returned to supply), so you can use it again this Round.
Conspire
Requires any 1 Worker and immediately gains 1 Criminal. (Any time you gain a Criminal, you also gain 1 Suspicion.)
Commission
Requires 3 Workers (1 Scout, 1 any, 1 Cleric) and increasing Provisions (first 3 Monks 1 Provision, next 2 need 2, last 2 need 3). Always Commission your left-most available Monk. Uses your Faith to place Monks in Main Board regions (each region requires increasing Faith: first 0, second 2+, third 4+, etc.), on an available square space (not containing a Monk or Outpost) with an immediate reward. Some spaces are only available at higher player counts.
Fortify
Requires 3 Workers (1 Merchant, 1 any, 1 Scout) and increasing Provisions (first 3 Walls 1, next 2 need 2, last 2 need 3). Fill the left-most empty card space first. Uses your Influence (first Wall requires 0, second 1+, third 3+, etc.). Draw the top Wall Card and place it faceup along the top of your board, gaining its immediate rewards (always including at least 1 Strength).
Garrison
Requires 3 Workers (1 Merchant, 1 any, 1 Fighter) and increasing Provisions (first 3 Outposts 1, next 2 need 2, last 2 need 3). Always Garrison your left-most available Outpost. Uses your Strength to place Outposts in Main Board regions (first region 1+ Strength, second 3+, third 5+, etc.) on an available square space with an immediate reward.
Absolve
Requires 3 Workers (1 Cleric, 1 any, 1 Merchant) and increasing Silver (first Jar 1, next 3 need 2, last 3 need 3). Always use the left-most (lowest) Jar first. Uses your Influence (per the numbers on the Jars). Move your left-most Jar to an available space on the bottom right of your board (each shows an immediate reward). Each Absolve also increases Faith by 1 and lets you immediately remove 1 Suspicion Card.
Attack
Requires 3 Workers (1 Scout, 1 any, 1 Fighter) and may require Silver (not mandatory). Uses your Strength to Attack Outsiders (restricted by the Strength flags above each Outsider). You need equal or greater Strength; for every 2 Strength you lack, spend 1 Silver (hiring local warriors) to skip past a card. Gain the top-right immediate rewards (always including at least 1 Influence); keep the Outsider facedown by your board. (No limit on Attack.)
Convert
Requires 3 Workers (1 Fighter, 1 any, 1 Cleric) and increasing Silver (first 0, second 1, next 3 need 2, last 2 need 3). Fill empty spaces below your board left to right. Uses your Faith to Convert Outsiders (need equal or greater Faith). Gain the bottom icons (an end-game scoring bonus plus an immediate reward of 1+ Strength); keep the Outsider faceup along the bottom of your board.
Tax and Suspicion
- Tax: Any time you gain Tax (red coin), take the required Silver from the Tax supply (mandatory).
- Suspicion: Any time you add a Criminal to your supply, immediately gain 1 Suspicion Card (faceup above the top right of your board). When revealed, immediately take the printed Silver (0, 1, or 2) from the Tax supply. If the Suspicion pile empties, reshuffle discards. Taking the last Silver from the Tax supply immediately triggers an Inquisition (resolve each Suspicion separately when gaining more than 1).
Debts and the Inquisition
Debts: Gained Debts are placed "Unpaid" faceup (−3 VP at game's end if unpaid). Paid Debts are flipped to "Paid" (+1 VP). Destroyed Debts return to the Debt Draw Pile.
The Inquisition: Any time the last Silver is taken from the Tax supply, an Inquisition occurs. The player(s) with the most Suspicion immediately gain 1 Debt (none if no one has Suspicion). Each player gaining a Debt returns half their Suspicion (rounded down) to the discard pile (most recently acquired first). Some Townsfolk abilities trigger during an Inquisition (e.g. Conspirator discards 1 Suspicion before checking) — resolve all before Debts are collected. Then refill the Tax supply from the main supply per the icons.
Passing
Once you have no Workers or choose to stop, pass: clear all Workers from your board back to the supply. You may carry up to 3 Workers into the next Round (return any excess). A passed player can no longer act but can still be affected by Inquisitions and some Townsfolk abilities. Once all pass, follow the refresh steps (step 7); if it was Round 7, the game ends.
End-Game and Scoring
The game ends at the end of Round 7. Each player scores: completed King's Orders; Attribute Tracks; Develops (if 6 or more completed); Debts (paid and unpaid); Silver/Provisions (1 VP per set of 3); Commissions (if 5+); Fortifies (if 5+, plus VPs on specific Walls); Garrisons (if 5+); Absolves (if 5+); Converts.
Highest total wins. Ties: most VP from King's Orders, then least Suspicion, then shared victory.
Outsider Scoring
- Adventurer, Archer, Guardian, Hunter, Lookout, Vigilante: 1 VP per 2 of the indicated actions taken (Commission, Garrison, Develop, Recruit, Fortify, Absolve).
- Armourer, Marauder, Warrior: 1 VP per 4 of the indicated Attribute (Strength, Influence, Faith).
- Assassin, Barbarian, Invader: 1 VP per indicated type of Outsider Attacked (Saracen, Byzantine, Viking).
- Champion: 1 VP, plus 1 per King's Order completed.
- Mercenary: 1 VP, plus 1 per Mercenary Converted (1 Mercenary = 2 VP, 2 = 3 VP each, etc.).
- Protector: 1 VP per Debt paid off. Thief: 1 VP per Suspicion held. Traitor: lose 1 less VP per unpaid Debt.
Townsfolk Abilities
- Abbot, Acolyte, Architect, Defender, Gatekeeper, Missionary, Watchman: gain the indicated reward when taking a specific action (Absolve, Commission, Develop, Attack, Fortify, Convert, Garrison).
- Conspirator: discard 1 Suspicion at each Inquisition.
- Debt Collector: gain the indicated Worker when paying off Debts.
- Peddler: gain the indicated reward at each Inquisition where you have 2+ Suspicion.
- Squire: gain the indicated Attribute increase at each Inquisition where you have no Suspicion.
(Conspirators, Peddlers and Squires activate before Debts are collected during an Inquisition, in any order.)
Reward Reference
Gain 1 Faith / Strength / Influence; gain a Worker (Labourer/Scout/Merchant/Fighter/Cleric/Criminal); gain 1 Provision; gain 1 Silver (main or Tax supply); remove 1 Suspicion; destroy 1 unpaid Debt; pay (flip) 1 unpaid Debt; recruit 1 available Townsfolk for free; Pray (remove all Workers from 1 action space). (Free Recruit as a reward from Commission, Garrison, Absolve or a King's Favour does not cost Silver.) Some Main Board spaces are only used with 3+ or 4+ players.
Solo Play
Set up your side normally. For the AI: flip a Player Board to its AI side; place 7 Monks, Outposts and Absolves; stack Attribute Markers on zero (Influence bottom, Faith middle, Strength top); place the Resource Marker on the left-most space of the Resource Track; set aside the 5 "King's Favour" Scheme Cards, shuffle the rest facedown on the AI board. Choose difficulty and reveal King's Order Cards (Easy 1, Standard 3, Hard 5), placing 1 AI Workshop on each specified action space; then reshuffle and set up the Main Board normally. Place 1 AI Workshop on top of each King's Order and 1 "King's Favour" Scheme Card faceup on each King's Favour. You always act first (no Start Player Marker).
Round setup: Rounds 1–3, add the AI Workshop from a King's Order onto the matching action space; Rounds 3–7, add 1 "King's Favour" Scheme Card to the discard pile. Reveal only 2 Tavern Cards (you choose 1); the AI gains no Workers but gains 1 Suspicion per Criminal on the unchosen card.
Resource Track: The AI doesn't collect Provisions, Silver or Tax; instead, when it would gain resources, move the Resource Marker 1 space right (returning any Tax Silver to the main supply). Wrapping from the right-most space back to the left increases the AI's lowest Attribute by 1 (if tied, move the top-most marker). The track's layout mirrors Townsfolk (5), King's Favour (5) and Outsider (6) cards — the AI targets the card where the Marker sits, moving right if unavailable (with Outsiders, try the 6th before wrapping). If the AI must remove a Suspicion/Debt and has none, return 1 Tax to the main supply (without moving the Marker). The AI ignores all Provisions and Silver costs.
Workers: The AI treats all Worker types the same but still gains Suspicion per Criminal. It doesn't gain Workers from Paladins/Taverns; it starts each Round with Workers = Current Round + 3.
Scheme Cards: You act first each Round, then reveal the top Scheme Card to determine the AI's action. If the AI lacks Workers or the action is blocked, it takes the left-most available top-row action (Recruit, Pray, Trade, Conspire, Rest). The AI continues until it has no Workers or takes Rest.
AI actions: Recruit (discard the targeted Townsfolk); Pray (clear Workers from the right side, or gain 1 Worker, then shuffle all Scheme Cards); Trade (move Marker 1); Conspire (gain 1 Suspicion and 2 Workers); Rest (advance Marker 1 plus 1 per remaining Worker, then pass). Commission/Garrison place the left-most token, targeting available spaces in order: Free Recruit, Pay a Debt, Pray, Gain 2 Workers, Gain 1 Worker, Gain 2 Silver, Remove 1 Suspicion (left-most first). Absolve, Fortify, Attack, Convert, King's Order and King's Favour follow the Resource Track/Attribute rules. The AI always scores a minimum of 1 VP per Converted Outsider.
End of Round: The AI doesn't carry Workers over. Don't shuffle Scheme Cards between Rounds (only on Pray). In the solo game, also discard the second-right-most Townsfolk and second-left-most Outsider during refresh.