Ritter ohne Furcht und Tadel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Setup
  • Knight cards
  • Lady cards
  • Training before the first tournament day
  • Starting player
  • Knights and ladies
• The tournament
  • Mounted combat
  • Foot combat
  • The knights become furious
  • The joust is over
  • End of the tournament day: rewarding the day winners
  • The night falls on the castle
  • A new day begins
• Winning the tournament
• Tactical tips
• Extension rules

Overview

The players decide how many days the tournament lasts (the rules state four days). During the tournament, the knights challenge each other to jousts. They first fight on horseback and, if necessary, then on foot. Jousts are fought with dice. The attacker rolls first, then the defender, and the results are applied at the same time. The winner of a joust receives a prize. The loser is out for the rest of that tournament day.

At the start of a tournament day, the ladies offer their favours to a knight of their choice. The knights must accept a favour, although they have certain preferences. If several ladies offer their favour to the same knight, a foreign lady is often preferred over a lady from the knight's own player, if she better matches the knight's preferences. A lady receives the same prizes as the knight she supports.

At night, the knights can recover and train their weaknesses. The ladies give their favours out again and a new tournament day begins.

Components

• 10 knight cards
• 10 lady cards
• 60 training tokens
• 10 favour tokens
• 24 dice
• 50 wooden cubes
• 1 rulebook

Setup

The knight cards and lady cards are shuffled, and each player is dealt two of each. With more than five players, each player is dealt only one knight card and one lady card. The remaining knight and lady cards do not take part in this tournament.

The dice are set out. Each player receives three wooden cubes for each knight and one wooden cube for each lady, together with the matching favour token. The tournament ground (the box) is placed in the middle.

Knight cards

The wooden cubes are placed on the knight cards as shown on page 2 of the rulebook. The defence strength against the opponent's hits is marked in red.

The number of combat dice is shown on the right-hand side of the card. Knights differ in their statistical strengths, but at the start all knights are equally strong. One knight has an advantage in attack (number of combat dice) but is wounded more easily. Others have a stronger defence (covered hit fields) and are not wounded as quickly.

Lady cards

At the start, the wooden cube is placed on the prize track at "0". Players must memorise the properties of their ladies and compare them with the preferences of their own knights or those of their fellow players. This matters greatly: which knight a lady offers her favour to, at the start and during the tournament, makes a large difference.

Training before the first tournament day

The number of combat dice shows a knight's attack strength. The red-bordered hit fields show the knight's defence strength. At the start of the tournament, before the first tournament day begins, each player may "train" their knights. Each individual knight may be strengthened by up to two points in the following ways:

• Raising attack strength: the knight starts with two combat dice more than the red field on the knight card shows. The wooden cube is moved two fields along the "combat dice" column.
• Raising defence strength: two extra hit fields on the knight card may be covered with training tokens.
• Raising attack and defence strength: the player may instead use one extra combat die and also cover one extra hit field.

Example: At the start of the tournament, Knight Apollonius of the Wolkenburg has three combat dice and covered defence hit fields "1", "2" and "3" (red-bordered). Before the tournament begins, Apollonius raises his number of combat dice by one, to "4" combat dice, and raises his defence strength by placing a training token on the second hit field "1" (see the pictures on page 3).

He could also have used his extra training points in these ways:

• Attack strength: raise to five combat dice.
• Defence strength: cover the second "1" and the second "2"; or cover the second "1" and the second "3"; or cover the second "2" and the second "3"; or cover any matching combination of hit fields for foot combat.
• Combination: raise one combat die and cover one hit field for mounted or foot combat.

Each player therefore may raise the attack strength, the defence strength, or both before the tournament begins, as explained above.

Small tip: Because mounted combat is always fought first, it is worth raising the defence strength for mounted combat first, by covering more of the hit fields "1", "2" or "3".

Important: If your opponent rolls three "1"s with their combat dice in mounted combat, and both "1" hit fields on your knight card are covered, the third "1" hits and your knight takes a wound. The wooden cube of the wounded knight is moved one field to the right.

Starting player

Each player rolls a die. The player with the highest roll is the starting player.

Knights and ladies

Each player first decides which of their knights will take part in the tournament day. A player does not have to send both knights to the tournament day, and does not have to send any knight on a given tournament day at all. However, a player should remember that there are only four tournament days in which to win prizes.

Next, each player decides which of their own or foreign ladies they want to offer their favour to.

The starting player places the favour token of a lady on any arbitrary fighting-ready knight, their own or a foreign one. That knight must accept the favour, even if it comes from an opponent's lady and does not match the knight's preferences well (we are in the Middle Ages). Then the starting player's left-hand neighbour gives the favour of a lady, and so on, until every participating knight has a favour token on their knight card.

A knight can only wear one favour token at a time. The knight cards show the knight's preferences regarding the ladies, arranged in a ranking. For one knight the hair colour is important; for another, build is more important.

If a following player wants to place their favour on the same knight as their predecessor, the number of matches between the properties of the respective ladies and the knight's preferences decides which favour the knight wears. If the number of matches is equal, the ranking of the properties on the knight card decides. The second lady therefore wins a tie only if her properties rank higher in the knight's preferences than those of her rival.

If both ladies have exactly the same number of matches, the knight may choose either of them. The rejected lady must offer her favour to another knight when her player is next on turn. If not all knights take part in a tournament day, or if knights have been eliminated, some ladies may be unable to place their favour. (The Middle Ages also had less charming sides.)

Note: It can also happen that more than two ladies want the same knight. This is especially likely near the end of the tournament, when knights are placing themselves as favourites for overall victory. The knight chooses one of the ladies as described above.

Before the first tournament day begins, every participating knight must wear a lady's favour and place her honour (and their prizes) in the field.

Example: Podica von Schwarzfub offers her favour to Apollonius von der Wolkenburg. She has two matches with his preferences: rounded (rundlich) and reserved (zurückhaltend). Then Ilsa von Tannen also wants to offer her favour to Apollonius. She has three matches: brown hair, reserved and rounded. Therefore Podica gets her favour back, and Ilsa places her favour token on Apollonius's card. Podica must offer her favour to another knight when her player is next on turn.

The tournament

All knights taking part in a tournament day are set up around the tournament ground (the box). The combats take place there. After every knight taking part in the first tournament day has received a lady's favour, the starting player challenges an opponent's knight with one of their own knights to a joust, and the two knights fight on the tournament ground. The challenged knight must accept the challenge and cannot refuse to fight (a matter of honour). Knights belonging to the same player cannot challenge each other.

Mounted combat

The first fight is mounted combat:

• Both players roll in turn, using the number of combat dice marked on the knight card.
• The attacker rolls first, and any hits are recorded (the wooden cube on the wounds track is moved). Then the defender rolls.
• Once the results have been used, the players take their dice back.
• In mounted combat only the results "1", "2" or "3" cause hits.
• As soon as a knight has received ten or more wounds, that knight is out of the tournament.
• As protection against hits, the red-bordered hit fields, or extra covered hit fields, count in mounted or foot combat. A knight can therefore ward off hits with them.
• If a knight is wounded in mounted combat, that knight automatically falls from the horse.

If only one of the two knights falls from the horse, the joust is over immediately, once both players have rolled. The knight still in the saddle has won and receives a prize, as does the lady whose favour is on his knight card. The wooden cube of both the knight and the lady is moved one field on the prize tracks.

The losing knight is out for the rest of the tournament day. That knight cannot be challenged to another joust, and cannot challenge another knight. The lady cannot collect prizes that day and may only give her favour away again on the next tournament day.

Example (see the pictures on page 5 of the rulebook): Apollonius and Harald Kampfzahn meet. Apollonius rolls four dice and gets "1", "3", "3" and "6". This hits Harald three times: "1", "3" and "3" hit, but the "1" is warded off. The "6" does not cause a hit. The wooden cube on Harald's wounds track is moved two fields. Harald rolls five dice and gets "1", "2", "5", "5" and "6". Apollonius can ward off the "1" and the "2", and stays in the saddle.

Harald Kampfzahn falls from the horse and is out for the rest of the tournament day.

Apollonius has won the joust and receives a prize (the wooden cube is moved one field on the prize track of the knight and of his lady).

Foot combat

If both knights fall from their horses, the duel continues on foot. Now only the "4", "5" or "6" rolled by the opponent count as hits. Hits can be warded off by red-bordered hit fields or by training tokens, as in mounted combat.

Foot combat continues until one of the knights gives up after a dice round, or until one of the knights has received ten wounds and is thereby out of the whole tournament. The winner and their lady each receive one prize.

Note: A knight should give up when they have been badly battered.

Hits are shown in the wounds column on the knight's card, by moving the wooden cube as many fields as the knight has taken hits.

A knight who gives up loses the joust and is out for the rest of the tournament day. That knight cannot challenge any more knights that day, and cannot be challenged either.

The knights become furious

If neither knight can score a hit on the other in the first round of mounted combat, both knights become furious. They roll again, but each may use one extra combat die. This extra combat die may only be used in this combat round.

The joust is over

The starting player's left-hand neighbour is now on turn and challenges an opponent's knight with a fighting-ready knight of their own. When that joust ends, the left-hand neighbour challenges a knight, and so on. All combats are carried out as described above.

End of the tournament day: rewarding the day winners

The tournament day is over when either only one fighting-ready knight remains, or all remaining knights belong to one player. Those knights may not fight each other.

The day winner is then the knight who has collected the most prizes. If two knights belonging to the same player are tied, that player decides which of their knights becomes the day winner. If knights of different players have the same number of prizes, there is no day winner.

Once the day winner is determined, that knight and, of course, the lady whose favour the knight wears, receive the following extra prize points:

• First tournament day: 1 extra prize point.
• Second tournament day: 2 extra prize points.
• Third tournament day: 3 extra prize points.
• Fourth tournament day: 4 extra prize points.

At the end of the tournament, the knight and the lady who collected the most prizes over the four tournament days each receive four more prize points.

After the end of each tournament day, all favour tokens are returned to the ladies, to be given out again the next day.

The night falls on the castle

During the night, all knights may relax. Each may reduce their wounds by three points. The wooden cube on the wounds track is moved three fields to the left.

Knights with no wounds at the start of the new tournament day may, just as in the training at the start of the tournament, raise their attack strength and/or defence strength by two points.

Knights with one to three wounds may raise their attack strength or their defence strength by one point.

Knights with more than three wounds cannot raise any of their abilities.

The red markings on the wounds track serve as a reminder.

A new day begins

The course of a new tournament day is the same as the first tournament day. The player to the left of the first day's starting player begins.

At the end of the second tournament day, the day winner again receives prize points as indicated above.

A knight who picked up wounds on the first tournament day may choose not to take part in the second tournament day. That knight reduces their wounds by three points during the night.

The third and fourth tournament days proceed as described above.

Note: For a shorter playing time, the number of tournament days may be reduced to two or three before the tournament begins.

Winning the tournament

After the last tournament day, and the award of prizes to the last day winner, the knight and the lady who together collected the most prizes over the whole tournament each receive four extra prize points.

All players now total the prizes of their knights and ladies. The player with the most prizes is the winner of the game.

In the exceptional case that two players have the same total number of points, each player may choose one of their knights, and those knights fight a decisive duel. This works exactly like a normal joust. The decisive duel ends when one of the two knights falls from the horse while the other stays in the saddle. If both knights fall and the duel continues on foot, the fight continues until one of the two knights has ten or more wounds (that knight is then a knight of great honour and without fear). A knight never gives up voluntarily in a decisive duel.

Tactical tips

Compare the knights of your opponents after the first tournament day. The knight with the fewest wounds but the most combat dice and training tokens is the strongest knight. This can determine which knight a lady offers her favour to.

The element of chance in the dice can be compensated for by a wise choice of opponent and by using the ladies well.

Extension rules

You can of course also play more than four tournament days, in which case the day prizes rise accordingly.

You can also limit the attack strength of the knights. With 4-6 wounds at the start of a tournament day, a knight may use one combat die fewer than the wooden cube on the knight card indicates. With 7-9 wounds, three combat dice are taken away from the knight.

Translation note: the source text for this extension says "drie slagdobbelstenen" (three combat dice) for 7-9 wounds. That is transcribed as printed. The Dutch copy does not allow it to be checked against the German original, so this figure should be verified against the printed German rulebook if it becomes a concern.

If you play with younger players, the game can be simplified by playing without the lady cards.