The Game of Medici: Arms, Loves and Betrayals in XVth Century Europe Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Preparing the Game
• The Game
• Movement
• Combats
• Coins
• Alliances
• Marriages
• Advanced Rules and Variants
  • Contract Killer (Sicarian)
  • Black Plague
  • Forced Marches
  • Knights
  • Siege
  • Heroes
  • Money Distribution
  • Victory
  • Specific Abilities
    • Excommunication or Crusade
    • The Jihad
    • The Fleet
    • The Florin

Components

• 1 board
• 2 dice
• 50 coins
• For each of the 6 colours: 6 counters for the domestic armies and 6 counters for the mercenary troops
• 2 ambassadors cards

Preparing the Game

The game is for 4, 5 or 6 players.

At the beginning of the game each player is provided with: 1 lady, 2 ambassadors, 3 coins and 6 domestic armies.

The players sit down around the board (see Picture 1), facing the various XV century characters: Pope, Emperor, the Medicis, Arabs, King of Spain, King of France. Each player chooses the character he will represent. The aim is to eliminate all domestic armies owned by the other players. To reach this target, each player can use regular armies and mercenary troops, as well as diplomatic alliances and political marriages.

(Picture 1: board diagram, not reproduced.)

The Game

The first player, drawn by die-lot or mutually agreed on, starts his move, divided into four phases:

I) he enters or breaks alliances or marriages; II) he optionally purchases mercenary troops; III) he throws the dice and moves its counters according to the result; IV) he settles the combats when necessary.

Then the second player starts his move (clockwise direction), then the third one, and so on, always following the same order whichever the alliance policy may be.

Movement

At the beginning of the game, the 6 armies are placed on the board game, on the first external rectangular area corresponding to each player (see Picture 1). From here, they start moving according to the dice. The player may chose to subdivide the dice result between several counters. For example, if the sum of dice is 6, the player can move 4 counters by one area and 1 counter by 2 areas; or he can also move 2 counters by 3 areas etc.

Remark from the source: the generic word "area" is used because the game is not divided into squares or hex but is divided into different kinds of shapes.

IT IS MANDATORY TO SPEND THE FULL VALUE OF THE TWO DICE.

The counters can be moved forward, to the board center, laterally and even backwards. However, it is not possible to divide the movement of the same counter partially forwards and partially backwards (or to the right and then to the left). If one player can not use the full value of the two dices, he is eliminated (game lost). Each area can be crossed or occupied by any player (see Picture 1). It is not possible to move through an area occupied by at least one opponent counter. It is possible to move through an area occupied by an allied army (after an exchange of ambassadors) but it is not possible to finish the movement in it. It is possible to move through and to stop on an area occupied by a country linked with a political marriage.

There is no limit in the amount of possible counters in one area.

Combats

To attack an enemy, the counters have to enter into the enemy square. Therefore, combats are resolved by counting the difference between the counters at the end of all movements. For instance: An area is occupied by 3 Pope's counters, and 4 Emperor's counters are brought at the same time on it: the Pope will miss one counter, as a result of the difference between his own counters and the Emperor's (4-3 = 1: the Pope remains on that area with two counters). If the Emperor brings only two counters, he loses one. The counters lost are eliminated at the end of each player's turn. The loser always chooses which counters will be eliminated. If the loser is a group of 2 players fighting together, the counters eliminated will be shared equally between both players (for instance 1 counter per player). When it is an impair number, the player with the greatest amount of counter in the area will lose one more. In any other case, both allied players have to agree together which one will be eliminated.

During the following turn of the attacked player, when there are still opponent armies in the same area, the player can add some counters in the box to counterattack or retreat.

During one turn, a player can attack several different occupied areas as long as he respects the following rule: THE COMBATS ARE PERFORMED ONLY AFTER ALL THE MOVEMENTS ARE COMPLETED.

Coins

All chips, except for the three initially got by each player, are detained by the Bank which is managed by one player chosen randomly. The Bank holds also the mercenary troops not yet taken by players and which will be progressively purchased by them. When each movement is completed, the player gets from the Bank one coin for each area occupied by one single individual domestic troop (namely, each area occupied by one single counter). This gives the player the choice between getting many coins with the risk of remaining uncovered, and staying stronger on few cases, securing however few coins. Since the Bank money corresponds to the European economic potential of that time, if the Bank itself finishes all chips up because the players keep them with no purchases of mercenary troops, even in occupying areas giving right to coins, the players could get from the Bank just what is left, or even nothing at all.

Starting his own move (namely, before throwing the dice), a player can buy one mercenary troops company by three coins; two companies by six coins, etc. These companies will enter into the game by the player starting area (the one used at the beginning of the game). However, if this case is occupied by enemy counters, the new companies cannot enter it as long as the occupation lasts. Coins can also eliminate the opponent mercenary troops, besides, of course normal combats paying to the Bank 3 coins before resolving the combats. For instance: The Pope moves 3 regular armies and one mercenary unit into an area occupied by 2 regular armies and 3 mercenary units from the King of Spain. Before the combat, the Pope pays nine coins to the Bank and removes the 3 Spanish mercenaries. So the Ratio becomes 4 to 2 and the remaining Spanish armies are eliminated. In this way, one single counter can eliminate a great number of mercenary units in a combat. The mercenary units currently attacking can never be eliminated by payment.

Alliances

At the beginning of his turn, each player may propose an alliance to another player, and, if accepted, exchange one ambassador with this ally. The consequences of an alliance are: in no way a reciprocal attack is allowed; it is possible to move through areas occupied by the ally but not to stop there or to combine attack. Alliance can be broken by withdrawing the ambassadors, but the player who breaks the alliance can not attack immediately: he has to wait the following turn. The former ally can however attack during his turn.

Marriages

The marriage is a strong alliance, to be proposed as for the ambassador exchange, under agreement with the other party. Only one of the two parties gives the other a woman with 3 coins as dowry. Without dowry no marriage can be agreed on. It is more binding than ambassador alliances because who gave the woman cannot break the alliance any more, while who got the woman can break the agreement by returning her plus a doubled dowry. Again, who breaks the marriage must wait for the subsequent move before attacking.

If at the end of the game, only two players, allied or marriage connected remain, they either agree on sharing the victory or automatically break the alliance. If they have no money enough to break the marriage, they have to wait - without attacking - that from the various ground occupations the required amount is reached.

The eliminated players give back automatically to the legitimate proprietors all ambassadors and ladies, and return to the Bank coins and mercenary troops they still own.

Advanced Rules and Variants

Contract Killer (Sicarian)

At the beginning of his game turn, each player may try to send a contract killer to another player. The Sicarian contract remains secret until the mission result. This result will be revealed by throwing a die: 5 or 6 is a success: the player declares who was the target and the victim will be inactive during the next turn (including coins). 3 and 4 is a failure but the Sicarian is not identified, so the player does not have to declare who was the target. 1 and 2 is a failure: the player has to reveal the target and he can not do any action during this current turn (inactive turn).

It is possible to send a Sicarian to one allied player, whatever the kind of alliance, preserving the ability to break the alliance if the mission is a success.

Black Plague

If by throwing the dice, a player gets a double 1, he loses one counter of its choice (regular or mercenary) from the one has on the board. The double 1 indicates that a black plague epidemic has occurred. Consequently, during this turn, no other activity is possible, including political (alliance set or broken), economical (coins) or military (movements and combats).

Forced Marches

If by throwing the dice, a player gets a double (except double 1 that means black plague), he may double its movement capacity. When this option is chosen, he has spent the full movement capacity. For instance, a player gets a double 4, ha can decide to move of an exact distance of 8 or 16 areas (not 14 for instance).

Knights

Each mercenary unit is riding a horse. So one time a turn, he may jump above one area. It means that a movement made by a mercenary unit has a distance bonus of 1 area. Anyway, he is not allowed to jump above an enemy counter. There is no way to go through an area occupied by an enemy.

Siege

When some counters are in a n completely surrounded by enemies (not allied), these counters are under siege. The consequence of a siege is the automatic elimination of one counter (choice of the defender), starting during the turn when the siege is set. When there are several enemies creating the siege, a counter is eliminated during each turn of one attacker. To release the siege, the besieged player can tempt an assault during his own turn.

The besiegers must have globally more counters than the number of counters surrounded. If not, the siege rule can not be applied.

Heroes

Before the game, the player will secretly choose one hero as one of the national army. This hero is indicated by a mark written in the rear of the counter. During the game, the counters may be used normally until the player decides to reveal it. After it is revealed, the hero has a double combat factor for Attack or Defence. However, when the hero is defeated, the player will also lose all the mercenary units of the board.

Money Distribution

At the beginning of the game, no coin is distributed to the player. However, when a player has one regular army counter alone in the hexagon in the middle of the board, he will receive 3 coins. He will also receive 2 coins for any regular army alone in the cases surrounding this hexagon.

Victory

To accelerate the end of the game, when only 2 players remains, the game is finished and the winner is the player with the greatest force: the force is calculated by the amount of counters on the board + the number of coins divided by 3.

Specific Abilities

Each player has a special ability he can use one time only during the game. This ability is used during one of the player turn.

Excommunication or Crusade

During the turn when the Pope uses this ability, all the counters trying to attack the Pope have a combat ability divided by 2 (rounded up). For example 3 counters are counted like 2.

The Jihad

During the turn when the Arabs declare the jihad, all the Arabian Counters are considered as heroes (attack doubled).

The Fleet

At that time, Spain had the greatest fleet in the world. During the turn he will use this ability, the Spanish player will multiply by 2 the dice result. However, the double 1 always means black plague.

The Florin

The Medicis were the most famous bankers of that time. During the turn he use this ability, the Medici player receive 2 times the normal amount of coins.

Feudal Conscription

The Emperor can try to reuse 2 national armies previously lost. He first reveals that he wants to use this special ability then he throw one single die (used also for movement). The Feudal conscription for the 2 counters is a success with a result of 4, 5 or 6. Then the Emperor throws the second die and uses the global result for the movement phase. The saved counters enter in the game like any other mercenary-unit.

Forced Marriage

The king of France may try to force another player to give him his princess for marriage without dowry as long as she is not already married. The French player first reveals he want to use this ability, and then he throws the dice for movement. If the result is different from 6, 7 or 8, the marriage is a success.

Game with Less Than 6 Players

Even when there are only 4 or 5 players, all the counters are put on the board. The armies belonging to nobody have no princess or ambassador. Each player can use these free armies during his turn, using the normal rules. These armies are belonging to all the players. However, these armies are only used for movement and combat, without any alliance rule applied. No coin or mercenary unit may be obtained with a free army. The advanced rules and the special abilities are not used.