The Last Banquet
The Last Banquet Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Pendant Assembly
To assemble the faction pendants, unclasp the lanyard, run it through the hole in the faction pendant, and reclasp the lanyard.
Game Components
- 25 Character Cards
- 20 Faction Pendants (10 Rose and 10 Tower)
- 20 Metal Lanyards
- 10 Veto Tokens
- 9 Item Tokens
- 1 Cardboard Scepter
Setup
Before each scenario, players follow the steps below:
- Prepare Play Area: Gather a number of chairs equal to the number of players and arrange the chairs in a circle.
- Gather Character Cards and Faction Pendants: Gather all character cards and faction pendants and place them near the play area.
- Choose Scenario: Choose a scenario from those provided (see pages 6–19). For the first game, this rulebook recommends playing Scenario 1, The Last Banquet.
- Choose Ruleset: Decide to use either the basic rules or the full rules for this scenario. For the first game, this rulebook recommends using the basic rules.
- Read Story Text: Read the chosen scenario's story text aloud to the players. This text appears in italics beneath the scenario's title.
- Prepare Scenario: Prepare the scenario according to its setup instructions.
Core Concepts
This section presents essential concepts in the game.
Places
In each scenario of The Last Banquet, each player occupies a place. To designate each place, players may use anything convenient; pillows, ottomans, blankets, or chairs. This rulebook recommends the use of chairs.
Adjacency
Two places are adjacent to each other if they are arranged consecutively with no place separating them. When a player is instructed to move adjacent to another player, the active player chooses which adjacent place he moves to. The active player is the player with the scepter.
Adjacency Example: Player C has an ability that affects players in adjacent places. This ability may affect players B and D, but it cannot affect players A and E.
Positions
While occupying a place, each player maintains one of two positions: standing or sitting. When the active player is standing, he takes his turn; when the active player is sitting, he does not take his turn but instead passes the scepter to the next player. Unless instructed otherwise, players maintain their position when changing places.
Character Cards
In each scenario of The Last Banquet, each player receives a character card. Character cards describe the actions available to that player and include background information about that character that functions as a roleplaying aid.
Item Tokens
Some scenarios make use of item tokens to assign roles or effects to players. Each scenario explains the rules for any included item tokens.
Scenario-Specific Roles
Some of the scenarios designate the following roles.
Host: The host of each scenario is the player who has the scepter at the beginning of each round and determines the direction in which players pass the scepter for the duration of that round.
Patron: The patron is the player who decides whether to accept or decline a player's request for a favor action. If a scenario does not have a patron, the active player cannot request a favor action. Each scenario provides the patron with a certain number of veto tokens to use at his discretion.
Gender
Several abilities refer to "lady" and "gentleman." This refers to the genders of the characters, not to the genders of the players.
- Lady
- Gentleman
Social Status
A character's social status reflects his standing in society. There are five statuses in The Last Banquet. A character's social status has no inherent rules associated with it. However, many actions affect specific social statuses.
- Royalty (crown icon)
- Nobility (ring icon)
- Citizen (moneybag icon)
- Court (crossed-blade icon)
- Independent (flame-scroll icon)
Ruleset Choice
Before starting each scenario, players decide if they want to use the basic rules or the full rules.
Basic Rules: If players decide to use the basic rules, the active player can only perform his basic action or pass; action 1, action 2, favor actions, and reaction abilities are ignored during that scenario.
Full Rules: If players decide to use the full rules, the active player cannot perform his basic action. Instead, the active player can perform action 1, action 2, request a favor action, or pass. In addition, reaction abilities are used during the scenario.
Playing a Scenario
Each scenario in The Last Banquet consists of a series of rounds, and each round consists of two phases:
- Turn Phase
- Objective Phase
When the objective phase ends, the round ends and a new round begins.
Turn Phase
At the beginning of each turn phase, each player starts in the standing position. The host gives the scepter to the player on either his immediate left or his immediate right. This determines the direction in which each player passes the scepter for the remainder of the round. That is, if the host gives the scepter to the player on his left, the scepter is passed clockwise from player to player until the end of the round.
When a standing player receives the scepter, he becomes the active player. The active player takes his turn by doing one of the following:
- Perform One Action
- Pass
After taking his turn, he gives the scepter to the player adjacent to him in the direction the host chose at the beginning of the round and sits down.
If a seated player receives the scepter, he immediately gives it to the next player.
When the last standing player sits down, the turn phase ends and the objective phase begins.
Performing an Action
An action is the means by which players affect the course of the game. An action can rearrange players' places, protect players from the effects of actions, change the direction in which the scepter moves from player to player, and more.
Most character cards have four actions: a basic action, action 1, action 2, and a favor action. To perform an action, the active player chooses one action from his character card, reads its text aloud, and follows the text's instructions.
If an action instructs the active player to choose a player, the active player cannot choose himself unless the action specifically states that he can.
Actions: Actions with the no-royalty icon (a crown with a slash through it) do not affect characters with the royalty social status in any way.
Example: The Gamekeeper's action 1 has the no-royalty icon and reads, "Each lady adjacent to you chooses and switches places with 1 gentleman." If all characters adjacent to the active player have the royalty status, this action has no effect. Furthermore, a character adjacent to the active player cannot switch places with a character that has the royalty status.
Passing
To pass, the active player gives the scepter to the next player and sits down.
Performing Actions example: Using her action 2, the queen switches places with the duchess. The queen moves to the duchess's place, and the duchess moves to the queen's former place.
Requesting a Favor Action
A favor action is a kind of action that requires the consent of the patron.
To request a favor action, the active player addresses the patron (see "Patron" above). Then, the active player reads the favor action text on his character card aloud. Next, the patron accepts or declines the favor action request.
If the patron accepts, the active player resolves the effect of the favor action as described on his character card. If the patron declines, he returns one of his veto tokens to the supply, and the active player does not resolve the effect of the favor action. If the patron has no veto tokens, he cannot decline the request.
After resolving the effect of the favor action, or after the patron declines, the active player gives the scepter to the next player and sits down.
Moving to an Occupied Place
If a player moves to an occupied place, the player displaces the current occupant, who moves to any unoccupied place of his choice. If the occupied place contains more than one player (i.e., players are sharing a place), those players move in the order of initiative, starting with the player with the lowest initiative number. If a player switches places with another player, the displaced occupant must move to the place the switching player vacated.
Sharing a Place
Some actions can force two or more players to share a place. While players share a place, actions can affect them separately; that is, an action that affects a single player does not necessarily affect the other player with whom he shares a place.
Players who share a place are not adjacent to one another. When the scepter is passed to a place occupied by two or more players, it is passed to the player with the lowest initiative, unless a character action specifies otherwise. After a player who is sharing a place with a standing player takes his turn, he gives the scepter to the standing player; if there are two or more standing players sharing this place, the standing player who has the lowest initiative receives the scepter first.
Objective Phase
During the objective phase, each faction checks to see if it has achieved its objectives. For a full description of each scenario's objectives, see pages 6–19. Then, if the game has not ended, the host takes the scepter.
Ending a Scenario
A scenario ends if the last round ends or if one or more factions achieve an objective that causes the scenario to end. For a complete description of each scenario's end conditions, see pages 6–19.
Card Anatomy
- Initiative: This number is used to resolve timing issues during a scenario.
- Gender: This symbol indicates this character's gender.
- Social Status: This identifies the character's position in society.
- Title: This is the character's title in the court.
- Demeanor: This describes the character's general demeanor.
- Warm/Snide Remarks: These lines of dialogue are friendly or cutting but tolerable greetings.
- Basic Action: This is the only action this character can perform during a scenario in which players are using the basic rules.
- Reaction Ability: During a scenario that uses the full rules, this is an effect that this character can use at any time.
- Action 1 and Action 2: These are actions that this character can perform during a scenario in which the players are using the full rules.
- Favor Action: During a scenario that uses the full rules, this character can request this favor action.
Additional Rules
This section explains additional concepts and rules.
Reaction Abilities
Some characters have reaction abilities. A character always has the option to use his reaction ability, even when he is sitting or when it is not his turn. Using his reaction ability is always optional; it is never required.
Inevitable Outcomes
If one faction's victory is certain and if all players agree, they may declare that faction the victor and end the game early.
Divine Judgment
If a scenario or action calls for divine judgment, the specified player flips a veto token end over end (like flipping a coin) and resolves its effects according to the instruction of that scenario or action.
Veto Tokens: Veto tokens come in two varieties, the Crown and the Coffer.
Messenger
If the full rules are being used and there is a patron in the scenario, when a character selects the messenger character card during a scenario's setup, he also takes the signet ring item token.
Roleplaying
The Last Banquet thrives on the enthusiasm of its players. Therefore, each player should do his best to portray a demeanor that matches his character. This can be as simple as giving a courtly bow when exchanging places with another player or as elaborate as speaking in the royal "we" while playing as the king. The more deeply players identify with their characters, the more engrossing and exciting each scenario will be.
Scenarios
This section of the rulebook presents the scenarios used when playing The Last Banquet.
Scenario 1: The Last Banquet
The servants had spent a long day setting a magnificent table for the feast, but when the seneschal entered the hall, he noted the absence of nameplates on the table. He approached the steward.
"What is the seating arrangement for the feast?" asked the seneschal.
The steward blinked. "There is no seating arrangement," he said.
This was a troubling omen. The court had split into several quarrelsome cliques, and the royal spies had overheard a rumor that some of the court had desires to assassinate the king at this very feast.
Before the seneschal could take action, the king entered the hall, talking loudly with his retinue about the coming feast. The guests arrived not long after. Full of dread, the seneschal took his place at the table. The king welcomed his guests warmly, giving no hint of suspicion that at this very table lurked an assassin, nor that this feast, sumptuous though it was sure to be, might be his last.
Objectives
- King's Faction: Prevent the king from being assassinated or mark each assassin with a veto token.
- Traitor Factions: Seat your faction's assassin adjacent to the king at the end of a turn phase.
Scenario Details
- Number of Players: 11 to 24
- Number of Rounds: 3
- Host: King
- Patron: King
Scenario Components
This scenario requires the components listed below:
- 1 Poison Flask item token
- 1 Dagger item token
Scenario Setup
To set up this scenario, follow the steps below:
-
Choose King's Faction: Choose who will be the king. The chosen player takes the scepter, the "King" character card, and a number of veto tokens equal to half the number of players in the game, rounded up, to a maximum of 10 tokens.
Assign additional players to the king's faction by consulting the "Scenario 1 Factions" table below. Each additional member of the king's faction takes a character card that matches his character's title.
No. of Players Members of the King's Faction No. of Players per Traitor Faction 11/13/15 King 5/6/7 12/14/16 King and Queen 5/6/7 17/19/21/23 King, Queen, and Princess 7/8/9/10 18/20/22/24 King, Queen, Princess, and First Knight 7/8/9/10 Example: When playing a game with 14 players, the king's faction consists of the king and the queen, and each traitor faction has six players.
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Remove Unused Royal Character Cards: Return all unused character cards that have the royalty social status to the game box.
Arrangement Example: Here is an example of a possible place arrangement for the scenario. The king's faction has no pendants, but it is represented in green below.
Scenario Rules
The following sections describe rules that are unique to this scenario.
Marking Suspected Assassins: When the king receives the scepter (whether he is seated or standing) and there is at least one other standing player, the king may mark one player of each traitor faction as a suspected assassin. To mark a player, the king names the character he is marking and gives that player a veto token from the king's supply. The king can mark assassins only once per round, even if he only marks a single assassin.
Marking a player is not an action; if the king is standing when he receives the scepter, he takes his turn after marking assassins.
A marked player keeps his veto token until he is proven to not be an assassin (see "Objective Phase" below) or until the king marks a different player of his faction. If the king decides to mark a different player in that faction, the king takes a veto token from the previously marked player of that faction and gives it to the new suspected assassin.
Objective Phase: At the start of the objective phase, each player adjacent to the king must reveal if he is an assassin.
If neither assassin is adjacent to the king, the king survives and the next round begins.
If only one assassin is adjacent to the king, the king is assassinated, and the scenario immediately ends and proceeds to scoring.
If both assassins are adjacent to the king, the king survives and the next round begins. For the rest of the scenario, the king can no longer mark suspected assassins. However, assassins already marked as suspects remain marked. Players incorrectly marked as assassins return their veto tokens to the box.
If a marked player who is not an assassin is adjacent to the king, the marked player returns his veto token to the game box. The king may still use veto tokens from his supply to mark other suspects in that faction.
Ending the Scenario: The scenario ends if the king is assassinated or if the king survives the third round's objective phase. When the scenario ends, each faction calculates its score as follows.
- King's Faction: If the king survived until the third round's objective phase, score 1 victory point. For each assassin who has a veto token, score 2 victory points.
- Traitor Faction: If an assassin successfully assassinated the king, the assassin's faction scores 3 victory points.
Winning the Scenario: The faction with the most victory points wins the scenario.
Scenario 2: Spies and Couriers
Excitement swept through the kingdom; the king's only daughter had reached the age of marriage. The king announced a contest to find her a worthy suitor and appointed the baron as referee. The king kept the rules of the contest a secret until the night before, when he wrote them on parchment, which he then handed to the seneschal.
The seneschal came to his couriers carrying not one sealed letter, but several. He gave a letter to each courier with the instructions to deliver it to the baron and stop for no one along the way. To the courier who received the true message, the seneschal gave an especially long look, at which the courier, understanding everything, nodded curtly. Then, the couriers departed the castle and poured into the streets.
But a message from the baron awaited the seneschal in his chambers.
"Dear Seneschal," it went, "keep a close eye on the duke. He is desperate to marry off his layabout, dimwit son and will no doubt send his spies after the king's courier. To thwart him, meet me in the abbey at dawn and give me the king's message yourself. Should anyone come to my door tonight claiming to bear a message from the king, I shall dismiss him as a spy outright."
The seneschal slumped against his bureau. The king's message was already in the hands of a courier, who even now approached the baron's door with the duke's spies no doubt in hot pursuit. Nonetheless, the seneschal raced from his chambers, hoping that he would reach the baron before this catastrophic farce came to the light of day.
Objectives
- Baron's Faction: Seat the courier adjacent to the baron at the end of the turn phase; seating the seneschal adjacent to the baron at the end of a turn phase makes this objective much easier to achieve.
- Duke's Faction: Prevent the courier from being seated adjacent to the baron at the end of the turn phase; bribing the courier makes this objective much easier to achieve.
Scenario Details
- Number of Players: 11 to 20
- Number of Rounds: 3
- Host: Baron
- Patron: None
Scenario Components
This scenario requires the components listed below:
- 1 Secret Message item token
- 1 Purse item token
- 1 Diamond item token
- A number of assorted item tokens equal to the number of decoys in the baron's faction
Scenario Setup
To set up this scenario, follow the steps below:
-
Remove Royal Character Cards: Return all character cards that have the royalty social status to the game box. In addition, return the "Duke" character card to the game box.
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Choose Factions: The players separate into two factions (the baron's faction and the duke's faction) by consulting the "Scenario 2 Factions" table below. The baron's faction decides who among them will be the baron and who among them will be the seneschal. The chosen players take the corresponding character cards. The baron takes the scepter, and the seneschal takes the Secret Message item token and the assorted item tokens. The duke's faction takes the Diamond and Purse item tokens. Then, the baron chooses an emblem to represent his faction, and each player in his faction takes a pendant that bears his faction's emblem. Return unused faction pendants to the game box.
Scenario 2 Factions
No. of Players Baron's Faction Duke's Faction 11 5 players 6 players 12 5 players 7 players 13 6 players 7 players 14 6 players
Arrangement Example: Here is an example of a possible place arrangement for the scenario. The duke's faction has no pendants, but it is represented in green below.
Scenario Rules
The following sections describe rules that are unique to this scenario.
Bribes: When a spy is the active player, before performing his action, he can attempt to bribe one player seated adjacent to him. To do so, the spy reveals his Purse or Diamond item token to the adjacent player, who must then reveal his own item token, if any.
Each spy can only do this once per round, even if an effect allows him to become the active player more than once during a round.
Royal Authority: The baron is treated as having both the Nobility and the Royalty social status, and he is immune to actions with the no-royalty icon. However, the baron is not immune to his own actions and can affect himself with his own action 1 and 2, even though they have the no-royalty icon.
Objective Phase: If the seneschal is adjacent to the baron, he whispers the courier's name to the baron. He does this before players check to see if the courier is adjacent to the baron.
If the courier is adjacent to the baron, the courier reveals the Secret Message item token. He has delivered his message to the baron; the scenario immediately ends.
Winning the Scenario: If the courier is adjacent to the baron during an objectives phase, the courier delivers the message, and the baron's faction wins the scenario.
If the courier fails to deliver the message by the end of the third round, the duke's faction wins the scenario.
Scenario 3: A League of Traitors
A fugue had come over the king. He was haunted endlessly by his own conscience, which seized him in his dreams and reminded him nightly of his bloody ascent to the throne. In these dreams, the corpse of the previous king called out to him from its grave, crying "Murder! Murder!" so that the king awoke in a sweat and heard this ghostly accusation in his ears all day long.
His troubled conscience began to sow suspicions in his heart. Was a member of his own court even now planning to usurp the throne, just as he himself had done so many years ago?
It wasn't just paranoia. The duke and the baron had lately each begun informing the king of the other's corruption, mixing accusation with flattery to ply him. The king smiled at these overtures, but his heart churned; surely, these men were plotting to take the throne from him.
One night, the king threw a great feast and invited the duke and the baron. The duke and the baron arrived at the banquet hall happy and light-hearted. But upon entering, they quickly paled, for the king and his loyal retinue and many other guests had already arrived, and they fixed their eyes on the duke and the baron, regarding them with stern looks.
Terrible dread now entered the duke and the baron, and they approached the table knowing that unless they acted with tremendous care and cunning, their days of plotting against the king had come to a sudden end.
Objectives
- King's Faction: Prevent the king from being assassinated.
- Duke's Faction: Seat your faction's assassin adjacent to the king at the end of a turn phase.
- Baron's Faction: Seat your faction's assassin adjacent to the king at the end of a turn phase.
Scenario Details
- Number of Players: 15 to 25
- Number of Rounds: 3
- Host: King
- Patron: King
Scenario Components
This scenario requires the components listed below:
- 1 Poison Flask item token
- 1 Dagger item token
Scenario Setup
To set up this scenario, follow the steps below:
- Choose Factions: The players separate into three equal factions and decide which is the king's faction, which is the duke's faction, and which is the baron's faction. If there is one odd player, that player joins the king's faction. If there are two odd players, the first joins the baron's faction and the second joins the duke's faction. Then, the duke's and baron's factions choose an emblem to represent them, and each player in those factions takes a pendant that bears his faction's emblem. Return unused faction pendants to the game box.
- Choose Character Cards: The king's faction decides who among them will be the king, the duke's faction decides who among them will be the duke, and the baron's faction decides who among them will be the baron. The chosen players take the corresponding character cards. In addition, the king takes the scepter. If playing with the full rules, the king also takes a number of veto tokens equal to half the number of players in the game, rounded up, to a maximum of 10 tokens. Then, the factions take turns sending one of its players to select a character card, starting with the king's faction, then the duke's faction, and finally the baron's faction, until each player has a character card. Alternatively, players can randomly distribute character cards. Return unused character cards to the game box.
- Distribute Weapons: The duke's faction and the baron's faction receive one weapon each, either the Poison Flask item token or the Dagger item token.
- Choose Assassins: The duke's and baron's factions withdraw to a discreet location, and each chooses one of its players to be the assassin, taking care to hide this process from the other factions. Each assassin takes his faction's weapon item token and hides it on his person. Then, each faction returns to the play area.
- Choose Places: The king and each other player in his faction choose their places and stand behind them. Then, the factions of the duke and baron alternate in choosing a place for one of their members, starting with the duke's faction, until all players have a place.
Arrangement Example: Here is an example of a possible place arrangement for the scenario. The king's faction has no pendants, but it is represented in green below.
Scenario Rules
This scenario has no unique rules.
Objectives Phase
If only one assassin is adjacent to the king, the assassin reveals his weapon item token. The king is assassinated, and the scenario immediately ends.
If both assassins are adjacent to the king, or if neither assassin is adjacent to the king, the king survives and the next round begins.
Winning the Scenario
If a faction assassinates the king, that faction wins the scenario. If neither faction assassinates the king by the end of the third round's objectives phase, the king's faction wins the scenario.
Scenario 4: The White Maiden's Lament
After the death of the queen, the king mourned for several days. In the throes of his grief he found comfort in the arms of his late wife's sister, much to his daughter's and his spiritual advisor's dismay. Within a fortnight of his wife's death, the king announced his marriage to his late wife's sister. The court hailed their new queen and marveled at the king's miraculous recuperative powers.
To celebrate the marriage, the king and his new queen invited their most trusted friends in the court to a supper in the manor house.
When the guests were seated, the king stood and raised his glass, preparing to toast to his new bride. But before he could utter a word, a frigid wind swept through the manor house, extinguishing every candle save one, which flickered and danced but refused to go out. At the head of the table, the ghostly form of a woman appeared, her head encircled by beams of moonlight.
The ghost began to speak. "Greetings to all of you," she began. "I am glad to see so many happy guests. But I am not here to congratulate the bridal pair." She pointed a finger at the king's new bride. "She murdered me so that she could take my place beside the king. I demand satisfaction and justice so that I might finally rest peacefully!"
Objectives
- Queen's Faction: Prevent the queen from being slain by the white maiden.
- White Maiden's Faction: Seat the white maiden adjacent to the queen at the end of a turn phase.
Scenario Details
- Number of Players: 10 to 18
- Number of Rounds: 3 with 10 to 14 players; 4 with 15 to 18 players
- Host: Queen
- Patron: King
Scenario Components
This scenario requires no additional components.
Scenario Setup
To set up this scenario, follow the steps below:
-
Choose Factions: The players separate into two factions (the white maiden's faction and the queen's faction). Three players belong to the white maiden's faction; the rest of the players belong to the queen's faction.
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Choose White Maiden, Princess, and Abbot: The white maiden's faction decides who among them will be the white maiden, who will be the princess, and who will be the abbot. The players take the corresponding character cards. The player with the "White Maiden" character card takes all the pendants with the rose emblem and gives one to each other member of her faction.
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Choose Queen: The queen's faction decides who among them will be the queen. The chosen player takes the "Queen" character card and the scepter.
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Choose King: The queen's faction decides who among them will be the king. The chosen player takes the "King" character card and a number of veto tokens equal to half the number of players in the game, rounded up.
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Choose Character Cards: The queen's faction sends its players one at a time to take a character card until each player has a character card. Alternatively, players can distribute character cards randomly. Return unused character cards to the game box.
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Choose Places: The queen chooses her place. Next, the king chooses a place directly across from the queen. Then, each remaining player in the queen's faction chooses a place. Last, each member of the white maiden's faction chooses a place. In this scenario, members of the white maiden's faction can choose an occupied place. If they choose an occupied place, the occupant moves to an unoccupied place.
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Introduce Characters: Each player introduces himself by declaring the title printed on his character card and greeting the king and queen with a warm or a snide remark as written on his character card.
Arrangement Example: Here is an example of a possible place arrangement for the scenario. The queen's faction has no pendants, but it is represented in green below.
Scenario Rules
This scenario has no unique rules.
Objectives Phase
If the white maiden is seated adjacent to the queen at the end of a turn phase, the scenario immediately ends. If the white maiden is not seated adjacent to the queen, the next round begins.
Any member of the queen's faction who is seated adjacent to the white maiden during an objectives phase joins the white maiden's faction and takes a pendant with the rose emblem.
Winning the Scenario
If the white maiden is seated adjacent to the queen at the end of a turn phase, the white maiden slays the queen, and the white maiden's faction wins the scenario.
If the queen survives until the objective phase of the final round (the third round if playing a game with 10 to 14 players, the fourth round if playing a game with 15 to 18 players), the queen's faction wins the scenario.
Scenario 5: The Count's Estate
One night at dinner, the count of the south coast fell face first into a bowl of warm porridge. The count was wealthy in land and titles and had died childless, but he died having written only one page of his will. This page named the abbot, the abbess, and the merchant as the count's heirs, but it mentioned nothing of who inherited what from the count's vast estate.
Immediately, the merchant, the abbot, and the abbess began quarreling bitterly over the count's estate. Before long, each party began to claim full right to the count's estate. Without the will's missing pages, no claim could be disproved; the arguments came to an unhappy impasse, and the parties eventually sought the ruling of the king.
"I shall call a tribunal to settle this matter," said the king. "I therefore summon the merchant, the abbot, and the abbess to this court tomorrow morning. You shall make your case to the rest of the court, and you may bring as many advocates as you like to speak on your behalf."
"But sire," they began in unison. But by this time, the king had already departed, happy to be rid of them and to have delegated this problem to someone else.
Objectives
Each faction must seat as many of its players as possible adjacent to portions of the count's estate.
Scenario Details
- Number of Players: 12, 15, 18, 21, or 24
- Number of Rounds: 3
- Host: Merchant, Abbot, Abbess
- Patron: Merchant, Abbot, Abbess
Scenario Components
This scenario requires the components listed below:
- 3 extra chairs
- 1 Hound item token
- 1 Purse item token
- 1 Diamond item token
Scenario Setup
To set up this scenario, follow the steps below:
- Add Chairs: Add three chairs to the play area.
- Remove "King" Character Card: Return the "King" character card to the game box.
- Choose Factions: The players separate into three equal factions and decide which is the merchant's faction, which is the abbot's faction, and which is the abbess's faction. Then, the merchant's and abbot's factions choose emblems to represent them, and each player in those factions takes a pendant that bears his faction's emblem. Return unused pendants to the game box.
- Choose Character Cards: The merchant's faction decides who among them will be the merchant, the abbot's faction decides who among them will be the abbot, and the abbess's faction decides who among them will be the abbess. The chosen players take the corresponding character cards. In addition, they each take three veto tokens. The merchant takes the scepter. Then, each faction takes turns sending one of its players to select a character card, starting with the abbot's faction, then the merchant's faction, and finally the abbess's faction, until each player has a character card. Alternatively, players can randomly distribute character cards. Return unused character cards to the game box.
- Choose Places: Put the Hound item token in a place; the merchant takes the place to the immediate right of the Hound item token and each player in his faction takes a place to the merchant's right. Then, put the Diamond item token in the next unoccupied place; the abbot takes the place to the right of the Diamond item token, and each player in his faction takes a place to the abbot's right. Then, put the Purse item token in the next available place; the abbess takes the place to the right of the Purse item token, and each player in her faction takes a place to the abbess's right.
Arrangement Example: Here is an example of a possible place arrangement for the scenario. The abbess's faction has no pendants, but it is represented in green below.
Scenario Rules
Hosts: In this scenario, each round has a different host. The merchant is the host during the first round, the abbot is the host during the second round, and the abbess is the host during the third round.
The Count's Estate: Each item token that occupies a place (the Hound, the Diamond, and the Purse item tokens) represents a portion of the count's estate. The Hound item token represents the Fox Forest, the Diamond item token represents the Greystone Quarry, and the Purse item token represents the market rights in Dunny. Places occupied by these item tokens cannot be occupied by players, and actions do not affect these item tokens.
Favor Actions: If a player requests a favor action, each patron, beginning with the patron to the left of the active player and proceeding clockwise, declares whether he accepts or declines the request. If a patron declines, he returns a veto token to the supply and the request is declined; any patron who has not yet declared is assumed to have accepted. If all three patrons accept, the request is accepted.
Objectives Phase: Each player adjacent to a portion of the count's estate earns his faction one estate point for that portion. For example, a player who is adjacent to the Hound item token during an objectives phase gets one estate point for the Fox Forest. Similarly, a player who is adjacent to the Diamond item token gets one estate point for the Greystone Quarry. If two players from the same faction are adjacent to the Purse item token, each player gets one estate point for the market rights in Dunny. If two or more players share a place that is adjacent to a portion of the count's estate, each player gets one estate point for that portion of the estate.
Each faction tracks its estate points on paper during each objective phase.
Ending the Scenario: The scenario ends after the third round is over. When the scenario ends, each faction determines which portions of the count's estate it claims.
Scoring: Each faction calculates its estate points for each portion of the estate from each of the three rounds. The faction that scored the most estate points for a portion of the count's estate claims that portion.
If two factions have an equal number of estate points for a portion of the count's estate, use divine judgment to determine which tied faction claims that portion. If three factions have an equal number of estate points for a portion of the count's estate, each faction adds up its initiative numbers, and the faction with the highest total claims that portion.
Winning the Scenario: The faction that claims two portions of the count's estate wins. If each faction claims one portion of the count's estate, the faction that claimed the Fox Forest wins.
Scenario 6: The Missing Princess
The princess has come of age; it is time for her to marry. The kingdom is in shock, however, as the king has declared that she will not marry the duke, as most had supposed. The duke is determined to defy the king's decision however, and has captured the princess that he might marry her anyway. Having hid her away within his bastion, he patrols the area with his personal guard, searching everyone who approaches the castle.
A few friends and loved ones of the princess have discovered the duke's treachery and are desperate to save her. Armed with determination and their courtly cunning, they have hatched a plan to steal the key, avoid the duke, search the castle, and escape with the princess... and all before the wedding bells ring!
Objectives
Players must work cooperatively to retrieve the keys, avoid the duke and his minions, and ultimately rescue the princess.
Scenario Details
- Number of Players: 6 to 10
- Number of Rounds: 1
- Host: The player with the lowest initiative
- Patron: None
Scenario Components
This scenario requires the components listed below:
- 4 extra chairs
- 1 Hound item token
- 1 Keyring item token
Scenario Setup
To set up this scenario, follow the steps below:
- Add Chairs: Add four chairs to the play area.
- Create Bastion: Choose one chair to be the bastion. Place the princess on the bastion.
- Create Guard Tower: The chair to the right of the bastion is the guard tower. Place the keyring on the guard tower. Place four veto tokens on the guard tower. These are guards. Note: Players can modify the difficulty of this scenario by adjusting the number of guards that start on the guard tower.
- Create Gatehouse: The chair to the left of the bastion is the gatehouse. Place four veto tokens on the gatehouse. These will track your search for the princess.
- Prepare Character Cards: Return the "Witch", "First Knight", and "White Maiden" character cards to the game box. Place the "Duke" character card to the right of the guard tower.
- Choose Places: Players cannot choose a place within the castle or the duke's place. Players can take any other unoccupied places.
- Assign Character Cards: Distribute character cards randomly. If there is not at least one male and one female character card, shuffle the assigned cards back into the unused cards, and redistribute them until there is at least one of each. Then, return the unused character cards to the game box.
- Distribute Pendants: If playing with six players, each player takes three pendants. If playing with more than six players, each player takes two pendants.
Arrangement Example: Here is an example of a possible place arrangement for the scenario.
Scenario Rules
Performing Actions: Players cannot perform favor actions during this scenario. Each time a player performs an action or passes, he discards one pendant instead of sitting down. If a player performs an action and has no pendant, he sits down as normal.
Finding the Princess: The only way to save the princess from the bastion is for a female character to enter through the gatehouse. Each time the scepter is passed to a female character that is adjacent to the gatehouse and carrying the Keyring item token, she may immediately move into the gatehouse and sit down. If she does, her turn immediately ends. This is not an action.
Any action that would move the player in the gatehouse cannot be performed. Each time the scepter is passed to the player in the gatehouse, she spends her turn searching for the princess and cannot take an action. Take one of the veto tokens from the gatehouse and use divine judgment to determine if you find the princess. If the result is the crown, you have found the princess. If the result is the coffer, you have failed to find the princess; discard that token. However, if the player in the gatehouse has one or more pendants remaining, she may discard one pendant to flip the coffer result again. Regardless of the final result, the scepter is passed. If there is one veto token remaining when a player searches for the princess, the princess is found; divine judgment is not used.
The Duke: The duke cannot be chosen or affected by the actions of any player. Each time the scepter is passed to a player (even if that player is sitting), the duke moves to an adjacent place. The duke starts the scenario moving right, away from the guard tower. Each time the duke moves into a place adjacent to the gatehouse or guard tower, he changes directions. In this way, the duke continues to patrol back and forth across the players. Each time the duke moves into a place with a player, that player switches places with the duke. If a player is carrying the Keyring item token when the duke switches places with him, return the Keyring item token and two guards to the guard tower.
Ending the Scenario: The scenario ends if the duke moves adjacent to a player who is in the gatehouse. Also, if all players are seated, the scenario ends. The players lose if the scenario ends in either of these ways.
Winning the Scenario: If the scepter is passed to a player in the gatehouse after she has found the princess, they both escape and all players win!
The Keyring: Each time a male character moves to a place adjacent to the guard tower or switches places with a character adjacent to the guard tower, he removes one guard from the tower. In addition, each time a male character that is adjacent to the guard tower is passed the scepter, he removes one guard from the tower. If the last guard is removed, the player adjacent to the guard tower takes the Keyring item token. The first time the Keyring item token is taken from the guard tower, place the Hound item token on the guard tower. Each time a player carrying the Keyring item token receives the scepter, he can pass the Keyring item token to an adjacent player.
The Hound: Each time one or more players leave one or more places, the Hound item token moves one place to the right. Each time the Hound item token moves into a place with a player in it, the hound attacks that player. That player must discard one pendant. If he does not have a pendant, the hound does not attack that player. When the Hound item token moves into the gatehouse, it is discarded.