War of Kings
War of Kings Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Game Components
- Introduction
- The Game Boards
- Set Up
- Gameplay
- Settlements
- Militia
- Roads
- Fortifications
- Armies
- The Maladorian Marauders
- Culture
- Battle Resolution
- Territorial Control
- Player Elimination and Forfeiture
- Conquering a Territory
- Capital Territories
- Winning the Game
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ Version 1.0)
- Table 9: Exploration Table
Game Components
- 1 Full Color Game Board (Double Sided)
- 30 Plastic Village Miniatures
- 24 Plastic Town Miniatures
- 12 Plastic City Miniatures
- 12 Plastic Wall Miniatures
- 6 Plastic Fortress Miniatures
- 3 Plastic Castle Miniatures
- 14 Custom Battle Dice
- 3 Resource Dice
- 1 Event Die
- 1 Pad of Economic Ledgers
- 36 Event Cards
- 16 Marauder Cards
- 6 Achievement Cards
- 66 Cardboard Armies
- 36 Cardboard Road Tokens
- 42 Cardboard Battle Damage Counters
- 63 Cardboard Territory Markers
- 114 Cardboard Gold Coins
- 150 Resource Cards
- 6 Player Reference Sheets
- 1 Rulebook
Introduction
Each round, the players receive vital resources based on the territories they control and the settlements in those territories. They also generate gold by taxing trade revenue brought to their capital from the far reaches of their kingdoms. Players use resources and gold to build new settlements, upgrade existing ones, connect them with roads, construct fortifications, and raise armies. Armies can be used to explore new territories and wage war against other kingdoms. Players accumulate Achievement Points for reaching economic and military milestones, such as controlling the largest kingdom or generating the most gold through an extensive trade network. The first player to accumulate thirteen Achievement Points wins.
The Game Boards
War of Kings comes with a double-sided game board for different game play experiences. The lush summer side represents the temperate regions of Arowyth, while the gray winter side represents the colder northern regions of the ancient Arowythian empire. All four sides of the board, whether ocean, the ridgeline, or simply the board's edge, are impassable. Artistic features on the board, such as rivers, bridges, ruins, forests, or hills have no effect on gameplay. Each space on the board is called a territory. The territories that share a border with one another are adjacent.
On the summer board, the mountainous region in the middle is impassible and cannot be moved into or controlled by any player or the Malador. On the winter board, armies may move through the center region of the board with the castle on the mountain, but may never stop in it. It can never be controlled by a player or the Malador and is never explored. It is, however, considered connected by roads to all of the territories adjacent to it for all purposes. This means a player may use this territory to connect settlements to his or her capital for gold generation, and to help resupply and move armies. Moving through this special space is the only exception to the rule that an army must immediately stop when it moves into a territory not controlled by the player. See Movement Phase.
The capital territories on the summer board are indicated by shields. The capital territories on the winter board are indicated by banners.
Each playable territory is color-coded with either a red, yellow, green, or blue emblem that corresponds to the colors on the Resource Dice. A territory generates resources if its color is rolled on the Resource Dice during the Construction Phase. The resources that the territory generates are indicated on the emblem. The large, colored symbol indicates the territory's primary resource. The smaller, black and white symbol indicates the territory's secondary resource. The color designates the color of the entire territory, not just the color of the primary resource. Therefore, if a settlement of high enough level is present in the territory to generate a secondary resource, it is generated on the same color as the primary resource. The level of the settlement in the territory determines how many units of the resource will be generated.
Resource symbols: Timber, Wheat, Cattle, Stone. Example: an emblem showing a red territory with timber for its primary resource and wheat for its secondary resource.
Set Up
Players should choose which side of the board to play (the lush summer side or the gray winter side) and place the game board within easy reach of all players. Each player chooses a color and associated animal crest displayed on the board. Tables 1 and 2 of the rulebook (diagrams on the board) show the recommended player positions for games with two to five players on each board; there are two recommended player positions for two and three player games, and players are free to choose either option. The territories with the animal crests are the players' capital territories (see Capital Territories). Players receive the settlements (villages, towns, and cities), territory markers, and armies of their chosen color as well as a small number of road tokens and damage counters, an economic ledger, and a player reference sheet. The players then place a town, a village, an army, a road, and four territory markers on the board to represent their starting kingdoms. The fortification pieces (walls, fortresses, and castles) are not player specific and should be set to the side of the board. Orange is not an eligible color for a player as it is the color of the Maladorian Marauders, a neutral faction in the game. Set the orange pieces to the side of the board for now.
Settlements advance in level from villages (level 1), to towns (level 2), to cities (level 3). The fortifications advance from walls (level 1), to fortresses (level 2), and then castles (level 3). The miniatures are supplied unpainted. The color of the settlement indicates to which culture it belongs.
Starting Setup
Each player begins the game with control of four territories: the capital territory and the three adjacent territories. A town is placed in the capital territory (A). A village is placed in the territory directly in front of it (C) and those two territories are connected by a road. A ready army is also placed in C with the village. Territory markers are placed in all four territories (A, B, C, and D). Setup is identical in form regardless of player and board being played.
Remove the blank cards from the Event and Marauder decks. These can be used later to create your own Marauder and Event cards. Shuffle the Marauder deck and Event deck. Place them facedown by the game board. Place the dice and blue Achievement Cards within easy reach of all players.
Divide the resources into stacks of each resource and place them near the board. The timber, wheat, cattle, and stone resource cards come in denominations of one and three units. There is no three-unit denomination for stone. Stack the gold tokens nearby. The resources and gold in this reserve are collectively known as the "market." Distribute starting resources and gold to each player as follows: 7 gold, 5 Timber, 7 Wheat, 7 Cattle, and 2 Stone. The resources that each player has are collectively known as his or her "stockpile".
Using Table 3, which shows how many resources and gold each territory generates based on the level of the settlement in the territory, players should fill out their economic ledgers in order to easily track what resources his or her kingdom will generate when different colors on the Resource Dice are rolled.
Table 3: Gold and Resource Generation
| Gold* | Primary Resources | Secondary Resources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control Only | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Village | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Town | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| City | 9 | 4 | 2 |
This table is also reproduced on the player reference sheets. * Settlements only generate gold if they are connected to the player's capital territory.
Players should also calculate the amount of gold they will generate per turn and note it on the ledger. For a standard setup, each player begins the game generating 9 gold. Also see The Game Boards, and Settlements for more information.
It is important to note the difference between what is recorded on the economic ledger and what resource cards and gold are in the player's stockpile. The economic ledger simply records what resources the player will receive when a particular color is rolled on the Resource Dice during the Construction Phase. The resource cards and gold in a player's stockpile are what the players has available to spend during the Construction Phase.
Gold coins come in denominations of One Gold and Five Gold.
Before the first round begins, the lead player is selected. Each player places a territory marker in the center and mixes them up. One player should blindly draw a territory marker from the pile. The player whose territory marker is drawn will be the lead player. The territory markers are returned and the first round begins.
Example of a Completed Economic Ledger
In this example, the black kingdom is set up according to its initial starting positions and has correctly filled out the economic ledger according to Table 3. The black kingdom has control over the yellow territory on the left and the blue territory on the right. Having control of a territory entitles the kingdom to one of that territory's primary resource. Thus, the player has marked one timber in the yellow column and one stone in the blue column of the economic ledger. The player has a village in the green territory. A village entitles the player to two of the territory's primary resource, which in this case is wheat. The player has therefore recorded two wheat under the green column of the ledger. The player also has a town in the kingdom's capital territory, the red territory. A town entitles the player to three of the territory's primary resource and one of its secondary resource. Therefore the player has recorded a three in the red column for cattle and one for timber. The player also records the amount of gold the kingdom is generating. The town in the capital territory generates six gold. The village in the green territory generates three gold because it is connected to the capital by the road network. This brings the total to nine gold. Finally, the player starts out with three Achievement Points, two for the town and one for the village. See Winning the Game.
Gameplay
Each round proceeds through six phases: 1) Construction 2) Event Die, 3) Movement, 4) Exploration, 5) Battle Resolution, and 6) Supply. All players play the Construction Phase simultaneously. The remaining phases are played in sequence around the table starting with the lead player.
1. Construction Phase
Receive Gold - All players receive gold based on the settlements connected to the player's capital by the road network. See Settlements.
Check for Support - Then, all players check to ensure that their armies are supported by their settlements and provisions are purchased if necessary. See Support in the Armies for more information.
Resource Generation - Next, one player rolls all three Resource Dice to determine which color territories generate resources this round. Each color (blue, red, yellow, and green) is depicted on each die. The colors on the Resource Dice have no correlation to the kingdom colors. Every player receives resource cards based on the colors shown on the Resource Dice, his or her control of territories of that color, and the levels of settlements within them. Each player is responsible for collecting his or her own resources. Players should keep their resources and gold in front of them during game play and visible to the other players.
Table 3 gives the number of units of resources a territory generates based on whether the player only has control of the territory or has a settlement in it.
If players keep their economic ledgers up to date throughout the round as settlements are built, upgraded, captured, or razed, then the players can simply consult the ledger to determine what resources should be collected when any particular color is rolled.
A territory may generate resources more than once if two or more of the Resource Dice roll the same color. For instance, if all three Resource Dice roll blue, then the players receive resources from the blue territories three times.
Construction - After the players have collected all of their gold and resources, the players simultaneously exchange any or all of their resources and gold with the market to build or upgrade settlements, fortifications, roads, and armies. See Table 4 for the prices of each and the sections on Settlements, Fortifications, and Armies for specifics of their construction.
Once a player has paid the requisite costs for an item, it is placed on the board immediately. Players may bargain, negotiate, and trade with other players or the market at any time. The players may make trades among themselves in any manner that is mutually agreeable to all parties involved in the trade. It is solely up to the players to keep track of any agreements and enforce their terms. If players choose to trade with the market, they may do so at the rate of four of any one resource for one of any other or five gold for one of any resource.
Once all players have completed the Construction Phase, players should update their economic ledgers to reflect any changes in the gold or resources they will be entitled to next turn. Any gold and resources that were not spent during the Construction Phase remain in the player's stockpile to be used on a future turn.
This concludes the simultaneously played part of the round and play passes to the lead player for that player's Event Die phase.
Table 4: Pricing
| Gold | Timber | Wheat | Cattle | Stone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Village | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Town | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| City | 9 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Walls |
This table shows the amount of resources and gold required to purchase settlements, fortifications, and armies. The costs given for towns, cities, fortresses, and castles are the costs to upgrade lower levels of settlements and fortifications to the next higher level. This table is also reproduced on the player reference sheets.
2. Event Die Phase
The lead player rolls the Event Die, along with a single Resource Die. If the Event Die shows the axe then the Resource Die is ignored, and the player draws the top card from the Marauder deck. These cards allow the player to take temporary control of the Malador in the manner described on the card. The player reads the card aloud, immediately follows the instructions, and then discards it. If the Marauder deck is depleted during the game, reshuffle the discard pile and continue. See The Maladorian Marauders for more information.
The Event Die has five different faces: the "V" for village, the "T" for town, the "C" for city, the flag for control, and the axe for the Malador. The other faces of the Event Die indicate a level of settlement. The "V" stands for a village, the "T" stands for a town, and the "C" stands for a city. The flag represents control of a territory, whether or not it has a settlement in it. If the Event Die shows a flag, "V", "T", or "C", the player checks to see if he or she has a settlement of that level or higher on a territory of the color shown on the Resource Die. If the player controls such a territory, then the he or she draws the top card from the Event deck. Event Cards should be kept secret from the other players until he or she chooses to play it in a situation described on the card. There is no limit to the number of Event Cards a player may hold. If the Event deck is depleted during the course of the game, shuffle all discarded Event Cards and continue play. Players never receive resources because of the roll of a Resource Die in the Event Die Phase.
3. Movement Phase
After the player has resolved the Event Die, then the player may move any of his or her ready armies. The player is not required to move any armies. An army may move from one territory to any adjacent territory, but may move two territories if it moves only between territories connected by roads. See Roads. However, an army must immediately stop if it moves into a territory not under that player's control. An army may only move once per turn. After an army is moved it is flipped over from "ready" to "unready".
There is no limit to the number of armies that may occupy a single territory. The movement of each army is completely independent of the others. For example, two armies in a single territory may both move into the same territory, each move into different territories, or one or both of them may choose not to move at all. Likewise, armies from different territories may all choose to move into a single territory.
If an army moves into a territory that is not controlled by another player or the Malador, then the territory will be "explored" in the Exploration Phase. If the territory is controlled by another kingdom or the Malador but does not contain an army or settlement, then the territory is conquered. See Conquering a Territory. Otherwise, the player has made an offer of battle to the forces in that territory. The offer of battle is resolved in the Battle Resolution Phase. Once the player has moved all of the armies that he or she wants to move, the Exploration Phase begins.
4. Exploration Phase
Players will have to explore uncontrolled territories in order to expand their kingdoms. If a player moved an army into a territory that is not controlled by any other player or the Malador, then the player rolls a Resource Die and a purple Bonus Battle Die and consults the Exploration Table (Table 9). The result shown on the table is immediately resolved. If the player is exploring more than one territory, the player may select the order in which to resolve the explorations. The dice are rolled for each territory being explored. Once all of the exploration moves have been resolved, the Battle Resolution Phase begins.
5. Battle Resolution Phase
All offers of battle are resolved in the manner described in the section Battle Resolution. If the player is offering battle in more than one territory this round, then the offers of battle are resolved in the order the player directs.
6. Supply Phase
The player may resupply any ready armies that are either in a territory with a town or city that the player controls, or in a territory connected to such a town or city by a road network that only passes through territories the player controls. Resupplying an army costs 2 gold and removes all damage counters from the army.
At the conclusion of each turn, the players should update their economic ledgers to correctly reflect any changes in resources or gold generation due to capturing territories or other events. If a player's resources or gold changes on another player's turn, such as when one of the player's settlements are conquered or razed by another kingdom, the player should update his or her kingdom's economic ledger then as well.
Example of armies eligible for resupply: armies 1 and 4 are eligible for resupply because they are connected to a territory with a town controlled by the yellow kingdom (the capital territory). Army 2 is also eligible for resupply because it is in a territory with a town controlled by the yellow kingdom, even though the town itself is culturally blue. Army 3 is not eligible for resupply because the Malador have disrupted the yellow player's road network connection to a town or city under its control by taking control of the red territory in the center. Army 5 is not eligible for resupply because the army is unready.
Once the lead player has completed the Supply Phase, play passes to the left. The next player's turn begins with the Event Die phase and passes through all phases to the Supply Phase. This continues until every player has had a turn, which concludes the round. At the end of each round, the players tally their Achievement Points and check to see if anyone has won the game. See Winning the Game. If not, all unready armies on the board are flipped over to the ready side, and another round begins with the Construction Phase. The lead player remains the same throughout the game.
Settlements
"Settlement" is the generic term for any village, town, or city. The first and lowest level settlement is the village, followed by the town, and finally, the third and highest-level settlement is the city. Settlements confer a number of advantages on the players who control them. First, players earn achievement points for controlling territories with settlements in them. See Winning the Game. Building settlements in territories also allows players to collect resources from those territories when their color is rolled during the Construction Phase. Settlements generate gold only if they are connected to the player's capital by a road network that passes only through territories controlled by the player. The settlement in the player's capital territory will always generate gold for the player. A player is free to build or upgrade as many settlements in a round for which he or she has the gold and resources. Newly built or upgraded settlements will begin generating resources and gold on the next round. The following rules govern settlement construction and their upgrade.
- Players may only build or upgrade settlements in territories they control.
- No settlement may be both built and upgraded in the same turn.
- Players may only upgrade settlements of their own culture. See Culture.
- A territory may only contain one settlement.
- Villages are the only settlements that may be built in a territory without a settlement.
- The prices in Table 4 for the towns and cities represent an upgrade cost from a settlement of a lower level. For instance, a village may be upgraded to a town by paying 6 gold, 4 timber, 4 wheat, 4 cattle, and 1 stone. Replace the village miniature with a town miniature.
- A settlement may only be upgraded by one level per turn.
The number of villages, towns, and cities of each color included in the game box is the maximum number of each that can be on the board of that player's culture at one time. If a player runs out of certain pieces, then new settlements of that level may not be constructed.
Settlements also have military functions by allowing armies to be raised in the territories and by supporting armies on the board. See Armies. They also have limited capability to defend themselves if they are attacked and there is no army to defend them. See Militia.
Example: Gold Generation Through the Road Network
In this example, the white kingdom is generating fifteen gold. Town 1, in the capital territory, generates six gold. Town 4 is connected to the capital territory by the road network and so generates six gold. Village 3 generates three gold because it is connected to the capital territory. Village 2 cannot generate gold because it does not have a road connection to the capital territory. Village 5 cannot generate gold, because its territory is currently controlled by the Malador. Village 6 cannot generate gold because the connection between it and the capital territory has been broken by the Malador's control of the yellow territory in the center of the figure.
Militia
If a territory with a settlement is attacked, and there are no armies in the territory, then the local militia will try to defend the settlement. The militia always accepts offers of battle, never withdraws, and will fight until defeated. If a defending player's armies withdraw from a territory, leaving the settlement by itself, then the settlement will not rally its militia. Instead, the attacking player automatically conquers the territory. Militia can never be used offensively.
Militia always defend with two standard combat dice and counterattack with three. The level of the settlement determines how many hits the militia can sustain before it is defeated. See Table 5 for the battle characteristics of the militia. For the purposes of calculating numerical advantage, a settlement's militia always counts as one army. Thus, they will never outnumber the attackers. However, the militia does receive Fortification Dice due to any fortification present in the territory. See Battle Resolution for more information regarding battle. If the attacker withdraws from battle or is defeated, then all damage counters the militia have taken are automatically and immediately removed.
Table 5: Militia Characteristics
| Damage | Battle Dice: Defend | Battle Dice: Counterattack | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Village | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Town | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| City | 3 | 2 | 3 |
The battle dice that the militia roll to defend are the standard blue eight-sided battle dice.
Additionally, a settlement that is not defended by an army will only rally its militia to defend the settlement if the settlement's culture is different from that of the invading army. If the culture of the settlement and army match, then the inhabitants of the settlement will welcome the return of friendly military forces. Rather than being conquered, the settlement is "liberated" and is immediately captured without the need to wage battle. See Culture for more. Ordinarily a liberated settlement will not be razed, but if the attacking player wishes to raze the settlement then the inhabitants will raise a militia and fight the army as if it were an army of another culture. In all cases, if there is at least one army present in the territory with the settlement, then the militia is ignored.
Roads
Roads connect territories and are essential to bind a kingdom together both economically and militarily. In order to build a road between two territories the player's kingdom must control both territories to be connected and pay the requisite resources and gold to the market. The road token should be placed so that it crosses the border of the territories it connects. Roads are available for use immediately after they are built. Roads serve three purposes:
-
Roads allow settlements to generate gold by connecting them to the kingdom's capital. It is not necessary for the settlement to be adjacent to the capital to generate gold. So long as there is an unbroken chain of territories that are all connected by roads and are all under the control of the player, then the settlement is connected and will generate gold. Players also receive bonus Achievement Points if their road network is generating the most gold. See Winning the Game.
-
Roads allow armies to move more quickly and efficiently. If an army moves only between territories that are connected by roads it may move two territories instead of the usual one, though remember an army must always stop if it enters a territory not controlled by the player.
-
Roads allow a player to more efficiently resupply armies that have taken damage. In addition to being able to resupply an army in a territory with a town or city, armies may also be resupplied if they are in a territory that is connected to a town or city under the player's control through territories which are all connected by roads and are all under the control of the player. See Supply Phase for more.
Roads are not controlled by any particular player, and they do not have a culture. Therefore, roads function the same for all players. Roads cannot be destroyed.
Example: Army Movement
In this example, Army 1 (the black army) can move to the territories marked A, B, C, or F. Army 2 (the purple army) can move to territories G, E, H, or J. Even though territory I is connected to Army 2's territory by the road network, the Malador control territory J, and an army always stops when it moves into a territory that is not controlled by the player.
Fortifications
"Fortification" is a generic term for walls, fortresses, and castles. Fortifications allow a player's kingdom to better resist attack and come in three levels. The first and lowest level is walls, the second level is the fortress, and the third and highest level is the castle. The following rules govern building and upgrading fortifications.
- Players may only build and upgrade fortifications in territories under their control and that also contain a settlement.
- Fortifications may be built simultaneously with the construction or upgrade of a settlement; i.e., a player may build both a village and walls in a territory that he or she controls on the same turn.
- Walls are the only fortification that may be built in a territory with an unfortified settlement.
- A settlement's fortifications may be upgraded by one level per round if the player pays the necessary resource and gold cost. The prices in Table 4 for the fortresses and castles are an upgrade cost for fortifications of a lower level. For instance, walls may be replaced with a fortress by paying 4 gold, 2 timber, and 4 stone.
- No fortification may be built and upgraded in the same round.
- The upgrade of settlements and fortifications are independent of one another. For example, a player may upgrade the fortification in a territory to a fortress while the settlement remains a village. Similarly, a player may upgrade an unfortified village to a town and build walls around it.
- A territory may only contain one fortification.
Although players may not upgrade settlements that are not of their culture, there is no such restriction on fortifications. Players are free to build and upgrade fortifications in territories they control but with settlements that are not of their culture.
Fortifications provide bonus "Fortification Dice" that are roll in addition to the standard Battle Dice and any other Bonus Battle Dice to which the player might be entitled when he or she is defending a territory against attack. The number of Fortification Dice thrown depends on the level of fortification present in the territory. See Table 7. The Fortification Dice do not have flails on their faces, so there is no need to roll them during the defender's counterattack. See Battle Resolution for more information.
Armies
The players' military forces are composed of armies. They are used to explore new territories, defend territories against attack, and conquer territories from other players. Armies have two states, "ready" and "unready" which are indicated by flipping the army counter from one side to another during play. Ready armies are capable of taking an action during the round (such as moving, attacking, withdrawing, or resupplying). Unready armies are not. The brightly colored side of the army counter represents a ready army. The desaturated shield with the black and white background represents an unready army.
Armies are raised during the Construction Phase and may only be raised in territories that are under the player's control and contain a town or a city of the player's culture. One army per turn may be raised in a territory with a town, and two per turn in a territory with a city. When an army is first raised, it is placed on the board in the unready state.
Damage
An army that receives three "hits" must be removed from the board, whether these hits were sustained in battle or in other situations, such as by encountering a plague in the Exploration Phase. The number of hits each army has received is tracked by placing a damage counter under the army token anytime it takes a hit. Once the army receives three hits, the army must be removed from the board. An army may never receive more than three damage counters. Damage counters can be removed by resupplying the army. See Supply.
Note: The damage counters are double sided. Ordinarily the counters are simply used to indicate that an army has taken damage and the sides can be ignored. However, if you are using armies made from the War of Kings 10mm miniature line, the tokens can be placed with the side showing the marching soldiers up to indicate that an army is unready. The tokens can be placed with the flail and warhammer side up to indicate damage.
Support
The total number of armies that a player may have on the board is limited to those that the kingdom's settlements can support. Support for armies is only checked once per round during the Construction Phase. If the player has more armies than can be supported by the settlements, the player must purchase provisions for 5 gold for each unsupported army. If the player cannot purchase the provisions, or chooses not to, then excess armies of the player's choice are removed from the board. See Table 6 for the number of armies a settlement can support. Also note that capital territories may also support one additional army in the territory than its settlement would otherwise allow. See Capital Territories. Importantly, purchasing provisions for unsupported armies is entirely independent of resupplying armies that have taken damage. Purchasing provisions only ensures that an unsupported army is maintained as it is. It does not allow the player to remove any damage counters. In order to remove them, the army would still have to be resupplied.
Table 6: Army Support by Settlement Level
| Number of Armies Supported | |
|---|---|
| Village | One in the territory |
| Town | One anywhere on the board |
| City | Two anywhere on the board |
Example of army support: the blue kingdom finds itself with one unsupported army. Army 3 is supported, because it is in a territory that contains a village. Army 1 is supported, because the capital territory can always support one army in the territory. See Capital Territories. The town in the capital territory can support one army anywhere on the board, which means it can support either army 2 or army 4. The blue player will either have to pay 5 gold to purchase provisions for one of the armies, or remove either army 2 or 4.
The Maladorian Marauders
The orange game pieces represent the Malador, a non-player horde that is controlled by a card-based mechanic. Players have the opportunity to take control of the Malador during their Event Die Phase if they roll the axe, but only in the manner described on the drawn card. The players may use the Malador to their own advantage or to the detriment of other players. At the beginning of the game there are no Malador settlements or armies on the board. Certain Marauder cards and territory exploration results trigger their placement during the game.
The Malador have a number of characteristics that make them different from the players' kingdoms. The Malador:
- never receive resources or gold.
- do not need to keep their armies supported. This means the number of Maladorian settlements on the board is never a constraint on the number of armies the Malador may have.
- never receive Event Cards. However, a player who is controlling the Malador may use any relevant Event Cards in his or her hand to aid the Malador should the player desire.
- have no capital territory.
- do not take a regular turn, but rather are controlled by different players if the Event Die causes a player to draw a card from the Marauder deck.
- never receive Achievement Points, and therefore cannot win the game.
- may capture or raze a settlement in a territory they conquered, but this decision is made by a die roll. If the Marauders conquer a territory with a settlement, the player controlling the Marauders rolls one blue Battle Die. If a flail is rolled, the settlement is razed and removed from the board along with any fortification. Otherwise, the Malador claim the settlement. In either case, an orange Marauder territory marker is placed in the territory.
- are controlled by the player to the left of the current player if a player's action triggers a response from the Malador such as when a player attacks a Marauder settlement or army.
- never build towns or cities. Maladorian villages are not eligible for further upgrade.
- never build castles. Any territory the Maladorian Marauders control that contains a fortress is not eligible for further upgrade.
- always start with unready armies. Any time a Marauder army is first placed on the board for any reason it is placed in the unready state.
- do not explore territories. Therefore, their Marauder armies are never allowed to move into an unexplored territory, although in certain circumstances they may be placed in them.
If a Marauder army is placed in an otherwise empty territory, a Marauder territory marker should also accompany it. This means that if the Malador armies move, or that army is no longer there for some other reason, the territory remains under Marauder control and need not be explored on a future turn. Instead, the territory can simply be conquered.
The Marauder cards are written so that they will ordinarily always be able to be played when drawn. But, in the rare circumstance that a Marauder card cannot be played, simply discard it and continue to the player's Movement Phase.
Culture
Every settlement and army on the board is culturally affiliated with a particular kingdom or the Malador! The settlement's culture is indicated by the color of the settlement miniature. An army's culture is indicated by the color of the shield on the army token. Once a settlement is established, or an army raised, its culture never changes. If the territory containing a settlement is conquered, only the territory marker is changed, not the settlement miniature.
Culture has five effects on the game:
- A settlement that is undefended by an army will not call up its militia if the settlement's culture matches that of the attacking armies. Instead, the attacking player automatically liberates it and replaces the territory marker with one of his or her own. See Militia for more.
- Culture is used to determine when a player's kingdom becomes an empire, and receives the associated Achievement Points, the player must have a city in his or her capital territory, and control at least two settlements that are not of the player's culture. These settlements combined must represent three settlement levels. See Winning the Game.
- A settlement that is of a culture different than the kingdom that controls the territory has the potential to rebel if the territory does not also contain an army. This can occur when the relevant card is drawn from the Marauder deck.
- Players may only raise armies in territories with towns or cities of their culture.
- Players may only upgrade settlements of their culture.
Plus, having control of a settlement of another player's culture is a fantastic way to flaunt the conquest!
Battle Resolution
Defending a kingdom and forging an empire will require the players' armies to engage in battle. All offers of battle the player made during the Movement Phase are resolved in the Battle Resolution Phase, though battles may also occur during the Event Die phase if the player is able to attack with the Malador because of a draw from the Marauder deck. Because each army is moved independently, multiple armies from several adjacent territories may partake in a single offer of battle. The player whose turn it is, and therefore the player who moved the armies into the territory, is referred to as the attacker and will roll the red Battle Dice. The player whose territory the attacker has entered is known as the defender and will roll the blue Battle Dice. The attacking player is said to have "offered battle" to the defending player in that territory.
When the attacking player designates an offer of battle to resolve, the defending player in that territory selects one of two possible responses for each army in the territory: withdraw or wage battle. The "withdraw" response is only available if the defending player controls at least one adjacent territory and if the defending army is ready. If the player elects for an army to withdraw, then he or she moves that army into an adjacent territory under his or her control. All armies that withdrew become unready. Any army that the defender chooses to wage battle with will fight to retain control of the territory. The player to the current player's left makes the decision to withdraw or wage battle for the Malador if necessary. If the Marauders withdraw, that player may also choose to which territory they withdraw if there is more than one option.
If the defender has only a settlement in the territory that is not of the attacker's culture, its militia will be mustered and will automatically choose to wage battle. See Militia.
If all of the defender's armies withdraw from the territory, this resolves the offer of battle, all the attacking armies become unready, and the attacking player conquers the territory. See Conquering a Territory.
If one or more of the defender's armies (or a settlement's militia) wage battle, then the attackers and defenders will fight at least one round of battle.
Explanation of the Battle Dice
Three types of dice are used in battle. They are as follows:
Standard Battle Dice - The 8-sided Battle Dice are the basic dice that are used to resolve battles. The attacker rolls the red dice and the defender rolls the blue dice. For the attacker, each warhammer rolled indicates that one hit of damage has potentially been dealt to the defender. For the defender, each flail rolled indicates that one hit of damage has potentially been dealt to the attacker. The other player can negate hits by rolling the shield.
Bonus Battle Dice - The 6-sided purple bonus dice are rolled by either the attacker or defender when one side outnumbers the other or in other circumstances where a player is entitled to a Bonus Battle Die. Both the attacker and the defender use the purple die as the Bonus Battle Die. The attacker scores a potential hit on the roll of the warhammer and the defender scores a potential hit when the flail is rolled. The roll of a shield when defending negates a hit rolled by the other side. In all cases, a roll of the blank side is ignored.
Fortification Dice - The gray Fortification Dice are used when the defender has a fortification in the territory being attacked. The defender rolls a number of Fortification Dice equal to the level of the fortification in the territory, as shown in Table 7. These Fortification Dice are rolled in addition to the other Battle Dice to which the player may otherwise be entitled. The attacking player never receives Fortification Dice. The fortification dice only have shields and blanks on their faces. They are not rolled when counterattacking.
Table 7: Fortification Dice By Level
| Bonus Fortification Dice When Defending | |
|---|---|
| Walls | 1 |
| Fortress | 2 |
| Castle | 3 |
Sequence of the Battle Round
In a round of battle both the attacking and defending players attempt to inflict damage on the armies of the other side and defend their own armies from damage in the following sequence.
-
Determine Numerical Superiority - First, the number of attacking armies and defending armies are counted. If one side has more armies than the other, then that player has numerical superiority and will receive one Bonus Battle Die for each army by which the other player is outnumbered. The number of hits any army may have already taken is ignored when determining numerical superiority.
Example: If the attacker has two armies and the defender has two armies, then neither side has numerical superiority. If the attacker has two armies and the defender has one army, the attacker will receive one Bonus Die when attacking and one Bonus Die when trying to negate hits from the defender's counterattack.
Numerical superiority is recalculated at the start of every battle round, so it is possible for numerical superiority to be gained or lost from one round of battle to another as armies are removed because of hits taken in previous rounds.
-
Attacker rolls an attack - The attacker attacks the defender by rolling four of the red Battle Dice, plus any bonus Battle Dice the attacker may receive as the result of numerical superiority. For each warhammer symbol rolled, the attacker scores one hit against the defending army. All rolls of anything other than a warhammer are ignored. The number of hits the attacker scored is tallied.
-
Defender rolls a defense - The defender now has an opportunity to negate hits the attacker may have rolled. The defender rolls two blue Battle Dice, plus any Bonus Battle Dice for numerical superiority, plus any Fortification Dice based on the level of any fortification in the territory. One of the attacker's hits is negated for every shield the defender rolls. Rolls of anything other than a shield are ignored.
-
Damage is distributed to the defender's armies - If the attacker rolled any hits that were not negated by the defender, the defending armies are assigned that number of hits by placing a damage counter for each hit under an army. No army may ever be assigned more than three damage counters. Damage counters are distributed in favor of the attacker if there are multiple armies in the territory. This means hits are distributed so that whole defending armies are eliminated before others take damage. However, even if an army receives its third damage counter, no armies are removed from the board at this time. They may still participate in the counterattack. If there are no armies present in the territory and the attacker is fighting a settlement's militia, then damage counters are placed next to the settlement. Any hits over and above those necessary to eliminate the defending armies or militia are ignored.
For an extensive look at battle in War of Kings, see the article "Military Theory in Arowyth" published on www.warofkingsgame.com.
Territorial Control
Territory markers indicate which kingdom controls a particular territory. Controlling a territory without a settlement entitles a player to receive one of its primary resources if its color is rolled during the Construction Phase. Territorial control determines where a player may build his or her settlements. Controlling a territory also prevents other players from placing Marauders in the territory. When a player conquers another kingdom's territory, he or she should replace the territory marker with one of his or her own. See Conquering a Territory. Players can also earn additional Achievement Points for having the most number of territories under his or her control. See Winning the Game.
Player Elimination and Forfeiture
If a player has no armies or settlements then he or she is eliminated. However, players may find it increasingly difficult to operate if opposing armies dismantle their kingdoms before complete elimination. At any point if a player announces his or her forfeiture, then the player's kingdom is played as if it were all Malador.
Conquering a Territory
When a territory is conquered, the territory marker is replaced with one of the conquering player's territory markers to indicate the change of control. If the territory contains a settlement, then the conquering player has two choices: capture the settlement or raze it. If the player chooses to capture the settlement in the conquered territory, then it will now generate resources, provide gold, support armies, and allow for the resupply of armies as if the player had built it. Captured settlements may immediately begin supporting the new player's armies. In fact, it might be critical that a player captures a settlement during the Battle Resolution phase in order to support armies on campaign. Do not replace the settlement miniature with one of the player's color. The settlement remains the culture of whichever kingdom initially constructed it.
If a player chooses to raze the settlement, then it is removed from the board along with whatever fortification it might have and the player collects the resources specified in Table 8 and added to his or her stockpile. No additional resources are granted for the removal of the fortification.
When the Malador capture a territory, a die is rolled to determine whether they capture or raze a settlement it contains. See The Maladorian Marauders.
Table 8: Gold and Resources Received for Razing a Settlement
| Gold | Timber | Wheat | Cattle | Stone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Village | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Town | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| City | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
The resources on this table show the amount of gold and resources a player receives for razing a settlement. A territory without a settlement cannot be razed. No additional gold or resources are gained for razing a fortification.
Capital Territories
Capital territories have two effects on gameplay. First, in order to generate gold, a settlement under a player's control must be connected to the player's capital territory through an unbroken chain of territories that are all connected by roads and are all under the player's control. A settlement in the capital territory always generates gold. If a player loses his or her capital territory, he or she will be unable to generate gold until the capital territory is recaptured. Second, capital territories can support one additional army in that territory than it would otherwise be able to support due to the level of the settlement. For instance, at the beginning of a standard game, the towns located in each capital territory can support one army anywhere on the board, plus one additional army may be supported in the capital territory. See Support for more information.
Winning the Game
A player wins the game by being the first to accumulate thirteen Achievement Points. Players earn Achievement Points throughout the game when they reach certain economic and military objectives described below.
Control of Settlements
Players earn Achievement Points based on the number and level of settlements they control. Players earn the same number of achievement points regardless of whether the player built the settlement, upgraded it, or conquered it from another player or the Malador. The culture of the settlement is not considered when calculating Achievement Points for settlements. Players receive one Achievement Point for each village, two for each town, and three for each city in territories they control.
Establishing an Empire
Players receive two Achievement Points for establishing an empire. A player has established an empire when the following conditions are met:
- the settlement in the player's capital territory is a city,
- that player has control of territories that contain at least two settlements that are not of his or her kingdom's culture, and
- the settlements mentioned above must jointly represent at least three settlement levels.
Example: The red player has upgraded the settlement in her capital territory to a city, has control of a territory with a Maladorian village in it, and has control of a territory that contains a town that is of the white player's culture. Therefore, the red kingdom has established an empire, and the player earns two additional Achievement Points.
More than one player may have an empire at the same time and they will all receive the two additional Achievement Points. However, if on a future turn a player's kingdom ceases to fulfill all criteria for an empire, the player loses its empire achievement and the two Achievement Points. The player can reestablish an empire on future turns, however. A player with an empire should take one of the "Empire" Achievement Cards and display it prominently next to his or her stockpile to indicate this achievement.
Heavily Fortified
Any player who has control over territories that contain at least five levels of fortifications (in any combination of walls, fortresses, or castles) receives the "Heavily Fortified" achievement and its associated two Achievement Points. If on a future round the kingdom's fortifications are reduced below this level, this achievement and its corresponding Achievement Points are lost, but the player may achieve Heavily Fortified again on a future turn. All players who meet these criteria may have Heavily Fortified achievements simultaneously. Players who have reached this achievement should take a "Heavily Fortified" achievement card and display it prominently next to his or her stockpile to indicate this achievement.
Example: The blue player controls three territories with fortifications in them. Two contain walls and one contains a castle. The walls are the first level of fortification and the castle the third, so that player has control over territories with five levels of fortification and therefore receives the Heavily Fortified achievement and the two bonus Achievement Points.
Warlord of Arowyth
The player who is the first to control seven territories earns this achievement and its one Achievement Point. That player should take the Warlord of Arowyth Achievement Card and display it prominently next to his or her stockpile to indicate that he or she is the Warlord of Arowyth. Whether or not the territories contain settlements is irrelevant for awarding this achievement. Only one player in the game may possess this achievement at a time. If, on a future turn, the number of territories the player controls falls below seven, this achievement is lost along with the card and its Achievement Point. Similarly, if by the end of a future round a player surpasses that player in number of territories controlled, then this achievement, its card, and its two Achievement Points are transferred to that player. Merely tying the number of territories held by a player who already holds this achievement is not sufficient to take it. Likewise, if at the end of a round, two or more players control at least seven territories, then the player controlling the most receives this achievement. If the players control the same number of territories then this achievement is not awarded until one player surpasses the other at the end of a round.
(Note: the rulebook says "one Achievement Point" and later "two Achievement Points" for this achievement; transcribed as printed.)
Master Merchant
The first player to generate at least 24 gold in trade revenue at the end of a round receives the "Master Merchant" achievement and one Achievement Point. That player should take the "Master Merchant" Achievement Card and display it prominently by his or her stockpile to indicate this achievement. Only one player in the game may possess this achievement at a time. If the player's gold generation falls below 24 gold on a future turn, the achievement is lost along with the Achievement Point. Similarly, if the Master Merchant player is surpassed in gold generation by another player by the end of a round, this achievement, its card, and the two achievement points are transferred to that player. Merely tying the gold generation of the player who already has this achievement at the end of a round is not sufficient to take it from him or her. If two or more players reach 24 or more gold at the end of a round then the player who is generating more receives this achievement. If the players are generating the same amount of gold, then this achievement is not awarded until one player has surpassed the other at the end of a round.
(Note: the rulebook says "one Achievement Point" and later "two achievement points" for this achievement; transcribed as printed.)
Checking for Victory
At the end of every round, the players tally and compare Achievement Points to determine whether any of them has accumulated enough to win the game. Players only check for victory at the end of each round. This ensures that every player has an equal number of turns to earn Achievement Points. At all times, the number of Achievement Points that each player has is public knowledge and must be accurately reported on request to the other players.
For longer or shorter games, players may agree to play to a different number of Achievement Points, such as fifteen or eleven.
If, at the end of a round, two or more players have enough Achievement Points to win the game, the player with the most Achievement Points wins. If the players have exactly the same number of Achievement Points, the players compare the number of cities each has and the player with the most wins. If both players have the same number of cities, the number of towns is compared, then villages, and finally territories without settlements under their control. If the players are still exactly tied, then the players compare numbers of castles, fortresses, and walled settlements in descending order of fortification level. The player with the most number of the highest-level fortification wins. If the players are still tied at this time, the game is a tie between the two players.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ Version 1.0)
1. I have an Event Card that can be used for three of one resource, but I only need one or two of that resource. May I play the card and then add any remainder to my stockpile by adding the appropriate number of resource cards? No. When one of those cards is played any unused resources are simply lost. You can distribute these resources among several building projects, however.
2. If I play the "Forced March" Event Card, may I move a single army three territories if I control the first two territories and all three are connected by roads? Yes! The Forced March card allows the army to move one additional territory than it would otherwise be entitled. So, if the army moves through two of your territories that are connected by a road and that you control, it may move into a third territory adjacent to the second. Also note, you may not move a fourth territory even if they are all connected by roads and under your control.
3. I have an army that is unready on my movement phase. May I move it during my Movement phase if I play a "Forced March" card? Yes! Under ordinary circumstances that army would not be entitled to move at all, but if you play the Forced March card, then you could move it one adjacent territory.
4. I am in battle and have multiple "Heroic Charge" or "Shield Wall" Event Cards. Can I play them all on the same round of battle and receive two (or more!) bonus dice this round? Yes!
5. I have been offered battle in multiple adjacent territories. When the attacking player declares which offer of battle to resolve first, can I withdraw a ready army (or armies) into an adjacent territory and have it wage battle in that territory when the attacking player resolves the offer of battle there? Yes. This is a legal move (so long as the withdrawing armies are eligible to withdraw in the first place). Importantly, however, as soon as that army makes its withdrawal, it become unready. This means that it would not be eligible to make another withdrawal as a response to the other offer of battle. Armies that do this will be in that battle until one side or the other is completely defeated, or the attacker withdraws.
6. I have offered battle to a defender in several adjacent territories in the same turn. The defender chose to withdraw his armies from one territory into another territory I am attacking. I am now at a numerical disadvantage there that I did not anticipate when I offered battle. Can I choose to withdraw or just cancel my offer of battle in that territory? No. There is no option for you, the attacker, to withdraw at the start of an offer of battle. You are committed to at least one round of battle. After that round you have the option of withdrawing or continuing the battle as normal. Since the attacking player can resolve the offers of battle in any order that he or she desires, it is his or her responsibility to resolve them in the order that makes the most strategic sense and to account for the possibly that the defender may make "strategic withdrawals" from some territories to present a more robust defense of others.
7. My armies were attacked and successfully repelled the attackers. Do the armies involved in the battle become unready? No. Ready armies that fight to defend a territory are still ready at the conclusion of the battle.
8. Can I trade Event Cards with other players and otherwise use them to negotiate? Yes. Ordinarily these cards are kept secret from the other players until they are played, but you are free to trade them or otherwise use them to bargain with other players if you so choose.
9. I control a territory with a village that is culturally Malador and is fortified by a fortress. Can I upgrade its fortifications to a castle? Yes. When the Malador control a territory, they are not eligible to upgrade the territory's fortification level above a fortress, but if a player controls the territory, he or she may upgrade its fortifications from a fortress to a castle even if the territory's settlement is culturally Malador.
10. I have drawn a Marauder card that requires me to move and attack with at least one of the marauder armies in a territory, but the only eligible move for the Malador on the board is to attack me! Do I have to attack myself? Yes! It is possible to be in a situation where the Marauder Card is disadvantageous to the player who drew it. If you are in a situation where the Marauders have to move or attack and the only eligible move for them is to attack you, then that is what must happen. You may, however, roll for your own defense while the player to your left rolls for the Marauder's attack. That player will also choose which of your territories to attack (if there is an option) and whether or not the Marauders continue to fight or withdraw at the end of rounds of battle.
11. Often, a road or a "Force March" Event Card is used to move an army across multiple territories into battle. If that army later withdraws from the combat, do they withdraw to the nearest adjacent territory or all the way back to their original location? Yes. This is an unusual circumstance and it does not make sense for the army to withdraw or "go back to" a territory several territories away. In these circumstances the army withdraws or moves back to the nearest adjacent territory on the path it took to battle.
12. Do I have to have a settlement in the capital territory to generate gold? No.
13. Another player drew the "Incite Revolt" card. My settlement was controlled by another player (or the Malador) and there were no armies in the territory and the card was played against it. It rebelled. Does that mean I now control the territory again? Yes. You should update your kingdom's economic ledger.
14. May I raise more armies than my kingdom can support in anticipation of losing some in battle? Yes. You may raise as many armies as you can afford and as can be raised in the settlements you control. There is no penalty for unsupported armies until the Construction Phase.
15. If I lose control of one of my settlements causing one or more of my armies to become unsupported, do I have to immediately remove my unsupported armies from the board? No. You do not have to purchase provisions or remove any armies until you check for unsupported armies during the next Construction Phase.
16. May the Malador move through the special space in the center of the winter board? Yes!
17. I resupplied an army. Does it become unready? No. Resupplying an army does not cause it to become unready.
18. When do Marauder armies become ready and unready? Marauder armies become ready and unready in the same circumstances that a player's army becomes ready or unready. Just as the armies of the players are unready when they are raised, Marauder armies are unready when initially placed on the board. Marauders armies become unready after moving, attacking, withdrawing, etc. They become ready again at the end of the round at the same time as all the players' armies. They should be flipped to the ready state at that time.
19. Does being unready have any effect on battle? No. Unready and ready armies fight exactly the same.
20. Am I required to play the Malador card that I draw? Yes. Some cards give the player a choice of actions to take, others require one action and provide a secondary action if the first action cannot be taken. As long as the card is capable of being played, then it must be played.
21. Can I place Marauder armies in the special center space of the winter board? No.
22. What's the dragon on the punch board for? There is nothing in the rules about it, but if you have an idea send it to us through www.warofkingsgame.com and we'll post some of the best suggestions sent in!
Table 9: Exploration Table
When exploring, roll a Resource Die (Color) and a purple Bonus Battle Die (the three faces shown on the table are the shield, the warhammer, and the flail; a blank face is the black square).
| Color | Bonus Die | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Shield | There is a walled Maladorian village and two Marauder armies in the territory. The player may choose to offer battle to the Malador or withdraw the exploring army (or armies) to the territory from which it came. |
| Red | Warhammer | A Marauder army ambushes your army. It immediately attacks, and you are forced to offer one round of battle. After the first round, you are free to withdraw or fight more rounds of battle. But, for the duration of this battle, the Marauder army rolls the red Battle Dice. |
| Red | Flail | The territory contains one Marauder army. The player may choose to offer battle to the Malador or withdraw the exploring army (or armies) to the territory from which it came. |
| Blue | Shield | You discover an ancient roadway system. Place one road connecting this territory to any adjacent territory of your choice. You do not have to control the other territory to place the road. You also conquer the territory without incident. |
| Blue | Warhammer | You discover three readily available units of that territory's primary resource and two units of that territory's secondary resource that may be immediately added to your stockpile. You also conquer the territory without incident. |
(Note: the die-face icons in the table are images in the source; the face names above are read from the icons. Red-Shield, Blue-Shield and Green-Shield rows show the shield icon, the second row of each colour the warhammer, and the third the flail.)