Kingmaker ... Anyone?

As I’m in the UK and look to be the odd one out of time with the US, I’ll accommodate you guys.

My problem is that I’ve never played on Vassal, so Shaun78 has offered to show me how to play the game interface, but not till the 28th. Ideally, if anyone else can give me a 1-Vs-1 to get to know how Vassal works, then please let me know, thanks.

At the mo, Shaun78 is looking at the weekend of the 30th as he has other obligations, so say, for arguments sake, we arrange to play on Sunday 31st @ 7pm GMT, I think we’ll be able to get a game in? That way, it’s morning/afternoon for the US. I’ve friends in Florida, so used to the time-shifts. If however, you can only play at nighttime, then I’ll catch a sleep and we can start at 3AM?

Like I said, I’m happy to accommodate the spread of US timetables … Walts

That particular weekend is bad for me (there’s a golf tournament in our area and Sunday is the final day; I’ll likely be there all day).

But, if that particular day is used to show our UK friend the ropes with using Vassal, that’d still be a good use of time… then we can all convene on some other weekend(s) this fall and see if we can’t do this!

I am at a loose end this weekend if anyone can
spare a couple of hours showing me
how Vassal actually works within
the KingMaker game?

Walts

War & Peace anyone …

War & Peace uTube Game!

… go on, you know u want too! … Walts

Hi Guys

I’d managed to catchup with Shaun on Thurs night and enjoyed getting to grips with Vassal … thanks Shaun! Buuuuut, we had a few issues …

1] Game versions
I’ve the 1974 game with the very basic rules. Shaun has 1976, and from what I understand, there’s been others, so we need to agree rules we want to play.

2] Diff boards
Looking at the module, you’ll know what’s there, but I’ve the original board and various ports are missing …

facebook.com/media/set/?set … aa3f487e49

3] Bugs
Whilst playing, we produced duplicate Lords? I’ve posted a technical bug in the correct forum … has anyone had this before?
… I’d like to stick with this original board as the ports are more defined. Was there anything else diff between boards?

So, timeline? I’m happy to make time for you guys … (GMT) Thurs, Fri & Sat nights. I understand we’re looking at weeks away, so no rush while we arrange/discuss things.

Discuss below, or should we create a new thread to discuss things?

Thanks, Walts

Hi Guys

Back again! Works been a bit crazy, but I know I’ll be able to make time on the following days …

Friday, 3rd Oct (GMT 8pm onwards)
Sat, 4th Oct (GMT Anytime!)

… I’ve updated the board, which can be downloaded in it’s zipped form …

arranwargamesclub.net/km/KingmakerWMG.zip

… so please download & rename file with a vmod extension,

Any dreamers out their that thing they can be king! ;o]

Walts

Got the updated (regressed?) board module version; cheers. Any subtle changes I might notice that affect play?

I also fiddled around a bit with the game offline in the mean time. One thing I found very frustrating was my inability to consistently control stacks of Crown Cards. It is always best to observe the order, with Noble/Title/Office/Religious Post/ and then whatever mix of towns controlled, ships owned, mercenaries and the like. But, as I tried to tuck cards in specific orders, I got sometimes frustrating results. Cards would NOT go under the cards I wanted them to at times (and it was not because I was, say, trying to place a title card under an already titled noble.) Are there any keystrokes or methods used for stacking? Is a mouse completely necessary (as I sometimes try to just use a laptop with a 2-button finger pad, minus a scrolling wheel). I’ve had similar issues managing stacks of unit counters in other VASSAL modules.

Hi Stiglr

Thanks for ur feedback. “Subtle changes” … that’s what I’m not sure about between the various (5!) versions. If we use BGG as a point of ref …

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/987/kingmaker (scroll down to Versions)

… you will see my version is the original box (1974 version by Ariel Games) and I’m not to clued up on what the differences between the rules & boards are? One obvious diff between mine and the newer board was the design of the ports, which gave ships better passage out to sea. Also, Preston port (C 2/3) was missing.

An example of this is that if you where docked at Swansea (E/F 2) on my board, the port is clearly marked as being connected to the body of sea south of it, so u could goto that sea square straight away, but on the other board, you couldn’t … so ships suffered extra movements!

All I can say to players is look closely at your own boards and compare against the one I’ve posted and I’ll physically edit anything you think is not right, thanks.

Card stack control & order: Yeah, it did take me a good while to get a basic understanding of this, including moving them about, and as you say, should be automatically sorted in correct order when under a lord. My understanding of this order (and the way we both play it [OCD anyone!] ) should be …

Lord (Top Card)
Title (If Lord has none!)
Office
All the rest (usually any order, I think … bishops, towns, ships, merc’s … anything else?)

… based on odd games we’ve recently had. I’ll double check later in the day.

I’m not to clued up on Vassal Modules in general, but I work in IT and like a challenge, so I’ll look into sorting orders and see what I come back with. I know u can set commands against the Function Keys (F1 - F12), maybe that would be the way to go for a quick sort within a set of cards that are selected? I’ll look into it and get back you.

Like i said, Me & Shaun78 are looking for players to commit to the days above … interested?

Walts

Yes, definitely; I’m keeping an eye out for the date, and hope I can work it around my sleep schedule :smiley:

One question I have is, Will you plan on using the basic or advanced combat system? I’ve always just totalled all strength, came up with one ratio and picked a card for the result (or the treachery that might change the odds). I’d need to know that ahead of time, so that I could learn the advanced “lines” method if necessary.

Also, it seems your custom vmod uses all the variant cards, correct? That suits me fine, although I will have to re-familiarize myself with all of them.

I only know the rules that came with my 1974 rules, and whilst playing online before, the chap mentioned using the Plantagenet(?) card … I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about! :slight_smile: So yes, we do need to look & agree rules & cards that can come into play … as u say Treachery, King’s pardon, Assassination, etc … all of which I’ve no idea how they play.

If I was to be honest, Kingmaker can be a long game, so the more rules we add to speed up the game, i.e. kill off Lords!, the happier I would be … as long as I knew the rule was there! I’m sure that will bite me in the ass in days to come! :frowning:

I need to have a look at BGG and see what rules they have about the place … I’m sure we could abbreviate them onto a Quick-Play-Sheet … Walts

If you double click on the stack of Crown Cards, the stack will “expand” vertically. This makes reordering of cards a little easier. You can grab a card with the mouse and move it up or down. If this is still problematic, you can always take out of your stack the cards you want to place near the top, and then pick them up and drop them back on top in the desired order. That might be a little easier.

I looked at Kingmaker Variants when I wrote the original module. There is a whole lot of Variant material out there. In the end I stuck with the official stuff from Avalon Hill, but I kept all the Variant cards in a separate stack so they can be excluded. Page 41 of The General Volume 20 #4 contains the details. There was another 2 page article from The Gernal which talks about more Variants. I think it is from Volume 14 but I can’t find the specific magazine. I have both articles in a single pdf file and I’d be happy to email anyone who wants it.

First a link to the volume 20 #4 issue of The General, downloadable in .pdf:
ahgeneral.org/index/v20/AH_GEN_V20N4.PDF

And another, to an earlier issue dealing mainly in Kingmaker:

ahgeneral.org/index/v14/AH_GEN_V14N2.PDF

Here’s a set of possible rule additions…


KINGMAKER RULES, CARDS & MAP IN ISHKIBIBBLE


• The 2nd edition (1981) rulebook, cards and map will be used. The only differences from the 1st edition (1976) are three important map changes:
* Preston is a port.
* There is a single sea space surrounding Penzance.
* The London estuary is its own sea space, so ships must travel through it to and from London.
• All Basic Game rules are used.
• Optional Rules being used: Initial Placement, Commission, Ambush, Bishop Cards, Optional Parliament, Return from Parliament and Alliance.
• Advanced Rules being used: Components, Prepare for Play, use of Edmund of Rutland and the Nobles Killed Table.
• NOTE: These rules may be altered as indicated below and in other e-mails sent by me. The GM reserves the right to interpret any new rule in any situation not already addressed.


ORIGINS OF NEW RULES AND CARDS


† = Expansion Deck by Avalon Hill.
‡ = “The Hazard of the Draw: New Options and Events for Kingmaker,” an article by Tim Williams in The General, Vol. 20, No. 4, Page 41, sometimes referred to as “The Second Expansion Deck.”
§ = “New Events for Kingmaker,” an article by Thomas Barnes in The General (issue unknown at this time).
¥ = An online source or my own rule.


NEW RULES & MAP CHANGES


BLOCKADE†
A ship may blockade a port by occupying a sea space adjacent to the port and naming the port being blockaded. If a ship (or ships) in the port leaves to sail, the ship must stop in the sea space and battle the blockading ship or ships as outlined in Ship Combat at Sea. A blockading ship (or ships) which is forced into the unfriendly port as a result of Storms at Sea and which is unable to successfully besiege the port becomes prisoner in the port and can leave only by the permission of the player controlling the port.

BOOTY†
A player whose faction successfully defeats a force of at least 100 strength points by open battle or siege takes the defeated player’s next draw from the Crown deck.

CONTINENT¥
A noble or heir may move to the Continent only by play of the following cards: Mutiny, Papal Diet, Refuge, Storms at Sea, Treaty with France and War in Europe. It has unlimited port facilities. Combat is not allowed.

DUBLIN‡
Dublin is added as a major port city (garrison of 300 troops) in Ireland. It does not count toward Parliament, and Parliament may not be called there. If Edmund starts in Ireland, he is placed in Dublin. The Lieutenant of Ireland gets free access to Dublin unless it becomes unfriendly; anyone else must capture it by storm or siege. Land movement is allowed between Dublin and Ireland.

EVENT DECK RESHUFFLING†
Each time an Embassy, Royal Death, Royal Visit or Scots Invasion card is drawn at the beginning of a turn, the Event deck is reshuffled at the end of the turn.

EXPANDED RANSOM†
When a player’s faction is defeated in combat and at least one noble or royal heir is captured, the player may trade one or more of his future draws from the Crown deck as a bargain for ransom. If the ransom is agreed upon, the captured noble(s) or heir(s) may not be executed. The capturing force may hold on to the ransomed noble(s) or heir(s) until the ransom is fulfilled, and then the captive(s) must be freed. The capturing faction is not required to hold the captive(s), who may be freed at any time, but then any unpaid part of the ransom is ignored. If left alone, the captive(s) is (are) freed, and any unpaid part of the ransom is ignored. If the player recaptures his captive noble(s) or heir(s) before all of the ransom is paid, the rest of the ransom may be ignored. A noble or heir who has been captured may not be moved by more than one faction in a turn.

FORCED AMNESTY IN PORTS†
If a force is trapped in a port town, city or castle because it has been involuntarily forced there by storm or the port has changed hands, the force may remain there indefinitely and without penalty, but it must leave at the first opportunity.

IRELAND‡
At this time, Ireland had no central government, so just about anyone could get refuge there. Thus, Ireland doesn’t require a Refuge card to enter and stay there. It has unlimited port facilities. Land movement is allowed between Dublin and Ireland. Combat is allowed.

PLANTAGENET LOYALTY AFTER DEATH IN COMBAT¥
If one of the Plantagenet nobles dies in combat, roll on the Loyalty Table. If the roll fails, he does not return to the game until the senior heir of that family dies or another faction controls the heir.

REVISED SIEGE†
An attacking force confronted with the task of capturing a town, city or castle may choose one of two methods for its attack —
• The attacking force may attempt to storm the town, city or castle by conducting an open battle against the garrison plus any defending nobles within. If successful, the town, city or castle and any occupants are captured.
• The attacking force may attempt to siege the town, city or castle. A siege is never resolved on the turn it is announced; in effect, it is treated as a Bad Weather Delays Attack result. On the next turn, an Event card is drawn to resolve the siege. Of course, the defender may attempt to lift the siege during this time.

SCOTLAND¥
A noble or heir may move to Scotland only by play of a Refuge card or the Treaty with Scotland card. There are no port facilities; nobles moving to and from Scotland must cross the Cheviots. Combat is not allowed.

SEMIRANDOM ROYAL HEIR PLACEMENT‡
The following table is used to determine the placement of royal heirs at the beginning of the game —
Die Range = Location
Henry VI 1-3: London 4-5: Windsor 6: Bristol
Margaret of Anjou 1-2: Coventry 3-4: Newark 5-6: Conway
Edward of Wales 1-2: Kenilworth 3-4: Lancaster 5-6: Bamburg
Richard of York 1-3: York 4-5: Fotheringhay 6: Shrewsbury
Edward of March 1-2: Harlech 3-4: Plymouth 5-6: Carisbrooke
Edmund of Rutland 1-2: Dublin 3-4: Beaumaris 5-6: Dover
George of Clarence 1-2: Cardigan 3-4: Norwich 5-6: Newcastle (town)
Richard of Gloucester 1-2: Calais 3-4: Carlisle 5-6: Swansea

SHIP COMBAT AT SEA†
When one (or more) ship(s) of a faction enters a sea space occupied by one or more ships of another faction, the moving ship(s) may choose to attack. All ships in the same faction or alliance attack or defend together. Each ship’s combat strength is represented by its capacity. The strength of each naval force is calculated and an Event card is drawn to determine victory as in land battle. If both forces are equal, neither force wins, but the Nobles Killed Table is still used. If one force is victorious, it captures all of the losing force’s ships and their occupants, who may be executed or ransomed as in land combat. If ransomed, a noble or heir still retains control of the ship that he or she occupies, but the ship must return to a port on the next turn, at which time control of the ship is relinquished to the victorious faction. Any captured ship named on a ship card is immediately placed under the control of the capturing faction and the ship card is awarded to a noble in the victorious force.
A ship or ships of the Admiral of England or Warden of the Cinque Ports remain under control of the capturing faction, but as soon as the ship(s) reach(es) port, it (they) immediately revert back to the control of the Admiral or Warden. The victorious force may choose to scuttle the captured ship(s) of the Admiral or Warden, in which case the ship(s) can be returned to play only as outlined for the Gales at Sea Event card.
A Vacillating Noble card drawn during ship combat is ignored unless the vacillating noble is not the affected faction’s only noble in combat and he forms the majority of a ship’s capacity. In this case, the odds of the combat are recalculated and a die is rolled to determine the vacillating noble’s action. If the “Return Home” outcome is obtained, the ship goes to any port of the opposing player’s choice and the noble returns home as outlined for the Vacillating Noble card; if the “Switch Allegiance” outcome is obtained, the ship and the vacillating noble join the opposing faction, any nobles or heirs aboard are captured, the odds are recalculated and the combat continues.

TRADE AND GIFTS EMBARGO DURING SIEGES¥
Trading of Crown or Event cards is not allowed while a siege is in progress.

TOWN AND CITY FORCES†
Town cards provide 20 additional men. The Bristol card provides 30 additional men. (The card for Carisbrooke, which is a royal castle, provides no additional men.) These men are useful only when attacking; they have no defensive value. They can only be used on mainland England, and they are not considered when calculating ship capacities. If one of these cards is gained by capture, it must immediately be awarded to a noble in the victorious force.


NEW CROWN CARDS (1 of each)


IRISH KERNS‡
Has a troop strength of 50 outside of Ireland. When drawn, it is placed to the side of the board by Ireland. Treated similarly to French Foot soldiers, except: it may be awarded only to the Lieutenant of Ireland in Ireland; it allows unlimited naval transportation to the controlling faction one way from Dublin or Ireland to England; it may be used in multiple combats without having to be discarded; and it is immediately returned to the Crown deck if the Irish Revolt card is drawn at the beginning of a turn or the Lieutenant is killed.

SCOTTISH MERCENARIES†
Has a troop strength of 50. The noble awarded this card must either be in Berwick or in refuge in Scotland. Treated similarly to French Foot Soldiers, except it does not allow unlimited naval transportation from Scotland.


NEW EVENT CARDS (1 of each unless otherwise specified)


ASSASSINATION‡
Draw Event cards until one is drawn with a “Killed” section. The noble at the bottom of this section has been assassinated by his butler for nonpolitical reasons. All title, office, bishop and archbishop cards belonging to the noble are lost to the Chancery. All of the noble’s other cards must be immediately distributed to other nobles in the same faction or they are lost to the Crown deck. The noble is treated as having died from the plague. Additional markings: None.

BETRAYAL§
This card may be held until needed. Automatically subvert the garrison of an unoccupied, neutral or hostile town, city or castle and immediately gain control of it. The faction playing this card does not need to have a noble in the space with the subverted town, city or castle. Cannot be canceled by Siege Fails since no siege occurs. Additional markings: None.

CATASTROPHE: 2 TURNS DURATION†
A natural catastrophe has occurred. While this card is in effect, all troops given to nobles by titles, offices or bishoprics are temporarily lost for two turns. Other attributes of these cards are not lost. If another Catastrophe card is drawn, it also takes affect, but there is no additional penalty. Additional markings: Majority Victory.

CATASTROPHE: 3 TURNS DURATION†
Same as Catastrophe above, except it lasts for three turns. Additional markings: 3-2 Victory.

DEFEATISM RIFE‡
A sense of doom hangs over the faction drawing this card. Its duration depends on a die roll — 1-2: one turn, 3-4: two turns, 5-6: three turns. The faction may only move during this time; it may not attack, ambush, besiege (any sieges in progress are lifted), call Parliament, coronate a king, or play or trade held Crown or Event cards. Additional markings: None.

EXCOMMUNICATION‡
The drawing faction has incurred the wrath of the Pope and is now under the following restrictions:
• All of the faction’s clerical and town cards held are returned to the Crown deck.
• Any of the faction’s nobles in towns or cities just lost are immediately thrown out into the surrounding space.
• None of the faction’s nobles may enter a city or town with a cathedral or the spaces containing Salisbury, Wells or St. David’s.
These restrictions continue until the faction draws a clerical or town card from the Crown deck. Additional markings: Bad Weather Delays Attack.

EVADE BATTLE§
This card may be held until needed. When played during an open battle or ambush, it causes the same result as a Bad Weather Delays Attack card. The weaker force must immediately leave the space where the siege was taking place and move to an adjacent space. Additional markings: None.

FORCE BATTLE§
This card may be held until needed. When played, it cancels any Bad Weather Delays Attack card or the Evade Battle card. Additional markings: None.

FRENCH TREACHERY‡
If the French Foot Soldiers are in play, they immediately go rogue and sack the nearest unoccupied town or city (by alphabetical order, in case of a tie) controlled by their former employer. The Foot Soldiers occupy the town or city committing all sorts of atrocities. Due to this, the faction that controlled the Foot Soldiers may not attend or call Parliament or crown a king. The Foot Soldiers occupy the town or city until either they die of the plague or the town or city is captured. (The town or city garrison does not figure into the siege.) Additional markings: Bad Weather Delays Attack.

GALES AT SEA†
All ships currently at sea (including the London Estuary) are sunk, and all nobles and royal heirs aboard are lost. The counters of these ships and heirs are removed from the board. All of the ships’ Crown cards are returned to the Crown deck. Nobles are treated as having died from the plague; their cards and awards are returned to the Chancery and Crown deck as appropriate.
If the ships of the Admiral of England or the Warden of the Cinque Ports are affected, they are removed from the board, but the office cards remain in play. These ships can be returned to their offices in either of two situations: the office is awarded or transferred to a new faction; a vote in Parliament is taken at the request of any faction in attendance to return one or more of the ships, and a majority of votes cast in the House of Commons permits the ship or ships to be returned to the port of origin under control of the appropriate office. Additional markings: 4-1 Victory.

GALES AT SEA†
Same as Gales at Sea above. Additional markings: Bad Weather Delays Attack.

HERESY‡
All bishops and archbishops must return to their home dioceses to put down new heretical teachings. Additional markings: 5-4 Victory; Killed: Bourchier, Hastings.

INFLUENCE HEIR§
This card may be held until needed. The player’s faction woos the heir of an opposing noble. It may be played when a noble of an opposing faction is killed due to a siege, open battle, ambush or Event card. The noble’s heir immediately joins the player’s faction. All Crown cards held by the noble are lost and returned to the Chancery or Crown deck as appropriate. Noble castles belonging to the turncoat heir that are occupied by nobles of his former faction may be besieged immediately by them. If the nobles aren’t strong enough to besiege a castle, they are expelled from it and are placed outside of the castle in an adjacent space determined by their faction’s player. Additional markings: None.

MERCENARIES GO HOME: SAXONS‡
Additional markings: 3-1 Victory; Killed: Clifford, Mowbray, Stanley.

MERCENARY STRIFE‡
In all squares containing a stack with more than one mercenary card, the mercenary card with the least strength is returned to the Crown deck. The Irish Kerns are not affected. Additional markings: Majority Victory; Killed: Audley, Talbot.

MUTINY: LE LUCAS‡
Le Lucas is removed from the board and its ship card is returned to the Crown deck. If the ship is at sea with passengers, the passengers are placed on the Continent or Ireland, whichever is closer (by alphabetical order, in case of a tie). Additional markings: None.

MUTINY: LE MICHAEL‡
Le Michael is removed from the board and its ship card is returned to the Crown deck. If the ship is at sea with passengers, the passengers are placed on the Continent or Ireland, whichever is closer (by alphabetical order, in case of a tie). Additional markings: None.

MUTINY: LE NICHOLAS‡
Le Nicholas is removed from the board and its ship card is returned to the Crown deck. If the ship is at sea with passengers, the passengers are placed on the Continent or Ireland, whichever is closer (by alphabetical order, in case of a tie). Additional markings: None.

MUTINY: LE ROSE‡
Le Rose is removed from the board and its ship card is returned to the Crown deck. If the ship is at sea with passengers, the passengers are placed on the Continent or Ireland, whichever is closer (by alphabetical order, in case of a tie). Additional markings: None.

MUTINY: LE SWAN‡
Le Swan is removed from the board and its ship card is returned to the Crown deck. If the ship is at sea with passengers, the passengers are placed on the Continent or Ireland, whichever is closer (by alphabetical order, in case of a tie). Additional markings: None.

PAPAL DIET‡
All clergy get a free one-way trip to the Continent to meet with the Pope. All must attend, even if under siege. Ships are not necessary to attend. Clergy must provide their own transportation to return. King’s Peace exists on the Continent, as well as in Calais, for one turn after the diet. Additional markings: Majority Victory; Killed: Greystoke, Grey.

PLAGUE: DUBLIN‡
Additional markings: 2-1 Victory; Killed: Pole.

PRETENDER§
A new claimant to the throne emerges. Return one eliminated royal heir counter to the board to represent the pretender. If no royal heir has been eliminated, then create a new royal heir counter to represent him. The pretender is neither Yorkist nor Lancastrian, so all other royal heirs must be eliminated before he can be the last remaining royal heir. The pretender has strong local support in one region of the country, which is determined by a die roll — 1: Devon & Cornwall, 20 troops; 2: Wales, 20 troops; 3: between the Trent and Tees rivers, 10 troops; 4: north of the Tees, 20 troops; 5: within four squares of Lynn, 10 troops; 6: within four squares of Plymouth. These troops move with him and are added to the strength of any noble he is with or any garrison of a town or city he is in as long as he is in the region where he has support. The pretender appears in the largest or most central unoccupied, neutral, fortified town, city, royal castle or unfortified town (in that order of priority) in the region where he has support. There can be more than one pretender on the board at the same time. The pretender can be eliminated by the Pretender Revealed card. Additional markings: None.

PRETENDER REVEALED§
This card may be held until needed. Any pretender is revealed as a fraud. Each non-Yorkist and non-Lancastrian royal heirs is immediately removed from the board and treated as if he had been executed. Additional markings: None.

REFUGE: 3 TURNS†
This card may be held until needed. Any nobles and royal heirs (with at least one noble) belonging to the player’s faction may move to the Continent or Scotland (but not both) and remain there for three turns. Combat is not allowed in either location. Additional nobles and heirs belonging to the faction may not subsequently take advantage of this refuge. The number of turns of refuge is kept secret from the other players and revealed only after (all of) the refugee(s) has (have) returned. Any noble or heir (with a noble) may return prematurely. A noble or heir who has left the refuge cannot return until another Refuge card is played. Nobles in refuge cannot be summoned to Parliament, although they may go voluntarily. Additional markings: None.

REFUGE: 5 TURNS†
Same as Refuge above, except it lasts for five turns.

REFUGE: 7 TURNS†
Same as Refuge above, except it lasts for seven turns.

RELIGIOUS DIET‡
A meeting of all bishops and archbishops is held in the location indicated by a die roll — 1-2: Salisbury, 3-4: Wells, 5-6: St. David’s. King’s Peace exists in that space for one turn after the diet. Additional markings: 2-1 Victory; Killed: Roos, Percy.

ROYAL BIRTH§
A new legitimate claimant to the throne emerges. Return one eliminated royal heir counter to the board to represent the pretender. If no royal heir has been eliminated, then create a new royal heir counter to represent him. Roll a die to determine which house he belongs to — 1-3: Yorkist, 4-6: Lancastrian. The new heir is last in line to inherit if he is a Yorkist, and he is just before Beaufort to inherit if he is a Lancastrian. Roll a die to determine where he appears — 1: Devon & Cornwall, 2: Wales, 3: between the Trent and Tees rivers, 4: north of the Tees, 5: within four squares of Lynn, 6: within four squares of Plymouth. The new heir appears in the largest or most central unoccupied, neutral, fortified city, town, royal castle or unfortified town (in that order of priority) in the region. Additional markings: None.

ROYAL DEATH†
A royal heir dies of natural causes. Roll two dice to determine which heir dies — 2, 4: Edmund of Rutland; 3, 11: Richard of Gloucester; 5: Margaret of Anjou; 6: Richard of York; 7: Henry VI; 8: Edward of March; 9: George of Clarence; 10, 12: Edward of Wales. If the heir chosen has been eliminated already, do not roll again. Reshuffle the Event deck. Additional markings: 3-1 Victory.

ROYAL HEIR ESCAPES‡
The lowest-ranking heir held by the drawing faction escapes to the nearest neutral city, royal castle or town (by alphabetical order, in case of a tie), which may be on an island. The heir will not escape if he is king or the senior surviving heir of his family. Additional markings: 4-1 Victory; Killed: Stanley, Stafford.

ROYAL HUNT‡
The king(s) want to go hunting. The sole king and any nobles that want to attend are moved to the forest space one square west of Tickhill. If there are two kings, then roll a die — 1-2: the Lancastrian king attends, 3-4: the Yorkist king attends, 5: both kings attend, 6: it rains and the event is canceled. There is no King’s Peace. Additional markings: 3-2 Victory; Killed: Holland, Grey, Scrope.

ROYAL VISIT: KING TO IRELAND‡
The sole king is moved to Dublin if unoccupied, otherwise to Ireland. The king’s party may travel with the king, but it must provide its own transportation to return. Additional markings: 3-2 Victory; Killed: Neville.

SCOTS INVASION‡
The Scots have invaded in force. Ends Treaty with France. The following are called: Grey to Chillingham, Neville to Raby, Warden of the Northern Marches to Bamburg or Berwick, Bishop of Carlisle to Carlisle, Bishop of Durham to Durham, Marshal to the Cheviots, owner of Newcastle to Newcastle. If a noble is called to multiple places, he is considered to cover all places called if he can get to any of them. Places already occupied by any noble are considered covered. Any town, city or castle not covered is sacked by the Scots and must be recaptured by siege. As long as the Scots hold any place, additional Scots Invasions can occur if this card is drawn again. If the Scots fail to take any place on the first drawing of this card, then the card is removed from play, since the Scottish king is unlikely to repeat such a disaster. Reshuffle the Event deck. Additional markings: 4-1 Victory; Killed: Neville, Percy, Howard.

SIEGE FAILS§
This card may be held until needed. Automatically cause an attacker’s siege to fail. The besieging force must immediately leave the space where the siege was taking place and move to an adjacent space. Does not cancel the Betrayal card since the latter requires no attacking force. Additional markings: None.

TREACHERY: REMOVE 1 CARD FROM HAND†
A faction has been betrayed. The player drawing this card randomly loses one Crown card in his hand to the Chancery or Crown deck as appropriate. If the player holds no Crown cards, this has no effect. Additional markings: 2-1 Victory.

TREACHERY: REMOVE 2 CARDS FROM HAND†
Same as Treachery above, except the player loses two Crown cards. Additional markings: 5-4 Victory.

TREATY WITH FRANCE: KING TO CONTINENT‡
The sole king goes to France and signs a treaty with the French. Calais becomes immune to the “French Siege” card as long as the treaty is in effect. Calais is restored to English control and belongs to the king’s faction, which gets unlimited access to the Continent. The treaty remains in effect until the king dies or one of the following cards is drawn: French Raid, French Siege, Scots Invasion, Scots Raid, War in Europe. Additional markings: 3-1 Victory; Killed: Beaufort, Cromwell, Bourchier.

TREATY WITH SCOTLAND: KING TO SCOTLAND§
The sole king goes to Scotland and signs a treaty with the Scots. This cancels the Scots Invasion and any Scots Raid cards. The king’s faction gets unlimited access to Scotland. The treaty remains in effect until the king dies or one of the following cards is drawn: French Raid, French Siege, Scots Invasion, Scots Raid, War in Europe. Additional markings: Bad Weather Delays Attack.

VACILLATING NOBLE (7)†
If drawn at the beginning of a turn, the player drawing this card randomly loses the use of one of his faction’s nobles for the turn. If the noble is aboard a ship, the ship is becalmed and prevented from moving.
If drawn while determining the result of any combat, one of the nobles involved in the combat must immediately return home or switch allegiance to the opposing faction before the combat is resolved. Roll a die to determine the affected faction — 1-4: weaker force, 5-6: stronger force. After a noble in the affected faction is randomly determined, the odds of the battle are recalculated and a die is rolled to determine the fate of the vacillating noble. If he is a member of the weaker force —
Majority Victory 5-4 3-2 2-1 3-1 4-1
Return Home 1-6 1-5 1-4 1-3 1-2 1
Switch Allegiance — 6 5-6 4-6 3-6 2-6
If he is a member of the stronger force —
Majority Victory 5-4 3-2 2-1 3-1 4-1
Return Home 1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6
Switch Allegiance 2-6 3-6 4-6 5-6 6 —
If both sides are equal in strength, treat the Vacillating Noble card as a Bad Weather Delays Attack Result and end the battle.
A noble who is to return home must immediately be placed in one of his home castles; if none is friendly, then he is placed in the nearest friendly town, city or castle (in that order of priority). A noble who switches allegiance is immediately given to the opposing faction with all of his awards, so he may be added to his new faction’s strength for the battle, in which case the odds are recalculated. Regardless, the battle continues.
This card is ignored if the affected faction has only one noble in play at the beginning of a turn or has only one noble in combat. Additional markings: None.

WAR IN EUROPE‡
There is a general war in Europe. Ends Treaty with France. All mercenaries go home to fight, except for the French Foot Soldiers if sacking a town or city and the Irish Kerns who don’t care. The following offices are called to the Continent: Marshal of England, Admiral of England and Captain of Calais. Additional markings: 5-4 Victory; Killed: Courtney, Howard, Fitzalan, Pole, Herbert.

Map Updates …

… Added in the River Tees & Trent text and “borders”
… Welsh border

Walts

May have some large free blocks of time this weekend, Sept 13 and 14, in case it would be helpful to compare maps, rules and what not, online.

I have Skype, and find it ideal for real-time voice comms, especially intercontinental calling: I’ve had Skype sessions between Portland, OR and Australia that were clearer than cell phone calls shorter than 5 miles!!!

Anyway, look for “Stiglr” or Allen D. on Skype, from Portland OR, and I’ll keep an eye out for new contact requests. At any rate, it might be nice to make new acquaintances before we get to backstabbing each other over our virtual battlefield! :slight_smile:

Hi Stiglr … I’ll be busy this weekend, so no chance of a catch-up, soz. But,
I’m going to make some time and have a read at the post above for rules &
stuff and give my opinion on what I like by the end of the week … Walts

No worries! We’ll get it done and make it happen! After 30 years, I’ll have to “have a butcher’s” at the ol’ rulebook meself, eh? Cheers!

So, been ridiculously busy over the past few weeks, so finally getting back to looking at what’s been happening here, with some comments from myself …

Proposed game times (I’m in the UK = GMT) …

Friday, 3rd Oct (GMT 8pm onwards)
Sat, 4th Oct (GMT Anytime!)

Some comments so far

As far as I’m aware, none of the cards are added when the game starts. You can then go to the “Optional Cards & Pieces [F7]” and add the various Advanced Crown & Event cards, including Expansions and everything else that’s came out over the years.

I think for the first game, we should keep it as simple as possible to see how long the game plays? I’m not sure how familier players are with their controls, the game in general and how long a game will play. I’m happy to add rules which will speed up the game but not detract from the gameplay, making one player more powerful than others.

With Stiglr list of rules in mind from a previous posting, I’ve added some thoughts …

KINGMAKER RULES, CARDS & MAP IN ISHKIBIBBLE

• The 2nd edition (1981) rulebook, cards and map will be used. The only differences from the 1st edition (1976) are three important map changes … OK with these
• Optional Rules being used:

Initial Placement … OK
Commission … What is this?
Ambush … OK, using Cards
Bishop Cards, Optional Parliament, Return from Parliament and Alliance … What rules are these?

• Advanced Rules being used: Components, Prepare for Play, use of Edmund of Rutland and the Nobles Killed Table … I would rather ignore these for the first game.

[size=120]… more to follow! Still reading across BGG …[/size]

Walts

So, been ridiculously busy over the past few weeks, so finally getting back to looking at what’s been happening here, with some comments from myself …

Proposed game times (I’m in the UK = GMT) …

 Friday, 3rd Oct (GMT 8pm onwards)
 Sat, 4th Oct (GMT Anytime!)

Some comments so far

As far as I’m aware, none of the cards are added when the game starts. You can then go to the “Optional Cards & Pieces [F7]” and add the various Advanced Crown & Event cards, including Expansions and everything else that’s came out over the years.

I think for the first game, we should keep it as simple as possible to see how long the game plays? I’m not sure how familier players are with their controls, the game in general and how long a game will play. I’m happy to add rules which will speed up the game but not detract from the gameplay, making one player more powerful than others.

With Stiglr list of rules in mind from a previous posting, I’ve added some thoughts …

KINGMAKER RULES, CARDS & MAP IN ISHKIBIBBLE

• The 2nd edition (1981) rulebook, cards and map will be used. The only differences from the 1st edition (1976) are three important map changes … OK with these
• Optional Rules being used:

Initial Placement … OK
Commission … What is this?
Ambush … OK, using Cards
Bishop Cards, Optional Parliament, Return from Parliament and Alliance … What rules are these?

• Advanced Rules being used: Components, Prepare for Play, use of Edmund of Rutland and the Nobles Killed Table … I would rather ignore these for the first game.

NEW RULES & MAP CHANGES … I’d rather ignore these rules for a first game.
BLOCKADE†; BOOTY†; CONTINENT¥; DUBLIN‡; EVENT DECK RESHUFFLING†; EXPANDED RANSOM†;
FORCED AMNESTY IN PORTS†; IRELAND‡; PLANTAGENET LOYALTY AFTER DEATH IN COMBAT¥;
REVISED SIEGE†; SCOTLAND¥; SEMIRANDOM ROYAL HEIR PLACEMENT‡; SHIP COMBAT AT SEA†;
TRADE AND GIFTS EMBARGO DURING SIEGES¥; TOWN AND CITY FORCES†

NEW CROWN CARDS (1 of each) … I’d rather ignore these rules for a first game.
IRISH KERNS‡
SCOTTISH MERCENARIES†

NEW EVENT CARDS (1 of each unless otherwise specified) … I’d rather ignore these rules for a first game.
ASSASSINATION‡; BETRAYAL§; CATASTROPHE: 2 TURNS DURATION†; CATASTROPHE: 3 TURNS DURATION†;
DEFEATISM RIFE‡; EXCOMMUNICATION‡; EVADE BATTLE§; FORCE BATTLE§; FRENCH TREACHERY‡;
GALES AT SEA†; GALES AT SEA†; HERESY‡; INFLUENCE HEIR§; MERCENARIES GO HOME: SAXONS‡;
MERCENARY STRIFE‡; MUTINY: LE LUCAS‡; MUTINY: LE MICHAEL‡; MUTINY: LE NICHOLAS‡;
MUTINY: LE ROSE‡; MUTINY: LE SWAN‡; PAPAL DIET‡; PLAGUE: DUBLIN‡; PRETENDER§; PRETENDER REVEALED§;
REFUGE: 3 TURNS†; REFUGE: 5 TURNS†; REFUGE: 7 TURNS†; RELIGIOUS DIET‡; ROYAL BIRTH§; ROYAL DEATH†
ROYAL HEIR ESCAPES‡; ROYAL HUNT‡; ROYAL VISIT: KING TO IRELAND‡; SCOTS INVASION‡; SIEGE FAILS§;
TREACHERY: REMOVE 1 CARD FROM HAND†; TREACHERY: REMOVE 2 CARDS FROM HAND†;
TREATY WITH FRANCE: KING TO CONTINENT‡; TREATY WITH SCOTLAND: KING TO SCOTLAND§;
VACILLATING NOBLE (7)†; WAR IN EUROPE‡

Any other players got any thoughts? Week Fri/Sat for the next game, if we can make a 3 or more player game,

Thanks, Walts

You’re probably right about keeping it simple for the first try; we can always up the “chrome” level after the first dry run.

I’m looking a bit nervously at the Friday date, since 8pm GMT translates to noon my time, and I’ll be hard at work, trying to get to the weekend. There’s an outside chance I might have a little break in my schedule, due to the project I’m immersed in at the moment, but under normal circumstances, it probably won’t work. Of course, if the possibility exists for players to take others’ seats as we go, I’d be open to that.

Let’s keep the dialogue open as the dates near…