Welcome to the Lancaster Game!

Are you ready to have a great time and challenge your strategic thinking? Then you’ve come to the right place! In this game, I will guide you through the rules and show you how to play the exciting Lancaster Game.

First and foremost, let’s talk about the objective. The aim of the game is to become the most influential and powerful member of the Lancaster family. Now, isn’t that exciting?

Now, let’s dive into the rules. Each player will take on the role of a noble family in England during the golden age of the Lancaster dynasty. You will be competing with other players to gain favor with the king, capture territories, and ultimately, gain the most victory points.

During the game, you will have the opportunity to recruit knights, construct buildings, and send your knights to fight in battles. You will need to carefully manage your resources and make strategic decisions to outsmart your opponents. It’s all about planning, timing, and a little bit of luck!

One of the exciting aspects of the Lancaster Game is the voting phase. At the end of each round, you and your fellow players will have the chance to vote on crucial matters that affect everyone’s fortunes. This adds an extra layer of strategy and interaction to the game, making each decision even more important.

As you progress through the game, you will face various challenges and obstacles. You will need to adapt and come up with clever solutions to overcome these hurdles. Remember, victory is not guaranteed – you will have to earn it!

So, are you ready to embark on this thrilling journey and claim your place at the top of the Lancaster dynasty? Gather your wits, sharpen your strategies, and let the Lancaster Game begin!

In the year 1413, something big is happening in England. A new King, Henry V of Lancaster, has arrived and he has some audacious goals. He wants to bring all of England together under one rule and conquer the French Crown!

Now, it’s your turn to step into the shoes of a noble family leader. Will you be loyal to King Henry and become the most influential Lord of your era?

What’s in the Box

• 1 Game board
• 2 Supply boards
• 37 Squires
• 37 Gold
• 37 Voting markers
• 36 Nobleman tiles
• 1 Start player marker
• 12 Conflict cards
• 6 Tiles “king’s favor”
• 1 Parliament board
• 18 Law cards
• 1 Rules booklet plus extra sheet

Here’s what’s included for each player (in 5 colors):

• 5 Player markers
• 35 Knights
• 5 Castle boards
• 30 Extension tiles
• 5 Screens (each screen needs to be assembled from three parts)
• 10 Voting tiles
• 1 Sticker sheet (includes spare stickers)

This is what you’ll be playing for:

So, here’s the deal: I want to go from being a regular Lord to becoming the top ally of the king. And I can make that happen by building up my own group of knights and strategically deploying them across different counties in England, all the way from my castle to clashes with France. Plus, I’ll have a say in parliament and try to pass laws that benefit me the most. In the end, it’s all about accumulating power points. The player with the most power points wins the game. Simple, right?

How to Play

First things first, let’s randomly choose a start player and give them the start player marker. From there, we’ll take turns going clockwise.

This game is divided into five rounds, and each round is made up of three Phases:

Phase 1: Place Your Knights

When playing the game, I get to choose one of my knights from my court and put him on a special space for knights. Then, the next player does the same thing, and we keep taking turns until all of our knights are placed.

If I don’t have any knights left in my court, I have to skip my turn. But if I’m the only player with knights left, I can keep placing them one by one.

There are three different places where I can put my knights:

County

When playing counties, you have the option to put a knight on a space, whether it’s empty or already occupied. But there’s a catch – your knight must meet or surpass the required minimum strength of that particular space.

Now, here’s an interesting twist. Along with your knight, you have the freedom to add as many squires as you want. These squires contribute 1 strength point each, and the best part is, they don’t count against the required minimum strength.

Let’s say you come across a space that’s already occupied by another player’s knight. Don’t worry, you have a chance to kick them out! All you need to do is make sure that either your knight’s strength or the combined strength of your knight and squires exceeds the strength of the knight currently occupying the space. Pretty cool, right? However, remember one thing – you can’t expel your own knight. Sorry!

After being expelled, I return to my owner’s court and am placed back onto the board in the order of turns. Any squires that were with me are also returned back to the general supply.

Castle

You place me, your loyal knight, on an empty knight’s space in your own castle. Remember, each space can only hold one knight, so choose wisely!

Engaging in Conflict

When I play the game, I have the freedom to choose how many conflicts I want to be a part of. I simply select a conflict and place my knight on an empty space at the top.

Now, here’s the interesting part – each player can only occupy one space in each conflict. So, if I’m already in a conflict, I can make my position stronger by stacking more knights on top of mine.

Instant Gratification:

When the game begins, the first 6 knights have the opportunity to earn the “king’s favor” for their players. You get to choose one favor tile from the display, which comes with a special reward. It’s like getting a little bonus right from the start!

After you’ve made your choice, the favor tile is flipped over, which means you can’t choose it again in this round. Look at the extra sheet for more details on the rewards you can earn.

Phase 2: The Parliament

Once all the knights have been positioned, the English Parliament convenes. Now it’s time to vote on three new laws, one after the other. Let’s start with the law of space 1, located on the bottom row on the left.

How to Vote

Here’s how the voting process works: all players cast their votes at the same time, keeping their decisions secret. You can choose to support or oppose the law and place the corresponding voting tile face down in front of you.

After casting your vote, you have the option to reinforce it. You can use as many voting markers as you want to secretly confirm your decision. Once all players have chosen their enforcement, everyone places their markers on the table and reveals their voting tiles simultaneously.

Voting Results

Now it’s time for us to count all the votes and see whether the law passes or not. Every voting tile and voting marker counts as one vote.

The side with the most votes wins. If there’s a tie, then the law is considered approved. Don’t forget to return all the voting markers back to the general supply once they’ve been used.

Approval of the New Law

Alright, let’s talk about what happens when a new law gets approved. First off, we need to remove the old law that’s currently displayed at the top left of the Parliament. Then, we slide the other two laws one position from left to right, creating an empty space on the right. Finally, we place the new law in that empty space. Easy, right?

Rejection of the New Law

Now, let’s say the new law is rejected. In that case, we simply remove the rejected law from the game, but the other laws stay as they are. And hey, don’t worry! We’ll have more chances to vote on the 2nd and 3rd new laws, using the same procedure.

Oh, before I forget, if you still have any voting markers left after we’re done with all three votes, you’ll need to return them to the general supply. Can’t have any leftover markers, right?

Implementation of the Applicable Laws

Okay, let’s move on to the next step: implementing the laws that got approved. So, after all the voting is over, we’ll always have three laws that apply. It’s important to remember that we’ll apply these laws from left to right. And here’s the best part: the players get rewarded for their efforts!

Phase 3: Rewards

Now, let’s talk about rewards. First, we’ll evaluate the counties, then the castles, and finally, any conflicts that may have come up. That’s the order we’re going for. Simple, right?

Counties

In all 9 counties, A to I, there are different rewards to be found. You have three choices when it comes to picking your reward:

1. Take a nobleman tile from that county.

2. Take the other reward that is shown in that county.

3. Pay 3 gold into the general supply and take both the nobleman tile and the other reward.

Once you’ve made your choice and collected your reward, bring your knight back to your court. If you had any squires supporting your knight, return them to the general supply.

In Surrey (I), something special happens. In addition to collecting your reward, you get to determine the start player. You can choose anyone, including yourself.

When we begin the game, I get to be the start player. I take the start player marker and the new order of players begins right away. But if nobody placed a knight in Surrey, then I keep the start player marker.

Example: I’m Red, and I score Surrey, which means I get to go first. As a reward, I choose 2 squires and 2 gold.

Castles

First, I score my entire castle, and then the other players take turns in a clockwise direction.

Each of us receives rewards for:

• The knights we place in our castle
• Extensions we have already built
• Having company at our table

I have the freedom to decide how I want to evaluate my knights and extensions.

After scoring a knight, I return them to my court, but the scored extension tiles stay in the castle.

Okay, so here’s what happens next. I want to talk about scoring your company at the table. It might sound a little confusing, but bear with me and I’ll explain it all.

First off, for each of the noblemen who are present, including yourself, you get one voting marker. These markers are important, so you have to pay attention to them. You put them on your castle tableau, where everyone can see them. It’s like showing off your score to the world.

Now, there’s one important thing to note. In the fifth and final round of the game, you don’t get any voting markers. So make sure you take that into account and plan your strategy accordingly.

That’s pretty much all you need to know about scoring your company at the table. It might seem a bit complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’ll be a piece of cake!

Example: Imagine you’re playing a game called Blue. In the game, Blue manages to score a knight and an extension tile in his castle. As a result of this, he gets to recruit two squires for his knight. However, because of his extension tile, he also gets to recruit a new knight with strength 1. The catch is, he has to return 3 squires back to the general supply.

Conflicts

Now, let’s talk about the conflicts in France. They are quite intense, but they can be resolved. And when they are resolved, the players gain power points, which is pretty cool.

Resolving a conflict in the game involves two steps:

Step 1: Determine the winner of the conflict

Step 2: Evaluate each player’s contribution

Let’s figure out how to determine the ranking of players in a conflict. We’ll add up the strength of each player’s knights involved in the fight. If there’s a tie, we’ll give the higher rank to the player who joined the conflict later. In other words, the player whose knights are at a lower position on the three knight’s spaces.

For example, let’s say England wins a conflict with a score of 5 to 5. Here’s how we would rank the players:

• Rank 1: Red, total strength 2
• Rank 2: Blue, total strength 2
• Rank 3: Green, total strength 1

In this example, Red earns 4 power points, Blue earns 2 power points, and Green earns 1 power point.

Now, let’s assign those power points:

• England comes out on top: When England emerges victorious in the conflict, the players are credited with power points. The player who ranks highest receives the most points, followed by the second-highest-ranked player, and then the player ranked lowest. Afterward, the conflict card is removed, and the players can retrieve their knights and return them to their respective courts.
• France triumphs in the conflict: In the event that France prevails in the conflict, players still earn power points. However, the highest score is not granted. The second-highest score is awarded to the first-ranked player, and the lowest score is given to the second-ranked player. All knights remain in their current positions. The conflict persists, leading to a second battle. The conflict card and the associated knights are moved to the lower row, but the order of the knights remains the same.

• Rank 1: Blue, with a total strength of 2, earns 2 power points
• Green knights receive 1 power point for every Green conflict card they won.

I’m really excited about the upcoming battles. There’s a lot at stake, and I’m determined to come out on top.

Getting Ready for the Next Round:

Get everything prepared for the next round once all the conflicts have been scored.

Conflict

I can’t wait to see what new conflict cards are revealed. They’ll be placed in the upper row. Oh, and don’t forget to flip over any face-down “king’s favor” tiles!

The End of the Game

After we finish the fifth round, it’s time for the final scoring.

We’ll receive power points in the following way:

• 8 power points are given to the player who has the highest total strength of their knights. The player who comes in second gets 4 power points. If there is a tie, the player with more squires wins the power points.
• 8 power points are awarded to the player who has the most extension tiles in their castle. The player who comes in second gets 4 power points. If there is a tie, the player with more gold wins the power points.
• Power points are given to all players who have more than 1 nobleman tile in their company of table.

The game is over. The winner of the game is the player with the most power points.

If there is a tie, the players who are tied share the victory.