The King Is Dead Game Rules

Hey there, fellow gamers! Allow me to take you on a journey into the fascinating world of “The King Is Dead” and walk you through the game rules.

The objective of this game is simple: You and your friends will take on the roles of powerful factions, vying for control of the kingdom. Your goal is to manipulate and influence the realm to your advantage, all while aiming to place your preferred successor on the throne.

To start, each player will be dealt a set of cards representing their faction. These cards hold the power to shape the course of the game. They depict various districts in the kingdom, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

During the game, you will take turns strategically placing your faction’s pawns on the districts. The more pawns you have in a district, the more influence you exert over it. However, be cautious – other players may try to outmaneuver you by placing their own pawns or removing yours.

As the game progresses, you will closely watch the events unfolding in the kingdom. The cards will guide you through a series of developments, such as alliances, conflicts, and even assassinations. These events will impact the power dynamics of the districts and ultimately determine the fate of the kingdom.

In the end, the player who has the most influence over the districts where the king’s heirs reside will emerge victorious. Remember, however, that sometimes you may need to forge alliances and sacrifice your personal gains for the greater good.

“The King Is Dead” is a game of strategy, negotiation, and careful planning. It challenges your ability to outwit your opponents and think several steps ahead. Are you ready to seize the throne and shape the destiny of the kingdom? Gather your friends, shuffle your faction cards, and let the battle for power begin!

Here’s what you’ll find inside the box:
• 1 Map of Britain
• 2 Draw bag
• 3 4 sets of Action Cards, each consisting of 8 cards
• 4 8 Region Cards
• 5 54 Follower cubes in 3 colors
• 6 24 Control Tokens (8 for each faction)
• 7 4 Saxon Control Tokens
• 8 4 Crown Tokens
• 9 9 black Follower cubes (used only in the Mordred Variant)

Now, let me break it down for you. Inside the box, you’ll find everything you need to embark on an exciting adventure. The contents are carefully designed to enhance your gaming experience and provide countless hours of fun. So, without further ado, here’s what you can expect to discover:

• First, you’ll find a Map of Britain. This beautifully illustrated map will transport you to the mystical land of legends and tales.
• Next, you’ll come across 2 Draw bags. These bags are essential for drawing Action Cards and keeping your gameplay organized.
• Moving on, there are 4 sets of Action Cards. Each set contains 8 cards, offering a wide range of strategic options to explore.
• Additionally, you’ll discover 8 Region Cards. These cards represent different regions of Britain and play a crucial role in shaping your path to victory.
• To add a splash of color to your game, we’ve included 54 Follower cubes in 3 vibrant colors. These cubes will be your faithful companions as you strive for dominance.
• To keep track of your progress, you’ll have 24 Control Tokens at your disposal. With 8 tokens for each faction, you can easily mark your territories and outmaneuver your opponents.
• Watch out for the 4 sneaky Saxon Control Tokens! These tokens can disrupt your plans and add an extra layer of challenge to your conquest.
• No kingdom is complete without its crowning glory. The 4 Crown Tokens symbolize your quest for supremacy. Can you claim them all?
• Last but not least, in the Mordred Variant, you’ll encounter 9 black Follower cubes. These mysterious cubes will test your wit and cunning, offering a different kind of gameplay.

So, are you ready to embark on this epic journey? The choice is yours. Open the box, set up the game, and let the adventure unfold. Now is your chance to become a legend in the realm of Brittania!

Goal of the Game

So, you want to understand the goal of the game? Well, let me break it down for you. The objective is simple: you need to score as many points as possible to win. How do you do that? By following a set of rules and using your skills to achieve victory. Easy, right?

The Rules

Now, let’s talk about the rules. There are certain guidelines you need to follow to play the game correctly. These rules dictate what you can and cannot do during gameplay. It’s important to pay attention to them, as they ensure fair play and maintain the integrity of the game.

Scoring Points

When it comes to scoring points, there are different ways to earn them. For example, you may need to complete a specific task or achieve a certain objective. Every time you successfully accomplish one of these goals, you earn points. The more points you accumulate, the closer you get to victory. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?

Strategy and Skills

Now, let’s talk about strategy and skills. To excel at the game, you need to develop a winning strategy. This involves making smart decisions and thinking ahead. How can you outsmart your opponents? What steps can you take to gain an advantage? By honing your skills and employing clever tactics, you can increase your chances of winning.

The Thrill of Competition

Ah, the thrill of competition! There’s something exhilarating about going head-to-head with others, testing your abilities, and seeing who comes out on top. The game provides an opportunity to challenge yourself, learn from your mistakes, and improve your performance. It’s a chance to push yourself to the limit and revel in the joy of victory.

The Journey to Victory

Remember, the game is not just about the end result. It’s about the journey to victory. Along the way, you’ll encounter obstacles, setbacks, and unexpected surprises. But don’t worry – these challenges are part of the adventure. Embrace them, learn from them, and keep striving for success. The road to victory may be tough, but the rewards are oh-so-sweet.

Conclusion

So, now you understand the goal of the game. It’s all about scoring points, following the rules, strategizing, and enjoying the thrill of competition. Whether you win or lose, the experience itself is priceless. So, get out there, give it your all, and let the game begin!

In The King is Dead, I won’t be playing as the Scots, Welsh, or Romano-British factions. Instead, I’ll take on the role of a powerful member of the late King Arthur’s court, competing with others to become the ruler over all three groups.

The game revolves around 8 power struggles, each corresponding to one of the 8 regions in the realm. I’ll use my limited power by playing Action Cards to decide which factions will gain control of each region.

Whenever I do this, I’ll gain influence within a faction by ‘summoning a Follower to court.’ This means I’ll remove a Follower from a region and place it in front of me. The more Followers a faction has in a region, the greater their power in that region.

When I’m playing a game, it’s always a race against time. I want to be the one who comes out on top, with the most Followers and the control of the most regions. The excitement is in the final power struggle, where everything is decided. Will I be the winner, or will the Saxons invade and change the outcome?

Getting Started

Before we begin, let’s prepare for the game. If there are only two players, we need to remove 2 Followers from each faction. This will level the playing field.

Each faction has its own home region, which is where they start. The Scots have Caledonia, the Welsh have Caerleon, and the Romano-British have Londinium. In each of these regions, we place 2 Followers of the corresponding color. The rest of the Followers go into the draw bag, ready to be used later.

Hey there! Let me walk you through the game setup and gameplay of our exciting game. Are you ready? Let’s go!

First, each player gets their set of 8 Action Cards and 1 Crown Token. Then, they draw 2 Followers from the bag to create their court. Remember, it’s okay to have 2 Followers of the same color. But if multiple players draw Followers of a single color, they need to re-draw.

Next, we randomly draw Followers and place them on the board. Each region should have 4 Followers, including the starting ones on the home regions. Any remaining Followers go onto the title section of the board to form the common pool.

Now, let’s shuffle the Region Cards and place them face up next to the board in positions 1 to 8. The player who set up the game goes first. Ready to dive into the gameplay? Let’s do it!

Game Play

Power Struggles

When we play the game, the order of power struggles is decided by the Region Cards. We start with the card in position 1, unless a Saxon invasion comes and interrupts it. On your turn, you have two choices: play 1 Action Card or decide to save your cards and pass. The game then keeps going in a clockwise direction.

It’s important to know that when you decide to pass, it only applies to that particular turn, not the entire power struggle. If another player takes action after you pass, you still have the opportunity to join in when it’s your turn again.

The power struggle only ends when all players have passed consecutively. At that point, the Region Card in the highest position is turned face down. The faction that has the most Followers in that region becomes the controlling faction.

When a faction wants to gain control of a region, they can place a Control Token there. This removes all Followers from that region and puts them back in the common pool. But what happens if multiple factions want to control the same region, or there are no factions present at all?

In that case, the region falls to the invaders, and a Saxon Control Token is placed on it. This means the invading faction takes control.

After a power struggle ends, the next player clockwise takes their turn. Let me give you an example to illustrate how this works:

Imagine Phil, Jo, and Laura are playing. Phil decides to pass, and then Jo also passes. If Laura were to pass as well, the power struggle would end right there, even without any cards being played. But instead, Laura decides to play a card, so the power struggle continues.

Now, let’s say Phil passes again, Jo plays a card, and then Laura decides to pass. Phil passes for the third time, and Jo also passes. In this case, the power struggle ends immediately, and it will be Laura’s turn to start the next one.

Now, let’s talk about taking actions.

When you play an Action Card, you have to put it face up in front of you, and then you can’t use it again. This means that you only get to take 8 actions during the whole game. The next card you play goes right on top of the last one. You can always see the top card, but you can’t look at the others. It’s your job to remember which actions you’ve already taken.

Once you play a card and do what it says, you have to bring someone to court. You do this by taking one of your Followers from a region and putting it in front of you.

When it comes to gaining influence within factions, there are a few important things to keep in mind. First and foremost, you have complete freedom to choose which Follower you want to take and from which region. This includes Followers that you have recently placed or moved as a result of an Action Card. However, it’s important to note that you cannot take Followers from the common pool or from other players.

The Action Cards play a crucial role in influencing the game. They allow you to make an impact on any region that has not yet been resolved. This means you can strategically choose to focus on different areas of the board, even if they are not currently in a power struggle. It’s a strategic choice that can give you an advantage.

It’s worth mentioning that once a region has been resolved, it is off-limits for interference. You can’t place Followers in a region that already has a control token. However, it’s important to remember that home regions are treated like normal regions until their power struggle is resolved.

Hi there! Let’s talk about the symbols on the game board. These symbols only matter when it comes to where we place our starting pieces and when we use certain Action Cards for the Scots, Welsh, and Romano-British.

Now, if we’re playing with 3 players, there’s a special rule for the very last Action Card of the game. It can only be played if the player who has it can use it to win the game right away.

What about Partial Actions?

Sometimes, I come across cards that have actions that I can’t complete. It’s a bit frustrating, but I still try my best to follow the instructions on the card.

There are times when I play an Action Card, and it doesn’t really do anything else. However, I can use this opportunity to gain a Follower or prevent a power struggle from ending. It’s a risky move, but sometimes it’s worth it.

• Let’s say I play a Settlement card, but there are no blue Followers left in the common pool. Even though I can’t fully complete the action, I still take one red and one yellow Follower. I place them accordingly and summon a Follower to court.
• Another example is when I play a Welsh card, but there are no Welsh-controlled regions, and the Scots have taken over Caerleon. Even though I can’t carry out the action, I still play the card and summon a Follower to court.

There are only three power struggles left when I play an Ambassador card. One of the regions is empty, and I want to put a Follower there and not exchange it for anything. This would be okay, but the third region actually has a suitable Follower.

When four of us play, the game is the same, but the two players across from each other work together. We can’t talk about tactics or show each other our Action Cards. Each of us still gets our own Followers, and we determine who the ruler is according to the rules. The teammate of the ruler shares in the victory as the power behind the throne.

After an invasion forces an early end to the game, both teams have to combine their Followers. The team that has the most complete sets of Followers is declared the winner.

The Game’s Conclusion

Gaining Control

When the last power struggle is finished, the game comes to an end. The faction that holds the most regions takes control, and the player with the most Followers from that faction becomes the King or Queen.

If there is a tie for the most regions, the tied faction that recently won a power struggle is considered to be in control.

In case of a tie for the most Followers, the faction with the next highest number of regions becomes more significant. The tied player with the most Followers from that faction becomes the ruler. If there is still a tie, the tied player who played an action card last loses – being indecisive is not a quality of a good leader.

Now, let’s talk about Invasion.

If there are four Saxon Control Tokens on the board at any point, the game ends immediately. The Saxons have invaded and claim the throne. The winner will be the player with the most complete sets of Followers.

In the world of this game, a group of people has come together to fight against the invading Saxon forces. This group, known as the resistance, is made up of individuals from different factions. Each faction has chosen one person to represent them in the fight. These representatives are called Followers.

As a Follower, my role is crucial. I am the one who unites the resistance and takes on the responsibility of defending our land. It’s not an easy task, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect our people.

When it comes to determining a leader for the resistance, we have a simple rule. If there is a tie between two or more players, the one who played an action card most recently becomes the leader. This ensures that we have a proactive and decisive leader who can lead us to victory.

I understand the importance of this role and the weight it carries. I am ready to step up and take charge. Together, we will drive back the Saxon forces and protect our home.

Here’s the deal: this is where I show you Laura and Phil’s Followers at the end of a game. It’s pretty simple, really. If the Scots control the board, Phil comes out on top because he has more blue Followers. But if the Welsh take over, things get a little more interesting. In that case, the winner is determined by whoever has the most regions controlled between the Scots and the Romano-British. If the Scots have the most regions, Phil wins because he has more blue Followers. But if the Romano-British have the most regions, Laura takes the glory with her yellow Followers.

Now, if the game ends because of a Saxon invasion, Laura is the victor. Why? Because she has more matching sets – three, in fact – compared to Phil’s puny two.