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RU L E BOOK

1. Introduction ................................................................... 2

2. Preparing for First Play ................................................. 2

3. Key Terms and Concepts .............................................. 2

4. Brief Summary of Game Play ....................................... 4

5. Player Houses ............................................................... 4

6. Victory Conditions ........................................................ 4

7. Game Board .................................................................. 5

8. Wooden Pieces .............................................................. 8

9. Counters and Markers ................................................... 11

10. Cards ............................................................................. 12

11. Outline of Sequence of Play ......................................... 18

12. Draw Phase ................................................................... 18

13. Operations Phase........................................................... 18

14. Event Text Cards ........................................................... 20

15. Operations/OPS Points ................................................. 23

16. Land Movement ............................................................ 23

able o Contents17. Sea Movement .............................................................. 26

18. Mustering ...................................................................... 27

19. Political Inuence ......................................................... 27

20. Combat .......................................................................... 28

21. Post-Operations Phase Actions ..................................... 34

22. Attrition ......................................................................... 35

23. Inuence Phase ............................................................. 35

24. King Phase (Including Affairs of State) ........................ 36

25. Victory Check Phase ..................................................... 38

26. Ofce Phase .................................................................. 39

27. Wintering Phase ............................................................ 40

28. Clean-Up Phase............................................................. 41

29. Glossary ........................................................................ 42

Credits .................................................................................. 43

Shire and Home Estate Locations ........................................ 44

GMT Games, LLC P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232-1308

www.GMTGames.com

Dedication: To my very patient wife, Tammy, with all my heart.


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1.0 Introduction

Crown of Roses is a multi-player strategy game for two to

four players set in the Wars of the Roses period of 15 th Century

England (1455-1485). Each player represents one of the rival

royal houses vying for control of the throne of England. They

use their noble retainers to bring the enemy to battle, inuence

nobles to vote their way in Parliament, and wield their inuenceto gain the support of the landed gentry.

A full campaign game and several shorter scenarios are in-

cluded. See the Play Book for details.

These rules are laid out as follows. First a brief description

of how to prepare for your rst game of Crown of Roses is

provided, followed by some key terms, a brief description of

game play, and a detailed description of the Victory Conditions

needed to win the game. We then describe in detail the various

interactions of the game components (map board, blocks, cards,

etc.), before providing a detailed walk through of the various

Phases of the Sequence of Play.

2.0 Preparing or First Play

Your copy ofCrown of Roses should include the following:

Three small black cylinders

24 small colored cylinders (four each of red, white,

yellow and blue)

54 neutral colored large blocks

One sheet of 54 die-cut labels to be peeled and afxed

to the neutral colored large blocks

225 " die-cut counters on two counter sheets

One deck of 110 Crown of Roses cards

Eight 4" x5" Parliament cards

One Rule Book (this book)

One Play Book

One map board

15 six-sided dice (ve each of green, blue and red)

Two Player Aid Cards

Four 5" x8" Player Mats (one each of red, white, yel-

low and blue)

If any of these components are damaged or missing, please

write to the following address:

GMT Games

P.O. Box 1308

Hanford, CA 93232-1308

www.GMTGames.com

Before playing for the rst time, apply the stickers to the blocks.

Only one sticker is applied to each block (i.e., one face of each

block is left blank). Lightly position the label, make sure that

it is straight, and then press rmly to adhere to the block surface.

3.0 Key erms and Concepts

Attrition (22.0): The gradual wearing down of the combat ef-

fectiveness of a Block as represented by Step Losses. Attrition

occurs when you exceed the Stacking Limits (7.2.9), Force

March (16.3), use special Fens (16.2.2) or Wash movement

(16.2.3), or do an Adjacent Sea Zone Sea Move (17.0).

Battles Sequence/Terminology (20.0): A Battle is an overallcombat between two or more Players in a Shire. Each Battle

involves one or more Engagements, each of which lasts one or

more Combat Rounds.

Block States (8.2): Blocks can be In-Play (currently controlled

by a Player and on the map); Undeclared(controlled by a

Player, but off-map);Inactive (not controlled by a Player, but

still in the game/scenario); Unavailable (not controlled by a

Player and not available until next Turn); and Out of Play (no

longer available at all).

Block Values and Indicators (8.3): In addition to their name

and heraldry, Blocks have up to four important pieces of in-

formation on them.

Their Combat Strength, which generally refers to the

number of dice icons on a Blocks top edge, but is also

reected by the color(red > blue > green).

Their Command Rating/Limit, which is the number of

other Blocks a Noble can lead in Movement (16.1) or in

Combat (20.4.4), is located in a circle at the lower-left

of the Block.

TheirNoble Rank, which only appears on Noble Blocks

and is located in a square in the lower-right of the block.

It determines which Block can lead for Movement (16.1)

and Combat (20.4.4), and also plays a part in determining

the number of votes a Player receives in the King Phase(24.2.2).

Potential Heirs (8.3.2) have a Crown icon in their upper

right corner. A Noble Block only becomes an active Heir

when their Heir Card (10.3) is played. Each Player can

have no more than two active Heirs at any time. The Heir

with the lowest Heir number on its Card is the Senior

Heir for the Player, while the higher numbered Heir is

the Junior Heir.

Exile Boxes (7.3.1): The playable areas outside of England

proper where a Noble can hide out and lick his wounds. Only

one Players Blocks may occupy any given Exile Box; Blocks

may enter only during the Operations Phase (16.2.4) Phase(27.0). Entering and wintering over in an Exile Box costs a

Player 1 point of Popular Support (28.3.1). Margaret (10.3.4)

and some Ofcers have special abilities that mitigate some of

the negative effects of Exile Boxes (7.3.2 & 7.3.3).


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Heir (8.3.2): Only Heir Blocks (those with a small crown on

their Block label) can be crowned King; if your opponents

Heirs are eliminated, you win a Military Victory (6.1). Heir

Blocks either start the game on-map as an at start Heir or

enter later when their Heir Card (10.3) is played. Others are

transformed from a regular on-map Noble Block to an Heir

Block when their Heir Card is played. All Heirs are Nobles,

but not all Nobles are Heirs.

Host (8.3.3 & 20.4.3): A Block that has at least one other Block

attached to it. A Host and its attached Block(s) move as one, but

ght separately. An attached Block may take damage assigned

to a Host Block in the same Main Force (20.5.3).

Inuence Points (IPs): A commodity in the game generally

representing a Players economic and political inuence. They

are gained by control of Shires, Ofces and certain Events

(23.0). A Players IPs are usually located in one of three spots:

theirUnclaimed Pool(IPs not yet earned); theirStock(those

IPs available to be used by the Player); or on a Nobles Box

on the Roll of Parliament (attempting to win that Noble to the

Players side).

Leader: For all movement types, a Block designated to move

either alone, or with additional Blocks up to their Command

Rating (16.1). For combat, a Block designated to fight a

Combat Round either alone, or with additional Blocks up to

their Command Rating (20.4.1). The Leader may change each

Combat Round.

Noble (8.3.1): A Block with a Noble Rank is a Noble. All

potential Heirs are Nobles, but not all Nobles are Heirs. A

potential Heir only changes from a mere Noble to a full Heir

when a Player plays the appropriate Heir Card from his hand.

Main Force: The forces of the Attacking and Defending

Player that are ghting each other in a Combat Round (20.4).

This is distinguished from the initial two forces that arrived

in the contested Shire (Starting Forces) and from Blocks in

the Combat, but not currently ghting (Reserves). All other

Blocks that arrived into the Combat after the Starting Forces

areReinforcements (20.3.1).

Movement Points (MPs) (16.1): The amount of movement

each stack can perform when activated. Generally equal to four

(4) MPs, though this can be increased by Force March (16.3).

Operations Phase (13.0): The heart of each Game Turn is the

Operations Phasewhere all Players conduct movement with

their Blocks, inuence Nobles and play Events on themselves

or their opponents. Each Operations Phase is composed of a

number of Impulses equal to the smallest starting hand size,

and each Impulse has a number of Action Steps (13.2) equal

to the number of Players.

Player Houses (5.0): The four competing factions involved in

the War of the Roses (White = York; Red = Lancaster; Yellow

= Buckingham; and Blue = Warwick).

Reinforcements (20.3.1): Blocks that came to a Battle after

the Main Force. Reinforcements enter starting on the second

Combat Round, at a rate of one (1) Leader and appropriately

led Blocks per Combat Round.

Reserves (20.3.2): Blocks involved in a Battle in a Shire thatare not currently ghting in a Combat Round (i.e., not part of

the Main Force); either due to Player decision or due to having

a Leader with an insufcient Command Rating to lead all the

Blocks in the Battle.

Retainer Strength (8.3): The weakest Combat Strength of a

Block before it is removed from the map; i.e., the last combat

step of a Block.

Shires (7.2): A playable area of the map that Players vie for

control of in order to gain Inuence Points and to achieve

Economic Victory. Shires can be Friendly, Enemy, Neutral or

Contested (7.2.8). Each Shire has a Shire Value (SV, the number

in the box in each Shire) (7.2.1) and a Shire Loyalty (SL, thecolor of box in each Shire: Black = none; White = York; Red =

Lancaster; Yellow = Buckingham; and Blue = Warwick) (7.2.2).

Stacking Limit (7.2.9): The number of Blocks of each player

that may occupy a Shire. All Shires have a Stacking Limit of

the Shire Value plus 1. Exceeding the Stacking Limit at the end

of all Battle resolutions will result in Attrition (22.0).

Starting Force (20.4.1): The rst group of Blocks that ght in

an Engagement. Includes a Leader and may include additional

Blocks up to the Leaders Command Rating. The Starting Force

is the group of Blocks that determined the Engagement order.

Tie Breaker (10.5.1): The Player controlling the King Ofce

Card almost always decides ties. In the case where there is noKing (perhaps the King was eliminated in combat), the Player

controlling the next-highest Ranking Ofcer decides the tie

break, i.e., Chancellor if no King, then Treasurer, and so on. In

the rare case no Ofces are held, the Player with the highest IPs

gained during the previous Inuence Phase (as indicated on the

track bordering the map) decides ties. If multiple Players have

the highest IPs gained, roll a die to determine the Player who

will be the tie-breaker. If the tie-breaking Player is established

by IP Value (including die roll), then that Player will continue

to decide tie breaks as needed until the end of the current Turn.

Note: For a complete listing of denitions of terms, see the

Glossary at the end of this Rule Book.


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4.0 Brief Summary of Game Play

In Crown of Roses, two to four Players will vie for control of

England (represented by the map on the game board) using

both military and political means. All actions are governed by

the following rules, which are laid out by rst describing the

components available to the Players, then how the Players can

use those components to achieve victory.Game play revolves around a series of Turns, which are broken

up into separate Phases. All Turns begin with a Draw Phase,

where Players draw new Cards and determine the number of

Impulses in the Operations Phase. In the Operations Phase

the heart ofCrown of RosesPlayers decide how to use their

limited Operations (OPs) Points; either to move Blocks, muster

Reinforcements, or to inuence Nobles in Parliament using In-

uence Points (IPs). They must also use their Blocks to control

Shires in England and/or to attack the opposing Players Blocks,

including those Players Royal Heirs.

At the conclusion of the Operations Phase, new IP Markers are

usually collected, followed by Parliament Phases, includingthe King Phase, where the King is voted into Ofce. Once the

King is elected, Players use their collected IPs to bid on the

other Ofces, but note that these same IPs are also needed to

inuence Nobles during the next Operations Phase! During the

Parliament Phases of the game, almost all Blocks are removed

from the map. After all Ofces are voted on, Players take turns

returning their Blocks to the map in the Home Estates for each

Block. Once all Blocks are placed, a new Game Turn is ready

to start.

5.0 Player Houses

Each player of the game controls a Player House. There are four

Player Houses: York, Lancaster, Buckingham, and Warwick.

Each Player House is comprised of the Nobles it controls along

with its Royal Heirs. In a two-player game, players control

Lancaster and York; three-player games add Buckingham; and

four-player games add Warwick.

Each Player House is assigned a color:

Player House Color

York White

Lancaster Red

Buckingham Yellow

Warwick Blue

Various game components match these colors and generally are

for the sole use of the corresponding player. Note, however, that

while some Block labels are in Player House colors, this only

indicates historical allegiances of noble families, and aids in

game setup. During game play, except for a few certain cases,

any Player House may control Blocks of any color.

Friendly in these rules are a Players own game pieces, cards,

etc. Enemy means those pieces, cards, etc. belonging to an

opposing Player.

Throughout the rules the term Player and Player House are

used interchangeably, but have the same meaning. Likewise, the

terms Heir and Royal Heir, and Strength and Combat

Strength, have the same meanings, respectively.

6.0 Victory Conditions

There are three paths to victory in every scenario: Military

Victory, Political Victory and Economic Victory. Typically,

victory is checked in the above orderrst checking for Mili-

tary Victory, then Political if no Military Victory is achieved;

and nally Economic Victory (only at the end of the scenario).

Some scenarios may modify this order, however.

6.1 Military VictoryA Player immediately wins the game with a Military Victory the

instant all Enemy Heirs have been eliminated from the game. Ifthe nal two Players lose their last Heirs in the same Combar

Round, neither Player qualies for a Military Victory. Heirs are

considered eliminated when their associated House Card (10.3)

and Block are removed from the game (note that Heirs in Exile

are considered eliminated for the purpose of this rule). This

can be from suffering a Killed result on the Elimination Chart

(20.6.1), or by a Player using an Heir Card for its OPS, instead

of its Event text (10.3). Regardless of which is removed from

play rst (Block or Card), once one is removed from play, the

other is as well. Unplayed Heir Cards still in a Players hand

are not considered Eliminated for Military Victory!

Example: It is urn 4 and the York Player has lost the York,March, and Clarence Blocks while they were all Heirs (re-moving their Blocks and Cards rom the game). Rutland iscurrently in Exile in Scotland. While York technically has noHeir In-Play (Gloucester is not able to be played until urn 5and Rutland does not count as he is in Exile), York is still noteliminated since the Block and House Card o Gloucester hasnot been removed rom the game.

6.2 Political VictoryA Political Victory is won when a Player holds the Ofce of

the King (24.0) the required number of times specied in the

scenario set-up rules (see Play Book). These need not be heldconsecutively (unless specied as such), just a total number of

times that the Player has had one of his Heirs elected as King.

6.3 Economic VictoryA Player wins an Economic Victory by accumulating the most

points for controlling Enemy Shires. Points are earned during

the King Phase (24.0) and a check for victory is made during

the last Game Turns Victory Check Phase (25.0).


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6.4 Scenario Specic VictoryEach scenario may establish additional Victory conditions.

Make sure to check the scenario to see if any additional condi-

tions apply.

7.0 Game Board

The game board depicts England and the seas bordering it, as

well as parts of the neighboring countries Ireland, Scotland,

and France. This is where the players will ght for the throne

of England!

7.1 racks and ablesSeveral tracks and tables used to record and monitor each Play-

ers progress towards victory are also found on the game board.

7.1.1 Inuence rackThe Inuence

Track, on the

perimeter of the board, is used to record the amount of InuencePoints each Player collected during a Game Turn. Small

wooden cylinders of each Player House color are used to track

these amounts.

7.1.2 Popular Support rackThe Popular Support

Track records the sup-

port a Player has earned

for keeping England

safe and stable. Reminders for the effects of each Popular Sup-

port Value are printed on this track. Small wooden cylinders of

each Player House color are used to track these amounts. The

maximum Support Value is nine (9). Increases beyond thisvalue are ignored; likewise decreases below a value of one (1)

are also ignored.

Most additions/subtractions to Popular Support are done in-

stantly. However, in the odd occasion where a Player needs

to adjust his Popular Support both positively and negatively

at the same time, always apply the negative adjustment rst.

Each Player tracks his own Popular Support value, which grants

him such things as extra votes in Parliament, extra Inuence at

court, and extra resources (Card draws) from the countryside.

Additionally, actions such as responding to Raids (14.2.1), win-

ning a Battle against an opposing Heir (20.7.1), or holding an

important Ofce of government (10.5) will increase a PlayersSupport Value while losing Ofces or hiding in Exile (7.3.1 &

28.3.1) will lower a Players Support Value.

7.1.3 urns as King rackThe Turns as King Track records the number of Game Turns

that a Player has been voted King in Parliament (24.0); these

can be non-consecutive. This is tracked using a small wooden

cylinder of the Players House color.

7.1.4 Other racksThere is also a Turn Track, a Sequence of Play Track, and an

Impulse Track to help Players with the ow of the game. These

three tracks all use a small black cylinder.

7.1.5 Roll o ParliamentThe map has a Roll of Parliament

(RoP) where Players place Inuence

Markers to attempt to gain control ofNobles (19.0). Note that only Nobles

that can be Inuenced have a RoP

Box; some Nobles, like York or Lan-

caster only become In-Play as Heirs not subject to Inuence.

This is also where markers are placed to indicate which, if any,

Noble holds an Ofce of Parliament (10.5) and when a Noble

becomes an Heir (10.3).

Note that Clarence has special rules associated with him

(10.3.5).

The large number in the box indicates the minimum amount of

Inuence Points (IP) needed to win control of that Noble, and

the colored Rose icons (Tendency Bonus) indicate the strengthof that Nobles allegiance to the Player House of that color.

These are used in the King Phase (24.0).

7.1.6 ChartsIncluded on the game board are several charts to aid in game

play, such as a Terrain Effects Chart (TEC) and a chart listing

the Draw bonuses.

7.2 ShiresShires correspond roughly to the historical county borders at

the time. Note that the Isle of Man, the Pale of Ireland and the

Pale of Calais (henceforth Calais) are treated as Shires.

Home Estate

heraldry in Shire

Name of ShireShire Value

(the number)

and Shire Loyalty

(color of box)

Each Shire has a numbered box. The number in the box is the

Shire Value. The color of the box indicates the Shire Loy-

alty. Each Shire is identied by its Shire name and usually

one or more heraldic shields or squares.

7.2.1 Shire Value (SV )The Shire Value, or SV, species:

the number of Inuence Points earned by the Controlling

House during the Inuence Phase (23.0);

the number of troop steps the Shire can raise in a Muster

action (18.0);

the number of dice rolled for a Planned Uprising (14.2.1);

the losses caused by a Plague Event (14.1.2);

and (with a +1 modier) the Stacking Limit for that Shire

(7.2.9).


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7.2.2 Shire Loyalty (SL)When the numbered box in the Shire is the color of a Player

House (blue, white, yellow or red, see 5.0), that Shire is said

to be loyal to that Player House. Shires with black boxes are

not loyal to any Player House.

Shire Loyalty (SL) gives benets to that Player House in the

Muster action (18.0), during Planned Uprisings (14.2.1), and

for Shire Control (7.2.8). Also, Players may earn EconomicVictory Points by controlling Shires which are loyal to an ac-

tive enemy Player House (24.1.1).

Note that the Merchants of the Staple Ally Card (Card 12)

replaces the Warwick SL in Calais for as long as the Ally re-

mains In-Play.

7.2.3 Home EstatesMost Shires contain at least one heral-

dic shield icon (shield). These

shields indicate the locations of the

major estates held by the family repre-

sented by that shield, within the time

frame of the game. Each Noble and Heir Block (8.1) has ashield on their label as well. Blocks with the same shield belong

to the same Noble family. The exceptions are Margaret and

Henry VI, who have portraits on their Blocks (see 7.2.6 as to

which Shires they may use as Home Estates).

A Shire with a shield that matches a family shield is said to be a

Home Estate for that family. Each family has at least one Home

Estate. A Shire may be a Home Estate for more than one family.

Example: Northumberland in the North Marches has threeshield icons, one corresponding to the Noble Block Nor-thumberland (see RoP and the Northumberland Block), onecorresponding to the Lord Warden o the North Marches

Oce, and the Red Rose shield corresponding to HouseLancaster (see the Lancaster Block). Te NorthumberlandBlock, the Lancaster Block and the Block holding the Lord

Warden Oce could all consider Northumberland one otheir Home Estates.

7.2.4 Crown EstatesA Crown symbol in a Shire indicates the

Shire holds a Crown Estate. These are lands

held by the King and Parliament (e.g., State

houses and such). Any friendly Heir (10.3) of the current Kings

Player House may treat these Shires as additional Home Estates,

in all respects and for all game purposes.

7.2.5 Oce EstatesSome icons match the heraldry shield of the

Blocks associated with Ofces (10.5). When

a Noble holds an Ofce, it may treat Shires

containing those icons as Home Estates, in

all respects and for all game purposes.

Example:Carnaon is considered a Home Estate or the Nobleholding the Chancellor Oce (which matches the red & whiteheraldry shown in the Figure above).

7.2.6 Shared EstatesNobles/Heirs with identical shield icons treat all Home Estates

with that shield icon as if it were their own Home Estate for all

game purposes (e.g., Pembrokes and Richmonds Home Estates

are the same, and Clarences and all other York Nobles Home

Estates are the same).

Margaret and Henry VI: In addition, note that

Henry VI and Margaret (and their associated Host

Block(s), if any) may use a Lancaster Estate (Red

Rose heraldry) as their Home Estate. Margaret may

also use the France Exile Box as a Home Estate.

However, each particular Estate may only be utilized by one

Playerduring the Wintering Phase (27.0). Specically, if an

Enemy-controlledNoble with an identical shield icon as your

Noble already occupies a Shire containing a Shared Estate, you

may only place your Noble in that Shire if there is a second,

legal Estate at which your Noble may enter.

Example: I Clarence is controlled by a Player other than Yorkand starts in West Riding, York would normally be preventedrom placing a York Noble there as well, since the York Estatein that Shire is occupied by Clarence. However, note that i

York is the current King, York could place York Nobles in WestRiding by using the Crown Estate and not the York Estateoccupied by Clarencesince the Crown Estate would be asecond, legal Estate in this situation.

7.2.7 Shire BordersShire borders are either solid, indicating difcult terrain with

few (if any) usable roads; or broken, indicating easier terrain or

more (and more usable) roads. Movement costs (16.2) depend

on the type of border.

Shires are considered to be adjacent to one another whenever

they share a common border, regardless of its type.

The Shire borders marked with a skull near the region labeled

The Fens and The Wash are a reminder of special move-

ment rules along those borders (16.2.2).

7.2.8 Shire ControlA Shire is in one of three states of control at any given time:

Controlled: The Shire a) has Blocks of only one Player present;

OR b) has no Blocks present, but has a SL (7.2.2) in the color of

a Player House. Such a Shire is said to be Controlled by that

Player House. The Shire is Friendly-Controlled for the Player

that controls it and Enemy-Controlled for all other Players.


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Contested: The Shire is occupied by Blocks of two (2) or more

Players. Note:After all Combat is resolved, there will be no

Contested Shires, until possibly during the next Wintering or

Operations Phases (when Blocks move into the same Shire).

Neutral: The Shire a) has no Blocks present; AND b) has a

black SL.

Control of a Shire is determined immediately when a Player

places a Block into it or removes a Block from it. Thus, as forcesmove around the board, control states will continually change.

Example:Northumberland is empty o all Blocks and is con-sidered Controlled by (i.e., Friendly to) Lancaster given itsred SL. I a York Block moves into Northumberland, it nowbecomes Controlled by York. I a Lancaster controlled Blockthen moves into the Shire and the York Block does not Evadeout, the Shire is considered Contested until ater the combatresolution (when, necessarily, at most one o the two Houses

will remain in the Shire).

7.2.9 Shire Stacking Limits

Each Shire has a limit to the number of Blocks that each Playermay put into it without suffering Attrition effects (22.0). This is

known as the Stacking Limit. The limit foreach Player is equal

to the SV plus one (1). Therefore, in a four-player game, each

Player can put ve (5) Blocks in London for a total of 20 Blocks.

7.3 RegionsBroadly speaking, there are two geographic areas represented

on the map: England, which includes England proper, Wales,

Ireland and the Pale of Calais, and Exile Boxes, which rep-

resent areas outside the map in Scotland, France and Ireland.

Within England there are ve special regions marked with

thick colored borders on the map. They are: London (gray);

North Marches (purple); Pale of Calais (blue); Pale of Ireland

(green); and Wales & the Welsh Marches (red).

Some Cards refer to these regions in the Event text or the

Cards ability.

Design Note: Te area labeled London could have beencalled Middlesex instead. However, in play testing that ver-sion o the map we ound players oten asking where isLondon? For that reason we decided to err on the side oamiliarity in this case.

7.3.1 Foreign Nations and Exile Boxes

The areas of the Pale of Ireland and Calais are considered thesame as regular Shires for all purposes.

The Foreign Nation of Scotland cannot be entered, except to

go into the Exile Box. Note that the Pale of Ireland and Calais

are considered part of England for all game purposes (i.e.,

everything on the map except the Exile Boxes are considered

part of England for the purposes of these rules and Card play,

unless otherwise noted).

Exile Boxes represent locations inside nearby Foreign Nations,

outside of the map area, where a Noble might ee to lick his

wounds and build up his strength (though at a cost in losing

Popular Support). There are Exile Boxes associated with each

Foreign Nation. These Nobles are still In-Play for the purpose

of having at most two (2) active Heirs at any one time (10.3.2),

but are considered eliminatedfor the purposes of determining

a Military Victory (6.1) for your opponents.

Immediately upon entering an Exile Box, a Player will suffer a

1 in Popular Support (16.2.4), and any Player with one or more

Nobles in an Exile Box during the Clean-Up Phase (28.3.1)

will suffer a loss in Popular Support for every Turn that they

remain in Exile.

Restrictions on entering and exiting an Exile Box are explained

in the Movement rules (16.2.4).

IMPORTANT: As noted above, an Heir is still treated as

In-Play and so still counts toward the maximum of two (2) ac-

tive Heirs at a time while in an Exile Box; but also counts as

eliminated for Military Victory.

7.3.2 ScotlandScotland is a Foreign Nation that is not playable, except for

the Exile Box.

Any Block that moves to the Scot-

land Exile Box (by land or sea)

must immediately reduce its Com-

bat Strength to Retainer Strength

(8.3). The following are exception

to this rule and may retain their

current strength:

Queen Margaret (10.3.4) and her Host Block (8.3.3) mov-

ing into the Exile Box

The Lord Warden of the North Marches (10.5.8) moving

into the Scotland Exile Box (as well as any Blocks he

leads)

7.3.3 Ireland & CalaisAs noted above, the non-Exile portions of Ireland and Calais

are treated as regular Shires for all purposes.

Any Block that moves into the

Exile Box of either of them (by

land or sea) must immediately

reduce its Combat Strength to

Retainer Strength (8.3). The

following are exceptions to this rule and retain their strength: Queen Margaret (10.3.4) and her Host Block (8.3.3) mov-

ing into the Exile Box

The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and the Pale (10.5.7)

moving into the Ireland Exile Box (as well as any Blocks

he leads)

The Lord Captain of Calais and the Pale (10.5.6) moving

into the France Exile Box (as well as any Blocks he leads)


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7.4 SeasThere are three Seas: the North Sea, the English Channel

and the Irish Sea. A solid line on the map indicates the border

between Adjacent Seas (near Suffolk and near Cornwall).

The English Channel and the North Sea are Adjacent Seas, as

are the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Seas can never be

controlled. Blocks may move across the seas during play via Sea

Movement (17.0), but they may never end their move in a sea.A Shire that is adjacent to a sea is called a Coastal Shire.

Most Coastal Shires are adjacent to only one sea. There are

two exceptions:

Cornwall is a Coastal Shire for both the Irish Sea and the

English Channel

Suffolk is a Coastal Shire for both the North Sea and the

English Channel.

7.4.1 EstuariesThere are three estuaries on the map.

Land Movement is not allowed be-

tween Shires separated by them.On the West side of the map, the

Severn Estuary separates Glamorgan

in Wales from Somerset. Note, however, Gloucester and Glam-

organ are adjacent and movement is allowed between them.

On the East side, the Thames Estuary separates Essex from Kent

and the Humber Estuary (just north of The Wash) separates East

Riding from Lincoln. Note that the map contains reminders for

these last two.

7.5 Map Addendum7.5.1 Unplayable Islands

The Isle of Anglesey and

The Isle of Wight are not

playable areas.

7.5.2 errain eaturesAs noted previously, the map includes a Terrain Effects Chart

which lists the various Shire terrain features discussed above.

In addition, note that swamps, rivers and cities are decorative

onlythey have no effect on movement or combat in the game.

7.5.3 Oce Holding Box

In the Roll of Parliament sectionof the map there is a rectangular

box for placing any Ofce mark-

ers not currently held by a Noble.

7.5.4 Combat Holding BoxesAt the bottom of the map there is a series of three squares to

hold Blocks for any single Battle in a Shire, should Players

feel necessary. The squares are ordered to indicate which are

the rst, second and third Attackers/Defenders, based on the

order of entrance into the Shire. It is suggested to leave the

original holder of the Shire in the Shire, and place the Blocks

that rst entered afterthem in the square marked 1st in; then

the Blocks that entered next go in the 2nd in square; and the

Blocks that entered third go in the 3 rd in square.

When resolving the Battle (20.0), the Blocks in the 3rd in

square will be the 1st out; the 2nd in will be the 2nd out;

and the 1st in will be the 3rd out.

8.0 Wooden Pieces

Six small wooden cylinders in each Player House color are

included for use on the Inuence, Turns as King, and Popular

Support tracks; as well as marking on map locations where a

Planned Uprising (14.2.1) is taking place. Three small blackcylinders are included for use on the Turn, Sequence of Play,

and Impulse tracks.

The fty-four (54) large wooden blocks represent the various

noble families, as well as political and mercenary forces of

the day. Depending on the scenario being played, some of the

Blocks may not be available for the game; or are available only

on certain turns of the game.

8.1 Block, Noble, and HeirThe distinction between Blocks, Nobles , and Heirs is very

important.

Block: Any large wooden block with a label attached. Blocksinclude Nobles, Heirs, Ofces, and Mercenaries.

Ofces: The King Block and the other purple-

tinted Blocks that have only a Noble Rank Value

(a number in a square in the lower-right corner) of

its label. The +1 on the Kings Block (in the circle

in the lower-left corner) increases the Command Rating of the

Host Block by 1

Mercenaries: The Burgundians, French, Scots and

Welsh Blocks (see also 24.1.2). These Blocks have

no Noble Rank Value or Command Rating on their

label.

Noble: Any Block that has both a Noble Rank

Value (a number in a square in the lower-right

corner) and a Command Rating (a number in a

circle in the lower-left corner) of its label (excep-

tion: the King Block is an Ofce Block, not a Noble Block).


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Heir: Any Noble that has a Royal Heir Indicator (a

Crown icon in the upper-right corner) on its label

is a potential Heir. Once its corresponding Heir Card

(10.3) is played for the Event text, the Noble then

becomes an active Heir.

Remember: All Heirs are Nobles, but not all Nobles can be

Heirs!

Each Block has between two and four levels of Combat Strength(8.3), depending on the number of sides of its label that have

dice icons. To maintain a fog of war, Blocks are usually placed

so that the controller can see them, but his opponent(s) cannot,

with the current Combat Strength of the Block being indicated

by the icons on the top edge of the Block.

When the Block is revealed to the opponent(s), the Block is

tipped forward and placed at, with the edge farthest from its

controller being the current Combat Strength.

As an alternative to standing the Blocks upright, Players may

keep their Blocks face down by tipping the top of the upright

Block towards the controller, so that the current Combat

Strength is the edge closest to its controller. When revealed, ipthe Block so that the edge of the Block closest to the controller

becomes the edge farthest from him.

8.2 Block StatesEach Block can exist in one of ve states:

In-Play: The Block is controlled by a Player and occupies a

Shire or Exile Box.

Undeclared: The Block is controlled by a Player, but placed

off-board in the Players Undeclared Pool. Undeclared Nobles

can be summoned by an Event Card (and become In-Play), but

they cannot have a Writ (10.5.1) played on them or use a Writ

of their own. Undeclared Nobles will still be available to attend

Parliament (24.2).

Inactive: The Block is not controlled by any Player and is kept

next to the game board until a Player gains control through

play of Inuence on the RoP or by play of an Heir Card (10.3).

Unavailable: The Block is not controlled by any Player and

may not be used by any Player temporarily due to Scenario

Special Rules or game effects. An Unavailable Block is placed

face up in its corresponding RoP Box. Unavailable Blocks

become Inactive during the Clean-Up Phase of the Turn (28.1).

Design Note: Eectively, an Unavailable Block loses out on

the rest o the urn, including any chance o attending Par-liament, but is then available to be Inuenced the ollowing

urn.

Out of Play: The Block has been removed by Scenario Special

Rules or game effects and will not be used for the remainder of

the game. Place these Blocksface down on their space on the

RoP or back in the game box if they do not have such a space.

Example: Some Nobles will start each scenario In-Play andcontrolled by a respective Player House. I the Noble is notan Heir and is Eliminated in a Battle, that Noble rolls on theElimination Chart (20.6.1) to determine what happens tothe Block. Blocks that Escape damage, remain controlled bytheir Player House and are placed o the map in the PlayersUndeclared Pool. Tey will re-enter the map either via play ocertain Event Cards, or during the Wintering Phase (27.0)ater they also attend Parliament.

I Killed, the Noble status reverts to Unavailable, losing out onthe rest o the urn and then becoming Inactive the ollowing

urnno longer controlled by the Players House. A similar statuschange happens i the Block is Woundedthe Noble immediatelybecomes Inactive, reverting out o that Players Houses control.

Inactive (resulting rom either a Wounded or Killed Noble, perabove) and Undeclared Blocks return In-Play during the GatherSupporters portion o Parliament (24.2.1). Inuence Pointsplayed on each Nobles RoP Box during a Game urn (19.0) arecompared to see who gains control o the Noble; i a Player hassuccessully inuenced the Noble (note that Undeclared Noblesare inuenced by their controlling Player until another Playersuccessully inuences them via IP playwhich is dierent thanInactive Nobles who are controlled by no-one until a Player suc-cessully inuences them). In-Play Nobles may also switch control,remaining In-Play but now controlled by the new Players House.

Heirs never become Inactive or Unavailable; instead they su-er permanent elimination and end up Out o Play. An Heirmay end up Undeclared, in which case it returns In-Play toits controlling Player during the Gather Supporters portiono Parliament, unless orced to return In-Play earlier (13.3).

8.3 Block LayoutA Blocks Title/Name and Heraldic Shield, Banner, or Imageis used for identication.

Command Rating

Heraldry

Name

Full Combat Strength

(always at top edge of Block)

Retainer Strength

(always the last/lowest setof dice on Block)

Noble Rank

Royal Heir

indicator

Special rule

applies (square

around crown)

Combat Strength: A Blocks Combat Strength is the number

and color of dice icons along the edges of the Block. This is the

number and color of dice the Block rolls in combat.

Each Block has between two and four levels of Combat

Strength, depending on the number of sides of its label that

have dice icons. The current Combat Strength of the Block is

indicated by the icons on the top edge of the Block (or the edge

farthest from its controller, if the Block is face-up and lying at).


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Retainer Strength: The lowest Combat Strength for that Block,

usually only one die. Can be on any of the non-top sides of

the Block.

Steps and Step Losses: Each side of the Block is called a

Step. Whenever a Block takes damage (20.5.3), it takes a Step

Loss. For each Step Loss suffered, it is rotated 90 degrees

counter-clockwise, thereby reducing its Combat Strength. When

a Block is reduced below Retainer Strength, it is said to have

been eliminated (and eliminated is used hereafter to mean

reduced below Retainer Strength). For non-Noble Blocks, this

means they are removed from the map. For Noble (and Heir)

Blocks, they will make a nal roll on the Elimination Chart to

determine their ultimate fate (20.6.1).

Adding Steps: To add a Step to a Block, rotate it 90 degrees

clockwise. A Block at its maximum strength cannot have any

steps added to it. Steps are added via Mustering (18.0) or via

some Event Cards.

Combat Value: The number shown on the individual dice

icons. Die color is also used as an indicator of Combat Value,

with red (hits on a 4-6) being better than blue (hits on a 5-6),

and blue being better than green (hits on a 6).

8.3.1 NoblesNobles are Blocks with additional attributes:

Command Rating. A Nobles Command Rating,

or CR, is the number of other Blocks that the

Noble can lead during Movement (16.1) or can

command in Combat (20.4.4). This is the circled value in the

Noble Blocks lower left corner.

Example: Herbert, shown above, can only command one (1)additional Block.

Noble Rank & Inuence. The value in a Nobles lower rightcorner is his Rank. A Nobles Rank determines which Block will

command in combat (20.4.1) as well as how many votes that

Noble has in the King Phase (24.2.2). Rank 1 is the lowest,

and 4 is the highest.

Note that a Noble cannot be commanded or led in movement or

combat by a Noble with a lower Rank (16.1 & 24.2.2), except

that Heirs always outrank non-Heirs, regardless of the actual

Rank Value. Less senior Heirs are outranked by more senior

Heirs. The King outranks all others (10.5.1).

Example:Warwick, Noble Rank o 4, is the highest rankingNoble in the game and would command over any other non-Heir Nobles. However, i he is not an Heir himsel, then hecould not lead even the lowest rank Heir. For example, Clarence(Noble Rank o 2) would command over Warwick i Clarence

were an Heir and Warwick were not.(Tis particular situation,by the way, is impossible in a our Player game, but could occurin two or three player games).

Nobles may hold Ofces won in the Ofce Phase (26.0).

8.3.2 HeirsEach Noble Block that can become an Heir has a

Crown icon in its upper right corner. George of

Clarences Crown is contained in a box as a re-

minder of his special rules (10.3.5).

Once a Noble becomes an Heir, Players may not place Inuence

on its RoP Box. Place an Heir marker on the box as a reminder

of this status. Clarence is an exception to this as noted below(10.3.5). A Noble becomes an active Heirwhen its associated

Heir Card (10.3) is played for the Event text.

Each Player can have at most two (2) active Heirs, with one Heir

being the Senior Heir, and the other being the Junior Heir (10.3).

Remember: A Noble with a Crown icon is not an Heir unless

the appropriate Heir Card is In-Play.

8.3.3 Attached BlocksAt certain times Blocks will be indicated as being attached

to another Block (usually a Noble) the latter referred to as the

Host Block. Attached Blocks move as one with the Host Block

and, in most circumstances, count for command and Stacking

Limits (exceptions are the Henry VI and Queen Margaret Blocks

(10.3.3 & 10.3.4)). In order for a Block to function as a Host, it

must possess a Command Rating of 1 or higher. Blocks with no

command rating (e.g., Queen Margaret, Henry VI, Burgundians,

etc.) cannot Host other Blocks.

In the case that a Host Block is removed from the map due to

a change in state (8.2), but theAttachedBlock is not, the status

of the Attached Block depends on whether it is an Ofce Block

(10.5) or a non-Ofce Block (10.3.3, 10.3.4 & 24.1.2). An Of-

ce Block is removed from the map along with the Host Block,

whereas a non-Ofce Block may immediately attach to a new

Host in the same Shire meeting the requirements for attachment

(exception: Henry VIif his Host Block suffers a killed resulton the Elimination Chart due to combat (10.3.3) and Henry VI

and Margaret alone in a Shire). If no such new Host exists, place

the now Host-less Block in the Players Undeclared Pool.

Note that other than Henry VI and Margaret, no Attached

Blocks may ever be left without a Host (i.e., Ofce Blocks and

Mercenary Blocks (24.1.2) may never be voluntarily detached/

left behind, and if a Mercenary Block has its Host killed, a new

Host must immediately be adopted).

A Host Block may have Attached at most:

one Mercenary Block (24.1.2),

both of Henry VI and Margaret,

and Ofce Blocks subject to the restrictions in 26.3.


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9.0 Counters and Markers

9.1 Inuence MarkersInuence Points (IP) represent political and

economic factors, favorable contracts, lucrative

trading terms, and the like. Each Player has a set

of Inuence Markers in their House color and in

several denominations, including zero (0). The

zero value IP Markers are useful for bluff and misdirection

during the hidden bidding parts of the game. Each House starts

the game with 4 zero, 12 one, 10 two, 6 three, 6 ve and 2 ten

value IP Markers, for a maximum IP Stock of 100 IPs.

IP Markers will usually be in one of three locations: in an Un-

claimed Pool for the Player; in the Players available Stock;

or on a Nobles Box in the Roll of Parliament. In all cases, IP

Markers are placed face down and can only be inspected by

the owning Player.

A Player can freely make change for any IP Marker in their

Stock with the available IP Markers in their Unclaimed Pool.

To do so, the Player simply reveals the Stock IP Marker(s) and

equivalent non-zero (0) value IP Marker(s) in the Unclaimed

Pool, swapping and then re-inverting to their hidden side. Zero

(0) value IP Markers can only be added to a Players Stock

during the Inuence Phase (23.0), but the Player may add any

number of them from the Unclaimed Pool up to the maximum

number available.

9.2 Support and Oce MarkersSupport markers are used when casting votes for

King (24.2.3) and for attempting to inuence

who receives an Ofce (26.0). These are ex-

plained more in the corresponding sections.

9.3 Shire Status MarkersAll Shires are considered to have a normal status, unless marked

with a Shire Status marker. A non-normal Shire status is denoted

by placing one of four status markers: Plague, Devastated,

Depleted or Plundered.

Plague markers are placed to note which Shire

is suffering the Plague. Once the Plague is re-

solved (14.1.2), the marker is ipped to the

Devastated side.

Devastated markers are replaced with Depletedmarkers at the end of the Turn and impact which

Shires can grant replacements through Mustering

(18.0).

Depleted markers are placed as above, or when

a Player musters two (2) or more steps from a

Shire in a single Impulse (18.0).

Plundered markers are usually placed when a

Shire is subject to a Planned Uprising, Revolt or

Raid (14.2.1).

9.4 Heir/Senior Heir MarkersHeir and Senior Heir markers are placed on the

Roll of Parliament to denote when a particularNoble has become immune to outside political

inuence (10.3.2).

9.5 Miscellaneous MarkersIncluded in the game are markers for denoting each Players

Total Economic Victory Points (6.3 & 25.0), the Total Votes

they can cast for King (24.2.2), Attack and Defend markers

for helping to identify who is the attacker or defender in each

Contested Shire (20.0), Charge markers to denote when an Heir

has has conducted a Battle Charge in combat (20.5.1) and a

Combat Round marker to aid in determining when Reinforce-

ments are available to each side (20.3.1).

9.6 London GarrisonThe London Garrison counter functions like a

Block, except it is always face-up and is perma-

nently stationed in London. It cannot move under

any circumstance (including Retreatsit simply

reverts to the new controller of London). It does

not count against any Command Limits or Stacking Limits and

is never affected by any Attrition or Events (e.g., Plague, Raids,

etc).

The Defender see Combat (20.0) of the last Engagement

of a Battle in London may use this Block as part of their

combat force.

The London Garrison resets to its maximum strength after each

Battle in London is resolved. Place it so that its current strength

is the side facing North (toward the top of the map).


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10.0 Cards

Crown of Roses is a card-driven game. As such, the Cards play

an integral role in the mechanics of how the game is played.

There are three types of Cards. Two types, House Cards and

Operations Cards, are similar and can be used fairly inter-

changeably by Players to perform almost all the actions they

wish during the game. Parliament Cards are the larger Cardsand play a more administrative role.

In-Play Cards: While most Cards are discarded after being

played from a Players hand, some Cards (e.g., Allies & Heirs)

are placed face-up in front of their controlling Player. These

face-up Cards are considered In-Play. Any Card that remains

In-Play for a length of time is aPersistent Card(10.4).

10.1 Common Characteristics

Title

Operations

Value

Card Type Card ID

Special text

Plague

location

Descriptive

text of event

All non-Parliament Cards share several common characteristics.

In the upper left corner is the Operations Value (OPS Value),

ranging from 1 to 3 in value (exceptions: at-start Heirs andAf-

fairs of States). House Cards have their OPS Value in a Rose of

the House color (Yellow for Buckingham, Red for Lancaster,

etc). In the upper middle, below the Card ID, is a descriptor

giving the type of Card: Royal Heir, Event, Mandatory, Ally

or Surprise. Next to this in the upper right is a Plague location,

used to determine which Shire is subject to a Plague should

that Mandatory Event be played (14.1.2).

The center of the Card includes the title of the Card and, forRoyal Heir Cards, an Heir Number (H-#). Under the title there

is descriptive text describing what occurs should the Card be

played for its Event. Finally, at the bottom of the Card is any

special text for unusual characteristics of the Card.

10.2 House Cards

The front of each House Card

has a colored Rose icon in the

upper left corner.

Each Player controls a

unique set of Cards known

as their House Cards.

House Cards consist of

Heir Cards and Event and

Surprise Cards that match

historical f igures and

events related to each par-

ticular royal house, respec-

tively.

Except where noted on the

Cards or in these rules,

House Cards are consid-

ered part of a Players hand

of Cards (except they do

not count against hand size

limits) and can be used just

like Operations Cards for

Event text or OPS Points

(13.0). They are not count-ed towards the Desperate Times Event.

The front of each House Card has a colored Rose icon to indicate

which Player controls the Cards (5.0). Players may only control,

and use, their own Houses Cards (exception:Henry VI starts

one scenario captured by the York Player, though the York

Player may not use his Block or House Card for any purpose).

House Cards nevergo into the discard pile, and therefore can

only be used once per game, although some stay In-Play until

their effect ends.

10.2.1 House Event & House Surprise Cards

These House Cards operate the same as Operation Cards of thesame type (10.4.1 & 10.4.4), except they are always removed

from the game instead of being placed in the discard pile once

their effect ends.

Note:No replacement Card is drawn for play of a House Sur-

prise Card Event (10.4.4).


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10.3 Royal Heir Cards

Crown with

H-# gives

Heir order

(10.3.2)

Heir name

and title

Royal

Heir

Card

Corresponding

Heir Block

shown on card

and in card

text

Royal Heir Cards are similar to Events, in that when played,

the Player implements the Card text. Heir Cards with an OPS

Value may be used for OPS Points during the Operations Phase,

just like an Operations Card; but doing so has signicant con-sequences noted below.

Each Heir Card designates its corresponding Heir Block (in the

descriptive text, and shown in the graphic on the Card). Some

Heirs also have a RoP Box while they are still just Nobles.

Remember, Nobles are not Heirs until their Heir Card is put

into play.

If played for the Card text, the Heir Card is kept face up in front

of the owning Player until the Heir Block is killed in Battle

(20.6.1) or by some other game effect. The Heir Card is then

removed from the game.

If played for OPS, the Card is removed from the game oncethe Player completes all of their actions and the Event text is

notimplemented. The associated Noble Block becomes Out of

Play and is considered eliminated for the purposes of determin-

ing Military Victory (6.1). And remember, if all of a Players

Heir Cards and Blocks are removed from the game, the Player

is eliminated!

10.3.1 Playing an Heir Card when Noble is, or was,under Enemy ControlIf an Heir Card enters play when an opponent has (or had)

control of the Heir Block (8.3.2), control of the Noble switches

to the Card player and the Noble becomes an Heir as normal.

Wherever the Noble is at the time, it is given to its new con-troller to place In-Play in any of the Nobles Home Estates. If

the Noble was Unavailable at the time, it is placed at Retainer

Strength. If the Noble was In-Play, any Combat Strength pos-

sessed by the Noble is maintained when ownership is trans-

ferred. Otherwise, place the Noble at full Combat Strength;

e.g., if the Noble was Undeclared (8.2). For George of Clarence

(10.3.5), this transfer of control happens only when he becomes

the Senior Heir (10.3.2).

10.3.2 Senior and Junior HeirEach Houses Heir Card has an Heir number

indication (e.g., Heir #1, Heir #2, and so on).

The In-Play Heir Card with the lowest Heir

number indicates the Senior Heir for that House.

The In-Play Heir Card with the next lowest Heir

number indicates the Junior Heir. Any time an Heir is elimi-

nated or an Heir Card is played, the assignment of Senior and

Junior Heirs is reevaluated. Only the Senior Heir can be King;

and, if a more senior Heir is played which would make the King

a Junior Heir, then the new Senior Heir becomes King, instead.

This transfer of the Ofce of the King happens immediately.

NOTE: Players may have a maximum of two (2) active Heirs

at any one time (including in an Exile Box).

Important: If all of a Players Heir Cards have been removed

from the game, the Player is eliminated from the game (6.1).

Also, there are times when a Player may be required to play an

Heir Card (13.3). Obviously, the Player is not required to do

so if he has no Heir Cards which can be played due to Game

Turn restrictions on the Card(s). Heir Cards do not need to be

played in Heir order, the only restriction on play is the Game

Turn requirement.

The following Heir Cards merit further explanation:

10.3.3 Henry VI LancasterThe Henry VI Block cannot be a Leader for move-

ment or combat (it has no Command Rating), and

may be led in movement or combat only by a

Noble with a Rank of two (2) or higher.

The Henry VI Block does not count against Command Limits

for Battle, but does count against the Command Limits for

Movement.

Henry VI can control a Shire if dropped off via Movement

(16.1) in a Shire, but cannot move on his own once dropped

off (given that he cannot be a Leader for movement).

His Block may not conduct a Battle Charge.

Historical Note:Henry VI was a terrible warrior; he himselwill never be in the actual battle even i his Block is. He willbe in his tent, contemplating.

During the Wintering Phase (27.4), Henry VIs Block must be

Attached (8.3.3) to a Noble that the Lancaster Player controls.

This may be a different Noble each Wintering Phase. If there

are no Lancaster-controlled Nobles, the Henry VI Block must

be kept in the Undeclared Pool.

If Henry VI is currently in an Exile Box, he may only be At-

tached to a Noble in thesame Exile Box, or to a Noble not in

Exile (which removes Henry VI from Exile, as well).

If Henry VI is Senior Heir when the Lancaster Player is voted

King (24.2.3), the Henry VI Block does notattach the King

Ofce Block and the Lancaster Player may notuse the Kings

once per Turn ability of utilizing another Ofces ability (10.5.1

& 24.2.3) (he still gains the bonus support, votes and IPs listed

on the King Card, however).


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If the Henry VI Block is eliminated in combat (i.e., reduced

below Retainer Strength) or his Host Noble suffers a combat

result of Killed on the Elimination Chart (20.6.1), Henry is

assumed to have been captured in his tent and executed by the

Victor. If this occurs, remove Henrys Card and Block from

the game.

Design Note:Yes, Henry VI is removed rom the game be-

oreany roll is made on the Elimination Chart or his Block,i either his Block is reduced below Retainer Strength as aresult o combat, or i his Host Noble is killed as a result oa roll on the Elimination Chart.

10.3.4 Margaret o Anjou LancasterWhile technically not an Heir, as the Queen can

never become King, the Margaret Block behaves

in many ways like any other Royal Heir Block.

The Queens Block does not count against Com-

mand Limits for Battle, and unlike Henry VI, also does not

count against Command Limits for Movement either.

Her Block cannot be a Leader for movement or combat (it has

no Command Rating).

Margaret can control a Shire if dropped off via Movement (16.1)

in a Shire, but cannot move on her own once dropped off (given

that she cannot be a Leader for movement).

Her Block may not conduct a Battle Charge.

Historical Note: Henry VIs implacable Queen, Margaret,was perhaps the strongest leader o the Lancastrian action(leading in her husbands name). She hersel will never be inbattle, even i the Block is.

If her Block enters any Exile Box, adjust her Combat Strength

to its maximum amount (Margaret was very good at gainingsupport from abroad).

During the Wintering Phase (27.4), Margarets Block must be

Attached (8.3.3) to a Noble that the Lancaster Player controls

with a Rank of two (2) or higher. This may be a different Noble

each Wintering Phase. If there are no Lancaster-controlled

Nobles, the Queens Block must be kept in the Undeclared Pool.

If the Queens Block is currently in an Exile Box, she may only

be Attached to a Noble in thesame Exile Box or to a Noble not

in Exile (which removes Margaret from Exile, as well).

If the Queens Block is eliminated during combat, she will

return during the next Wintering Phase.

If both Henry VI and Prince Edward (the Lancaster Block) areOut of Play, the Queen goes into permanent exile in France.

Immediately remove the Margaret Card from the game and

place the Margaret Block Out of Play.

10.3.5 George o Clarence YorkClarence is a Royal Heir for the York Player, but

he has two unique qualities:

No Inuence can be played on his RoP Box

until his Heir Card is played (Turn 4 or after).

Inuence can be played on his RoP Box when he is an

Heir, but not after he becomes a Senior Heir (place the

Senior Heir counter on his RoP Box as a reminder).

As a reminder there is a box around his Royal Heir indicator

on his RoP Box, and on his Block label.

Clarence can be the target of the Treachery Surprise Card just

like any other Noble. However, if Clarence becomes the Senior

Heir while controlled by a non-York Player, see Heirs underEnemy Control (10.3.1).

Example: George o Clarence has been successully inuencedby Lancaster and is currently at ull strength controlling Sussexor the Lancaster Player. Te York Playerhaving no activeHeirsplays the Clarence Heir Card (becoming the Senior

York Heir). Clarence immediately becomes controlled by theYork Player, who picks him up and decides to places him inChester at his current Combat Strength. Had Clarence beenUnavailable at this time, he would have been placed only athis Retainer Strength.

10.4 Operations CardsOperations Cards are the

Cards that make up the

draw deck and will be dealt

to all Players. Each Card

has a type specied at the

top: Event, Mandatory,

Ally, or Surprise. The Card

type determines how and

when it can be played.

All Operations Cards (ex-

cept Affairs of State) have

an OPS Value listed in theupper left corner, which is

used to determine Player

order during the Opera-

tions Phase (13.2). In ad-

dition, with a caveat for Mandatory Cards (14.1), this value

is also the number of OPS Points a Player may use when he

chooses to use the Card for Operations (15.0), instead of for the

Event (14.0). The text below the picture on each Card is gener-

ally referred to as the Event text, and Players can choose to

implement the effects of this text instead ofusing the Card for

its OPS Points when they play the Card (exception: Mandatory

Cards must always be played as an Event, but the Player then

utilizes the OPS after implementing the Event).

To repeat, for non-Mandatory Cards, a Player must choose

whether to implement the Event textoruse the Card for

OPS Points. He cannotdo both.

After most Operations Cards are played from a hand, or an Ally

Card has its discard ability implemented (14.2.2), the Card is

discarded, i.e., placed face up on top of the discard pile next

to the draw deck. Some Operations Cards have a persistent


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game effect (e.g., Manpower Shortage), in which case leave

the Operations Card face-up where all Players can see it until

its game effect ends; at which point discard the card as above.

Example of an Operations Card

with persistent game effects.

Operations Cards with

persistent game effects are

denoted by having a rect-

angular color-coded bar

under the Card type and red

text at the bottom indicat-

ing when the Card effects

end.

Example: In a two player game, York plays frst and plays aRoyal Heir Card, placing the corresponding Block on the mapand the Royal Heir Card in ront o him. Lancaster goes secondand plays Manpower Shortage or the Event. Te Event islet ace-up on the table or the remainder o the OperationsPhase, as noted on the Card. Had Lancaster played it or OPS,it would have simply been discarded as normal.

10.4.1 Event CardsEvents give Players a special ability, or create a game effect,

as noted on the Card. Some bring new Blocks into play, oth-

ers allow a Player to bend or break the standard game rules.Text on Cards always supersedes these game rules. See Action

Steps (13.2) for details on how Event Cards are played during

the Game Turn.

10.4.2 Mandatory Cards

Mandatory Event Card

Mandatory Event Cards

have a black background

behind the Card type. A

Mandatory Event Card

must be played during the

current Turn. It may not be

voluntarily held for a fu-

ture Turn. The choice ofwhen to play it is at the

discretion of the Player

holding the Card, but it

must be one of the Cards

that are played that Turn.

However, if the Player is

prevented from playing it

on the current Turn due to

the Turn ending early from

a game Event, he must hold it until next Turn; even if not oth-

erwise allowed to hold Cards. In this case it will count as a

Held Card (12.2).

Note: A Player loses Popular Support for each Held Manda-

tory Card (28.3.2)!

Mandatory Event Cards cannot be used solely for OPS and can

never be voluntarily discarded. See Action Steps (13.2) for de-

tails on how Mandatory Cards are played during the Game Turn.

10.4.3 Ally Cards

Ally Card

Ally Cards have a green

persistent rectangle behind

their Card type, as all Ally

Cards are persistent Cards.

Like Event Cards, Ally

Cards can be played for

their Event text orfor their

OPS Value. They represent

inuential individuals who

can provide support to a

Player House. See ActionSteps (13.2) for details on

how Ally Cards are played

during the Game Turn.

10.4.4 Surprise Cards

Surprise Card

Surprise Cards have a red

background behind their

Card type. These Cards can

be played at any time dur-ing an Operations Phase

(unless the Card text says

otherwise) to implement

their Event text, even dur-

ing another Players Turn.

When played this way, they

do not count as a Card

pla yed for an Imp uls e

(13.1).

Once the Surprise Event

has been resolved, the

Player draws a replacementCard from the draw deck.

If the draw deck has been

depleted, shufe the discard pile to create a new draw deck and

then draw the replacement Card.

Alternatively, Surprise Cards may be played as a Command

Card for OPS during the Operations Phase. When played in

this latter way, a replacement Card is notdrawn.


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Example:At the start o the Operations Phase, York playsSecret Plots to take control o one o Lancasters Allies. Tisdoes not count as Yorks Card play, so they draw a replacementCard and select a new Card to play or their Operation Phaseplaywhich could be the newly drawn Card, or another onerom their hand.

10.5 Parliament Cards & Oces

Ofce

Heraldry

Title of

Ofce

Ofce

Ranking

Listing of

Special

Abilities

Bonuses to

Inuence

gained, Votes

for King,

and Popular

Support

Ofcesrepresented by Parliament (or Ofce) Cards and

Blocksare awarded to Nobles in the Parliament Phases (24.0

& 26.0). Each Ofce Card lists one or more special abilities

(and their restrictions) usable during the Operations Phase by

the Player controlling the Noble that holds the Ofce (the Card

will say you may do such-and-such). That Player may use

the ability at any time during the Operations Phase, subject to

the restrictions listed on the Card.

Note: The terms Parliament Card and Ofce Card are syn-

onymous and are used interchangeably throughout these rules.

Some Cards may also give special abilities to the Noble Block

which holds the Ofce (the Card will say he gets such-and-

such ability or bonus). For example, the Noble that holds the

Lord Captain Ofce does not lose any troop strength when inExile in France (7.3.3). For abilities that may only be used

once per Game Turn, when the ability is used we recommend

either rotating the Parliament Card 90 degrees, or turning it

upside down as a reminder that it cannot be used again until

next Game Turn. Note that even when so turned, the Parliament

Card still provides all the additional benets associated with

the Ofce Card.

Note:The special abilities granted by the Parliament Card are

available to the Noble Block holding the Ofce, even if the Of-

ce Block has been eliminated. It is the Parliament Card which

conveys the special abilities, not the Block itself(exception:

the King Block grants the +1 Command Rating (10.5.1); which,

if eliminated, is no longer gained by the current King).

Players receive certain bonuses, specied on the Ofce Card

when a Noble they control gains the Ofce. However, should

the Noble be eliminated, the Player returns the Ofce Card

and marker to the Unclaimed Pool and immediately loses any

benets of the Ofce. This also applies should another Player

gain control of the Noble, or gains control of the Ofce for one

of their Nobles. The other Player immediately gains the Ofce

Card and its bonuses.

All Parliament Cards provide a bonus to Inuence gained dur-

ing the Inuence Phase, votes for choosing King and Support

Track adjustments (remember to adjust the track back down

when a Player loses the Card for any reason). Inuence and

vote gains are handled in the King Phase (24.0) and after, in

the Ofce Phase (26.0). As noted above, Player Support is ad-

justed upwards when they gain the Ofce Card and downward

when they lose it.

Each Ofce provides an additional Block to be placed into

play by the owning Player. It must be Attached to the Noble

who holds the corresponding Ofce (8.3.3) and may never be

voluntarily detached from the Noble for movement (it may

detach for combat; see 20.4.3).

Ofce Blocks always count against Command Limits for both

combat and movement.

10.5.1 His Majesty the King o EnglandDuring the Parliament Phase (24.0) of each Turn,

one Senior Heir is chosen to be King for the next

Turn. The Kings Office and its controlling

Player are then entitled to certain privileges andhave certain responsibilities. In addition, the

Kings Ofce Block conveys an increase of +1 to the Host

Nobles Command Rating as long as the Kings Ofce Block

is attached (or participating in the same Combat Round) as the

current King. Note that Henry VI does not attach the Kings

Ofce Block if he is King (10.3.3).

The King Ofce (or Henry VI if King):

May use Crown Estates as Home Estates (7.2.4).

Responds to Embassy Events (14.1.1).

Cannot be subject to a Writ (see below).

Is always the highest Ranking Noble/Heir (27.3).The Player controlling the King Ofce (or Henry VI if King):

Gains a Support Bonus of three (3).

Can use Writs (see below) against a Planned Uprising.

Gains a bonus Card Draw during the Draw Phase (12.3).

May assign troops raised in a Mustering action (18.0) to

any Block in England, regardless of location.

Shufes and ips the Ofce Cards during the Parliament

Phase (26.0).

Decides all tie breakers (see below).

If the King is held by any Noble other than Henry VI, theKing may:

Attach the King Block to the Noble holding the King

Ofce.

Gain a +1 to his Command Rating (as long as the King

Block remains Attached).

Once per Game Turn (for each ability), use the other Of-

cers once per Turn abilities, as listed on the back of

the Kings Ofce Card.


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Writ: Similar to a Surprise Card (i.e., can be played at any

time) any three (3) Value OPS Card may be discarded to select

a valid In-Play Noble (Friendly or Enemy) as a substitute

for a Friendly Noble or Ofce that couldbe the Responding

Noble to a Planned Uprising or Raid Event (14.2.1). In addi-

tion, the King may use a Writ to send a valid In-Play Noble

(Friendly or Enemy) as a substitute for the King in response

to an Embassy Event (14.1.1). The Uprising/Raid or Embassy

Event is then resolved with the substitute as the Responding

Noble or King, respectively.

Only a Player who controls the King, an Ofcer of Parlia -

ment, or Queen Margaret (when in England) may perform a

Writ. The Player does notdraw a replacement for the Card

used for the Writ.

If multiple Players want to play a Writ in response to an

Event Card, use the tie break rule (see below) to determine

who may play it.

An In-Play Block cannot be subject to a Writ more than once

in response to an Event Card and none of the follow may be

subject to a Writ: An In-Play Heir

A Block in a Contested Shire

The current King

Blocks in Exile in a Foreign Nation

Prince Edward (i.e., the Lancaster Block) by anyone

other than the Lancaster Player

Henry VI or Queen Margaret and their Host Block(s)

by anyone other than the Lancaster Player

All other Noble Blocks are valid targets of a Writ and must

respond if selected.

Tie Breaker: In most cases during the game when a situation

requires a tie-break to be decided (e.g., Impulse Order, Voting

for Ofces, etc.) it is the Player controlling the King Ofce

Card who makes the decision. In the case where there is no

King (perhaps the King was eliminated in combat), the Player

controlling the next-highest Ranking Ofcer (27.3) decides

the tie break, i.e., Chancellor if no King, then Treasurer, and

so on. In the rare case no Ofces are held, the Player with

the highest IPs gained during the previous Inuence Phase

(23.0) decides ties. If multiple Players have the highest IPs

gained, roll a die to determine the Player who will be the

tie-breaker. If the tie-breaking Player is established by IP

Value (including die roll), then that Player will continue to

decide tie breaks as needed until the end of the current Turn.

10.5.2 Te Lord Chancellor o EnglandOnce per Turn, during one of his Impulses his

controller may exchange one IP stack in Parlia-

ment with another without examining their

values (the stacks need not have the same num-

ber of IP Markers in them). This does not cost

any OPS and can be done even if the Command Card (13.1) is

played as an Event (14.0). If there is no King, The Lord Chan-

cellor decides how ties are broken and gets a bonus of +5 votes

instead of his normal +3.

10.5.3 Te Lord reasurer o the ExchequerOnce per Turn, when his controller uses all the

OPS of a Card for Political Inuence actions

(19.0), that Player may Inuence one additional

Noble (so playing a 1 OPS Card for a PoliticalInuence action would allow the inuencing of

two (2) Nobles using this ability).

10.5.4 Te Lord Earl Marshal o EnglandOnce per Turn his controller may force one

Noble (Friendly or Enemy) [exception: not

Margaret or Henry VI] and any attached Ofce(s)

to re-roll alltheir Combat Round dice. If he is

the Leader during an Engagement (20.4.1), his

controller always forms his Main Force and conduct Replace-

ments after the Enemy has done so, even if he is the defender.

10.5.5 Te Lord High Admiral o EnglandOnce per Turn his controller may use two (2)

OPS Points to use Sea Movement (17.0) with

him as the Leader. Pirate Raids (14.2.1) roll only

one die when he is the Responding Noble.

10.5.6 Te Lord Captain o Calais and the PaleFrench Raids (14.2.1) roll only two dice when

he is the Responding Noble. Neither he, nor

Blocks that he leads, lose any steps when moving

to the France Exile Box (7.3.3).

10.5.7 Te Lord Lieutenant o Ireland and the PaleNeither he, nor Blocks that he leads, lose any

steps when moving to the Ireland Exile Box

(7.3.3).

10.5.8 Te Lord Warden o the North MarchesScots Raids (14.2.1) roll only one die when he

is the Responding Noble. Neither he, nor Blocks

that he leads, lose any steps when moving to the

Scotland Exile Box (7.3.2).

10.6 Player Aid CardsAlso included in the game are two identical Player Aid Cards

(PACs) and four Player Aid House Mats. The PACs contain

various charts and rule references for ease of reference. The

House Mats provide each Player a detailed map showing

Home Estates for each Heir Block, a location to place their

Senior and Junior Heirs, their Stock and Unclaimed IP Pools,

their Undeclared Pool and a location to place held Ofces and

available Ally Cards.


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11.0 Outline o Sequence o Play

Each Turn of the game has the following Phases, which must

be completed in the order listed:

Draw Phase (12.0): Players draw Operations

Cards to ll their hands.

Operations Phase (13.0): Players execute

events, place Inuence, muster troops, move,

and conduct battles.

Inuence Phase (23.0): Players collect IP Mark-

ers, the currency used in gathering the support

of Nobles.

King Phase (24.0): Players add newly controlled

Nobles to their House, calculate votes, and vote

for King.

Victory Check Phase (25.0): Check for victory

and crown one player winner!

Ofce Phase (26.0): Players bid to gain Ofces.

Wintering Phase (27.0): Players place their

Nobles on the map.

Clean-Up Phase (28.0):Remove markers, dis-

card extra Cards, Unavailable Blocks become

Inactive, etc. and advance the Turn marker.

After completing a full Turn, the Turn marker is

advanced by one and the next Turn is played as

above, until the last Game Turn of the the chosen

scenario is reached.

12.0 Draw PhaseEach Player draws a number of Operations Cards equal to the

Base Hand Size less the number of Held Cards (12.2) from the

previous Turn, if any, plus any Bonus Draws (12.3) to which

they are eligible. House Cards are not included in the calcula-

tion of the number of Cards to draw.

Each Player, in descending Inuence Point order (ties broken

according to 10.5.1), draws all their Cards before the next

Player draws theirs. If the draw deck is depleted, the discard

pile is shufed and becomes the new draw deck, and Players

continue drawing their Cards.

12.1 Hand SizeThe Base Hand Size is ve (5) Operations Cards. The maxi -

mum Hand Size is nine (9) Operations Cards. If Players gain

more than four (4) Bonus Draws (12.3) in one turn, they only

draw four (4) extra Cards when lling out their Hand (the extra

Bonus Draws are lost).

12.2 Held CardsOperations Cards may be held in a Players hand from a prior

Turn due to Heir bonus abilities or by Card Events. Each Held

Card causes the Player to draw one Card less during the Draw

Phase.

12.3 Bonus Draws

A Player may gain bonus Cards based upon his current PopularSupport level (see Popular Support Track on the map).

In addition, a Player draws an extra Card for each of the fol-

lowing:

Control of London.

Control of Calais.

Control of the Ofce of King.

Control of the Warwick Block in two-player and three-

player games only.

12.4 House Cards

Remember, House Cards nevercount in determining the num-ber of Cards in a Players hand, and therefore do not affect the

number of Operations Cards drawn at the start of a Turn.

13.0 Operations Phase

Once Players have drawn their Cards, play moves to the Op-

erations Phase where each Player will have an opportunity to

execute their plans for victory.

The Operations Phase is composed of multiple Impulses, played

one after another. Each Impulse is composed of a Command

(Card-play) Step and one or more Action Steps for each Player,

followed by a Combat step for all Contested Shires.

At the start of the Operations Phase, determine

the number of Impulses for the Turn by counting

the number of non-House Cards in each Players

hand. The smallest number is the number of

Impulses this Turn. Place the Final Impulse

counter on the Impulse track at the appropriate number of

impulses determined above and place a small black cylinder

on Impulse track 1indicating the rst impulse to be re-

solved.

Example:Ater the Draw Phase in a two-player game, York

has six Operations Cards in his hand, but Lancaster only hasfve. Tere will be fve Impulses this urn, with each Impulsehaving two (2) Action Steps (or a total o 10 Actions Stepsin the entire Operations Phase). Te players place the FinalImpulse counter on the 5 space o the Impulse track andbegin thinking about their frst Command Card play.


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13.1 Command StepDuring the Command Step of every Impulse, each Player se-

lects one Card from his hand and places it face-down in front

of him. This can be a House Card or Operations Card, and is

the Players Command Card. Once all Players have selected

a Card, they are revealed simultaneously.

If a Player has only House Cards in his hand, he may choose

to pass instead of playing a Command Card (he must reveal hishand at this time to show that he has only House Cards remain-

ing). A Player may not pass if he has any non-House Cards in

his hand. A Player that passes do not conduct any Action Steps

that Turn. If a Player passes on one Impulse it does not prevent

him from playing a Card on a subsequent Impulse.

Design Note:Tis may occur when a Player uses his 3 OPSCards or Writs (10.5.1) or Pursuit/Retreat prevention(20.5.4), which may result in him having less Non-HouseCards than the originally determined number o Impulsesin the Operations Phase.

Players may generally choose any Card from their hand to play

with the following restrictions, in priority order:

If a Player has no In-Play Heir Blocks, see 13.3.

If a Player holds any Mandatory Cards, he must play to

guarantee that allheld Mandatory Cards will be played

in the current Operations Phase (exception:seeAffairs

cor rules low res final

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