7. Governing a PR #

Each player governs a Player Realm, which is represented on the map by t and tokens, while the internal machinations of government, for the most part, are handled on the Player Mat.

7.1 Monarch Power (d) #

Monarch Power is one of your primary resources. There are three types of Monarch Power: Administrative Power (a), Diplomatic Power (b), and Military Power (c), each of which is used to perform different types of Actions.

Your Realm’s Total Skill Level for each type of Monarch Power is determined by adding the appropriate Ruler Skill to that of the matching Advisor (if any). In each Round, you will gain that much Monarch Power of the appropriate type. Certain Ideas may modify a Realm’s Skill Level.

You can store a maximum of 10d of each type of Monarch Power on your Player Mat; immediately discard any surplus.

7.2 Characters (Leaders & Advisors) #

All Action Cards, and many Events, depict a Character at the bottom. These are either Leaders or Advisors. Characters will serve your Realm for a while before they die or move on; Character mortality is determined by Events (p. 41).

Leaders (round portrait) #

Leaders can be Appointed as Rulers, Generals, or Admirals. At the beginning of the game, all PRs get a starting Ruler designated in the scenario setup instructions.

Historical Rulers #

Historical Rulers (identified by purple name banners) appear on certain Event Cards, and belong to the Realm that shares their flag (coat of arms). Historical Rulers normally replace the current Ruler in their Realm as soon as their card’s Event has been resolved.

Some historical Rulers have an H icon printed on their name banner, indicating that they start off with one Ill Health token.

Leaders as Rulers #

During an Interregnum, you may Appoint a Leader to rule your Realm; tuck its card underneath your Player Mat’s Ruler Slot. Rulers add their Skill values to their respective Realms’ Monarch Power incomes. Appointing a Leader as a Ruler costs nothing.

Rulers stay in their positions until they die, unless replaced by an Event.

Using the Appoint Advisor/Leader Minor Action, a Ruler may also be assigned, for free, to command an Army. In this case, place the Ruler General token on your Army Mat.

A Realm may never have more than 1 Ruler at a time.

Leaders as Generals and Admirals #

Generals and Admirals may be Appointed at a cost of 1 or 2c each (stated in the lower right corner of the card). They are collectively referred to as Military Leaders, and provide a number of additional dice in Battle as indicated on the right sides of their name banners.

A Military Leader must be tucked underneath an Army or Fleet Mat. They may be replaced, and a General moved to another Army (even one without any Units), using the Appoint Advisor/Leader Minor Action. Generals that are replaced without any available Army Mat to relocate to must be discarded.

Advisors (square portrait) #

There are three types of Advisors, one for each type of Monarch Power: Administrative, Diplomatic, and Military. You may only have 1 Advisor of each type in play at a time.

Advisors are found in their respective Action Card decks. An Advisor’s skill in its Monarch Power category is added to that of its Ruler to provide a Realm’s Total Skill Level of a given type.

Advisors have costs (indicated on the coin in the bottom right corner of their cards) that must be paid as soon as you appoint them, and again during the Income & Upkeep Phase of each Round.

If you cannot or do not want to pay the upkeep for an Advisor, it must be discarded.

The Deaths of Leaders and Advisors #

Every time a e symbol (see p. 41) on an Event Card is resolved, each Character in play with a matching icon next to its portrait receives an Ill Health token (H). When a Character receives their second H, they die. Military Leaders may also receive H (and die) in Battle.

Dead characters are discarded. With Military Leaders or Advisors this has no further consequences, except that you may no longer benefit from their bonuses.

Ruler Death – Interregnum #

When your Ruler dies (is discarded), you should try to replace them right away.

If the discarded Ruler was the Emperor of the HRE, see section 18.9, ‘Imperial Elections’ (p. 45).

Important: You may immediately replace a discarded Ruler by taking the Appoint Advisor/Leader Minor Action as a Reaction (if you have an Action Card with a Leader).

If you cannot (or choose not to) do this, your Realm enters an Interregnum – a regency council with a Skill of 1 in each Monarch Power field will rule until it is replaced. Indicate this state by placing the Interregnum token on your Ruler slot.

During an Interregnum, you may appoint a new Ruler by taking the Appoint Advisor/Leader Minor Action.

During an Interregnum you cannot enter into new Royal Marriages, and may not Declare War on anyone (except on Marriage partners experiencing a Disputed Succession, or by accepting a Defensive CtA).

A PR that has no Ruler at Phase 3, Step F, loses 1s, and any Marriage tokens (M) on this Realm will be flipped to the Disputed Succession (L) side.

7.3 Stability (s) #

Every PR has a Stability value, ranging from -3 to +3, and in most scenarios players will begin with a Stability of 0. A Realm’s Stability value gives a clear indication of that Realm’s ability to handle internal struggles like Unrest (u), but also how efficiently the current government will be able to pursue its goals. A Stability of 0 has no effect on your Realm.

When increasing your Stability (through an Action Card or a Basic Action), modify that Action’s cost according to your current Stability (e.g., to increase Stability from +2 to +3, using the Increase Stability Basic Action, you must pay (5 + 2 =) 7 a).

Positive Stability #

PRs with positive Stability receive benefits each Round. These are illustrated on the Stability track of each Player Mat.

• +1s or higher: Receive an additional 2D in Tax Income in Phase 4, Step B.
• +2s or higher: You may remove u from 1 of your Provinces in Phase 3, Step H.
• +3s: Receive a bonus of any 2d of your choice in Phase 4, Step D.

Negative Stability #

PRs with negative Stability suffer penalties each Round. These are illustrated on the Stability track of each Player Mat.

• -1s or lower: Receive 2D fewer in Tax Income in Phase 4, Step B.
• -2s or lower: Add u to 1 of your Provinces in Phase 3, Step H.
• -3s: Receive 1d fewer (of your choice) in Phase 4, Step D.
• A negative Stability may also trigger a number of negative Event effects.

Stability Beyond +3 or -3 #

It is not possible to go above +3s, or below -3s.

• If you gain Stability when at +3s, you instead gain 2a per step.
• If you lose Stability when at -3s, you instead lose 2a per step. If do not have enough a to lose, you must lose 1d of another type for each missing a. If you have no d at all, ignore this penalty

7.4 Economy #

Ducats (D) #

All monetary costs and gains in the game are measured in a currency called Ducats. There are three denominations of Ducat coins in the game: 1-Ducat coins, 5-Ducat coins, and 10-Ducat coins.

Ducats are not meant to be limited by component availability, so on the rare occasion that you run out of coins, make a note of any additional funds in your Treasury. Players should exchange large stacks of 1-Ducat coins for 5- or 10-Ducat coins when possible, to make sure that change is always available in the General Supply.

Tax Income and Upkeep Costs #

Tax Income and Upkeep Costs are calculated simultaneously, by adding together all income sources and deducting all costs, as listed under Phase 4, Step B (p. 10).

Unpaid Upkeep Costs #

Advisors must be paid before they provide their Monarch Power bonuses (the cost is indicated in the lower right corner of an Advisor’s card). Unpaid Advisors leave immediately, without providing bonuses.

Disband unpaid Land Units and return them to Available m or the Supply.

Ships that have not been returned to Friendly Ports when you cannot cover the cost of keeping them at Sea are disbanded.

If you cannot cover the Interest on your Loans, you must either take another Loan (if able) or go Bankrupt.

Loans and Interest (,) #

A player can take a Loan as a Minor Action, or they may be forced to do so in order to cover their expenses.

When a player takes a Loan, they take 5D from the Supply and add an , to their Treasury – these tokens indicate how much Interest that player must pay each Round. This is a mandatory Cost. A player who has 5 or more , in their Treasury is not allowed to take another Loan.

A Loan can be repaid as a Minor Action, at a cost of 6D. When a player repays a Loan, they also remove an , from their Treasury. Money earned for passing can be used to repay Loans during the Turn when the player passes.

Bankruptcy #

If a PR has 5 or more , in their Treasury and cannot pay a mandatory Cost (such as Interest on Loans, Rebel Die results, etc.), that Realm immediately goes Bankrupt (remember that paying for Advisors and Military Units is not mandatory).

A Bankrupt Player Realm:

• loses 3s
• loses 5
• discards all D and 3, from their Treasury
• disbands all Mercenaries
• fires all Advisors
• loses half of their d of each type (max. 3d of a single type).

7.5 Towns (t) #

The t represent the geographical extent of your Realm on the map board, and are also your main source of Tax Income and Manpower, as indicated on the Town Track.

As your Realm grows, you will take t from the Town Track on your Player Mat and place them on Provinces on the map board. t are always taken from their lowest-numbered slots (from left to right), and as you do this you uncover slots on the track, with higher levels of income and Manpower.

Each Small t provides Tax Income of 1D, and each Large t provides an income of 2D. Every v provides ½D.

If you run out of Large t, you may instead put 2 Small t on a Large Province. If all 20 of your Small t on the Player Mat have been placed on the map board, take a +20D Income tile and place the remaining 20 t from your Supply onto your Player Mat’s Town Track. The +20D Income tile must be returned to the Supply if you later fall below 20 Small t again. If you run out of all 40 Small t, place a v instead of a t whenever a new Small t is required.

7.6 Core Provinces #

All Provinces on the map board that have a Realm’s flag on it are considered Core Provinces (Cores) of that Realm. This applies no matter who currently Owns that Province, but is superceded by any æ on the Province or F placed in its Area (see below).

A Province which is a Core Province of its Owner cannot be Liberated (see p. 37) to form or join another Realm. Any Rebellion assigned to a Province which is not its Owner’s Core Province, will cause it to join the Realm whose Core Province it is.

Core tokens (F) #

To place a F, a PR needs to Own all the Provinces in the target Area and use the Integrate Area Action on a Development card. Doing so displaces any æ or other F that are already in the same Area. A F cannot be placed in an Area where all Provinces are already the PR’s Core Provinces. Sometimes F may be placed via a Mission reward.

All Provinces in an Area where a PR has placed a F are considered Core Provinces of that PR (and no other Realm).

Each F in play counts as a G in its Area, and is worth 1 during Final Scoring.