My run for the Dice: Nobleman

Gogolski,

WOW... I guess I should be careful what I ask for.

It will take me a bit to read and think about your post before I can make a good reply so I just wanted to say thank you now and that I will reply soon.

You did more analyzing in a few minutes than I did in a few days. Thanks.

Cheese!

Gogolski, I finaly have time to respond.

Thanks. I think it has promise too.

I dont think you have this quite right. Upgrading to a palace gives the Queen's Favor and has nothing to do with turn order. More on this below.

I love this idea but it presumes that he earl is always in play. yesterday the titles were not in play until they were voted on. but this could change. Maybe there are exactly 1 of each title and each player always has a title.

I dont understand how having another Action phase creates a sub-game.

I will try and explain how it worked yesterday. During the Magistrate phase everyone is the magistrate once. Each time the magistrate marker moves the new magistrate starts an auction round and then ALL players take one action.

So the ratio is one chance to improve your estate then one action. When this is done once for each player the phase ends. is this what you thought?

=> Execute scandal cards for less scandal-beads (or less VP): [I will elaborate later about having to pay VP's to put a scandal-card in a family...]

=> Maybe one of the titles can not buy or play scandal-cards.

These are good ideas.

I like this part of your idea. I want them to do exactly that. To think about how much to donate.

I think it would feel bad to be able to get more powerful cards and then not be able to play them.

Also, you get extra votes, so you may not be the one that calls for a redistribution of the titles.

I love the idea of adding more votes as a function of palaces. Anytime I can add more detail for free I will probably take it.

I really like the direction you are going with the strength of the scandal cards. very powerful and very limited and or costly.

An earlier set of rules involved each player getting sort-of coupons that alloud him once per game to do things like start a scoring round, start an auction ect. I think I could go back to this for the scoring round. Each player gets a scoreing round coupon and can play it as an action.

Then, maybe, the last player to use their scoring coupon ends the game but I dont think I like it.

About voting:
Every round, only one player can call for a vote to change titles. If another player has chosen the same action in the same round, that player has one less action.
To vote:
=> Players first vote for "the baron" title. You take a number of your votes (zero up to all of your votes) and the name of one family (another family or your own) that gets these votes for "the baron". Players simultaniously reveal their votes. The player with the most votes is the baron. (I case of a tie, the player with less scandal-beads on his estates wins, in case of a tie, both players bid for being the baron. (In case nobody used a vote, the player with least scandal beads is the baron, etc...)
=> Players then vote for "the count" title. Same procedure, only you may have less votes if you casted votes for the baron-title. Also, one family can not be voted on, as they are the baron. In case of a tie, same procedure...
=> Players then vote for the duke (and thus automaticly for the earl too). Rince and repeat, you know the drill by now.
NOTE: You are voting, so it is obvious that you may bribe other families. You can call out that you will pay 5 pounds for every vote to be count that goes your way. You can pay ahead or after voting and of course, players have the option to skip their part of the deal, and make an enemy...

I have to think more about the extra action phase. Not sure what it buys. I do like the bidding for titles. Maybe this is part of SET-UP to determine the intial state of the Titles. This way there is always a Earl and therefore always someone that controls the flow.

And I love the bribing idea. It was not obvious enough for me!

Thanks again for your help. You have already spawned good disscussions between Mark and I at lunch.

Cheese!

In the early forms of the game there was no church. The game needed more than just playing tiles and I knew that the church had great influence in the setting and therefore it should play some part in the game.

Thanks for your input.

- Dwight

I have play tested myself a bit and with Mark. So here is another update.

The game is playing much better now. It was actualy fun. Somethings were not perfect but we have made some adjustments for next time.

The game played long but we were playing two families each and doing alot of talking about the rules. I will worry more about that later.

Here are Highlights of changes some of which are not played yet:

- The biggest improvement was that I removed buying churches from the Influence-over-the-Church equation. Now it is simpler and better. The player(s) that have donated the lowest do not have influence. All the rest do. This worked pretty well in the four player game. It creates interesting stretigic choices of when to donate and how much.

- Plantations (which was Nando's term) are four farms that make a square. If you place four farms in a square you create a plantation. Each farm now gives 1 pound but a plantation gives 5.

- The set-up changed a bit for the better. Everyone gets two of each tile and 3 random ones. So all start from a fairly even playfield. Then they build their estates anyway they want.

- Voting changed. I made vote cards that are given out and spent when you want to vote. Also you only purpose what title you will be instead of for all players.

- I lowered some of the pound values. You get less and you pay less.

- The game plays fairly dry, which is good, but maybe its too dry so we are adding to the bidding round. If you buy a face-up tile you now also get a random face-down tile. This will allow you to have more tiles. So we added more tile spending rules.

- You can turn in 3 farms from behind your screen for 5 pounds.

- you can turn in 3 lakes from behind your screen for 1 vote card.

- You can turn in any three tiles from behind your screen to get any one of your choice.

If you want to know or discuss the reasoning for any of the above please let me know.

I have rewritten all the rules reflecting all the changes below. I am sure this time it will be the final draft :-P

Please let me know of any thoughts you may have. Thank you for your time.

- Dwight

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Nobleman
By Dwight Sullivan and Mark Galvez
With historical help from Anna Sullivan
Last updated: 2/12/05

Setting:
It’s the mid-sixteenth century England. You are the head of an old and noble family. Queen Elizabeth I is recently on the throne. The State is shaky at best and many powers throughout Europe, including you, believe that there are opportunities to be had.

Overview:
In this game you will grow your family’s empire, earn the queens favor, bear witness to scandalous behavior, donate to the church to gain influence, and push around your political weight, all in an effort to insure your family’s rightful place in history.

You will play the head of one of four families: Howard, Seymour, Dudley, and Grey. The winner is the player with best family name at the end of the game.

Contents:

1 - Church coffers board. The board has one area to donate to the church per family. It also is the starting place for the churches and shows the cost of each church. When the last church in each row is gone there is a scoring round.

120 - Land Tiles
• 28 Clearings. This is where players can put their castles, palaces, and churches.• 40 Forest. Forest help to fill out the estates giving the player victory points.
• 22 Lakes. Lakes give a player more votes.
• 30 Farms. Farms give the player money.

12 – Castles.
6 – Palaces.
12 – Churches.
12 – Sheep.

4 - Family shields: Howard, Seymour, Dudley, and Grey. These will conceal your family’s private holdings such as your pounds, victory points, scandal cards and land tiles. These shields have a summary of the game play and the actions you can do. It also has history of the family you are on the outside.

5 - Title signs; 1 Duke, 1 Marquess, 1 Earl, 1 Viscount, and 1 Baron. These hang on the shields and give extra abilities and or victory points.

1 - Queen’s crown. The player with this is the current player with the
Queens favor.

1 - Magistrate Marker. This will indicate whose turn it is currently.

100s - Pounds.

100s - Victory points. These represent your family name.

1 - Deck of 25 Scandal cards. These will have flavor text with tidbits of history of the time. (See glossary for details)

24 - Vote cards. These are worth one vote each and the player spends them to change titles.

24 - Red Scandal beads.

Set up:
Place the church coffers board in the center. Place the twelve churches on the spaces in the center of the board. 2 player game: Remove the 1st and every other church in each row. There will be 6 churches total. 3 player game: remove the 1st and 3rd church in each row. There will be 8 churches total.

Give each player a family screen of the family they are near on the coffers board. The screen is placed near you such that other players can not see behind it.

Give each player two of each type of land tile; clearing, forest, lake, and farm. They have to place one clearing in front of their screen and the rest behind it. Give all players one Castle to go on their clearing.

Mix all the tiles face down and give each player 3 tiles at random adding them to the tiles behind their screen.

From the random tiles turn 6 tiles face-up and place them near the coffers board. These will seed the 1st bidding round giving some insight to what tiles will be available. Place with these 1 sheep, 1 castle, 1 vote card, and the deck of scandal cards. This is all for the initial bidding round.

Each player will now build their initial estate. Choose one person to go first and in turn each player will choose one tile from behind their screen and add it to their estate. This continues until each player goes 5 times. The initial estate will be 6 tiles and 1 castle. If a player plays a lake they get a vote card right then.

Give the Magistrate Marker to the last player to place a tile. This is placed in front and near her screen.

Each player gets 10 pounds to start. They are placed behind the screen. Place the remaining pounds near the board. This forms the bank.

Put the Queens crown and every thing else near the bank.

Game Play Summary:
The game play happens in five phases that repeat:
1. Pounds - The Magistrate gets pounds (money).
2. Book-keeping - The Magistrate takes care of any special rules.
3. Bidding round - The Magistrate begins a round of purchasing items.
4. Action round - The Magistrate starts an action round.
5. Taxes - The Magistrate pays taxes then moves the Magistrate marker to the player on their left. If the last church was bought in a row there is a scoring round.

After the first scoring round remove all scandal beads. Then remove all monies from the coffers board.

Also all players count the number of their palaces and double it then add the number of their lakes. This is the total number of vote cards they should have now.

The game ends after the second scoring round. The player with the most Victory Points wins. If there is a tie the one with the most pounds breaks the tie.

PHASE ONE – Pounds
The Magistrate gets pounds for each castle, sheep, plantation, or farm. He gets 2 for each castle, 3 for each sheep, 5 for each plantation, and 1 for each farm that is not part of a plantation.

Plantations are four farms in a square.

Plantation

PHASE TWO – Book- Keeping
In this phase the new Magistrate takes care of any needed details:
• If you have the Queens Favor you get two victory points.
• If there is a Cathedral in play you can play land tiles on it.
• If you have influence over the church you may take one pound from each blackmail card in play that has money on it. You can not take money from a blackmail card played against you.
• If you have a blackmail card played against you, you have to pay 2 pounds on it.

PHASE THREE – Bidding round
The Magistrate places 6 new face-up tiles. The old tiles are placed in a discard pile. Then he places next to them 1 castle, 1 sheep, 1 vote card, and the deck of scandal cards. These are all the items to be auctioned.

During the bidding each player will get one chance to either buy an item or pass. The Magistrate selects one item and the starting price. He pays that price, takes the item, and immediately places it where it goes. The next player has to select a price that is at least one more pound for an item or pass. This continues until all players have taken an item or passed.

Any player at any time can exchange 3 farms from behind your screen for 5 pounds from the bank.

If you bought a Castle it goes on any clearing land tile you already have. Castles can not be placed next to or diagonal to another castle or palace.

If you bought a sheep you can place the sheep on any Plantation that doesn’t already have a sheep. You can have only one sheep per plantation.

If you bought a scandal card you can look at the top three cards and take one card. All remaining cards are put on the bottom of the scandal deck in any order. Only one scandal card can be bought per auction. Place a scandal bead on the deck to mark that it was used this round. Scandal cards can be concealed behind the players screen.

If you bought a vote card place it behind your screen.

If you bought a land tile (Clearing, Forest, Lake, or Farm) you can add it to your estate OR you can put it behind your screen. Then you get 1 random tile from the bank to put it behind your screen.

How to play a land tile:
When playing a land tile you have to place it squarely next to any other tile in your estate and you have to use the following 3 rules:
• Anytime you put a lake tile in play you immediately get a vote card.
• Lakes can not be placed next to or diagonal to another lake.
• Farms can not be placed next to or diagonal to a plantation.

Example:
You can not place a farm in A, or D
You can not place a Lake in C, D, or E
You can not place a Castle or church in B

PHASE FOUR – Action round
During the action round ALL players in turn starting with the Magistrate take ONE action. If you have influence over the church you get additional choices of actions. Here are the actions you can do with or with out influence over the church:
• Upgrade a Castle to a Palace and get the queens favor for three pounds.
• Buy a church.
• Donate money to the church.
• Buy a random tile for two pounds.
• Play a Tile from behind your screen.
• Trade any three tiles for any one tile from the bank.
• Take three pounds from the bank.

Additional action choices for players with Influence over the church:
• Buy 2 random tiles for four pounds.
• Play 2 tiles from behind your screen.
• Buy 1 victory point for 5 pounds.
• Play a scandal card. Leaving a red scandal bead near a Castle or Palace.
• Call for a vote to change your title.

Upgrade Castle to a Palace:
A player can spend 3 pounds and replace a castle with a Palace if there are Palaces left. The castle returns to the bank to be bought in an auction. You instantly receive the Queens Crown showing you have the Queen’s Favor. You also get two vote cards. Any scandal beads that were on the tile are removed.

Buy a Church:
You take the next church in order top row first then second row, pay in pounds the amount under the church to the bank, and place the church on any open clearing of your estate.

Buy a random tile:
You can buy a random land tile and then store it behind your screen. You can buy two tiles if you have Influence over the church. Tiles cost 2 pounds each.

Play a tile from behind your screen:
You can play a tile from behind your screen. You can play 2 tiles if you have influence over the church.

Take three pounds from the bank:
You can take three pounds from the bank.

Trade any three tiles for any one tile:
You can take any three tiles from behind your screen place them in the discard pile then search for and take the tile you want from the current discards or from the random tiles if needed and put it behind your screen.

Donate money to the church:
You can put as much money as you want into the coffers that has your family name. You add money to get influence over the church and to remove influence from others.

The player(s) with the lowest amount donated to the church do not have influence. All others do have Influence over the church.

These actions can only be taken by a player with Influence over the church:
Buy a Victory Point for 5 pounds:
You can buy 1 victory point for 5 pounds.

Play a scandal card:
You can play a scandal card that requires playing during your action. Any time you play a scandal card you have to put a scandal bead near one of your Manors. You can only play a scandal card if you have a manor without a bead. All scandal cards are removed from the game after they are used.

Call for a vote:
You can call for a vote to change your title.

To change titles you decide which new title you want to be and declare it to others. This may mean you are taking one from another player. Then you place one vote out near the board. All players can now vote for or against your change when ever they want and as much as they want. If the votes “for” the change are equal to or greater than the “against” then the title change happens.

There are five titles; Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron:
• The Duke +5 Victory Points during scoring round.
• The Marquess Take 2 actions when you are the Magistrate. +3 Victory Points during scoring round.
• The Earl Pay one less during bidding round when buying an item. +2 Victory Point during scoring round.
• The Viscount Play scandal cards without playing a scandal bead. +1 Victory Point during scoring round.
• The Baron Plus 3 pounds per plantation.

You can get vote-cards during a vote from other places too:
• You can add scandal cards to either “for” or “Against” pile for 1 vote each.
• You can discard 3 lakes from behind your shield for one vote card.
• You can discard the Queens favor for 2 vote cards.

Remember any player at any time can exchange 3 farms from behind your screen for 5 pounds from the bank.

PHASE FIVE – Taxes
The Magistrate pays taxes to the bank. You have to pay 1 pound for each Palace and 1 pound for each lake.

You have to pay taxes from monies you have behind the screen. If you do not have enough then you can use any other objects you have behind your screen one for one pound each to pay the taxes. If you have nothing behind your screen then you don’t have to pay the remainder of your taxes.

If the last church of the first row was purchased during this Magistrate then all players do a scoring round. If the very last church was bought during this Magistrate then all players do a scoring round and the game ends.

Scoring Round:
During a scoring round you can take up to 3 tiles from behind your screen and add it to your estates. Then you can do your Ring Scoring. Then remove all your scandal beads from your estate forfeiting one Victory Point per bead.

Ring scoring:
You score each castle or palace one at a time. A ring is a complete set of tiles surrounding the castle or palace that makes a square and doesn’t contain another castle or palace.

The first ring equals 2 VP plus 1 VP per church in the ring. The second ring is worth 4 VPs plus 1 VP per church. The third ring is worth 6 VPs plus 1 VP per church and so on.

Note - a church can score for more than one Castle or Palace.

You stop scoring rings when you run out of complete rings or you come to another castle or palace.

Add up all the scores for each manor and this is your total Ring score. Take victory points from the bank equal to your ring score and add it to your other victory points.

Game End
Each player does a scoring round then adds up all their victory points. Add to it any Victory points you may have from scandal cards. This is your total victory points. The winner is the player with the most victory points.

Ties are broken by the player with the most pounds.

Glossary:
Influence over the church –
The player(s) with the lowest amount currently donated to the church do not have influence. All others do have Influence over the church. You can add money to your coffers during an action round with the donating money to the church action.

Example: Bob has 5 pounds in his coffers, Mary has 3, Sam has 3, and Drake has zero. Everyone but Drake would have influence. On his turn Drake adds 6 pounds to his coffers. Now Mary and Sam are tied for the lowest and would no longer have influence. Drake and Bob would have influence.

If you have Influence over the church you can take extra actions that you can’t take without it. They are:
• Buy 2 random tiles for four pounds
• Play 2 tiles from behind your screen.
• Buy 1 victory point for 5 pounds.
• Play a scandal card. Leaving a red scandal bead near a Castle or Palace.
• Call for a vote to have to change the titles.

Queen’s Favor –
You have the queen’s favor if you have the crown next to your screen. The Crown begins the game in center and no one has it. You get the crown when you upgrade a castle to a palace. You can also get the Queen’s Favor when from a scandal card. Only player can have the Queen’s Favor at a time.

If you have the Queen’s Favor you receive one victory point each time you are you are the Magistrate. You also get one extra vote.

Scandal Cards –
These are 25 scandal cards:
• 3 – BLACKMAIL – The card is played against another player. Each time that player is Magistrate they have to pay 2 pounds to the card. The card goes away during a scoring round. If any other player has Influence over the church they can collect 1 pound from the card each time they are Magistrate.
• 4 – TREACHERY – The player gives 1 scandal bead to another player and not one to himself. Place the bead on an empty Castle or Palace.
• 3 – AUDIENCE WITH THE QUEEN – Take the Queen’s favor Crown and place it next to your screen.
• 6 – ADULTERY – Cards that give Victory Points at the end of the game.
• 4 – NO NAME 3 – Cards that give victory points when played. You can play the card anytime you want as an action.
o If you have the most lakes collect 1 Victory Point per lake.
o If you have the most plantations collect 1 Victory Point per 2 farm groups rounded down.
• 3 – WAR with SPAIN, SCOTLAND, or FRANCE – A War cards replace War cards that are in play. While a War card is in play each player has to put a victory point on it each time they want to do certain actions. When the war card has 3 Victory points on it, it will go away. The three actions are: ‘Play a scandal card’, ‘Call for a vote’, and ‘Upgrade castle to palace’.
• 2 – CATHEDRAL – This card goes into play near the board. Put 2 random land tiles on it from the bank. The player of the card gets 1 victory point. Players can play up to 2 land tiles when they are the Magistrate during Book-keeping. When there are 10 Land tiles on the card the Cathedral is finished and returns to the bottom of the deck. The last player to add tiles gets 3 victory points from the bank. Each player to that adds tiles gets 1 pound from the bank per land tile already on it each.

FAQ
Churches:
• A church can score for more than one castle or palace during a scoring round.
• Churches can not be placed next to or diagonal to another church.

Bidding round:
• When each new bidding round begins there should be 6 new land tiles. The old tiles are put in a discard pile and reshuffled if needed.
• Once purchased castles, and sheep have to immediately be placed. Scandal and vote cards should go behind your screen. Land tiles can placed right away or put behind the screen.

Castles:
• Castles can not be placed next to or diagonal to another castle.

Lakes:
• Anytime you play a lake you get a vote card. Even during set-up or scoring round.
• Lakes can not go next to or diagonal to another lake.

Farms:
• You can not place a farm next to or diagonally adjacent to a Plantation.
• Any player at any time can exchange 3 farms from behind your screen for 5 pounds from the bank.

Questions I have:
1. Palace needs to give more?
2. I still want there to be a Masquerade Ball in concept. Maybe I should change the name of “Call for a Vote” to “Masquerade Ball”? I plan on changing it to something anyone someone since there shouldn’t be “voting” in a feudal era game.
3. Should Taxes go away? The question really is should the game simulate only fun things like getting money and buying stuff or should it have down sides too?

Cutting room floor:
These are rules and ideas that are not in the game that once were or still might be:

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(this was an action)
Throw a Masquerade ball:
Each player puts zero or one land tile in their closed fist and holds it out until all players have done the same.
All players then reveal what they have in their hand. Players with zero tiles have opted not to play.
• If you are the only player to play you get 2 victory points from the bank and you can keep your land tile.
• If there is only one player to play a lake he gets all the land tiles played and 2 victory points.
• If no one played a lake then everyone that played gets 1 victory point and all the playied tiles go to the disguarded tiles.
If everyone played a lake then no one wins and all lake tiles are put with the discarded tiles.

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(This was a scandal Card)
• BANKRUPT – The player scandalized gives all their money to the bank.

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There could be a Title that elviates taxes.

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Maybe there should be 10 churches instead of 12.

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Side Note, This is my 100th Post. YAY! I really appreciate all those that work to make this site. Thank you. It is an excellent community and resource.