Among Nobles Rulebook

Rule bookEstablish the most powerful and prestigious

family dynasty through marriage alliances, warfare and intrigue in feudal Europe

2

Game overview Among Nobles is a card game where players establish and expand a family dynasty in feudal Europe.

Players control some of the most iconic and influential figures in European history. Using their unique abilities cunningly is crucial in the fierce competition between the leading noble houses. The game is won and lost in the intricate interaction between war, strategic marriages and influence at court. Each player starts with a lord and his lady and will bring generations of their family to life through birth and marriage. As the game progresses, more powerful nobles come into play. Three generational changes occur in which the oldest generation perishes due to old age.

Players advance their influence in the game by waging war, earning gold and expanding their family. Gold is used to buy extra actions, pay for wedding feasts, muster armies and pay for the education and finer upbringing of male heirs. Armies are used to wage war, bringing riches and prestige back from distant provinces. Prestige points are a measure of your influence on society. The player with the most prestige points at the end wins the game.

Players take turns activating one of their characters or couples. An activation lets you pick a series of actions in a horizonal row on the character. As a wife’s actions are added to her husband’s, activating couples can be more effective than activating single characters. Most daughters get married off to other families, while the sons con-tinue your family’s bloodline. Games can be won and lost because of the right or wrong marriages.

Game components• 1 rule book.

• 60 character cards: · 6 ancestral ladies, · 6 ancestral lords, · 16 age I characters, · 16 age II characters, · 16 age III characters.

• 9 province cards.

• 5 game overviews.

• 1 first player card.

• 45 gold pieces.

• Prestige point tokens: · 50 of 1 prestige points, · 50 of 5 prestige points.

• Player tokens in each of the 5 player colours (black, white, orange, purple, grey): · 3 action tokens (disks) , · 10 army tokens (cubes).

There is no limit on gold pieces, prestige point tokens and army tokens. In case you run out of any of these tokens, use any substitute you like; always assume that these tokens have unlimited availability.

While the the amount of gold and armies in each player’s supply is open information, players should keep their prestige point tokens face down to conceal the exact amount.

1 51 %

5%

BCMarried to Alfonso de Aragón, rival to Charlemagne.

Cyntia de Aragón

“I look upon the castle up here on the hill and wonder who’s

the queen for whom we all kill.”

Remember, you

begin the game

with 1 gold and 2 armies.

Charlemagne

“Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do

what is right, we must know what is right.” - Charlemagne. I II IIIPay up to 3 gold.

Gain % for each

gold paid this way.

Christian IV af Danmark

“Piety strengthens the realms.” - Christian IV

May return any one of your spent action tokens to supply. It may be spent later

this turn.

Leonor de Toledo

“The highest of distinctions is service to others.” - George VI

Gain % every time

he moves an army into a province

containing at least

one opposing army.

Napoléon Bonaparte

“In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon.” -

Wellington, when asked about the greatest general of the

age.

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The character cardMale character cards have a brown background colour, while female character cards have a light background colour.

The colour in the upper and lower part of the character cards indicates the trait of the character. Traits are an indication of the strengths represented by that category of character cards, and the traits of a couple determine the possible traits of their children.

Red: Commander. Strong on warfare actions and the first (top) action series.Blue: Devout. Strong on piety actions and the second action series.Yellow: Tradesman. Strong on commerce actions and the third action series.Green: Negotiator. Strong on intrigue actions with special abilities and the fourth (bottom) action series.

The power symbols at the top of the rule box indicate one time benefits or permanent abilities:

Nobility. A permanent ability for this character.

Christening. A benefit to be claimed at the character’s birth.

Alliance. A benefit to be claimed when the character is claimed as a bride by an opponent.

Legacy. An inheritance to be claimed when the character dies of old age at a generational change.

Intrigue. Special rules for this character describes the effect of an intrigue action.

Return up to 2 armies to

their owner’s/owners’ supply.

Charlotte von Mecklenburg

Patroness of Fine Arts, and of Botany.

Name and portrait; no game effect

Flavour text; no game effect

Rule box power symbol and rule text

Armies, if any, are shown as shields

Background colour indi-cates gender

Action series with a marriage action, an intrigue action and a birth action

Action series with an intrigue action and a birth action

Action series with a commerce action, a female birth action and a hire action

Action series with a female birth action and a hire action

Action series with a piety action, a hire action, a female birth action and a second hire action

Action series with a female birth action and a hire action

Action series with two warfare actions and a male birth action

Action series with a warfare action and a male birth action

Top and bottom colour indicates the trait

The absence of an action box means that the action series has fewer actions





Gain % for each province

containing at least one of your armies.

Baudouin de Bourgogne

The last wish of a dying noble.

Note, that birth actions on an unmarried character are without effect

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Setup1. Place the province cards in 3 rows with 3 cards in each. In a 3 player game, however, first remove

Holland, Normandie and Wien (indicated by 4+ in the lower right corner) and place the remaining 6 province cards 2 by 3.

2. In a 3 player game, remove all the green character cards from the game.3. Shuffle the 3 decks (I, II & III) of character cards separately. Set decks II & III aside.4. Draw 7 character cards from deck I (5 cards in a 3 player game) and display them face up in a line next to

the deck. These are the characters on display and represent the potential children. 5. Place the prestige point tokens and gold pieces in bank piles next to the province cards and display line.6. Each player chooses a colour and takes all the army tokens of that colour and 3 action tokens (2 action

tokens in a 5 player game). The army tokens are in a general bank supply and not immediately available for your use; they need to be moved to your own personal supply first.

7. Each player receives a game overview card.8. Each player receives 1 gold and 2 armies from the bank. Place them in front of you; this is your supply.9. Determine the first player as described below.10. Distribute the ancestral lords and ladies as described below.11. Each player places the lady’s card under the lord’s card so that only the right-hand side shows (action

series are visible for both cards).

Determining first playerAll players present a closed fist. On the count of three all players show a number of fingers between zero and five. The first player is the player who presented the most fingers. If there is a tie, the first player is the player who presented the second-most fingers. If no first player could be determined because no player showed a unique number of fingers, start over. The first player receives the first player card.

Distributing ancestral lords and ladiesLay out the ancestral lord and ladies in married couples, as indicated on the ladies. Place rival couples together, thereby making 3 groups (as indicated by the designations A, B and C on the back of the cards). Each group has one character of each trait (colour). Each ancestral lord is rival to one other lord, this helps ensure the correct distribution of traits among the players from the start of the game.

The nine province cards

Married to Alfonso de Aragón, rival to Charlemagne.

Cyntia de Aragón

“I look upon the castle up here on the hill and wonder who’s the queen for whom we all kill.”

Remember, you begin the game with 1 gold and

2 armies.

Alfonso de Aragón

“Since Don Alfonso refused to die of his wounds, he was strangled in his bed.” - Burchard.

Married couples are displayed with the wife to the right and partly below the husband. Female characters have a light background colour, while male charcters have a darker back-ground.

Married to George, Earl of

Cumberland, rival to Christian.

Arianne of Cumberland

“I am a queen, and I demand to be treated like a queen.”

Remember, you

begin the game

with 1 gold and

2 armies.

George, Earl of Cumberland

Being the Champion of the Tournament for Queen

Elizabeth I, after she gave him her glove he forever

thereafter wore it displayed on his hat.

Married to Alfonso de Aragón, rival to Charlemagne.

Cyntia de Aragón

“I look upon the castle up here on the hill and wonder who’s the queen for whom we all kill.”

Remember, you

begin the game

with 1 gold and

2 armies.

Alfonso de Aragón

“Since Don Alfonso refused to die of his wounds, he was

strangled in his bed.” - Burchard.

Married to Christian af

Danmark, rival to George.

Benedicte af Danmark

“Behind every man there is a woman.”

Remember, you

begin the game

with 1 gold and

2 armies.

Christian af Danmark

“Behold, my son and heir is a gift from God and shall be

named Theodor!”

Married to Charlemagne,

rival to Alfonso.

Hildegard de France

“Men fight wars. Women win them.”

Remember, you

begin the game

with 1 gold and

2 armies.

Charlemagne

“Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do

what is right, we must know what is right.” - Charlemagne.

Married to Johann der Großmütige,

rival to Carlos.

Sigrid von Sachsen

“I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.”

Remember, you

begin the game

with 1 gold and

2 armies.

Johann der Großmütige

Urged the printing of the first complete edition of Martin

Luther’s works.

Married to Carlos de Austria, rival

to Johann.

Beatrice de Austria

“God forgive you, but I never can.”

Remember, you

begin the game

with 1 gold and

2 armies.

Carlos de Austria

Charles was one of the era’s most enigmatic characters due

to his strange and possibly unhealthy personality.

BA C

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3 player gameThe last player (seated to the right of the first player) chooses one of the three couples. (Since green cards are re-moved from the game, there are only 3 couples to choose from). The first player chooses freely from the remain-ing two couples. The last couple is given to the remaining player.

4 player gameThe last player (seated to the right of the first player) chooses one of the six couples and gives the rival couple to the player across (second in player order). The first player chooses one of the remaining four possible couples and gives the rival couple to the remaining player, the player who is third in player order. The remaining ances-tral couples are not used.

5 player gameThe last layer (seated to the right of the first player) chooses one of the six couples and gives the rival couple to the player who is third in player order. The first player chooses one of the remaining four couples and gives the rival couple to the player who is fourth in player order. The remaining player (seated to the left of the first play-er), picks any of the remaining two couples. The remaining ancestral couple is not used.

Example. Distributing ancestral lords and ladies in a five player game.

Asger is first player, after him come Bo, Camilla, Daniel and Emil. Emil as the last player has first choice and can freely choose from all six couples. Emil chooses the green-blue combination of “Christian af Danmark” and “Ben-edicte af Danmark” , one of the A couples. Camilla then receives the remaining A couple, the red-yellow combina-tion “George, Earl of Cumberland” and “Arianne of Cumberland“.

Now Asger gets to choose from one of the four B and C couples. He chooses the blue-red combination “Charle-magne” and “Hildegard de France” from the B couples. Daniel then receives the yellow-green combination “Alfonso de Aragón” and “Cyntia de Aragón”, the remaining B couple.

Bo can now choose either of the C couples. He chooses the red-green pairing“Johann der Großmütige“ and “Sigrid von Sachsen”.

Player tipsMoney is important, especially in the beginning of the game. Money allows you to have sons, muster armies from the supply and marry, and also gives you flexibility with the hire actions. Make sure you have some way of earning money, and if you have a money shortage, consider carefully how you spend your money.

Sons are important; they give access to more actions and can ensure future generations.

Marriage is important; it gives longer action series and ensures future generations. It is not advisible to rely sole-ly on the marriage action of the ancestral lord. Try to acquire a character card with a marriage action to ensure that future marriages are possible without the expensive solution of marrying through a hire action.

Marrying a bride with the same trait (colour) as the groom can be a strong strategy (since they are often strong in the same action series), but it can also backfire. Since any heir must be same colour, you’ll have fewer character cards to choose from in birth actions, so consider carefully before engaging in such a marriage.

Keep an eye on the traits (colours) of the couples of the player before you. If you have couples with the same traits, you will be competing for the same character cards on the display line. It can be a setback to sit after a play-er who has a couple with the same traits as you. Take this into consideration when taking marriage actions.

Things you might forget the first time you play• You only have one action in the very first activation phase.• Sons cost 1 gold when you acquire the card.• Immediately claim the armies that some newborns bring you.• Pay 1 gold when you use a military action to move an army from your supply to a province. • The player whose daughter is chosen as the bride in a marriage action gains 2 prestige points.• You can only have three generation rows in play at the same time.

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Game playThe game is played over three ages: I, II and III.

Each age consists of several rounds with two phases: an activation phase with 3 actions per player followed by an upkeep phase. Each age lasts until the current deck of cards runs out. When the last card of a deck is put on display, a generational change occurs in the next upkeep phase. The game ends after the third and final genera-tional change.

Difference between 3, 4 and 5 player gamesThe game play is the same whether the game is played with 3, 4 or 5 players. The differences are:

• The number of action tokens: 3 tokens in a 3 or 4 player game, but only 2 in a 5 player game. • The number of cards in the display line: 7 cards in a 4 or 5 player game, but only 5 in a 3 player game.• In a 3 player game only 6 of the 9 provinces are used, see Setup.• The distribution of ancestral lords and ladies, see Setup.• In a 3 player game all the green cards are removed from the game. As a game variant, either all the red

or all the blue character cards could be removed instead. Removing the yellow character cards is only advised for expert players.

Activation phase

ActivationStarting with the first player and going clockwise around the table, each player in turn activates a character. If the chosen character is married, the couple is activated, not just the chosen character. Each player has 3 action tokens, enabling the activation of 3 characters/couples per activation phase. However, in the very first activation phase, each player has only 1 action token.

A player’s turn consists of activating a character by placing an action token on the card and choosing one of the 4 action series. Each action series consists of up to 4 possible actions. The actions in the chosen series are executed in strict order from left to right. Any birth actions in the chosen series are mandatory for married couples and unavailable for unmarried characters; all other actions are optional.

ReactivationA player can only activate each of his characters and couples once each activation phase. However, if all male characters and couples have been activated, remaining action tokens can be used for reactivation, even if there are unactivated female characters.

When reactivating a character or couple, only the leftmost action in each series is available (absent actions do not count as available actions). A character or couple is reactivated by placing another action token on a card, choos-ing one of the 4 action series and executing only the first (leftmost) action in the chosen series.

Upkeep phase1. Determine province ownership. For each province the ownership is determined. If several play-

ers have armies in the same province, each player removes an army and returns it to their own personal supply. Continue this process until at most one player has armies left on this province. All other armies stay on the provinces. Empty provinces have no owner.

2. Receive income from provinces. All province owners receive income from their provinces. Players receive 1 gold for each commerce symbol and 1 prestige point for each piety symbol on their provinces.

3. Reset characters. Each player takes back their action tokens from the characters and couples.4. Reset display line, if no cards were taken. If all 7 cards (5 in a 3 player game) still remain in the

display line after the activation phase ended, discard all cards on the display line.5. Generational change. If a generational change was triggered in the previous upkeep phase, each

player carries out a generational change as described below. If this was the third generational change, the game ends.

6. Refill display line. Refill the display line to 7 cards (5 in a 3 player game), if necessary by using the next deck. Start by using deck I, then switch to deck II and then finally deck III. When the last card of a deck is put on display, a generational change occurs in the next upkeep phase, and the first player card is flipped over to indicate this. When the last card from deck III has been put on display, the game ends after the next upkeep phase.

7. Pass the first player card left. The next player clockwise is the first player in the new round.

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Generational changeA generational change occurs in the next upkeep phase after deck I, II or III has run out.

Each player removes the oldest generation (the top row of character cards). At the first generational change this means removing the ancestral lord and lady. At the second and third generational change all characters in the top row are removed from the game. You can only have three generations in play at one time. When the oldest generation die of old age, there is room for a new third generation.

The game ends after the third and final generational change.

When character cards are removed, claim any inheritance stated on the removed character cards, marked by the legacy power symbol on the card.

In the unlikely case there is no male heir after a player’s generation change, the player draws character cards from the deck until a male character is drawn. He becomes the player’s new head of family and marries a daugh-ter (if any) from the oldest possible generation. Shuffle the revealed cards into the deck again.

Game end and scoringThe game ends after the third and final generational change. Players use their remaining gold to buy prestige points for 3 gold each. The player with most prestige points is the winner.

In case of a tie the player with most remaining gold wins. If there is still a tie the player who controls the most provinces wins. If there is still a tie, play another game to settle it.

Christian II (1481-1559)

King of Denmark and Norway 1513-1523 and Sweden 1520-1521. He tried to maintain the Kalmar Union between the Scandinavian countries which brought him to war with Sweden. He captured Sweden, but his slaughter of leading Swedish nobility in the Stockholm Bloodbath made him very unpopular, and a successful rebellion was led by Gustav Vasa. He also grew unpopular in Denmark and was deposed and exiled. Upon his return to Denmark he was imprisoned for the rest of his life.

Painting by Pieter van Coninxloo, Det Nationalhistoriske Museum, Frederiksborg Castle.

Christian IV (1577-1648)

King of Denmark and Norway 1588-1648. He was an ambitious king and initiated many reforms and projects. He established the Danish East India Company and is remembered for erecting many prominent and important buildings including the Stock Exchange (Børsen), the Round Tower observatory (Rundetårn), Copenhagen Fortress (Kastellet), Rosenborg Castle, the worker’s district Nyboder and Copenhagen naval Church of Holmen (Holmens kirke).

Painting by Pieter Isaacsz, Det Nationalhistoriske Museum, Frederiksborg Castle.

Original paintings of Danish kings from Frederiksborg Castle

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Actions

WarfareCost: 1 gold. Move one of your armies from your personal supply to any province. Cost: 0 gold. Move one of your armies from one province to another.

Move one of your armies to any province. Provinces do not have to be adjacent; an army can move freely from any province to any other province. Also, it does not matter how many or which armies are present in the prov-inces that an army leaves and enters.

If a player has several warfare actions, he can move several armies into several (or the same) provinces, as long as he pays one gold for each army taken from the personal supply. If a player has no gold, he can only move armies between provinces.

Example: Daniel (orange player) executes an action series that gives him two warfare actions (1). He moves one army from Westfalen to Wien (2); this action has no cost. He places an army from his supply in Sachsen (3), thereby consolidating his position there; for this action he must pay one gold (4).

PietyGain 1 prestige point.

CommerceGain 1 gold.

BirthCost: 1 gold for a son.Cost: 0 gold for a daughter.

Take a character card of appropriate gender and trait from the display line and place it in the card row below the couple. The gender is given by the symbol of the birth action: either < (male), > (female) or ] (either gender).

The child must have a trait inherited from the parents. Traits are indicated by the coloured areas in the top and bottom of character cards. In order to claim a son or daughter of a green trait, at least one parent must have a green trait, and so on.

This action is not available to unmarried characters. For couples, however, it is mandatory to claim sons and daughters, unless the cost cannot be paid, the display line is empty, the right traits are not available, or it would start a fourth generation row.

If the claimed character card has shield symbols in the upper right corner, take as many armies and add to your personal supply immediately.

Claim any benefits stated on the child’s character card, marked by the christening power symbol in the card’s rule box.

Organise your character cards in front of you like a genealogical tree. At the top is the oldest generation. Their children are placed in a row below them, and grandchildren are placed in a third row. At any time there can be only 3 generation rows. Once a child is placed in a generation, it is not important to remember who the parents were. The horisontal placement within a generation is unimportant for the game play, but for the feel of the game it might be nice to place children directly below their parents.

Gain an army each time he gains a son.

Charles I of England

“I shall go from a corruptible to an incorruptible Crown, where no disturbance can be.” - Charles I on the scaffold

4

2

3

1

9

MarriageCost: 2 gold. The groom’s family pays the expenses of the wedding feast.

Select one of your unmarried male characters (the groom) to send to the royal court to look for potential brides. Each opponent must, if they can, present at court one of their unmarried female characters as a potential bride. If no brides are presented, nothing happens, and the wedding cost of 2 gold is returned to the player.

The potential brides are normally selected by your opponents simultaneously, but if a player requests it, they are presented in player order beginning from the player whose turn it is. You have to choose one of the presented brides. When the bride is selected, the player who presented the bride gains 2 prestige points. Opponents who presented brides that were not chosen take their character cards back.

If the bride’s card is marked by the alliance power symbol in the card rule box, the player who presented the bride claims the stated benefits in addition to the 2 prestige points the player of a chosen bride always receives.

Place the bride behind your groom so that only the right-hand side of the card is shown (her husband blocking her rule box and portrait). Her action series now join her husband’s to give the couple longer action series, and her rule box text no longer applies. She is part of your family now, and no longer part of your opponent’s family. Return any spent action token on her to its owner; this action token cannot be used later this turn. She can no longer have an action token, she can only be activated as part of the couple together with her husband.

Note, a female character might give actions to two players in the same round. If she is first activated as a daugh-ter by one player, and then married to a male character who has not yet been activated, she can be activated again in the same round together with her husband.

Note, however, that if the character card that was activated to trigger the marriage action is the groom himself, he cannot take advantage of this new wife’s actions this turn.

IntrigueSome characters have an ability marked with an intrigue power symbol in the rule box on the card. This ability is only used when the character (or couple) executes an intrigue action. Act according to the text in the rule box. Multiple instances of intrigue actions triggers the rules once for each action.

HireCost: 2 gold for a warfare, piety or marriage action.

The hire action grants the character the ability to execute an extra action for 2 gold. The 3 available actions for hire are: warfare, piety and marriage. Any additional cost associated with executing the action, for example the price of 2 gold for a marriage, must also be paid.

You cannot acquire commerce, birth or intrigue actions through a hire action.

Married to Charlemagne,

rival to Alfonso.

Hildegard de France

“Men fight wars. Women win them.”

Remember, you begin the game with 1 gold and

2 armies.

Charlemagne

“Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do what is right, we must know what is right.” - Charlemagne.

Gain }} and %%.

Sibylle of Cleves

Sibylle, daughter of Johann, married to Johann, mother of Johann, Johann, Johann and Johann.

His { are free.

Charles de Solier

I do love a good wedding feast!

Gain }}.

Anne of Cleves

“I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse.” - Henry VIII, commenting on their wedding night

Gain an army.

Fernando de Toledo

Made the pope sue for peace.

Gain }} and %%.

Mary I of England

Earned her nickname “Bloody Mary” in just 5 years. 5 Years and 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake.

Gain }}.

Jane Seymour of England

“Here lieth a Phoenix, by whose death, another Phoenix life gave breath. It is to be lamented much. The world at once

ne’er knew two such.”

Gain % for each character in his

generation.

Christian II af Danmark

Offered amnesty to his enemies. When they accepted, he executed them in the Stockholm Bloodbath.





Second gen

erationO

ldest generation

T

hird gen

eration

Remove one of your unmarried

female characters from the game to

gain }} and %%.

Felipe II de España

Ruler of the empire on which the sun never sets.

Ancestral couple

Married son no. 1 Married son no. 2 DaughterSon

Married grandson GrandsonGranddaughter

Gain %%%.

Marguerite de Lorraine

Married Gaston, Duke of Orléans three times.

Genealogical tree: organising the family’s cards

10

Male character cards, Age I

For the remainder of this activation,

the couple may give birth to children of

any trait.

Cosimo I de’ Medici

Illegitimate or not, he’s my son!

Cosimo I de’ Medici

Whenever he executes an intrigue action, either his own or one of his wife’s, the couple may ignore traits for the remainder of the action series, allowing the couple to choose children with any trait they want; gender must still be respected.

Gain § and %.

Francesco Della Rovere

With sword and cross in hand.

Francesco Della Rovere

Whenever he executes an intrigue action you gain 1 prestige point and may execute a warfare action.

Double the amount of gold you have.

Charles le Victorieux

Gain } whenever he is reactivated.

A good merchant can make money out of anything, a brilliant one can make it out of nothing.

Charles le Victorieux

When he dies you gain an amount of gold equal to the amount of gold you have at this point.

Whenever he is reactivated you gain 1 gold.

Pay up to 3 gold. Gain % for each

gold paid this way.


“Piety strengthens the realms.” - Christian IV


For each intrigue action he executes he may spend up to 3 gold to gain up to 3 prestige points at a cost of 1 gold per prestige point.






You gain one prestige point for each province that contains at least one of your armies when he dies.

Gain % for each character in his

generation.


Offered amnesty to his enemies. When they accepted, he executed them in the Stockholm Bloodbath.


When he dies you gain prestige points equal to the number of individual character cards in his generation, including himself, i.e. all characters in the row that is removed at this generational change. Couples count as two cards in this case.

May take § for free.

Antoine le Bon

Great battles. Great Glory.

Antoine le Bon

At his birth you gain a warfare action which is free of cost.

Gain an army.

Fernando de Toledo

Made the pope sue for peace.

Fernando de Toledo

Add an army to your personal supply when he dies.

11

Female character cards, Age I

Gain }} and %%.

Isabella d’Este

“The First Lady of the world.” - Diplomat Niccolò da Correggio

Isabella d’Este

You gain 2 gold and 2 additional prestige points when she is married off to an opponent.

Gain }}.

Eleonora Della Rovere

As Duchess of Urbino she was largely responsible for the internal government of Urbino during her husband’s exile.

Eleonora Della Rovere

You gain 2 gold at her birth.

Gain }} and %%.

Sibylle of Cleves

Sibylle, daughter of Johann, married to Johann, mother of Johann, Johann, Johann and Johann.

Sibylle of Cleves


Gain }}.

Anne of Cleves

“I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse.” - Henry VIII, commenting on their wedding night

Anne of Cleves


Gain }} and %%.

Isabel de Portugal

Isabella was a skilled marriage negotiator though she herself was married late at the age of 30.

Isabel de Portugal


Gain }}.

Élisabeth d’Autriche

With her flawless white skin, long blond hair and perfect physique, she was considered one of the great beauties of

her era.

Elisabeth d’Autriche


Gain }} and %%.

Mary I of England

Earned her nickname “Bloody Mary” in just 5 years. 5 Years and 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake.

Mary I of England


Gain }}.


“Here lieth a Phoenix, by whose death, another Phoenix life gave breath. It is to be lamented much. The world at once

ne’er knew two such.”



12

Male character cards, Age II

When activated, you may activate another of your

characters instead. Do not place an

action token on the other character.

Edward VI of England

Ruled the ones that ruled for him.

Edward VI of England

When you place your action token on this character you may instead activate another character.

As you do not place an action token on the other character, you may activate that character again later this turn, or you may activate a character even if it has an action token already.

Remove one of your armies from the game to gain

}} and %%.

Guidobaldo II Rovere

“Men should either be treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injures – for heavy ones

they cannot.” - Niccolò Machiavelli

Guidobaldo II Rovere

With an intrigue action you can remove one of your armies from the game to gain 2 gold and 2 prestige points.

You can remove it from a province or from your supply.

This army is returned to the general bank supply.

His { are free.

Charles de Solier

I do love a good wedding feast!

Charles de Solier

His (and his wife’s) marriage actions are free of cost.

Using his [ to acquire % only

costs 1 gold.

Joachim II Hector

Heaven is but a handful of coins away.

Joachim II Hector

When he is using a hire action to execute a piety action (gaining 1 prestige point), the cost of the hire action is only 1 gold.

Remove one of your unmarried

female characters from the game to

gain }} and %%.


Ruler of the empire on which the sun never sets.


With an intrigue action you can remove one of your unmarried female characters from the game. She enters a convent, and you gain 2 gold and 2 prestige points.

Activate him

again after this activation. You can only use this ability

once each turn.

Sir Nicholas Carew

“But what does he really accomplish?” - Robert the lazy

Sir Nicholas Carew

Once per turn you may use an intrigue action to activate him again after his activation.

When married this means that he can acquire more than one child in the same turn.

Gain an army each time he gains a son.


“I shall go from a corruptible to an incorruptible Crown, where no disturbance can be.” - Charles I on the scaffold


You gain an army each time he has a son.

May move up to 2 of your armies

to provinces with piety for free.

Charles IX de France

“What blood shed! What murders! What evil counsel I have followed!” - Charles IX

Charles IX de France

With an intrigue action he can move an army without paying any gold cost, even if the army comes from your supply, but that army can only be moved into provinces with a % symbol.

Note, as he does not have any intrigue actions; he will need a skilled wife.

13

Female character cards, Age II

May return any one of your spent action tokens to supply. It may be spent later

this turn.

Leonor de Toledo

“The highest of distinctions is service to others.” - George VI

Leonor de Toledo

You effectively gain an extra action token this turn. This means you have an action after all other players have finished theirs.

Gain %% every time she is

presented at court.

Anne Boleyn

Second wife of Henry VIII, who had her beheaded after she failed to produce a male heir.

Anne Boleyn

Every time she is presented as a potential bride during another player’s marriage action you will instantly gain 2 prestige points. You may gain prestige points several times this way.

Gain %%% and the groom’s family gains }}}.

Maria de’ Medici

Money and power combined, as shown by her marriage to the king of France and her generous dowry.

Maria de’ Medici

Place 3 gold from the bank on her character card when she is born. When she is presented at court, this is her dowry: If she is selected as a bride, the gold goes to the groom‘s family, and you gain 3 prestige points.

Return the gold to the bank at the end of the game if she is still unmarried.

Gain }}}.

Anne d’Autriche

Mother to the Sun King who reigned for more than 72 years.

Anne d’Autriche


Can only be presented at court

if the groom has at least one

piety action.

Mariana de Austria

Religious to an extent that was excessive even for her time.

Mariana de Austria

You can only present her as a potential bride during another player’s marriage action if the groom has at least one piety action on his character card.

Gain %%%.


Married Gaston, Duke of Orléans three times.



Gain §.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Her life ended, her line did not.

Mary, Queen of Scots

She converts her own intrigue actions into warfare actions, as long as she is unmarried. Once she is married, her intrigue actions have the effect of the intrigue ability of her husband, if any.

Gain }}}.

Anna Esterházy

“Remember money for the mistresses.” - Robert the lazy

Anna Esterházy


14

Male character cards, Age III

His [ gives two actions of the same kind instead of one.

Heinrich XIII von Reuß

A handful of coins will get you far. The friendship of the emperor will get you further.

Heinrich XIII von Reuß

You gain either 2 piety actions, 2 warfare actions or 2 marriage actions for each hire action you execute. You still pay any further costs associated with carrying out the actions.

Remove his wife from the game

without executing her actions: Gain }}} and %%%.

Henry VIII of England

Henry had 6 wives. Only one outlived him.

Henry VIII of England

With an intrigue action you may remove his wife from the game. You do not execute (the rest of) the wife’s actions. You gain 3 gold and 3 prestige points.

He may marry again during the same action series where he removes his wife from the game.

His [ only costs 1 gold.

Alasdair of Glengarry

The inventor of the Glengarry bonnet considered himself the last genuine specimen of a Highland chief.

Alasdair of Glengarry

When he is using a hire action, the cost of the hire action is only 1 gold.

Gain % for each unmarried woman

in his family.

Ferdinand I der Gütige

“Ich bin der Kaiser und ich will Knödel!” (“I’m the Emperor, and I want dumplings!”) - Ferdinand I

Ferdinand I der Gütige

When you execute an intrigue action you gain 1 prestige point for each unmarried female character in your family.

Gain % for each married couple

in his family.

August III Sas

During his reign, August spent little time in Poland and was known to prefer recreation to ruling.

August III Sas

When you execute an intrigue action you gain 1 prestige point for each married couple in your family.

Note, as he does not have any intrigue actions; he will need a skilled wife.

Gain % every time he moves an army

into a province with piety.

Pyotr III Fyodorovich

Likely assassinated as a result of a conspiracy led by his wife and successor, later known as Catherine the Great.

Pyotr III Fyodorovich

You gain 1 prestige point each time you move an army into a province with a % symbol.

You can gain multiple prestige points with the same army by moving it again using more than one warfare action.

Return an army to its owner’s supply.

Arthur, Duke of Wellington

“The hardest thing of all for a soldier is to retreat.” - Wellington

Arthur, Duke of Wellington

When you execute an intrigue action, choose an opponent’s army from any province and return it to its owner’s supply.

Gain % every time he moves an army

into a province containing at least

one opposing army.

Napoléon Bonaparte

“In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon.” - Wellington, when asked about the greatest general of the

age.

Napoléon Bonaparte

You gain 1 prestige point each time you move an army into a province containing at least one army belonging to an opponent.

You can gain multiple prestige points with the same army by moving it again using more than one warfare action.

15

Female character cards, Age III

Gain %% every time she is

presented at court.

Mary, Countess Howe

Her only legacy was an eight foot high portrait, the breakthrough piece of painter Thomas Gainsborough.

Mary, Countess Howe

Every time she is presented as a potential bride during another player’s marriage action you will instantly gain 2 prestige points. You may gain prestige points several times this way.

Gives birth without being

married, child can have any trait.

Henriette Marie de France

Intrinsically apolitical, undereducated and frivolous.

Henriette Marie de France

She may execute a birth action without being married. The child can have any trait (colour).

Gain }, %, § and {.

Ulla Tessin, née Sparre

A talented artist and a skilful socialite.

Ulla Tessin, née Sparre

When she is born, you will gain the following actions in order: commerce, piety, warfare and finally marriage. You can spend gold earned through the commerce action to pay for later actions.

Activate an unmarried

character in her family.

Madame de Pompadour

“Au reste, après nous, le Déluge.” (“Besides, after us, the Deluge.”) – Madame de Pompadour while comforting the

king.

Madame de Pompadour

At her birth you may activate an unmarried character in your family.

As you do not place an action token on the other character, you may activate that character later this turn, or you may activate a character that has an action token already.

After her actions, may take {

for free.

Mary, Baroness of Cathcart

Everybody should have a husband as dedicated as mine.

Mary, Baroness of Cathcart

After her actions you may execute a marriage action free of cost.

You may reactivate another character

in your family after her actions.

Maria Leszczynska

Everybody always got busy looking … busy ... around her.

Maria Leszczynska

You may reactivate another characther in your family after her actions.

You can only reactivate a character with an action token on it. You may reactivate a character that has already been reactivated.






At her birth you may choose any two armies belonging to opponents and return them to their owner’s supply. They can be from the same or from different provinces, and from the same or different opponents.

Gain 2 armies.

Catherine the Great

Her § are free.

Reformed Russia leading it into a golden age.

Catherine the Great

You gain 2 armies when she is married off to an opponent.

Her warfare actions are free of cost.

16

A game by Among Meeples

Game design and development Troels Vastrup, Lone Gram Larsen, Robert Bonde Jensen, Tina Christensen & Morten Andersen

CreditsGraphics: Robert Bonde Jensen and Troels VastrupLogo: Jeppe NorskerBox cover: Bo JørgensenVideo: Sheila Seah Jakobsen Hansen and Jesper Nøhr

ContactEmail: [email protected]: http://amongmeeples.dk

Acknowledgements ¤ Bo Jørgensen – if the game doesn’t look stunning, it’s because we didn’t listen enough to your advice. ¤ Jeppe Norsker – you must have answered a million questions ranging from layout to graphics design, and

everything DTP. ¤ Sheila Seah Jakobsen Hansen and Jesper Nøhr – for making the game come alive, and for valuable advice on

social media. ¤ Daniel Skjold Pedersen – you were the play tester who challenged us with questions that forced us to recon-

sider our designs, often leading to breakthroughs and radical streamlining. ¤ Asger Sams Granerud & Nikolaj Wendt – our elite play testers during the game’s rough birth. ¤ Special thanks to the facebook community spildesign.dk and to all the rest of our play testers – your feedback

improved the game immensely. ¤ Thank you to Fastaval – for accepting our game in the competition and to the jury for nominating it. ¤ Thank you to Nordic Game Artisans – for the seal of approval. ¤ This game was funded through Kickstarter.com. Special thanks to all our backers – we love you guys!

BEDSTE BRÆTSPIL

FASTAVAL

2013NOMINERET

BEDSTE BRÆTSPIL

FASTAVAL

2013VINDER

FASTAVAL

2013NOMINEE

FASTAVAL

2013WINNER

Among Meeples

3-5 players

Ages 14+

90-120 minutes

Documents

Among Nobles Rulebook