Thursday, November 27, 2014

Knights Templar Rules v3.0 - significant tweaks!

I just wanted to update the rules here, for my own benefit, for the Knights Templar Rond-cala game. With my new Rondel game showing promise, perhaps I'll have the impetus to revisit the prototype of this one as well...

Updated: 10/26/14 after first playtest
Updated: 11/27/14 after Sasquatch, BGGcon, and 11/25 playtests

The Knights Templar (Maybe change title to Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done)

A game of influence and scandal for 2-4 Crusaders

Components
  • 64 Building tiles (16 in each of 4 player colors)
    • 16 Churches
    • 16 Castles
    • 16 Farms
    • 16 Banks
  • 4 Player boards
  • 5 Faction cards
  • 49 Action cubes (12 in each of 4 player colors, plus 1 for the Holy Sepulcher faction)
  • 12 Knight figures (3 in each of 4 player colors)
  • 1 Game board
  • 24 Rondel tiles (double sided: basic / upgraded)
  • 1 Scoring board
  • 39 Enemy tokens
    • 13 Slav
    • 13 Saracen
    • 13 Prussians
  • 20 Troop tiles (5 for each player)
  • 250+ points worth of Influence tokens (use 50 + 50/player)
Setup
  • Each player receives the following in their player color:
    • Player board
    • 6 Rondel tiles (place them in random order on the player board*, basic side up)
    • 3 Knight figures
    • 16 Building tiles (place them in the indicated spaces on the player board)
      • 4 Churches
      • 4 Castles
      • 4 Farms
      • 4 Banks
    • 12 Action cubes (place 2 in each Action bin on the Player board)
    • 5 Troop tokens (numbered 3 through 7)
    • 1 Faction card
* It could be that 1 player randomly sets up the Rondel, then other players match it, so everyone's got the same Rondel. Or it could be that everyone has a unique random Rondel setup.


  • Lay out the Game board and distribute the Enemy tokens to the regions indicated by flag icons (not Paris), setting 3 of each Enemy token beside the board to represent the Enemy Strength Track. 
  • Choose a starting player at random. In reverse turn order, each player takes 1 Knight and places it on one of the indicated starting regions.
  • Place [50 + 50/player] Influence tokens in a supply pile. You are ready to begin!

    Game Play
  •  
    Starting with the Start player, play will progress clockwise throughout the game. A player's turn consists of the following sequence:

    1. Choose any one Action bin on your player board.
    2. Resolve the action associated with that Action bin.
    3. Distribute the Action cubes from the chosen bin.

    1. Choose an Action
    Select any one of the six Action bins on your Rondel that has at least 1 Action cube in it.

    2. Resolve the Action
    There are six Action spaces on the Rondel, though 2 of them are the same. Each of the Actions resolves differently. In each of the following descriptions, "X" refers to the number of Action cubes in the Action bin. Later in the game, Rondel spaces may become upgraded. Upgraded actions allow you to split the Action tokens in the bin as you choose between two different actions.
    • TRAVEL: There are 2 different TRAVEL spaces on the Rondel. The travel action allows you to move your Knights on the game board.
      • Distribute X movement points between your Knight figure(s).
      • Entering any region costs 1 movement point.
      • Leaving a region occupied by an enemy token costs 1 additional movement point.
    • MUSTER: The muster action allows you to muster troops to take crusading with your knights. 
      • Each Farm you have erected adds 1 to the number of action cubes in the Muster bin. 
      • Collect the next Troop token from your supply - its cost must be less than or equal to X.
      • Your board has 2 spaces to hold Troops. Each Farm you have erected confers an additional space to hold a Troop token. [might reduce this to 1]
    • CRUSADE: The crusade action allows you to fight Enemies, scoring influence and clearing regions to make space for more buildings.
      • Choose 1 region containing one of your Knight figures and an Enemy token.
      • Determine the Enemy Strength by checking the Enemy Strength track for the appropriate enemy type.
      • Each Troop token adds 1 to the number of action cubes in the Crusade bin. If the Enemy Strength is less than or equal to X, you have won the Crusade. Otherwise you have not.
      • When you win a Crusade, collect Influence tokens equal to the Enemy Strength and then move the Enemy token to the appropriate Enemy Strength track. 
      • When you lose a Crusade, do nothing.
    • INFLUENCE: The influence action allows you to gain Influence tokens by spreading the word of the Order.
      • Each Church you have erected adds 1 to the number of action cubes in the Influence bin.
      • Collect X Influence tokens from the supply.
    • BUILD: The build action allows you to erect buildings that confer influence and benefits when resolving the various actions in the game.
      • Each Bank you have erected adds 1 to the number of action cubes in the Build bin. 
      • Erect a Building tile costing X or less from your player board onto a region on the board occupied by one of your Knights. (Buildings of level 1/2/3/4 cost 3/5/7/9)
      • A building cannot be erected in a region with an Enemy tile.
      • Each region may only contain 1 building.
      • Only the lowest un-built level of each building may be erected.
      • Collect influence equal to the level of the building erected (1, 2, 3, or 4)
        • Building Types:
          • Bank: Add 1 to the action cubes in the Build action bin.
          • Farm: Add 1 to the action cubes in the Muster action bin. You may house 1 additional Troop tile.
          • Castle: Place an additional Knight token into play at the new Castle.
          • Church: Add 1 to the action cubes in the Influence action bin.
    3. Distribute Action cubes
    Take all Action cubes from the bin associated with the chosen Action and distribute them, 1 at a time, clockwise around the Rondel. Need example diagram.

    Game End
    "God is not pleased. We have enemies of the faith in the kingdom"
    When the last Influence token is taken from the supply, finish out the round so that each player has had the same number of turns. Players may still collect influence after the supply runs out. Keep track of this influence using some other token. At this point, the Order of the Temple has become so powerful that King Philip, threatened by the Order and deeply in debt to it, issues an arrest order for all Templar Knights and begins to have the Order disbanded, and a wave of destruction emanates outward from Paris.

    After all players have finished their turn in the round in which the Influence supply runs out, the End Game scoring begins. Flip any building in the Paris region face down - it is considered destroyed. Whenever a building (or knight) is destroyed, each player collects 1 Influence for each building of that type they still have in play.

    Then destroy all buildings (and knights) in regions adjacent to a region that's already been destroyed. Flip the destroyed buildings face down (simultaneously) and collect influence for like buildings (and knights) each time.


    I've found that a convenient way to handle this wave of destruction scoring phase is to pick up all buildings (and knights) from the board, 1 round at a time (the hexes are labeled 1-6), scoring the remaining buildings, then giving those tiles back to their owners. When counting remaining buildings, a player can simply look at the vacant spaces on their board.

    Continue this wave of destruction until all buildings and knights have been destroyed. The player with the most Influence is the winner.


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