Base game
Object of the game
You and your opponent are rulers of small kingdoms in northern medieval Spain. Your goal is to unite Aragón by building Military, Political, and Economic influence.
At the end of your opponent’s Influence phase, you normally win in either of these ways:
- Reach 10 influence in one area.
- Reach at least 5 influence in any two areas.
Setup and first turn
- Shuffle the cards together to make one shared draw deck.
- Deal four cards to each player.
- The player who most recently lost a game that included the other player goes first. If that does not settle it, roll a die or draw high card.
The opening turn
On the first player’s first turn, they may play no more than one card and skip the Influence phase. The second player takes a normal turn.
How a turn works
After the opening turn, each turn has four phases.
Beginning
Resolve any abilities that happen at the beginning of your turn, one at a time, in any order you choose.
Planning
You may play one card from your hand into its matching Military, Political, or Economic area. Some abilities allow additional cards. Resolve each card completely before playing the next one.
If a card that grants an additional play is abandoned or destroyed before you use that play, you lose the additional play.
Abilities marked “On Your Turn” are used during Planning. Each can be used once per turn.
Influence
Compare both players’ total strength in each area. The player with more strength gains influence equal to the difference.
When influence changes sides, reduce the opponent’s influence before adding your own. Influence in an area cannot exceed 10. After adjusting all three areas, check whether your opponent has won.
Draft
Set your hand down and look at the top three cards of the draw deck. Keep one, then pass the other two to your opponent. Your opponent keeps one, and the last card is discarded face down.
If fewer than three cards remain, draw as many as possible. If only one card remains, keep it; there is nothing to pass or discard, and your turn ends. The other player then begins their turn.
Victory and endgame
Winning is checked at the end of your opponent’s Influence phase. The usual thresholds are 10 influence in one area or at least 5 influence in two areas.
When both players meet a threshold
- If both players have 10 influence in different areas, continue until one player has at least 5 influence in the third area at the end of their opponent’s Influence phase.
- If one player has at least 5 influence in two areas while the other has 10 influence in one area, continue until there is a clear victor.
When the deck runs out
After the draw deck is empty, when a player plays the last card in their hand, the opponent takes one normal turn. If neither player has a clear victory after that turn, the player with the most total influence wins.
Cards and game terms
Reading a card
Each card has a name, a Military, Political, or Economic type, and a strength value. Some cards also have one or more abilities.
- Name
- The card’s name.
- Type
- Economic, Military, or Political. The type determines which area the card can be played into.
- Strength
- The amount of strength the card contributes to its area.
- Abilities
- Additional instructions that take effect when the card is played, while it remains in play, or when their stated condition is met.
Terms used on cards
- Discard
- Cards discarded from a hand or the top of the deck stay face down unless an effect reveals them. Face-up cards abandoned or destroyed from play stay face up in the discard pile.
- Surrender influence
- Move the influence marker one step toward your opponent. Stop as soon as your opponent reaches 10 influence in that area, even if they had less than 10 when the surrender action began.
- Abandon
- Move a card you control from play to the discard pile. You can only abandon your own card.
- Destroy
- Move the targeted card in play to the discard pile. A face-up card remains face up there.
Optional cards
James, Philip, and Randall
These optional Leader/Event cards were distributed separately from the base game in 2017. The instructions below cover those cards too.
- Each player starts with one Leader face up in front of them. Set any unused promo card aside. A Leader’s ability remains active while it is in play.
- During Planning, you may give up your Leader as one of your card plays to use the Event on its reverse. An Event is a one-time effect: resolve it immediately instead of playing it into an area, and it adds no strength.
- After the Event resolves, remove the promo card from the game. It never enters the draw deck or discard pile.
Credits
- Concept and mechanisms
- James Searles
- Game design
- Phil Amylon and James Searles
- Development
- Randall Nadeau and James Searles
- Producer
- Matthew DeMatteo
- Art and graphic design
- Touch Touch Studios
- Publisher
- Joggle