BEING YOUR OWN KING
A Player’s Variant for KINGMAKER
By Gabriel Gonzalez
from THE GENERAL, 26, #4, pp 24-25
Let not our babbling dreams affront our souls,
Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Devised at first to keep the strong in awe.
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law.
March on, join bravely, let us to 't pell-mell;
If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell!
William Shakespeare, Richard III
The only thing I miss when playing KINGMAKER is the possibility of being a pretender with a will of his own, rather than taking on the role of an anonymous faction of nobles. I think it would be intriguing to take the role of cruel Margaret of Anjou, brave Edward IV, proud Richard of York, ruthless Richard III, or even that idiot Henry VI. These are the names that ring, if not through the histories of the time, through the popular literature. Although the game may be titled KINGMAKER, it would eventually prove that the King wielded the power, not the "makers".
I am more a Shakespearean expert than an authority on the complicated social structure and Machiavellian politics of the English in the XVth Century. Thus, I've tried to craft a set of rules which compel the players to behave with a "Shakespearean" flavor. When designing this variant, my idea was to reflect the course of the Wars of the Roses, beginning with the struggle between the two families, and then to later allow for the possibility of a fight for the throne among the surviving members of the prevailing family. And, this would give arrivists like Beaufort and Stafford an opportunity to actively seize the crown, rather than passively waiting to claim it by default. In the process, I've learned a bit of history as well. Thus, I came to show that some noble families favored the House of York and others the House of Lancaster, reflecting the fact that south and central England was predominantly Yorkist while northern England and Cornwall were predominantly Lancastrian. Finally, the rules presented below are designed to be used in conjunction with the original ones of the Advanced Game; I cannot pledge how they will mesh with the Basic or Optional rules.
1. Players: Each of the seven (or fewer) players takes the role of one of the Princes (royal heirs) in the game. Each player is represented on the board by that heir's counter.
2. Setting Up the Game: The Princes are placed in the following locations at the beginning of the game:
Henry of Lancaster & Margaret of Anjou: London
Edward of Lancaster: Kenilworth
Richard of York: York
Edward of March: Harlech
Edmund of Rutland: Dublin
George of Clarence: Cardigan
Richard of Gloucester: Calais
2.1 At the beginning of the game, each player takes a specific number of noble and crown cards (randomly dealt), dependent upon his role and the number of players. First separate the nobles from the deck (removing the Plantagenets), shuffle these and then deal out the proper number; set the remainder aside. Next, deal out the proper number of crown cards, as follows:
| 3 Players: | Henry & Margaret | 3 nobles | 14 cards |
| Richard of York: | 2 nobles | 10 cards |
| Edward of March: | 1 noble | 6 cards |
| 4 Players: | Henry & Margaret | 3 nobles; | 12 cards |
| Richard of York | 1 noble | 8 cards |
| Edward of March | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| Edmund of Rutland | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| 5 Players: | Henry & Margaret | 2 nobles | 10 cards |
| Richard of York | 1 noble | 8 cards |
| Edward of March | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| Edmund of Rutland | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| Edward of Lancaster | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| 6 Players: | Henry & Margaret | 2 nobles | 10 cards |
| Richard of York | 1 noble | 8 cards |
| Edward of March | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| Edmund of Rutland | 1 noble | 3 cards |
| Edward of Lancaster | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| George of Clarence | 1 noble | 1 card |
| 7 Players: | Henry & Margaret | 2 nobles | 10 cards |
| Richard of York | 1 noble | 8 cards |
| Edward of March | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| Edmund of Rutland | 1 noble | 3 cards |
| Edward of Lancaster | 1 noble | 4 cards |
| George of Clarence | 1 noble | 1 card |
| Richard of Glouster | 1 noble | 1 card |
2.2 The Plantagenet nobles are now given to the senior royal heirs of each family. Otherwise, these operate as per usual rules.
2.3 Princes who may enter in play during the game do so at any castle, town or city belonging to their family. If the family hasn't any, the Prince enters in any area not occupied by the opposing family that the player may choose.
3. Movement:
3.1 Princes move in the same manner as a noble, alone if desired, with the following changes:
3.2 A Prince can enter any unowned town, city or royal castle, and can freely depart even if the owner should enter play. Princes cannot enter any noble's castle should that noble not be in play.
3.3 To enter any town, city, royal castle or noble's castle belonging to another player, a Prince needs the owning player's permission. Further, the Prince cannot leave without the owning player's permission, unless he can defeat the garrison (along with any troops stationed inside belonging to the owning player) if he does defeat the garrison/additional troops, he may then freely continue his movement.
3.4 A Prince may move by sea without a ship (as if he had one), but he is still affected by Storms and Gales at sea. Should the naval combat rules be used, a player's actual ship counter can capture any "shipless" Prince at sea by entering his area and rolling a "6" on one die. Thus, if available, it is usually better for a Prince to move by ship, rather than resort to such "shipless" movement.
4. Event Cards: Remove all cards reading "Royal Heir Escapes" and "Royal Death" from play. Otherwise the Event cards are drawn and implemented as usual.
5. Crown Cards: The Crown cards for the nobles are set aside, and the remaining Crown cards after the deal become the Crown Deck. Otherwise, the Crown cards are drawn and used as usual. To enter play, nobles not assigned at the beginning of the game must be "Recruited".
6. Recruiting: For a noble other than those originally dealt to enter play, he must be recruited by a Prince. To do so, the Prince must enter any area with a castle of the noble and end his turn there. Upon the next turn, he may roll two dice; if the result is "10-12", the noble joins the Prince immediately and the noble's card is given to that player.
6.1 To recruit help recruit a noble, the Prince may offer some or all the Crown cards he has in hand. These cards will modify the dice roll according to the Recruiting Modifiers Table.
6.2 Also modifying the recruitment dice roll may be certain situations (attacks and execution of family members, sole king, Henry acting in concert, etc.). These are also listed on the table below:
Recruiting Modifiers Table: (All modifiers cumulative)
+1 any Office (including the following)
+4 Chancellor of England
+2 Constable of the Tower
+2 Chamberlain of Chester
+1 Admiral of England
+1 Warden of the Cinque Ports
+1 Marshall of England
+2 Title
+2 Archbishop
+1 Bishop
+1 any combination of three other cards (Town, Castle, Ship, Mercenary, etc.)
+1 per Noble in faction of intrinsic strength of 50 or more
+2 if Prince is sole king
-2 if Prince has attacked family member (applied once)
-4 if Prince has executed/killed family member (applied once)
-2 if Henry or Lancaster and acting without Margaret of Anjou or Edward of Lancaster present
6.3 Further, the Nobles Modifiers Table (below) has two lists of nobles, one for each family. Each of these has the indicated dice roll modifier for recruitment-positive for the family on whose list the noble appears, and negative for the other. (For example, Percy has a +2 modifier if a Lancastrian Prince is attempting recruitment and a -2 if a Yorkist Prince is doing so.)
Nobles Modifiers Table (Positive for and Negative against)
| Lancaster | York |
| Percy: 2 | Neville: 5 |
| Beaufort: 5 | Mowbray: 3 |
| Talbot: 3 | Fitzalan: 2 |
| Roos: 2 | Pole: 3 |
| Holland: 3 | Bourchier: 3 |
| Greystoke: 3 | Hastings: 4 |
| Courtenay: 3 | Herbert: 2 |
| Clifford: 4 | Howard: 3 |
| Berkeley: 2 | Scrope: 3 |
| Stanley: 2 |
6.4 A Prince cannot attempt recruitment of the same noble in consecutive turns if unsuccessful, although he may remain in the area for a turn between attempts.
6.5 If a noble is successfully recruited, all cards offered must be placed with him. If later taken away without compensation, the effects of 6.6 are applied.
6.6 If a Prince wishes to take cards from one noble to attempt recruitment, he must compensate the "owning" noble with cards of equivalent total Recruitment Modifiers (immediately placed with the noble). If taken without compensation, the player must roll two dice for that noble. A result of '2-7' imposes the "Vacillating Noble" effects. Any noble made a "Vacillating Noble" loses this condition when he dies or the recruiting Prince dies.
6.7 Should a noble die, his card is returned to those not yet recruited. To enter play again, he must be recruited again, with all rules above enforced.
7. Capture of Princes: Princes defeated in battle must roll a single die. Upon a roll of "3-6", they escape and may be immediately placed in any friendly town, city or castle within a range of three areas; should there be no such friendly haven, they must be placed in any open, unoccupied area within three. With a "1-2", they are captured by the opposing player.
7.1 Captured Princes may be executed at any point in a player's turn, immediately or anytime thereafter. Alternately, a captive Prince can be freed by ransom (any agreement between the two players not contravening the rules) if freed, the Prince immediately is placed in the nearest area containing one of his nobles (if none, in the nearest area not occupied by any other player's pieces). Captured Princes can, of course, be held captive indefinitely.
7.2 The nobles of a captured Prince will move and function normally. The only restriction upon the player is that he may neither recruit nobles, be crowned king (if not already), or summon Parliament without the express permission of his captor.
7.3 Should a stack guarding a captured Prince itself be defeated, the Prince becomes the captive of the victor. All the above apply, with the exception that he may not attempt escape.
8. Death of Princes: When a Prince dies for any reason, the player rolls two dice. On a result of "2-7", the Prince remains in play (he leaves heirs). On any other result, the Prince is considered to be eliminated from play. However, Henry of Lancaster, Margaret of Anjou and Richard of York, if killed, are always removed from play. Regardless of the result, all nobles and played Crown cards are returned to their respective decks.
8.1 Should a player actually see his Prince removed from play, he may take on the role of the next of the same family who isn't (refer to the Succession Order). Should all other family Princes already be in play or eliminated, the player is out of the game.
8.2 An ambush may not be directed against a Prince.
9. Henry of Lancaster: Henry was a strange anomaly. Henry and Margaret of Anjou are always considered one player, although each may attempt recruitment (although not of the same noble) and may move separately. Should Margaret of Anjou be eliminated from play, the player representing the pair (now Henry alone) suffers the following:
All nobles controlled by the player remain in play.
Henry alone has a -2 recruitment modifier (as indicated on the table) unless with Edward of Lancaster.
Before moving each turn, the player must roll two dice. With a result of "2-6", Henry (and any nobles accompanying him) may not move nor launch any attack for the turn. Other nobles of the faction may operate normally.
10. Beaufort and Stafford: The Beaufort and Stafford families were related to the Plantagenets -- and they may try to put in a claim for the crown themselves.
10.1 Should all Lancaster Princes be in play or dead, a Lancastrian player who loses his Prince automatically recruits Beaufort, regardless of his current status. Beaufort, if a member of another faction at this moment, retains all Crown cards currently with him. The Beaufort playing piece is immediately placed in any castle or town friendly to him; if none available, in any open area in England the player desires.
10.2 Stafford is handled in the same fashion, but he may be the last claimant and act as Prince of either family (i.e., if taken as replacement for an eliminated Yorkist Prince, he is considered a Yorkist -- and vice versa). Stafford is the last in the Yorkist s succession and follows Beaufort in the Lancastrian succession.
10.3 A Lancastrian player does not have the option of choosing between Beaufort and Stafford. He must assume the role of Beaufort if available.
10.4 Once in play as a Prince, all rules above apply to Beaufort and/or Stafford, including death, capture and recruitment. If eliminated from play after being a Prince, they are not returned to the Nobles deck and will not return to play in any manner.
11. Murder: When a Prince kills a relative in any manner, for any recruitment attempt he makes thereafter, he suffers a negative modifier as Listed on the Recruiting Modifiers Table. Regardless of the number of family members he does in, this is applied but once (cumulative with all other modifiers on the table) -- but it is applied for each recruitment attempt henceforth so long as the Prince remains in play (even as per 8. above).
11.1 The bloodstained Prince may try to avoid the negative modifier found on that table by rolling two dice. Upon a roll of '2-4", rumors of great cruelty have caught up with him; add an additional "-2" modifier to his Recruitment Modifier total for this attempt only. Upon a roll of "5-9", no effect and no change. Upon a roll of "10-12" he has managed to soothe the noble's suspicion and the negative modifier for killing a family member is not applied to this recruitment attempt. A Player is never obliged to try this, but it is always an option after he has executed/killed a family member at any point.
12. Victory: The last Prince left alive who is sole crowned King wins the game.
12.1 In addition, when one of the two entire families are eliminated (including Beaufort and/or Stafford), a Parliament may "decree" the game's end by unanimous vote of all nobles/Princes present. In that case, the game immediately ends, with the following "victory levels":
King--Absolute Victory
Immediate Heir to King--Substantial Victory
Other Family Relatives--Marginal Victory (you get the pomp but not the power)
12.2 EXCEPTION: Players controlling Beaufort and Stafford may be considered victorious only if sole King. They are never considered an immediate heir, or even a family relative!
In conclusion; the group with which I play finds this variant a challenging change of pace. In your very first playing, you'll find how different the feel, as you race about the map building a faction -- rather than trusting to simple luck to bring you a Percy or Neville. Indeed, able recruitment is one of the most visible keys to victory. Many's the battle that will rage outside the castle of a powerful noble as would-be kings fight for the right to recruit him. But that's only the most obvious way this variant will affect your strategy; there are others more subtle. Unlike other variants in issues past, this one requires no new components. So there should be no reason you can't be a "King" rather than a "Maker" the next time you play KINGMAKER.
Updated 14 Jan 08.
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