* Richard of York, Edward of March, Richard of Gloucester and George of Clarence
** Margaret of Anjou, Edward of Lancaster, Henry of Lancaster
*** Winchelsea 150 Le Trinity, Southampton 200 Le Christopher, Plymouth 100 Le Rose, Rye 150 Le George, Berwick 100 Le Swan, London 100 Le Lucas, Lynn 200 Le Margaret, Bristol 100 Le Michael
†
The card counters mark castles and towns held by the Nobles. Each of the 8 designs is marked with a heraldic badge. Badges were often used in the Middle Ages when it was not practical to display the whole arms and were simple, easily recognised symbols. - Crescent (Percy), Sun in splendour (Yorkist , Portcullis (Beaufort), Ragged Staff (Neville, Grey), Knot (Stafford, Bourchier), Boar's head (Courtenay), Oak branch (Fitzalan) and blank for players to draw their own badge.
An exciting game recreating the political and military struggle in England known as the Wars of the Roses. The dynastic struggle between the Royal Houses of Lancaster and York was a series of brutal and bloody power struggles between factions of self-interested noble families but the Yorkist and Lancastrian princes were pawns in a greater game of gaining control of the country in the name of one or other monarch.
Players control pieces representing the noble families as they seek power by a combination of military, political and diplomatic skills. The winner is the player who controls the last surviving crowned Royal piece.
Invented by Andrew McNeil. The setting for Kingmaker (England in the second half of the 15th Century) has been painted with broad strokes as a good game demands. The noble families have been reduced in number to 23, varying in initial strength and each represented by one piece. The heraldic devices of the families and their holdings in castles and titles have been simplified in a number of cases. The method of resolving military conflicts has also been simplified. However the game includes 2 significant factors in warfare at this time; the importance of movement and the general inability of castles to withstand lengthy sieges. The offices, which are the chief means of augmenting the power of a noble, have been simplified in name and function but the demands upon the office holder, as well as upon the more powerful noble families, reflect the fact that power inevitability brings responsibility. The 3 categories of contingency card; raids and revolts, plague and embassies, serve for the multitude of incidents which help or hinder military or political enterprise, as well as having important functions within the game itself.
Read the rules carefully before starting your first game. Kingmaker has been designed in such a way that no game will be exactly like another. Good fortune and bad will present players with a constant challenge, with every move requiring attention to every piece. No player can be eliminated from the game before it is won, which will normally be within 2 to 3 hours, depending on the number of players and their experience. |
