Aljubarrota

Aljubarrota Rulebook

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

The battle of Aljubarrota took place on August 14th, 1385. It was probably one of the most important battles for assuring Portugal's independence. In this game, we attempt to simulate this battle, which involved more than just the Portuguese and the Castilians. On the one side were Portuguese who sought Portugal's independence as well as a group of English longbowmen (henceforth called "archers"). On the other side were Castilians, French and Portuguese who opposed the intention of the King João 1st, Master of the Order of Avis, to take the Portuguese throne.

The game is for 3 to 6 players and is meant to be played cooperatively. In other words, all players fight on the side of Portugal in an attempt to repeat Nuno Álvares Pereira's achievement – and assert Portugal's independence. The enemies play automatically using a cards system which we will explain further ahead.

Each player represents two or more families (depending on the total number of players) who fought in the battle. There is also a solitary version of the game. See chapter 14.

How to read the rules – Do not expect to memorize the rules after reading them only once. Place the board, pieces and cards in front of you and read the rules carefully from beginning to end. Look at the diagrams shown in this book. If necessary, read the rules through again and then start playing, referring to the rule book whenever necessary.

2. Objectives

The object of the game, which lasts a maximum of 18 rounds, is to prevent any yellow (Castilian) or blue (French) pieces from landing on the hexagon marked with the coat-of-arms of King João 1st, or anyone eliminating the King. If the Portuguese win overall, there will also be an individual winner – the player whose families have earned the most Victory Points. If the Portuguese lose overall, there is NO individual winner. The game ends before the 18th round if all of the yellow and blue pieces have been eliminated or are unable to move.

There are three ways to earn Victory Points:

Families can earn points by eliminating enemy pieces during the game.
Families earn 2 points for every Portuguese piece that survives by the end of the game (i.e. a family can earn 4 points at the end of the game if none of its pieces were eliminated).
Players can earn points from the "VICTORY POINTS" cards they hold at the end of the game.

3. Game Pieces

Portuguese and English pieces – if you are playing the game for the first time, apply the stickers with coats-of-arms to the white pieces. These are one sided. There are a total of 28 white pieces.

King João I, Master of the Order of Avis.
Nuno Álvares Pereira.
Each family has two pieces which fight in the battle.
Two English archers. These two pieces represent the English archers who participated in the battle and fought on the side of the Portuguese.

Castilian and French pieces – there are 54 yellow pieces and 54 blue pieces. If you are playing the game for the first time, apply the stickers with an image of a horse and rider on one side. Apply the stickers with an image of a soldier standing with a sword to the other side. To avoid over complicating the rules, when we mention Castilian pieces we refer to both the Castilian and French in general unless we mention that we are talking specifically about one or the other.

Castilian pieces: front and back (horse and rider / soldier with sword).
French pieces: front and back (horse and rider / soldier with sword).

Black pieces – there are 25. One marks the rounds of the game. The other 24 are for marking the points each family earns on their respective points counter.

Dice – there is a 6-sided die. One side is white, two sides have a skull, and three show a "deflected arrow".

Victory Point cards – there are 110 Victory Point cards. 60 have one point, 20 have two points and 30 have zero points. These cards enable the players to cooperate and win (or not!). Players can add Victory Points to their own family's points (at the end of the game) or "buy" extra turns to increase their chances of winning (see Chapter 12).

Family cards – there are 12 cards with coats-of-arms representing the Portuguese families who fought at Aljubarrota. Each card shows the family's coat-of-arms (for example, the SILVA family). If you want to invent a coat-of-arms for your own family, use the two blank cards for this purpose (see Chapter 16).

Movement cards – there are 100 Movement Cards for moving the enemy's troops. These cards determine what the Castilian and French pieces will do during the game. There are 70 green cards, 10 yellow cards, 10 purple cards and 10 red cards. The cards are printed with the symbols STOP, CHARGE (À CARGA), GROUP AGAIN (REAGRUPA), LATERAL MOVE (MOVIMENTO LATERAL) and "2X".

4. The Game Board

Family tables – each family has a table with its coat-of-arms and points counter. Two black pieces are placed on the zero (for units and tens). Every time a member of this family eliminates an opponent, a point is added (Chap. 8).
Castilian movement – the Castilian pieces normally move forward. But if they land on a hexagon with one of the black arrows, they MUST follow its direction (Chap. 7).
Master of the Order of Avis hexagon – if the enemy lands on this hexagon, the game is lost. The Master of the Order of Avis piece is placed here at the beginning of the game.
Right hand row – when the Castilian pieces from the 2nd wave of attack, moving along the right hand row, land on this hexagon, they must obey the card for row 6 (Chap. 6 – reinforcements).
Portuguese hexagons – the Portuguese pieces should be placed on the hexagons with a circle or a circle and two arrows.
Nuno Álvares Pereira hexagon – the piece representing Nuno Álvares Pereira is placed on this hexagon at the beginning of the game.
Defensive line – the Portuguese pieces ARE NOT ALLOWED to cross this line towards the Castilians. This is due to the defensive position of the Portuguese army.
English archer hexagons – two English archers are placed on these two hexagons at the beginning of the game.
Second wave hexagon – the second wave of reinforcements only begins when the black marker reaches here. There are exceptions (see Chap. 6 – reinforcements).
Abatis – this drawing indicates an abatis (obstacles made from trees laid in a row). It is impossible to cross them, so the Castilian pieces must follow the arrows and move in their direction.

5. Preparing to Play

Distributing FAMILY CARDS. The 12 Family Cards are to be dealt among 3, 4, 5 or 6 players. Each player keeps his cards to himself and shows them to no one. For example, if there are 3 players, each player gets 4 families. If there are 4 players, each player is in control of 3 families. If there are 5 players, each one controls 2 families. Nobody controls the remaining two families and these cards are placed face down in the game box. If there are 6 players, each player gets 2 families.

Obviously this is where players begin defining a strategy for their families. Each player places his pieces on the board in such a way as to be closer to or farther from the front lines in order to eliminate the most opponents and win "Victory Points". If, for example, a player receives pieces that do not belong to his family but he still wants to use an aggressive strategy and put them at the front of combat, he must place his pieces at the rear of the army. That way, the other players who have his family's pieces are "forced" to put them near the combat. If this is the first time you've played, we advise you to place your pieces randomly. In the first game, players do not normally have a good idea of which strategy to use and how to arrange their pieces.

Distributing VICTORY POINTS CARDS. Shuffle the cards and deal the same number to each player. Any remaining cards should be put in the game box. The cards are marked with zero Victory Points, one Victory Point and two Victory Points. The cards have two purposes:

Players can either "buy turns" (see Chap. 6 – extra turns).
Or, if there are any left at the end of the game, they are added to the total number of Victory Points when calculating the player's total points earned.

Distributing MOVEMENT CARDS. Shuffle the cards and place them face down near the board. They will be used to determine how the Castilians move. After using them, place them face up in a separate pile. In round 6 and 12 gather up all of the cards (used and new), shuffle well and place them face down again in a pile.

Setting up the enemy pieces. The Portuguese army is attacked in two waves.

The FIRST WAVE takes place between rounds 1 and 6 by the blue pieces (French cavalry).
The SECOND WAVE only begins with round 7 and is carried out by the yellow pieces (Castilian cavalry).

At the beginning of the game, place 3 blue pieces with the cavalry side face up in the hexagons marked with a circle at the bottom of the board. The remaining blue pieces should be set aside and used to reinforce the first wave of attack as the cavalry advances. When all of the blue pieces are gone, do not use the yellow ones. The yellow pieces only join the attack during round 7.

EXCEPTION – if, at the beginning of round 5 or 6 there are 9 or fewer blue pieces, then the second attack should begin, without waiting for round 7. Begin using the yellow pieces.

The 7th round has begun! The attack from the right hand flank may begin. IMPORTANT: this row NEVER gets any reinforcements! Only three cavalrymen make the attack. THE MOVEMENT CARDS decide how quickly this group reaches the rear of the Portuguese army, or if they get there at all. But this attack is very dangerous. Be prepared!

Setting up the Portuguese pieces (white pieces marked with a shield). Place the King João I piece in the space indicated. Do the same with the Nuno Álvares Pereira piece and the two English archers. Mix up the remaining Portuguese pieces and distribute them among the players face down. If there are 5 players, not everyone will receive the same number of pieces, but that doesn't matter. Distribute all of the pieces anyway. Now every player has a set of pieces that may or may not belong to their family. Take turns placing these pieces ONE at a time on the spaces marked with a circle (with or without arrows) for the Portuguese pieces, until all of the pieces are used up.

Example setup (4 players). The diagram below shows a game board set up for 4 players. The first step is to move the blue pieces (French cavalry) according to the cards' instructions. Notice several important things in this illustration:

The FAMILY CARDS belonging to each player are placed face down. Since there are 12 families, each player has received 3 cards.
The Portuguese pieces have been placed randomly on the board (with the exception of Nuno Álvares Pereira, King João 1st and the English archers which have specific spaces). Each player decides where to place each family's pieces, as explained in Chapter 5.
The MOVEMENT CARDS in this illustration have also been put down arbitrarily. The cards are shuffled and put down face up. Any combination of cards may appear. After the blue pieces have moved, the MOVEMENT CARDS are picked up and placed face up next to the board. New cards are put down on the following turn.
Notice there is no MOVEMENT CARD placed on row 5. Only place cards here during the 2nd attack.
The black point counters are placed on the circles marked with a zero, and the black round counter indicates the game is on round one.

6. Sequence of Play

The game lasts a maximum of 18 rounds. Players must randomly decide who begins first. The first player moves the Castilian troops and then the Portuguese. Next, the players have a chance to buy up to a maximum of two extra turns. This ends the round. Move the black piece for counting the rounds ahead one space.

In the following round, the player who is to the left of the first player begins his turn, and so on.

Here is a summary of the sequence of play in any given round. Following this we explain each step in greater detail.

Beginning of a round

Castile: place down the cards; move Castile; reinforcements (if available).
Portugal, Turn 1 – costs zero Victory Points: swap pieces with adjacent hexagon; archers from Sweethearts' Flank and archers from English flank; move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers.
Turn 2 (EXTRA) – costs 2 Victory Points (option to buy): swap pieces with adjacent hexagon; move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers.
Turn 3 (EXTRA) – costs 3 Victory Points (option to buy): swap pieces with adjacent hexagon; move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers.
Turn 4 (EXTRA) – IMPOSSIBLE!

End of a round: move the round counter ahead one space.

Playing Castile

Put down cards. A random player places one Movement Card face up in each space at the base of the board, even if there are no pieces on the row. During the first round however, do not put any card on row 5. Cards are placed here only during the second attack (beginning in round 7). The cards the player puts down on each row determine how the pieces move on that particular row only (see Chapter 9). The card on a row influences how ALL of the Castilian pieces in this row move, whether they are ahead or behind, during the 1st or 2nd wave of attack. However, this card only influences the pieces in this particular row or which enter this row during the turn.
Reinforcements. After the enemy pieces move or attack, the remaining pieces serve as reinforcements. Place 3 cavalrymen in every empty hexagon the Castilians have left empty after moving. If there are not enough pieces for the empty hexagons, follow the row order.
Attention – row 5 is NEVER used during the first attack. 3 cavalrymen are placed here ONLY ONCE during the 2nd attack. Never add reinforcements. Only 3 cavalrymen carry out the attack along row 5. But careful – this attack is extremely dangerous if the Portuguese army is unprepared for it.

Playing Portugal

First turn. Each player has the right to a "free" turn when it is his turn to play. During this turn the player can do various things in whichever order he thinks best.
Swap two pieces between hexagons. A player may swap two pieces of the Portuguese army between adjacent hexagons. This small move – simply switching the position of one piece for another – is very useful in terms of a family's personal strategy. The player may want a piece to be farther or closer to the front lines. He also may want it to be nearer or farther from the King or Nuno Álvares Pereira, since they have special powers (see Chapter 7). (Example: the player representing the SÁ family is trying to get closer to Nuno Álvares Pereira. On his turn, he takes advantage of this type of move and swaps places with a PACHECO family piece.)
Archers from Sweethearts' Flank and English flank. The English archers have the right to 3 shots. It makes no difference which one takes them. The player whose turn it is must decide if one of the archers takes all 3 shots or if one takes one shot and another takes two. Altogether they can never shoot more than 3 times. The Portuguese archers from the Sweethearts' Flank have ONLY TWO shots. It makes no difference which takes them. The player whose turn it is decides if one of the archers takes both shots or if each archer takes one shot. Altogether they can never shoot more than 2 times (see Chapter 9).
Move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers. Here the player can decide what to do. He can either move ANY piece or use ANY piece located on a hexagon marked with an arrow symbol as an archer. If they are Portuguese archers, the same rules applying to the Sweethearts' Flank apply. He can only shoot twice. If they are English archers, they can shoot 3 times. The rules regarding movement/combat and how to use archers is explained further ahead.

Turn 2 (EXTRA) – costs 2 Victory Points. This turn is not compulsory. To buy this extra turn any player (except for the one who just finished his turn) puts down a card (or cards) totaling two VICTORY POINTS. These cards are placed in the game box and are not used when counting up the total family points at the end of the game. The player has "bought" the right to an extra turn (see Chapter 12). Now he can (in any order he chooses):

Swap two pieces between hexagons – according to the rules described above.
Move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers – following the same rules as described above.

Turn 3 (EXTRA) – costs 3 Victory Points. This turn is not compulsory. To buy this extra turn any player (except for the one who just finished his turn) puts down cards totaling 3 VICTORY POINTS. These cards are placed in the game box and are not used when counting up the family points at the end of the game. The player has "bought" the right to an extra turn (see Chapter 12). Now he can (in any order he chooses):

Swap two pieces between hexagons – according to the rules described above.
Move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers – following the same rules as described above.

Turn 4 (EXTRA) – IMPOSSIBLE!

Move round counter. Move the marker for counting the rounds one space ahead. If it is round 6 or 12, follow the instructions for this round. The next player takes his turn.

7. Movement

7.1 – Moving the Castilians

The pieces move along the hexagons printed on the board. A maximum of three pieces can be on a hexagon at the same time. Pieces cannot move over each other. Castilian and Portuguese pieces can never be on the same hexagon at the same time.

The illustration shows the maximum number of pieces that can be on a hexagon at the same time.

Normally the Castilian pieces move forwards along their row unless a trap (Chapter 10) or card (Chapter 11) forces them to make a detour, or they land on a hexagon with a black arrow indicating they must change direction, or the card for that row instructs them to move laterally. A cavalryman moves forward two hexagons. If it lands on a trap or begins fighting it must come immediately to a stop. Therefore, if something gets in its way, it can only move one hexagon. The soldier can only move one hexagon.

As the board shows, the Castilians cannot jump over the abatises (the arrows in these hexagons make them turn) so they funnel towards the Portuguese army.

The illustration shows two situations that are NOT allowed.

7.2 – Moving the Portuguese

Players can move ANY Portuguese or English piece. It does not have to belong to their family. Portuguese pieces can only move one hexagon. NOTE this does not mean ONE PIECE but ONE HEXAGON. In other words, if 3 Portuguese pieces are on the same hexagon and all 3 move to an adjacent hexagon, this counts as ONE move!

The illustrations show examples of ONE move.

There are two exceptions: the King and Nuno Álvares Pereira can move two hexagons. This also applies to any pieces in the same hexagon as the Master of Avis and/or Nuno Álvares Pereira which move with them to the same hexagons. This rule is meant to simulate the effect a charismatic leader has on his soldiers. But these pieces do not always have to move two hexagons. They may move only one. (The illustration shows the piece representing Nuno Álvares Pereira moving two spaces, but "dragging" the SÁ family piece along, and the piece representing the KING moving two spaces, bringing along two pieces from the same hexagon which would normally only move one.)

But just like the Castilian cavalrymen, as soon as they enter combat they must come to a stop.

English archers can move one hexagon. But if they do so they lose the ability to shoot arrows and act like normal soldiers. In other words, the English pieces can only shoot arrows when they are on the hexagons marked with their coat-of-arms.

The Portuguese pieces are not allowed to land on the two hexagons with the English coat-of-arms.

The Portuguese pieces cannot pass the dark line on the board or cross the abatises.

The two armies can attack each other in the following two ways: either in hand to hand combat or by shooting arrows (only the Portuguese have this ability, the subject of the following chapter).

8. Attacking/Defending Pieces

8.1 – Castilian Attack

When there are two pieces in adjacent hexagons they can begin combat. A piece can eliminate an opponent simply by moving into the opponent's hexagon.

If two Castilian pieces move to a hexagon with a Portuguese piece, they immediately eliminate it from the game. The winner is always the side with the greatest number of pieces.

IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE if they are cavalrymen or soldiers. In combat terms they are of equal strength (they differ only in their abilities to move and defend themselves). Two pieces beat one, but lose against three. If both sides have the same number of pieces, the one who initiated the fight wins. In other words, if there are two Portuguese and two Castilians in adjacent hexagons, the one who attacks first will win the fight. If the Portuguese are playing, they have the advantage because they can beat two against two. But if it is the Castilians' turn, things work out differently.

The illustrations show the following cases:

The COUTINHO family piece does not have a chance. As soon as the two enemy pieces attack, the COUTINHO piece is eliminated from the game. Notice that although the pieces are cavalrymen, they ONLY move ONE hexagon, because they must stop when entering combat.
The SÁ family piece also has no chance. As soon as the 3 enemy pieces attack the SÁ piece it is eliminated from the game. It does not matter that they are two soldiers and a cavalryman.
The COUTINHO family piece is only eliminated if the blue piece attacks first. If the opposite occurs, the story ends differently (see Chap. 8.1).

8.2 – The Portuguese Attack

A player can attack with ANY Portuguese or English piece. It does not have to belong to one of their families.

The hand to hand combat is the same as before, but with an added difficulty. The Castilian pieces have two sides – one with a cavalryman and the other showing a soldier. If the soldier side is face up, the same rules of combat apply as in the case of Castilian attack.

In all of these situations, the Portuguese pieces manage to eliminate the blue pieces. But notice in the last case, where both sides have 3 pieces, the Portuguese only have the advantage because they are the first to attack.

If a Portuguese piece moves to a hexagon with a Castilian cavalry piece, it does not immediately eliminate the Castilian. The cavalry piece retreats one hexagon in the direction opposite to the attack and becomes a soldier. Turn the piece over to become a soldier. Understandably cavalry pieces are more difficult to beat, so this simulates the difficulty the Portuguese had in stopping the cavalry's attack. The rule regarding the number of pieces also applies here: two pieces beat one. The only difference is that the cavalry pieces are not eliminated but turn into soldiers.

The illustration shows three Portuguese pieces moving to a hexagon with two soldiers and a Castilian cavalryman. Since they attacked first, the soldiers are immediately eliminated and the cavalry piece retreats one hexagon (in the direction opposite to the attack) and turns into a soldier.

There are two situations in which the Castilian cavalryman is immediately eliminated:

If the cavalryman is pushed off of the hexagons. In this case he is immediately eliminated.
If the cavalryman cannot retreat for lack of space, either because 3 Castilians are already on the hexagon (do not forget that there is a maximum of 3 pieces on a hexagon) or because Portuguese pieces are there. One Portuguese is all it takes! This situation simulates the cavalryman being crushed between two fronts, and therefore he is immediately eliminated from the game.

It is important to remember that the cards decide how the Castilians move (see Chapter 11). It may happen that the cards instruct ONE Castilian piece to move to a hexagon with two Portuguese pieces. In this case, the Castilian piece is immediately eliminated. In these situations the piece does NOT move. The Castilian pieces never make a suicidal move!

After combats are settled, do not forget to give Victory Points to the families that eliminated opponents. One point for every Castilian removed from the game. Attention: families only earn points when they eliminate pieces from the game. If an opponent retreats and becomes a soldier, the family does not earn any Victory Points.

For example, if 3 Portuguese pieces eliminate a Castilian piece, how are the points shared? Each Portuguese piece earns a point! If they are from different families, each family earns one point. If two pieces are from the same family, that family earns two points and the other family earns only one. (The illustration shows a successful attack in which 3 Portuguese eliminate a blue piece: the AZEVEDO family earns 2 points and the ALBUQUERQUE family earns one point.)

If these are the first points the family has earned, move the units marker to the correct number (on the red circles). The black markers for counting the tens (yellow circles) remain on zero.

9. Archers – Using the Dice

The Portuguese army can use archers (English or Portuguese) to attack the Castilians. However, the archer pieces must be on hexagons with an arrow symbol. When these pieces leave these hexagons they are no longer archers.

Use the dice to attack. The illustrations show that only one piece representing the SÁ family CANNOT be an archer. The English pieces are only archers when they are on these two spaces (hexagons marked with 3 arrows).

The archers can attack hexagons 3 spaces away. There must be a clear shot between the two hexagons. To understand this, trace an imaginary line between two hexagons. If the line does not go through pieces on the hexagons (whether one, two or three, Castilian or Portuguese) the line is open. If the line passes right through two hexagons, only one of these has to be free to be considered a clear shot. The shot cannot go through any hexagons marked with trees. If there is a clear shot to a hexagon with two or three pieces, the arrow hits ALL of these pieces.

If there is a clear shot, the player chooses ONE piece to hit and throws the dice.

If the white face lands up, nothing happens.
If the side with the deflected arrow shows, the piece that was hit retreats one hexagon, ALWAYS towards the center row. If the piece that was shot is already in the center row it retreats one hexagon. Do not forget that only 3 pieces can occupy a hexagon at the same time. Therefore, if a Castilian piece has to retreat and is unable to, it is eliminated.
If the skull shows, soldiers are eliminated. If they are cavalry, they become a soldier (turn the piece over to show the soldier symbol).

Whenever a player uses an archer on his turn, he gets two shots if he uses Portuguese archers, and three shots if he chooses English archers (see Chapter 16 which explains the historical reason for this difference).

Do not forget that English archers are only archers when they are in one of the hexagons marked with the symbol of three arrows. Outside these hexagons they are normal soldiers, even if they are on a hexagon with a two arrow symbol.

The illustrated example runs as follows:

The Portuguese piece has a clear shot and chooses one of the 3 Castilian pieces. He throws the dice and the skull lands face up.
The cavalry piece flips over and becomes a soldier.
The Portuguese piece has the right to one more shot. He chooses to attack the same piece – now a soldier – again. He throws the dice and the deflected arrow lands face up.
The Castilian piece is not eliminated. He must retreat ALWAYS in the direction of the center row (hexagons with a redder colour). If it were an English archer shooting, he could try to eliminate the yellow piece one more time.

In this case the Portuguese piece chose a cavalryman for its target and after throwing the dice he got a deflected arrow. In normal circumstances, the cavalryman would retreat in the direction of the center row. But since there is a limit of 3 pieces per hexagon, the cavalryman is immediately eliminated.

10. Traps – Using the Dice

One of the most important factors contributing to the Portuguese victory was the intensive use of traps scattered throughout the battlefield, causing the cavalrymen to fall, and in many cases die.

In this game, we simulate this with hexagons marked with a symbol of 3 pointed sticks, meaning there is a caltrop or "wolves' den" – a covered pit with sticks inside. The charging cavalry fell into these pits causing heavy damage to the Castilian army and forcing them to funnel towards the front of the battle.

So every time a card forces a piece (or several pieces) to land on a trap, they must pass a test. Throw the dice.

If the white face lands up, nothing happens.
If the deflected arrow lands up, the piece or pieces have to retreat one hexagon ALWAYS in the direction of the center row. Do not forget that only 3 pieces can be on a hexagon at the same time. If a Castilian piece is forced to retreat and can't, it is eliminated!
If the skull lands face up, and the piece is a soldier, it is eliminated. If it is a cavalryman, it becomes a soldier (flip the piece over so the soldier symbol shows).

Notice the Castilian pieces move a hexagon. If there are 3 pieces on a hexagon, those three move to the next hexagon. And in contrast to the rules applying to the archers, the dice is thrown only ONCE for all three pieces. The outcome applies to all pieces on the hexagon. If two pieces land on a hexagon with a trap that already contains a Castilian piece, the two pieces throw the dice and the consequences apply only to them.

The illustrated example runs as follows:

Since the three pieces are cavalrymen, they move two hexagons and "fall" into a caltrop.
The dice is thrown and the deflected arrow lands up.
The outcome applies to all three pieces. They retreat towards the center row.
Since the three pieces are cavalrymen, they move two hexagons and "fall" into a caltrop.
The dice is thrown and the deflected arrow lands up. But they cannot retreat towards the center row (it already has the maximum of 3 pieces).
The three pieces are eliminated and removed from the game.
Because the three pieces are cavalrymen, they should move two hexagons. But they can't because they must come to a stop as soon as they enter combat or fall into a trap. Therefore they only move one hexagon. Also, because this hexagon already has one piece, only two cavalrymen can move.
The player throws the dice for ONLY the two pieces which moved. The deflected arrow lands up.
The outcome applies only to the two cavalrymen, who retreat towards the center row.

Apply the cards' instructions in the order of the rows. Begin with row 1 and end with row 10. In each row, begin by moving the pieces at the front and then the ones behind.

11. Explanation of Cards and Their Placement

Before the Castilians advance/attack the Movement Cards must be placed on the board, face up. Cards go on all rows, even those without any Castilian pieces.

EXCEPTION – cards are placed on row 5 only when the 2nd wave begins its attack.

There are 4 types of Movement Cards:

Green card – CHARGE.
Yellow card – STOP, lateral movement.
Red card – STOP, regroup.
Purple card – CHARGE 2x.

Yellow card – STOP, lateral movement. With this card, the pieces in the row may NOT move forward. They can only move laterally. All of the pieces in the row move ONE hexagon backwards and towards the center row. If there is no space (no hexagons or hexagons full with three pieces) the pieces do not move. If they are already in the center row they simply move backwards. If they encounter any Portuguese pieces, the normal rules of combat apply.

Green card – CHARGE. With this card the pieces move forward as normal. The cavalrymen move two hexagons and soldiers move one. If they land on a hexagon with a trap the dice is thrown and they suffer the respective consequences.

IMPORTANT – if the move on the card forces the Castilian pieces to land on a hexagon with a trap, the pieces do not HAVE to throw the dice. Consider this move a military maneuver that would not take place in the heat of battle and an attack, so the Castilians can easily avoid the traps.

The illustrations show that the move on the card does not apply to pieces that have a Portuguese piece behind them.

Red card – STOP, regroup. With this card the player is meant to regroup the pieces in this row. This applies only to this row and to pieces without a Portuguese piece behind them.

Apply the following method to these pieces: the first piece in the group stops and all of the others advance as many hexagons as necessary to reach the 3 pieces limit per hexagon. First, the cavalrymen advance and then the soldiers do.

EXCEPTION – if a cavalryman finds a hexagon with 3 soldiers in front of it, it has no place to go so the soldiers must move first.

Purple card – CHARGE 2x. With this card all pieces in the row advance two. IMPORTANT: First ALL of the pieces move once. Only after all pieces have moved, can the pieces move again (only if they are still in the same row). If they land on a hexagon with a trap, the dice is thrown and the respective consequences apply.

12. Extra Turns

Buying Victory Points. After a player finishes his turn, the other players can "buy" more turns. In other words, before the Castilians play again, the players can "buy" one or two extra turns using VICTORY POINTS. Each time a player uses these cards to buy extra turns the cards are put in the game box and not used again.

All players can do this, except the one who just finished his turn. This player CANNOT buy nor contribute Victory Points to purchasing (an) extra turn(s). All of the other players can.

It is highly recommended that the players take these extra turns because the game was designed such that the Portuguese victory is only possible if everyone buys extra turns.

If there is a conflict of interests, and for example, two players want to buy the second turn, the player to the left of the player whose turn it was goes first and so on.

All players who can buy extra turns may (and should) negotiate purchasing turns amongst themselves. For example, it costs two Victory Points to buy TURN 2 (EXTRA). Two players may contribute to this, each giving a point. This gives them the right to:

Swap two pieces between hexagons.
Move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers.

It is up to the players to choose the pieces to do this.

When buying TURN 3, which costs 3 Victory Points, each player can give a different number of points. For example, one player can contribute one point and the others two points. But a single player can also "pay" for a turn. He still has the right to:

Swap two pieces between hexagons.
Move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers.

Players cannot purchase a fourth turn (additional).

During this stage of the game it's very important for the players to cooperate, in order to find the best combination of plays to achieve a series of moves. It's time for everyone to get together and decide on the best strategy!

13. Counting Total Victory Points

If Portugal loses, these points are not counted. But if Portugal wins, the points each player earned during the game are counted to determine who won the individual title.

Families earn points every time they eliminate an opponent from the game. So at the end of the game, some families will have several points. Add those points to the following Victory Points:

Unused VICTORY POINTS cards, i.e. the cards players still hold and have not spent on "buying" extra turns. Obviously, cards with zero points do not count anything.
Two points for every remaining family piece.

Add up the points for the families each player represents. The total is each player's points. The player with the most points wins (the individual title).

14. Solitary Version

The same rules apply in the solitary version of the game. But the player himself decides whether to buy extra turns and he does not represent any particular family. Calculate total final points as follows:

VICTORY POINTS earned in combat + surviving pieces.

Subtract the VICTORY POINTS used to buy extra turns during the game from this total. For solitary players, in addition to winning the game, the goal is to earn the most points by spending the least amount of VICTORY POINTS on extra turns. Winning with many extra turns is not as valuable as winning with a few extra turns.

15. Important Rules and Tactics That Are Sometimes Forgotten

The game is designed such that the players must buy one extra turn. Whether the players buy a second turn depends on their strategy and luck in the game. But if the players don't make an effort to buy extra turns, defeat is definitely guaranteed!
Because players can move ANY Portuguese army piece, they are able to move any family's pieces to their best advantage, or subject their family to more or less combat. This does not mean that players should only move their own pieces for their personal strategy. Since no one knows which family each player represents, they never know if moves are for the general good or just in a player's interests. Ideally, players should contribute both to the Portuguese army's victory and to their personal victory. But sometimes, this is impossible to achieve. In this case, which strategy will you follow?
Distributing the Victory Points cards means players get different numbers of points. But this is not necessarily a disadvantage. If a player with lots of points does not cooperate with buying many turns, this may cause Portugal to lose and then all of his accumulated Victory Points will have been worth nothing.
The cards with zero Victory Points are for playing bluff. It's impossible to know if a player's cards are worth many points or not (he may have many cards with zero VICTORY POINTS). If a particular player fails to cooperate ("…because I hardly have any points"), nobody knows if he is telling the truth or if he is protecting the interests of his own families.
Although only 3 pieces participate in the lateral attack in the 2nd wave, it is very dangerous. Make sure to prepare some pieces to resist this attack.

16. Questions About the Game

Why wasn't my family included in the game? And what are the white cards and stickers for? Of course the families represented in the game were not the only ones involved. But for the sake of simplicity we included those that historically appear more often. But that doesn't mean you can't add another family. Just use the white stickers and cards. Draw the coat-of-arms you want on a white card and a pair of small stickers. Stick them on the back of two Portuguese pieces and then you can play with the family you want instead of one of the families that comes with the game!

Why are the English and Portuguese archers different? The rule – in which the English can shoot 3 times and the Portuguese only 2 – is meant to simulate fact: the English had what are called "longbows", powerful weapons with a very high firing rate. It is said that when a good archer shot his fourth arrow, the first was still in flight! Meanwhile, many fighters on the Sweethearts' flank had a weapon called a "beast" or crossbow. These weapons shot small arrows called "virotão". They were incredibly effective – some say that it could shoot an arrow through 3 men. But it had a very slow firing rate. It took a long time to load. The rule attempts to simulate this, although obviously it simplifies the true historic reality. There were many Portuguese with various types of bows and even catapults that were highly effective at shooting stones.

Swapping pieces between hexagons. What is this move for? This simple move enables players to remove their pieces from the line of combat or, do the opposite and put them at the front line, exposing them to greater danger, but also enabling them to earn more family points and contribute to their personal victory (if there is a collective victory, of course).

Why do the cavalrymen attacking the Portuguese army have different colours? There are two reasons for this difference: One is to distinguish between the pieces from the 1st and 2nd attacks. This makes setting the game up easier. In addition, it was important to show that there were in fact two waves of attack with the French cavalry making up most of the 1st wave and the Castilians making up the 2nd wave.

Why can't we make a counter-attack and go past the abatises? Because the Portuguese advantage was their defensive position. This is the only way they were able to resist the extremely powerful cavalry attack. If the cavalry did penetrate the Portuguese lines, they were immediately surrounded on all sides.

Why does King João 1st's army not have any Portuguese cavalrymen? Of course, there was a Portuguese cavalry, but it was used for defense and not the attack. Actually, most of the Portuguese horses were at the rear of the army because the Portuguese army was on foot with lances, in a defensive position to resist the enemy's attack. Also, we chose not to have Portuguese on horseback to simplify the game and to show the uneven strength of the two armies.

What are abatises, caltrops and trenches? What did they do? The purpose of these traps was to destroy the cavalry's attack and slow down its progress. Abatises were huge tree trunks lying on the ground, to prevent horses and cavalrymen from getting by. Caltrops were pits dug in the ground, with sharpened sticks in the bottom and covered with leaves. When the galloping horses landed on them, they tripped and fell, killing the horses and cavalrymen and causing great confusion on the battlefield.

Why are there fleur-de-lis on the English archers' shields? The coat of arms of King Richard 1st (Lion Heart) had 3 gold leopards on a red field. But in 1340, when King Edward III claimed the French throne he added the French coat of arms to his own shield (gold fleur-de-lis on a blue field). The English archers were in Portugal during this time (1348). Remember that this was right in the middle of a 100-year long war. That is why the French cavalry carried out the first attack and why the English were fighting on the side of Portugal (although they were mercenaries). Obviously, the French would not have liked to see their coat of arms on an English shield.

Funneling. What is this for? The rules are designed to funnel the Castilian cavalry towards the Portuguese army. This is meant to simulate what really happened in the battle. Traps in their way caused the cavalrymen to flee the confusion and head towards the center of the field. This gave the Portuguese two enormous advantages. First, hundreds of cavalrymen died crushed and otherwise unwounded. They were simply squashed against each other, after tripping on horses and cavalrymen. Second, funneling the cavalry put them at the mercy of two flanks of archers (English and Sweethearts). They had no way of escaping. That is why the rules say to eliminate a cavalryman if it is told to retreat a hexagon but can't because it is already full (3 pieces).

Why don't the English archers move? According to the rules they can move (see Chap. 7). But if they do, they lose their special qualities and Portuguese pieces cannot replace them. This rule is meant to simulate a true fact: the English archers were mercenaries and limited themselves to carrying out their mission. That's why, at the end of the battle, when Nuno Álvares Pereira prohibited the pursuit of the Castilians, this did not make the English very happy. They wanted to go after the Castilians and help themselves to the spoils of the war. But caution suggested they prepare for a possible counter-attack (which never ended up taking place). Although the English were mercenaries, their role was very important and not to be belittled. They were only in Portugal in the first place because the English king had authorized it (since it was in his interests to combat the French) so that his fabulous archers could violently punish the cavalry attack, smiting many cavalrymen and weakening the French and Castilian offensive.

Where is the square tactic, anyway? At the beginning of the game the Portuguese pieces are set up in a square formation. If the enemy penetrates the Portuguese front it is immediately surrounded by the rear and sides of the square.

How long does the game last and how long did the battle of Aljubarrota last? This game lasts approximately an hour, or slightly longer. Coincidentally, this is exactly how long the battle itself lasted in 1384 [sic – the battle is dated 1385 in Chapter 1]. It took place at the end of the afternoon (between 6:30 and 7:30 pm). You might say that it was a very quick battle, but in fact it was decisive for the aspirations of the Portuguese who believed in an independent Portugal!

Summary of the Rules

Beginning a round

Castile – put down cards. A player puts one Movement Card face up on each space at the base of the board and in the order marked.

Castilian movement/attack. The Castilian pieces advance according to the cards' instructions and in the order of the cards marked on the board. It is very important to follow this order. Depending on the cards' instructions or what the traps force the Castilians to do, they must either move forward, follow the black arrows or move laterally. A maximum of three pieces can be on a hexagon at the same time. Pieces cannot move over each other. Castilian and Portuguese pieces can never be on the same hexagon at the same time. Normally these move forwards along their row unless they fall in a trap and must make a detour (see Chap. 10), or a card (Chapter 11) forces them to make a detour, or they land on a hexagon with a black arrow telling them to change direction, or the card for that row instructs them to move laterally (see Chap. 11). Cavalrymen can move two hexagons. As soon as a cavalryman falls in a trap or enters combat it must come to a stop immediately. Soldiers can only move one hexagon.

Reinforcements (if available). After moving or attacking with all of the enemy pieces, replace them with pieces that have not been eliminated. Place 3 cavalrymen in every empty hexagon the Castilians have left empty after moving. If there are not enough pieces for the empty hexagons, follow the row order. ATTENTION – row 5 is never used or reinforced during the first attack.

Portugal – Turn 1 (free), costs zero Victory Points. This is the "free" turn. Players can do several things in the order they think best.

Swap two pieces. The Portuguese pieces are moved between adjacent hexagons. Players can move ANY Portuguese or English piece. It does not have to belong to their family. Portuguese pieces can only move one hexagon. Notice, this does NOT mean ONE PIECE, but one HEXAGON. In other words, if there are 3 Portuguese pieces on a hexagon and all 3 move to an adjacent hexagon, this qualifies as ONE move!
There are two exceptions: the King and Nuno Álvares Pereira can move two hexagons. This also applies to any pieces in the same hexagon as the Master of Avis and/or Nuno Álvares Pereira which move with them to the same hexagons. But like the Castilian cavalry, as soon as they enter combat they must come to a stop.
The English archers can move one hexagon. But if they do they lose their ability to shoot and behave like normal soldiers.
Archers from the Sweethearts' flank and English flank. The English archers can shoot 3 times. The Portuguese archers from the Sweethearts' flank have ONLY TWO shots. The pieces that can shoot must be in a hexagon marked with the arrow symbol. Use the dice to attack. An archer's attack can reach a target up to 3 hexagons away. There must be a clear shot between the two hexagons.
Move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers. Here the player can decide what to do. He can either move ANY piece or use ANY piece located on a hexagon marked with an arrow symbol as an archer.

Turn 2 (extra), costs 2 Victory Points (option to buy) – see Chapter 12. After a player finishes his turn, the other players can "buy" more turns. In other words, before the Castilians play again, the players can "buy" one or two extra turns. This is done with VICTORY POINTS. Each time a player uses these cards to buy extra turns the cards are put in the game box and not used again. All players can do this, except the one who just finished his turn. This player CANNOT buy nor contribute Victory Points to purchasing (an) extra turn(s). All of the other players can. This turn is not compulsory. The player who buys it can, in any order: swap two pieces between hexagons; or move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers, following the rules above.

Turn 3 (extra), costs 3 Victory Points (option to buy) – see Chapter 12. All players can do this, except the one who just finished his turn. When buying Turn 3, which costs 3 Victory Points, each player can give a different number of points. For example, one player can contribute one point and the others two points. But a single player can also "pay" for a turn. He can, in the order he chooses, swap two pieces between hexagons, or move Portuguese pieces or use Portuguese or English archers.

Turn 4 (extra) – IMPOSSIBLE!

End of round. Move the round counter ahead one space.