Fealty
Fealty Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Credits and Components
Rules of Play v1.0 2-4 Players, 15-40 Minutes Asmadi Games – http://AsmadiGames.com
Designed by R. Eric Reuss Developed by Chris Cieslik Illustrated by Sarah Farooqi
Playtesters: Josh Ain, Tom Anderson, Maggie Benthall, Mark Bjorkman, Galen Brownsmith, Peter Cerra, Trey Chambers, Cylithria Dubois, Erika Emrick, Tim Emrick, David Galvin, Lisa Lassner, Josh Lawton, Chris LoBue, Kevin Marsh, Jessica Maryott, Aaron Newman, Anne Nowland, Ian Nowland, Rob Seater, Tyler Smith, Kevin Spak, Mike Veloso, Ted Vessenes, Rebecca Vessenes, Mark Waks, Mike Walsh, Dale Weigert, Shane Yeager. Thanks also to our Kickstarter Supporters, and everyone who played at Origins.
Components
18 cards in each color (Blue, Yellow, Purple, Red), corresponding to the game pieces
6 Punch-out boards, containing:
- Pieces: 9 double-sided discs in each color
- Duchies (maps): 6 double-sided square boards
- Influence Tokens: 50 small tokens in each color
- Conflict Markers: 16 discs with crossed swords
- Current Play Markers: 4 white squares
- Presumptive Heir Tokens: 2 discs with crowns (Only 1 needed per game)
Board Description
Each individual board is called a Duchy. Each of the 36 spaces in a Duchy is a Mountain, Forest, or Field. There are also Roads built through the land, and Cities along the roads. A space can have more than one attribute. A City in a space with a Forest background is both a Forest and a City (and a Road!) for the purposes of scoring. Mountains are obstacles, and will block piece placement and movement. It is also important to note that diagonal spaces are not adjacent in Fealty.
Sets
Fealty comes with two different sets of pieces and cards for each color. These two sets are the Suns and the Missives. The Missives' speed numbers all end in 0 (10, 20, 30…90), and the Suns all end in 5 (15, 25, 35…95). Each set of pieces has a different symbol in the top right of its matching set of cards, and slightly different texture shading on the pieces. The Missives are a slightly simpler set to play when compared to the Suns, and it is recommended that games with first time players use them.
Additional sets will be available via expansions in the future. They will follow similar numbering schemes.
Card and Piece Layout
(1) Speed: Each piece's speed number dictates how fast it acts in both placement and end game scoring. Lower is faster, and higher usually indicates more powerful pieces.
(2) Range: The number of icons indicates the range of the piece. This number is also present in a circle at the center of the Claim Area template.
(3) Terrain Type: The type of icon here indicates which spaces the piece can claim at the end of the game.
(4) Claim Area: The diagram in the center of the card illustrates the range and terrain type of the piece. It depicts the area the piece would claim if there were no obstacles or other pieces in the way. The number circled in the center is the range.
(5) Special Ability: Most pieces have a special ability that can be used immediately after being placed. Special Abilities are optional, unless a red ! accompanies the icon.
(6) Colorblind Indicator: The shields on either side of a piece's number are additional representations of the color, intended to help with colorblind differentiation. They have no game effect.
(7) Card Image: Each piece has a unique emblem, on a background that indicates which set it is from. The Missives have a wax seal, and the Suns have a sunburst.
Each piece has two sides. On one side is a Missives piece, and on the other a Suns piece. In each game, you will only use one side of each piece.
Setup
- Each player takes the cards, pieces, and influence tokens of one color.
- Give the Presumptive Heir token to a player chosen at random.
- Randomly select duchies to be used during the game.
- Duchies should be set up in the patterns below, so that the roads line up.
| Duchies for: | Short Game | Normal Game |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Players | 2 | 3 |
| 3 Players | 3 | 4 |
| 4 Players | 4 | 5 |
The duchy layouts for 2, 3, 4, and 5 duchies are shown as square boards arranged into a compact rectangular formation (for example, 3 duchies form an L-shape of two boards on top and one below), so that the roads printed on their edges line up between neighboring duchies.
- Choose a set (either Suns or Missives), and each player creates a deck containing the nine cards for that set in their color. Set aside cards from the other set – they will not be used during the game. Pieces are placed in front of each player with the appropriate side face up for the set chosen. For a game with new players, it is recommended that you use the Missives [0s] set.
- Everyone shuffles their deck, and draws three cards to form their initial hand.
Special Short Game Rules
First-time players or those desiring a quicker game should use the Short Game rules. In the short game, use a number of duchies equal to the number of players instead of the number of players plus one. In addition, instead of eight turns the game will last six turns. All other rules remain the same.
Gameplay
The game will last eight turns. At the end of the game, each player will have placed all but one of their pieces. During each turn, do:
(1) Card Selection: Each player secretly chooses one of the cards in their hand, placing it face down in front of them. This is the piece they will play this turn. Once everyone has chosen, all cards are revealed.
(2) Piece Placement: Look at the speed number in the upper-left corner of the revealed cards. In order from lowest number to highest number, each player must place their chosen piece onto the board. Piece placement is restricted by the rules of politics and the rules of nature, as described on the next page. If more than one player has chosen the same unit, those players play in clockwise order, starting from the Presumptive Heir.
After placing a piece a player must choose whether or not to use its special ability immediately, before the next player plays their piece; see "Special Abilities" later for details on how each ability works.
(3) Draw: Each player draws one card from their deck to replace the one played this turn. If no cards are left, do not reshuffle or draw.
(4) Assign Presumptive Heir: The player that placed a piece last during step 2 is given the Presumptive Heir token for the next turn.
After all eight turns have been played, the game is over; see "Scoring", later.
Placing Pieces – Restrictions
There are two sets of rules that govern where pieces can reside and move.
Rules of Politics
Must be followed any time a piece is placed.
Cooperation is hard [Row/Column restriction]. You cannot place a piece in a row or column where you already have a piece.
At the start of the game, this will not hinder you at all, but placements will grow more and more constrained as the game progresses. Note that this only restricts the initial placement of pieces – it is possible through special abilities to have two or more pieces share a row or column. Also note that this restriction does not affect opposing pieces in any way.
Speed chooses the ground [Duchy restriction]. You cannot place a piece in a duchy which has already been placed into this turn.
The first player each turn will have their choice of duchies to play on, with each successive player's options narrowing. The white tokens have been included to help with this rule. When you place a piece, you should place a white token on that duchy (in the center, or on a mountain) to indicate that the duchy has been used for this turn. These tokens are then removed at the end of the turn.
Rules of Nature
Must always be followed – including during piece placement, movement and influence placement.
Obstacles block everything. Piece placement, influence spread, movement, and measuring distance are all blocked by obstacles.
Conflict markers and mountains are obstacles for all players. Other players' influence tokens and pieces are also obstacles to you, but your own pieces and influence tokens are not. You cannot place a piece on top of an obstacle, move a piece through an obstacle, place influence on an obstacle, nor trace a path through an obstacle to place influence or a conflict marker.
Squares cannot be shared. If anything is in a square, nothing else can be there. This includes pieces, influence tokens, and conflict markers. Even though friendly influence and pieces are not obstacles, you can never end a placement or movement in violation of this rule.
Special Cases for Restrictions
While movement powers do not need to follow the rules of politics, a piece with a movement power must follow row, column, and duchy restrictions at the moment it is placed. For example, it is not legal to place an Agent [#10] in the same column as another of your pieces, and then move that other piece out of the way.
Parson [#55]: The Parson's ability allows it to move up to two spaces after it is placed. The duchy it was initially placed in is the duchy that counts as placed in for the turn, not its final destination. The Parson must be placed legally, but after using its ability can wind up in the same row or column as one of your pieces, or in the same duchy as another player placed into this turn.
In the rare case that you cannot place your piece on your turn due to the restriction rules, you return the card to your hand, and do not place a piece that turn. You still draw at the end of the turn.
Special Abilities
Some pieces have a special ability listed at the bottom of their card. A player may choose to use this ability immediately after placing the piece on the board, before the next player places their piece.
All abilities are optional, unless a red ! is present, as is the case for the Guard Post [#30] and the Inquisitor [#45].
Remember: Movement and distances can never be counted diagonally. Always measure orthogonally.
Move another of your pieces up to (distance): Choose a piece of yours that is in play, aside from this piece. Move it up to the number of spaces indicated by the number. Remember that you cannot move through obstacles, nor end up sharing a space with another piece or influence.
Move this piece up to (distance): Move the piece just played up to the number of spaces indicated by the number. Remember that you cannot move through obstacles, nor end up sharing a space with another piece or influence. Note that the row, column, and duchy restrictions apply when you place the piece, but not where it winds up after using this ability.
Place a Conflict Marker within (distance): Place a conflict marker on an empty space within the number of spaces indicated of the piece you played this turn. You must be able to trace a path to place it through no obstacles.
Place an Influence within (distance): Immediately place one of your influence tokens on an empty (no pieces or influence tokens) space within the number of spaces indicated of the piece you played this turn. You must be able to trace a path to place it through no obstacles. Note that you only place a single influence, even if the empty space chosen is a city.
After placing this piece, you must remove one of your pieces from play: If this piece is the first one you play, you must remove it. A good strategy would be not to play it first.
Ignore Duchy Restriction, if placing into a duchy where you have no pieces: This ability applies to the piece as it is placed, instead of being used after.
You must still follow row and column restrictions. Having influence in that duchy does not preclude you from using this ability.
When Claiming adjacent squares, +1 influence: This only applies at game end, and does stack with terrain bonuses (3 total influence in a city, for example). This does not allow you to place additional influence in a space that already has influence tokens.
This piece cannot be moved: Once placed, no ability may cause this piece to be moved. It can, however, be removed from the board entirely (e.g. Inquisitor).
Play Example
Below is the third turn of a two player game. Purple has already placed its Agent [#10] and Scholar [#40], and Blue has already placed its Ranger [#50] and Baron [#60]. To start the turn, both players secretly choose a card from their hand of three, and then they revealed simultaneously.
Blue's Agent has a lower speed, 10, than the Purple Knight, so Blue gets to place his piece first. He places next to Purple's Agent to block it off from the nearby forest city. He chooses not to use the Agent's special ability.
Purple would like to place his Knight in space (1) to block the Ranger, but cannot because Blue has already placed in that duchy this turn. He cannot play in space (2) because his agent shares the column, so he settles for space (3), cutting off the Baron and positioning well to claim the city at the end of the game. After placing, Purple uses the Knight's special ability to place a Conflict Marker two spaces away at (4), further blocking the Baron.
Agent [#10] card: Claims Cities, range 2. Ability: You may move another of your pieces up to two spaces.
Knight [#20] card: Claims Any Terrain (Not Mountains), range 1. Ability: You may place a conflict marker within two spaces.
Scoring: Placing Influence
Each card and piece show the area they can exert influence over via icons. The number of icons indicates the piece's range, and the type of icon determines which spaces it can claim. Cards depict the area as a template.
When a piece is restricted to claiming only one type of terrain, remember that many spaces have multiple features (road + city + forest, for example). All city spaces will also contain a road. Even if a piece can claim only one type of terrain, it can trace a path through other types of terrain to get there (except obstacles).
Determining Influence Range
A piece can place influence on a space if it can trace a path of length equal to or less than its range to it, avoiding obstacles. Remember that distance is always counted orthogonally, not diagonally. To the right is an example. Note that while the example depicts a single duchy, you can trace paths across duchy borders.
The Warden can place influence on forests, and has range of two. Note that the field does not stop the Warden from tracing a path to the forest to its north.
The Patroller has a range of 4, but can only claim roads. With such a long range, though, it can make it all the way to the city at the edge of the Duchy!
End of Game Influence Placement
Just as pieces with low speed numbers act before pieces with high speed numbers during placement, they also place influence first during end of game scoring.
Start with the lowest speed number on the board. All pieces of that number place an influence token on each and every empty (with no pieces, conflict markers or influence tokens) square they can claim. Continue through pieces in speed order from low to high until all have placed influence. There are two additional rules:
Contention: If more than one piece with the same priority number could claim a space, whichever can trace a shorter path there claims it. If they are equidistant, the space goes unclaimed (and may be taken later on during scoring).
Cities are valuable: When a city space is claimed during end of game scoring, place an additional influence token in it. Note that special abilities that place influence early do not gain this bonus.
Victory
After all pieces have claimed what they are able to, the player with the most influence tokens on the board claims the throne and wins! If a suitable throne is not available in the room to claim, the player simply wins instead. Ties result in a shared victory.
Scoring Example
- The Agents [#10] act first during scoring. Red claims the lower city for 2 influence, but the Blue and Red Agents are equally distant from the northern city, so neither claims it. Note that the Ranger does not block the red Agent, since pieces of your own color are not obstacles.
- Next, the Knight [#20] claims two adjacent fields, but was too slow to claim the city adjacent to it.
- The Red Scholar [#40] and Ranger [#50] then each act, claiming a large swath of territory, including the city that was left unclaimed earlier!
- Finally, the Blue Village Elder [#70] places influence, claiming some of the southeast portion of the map, including the southern city, which is on a field space. The Village Elder would have claimed many more spaces, had Red's influence not blocked him.
Variants
The following are some variants we've tried out and enjoy. You can even mix and match multiple variants together!
No Luck: In this variant, the only random element is determining which player receives the Presumptive Heir token to start the game. Players place all cards in their hand, and can choose from their entire arsenal of remaining pieces on each turn. Skip the draw step.
Team play: Operates nearly identically to a normal 4-player game. Combine your influence total with your partner's at the end. Also, do not treat your partner's influence or pieces on the board as obstacles. You are allowed to place a piece in the same row or column as your teammate's pieces.
Blind Draw: This variant removes the hand element from Fealty. Shuffle your deck and blindly flip the top card each turn, instead of choosing a card from your hand. You may always choose to discard the Inquisitor when drawn, and replace it with the next card.
Ordered Blind Draw: Play the same as Blind Draw, except that you choose the order of your deck before play.
Random Set: Shuffle all your pieces in a cup and then spill them onto the table. For each piece, whichever side is face up is the one you will use this game, resulting in a mix of Suns and Missives. Prepare a deck corresponding to those nine pieces.
Mixed Match: Play a game with one Suns player against one Missives player.
Tournament Rules
Fealty is a game well suited to running tournaments. Within each copy of Fealty are all the components you need to play a pair of concurrent two player games, and due to the quick nature of the game you can get in many games in a reasonable time period. You can host a tournament with any number of players, but it is best to have an even number, and even better to have a number divisible by 4.
The following rules assume two player games, although you could design a structure to accommodate 3 or 4 player games, if desired.
- 8 Players: 4 rounds, top 2 play a final match [90m - 2h]
- 10-16 Players: 5 rounds, top 2 play a final match [2 to 2.5h]
- 17-32 Players: 6 rounds, top 4 play a two-round single elimination bracket [2.5 to 3h]
These setups are for a Swiss style tournament. Each player needs a score sheet that will keep a record of their games. Record the name of the opponent, game points (Win = 2, Tie = 1, Loss = 0), and differential (In a 23-19 game, the winner's differential is +4, and the loser's is -4). After each round, rank the players by game points (tiebreaker: differential). Pair off #1 vs #2, #3 vs #4, etc. At the end, the top 2 or 4 players will compete for the title!
Time limits: Two player games should not take more than 20 minutes. Chess clocks are a good option if available, but should not be necessary.
Byes: If there are an odd number of players, the player in last place after each round receives 2 game points and +0 differential. If the same player would be scheduled to receive a second bye, adjust pairings so this does not happen.
Ties in Elimination Games: If an elimination/championship game ends in a tie, you can either re-play it, or use an optional tiebreaker: Whomever placed the last piece wins. Be sure to decide on this rule before the tournament.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a Ranger on a field space? The card says it only claims forests. Yes. The type of space a piece is eligible to claim does not affect where it can be placed.
Is it okay to put a conflict marker on an influence? On top of another piece? On a city? A conflict marker cannot co-exist with any other piece or influence marker (nor can it be placed on an obstacle, such as a mountain). You can, however, place a conflict marker on a city. This is often a good way to deny an opponent two or more influence!
Can I put down a piece in the same row or column as another piece, then immediately use a movement power to 'fix' it? No. Row, column, and duchy restrictions must be satisfied before a power is used.
What if I put down a piece legally, and then use a movement power to violate the row or column rule? Yes. Restrictions do not matter after the piece has been placed down. This is a very effective way of giving yourself more options later in the game!
What happens when two pieces with the same speed are near each other? Who claims the spaces? For each space, whichever piece can trace a shorter legal path to it claims it. If both pieces are equally far away, nobody claims the space, and it can be claimed later by another piece.
Can I put ____ on a mountain square? No. Mountains are obstacles. Pieces, influence, conflict markers, and theoretical expansion game bits cannot be placed on obstacles!
When do I use the special ability for a unit? The ability is used immediately after placing it. Remember that this is optional unless a red ! is present.
If a space has both a road and a city in it, does one player claim the road, and another the city? No, the entire space is claimed. You do not claim individual parts of it.
Is there a time limit on turns? You can play with a chess clock or similar timer if you wish, but it is not required by the game. Many players prefer quicker play, but the pace of the game is something your group should choose on its own. You should agree upon a pace before playing, and stick to what you decide.
Where can I play Fealty online? We are currently working on an iPad implementation, and other online play locations are possible in the future as well! Visit our website at AsmadiGames.com for more details.
Setup says to make the roads line up, but there's a mountain on some duchies where the road would connect. What do I do? It's okay if there's a mountain there. Mountains where roads end have little cave/mine entrances.
Does the Presumptive Heir token affect scoring? Does it mean my 10 is faster than my opponent's 10? No. The Presumptive Heir token has no effect on scoring.
Piece Reference
Fealty ships with two full sets of nine pieces per color: the Missives (speed numbers ending in 0) and the Suns (speed numbers ending in 5). The list below gives each piece's speed number, name, and the terrain icons it claims (icon count = range).
Missives
| Speed | Name | Claims |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Agent | Cities (range 2) |
| 20 | Knight | Any Terrain, not Mountains (range 1) |
| 30 | Guard Post | Roads (range 2) |
| 40 | Scholar | icon printed as two crosses (terrain type not spelled out elsewhere in this booklet) |
| 50 | Ranger | Forests (range 3) |
| 60 | Baron | Any Terrain, not Mountains (range 2) |
| 70 | Village Elder | Fields (range 3) |
| 80 | General | Any Terrain, not Mountains (range 3) |
| 90 | Court Noble | Any Terrain, not Mountains (range 4) |
Suns
| Speed | Name | Claims |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Farmer | Fields (range 1) |
| 25 | Herald | Any Terrain, not Mountains (range 1) |
| 35 | Warden | Forests (range 2) |
| 45 | Inquisitor | Any Terrain, not Mountains (range 2) |
| 55 | Parson | Fields (range 2) |
| 65 | Commander | Any Terrain, not Mountains (range 2) |
| 75 | Patroller | Roads (range 4) |
| 85 | Magistrate | Any Terrain, not Mountains (range 3) |
| 95 | Holy Legate | Any Terrain, not Mountains (icons printed as a diamond marked "2" plus one plain diamond) |