King of 12
King of 12 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- Point tokens (9x 1 VP, 6x 2 VP)
- 4x Twelve-sided dice
- 48x Character cards (12 per player color)
- 4x Reference cards
Setup
Place the point tokens in the middle of the table.
Give each player 1 die, 1 reference card, and the following 7 cards of the same color: THE KNIGHT, THE SORCERER, THE ORACLE, THE ALCHEMIST, THE MACHINE, THE PARASITE and THE GOLEM (see illustration). The other cards will not be used in your first game and can be returned to the box. In later games, you may choose which cards to use (see box on the right).
Each player rolls their die and places it in front of them where all players can see it.
The cards for your first game
THE ALCHEMIST, THE KNIGHT, THE SORCERER, THE ORACLE, THE MACHINE, THE PARASITE and THE GOLEM.
Use different cards sets each game!
THE KNIGHT card is always used. For a random setup, one player draws 6 additional random cards from a single player deck. Check that at least 2 of the drawn cards have the blue stone symbol at the top. If not, swap cards out until this is the case. All other players then find the exact same 7 cards from their own decks, and return the rest to the box. (Alternatively, you may also simply agree on which additional 6 cards to use.)
Gameplay
The game is played over multiple rounds, each of which consists of several turns. Every turn there will be a first and second place that score points. Whoever has the most points at the end of a round, wins the round. The first player to win 2 rounds, wins the game.
Turn Flow
A turn consists of the following steps, performed in order simultaneously by all players:
1. Play cards
Whose help will you seek?
Each player secretly chooses 1 card and lays it face down on the table. Once all players have made their choice, the cards are revealed simultaneously.
2. Cancel cards
Better to help no one than to take sides!
If any player has chosen the same card as another player, all matching cards are canceled. Players with canceled cards then discard them to show that they were canceled (see step 6 - "Discard cards").
3. Card effects
Behold their power!
Players now activate the effect of their chosen card (unless canceled in the previous step). If multiple cards will affect your die value, you may choose the order in which they occur (unless the effect explicitly states that it occurs first or last).
Important: Only cards with the blue stone or grey stone symbol will physically affect or rotate the dice. If an effect changes the "value" of your die, do NOT rotate the die. Just remember the new value and use it in the next step. "Value" changes are only temporary (until the end of the turn) and can cause the die value to go above 12 or below 1.
4. Compare values
Interferences among the stones!
All players now compare their "values" (the number shown on their die, modified by any card effects). Players with canceled cards still compare dice values. If any players have the same value as another player, all those players dice are canceled. Players cover canceled dice with their hand (taking care not to change the die face - dice are not re-rolled until the end of the round).
5. Score victory points
Whose stone will shine the brightest?
The player with the highest remaining (not canceled) die value is the "winner", and the player with the next highest value is the "runner-up". The winner takes a 2 point token, and the runner-up takes a 1 point token. If enough cards are canceled it is possible to have no runner-up, or even to have no winner at all. A value of 0 can win if all other values are canceled.
6. Discard cards
All players now discard their played cards face down. Each player forms their own personal discard pile in front of themselves. Discarded cards may not be played again this round. If (after discarding) any players have only 1 card remaining in their hand, the round ends. Otherwise, begin another turn with Step 1 (Play cards). Remember - don't roll your dice again each turn!
Turn flow example
Lea, Mia and Tom are playing King of 12. They have already rolled their dice: Lea has rolled a 10, Mia a 7, and Tom a 3.
Next, each of them chooses a card and lays it face down on the table. When all players are ready they reveal the cards.
After revealing, Lea and Mia see that they've both played the same card (THE ALCHEMIST). Boom!!! The cards cancel each other out and both are discarded. Their dice values are unaltered.
Because Lea and Mia were forced to discard their cards, they may unfortunately not use their effects. Tom however, still has his card face up in front of him and may now activate its effect. Tom played THE REVERSER, which tells him to rotate his die to the opposite side. Because his die shows a 3, he turns it over and it now shows a 10.
Lea played THE ALCHEMIST. If the card had not been canceled, it would have doubled her die value. Lea's die showed a 10, so the new value would have been 10 x 2 = 20. The card would have only changed the value - not the die - so the die would not have been rotated. Lea would have just remembered that her value was now 20.
Lea, Mia, and Tom now compare their die values. Lea has 10, Mia has 7, and Tom has 10. Lea and Tom now have the same die value. Boom!!! Both of their dice are canceled and Lea and Tom must cover them with their hands.
Mia's 7 is now the only die value remaining, and therefore is also the highest value. Mia is the winner and takes a 2 point token. There is no runner-up, because all other dice have been canceled, and no one takes a 1 point token. Lea and Tom score no points.
Tom discards his played card (Lea and Mia discarded previously) and the next turn begins.
End of a Round
The round ends at the end of a turn if one of these conditions has been met:
- A player has only 1 card left in their hand. This means the first round will always be 6 turns, but later rounds will be only 5 turns (see below).
- A player has collected 8 or more points in this round.
To finish the round, perform the following steps:
- All players take the discarded cards they played this round back into their hands.
- Players compare their points scored this round. If any players have the exact same number of points as another player, all those players points are canceled and returned to the supply. After canceling points, the player with the most remaining points is the winner of the round. If all players points are canceled, then there is no round winner and players proceed immediately to the next round.
- The winner of the round chooses 1 of their cards and places it face down under their die. They will have 1 less card to choose from next round (never take this card back into your hand).
- If a player now has 2 cards under their die (has won 2 rounds), they win the game. Otherwise, all players return all point tokens to the supply, re-roll their dice, and begin a new round.
End of round example
We'll skip ahead to the end of a turn later in round 2. Lea and Mia each have 2 cards left in their hands, Tom has only 1. This means the round is now over.
Lea, Mia and Tom take all the cards that they played back into their hands.
Lea, Mia and Tom compare their points: Lea has 3, Mia and Tom both have 6. Boom!!! Since Mia and Tom have the same number of points, both are canceled and returned to the supply.
Lea's 3 points are the highest (and only remaining), so Lea wins the round. Lea selects 1 of her cards and places it under her die.
Lea now returns all her point tokens to the supply (Mia and Tom returned their points previously). All 3 players re-roll their dice, and the next round begins.
At the end of the 3rd round, both Lea and Tom each have 1 card under their dice. Lea has won this round, and may now put a second card under her die. She immediately wins the game!
Game End
The first player to win 2 rounds (with 2 cards under their die) is the winner. You have claimed the throne of the Twelve Kingdoms!
Special Situations
Lea has played THE SORCERER, and Mia has played THE TROUBLEMAKERS. Because she may choose in which order she activates the effect, Lea chooses to first flip her die to the opposite side and then rotate it to an adjacent side.
Mia and Tom have both played THE LADY. Mia has the lower die value, so she may take a point token from Tom. She chooses to take a 2 point token.
Card Summary
THE ALCHEMIST: Double your die value. Do not change your die face, just remember the doubled value.
THE GAMBLER: This turn, the winner is instead the runner-up, and the runner-up is the winner. This means the player with the second highest value receives 2 points, and the player with the highest value receives 1. If THE KNIGHT is also in effect, then the player with the second lowest value receives 2 points, and the player with the lowest value receives 1.
THE GOLEM: Your die value is 12. If your die face shows a 12 (after all effects), your die value is instead a 1. Do not change your die face in either case, just remember the new value.
THE KNIGHT: This turn, low values are better than high. The lowest die value is the winner and the second lowest value is the runner-up.
THE LADY: Cancel all other cards. If THE LADY is canceled, THE LADY player with the lowest die value may take a point token of their choice from the Lady player with the highest die value after the "Score points" step. If multiple THE LADY players are tied for either highest or lowest then ignore this effect.
THE MACHINE: Add 7 to your die value. Do not change your die face in either case, just remember the raised value.
THE MERCHANTS: Every player passes their die clockwise to the player on their left. This effect occurs first, unless canceled by THE LADY or other MERCHANTS.
THE ORACLE: Roll your die. This effect occurs after all other effects in the "Card effects" step.
THE PARASITE: Subtract 7 from your die value. Do not change your die face in either case, just remember the raised value.
THE REVERSER: Rotate your die to the opposite side. Tip: The opposite sides of the die always total to 13. So, for example, THE REVERSER will turn a 9 to a 4 and a 3 to a 10.
THE SORCERER: Rotate your die to one of the 5 sides adjacent to the face up side (marked with a dot in the example illustration on the right).
THE TROUBLEMAKERS: All players rotate their die to the opposite side. Tip: The opposite sides of the die always total to 13. So, for example, THE TROUBLEMAKERS will turn a 9 to a 4 and a 3 to a 10.
Credits
Design: Rita Modl Illustrations: Robin Lagofun Development: Frank Noack & Rico Besteher Editing: Ryan Palfreyman & Rico Besteher, Konrad Rozbicki Graphics: Ronny Libor & Enrico Holzheuser Translation: Quint Wheeler
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