Melee (2014) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
• Contents
• Set up
• Initial Build Phase
  • Introductory rules
  • Complete rules with Special Abilities
  • Build costs
• Turn order
  • Each season
  • 1. Bid for start player (simultaneous)
  • 2. Choose actions (simultaneous)
  • 3. Take actions (in player order)
  • 4. Income (simultaneous)
  • 5. Advance season marker
• Player Actions
  • Tax
  • Build
  • Move/Attack
• Attacks
  • Knights / Soldiers
  • Catapults
  • Camps
• Terrain Effects
  • Castle
  • Central Mountains
  • General Area Limitations
• Game End
• Summary
  • Goal
  • Initial Build
  • Each season
  • Build
  • Move/Attack
  • Terrain
  • Game End

Goal

To be the first to capture any opposing castle, or to have the most areas under their control at the end of the year.

Contents

• 10 units in each of 4 player colours (each player's supply: Knight x2, Soldier x3, Catapult x2, Camp x3)
• 12 Turn Action cards (4 sets of 3 cards)
• 20 Special Ability cards
• 1 Start player card, 1 Season card, season marker
• Gold coins (10 x 5 gold, 25 x 1 gold)
• Map for 2, 3 or 4 players
• Rules

Set up

• Decide start player.
• Each player puts a soldier in their castle, and takes 15 gold coins and set of 3 turn action cards (Build, Tax and Move/Attack) and their supply of units.
• The total amount of gold each player has is always known throughout the game.
• Place the season marker on the season card, starting on Spring. The game lasts 4 turns, each turn is a season, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
• Before the first turn there is an initial build phase.
• We recommend the introductory rules, without special abilities, for the first game.

Initial Build Phase

Introductory rules

• Starting with the start player each player chooses which units to purchase, pays for them and places them on the board.
• Units must be placed in their castle or an adjacent area to their castle (initial build only in the castle and its adjacent areas).
• Once all players have placed their pieces the first turn starts.

Complete rules with Special Abilities

Players may purchase unique capabilities in the game.

• Deal out a number of Special Ability cards equal to the number of players +1 (eg for a 3 player game deal 4 cards) and place them face up on the table.
• Starting with the start player each player either a) places one bid for a special ability or b) builds and places one unit or c) passes.
• a) Bid for special abilities:
  • Place your gold, with one of your unbuilt units as a marker, on the card you want.
  • The minimum bid is 1 gold. If there is already a bid then you have to bid higher and the player you outbid immediately retrieves their gold and marker.
  • You may outbid yourself.
  • There is no limit to the number of special abilities you may purchase.
  • Any special abilities left un-bid after all players have passed, are discarded.
• b) Build a unit.
  • Choose a unit, pay for it and immediately place it in your castle or adjacent lands.
  • Once placed they may not be changed.
• c) Pass
  • Once a player passes they may no longer re-enter the initial build phase.
  • When all players have passed the first turn starts.

Build costs

• Knight: 6 Gold
• Soldier, Catapult, Camp: 2 Gold each

Turn order

Each season

1. Bid for start player
2. Choose actions (choose 2 in winter)
3. Take actions
4. Get income
5. Advance season marker

1. Bid for start player (simultaneous)

• Everyone bids secretly (gold in hand) to be start player.
• Person who bid most chooses who will be start player, and that player receives the start player card immediately. (Ties are resolved in favour of the original start player and clockwise from there).
• Only the successful bidder pays their bid.

2. Choose actions (simultaneous)

• Everyone secretly picks one action card and puts it face down in front of them.
• In the winter season, everyone chooses 2 cards.

3. Take actions (in player order)

• The start player reveals their card(s) and takes their chosen action.
• Following in clockwise order other players do likewise.
• In winter when 2 cards are chosen, players may choose the order in which they take their actions (but one action has to be fully taken before another is started).

4. Income (simultaneous)

Everyone gets:

• 1 gold for each camp they own
• 1 gold for each area they occupy that has a (+1) symbol
• any bonus gold from special abilities

5. Advance season marker

• Advance season marker to next season.
• If no castle has been captured game ends at the end of the winter turn.

(The season card shows: Spring - Initial build, +1 action; Summer - 1 Action; Fall - 1 Action; Winter - 2 Actions.)

Player Actions

Tax

• You get 3 gold.

Build

• You may build any units remaining in your supply, placing them either in your castle, areas adjacent to your castle (unless occupied by an enemy unit) or any other areas you control (ie if you already have a unit there).
• Build costs as per initial build phase.

Move/Attack

• Only knights and soldiers can move. (Unless you have a special ability)
• Empty areas can be freely moved into without attacking.
• A soldier can move, and attack, into 1 adjacent area only in each turn. A knight can keep moving and attacking with no limit.
• To move into or through an area that contains an enemy unit you must first attack.
• Catapults cannot move but can attack with a range of 1 area (i.e. into an adjacent area).
• Camps cannot move or attack.
• You can move, attack and launch anything in any order you choose.

Attacks

Knights / Soldiers

• To attack you must motivate your men with gold. Choose any amount from the gold you have, minimum of 1, and hold it secretly in your hand.
• The defender gets 1 guess (2 simultaneous guesses if defending a castle or mountain).
• If the defender does not correctly guess the gold in your hand your attack is successful and you destroy a defending knight or soldier, and move in capturing the area if that was the last defending unit.
• If the defender guesses your gold correctly you lose your attacking piece.
• You spend your gold regardless of your success.
• If you are attacking an area which contains multiple enemy units you need to make multiple attacks, spending new gold and with the defender guessing each time, until all enemy units are defeated. The order of attacks must be first against any enemy soldier, then knight, then camp. (Catapults cannot defend themselves).
• If you defeat a camp you capture it and exchange it for one of your own, provided you have one in your supply.
• If you capture a catapult you exchange it for one of your own, from your supply but you cannot use it on that same turn.

Catapults

• Catapults can only be used once and obliterate every unit in their target area. You cannot partially destroy an area, so rival camps and other catapults are destroyed and cannot be captured.
• Catapults have no defence and after other units in their area have been defeated, are immediately captured by a knight or soldier moving in without an attacker needing to spend gold.

Camps

• Camps defend themselves and need to be defeated but may not move or attack.
• A defeated camp is captured and replaced by one of the attacker's camps.

Terrain Effects

Castle

• Castles have a permanent garrison. Regardless of any units placed in the castle the defender gets 2 simultaneous guesses when a castle is attacked. If there is a knight or soldier in the castle the attacker first has to defeat that unit (defender gets 2 guesses) then attack again to capture the castle from the permanent garrison (defender gets 2 guesses again).
• Catapults fired at castles only destroy units placed in the castle. The permanent garrison will always defend the final walls.
• A camp cannot be placed inside a castle.

Central Mountains

• Catapults cannot fire into mountains.
• A catapult in mountains has +1 range.
• A defending soldier in mountains gets 2 guesses.
• Knights cannot attack, move into or pass through mountains.

General Area Limitations

• Only 1 unit of each kind may ever be in any area. (E.g. no 2 soldiers in any area.)
• Only 1 player may have units in any area.

Game End

• The game ends immediately, with no further turns, the moment any castle is captured. Beware this is a short violent game that can end very suddenly!
  • The conqueror is recognised as the strongest, is crowned King or Queen and all others are invited to the coronation feast except the player who lost their castle, who is put into stocks and mocked.
• If no castle has been captured the game ends at the end of the winter turn after all income is taken.
  • The player with the most controlled areas is considered the richest and is crowned King or Queen. A controlled area is any area, (excluding the castle but including mountains), that contain any of the player's units. The number of units in an area is not relevant.
  • Tiebreakers are: first the player with the most remaining gold, then the final turn order.
  • The last player in winter does not take their turn if it is not possible to win.

Summary

Goal

Capture any castle, or control most areas at year end.

Initial Build

In player order either

• place a bid for a special ability
• build and place a unit
• pass (may not re-enter)

Each season

1. Bid for start player
2. Simultaneously choose 1 action card (choose 2 in winter)
3. Reveal and take actions in player order
4. Get income
5. Advance season marker

Build

Only in castle, area adjacent to castle or area occupied by you.

Move/Attack

Attacker secretly chooses gold to spend, defender guesses, if wrong attack is successful, if right attacker loses unit. Regardless of success attacker's gold is always spent. Soldiers move 1, knights unlimited, camps and catapults cannot move. Catapults fire range 1, destroy all units, cannot defend themselves. Camps and catapults are captured and convert to victor.

Terrain

Castles - have a permanent garrison, which gets 2 guesses in defence. Mountains - defenders get 2 guesses, knights may not enter, catapults may not launch into, catapults within mountains gain +1 range.

Game End

Immediately when any castle is captured, or at end of winter season.