Royal Court (fan expansion for Dominion)
Royal Court (fan expansion for Dominion) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
General Concepts
- Start of your turn. If several things happen at the start of your turn, you may choose which order they happen.
- Duration cards. Duration cards stay in play until the end of the turn they cease having an effect. If a duration card does not reference a specific future turn, then it stays in play for the rest of the game.
You will need a number of tokens for this set. Pennies work great as do glass stones.
Printing and Collating
You can print the game by printing the royal court cards.pdf document. Print 10 copies of pages 1-2, one copy of pages 3-4 and 3 copies of page 5. This expansion does not include images for the backs of Kingdom cards.
You can also print an extra set of cards with blue backs for use in creating random decks. Again, we're not including the blue backed cards.
Page 4 includes Contingency Markers. These are used by the Contingency Plans card.
The final card on page 4 (the Advisor card reading "There are 10 different Advisor cards in the set. They count as one set of kingdom cards.") may be used for the "blue backed" Dominion card randomizers.
Card Text
Each card's printed text is given under its name, with its type and cost. Costs and benefits shown as icons are written as words. Where the printed text uses the Potion icon or the Victory Point shield, that is written out as "Potion" or "Victory Points".
Alliance
Action. Cost 6.
All players reveal all Treasure in their hands (or reveal hands with no Treasure). Starting with you and going clockwise, each player may use any revealed treasure to buy a card. When a Treasure is used, return it to its owners hand. Each player may buy 1 card in this fashion. Return unused Treasure to its owners' hands afterwards.
Buried Treasure
Action - Duration. Cost 4.
Now: No Effect.
At the start of your next turn: -1 Action. +4 Coins.
Cartographer
Action - Duration. Cost 5.
Until the end of your next turn you may draw a card after you play an Action Card (not including Cartographer).
Contingency Plans
Action - Reaction. Cost 2.
+1 Card; +1 Action.
Reveal Contingency Plans when another player plays a Duration Card to place a Contingency Marker on the card. You may only have one Contingency Marker on any given card. On your turn, play as if your Contingency Markers were copies of the cards they are on and that you had played them in your last turn. Remove all of your Contingency Markers from play at the end of your turn.
Dignitary
Action - Duration. Cost 4.
Now: +3 Coins.
Until the start of your next turn all cards have their Cost raised by 1 Coin.
Dismissal
Action - Attack. Cost 3.
+2 Coins.
All other players must discard one Duration card of your choice from play. The effects of those Duration cards are immediately cancelled.
Dungeon
Action - Attack - Duration. Cost 5.
When you play Dungeon, all players, including you, reveal a Victory Card costing 6 or less from their hand (or reveal a hand with no such cards). Place one of the revealed victory cards under Dungeon. [The printed cost is "6" followed by the Potion icon; see Card Notes.]
Now and all your future turns: As an action you may place a card from your hand under Dungeon until Dungeon has 3 Cards underneath it. Return all cards to your deck at the end of the game. If Dungeon leaves play, trash all cards under Dungeon.
Grand Ballroom
Action - Duration. Cost 3.
At the buy phase of this and your next turn: +1 Coin for each differently named Duration card you have in play.
Servant's Quarters
Action. Cost 3.
+1 Action
Reveal the top card of your deck. If it is an Action, play it immediately, otherwise place it in your hand and +1 Coin.
Royal Chambers
Action - Duration. Cost 4.
Choose an Action Card from your hand. Play it now and keep it with Royal Chambers. Play it again without spending an Action at the start of your next turn.
Strongroom
Action - Duration. Cost 4.
Now and at the start of all your future turns: You may place one Treasure card from your hand face up under Strongroom. If Strongroom leaves play, place all cards under it into your hand.
As an action, you may discard Strongroom from play.
Taxation
Action. Cost 2.
+2 Cards
Place a Tax Token on a Supply pile. For each Tax Token on that pile, players must pay 1 Coin in addition to the cost to buy cards from that pile. Trash this card.
Tower
Action - Duration. Cost 2.
Now: +1 Action.
While Tower is in play, you may examine the top card of all players' decks during your turn.
Now and at the start of your next turn, you may move the top card of your deck to your discard pile.
Vizier
Action - Attack. Cost 3.
All other players with Duration Cards in play gain a Curse.
Trash a card from your hand.
Emporium
Action - Duration - Victory. Cost 5.
+1 Card, +1 Action, +1 Coin, +1 Buy.
The Emporium remains in play but has no effect on future turns.
Worth 2 Victory Points.
Strategist
Victory. Cost 3.
Worth 1 Victory Point for every three Duration cards in your Deck.
Advisor
Action - Duration. Cost 5 (each of the ten cards).
There are 10 different Advisor cards in the set. They count as one set of kingdom cards.
Chamberlain
Place a use token on Chamberlain when you shuffle your deck.
Once during each of your turns, you may remove 1 use token from Chamberlain to draw six cards instead of five during your clean up phase.
Champion
Now and on all future turns: as an Action, you may trash Champion and your entire hand. If you trash at least 3 cards in this way: Gain a card.
Exchequer
Now and at the start of each of your turns, you may discard a Treasure from your hand. If you do, +2 Coins.
General
Now and when you shuffle your deck, place a use token on General.
At the start of each of your turns, you may remove 1 use token from General to gain an Attack card and place it in your hand.
Herald
Now and at the start of each of your turns +1 Buy.
High Priest
Now and when you shuffle your deck, place a use token on High Priest.
At the start of each of your turns, you may remove 1 use token from High Priest to trash a card from your hand.
Man At Arms
Now: +1 Action.
You may place a use token on Man At Arms to avoid being affected by an Attack made by another player. Discard Man At Arms from play when there are as many use tokens on this card as there are players in the game.
Prime Minister
Place a use token on Prime Minister when you shuffle your deck.
At the start of each of your turns, you may remove 1 use token from Prime Minister to get +1 Action.
Taster
Now and on all future turns: All Duration cards you gain or buy are placed directly in play although you do not get their benefits on the turn you gain them.
Treasurer
On all your future turns: you may skip your Action phase to place a card from your hand under Treasurer. Return these cards to your deck at the end of the game or if Treasurer leaves play.
Card Notes
Advisor: This is a set of 10 cards, but each card is different. Advisors are considered one set of Kingdom cards. The player purchasing or gaining an Advisor may choose which of the 10 (or however many remaining in the kingdom pile) to gain. All Advisors are considered to be a card of the same name "Advisor," (for purpose of cards like Tribute) even if they have different names in the text box.
- Chamberlain: Having multiple Chamberlains in play (via Throne Room, for example) does not allow you to draw more than 6 cards, but does allow you to use the Chamberlain's power more often.
- Exchequer: You may only discard one Treasure at the start of your turns for Exchequer. If you have multiple Exchequers in play (via Throne Room for example), you may discard a Treasure for each one to get multiple bonuses.
- General: You may only remove 1 Use Token from General per turn. If you have multiple Generals in play (via Throne Room for example), you may remove 1 a Use Token from each one to get multiple bonuses.
- High Priest: You may only remove 1 Use Token from High Priest per turn. If you have multiple High Priests in play (via Throne Room for example), you may remove 1 a Use Token from each one to get multiple bonuses.
- Man At Arms: Keep in mind that Man At Arms is discarded from play after the token is placed on it to avoid the Attack.
- Prime Minister: You may only remove 1 Use Token from Prime Minister per turn. If you have multiple High Priests in play (via Throne Room for example), you may remove 1 a Use Token from each one to get multiple bonuses. [Printed as "High Priests" in this note; the card is Prime Minister.]
- Taster: This can get a bit complex. See Appendix A for more details.
- Treasurer: You completely skip your action phase to use Treasurer. Even if you get +Actions from other cards, it makes no difference because you completely skip that part of your turn. If you are at net zero or negative Actions, you may still skip your Action phase to use Treasurer.
It is suggested that players are only allowed to have as many Advisors in play as there are players in the game. This is an optional rule.
Alliance: Players may only buy one card in the special Alliance Buy phase regardless of any +Buys they may have. Effects that give +coins (such as from Dismissal) do not count during the Alliance Buy phase. However, effects that change the cost or buying power of cards (such as Coppersmith or Bridge) do count during the special Alliance Buy phase. Treasures are considered played for the purpose of Treasure abilities (like those from Prosperity) when they are used to buy the card during this phase. They are considered played by the person buying the card, not the owner. And they remain in play just for the duration of buying that one card. See Appendix A for more details.
Players may only use enough Treasure cards to buy their Card as needed in the Alliance phase. You could, for example, use two Gold to buy a card that cost 4, but you could not use 3 Silver to buy a card that cost 4 when 2 Silver would be enough.
Buried Treasure: Note that it gives you -1 Action. The net effect of having negative actions is as if you had no Actions available. Say that on turn A, you managed to play three Buried Treasures. On your next turn, you would have -2 Actions total available (1 you normally get -3 for the Buried Treasures). This would be as if you had 0 Actions available that turn. BUT say that you also had a Prime Minister in play. You may remove a token from your Prime Minister to give you +1 Action, but you would still have a net -1 Actions and could not take any actions that turn.
Cartographer: You draw the card after the Action card you play takes effect. This normally doesn't make difference, but it does for cards like Bureaucrat. (In which case, the Bureaucrat places a Silver on top of your deck which you then draw for Cartographer.) Note that you do not draw a card if you play another Cartographer. Note that cards like Throne Room tell you to play Action Cards and those plays also trigger Cartographer.
Contingency Plans: Discard Contingency Markers if the card they are on leaves play. Do not include this card if you do not have any Duration cards in your set of Kingdom cards. If the Duration Card the Contingency Plans is on requires that the player had done something on their last turn (Example: Royal Chambers, Tactician, or Haven), the player of Contingency Plans is assumed to have NOT done that thing on their last turn. Remember that the Contingency Marker is considered a copy of the card it is on, so if it is trashed, the original card is not trashed. It is strongly suggested that players use the included Contingency Markers and have the arrows pointing at the player who played Contingency Plans. See Appendix A for more information.
Dignitary: Dignitary remains in play until the end of your next turn even though it has no effect on that turn. This is relevant for cards like Dismissal, Wazir, and Grand Ballroom.
Dismissal: If the targeted Duration Card has other cards with it, and the targeted duration card says what happens to those cards when it leaves play (Dungeon, Vault), that is what happens to those cards if the targeted Duration Card is targeted by Dismissal. Otherwise, the cards kept with the targeted Duration Card (Haven, Treasurer, Royal Chambers) are discarded from play. Cards played with that targeted card (King's Court, Throne Room, &c) are likewise removed from play. Contingency Markers are only considered Duration Cards on the turn they are in effect.
Dungeon: The cost in the text is 6 meaning that any Victory cards that cost 6 or less are included even if they don't cost a Potion. Cards are placed under Dungeon face down. There is no limitation on the kinds of cards that may be placed under Dungeon as your Action.
Emporium: Emporium remains in play for the rest of the game. Return it to your deck at the end of the game. Emporium can be targeted by Dismissal and counts as a Duration card in play for cards like Grand Ballroom and Wazir.
Grand Ballroom: It is recommended that you have at least 2 sets of Duration cards in a setup that includes Grand Ballroom. Remember that even if you have multiple Advisors in play, they all still have the same name (Advisor) for purposes of Grand Ballroom. Contingency Markers are only considered Duration Cards on the turn they are in effect.
Royal Chambers: Think of it as a Throne Room that acts over two turns instead of one. There is one difference between Royal Chambers and Throne Room. Royal Chambers' "keep it with Royal Chambers" trumps other cards' abilities to trash or discard themselves (Feast, Embargo). The card is kept with Royal Chambers rather than trashed or discarded. (It is Trashed or Discarded as appropriate when you play it the second time on your next turn). A special note on Royal Chambers and Duration Cards. Remember that on the turn following playing such a set, you have TWO copies of that duration card in play. Discard Royal Chambers instead of the Duration card at the end of that following turn. If the Royal Chambers are played with a card that stays in play for longer than one additional turn, keep Royal Chambers with that card as a reminder that it is a duplicate of that Duration Card, and discard Royal Chambers first if that card is removed from play or trashed.
Strongroom: Treasure cards placed under Strongroom are placed face up to assure that they are Treasures. Note that if Strongroom leaves play due to Dismissal, you still place all cards under it into your hand.
Taxation: Tax Tokens do not change the cost of cards. They add to the cost to buy the cards from that pile. But the cost of the cards stays the same for purposes of things like Remodel , Salvager, Mine, University, and so forth. Tax Tokens do affect the cost to buy cards during an Alliance Buy phase.
Tower: If you have multiple Towers in play, you may move multiple cards from your deck to your discard pile, but you still may only see the top card of other players' decks. Note that you may only view the top card of decks during your turn.
Recommended Sets of Ten
Royal Court Only
Buried Treasure, Cartographer, Contingency Plans, Dignitary, Grand Ballroom, Emporium, Advisor, Tower, Dismissal, Strategist
Alliance, Servant's Quarters, Taxation, Emporium, Strongroom, Dungeon, Advisor, Dignitary, Vizier, Cartographer
[The second list has no heading in the source; it is shown here under "Royal Court Only" as a second recommended set.]
Royal Court Combined With Other Sets
Mind Bender: Throne Room (basic), King's Court (Prosperity), Royal Chambers (Royal Court), Dungeon (Royal Court), Golem (Alchemy), Cartographer (Royal Court), Masquerade (Intrigue), Conspirator (Intrigue), Possession (Alchemy), Tactician (Seaside)
Victory: Gardens (Basic), Great Hall (Intrigue), Vineyard (Alchemy), Nobles (Intrigue), Emporium (Royal Court), Dungeon (Royal Court), Lighthouse (Seaside), Strategist (Royal Court), Advisor (Royal Court), Contraband (Prosperity).
Royal Court of Magic: Journeyman (Books of Magic), Book of Prophecy (Books of Magic), Dark Library (Books of Magic), Ward (Books of Magic), Book of Pain (Books of Magic), Vizier (Royal Court), Advisor (Royal Court), Buried Treasure (Royal Court), Cartographer (Royal Court), Dignitary (Royal Court)
Appendix A – Card Reaction Reference
The printed reference tables are two columns wide. They are set out below one row after another, left column first, then right column.
Taster
Taster: The thing to note is that you do not get the benefit of Duration cards put into play by Taster on the turn they are put into play, but that benefit happens immediately after the turn ends. Keep in mind that you can gain cards while it isn't your turn via cards like Masquerade, Ambassador, Sinister Gift, and others.
| Card | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Caravan | +1 Card on your next turn. |
| Fishing Village | +1 Action, +1 Coin on your next turn. |
| Haven | Since it has no effect when it comes into play, there is no card to draw on your next turn. |
| Lighthouse | After the current turn ends, while Lighthouse is in play when another player plays an Attack card it does not affect you. +1 Coin on your next turn. |
| Merchant Ship | +2 Coins on your next turn. |
| Outpost | Take an extra turn after this one. This cannot cause you to take more than two consecutive turns. |
| Tactician | +1 Action, +1 Buy, +5 Cards at the start of your next turn. |
| Wharf | +1 Buy, +2 Cards at the start of your next turn. |
| Advisor Chamberlin [sic; the card is Chamberlain] | No specific effect until you shuffle your deck. You may not place a use token on the card the turn it comes into play. |
| Advisor Champion |
Contingency Plans
Contingency Plans: Here is how Contingency Plans works with other cards.
| Card | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Caravan | +1 Card on your next turn. |
| Fishing Village | +1 Action, +1 Coin on your next turn. |
| Haven | There is no card to draw on your next turn. |
| Lighthouse | +1 Coin on your next turn. Also should another player play an Attack card when it is your next turn, it does not affect you. |
| Merchant Ship | +2 Coins on your next turn. |
| Outpost | No effect. |
| Tactician | +1 Action, +1 Buy, +5 Cards at the start of your next turn. |
| Wharf | +1 Buy, +2 Cards at the start of your next turn. |
| Advisor Chamberlin [sic; the card is Chamberlain] | No specific effect unless you shuffle your deck during your turn before your clean up phase. |
| Advisor Champion | You may use the card as stated. |
Alliance
Alliance: Here is how the assorted Treasures with Benefits work with Alliance. Treat it as if each player had their own independent buy phase and that they were playing the cards regardless of who owned them. Cards played in one player's Alliance Buy phase do not affect future players' Alliance Buy Phases.
| Card | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bank | Worth 1 Coin per Treasure already played specifically to buy the card (including that Bank). |
| Contraband | +1 Buy is meaningless. You may only buy 1 card. The player to the buyer's left names a card and the buyer may not buy that card for the rest of the turn (even in the regular buy phase). |
| Diadem | Only the person whose turn it could potentially have unused actions. |
| Harem | The Harem goes back into its owner's hand and is worth 2 VP at the end of the game to its owner. |
| Hoard | If the Buyer buys a Victory card using Hoard, Buyer gains a Gold. |
| Horn of Plenty | Cards revealed for Alliance are not considered to be "in play," but duration cards from previous turns are still "in play," for purpose of this card. If the Buyer uses the Horn of Plenty's ability to gain a Victory card, then first the Horn is trashed, then it is returned to its owner's hand. |
| Loan | When the Buyer chooses this card, Buyer reveals cards from his deck until he reveals a Treasure. Discard or trash it and then discard the other cards. |
| Philosopher's Stone | Worth 1 Coin per 5 cards in the Buyer's deck and discard pile combined. |