Sola Fide: The Reformation
Sola Fide: The Reformation Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction
In Sola Fide: The Reformation, two players attempt to install Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire - or try to prevent it.
Both are battling the Holy Roman Empire's Imperial Circles. Despite earlier attempts, Martin Luther started the Reformation in 1517 with his "Ninety-Five Theses". Luther criticized the selling of indulgences and that the Catholic doctrine of the merits of the saints had no foundation in the gospel. The "Protestants" soon incorporated doctrinal changes such as Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide.
The changes were not only theological, but also other factors played a role in The Reformation: the rise of nationalism, the Western Schism that eroded people's faith in the Papacy, the perceived corruption of the Roman Curia, the impact of humanism, and the new learning of the Renaissance that questioned much of traditional thought. The Roman Catholic Church responded with a Counter-Reformation initiated by the Council of Trent.
In Sola Fide: The Reformation, the players play cards from their hands to gain influence in and eventually win the 10 Imperial Circles of the Holy Roman Empire.
Sola Fide is mechanically simple, but game-play is intense and exciting!
Sola Fide was never meant to be a detailed simulation of The Reformation - a very complex series of events.
Instead, this game offers a lot of period flavor via its cards.
The release of Sola Fide: The Reformation is timed with the 500th Anniversary in 2017 of The Reformation.
2.0 Game Components
Each Sola Fide copy contains:
- 10 Imperial Circles (cardboard)
- 45 Catholic cards
- 45 Protestant cards
- 16 Foreign Influence cards (in four colors)
- 2 identical Military Chart cards
- 16 Catholic Influence tokens (black)
- 16 Protestant Influence tokens (red)
- 5 Power tokens (yellow)
- 10 Reward tokens (green)
- 1 Disputation token
- 1 Die
- 1 Rules Booklet
- 1 Accompanying Booklet
2.1 The Imperial Circles
Sola Fide contains ten Imperial Circles. Each Circle is depicted in the center and has its number (between 1 and 10), its name (in English and German), and its victory point value (either 5 or 7) at one side.
The opposite side of the Imperial Circle holds the Power Track, always four spaces, two on the side of the nobility and two on the side of the Commoners. One of these spaces shows the initial position of the Power token.
The other sides, one depicting the Nobility, the other the Commoners, has either four or five territories each. Some will be initially neutral (white), some will be Catholic (black) and some will be red (Protestant).
Diagram callouts on the Imperial Circle tile: Power Track with initial position of the Power token; Neutral territory; Catholic territory; Name and Victory Points; Nobility; Protestant territory; Commoners.
2.2 The Catholic and Protestant Cards
Each player has its own deck of 45 cards. They show an illustration at the top, the card's title, its text (effect), and its number. Cards showing an oval number are cards for your first game (illustrated by an oval-shaped number symbol).
Some cards are persistent events and show this symbol (an infinity symbol); some cards are military cards and show this symbol (a crossed-swords symbol) (only the Catholics have military cards).
2.3 The Foreign Influence Cards
There are a total of 16 Foreign Influence cards in Sola Fide. They belong to four, color-coded sets of four cards each.
One Power token each is placed on the starting space opposite the Circle's name. From here, the players shift it in the two possible directions.
When a player wins an Imperial Circle that has the Disputation token (see 2.6) on it, he receives one Reward token. At the end of the game each Reward token is worth 1 victory point.
Diagram callouts on the token pile: Reward token; Power token; Catholic influence token; Protestant influence token.
2.4 The Military Chart and the Die
When the Catholic player has played a military card, the Protestant player rolls the die on the Military Chart afterwards and implements the result.
2.5 The Wooden Tokens
Each player has a set of 16 Influence tokens to place on neutral or opposing territories in Imperial Circles.
2.6 The Disputation Token
Several cards allow a player to place or move the Disputation token onto an Imperial Circle. Whenever a player wins a Circle with the Disputation token on it, he gets one Reward token.
3.0 Game Preparations
First the players take the 10 Imperial Circles and place them on the table in the following pattern like a "pyramid".
The Circles numbered 1 to 3 are placed face up, all other Circles are placed face down.
Place a Power token in the indicated position on the Power Track of each face up Imperial Circle.
The other Power tokens, all Reward tokens, and the Disputation token are placed to one side of the table.
One player divides the Foreign Influence cards by color and shuffles the four decks individually. Afterwards, they are placed on the table face down.
Diagram: the pyramid layout - Imperial Circles 1 (top row, alone), 2 and 3 (second row, both face up with power tokens), 4, 5 and 6 (third row, face down), and 7, 8, 9 and 10 (fourth row, face down) - with the four Foreign Influence decks and the Catholic/Protestant/Power/Disputation token supply set beside the pyramid.
Both players roll the die - the high-roller may select one side to play - either Catholics, taking the black card deck and black Influence tokens, or Protestants, taking the red card deck and red Influence tokens.
While each player has a supply of 45 cards available to him, only 15 of these will be used in any single game of Sola Fide. The first step, therefore, is for each player to select the 15 cards which will make up his deck for the current game.
If this is the first Sola Fide game, the players should refer to the following card selection method:
The players sort through their deck and take out the 15 cards each with an oval number. These are their decks in the first game - the players will have an opportunity to learn the relative strengths of the different card effects before diving into the deck-building process.
Players may feel free to ignore this recommendation and dive straight in, however, if they prefer!
Starting with the second game, the intended card selection is done through a drafting process:
Each player shuffles his 45 cards, then draws and secretly examines 3 of them. Of these 3 cards, he must select 1 to keep and set the other 2 aside facedown, out of the game.
Diagram: a hand of cards being sorted into "3 cards to examine", "2 cards out of the game", and "1 card to keep".
The player then repeats this process of drawing 3 cards at a time, keeping 1 and setting the remainder aside, until he has gone through all 45 of his cards.
The 15 cards each player chooses to keep will make up his deck for the current game; the 30 he sets aside will not be used.
Once both players have built 15 card decks in this manner, they shuffle their decks and draw a 3-card starting hand with which they will begin the game.
Players keep their hands hidden from each other during the game.
Each player takes one Military Chart card as reference (only the Protestant player will use this chart during the game).
Both players roll the die again - the high-roller starts the game!
4.0 Sequence of Play
Sola Fide is played in alternating player turns.
On his turn, a player:
- must either play a card from his hand or
- draw the top card from his deck.
When a card is played, follow the instructions on the card. Most cards are then placed in the player's discard pile at the end of the turn (unless they indicate otherwise).
RESHUFFLING: If a player wishes to draw a card but has no cards remaining in his deck, his discard pile is first reshuffled to form a new deck. If this occurs in the midst of a player's turn, any cards played or discarded earlier in that same turn are not shuffled into the new deck and are instead placed in the player's discard pile at the end of the turn.
5.0 Hand Limit
A player may only hold a maximum of five cards at the end of his turn. If necessary, he must discard down to this limit at that time.
6.0 Card Actions
When playing a card, the player conducts one or more actions with the card in the order of the card text.
Note: A card may legally be played even if it has no effect.
After the actions are conducted, the card is discarded (unless it is a persistent event, see 6.5).
6.1 Converting Territories
Icons: Catholic territory (black praying hands); Protestant territory (red praying hands).
When the card text instructs the player to convert a territory on a particular side of an Imperial Circle, this means that one territory on that side switches to that player's color.
This can be accomplished in several ways:
- placing an Influence token on a territory printed in the opponent's color,
- removing an opponent's Influence token from a territory printed in your own color,
- replacing an opponent's Influence token with one of your own tokens.
Examples:
-
In the Lower Saxon Circle, Marion and Angelika are fighting over the territories and have already placed a few Influence tokens. Now, Marion plays "Ursulines" and converts one of Angelika's Protestant territories on the Commoners' side. She places one of her Influence tokens on that space. (Afterwards, she draws 1 card from her deck.)
-
Angelika plays "Local Printing Presses" and converts a Catholic territory on the Commoner's side by removing the Catholic Influence token.
-
Marion plays "Edict of Worms" and converts the Protestant territory by replacing Angelika's Influence token with one of her own. (Afterwards, she draws 1 card from her deck.)
Diagram: the three conversion methods shown on an Imperial Circle - (1) placing an Influence token on an opponent-colored territory, (2) removing an opponent's Influence token from a territory printed in your own color, (3) replacing an opponent's Influence token with one of your own.
All of these actions are equivalent, and it does not matter which method players use. All result in a territory of their opponent's color being replaced with one of their own.
NOTE: Players are less likely to run short of Influence tokens if they remove existing tokens on an Imperial Circle whenever possible rather than adding new ones.
Neutral territory - NEUTRAL TERRITORIES: Only if the opposing player has no territories to be taken away should the player instead place one of his Influence tokens on a neutral territory. These neutral territories will therefore ordinarily be the last ones claimed unless a player is specifically instructed to convert a neutral territory by a card.
Once either player has placed one of their tokens onto a neutral territory, it is no longer considered a neutral territory.
Exception: Green Foreign Influence cards allow the removal of all tokens from a side, see 9.0.
If all of the territories on a side are already the player's color, converting additional territories on that side has no further effect for them in that Imperial Circle.
6.2 Shifting Power
When the card text instructs the player to shift an Imperial Circle toward one side or the other that Circle's Power token is moved the indicated number of spaces in the specified direction along the Power Track of an Imperial Circle.
If the token is already in the furthest possible track position in that direction, additional shifts in that direction have no further effect.
IMPORTANT: THE TERM DOMINANT SIDE REFERS TO THE SIDE (NOBILITY OR COMMONERS) THAT THE POWER TOKEN CURRENTLY OCCUPIES; THE TERM SUBORDINATE SIDE REFERS TO THE OTHER SIDE.
Examples:
-
In the Lower Saxon Circle, the Commoners actually represent the dominant side. Angelika plays "University of Wittenberg" and shifts the Power token two spaces toward the subordinate side. Thus, the Nobility now is dominant.
-
Later Marion draws the blue Foreign Influence card "St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre". She cannot use that action here, as the Power token is already in the furthest possible track position on the dominant side.
6.3 Moving the Disputation Token
When the card text instructs the player to move the Disputation token to an Imperial Circle, remove it from its current location (whether in another Circle or next to the Circles) and place it onto that Circle.
If it is already in the desired Circle, it simply remains there.
Example:
Marion plays "A Man for All Seasons" and moves the Disputation token to the Lower Saxon Circle.
NOTE: If there is only one Imperial Circle remaining it is not possible to move the Disputation token off this Circle with this action.
6.4 Discarding Cards for Effect
Some cards indicate that a player may discard additional cards from his hand to gain some effect.
These cards may not be played without discarding the required number of cards. Of course, if a card indicates that a player may discard any number of cards, zero is a legal choice.
Example:
Angelika wants to shift the power in several Imperial Circles at once, and plays "Whose Realm, His Religion". She decides to discard another two cards from her hand and shifts two Power tokens in two different Imperial Circles 1 space toward the Nobility.
6.5 Persistent Event Cards
Some cards are persistent events (marked with an infinity symbol).
These cards are placed in front of the player and are not discarded at the end of the turn. Follow the card text instructions.
A persistent event card is discarded when the owner plays another persistent event (i.e., a player may only have one such card in front of him).
Example:
In a former turn, Marion already played "The Roman Catechism". She now decides to play "Conservative Peasantry", so she discards the older persistent event and keeps the new one in front of her.
6.6 Catholic Military Actions
A few Catholic cards feature the crossed-swords symbol.
These cards represent military actions that, while powerful, have a chance of causing negative repercussions for the Catholic player.
After the Catholic player resolves the action of one of these cards and possibly claims an Imperial Circle (see also 7.0), the Protestant player rolls the die and consults the Military Chart to determine its effect.
The Protestant player is granted a bonus, who then immediately resolves it.
Example:
Marion plays "Battle of Mühlberg". After resolving the action, Angelika rolls the die and gets a "2". The military action of the Catholics results in Atrocities! Thus, Angelika shifts the Power token of a single Imperial Circle in the direction of her choice.
6.7 Special Protestant Converting Cards
Protestant cards #33 to #42 allow the Protestant player to convert all neutral territories in two specific Imperial Circles. If only one of them is face up, or one of them is already claimed (see also 7.0), the Protestant player only converts neutral territories in the available Imperial Circle.
If all neutral territories are already converted, this action has no effect at all.
Exception: Green Foreign Influence cards allow the removal of all tokens from a side, so neutral territories may be available again during the game, see 9.0.
Example:
Angelika plays "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". To her dismay, the neutral territories of the Upper Rhenish Circle are already converted, so she only places her Influence tokens on all three neutral territories of the Swabian Circle.
7.0 Claiming an Imperial Circle
If at any time all of the territories on the dominant side of an Imperial Circle are controlled by the same player, that player immediately claims that Circle and takes the tile, returning its Power token to the general supply and any Influence tokens on it to their owners.
If the Disputation token was on the claimed Circle, the claiming player also takes a Reward token.
The Disputation token is returned to the general supply.
Example:
Marion converts the last territory on the Nobility's side of the Lower Saxon Circle. The Nobility is actually the dominant side, so Marion claims this Imperial Circle. Additionally, the Disputation token is also on this Imperial circle, so Marion also takes one Reward token from the general supply. She returns all Influence tokens to Angelika's and her own supply and places the Power token and Disputation token back into the general supply.
NOTE: Claiming a Circle occurs immediately when a player achieves the necessary support, before rolling the die if a military card was played.
After the Circle has been claimed, the claiming player draws one Foreign Influence card from a deck of his choice and resolves it, see 9.0. This is done after rolling on the Military Chart (if necessary).
If multiple Circles are claimed simultaneously, each is resolved one at a time in the order desired by the current player.
8.0 Bringing New Circles into Play
Whenever an Imperial Circle is claimed, the two Circles immediately below it in the next row enter play if they have not already done so, and are turned face up if necessary.
Example:
Earlier in the game, Angelika already claimed the Lower Saxon Circle, so both the Westphalian Circle and the Upper Rhenish Cirle are already face up. After Marion claims the Franconian Circle, the Bavarian Circle must be turned face up, too.
Diagram: the pyramid of Imperial Circles showing Circle 1 claimed (removed), Circles 2 and 3 already face up, Circles 4 and 5 face up with one (Bavarian Circle) newly turned face up as indicated by an arrow, Circle 6 not yet in play, and Circles 7-10 still face down/not in play at the bottom row.
Place a Power token in the indicated position on the Power Track of each new Circle entering play.
9.0 Foreign Influence
Whenever an Imperial Circle is claimed (except for the last one, which ends the game), the player who claimed that Circle draws and resolves a card from one of the four Foreign Influence decks as a bonus.
The player may draw from whichever deck he likes, with each being focused on a different type of effect:
- Blue cards: shifting power
- Red cards: converting territories
- Orange cards: drawing/discarding cards
- Green cards: "neutralizing" territories
After resolving a Foreign Influence card, it is shuffled immediately back into its deck.
Example:
Marion claims the Franconian Circle. She only has one card left in her hand, so she decides to draw an orange card. Thanks to the "Council of Troubles" she draws 1 card from her deck. Afterwards, she shuffles the "Council of Troubles" back into the orange deck.
NOTE: It is possible that a Foreign Influence card might result in additional Circles being claimed by one player. As in any case when multiple Circles are claimed, the current player may decide the order in which they are resolved.
10.0 Winning the Game
Once the last Imperial Circle has been claimed, the game ends and each player adds up the victory point values of their claimed Circles plus 1 victory point per Reward token he has earned.
The player with the most victory points is the winner and either the Reformer of Europe or the Keeper of the True Faith!
Example:
Marion claimed six Imperial Circles, giving her a combined 34 victory points. She also has three Reward tokens, giving her an additional 3 victory points. Thus, she has 37 victory points.
Angelika claimed the other four Imperial Circles for a combined 28 victory points.
Marion wins the game and rewrites history as the new Keeper of the True Faith!
Credits
- Authors: Jason Matthews, Christian Leonhard
- Development: Henning Kröpke, Uli Blennemann
- Graphics: Harald Lieske
- Layout: Vladimir Krist, Filip Stránský
- Editor: T. R. Knight
- Proofreader: Garry Rice