War Chest: Nobility
War Chest: Nobility Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
This expansion contains:
- 7 Royal Decree Cards
- 19 Unit Coins
- 6 Proclamation Seals
- 4 Unit Cards
- 16 Faction Control Markers
In addition to the new units in this expansion you will find a new card for the Royal Guard unit, which appeared in the base game. After discussion with some members of the War Chest community we are including a new improved version of this card, in order to improve the overall game play of War Chest.
Royal Decree Card Anatomy
Each Royal Decree Card shows:
- Title
- Ability
- Faction Proclamation Seal Space
Example: the Sacrifice Decree. Title: Sacrifice. Ability: Attack with a friendly unit, then remove a coin from the friendly unit.
Set Ups Inspired by Famous Battles
Battle of Bosworth Field 1485 CE
Bosworth Field is one of the most iconic battles of the medieval era. Fought on 22nd August, it is seen by many as the conclusion of the War of the Roses in England. The Yorkist faction under Richard III assembled in a long line on Ambion Hill against the smaller Lancastrian force of Henry Tudor, commanded by the wily Earl of Oxford. Seeing the Yorkist deployment, Oxford put all of his troops in a single force, defying conventions of the day, which usually had armies deployed in three "battles". As the fighting progressed this tactic meant that the battles of Norfolk and Richard became hard-pressed to hold the massed troops of the Lancastrian battle.
Recognizing that his force was at a disadvantage, Richard signalled for his third battle, commanded by Northumberland, to assist, but the group showed no signs of movement. At this point Richard saw Henry at some distance behind his main force and decided to make a decisive move, by killing the enemy commander. He led a charge accompanied only by his household bannermen and closest friends. Henry sought protection by dismounting and concealing himself amongst a small reserve of pike-equipped men Oxford had left with him.
Throughout the battle a large force commanded by William Stanley had waited and watched, deciding which side they would support. And at this moment Stanley made his move and rode to the aid of Henry. Outnumbered and surrounded, Richard's group was gradually pressed back. In the fighting Richard's bannerman, Sir Percival Thirlwall lost his legs but held the Yorkist banner aloft until he was killed. Eventually Richard too was overwhelmed and killed on the field. Richard's forces disintegrated as news of his death spread.
- Lancastrian Units: Earl, Herald, Mercenary, Pikeman
- Yorkist Units: Bannerman, Cavalry, Knight, Swordsman
Set Up
Shuffle the 7 Royal Decree Cards and deal 3 face-up where both players, or teams, can see them. The remaining 4 cards are returned to the box. These are the 3 Decrees that will be available to both sides during this game. The Decrees are dealt out before the units used in the game are dealt. Give each side the 3 Proclamation Seals that match their faction.
Add the 4 new unit cards to the existing 16 and then shuffle the 20 Unit Cards and deal 8 Unit Cards face-up on the table (12 Unit Cards for 4 players).
Each player drafts their armies (reference pages 12-13 in the War Chest base game rulebook).
How to Play with the New Content
There is a new action type in the game. This adds a fourth action type to the existing three in the base game.
4. Discard the Royal Coin Face-up to Proclaim (use a Royal Decree card)
Using a Royal Decree card is called proclaiming. You may discard the Royal Coin face-up to proclaim.
Proclaim
- Play the Royal Coin face-up from your hand into your discard pile.
- Choose one of the three face-up Royal Decree cards and place one of your Seals onto it. You may not choose a Decree which already has one of your Seals on it. You may, however, choose a Decree which has one of your opponent's Seals on it. Each Decree may, therefore, be used only once by each faction (but see the tactic on the Earl).
- Execute the ability indicated on the chosen Royal Decree card. You may not choose a Decree if you cannot fully execute its ability.
Emboldened terms appearing on Decrees (move, attack, deploy, etc.) are considered normal actions, and hence may interact with units' tactics, attributes, or restrictions (see FAQ below for examples).
In the four-player game, each team shares the three Seals they are given. Players on the same team need to work out between themselves how and when to use the Seals and Decrees that are available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If I have a unit that can move more than one space, can it move through a hex occupied by another unit as long as the destination hex is empty?
A: No, each part of a multi-hex move must be into an empty hex.
Q: Do the attributes of the Warrior Priest, Berserker and Swordsman trigger if they are granted an attack by the Sacrifice Decree or the Guard Decree?
A: Yes, as long as they still have a coin on the board after using the decree, these are normal attacks. This also means the attribute of the Pikeman triggers if it is targeted by one of these attacks. The Pikeman's attribute would not, however, stop a unit with just one coin attacking them; it would simply mean that there was no second target for the second coin-loss effect.
Q: Can I use the Sacrifice Decree or Guard Decree on the Archer or the Lancer?
A: No, these units can only attack using their tactics.
Q: Can I use the Sacrifice Decree on a unit with only one coin?
A: Yes. The unit attacks as normal, and then its coin is removed from the game. The unit is destroyed and must be re-deployed to the be used again.
Q: Does the attribute of the Mercenary trigger if it is recruited using the Enlist Decree?
A: Yes.
Q: Does the attribute of the Earl trigger if it is deployed using the Redeploy decree?
A: Yes.
Q: If an opponent moves my unit, with the Bannerman's attribute, is my unit considered to be moving or maneuvering?
A: The move created by Bannerman's action is not a maneuver, which is why it does not use emboldened text like other maneuvers. However, all of the normal movement rules apply.
Q: Does the attribute of the Herald trigger after the Earl uses its tactic?
A: Yes, the Earl's tactic generates a proclaim action, and so the Herald gets its free maneuver.
Q: Which coin gets used when the Herald uses its tactic?
A: Take the coin from the chosen unit, not the Herald. You cannot bolster a unit in this way if it has no coins left in your supply.
Q: Can the Herald bolster itself?
A: No, a unit is never adjacent to itself, only to other units in adjacent hexes.
Q: If multiple effects from attributes trigger from a single event, what order do they happen in?
A: The active player chooses the order they resolve. However, each separate action must fully resolve before the player can move onto the next. You cannot interrupt one action with another.