The problem we encountered with Cathedral is that there is an easy (once you've found it) first player win,
independent of where the
neutral cathedral piece is placed by the second player during setup.
The fix (Tom Lehmann and Don Woods):
Do not place the neutral cathedral piece during setup. Instead, the first player places a piece on the empty board.
Then, the second
player places both their first piece and the neutral cathedral. Play then continues normally.
This produces a much more balanced and interesting game.
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C O N D O T T I E R E
Strategy & Conquest in Renaissance Italy
It is the Renaissance. Italy is divided into numerous independent city-states,
sometimes friendly, sometimes hostile. The best known of these are the Duchy
of Milan and the Republics of Venice, Genoa and Florence.
This is the era in which the Condottiere appear: leaders of mercenary armies
who offer their services to the most powerful cities. Formidable strategists
and highly, skilled soldiers, the Condottiere were not content to just hire out
their know-how and their troops. They reshaped the political map of Italy with
their intrigues, alliances, battles and sieges. The most daring amongst them
founded new dynasties: Francesco Sforza took possession of the Duchy of Milan
and Giovanni de Medici made Florence his kingdom.
In the game of CONDOTTIERE, you relive this incredible age, when anything
seemed possible for a handful of determined men. In this game, you represent
one of the Condottiere trying to conquer the most famous cities in Italy. But
be careful, you are not alone ! You must take into account the ambitions of the
other Condottiere. The strength of your army alone will not suffice: you must
use diplomacy if you want a chance of winning.
Contents:
* 1 Game Board representing a map of Renaissance Italy, showing the capital
cities of the Republics and Kingdoms which made up Italy at the time.
* 96 Playing Cards which are used to resolve battles between the Condottiere.
* 1 Wooden Piece representing the Condottiere. This piece shows the Player who
will choose the site of the next battle.
* 60 small wooden pieces in 6 different colors. These are used to mark the
cities conquered by each Player on the board
* 1 Rule Book, which you are holding.
* 2 Summary sheets explaining the effects of each Card.
Goal of the Game:
The goal of CONDOTTIERE is to conquer cities (shown by red circles on the Game
Board), unite them, and create the most powerful kingdom in Italy.
With 4, 5 or 6 Players a Player must control 3 cities in adjoining regions, to
be declared the winner. To be considered adjoining, two regions must have at
least one common border. Example: A Player controlling Genova, Lucca and
Bologna will win the Game immediately if be conquers Parma, Modena or Firenze.
With 2 & 3 Players, to be declared the winner, it is necessary to control 4
cities in adjoining regions.
If no Player reaches the goal, the Player with the most cities wins the Game.
For more details see "Winning the Game" below.
Set-Up:
The Game Board is put in the center of the table. Each Player chooses a color
and places his color pieces in front of himself (but not on the Game Board).
These pieces will mark the cities conquered by the Player during the game.
The youngest Player is made Condottiere for the first turn. The Condottiere
Piece is placed in front of him. He then shuffles the Cards and deals 10 Cards
face down to each Player (including himself).
The Condottiere then chooses a city. This is the site of the first battle.
The Game can now begin.
Course of Play:
A Game of CONDOTTIERE progresses over many Rounds. Each Round is made up of a
series of battles for control of the great Italian cities. The battles are
resolved with the aid of Cards which the Players play, one by one, in front of
them. A Round is over when, at the end of a battle, only one Player has Cards
in his hand. He discards these Cards and they are reshuffled in with the
others. Each Player receives 10 new Cards plus 2 extra Cards for each city he
controls. A new Round begins. The Game continues in this way until there is a
victor. Note: Players are never required to show each other how many Cards
they have in their hand.
Battles:
The location of each battle is chosen by The Condottiere (i.e. The Player who
has the Condottiere Piece). He also plays first in the battle, the other
Players following in clockwise order. Important: it is not possible to attack
a city that has already been conquered by another Player.
During a battle, each Player can, on his turn, either:
Play a Card in front of himself. The value of the Card is added to the value
of those Cards already played. It is possible to start with any type of Card,
even a Winter Card, Drum or Scarecrow. Or,
Pass his turn. In this case, he announces "I pass" and it is not possible to
play new Cards until the next battle. This does not prevent him from
eventually conquering the city if, at the end of the battle, he possesses the
strongest army.
It is Important to note that a Player may continue to play one card per turn
for as long as he desires, even if he is the only one doing so, as long as he
has not said "I pass". No Player is required to participate in a battle. Even
The Condottiere can decide to pass his turn at the beginning of the battle.
End of the Battle:
The battle continues until all Players have said "I pass", or a Surrender Card
has been played. The battle is over and the forces present are counted. To do
this, each Player adds the points on Mercenary Cards, taking into account any
modifications caused by Special Cards (see 'Card Explanations' below).
The Player who has amassed the strongest army conquers the city. He then
places a piece of his color on the red circle corresponding to the conquered
city. The victor receives the Condottiere Piece and the Cards used for that
battle are discarded.
When a Bishop Card is played the battle ends, but the forces present are not
counted.
If no Players participate in a battle, or if, at the end of the battle, 2 or
more armies tie in size, or a Bishop Card is played, the conquest of the city
is unsuccessful. The Condottiere Piece is then passed to the Player to the
left of the person who last controlled it.
At the end of each battle, all the Cards played by the Players, whether or not
they won the battle, are discarded. They cannot be used until a new Round
begins. The Player who has the Condottiere Piece chooses the city where the
next battle will be fought. He can choose any city on the board as long as it
is not already conquered. He can even choose a city where an unsuccessful
battle was just fought. The Player that controls the Condottiere Piece can
decide that they do not want to pick a battle. In this case he passes the
Condottiere Piece to the Player on the left and that Player chooses the battle
(unless they want to pass it as well).
Who Controls the Condottiere?
At the start of the Game the youngest Player receives the Condottiere Piece.
After this it is the victor of each battle who receives it. If there was no
victor the Condottiere Piece is then passed to the Player to the left of the
person who last controlled it. Note: the Player controlling the Condottiere
Piece always chooses the city in which the next will battle be fought.
A Player Has No More Cards:
When a Player has no more Cards in his hand, he cannot participate in any
battles until the end of the Round in progress. The other Players continue
fighting battles without him. If he wins the battle during which he played his
last Card, he still receives the Condottiere Piece. He chooses the site of the
next battle but cannot take part in it.
Card Explanations:
Mercenary Cards: These are distinguished from the other Cards by the shape of
their shield (shown in the top left hand corner). Their values are between 1
and 10. During a battle, the strength of an army is equal to the sum of the
Mercenary Cards which a Player has played in front of himself. There are 15 of
the 1 point cards and 8 each of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 point cards in the deck.
These values can be altered by the Special Cards:
Winter Cards The harshness of the cold, the famine and the poor visibility
reduce the operational effectiveness of soldiers. All Mercenary Cards are
reduced to a value of 1 point. This applies to all Mercenary Cards which were,
or will be, played by all Players during the course of the battle - including
the Cards of the Player who plays the Winter Card. There are 3 Winter Cards in
the deck. Example: A Player has a total of 36 points with 8 Mercenary Cards (2
Cards of 10, 1 of 5, 2 of 4 and 3 of 1). His army is reduced to 8 points if a
Winter Card is played during the battle.
Drum Cards: Drummers add to the morale of the troops. The value of the
Mercenary Cards which the Player has played, or will play, in the course of the
battle is multiplied by 2. Playing several Drum Cards is allowed, but has no
further effect: the value of the army stays at twice the starting value. This
bonus only applies to the Player who played it. If a Winter Card is played
during the same battle, each Mercenary Card of the Player with a Drum Card will
be worth 2 points. These are 6 Drum Cards in the deck. Example: A Player has
a total of 21 points with 3 Mercenary Cards. His army is worth 42 points if he
plays a Drum Card. If a Winter Card is played during the same battle, his army
will be worth 6 points (3 x 2).
Scarecrow Cards: These are intended to trick the enemy. Playing a Scarecrow
Card allows a Player to return one of his own Mercenary Cards back into his
hand. A Scarecrow Card can never be exchanged for a Heroine Card or a Drum
Card or another Player's Card. A Scarecrow Card can be played alone, even
without picking up a Mercenary Card. A Scarecrow Card can only be used on
Cards played during the course of that battle. There are 15 Scarecrow Cards in
the Deck.
Heroine Cards: These Cards are always worth 10 points and are added to the
value of the Mercenary Cards when calculating the strength of an army. These
Cards are not affected by the Winter or the Drum Cards. They cannot be
replaced by a Scarecrow Card. A Player can have multiple Heroine Cards in his
army. There are 3 Heroine Cards in the deck.
Surrender Cards: When a Player plays this Card he immediately brings the battle
to an end as the city surrenders. The city is captured by the Player who has
the strongest army at the moment the Card is played. All Cards played during
the course of the battle are discarded and play progresses to the next battle.
There are 3 Surrender cards in theDeck.
Bishop Cards: When a Player plays this Card, the city is spared thanks to
Church intervention. The battle ends Immediately without having a victor. All
Cards played during the course of the battle are discarded and play progresses
to the next battle. There are 3 Bishop Cards in the deck.
Discarding Cards:
At the end of a battle, a Player can discard all his remaining Cards so long
as he has no Mercenary Cards in his hand. If a Player has a mercenary Card he
is not allowed to discard. Discarding is not required. A Player can choose
not to discard, but instead play Special Cards he might have.
End of a Round:
A Round ends when, after a battle, there is only one Player with Cards
remaining in his hand. This Player gives all of his Cards to the Player
controlling the Condottiere, who shuffles all 96 Cards. He then gives 10 Cards
to each Player, plus 2 extra for each city a Player controls. Example: A
Player controlling Parma, Venezia, and Siena receives 16 Cards.
The Condottiere chooses the site of the next battle and a new Round begins.
Deals Between Players:
At any time during the Game, Players can make deals and discuss strategies with
each other. They are allowed to show each other their Cards, make deals etc.
They cannot, however, ever exchange Cards. Note: Players are not required to
abide by any agreements that they make.
End of the Game:
In a Game of 4, 5 or 6 Players the Game ends as soon as, at the end of a
battle, a Player controls 3 cities situated in adjoining regions. For 2 or 3
Players it is 4 cities.
If Players manage to conquer every city on the board without the conditions
above being met, the Player with the most cities in their possession wins.
If two or more Players tie in the number of cities they control, a final battle
is fought. Each of these Players is dealt 10 Cards plus 2 for each city they
control, and a single battle is fought. The winner of this battle wins the
Game.
If no-one wins this final battle, the Players shake hands and agree to play
another Game of Condottiere at a later date.
Optional Rules:
If Players wish to have a longer or more complicated Game of CONDOTTIERE, they
can incorporate the following rules:
Playing for Points: The Players can decide to assign a score (20 or 30 points
for example) that must be attained over a series of Games of CONDOTTIERE. The
Player who reaches or exceeds this score at the end of a Game is the winner.
Points are assigned in the following manner:
* One Point for each city a Player controls.
* If a Player wins a Game by controlling 3 adjoining cities (4 cities with 2 or
3 Players), you are awarded a bonus of 5 points in addition to the points
scored for each city.
Note: When playing with this Option, we suggest that you do not play using the
Capturing Cities Option as well.
Bigger Kingdoms: Increase the number of adjoining cities required to win by
one. So, for Games with 4, 5 or 6 Players they need to conquer 4 cities. 2 or
3 Players need 5 cities.
Capturing Cities: Capturing another Player's city. If the Condottiere chooses a
battle at a city already belonging to another Player, that Player will benefit
from an important advantage in the Course of the Battle. He can pass his turn
as many times as desired without losing the right to intervene later in the
battle. However, as soon as he has played his first Card he must respect the
normal rules: if he subsequently passes he will no longer be able to play Cards
before the following battle. This particular ability of a city's defender
allows him to play Cards even after all the other Players have passed their
turn.
If the owner of the city manages to win the battle, not only does he keep
control of the city, but he also receives the Condottiere Piece, and chooses
the next battle.
If there was no victor in the battle, then the owner of the city that was under
attack receives the Condottiere Piece, and chooses the next battle.
If a Surrender Card is played and the owner of the city has not yet played any
Cards, he cannot play any, and the city has fallen.
If a Bishop Card is played, the city stays in his possession, even if he had
not played any Cards.
Credits:
CONDOTTIERE is a game designed by: Doninique Ehrhard
Layout: Guillaume Rhomer / Studio In Edit
English Translation: Gilles Garnier
Edited By: Ron Magin & Cáit Ní Dhochartaigh
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FOUR PLAYER rules for LOST CITIES
From Renier himself
.I am delighted that Lost Cities has become such a popular game, valued by
gamers and casual players alike. This is great motivation for me to carry
on designing challenging games. Thank you!
Frequently I get asked about my favourite game. There is no favourite game
(except always the one I currently design), because games are not absolute.
Games live through the players, and for different groups and occasions,
different games will be the right choice. Games provide the platform to
enjoy an exciting and stimulating time with other people. I rejoice the
ever-new challenges that players with different personalities introduce to
the games. For me, the interaction with the opponents is the most important
stimulus of play.
Partnership games are particularly fascinating, as the interaction happens
on two levels, within the partnership and between the opposing groups.
Whenever I play a partnership game, I wonder why I design so few of them
(only Digging springs to my mind). When the question was raised, if Lost
Cities could be extended to more than 2 players, I seized the opportunity.
Today I have the pleasure to present you with a little Christmas present -
to all nice people around the world who like my games:
http://freespace.virgin.net/chris.lawson/rk/lostcity/lostfour.htm
Lost Cities for 4 Players
A Partnership Game
You need two game sets to play. (If 2 players have one set, hopefully 4
players will have two.) Use the game components from one set, and add all
cards with
values 2, 3 and 4 from the other set to the deck. Hence the 4-player deck
contains a total of 75 cards.
Players sitting opposite each other form partnerships and play on the same
side of the board. Proceed as in the standard game, with the following
amendments:
When adding cards to an expedition, the numbers must strictly increase. Two
cards of the same value may not be played into the same expedition.
Instead of taking a normal turn (playing and drawing a card) a player may
choose any two of his cards and pass them face down to his partner. By
doing so a player may never reduce his hand to less than six cards. Apart
from this, partners are not allowed to communicate about their play.
That's it!
Conventions
This sounds straight forward, almost too easy. Well, it always is, once the
secret has been discovered. To introduce very few changes is important, so
not to cause confusion between the 2-player and the 4-player game.
However, simple rules do not imply a simple game. The last sentence of the
rules introduces the real challenge: "Partners are not allowed to
communicate about their play." Of course, success comes from well
co-ordinated play within the partnership. Here are some suggested playing
conventions - however, part of the fun is to developing more as you play:
If your partner plays a card into an expedition, play the subsequent card
right away if you hold it in your hand - follow an investment card by
another investment card, a 2 by a 3, and so on. If you do not play, your
partner will know that he can leave a gap - for example follow a 2 with a
4. If both players wait several turns, you may decide to leave larger
gaps. Use the opportunity to pass cards and attempt to identify your one
(or two) strong colours with the potential to score many points. Pass low
cards to signal that you can support a colour with more cards from your
hand; pass high cards if these are your only cards of a colour.
There is much more to explore. Enjoy!
Reiner Knizia
Copyright Dr. Reiner Knizia, 1999. All rights reserved.
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There has been information that the standard starting position can be used to achieve a forced draw. Because of this
we offered an option (if agreed by both players) to start as follows:
W W . B B
W W W B B B
. W W . B B .
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. B B . W W .
B B B W W W
B B . W W
The exact rule should state:
GAME STARTS FROM THE NEW POSITION.
IF BOTH PLAYERS AGREE THEY WILL BE PERMITTED TO START FROM
THE CLASSICAL POSITION.
This change can be supported with these arguments:
1) Original position is easy to block (i.e. both players reach
the blocking position and then repeat moves).
2) Even worse: if only one player wants to block (usually white
because of his disadvantage at the beginning) it is very hard
for his opponent to unblock the position and it needs very
expertise play and sacrifice of some balls i.e. It could happen
in Grandmaster v. Average player.
3) In the new position, it's very hard to block and impossible
to force a blocking position if the opponent doesn't want to.
It's also difficult to reach the centre and make a stable group
here. The game is interesting from the very beginning and it's
very dynamic.