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(O) Some possible
ways to reduce large forces in the game:
- Combat Die Roll. If the loser has more than half the winner's
force, he rolls a die. The winner loses the number of knights rolled, but
never more than the number of knights the loser lost. The loser still loses
all his knights, of course.
- Mild Attrition. If you beat a force of knights that contains
more than half your force, the winner loses one quarter of his force, rounded
down. That is, a force of three will never suffer attrition, since one
quarter, rounded down, is zero. A force of four will not suffer attrition
if it defeats a force of one or two, since neither of those forces are
more than half its number of knights. Only when a force of four beats a
force of three does the winner lose one knight. The loser, as in the rules,
loses all knights.
- Middling attrition. If you beat a force of knights that contains
more than half your force, the winner loses half his force, rounded down.
Thus a force of ten knights would lose five knights if it beat a force
of six, seven, eight, or nine knights, but would lose nothing for defeating
any smaller force. I haven't tried this one yet.
- Severe attrition. The loser loses all knights. The winner loses
a number equal to the number the loser lost. Thus a force of ten beating
a force nine has only one survivor! This may be too extreme, however, and
I haven't tried it for that reason.
- Random attrition, not related to combat. Every time someone
rolls a "1" for bringing in a knight, the largest force on the
board loses one knight. If more than one force is tied as the largest force,
they each lose one knight.
- Chance cards, an expansion and variation on the previous suggestion.
I haven't even made any chance cards, but I've thought of some. Any time
a player rolls a "1" for bringing in a knight, a chance card
is drawn. Some possible chance cards:
- Plague: all forces of six or more knights lose one quarter of
their force, rounded down.
- Famine: all forces of seven or more knights lose one knight.
- Extra reinforcement: the player drawing this card may add a
knight to any one group on board except his largest group, in addition
to the one entering the starting space.
- Extra reinforcement: the player with the fewest knights on the
board may add one knight to any one group on board except his largest group.
If two or more players are tied for fewest knights, they each gain one
knight.
- Good weather: the player drawing this card may make four marches
this turn.
- Bad weather: the player drawing this card may only move two
marches this turn.
- Good harvest: the player drawing this card may roll again to
bring on another knight - if you roll another "1", however, you
only get the first knight and do not draw another chance card.
- Bad harvest: the next player to roll an even number for bringing
a knight onto the board does not get a reinforcement that turn. Leave this
card out until this occurs to remind players of the bad harvest.
- Desertion: the largest force outside a castle loses two knights.
If there is a tie for largest group, each loses one knight.
- Bad well water: each player loses one knight from his largest
force inside a castle. (Shields are not affected, and do not count towards
largest force.) If a player has two largest groups, he picks one to be
affected.
- Bad well water: the player with the largest force in a castle
loses one knight from that force. (Shields are not affected, and do not
count towards largest force.) If two or more players have the largest force,
each loses one knight from those forces.
- Good Morale! The player drawing this card may win a battle against
an equal-sized force, this turn only.
- Peasant revolt: any group of knights that is not adjacent to
a friendly castle or a friendly group of knights is attacked by peasants.
Roll one die, and remove that many knights from the group.
- Assassin! The player with the fewest knights may remove any
one knight from the board. (Exception: you may not leave a castle empty
- there must be at least a shield there.) If two or more players are tied
for having the fewest knights, no assassination occurs.
- Assassin! The player with the lowest total point value in castles
may remove any one knight from the board. (Exception: you may not leave
a castle empty - there must be at least a shield there.) If two or more
players are tied for having the lowest total point value in castles, no
assassination occurs.
- The Emperor demands troops! Each player must remove from the
board a number of knights equal to the number of castles he holds. At least
one knight must come from his largest group, the rest may come from wherever
the owning player desires.
- Siege equipment: the player drawing this card has temporary
access to a siege engine. He may ignore the value of the shield in any
one castle he attacks, this turn only.
- Dysentery: all groups of five or more knights are at half strength
(round up) until the beginning of this player's next turn.
- Lame horses: any knight that is currently in a group of six
or more knights may only move one space until the end of the drawing player's
next turn. Each player still gets three marches, but any knight in a group
of six or more may not participate in more than one march.
- Wine merchant: the largest force on the board loots a travelling
wine merchant, and is at half strength until the end of the owning player's
next turn. If more than one group is the largest, all are affected! And
so on . . .
- Pillaging: When a castle is captured, the entire capturing force
must enter the castle and cannot move at all on the player's next turn.
It still defends with normal strength, however. The player's other forces
may still move that turn, of course. [Suggested by Mike Carr to slow big
hordes down rather than whittle them down.]
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