ichthyoid

So you want to take over the world? How about starting with Briton? These medieval knaves with their backstabbing skullduggery are ripe for being ruled by a true king! Are you the one? Or is it that wicked dame of York? The choice is yours!

I'm making a board game! And over the next few weeks, until I'm finished testing and refining it, I'll be blogging about its progress from start to finish alongside my usual posts here on Coil.

Introducing:

Of Duchies and Polities is a board game that is a mix between Risk and Monopoly where players attempt to gain control of a map of the British Isles and Northern France through power and prestige. This game is inspired by, and calls back to, the medieval period in this setting beginning around the 11th Century.

Like Risk, players will be tasked to take over a certain number of territories to win. However, controlling the majority of the regions on the board means winning the hearts of the people to your side, rather than military control of the territory.

Furthermore, like Monopoly, players may upgrade their various territories by building cities and castles to aid in their quest to defend and gain the favor of the people in those duchies and counties.

Thus, the game is more about politics and popular support rather than armies taking over the world. While you can certainly go the more authoritarian route if you wish, the game is being designed to be just as accommodating to the pacifist as the militarily inclined. Just as long as you can scheme and connive and deal-make your way to rule all of Britannia!

Brief Overview of How to Play

I'll be dedicating an entire post in how to actually play the game, but here is a general summary.

On a map of 11th century Briton and northern France, players begin with control of one territory. The game consists of rounds in which each player takes a turn. As the game goes on each player attempts to expand his or her control by raising money, gaining popularity, making deals, bribery, and even outright invasion.

Players primarily win the hearts of the population in a territory by using agents called Diplomats. These go from territory to territory, preaching the gospel of your leadership. Practically, it means that each diplomat has a chance (through dice rolls) to convert a population token each turn. Once 80% of the population in a territory believes in your cause, you gain control of the territory.

Players will also have a chance to curry favor by literally spending money on population in a territory, or building towns and castles in it. By obtaining favor in a population, players will have an easier time (higher chance) of converting the population to their side.

Once a territory is under a player's control, he or she can choose to raise armies from it. Unlike Risk, armies are raised per region, so there is a limit to the number of armies available. However, having an army occupying a territory, even if it isn't under your control, will still allow you to reap some of the benefits there, including collecting taxes and building towns in the region.

And so the game is set. Will you be an authoritarian dictator? Or a benevolent monarch? The choice is yours!

I hope you enjoyed that introduction to Of Duchies and Polities. Next time, I'll be writing more about the nitty gritty details of how I came to create this board game, and why.

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