Rulers: Core Rulebook

A Roleplaying Game of Civilisations

The Rulers Roleplaying Game presented in this book, Rulers: Core Rulebook, was
designed, written and created by Eliot Miller.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
4.0 International License.

To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ or

send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Eliot Miller, ToBeGosu 2016

 Preface
It all began when one of my mates asked the question:
“How would you run a tabeltop game where you played as Kings?”
The foremost minds of Swansea University’s Roleplaying Society immediately put their
collective knowledge to this question, and we debated the topic long into the night.1 Tim,
James, Christy and Tobin all had different answers this question, but it turned out that I was
the only one with nothing better to do that summer…
So I created Rulers.
The first version was terrible. Just, awful. Notable among its faults was that for no cost you
could send out an Explorer, prompting a roll on a table for Resources or treasures. This
meant that you could infinitely spawn new Resources just by sending out a dozen Explorers
every turn, for free! The Nerfhammer came down hard and fast that day.
Despite this, we had a lot of fun playing it. From Tesla Armadillo helmets to protect from
Mind Controlling rats, to weaponising the Laser Pheasants, to the haunting dreams of a
Dragon-Lich, and the technically successful invasion of the Demon body-snatchers, who by
our estimates made up 60% of the world population by the end of the game. Rulers had
certainly created some very memorable moments.
So I tinkered with it.
Over the years I went back and forth trying to refine the game. What you will read in this
rulebook is the culmination of 1 ½ Years of playtesting, and 6 or so Years of me trying to
learn everything I can about game design.
And I am still not satisfied with it....
Converting the gaming experience from the likes of the Total War and Civilisation franchis-
es into a roleplaying game was a much greater endeavour than I imagined. Today, I would
approach this project very differently. If I have the time and motivation, I may revist the idea
of a civilisation roleplaying game.
However, this is what I have made so far
I hope Rulers brings you fond memories too.
- Eliot K. Miller

1 Living with the organising members of the Roleplay and Anime Societies, meant that our flat was at the cutting edge of Nerddom
in the city.
 Acknowledgements
A special thanks to my playtesters, flatmates, and possibly even “friends”.
You guys made this possible.
Tobin “President” Snelling
Daniel “Totally not a Demon” Woolstencroft
James “Boris” Rowan
Richard “Zenya” Barton
Christy “Mecha-Pope” Godber
Matthew Binyon
Chris Lodge
Ben Ebrahim “His Holiness of 1,000 names and the Defender of the Faith”
Chris Illing
and
Sam Teare “Admiral of the Trollik Navy”

3
“War is an extension of politics by
other means”
– Carl von Clausewitz

5
 Contents
Glossary of Terms 7 Turmoil 40
Welcome to Rulers 8 Down with the King 42
Setting up your Game 9 Making Money 43
Resources & Industries 44
How To Play 10
Trade 46
The Basics of Rulers 12
Buildings 48
Actions in Rulers 14
Armies 55
Creating your World 17 Basic Units 56
Step 1: Creating Climates Elite Units 57
Step 2: Making Mountains Siege Units 58
Step 3: Coasts and Rivers Warfare 60
Putting it all Together 19 Battles - Automatic
Phase 1: Coastlines Battles - Quick Combat
Phase 2: Mountains Battles - Full Combat 61
Phase 3: Rivers Biesieging 63
Phase 4: Climates Quick Reference 65
Phase 5: Colour it in!
Territories & Resources 20
Creating the Setting 22
Character Creation 24
Choosing a form of
Government 25
Creating your Ruler 26
Traditions 27
Creating Noble Families 29
Adding the Details 31
Nobles 33
Reason and Cunning 34
Guilds, Orders & Societies 35
Settlements 37
Food for the People 39

6
Glossary of Terms
Agents – Agents of the Crown. When a Noble is sent Territory – The borders on the map that make areas
to performs Actions on behalf of a Ruler. which can be governed

Army – A collection of military Troops outside of a Trade – When two or more Realms have a Trade Route
Settlement
Troop – A group of military units
Building – A structure that provides a benefit to a
Realm Upkeep – The cost of paying for Troops, Nobles and
Buildings every Season
Character – Can refer to a Ruler, Realm or Significant
Individual. A Player’s character is both the Ruler and the Value – How much something in Rulers is worth
Realm
Wealth – Money generated by a Realm’s economy of
Garrison – A collection of military Troops stationed in Industries and Trade
a Settlement or Building

Industry – Generates Wealth from Resources

Money – The currency in game used to Construct
Buildings, Recruit Troops and perform other Actions

Narrative Overlord – The game’s master or “ref-

eree”. They are in charge of the game’s narrative, con-
trolling everything Players do not, and ensuring everyone
has fun. The N.O. cannot also be a Player.

Noble – An NPC Character who commands Settle-

ments, Armies and an act as Agents.

NPC – Non-Player Character, i.e. a character that is not

directly controlled by a Player.

Player – The people who are playing a game of Rulers!

Products – Goods produced by Industries.
Realm – The total Territory governed by a Ruler
Resource – Are either Common or Luxury. Determines
the base Wealth generated by the Industries associated
with it.

Roleplay – Acting out and playing an imaginary char-

acter or persona

Ruler – The Character who governs an entire Realm

Season – Each turn in Rulers reflects the passage of
one season of the year (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Win-
ter).

Settlement – Centres of Industries, Wealth genera-

tion, Food Production and homes for the populace.

Taxes – The means by which a Ruler receives an in-

come from the Settlements of a Realm 7
 Welcome to Rulers
Rulers is a tabletop roleplaying game of conquest and
politics, where players will craft their own civilisation,
and forge their own dynasty.
The game is played with 4-6 Players and 1 Narrative
Overlord, whose job it is to “referee” the game.
To take actions in the game, Players will send Reports to
the Narrative Overlord by email, letter, private courier or
carrier pigeon (as you prefer).
This book - the Rulers: Core Rulebook - details the Rulers
System as well as the instructions on how to play the
Rulers roleplaying game.
Tabletop Roleplaying games are wonderful social activity
of group storytelling, and Rulers is no different. As such,
the game all happens in your collective imagination. Feel
free to use maps, diagrams and even figurines if you
want to, but do not feel obliged to do so.
We’ll get into all the detailed rules of Building up an
Empire, Recruiting Armies, and Converting the masses.
Butfirst, let’s look at the some of the basic concepts
The Narrative Overlord
A game of Rulers has 3-6 Players and one Narrative Over-
lord (N.O.). It is the task of the N.O. to run the game and
fundamentally captain the game as a sort of referee for
the story.
It is up to the Narrative Overlord to make sure all Player
actions remain reasonable, that there are consequences
for their actions, and to aid the narrative development of
the game.
While at the same time, an N.O. should make sure that
everyone is having fun. From time to time, this may
mean saying N.O. to their players!1
The N.O also controls all Rulers, factions and organisa-
tions not directly controlled by the Players themselves.
This includes all Nobles, Guilds, Orders and Societies in a
Player’s Realm, who each have their own political agen-
da. For this reason, you can have a second N.O. if help is
needed to control all these political entities.
Alternatively, hand over control of certain NPCs to
Players. Just make sure that they act according to that
character, and not the interests of the Player.
The N.O. goes first in a game of Rulers. Political Actions
are not limited for entities the N.O. controls, but they
must still be able to pay for any Buildings, Troops or oth-
er actions they might perform.
8 1 I had no intention of keeping this pun, but my playtesters
thought it was hilarious. You are now stuck with it.
The Players
Players in a game of Rulers, control the Ruler of a state.
This is their in game avatar.
Maybe your family line has always ruled, perhaps you
were elected to your current position, or you were quite
simply ordained to rule by [Insert Deity/Pantheon of
choice here].
Whatever the reason, you Rule!
Each Player controls the Ruler of their Realm, and can
roleplay actions as the Rulers they control.
As Ruler you govern your Realm, the Territory you con-
trol. You can levy Taxes to raise funds which can be used
to Construct Buildings and Recruit Troops.
In addition to this, a Ruler can perform Political Actions.
Your responsibilities are to protect your Realm and the
property of your people. It is not your duty to meddle
in their everyday lives1. The economy of your Realm will
largely take care of itself and does not need a Ruler’s
micro-management.
The people of your Realm, from Farmer to Nobleman,
will be unhappy if the Realm runs out of Food, or if their
livelihood is threatened, but these responsibilities are
not enshrined in law. They will simply take matters into
their own hands if there is too much Turmoil.
The Objective
The objective of a game of Rulers can vary. It can be
discussed by all the Players and the N.O., but the N.O.
has the final say. Ultimately, it is the N.O.’s job to decide
where the story goes.
A game of Rulers can played be until an invading army
has been defeated, the secrets of an ancient civilisation
discovered, or as long as you are having fun playing.
Whatever the goal may be, it is a good idea for a Ruler to
have their own goal in mind, and to roleplay their Ruler’s
individual ambitions.
1 Although not every Ruler got that memo.
Setting up your Game
To setup your game, make sure both the Players and the
N.O. has done the following:
• Created a World filled with Resources
• Created a shared history for your World
• All Players have a completed Character
− (Realm, Ruler, Nobles, Guilds, Starting
Army, Settlements placed and named, in-
come from Taxes and Upkeep calculated)
• All existing Realms have been granted territory
on the World Map
• There is a World Map and a map for each Player
Realm
What You Need to Play
• A World Map
• d10s, d8s and d6s and (10, 8 and 6 sided dice respec-
tively)
• Character Sheets
• Players and an N.O.
We recommend no more than 6 players, but no less than 3.1
The N.O. cannot be one of these players.
Every Player must have completed Character Creation and
have both a Ruler and Realm. The N.O. may do this for NPCs at
their discretion. Sometimes numbers and dice appropriate to
the circumstances are all that are needed.
1 Neither shalt thou hast 2 players, unless of course, thoust is
preceding to 3. 7, is right out!
What You Start With (the Players)
• 3 Common Resources
• 1 Luxury Resource
• 5 Settlements: 4 Villages and 1 Town
− One at each Resource site and one free
standing Settlement.
• A Standing Army of 5 Troops
• A Tax Rate of: Low
Calculate the total Wealth for the whole Realm, your
income from your Tax rate and total up your upkeep.
A Player’s Realm starts with 5 Troops that the Realm is
capable of recruiting. these Troops have to be Garrison in
Settlements.
Starting Play!
In the opening session, the N.O. should introduce the
NPC Realms and the current political situation, as well as
the world.
We then suggest giving each Player and opportunity to
describe their Ruler, and let other Players know what
would be common knowledge about their Realm, its
culture, and its people.
This first session can be done over a voice calling service,
or in person.
It is up to you if you want to conduct future sessions in
this manner, or just send in the Reports.
9
 How To Play
Each turn (one Season of game time) Players will submit Year 2, Season 3
a Report to their N.O. detailing the Actions of their Ruler.
Financial Actions Description
This can be done by Email, or your preferred method. Buildings 1 Church in Eastville
Just remember that a decree of secrecy is involved when
Troops 2 Troops of Archers. 1 in
Players take their actions. Only the N.O. has a complete
East ville, 1 in Profiteria
picture of the game.
Taxes No Change (Still Low)
It is up to the N.O. to establish a time when one turn Other None
(Season) advances. This could be every Sunday, or every
Total Cost 1,500 + 250 + 250
alternating Friday, at noon or at midnight.

This deadline by which all Reports should be in by is by = 2,000g

the N.O. and they should be firm with their Players to Political Actions Description
keep to it. The N.O. will naturally put a lot of time and ef- 1. Arrange a Recognising the need
fort into running the game, so the players should respect Marriage with to solidify our Trade
this but getting their Reports in on time. Mordravale Agreement (see 2), Mr.
Shadowfox extends an
Sending Reports offer of Marriage to
ruling Mord family
Each Report should contain the following:
2. Hold a Trade Mr. Shadowfox travels
• Financial Actions Meeting with (same time as 1) to
Mordravale Mordravale to convince
− Any changes to Taxes the Iron Queen of the
advantages of opening
− Any Buildings Constructed
a Trade Route with the
− Any Troops Recruited Shadowfox Trading
Company
− Any Other Money Spent 3. Send the 1st To deal with the in-
Contingent to creased bandit activity
• Political Actions
Riversbend
− Details of Any Political Actions (Max. 6) Departing: Eastville
taken by the Ruler Arriving: Riversbend’s
• Game Date (e.g. Year 1, Season 1) foothills

In addition to this, the Player can add any storytelling Army: 2 Archer Troops,
details to flesh out the actions taken by the Ruler, or to 2 Spearmen Troops
give depth to the Realm, as long as they are not sepa-
rate actions. Noble: Riven “Pieface”
Shadowfox
Action Words 3/6
Used

10
We encourage Players and the N.O. to flesh out actions
with short paragraphs of storytelling (also called “fluff”)
to give a degree of personality to the characters who are
the elite of each Realm.

Storytelling examples might be Mr. Zenya Shadowfox

writing to his son, about his opinions on marrying Mord
women, or detailing how his younger brother “Pieface”
made a gallant attempt to give a heroic speech to his
Army, and failed miserable.

However, do not give your N.O. an essay to read, and

make sure your Report is at the top, clear, and concise.

Receiving Replies
After all the Reports are in, it is the N.O.’s turn to write
the replies.

A reply should include:

• Acknowledgement of Money spent

• Replies to any Messages that were sent

• A resolution to each Political Action

• Any additional Story elements the N.O.

It is up to Players to track their own Financial Actions,

positions of Armies and the progress of Buildings being
constructed.

Political Actions need to be resolved by the N.O. The N.O.

should detailing whether they were successful or not,
what the response was, or how they played out.1

Once the Player Actions have been resolved, it is time for

the various NPC Realms and factions to act.

The N.O. should keep notes, but only what directly im-
pacts a Player needs to be written in the reply.

For instance, an NPC Realm can Recruit Troops, and

order them to Capture another Realm’s Settlement – but
the Player will only know about this when they see them
advancing into their Territory.

1 No more than a sentence or two is necessary for each one.

11
 The Basics of
Every Player is the Ruler of their own Realm. This is total
area they control and is made of Territories. A Territory
marks an area on the map. A Realm may cover several
Territories. New Territories can be Annexed through
Diplomacy, Conquest or Trade.
Every Territory has a number of Resources, which are
decided when the World is created. There two types of
Resources: Common and Luxury. These Resources are
never consumed. Each Resource can sustain a certain
number of Industries. Industries produce Products in
your Realm which generates Wealth. How much Wealth
an Industry creates depends on whether they are made
from Common or Luxury Resources.
Wealth can be Taxed. Taxes are the only way a Ruler
makes Money. A Ruler can use this money to construct
Buildings, Recruit Troops and perform other Actions.
Buildings and Troops need to be maintained, while a
Stipend is paid to all Nobles in the Realm, to pay for
their daily needs. These costs are all part of the Realm’s
Upkeep which must be paid every Turn.
One Turn equates to the passage of one Season in game
time. One Year is 4 Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn
and Winter).
Constructing Buildings, Recruiting Troops, and Travelling
from one Realm to another are all Actions which take a
certain number of Turns depending on their complexity
or the distance involved.
Buildings cost money and take a certain number of turns
to finish construction. Some require access to a certain
Resource in order to function. Buildings will increase the
Upkeep of the Realm. Once completed, a Building will
have a passive effect on your Realm, allowing the Ruler
to perform new Actions, provide new Resources for
other Industries or Buildings, or allow different types of
Troops to be recruited.
Troops are needed to defend the Realm, or to conquer
Resources and Settlements from other Realms or Terri-
tories. It takes a certain number of Turns to train every
new Troop. Some Troops will require specific Buildings in
order to be recruited.
Troops can be assigned to Garrisons or Settlements and
will automatically defend them in the event of an attack.
They assigned to the Noble of the Settlement where
they were recruited. Their loyalty is firs to their Noble,
and then to the Ruler.
12
The Ruler governs their Realm and their capital City.
Nobles administer the other Settlements in the Realm.
Settlements come in three sizes: Villages, Towns and
Cities. Every Resource Site, and Farming Community has
Village. Farming Community produce Food for Towns
and Cities. As Buildings are constructed, Villages grow
into Towns, and Towns grow into Cities.
Food also creates Wealth, and can be Traded too. Food
has less Value than Industries from Common or Luxu-
ry Resources. Eventually, a Realm will simply not have
enough land to feed its population, and will have to ex-
pand acquire new Territories, or import Food from afar,
in order to sustain itself.
Trade Routes can be opened with other Realms to in-
crease the Wealth created by Industries as well as allow
access to Resources and Technical Knowledge. When
two Realms trade with one another, both Realms are
treated has having access to each other Resources for
the purposes of Buildings and Recruitment. Trade Routes
will also allow the free flow of any commodity each
Realm does not have, even including ideas and Religions.
Players can perform actions as their Rulers. These ac-
tions include passing laws, recruiting Troops, ordering
the construction of Buildings, levying Taxes, and per-
forming Political Actions.
Rulers are Political Actions limited by what Action
Words are available to the Player. Nobles can be sent on
missions on behalf of their Ruler, but they may pursue
their own motivations and ambitions instead.
Money flows into a Ruler’s treasury through Taxes. Taxes
can be levied on anything which has a Value and gener-
ates Wealth.
Wealth is created by the Resources and Industries a
Realm controls. Every Resource site can support a certain
number of Industries of a certain type (e.g. Iron ore ->
Blacksmith’s).
Luxury Resources and Industries usually have a higher
Value than Common Resources and Industries. Certain
Common and Luxury Resources can also be combined
together to produce items of a higher Value. Trad-
ing with other Realms, is another way to increase the
Wealth generated by Industries and Resources.
If a Ruler wants to increase the Wealth of the Realm
beyond that, they will need to acquire more Resourc-
es, open Trade routes, or invest in Buildings which will
increase the Value from Resources and Industries he
already controls.

A Ruler will need to Tax either Resources or Industries in

order to benefit from the Wealth in his Realm.

However, levying Taxes creates Turmoil. Turmoil is also

created by unrest in the Realm. Turmoil will increase the
likelihood of a Peasant uprising, and of Nobles question-
ing the Ruler’s authority to govern. Ambitious Nobles
may take advantage of a dire situation to start a rebel-
lion, placing themselves on the throne.

13
 Actions in
Each Turn, Players submit a report the N.O. detailing
what actions they perform. This can by e-mail, voice
recording, telecommunication or Monkey Scribe.
The deadline for submitting Reports are is determined by
the N.O.
A Ruler may still Recruit and Construct as much as they
can afford to do so.
For Political Actions, players may choose from the list of
Action Words. However, they are still limited to 6 Action
Words to use in each report for their Political Actions.3
Action Words can still be combined to define a Political
Action.
Messages are still restricted by use of an appropriate
Action Word and must still be dated with the in-game
date. If the recipient of a message is in the same Realm
as the sender, they may still talk freely. It is important for
an N.O. to be clear that Rulers may not chat freely unless
they are in the same Realm, and over-abuse the powers
of the inter-connected internet age.
For Events, at the start of the new year (every 4 turns)
the N.O. will roll on a table to determine which event
randomly happens to each player Realm. In the Report
system players no longer have Events they can play, or
have control over.4
Performing Actions
Players take it in turns to roleplay actions as the Ruler of
their Realm. On their turn, a Ruler will also resolve any
issues that have been presented to them that Turn, such
arriving emissaries and invasions.
In addition to this a Ruler may perform Fiscal and Po-
litical Actions. These actions advance the story of your
game and can be performed by the Ruler or a Subordi-
nate.
While roleplaying the story of your game of Rulers it is
encouraged for both Players and the N.O. to act in-char-
acter as much as possible. This means doing what the
character would do, based on their personality and what
the character would know.
However, if anyone wants to put on an accent at any
point, then it must be agreed by everyone that it isn’t so
irritating as to warrant an impromptu flogging.
3 You can still use these words in normal, non-Political-Action
14 sentences. We’re not that cruel
4 At least, not until they harness the powers of Magic. But I
haven’t written that, yet….
Dice Rolls
Dice are rolled to determine the outcome of an action
when armies meet in battle, or when a Noble uses one of
their skills.
In this instances, roll the number of d6s stated. This is
your Dice Pool. Any roll of 5 or 6 is a “Success”. These
rolls are opposed by an opposing dice pool roll.
Whichever side has the most success wins the challenge,
and completes their action successfully. How many
successes the victor wins by, will determine the extent to
which their action was successful.
Fiscal Actions
A Ruler can perform a number of Actions relating to the
finances of their Realm. These are called Fiscal Actions.
This includes, Constructing Buildings, Recruiting Troops
and spending their money on any other Actions.
A Ruler can construct Buildings and recruit as many
Troops as they can afford on their turn, providing that
they can also afford the upkeep.
The only way a Ruler can get money is by levying Taxes
on Industries or Trade that produce Wealth. A Ruler may
only introduce, remove, or change one Tax on their turn.5
Political Actions
Political Actions are defined by the action word they use.
Examples include “Investigate”, “Send”, “Negotiate” or
“Hold”. They can be used to perform any Political Action
which can be defined by the word.
For example, an Attack can be verbal, physical, personal
or even political. You can Hold a festival, or Hold some-
one for ransom.
These actions are free to be described by the Player. Mul-
tiple Action Words can even be combined together to
create more complex actions.
However, Political Actions cannot fabricate something
from nothing, and neither can they abruptly destroy or
alter an object, individual, civilisation or concept.
All Political Actions must be possible for the character
performing them to do, or order another to do. “Send: a
poisoned banana into my enemy’s heart!” is not some-
thing anyone can do at a whim.6
5 It’s best not to change too much at once. It frightens the peas-
antry.
6 It’s just too silly
Political Actions are resolved on the turn the target
would act, as some may take a number of rounds to
occur.
For instance, Armies take time to march across the map,
and so the Political Action of Capturing another Realm’s
city is resolved when the siege begins.
Any combination of Action Words can be issued to a
Noble from the Ruler’s Realm.
They will act on behalf of their Ruler, and complete the
Political Action to the best of their abilities. However, a
Noble’s own ambitions and loyalties may come into play.
It is up to the Players to keep track of these Actions. Each
player shall inform the N.O. of the instruction given to
the Agent acting on their Ruler’s behalf.
A Political Action can be prepared ahead of time. A Ruler
can give the Action Words to an Agent with the instruc-
tion not to perform the action until a trigger they specify
occurs. This Agent can be freed from this command on a
player’s turn, but the Action Words are discarded.
When the N.O. performs the actions of NPC Rulers and
Characters, they are treated as having any Action Words
they want at any given time.
The N.O. has the final say on all Political Actions. It is
their duty watch over the narrative of the game and
make sure that Political Actions make sense, and are not
against the interest of fun for the rest of the Players.
Things take time
Constructing Buildings, travelling from one Realm to
another, and more, all take time to complete.
Time is measured in Turns. Each Turn equates to the
passage of one Season (Spring > Summer > Autumn >
Winter). Therefore, every four turns is one game year,
and one complete cycle of the Seasons.
For travelling over distances, whether it is an Individual
or an Army, consult the distance table below.
From the starting location, each adjacent Territory - and
Territories immediately adjacent to them - are accessible
in one Turn.
This means they will have arrived at their destination,
and completed an action, by the start of your next turn.
Beyond that, it will take longer for characters, Nobles and
Armies, to reach their destination and complete their
action.
Sending Messages
On their turn a Player may use an appropriate Action
Word to send a Message to another Player or NPC.
When writing Messages, name the recipient and the
sender, as well as the in-game date (i.e. Year 1 Season 2).
You may end up with a lot of messages and forget who
said what, so keep a record.
By default, Messages are sent overland but whatever
methods suits the Realm. These Messages can be inter-
cepted, read or destroyed by other Realms, if they have
sent Agents or Troops with an appropriate Action Word,
to a location t hat would be on the Message’s route.
If the Characters communicating are in the same Territo-
ry as one another, they may communicate freely without
the need for Messages.
It is therefore not necessary to for a Ruler to send mes-
sages to their Nobles, if they reside in the same Territo-
ry.7
In the interest of secrecy and immersion, out of game
politicking and plotting between Players should be avoid-
ed.
If Players want to roleplay a meeting between characters,
they may do so if observed by the N.O. As always, this is
at the N.O. discretion.
7 Which is very easy if your Realm is only one Territory
15
 Action Words Suggestions 25. Move An army, noble, in-
1. Accuse Of a crime, of decep- dustry, building, guild
tion, of heresy, of order or society
breaking an agree- 26. Negotiate Peace, trade, alliance
ment 27. Offer Peace, gifts, resources,
2. Arrange Marriage, trade an alliance
routes, co-operative 28. Open Negotiations, talks,
construction borders, gates
3. Attack Military, personal, 29. Pardon An individual, a noble,
political a sinner
4. Ban A resource, industry, 30. Propose A trade, a marriage,
import, vice an alliance
5. Begin Negotiations, an 31. Remove A title, an invader, a
agreement or a search religion
6. Capture A city, an individual, 32. Request Resources, a gifts,
a resource site, their an individual, trade,
hearts1 peace, an alliance
7. Close An agreement, a trade 33. Search A city, a territory, an
route, borders individual, for faith
8. Condemn A realm, an individual, 34. Send Resources, an army, a
a vice noble, a gift
9. Convert A town, city, individual 35. Take Resources, a city, an
10. Declare War, peace, open individual
trade
11. Defend A city, an individual, a
political defence
12. Deliver A gift, a prisoner, a
promise
13. Discuss Ideas, trade, faith,
technology
14. Draft A peace treaty, a new
law
15. End War, peace, trade
routes
16. Expel An individual, a reli-
gion, a traitor
17. Explore A region, a realm
18. Give A money, a gift, re-
sources, a title
19. Guard An individual, a set-
tlement, an object, a
location
20. Hold An event, an individ-
ual
21. Imprison An individual, a noble,
22. Intercept A message, an army,
an explorer
23. Investigate A technology, a Realm,
a noble, an individual
24. Invite A Guild Chairman,

16 a religious figure, a
noble, trade, talks
Creating your World
A game of Rulers has to happen somewhere, right? In Location table:
this next section we will walk you through our method of
randomly creating your world. Roll 1d8 Location
You may already have ideas on what you want the world 1 North
to look like. Perhaps it’s a very magical world, Arabian 2 North East
themed or in certain period of history, but no matter 3 East
what you have in mind, we believe a randomly generat-
ed world can improve it and give your initial idea, more 4 South East
variety and depth. 5 South
6 South West
The map our rules will generate is a guideline, a sugges-
tion for you to piece together into the setting you want 7 West
for your game. Think of it as randomly generated inspira- 8 North West
tion!
Climate table:
We are going to roll dice on a series of tables to create a
rough idea of what our world looks like. We’ll roll every- Roll 2d10 Climate
thing before begin sketching out what your world will
look like. 2-3 Desert
4-6 Savannah
What you will need: 7-8 Mediterranean
9-10 Steppes
Paper & Pencil
11 Oceanic
d10s, d8s 12-13 Forested
14-15 Alpine
A finished world should have: 16-18 Tropical
• A Map 19-20 Tundra
• Territories
Desert:
• Resources
Deserts are any area which receives very little or almost
• A Narrative Setting no rain. However, there can be torrential annual rains.

They are usually inland, and are often flanked by Moun-

Step 1: Creating Climates tains, Steppes or Savannahs.

The first step is to have idea of what the climate is like in
different areas on our map. Is it hot or cold, dry or wet?
What does the landscape look like and what plants and
animals might live there?
Roll a d10 on the climate table 8 times. For every roll,
also roll a d8 on the location table, to determine its
rough location. Multiple rolls on the same location are
allowed.
Examples: Sahara Desert, Gobi Desert
Savannah:
Savannahs are arid grasslands, with tall dry grasses and
few, sparsely leaved trees. They can still support an
abundance of life though, which have evolved to sur-
vive in this climate, like gazelle, cheetahs and elephants.
Wild fires are always a risk. They are usually the border
between Forested, or wetter areas, and Deserts or very
dry areas.

Mediterranean:
A Mediterranean climate has hot, dry summers, but rela-
tively cool winters, with powerful storms in the autumn.
Its ground is arid and often has craggy rocks jutting from
its surface. Its plants have thin, oily leaves to conserve
water loss. 17
 They are usually found on the coast, and often border
between slightly wetter and slightly dryer climates.
Examples: Greece, Italy, Spain, California, Morocco
Steppes:
Steppes are often large areas of grasslands. There are
few shrubs, and no trees, only short grasses. Their
summers are cool and their winters can be freezing. The
winds are strong and often constant. Animals are few
and far between, and are often grazers like horses, yaks
and sheep.
They are usually found next to mountains, are dryer
areas like deserts.
Examples: Mongolian steppes, American Prairie
Oceanic:
Rain rolls over the windy hills in these areas. Vegetation
is often lush, with copious amounts of thick grasses,
bushes and deciduous trees. Animals of all kinds live in
these areas. The summers can be pleasant.
They are usually found on the coast, or near wet, Forest-
ed areas.
Examples: The UK, The Netherlands, Nova Scotia.
Forested:
Trees abound in a Forested area. If they are near wet
areas they are likely to be tangled clusters of deciduous
trees, but if its near a dry area, they may instead be
dense rows of coniferous trees. Perhaps even both.
Forested areas can exist in either dry or wet areas, but
they are usually close to other areas with high vegeta-
tion, like Oceanic, Alpine or Tropical areas. They can also
form a border between these areas, and places with less
vegetation, like Steppes, Savannah and Mediterranean
areas.
Alpine:
Alpine areas are usually on mountains, very close to
them, or at least are in areas of high elevation. They are
often quite cold and snowy in the winter, but still have
moderately warm summers. All year round they are
relatively dry. Plantlife often has thin leaves to conserve
water. All trees are coniferous.
They nearly always border on mountains, and often bor-
der on other dry areas.
Tropical:
Tropical areas have humid climates and dense, deciduous
18 trees and undergrowth. Life is abundant in these areas,
and not always friendly. They are often warm all year
round, and rainstorms are frequent in the hot summer
months.
They can be found on coastal areas, or inland. They are
usually adjacent to other hot or dry climates, and often
border other densely forested areas.
Tundra:
These dry and icy climates are devoid of nearly all veg-
etation, except for the occasional secluded pine forest.
Even in the summers there is still little to no rainfall,
although rivers surge down valleys as the ice and snow
melts.
Tundra are usually adjacent to other dry areas and
sparsely vegetated areas, often flanked by mountains.
Step 2: Making Mountains
Mountain ranges will shape our world. They divide
climates and provide valleys for rivers. Mountains trap
rainfall, and often border dry areas.
Roll 1d3+1 (halve the value on a d6) to determine how
many mountain ranges there are in the world. For each
mountain range, roll on the Location Table once.
It’s up to the GM as to decide how long each mountain
range is, how many mountains are in each.
Step 3: Coasts and Rivers
Water is not only essential to life, but also civilisation.
Without rivers, lakes and seas allow civilisations to move
people, ideas and trade over large distances with ease.
(See Movement)
Roll on the ‘Rivers & Seas’ table 6 times. For each roll,
roll on the Location Table once. If a River is rolled, roll on
the Location Table twice to determine where the River
starts, and where it ends
Roll 1d10 Rivers & Seas
1 Lake
2-4 River
5-6 Estuary
7-9 Coast
10 Island
Putting it all Together
Now to make our world! Take a sheet of paper and a
pencil and let’s get sketching.
The relative size of the map is up to you. It can be the
whole world, a continent or an island. Feel free to make
more maps to detail the whole globe your game exists
on.
Make a note of what climates are where, and consid-
er what the terrain will have to be like to create them
(Mountains cut off dry flat basins, estuaries will connect
to rivers and wet areas etc.)
Positioning is another thing to keep in mind. If you have
something in the “North”, that can be anywhere within a
cone extending from just above the centre of your map.
If you have two locations that are the same, one will be
closer to the centre than the other.
Phase 4: Climates
Now that seas, mountains and rivers, explain the borders
of our climates, we can start filling them in.
Put your driest climates by their mountains walls, and
slightly less dry climates adjacent to them.
If you have densely Forested areas, they are likely to
be near other Climates dense in vegetation, like Alpine,
Tropical and Oceanic areas. Although Savannah and
Mediterranean Climates are not devoid of trees after.
Consider which way the equator lies. Perhaps it’s to the
south or possibly the east? Put the warmer climates,
like the Mediterranean and Tropical climates closer to it,
with the Alpine and Tundra areas as far away from it as
possible.

Phase 1: Coastlines Phase 5: Colour it in!

We’ll start with the outline of your landmass. Sketch out
a length of coastline in each location where you rolled
one.
Remember, coastlines are jagged, and are made of
peninsulas, estuaries, bays and often have small rocky
islands. What you’ve rolled details significant features,
but feel free to throw in smaller ones where you think
appropriate.
Let’s face it, this is the best part. Now that you’ve
sketched out your map, you can draw it up nicely, with
some details and colour!
I personally suggest just adding a hint of colour just along
the border of climates, and having a simple key to keep
to. As long as your players know what your symbol for
“Tree” is, you can leave a lot of the work to their imagi-
nation.

Phase 2: Mountains If you can, scan it in and edit it on your computer. I really
recommend doing this when adding the players, NPCs
Mountains will form walls around our climates, and be- and their cities. You don’t want to mess up your nice map
ing to shape our world dramatically. of the world just because you can’t spell “The Kingdom
of Ferlintoquzeres”
Anywhere there is a dry Climate, it needs to be cut off
from the sea by mountains. Start with the driest climates
you have. They don’t need to be completely walled in,
just placed as a barrier between them and the sea.

Dry Climates: desert = tundra > steppes = savannah >

Alpine = Mediterranean

Phase 3: Rivers
All rivers end at the ocean, and they all start in moun-
tains or lakes. While you have a start and end location for
your river, it will not move in a straight line. Snake-wind
down from higher land, cut valleys through the moun-
tains.

Rivers form good borders between wetter and drier cli-

mates, and help to explain where the sudden increase in
moisture came from.

Keep in mind that rivers will allow the people of each

Realm to travel faster by sailing down them. So try to
cover a lot of the map. 19
 Territories & Resources
We now have a world! However, we don’t know where Settlements in the World
our borders are going to be.
At the start your game of Rulers, every Resource site in
Every players is going to need their own Realm, and so the world, including every NPC and Player Realm, has a
will all the NPCs. We will also need a couple of neutral Settlement.
areas to allow for expansion.

For every 2 players have one NPC Realm and one neutral 1d10 Settlement
Territory, rounding up. Every Player will also need one 1-2 Nomad Camps (Village)
Territory for their own Realm.
3-4 Tribal Village (Village)
For example, a game with 5 players would 3 NPC Rulers,
3 Neutral Territories, and 5 Player Territories, for a total 5-6 Bandit Camp (Village)
of 11 Territories. 7 Monastic Enclave (Village)
8-9 Trading Post (Town)
Neutral Territories are likely to be uninhabited, or they
may house Settlements who possess no centralised 10 City State (City)
government, such as Nomadic tribes or an Amish Orc If there are Resources in Neutral Territories, not owned
Commune8 . by any Realm, then create “Free Peoples” who live there,
or use our rules for randomly generating Settlements.
Once you know how many Territories you are likely to
need, split the world up as necessary. Use mountains, Generating Resources
rivers and coastlines to form natural borders.
For each Player or significant NPC region, roll on the
It doesn’t matter if Territories are not all the same size, Basic Resource Table 3 times, and the Luxury table once.
as this will not affect the time it takes to cross them or These Resources are known to all players.
the amount of resources they have.
For neutral regions, or ones with smaller city-states,
Placing Realms Roll on the Common and Luxury Resources twice. These
Resources are not known to all players.
Most players will come to the game with a clear of the
idea of what they want to do with their civilisation. Don’t Roll 1d10 Common Resources
let them! 1-3 Timber
A little bit of randomness can make an okay concept, a 4-6 Clay
great character. The greatest success story of this was 7-8 Iron
in our first play-test. Cyria was a civilisation of mechan- 9 Stone
ical slaves who had escaped an oppressive Empire and
were led by their prophet, and now ecclesiastical leader,9 10 Luxury*
across the desert to their new home.
Roll 1d10 Luxury Resources
It was the fact that the player had been randomly placed
beside by a desert that gave their leader this biblical 1-2 Silver
pilgrimage, its Arabic themes, and even the kingdom’s 3-4 Porcelain
name. This gave it a tremendous amount of depth, that 5-6 Lacquer
the original concept was at first missing.
7 Jewels
Number all Territories on the map and roll appropriately 8 Cotton
sized dice to determine where each player will be placed. 9 Marble
This is done at the N.O.’s discretion, as it is in their inter- 10 Expanded*
ests to place NPCs and neutral territories strategically.

20 8 Yes I said Amish Orcs. Congratulations you can no longer

think of any other character concept.
9 We referred to him as the “Mecha-Pope”.
 Roll 1d10 Expanded Luxury
1 Gold
2 Spices
3 Tea
4 Coffee
5 Tobacco
6 Opium
7 Silk
8 Salt
9 Sugar
10 Roll Twice
Understanding Resources
It would be very difficult for a society to function at all,
let alone rise to becoming a significant civilisation, if it
was completely without metal Ore, Timber or any other
Resource.
Resource Sites instead represent an ability to support
entire industries to the extent that they have a significant
impact on the Realm and can even export the product.
No Ore
If a Realm is without Iron Ore Resources, it is assumed
that they at least have Bronze (An alloy of Copper and
Tin).
This does not put the Realm at any specific disadvantage.
Bronze is poured into a mould and cast. They therefore
have no problem making swords, arrowheads, pole-axes
etc.
However, more complex metal-working may be beyond
them without imports of Iron, which can be heated and
forged, allowing it to be bent and folded. The revolution
of the Iron Age was not that it was superior to Bronze,
but rather that it was easier to work more complex parts.
If you’re interested, take a look at what the Ancient
Chinese. Emperor Qin and his Terracotta Warriors were
able to achieve incredible feats with bronze, including
advanced mechanisms and crossbows.
No Timber
What is a homemade of if there is not an abundance of
timber?
The answer might be cultures like the Mongolians with
their Urt tents, or something like the Ancient Britons.
Wattle & Daub,10 is a technique of hovel making where
upright branches have longer branches woven in be-
tween them, until you have a circular home that looks
like a willow basket.
To keep out water, and keep in the heat, a mixture of grit,
fibres and horse manure, is packed into the walls and
coated with a plaster. By default, we assume homes are
made in this manner.
Again, not having Timber Resource simply means that
it is not available in abundance, and cannot be fulfil
requirements for Rulers.
No Clay
Clay isn’t that important, right?
Wrong! History is the study of pottery. Okay, that’s not
entirely true, but it is 90% of what Archaeologists dig up.
Bowls, plates, bottles, medicine flasks, chamber pots – if
it held a fluid before the advent of plastic, it was proba-
bly made of pottery.
So we can explain a Realm that doesn’t have Clay as mak-
ing a lot of these items out of wood, or bone, or maybe
bronze.
However, if the Realm also doesn’t have wood, then
bone is going to have a tall order to fill, as it is quite limit-
ed by the shape of bones.11
Get creative. Does your Realm have an abundance of
Iron or Stone? Perhaps their master craftsmen use that
instead.
No Stone
The simplest Resource to for a Realm to not have.12 Stone
is mostly only used for Fortifications, and as such a Realm
can happily survive without it.
Stone does offer benefits though, such as allowing Play-
ers to define their Buildings as being made of Stone, and
therefore being fireproof.
10 Which is also the greatest name for a Celtic Folk band duo
11 Goblets are fine and look epic, bowls are harder to do though
12 I’ve even considered making it a “Luxury” as a result.
21
 Creating the Setting
Now that we have world, a map, resources and we know
where our players and NPCs are, it is time to create a
setting.
The setting determines the overall narrative of our game,
and provides much needed context to the world our
players will be interacting with.
Creating a Shared history
Discuss ideas with your players. Find out what their con-
cepts are, and start to create a shared history.
Do people have similar religion, or races? If so, why are
they not part of the same Realm? Was one Realm found-
ed by escaped slaves/criminals from another? How were
the borders shaped? Who is the oldest Realm, and who
is the youngest?
The Narrative Context
A good setting should have an implied storyline from its
context. What are the goals of the players and NPCs?
Why are they here? What is at stake? Empire? Who will be the new Emperor, a player, an NPC,
From our playtests, we found that this question was the
key component to creating a good setting:
“Why do I need to change the Status Quo?”
If your players do not feel a need to shape the world
around them, then they will simply not interact with it
in any meaningful way. Force your players to take sides,
act quickly or ally together. While they will certainly have
their objectives, give the scenario something the players
must react to.
Here are some example concepts you can use for your
game, or to give you inspiration.
Setting Suggestions:
The Fallen Empire
Once all of the Rulers were united, either by common
interest, or perhaps just by force, but now the Emperor
has died, possibly even assassinated. Three factions have
emerged who want to change the order of the world.
One faction thinks that the old system was flawed, but
that it can be improved. They want to elect a new Em-
peror from one of the existing Rulers. Another faction
wants to seize the opportunity to dissolve the Empire,
and grant independence to all the Rulers. While a third
remains loyal to old Empire, and is trying to find a suit-
able heir to the throne. Perhaps the Emperor had no
22 heir, or maybe his heir is only an infant child.
Give each faction a name, and an NPC leading it. To fur-
ther split opinion, make sure each faction has different
resources at its disposal.
“Why do I need to change the Status Quo?”
Because civil war threatens the security of my Realm,
and if I do not have a say in what the new order will be, it
may not be to my liking.
Inspiration
Japan: In 1598 Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, leaving his
infant son, Hideyori, to inherit his rule. A council of re-
agents were supposed to govern Japan until the boy was
old enough, but the Daimyo lords seized the opportunity
to take power for themselves. After the decisive battle of
Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu secured his position
as the Shogun of Japan, and his family would rule until
the Meiji Restoration in 1868, which finally dissolved the
feudal system.
Is independence best, or are there advantages to an
or a puppet?
A Brave New World
All of our players are small lords of a much larger king-
dom or empire. They have come to colonise a new world,
supposedly rich in resources. However, they have not
found it entirely uninhabited. When creating your
regions, consider having twice as many neutral ones.
Keep in mind though that the locals won’t recognise
these borders in the same way as these foreigner visitors
do. Alternatively, instead of additional neutral territories,
have a large disparate Empire take up most of the map.
“Why do I need to change the Status Quo?”
Because everyone is going to expand rapidly in this new
world, and I will pushed away from the best spots if I
don’t act quickly.
Inspiration
Colonial America: As early as the sixteenth century, Eu-
ropeans were in Northern America. Beaver pelts were a
much sought after resource at the time for hat-making.13
As trade grew, so did the trading posts from which the
merchants conducted their business. Soon these grew
into towns and eventually cities.
By the mid-eighteenth century, France and Britain con-
trolled large parts of what is now the United States and
Canada. In 1754 the Seven Years war (French-Indian war)
13 It was a much bigger industry than it might sound. Trust
me.
began, which pitted Britain and France’s colonial inter-
ests against each other.
The Native American Iroquois and Huron Confederacies
were also active participants, and played the French and
British against each other for their own political interests.
Mughal India: At the same time, the British and French
were also fighting for dominance in India. Here their col-
onies were not as large or as widespread because India
was already densely populated.
However, the old Moghul Empire was collapsing, and
both the British and French played local Nawab lords
against each other. Support from foreign powers could
change the tide of battle.
By the end of the Seven Years war, Britain had pushed
France out of India, and much of North America. Now
the local populations had no political conflict to use to
their advantage. A new status quo had been created,
with the fledging British Empire free to solidify its rule.14
How developed is the new world? How many factions
are there? What new resources, or technologies, do they
have? How do I keep these away from enemies, and prof-
it from them myself?
Impending Doom
Something…is coming. An apocalyptic event awaits our
players and they must prepare for it. The Rulers of the
world will have to put their differences aside and stand
as one, or else face oblivion.
Inspiration
Well you may have noticed there haven’t been as many
alien invasion of Earth as there movies with that idea.
However there are some examples from history.
Thermopylae: In Ancient Greece, there was no such
thing as one united body. Instead there were lots of small
city-states. The most powerful of which was Athens, and
its biggest rival was the city of Sparta.
However, when the Persian Empire decided to expand
onto Grecian land, people did recognise the need to ally
together against this larger threat.
At the Battle of Thermopylae, an alliance of Spartans,
Athens and other city-states tried to hold back the
Persian forces. They were defeated, but it bought the
Athenians some time.
Athens still bore the brunt of the war, and it was still the
Athenian navy who finally sent the Persians packing,15
but for a brief period these rival cities banded together
for the greater good of all.
How long do we have?
Where will our enemy come from? What do I need in
order to protect my Realm from oblivion?

Perhaps the Orcish raiders threaten to pillage every city,

or the Mongol Hordes want to expand their empire by
blood and fire, or maybe the great Dragon-Lich is amass-
ing his undead forces and is preparing to break free from
his prison crypt, and will subjugate all the living beings of
this world to his unholy will!

Explain to your players that they have a certain number

of turns to prepare for the threat. You don’t necessarily
have to tell them what it is, but we do recommend leav-
ing clues for them to piece together what it is they will
need to defend themselves.

“Why do I need to change the Status Quo?”

Because we’re all going to be cut into pieces, have our
souls bound to their evil whims, and have our heads im-
paled on stakes.…And if we’re very very lucky, they’ll do it
in that order!

14 Seriously, the British were practically the only European

power who still had a navy at this point.
15 Admittedly, the Athenians were really the only ones who
had a navy though. So that’s hardly saying much.
23
 Character Creation
In a game of Rulers, a Player creates a Realm and a Ruler.

The Realm is a civilisation and its territory. This includes

its borders, its races, faith, language, armaments,
clothes, architecture and culture.

The Ruler is the individual character who governs the

Realm. Your Ruler is your Lord, Duke, King, Governor,
Magnate or Magistrate – whatever you want to call him.
He or she presides over your Realm.

REALM CREATION CHECKLIST:

- What are your resources?

- Choose a form of Government

- Choose your Traditions

- Create your Ruler

- Create your Noble Families

- Starting Army

- Create your Guilds/Orders/Soceites

- Add your the details to your Realm

Once all players have created their Realm and their Ruler,
take a look at what is similar in each Realm.

Do other Realms have similar Races, Language or Faith?

How can the world be better explained by expanding on

the relationships between Realms?

Maybe your people are Refugees from another Realm,

outcast heretics, or maybe they are the heretics!

Rulers and Realms always benefit from not having a

stand-alone-complex. Remember, the world the N.O. and
the Players have create is likely to have housed these
civilisations for centuries, so they are bound to have a
complex history of inter-cultural integration and opposi-
tion. Build on that, and constantly build on your lore!

24
Choosing a form of Government
Some Rulers are ruled by a family through a hereditary Ecclesiastical
title, others may be ruled by a Religious leader, or by
an elected official. However your Realm is run it is an You are both the head of the church, and the head of the
important element to define! Realm. Create an approriate Society or Order for your
Ruler to also be the head of.
Choose one of the forms of governance from the list
below. If a player wants to create a new one, they may
negotiate with the N.O., but the important factor is that
Consortium
the players’ rule is absolute. In-game actions will be very The Realm is governed by a trading company, and you sit
difficult for the player to justify if everything they decide at the head of its council. This position operates as Coun-
has to be approved by someone else.1 cil, but with more bribery.1 Create a Guild for your Ruler
to also be the Chairperson of.
Monarch
You were born to rule, and you will rule for your whole
Magistrate
life, at which point your heir will take over. You were appointed by a higher authority to be in charge
of your Realm.
This position is for life, and is automatically passed onto
your heir. You can be replaced at any time by the higher authority.
This authority has to be defined at creation, and must be
Elected Monarch an NPC which the N.O. controls.2
You still rule for life like a monarch does, but you were
elected by the Nobility of your Realm. After your death,
Warlord
they will elect a new monarch from one of the noble You are the commander of the military, and the head of
families. state.
You cannot be voted out of office. This position is for life. This position can operate as Elected Monarch or Council,
depending on the strength of your Armies.
Council
You are the chairman of a council who governs the
Realm. While others on the council will have a say in
state politics, you ultimately have the final say.

This position is for life, but the council can call a vote to
elect a new chairman.

1 None of that ‘Democracy’ nonsense here, sunshine!

1 Sorry, I meant “gifts”
2 This includes celestial beings, spirits or gods.
25
 Creating your Ruler
Whether you were ordained by a deity, appointed
through bloodshed, or schemed and plotted your rise to
power – You rule.

A Ruler governs the Realm they control. For players, the

Ruler is their in-game avatar, the mouth through which
their will is spoken.

A Player can only act through their Ruler. They do not

have a birdseye view of the world, they are not omnip-
otent, and they only know what they have been told. If
a Rulers wishes t to communicate with another Ruler or
Noble, then they must do so with letters, or in person.
Players must make sure to act their Ruler would, and not
as some sort of god-being.

While we have ideas to expand Ruler creation in future

updates of this Core Rulebook, for now your Ruler only
needs:

A Name

A Race

A Noble Family

A Backstory

A Personality

Your Ruler should be a fleshed out character you will be

able to roleplay as. Feel free to use the Noble Personal-
ity Generator to randomly create a personality for your
Ruler.

In addition to this, your Ruler needs to be tied to one of

the Noble families in your Realm. Give your Ruler sib-
lings, parents, children and rivals.

Finally, create a backstory for your Ruler. This does not

need to be a detailed account of their entire life, just the
good bits.

Start with how your Ruler rose to power, was it violent or

peaceful? How was their coronation received? Have they
changed personality or policy over the course of their
reign?

Secondly, make a list of all the most significant charac-

ters in the World and in your Realm. Take a look at their
personalities, and the cultures they come from, and give
a one sentence description of what your Ruler thinks of
these people.18

26 18 These notes are not an in-game object which can be stolen

by other players for blackmail
Traditions
All traditions provide some sort of benefit, or bonus,
to your Realm. They represent things your people are
Civic Traditions
famous for, and are skilful at.
Academic
Traditions List: University
Tradition Effect Academic Society
Artisanal Grants the High Quality
bonus This Tradition provides a University in your main city,
which belongs an Academic society which. You can
Academic Awards a University choose any field of academia from Natural Philosophy, to
Diplomatic +1 on Diplomacy rolls Theology, Chemystry or just, regular Philosophy.
Outrider +1 to Message Speed
Mercantile +10% Trade bonus Diplomatic
Sporting Awards a Coliseum +1 all Diplomatic rolls
Born in the Saddle Awards Stables and
better Cavalry Your Realm is well known for its diplomacy and silver
tongues. This Tradition provides a +1 bonus to all diplo-
Architectural Civic Buildings take 1 matic actions taken by your nobles.
less turn to build
Masters of Villainy +1 to Subterfuge rolls Sporting
Pathfinder Armies gain +1 Speed
Pious Awards a Cathedral Coliseum
Militaristic +1 to Military Rolls Whether its Gladiatorial Combat, Chariot Racing, or
Horde Tactics +2 Morale for Basic Wizard Death Battles, the people of your Realm love to
Troops compete!
Chivalric +2 Morale for Elite This Tradition places a Coliseum in your Capital, which
Troops provides the normal bonuses a Coliseum does. In ad-
“The Immortals” Combat bonuses for dition to this, once a year, your Realm holds a Sporting
one Troop. If it dies, the Event that all other Realms are invited to compete in.
bonus is lost.
Encouraged Labour Fortifications take 1 less Outrider
turn to build
+1 to the speed of your Messengers
However, many traditions come with a Guild, Order or
No rider is faster than those in your Realm.
Society. The more powerful these organisations become
the more they can help, or hinder you. All of your Messengers travel one speed faster.
Traditions come in three different types: Social, Industri-
al and Military. Each Realm gets to choose three tradi- Pious
tions from the list below.
Cathedral

Religious Order

The peoples of your Realm are known for being dedicat-

ed to the cloth, for being devoted servants of the faith.

The Pious Tradition provides a Cathedral for the capital

of the Realm, which must be owned by the dominant
Religious Order of the Realm.

27
 Industrial Traditions
Mercantile
+10% Wealth creation from Trade
The merchants of your Realm are famed for being able to
squeeze out that little extra bit of profit.
While a Settlement is trading with another Realm, the
Wealth generated by that Trade route produces an addi-
tional +10% Wealth.
This does not affect the Turmoil generated by the Tax.
Artisanal
Grant the High Quality bonus to one industry.
Your Realm’s Artisans are famous for producing one
type of product with exceptional skill and craftsmanship.
Select one industry you already have, and upgrade its
quality tier to High Quality.
Born in the Saddle
Provides Stables
+1 Morale to all your Cavalry Troops
The people of your Realm have a natural affinity with
equine beasts and mounted combat.
This tradition provides your Realm with Stables, which al-
lows for the Recruitment of Cavalry Troops. In addition to
this, your Cavalry Troops are more effective than others
in battle.
Architectural
Civic Buildings take 1 less turn to construct (minimum 1)
The Architects of your Realm have both a flair for art, as
well as an exceptional skill with design.
All Civic Buildings take one less turn to build in your
Realm.
Military Traditions
Masters of Villainy
+1 all Subterfuge rolls
There are rumour surrounding your Realm of deceit and
cunning.
This Tradition provides a +1 to all Subterfuge actions
taken by your nobles.
28
Pathfinder
+1 to movement speed of all Armies
The Pathfinders of your Realm accompany your Armies
whenever they travel outside of the Realm’s Territory.
These excellent scouts provide your Armies with +1
speed whenever they travel.
Militaristic
+1 to Military rolls
Your Realm is famous for its militaristic culture, and
intrepid leaders.
This Tradition provides a +1 to all Military rolls by Nobles
from your Realm.
Horde tactics
+2 Morale for all Basic Troops
The hardy commoners of your Realm share a comradery.
Basic Troops from your Realm have a +2 bonus on all
Morale rolls.
Chivalric
+2 Morale for all Elite Troops
The Nobles of your Realm uphold a devotion to a Chival-
ric tradition.
Elite Troops from your Realm have a +2 bonus on all
Morale rolls.
“The Immortals”
+3 Combat bonus and +2 Morale for one specific Troop.
Your Realm is infamous for one terrifying Elite unit of
warriors. They are feared. They are unstoppable. They
are (seemingly) Immortal.
Select one military Troop you have at the start of play
(you must be able to recruit this Troop under normal
rules).
This one Troop unit gains +3 to all Combat Rolls and +2
to its Morale rolls. The unit can be healed normally, but if
the whole unit is ever killed, the effect ends.
Encouraged Labour
Fortifications take 1 less turn to build (minimum 1)
If construction is taking too long, then shout, shout and
shout again!
All Fortifications take 1 less turn to build (but nobody
enjoys building it).
Creating Noble Families
Roll 1d4 this is how many Noble Families there are in 1d10 Personality
your Realm. including the Ruler’s own family.
1 Quiet and Thoughtful
For every family, roll 1d6. This determines how many 2 Nervous and Pensive
leading members the family has. One of them must be 3 Headstrong and Reck-
the Head of the family, while the others may be Aunts,
less
Uncles, Siblings or Grandparents.
4 Intelligent and Subtle
For each leading family member, roll 1d10. 1-5 they are 5 Deceitful and Sly
male, 6-10 they are Female.
6 Stoic and Reserved
To determine the age of each of them, roll 1d10 on the 7 Stubborn and Arro-
table below gant
8 Frantic and Obsessive
1d10 Age
9 Confident and Charis-
1 Infant matic
2-3 Adolescent3 10 Jovial and Friendly
4-8 Adult
9-10 Elderly 1d10 Relationship with
Ruler
For each family member who is Adult or older, roll 1d4 to
determine how many Children they have. Roll as usual to 1 Loyal
determine their age, but discount all Elderly rolls. 2 Fearful
3 Contemptuous
Fill in the gaps as you see fit. These results of these rolls
are to give you a starting point. 4 Love
5 Disgust
For instance spouses are not rolled for, but they are cer-
6 Admiration
tainly members of the family.
7 Rivalry
You can use rolls you’ve made to account for them, 8 Hatred
or add them in as you want to. Perhaps some died in
childbirth, perhaps some left to start their own families. 9 Respect
Which families did these Spouses come from, or are they 10 Fondness
from another Realm?
1d10 Who do they Value?
We encourage Players to have their Noble families linked
with other Players, or NPCs, wherever the genealogy 1 A Parent
allows it. 2 A Mentor
3 A Student
Personality Creation 4 A Rival
Each NPC Noble or significant Character, has their own 5 A Pet
personality. Perhaps you have a personality in mind, and 6 A Lover
that’s fine, but your probably have a lot of NPCs to cre-
7 A Friend
ate, so here’s a table to randomly give them a complete
personality. 8 A Sibling/Cousin
9 No one
10 Themselves

29
 1d10 What is an object they 1d10 “I believe….”
Value? 1 Everyone has their
1 A piece of Jewellery role in society and
2 A Weapon they should fulfil it
3 A Tool 2 You can only rely
on yourself, and the
4 A Book
sweat from your own
5 A piece of Clothing brow
6 A piece of Art 3 Trust in others and
7 A Musical Instrument they will trust in you
8 A toy 4 Some are made to
9 A Mount Rule, others are made
10 An Ancestral Artefact to be Ruled
5 Those who have
wealth and power
1d10 What do they desire
must share it with
most?
those who do not
1 Wealth
6 Decisions should not
2 Power be made without care-
3 Love ful deliberation of all
4 Knowledge the facts
5 Popularity 7 The pursuit of knowl-
edge is the only thing
6 Glory
worth pursuing
7 Vengeance
8 Money comes first,
8 Travel everything else can be
9 Fame bought with it
10 Harmony 9 Power comes from
sincerity, if you can
fake that, you’ve got it
made
10 Only through war and
conflict can we truly
understand ourselves.

30
Adding the Details
Rulers is a game of politics, economy and warfare, but
more than that, it is a storytelling game about your civil-
isations.
Once the mechanics of your Realm are in place (Resourc-
es, Traditions, Government etc.) it’s time to start giving it
depth.
• Who lives in your Realm?
• What is their anatomy like?
• What belief binds their society together?
• How does their language sound?
• What do they eat and drink?
• What does their clothing look like?
• What is the architectural style of the buildings?
• What is a common saying for your people?
Answering these questions, and any more you can think
of, is what will allow your game of Rulers to be rich and
memorable storytelling experience.
Race
In Rulers, the race of your Realm can be anything you
imagine.
They can be Elves, Orcs, Troglodytes, Demons, Centaurs,
Archanids, or Piratical Parrots.
It is up to the N.O. to set the tone for the game, and set
down any limitations on what kinds of fantastical races
may be allowed.
For instance, the N.O. may want a Human only historical
setting, or to demand that players be more creative than
the usual Tolkien fantasy races.
As general guidelines, we recommend the following:
• All Races are mortal19
• All Races must eat and/or drink something for
sustenance
• There is an explanation for why Races can be
harmed by warfare or disease
Without these basic guidelines, players may try and
sneak their way out of playing by the rules.
19 You could play the exact opposite of this, but it’s simpler if
everyone is one or the other
Faith
In Rulers we use “Faith” to refer to any system of belief
that binds a society together. This can be a canonical
Church, a tradition of Ancestor Worship, or even a pro-
nounced Nationalism.
While we encourage Players to create a rich and varied
culture for their Realm, it is not necessary to write down
every gospel and deity before the game starts.
Begin by setting out a few key principles for your Faith,
naming any principal characters, and establishing the
manner in which people and clergy may practice this
faith.
Language
The hardest part of Rulers is coming up with names:
there’s all the settlements, your Ruler, every Noble, their
family members, individual characters, gods, poets and
inventors – there are a lot of names.
That’s why establishing a language is so important.
You don’t want to make it up as you go, because as epic
as names like “Ascernon the Thirteenth of the Elgorar
Elven Kings of Monsomera” may sound, no one is going
to ever remember their name – including you.
Your language does not need to have a complete syntax,
with every aspect of the grammar calculated.
Simply begin by establishing what your language sounds
like. Take one from the real world you like, and pair it
with another, to avoid simply making direct translations
all the time.20
Then, establish a naming system so that naming new
Characters and Settlements follows a set of rules.
For instance, the Mord language is based on German and
Swedish. Every Noble surname is “Von [Family Name]”,
while the peasantry are “Van [Home Settlement]”.
In Amethysia, every name is a regal sounding English
forename, followed by a Geological period, such as Stan-
ley Archean, or Winnifred Silurian the Third.
Settlement names are often descriptive. Abertawe is the
Welsh name for the city of Swansea. “Aber” means “On”
and “Tawe” is the name of the River – “On-the-Tawe”.
So look at the language you have adopted and de-
termined what words are for “Town”, “Hill”, “River”,
“Bridge” or “Port”.
20 It’s a little boring
31
 If you don’t like how they sound, shorten them, or swap
them out for words from a similar language.
A really easy way to make use of existing languages is to
look at a map. After you’ve picked the sound of your lan-
guage, just take a look at that country, and pair together
pieces you like.
As long as you have a consistent set of Rulers for naming
people and places, you will have a much easier timer
playing Rulers.
Creating an Original Society
Maybe your Realm is a race of Lizard-people who live in
Samurai style castles, use Katanas and follow Bushido.
That’s fine, but it is simply scalier version of Feudal
Japan.21
But ask yourself if there a way to add a unique spin on
your idea.
Are there other Realms your people would have ele-
ments of a shared culture with?
Asking questions like this can take a good idea, and make
it fantastic. Games of Rulers are always better when
there are powerful relationships between Realms.
Is your race related to another in the world?
Is your Church the last bastion of Orthodoxy, or are you
heretics who escaped persecution from another Realm?
Was it a shift in climate, or a great technological advance,
that set you apart from your former compatriots?
Let’s take another look at the Lizard-Samurai.
The idea of a noble warrior elite, who is are masters of
both the pen and the sword, shares a few ideals with the
Sikh religion.
Now you’ve added a religious dimension to your Realm,
which governs their dress and way of life.
But why did this become the dominant faith?
Perhaps our Lizard-Warriors come from a region that was
on the losing end of a war? The monasteries became
strongholds for desperate refugees, forcing them to take
up weapons and combine faith and training to secure
their survival.
Now our Lizard-Warriors are a dominant military power,
and consider themselves justified in retaking what was
once their territory, having suffered so much to lose it.
Now you’re starting to create a society which blends
several ideas together, which describes their place in the
32
history of your world.
21 I, for one, welcome our new Lizard overlords
Mordravale uses a lot of Germanic names, and late Me-
dieval-European weapons and armour. But its politics is
heavily based on the Soviet Union, and its architecture is
typical of Medieval Gothic.
To give Amethysia a more distinct style, their clothing
and architecture is inspired by the British Colonies in In-
dia and Egypt, where turbans and buttoned coats, come
together with tea and piles of cushions to recline upon.
The Finer Touches
As you delve deeper and deeper into your game of Rul-
ers, you will come face to face with questions you may
not have thought of.
One of my favourite questions to come up is:
“What would my people say instead of: Oh my God?”
Exclamations of surprise or anger are very common to all
languages. So what do you people say?
This adds such an element of depth to your culture to be
able to speak appropriately to them.
The creator of the Cyrians came up with the idea of using
a Saint, plus an element of clothing.
The more, private, the garment was, the more you were
shocked or enraged.
For example, “By Aerren’s Golden Pantaloons!” expresses
surprise similar to a man rushing down the street, almost
knocking you over.
While, “By Cyrintha’s Garter-Belt!” would not be accept-
able to say in front of polite society.
Give your Ruler a gesture they often repeat. Come up
with a popular joke in your Realm. What song can be
heard echoing from the taverns this time of year? What
is the most common subject of art these days?
The finer touches can really make your Realm and its
characters something you and your friends will remeber
for years to come
Nobles
Nobles form the upper echelon of your Realm. They are
the elite, the land owners, the scholars and its com-
manders. They govern your towns, run the Church and
lead your armies.
The Noble elite in your Realm do not necessarily have
to been born Nobles. The elite in your Realm may stem
its most successful merchant families, or from its most
influential of Abbeys.
Wherever the elite come from, each Noble must be a
member of a family, clan or house. Call it what you will,
but they have their allegiances that come before their
loyalty to the Ruler.
Each Noble has their own motivations and goals. They
will want to increase their holdings and therefore their
wealth and power.
Titles
Titles can be awarded to any Noble NPC as a normal
part of the day to day running of your Realm, like
Recruitment or Taxes.22
Titles include: Lord of a Settlement, Head of a Guild,
Order or Society, General of an Army or Sheriff of a
Garrison.
Nobles are needed to govern any settlement that
is not your capital, and to lead an Army outside of
your Realm. Before the start of the game, choose
a Noble who is a fitting person to lead any Guilds,
Orders or Societies your Realm has. Once the game
starts, those Organisations will choose their own
leaders. Make sure all these positions are filled be-
fore the start of the game.
Awarding a Title to a Noble may please or irk them,
and new Titles can be created to achieve this af-
fect.23
Estates
Every Noble who governs a Settlement requires an Es-
tate. This represents the Stipend they live on, as well as
the size of their home, number of servants, and so on.
22 Nobles given titles need to be named and should already
exist. You can’t just keep creating Nobles until you get one you
like!
23 Within reason. The “Lord of Waste Extraction” will be
expected to oversee these duties, and you may not want to
roleplay that.
Estate Influence Cost p/Season
Meagre Village 125g
Comfortable Town 250g
Ample City 500g
Substantial Territory 1,000g
Luxurious Ruler 2,000g
As the size, or significance of the Settlement increases,
the Noble in question will demand a larger and larger
Estate. They may also demand a larger estate for excel-
lence in their service to the Ruler and the Realm, through
Battle, Diplomacy or possible even Subterfuge.24
While a Noble will always want more, they will accept an
Estate suitable for their station.
For each Noble who governs a Settlement, the Ruler
must pay them the following Upkeep for their Estate. A
Ruler does not need to pay for his own upkeep.
Commanding Troops
A Noble who governs a Settlement, is also in charge of
every all the Troops who are assigned to that Settlement.
These Troops owe allegiance to their governing Noble
first, and then their Ruler.
A Ruler will therefore want to ensure that all of their
Nobles are loyal enough, or simply fear betraying them.
A Ruler should also make sure they are acting in the best
interests of the Realm, as their subjects will prioritise
the Realm, or themselves, over the Ruler if they feel it is
necessary.
If a collection of Troops leaves the Realm to go on a mil-
itary expedition, then this group is an Army and must be
led by a Noble. This can be the Ruler themselves.
Once given their orders by their Ruler, it is then up to the
General to interpret their orders as best they can.
“Attack the City of Aggraia” leaves a lot of room for the
General to decide how much of the City should be left
when they’re done. Neither does it necessarily specify if
the City should be Captured.
As Orders are messages that take time to travel from one
location to another, giving an Army new orders can be
difficult. Therefore, it is important that their orders are
clear from the beginning as a Noble will interpret them
as they see fit.
24 They usually prefer “Extortion” it sounds more professional
than “Blackmail”
33
 Of course, a General may disregard their orders entirely.
It is entirely down to their personality, and the story of
your Realm.
Agents of the Crown
Nobles can be given orders to act as Agents for their
Ruler. This may involve them travelling to another Realm
as a Diplomat, a General, or even a Spy.
The advantage of this is that a Noble Agent can act inde-
pendently, and so a Ruler doesn’t need to send a con-
stant stream of Messages to command them.
To do this a Ruler can attach one of their Political Actions
to a Noble instead. This still counts as using one of their
political actions.
However, a Noble Agent will act, as they see fit, and
follow the orders they have been given, to their best
interests.25
It is up to the N.O. to decide how successful, if at all, the
Agent is in following their orders. They may use Reason
and Cunning rolls to help determine this.
34 25 Tip: Don’t send the bitter war-scarred General whose wife
was killed by Mordavale Inquisitors, to do the peace negotia-
tions. It won’t end well.
Reason and Cunning
The N.O. may deem it necessary to use the Skills a Noble
has in Reason and Cunning to determine the outcome of
events.
Perhaps they have been sent to Negotiate Peace Treaty,
Arrange a Trade route, or maybe it is their ability to lead
their Troops in battle which must be tested.
The use of these skills is to help the N.O. and the Players
resolve uncertain situations. It is not necessary for play-
ers to jump through dice rolls to convince an NPC to start
trading with them. It is however valuable for maintaining
fairness. As always, it is up to the N.O. to discuss with the
players how best to advance the narrative of the game,
as is reasonable and fun to them.
There are two Skills types: Reason and Cunning. Reason
is an individual’s ability to apply knowledge to a problem,
while Cunning is something which is cannot be learnt
from books, but through practice.
When a Noble’s Skill is needed, roll 5d6. This roll is op-
posed by the other Noble’s dice pool or a Difficulty deter-
mined by the N.O. A roll of a 5-6 is a success.
If the ‘Attacking’ Noble has more successes, their action
was successful. If the ‘Defending’ noble has more suc-
cesses, then the ‘Attacking’ Nobles’ attempt has failed.
It is up to the N.O. and the player to decide which skill is
most applicable for what the Noble is attempting to do.
Reason
Reason represents a Character’s ability to apply learned
knowledge and logic to a situation. Reason is used in any
situation where a convincing argument has to be made
through evidence and analysis.
Examples might be Converting people to your Faith, Re-
questing a Trade Route, Besieging a Castle, or using their
knowledge of swordsmanship to strike a perfectly timed
blow.
Cunning
Cunning represents a Noble’s ability to act on intuition,
and feel a situation. Cunning is used in any situation
where lying or subterfuge is required.
Examples could be a Noble trying to Hide their inten-
tions, deceiving someone with false information, spying
on an individual, Sabotaging defences, or using unortho-
dox tricks in combat.
Guilds, Orders & Societies
The Ruler is not the only politically motivated individual
in your Realm. Other Nobles, Knights, and Lords, wish to
increase their holdings, or their power. Religious Orders
want to spread the word of their faith, Guilds want more
trade to fill their coffers, while societies dream of creat-
ing their magnum opus.
Guilds, Orders and Societies are political entities within
the Realm which will pursue their own goals. They have
their own income, separate from the income of the
Relam or the Wealth of cities. They can use theses fi-
nances to construct their own Buildings and recruit their
own Troops.
These organisations may also buy or own Buildings, Re-
source Sites and Industries in their home Realm, and in
Rulers further afield. This is the basis of their income.
Most Guilds, Orders or Societies are founded during the
creation of your Realm. However, a new G.O.S. may be
founded if the Ruler constructs a Building that requires a
G.O.S. such as a Church or a University.
All Troops and Buildings owned by a Guild, Order or
Society, have the normal Construction/Recruitment and
Maintenance/Upkeep costs.
Many Traditions chosen at Character Creation come with
a Guild, Order or Society. In each case they will be grant-
ed a Building which will be their first source of income.
They will never have to pay maintenance for this one
Building.
To create a new Guild, Order or Society, they must be
granted a starting Building by their Ruler. There is no lim-
it on how many Guilds, Orders or Societies a Realm may
have, but it is in the interest of the N.O. to keep these
numbers down for their own Sanity.
Guilds
A Guild is collective of artisans and professionals who
want to expand their profit margins. Their primary goals
are to increase their profits and expand their business.
Each Guild has a monopoly over a certain product, such
as Guild of Brewers, Jewellers or Potters. Whatever a
Guild controls must be produced by an Industry or a
Building.
The Guild will buy Resource Sites relevant to their mo-
nopoly, as well as Industries in other Rulers.
For each Industry and Resource Site which falls under
their monopoly, or which they have bought, they are
paid a membership fee of 10% of its base value. This
does not generate Turmoil.
Wealth Generator Guild Income
Common Resource 1,200g
Luxury Resource 1,500g
Food 200g (p/ Food Pro-
duced)
A Guild will hire Troops to defend trade routes, their
property, and possibly forcibly acquire new property if
they are feeling particularly bold.
Orders
An Order has a moral of political ambition they are
trying to achieve. They are a collection of believers in this
goal, who will seek to convert others to their cause.
Principally, an Order is a Religious organisation. But, an
order can also be a collection of spies, conspirators or as-
sassins. As long as these people have a specific goal they
are working towards, they can be an order.
Their primary objective is to see their goal(s) realised,
but, it may be impossible to ever truly complete it, such
as the conversion of ever individual to their faith. An
Order therefore, will continue to work towards their
goal(s), but may largely be content to see their influence
grow.
An Order has Alcoves of Power, these are Buildings which
increase their influence and their income. For a Religious
Order, these would naturally be Churches, or Temples.
For other Orders, they are free to be defined by the
Player the N.O. However, they must be defined for all
Building sizes when the Order is created. Both the Player
and N.O. may agree that some Building sizes are inappro-
priate for the Order in question.26
Alcove of Power Size Order Income
Tiny +125g (375g)
Small 750g (+250g)
Medium 1,500g (+500g)
Large 3,000g (+1000g)
Colossal 6,000g (+2000g)
26 It is hard to imagine a secretive Order of Spies
with a Colossal sized building, going unnoticed.
35
 As their income grows they will try to build more, and
expand into other Rulers if they so wish. If it is relevant
to their ambitions, they may also buy Resource Sites and
Industries.

For each Alcove of Power an Order, they receive patron-

age from Peasantry, Nobles or both. Remember that
Maintenance for these Buildings has to be paid after
their first building.

An Order may also recruit Troops to defend their proper-

ty, forcibly take new Buildings and achieve their goals if
relevant.

Societies
A society is interested in Art for Art’s sake. Their focus
is one area of academia, art or cultural expression. Their
focus is on learning and pursuing their field of study to
the highest level.

Each Society holds a monopoly on a certain area of

culture or field of study, such as Philosophy, the Theatre,
Alchemy, or even Tennis.

A Society’s objective is to expand their knowledge in

their chosen field. A Society will also want to offer educa-
tion in their field, as a means of supporting themselves.
However, many Societies will resent their direct compet-
itors as they may be a threat to their income. As a result,
they will likely view their field as the most important.

They will try to acquire patronage from their Ruler to ex-

pand their efforts, and construct more Centres of Study.
These may be Academies, Universities, Theatres or even
Coliseums, especially for the more athletic Societies.
What Buildings are relevant to a Society are define when
it is created.

Remember that Maintenance for these Buildings has to

be paid (outside of their first one).

Centres of Study Society Income

Tiny 350g (+100g)
Small 700g (+200g)
Medium 1,100g (+400g)
Large 2,800g (+800g)
Colossal 5,600g (+1600g)

They will use military units to defend their property if

necessary, but largely, they serve little purpose for Soci-
eties.

36
Settlements
A Realm is made up of Settlements where people live
and work.
Wherever there is work, there are people, and people
need homes.27 Settlements naturally occur in these loca-
tions, such as where Resources are collected, or where
Armies and Nobles gather as these can also be a lucrative
place for businesses.
Settlements come in three sizes:
Villages, Towns and Cities.
Each Settlement is governed by a Noble in the Realm.
They are seats of power where Wealth is generated, and
where Food is brought to market.
Most Settlements are located near a Resource site, and
the Industries this Resource facilitates are the primary
source of income for the Settlement.
Building Slots
Settlements are not all the same though. Some are more
Rural than others and therefore have more agrarian In-
dustries, while particularly Urban Settlement will rely on
others to provide them with their Food.
Each size of Settlement has a certain number of Building
slots.
Villages have 4 Building Slots
Towns have 6 Building Slots
Cities have 8 Building slots
When it comes to the sizes of Building, a Settlement can
have, there are some limitations.
A Village cannot have a building bigger than Medium
A Town cannot have a building bigger than
Large
A City has no limit
Settlement Growth
When a Settlement is 1 Building slot away from having
all its slot full, then it grows in size to the next level of
Settlement.
A City is the largest Settlement size in Rulers, and is the
only one that can be completely Urban (i.e. fill all of its
Building slots).
27 Can’t wait for the San Francisco Area to figure that one out…
For Example: Profiteria, the principal Town of the Shad-
owfox Trading Company, has 6 Building slots. 4 of these
slots are taken up by 4 Buildings, mostly belonging to the
major Guilds.
This means that Profteria only has room for two Build-
ings, before it will expand into a City.
If a Village has a Fort constructed, or a Town gains a Cas-
tle, these are also times when the Settlement size would
grow. But, only if the Players and N.O. agree that they are
sufficiently active to warrant growth.28
Governing Nobles
Every Settlement must have a Noble governing it. For
Villages and Towns a simple Knight will suffice, but Cities
will require their own Lords.
The larger and the more important the Settlement, the
more the Noble governing it will expect to be paid ac-
cording to his status.
New Settlements
A Ruler cannot order a Settlement to be built. They can
only grow naturally from situations from that demand
them.
Castles and Forts may grow into Villages if the Players
and N.O. agree that they are sufficiently active to support
a community of families.
If these conditions are met, or there are others which ap-
pease the N.O., then a new Settlement can be founded.
Every new Settlement starts out as a Village.
It is also possible for a Settlement to exist, without being
attached to a Resource site, (such as those which grow
from Forts and Castles). Every Player Realm gets one
such Settlement at the start of the game, that they may
place as they wish.
28 You can’t just go around building Castles in all your Villages
and my break my lovely game. I’m on to you!
37
 Defences
A Settlement which has begun life as a Town will auto-
matically have Wooden Walls and a Gatehouses.

A Settlement which began life as City, automatically has

Stone Walls and a Stone Gatehouses.

If a Settlement grows in size to the next level of Settle-

ment, it does not gain these defences. The same is true
of a Fort or Castle that grows into a Settlement, however,
they do keep whatever defences they had.

Population
Populations for individual Settlements are not tracked
numerically. That is for the narrative of your game to
allude to. However, population is relevant to Armies and
migration.

The scale of populations in your game will depend on

the world the N.O. and the Players have created. What
makes sense for the Races and Civilisations in your
world?

By default, we assume that 1 Troop of military units is

1,000 persons. However, this could just as easily repre-
sent 100 or 10,000 warriors.

For example, 1 Troop of Onor’Tok Berserkers represents

100Warriors. This is because they are tough and im-
mensely strong, and according to our story, are supposed
to be able to take on 1,000 soldiers from any other race.

However, it would be tough to justify this if 1 Troop from

another Realm represents 10,000 soldiers!

It is up to the Players and the N.O. to discuss at the start

of the game what they have in mind for the scale of
populations.

The important thing to consider is consistency, as this

will allow your game to make narrative sense to every-
one playing.

38
Food for the People
A society can only function if its subjects are well fed.
Hungry subjects are restless subjects, and if not for the
welfare of the Realm, it is in the interest of the Ruler’s
own wellbeing, to keep the granaries stocked.
Food is produced by Settlements. Typically, this is done
by various agrarian communities that orbit them. A town
for instance, might have a few farmsteads dotted in the
foothills around it.
The Food produced by these Settlements can be a mix of
several Foods that makes sense for the Realm to have,
providing that they remain as basic Foods that could not
be mistaken for Luxury Industries.
Sake and Rice, Cheese and Milk, Wine and Beef, Vodka
and Potatoes would all be suitable examples of Food
and drink produced. However, Honey and Ginger Ale or
Cinnamon Buns and Coffee are not the foundations of a
balanced diet for a whole society.29
The numbers involved in Food production and need do
not only reflect the quantity of Food being produced, but
also the variety and the healthiness of the diet of the
Realms denizens.
Food Production
For every empty Building slot, a Settlement produces
that many Food. For every 1 Food produced, an addition-
al Wealth of 2,000g is produced by that Settlement
1 Food p/Empty Building Slot
2,000g Wealth generated p/1 Food
For Example, Ameythsia is a very Urban capital, so it
depends on the town of Garnetia for most of its Food.
Garnetia has a Temple, a Port, and a Water Mill.
It is using 3/8 of its Building Slots, so that leaves lots of
space along the fertile river banks to produce 5 Food. In
addition to its Porcelain industry, the Food it produces
generates 10,000g in Wealth.
Meanwhile the Onor fortress of Ularet, is a village for-
tified with Amethysian Garrisons. It has a Steel Forge, a
Fort and a Watchtower. It uses 3/4 of its Building Slots,
so it produces only 1 Food from one small goat farm. This
small therefore only adds 2,000g to the Wealth Generat-
ed by Ularet
29 No matter how much you want it to be
Food Need
Each Settlement requires a certain amount of Food in
order to sustain itself.
Settlement Size Food Need
Village 1
Town 2
City 4
Fortification Food Need
Fort 1
Castle 2
Even if Food is “eaten” through Food Need, it still pro-
duces Wealth because people are buying it at the mar-
ket.
If there is not enough Food to support all the Settle-
ments in the Realm, then Turmoil will quickly increase,
and eventually Starvation will take its toll.
Sizeable military Garrisons will also require Food in order
to keep Troops stationed there. This includes free stand-
ing Forts and Castles that are not a part of a Settlement.
Territory Limits
While certain Buildings and Special Actions can increase
the amount of Food produced in the Realm, there comes
a point when a Territory can longer support further culti-
vation.
One Territory cannot produce more than 30 Food, before
bonuses from Buildings or Special Actions.
While bonuses from Buildings or Special Actions can
push one Territory to produce more than 30 Food, in
order to exceed this, a Realm will have to expand its bor-
ders into new Territories.
Food Shortages
Food can become sparse before this begins to cause seri-
ous resentment, or even starvation.
If there is not enough Food in the Realm to meet de-
mand for one Season, this upsets the populace. From a
narrative perspective would make them more likely to
act against the Ruler, but has no immediate effect from a
game mechanics point of view.
If there still is a Food shortage for another Season, Tur-
moil in the Realm increases by 1/4 of its current value,
rounding up. This is raises to 1/2 for each successive
Season of Food Shortage.
Turmoil added in this way does not disappear until there
is enough Food for everyone in the Realm for 2 Seasons. 39
 Turmoil
Nobody likes having Taxes levied upon them, especial- Below are some examples:
ly those who are struggling to feed their families and
scratch out a living. Issue Turmoil
Another Noble being 1
And these same people can be pretty terrifying when
appointed a Title they
armed with pitchforks and torches!
wanted
Turmoil represents unrest in your Realm. It can come Not paid a fitting Estate 2
from Taxation, Food Shortages, War, Disasters or just Their Settlement being 5
from the natural obnoxiousness of the Ruler. lost to another Realm
As Turmoil rises in your Realm, the greater the chances
are of the people rioting or rebelling. Nobles who aren’t Guilds, Orders & Societies
fond of your rule, may seize such an opportunity to over-
The turmoil from Guilds, Orders and Societies represent
throw the Ruler.
both influential

Calculating Turmoil Turmoil added in this manner lasts for 1 Year (4 Seasons).

Turmoil can come from a number of different sources, Issue Turmoil

but all ultimately fuel disorder and tension in the Realm, Another Noble being 1
across all social ranks. appointed a Title they
wanted
While Turmoil can raise to unknown heights of discon-
tent, it is not possible for Turmoil to become a negative Not paid a fitting Estate 2
number or in any way create a positive sentiment in your Their Settlement being 5
Realm. lost to another Realm

Taxes Events in the Realm

The biggest cause of Turmoil is Taxation, with higher Below are guidelines for other events and actions that
taxes rate increasing Turmoil further. would also increase Turmoil, but the N.O. is free to
award Turmoil to Realms they think are think are deserv-
This Turmoil as long as the Tax Rate is in place. ing of it.

Tax Rate Turmoil Incident Turmoil

Low 4 New Trade Route -1 / +1
Fair 6 opened
Cruel 10 War declared +2
Peace declared -2
Nobles A Festival is held -2
Food Shortages +4
Another source for Turmoil are displeased Nobles. While
they indignation does not necessarily reflect the whole A Settlement is Attacked +4
populace, they are the ones who will take advantage of A Settlement is cap- +6
Turmoil turning into action. tured

Turmoil added in this manner lasts for 1 Year (4 Seasons).

40
Turmoil Turns into Action
Winter is the most trying Season for the people of your
Realm. When this Season comes around your leadership
will be tested.

For every point of Turmoil you have, rounding up, roll

1d6. A roll of 1-2 is considered a Failure.

For every Failure rolled, resentment boils over into ac-

tion. Refer to the table below to see what acts your peo-
ple have been driven too in their anger and desperation.

The details of the population’s frustration are for the

N.O. to decide. People who have suffered a bad harvest
will have different objectives to those who might blame
the Ruler’s warmongering for heavy taxes.

If the peasantry is angry, which nobles would side with

their cause? Would they do it out of sympathy, or simply
to further their political goals?

It is important for the N.O. to consider the individuals

behind the Turmoil, what their motivations are, and what
their ultimate objective is.

Turmoil Table
Successes Result
1 Written demands for
change
2 A Noble supports
these demands
3 Protests (1d3 loca-
tions)
4 Strikes (1d3 locations)
5 Riots (1d3 locations)
6 Armed Revolt (1d3
locations)
7 Armed revolt, sup-
ported by Nobles
8 A Rebellion led by
nobles
9+ Rioting, Looting,
Arson, Armed Revolt
and Rebellion (1d6
locations)

41
 Down with the King
Perhaps it was the Cruel Taxes, or the failed harvest. Per-
haps it was poison in the wine, or daggers in the night, or
maybe it was just the obnoxious sound of your voice that
did it for them. Either way, someone wants you dead.
There are multiple ways to die in Rulers, either the Ruler
can be killed, or a wholes Realm ceases to exist.
Ruler Death
The most common way to die in Rulers is for your Ruler
to be assassinated, die in battle, or simply fall prey to
natural causes.
In the event of a Ruler dying their Heir immediately
takes the throne, and the Player assumes control of this
Heir. However, this changeover of power may be seized
as an opportunity for other Nobles to claim the throne,
or question the Heir’s legitimacy.
If the Ruler has not designated an Heir, then the Player is
faced with a question: Which significant NPC would they
like to take control of?
This NPC must reside in their own Realm, and immedi-
ately have access to all of that NPC’s resources. They can
act as a Ruler might (constructing Buildings, Recruiting
Troops, and performing Political Actions) although they
do not have the same authority as the Ruler does.
Realm Death
If every Settlement in a Realm is captured by a foreign
power, or every member of its population killed or dis-
persed to the corners of the world, then the Realm has
“died”.
In this event, the Ruler no longer has Realm to govern.
If they have personally survived, the Player can continue
roleplaying as that individual but they have lost all Settle-
ments, Buildings and titles they may have had.
The most loyal of Nobles and their Troops may choose to
remain by the Rulers side, but most will not. The Ruler
may grab 10% of the Treasury before they are forced to
flee.
The Ruler can turn to allies for help, and can be granting
governance over a Settlement in another Realm, like any
other Noble.
While they may try to build a new Realm, or retake their
old one, they are at the mercy of other Rulers to grant
them titles, Settlements and Resources.
They may only to Recruit Troops and collect Taxes if the
Ruler who granted them a Settlement to govern, has
given them permission to do so.

When playing as this surrogate, it is important for the

player to act appropriately to that character. This means
that the player can only act on knowledge this character
would have, and not on what he learned as Ruler.

The new Ruler of the Realm is to be decided by the N.O.,

and depending on the form of Governance, it may be

possible for the Player to claim the throne.

42
M aking Money
Rulers is first and foremost a storytelling game of politics
and nation-building.However, a Ruler cannot improve the
prosperity of their subjects without Wealth.
Wealth is created by from Resources, Industries, Trade
and Food. As products are sold and traded within the
Realm, and across borders, Wealth is generated.
Wealth can be Taxed and this is how a Ruler fills their
Treasury. With these funds they can raise an Army, con-
struct Buildings, invest in what they see fit, and pay for
the Upkeep of the Realm and its Nobles.
Largely, people are smart enough to manage their own
businesses. The role of a Ruler is not to meddle in the
daily work of their subjects, but instead to protect and
expand Trade, acquire Resources, and invest in projects
that no individual community could afford on their own.
Tribute & Taxation
Tribute, is what is paid to the Ruler to maintain the
Realm. Taxes, can be levied to increase the funds coming
into the Treasury, but may be unpopular.
Levying Taxes
It is possible for a Ruler to increase their income by Levy-
ing Taxes.
Levy taxes = Income becomes 30% of the Wealth from
each Settlement
This action can be performed as a Fiscal Action by the
Ruler of a Realm. Once enacted, it remains in place for
one year, at which point it can be repealed or allowed to
remain in effect.
However, Levy Taxes produces 10 Turmoil per Season it
is in effect.
If a Player wishes to levy taxes on something specific, the
N.O. may consider this: in order to be Taxed, the object
in question must be creating Wealth for the Realm.
Generating Wealth describes a something that is being
traded and circulated around the Realm’s Economy.

Tribute to the Ruler is their primary source of income.

These are the funds that are used to pay for the con-
struction of Buildings, the Upkeep of the Realm’s Nobles,
the recruitment of Troops, as well as certain Political
Actions.

The Tribute paid in Taxes to the Ruler of the Realm is:

15% of the Wealth from each Settlement, paid every

Season.

This do not decrease the amount of Wealth generated.

The biggest Wealth creators are Resources and their re-

spective Industries. In addition to this, Food also produc-
es Wealth, and there may be other sources of Wealth in
the Settlement, but this is at the discretion of the N.O.

43
 Resources & Industries
There are two types of Resources in Rulers:
Luxury Resources
Common and Luxury Resources
Luxury Resources include:
These are used by Industries to make Products like tools,
clothes, pots, weapons, furniture etc. Gold, Lacquer, Porcelain, Jewels,

Each Resource Site is located in the appropriate terrain Marble and Silk
of the Realm (i.e. Stone and Ore would be situated near
Gold is fashioned by a Goldsmith into rings, necklaces,
mountains or canyons). Industries are located the Settle-
symbols of state and possibly religious idols.
ments at their respective Resource Sites. You can imagine
them as whole streets bustling with artisans, or small Lacquer is used by an artisan Carpenter to create intri-
communities built around the Resource itself. cate boxes, plates and bowls.
Common Resources come in greater abundance, allow- Porcelain is use by an artisan Potter to create fine and
ing them to support more Industries, but they are less delicate vases, bowls, plates and pots.
valuable than the rarer Luxury Resources.
Jewels are used by a Jeweller, in addition to Gold, Porce-
Resources and their respective Industries generate lain or Lacquer, to create finely adorned and encrusted
Wealth for their Settlement, which can be Taxed by the items.
Ruler.
Marble is used by artists and Masons to create sculptures
Wealth and in the construct of grand and impressive structures.
Common Resource 10,000g
Silk is used by a tailor to create fine garments that shim-
Luxury 15,000g mer, breath easily and yet are surprisingly strong.
Food 2,000 p/Food Produced
Luxury Re- Can be used as Needs
Common Resources source a base mate-
rial?
Common Resources include: Gold Yes -
Lacquer No Timber
Ore, Timber, Clay and Stone
Porcelain Yes -
Ore is used by a Blacksmith to produce metal goods, Jewels No Gold,
tools, weapons and armour. Lacquer or
Porcelain
Clay is used by a Potter’s to produce ceramic goods and
pottery. Marble Yes -
Silk Yes -
Timber is used by a Carpenter’s to produce wooden
crafts, furnishings and Buildings. Some Luxury Resources support industries themselves,
but others require other components in order to func-
While Stone is used by a Stone Mason’s to produce cut tion.
stone blocks for larger Buildings and defensive fortifica-
tions. If a Realm does not have these other components, the
Wealth generated by Luxury Resources is only 1/2 of its
Common Resource Industry base total.
Ore Blacksmith’s
Timber Carpenter’s
Clay Potter’s
Stone Stone Mason’s

44
Combining Resources
C. Resource L. Resource Additional
Wealth gener- Wealth Gener- L. Resources
ated ated Used
10,000 15,000 0
15,000 25,000 +1
20,000 35,000 +2
Luxury Resources can be added to Common Resources,
or other Luxury Resources, to increase their value, does
increasing the Wealth they generate.

Artisans and craftsmen will do this themselves if it will

increase their Wealth, or win over Traders. The Resourc-
es simply need to be under the control of the Realm, or
available to them via Trade.

Adding Luxury Resources increases the Wealth generated

of a Resource. Additional Luxury Resources continue to
increase the Wealth generated

However, no product can have more than 3 ingredients.

This rule also applies to Industries which use a Luxury
Resource as a base material.

Common Resource Luxury Resources that

can be combined
Ore Gold, Jewels
Timber Gold, Lacquer, Jewels
Clay Gold, Jewels
Stone Gold, Jewels

45
 Trade
Trade occurs when two Realms, NPC or PC, sign a
Trade Agreement. All goods which both Realms do not
currently have are automatically imported. A negligible
amount of other goods, books, religions and ideas, are
also traded as part of the storytelling of the game.
This Trade Route connects two Realms through a specif-
ic Settlement in each Realm. This increases the Wealth
generated by that Settlement, by 5% of its total, for
every Product being exported.
For Example, the Shadowfox Trading Company can offer
Porcelain, Jewels and Gold along its Trade Route with
Mordravale, as it does not produce any of these fine
products itself.
Monopolies and Prices
After a trade link has been opened, a Realm will import
all products it does not have. If a Realm is open to multi-
ple trade links, then it will always buy the best quality at
the lowest price.
A Realm cannot import the same product from multiple
sources. Products are always traded in monopolies.
For example, the Shadowfox Trading Company is im-
porting lacquerware from Mordravale along their Trade
Route, but now it has begun Trading with the mysterious
Crimson Empire, who offer lacquerware inlaid with gold.
This new product is of a superior quality, so naturally the
S.T.C buys their lacquerware from the Crimson Empire
instead, taking this export away from Mordravale.

This increases the wealth generated by the town of
Profiteria, by 15%! Meanwhile Brasaholm gains just
5% to its wealth for only having lacquerware to offer
Shadowfox. However, as the only producers of such a
fine product, they are unlikely to lose this trade any
time soon.
Quality is determined by the number of ingredients a
product has and if it has the High Quality bonus or not.
The High Quality always trumps Products with the same
number of ingredients.
Quality Table

In addition to this immediate financial gain, a Realm is Lowest Quality Basic product
treated as having any Resource its trade partner has, High Quality Product
for the purposes of Constructing Buildings, Recruiting
Troops, or performing Special Actions. Basic

So although a Realm may not quarry any Stone itself, + 1 Ingredient

if it is trading with a Realm that does, it is treated as HQ
having these materials itself, as it now importing them
from the Realm it trades with. + 1 Ingredient
Basic
For example, Mordravale lacked the Stone it needed to
build its new Fortifications. By opening a Trade Route + 2 Ingredients
with Cyria, it can now build a new Castle (albeit at an
HQ
added cost) buy importing the Stone it needed.
+ 2 Ingredients
At the same time, Cyria can begin Recruiting Crossbow
Troops (also at an added cost), as they can now hire ex- Basic
pert instructors from Mordravale, and import fine Mord
Crossbow for their new defensive regiment. + 3 Ingredients
Highest Quality HQ
However, keen to keep its Gunsmithing technology to
itself, Amethysia is keen to keep its borders shut to mer- + 3 Ingredients
chants, but that has made the issue of Food Shortages a
tense issue in the capital city.

46
If the quality of the Product being imported is the same
between multiple sources, then the product at the low-
est price will be imported.

Price is determined by how much a Product is being

Taxed in its home Realm. Naturally, higher Taxes forces
merchants to increase their prices, in order to accommo-
date them.

So if multiple products of the same quality are entering

a Realm through Trade Routes, the one which with the
lowest Tax rate will be bought by local merchants.

If a Ruler wishes to maintain a trade monopoly, they may

have to lower their taxes to beat their competitors, or
seek out more Resource sites.

If the quality of all products is equal, and the Price is

also equal, then the product will be imported from the
Realm whom the buyer has the best relationship with, as
decided by the N.O.

For instance, it’s best not to trust suppliers whose Set-

tlements are currently being ransacked by an invading
army.30

Whenever an imported product is changed to a different

one due to changes in quality or price, that new prod-
uct is protected for 2 seasons, to reflect the change in
fashion.

30 The Zenya Rules of Trade #78 – Seek business opportunities

immediately before, or after, an invasion, but never during!
47
 Buildings
Buildings are structures in your Realm which provide a
passive effect. An Apothecary’s can keep the population
healthy with medicine, while a Gunsmith’s will allow for
Harquebus Troops to be Recruited.

Every Building has a Size. This determines how long it

takes to build, and how much it costs. In addition to this,
each Building has a maintenance cost each Season. If the
maintenance cost cannot be paid, then the effect of the
Building ends until the Maintenance cost is paid again.

Every Building also takes time to Build. During construc-

tion the Building does not provide its benefit, as it is
still being built. It also costs slightly more per turn, as
building is more intensive than maintenance. Once the
number of turns needed for construction has passed,
the Building provides its benefit.

Tiny Small Medium Large Colossal

Build 1S 2S 3S 4S 6S

Time
Build 375 750 1,500 3,000 6,000

Cost
Mainte- 250 500 1,000 2,000 4,000
nance

Cost (p/
Season)
Certain Buildings may require specific Resources, or have
other prerequisites, in order to operate, while others
may provide Resources to allow other Buildings or Indus-
tries to function.

One construction is initiated it has to be defined by the

Ruler where the building is being constructed. This is
typically a Settlement, but the N.O. may allow certain
buildings to be built freely, such as Castles or Monaster-
ies. Their location must still be defined.

Building Slots
Each building, regardless of its size, takes up 1 Building
Slot in a Settlement.

Every Building must be in a Building slot in a Settlement,

unless specified otherwise.

A Settlement has buildings slots according to its size.

Refer to Settlements for full details.

48
 Size Prerequisites Effect Port M Allows for
Trade routes
Academy S A Society Increases in-
to Traverse
come of Soci-
over water
ety. Provides
education Siege Engine L Timber, Techni- Allows for
Workshop cal Knowledge the construc-
Armoursmith M - Allows for
tion of Siege
the recruit-
Weapons
ment of
Armoured Stables M Food Allows for
Troops the Recruit-
ment of Cav-
Bank M A Guild, Order Allows a Rul-
alry Troops
or Society er’s Treasury
Balance to be Theatre S -1 Turmoil
Negative University M A Society Same as an
Brick Maker’s M Clay Allows the Academy
for the but more
construction powerful.
of “Stone”
buildings,
using Bricks Walls S/M/L Timber / Brick / Defensive
instead Stone walls that
Cannon L Technical Allows for encircle a
Foundry Knowledge, the Recruit- Settlement
Ore ment of Watchtower S Timber / Brick / Provides a
Cannons Stone great view
Castle L Stone A defensive Weaponsmith M Ore Allows for
Fortification certain
of formidable Troops types
strength.
Cathedral / L A Religious Same as
Temple Com- Order Church but
plex more power-
ful. Turmoil
-3
Chapel / S A Religious Turmoil -1
Shrine Order Increases the
income of Or-
der it belongs
too.
Church / M A Religious Same as a
Temple Order Chapel but
more power-
ful. Turmoil
-2
Coliseum L - Allows the
Realm to
Host large
sporting
events and
festivals
College M A Society Increases
the Income
of a Society.
Allows for
advanced
studying
Fort M Timber / Bricks A fortification
with substan-
tial defences
Gun-Smith’s S Technical Allows for
Knowledge, the Recruit-
Ore ment of
Harquebus
Troops
49
 Building List This Building allows for Trade Routes to travel by sea and
by rivers, instead of by land.

Civic This does not alter the speed of Trade or the Wealth it
generates.
Bank
Theatre
Size Medium
Size Medium
Effect Allows Rulers to borrow
Money Effect -2 Turmoil
Requirements Allotted to a Guild Allows the Realm to host
Neither a borrower nor a lender be, unless you are Bank- Theatrical events
er, in which case that is an excellent idea! – Shadowfox
Requirements -
Rule of Business #29
All the world’s a stage, we have our entrances and our
This sturdy building allows the Rulers to borrow money exits…some more memorable than others. – Grand
from the Guild it is owned by. Inquisitor Jarlstor Von Faulsten upon beheading Emperor
Wilbur Von Tatten.
The Ruler can borrow up to half their income. This can be
done once a year. The loan is to be paid back over 1 Year, The play’s the thing, and it’s the thing that keeps both
and this begins the Season after the loan was taken out. the commoners and the nobles entertained with its regu-
lar performances.
The Guild does not need to have the funds to offer the
loan, but they will receive the payment back. A Realm with this Building has -2 Turmoil and can also
put on special theatrical events that draw the attention
of the other Realms of the World.
Coliseum
Size Large
Academies, Colleges,
Effect -4 Turmoil, Allows the and Universities
Realm to host Sporting
events and festivals Size Small / Medium / Large
Requirements - Effect Provides income to a Soci-
Let the games begin! This huge construction allows ety
everyone a spectacular view of the sport most popular in Requirements Allotted to a Society
the Realm. An Academy, College or University allows for the study of
a subject associated with a Society. This could be Art or
A Coliseum has the immediate effect of reducing Turmoil Science, Theatre or Calligraphy.
in the Realm.
Once built, they immediately become the property of
In addition to this, once a year, a sporting event of im- the Society they were allotted to, and increase its income
mense significance is held. This is an event which draws (See, Guilds, Orders and Societies).
the best athletes and the most fashionable nobles from
around the world. Any Ruler would be unwise to miss
such an event.
Chapel, Church, Cathedral
For 2,000g, this event can also spark a New Fashion. Size Small / Medium / Large
For 4,000g, the event is so elaborate, that it provides an Effect Provides income to an
additional -2 Turmoil for 2 Seasons. Order
Requirements Allotted to an Order
Port A Chapel, Church or Cathedral – which can just as easily
be called a Shrine, Temple and Temple Complex – are
Size Medium places of worship and theological learning.
Effect Allows for Trade Routes to
traverse water Once built, they immediately become the property of the
Order they were allotted to, and increase its income (See,
Requirements - Guilds, Orders and Societies).
50 Riverboats and Carracks, Barges and Galleons, all pass
through the Port to sell their wares.
 Industrial Cannon Foundry
Brick Maker’s Size Large
Effect Allows for the construction
Size Medium of Cannons (Siege Weapon)
Effect Provides Bricks which can Requirements Ore Resource, Technical
be used to substitute Stone Knowledge
Requirements Clay Resource This large foundry smelts ore and pours the molten
The kilns burn all through the day, and all through the metal into moulds for cannon. These large, heavy and
night as Clay is fired and becomes bricks. cumbersome contraptions can blast Castle Walls with
terrifying force, and can shake the morale of a garrison
A Brick Maker’s allows the Realm to construct Buildings to its very foundation.
that would normally require Stone, without having ac-
cess to the Stone Resource. Once built, this building allows for the construction of
Cannons as a Siege Weapon. This process is different to
A Brick Maker requires access to a Clay Resource, either Recruitment, consult the rules on Siege Weapon Troops
from within the Realm, or via Trade. for details.

Military Gunsmith
Size Medium
Armoursmith
Effect Allows for the recruitment
Size Medium of Harquebusiers
Effect Allows for the recruitment Requirements Ore Resource, Technical
of Armoured Troops Knowledge
The Realms of the world are still coming to a consensus
Requirements -
on the harquebus.31 While it is very easy to train anyone
Many Troops will provide their own equipment, and can
to use one, they are considerably harder to make than a
get a Leather Jerkin or Chainmail from a local craftsman.
Crossbow, and less accurate.
But, for the more elaborate pieces of Armour, they will
This building allows the Realm to recruit Harquebusiers.
need to go to an Armoursmith.

Having an Armoursmith in your Realm allows for “Ar- Siege Weapon Workshop
moured” Troops to be Recruited.
Size Large
A Troop will say if it requires and Armoursmith to be Allows for the Construction
Effect
recruited. of Siege Weapons
Requirements Timber Resource
Bowyer
The engineers in this workshop are able to constructed
Size Small imposing weapons of war, designed to take down enemy
Fortifications.
Effect Allows for the recruitment
of Crossbowmen This building allows for the Construction of Catapults,
Requirements Timber Resource Ballistae, Battering Rams and Trebuchet. Only one type
While it takes a skilled craftsman to carve a bow, the can be Constructed at a time.
complex mechanical parts of a Crossbow, requires a
different set of skills. Often the two artisans get into Stables
arguments over whose trade requires the greater skill.
Size Medium
Once built, this building allows for the recruitment of
Crossbowmen, otherwise known as Quarrellers. Effect Allows for the recruitment
of Cavalry
Requirements Food

51
31 A harquebus is a smoothbore gun with a match-
lock firing mechanism that pre-dates early muskets.
It has an accurate range of about 50 yards.
 The smell of damp hay and manure may be…pungent, Castle
but these majestic beasts are definitely worth the trouble
– Emperor Von Brasa the first, upon seeing horses. Size Large
This building is a home for the preferred mounts of your Description Defensive Structure with
Realm. Unless otherwise specified, we assume these are Stone Walls, and a Gate-
horses. house
Can be built outside Yes
Once completed, these Stables allows for the Recruit- a Settlement
ment of Light Cavalry and Heavy Cavalry.
Takes up a Building Yes
Slot
Weaponsmith Requirements Stone Resource
Size Medium This formidable structure is the height of fortified tech-
nology. Only a mighty army with specialised weapons
Effect Allows for the recruitment of war could possible hope to tear through its towering
of certain Troops walls.
Requirements Ore Resource
Many Troops will provide their own equipment, and can If built in a Settlement, this Fortification takes up one
get a spear or crossbow from a local craftsman. building slot.

But, for more deadly Weapons, they will need the ser- Otherwise, it can be built as a free standing structure,
vices of a Weaponsmith. anywhere that it is reasonable for it to be constructed in
the Realm.
Having an Weaponsmith in your Realm allows for certain
Troops that require one, t to be Recruited. It comes with Stone Walls, a Stone Gatehouse and a
Stone Keep.
A Troop will say if it requires and Weaponsmith to be
recruited. Fort
Fortifications Size Medium
Description Defensive Structure with
Fortifications often operate differently to other Buildings, Wooden Walls, and a
as some do not take up Building slots in Settlements, and Wooden Gatehouse
others do not require Settlements at all.
Can be built outside Yes
The defensive capability of Fortifications depends on the a Settlement
type of Fortification and the Material involved. Takes up a Building Yes
Slot
When rolling Dice Pools to deflect hits, Wooden Fortifi-
Requirements Timber Resource
cations are treated as Basic Troops, while Stone Fortifica-
While not as formidable as a Castle, the Wooden walls of
tions have the dice pool of Elite Troops.
this Motte & Bailey Fort can still withstand and repel any
would be attackers.
Fortification Defence Rating
Wooden Walls 2 If built in a Settlement, this Fortification takes up one
Wooden Gatehouse 4 building slot.
Wooden Watchtower 3 Otherwise, it can be built as a free standing structure,
Stone Walls 4 anywhere that it is reasonable for it to be constructed in
Stone Gatehouse 6 the Realm.
Stone Watchtower 5 It comes with Wooden Walls, a Wooden Gatehouse and
Fort 6 a Wooden Keep.
Castle 8

52
Gatehouse Depending on what material is used will determine the
defensive strength of the wall (refer to the Fortification
Size Small table).
Description A fortified gateway to allow Walls also have a parapet for Troops to stand on and
access through Walls walk along. All Ranged Troops standing on Walls can
Can be built outside No shooter further than they would normally be able to do
a Settlement so.
Takes up a Building No
Walls also come with stairways to access them. They also
Slot
come with gates to allow access through them, but these
Requirements Timber or Stone Resource are not as robust as a fortified Gatehouse.
These fortified gateways come with a vaulted entrance,
overlooks and firing slits for defenders. Watchtower
Depending on the material the Gatehouse is made from,
determines its defensive strength from an attempt to Size Small
destroy it. Description A tower that offers defence
to the Troops inside as well
However, the gate itself is a weak point that can be tar- as a great view
geted by attacking Troops. Can be built outside Yes
a Settlement
Fortification Defence Rating
Takes up a Building No
Gate 2 Slot
Gatehouse Gate 3 Requirements Timber or Stone Resource
Portcullis 6 This Watchtower allows the Troops Garrisoned inside to
A Stone Gatehouse, also comes with an iron portcullis have an excellent view of their surroundings, as well as a
that can be lowered for added defence of the Gate. means of signalling to Settlements and other Watchtow-
ers.
Walls The Watchtower itself feature a stairway to an observa-
tion deck with a vaulted roof and a firepit. If it’s made of
Size Small/Medium/Large Stone, it has sturdy walls and a hefty door.
Description A Defensive barrier that
surrounds a Settlement or a If built inside a Settlement, a Watchtower does not take
Buildings. up a Building slot.
Can be built outside Yes A Watchtower can also be built outside a Settlement if
a Settlement the terrain is capable of supporting it.
Takes up a Building No
Slot Watchtowers can signal to each other and Settlements
with beacons. How far the signal can been seen from, is
Requirements Timber or Stone Resource up for the N.O. to decide. Take into account the climate,
Walls are….well they’re walls, okay! I’ve written a lot of terrain and likely line of sight.
these now. It’s a Wall. You know what that is. Moving on.

If constructed in a Settlement, the Walls will encircle the

entire Settlement once built. The size cost depends on
the size the Settlement.

Village = Small

Town = Medium

City = Large

A Wall could also be built outside a Settlement, but this

is at the N.O.’s discretion. Depending on where the wall
is being constructed, and the difficulty of the terrain, the
N.O. may decide whether a Wall could be built and what
size it would be. 53
 Creating your own Buildings
Players or the N.O. may be interested in creating their
own Buildings for their Rulers game. However, check to
see if there is a Building which already serves your pur-
poses if it were just renamed.

If you wish to create your own Building, simply choose

what size it would be to determine it costs. Then agree
with the N.O. what bonuses the Building may grant, and
what Resources it may create, or might need to operate.

Remember, that Building ‘size’ may also reflect the

complexity and cost of the services the Building provides.
Once the new Building has been agreed, it is set in the
size agreed for the rest of the game. The N.O. may agree
that a smaller version of the same Building is acceptable,
or not, depending on how complex or demanding the
Building’s cost may be.

Gaining Technical Knowl-

edge
Certain Buildings, or Troops, may need Technical Knowl-
edge in order to be constructed or recruited. This Tech-
nical Knowledge represents a high degree of mastery for
a given skill, or a special process, which is necessary to
create or operate the thing in question.

To obtain Technical Knowledge, a Realm can trade with a

Realm that already has the necessary knowledge.

Buildings or Troops constructed or recruited in this man-

ner cost an additional of 25% during the construction
or recruiting phase to represent the hiring of a foreign
expert.

The N.O. can decide if certain events can also trigger the
acquisition of Technical Knowledge, although what this
knowledge might be can vary dramatically.

54
Armies usually come from Buildings within the Realm.

However, a Realm is treated as having the same equip-

ment of Realms it is trading with for the purposes of
Recruiting Troops Recruiting Troops. Although, Troops recruited in this way
cost 25% more, as the equipment has to be purchased
Whether a Ruler wishes to see their banner flying from from the other Realm.
every tower in land, or simply to protect the livelihood of
their people, a Realm needs Troops. Basic Troops Requires Upkeep Bonuses
As every subject of the Realm owes allegiance to their
Lord, and the Lords in turn, owe service to their Ruler, Spearmen - 250 +1 vs. Cavalry
calling Troops to action is relatively simple affair.32 Archers - 250 +2 vs. Light
Shieldbearers Armourer 500 +1 vs. Cavalry /
However, someone has to toil the land and make the +1 vs. Light
wares people use in their daily lives. Depending on the
Berserker Weaponsmith 500 +2 vs. Light
size of the Realm’s Settlements, and their number, will
determine how many Troops a Realm can support. Crossbowmen Bowyer 250 +1 vs. Armoured
Harquebusiers Gunsmith’s 250 +2 vs. Armoured
Village = 6 Troops each
(“Harlequins”)
Town = 10 Troops each Light Cavalry Stables 750 +1 vs. Light
City = 20 Troops each Elite Troops Requires Upkeep Bonus
However, it takes time to mobilise Troops and inspect
their equipment. Each Settlement also determines how Pikemen Armourer 750 +2 vs.
many Troops may be Recruited each Season. Cavalry
Swordsmen Armourer, 750 +2 vs. Light
Village = 4 Troop per Season
Weaponsmith
Town = 6 Troops per Season
Fusiliers Gunsmith’s 500 +2 vs. Ar-
City = 8 Troops per Season moured
Cavalry Stables, 1,000 +2 vs. Light
Basic Troops might be fortunate enough to receive some
training, but even with their simple equipment, they can Armourer
prove very effective in large numbers.

Elite Troops come from the Nobility of your Realm. They Mounted Ar- Stables 750 +2 vs. Light
have much more time to not just practice, but to even chers
master their martial training. In addition, they can afford
Dragoons Stables, 750 +2 vs. Ar-
to procure much more expensive equipment. moured
Gunsmith’s
Once recruited, Troops immediately report to the Garri-
son they were assigned. This can be Settlement or a For- Siege Requirements Upkeep Con- Bonus
tification. They are commanded by the governing Noble Troops struc-
of this Settlement, or must be assigned to the command tion
of Noble. Catapult Siege Workshop 750 2S +1 vs.
Walls
If a collection of Troops - an Army - wants to travel to a
Trebuchet Siege Workshop 1,250 3S +2 vs.
location that does not have a Garrison, they must be led
Buildings
by a Noble.
Ballista Siege Workshop 750 2S +1 vs
Nobles who fight well in your service, and lead you to Troops
Victory, will expect an increase in their holdings and rank. Battering Siege Workshop 500 1S +4 vs.
Ram Gates
It costs nothing to Recruit Troops, but it does cost to
Cannons Cannon Foundry 1500 3S +2 vs.
keep them fed, train them once recruited, and maintain walls
their equipment. This is all done by paying Upkeep.

In order to recruit a type of Troop, the Realm needs

access to the necessary equipment. These armaments

32 If sometimes unpopular
55
 Troop List: Crossbowmen
Equipment Crossbow Bonus +1 vs. Ar-
Basic Units moured
Armour Light
Spearmen Requires Bowyer Cost 250g
Crossbows are more complicated to make than bows, but
Equipment Spear Bonus +1 vs. Cav-
are much easier to learn to use.
alry
Armour Light Their bolts pack enough of punch to pierce through ar-
Requires - Cost 250g mour, but they lack the range and accuracy of Archers.
Give a man a sharp stick, maybe with a metal point, and
he can do enough damage to a man when he’s fright- Harquebusiers (“Harlequins”)
ened. – A Mord orientation day favourite
Equipment Harquebus Bonus +2 vs. Ar-
Spearmen are simple but effective Troops. They can even gun moured
be formidable in numbers, when braced against charging Armour Light
Cavalry.
Requires Gunsmith Cost 250g
Nicknamed “Harlequins” for the wailing sound of their
Archers shot tearing through flesh, these Troops require little to
no training at all.
Equipment Bow Bonus +2 vs. Light
Armour Light While brutally effective against both light and well-ar-
Requires - Cost 250g moured foes, they have exceedingly poor range and
Archers are exceptional ranged Troops, out-ranging both accuracy, and take a very long time to reload.
Crossbows and Muskets. Their accuracy is unparalleled.
However, it requires a lot of training to reach such a level Their strategy then, is to fill fifty feet in front of them
of skill. with enough flying shrapnel that these hindrances no
longer matter.
Shieldbearers
Light Cavalry
Equipment Spear, Bonus +1 vs. Cav-
Shield alry Equipment Lance, Bonus +2vs. Light
Armour Light Mount,
Short-
Requires Armourer Cost 500g
Sword
These Armoured troops carry shields for added for
Armour Light
defence. While they are not of the quality Nobles can
afford, it is enough to keep these hardy Troops on the Requires Stables Cost 750
On mounted steeds, these riders charge into battle.
frontline.
Although not as heavily armoured as their Noble count-
er-parts, they excel at scouting and disrupting poorly
Berserkers defended Troops.
Equipment Two-hand- Bonus +2 vs. Light
ed Weapon
Armour Light
Requires Weapon- Cost 500g
smith
Give a frightened mana Spear and he can fight. Give a
frightening man a Great-Axe and be prepared to soil your
Armour – Old Mord Saying

Bare-chested and screaming a harrowing battlecry,

Berserkers are a terror on the battlefield. They will tear
through lightly armoured troops, but have little to no
56 defence themselves.
 Elite Units These Armoured and Mounted Troops are equipped with
lances and shields for the charge, as well as a shortsword
for close quarters fighting.
Pikemen
Equipment Halberd / Bonus +2 vs. Cav-
Mounted Archers
Polearm alry
Equipment Bow, Bonus +2 vs. Light
Armour Armoured Mount
Requires Armourer Cost 750 Armour Light,
Equipped with heavier armour and a more menacing Mounted
weapon than Spearmen, coupled with the fact they may Requires Stables Cost 750
actually have had some training, Pikeman make for for- Horses are not just good for getting you close to an ene-
midable defence against cavalry. my, they are also excellent for getting you very, very far
away – Shadowfox Military Guidance Document Vol. 47
Swordsmen
These immensely skilled archers are also capable of rid-
Equipment Sword, Bonus +2 vs. Light ing a mount while firing their bow.
Shield
Armoured
In order to achieve this feat though, they must be lightly
Armour
armoured. As such, they are susceptible to melee fight-
Requires Armourer, Cost 750 ing.
Weapon-
smith
A shield to catch arrows, armour to deflect blows, and Dragoons
a fine blade to cleave flesh – these are the tools of the
Swordsmen. Steadily marching forward, they can devas- Equipment Harquebus Bonus +1 vs.
gun, Mount Light, +1
tate lightly armoured opponents.
vs. Ar-
moured
Fusiliers Armour Light,
Mounted
Equipment Harquebus Bonus +1 vs.
Requires Gunsmith, Cost 750
gun Light, +1
Stables
vs. Ar-
moured The rumbling roar of a mounted change, mixed with the
wail of shrapnel and the cries of men, is truly the most
Armour Light
terrible sound one could hear in battle – Unknown Cyrian
Requires Gunsmith Cost 500 diarist
Between rank and file “Harlequins”, and their more
accurate counterparts, there is little difference except Equipped with a Harquebus musket, gunpowder and
pomposity. shot, these marksmen fire into the melee from afar.

The only difference of note is that the elite can afford While they are not capable of firing and riding with the
hand-rifled guns, allowing them greater accuracy and same accuracy as Mounted Archers, their mounts pro-
longer range. vide them with the same mobility on the battlefield.

Cavalry
Equipment Lance, Shield, Bonus +4 vs.
Sword, Mount Light
Armour Armoured,
Mounted
Requires Armourer, Cost 1,000
Weaponsmith,
Stables
With thundering hooves and shining armour, a Cavalry
charge terrifies all unfortunate enough to stand in their
way.

57
 Siege Units Trebuchets
Siege weapons operate differently to other Troops. Damage 6 Bonus +2 vs.
Walls &
While other Troops are Recruited, Siege Units are instead Structures
Constructed. Each Siege weapon takes a number of Sea- Construc- 3 Special Cannot
sons (turns) to be Constructed as listed. Upkeep is paid tion Move
during the Construction phase aswell. Requires Siege Cost 1,250
Weapon
Dice rolls are resolved normally with Siege Weapons and Workshop
their bonuses are applied and stacked in the same way.
A Trebuchet is the ultimate medieval siege weapon, and
They are treated as Basic Troops when rolling dice pools.
an ingenious piece of engineering.
In addition, when resolving Combat Rolls against Fortifi-
The long arm swings around a central axle. At the far
cations, Siege Weapons have additional bonus Damage
end is a counter-weight. The other end is pulled down,
as listed.
fastened and loaded. When released, the counterweight
In Full Combat, a Siege Weapon cannot Move and Act. swings the arm around in an overarm throw, lobbing the
projectile in an arc.
If a Siege Weapon is Routed or Defeated, then it is the
engineers manning the Siege Weapon that are lost. The Trebuchets cannot Move at all. They are deployed onto
Siege Weapon survives and is captured by the enemy the battlefield, and remain in their position until the
forces. battle is resolved.

If a Siege Weapon itself is Wounded or Crushed, then it is The advantage of Trebuchets over catapults is that they
damaged or destroyed by the enemy assault. can hurl heavier projectiles, as well as launching them
further.
Catapults In addition to this, their projectile arc means that they do
not need a direct line of fire, and so can target structures
Damage 2 Bonus +2 vs. behind walls.
Walls
Construc- 2 Special - Ballistae
tion
Requires Siege Cost 750 Damage 1 Bonus +4 vs.
Weapon Troops
Workshop
Construc- 2 Special Cannot
Enough coiled energy on an axis, and wham! That rock tion damage
goes flying. Stone Forti-
fications
Catapults can Move at a walking speed as any other
Troop would. Requires Siege Cost 750
Weapon
Their shot is fired in a direct line, therefore they must Workshop
have a clear line of fire to the target. They also cannot “What if you made a Crossbow, but much, much bigger?”
shoot over Troops or other obstacles, such as walls. – An Unknown Cyrian Engineer to the Mord Archon of
War.
Catapults are particularly effective against walls, but
there are other Siege Weapons which can damage Build- A Ballista fires a huge arrow bolt at its targets, and need
ings more effectively a direct line of fire to hit their target.

Due to the Ballista’s piercing projectile, it cannot dam-

age Stone Buildings or Fortifications, but it can damage
Wooden ones.

A ballista is most terrifying when used to target advanc-

ing armies and Troops.

It can move at the normal walking speed of any other

Troop.
58
Battering Ram Armour Types
Damage 2 Bonus +4 vs. Armour comes in three types: Light, Armoured or
Gates Mounted.
Construc- 1 Special Immune
Light refers to Lightly armoured Troops, which allows
tion to Ranged
Attacks them to be relatively fast and manoeuvrable. Examples
would include Leather and Hide armour.
Requires Siege Cost 500
Weapon Troops with this armour are particularly weak to Crush-
Workshop
ing and Piercing weapons. In combat they are faster over
Tired of carrying their shields of their heads while all terrains. If an army entirely consists of Light armoured
banging on the gate, some bright spark come up with a units, then they may move across the world map with +1
machine that could do both for them. speed.
The Battering Ram can move at the normal walking Armoured describes much heavier defensive garments.
speed of Troops. It has a roof to deflect attacks from These are effective, but restrict movement. Examples
above and thwart any arrow or bolt that tries to break would include chain mail and plate armour.
through, as well as a ram that swing devastating blows
against gates. Troops with this armour are weak to Piercing weapons.
In combat they are slower than Lightly armoured troops
A Battering Ram is considered immune to Ranged Troops and struggle with difficult terrain.
from above, or whose projectiles would come down in an
arc (like Bows).33 However, the people pushing the Ram Mounted describes Troops riding Cavalry into battle.
can be shot if the Ranged attacker is level with them. Mounted troops can be Light or Armoured.
A Battering Ram is not immune to Ranged attacks from Mounted Troops are particularly weak to Reach weap-
Siege Weapons ons, but they have an Advantage of +1 dice against Light-
ly armoured Troops.
Cannon
In combat they are the fastest over any terrain. If an
Damage 6 Bonus +2 vs. army entirely consists of Mounted troops, then that army
Walls may move across the world map with +2 speed if they
wear Light armour, or +1 one if they are Armoured.
Construc- 3 Special -
tion
Shields also affect the defensive capabilities of Troops.
Requires Cannon Cost 1,500 Any Troop equipped with a Shield, ignores a Combat Roll
Foundry difference of 1, during Full Combat.
It is the height of the Amethysian war machine. The
thunderous blasts from this monstrosity echo for miles. For instance, if a Troop of Shieldbearers are fired upon by
Many Castles have fell merely at the sound of its roar. - Archers, the Archers rolling 5 successes and the Shield-
Macrobious, Scholar of Cyria bearers 4 successes, this is still treated as an equal roll,
as the arrows glance of their shields.
Because of it weight, Cannons cannot move and are
instead deployed onto the battlefield, where they remain
until combat is resolved.

It requires a direct line of fire to its target. Because of

how long it takes to load and aim a Cannon, it is ill-suit-
ed to targeting Troops, but it is excellent at taking down
walls.

33 Harquebuses muskets cannot be aimed down, because the

shot and powder would roll out.
59
 Warfare
Wars can be fought to protect the Realm, or to expand it,
but like any war, it is down to the soldiers on the front-
line to interpret their orders as best they can.
Each Troop is led by a Knight, and any collective group of
Troops form an Army, which must itself be led by a No-
ble. This Noble is then considered a General. A General
is given orders by his Ruler (which they may or may not
follow).
When an Army attempts to fulfil its orders (quelling a
rebelling, routing bandits, defending a pass, capturing a
city etc.) then it is up to the N.O. to decide what level of
combat needs to be played out.
There are three levels of combat:
Automatic, Quick Resolve, and Full Combat
In Automatic, the outcome of the battle is decided by
the N.O. with agreement from all players involved. For
Quick Resolve, a small dice roll is made to determine the
outcome. In Full Combat, the whole battle is roleplayed
by all the parties involved, with multiple dice rolls.
The rule of thumb for the N.O. is to decide: “Is this battle
worth playing out?”
It is important that the N.O. makes a decision that adds
to the fun of the game, and knows when to deal with
battles quickly, but also when to a player to come back
through roleplaying.
Battles - Automatic
A thousand Elite Amethsyian “Harlequins”, accompanied
by a dozen of their best cannon, assemble near the gates
of a small Mordravale border town, with only a couple of
Archers to defend it.
You can guess who wins.
This is an example where an Automatic battle might
be fought. One side has overwhelming force, and even
though their goal is significant (the capture of a town),
there really is no hope for the defending forces to come
out on top.
The N.O. therefore rules that the Amethysian victory is
automatic.
If however, the defenders had a battalion of the leg-
endary Onor’Tok on their side, the N.O. may decide it is
worth seeing how the battle plays out. A memorable sto-
ry of a gallant last stand might at least happen, and they
60 might least reduce the numbers of the attacking Army.
Battles – Quick Combat
A number of Shadowfox Light Cavalrymen are sent to
scout a Bandit camp, which has been launching attacks
against trade wagons passing through a nearby valley.
When they get there, they are ambushed but a smatter-
ing of crossbowmen and thugs.
This battle should be decided quickly, but it’s an even
fight
Quick Resolve is used to decide battles where the out-
come is less certain, but in the interest of time, are not
worth playing out in Full Combat.
Each Army (or simple collection of Troops) will roll their
total dice pool against each other. The side with the
most successful rolls will be the victor.
For every Basic Troop, roll 1 dice. A roll of 5-6 is a suc-
cess. For every Elite Troop, roll 1 dice, where a roll of 4-6
is a success. Keep track of which dice are rolling for what
class of Troop.
For every 3 units of the same Troop type, grant an addi-
tional +1 dice.
Then add dice for bonuses. This bonus is only granted
once, but multiple instances of the same bonus stack.
For example, Spearmen grant a bonus +1 dice if they are
against Cavalry units, while Pikemen have a bonus of +2
dice. Together they would give a bonus of +3 dice against
an army which has any Cavalry troops. However, multiple
Spearmen or Pikemen Troops, would not increase this
bonus further.
If both belligerents have more than 10 dice in their pool,
only roll the difference in dice pools, in the interests of
dice rolling sanity.
For instance, if the total of dice pool two opposing forces
are 13 and 15, simply roll 3 dice against 5. In this case,
Elite Troops always carry over to the dice being rolled.
Battles – Full Combat
The Armies of Mordravale descend on the Amethysian
capital. Their forces have amassed near the banks of a
river. The rainfall is heavy and the Amethysians are un-
able to rely on their gunpowder, they will instead have to
hope the Onor’Tok can reach the devastating Mordravale
Archers before the battle is lost.
This fight matters.
Full Combat is used for to resolve battles where both
the N.O. and the players feel it worth playing out the
whole battle. This might be because it is a significant
story event in the game, because there is a lot at stake,
or both.
Each Army has a moment to describe its position on the
Battlefield, with the Defenders going first. If an Army has
been ambushed, the defenders describe what their likely
marching formation would have been.
When determining the position of Troops, simply detail
which ones are in the Centre, and on the Left and Right
Flanks. If they were travelling in a column, the Troops
may be in the Front, Middle or Back.
The Battlefield is to be described by the N.O. and should
largely be dictated by the Climate the belligerents are in.
Troop Actions & Initiative
Once the scene of the battle has been set, the Defenders
are given the initiative to act first. This process is largely
descriptive, and Troops may act as is reasonable for them
to do so.
Each Troop may Move, Act or Ready an action on their
turn. Depending on the Armour or Weapon Type of the
Troop, they may be able to Move and Act on their turn.34
Once all of the Defenders Troops have acted, it is then
the turn of the Attackers, and so on.
Resolving Dice Rolls
To resolve combat between two units of Troops, deter-
mine their total dice pools and roll them against each
other.
Basic Troops start with a pool of:
4d6
Elite Troops start with a pool of:
6d6
34 This is largely the case for Melee troops, but not Ranged
ones.
Remove or add dice depending on the Troop’s Bonuses
and Weaknesses, and any other effects which the N.O.
feels are relevant. The N.O. may also add bonus dice for
good storytelling and strategic reasoning.
Multiple Troops of the same type, who are fighting mul-
tiple Troops who are also of a matching type, only need
one dice roll to resolve the combat.
Essentially, it doesn’t matter if its 100 Spearmen against
100 Cavalrymen, or 10,000 Spearmen against 10,000
Cavalrymen, the result is still basically same. The N.O.
may however award bonus dice if one side outnumbers
the other.
Troops who are not being attacked themselves cannot
suffer the negative effects of losing their Combat Roll,
even though they can still fail to take the Advantage in
battle (i.e. Archers firing from a wall).35
Count the number of net successes and see which unit
came out with an Advantage on the table below.
Advantage Consequence
+1-2 Wounded
+3-4 Routed
+5 Defeated
+6 or more Crushed
Wounding Troops
A Troop exists in one of five conditions:
Healthy, Wounded, Routed, Defeated and Crushed
Healthy Troops act normally, but as they are wounded
they increasingly see the benefits in fleeing or surrender-
ing.
Every combat roll any Troop makes against another
will result in some mental and physical trauma. When
a Troop is Wounded, that reflects a resounding blow
against them. As a result, Wounds constantly push
Troops towards being Defeated.
Wounded: A wounded Troop has a -1 Dice to all of its
dice rolls (e.g. Combat, Morale). The Troop can still
Move and Act normally. Each Successive time a Troop
is Wounded, it is advances one step down the Wound
Table.
Routed: A Routed Troop must pass a Morale save or flee
the battlefield. The Troop rolls its base dice pool, plus or
minus any modifiers to Morale or dice rolls, against the
number of Successes which were rolled against it (3 or 4,
35 Archers firing from a Settlement Wall against an entirely
Melee Army cannot be Wounded. However, the N.O. may deem
it appropriate for them to be Routed if say the Gate is breached,
and the Archers are about to be overrun.
61
 unless altered by modifiers).

If it succeeds on its Morale save, then the Troop stays on
the Battlefield, but suffers -2 Dice to all of its future dice
rolls. If it is Routed again, but still remains on the battle-
field, it advances one step down the Wound table.
Wound Table Effect
Wounded 1 -1 Dice
Wounded 2 -1 Dice
Routed 1 -2 Dice
Routed 2 -2 Dice
DEFEATED No Dice rolls. It’s De-
feated…
Defeated: Defeated Troops are either critically wounded,
have fled the battle, or have surrendered. However it
is described, they are removed from the battle and no
longer participate.
Crushed: If a Troop is Crushed, it is definitely dead. Very,
very dead. Not only does it no longer participate in the
battle, it decorates the castle walls with its entrails. A
troop can only be Crushed by a direct roll, otherwise it is
Defeated.
Each successive time a Troop loses a Combat Roll, but
remains on battlefield, it advances one stage down the
Wound Table.
Therefore if a Troop has already passed two Morale
Saves, the third time it is Routed it will become Defeated
no matter what.
If the result of the Combat rolls exceeds Wounding, and
applies one of the other consequences of losing a com-
bat roll, jump to that position on the Wound Table.
Combat Example
The Ameythysians win the combat roll by 1 Success.
Normally, this would only Wound a Troop, but because
the Mord Troop is already at Wound 2, they advance into
Routed. They must now make a Morale roll to stay on the
battlefield.
Mord Nobles have a proud Chivalric Tradition, and so
their Elite have a +1 to Morale rolls, but they are now at
-2 Dice because they are at Routed 1. They will roll 5d6
(6d6 -2 +1 = 5d6) against the 1 Success from the Ame-
thysian Harlequins.
The Mord Swordsmen roll 1,5,3,4,4. They pass the
Morale roll just barely and with a tremendous roar they
continue to charge through the hail of lead shot.
They crash into the Harlequins in a flurry of steel. They
are at -2 for Routed 1, but gain a +1 bonus against light
Troops. They roll 5d6 for 3 successes (4,6,5,6,4) while
the Amethysians roll 4d6 to defend (3,2,1,2) and have no
successes.
The gunline is Routed, and now must pass a Morale save.
They have yet to be wounded, so they roll their base dice
pool of 4d6, they need 3 successes.
They roll 2,6,3 for 1 success. The Harlequins have failed
their Morale check and are Routed! Against the terrify-
ing might of the Mord swordsmen, they begin to flee for
their lives.
In Full Combat, the battle is over when one side con-
cedes defeat, or if all of an Army’s Troops have been
Routed or Defeated.
Alternatively, the Players and the N.O. can agree on an
objective that decides the battle, such as the capture of a
Gatehouse, or the defeat of the General.

A Troop of Mordravale Swordsmen charge the Ame-

thysian gunline.

The Swordsmen spend their action charging. It is now the

Amethysians turn to act, and they fire upon the charging
Mords. The Amethysian Harlequins are fresh and have
received no Wounds, they roll 4 Dice +1 additional dice
(for a total of 5d6), because their weapons give them an
advantage against Armoured Troops.

The Mord Swordsmen have already been Wounded twice

by the Amethysian Harlequins, so the Mord Swordsmen
are at Wound 2 (-1 Dice). However, they are Elite Troops
(6d6), so they roll 5d6 to defend.

The Amethysians roll 4,1,5,6,2. The 5 and the 6 are suc-

cesses.

62 The Mords roll 3,5,4,2,2. Only the 5 is a success

Besieging
Assaulting a Settlement is no simple task. It has walls,
and gates. They may have even locked them! It’s most
troublesome.
Automatic
The N.O. should be careful when allowing a Settle-
ment to be captured automatically.
In the example we used for Automatic combat, the
army is attacking a settlement. This is Automatic
because of the completely overwhelming force that
is attacking. Even the Player would concede there is
no way they could possibly win, and so the handful
of defenders simply lay down their arms.
However, if a Settlement is being taken automati-
cally, it is important for the N.O. to have the Player’s
consent, as automatically losing a Settlement could
really sour their day. Simply giving them the chance
for a heroic last stand may be enough to satisfy
them.
At the same time though, it is important for Players
to recognise that Rulers is a group game. There are
other Players and the N.O. needs to give time to
all of them. Roleplaying out a lost cause may take
away precious time from other Players who stand a
chance of actually winning their battles.
Ultimately, the N.O. has the final say. Automatic
combat is a way to speed up the game, not a system
to be abused.36
In Quick Combat
When laying siege to a Settlement in Quick Combat, the
Defender’s total dice pool is increased by the Defence
Rating of the Settlement and any other Fortifications that
are present.
The attacking army still receives bonuses according to its
Siege Weapons, as well as any other bonus dice it may be
awarded.
36 Players, build some Walls and Garrision some Troops!
Don’t be surprised if your completely undefended Village gets
overrun!
Settlement Defence Rating
Village 0
Town 2
City 4
Walls +1
Fort +2
Castle +4
Roll the Attackers Dice Pool against the Defenders Dice
Pool as per Quick Combat rules.
In Full Combat
In Full Combat, the Settlement’s defences add an extra
dimension to the story-telling of the siege. First establish
how the defending army is distributed.
Which Troops are on the walls? Are there also Troops
behind the Walls, or in front of them?
Ranged Troops on the Settlement Walls or in Watchtow-
ers, are treated as having extended Range.
Basic and Elite Troops cannot damage a Settlement’s
Fortifications unless otherwise specified.
Siege weapons make a Combat Roll, plus their Damage
bonus. This is rolled against the Fortification’s Dice pool +
its Defence value.
Combat rolls may be modified by bonuses and weakness-
es of both the Siege weapons and the Fortifications.
For each success the Attacker has over the Fortification,
remove one dice from the Fortification’s Defence pool.
When the Fortification is at half its dice pool, it is consid-
ered Damaged. Once it is out of dice, it is Destroyed. Any
Troops standing on a Fortification when it is Destroyed
are considered Defeated.
Siege weapons take one Action to load, one to launch
their attack as they have to be prepared and aimed.
Some Siege Weapons may move, and others may be
moved and loaded. No Siege Weapon can Move and Act
If the Fortification’s Defence roll is successful, it may sim-
ply deflect the attack, and it lands somewhere else.
If you launch a boulder from a Trebuchet or Catapult, or
fire a Cannonball, it will definitely hit something.
If there are Troops nearby, roll on the location table be-
low to see if they are hit. Otherwise, it is up to the N.O.
to describe where the shot lands.
63
 Roll 1d10 Where does it land? Capturing Settlements
1-3 Goes over the target
Individual Settlements may be captured by Armies in
4-6 Lands in front of the Rulers. To do this, the Army must have been instructed to
target do so.
7-8 Lands directly ontop
of the target (without Once combat has been resolved as is appropriate, the
damaging it) Settlement is now considered part of the Attackers’
Realm.
9-10 Goes high into the air
and lands somewhere This will increase Turmoil depending on the nature of the
on the battlefield. Attackers invasion, and how much the conquered actual-
ly liked their new situation.
Roll to hit any random
Troop on the Battlefield
(N.O.’s discretion) Taking Prisoners
A Siege Weapon does damage to Troops equal to the Once a Battle is over, or a Settlement has been captured,
successes it rolled +2. there may be some survivors who have surrendered, or
just didn’t have the time to flee.
Most Siege Weapons can only target Fortifications, how-
ever the N.O. may decide if it is possible to target specific The Prisoners will be all the Troops who have been
Troops with them if it adds to the narrative of the Siege. Defeated, but are still alive. A victorious Army may also
choose to try and capture the enemy General, this is
For instance, a Trebuchet takes one Action to load and done by making an appropriate Combat Roll after a de-
another to fire. It cannot be moved once deployed on feated army flees.
the battlefield and its shot flies in a high arc. As a result,
it cannot target a moving Troop and hope to hit it with In the case of a Captured Settlement, the population are
any accuracy. not considered Prisoners. Only the Troops who have not
fled, and any Nobles in the Settlement, are Prisoners.
However, if the Army it is facing is particularly large, the
N.O. may rule that it can be used to hit in the general Upon taking Prisoners their captors may release them,
area of the advances forces. execute them, or continue to hold them captive.

Beyond that, the Players and the N.O. are free to de-
scribe the battle and how the attacking Troops try to
storm the Settlement. The Defender should have a
rough layout37 of the defences of their Settlement (ap-
proved by the N.O.)
A captive costs 1/4 of that Troop or Noble’s Upkeep to
keep them fed. For a Noble this will be the lowest estate
Upkeep.
However, a Ruler may decide to increase the amount
spent on their Prisoners, to win their favour.

Blockades Whatever is decided, word immediately gets out about

An attacking army does not necessarily have to break
through a Settlement’s defences if they don’t want to, or
simply can’t. In this case, they may decide to Blockade
the Settlement instead.
the captives. It always does. Great care must be taken if
a Ruler does not want the world at large to know how
cruelly Prisoners were treated, or if they executed unlaw-
fully.

A Blockade stops all Trade routes to the Settlement,38 as

well as preventing Food and Resources from reaching the
Settlement. All the effects this would normally have on a
Settlement take effect, including Industries being unable
to operate and starvation.

The Blockade lasts until the blockading army decides to

leave, or is defeated.

37 It is not necessary for you to draw every street in the Settle-

ment. Just detail where the Fortifications (if any) are, and where

64 staircases onto the Walls may be.

38 If the blockade is initiated by a land Army, they stop over-
land trade routes.
Quick Reference Estates
Estate Influence Cost p/Season

Income Meagre
Comfortable
Village
Town
125g
250g
Generator Wealth Ample City 500g
Common Resource 10,000g Substantial Territory 1,000g
Luxury 15,000g Luxurious Ruler 2,000g
Food 2,000 p/Food Produced
Settlements
Combining Resources
Building Slots:
Common Wealth Luxury Wealth Additional Village = 4
generated generated Luxury Re-
sources Used Town = 6
10,000 15,000 0
City = 8
15,000 25,000 +1
25,000 35,000 +2 Food need
Trade Routes: Settlement Size Food Need
Village 1
+5% Increase to Wealth generated by the
Settlement for each Prodcut exported Town 2
City 4
Taxation: Fortification Food Need
Fort 1
15% of Settlement Wealth
Levy Taxes: 30% of Settlement Wealth instead Castle 2

Costs Dice Rolls

Buildings Nobles
5d5 for Cunning or Reason
Tiny Small Medium Large Colossal
Build 1S 2S 3S 4S 6S
Turmoil
Time
1d6 per point of Turmoil
Build 375 750 1,500 3,000 6,000

Cost
Mainte- 250 500 1,000 2,000 4,000
Warfare
nance
Quick Combat
(p/Sea-
son) 1d6 x Number of Troops

+ Wep./Arm. Bonuses (Same type do not stack)

+1 dice for every 3 of the same type of unit

Success for each Basic Troops = 5-6

Success for each Elite Troops = 4-6

65
 Full Combat
Basic Troops =4d6

Elite Troops = 6d6

Advantage
Advantage Consequence
+1-2 Wounded
+3-4 Routed
+5 Defeated
+6 or more Crushed
Wounds
Wound Table Effect
Wounded 1 -1 Dice
Wounded 2 -1 Dice
Routed 1 -2 Dice
Routed 2 -2 Dice
DEFEATED No Dice rolls. It’s De-
feated…
Fortifications
Fortification Defence Rating
Wooden Walls 2
Wooden Gatehouse 4
Wooden Watchtower 3
Stone Walls 4
Stone Gatehouse 6
Stone Watchtower 5
Fort 6
Castle 8

Sieges
Settlement Defence Rating
Village 0
Town 2
City 4

Walls +1
Fort +2
Castle +4

66
 Build an Empire
Forge your Dynasty
Rule
I hope the Rulers: Core Rulebook for the Rulers
roleplaying game, has inspired you to start playing a
game of civilisations and empires with your friends
and future political adversaries.
Originally my dream was to continue to update and
expand upon Rulers. However, I have designed two
more games since then, and as much as I love Rul-
ers, if I were to return the project I would start over.
Hopefully I will do that one day, as civilisation games
remain a passion of mine.
By releasing this version of Rulers under a Creative
Commons license, I hope Rulers might develop its
own, active community. So show me your artwork,
tell e about your world, and send in your own
homebrewed rules!
Stay in touch!
Twitter
Created by Eliot Miller
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Interna-
tional License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creative-
commons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ or send a
letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain
View, CA 94042, USA.
Under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 you are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any
medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the ma-
terial
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long
as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit,
provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes
were made. You may do so in any reasonable man-
ner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor
endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for
commercial purposes.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon
the material, you must distribute your contributions
under the same license as the original.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal
terms or technological measures that legally restrict
others from doing anything the license permits.
67
 Thanks for playing!

68