How to Play Merlin: Arthur Expansion

Objective of the Game

In Merlin: Arthur Expansion, while the search for a successor is ongoing, King Arthur has not yet abdicated his throne. Troops of Pict soldiers are emerging from the fog, and as the King, players must personally ensure everyone remains out of harm’s way. This expansion introduces a new figure, Arthur, who moves on his own rondel with new actions to explore, enlarging the already rich decisions of Merlin.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Place the action rondel in the center of the game board, aligning the colored stair sections.
2. Place the Arthur pawn, the Grail, Excalibur, and the signet ring on their assigned spaces of the action rondel.
3. Place the displays for both the cards and the Picts next to the game board.
4. Reveal three mission cards and place them on the display.
5. Mix all Picts, and stack them in two face down piles on the Picts display. Reveal the 4 top Picts, forming the actual display.
6. Give one black die to each player, and one Arthur board of their player color.
7. All players roll their 5 dice (3 of their player color, 1 white Merlin die, and 1 black Arthur die), placing them on their castle and Arthur board. If a player rolls a quadruplet or a quintuplet, they must re-roll all their dice until the result shows at least three distinct numbers.
8. Exchange the black and grey flags of the basic game for the flags of this expansion.
9. Place the game round track on the corner of the game board, covering the previous track. Put the game round marker on the first space of the track.

Fluxo do Jogo

The rules of the basic game apply except for the following changes:

Player Turns

Instead of taking 4 turns each round, each player now takes 5 turns. In addition to the 3 dice of their player color and the white Merlin die, each player also uses their black Arthur die. Players can still choose the order in which they want to use their dice.

For a better overview, players now place their used dice on their Arthur board instead of in the center of the rondel.

Ações e Como Jogar

Using the Black Arthur Die

Using their black die, players move Arthur along the inner circle of action spaces of the action rondel. Arthur is moved a number of spaces equal to the pips of the black die, in the direction of the player’s choice (clockwise or counter-clockwise). Then the player performs the action of the space where Arthur’s movement ends.

Inner Action Spaces of the Action Rondel

• Resource spaces: (x4)
  • Shield, flag, construction material: Depending on the space, the player claims one shield, one flag, or one piece of construction material from any one principality, storing it on their castle board.
  • Influence counter: The player takes one of their influence counters from their castle board (if available), and places it on any principality.
• Grail, Excalibur, and Signet ring: (x3)
  • The function of the Grail and Excalibur spaces is the same as in the basic game.
  • The Signet ring: The player claims the signet ring from the game board or from the player currently holding it and places it on their Arthur board. Then, they select one mission card from their hand, and resolve it immediately. The player gains the victory points as shown without having to meet the requirements. The player may resolve a mission card by use of the signet ring in addition to resolving their one mission card per turn, by meeting the requirements. If a player has resolved two mission cards during their turn this way, they draw two new cards from the draw pile and/or the display at the end of their turn.
• Stairs: (x1) The player advances their knight to the next principality space in clockwise direction, and performs that principality’s action. The player will deploy a henchman and perform their corresponding duty.
• Merlin: (x1) The player moves Merlin up to three spaces, clockwise or counter-clockwise, and performs the action of the space where Merlin’s movement ended. The player may expend one Merlin’s staff token as well, if they want to repeat that action.
• Replace a manor: (1x) The player chooses another player’s manor from the environs, and replaces it with one of their own manors from the supply. If the replacement is done on a tile showing a tower, the player does NOT get the bonus of a shield, a flag, or an influence counter. The replaced manor is returned to the supply.
• Picts: (x3) Players must aid King Arthur in defeating the invading Pict armies. If they do so, he will reward them with an immediate bonus and victory points during scoring. The player selects one Pict tile from the display and places it to the right of their Arthur board. The player gains the bonus shown at the bottom of the tile immediately. The unoccupied space on the display is immediately replenished by revealing a new Pict from either of the stacks.
  • Shield, flag, construction material: The player claims the depicted shield, flag, or piece of construction material from the game board.
  • Influence counter: The player takes one of their influence counters from their castle board (if available), and places it on that principality.
  • Apple: The player takes one apple from the supply.
  • Build a manor: The player builds one of their manors on a terrain tile of the environs as shown. That terrain must not be occupied, and the player does not need to expend any construction material.
• Apple: (x1) The player takes one apple from the supply.
• Activate henchman: (x1) The player chooses one of their henchmen currently in a principality, and performs that henchman’s action in that principality.
• Move Arthur: (x1) The player moves Arthur 1 space in clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, then performs the action of the space where Arthur landed.
• Victory points for manors: (1x) The player gains 1 VP for each of their manors in the environs.

New Special Actions Allowed by Flags

• +/-1: The player may increase or decrease the number of pips of their used die by 1, before moving the matching figure. This means they can move the figure 7 spaces or the figure may remain on its current space and perform that action.
• Switch: The player may use their chosen die to either move their own knight, Merlin, or Arthur, and perform the respective action. If they move Merlin, they may expend a Merlin’s staff.

Fim de Jogo e Pontuação

Changes in Scoring

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.

Environs Scoring

After the victory points for majorities of manors have been awarded, no more than one manor of each player may remain in each given territory. Beginning with the First Player, all players who have built more than one manor in a territory remove all their manors from that territory but one (of their own choice), putting them back to the supply.

New Scoring: Picts

All players add the numbers shown on all of their collected Picts.

• The player or players with the highest result score 3 VP each.
• The player or players with the lowest result lose 3 VP each (having no Picts at all counts as 0).
• The player holding the signet ring increases their total by 3.

Subsequently, the players return all their Picts to the game box.

Dicas para Vencer

• Utilize the signet ring to resolve mission cards for victory points without meeting requirements, potentially resolving two mission cards in a single turn.
• Strategically collect Picts to aim for the highest total value, as this grants 3 VP, while avoiding the lowest total to prevent losing 3 VP.
• Leverage the +/-1 flag action to fine-tune your die rolls, allowing for more precise movement of your knight, Merlin, or Arthur to land on desired action spaces.