Game Objective

In The Old King's Crown, players assume the role of heirs to the old king, leading their own factions in a battle for control of the kingdom. The objective is to accumulate Influence (represented by i tokens) to claim the old king's crown and be declared the winner. To do this, players will use strategies, character cards, and tactics to win confrontations in regions, conquer strategic locations, and gain allies and artifacts along the way.

Preparation (Setup)

Follow these steps to set up the game:

1. Place the Map Board and the Great Road Board on the table, with the Court Board and the Order Track at the top of the map.
2. Position the Collaborator Disc on the Battlefield location on the map.
3. Create a reserve of Influence tokens within reach of all players.
4. Shuffle the Kingdom Cards and form a face-down deck of 20 cards. Place the deck in the indicated space on the Great Road and reveal the first four cards.
5. Each player chooses a faction and receives the corresponding Player Board, Herald, Supporters, Tactic Cards, and Faction Cards.
6. Players prepare their faction decks, separating cards with the [MYTH] trait and cards with the Loyal keyword.
7. Determine the initial player order on the Order Track.

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Game Flow

The game is divided into rounds, each representing a year. Each round has four main phases:

1. Spring: Players place Heralds and can perform specific phase actions.
2. Summer: Players place face-down cards in the map regions.
3. Autumn: Regions are revealed and confrontations are resolved.
4. Winter: Players resolve cards on the Great Road and can perform specific phase actions.

After Winter, there is an End of Year phase, where players clear the map and check for a winner.

Actions and How to Play

During the game, players can perform various actions depending on the phase:

• Place Heralds: In Spring, players place their Heralds in locations to gain or steal Influence.
• Place Supporters: In Spring, players can place Supporters in regions to increase their strength in confrontations.
• Play Cards: In Summer, players place face-down cards in regions to participate in confrontations.
• Confrontation Resolution: In Autumn, regions are revealed and confrontations are resolved, with winners gaining rewards.
• Great Road Resolution: In Winter, players resolve cards on the Great Road to gain or steal Kingdom Cards.

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when one or more players reach or exceed a specific amount of Influence, depending on the number of players. The winner is the player with the most Influence. In case of a tie, the player with a card in the Court is declared the winner. If there is still a tie, the game ends in a shared victory.

Tips for Winning

• Use your Heralds wisely: Place your Heralds in strategic locations to gain or steal Influence from your opponents.
• Manage your deck: Prioritize strong cards and use strategies to recycle useful cards from your deck.
• Control the Great Road: Gaining Kingdom Cards on the Great Road can provide significant advantages throughout the game.