1.3.1.4 The Eight Kings Scenario ¶

Eight islands in the Endless Sea surround an extinct volcano. On each island reigns a single king. Prophets have foretold a great disaster if the islands are not unified under a single king by the turn of the millenium in ten years (80 turns). Unfortunately, no king is willing to let another wear his crown...

This scenario is limited to eight players. The game ends when one player is the only player to occupy any castle for three consecutive turns. If no one succeeds in 80 turns, the game ends and no one is declared winner.

The Eight Kings scenario uses a number of variant rules:

1. Each player will start alone on an island. No neighboring island will be closer than 2 ocean provinces. At least one neighbor island will be 2 ocean provinces away.
2. Each player designs their own start island, customizing this map:

     . . . . . . 
     . p p p p . 
     . p p p p . 
     . p p p p . 
     . . . . . . 
   
   ^ 		mountain
   d 		desert
   p 		plain
   : 		swamp
   &		forest
   .		ocean
   

   The customized map must contain at least 18 ocean squares, and at most 50% mountainous coastline. The GM reserves the right to refuse a map.

   The player also indicates the location of a start city and a castle.

   The island may be rotated 90 or 180 degrees when placed on the world map.

3. Initial city starts with 10K population and 4 towers.
4. The first noble will start in the city.
5. Each player will be a separate nation.
6. No Mage/Priest antipathy (see Mage/Priest Antipathy).
7. Players will pick 3 normal skill schools they will never be able to learn.
8. No new castles can be built.
9. CLAIM of fighting troops can only be used by a castle owner.
10. FORM may be used in a castle or a city.

In addition, each player will start with 200 noble points. Prior to the first turn of the game, players will use the points to (1) select a religion, and (2) purchase CLAIM items. Any unused points will be available to the player during the game.

Each player will be able to learn only one religion. Religions will be selected by blind auction. Each player will submit to the GM an ordered list of religions and how many NPs the player is willing to bid on that religion, e.g.,

	Halon   100 NPs
        Dol	75 NPs
        Timeid  0
        Anteus  0
        Eres    0
        Ham     0
        Kireus  0
        Domingo 0

In the first round of the auction, every player’s first bid will be active. Each religion will be awarded to the highest bidder. The GM will break ties randomly. A player who wins a religion in the first round is dropped from the rest of the auction.

If not all religions are awarded, the second round will include every remaining player’s first and second bids, and so on, until all religions have been assigned.

The player’s start city will teach the player’s religion.

After the religion auction, players will purchase items to be placed in their CLAIM (as appropriate) from the following list:

Skills					Cost in NPs
============================		===========================
Pre-learned normal skill		20 (first), 30 (second), etc.
 (each noble starts with the skill)

Normal skill taught by start city	10 (first), 15 (second), etc.

Magic skill taught by start city	20 (first), 40 (second), etc.

7 Study points				1	

Claim Items				Cost
=========================		====
2000 gold [1]				1
100 wood [77]		        	1
200 stone [78]		        	1
35 iron	[79]		        	1
5 mithril [82]				1
1 gate crystal [83]			1
5 riding horse [52]			1
2 warmount [53]				1
10 ox [76]				1
5 lt. wagon [44]			1
3 hvy wagon [45]			1
2 war wagon [46]			1
150 Peasants [10]			1
50 Workers [11]				1
75 Skirmishers [36]      		1
75 Sailors [19]         		1
50 Soldiers [12]        		1
20 Pirates [24]         		1
25 Lt Xbowmen [21]      		1
 8 Hvy Xbowmen [38]     		1
25 Pikemen [16]         		1
21 Archers [13]         		1
19 Lt Foot [20]         		1
11 Hvy Foot [37]        		1
2 battering ram [60]			1
2 catapult [61]				1
3 centaur [271]				1
8 minotaur [272]			1
1 giant spider [278]			1
75 rat [279]				1
3 lion [280]				2
1 chimera [284]				2
2 harpie [285]				3
7 orc [287]		        	1
8 gorgon [288]				1
25 wolf [289]				1
2 cyclops [291]				1
2 giant [292]				1

Misc			       		Cost
=========================      		====
Extra city on start island     		100
Map of world		       		100
Additional "instant" tower     		10
Elfstone		       		25

Note: The Eight Kings Scenario is intended for experienced Olympia players. When playing this scenario, give careful consideration to your overall game strategy. Be aware that because players can purchase items and units in advance you may find yourself attacked with substantial forces within a few turns of the game’s start. Think about all the ways your island might be invaded (by sea, flying stacks, gates, faerie hills, cloudlands, Hades). Remember that all the players will have plentiful NPs and gold, which will lead to some unusual strategies (armies of mages? hordes of flying invisible assassins?). Seek a balance between offense and defense – you have to be able to wipe out other players, but you also have to defend yourself against attack. And although there can be only one winner in the Eight Kings Scenario, that doesn’t mean there won’t be powerful alliances, particularly in the first part of the game.