Objective
Rosenkönig is a strategic board game for two players focusing on controlling a majority of territories on the game board. Each player represents one of the factions during the Wars of the Roses in England: the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster.
Game Components
- 1 board with an 8x8 grid
- 34 crown markers (17 in red and 17 in white)
- 1 hero figurine
- 65 action cards (33 direction cards and 32 reinforcement cards)
- 1 rulebook
- 4 reference cards
Setup
- Place the game board between the two players.
- Each player takes a reference card and the crown markers of their color.
- Shuffle the action cards and deal 5 cards to each player.
- The oldest player starts with the hero figurine placed at the center of the board.
Gameplay
The game is played in turns until no more legal moves can be made.
1. Player's Turn - The active player plays one of their action cards to move the hero figurine, the card dictates the direction and the number of spaces the hero moves. - The player then places one of their crown markers on the space where the hero stops, provided it is unoccupied. - The player then draws a new card to maintain a hand of 5 cards.
2. Blocked Moves - If the player cannot make a legal move because all potential moves are blocked by occupied spaces, they may discard a card and draw a new one.
End of the Game and Scoring
The game ends when no more legal moves can be made or all the spaces on the board are occupied with crown markers. Players then count the number of contiguous areas with their crown markers on the board.
Scoring - A single crown is worth 1 point. - Two connected crowns are worth 3 points in total (1 point for the first, 2 additional points for the second). - Three connected crowns are worth 6 points in total (1 point for the first, 2 for the second, 3 for the third), and so forth.
The player with the most points wins the game.
Strategic Tips
- Create Connections: The key to winning is creating large, contiguous areas. Strategically connect single crowns to already placed crowns.
- Use Action Cards Wisely: Use your action cards strategically to spread influence and secure key positions on the board.
- Disrupt Opponent's Areas: Try to break up your opponent's areas to minimize their score.
