RULE BOOK SOMETHING IS 2 COMPONENTS 3 8 8

ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF ILLYRIA. COMPONENTS

The warrior King Richard III and the ambitious Lady Macbeth have, through a series of conquests, taken over control of most of Illyria. The land is dying and in a state of decay, threatening everyone with starvation. Character Sheets Score Tracker Long-simmering debates over belief in a fabled Wizard-God Shakespeare cause friends to (5) (1) THE STORY become foes, and vaulting ambitions and self-interest threaten to tear apart the ties that Rule Book bind people together. But there is hope. Rule Book (1) Game Board (1) In Kill Shakespeare you and your friends will join together to begin a rebellion to free the kingdom from the clutches of Richard III and Lady Macbeth. Take on the role of: Wheel of Fate (1) - Hamlet, the reluctant hero aiming to return to Denmark Juliet Token - Juliet, the rebel leader atoning for the death of a loved one (1) - Falstaff, the comedic sidekick looking to leave a legacy greater than his drinking exploits - Othello, a sword-for-hire looking to avenge a betrayal at the hands of his best friend Influence Tokens - Viola, a famed pirate operating under the name of her dead lover Captain Cesario 5 colors (170) Quill Token Battle Tokens 8-Sided Dice You must unite to liberate cities and peoples, remove the Influence of Richard III and (1) (30) (8) Lady Macbeth and complete quests to wrest Illyria from their vile hands. You will use your own Influence to grow your army, while also stealing Troop Movement Letters and City Plans in order to liberate the areas that have been occupied by Richard III and Lady Macbeth’s forces. You must be careful, however, because not all of your companions can Area Tokens Lowered Defense Dice be trusted. The treacherous Iago will aid you, but also seek to steal your plans and re- (8) Tokens (20) (2) Bid Tokens port your movements to your sworn enemies. 4 colors (40) While only one of the heroes can rule the day, you will need to work together to ensure that Richard and Lady Macbeth do not take over all of Illyria and – more importantly – attain their final goal: kill Shakespeare. It’s up to you and your friends to Battle for the Bard. The game play’s the thing. GAME OVERVIEW Kill Shakespeare is a semi-cooperative area control board game. Players must work together to prevent King Richard Action Deck Troop Deck Reward Deck Information Richard III and Lady Macbeth from taking over the realm and finding and killing the elusive bard, Meeple (1) (60) (45) (24) Deck (45) William Shakespeare. Each round players will decide whether to pay to cancel the threats and magic of Richard III and Lady Macbeth or to save their resources to bid on items that will help them complete various Quests. Players will swiftly navigate around the land working to liberate the realm of Illyria, battling Richard III’s troops and claiming his strongholds as their own. While the players can lose as a party, only one can be crowned the ultimate winner. OBJECT OF THE GAME

Prevent Richard III from finding Shakespeare and keep the land from losing all hope. Over the course of six rounds players must keep Richard III from reaching the end of the Search For Shakespeare track, and Lady Macbeth keep the hopes of rebellion alive in at least four of the eight Areas on the board. If they can do that, the re- Meeple (1) bellion succeeds and from their ranks, a Champion will emerge! Event Cards Event Cards Easy Quest Hard Quest Player Mee- A (12) B (12) Deck (20) Deck (30) ples (4) 8 GAME SETUP 4 in AvonorTheForestof Arden. occupied, re-roll.Players’pawns maynotstart beginning ofthegame;ifan Areaisalready one pawnisallowedineach Areaatthe phos, 4-Cawdor,5-Maentua,6-Bohemia).Only die result.(1-IsleofProspero,2-Messaline,3-Del their pawnintheAreathatcorrespondsto Each playerrollsonesix-sideddieandplaces cide wherehisorherpawnstartsonthemap. 7. Action Phase. will beusedtotrackplayers’actionsduringthe stack tracksturnorder;eachInfluencemarker appropriate spotontheTurnOrdertrack.The if thereare4,3,or2players(respectively)onthe player stacks2,3,or4oftheirInfluencemarkers 6. the 5spaceofScoretracker. 5. the EventandBiddingPhases. and valuearehiddenfromotherplayersduring PlaceallBidtokensaside.tokenquantity ● the Charactercard,creatinga‘reserve’. PlaceallremainingInfluencemarkersbeside ● the card. available Influencemarkerspacesatthetopof PlaceoneInfluencemarkerineachofthetwo ● by thewineglasswithastarinit. space oftheEnergytrack,whichisrepresented PlaceoneInfluencemarkerontheneutral ● of playersplaying(2or3+players). Usethesidethatcorrespondstonumber ● personal areaasfollows: 4. token. one ofthevalue3Bidtokenswith+2 * IfaplayerselectsJuliet,thatexchanges color. Bid tokens,pawnandInfluencemarkersofthat 3. their Charactercard. 2. within viewandreachofallplayers. 1. In turnorder,eachplayerallowsfatetode- Randomly determineplayerturnorder.Each Each playerplacesoneInfluencemarkeron Each playersetsuptheirCharactercardand Each playerchoosesacolorandtakesthe Each playerchoosesacharacterandtakes Place thegameboardandScoretracker SETUP - each deck;only1cardisplaced facedown.Leave Fora3-playergame, onlytake3cardsoff ● cards faceup(asindicated on thegameboard). Place 2ofthecardsfacedown andtwoofthe card tracksadjacenttotheirrespectivedecks. of eachdeckandplacetheminthedesignated Fora2or4-playergame,takethetop4cards ● spaces onthegameboard. card decksandoverlaythemontheappropriate 17. were previouslysetaside,ontopofthepile. Event track.Placethethree‘A’cards,that Event cardstogetherandplacethemonthe ‘A’ deckandsetthemaside.Shuffleallother 16. markers onthefirstspaceofRoundtracker. 15. controls theArea. in step12).ThisindicatesthatKingRichardIII hold symbol(belowtheeight-sideddieplaced ence markertotherightofeachArea’sStrong- 14. track. cated withastar,oftheSearchForShakespeare 13. The ForestofArden-6,Avon-7). Delphos-5, Cawdor-5,Maentua-6,Bohemia-6, value isfaceup(IsleofProspero-4,Messaline-4, Turn thediesothatArea’sstartingHope die totherightofeachArea’sHopesymbol. 12. each Areaofthemap. 11. of Arden. and LadyMacbeth’spurplepawninTheForest 10. forming areserve. Influence markersareplacednexttotheboard ers inTheForestofArden.Allremainingblack one extramarkerinAvonandtwomark- ence markersineveryAreaonthemap.Place 9. Troop symbol. the startingplayer’scolorpointstosingle 8. Separately shuffletheInformationandTroop Randomly takethreeEventcardsfromthe Put oneofKingRichardIII’sblackInfluence In thespaceindicated,placeoneblackInflu- Place theQuilltokenonfirstspace,indi- In thespaceindicated,placeoneeight-sided Randomly placeoneAreatokenfaceupin Place KingRichardIII’sblackpawninAvon Place fourofKingRichardIII’sblackInflu Turn theWheelofFatesothatarrow - tokens inabagorcup,solong asthevaluesare III’s armies.Playersmaychoose toputtheBattle be usedasrewardsforfighting KingRichard 21. and adjacenttothegameboard. organized bycardtype.Placeeachstackfaceup 20. the initialsetup spots withtheQuillsymbolarenotfilledduring left, placingtheEasyQuestsfirst.Thetwored them faceupontheQuesttrackfromright-to- ‘Round One’oftheRoundtracker)andplace Easy andoneHardQuestcard(asindicatedon place themadjacenttotheboard.Drawfour and Hard.Shuffleeachstackseparately 19. the Actioncarddecknexttogameboard. 18. track. the spotadjacenttoeachdeckemptyoncard 16 Create apooloffacedown Battle tokensto Separate theRewardcardsintosixdecks, Separate theQuestcardsbydifficulty:Easy Shuffle theActioncardstogetherandplace 14

12

13 6

7 10

and placesitfaceupintheirplayingarea. with avalueof1,CityPlans,orStolenLetter, following threeRewardcards:ATroopcard 23. game board. tokens) areplacedfaceupandadjacenttothe cards, the‘Spy’andStrongholdDefense 22. hidden.

In turnorder,eachplayerchoosesoneofthe All remainingitems(the‘BiddingAreaClosed’ 11

17

9

10 8

17

8 GAME PLAY GAME 5 6 GAME PLAY Area is not liberated if there is a King Richard III Influence marker adjacent to the Area’s Stronghold 7 8 ROUND SEQUENCE symbol. If the Area is liberated, do not adjust the die – its Hope remains constant. 8 GAME PLAY Kill Shakespeare is played over six rounds (or possibly less if the prodigal rebellion is crushed and ● If, at any point in the game, an Area’s Hope is reduced to 0 the Area’s Hope die is removed and defeated by King Richard III and Lady Macbeth first). Each round consists of four or five phases, de- King Richard III advances one space on the Search For Shakespeare track. If Avon’s Hope becomes two pending on if it is a scoring round or not, which are played in turn order. 0, King Richard III advances spaces. ● An Area’s Hope may not be less than 0.

g) If necessary, each player refills one or both of the Influence marker spaces on their Character card GAME PLAY 1. Prep Phase from their reserve. 2. Event Phase h) Each player takes the Influence markers set beside the Turn Order track during the previous Action Phase and restacks them on their appropriate Turn Order spot. 3. Bidding Phase i) Refill the Troop and Information card tracks as described in step 17 of the Setup (but do not re- 4. Action Phase shuffle each deck!). j) Restock the Quests: 5. Scoring Phase (Round 3 and 6 only) ● If necessary, discard any Quests remaining on any of the two red spaces on the Quest track. Advance King Richard III one space on the Search For Shakespeare track for every Quest card removed this way. Phase 1: Prep (skipped for the first round) ● Preserving their order, slide any remaining Quest cards to the right, filling the two red Quest a) Advance the Round marker to the current round. track spaces first. If players have completed enough Quests to not fill one of the two red Quest track spaces, it remains empty for the remainder of this round. b) Rotate the Wheel of Fate clockwise one space. ● Fill any remaining empty spaces on the Quest track with new Quest cards. If either of the two c) Resolve Area tokens red spaces are empty, leave them empty. Refer to the Round tracker to determine how many ● Player (if any) with the ‘+1 Energy’ Area token receives one free Energy upgrade. Easy and Hard Quests to add each Round. Players only draw and place as many Quests as there are available spaces to put them on the Quest track (maximum 5). ● Player (if any) with the ‘Action Card’ Area token draws one Action card from the Action card deck. Always place Quest cards from right-to-left. Easy Quests are placed first, followed by any Hard Quests. If ● Player (if any) with the ‘Troop card’ Area token receives one Troop card of value 1 from the the Easy Quest deck is exhausted, players may only take cards from the Hard Quest deck. appropriate Reward card deck. Note: If a new Quest card requires the active player, indicated by the player icon with a ‘1’ in it, ● Player (if any) with the ‘Stolen Letter’ or ‘City Plan card’ Area token may choose to take 1 of be in an Area with a destroyed Stronghold, it is discarded and a new Quest card is drawn. Re- these cards from the corresponding Reward card deck. peat as many times as necessary. d) In turn order, players may exchange three black Influence markers, if they have them, and draw three Battle tokens. One Battle token is kept, the other two are returned without revealing their val- Phase 2: Event ues. The Battle token guidelines are as follows: a) The starting player takes the top Event card from the deck, ● Players may make multiple exchanges, if they desire and are able to, on their turn. Each ex- reads it aloud, and places it faceup next to the Event deck. change is performed and resolved individually. b) Movement Orders: The starting player moves and resolves ● Battle tokens are stored facedown on each player’s Character card; their values are kept hidden King Richard III’s and/or Lady (except during the Scoring Phase) but can be referenced by the owning player at any time. Macbeth’s pawns individually and in order. Their pawns are ● Each Character has an associated Battle token limit, which is indicated on their Character card. moved to the Area indicated on the Event card and If a player is at this limit they may still perform the exchange. To respect their Character’s Battle resolved as follows: token limit, a player must either swap the newly acquired Battle token with one of their existing ● King Richard III: Place one black Influence The Event ones or choose to discard all of the newly drawn tokens. marker from the reserve in the Area he moves ● If one or more Battle tokens drawn have a Quill symbol, King Richard III advances one space to. Reduce the Area’s Hope by one, even if the on the Search For Shakespeare track for each Quill revealed. The Quill Battle tokens are removed Area is liberated. from the game. The player still chooses one reward from any remaining Battle tokens that they If Hamlet is in this Area, he must flee to an adjacent Move Order have drawn. Area and pay the Energy cost. If he is exhausted and is unable to pay the Energy, he loses one Victory Point. Hamlet may also use his positive special ability at this e) Each player retrieves all of his or her Bid tokens from the game board and their Character card. Cost to time. Cancel Event f) Reduce the Hope by one (by adjusting the eight-sided die) in all Areas that are not liberated. An 8 GAME PLAY 8 The diceareresolvedasfollows: d) Used Bidtokensareplacedasideandnotavailable againuntilthePrepPhaseofnextround. only bestoppedinadditiontocancellingtheEvent. 2, 3,or4-playergame)bidpointsduringtheEventCancellation Bid.KingRichardIII’sadvancecan Shakespeare track.Theplayersmayavoidthisifthey collectivelypayanadditional6,9,or12(fora If thereisaQuillontheEventcard,KingRichardIII will advanceonespaceontheSearchFor Juliet’s +2tokenandthe+1Areamaybeusedafterbidsarerevealed. reveal theirbidpointvaluewhenallplayersareready. Players secretlyplacetheirbids,usinganynumberofBidtokens,inaclosedfistandsimultaneously debate, andplantogether,butarenotobligedtobehonestfollowthrough. additional costof4,6,or8Bidpointsdependingonthenumberplayers). tom ofthecard(2players/3players/4players+everyIagofaceupontrackaddsan may nowattempttocanceltheEventcard’seffect.Thepriceanismarkedatbot- c) • • • Phase. Noimmediate actionrequired.Thisisresolvedduring thecompetitivebidsinBidding • 2-9: his treacheryhassucceeded! • Falstaff, whowinsthedraw. tory Point.IfthereisadrawbothplayersreceiveoneVictoryPoint,unlessofthe all ofitseffectsoccur.TheplayerwhocontributedthehighestbidpointvaluereceivesoneVic- • the playersisFalstaff,whowinsdraw. receives twoVictoryPoints.IfthereisatiebothplayersreceivePoints,unlessoneof Event andallofitseffectsarecancelled.Theplayerwhocontributedthehighestbidpointvalue thesumofallbidpointvaluesisequaltoorgreaterthancostcancelEvent, • If same Area,theireffectsarestillapplied. asaresultoftheMovementorder,KingRichardIIIorLadyMacbeth’spawnremainsin ● If may playcertainActioncardstocanceltheirmovement’seffect. playerscannotcontrolKingRichardIII’sand/or LadyMacbeth’smovements,they ● Although in theArea.TheArea’sHoperemainsunchanged. does notcontainanyplayerInfluencemarkers,placeablackmarkerfromthereserve ● OR: If OthelloistargetedbythedieresultandheonlyhashispawninArea,nothinghappenstohim. card stack(nexttotherevealedEventcard). 6 nothingoccurs.IfnoInfluenceislostbytherebellion,anIagocardplacedfaceupon of 5,allplayerswithInfluenceintheArealoseonemarkerfromthatArea;onaroll position ontheTurnOrdertracklosesoneInfluencemarkerfromArea(ifpossible).Onaroll players whohasInfluenceintheArearollsonesix-sideddie.Onarollof1-4,playerthat Influence: IfthereisoneormoreplayerInfluencemarkersinherdestinationArea,ofthe ● The startingplayerrollsbothsix-sideddiceandplaces themonthecompasssymbolmap. Event CancellationBid:AftercompletingRichardIIIandLadyMacbeth’smovement,players 12: AdvanceKingRichard IIIonespaceontheSearchFor Shakespeare track. 11: Immediatelyaddoneblack InfluencemarkertoKingRichardIII’scurrentArea. 10: Immediatelyaddoneblack InfluencemarkertoLadyMacbeth’scurrentArea. If theplayersfailtocancelanEvent,allfaceupIagocardsoncardstackareremoved– If thesumofallbidpointvaluesislessthancosttocancelEvent,Eventand Lady Macbeth–WhenmovingtoanAreawithoutPlayerInfluence:Ifherdestination Lady Macbeth–WhenmovingtoanAreawithPlayer

Players arefreetodiscuss, Phase 3:Bidding player mayplayoneJestercardtorotatetheWheelofFate desired solongastheycanpaytheextracostforeachadditionalspacerotated.Conversely,last pay threebidpointstorotatetheWheelofFateclockwiseonespace;theymaydothisasoften e) item correspondingtotheirpositionsontheWheelofFate. only bedoneonceperround.OnceallWheelofFateadjustmentsaremade,playersreceivethe of Bidtokensmaybeallocatedtoeitherthetwotracks.Turnorderisnotrelevantforplanning. plan howtoallocateBidtokenstheirEnergyandTimetracksonCharactercard.Anynumber a) Quill. ItispossiblethattheplayersmaypayenoughtocancelEventbutnot above thecosttocancelEvent;37+12= advancing onespaceontheSearchForShakespearetrack.Thiscostsplayersanextra12bidpoints bid points.Additionally,theQuillonEventcardmaybecancelledtopreventKingRichardIIIfrom players mustpay(2x8=)16bidpointsinadditiontothecostindicatedonEventcard;21+37 the Eventis21bidpoints.Unfortunately,therearealsotwofaceupIagocardsinplay.Tocancel cancel The Eventcard Event PhaseExample Time track Jester cards,variousAction andthe‘CheapEnergy’Areatokenmayprovevaluable duringplanning. Quests. round. PlayersrequireEnergytomovetheirpawnsfromAreaandcompletevarious Used BidtokensareplacedasideandnotavailableagainuntilthePrepPhaseofnext be skipped.PlayersmayincreasetheirEnergylevelsasoftentheyarewillingandabletopay. Energy levelscannotbeincreasedbeyondthelimitsoftrack,norcananlevel The cost,inbidpoints,toincreaseoneEnergylevelislistedatthebottomofeachlevel. Energy track Wheel ofFate:TheFateiscontrolledbythelastplayerinTurnOrder.Thismay Planning: UsingsomeoftheirremainingBidtokensascurrency,playersmayfreelydiscussand THE BETTERPARTOFVALOUR

49 totalbidpointsarerequiredtocanceltheEventand isdrawnina4-playergame.Thecostto counter-clockwise onespace;thiscan

8 GAME PLAY GAME 9 10 Each player may place as many Bid tokens as necessary with their bid point values faceup on their Phase 4: Action 11 8 Time track. This represents ‘Time’, which is necessary to complete various Quests in the Action 8 Phase. In turn order, each player must take one of the four possible Actions. After their turn is complete GAME PLAY In the event players overpay the cost, change is not provided. the active player removes one Influence marker from their pile on the Turn Order track and sets it adjacent to their stack, so Turn Order may still be identified after all turns are complete. Once all In- b) Competitive Bids: Players competitively bid on Turn order, Prophecy cards, and Troop cards fluence tokens are removed, the Action Phase is complete. In a 2, 3, or 4-player game each player has using the last of their Bid tokens as currency. A maximum of two Bid tokens may be used to bid on 4, 3, or 2 Actions (respectively) available to them each round. each item; players may also choose not to bid on any item. Bids on all three items are made before they are all simultaneously revealed. Possible Actions: GAME PLAY If a 2-9 was rolled in step ‘d’ of the Event Phase, a player may be awarded with an Action card if a) Complete a Face-up Quest (from the Quest track) they make one competitive bid of exactly the same value as the dice result. This is only awarded ● Input Requirements: The active player must have their pawn in the first Area (‘1’) and satisfy all once per player per round. additional input requirements on the Quest card. Inputs that are greyed out are discarded; inputs in The ‘Spy’ card and the appropriate Action card may be used to look at all of the face-down cards in one, or all, color are not discarded and are kept by the active player. Quests may be completed in any order. of the card tracks. ● 2-player Quests: Some Quests require two players to complete. The active player must meet all Turn Order Each player (in turn order) places zero, one or two Bid tokens next to the Turn Order track. The first Bid token is played faceup. The second Bid token (if used) is placed facedown as a closed bid. Information Cards Each player (in player order) places zero, one or two Bid tokens next to the Information card track. The first Bid token is played faceup. The second Bid token (if used) is placed facedown as a closed bid.

Troop Cards The Quest Each player (in player order) places zero, one or two Bid tokens next to the Troop card track. The first Bid token is played faceup. The second Bid token (if used) is placed facedown as a closed bid. Required Location If a player has the ‘blind bid’ Area token, their first Bid token for all categories can also be placed facedown. Requirements to Complete Quest c) Resolve Bids Simultaneously flip over and reveal all facedown Information and Troop cards along with any face- down Bid tokens used for the Turn Order, Information Card, and Troop Card bids. Quest Reward Juliet’s +2 token and the +1 Area token may be used after all bids are revealed. If necessary, these tokens are resolved in turn order. Hard Quest Easy Quest

Each of the three bid items is resolved in the same order they were bid on. Falstaff wins any draw, otherwise draws are broken in turn order (which may change when the bids are resolved!) the input requirements listed on the Quest card (as above). The second, or non-active, player is Turn Order: In order from highest to lowest bid, each player chooses a position on the Turn Order only required to have their pawn in the second Area (indicated on the Quest card with a ‘2’). The track. active player may ask a non-active player to move their pawn to the second Area if there are no player pawns already there (see ‘Movement’ on page 12). Information Cards: In order from highest to lowest bid, each player selects one card from the Information card track. If playing with 2 players, see the Special Rules section. A non-active player may not leave an Area, nor decline to help the active player if they are al- ready in the required Area to complete a 2-player Quest. If there are two or more non-active Troop Cards: In order from highest to lowest bid, each player selects one card from the Troop card player pawns in the required Area, the active player may choose who will help. track. If playing with 2 players, see the Special Rules section. ● Rewards: The active player takes and keeps the Quest card and receives all of the rewards ● If a player “wins” an Iago card, it is placed faceup on the Iago card stack. The player loses 1 listed on the bottom. For 2-player Quests the second, non-active, player is always awarded with Victory Point (or 2 if the player is Othello). two Victory Points and an Action card for their assistance.

● If a player did not place a bid (either by force or by choice) or bid a total bid point value of ‘0’ b) Move Influence Markers on the Information or Troop cards, they do not ‘win’ a card – the card is unclaimed. Unclaimed The active player may move up to two of their Influence markers on the map to an adjacent Area; Iago cards are placed faceup on the Iago card stack next to the Event deck; all other unclaimed the markers’ starting Areas and destination Areas need not be the same. cards are discarded. Place Influence Marker ● If, at any point in the game, a fourth Iago card is placed faceup on the Iago card track King c) Richard III advances one space on the Search For Shakespeare track. The fourth Iago card is dis- The active player may take one of the two available Influence markers on their Character card (from carded but the previous three Iago cards remain in place – they are not discarded. step ‘g’ of the Prep Phase) and place it in the same Area as their pawn. The Influence token does not 8 12 GAME PLAY Destroying aStrongholdisresolved asfollows: mia-5, Arden-6,Avon-6). hold’s symbolonthegameboard(Prospero-3,Messaline-4, Delphos-4,Cawdor-5,Maentua-5,Bohe markers intheAreathanStronghold’sDefenserating, whichisindicatednexttotheStrong- is liberated.AnArea’sStrongholdimmediatelydestroyed whentherearemoreplayerInfluence Siege andDestroyaStronghold:AnArea’sStrongholdmayonlybedestroyedafterthe Areaitself Area tokenisremovedfromtheowningplayer’sCharacter cardandfromthegame. Warning! The battleisresolvedasfollows: Richard III’sInfluencemarkers.AllplayerswithintheAreamustparticipatebattle. A battleisimmediatelytriggeredinanAreawhentheplayers’InfluencemarkersoutnumberKing Battle KingRichardIII–LiberateAnArea: they like(providedhavethemeanstodoso): In additiontotakingoneActionontheirturn,theactiveplayermayalsodofollowingasoften ers mayonlytakeoneextraActionperround,regardlessofhowmanycardsorabilitiestheypossess. granted attheendofActionPhase.AnyextraActionstakenareresolvedinturnorderandplay- Extra Action:Ifanyplayer(s)possessacardortokengrantinganextraAction,theseactionsare The activeplayermaygaintwoEnergyinlieuoftakinganAction. d) come fromtheplayer’sreserve. marker startedthegame); this playerisnowtheAreaLeader. their reserveandplacesitnext totheStronghold’ssymbol(whereKingRichard III’sInfluence playerwiththemostInfluenceinStronghold’s AreatakesanInfluencemarkerfrom ● The The AreatokensarefurtherdescribedontheDecoding theIconspageonbackofrulebook. awarded theAreatokenandplacesitoncorresponding AreaspaceontheirCharactercard. theendofabattle,oneplayer’sInfluencetokenwillbeleftinArea.Thisplayeris ● At ea’s Stronghold. Stronghold symboltoindicatethattherebellionmaynowattemptsiegeanddestroyAr Areaisliberated!Remove KingRichardIII’sblackInfluence markeradjacenttotheArea’s ● The his pawn.Hispawnwillalwaysbethelastmanstandingafterbattle. is notremovedandstaysintheArea.HedoesreceiveaKingRichardIIIInfluencemarkerfor Othello’s pawncountsasoneInfluencefortriggeringabattle.Duringbattleresolutionhis tle tokens(inthePrepPhaseandatgame’send). to theirsupply;KingRichardIII’sInfluencemarkeriskeptandmaybeusedexchangeforBat- ard III’sInfluencemarkersareremovedfromtheArea.Playersreturntheirmarker(s) markers andoneofKingRichardIII’sInfluencemarkers.ThisisrepeateduntilallRich reverseturnorder,eachplayer withInfluenceintheArearemovesoneoftheir ● In Phase (asdescribedabove). card. Theplayermaydothisasoftendesired,butonlytakeone‘ExtraAction’perAction Action’Card:Theactive playermayexchangeany ● ‘Extra * HamletreceivesonefreemovementtoanyAreaeveryround. to dosohelpcompletea2-playerQuest.Thenon-activeplayermuststillpaytheEnergycost. A non-activeplayermaymovetheirpawn,butisnotobligatedto,onlyiftheactiveasksthem Itcosts1EnergyforaplayertomovetheirpawnfromoneAreaanadjacentArea. ● Movement: player andneednotbeconsidered‘fair’.Onlycardscantraded. (ordonate)anycardswithotherplayers.Alltrades/donationsmustincludetheactive ● Trade: Take NoAction IfatanypointKingRichardIIIregainsInfluencesuperiority inapreviouslyliberatedArea,the

threecardsforone‘ExtraAction’

- - - duced tozero.KingRichard IIIadvancesonespace(twospacesiftheAreaisAvon) ontheSearch rebuilt byKingRichardIII. TheAreaisforeverlosttotherebellionanditsHope isimmediatelyre- Influence markersthanthe sumoftheplayers’InfluencemarkersinthatArea, the Strongholdis If attheendofActionPhase anAreawithadestroyedStrongholdhasmore KingRichardIII Rebuild aStronghold: game; ignoreallfuturemovementordersforherduring theEventphase. If theStrongholdinTheForestofArdenisdestroyed, LadyMacbeth’spawnisremovedfromthe A setupforBattleRichard. A liberatedcity. Leader. the Stronghold.Anyremaindersareroundeddownand areadditionallyawardedtotheArea equal totheArea’sremainingHopedividedbynumber ofplayersinvolvedindestroying Area, areawardedVictoryPoints.Eachparticipating playerreceivesanumberofVictoryPoints playersthathelpeddestroyaStronghold,byhaving ● All Ties aresettledinplayerorder.Falstaffwinsanytieheisinvolved in. one ormoreInfluencemarkersinthe

8 GAME PLAY GAME 13 8 14 GAME PLAY loses twoVictoryPoints,andtheAreatokenisremovedfromtheirCharactercard. Influence markeradjacenttotheStrongholdsymbolforoneofKingRichardIII’s.TheAreaLeader For Shakespearetrack.RemovetheArea’sHopediefromgameandexchangeAreaLeader’s The remainderoftheScoringCategoriesarebasedon individualperformanceandareasfollows: Scoring Categories–IndividualPerformance: The RelativeScoringCategoriesarethefollowing: all ties. awarded VictoryPoints;ifthereisstillapositionavailabletobescored,itis.Reminder:Falstaffwins rank ofaparticularScoringCategory,individuallycountalltheplayersthathavealreadybeen To determineifadditionalVictoryPointswillbeawardedtoplayersthatfinishedbelowthetied In theeventofatieforanyrank,alltiedplayersreceivefullVictoryPointamountthatrank. the game: how theydidrelativetoeachother.TheawardedVictoryPointsdependonthenumberofplayersin The VictoryPointsawardedinthreeoftheScoringCategoriesaredependentonaplayer’srank,or Scoring Categories–RelativeRank: Phase 5:Scoring of theVictoryPoints. If morePlayershelpdestroyaStrongholdthanthereisHopeintheArea,thenAreaLeaderrecievesall has themostInfluenceinArea;HamletandFalstaffgetonepointeach. Juliet, HamletandFalstaffconquerAvon,whichcurrentlyhas4Hope;Julietgetstwopointsbecauseshe Example ofVictoryPointReward: 5) Eachplayerrevealsand scoresthetotalvalueoftheirBattletokens.tokens arenotdis- carded aftertheyscore(Round 3);playerskeepthemforfuturescoringortrading opportunities. 1, 2,or3+Iagocardsaward 0,1,or3VictoryPointstothepossessingplayer.Iago cardsarenotdis- instance, theplayertakesafaceup Iagocardfromthetrack(ifavailable). A Iagocardcanbeearnedby exchanging theJestercardforitorbyaccomplishingcertain Quests.Ineither 4) EachplayerearnsVictoryPointsforIagocardsin their possession. Points. TheQuest’sdifficultylevelisnotimportant. 3) MostQuestscompleted.Aplayermusthavecompleted atleastoneQuesttoearnanyVictory tory Points.(Recallthatan‘AreaLeader’isdeterminedwhenitsStronghold isdestroyed). 2) MostAreasas‘Leader’.Aplayermustbean‘Area Leader’inatleastoneAreatoscoreVic 1) MostInfluencemarkersonthemap. players:Thefirst,second, ● 4 players:Thefirstandsecond playersreceive3and1VictoryPoints(respectively) ● 3 players:Thefirstplayerreceives 2VictoryPoints ● 2 Prep Phasewithoneexception:eachplayermayonlymakeexchange. Battle tokens.PlayersfollowthesameprocedureandguidelinesasdescribedinPart‘d’of ● Areas, headvancesonespaceontheSearchForShakespearetrack. ● Round 6Only:Inturnorder,playersmayexchangeKingRichardIIIInfluencemarkersfor Round 3Only:IfKingRichardIIIhasmore Influence markersthantheplayersinatleastfive (onlyinRounds3and6) andthirdplayersreceive3,2,1VictoryPoints(respectively)

- AnAreahasnostacking limitandmaycontainanycombinationofplayers’ Influencetokens. ● possess andthevalue quantity oftheirBidtokens;thesemaybekepthidden. Playersmustkeep alloftheirinformationpublicexceptforthevalue ofanyBattletoken(s)they ● wins thetie. wins! IfFalstaffisnotinvolvedinthetie,thenplayercurrentlyfirstpositionforturnorder the mostVictoryPointsisHero(andgamewinner).IneventofatieinvolvingFalstaff,he If therebellionsurvivestoendofgame,aHerowillemergefromitsranks.Theplayerwith game endsinimmediatedefeatforallplayers: If atanypointduringthegameoneoffollowingconditionsismet,rebellionfailsand End Conditions: round. Therebellionwastooslow,unorganized,andultimatelyuseless. KingRichardIIIhas13or ● If feat forallplayers. AreashavezeroHope.The people’sspiritsarecrushed ● 4 limps on! on theSearchForShakespearetrackgoesbackonespace.livesandrebellion turn orderthefirstplayerwhohasaJestercardmustplayit;KingRichardIII’sInfluencemarker Shakespeare track).Ifthisoccurs,fatemayrewardtherebellionwithasecondchance.Inreverse RichardIIIfindsandkills Shakespeare(byadvancingtothefinalspaceonSearchFor ● King have atleastoneInfluencemarkerpresent.TheawardedVictoryPointsare: 9) Round6Only:EachplayerreceivesVictoryPointsforthetotalnumberofAreaswherethey Otherwsie alltiedplayersreceiveoneVictoryPoint. completed themostHardQuestsbothearnoneVictoryPoint.Incaseofatie,Falstaffwins. 8) Round6Only:TheplayerwhohascompletedthemostEasyQuestsand is determinedwhenitsStrongholddestroyed). 7) EachplayerearnsoneVictoryPointforeveryAreathatthey‘Lead’.(Recallan‘AreaLeader’ 6) EachplayermaydiscardanynumberofJestercardsforoneVictoryPointeach. carded aftertheyscore(Round3);playerskeepthemforfuturescoring6).

Othello’s pawncountsasoneInfluencemarkeronthemap. 7-8 areas 3-4 areas 1-2 areas 6 areas 5 areas moretotalInfluencemarkersonthemapatendof6th SPECIAL RULES 5 points 0 points 3 points 2 points forgoodandtherebellionendsinde- 1 point

8 GAME PLAY GAME 15 16 17 8 ● If, at any point in the game, a fourth Iago card is placed faceup on the Iago Expert Game Play (Setup Changes) 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS card track King Richard III advances one space on the Search For Shakespeare ● Place the Quill token further along on the Search For Shakespeare track. track. The fourth Iago card is discarded but the previous three Iago cards re- main in place – they are not discarded. The faceup Iago cards may only be re- ● Add one extra black Influence marker to one or more Areas. Players may work up to and moved when an Event is not cancelled, when a player is awarded with one for decide what is appropriate for their gaming preferences. completing a Quest, or when a player uses a Jester card to take one. ● Reduce the Hope of one or more Areas by one. Jester Cards May Be Used in the Following Ways: Novice Game Play (Setup Changes) ● Event Phase: To turn the Wheel of Fate one step counter-clockwise (Event ● Place the Quill token off the Search For Shakespeare track. Move it to the starting position, phase: Step ‘e’). marked with a star, when King Richard III makes his first advance on the track. ● Action Phase: As a wild card to replace any Information (Stolen Letter or City ● Each Area starts with four of King Richard III’s black Influence markers; Avon and The Forest Plan) or Troop (any value) cards of Arden do not receive any additional markers. required to complete a Quest. GAME PLAY EXAMPLE ● Increase the Hope of one or more Areas by one. ● Anytime: o To move King Richard III’s Influence marker back one Other Game Play Variants space on the Search For Shakespeare track. ● The Quests of Kill Shakespeare are written as thematic sets. Players may be awarded two extra o To take one faceup Iago card from the Iago card track. Victory Points for collecting all three parts of a specific Quest set. Players keep any Iago cards removed this way to score in the scoring rounds (rounds ● Play the game until players eradicate all of Richard III’s black Influence markers from the 3 and 6). board. The game ends as soon as the last black Influence marker is removed from the map. o A player may increase their Character’s Energy to their maximum level at no cost. ● Game End: Jester cards are worth one Victory Point each.

2-Player Game Setup Rules ● Setup: o Use the 2-player side of the Character card. o Put one non-playing, or neutral, pawn next to the game board. ● Bidding Phase: Four cards are placed in the Information and Troop card tracks (as done in a 4-player game). The winning bidder chooses one card first; then the second player chooses one card. The winning bidder then selects a second card followed by the losing bidder. ● Action Phase: o All players have four Actions. o If the second, non-active, player does not want to or can- not help with a Quest that requires two players, the active player may spend one Energy to place the neutral pawn in an Area of their choice in order to satisfy the Quest requirement. When the Quest is complete the neutral pawn is put back be- side the game board. VARIANT GAME PLAY The following are some suggestions to mix up the game play to either make it more challenging, less challenging, or simply different. Players are free to pick and choose any of the sug- gestions listed below in a particular category to tailor the Kill Shakespeare game experience for their own enjoyment. Players are also free to come up with their own variants – be inventive and enjoy! 8 18 THE CAST Othello Hamlet

Falstaff Viola Juliet return hometoDenmarkmeteoutbloodyjusticeuponhisfather’skillers. If HamletisproventobetheShadowKinghewillkillShakespeareandtakeQuillinorderbringhisfatherbackfromthedead King RichardIIIisconvincedHamlettheShadowmeansDanecanneverendaturninsameregionasRichard. Hamlet’s little desiretobecaughtupinthepoliticsofland.Vengeanceisallthatmatters. in amightytempestandwhenHamletawokehefoundhimselfIllyria.WhilemanyclaimthatmustbetheShadowKing,has The sonoftheKingDenmark,Hamletwasbanishedfromhishomeaftertryingtoavengemurderfather.Hisshipcaught Richard’s kingdomforahorse! complete withservantsandalarderfilled withspicedfoodandstrongdrinkwouldsuffice.Oh,maybeahorse wouldbenice.Yes, If Falstaffstumbleshiswayintolegend astheShadowKinghewillsaveShakespeareandaskforasmallreward: modest-sizedcastle never useshipstotravelorenterProspero’sIsland. The consummatesmoothtalker,Falstaffwinsalldrawsthatheisinvolvedwith inthegame,butbigmanisterrifiedofwaterandcan (mostly) soberwhentheCreatorreturns. ginning. Thebigmanvalueswine,womenandsong,butalsofaithfullybelieves inShakespeareandwouldlikenothingbetterthantobe A wonderfulpainintheass,Falstaffisanoftendrunkbutmorehelpful smugglerwhohasaidedtheProdigalcausesincebe- its wouldberulers. If ViolafightsherwaytobecomingtheShadowQueenshewillkillShakespeare andtakethequillherselfsothatshecanridIllyriaofall and Violawillbeatadisadvantagewhenevertroopsarecalledfor. Viola’s masteryofthewatermeansshecantravelfasterthananyothercharacterinIllyria,butherpiratecrewisunreliableafight nobody. ShefightswiththeProdigalsbecauseshewantsRicharddeadforwhathedidtomanloved. died fightingRichard’sfleetandhashiddenherselfintheCaptain’sclothingeversince.AsapirateViolabelievesanarchytrusts Viola isawomanwithsecret:shepretendingtobethefamedpirateCaptainCesario.tookmantleofCesarioafterherlover speare tounmakehimsothathecanbereunitedwithDesdemona. If OthellowinsthetitleofShadowKinghewillsaveShakespearebutcaresnotwhetherBardisgoodorevil;simplywantsShake- earn pointsbyplayinganIagocardandIago’snegativeeffectshurttheMoormorekeenlythananyoneelse. Because ofhisprowesswithabladeOthellocountsasanextrafighterinanyencounter,butOthello’shatredIagomeanshecannever paid -andwelltoaidtheProdigalcause. come asword-for-hire,hopingtofilltheholeleftinhissoul.Thesoft-spokenMoorisstilloneofgreatestfightersIllyriaandbeing After beingdeceivedintokillinghiswifeDesdemonabyformerlieutenantIago,Othellohasrejectedallrankandresponsibilitytobe- former glory. If JulietistheonetowearShadowQueen’smantle,shewillsaveShakespeareandaskhimusehispowerreturnlandits the Prodigalsmeansshehaslesstimethananyothercharacters. Because ofherkeenstrategicmindJulietgetsthelastwordamongstallplayerswhenshebidsonresources,butdemandsleading tial rolethehumbleJulietisuncomfortablewith. oppressed. Adynamicspeakerandresilientfighter,JuliethaswontheloyaltyofpeoplewhoseeherasanaturalnewQueen–poten- the younggirlhasrejectedCupidforembraceofacause,becomingheadProdigalrebellionandleadingfighttosave After afailedsuicideattemptfollowingthedeathofherloverRomeo,Julietwasspiritedawayfromhome,nevertoreturn.Sincethen charisma and THECAST eloquence allows him to charm the people of the land to aid him – giving him one free move a turn, but the fact that

be halfasamazingit. And allthosewhosupportedusthroughKickstarter,withoutyouthisgamewouldn’t Faber andBentoMiso,ColinYoungeveryoneatSnakes&Lattes. Tibor-McMahon, DanElliot,TaraLuxmore,AliceQuinnandDr.Comics,Henry Newal, DayaAlderfer,BebeandBobBobbyJamesMcMahon,Marian Galea, AndrewApangu,AlBugeja,RobChiasson,SteveLawlor,ClementWan,Ray David !Malki,GeoffMoore,ChrisSmith,SharonFleming,TedFrank Adams andeveryoneelseatIDW,WolfPlancke,ThomasVandeGiste,RyanNorth, Zimmerman, JerryBennington,NateMurray,NathanMcNair,GregGoldstein,Ted Del Col,LisaNewal,CrystalLuxmore,PeregrineKeithWTSMorris,Sam Owen andElizabethMcCreery,BrianAnnaDelCol,JimMarianne The creatorsofKillShakespearewouldliketothank: Jennie. would liketothankTashandJulie.SpecialthanksDavidMinkenhiswife Amber, andFreyaforthetimespentwithgamesinsteadofthem.WolfPlancke Thomas VandeGinstewouldliketothankhiswifeKarenanddaughtersBritt, Special ThanksTo:TedAdams,GregGoldstein,ChrisRyall,andRobbieRobbins. Production Management: Playtesters: DavidMinken,Pieter,Francis,Simon,ClintJohnson,andMikeFord Card Artwork: Cover Illustration: Photography: Logo Design:RobbieRobbins Board Design:EvanDerrick Graphic Design:SamanthaBarlinandEvanDerrick Art Direction: Writing: AnthonyDelColandConorMcCreery Murray, andChrisRyall Editing: JerryBennington,DavidHedgecock,NathanMcNair,Minken,Nate Product Development: Game Development:NathanMcNair Game Design: DelaneyMamerandRobbieRobbins ThomasVandeGinsteandWolfPlancke RobbieRobbins J.K.Woodward GlennFabry JerryBenningtonandNateMurray CREDITS KathyCheongandThomasCho

8 CREDITS 19 Decoding The

Energy Energy Cost Energy Energy Above Energy Below Starting Point Starting Point Starting Point

Port Stolen Letter Movement between any City Plans Find Shakespeare Areas costs one Energy Troops

Spy Action Token Iago King Richard Lady Macbeth Player Icon Peek at ALL hidden cards

Dice Re-roll Dice Influence Replace Influence Move Influence

Blind Bid Hidden Card Eight-sided Dice Bid Token Bid with ALL tokens Card Peek at hidden cards in facedown one track

Positive Attributes Additional Action Unavailable/Removed Total Number Total Number Reduced

Time Hope Victory Points Stronghold -1 Defense