Field of the Cloth of Gold

+ +

+n June 1520, at Balinghem, there met the +young and glorious Kings of England and of +France in a grand and splendid celebration of +their mutual friendship and admiration. There +were great feasts and opulent amusements, +conspicuous expressions of deepest and sincerest +piety, and fierce tournaments. Each King outshone the +other in turn, so that the world might be astounded at the +wealth and power of each kingdom. So many tents and +raiments were made of precious cloth of gold, that the +field is so named. + +

+In this game, two players briefly assume the roles of these +divine majesties. If you are afeared of the weight of the +crown, and all its worries, fear not: this amusement only +requires you revel in the greatness of your kingdom, not +to rule it. + +

+Equipment +

+ +

+ +

+Enclosed with these Laws of Play shall be also found: + +

a small board, made of fine canvas; +
seven tokens of wood, three red and +three blue, and one white (the last, +called "the Dragon"); +
tiles numbering fifty and four, in +blue (beasts), red (tournaments), +gold (cloth of the same), white (piety), +and green (jewels). +

+ +

+Mark well, the board contains not only +seven oval spaces - six of which are +associated with square tile spaces, and +one the Dragon - but also a Track of +Scoring. This Track is divided five times +into rows. The row a player's token +occupies upon this Track determines both +the tiles they might gain by Secrecy, and +the Points they might gain upon the game's conclusion. + +

+Preparation +

+ +

+First, place the board of canvas upon the table, and each +player be given three tokens of their chosen color. Each +player places one of these on the Track of Scoring, at "0". + +

+Second, place the fearsome Dragon upon the space that +bears its mark. + +

+Third, reserve the six green jewels. The other tiles should +be shuffled in such a manner as to not reveal them. You +may wish to borrow a small sack or goblet for this +purpose. Call this collection of hidden tiles, the +Darkness. Each player draws two tiles from the Darkness +into their Hand, known only to the player who holds +them. The six jewels are plunged into the Darkness. +Then, the eldest player must draw and place one tile for +each square space on the board. + +

+Play begins with the youngest player, or the player who +last lost the game. + +

+Hands and Courts +

+ +

+Players possess tiles in their Hand, and also their Court: + +

+Tiles in their Hand are known only to them, and +they must conspire to Reveal them, thus placing +them in their Court. +
+Tiles in their Court are known to both players, and +these tiles may be Scored. +

+ +

+Players gain new tiles either through Secrecy, or as a Gift: + +

Tiles gained through Secrecy are placed in their Hand. +
Tiles gained as a Gift, in their Court. +

+ +

+Flow of Play +

+ +

+On a player's turn, they must move one of their two +tokens into an empty oval space - that is, a space that +holds no tokens, nor the Dragon. On their first and +second turns, they must move their tokens onto the +board, and thereafter they must choose one token to +move from one space to an empty one. + +

+After moving the token, the player takes the tile associated +with that space, and presents it as a Gift to their rival. + +

+Then, the player resolves the action for that space completely. +(Hark ye the chapter below, called The Actions.) + +

+If the player moved their token from the Dragon's space, +move now the Dragon back to the space bearing its +terrible visage. + +

+Finally, if any empty oval space on the board has no tile, +a tile is drawn from the Darkness and placed face-up +within the empty tile space. Mark! A new tile is drawn +only when an oval space is empty of both token and tile. +To do otherwise is a foul corruption of this splendid and +winsome entertainment. A pox upon those who dare. + +

+Then, play passes to the rival player. + +

+The Actions +

+ +

+There be seven actions, each tied to an oval space, arranged + as follows. + +

+First, the Dragon: this moves the Dragon to any empty +oval space, excepting one that the moving player token +has immediately vacated. The tile for the space that now + holds the Dragon is the Gift for the rival player. + +

+Second, Secrecy: this gains tiles from the Darkness to the +player's Hand. The number of tiles thus gained is + dictated by the row they occupy on the Track of Scoring. + +

+Third, Gold (Cloth of Gold): Reveal all Gold tiles from +your Hand, placing them in your Court. If your Gold +tiles number greater than your rival's, score 2 Points +upon the Track of Scoring. If the number is equal, or +lesser, then no Points are awarded. Note well that no + tiles are Removed when taking this action. + +

+Fourth, Blue (Banquets and Feasts): Reveal all Blue +tiles from your Hand, placing them in your Court. If the +Blue tiles in your Court number only one, score 1 Point; +if they number two, score 3 Points; if they number three +or greater, score ye 6 Points. Never can you score more +than 6 Points in a single action. Upon scoring, all Blue +tiles in your Court are Removed from the game. + +

+Fifth, White (Godliness and Piety): Reveal all White +tiles from your Hand, placing them in your Court. For +each White tile, score 1 point. Upon scoring, all White + tiles in your Court are Removed from the game. + +

+Sixth, Red (Tournaments): Reveal all Red tiles from +your Hand, placing them in your Court. Then, both +players shalt compete in displays of manly violence: both +at the same time score 1 point for each Red tile in their +own Court. Note well that the rival player does not +Reveal new Red tiles, but only scores for those already +present. Upon scoring, all Red tiles for both players are +Removed from the game. Then, each player (beginning +with the acting player) takes new tiles via Secrecy, as if + they had taken the action of that name. + +

+Seventh, Purple (Collections): Reveal all tiles from your +Hand, placing them in your Court. A collection of four +tiles, one of each type save jewels, is deemed a Set, and +for each Set, score 2 points. Mark: no tiles are Removed + when taking this action. + +

+End of the Contest +

+ +

+If the last tile is drawn from the Darkness, or if one or +both players achieve a Score of 30 Points or more, the +game is ended immediately. Each player shall then score +additional points for Jewels and Gold. + +

+For Jewels, count their number in your Court, and +then for each Jewel, score ye that number of points. +Imagine three Jewels: then each Jewel scores three, a +comely sum of nine. + +
+For Gold, each tile in your Court scores the points +emblazoned upon your row of the Track of Scoring. + +

+ +

+The player with the highest score wins the game. If their +scores be the same, the player with the greater number of +White tiles in their Court is the winner. If these be the +same, the player with the greater number of tiles in their +Court, of all types, wins, and if this does not resolve it, the +two majesties do share victory. + +

+Credits +

+ +

+ Game Design: Amabel Holland. Layout: Mary Holland. + +

+2023 Edition Notes +

+ +

+I've always been fascinated by the Field of the Cloth of +Gold, and had for some time thought about how I might +make a game of it. In February of 2020, I realized that +June would mark the quincentennial, so if ever there was +a time to do the game, it was then. To release it in June, +we would need to take it from start to finish – design, +playtesting, art, layout – in only two months. + +

+That probably doesn't seem like a lot of time, but you'd +be surprised what can happen in a couple of months. +When I started the project, I was certain that I was a cis +man named Tom Russell. And that's the name that was +on the box when it was released in June. But by that +time, I already knew the name was a lie. + +

+The summer of 2020 was a complicated, messy part of +my life. I wouldn't be out as trans until October. I didn't +start using the name Amabel publicly until the following +March. In that period, we released five boxed games with +the old name on it – a name that I knew was wrong. + +

+I didn't really feel the need to change the name on those +boxes, or indeed any boxes released before the cracking +of my egg. I very much wanted to honor the weird sad +woman who didn't know she was a woman, who thought +"I'm not a tomboy, I'm a tomgirl" wouldn't get old. And I +wanted to honor the messiness of that early transitional +period. Except… + +

+Except that of all of those five games, I really wish that +Field had the right name on it. It's easily one of my most +popular and successful designs, and one with a much +broader appeal than my angry abrasive political games. +It'd be an easy game to recommend to people I meet who +aren't knee-deep in The Hobby, if not for the fact that it +has the wrong name on it. + +

+Mary told me, "well, we can just change it then", and I +knew that, but I'm stubborn and lazy, and if I changed +this one, why not those, et cetera. But then, in December +of 2022, our printer sent us a new counter template. + +

+What happened is that he had identified a potential issue +with the existing template for ¾" counters, and so made +a new template that would avoid it. I would then need to +layout the counters again for all games using ¾". And +one of these was Field. So, okay, might as well change +the name on the box while we're at it. + +

+Back in 2020, Field was designed for ¾" counters, as +they are larger and more appealing than our standard ⅝" +counters. A halfsheet of ¾" gave us 54 counters arranged +(on the old template) in four blocks of twelve and one +block of six. To prevent colors bleeding from one counter +to the next, each block needed to be of a single color. +And so I assigned each of my four tile types a block of +twelve. This left a block of six, which I gave to gold – +that's why there were eighteen of those tiles. + +

+That's been a source of complaint over the years. When +folks bounce off the game, invariably it's because of the +endgame scoring, and how often that can decide the +game. Mostly I roll my eyes at that, because, yeah, that's +the game – that's part of the decision space you need to +plan and adapt for. But at the same time, eighteen gold +tiles does make it harder to do that. So, when I was +laying out the counters on the new template, I decided, +on a lark, to try only twelve gold, and added six new +Jewel tiles. + +

+I liked it a lot! It adds some spice to the game without +detracting from its essential nature. In fact, I think it's +likely I would have thought of something like this if I had +had more than two months, or if I had been the person I +am now. + +

+The person whose correct name is at last on this box, +and is thanking you for buying it, whether for the first +time or the second. + +

+Amabel Holland +
+January 11, 2023 -- cgit v1.2.3