The Old King's Crown · Board game rules
How do deployment and votes work together?
Quick answer
Deploying a Faction Card places it next to a Region for Clashes, while Votes (♂️) on cards contribute to Council benefits when the card is in a Council via Governing. Deployed cards do not automatically add Votes to Councils unless moved there through specific abilities.
Details
Deployment (Deploy Command):
The Deploy command allows a player to place a Faction Card from their Hand face-up next to a Region during an Action Step. When Deploying, the player adds Influence (♦) tokens equal to the card’s Deploy value (X) from the Reserve to the card. These tokens are removed in Winter unless the card remains Active. Deployed cards participate in Clashes in their Region but do not contribute Votes to Councils unless explicitly moved there [p.39 — Deploy].
Votes and Governing:
Votes (♂️) on Faction Cards are used when Governing, which involves moving a card with at least one Vote into a Council during Autumn or via specific rewards (e.g., Castle Location Reward). Each Council grants bonuses based on the number of Votes a player has there. For example, the Council of Oaths lets players return Supporters proportional to their Votes [p.43 — Councils].
Interaction:
Deployed cards (Active next to a Region) do not automatically contribute Votes to Councils. To use a card’s Votes, it must be in a Council. Some abilities, like the Castle Location Reward, allow moving an Active card directly into a Council, enabling its Votes to count. Otherwise, a card must be in a player’s Hand to Govern it into a Council during Autumn [p.31 — Govern].
Watch out:
If a card with Votes is Deployed, it cannot contribute to Council benefits unless explicitly moved there. Players must use abilities like the Castle reward or retrieve the card to their Hand (e.g., via Rally) to Govern it later.