The Mordred Variant
This tough variant is only recommended for experienced players of The King is Dead.
The mad King Mordred has been killed, but his Followers remain to plague the land. The black Followers represent Mordred's loyalists, disrupting the hard-won peace and sowing dissent in Aquae Sulis and Din Eidyn. The rules are followed as usual, but there are additional considerations to be aware of.
During setup, Aquae Sulis and Din Eidyn each start with 1 black Follower Cube. Consequently, only 3 random Followers will be placed in these regions.
Every time a power struggle is resolved an additional Loyalist Follower is placed in the region that matches the color of the flag on the Region Card's edge.
Resolving Caledonia, Din Eidyn, Ratae or Deva adds a black Follower to Aquae Sulis, while Caerleon, Eboracum, Londinium or Aquae Sulis add a black Follower to Din Eidyn. If the corresponding region has already been resolved no Loyalist Follower is placed.
The Loyalist Followers do not count as 'normal' Followers. They can never be taken by a player into their court, nor can a player add them to the board. However, they can be switched using the Garrison and Ambassador Action Cards.
Loyalist Followers do count when determining control of a region. They can take control, or cause a Saxon invasion just like the Followers of the normal factions.
If the Loyalists win a power struggle, the very fabric of society is threatened and the game immediately ends. The controlling faction and the winning player is determined in the same manner as the Control ending, with these exceptions:
If there is no winning (or tie-breaking) faction due to a lack of power struggles, then the factions unite against the threat: the player with the highest total number of Followers at court wins.
If there is still a tie, the player who last played an Action Card wins due to authoritative leadership.
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