Overview
Fealty is a game of positioning and territory control designed by R. Eric Reuss (creator of Spirit Island) and published by Asmadi Games. Over eight rounds, players simultaneously select and place pieces onto a modular board, each piece carrying different abilities for claiming territory. The game features simultaneous selection with turn-order based on piece speed, creating a tense balance between placing powerful slow pieces and fast but weaker ones. At game end, pieces exert influence in order of speed to claim territory.
Components
- Modular duchy boards (form the playing area)
- Player piece sets (each with unique character cards)
- Character cards (3 per player hand, drawn from larger deck)
- Influence markers
- Score track
Setup
- Assemble the playing area from duchy boards (configuration varies by player count and scenario).
- Each player takes their set of pieces and shuffles their character cards.
- Each player draws 3 character cards as their starting hand.
- Determine starting player (or play simultaneously).
Turn Structure
The game is played over 8 rounds. Each round:
1. Card Selection (Simultaneous)
- Each player secretly selects 1 of their 3 character cards.
- All players reveal simultaneously.
2. Piece Placement (In Order)
- The player who played the lowest numbered card places first, followed by others in ascending order.
- Each player places the corresponding piece on the board following placement restrictions.
3. Draw
- Each player draws back up to 3 cards in hand.
End of Game (After Round 8)
- All pieces place influence in order of speed (fastest first).
- Each piece claims territory in its area of influence, blocking slower opposing pieces from claiming the same spaces.
- The player with the most influenced territory wins.
Actions
Piece Placement Restrictions
- You cannot place a piece on the same duchy as another player in the same round.
- You cannot place a piece in the same row or column where you have already placed a piece in a previous round.
- Pieces must be placed on valid terrain spaces.
Influence Resolution
- At game end, pieces resolve influence from fastest to slowest.
- Each piece projects influence over a specific pattern of adjacent spaces (varies by piece type).
- A space can only be claimed by one player; faster pieces lock out slower opposing pieces.
- Influence patterns vary by character type (some project in straight lines, others in specific shapes).
Scoring / Victory Conditions
After all 8 rounds, resolve influence for all pieces in speed order. Count the total number of spaces each player has claimed through influence. The player who controls the most territory wins.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Simultaneous selection: All cards are revealed at the same time, creating uncertainty about placement order.
- Speed vs. power trade-off: Lower-numbered (faster) pieces typically have smaller influence areas, while slower pieces are more powerful but risk being blocked.
- Modular board: Different duchy configurations change the spatial puzzle each game.
- Placement memory: Tracking which rows and columns you have used becomes increasingly important as the game progresses.
- Blocked placements: If you cannot legally place a piece, specific rules govern what happens (varies by scenario).
Player Reference
| Item |
Details |
| Players |
2-4 |
| Rounds |
8 |
| Hand size |
3 cards |
| Cards played per round |
1 (simultaneous reveal) |
| Placement order |
Lowest card number first |
| Influence resolution |
Fastest piece first |
| Win condition |
Most territory after influence resolution |
| Designer |
R. Eric Reuss |