Overview

Oriflamme: Alliance is the third entry in the Oriflamme series, playable standalone or combined with the base game and/or Ablaze. The core mechanics remain the same: players place cards face down into an Influence Queue, choosing when to reveal them to activate abilities and earn Influence Points. Alliance introduces new character cards and the Alliance ability token. After 6 rounds, the most Influence Points wins.

Components

• 55 Influence cards (11 cards in each of 5 colors/families)
• Influence Point tokens (values 1 and 5)
• 1 First Player tile
• 1 Resolution Direction tile
• Alliance-specific tokens and cards

Setup

1. Each player takes a complete family of cards (same color).
2. Set aside any special setup cards per the Alliance rules.
3. Shuffle remaining cards, remove 3 random cards face down. Keep 7 in hand.
4. Each player takes 1 Influence Point.
5. Remaining IP form the supply.
6. Oldest player is First Player. Place Resolution Direction tile.

Turn Structure

Plays over 6 rounds, each with 2 phases:

Phase 1: Placement

Starting with the First Player (clockwise), each player places 1 card face down at either end of the Influence Queue, or stacked on one of their own existing cards.

Phase 2: Resolution

Cards resolved in Queue order (per Resolution Direction):

• Face-down cards: Owner chooses to reveal (collect IP on card + apply ability) or keep hidden (+1 IP from supply placed on card).
• Revealed cards: Must apply ability each round.

Actions

Alliance introduces new character types that expand the card ability pool. The core system works identically to Oriflamme:

• Cards placed face down accumulate Influence Points each round they stay hidden.
• Revealing a card activates its unique ability.
• Eliminating any card earns the eliminator 1 IP.
• Stacking cards protects covered cards from resolution.
• New Alliance-specific characters introduce cooperative or betrayal mechanics between adjacent cards in the Queue.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• After 6 rounds, 1 card remains unplayed per player.
• Most Influence Points wins.
• IP remaining on cards in the Queue at game end do not count.
• Tiebreaker: Most cards remaining in the Influence Queue.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Can be combined with base Oriflamme and/or Ablaze: players select cards from available sets.
• Stacking rules identical to base game (covered cards inactive).
• Mandatory abilities must be applied even against own family cards.
• May peek at own face-down cards and setup-removed cards at any time.
• The Alliance-specific mechanics introduce new strategic dimensions to the placement and resolution dynamics.

Player Reference

Round: Place 1 card → Resolve Queue in direction order

Hidden card: +1 IP per round from supply

Revealed card: Collect IP + apply ability

Eliminating: +1 IP to eliminator

Game: 6 rounds; most IP wins

Compatible with: Oriflamme base game and Ablaze