Virgin Queen (Version 1.5)

This module is in beta. Please report any problems or suggestions to jkoepp@gmail.com. Rules are not enforced. VP totals are not automated. If a message appears indicating a gain or loss of VPs, it's a prompt for the user to adjust the VP marker(s) accordingly.

Acknowledgments

Testing: Ed Beach, John Charbonneau, John Clark, Robert Davidson, Dan Gallagher, Javier Morilla
Custom Hand Zoom Code: Michael Kiefte

Scenarios

Choosing a Side

The power you choose gives you access to its hand of cards and treasures. For 2-3 player games, the player controlling Spain/France or England/Protestants must retire and switch seats when appropriate.
Ottoman
Spain
England
France
Holy Roman
Protestant
Solo/Referee

Number of Players

The Campaign and Tournament Scenarios are set up for 6 player games. For games with fewer than 6 players, use the Player Aids toolbar menu (2-5 Player Adjustments submenu) to trigger the setup adjustments listed below:
2, 3, 4 player games Removes Ottoman and Holy Roman home cards, removes War with Persia and War with Poland cards from the deck; adds German Intervention and The Sublime Porte cards to the deck. Removes Rudolf II royal and Ottoman/Holy Roman artists, scientists, sea captains, and patronage VP awards. Places starting diplomatic influence on Ottomans and Holy Roman Empire.
5 player games Removes Ottoman home cards, removes War with Poland and The Sublime Porte cards from the deck; adds German Intervention to the deck. Removes Rudolf II royal and Holy Roman artists, scientists, sea captain, and patronage VP awards. Places starting diplomatic influence on Holy Roman Empire.

In 2-5 player games where the Ottoman and/or Holy Roman are activated major powers, the activating power should use the Retire/Change Sides button in the toolbar and switch sides to Ottoman or Holy Roman as necessary to view and play that power's cards. When finished with the activated major's impulse, change back to your normal side.

Control Markers

Hex control markers (HCMs) and square control markers (SCMs) are in a separate layer from other game pieces to keep them from stacking together. To quickly review the religious status of map spaces, use the Religious/Political Control View button (next to the Hide All button) to toggle the visibility of everything except control markers.

Right-clicking empty map space (Note: top 2 options are disabled outside religious struggle areas):
Convert to Protestant Places HCM (Catholic side) matching default political control of space and flips it (Catholic religious home spaces only)
Convert to Catholic Places HCM (Protestant side) matching default political control of space and flips it (Protestant religious home spaces only)
Control Menu for placing HCMs matching default religious control of space
Unrest Adds Unrest marker if Catholic space; for Protestant religious space, adds HCM of default political control and activates Unrest layer

Right-clicking selected control marker:
Change Religion Toggles between Catholic and Protestant religious control (disabled outside religious struggle areas)
Unrest Adds an Unrest layer to the control marker or removes it if already active
Remove Only available on HCMs

If taking control markers from the palette (not recommended), always place HCMs on the side that matches the default religious control of the space. This will keep the count of Protestant spaces accurate (see below). Other features related to the religious powers:

Protestant Space Tracking

The Protestant Spaces marker cannot be selected or moved manually. It moves automatically as the Protestant space count changes and notifies you when to adjust VPs. To keep the count accurate, note the following:

Card/Treasure Play

Cards and Treasures are found on the Cards display, accessed with the button in the main toolbar. Use the toolbar menus on the Cards display to deal the appropriate number of cards and treasures to each power. At the start of Turn 2, use the toolbar button to give the Ottoman the Selim II card before dealing cards (if it hasn't already been played).

Each power's Home Card(s) start in its hand. When your power has both Home Cards available, choose the Discard action during Spring Deployment to send the one you don't want to hold this turn to your Power Card without revealing it. Playing as either CP or as an Event will place it on the Power Card and trigger a message. Home Cards are automatically returned face-up by advancing the Turn.

For live or non-ACTS play, the Hand Inventory window tracks the number of cards/treasures in each player's hand. Cards may be right-clicked and played for CP or Event--they can be dragged to the Discard Pile/Removed From Game pile if desired, but the right-click options add a message to the chat window for everyone's benefit. Treasures can be right-clicked and expended, sending them to the Treasure Discards. To retrieve a specific card from the Discard Pile, right-click the pile and choose "Draw Specific Cards". Cards are sorted alphabetically and display their CP value.

Cards that enter play in later turns are added to the Main Deck by right-clicking the pile on the Cards display. Note: The two cards in the Turn 5/Cath. Leag. pile should be added to the deck manually when appropriate. Home Cards that enter play later can be added to the owner's hand by placing them on the Power Card (or playing as CP/event, which accomplishes the same thing) before the Turn is advanced--then they'll be auto-returned to the owner's hand normally when it is advanced.

Treasures in the Spanish Treasures holding box on the map can be peeked at, but only by a player using the Spain side. Treasures in the Portuguese Treasures holding box cannot be peeked at by anyone, but can be discarded at the end of the turn if unclaimed. Treasures on the map can be awarded to a player if claimed in piracy.

Awarding Card Draws and Random Discards

For live or non-ACTS play, the toolbar buttons in each power's hand window give random draws and do random discards of cards/treasures. Some cards (Patron of Arts & Sciences, Taxis Family Couriers, Grand Tour, Sultana Safiye) allow a player to give a specific card to another player. Right-click the card you are giving and choose the receiving power to send the card to that power's hand. These options are only available when a card is in a player's hand.

Certain cards (Witchcraft, The Black Queen, Sir Edward Stafford) or a Gain Intelligence success can allow a player to see the contents of another player's hand. VASSAL can't make a player hand temporarily accessible to another player. Share the contents of your hand to the other player with a private message (in a live game) or use the camera button in your hand's toolbar to create an image to send by email (for a PBEM game).

Forces

Units for each power are stored on the Forces map window. Land units can be Eliminated via right-click option to return them to the correct stack in the force pool. Naval units and naval leaders are in a separate piece layer that draws beneath land units (and prevents naval and land units from stacking together).

Leaders

Leaders can be captured and sent to the captor's Power Card via right-click action, then ransomed back to their capital if previously captured. When a named leader dies due to Untimely Death, assassination, or a wedding table result, right-click and choose the type of death. When prompted, you must choose if the leader will be removed from the game permanently, or replaced by a Default leader and sent to the Turn Track. It is up to the players to know and choose the correct option: see the section of rule 5.1 on page 7 for full details.

Espionage

Each power's Informants (and Spain's Jesuits), Assassination Used marker, and Cipher Key are placed on its Power Card. Informants and Cipher Keys will trigger a message when moved to another power's Spying on You box.

Royal Weddings

Royals are removed from the game by using the Marries! right-click option after their wedding is resolved. Do not use this if the result says to return them to the pool. Valois royals are sent to the French power card with this option rather than being deleted. The royal trading cards are on the Weddings/VP display and separated into male and female decks. You can use these cards to show arranged marriages or view their marriage bonuses.

If a royal who is also a ruler dies (Husband Murdered result for male royals, Dies in Childbirth/Assassination for Elizabeth), use the appropriate right-click option. The power card will be updated with an overlay to reflect the change in that power's Admin rating and Card bonus.

Patronage

Artists and Scientists should be removed from the game after their attempts are resolved, unless the result says to return them to the available pool. If they are in a Patronized box, an option to Cancel Progress appears (use if Index of Prohibited Books or Philosopher's Stone is played). Both types of VP awards can be sent to the Bonus VP box of the claiming power by right-click option.

New World

Sea captains may use the Circumnavigates! action (returning them to their stack) when located in an eligible ocean zone on the World Map, but it is disabled on all captains after the second use to stress that only two VP awards are available. English sea captains with a Battle Rating of 1 can be Eliminated in Naval Combat and sent to the Turn Track, but only when located in a sea zone on the Europe Map.

Piracy markers are stacked on the Power Cards to enforce each power's limit of 3 attempts per turn.

Treasures stack with sea captains to make it easier to move a captain and his pirated loot.

Tutorial Scenario

When playing the Tutorial Scenario, note that advancing the Turn will send Spanish and Ottoman piracy markers to their default locations on the normal Power Cards. Simply drag them from the normal Power Cards to the Tutorial Scenario power cards after advancing to the next Turn.

End of Turn Effects

Advancing the Turn marker will remove Allied markers between major powers, return Piracy markers to the Power Cards, remove Loan markers from fleets, return neutralized Informants to their owners in a ready state, return all Assassination Used markers from the Turn Track, and return all Home Cards to the owner's hand face up and ready for use.