Here I Stand (Version 2.6)

This module is in (perpetual?) beta. Please report any problems or suggestions to jkoepp@gmail.com.

Scenarios

Choosing a Side

The power you choose gives you access to that power's hand of cards. For 3, 4, or 5 player games, choose the appropriate pairing to gain access to both powers' hands.
Ottoman Ottoman/France
Hapsburgs Hapsburgs/Papacy
England England/Protestant
France Solo/Referee
Papacy
Protestant
To play the Two Player Variant, simply use the Papacy and Protestant sides.

Control Markers

Hex control markers (HCMs) and square control markers (SCMs) are in a separate Game Piece Layer from units and other game markers to keep them from stacking together. Use the Religious Control View button (to the right of the Hide All button) to toggle the visibility of all pieces except Control Markers to quickly review the religious status of map spaces. Unfortified spaces and fortresses without HCMs on them can be right-clicked to place HCMs. Key markers--with the exception of independent keys--cannot be deleted.

When a map space without a control marker is selected, there are a few right-click actions that can be performed:
Reform Places an HCM (Catholic side) matching the default political control of the space and flips it (Hapsburg, English, and French home spaces only)
Counter-Reform Places a Protestant HCM on its Catholic side and flips it (Protestant home spaces only)
Control Menu allowing placement of political control markers matching the default religious control of the space
Unrest Adds an Unrest marker if a Catholic space; for a Protestant home space, adds a Protestant HCM and activates the Unrest layer

Once a control marker is selected, there are a few right-click actions that can be performed:
Change Religion Toggles between Catholic and Protestant religious control (disabled in Ottoman home spaces)
Unrest Adds an Unrest layer to the control marker (or removes it if already active)
Jesuit University Places a Jesuit University (disabled until the Society of Jesus event has been played or if the space is under Protestant religious control)
Delete Only available on HCMs and independent SCMs
Each scenario starts with the correct number of SCMs on the map and Power Cards.

Protestant Spaces Tracking

The Protestant Spaces and English Home Spaces markers on the Religious Struggle card cannot be selected or moved manually. They will move automatically as the Protestant space count changes. To keep the count accurate, note the following: If a home space of a power goes into Unrest before it becomes Protestant, use an Unrest marker from the game piece palette. If it is still in Unrest when religious control changes to Protestant, remove the Unrest marker, right-click the empty map space and Reform it, then right-click the control marker to activate Unrest.

Card Play

While cards can be flipped by any player if they are on the board, your hand is locked to your power--other players cannot access it. If you need to reveal your hand of cards to another player (e.g., by play of Venetian Informant, Spanish Inquisition, or Papal Inquisition), you will have to send that information by email or private message. At this time, VASSAL does not support temporarily allowing player hand access to someone other than the owner.

Each power's Home Card(s) are placed in the hand initially. Playing as CP or as an Event will place it on the Power Card and trigger a message. Home Cards can be returned to your hand manually, or will be automatically returned by advancing the Turn marker.

For live play or for players who prefer not to use ACTS, there is now a Hand Inventory window to keep track of the number of cards in each player's hand. Use the button in the main toolbar to deal cards to all player hands (one person can do this at the start of each turn for everyone). All cards may be right-clicked and played for CP or Event.

Even if you are using ACTS for card-tracking, you will still want to retrieve some cards from the deck and leave them in the Discard Pile or off to the side so they are ready when needed.

The complete list of cards with "Play as Event" effects is below (consider these optional when using ACTS unless otherwise noted):

Cards can simply be dragged to the Discard Pile or Removed From Game pile if desired. To retrieve a specific card from the Discard Pile--e.g., with the Here I Stand Protestant home card--right-click the pile and choose "Draw Specific Cards". The cards are sorted alphabetically and display their CP value.

Cards that enter play in later turns can be added to the Main Deck by right-clicking on the pile in the Cards map board.

Awarding Card Draws and Random Discards

For users who prefer not to use ACTS or would like to play live, there are toolbar buttons in each player hand that will give a random card to another player and discard one random card. If you need to give a specific card from your hand to another player (e.g., using Diplomatic Overture), flip it face-down in your hand and then move it to the board for the recipient to retrieve. In a PBEM game, you may want to send a log to only the recipient so other players cannot peek at the card.

For PBEM games, each player giving up a card draw during diplomacy will need to log that themselves. Because of the way hand access works, it isn't possible for a single player to do this on behalf of someone else (you can get cards into another player's hand without having access, but can't get them out).

Forces

The units for each power are to be taken from the Forces map window, since a power's units are limited to the number of pieces in the physical version of the game. Units and fleets are hidden in a separate piece palette that is unavailable in-game to prevent creation of extra units. Naval units and naval leaders are in a separate game piece layer that draws beneath land units.

Henry's Wives

Right-clicking on each wife counter will show the set of possible dice results. Choosing one sends the wife to the correct box on the main map's Pregnancy Chart. The list of results gets smaller as attempts are made, and should work correctly. There are some awkward contingencies for sickly Edward, Elizabeth and Mary in Section 21.3 of the rules, so if you find something amiss, please let me know.

New World

Any empty colony box for your power can be right-clicked to add a colony marker (or you can simply move one from the palette manually).

The module keeps track of which discoveries and conquests have been made (and by which power). It will probably be easiest to use the right-click actions for Explorers and Conquerors rather than trying to drag them around manually. The Crossing Atlantic box can be right-clicked to add Exploration/Conquest Underway markers.

There is a shuffler for getting a random selection from a pool of Explorers and Conquerors. Simply drag the stack of pieces onto the box outlined in blue on the map, then drag a piece off. Despite the fact that all the pieces are face up and it may appear that the top one was taken, it is a random selection.

End of Turn Effects

Advancing the Turn marker will uncommit all debaters, remove Allied markers between major powers, remove Piracy markers, remove Loan markers from fleets, remove the Renegade leader (if present), and return all Home Cards to the owner's hand face up and ready for use.