Heart of Crown

Frequently Asked Questions

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Are there any recommended card sets?
Yes
Yes, there are several recommended card sets for a number of different play styles. See the connected rules linked here for what they are.
Are there any variant rules for Heart of Crown?
Yes
Yes. There are variant rules for a two-player game, there are variant rules to determine seating order, and there are variant rules for adding "Guardians" when playing with expansions.
How do I win? What are the victory conditions?
Achieve 20 Succession Points and hold a coronation ceremony. See the Basic Victory Conditions, Overtime Victory Conditions, and Judgement Victory Conditions for additional details.
What are the steps of the basic turn procedure?
How many cards do you draw to start the game?
5
Each player draws a hand of 5 cards from their draw pile.
Related Rule(s)
What cards are in the starting deck?
Each player begins with a starting deck of 10 cards: 7 Farming Villages and 3 Apprentice Maids.
Related Rule(s)
What are all of the different card types?
The seven main types of cards in this basic set are Princess, Territory, Action, Attack, Defense, Succession, and Calamity. Some cards may be multiple types, and some cards also have a sub-type (listed after the main type in parentheses).
What do the different parts of the Princess Card mean?
See the "Anatomy of the Princess Cards" section, linked here.
What do the different parts of the Common Card mean?
See the "Anatomy of the Common Cards" section, linked here.
What do the different parts of the Basic Card mean?
See the "Anatomy of the Basic Cards" section, linked here.
What do the different parts of the Rare Card mean?
See the "Anatomy of the Rare Cards" section, linked here.
When using Wishing Well, can I choose to discard zero cards?
Yes
Yes, though the number of cards you draw will also be zero.
When using Supply Unit, can I put an action card from my discard pile to my draw pile?
No
No, you cannot. Cards in your discard pile are not considered to be in your play area.
If I play 2 Supply Unit cards, can I use their abilities to return each other to my draw pile?
No
No, you cannot. When it says that you must use it on another card, it means a card that is not a Supply Unit.
What happens if there are no Curse cards left when I play Slash-and-Burn Farming?
No effect
In that case it has no effect. You do not get 2 Coins from a Farming Village through Slash-and-Burn Farming.
If I play 2 Slash-and-Burn Farming cards, can I get 3 Coins from one Farming Village?
No
No, you cannot. Slash-and-Burn Farming gives you 2 Coins from a Farming Village; it does not increase the number of Coins by +1.
If I use a Shinobi to copy a Supply Unit’s ability, can I put the Shinobi on top of my draw pile?
That is correct
That is correct. The text lets you put a card other than a Supply Unit to the top of your draw pile, and the Shinobi’s ability to copy a card’s ability does not change its name.
If I play an Infantry Battalion or Royal Guard to get Coins, can I then play a Shinobi to copy that ability and generate more coins?
These Coins are part of the card’s ability, so the Shinobi copies that as well.
If I use Shinobi to get the ability of an Attack card, does my opponent get to use a Defense card?
Yes
Yes. The Shinobi card gains the copied card’s type, and thus becomes an Attack that your opponent can defend against.
When the top card on a player’s draw pile is revealed, is it possible to use a Scout to discard that card?
Yes
Yes. Cards that are already revealed can be revealed again.
When I use a Refuge card as an Action card, can I add a card from the bottom of my draw pile that was put there by a Library to my hand?
No
No, you cannot. The card refers specifically to groups of cards that have been revealed on the top of the draw pile. It has no effect on revealed cards that are under the cards unrevealed.
When I use a Refuge as an Action card, can I add a card from my draw pile revealed by another card’s ability to my hand?
Yes
Yes. For example, you can add cards revealed by a Draft Notice or Scout card ability to your hand this way.
When I use Refuge as a Defense card, can I move Refuge itself to the top of my draw pile?
If I reveal 2 or more Rampart cards when defending, is their effect cumulative?
Yes
Yes, they are cumulative. For example, if you play 2 Rampart cards to defend against a Royal Guard card, the number of cards revealed from your draw pile is reduced from 3 to 1.
If I am getting a Curse card from playing a card like Curse Witch or Apprentice Witch, can I take a Magic Talisman from the Market instead?
No
No, you cannot. When a card ability says that you acquire Curse cards, you must acquire the indicated number of Curse cards of the Calamity type from the center of the table if you can.
With Buried Treasure, what happens if there are no cards left in the Supply pile?
You can still play Buried Treasure, but it has no effect.
Related Rule(s)
What happens if I use a City Development card to banish a Farming Village card from my hand and there are no City cards left in the market?
After you banish a Farming Village, the rest of the card’s effect does not take place, and you are unable to get a City. The Farming Village is still banished. (The same is true if you banish a City and there are no Large City cards left in the Market.)
Related Rule(s)
If I play a Contribution without having a Coin to pay, do I still need to banish a card?
You can still play the card if you don’t pay, but in that case the effect doesn’t activate.
We’re playing with 4 players. Player A plays a Curse Witch when there are only 2 Curse cards left. Who winds up getting the Curse cards?
When card effects apply to multiple players, implement them in turn order. If the turn order goes ABCD, when Player A plays a Curse Witch, it affects Player B, then C, then D. If you run out of Curse cards during this process, the remaining players are not affected.
When do I resolve an ability that banishes a Curse Witch in my hand?
Main Phase
During your Main Phase. This is a special Hand Activation Ability that does not activate when you play the card.
If I don’t have another card with a cost of 2 or higher in my hand, can I still play a Curse Witch (causing a misfire)?
You can play a card knowing it will misfire. The timing for using defense cards is very specific, and applies when you are resolving the attack’s effect on your opponent. In this example, they can learn whether the effect will misfire before they defend.
Related Rule(s)
Can I choose to pay zero Coins?
Yes
Yes. In that case you take zero cards from your discard pile.
Related Rule(s)
If I use Glamour Witch’s ability to discard multiple cards, does that mean I get to acquire multiple cards?
No
No, you do not.
Related Rule(s)
What happens if I use Glamour Witch’s ability to discard a card, but there are no more of that card left in the Market?
In that case you cannot acquire more of that card.
I bought multiple cards on a turn when I played a Government Contractor. How many cards do I put at the bottom of my draw pile?
As many as you wish
As many as you wish. You can decide how many cards to put on the bottom of your draw pile. Naturally, you can choose to not put any cards on the bottom.
Related Rule(s)
When I use an Imperial Estate’s ability, can I still buy cards during my Second Phase that turn?
Yes
Yes. Imperial Estate’s ability happens during your Main Phase.
Can I use Library’s ability to return cards like Imperial Estate (which is also a Territory card) to the bottom of the draw pile?
No
No, you cannot. The ability cannot return cards that include the Succession type.
Can I still buy cards or spend Coins on things like the Adventurer card’s ability while I have a Debt Counter?
No
No, you cannot. When you get Coins, they automatically go towards removing Debt Counters.
When opponent plays a military card, such as an Infantry Battalion or Imperial Calvary, can I reveal a Magic Talisman and resolve its ability?
Yes
Yes. You can use any Defense card against any Attack card. When you reveal a Magic Talisman from your hand, since it goes on top of your draw pile, the number of cards you can use Magic Talismans to defend against is limited by the number you have in your hand.
Since a Magic Talisman gets treated as a Curse, can I use abilities such as that of the Adventurer to banish it?
No
No, you cannot. You can however use Contribution to banish it.
Can I put cards in my Domain before I back a princess?
Is it possible to move territory cards from my field or hand to my Domain other than the moment I back a princess?
Not normally
Not normally. However, the Imperial Capital and Imperial Estate are Succession type cards, so you can play them in your Domain during your Second Phase. After that, you can keep Action Cards on the Imperial Capital and Imperial Estate.
Can I back another princess after I’ve already backed one?
No
No, you cannot. Once you back a princess, you cannot back another one, or change to a different one.
Can I still back a princess on a turn when I play less than 3 Territory Cards?
As long as you can pay the cost, you can back a princess regardless of what cards you’ve played on your turn. For example, you could use two Cities and a Trading Ship to pay to back a princess, and you would only move the two Cities to your Domain. Also, it is possible to have zero Territory Cards in your domain.
If there are no Territory Cards in my domain, can I still place Succession Cards there?
Yes
Yes, you can. Once you back a princess you have a Domain, regardless of what other cards are or aren’t there. This is true even if it has no Territory Cards in it.
What happens if I use a card like a Scout or Royal Guard to reveal a card on a draw pile, and a card has already been revealed?
It's revealed again
The revealed card is revealed again. The effect does not misfire, and you do not skip over cards that have already been revealed.
What happens if you already have 30 Succession Points before you declare a coronation ceremony?
You win immediately
In that case you win the game without having to wait to cycle through all of the players.
How does the Domain work and the cards with in it?
When a Domain is created, 3 of the Territory Cards used to pay for the Princess are placed in the Domain along with the Princess. Action cards from your hand can be stored on a Territory equal to or less than the cost of the Territory card instead of discarding them. These are referred to as “Action cards kept in your Domain.” When Succession cards are stored on a Domain, they are not attached to the Territory cards in the Domain but are placed near your Princess. When Succession/Territory cards are place in a Domain, they count as both Territory and Succession cards and can store cards like the Territories used to create the Domain. For example, if Imperial Estate is placed in your Domain, you can store cards on it as well as benefit from its Succession Points.
Can Battering Ram target any card in a Domain?
As the correction in the errata states, Battering Ram can only target action cards stored in an Opponent’s Domain on one of their Territories.
When do I shuffle my deck?
If an effect forces you to draw or reveal a card and there are no cards in your deck, you shuffle your discard pile to create a new draw deck and resolve the effect.
How do revealed cards work?
If a card instructs you to reveal a card or put revealed cards into your deck, then those cards stay revealed until you either draw them or discard them.
How do I use Defense cards like Rampart?
If you are using a Defense card to defend against an attack, you simply reveal it, do its effect and then return it to your hand. If you use a Defense card from your Domain you remove it from your Domain, resolve its effect and then return it to your hand.
How is Lain and Shion’s ability used?
By discarding a token on Lain and Shion, you can take a full turn after your current turn. Once you have completed that turn, play proceeds as normal. You may only discard one token per turn and you cannot use this effect on the additional turn.
Twin Princesses Lain and Shion’s ability lets me take an extra turn; if I declare a coronation ceremony and then use it, does that mean I win the game?
No
No, it does not. Winning the game requires not only declaring a coronation ceremony, but having all of the other players take their turns before you take another turn during which you can be counted as the victor.
How many times per turn can I use South Sea Princess Klam-Klam’s ability to reduce the buy cost of a card by 1?
As many times as you want, though only once per card bought. For example, you could buy 3 City Cards during one turn for a total of 6 Coins.
What happens if I use Scholar Princess Bergamotte’s ability when I don’t have any Action Cards in my discard pile?
You can still use this ability to discard non-Curse card from your hand, but if there are no Action Cards in your discard pile, her ability has no further benefit.
I backed Second Princess Laolilly when there are only 4 or less Royal Maids left in the Market. Does her ability still let me get all of those Royal Maids?
Yes
Yes. Second Princess Laolilly’s ability lets you get as many Royal Maids as there are left in the Market, to a maximum of 5. You can also voluntarily choose to take less of them. Naturally, you cannot acquire Royal Maids that are not in the Market.
What happens to the Farming Villages that are not moved to my Domain?
They're discarded
They are discarded during your Cleanup Phase as usual.
When backing a princess, can I choose not to move Territory Cards into my Domain?
You cannot
You cannot. When you back a princess, you are required to move the 3 highest cost Territory Cards you played during that turn into your Domain.
Can I buy Curse cards during my Second Phase?
No
No, you cannot. Curse cards are not considered to be part of the Market.
When I use an Adventurer’s ability to acquire a card, can I then put a Succession Card in my Domain during my Second Phase?
Yes
Yes. Acquiring a card from another card’s ability does not count as buying from the Market during your Second Phase. Handle this immediately after playing an Adventurer.
If I use a Shinobi to copy the ability of a Bank in my discard pile and then play another Bank from my hand, does the Shinobi not count towards the number of Banks I’ve played that turn?
Correct
That is correct. A Shinobi does not copy a card’s name, so it never counts as a Bank even if it has the ability of one.
If I use Bribery to buy an opponent’s card, can I then play a Succession Card in my Domain during my Second Phase?
No
No, you cannot. Bribery only applies to when you buy cards during your own turn, and thus you cannot both use it to buy cards and put a card in your Domain on the same turn.
If I am backing South Sea Princess Klam-Klam, can I use her ability to reduce reduce the cost of cards purchased using Bribery by 1?
Yes
Yes, as long as it doesn’t reduce their cost below 1.