You are the head of a cabal bent on building a shadow empire of provinces, kings, and religions in the 13th Century. Great kingdoms unwittingly do your bidding, and their wars and Crusades only further your ultimate aim—control of the medieval world.
Regions and rulers, along with entire kingdoms, will fall as you scheme and battle for dominance. But you're not alone. Other cabals forge plots of their own and wage shadow wars against you with armies and navies, assassinations and papal schemes, and heretics and spies.
Wage war, unleash the plague, excommunicate the unworthy, and drive back the Mongol hordes. Add in a few disasters, claims of heresy, and a Mongol invasion to end the game, and you've got an evening.
The object? Spread your influence by controlling regions of Europe, the East, and North Africa—all while driving back the Mongol hordes.
Your turn consists of playing action cards (some mandatory, some optional), collecting income, and attacking opponents. All of this is done to acquire more provinces, which provide income for you and are how the game is won. The game ends after the 7th attack by the Mongols (a non-player power that attacks from the East).
This second edition of Medieval features a full-on graphic and component overhaul of the original, mounted map (in lieu of cards), streamlined rules, and new optional rules for games with one, two, and six players.
