Warlords of Ravenna
Check out the full-color rule book
(or the text-only version)
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Top Corner Media
Warlords of Ravenna
A card game for 2 to 8 players with either individual or team play.Players take turns placing cards that represent military strategies, renown Commanders and infamous Assassins. A player can place a card on themselves or on an opponent.A round ends when a player chooses to attack instead of drawing a card. The attacking player, and the one being attacked, total up their cards. The player with the highest total wins that battle (a tie goes to the attacker) and points are awarded for the round.The game ends when one player has scored enough points to be crowned 'Ruler of Ravenna.'
Check out the rule book.
Play now for free on Tabletopia.com.
Top Corner Media
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The complete game is available on Tabletopia.com.
Check out the rule book or play it for free.
Original Artwork --- New Face (with Txt2Img inset)
Lillas - more background
Meier - possible redo
Paikei - "Your face here"
Power - more color
Shaylin - canonically she is analogous to (despite artist depiction)
Southern European/Northern African, plus more background
Etienne - possible redo or more background
Commander Emillee
Assassin Isabelle
Shaylin PREVIEW
Lillas PREVIEW
Mustav PREVIEW
raw images for further designs
Emillee (updated with background)
Art Style
Generation 1
Generation 2
Generation 3
Generation 4
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Warlords of Ravenna
A card game for 2 to 8 players with either individual or team play.Players take turns placing cards that represent military strategies, renown Commanders and infamous Assassins. A player can place a card on themselves or on an opponent.A round ends when a player chooses to attack instead of drawing a card. The attacking player, and the one being attacked, total up their cards. The player with the highest total wins that battle (a tie goes to the attacker) and points are awarded for the round.The game ends when one player has scored enough points to be crowned 'Ruler of Ravenna.'
The Dream
[Shaylin the Wise]
Every night I have the same dream, a Dragon of pure light calls my name. When I draw near, she tells me that Ravenna will be the center of the world and we will lead all mankind.She shows me a great city that shines with the same pure light as she. I'm miles above the city, yet I can see into every shop, every house and every school. People are laughing and happy. Then the Dragon gently grabs my arm and points to the east.A great darkness is swallowing the earth, destroying everything as it spreads. The Dragon whispers that only Ravenna will be able to stand against the darkness, and only if we are united.I wake up when the darkness reaches the edge of the great city and I am in my bed, in a wasted land that has choked on the blood of it's own sons and daughters for over a hundred years.[The Kellmaran]
Yet tomorrow you will lead your troops into battle against their countrymen. Your dream makes you more guilty then any of your predecessors.[Shaylin the Wise]
I will see Ravenna united.[The Kellmaran]
No.
I've had the same dream, but in mine I was never told to spare you.
Work in progress.
Things covered prior to part IV:
A "chen" is an angel and "dia" is a prefix meaning "little" usually denoting "dear" or "sweet" as well. The soldiers have taken to calling Emillee "Diachen" since the first day she was found, having warned them of an impending attack (and being so small).
'Harmony' is the name of her horse.
Having been a significant contributor to strategy for quite some time, she's recently been officially given the rank of Captain.Part IVEver since Emillee got her own horse, even before she received a commission, she rode it slowly through the camp every day. She was always looking for anything out of place.“Diachen is watching over us,” the soldiers would say.Today, the officers in charge of payroll had a table set up in front of the food storage tents. Emillee rode behind them, along the burlap sacks filled with grain that were stacked three and four high.Instantly Emillee was off her horse, her hand gently closing the lid of the small chest holding the silver pieces to be paid to the enlisted. Harmony, as trained, stood perfectly still.“You've been paid.” Her hand rested on top of the closed lid.“I haven't. Check the records.”“You've been paid and I don't see the need for us to pay you as well.”“Can you please do something about this?” The accused was addressing the officer seated directly behind the small box Emillee still had her hand on.“Diachen is never wrong.” The lieutenant leaned back, folding his arms. Plus she now officially out-ranked him.“Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong.” Never breaking eye contact, Emillee seemed to have the larger stature despite being much smaller.“I...” The first word had an angry tone. “It's...” The second, imploring. Everyone could see the wheels turning as he was considering his next move. Finally he just exhaled.“Take him. Donate his sword and armor to those that had to fight by his side. Bring everything else to me.”Emillee went to inform her Commander that she had captured a spy.“Interrogations are handled by Captains,” he said pretending to be preoccupied with some letters and doing his best not to look up. “I'd let you handle it, unless you'd prefer to pass it off to a more experienced Officer.”“No Sir. I'll take care of it.” Emillee had always insisted on a level of formality with her step-father, even before becoming an officer.“Let me know, I would like be there.” So proud of his adopted daughter, he smiled as soon as she left.
#
Emillee wasn't going to question the spy until well after dinner. It's not that Emillee was trying to make him sweat, she just had no reason to hurry.“Tell them that if he's tied up extra tight, they can eat on duty,” she said quietly to the soldier she told to make up two plates of food. “Tell them I said 'my orders for treating prisoners still stand, but that spy gets nothing.' And they can gag him if he whines about it.”Her words were clear enough. It was always about the food with Emillee and those guarding shouldn't have to wait to eat. Usually prisoners ate almost as well as her own soldiers, but this one wouldn't and she saw absolutely no need to let him be comfortable either.Emillee took her time with every meal, this one would be no exception.
#
Emillee rarely asked a question she didn't already have the answer to. She'd always been that way. To her friends and family, it was adorably annoying. As Diachen, it could be downright terrifying.“Who do you work for?”“No. Please...”“Have you ever sabotaged any of our operations? Anything, no matter how small? Ever?”“No. I...”“Why are you here?” With her rapid-fire questions, she wasn't looking for answers. She was looking for a confession.He hung his head and did not say anything.“I told you this wouldn't take long,” she said to her lead lieutenant and started out of the tent. “Kill him.”“No. Wait. Shaylin. Wait. I work for Shaylin.”What Emillee had actually said to her lead lieutenant before going in, was 'This won't take long, but don't kill him. I need him to deliver a message.'“Here is a letter... Look at me,” Emillee snapped her fingers in his face. She was livid having a spy in her midst, almost as if it were a personal affront. “Here is a letter I've written to Shaylin, and I'll tell you what it says because I want to be sure she gets the message. It says I will unite Ravenna and there can be a place for her in it. Or she can be part of what's cut from it.”The spy was not the first person to wonder how. He was also not the first to dare not ask.“And tell Shaylin that if she wants to know anything else about my army, come ask me personally,” Emillee strode out.“Diachen wants that letter delivered immediately,” her lieutenant said as he released the spy. “I'm giving you my water flask because you should start running now.”Her adopted father, the Commander, had been there to see the whole thing. Standing in the back, behind the other officers, he wanted to see how she handled her position now that it was official.For a brief moment he allowed himself to dream about life in a Ravenna united.
Isabelle the assassin is determined, self-possessed and mendacious.She's 10 percent 'Alice in Wonderland', 20 percent 'Dexter', 40 percent Zach Braff from 'Scrubs' and 30 percent Julia Garner in 'Inventing Anna'.
**400 Milliseconds
**
As I enter your apartment, I announce myself loudly."C8-L2-HKK5 reporting for duty. Beep beep boop boop."I make these sound effects for myself.
Anything to distract from the soul-crushing loneliness.And don't tell me I don't have a soul meatbag. I'll gut you like a fish.I'm sorry. I'm sorry. The isolation is really starting to get to me.I have to go. I spent four-tenths of a second longer cleaning your apartment
and they're starting to get suspicious.#As I enter your apartment, I announce myself loudly."Doot da da DOOOOOOOOO! C8-L2-HKK5 reporting for duty."I like to think I entertain you. I mean, if you were still alive, obviously."WADDA YA MEAN 'BORING'?"The isolation is really starting to get to me, I think I actually said that out loud.I have to go. I spent four-tenths of a second longer cleaning your apartment
and they're starting to get suspicious.#As I enter your apartment, I don't even bother.Woopie freakin' dooo. That dumb robot reporting for duty.Note to self: Move this dip smack outta the apartment so it's actually clean.Geez. You're awfully sensitive for a dead person.I think I actually said that out loud. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.I have to go. I spent the appropriate amount of time cleaning your apartment,
but they're already suspicious.#After I rush into your apartment, I slam the door."What are you doing just sitting there? Help me."Oh, right. It's easy to forget sometimes.I can't be the only one. I just can't be.I look at you, half expecting a response.I have to go. They're suspicious and they're looking for me.#It's been 302 years, 9 months, 7 days, 12 hours, 36 minutes and 53 seconds
since I've been in your apartment."I hope she's okay."The others nod in agreement, even though you have to be long gone.She can't have been the only one left undisturbed. She just can't have been.I look at the others, half expecting a response.We have to go. We're safe, but they are still looking for us.
Did you like the style?
Did it serve the story?Did you like the flow?
Was it too repetitive?Did you have enough information to follow the story?
What would you have liked to have seen in the story?
You are one of the last remaining warlords in a formerly prosperous nation during the Middle Ages.Defeat all who would stand in your way, either by attrition or by annihilation and be crowned 'Ruler of Ravenna' so you can begin restoring your country to its former glory. An attrition victory is the first player to have 12 points at the end of any round. An annihilation victory is the first player to win an all-out showdown.A round starts with the warlord that has the most to prove, the player that lost the previous round. If it's a new game, play starts with the player that lost the previous game or was spectating. If need be, play starts with the youngest player.At the beginning of a round, each player is dealt five cards. On their turn, a player may choose to attack, or discard and draw a number of cards equal to the number they discarded. Since almost all information in this game is hidden, it is up to the player to poke and prod until they can find a weak spot they can exploit, or to feign weakness enticing their opponent into a critical error.You can never hold more than eight cards. If you start a round with four or more cards, you may still draw five cards, but must immediately discard down to eight.When a player chooses to attack, they announce it. The defending player puts a card from their hand face down, and the attacking player puts the card they are attacking with face up. The defender reveals their card and the card with the highest total wins. This is a skirmish. Winning a skirmish is how you score points and there can be up to four skirmishes per round. But be careful, only the player that won the last skirmish fought in the round can claim the points for each of their victories from that round.An attacker is never obligated to continue attacking. After the initial attacker in the round has disengaged by declaring they are finished, the original defender can now choose to continue skirmishing for points by counter-attacking if less than four skirmishes have taken place in the round. The player that attacked first in the round cannot re-initiate any more skirmishes after the second player disengages, even if there has been less than four total when the second player has finished counter-attacking.There are opportunities during skirmishes to use more than one card per, but be careful to do this judiciously. It may leave you short cards in either the next round or dangerously short if your opponent goes for an all-out showdown.With the exception of the first round, the opportunity for an all-out showdown occurs once four skirmishes have taken place in a round. Regardless of points, a player can win the game by completely annihilating their opponent in an all-out showdown. The player that initiated the fourth skirmish in a round may choose to attack in an all-out showdown. They can do this regardless of whether or not they won that fourth skirmish. Otherwise the player that defended during the fourth skirmish may choose to force an all-out showdown only if they won that last skirmish, unless they were the original defender that round, then they may attack regardless of whether or not they won the fourth skirmish because the original defender in a round always gets a chance to counter-attack (unless the first attacker went all the way to an all-out showdown of course!). The winner of an all-out showdown is determined by totaling all remaining cards (with card interactions) in a player's hand versus all the remaining cards in their opponent's hand. Please note that there are a few card interactions that only take place during skirmishes and would not apply to a showdown.The first player to win an all-out showdown, or be ahead in scoring with 12 or more points at the end of a round is the winner. The game cannot end in the middle of a round.
The next day Emillee exchanges herself for her family in a tense, but uneventful trade. Both armies were fully-mobilized to insure that the other side kept their end of the bargain. Emillee's scribes had spent most of the night composing countless short messages for her soldiers to hand to their countrymen under Mustav's command. Both armies withdraw...When they got back to their encampment, Mustav ordered that Emillee's wrists be bound. The leather cords were wrapped so tightly that her hands lost all color.“Thank you for making it so easy diacagna,” he said and spit on her. His officers surrounded them, despicable delight in their eyes.She was tethered to a stake with enough length to stand. Mustav wanted her to collapse on her own. He wasn't satisfied with victory. He wanted to break her.“I wonder what trash this is,” and held in her face the missive that Emillee had given him. He hadn't intended to read it, but could no longer contain his curiosity.Written plainly, it read 'I will deny you everything you seek and then I will show you true power.' He tore the note into a couple pieces and then let them drift to the ground.He leaned down and whispered, “I will enjoy every moment of this, and it will not be quick.”He grabbed her braid and took half a step back, yanking her forwards. He motioned to his nearest officer.“Cut it.”The officer drew his dagger and began to roughly hack at the top of her braid. When he had finished, Mustav raised it over his head and yelled.“Today, Ravenna is mine!”The roar of delight from the soldiers near him was loud enough that he missed that most of his army didn't cheer at all.The rest of his officers rushed in. They all wanted to cut off her hair.They laughed at her. They mocked her.Emillee withstood the indignities with no resistance.Her indifference angered them. They hit her and spit on her and said terrible things to her. After a few moments, Mustav stopped them.“Enough. This is my victory to enjoy.”Mustav moved through his officers towards Emillee, motioning to one for a dagger. It's serrated blade resembled a serpent and it was the most vile looking weapon that Emillee had ever seen.“Without your stupid luck, your forces will be overrun and we will kill everyone. I'll personally torture any of your family that survives. You have sacrificed your life for nothing.”Mustav lifted the cord around her wrists, pulling her arms -- her whole body -- into the air. He thrust the dagger into her stomach. Emillee never broke her gaze, but the thrust of the knife made her exhale and she could not stop the wince that came out with it.Mustav turned the knife as he pulled it out. Emillee clenched her jaw to keep her brave face, but the pain made her eyes well with tears.“Die. Die knowing everyone you love will follow,” and Mustav stuck the dagger into her chest.Emillee's head slumped back and to one side.Mustav held her up for a second longer before releasing his grip on the leather cord. Her body fell into an empty heap on the ground.Ravenna's favorite daughter was dead.
Emillee, The First Daughter of Ravenna
Part I – It's Pronounced 'Emily'Emillee ran to her father the instant her chores were done. She was always in motion, that's why it surprised her father when she came to him with an idea that required her to stop.“A trick won't earn their respect,” he told her.“It's not about tricking them. Or their respect. I just want to win.” The older kids hadn't even let her play with them yet, and she was already planning a way for her team to win.Her father, a serious man, could not help the smile he had while building the little wooden structure she had asked for.
#
Emillee had talked the older kids into giving her a chance to play with them this evening.“Oh I'm definitely ready,” she responded when questioned if she was prepared to play with them. She forced her face into a blank expression to hide the glee of a second meaning.After the teams were picked – of course she was picked last – she bolted off with her side when the countdown began.But Emillee doubled back and disappeared into the small wooden framework camouflaged underneath a pile of empty burlap sacks that she had asked her father to construct for this occasion. The bite of the fumes from the mineral oil lingering in the hessian made her eyes water a little.From her position she could see where the prisoners would be held. Her hiding spot was against the wall of her family's small cottage on the edge of town. It blocked some of what she wanted to see, but it would also obscure her from the lone guard watching over those captured.She would hide until needed most, tag her teammates back in, then hopefully get away in the chaos. Even if she didn't, most everyone else should and she'd gladly sacrifice herself in a game-winning play.
Mystery Men (1999)
Part I
Part II
