🏆 Determining the Victor -

(In Conflict)

Once all victory points are tallied on both sides, taking modifiers into account, the Players will be dealt cards from the Battle Deck. The cards will be dealt beginning with the initiative holding side and descending in influence order, within each alliance. Each participating House is dealt one card (or uses their own if applicable, explained more later) with the intent that the highest card will give the drafting faction victory points equal to the rank of the card they receive. Ranks are determined by the included table and do not translate one to one with the number or suite of the card. Only the highest card on the table, after the draft, will award any victory points. The side with initiative reveals their cards last so as to have advantage of choice depending on what their opponent does with their cards.

Each player draws their card face down, except for the Battle Leader of either side. The Battle Leader is the representative for the House with the highest influence in their faction and the Lead House marked on the active Battle Order. If all banners on one side are from the same House, then the Battle Leader will be chosen based on primogeniture, with reference to that House’s family tree. Each House gets dealt only one card, regardless of how many Players, or Banners are present from their House at the battle. Each House can, however, play to the conflcit as many other cards as they can secure through different means. (See, the ‘Materiel’ resource.)

The battle leader can look at their dealt card and decide to do one of two things; They can either ‘call for strategy’ or ‘call for tactics.’ If they call for strategy, each House of their alliance draws their card, away from the opposing team’s view and can consult together (if more than one) on the best poker hand that they can make with the cards that they have access to or have been dealt. If the battle leader instead calls for tactics, then their side will not pick up their cards, yet.

The opposing side, the side holding initiative, will then do the same, selecting either strategy or tactics. Once the side without initiative has called their approach, they may not change it. This is the advantage to the initiative holding team playing last. The initiative holding team may choose which approach they will take, in reference to what the first team has chosen. If the non-initiative holding team choose tactics, they must not reveal their cards until the initiative team have selected their approach. If the non-initiative holding team chooses strategy they may pick up their cards immediately.

If tactics is chosen by both sides, all cards are revealed to the table with the highest card value shown, winning for their team victory points equal to the type of card that it is as descibed in the included table. If one team chooses strategy and one team chooses tactics, a poker hand will almost always beat tactics unless the only poker hand possible is a high card. In such a case tactics would triumph regardless of suit/number on the high card. If a tactics draw versus a strategy hand, shows an ace versus any poker hand, it is also considered a victory for the side playing tactics. If both sides choose strategy, the best poker hand wins.

In victory, the winning side adds the points to their overall victory point total and the side with the most points is considered the victorious party or parties in the conflict.

Poker Hands vs Tactics:

Tactics Card Ranks:

(Normal suit order counts in a draw.)

It is possible for an alliance to win the draft but lose the battle if their winnings do not overcome the victory points of the opposition. The side with the most victory points after the draw triumphs, succeeding the objectives on their Battle Order if attacking, and denying them if successfully defended. In the event of a tie in the draw that cannot be resolved by suit order, no additional victory points are awarded to either side.