Reuben's Game

Game Information

Welcome to my little project which was conceived because I really like this one particular board game (which will remain nameless in case I get in trouble for copyright infringement), but never could find the time to play it. So I decided to put it on the web so I could play it at any time and not have to clean it up. The rules follow pretty much exactly the rules of that certain unnamed game.

In order to play you first have to create a new user account. Once this is done you can either create your own new game or join one that has already been created and is still open. Once at least 3 players join the game it can be started by the creator. When 4 players join the game starts automatically. The game is set up so each player can take their turn independently of the other players. You can stop playing at any time and when you come back all the information will be saved. Have fun!

The Frequent ly Asked Questions

The Frequently Given Answers

What is the deal with the Ring?

The Ring is a way for the game to end before one player takes over the entire world (you can choose to use the ring or not when you create the game). The Ring symbolizes the Fellowship moving toward Mount Doom along the yellow path designated on the map. The ring moves to the next territory on the path at the end of each player's turn. If there is a symbol of the dice in the territory where the ring currently is then a role is made and if the role is higher than 3 than the ring moves on. Otherwise the ring remains in the territory. The game ends when the ring has already reached the Mount Doom territory and a roll greater than 3 occurs at the end of the player's turn. The winner is then the player with the most points.

What is the deal with Leaders?

Leaders are represented by a on the map. Leaders are placed on the map after all reinforcements have been made. When a player is attacking with a leader or defending with a leader there is a +1 bonus added to that players highest role (e.g. if the player rolls a 4 and a 2 it is as if they rolled a 5 and a 2). The leader bonus applies whenever the leader is in a defending territory, or when the attacking player chooses to use the leader in the attack. Here are some other things you should know:
  • If you choose to use a leader in an attack and you conquer the defending territory, you must move the leader into the conquered territory.
  • If a defending territory with a leader is conquered you loose that leader.
  • If you loose both your leaders then at then end of your next turn you may place a resurrected leader on any territory you occupy.
  • Leaders may be transferred in the troop movement at the end of the turn
  • If a leader is at a stronghold you get a +2 bonus to your highest role when defending.

What is the deal with Strongholds?

Strongholds are represented by a yellow castle on the map. They give a +1 bonus to the defending players highest role when the stronghold territory is being attacked. Additionally, at the beginning of each turn, each stronghold receives 1 automatic reinforcement. When counting game points they provide 2 points in addition to the 1 point for the territory.

How many reinforcements do I get at the beginning of the turn?

The number of reinforcements is determined by the three things:
  1. Reinforcement Cards: You get bonus reinforcements based upon certain combination of reinforcement cards (see following section).
  2. Number of Regions Controlled: If you control an entire region, you get extra reinforcements corresponding to the number of region points listed on the map.
  3. Number of Territories Controlled: You get an extra reinforcement for every 3 territories you control, rounded down to a minimum of three. For example:
    • 5 territories - 3 reinforcements
    • 11 territories - 3 reinforcements
    • 12 territories - 4 reinforcements
    • 14 territories - 4 reinforcements
    • 25 territories - 8 reinforcements

What is the deal with the Reinforcement Cards?

At the end of each turn, *if* you successfully conquerred a territory you receive a card. At the beginning of any turn when you have a certain combination of points you will receive extra reinforcements based on the cards you have (pts given below). After the extra reinforcements are used, the cards will be removed.
  • 3 archers - 4 extra reinforcements
  • 3 riders - 6 extra reinforcemnts
  • 3 eagles - 8 extra reinforcemnts
  • 1 archer, 1 rider & 1 eagle - 10 extra reinforcemnts
*wild cards will automatically be substituted so that the user will gain the maximum reinforcements

How are Points Counted?

When using the ring, at the end of the game points are calculated in the following way:
  • 1 pt for each territory controlled
  • The Region points (as per legend) for any entire regions controlled
  • 2 pts for any strongholds controlled (in addition to the 1 pt for the territory)

Is there an offical rulebook anywhere?

Since this game is not based on any other game (nudge, nudge, wink wink), there is no official rulebook. However, there is a very similar game and the rule book can be found here.

How often should I take my turn?

Well, there is no rule, but I feel like if you take more than around 24 hours it slows the game way down. So as a point of etiquette, don't keep your other players waiting too long.

What if a player is taking forever, can I skip them?

So one thing that can happen is that one player, by not taking a turn, can hold up the game for the rest of the players. In order to handle this situation there is a skip function built into the game. If a player has taken more than 48 hours to take their turn then any of the other players can send a warning to that player to take their turn. The player then has 24 hours in which to take their turn. If they don't, then any of the other players can logon and skip that player.

Basically, you have at least 3 days to take your turn without fear of being skipped. If you know that you will not able to play for more than three days, you might want to ask for mercy from your other players before you leave via the email function.

Notes:
You can not be skipped during the setup phases.
If you get skipped three times in one game you automatically are terminated from the game
If you get skipped during your reinforcement phase, your territories will be reinforced randomly.

The Game is Broke! What do I do?

The first thing to try is just hitting "reload" on your browser. If that doens't work try closing all browser windows and then coming back. If that still doesn't work then report a bug.