Ally

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This article is about the type of card-shaped thing. For the expansion, see Allies.
The Ally card back.

Allies are a landscape type introduced in the AlliesAllies.jpg expansion, which provide ways to use Favor tokens in games in which they are available.

Allies are not Kingdom cards, but are added to the game whenever one or more Kingdom cards have the Liaison type. In any game using Liaisons, exactly one Ally is chosen, and it determines what effect Favor tokens have in that game. Since Allies are not considered cards, they cannot be bought or gained; the way to take advantage of their abilities is to accumulate Favor tokens and then use them as instructed by the Ally.

There are 23 Allies, printed on cards in a landscape orientation with yellowish grey/parchment frames.

Contents

[edit] Official Rules

  • In games using one or more Liaison cards, give each player a Favors mat and deal out a single Ally card. The Ally cards are a separate deck, not combined with Events and so on.
  • Each player gets a single Favor token to start with (or five tokens in games with ImporterImporter.jpg).
  • Allies are landscape cards that give Favor tokens a use; Liaisons are kingdom cards that provide a way to get Favor tokens.
  • In games with a Liaison, deal out a random Ally to use that game. Only use one Ally per game, even with multiple Liaisons. You can still have as many other landscape cards (Events, Landmarks, Projects, Ways) as you otherwise would have.
  • Coin tokens are used for Favors; they go on a Favors mat to distinguish them from Coffers and Villagers (from other expansions), which have their own mats. When a card gives you +1 Favor, add a token to your mat; when spending a Favor, remove the token from your mat.
  • Favors may be used starting with the first turn of the game; they may not be used prior to that turn. Spending Favors is always optional. Spending Favors can only be done once per time an Ally ability triggers, unless it says, "Repeat as desired."

[edit] List of Allies

   

 

[edit] Gallery

Architects' Guild.jpgBand of Nomads.jpgCave Dwellers.jpgCircle of Witches.jpgCity-state.jpgCoastal Haven.jpgCrafters' Guild.jpgDesert Guides.jpgFamily of Inventors.jpgFellowship of Scribes.jpgForest Dwellers.jpgGang of Pickpockets.jpgIsland Folk.jpgLeague of Bankers.jpgLeague of Shopkeepers.jpgMarket Towns.jpgMountain Folk.jpgOrder of Astrologers.jpgOrder of Masons.jpgPeaceful Cult.jpgPlateau Shepherds.jpgTrappers' Lodge.jpgWoodworkers' Guild.jpg

[edit] Trivia

[edit] In other languages

  • Dutch: Bondgenoot
  • German: Verbündeter

[edit] Preview

Allies are landscape cards that tell you how a Favor token can be used. Favor tokens are produced by Liaisons. In games with a Liaison, you put out a single Ally (even with multiple Liaisons), and well that's that, it tells you what the token does. There are 23 Allies, in their own separate deck, which is like having 23 new kinds of tokens. Only we use coin tokens for all of them, and put them on a mat.

[edit] Secret History

At first it was just some random cards. Ideas that we could totally test. I tried a few new VP token cards, maybe I'd revisit those (spoilers: those cards all left). I tried several new Victory cards; maybe I'd revisit that theme (I did not). And you know, just tried whatever cards I thought of. In June I tried out Favors: tokens that varied from game to game. I also tried some new Reserve cards, but Reserve cards overlapped heavily with Favors. And in July I tried a split pile with 4 different cards in it and away we go. There was also another new kind of landscape; I liked it but can only fit so much into one expansion. The Favors / Liaisons always worked the same way. Initially nothing cost more than one Favor per use, and there wasn't anything that cared how many Favors you'd stacked up, or put them on piles. I gradually made more Liaisons and more Allies, and looked for less straightforward things they could do.

[edit] Outtakes

Allies that did not make it included: versions of Pearl DiverPearl Diver.jpg and ScoutScout.jpg; that ExpandExpand.jpg limited by type thing; when you gain a card, exchange it for one costing $1 more (popular but confusing, then I tried lots of wordings to preserve the concept); spend X favors to gain a card to your hand costing $x (Matt's suggestion); when you get +1 of something, get another +1 of it; when playing an Action, get +$3 instead of following its instructions (it's Way of the SheepWay of the Sheep.jpg only bigger, and well, we already have Way of the SheepWay of the Sheep.jpg); SchemeScheme.jpg for cards with just one type (it had to be weaker than SchemeScheme.jpg somehow, so that UnderlingUnderling.jpg wasn't just better than SchemeScheme.jpg); and play an Action a 2nd time then trash it (crazy, would you believe).

[edit] Why only use one Ally?

Obv. players can do whatever they want. I like to not overwhelm people with stuff on the table; one Ally is plenty. And then I didn't have to worry about how the cards worked with more than one Ally.

[edit] Starting Favor

It's possible that for some Allies, players would only use the starting Favor, and never go out of their way to use the Ally again.

Certainly the intention was, that while that might sometimes happen, that it wouldn't happen too often for any of them. Especially, with UnderlingUnderling.jpg in particular, where you have to specifically want Favors rather than anything else from the card (yes there are all the reasons to buy a Pearl DiverPearl Diver.jpg, ugh).


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