Change Log

Design goals:
 * Standardize & reduce components
 * Facilitate long-term planning
 * Shorter total game time

Standard Size
All cards in the game are now standard playing card size: 3.5 x 2.5 inches.

Not Always a Defender
There is only a 1 in 3 chance that the Defender is in the game, so the King must be more suspicious of his rivals.

Action Cards
Combined Troop Cards, Counsel Cards, and Votes into Action Cards, which only require that a certain Champion is a member of your faction. For example, if you have a Steward's Action Card in your hand, but no Steward in your faction, you could not use the ability on the card. But you could still muster the card's Units or submit it as a Vote at the High Court.

Champions
Reduced number of Champions to four. Combined Champions' abilities with Action Cards.

No Sudden End
Players can now estimate whether the game will be 4 or 5 years long by viewing the number of Laurel Icons at the top of the face-up Event Cards at any time.

Initiative
During the Judgment Phase, the faction with the most strength in his unexhausted cities on the board gains the Initiative in the following year.

Diplomacy
New alliance system: allies are now public information. Each faction has 1 Diplomat that may be sent to another faction, but there is an Upkeep cost to keep him there. Added the Diplomacy Policy Card, which lets players do this.

High Court
Combined the actions of voting on the Event together with drawing Action Cards. Votes are now double-blind, so you cannot tell which way a player voted. Removed 'Secret Council' Policy Card and combined its effects with the High Court Policy Card.

Muster
Removed the auction to speed up the game. Players now muster units to their Champions directly from their hands of Action Cards.

Market
In previous versions, the Enactor's Privilege of the Market Policy Card was to double the value of 1 of the 3 commodities: Spice, Iron, and Grain. These have now been combined to a single Income value.

Overseas Cities
The 2 Overseas Cities are no longer connected by land.

Annexation
During a Warfare turn, the attacker can instantly conquer a city in his homeland that has no defenders in it, so long as his Champions have at least equal strength to the city.

Garrison Units
When Champions are inside Cities, they can convert their Units into Garrisons of equal strength. This can be done immediately before Champions move. Garrison Units cannot leave their city, but they do not require Upkeep.

Conquer Cities on a Rout
Now, the attacker takes the city on a result of a Rout in Battle.

Variants
Added Reign of Iron, a variant where the King is a neutral faction to be controlled or conquered by the players.