Truly Machiavelian Renaissance Games

Secret Victory:
Marquise of Gorgonzola

By Otto Schmidt

The Master of the Mercenaries

The War has not gone well. Legolam, son of Ltihium, self-styled “King of the Elves” has once again revolted in the north, and while the main armies are fighting there, the Salacious Empire has attacked in the south. Beltelephon has cobbled up a hodge-podge army of mercenaries and what troops he could spare and gone to meet them. You as Master of the Mercenaries, provided a large part of the army, calling in several friends and other captains as allies, and they elected you their general. But there has not been much money.

Then, to make matters worse, it was discovered that the Swinns had sent three regiments, religious fanatics, social revolutionaries, and self-interested brigands, not to mention cuthroats, and crazy every last one of them, and then the Black Legion showed up! It became very clear, very quickly, that few at the Atholli court cared little for you or your men, or that they were likely to support you. Money has been short, and most of what has been had has gone to the Landsknechts and Black Legion. Prince Lanolin has repeatedly said that Beltelephon should discharge you. Well, you wish he would, but you can’t let that happen -yet- for without any money to pay your men you will be ruined. Still you realize that you are likely to be used as cannon fodder, and the murderous ZWISS are out there. What to do, what to do?

1. You get one Victory point for each unit of yours that is unbroken at the end of the game.

2. You have one wagon with 100,000 florins in it. You get two Victory points for each wagon with 100,000 florins that you control at game end.

3. You get three Victory points if the Black Legion and the Swinns DO NOT reach an understanding where the black legion joins them.

4. You get FOUR Victory points if BELTELEPHON is killed (or removed from the field) and FOUR if Lanolin is killed or removed from the field. (You are sure to get paid then because the King of the Bellegarde, the third brother is a good friend and would rather deal with you than the Swinns and the Black Legion.

More Truly Machiavelian Renaissance Games Elvish Civil Wars

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