The Black Rider

Description

--- **The Black Rider** is a story-driven tile-laying module featuring fixed maps, asymmetric characters, and disruptive events for tense area control gameplay. Key mechanics include: - *Fixed map gameplay* Players place tiles only on predetermined spaces on a medieval France map, where limited area makes every move critical. - *Asymmetric characters* Each player embodies a unique role like Mette the Farmer-Queen or Ser Dorian the Merchant, with backstories and secret personal goals for end-game points. - *Royal Decrees* Tiles with envelope icons trigger powerful event cards causing dramatic shifts like tax breaks, plagues, or scoring changes. - *Black Rider mechanic* Die-rolled movement at turn starts displaces meeples along its path to owners' hands; end-game, haunted areas are unscorable. - *Event-driven adaptation* Combines tile placement, area control, secret objectives, and narrative elements for strategic planning amid constant threats. The Black Rider transforms tile-laying into a narrative journey on a fixed, beautifully illustrated map of medieval France, emphasizing limited spaces where players strategically place tiles. Players adopt asymmetric characters with rich backstories and hidden goals that yield bonus points if achieved by game's end. Gameplay integrates classic tile placement and area control with dynamic disruptions: Royal Decree tiles draw event cards inducing game-altering effects such as plagues or scoring shifts, while the Black Rider—moved by die roll at each turn's start—displaces meeples and renders passed areas unscorable at finale, fostering tension and adaptive strategies. This module blends roleplaying depth, secret objectives, and event-driven chaos without pacing issues, delivering a unique, immersive experience easy to learn yet memorably suspenseful for tile enthusiasts and narrative gamers alike. ---