About the Game

Where can I buy the game?

The game is currently available at The Game Crafter. However, I regularly place orders with them so if you live in Sweden and are interested in a copy, please feel free to contact me.

What do the Nova Suecia games have in common?

The games in the Nova Suecia series are all independent from each other with different game systems and mechanisms. Nevertheless, there is a red thread connecting them all:

1. No dice: Instead of luck, a players' abilities to foresee other players' actions determine the game. In for example Christina Regina, the Queen is moved openly one step at the time by one player at the time but each player's goal with the Queen is hidden.
2. Cooperation: A player can rarely execute her strategy on her own but is dependent on the other players. This is clear in for example Tre Kronor Infernum and Mare Balticum, where the players may set up and use routes together.
3. Competition: With the exception of Bellum se ipsum alet, the players don't fight each other directly but by taking advantage of the other players' actions. In Nova Suecia, a player may win by negotiating trade deals or free-ride on other players' tax payments.
4. Ambiguity: Actions and objectives are seldom black or white. This is particularly true in Vasa Regalis, where one strategy benefits from the ship sailing and another from the ship sinking.
5. Historic theme: All games are set in the 17th century Sweden.

What makes Christina Regina different from other games?

The most unique feature of Christina Regina is the concept of one piece only that all players take turns to move. In this move, each player must take care to maximize his or her own score without revealing to the other players the colors he or she scores most for. In addition, the concept of actions introduce elements where the players can disrupt each others' game, thus making long-term strategies less important than tactical skills to quickly adapt one's tactic and draw the right conclusions from other players' tactics.

With four factions, isn't it too easy to guess another color?

It depends on the playing style. Assume that blue earns 4 points for blue and 3 points for green. If he or she too openly goes for those two colors, green player will guess blue's color and assassinate him or her. However, with skilled players this will cause a chain reaction. Blue, who cannot be assassinated a second time, is likely to go only for blue. Red and black will then realize not only blue's color but also the color of blue's assassin green. Having realized that, they will obviously also realize each others' colors and the winner will whoever of red and black that strikes first.

The conclusion is that not only should you be careful how you move (in the scenario above, blue was the loser), but also when you assassinate (green was too fast). To guess right may be easy but to use this knowledge right is far more difficult.

When is the best time to assassinate another player?

If you do it too early, they will have time to figure out your color and assassinate you in the last game turn. If you do it too late, they will assassinate you first and the best you can hope for is to assassinate back in the last game turn and even out the score again. Thus, the simple answer is: just before he or she intends to assassinate you.

About the Rules

How is the game best taught to others?

Place the Queen and some influence tiles on the table. Demonstrate how a certain color scores by moving the piece and how each of the different actions may be used. Emphasize that the later a tile is moved upon, the more does it scores, and that assassinations exclude tiles from scoring.

I know another player's color but have no faction cards left due to being assassinated myself. Can I tell another player so that he or she can assassinate in my place?

NO! Christina Regina is a strict deduction game. Everything a player knows must be strictly kept from the others, it's the ability to deduce from actions that tell a winner from a loser, not revengeful gossip.