Announcing The Last Banquet, a Group Game of Courtly Intrigue

The Last Banquet is the social event of the season, with every member of the court, from the lowly messenger and the ghostly White Lady to the stately baroness, clamoring to make an appearance. Though each detail of the dinner has been planned to perfection, several members of the court are conspiring to make this banquet the last – for the King that is…

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce The Last Banquet, an epic, large-group game for six to twenty-five players!

In The Last Banquet, each player takes on the role of a member of the Royal Court, from the King himself, to the friendly bard, the alluring witch, or the wise seneschal. Acting out their respective roles, players must use the actions allowed to them to try and accomplish their teams’ agendas. However, you’ll need to be judicious in your actions, for the King is watching closely for signs of disloyalty–and not everyone at the banquet table is on your side.

Six Unique Scenarios

The Last Banquet features six different scenarios designed to support varied player counts. Work to assassinate the King before your rival faction in The Last Banquet scenario by ending a round with your faction’s assassin seated next to the King. In The White Maiden’s Lament scenario, the ghostly White Maiden and her faction try to slay the queen, while the queen’s faction attempts to ward off the eerie specter. Retrieve the keys while avoiding the nefarious duke to rescue the princess in The Missing Princess scenario for six to ten players.

The Last Banquet is great for large gaming groups and parties, and its scenarios can accommodate player counts from six to twenty-five! Our upcoming series of previews will present more detailed information about each of these scenarios, so make sure to stay tuned!

Preparing for the Feast

Players each receive a character card at the beginning of the game, determining the role they’ll play throughout. Each character card contains detailed information about your character, such as gender, Social Status, and Demeanor, to help you better get inside your character’s head. The character cards also provide a warm or snide remark you can use during the game to greet the King, in an attempt to get into his good graces, or signal your discontent with his rule.

After character cards are distributed, most scenarios require players to split up into factions, or teams. The factions meet separately to scheme for the coming banquet. For example, in The Last Banquet scenario, each faction secretly chooses an assassin. Each faction’s objective is then to position its assassin next to the King by the end of the turn. To achieve this objective, you’ll need to strategize with the members of your faction on how best to execute your dastardly plot, and come up with a plan to thwart the devious maneuverings of your opponents. Keep in mind, the King does not sit idly by! We’ll talk more about the King’s agenda in a future preview.

As you take your places at the table to begin the banquet, you’ll be surrounded by the watchful gaze of both friend and foe. Remember your courtly etiquette, and be sure to employ all the cunning you can muster.

The Feast Begins

As the wine flows and the food is set out, the feast–and the game–begins.

The Host (determined by the scenario) begins the feast by passing the scepter, which serves as the active player marker, to a player immediately to his right or left.

Throughout the feast your goal is to use your given actions and the help of your faction to cleverly maneuver other players and yourself into a position to accomplish your faction’s objective. How to do this is up to you and the other members of your faction. Maybe you’ll use flattery to appeal to other members of the court, or perhaps you’ll rely on stealth and sneakiness to manipulate your fellow guests. You could try to distract the group with the help of a rousing song from the Bard, or a silly feat from the Jester. Perhaps you’ll rely on the favor of a patron to ease your path to victory. Even as you indulge in the feast, keep your eyes open for opportunity!

Actions are used to affect other members of the court, often by rearranging them at the table. Actions can also protect certain people from effects of an action, or change the direction in which the scepter moves. Most character cards have four actions: a basic action, actions numbered one and two, and a favor.

On your turn, simply select an action and read the text aloud. Then, follow the instructions. Some actions are considered beneath the more important members of the court. These are denoted with the symbol to the right, and do not effect characters with the Royalty Social Status.

Favor actions require the consent of a patron – an esteemed member of the court, often the King. To perform a favor action on your turn, you must request a favor of the scenario’s patron. If the patron accepts, you may then resolve your favor. If the patron declines, your turn ends and you must pass the scepter and sit down.

Throughout the course of the game, players will switch seats at the table, sometimes occupying the same space as other members of the court. Common actions include forcing players of your choice to switch places, switching places with other players, or moving adjacent to a player of your choice. Each action has the potential to bring you closer to victory!

The Invitations Have Been Sent

The Last Banquet hits stores in the third quarter of 2014. To prepare for the feast of a lifetime, check out the game’s description page for a more detailed overview of the game. In future previews, we’ll take a look at the game’s characters and scenarios, as well as a more in-depth look at the rules, so keep checking back!

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