Transcription
The guard looked BartolemewKaiss up and down for a momentand then frowned. “I’m sorry,Master Kaiss, but the princess isnot seeing visitors at this time. Sheis, of course, in despair over thearrest of her mother.”“Of course,” the young composersaid, nodding and lookingappropriately sympathetic. “But Iam not just visiting, you see. HerHighness requested my instruction.We are to practice her singing.”“The princess already has a vocalmaestro,” the gruff woman replied,raising an eyebrow.2
“I’m sure he knows that, Odette,”said a kind voice echoing down thehall that connected the residence tothe palace. The two turned to seeSusannah, one of Princess Annette’shandmaids, walking toward them.“What the good composer meansto say is that Annette requested hiswork for their practice.” The youngwoman smiled at the guard andgave Bartolemew a conspiratorialwink.From his satchel, Bartolemewproduced a sealed tube. “If you willbe so kind as to deliver these sheetsof music, my dear Susannah,” hesaid with a smile and a genteel nod.3
The guard took the tube from him,but as it changed hands, somethingwith a little weight shifted insidethe tube. “What’s this, then?” theguard asked, jostling it next to herear.Certainly not a small statue of a birdthe Princess is so fond of, Bartolemewthought. “The quill and ink Iused to pen the music, in case sheor the maestro wish to make anychanges. I always deliver some witha new composition.”4Susannah gently took the casefrom the suspicious guard. “Oh,would you stop, Odette? It’s justsome music,” she chided playfully.
“I’ll see to it that milady getsthese,” she added with a hand onBartolemew’s arm. “I’m sure she’llbe eager to see the contents.”objectIn the wake of the arrest of QueenMarianna for high treason, nonewas more heartbroken than herdaughter, Princess Annette.Suitors throughout the CityState of Tempest sought to easeAnnette’s sorrow by courting her tobring some joy into her life.5
You are one of these suitors, tryingto get your love letter to theprincess. Unfortunately, she haslocked herself in the palace, so youmust rely on intermediaries to carryyour message.During the game, you hold onesecret card in your hand. This iswho currently carries your messageof love for the princess.Make sure that the person closest tothe princess holds your love letterat the end of the day, so it reachesher first!6
componentsYour game of Love Letter shouldinclude the following. If it doesnot, contact customerservice@alderac.com for assistance. 16 game cards 4 reference cards tokens of affectiongame cardsThe game has 16 cards. Eachdifferent card name representssomeone at the royal residence.Each card has a value in the upperleft corner—the higher the number,7
the closer that person is to theprincess. At the bottom of eachcard, a text box describes the effectwhen the card is discarded.reference cardsThese list the various cards in thegame, as well as their effects andhow many copies are in the deck.They are not used in the game, butare provided as a memory aid.tokens of affectionRed tokens are also included. Theseare used to track Princess Annette’sever-growing affection for thosesuitors whose letters reach her.8
setupShuffle the 16 cards to form aface-down draw deck. Remove thetop card of the deck from the gamewithout looking at it.If you are playing a two-playergame, take three more cards fromthe top of the deck and place themto the side, face up. They will notbe used during this round.Each player draws one card fromthe deck. This is the player’s hand,and is kept secret from the others.Whoever was most recently on adate goes first (if tied, the youngerplayer wins the tie).9
how to playLove Letter is played in a seriesof rounds. Each round representsone day. At the end of each round,one player’s letter reaches PrincessAnnette, and she reads it.When she reads enough letters fromone suitor, she becomes enamoredand grants that suitor permissionto court her. That player wins theprincess’s heart and the game.taking a turnOn your turn, draw the top cardfrom the deck and add it to yourhand. Then choose one of the twocards in your hand and discard it10
face up in front of you. Apply anyeffect on the card you discarded.You must apply its effect, even if itis bad for you.See page 15 for the effects of eachindividual card. Likewise, if youhave any questions about specialcases regarding the card, you’ll findthe answer there.All discarded cards remain in frontof the player who discarded them.Overlap the cards so that it’s clearin which order they were discarded.This helps players to figure outwhich cards other players might beholding.11
Once you finish applying the card’seffect, the turn passes to the playeron your left.out of the roundIf a player is knocked out of theround, that player discards the cardin his or her hand face up (do notapply the card’s effect) and takesno more turns until next round.honestyA player could cheat when chosenwith the Guard, or fail to discardthe Countess when that player hasthe King or Prince in hand. Wesuggest that you don’t play withknaves who cheat at fun, light games.12
end of a roundA round ends if the deck is emptyat the end of a turn. The royalresidence closes for the evening,the person closest to the princessdelivers the love letter, and PrincessAnnette retires to her chambers toread it.All players still in the round revealtheir hands. The player with thehighest ranked person wins theround. In case of a tie, the playerwho discarded the highest totalvalue of cards wins.A round also ends if all players butone are out of the round, in whichcase the remaining player wins.13
The winner receives a token ofaffection. Shuffle all 16 cardstogether, and play a new roundfollowing all of the setup rules.The winner of the previous roundgoes first, because the princessspeaks kindly of him or her atbreakfast.winningA player wins the game afterwinning a number of tokens basedon the number of players:14 2 Players 3 Players 4 players7 tokens5 tokens4 tokens
the peopleThe events of this game take placebetween the events of Courtierand Dominare , two other gamesin the Tempest line. Here are briefprofiles of the people in the game.8: princess annetteHampered only by the naïveté of youth,Princess Annette is elegant, charming,and beautiful. Obviously, you want theprincess to carry your letter. However,she is self-conscious about matters of theheart, and if confronted, will toss yourletter in the fire and deny ever seeing it.If you discard the Princess—nomatter how or why—she has tossed15
your letter into the fire. You areknocked out of the round.7: countess wilhelminaAlways on the prowl for a handsomeman or juicy gossip, Wilhelmina’s ageand noble blood make her one of PrincessAnnette’s friends. While she has greatinfluence over the princess, she makesherself scarce whenever the king orprince are around.Unlike other cards, which takeeffect when discarded, the text onthe Countess applies while she isin your hand. In fact, she has noeffect when you discard her.16
If you ever have the Countessand either the King or Prince inyour hand, you must discard theCountess. You do not have to revealthe other card in your hand. Ofcourse, you can also discard theCountess even if you do not have aroyal family member in your hand.She likes to play mind games.6: king arnaud ivThe undisputed ruler of Tempest forthe moment. Because of his role in thearrest of Q ueen Marianna, he does notrate as highly with Princess Annette as afather should. He hopes to work himselfback into her graces.17
When you discard King Arnaud IV,trade the card in your hand withthe card held by another player ofyour choice. You cannot trade witha player who is out of the round,nor with someone protected by theHandmaid. If all other players stillin the round are protected by theHandmaid, this card does nothing.5: prince arnaudAs a social gadfly, Prince Arnaud wasnot as distressed over his mother’s arrestas one would suppose. Since many womenclamor for his attention, he hopes to helphis sister find the same banal happinessby playing the matchmaker.18
When you discard Prince Arnaud,choose one player still in the round(including yourself). That playerdiscards his or her hand (do notapply its effect) and draws a newcard. If the deck is empty, thatplayer draws the card that wasremoved at the start of the round.If all other players are protectedby the Handmaid, you must chooseyourself.4: handmaid susannahFew would trust a handmaid witha letter of importance. Fewer stillunderstand Susannah’s cleverness, orher skilled ability at playing the foolish19
handmaid. That the queen’s confidanteand loyal servant escaped any attentionafter the queen’s arrest is a testament toher clever mind.When you discard the Handmaid,you are immune to the effects ofother players’ cards until the startof your next turn. If all playersother than the player whose turn itis are protected by Susannah, theplayer must choose him- or herselfif possible.3: baron talusThe scion of an esteemed house that haslong been a close ally of the royal family,Baron Talus has a quiet and gentle20
demeanor that conceals a man used tobeing obeyed. His suggestions are treatedas if they came from the king himself.When discarded, choose one otherplayer still in the round. You andthat player secretly compare yourhands. The player with the lowerrank is knocked out of the round.In case of a tie, nothing happens. Ifall other players still in the roundare protected by the Handmaid,this card does nothing.2: priest tomasOpen, honest, and uplifting, FatherTomas always seeks out the opportunityto do good. With the arrest of the queen,21
he is often seen about the palace, actingas confessor, counselor, and friend.When you discard the Priest,you can look at one other player’shand. Do not reveal the hand to allplayers.1: guard odetteCharged with seeing to the security ofthe royal family, Odette follows herorders with persistence and diligence even though her mentor is said tohave drowned while fleeing arrest forcomplicity in the queen’s treason.When you discard the Guard,choose a player and name a card22
(other than Guard). If that playerhas that card, that player isknocked out of the round. If allother players still in the round areprotected by the Handmaid, thiscard does nothing.copyright & contact 2012 by Alderac Entertainment Group.Tempest, Love Letter, and all related marksare TM and Alderac EntertainmentGroup, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed inChina.Warning: Choking hazard! Not for use bychildren under 3 years of age.For more information, visit:www.alderac.com/tempest andwww.alderac.com/forumQuestions? CustomerService@alderac.com23
creditslove letterDesign: Seiji KanaiDevelopment: Edward BolmeGraphic Design: Kalissa FitzgeraldArt: Andrew Hepworth, Jeffrey HimmelmanWriting: Edward Bolme, Seth MasonEditing: Nicolas Bongiu, Jeff QuickLayout: Kalissa FitzgeraldTypesetting: Edward Bolme, KalissaFitzgeraldProduction: Dave LeporePlaytesting: Rachel Bolme, Talon Bolme, JeffPlummer, Courtney Shelton, Lee SheltontempestOriginal Concept: Mark Wootton, John ZinserBrand Management: Edward BolmeFiction: Seth Mason24
Master Kaiss, but the princess is not seeing visitors at this time. She is, of course, in despair over the . of love for the princess. Make sure that the person closest to the princess holds your love letter at
