Guards of Traitor’s Toll

Guards of Traitor’s Toll is a skirmish adventure game set in a fantasy city, written by Graham Davey.

Patrol the streets, alleys and markets of Traitor’s Toll. Chase down and arrest the rogues, cheats and cutthroats that prey on the unwary, ensure the citizens don’t get too rebellious and uncover deeper plots that threaten the city…

The bustling city of Traitor’s Toll is home to a multitude of merchants and travellers, buskers and charlatans, sorcerers and scholars, not to mention – hidden among them – pickpockets, thieves, smugglers and worse! The task of keeping the citizens safe, catching wrongdoers and dealing out justice falls to the city guard.

Gameplay is semi-cooperative. Both players control a Guard Captain and patrol of 5 guardsmen, who must deal with the many challenges hidden among the crowds. Such tasks might be capturing an escaped prisoner, battling a crazed wizard, locating a lost child, taking down a smuggling gang or investigating a mystery. While they have the same goals, each side is trying to make the most arrests, grab the glory and win recognition (and reward) from their superiors. Gain experience, recruit allies and locate useful items – the odd bribe will be useful too. A degree of violence will be necessary but killing suspects will upset the populace. If there is too much discontent, the people riot and rebel – the city lords will be furious (and both players lose)! The game has a strong narrative, legacy element as your guards develop new skills and learn secrets that impact subsequent tasks as well as later games.

Objective:

Players aim to accumulate the most arrests and gold by the end of the game, balancing their efforts while preventing the cityfolk from becoming too rebellious.
Semi-Cooperative:

Players work together to maintain peace but also compete against each other for individual glory and prestige.
Player Role:

Each player leads a squad of city guards, consisting of a Guard Captain and other guards, to patrol the streets and address emerging situations.

Key Mechanics

Emergent Narrative:

The game uses plot cards, secret cards, and events to drive a unique and developing story for the city, making each playthrough a memorable experience.
Card-Driven System:

Players use Recruitment, Plot, Identify, and Trait cards to influence their squad, identify suspects, and trigger events, which can range from simple brawls to more complex criminal conspiracies.
Token-Based Activation:

A token-in-a-bag system is used for activation, ensuring a chaotic and unpredictable turn order by drawing tokens to determine which figures act.
Dice System:

Players use a pool of dice for skill tests, with customized dice featuring swords for successes, crowns for special actions, and coins for bonuses.