Divine Right (game)
Encyclopedia
Divine Right is a fantasy
board wargame
designed by Glenn A. Rahman and Kenneth Rahman. The game was first published in 1979 by TSR, Inc.
and a 25th Anniversary Edition was published in 2002 by The Right Stuf International
.
that uses dice for all rolls. Magical creatures and items are also employed in an attempt to win the game through amassing more victory points than your opponents. Victory points are awarded for plundering castles and killing or capturing opposing monarchs.
This two- to six-player game incorporates combat, castle sieges, and diplomacy in a fantasy setting. Players use everything from fleets to mercenaries to magical creatures to special military leaders. Players are affected by usual events in war: weather, mutinies, plagues, etc. Victory is obtained by one of two methods: score the most points by the end of the 20th turn, or eliminate all opponents.
To make all this happen, the game includes kingdom cards, personality cards, diplomacy cards, dice, unit counters, a full color game map and complete instructions.
The diplomacy system is perhaps the most novel element in Divine Right. Each turn a player draws a diplomacy card. The card either allows the player to bring a special mercenary unit into play or provides a modifier towards an attempt to bring a country into play on your side or leave an alliance with an opposing player. While each player controls their home country, most countries begin the game neutral and only fight for a player if brought into an alliance via a diplomacy die roll influenced by diplomacy cards. Another diplomatic action allows players to attempt to raise barbarian hordes at the board's edge, although a bad roll will cause the barbarians to burn the player's ambassador at the stake, thus preventing any diplomacy on the player's next turn.
's White Bear and Red Moon
, while the implementation of magic and the mythology of Minaria, the game world, was inspired by the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
, Robert E. Howard
, H. P. Lovecraft
, and Clark Ashton Smith
. This background was detailed in an appendix to the original game manual and in a series of 20 articles titled The Minaran Legends appearing in Dragon
magazine. Glenn also credits the artwork by his brother Kenneth with helping ensure its continued popularity, calling it "a quantum leap over the drab art that had illustrated most games until then."
Divine Right was originally released in 1979
by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR
). The second edition was released in 1980 and included several original additions as well as elements from the articles appearing in Dragon
magazine at the time. The game was sold for several years and set many precedents in turn-based wargaming.
The game was updated by the original authors and was released in 2002 as a 25th Anniversary Edition by The Right Stuf International
, which in addition to the original game included a bonus CD and an autographed certificate of authenticity. The entire 2000 copy limited run of this version was sold.
All three volumes are expected to be published online at the Divine Right Yahoo! group; see the Links section below.
Several PBEM engines for Divine Right are now in development. The one that is known to work and is supported is available as a free download (see links below).
. The cover art is by "Elrohir," a nom de plume of Kenneth Rahman, brother of Glenn Rahman.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
board wargame
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
designed by Glenn A. Rahman and Kenneth Rahman. The game was first published in 1979 by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
and a 25th Anniversary Edition was published in 2002 by The Right Stuf International
The Right Stuf International
The Right Stuf International, Inc. is an American retailer based in Grimes, Iowa that markets and distributes anime and manga-related products throughout the United States and internationally...
.
Overview
Divine Right is played on a full-color map of the fantasy world of Minaria, using counters to designate armies, fleets, barbarians, mercenaries, and other fighting forces. It is a turn-based war gameWargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
that uses dice for all rolls. Magical creatures and items are also employed in an attempt to win the game through amassing more victory points than your opponents. Victory points are awarded for plundering castles and killing or capturing opposing monarchs.
This two- to six-player game incorporates combat, castle sieges, and diplomacy in a fantasy setting. Players use everything from fleets to mercenaries to magical creatures to special military leaders. Players are affected by usual events in war: weather, mutinies, plagues, etc. Victory is obtained by one of two methods: score the most points by the end of the 20th turn, or eliminate all opponents.
To make all this happen, the game includes kingdom cards, personality cards, diplomacy cards, dice, unit counters, a full color game map and complete instructions.
The diplomacy system is perhaps the most novel element in Divine Right. Each turn a player draws a diplomacy card. The card either allows the player to bring a special mercenary unit into play or provides a modifier towards an attempt to bring a country into play on your side or leave an alliance with an opposing player. While each player controls their home country, most countries begin the game neutral and only fight for a player if brought into an alliance via a diplomacy die roll influenced by diplomacy cards. Another diplomatic action allows players to attempt to raise barbarian hordes at the board's edge, although a bad roll will cause the barbarians to burn the player's ambassador at the stake, thus preventing any diplomacy on the player's next turn.
History
Divine Right was developed by brothers Glenn and Kenneth Rahman based on their earlier, unpublished game Your Excellency. Glenn Rahman credits his background writing stories for semi-pro magazines with inspiring the effort to add characterization to the story through the use of "personality cards" and elaborate background stories. The use of a fantasy setting was inspired by ChaosiumChaosium
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
's White Bear and Red Moon
White Bear and Red Moon
White Bear and Red Moon is a fantasy board wargame set in the world of Glorantha, created by Greg Stafford and published in 1975. Stafford set up the Chaosium game publishing company solely to produce and market the game....
, while the implementation of magic and the mythology of Minaria, the game world, was inspired by the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
, H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, and Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne...
. This background was detailed in an appendix to the original game manual and in a series of 20 articles titled The Minaran Legends appearing in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine. Glenn also credits the artwork by his brother Kenneth with helping ensure its continued popularity, calling it "a quantum leap over the drab art that had illustrated most games until then."
Divine Right was originally released in 1979
1979 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1979. For video and console games, see 1979 in video gaming.-Significant games-related events of 1979:...
by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
). The second edition was released in 1980 and included several original additions as well as elements from the articles appearing in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine at the time. The game was sold for several years and set many precedents in turn-based wargaming.
The game was updated by the original authors and was released in 2002 as a 25th Anniversary Edition by The Right Stuf International
The Right Stuf International
The Right Stuf International, Inc. is an American retailer based in Grimes, Iowa that markets and distributes anime and manga-related products throughout the United States and internationally...
, which in addition to the original game included a bonus CD and an autographed certificate of authenticity. The entire 2000 copy limited run of this version was sold.
Legacy
The authors of Divine Right, Glenn and Kenneth Rahman, have continued to make improvements to the game's rules. As of 2010 a new edition is reported to be under development and will be composed of three volumes:- VOL. 1: Sixth Edition Rulebook, a comprehensive manual that will include new and expanded rules, a never-before-published strategy guide, and an index.
- VOL. 2: Scarlet Empire, a spin-off of Divine Right that Glenn Rahman wrote years ago but never published.
- VOL. 3: Minarian Legends, a compilation of fiction set in the world of Divine Right. Most of the articles were originally published in serial form between 1980 and 1982 in TSR's Dragon magazine and were included on a CD-ROM with the 25th Anniversary Edition. A pronunciation guide will also be included.
All three volumes are expected to be published online at the Divine Right Yahoo! group; see the Links section below.
Several PBEM engines for Divine Right are now in development. The one that is known to work and is supported is available as a free download (see links below).
Art
The mapboard for the original 1979 edition was by David A. Trampier
David A. Trampier
Dave A. Trampier is a former artist and writer who worked on some of the earliest editions of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and was the creator of the Wormy comic strip that ran in Dragon magazine...
. The cover art is by "Elrohir," a nom de plume of Kenneth Rahman, brother of Glenn Rahman.
External links
- MADHAT Divine Right Pages - fan website containing links to PBEM versions and new rules
- Yahoo!'s DivineRightGame group - a discussion site for Divine Right
' s fans and where the rules are posted - Divine Right 25th Anniversary Edition Design Notes