Montsegur 1244 : The Expansion

With the help from many fans of Montsegur 1244, Thoughtful Games now proudly presents the expansion for Montsegur 1244.

Explore friendship relations. See the Cathars through the eyes of an outsider. Encounter true love, endless rain, and a ghost from the past. The expansion will inspire you and your friends to create new stories about the siege of Montsegur and new answers to that final question:

Will you burn for your beliefs?

Available as free download here.

Content

The expansion set for Montsegur 1244 consists of 4 new characters, 8 new story cards and 8 new scene cards.

The new characters are:

1. India - a perfect of noble birth
2. Etienne - a perfect and brother of Arsende
3. Guilhelm - an old, blind man
4. Joscelin - a troubadour

The new story cards are:

1. Captured Knight
2. Pious Child
3. Died without Consalementum
4. Sleeping Guard
5. Incapacitated by Illness
6. A Ghost From the Past
7. True Love
8. Endless Rain

The new scene cards are:

1. The acrid odor of burning hair
2. Pennants snapping in the breeze
3. A stolen kiss upon cold lips
4. Embers glowing in the dark
5. The sound of steel upon steel
6. A hound baying mournfully
7. A distant rumble of thunder
8. The lively sound of music

Download

• Color
• Black and white

The new characters

Adding the new characters to a game of Montsegur 1244 is a great way to explore new stories after you have played the basic game.

• Explore friendship relations with Guilhelm and India.
• Get closer to the Cathar faith with India and Etienne.
• See the Cathars through the eyes of an outsider with Joscelin.

Choose one of these options to add expansion characters to a game:

• Shuffle one, two or three of them into the set of the original characters and have players pick them normally.
• Let each player who has played Montsegur 1244 before pick one.

If you play with first time players, it is recommended not to add more than one or two new characters.

Optional rules

Based on feedback from many play sessions, these optional rules may give you a better game:

Prologue: Set the scene of the prologue before or after the assassination instead. If not all the Cathars approve of the assassination, this conflict can become a strong theme in a game. This works well for experienced players.

Background sheets: Read all of the background sheets aloud after the prologue and before Act One. This will introduce the peculiar details of the Cathar faith earlier at the cost of a slower start.

6 player game: In a 6 player game, let every player set a scene in both Act Two and Act Three. This will give a longer game. This is possible with the extra story cards from the expansion.

Scene cards: Draw the third open scene card just before selecting a scene card for a scene. This gives a better flow.

Yellow cross: Let the yellow cross go round the table to mark the player that sets the scene. Use the book to mark the player who started the act. This makes it easier to remember who set the opening scene after playing a scene that has been taken over many times.

Rule clarification

This has always been how I have played Montsegur 1244 but may actually not be what is stated in the book.

Scene cards can both be used to take over narration right in the current scene and to add a new scene. This new scene is typically a follow up scene but can also be a completely independent scene.

Credits

Design:

Frederik J. Jensen

Layout:

Brian Rasmussen

Contributors:

Claudia Cangini, Jason Morningstar, Daniel Eison, Graham Walmsley, Shannon J.E. McNamara.

Playtesters:

Thomas Ulricht, Lise Andreasen, Lena Smith, Louise Floor Frellsen, Christian Vibe Scheller, Johanne Arbirk Wenstrup, Jonathan Arbirk Wenstrup, Anders Floor Frellsen, Morten Havmøller Laursen, Daniele Veglia, Giulia Maffioli, Luca Ghibaudo, Mauro Ghibaudo, Joachim Knudsen, Christian Hundahl, Simon Roger, Steve Dempsey, Mike Harnish, Rich Lacy, Jane Olszewske, Declan Feeney, Graham Walmsley, Daniel Klein, Adam Kelly.