1. 01 How you score
2. 02 What you start with
3. 03 Only you
4. 04 Your Turn 1 situation
5. 05 Traps
6. 06 What experienced players say
7. 07 Your deep dives

You start on 1 VP. You have no units and control no spaces, though 18 spaces in the four religious struggle areas are already Protestant in religion. Rule SB p.7 If anyone has 25 VP in the Victory Phase at the end of a turn, the game ends and the highest score wins. From Turn 4 you can also win by being 5 VP clear of everyone. Rule 25.3

Your pieces come in two kinds: Huguenot (French Protestant, white) and Dutch (orange). Both belong to you. Rule 23.6

• Protestant spaces, 1 VP now. The Protestant spaces track starts at 18, worth 1 VP to you. At 20 it's 2, at 25 it's 3, and it keeps rising. Spaces in unrest (local turmoil, Lesson 3) don't count. Rule 25.2
• Keys outside the Netherlands, 2 VP each. Keys are the square cities (Lesson 1). These use your Huguenot markers, the bottom row of your card. Rule 23.6, 25.2
• Keys inside the Netherlands, 3 VP each. Only Amsterdam, Antwerp and Brussels, with your Dutch markers, the top row. Rule 23.6, 25.2
• Paris, 1 VP a turn in each Victory Phase you hold it and it isn't in unrest, or 2 on Turns 5 to 7 with Henry Navarre there. Rule 25.3
• Bonus VP from events, piracy, patronage, assassinations and William of Orange's marriage. Rule 25.2

The same track is a tug of war: more Protestant spaces means more VP for you and England and fewer for Spain. Rule 25.2

You can also win on the spot, during the Action Phase, in two ways: hold 5 keys outside the Netherlands with none in unrest, or reach the 50 box on the Protestant spaces track. Rule 25.1, 23.6

• No units, no controlled spaces, no capital. You set up a capital for each area later, through rebellion. Rule 23.6, SB p.7
• Coligny waits off the map. Huguenot leaders enter at a fortified home space you control in France, during Spring Deployment at the start of a turn (Lesson 6) or with a rebellion in France. Rule 23.6, 10
• The 18 Protestant spaces: 12 in England, 4 in France (Rouen, Nantes, Amboise, La Rochelle), 1 in the Netherlands (Ghent) and 1 in Scotland (Perth). Rule SB pp.6 to 7
• William of Orange is available to wed. Rule SB p.7
• You start with 1 influence in Scotland and 1 with the sleeping Holy Roman Empire. Rule SB p.7, SB p.11

You're dealt 4 cards. That grows to 5, 6 or 7 once you hold at least 1, 2 or 3 keys in both rows of your card (inside and outside the Netherlands). You also hold your Home card (Lesson 2). Your admin rating is 2 and you get no card bonus. Rule 23.6, 11

Home card: Calvinist Zeal (5 CP). Pick one:

• 7 Protestant conversion attempts in France and then 7 in the Netherlands (the first die in each area counts as a 6).
• One rebellion in France or the Netherlands, as if you'd spent 7 CP.
• Two rebellions, one in each, as if you'd spent 4 CP and 3 CP.

Rule Card #32

When the Catholic League forms you also get Paris is Worth a Mass, and each turn after that you keep only one of the two. Rule 6.1, 10

Rebellion (2 to 5 CP) is yours alone. It's how you get land, troops and keys. Rule 18.4

1. Pick a target that is Protestant in religion and not under siege. In France it must be French controlled; in the Netherlands, Spanish controlled. Never in Scotland, and not in France while you're allied with France. Rule 18.4, 18.5
2. If no Catholic units are there, the rebellion succeeds with no roll. Otherwise roll one die per CP, plus one more at a Protestant home space. Each 5 or 6 kills a Catholic unit. If any Catholic units are left, the rebellion fails. Rule 18.5
3. Take the target, plus neighbouring Protestant spaces in the same area that have no Catholic units, up to as many spaces in total as CP spent. Rule 18.5
4. Add 1 regular for every 2 full CP. You're now at war with France or Spain. If you now hold a fortified Protestant home space in that area, you may put your capital there, and if a leader for that area is waiting, he joins the target space. Rule 18.5

Also on your card, shared with Spain but working your way: Preach Sermon (2 CP) gives you 5 Protestant conversion attempts in France, the Netherlands or Scotland, one area per action (Lesson 5). Rule 18.2

Huguenot units are built in white home spaces, Dutch units in orange ones, and each kind uses its own capital. They can move and fight together. Rule 23.6

• The Protestant is at war with nobody and has no allies. Spain can never be your ally. Rule SB p.7, 9.2
• You have no units on the map.
• Five spaces can be targeted with no Catholic units in them: Rouen, La Rochelle, Nantes and Amboise in France, and Ghent in the Netherlands. A rebellion at any of them succeeds without a roll. Rule 18.5
• Coligny is your only leader on Turn 1, so a rebellion in the Netherlands brings no leader yet. Rule SB p.7, 18.5
• Neighbours of those spaces: Paris (Montmorency and 3 regulars) borders Rouen, Orleans (1 regular) borders Amboise, and Antwerp (1 Walloon regular) and Brussels (1 Spanish regular) border Ghent.
• War costs: a war started by a rebellion costs nothing to declare. Spain or France would pay 1 CP to declare war on you, England 4 CP. Rule Diplomatic Status chart
• No espionage on Turns 1 and 2. Rule 19

• Converting is not controlling. Sermons flip religion only. Until a rebellion or an event gives you control, you have no keys, no base VP and a 4 card hand. Rule 18.4, 23.6
• Keys in only one area. You need at least 1 key in each row of your card to draw 5 cards. Two French keys and no Dutch key is still 4. Rule 23.6
• The wrong marker. Amsterdam, Antwerp and Brussels always take a Dutch square marker; every other key takes a Huguenot one. Rule 23.6
• Unrest. Any 1 among your conversion dice puts one of the spaces you converted into unrest, unless you turn one of your 6s into a 5 to cancel it. Spaces in unrest don't count as Protestant. Rule 18.5, 25.2
• 3 keys in France brings Spain in. At the end of each Winter on Turns 3 to 6, the Catholic League forms if you hold 3 keys in France, and it can also form on a die roll once you hold more than 5 French home spaces. Spain then goes to war with you and France. Rule 20.10

Deep dives: Espionage is ready (informants and assassinations, from Turn 3). Coming later: Conversion and Rebellion (converting spaces and starting rebellions); Winter (two capitals and getting your troops home); Diplomacy, Minors and War (France, Scotland, and why Spain can never be your ally).

If you win over the Holy Roman Empire, read Running Allies.