The Planet King

The Planet King

Promotional Trailer

Philip IV assumed the throne on 31 March 1621 until his death on 17 September 1665. His reign of 44 years and 170 days was the longest of the House of Austria in Spain. This long reign was marked by a long and agonizing decline of the Hispanic monarchy, mainly due to a period of continuous wars, which consumed the entire royal treasury and ruined the country, but also to multiple internal con¬flicts, especially from 1640 onwards. 

On the political level, the most notable feature of the reign was its systematic recourse to delegating the tasks of government to a favorite or Valido. Philip IV resorted, like his father Philip III, to the institution of the Valido, that is, a man of confidence who assumed the King's powers in his name and acted as a true head of state, to the point of being able to sign the King's name. 

The beginning of the reign in foreign policy was marked by the mon¬archy's participation in the 80 and 30 years wars. The House of Habsburg emerged from these conflicts weakened by the signing of the Peace of Westphalia, and the global dominance of France and England began to take shape. The war with France continued for another ten years during the reign of Philip IV, until the signing of the Peace of the Pyrenees (1658). 

The weakness of the monarchy's position at this time provoked an internal rebellion that threatened to fragment the Hispanic king¬doms. In 1640 Catalonia and Portugal (incorporated by Philip II in 1580) rose up; in 1641 the revolt took place in Andalusia; in 1646 it was the turn of Sicily, and the following year, Naples. If we bear in mind that the war with France was going on at the same time, it is easy to understand the critical situation in which Philip IV found himself. Peace with France in 1658 was accompanied by the annexation of Roussillon by Louis XIV and the definitive loss of Portugal, which thus formed a monarchy of its own. Sovereignty had been maintained, however, over Catalonia, Andalusia and Italian possessions. The consequences of the war included a decline in the population, a huge rise in inflation and the final independence of the United Provinces (nowadays the Netherlands). 

The monarch's own private life was a mass of contradictions. His public character as an austere and religious person was in contrast to a life devoted to worldly pleasures and an extraordinary taste in other women, nobles, singers or nuns, regardless of their origin, status or fortune. 

Paradoxically, the reign of Philip IV coincided with the period of greatest splendour of Hispanic arts and literature, the so-called Golden Age. Writers of the stature of Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Gón¬gora, Calderón de la Barca, and artists such as Velázquez (Philip IV's court painter), Rivera, Zurbarán and Murillo, were the light in a Spain of shadows.

Such was the power and extent of his dominions that King Philip IV went down in History as "The Planet King"

The Planet King is a game for 1 or 2 players in which the player represents King Philip IV (and his Valido in the cooperative two-player version). The player must guide the kingdom and its resources and at the same time try to turn the Spanish Court into the most enlightened place in the world, thanks to the artistic gen¬eration of the Golden Age. In addition to the above, the King is a human being, seeking to satisfy his innermost desires and perpetuate the Habsburg dynasty with a male heir. The player's side (or players) is called Spain or the Hispanic monarchy (or simply the monarchy). 

The player must manage the prestige of the kingdom (prestige points), the development of the arts (enlightenment points) and the happiness of Philip IV (happiness points). These indicators, added to various in-game events, will serve to measure the suc¬cess or failure of the player's actions by means of victory points. 

The game is guided by a deck of event cards, representing the various events of the time, from crop failures to conflicts with other powers. The more wars the more unstable the kingdom is and the more problems it will face. 

For the best governance of the kingdom, the player has a series of notables (characters), divided into three categories: nobles (poli¬ticians and military men), geniuses (artists) and ladies (queens or aspiring queens, court ladies or simple concubines). 

Each turn represents 3 to 6 years of real time. There is an intro¬ductory game scenario, two campaign scenarios of four turns each, and an eight-turn campaign scenario covering the entire reign of Philip IV. The play length of the four-turn scenarios is 2-3 hours each. However, there is always a risk of an Automatic Defeat, either because the Prestige of the monarchy or its level of Enlightenment is equal to or less than 1 point, or because of a Sudden Death of Philip IV if his happiness falls to zero. The economic unit of the game is the ducat, each of which represents one million ducats of that time, currently equivalent to approximately 136 million euros.

Players are recommended to start with the introductory scenario and then the short campaign scenarios.

Game Sequence

The turn begins with an Organization phase, followed by an Events phase, and ends with an Administrative phase. The progression of turns is guided by an event card deck.

Organization Phase

During this phase, the player prepares the card decks and performs a series of preliminary actions.

Events Phase

Once the event deck is prepared, the player begins drawing event cards one by one. Each event unfolds as described on the card. Each event is resolved immediately before drawing another card. Some events are straightforward and involve a single action, such as gaining a ducat or removing a courtier. Other events are more complex and require a fortune test.

Fortune Test

The game does not use dice to resolve events or actions; instead, it uses the event cards themselves. When an event or action requires a fortune test, the player draws the top card from the event deck and resolves the action using the fortune indicator located in the bottom left corner of the card. This method ensures the event is resolved, and the used card is not replayed during the turn, enhancing the game's replayability since not all cards are used in every turn.

Player Actions

When an Action card is played, it is the player's opportunity to influence the course of the game. The player can perform political actions (such as embassies, appointing political positions, etc.), government actions (military operations, raising regiments, etc.), royal actions (activities typical of kings, such as hunting or having children), and simple actions like building fortresses or raising provincial regiments.

The Wars

The reign of Philip IV cannot be understood without representing the numerous wars that beset the kingdom. In the game, the monarchy can be in conflict with England, France, the Berbers, the Turks, the Dutch, Protestants, the Portuguese, and various internal enemies. More wars lead to greater instability and increased expenditure. To fight these wars, the player must raise regiments, both national and foreign, and select the best generals from those available, considering their strengths and weaknesses. For instance, the great Cardinal-Infante, though one of the best generals of his time, has a weakness for women, which can cause problems. Naturally, there are also enemies with their powerful armies and generals, ranging from mediocre leaders like Emmanuel of Savoy to the great captains of the era, such as Turenne or Condé.

End-of-Turn Phase

In this phase, administrative actions are carried out, such as collecting taxes or deploying new units. Points for prestige, enlightenment, happiness, and victory are tallied.

The Illustrious

The illustrious figures are the characters of the game, represented by a card and sometimes also by a token. The largest group of illustrious figures consists of politicians and military leaders, known as Nobles. Alongside them are the Geniuses, artists who bring splendor to the Court, and of course, the ladies, ranging from queens to the king's mistresses, and even some nuns. Each of these unique characters must occupy various positions in the Court and beyond, such as Viceroys, governors, court painters, etc. The most important position in the game is the royal favorite. This favorite provides government and political actions, assisting the king in his duties.

Cooperative Play

In cooperative play, one player assumes the role of King Philip IV and the other his favorite. The King earns Victory Points (VP) for the king's happiness and enlightenment, while the favorite earns VP for the monarchy's prestige. The Solo War scenario cannot be played in cooperative mode. The king decides the order of action resolution. Each player keeps track of their VP independently.

Download English Rule Book