You are a mighty Grand Master of the Runes. You know their secrets and their power. With the help of your lesser Rune Masters, you collect and focus energy to summon a creature from another world to do your bidding. But there is treachery among your ranks. Another Grand Master assisting in the ritual is working against you. The ceremony will continue, but who the creature serves will not be known until the ritual is complete.
Congratulations! Your family has the honor of being invited to the prestigious wedding of a young princess. You are required to attend - without having any choice - and that brings up the problem of what wedding gift to bring? You consider your options and decide that one will not do for a princess. Making a list, you give what items to purchase to your energetic and talented heir. It's on them you put your hope that one of the items to be collected is a gift that makes the princess smile and brings honor to your family.
American business magnate, entrepreneur, industrial designer, investor, and media proprietor, Steve Jobs, said, "That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains." In this game, light game rules and abstract simplicity create a hotbed of creative focus and strategic engagement on literally multiple levels.
Brazilian lyricist and novelist Paulo Coelho, said "Writing means sharing. It's part of the human condition to want to share things - thoughts, ideas, opinions." Writing is but one form of how we share. We also share ideas, thoughts, and feelings through music, art, a conversation, and even through a light touch on someone's shoulder when we pass them by. Of all these many ways we communicate with each other, how well do we know the person we are speaking and listening to? This game looks to answer that question.
King Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Great or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil), was King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. He said, "The ministers of kings should learn to moderate their ambition. The higher they elevate themselves above their proper sphere, the greater the danger that they will fall." Politics can be a tenuous game of cat and mouse, with continuous tactical moves and deep strategy. We certainly see that in today's politics, but it was so much more dangerous in the past when played at the court of kings and queens. You don't lose your position, you lose your life and possibly your entire family line. In this game, your ambition to gain power must be tempered with building a foundation that can withstand the attacks from your rivals. In the end, only one house will stand above all others. Will it be yours?
The King is dead! Long live the King! His passing is a hurtful blow to the realm and to your wallet. The King promised you a number of his treasures, but those are now safely entombed with the remains of the fallen lord. Well, nuts to that! You will get what is rightfully yours! You hatch a plan to raid the crypt and steal back that which was stolen from you using your loyal servants. Unfortunately, your siblings have the same idea.