This is a FAQ and rules clarifications page for all things Kings of Israel, last updated 2/21/19.
Errors:
Rulebook:
In the component example image for the first printing of Kings of Israel, there is one too many sets of two sin cubes. There should only be four sets of two sin cubes in a 3-player game.
In the description for the prophet Move action in the first printing of Kings of Israel it states, “Move your prophet from one location to another if the locations are connected by a road (solid black line) or by sea (dotted black line).” In the final version of the game, the road lines are brown.
Map
On the map for the first printing of Kings of Israel, Jabeshgilead has an extra ‘i’ in it. That is a typo.
Kickstarter Bonus Materials:
Thief Postcard:
A header states, “Placing the False Prophet” when it should say, “Placing the Thief”. This error has been corrected in the printable version of the postcard on the Funhill website.
General Rules:
Sin Cubes:
There is no limit to the number of sin cubes that can go in one location.
False Prophet:
A player cannot remove sin cubes or idols from the False Prophet’s location by any means. Abilities such as Sailor and Blessings such as Fire From Heaven do not remove sin cubes or idols from his location. Sin Cubes can be MOVED from his location using Terrifying though.
If a False Prophet moves into a location with an Idol and Altar and adds a Sin Cube, he does not destroy the Altar. He needs to be the one who caused the Idol to appear to destroy the Altar.
Ability Cards:
Determined:
Doing this at a False Prophet’s location will not remove Sin Cubes and Idols from it.
Building an altar will remove all Sin Cubes or Idols at a location. The player does not have to choose one or the other.
Imposing Will:
This ability prevents sin cubes from going in his location during setup.
Merchant:
Gold basically acts as a wild card for the Merchant. The player can substitute it for any other resource when you need it to.
Trailsman
If using a Cattle or Grain card to move, the player must still count any Mount locations for the movement. The Trailsman’s ability only counts from the initial location a player moves from.
Blessing Cards:
Altar in Bethel:
To add the altar in Bethel the player must start and end their turn in Bethel without moving.
Feasting and Joy
If a player chooses to draw a card then they must discard a Cattle or Grain card if they have one in their hand after doing so.
Fed by Ravens:
If a player discards a Cattle or Grain card and then moves to Jabeshgilead, they can pick up the same Cattle or Grain card that got them there.
Fire From Heaven:
If an altar is already in Mount Carmel when the card is played then nothing happens.
God Given Strength:
This applies to all players. For this round it only takes one action to remove all Sin Cubes from that players location.
Oath of Great Noise:
This Blessing does not affect the Sin Cubes in the altar’s location.
Selling of Grain:
If more than one player chooses to discard Grain to search the deck for cards they do so in turn order.
Strengthened:
If a player draws the Blessed Ability on Jehu’s round, they do not get to draw a Blessing card.
Wisdom Above Wealth:
This card can move face-up Foretold Event cards to the bottom of the deck.
Location Cards:
Shall Be Again:
Anytime this card is drawn, except for setting up the game, it causes all discarded cards to be shuffled and placed back on top of the deck.
Sin and Punishment Cards:
Aramean Invasion:
Losing an action only happens to the people adjacent to Aram when this card is drawn.
Baal Worship:
If there are less than two non-Nation locations in the discard pile then just put whatever is available under the card.
The locations under this card move with Baal Worship if it should be moved for whatever reason.
Brimstone and Fire:
This location and any Sin Cubes and Idols on it are no longer on the board. If another Brimstone and Fire is drawn the destroyed location is not a possible candidate for places to be destroyed.
Sin Cubes and Idols on this card can never be removed and placed back into the supply by any means.
Whenever this spot would receive a sin cube or idol, it is instead put on the card. This could happen because of sin spreading from an adjacent location, its Location card is drawn, as a result of a Sin and Punishment card, or if the Terrifying prophet would use his ability to push a sin cube there.
Sin will never spread from this location and an Idol will not appear here because of a sin cube being added to the spot.
If a location contains a prophet when it is destroyed, that player must leave that location as their first action. Prophets may never enter or pass through a destroyed location.
Flee From God:
If the most sin cubes at a location changes throughout the round that will change what spots can be entered.
Ignoring Prophets:
This card does not place a Sin Cube in the Imposing Will prophet’s location because of his ability.
Prophets Persecuted:
If Prophets Persecuted is drawn after Pursued on Mountains, the players still move to Mount locations since the most recent Sin and Punishment card overrides the previous one if necessary.
Satisfied With Bread:
This card does not place a Sin Cube in the Imposing Will prophet’s location because of his ability.
Losing an action because that player has Grain only occurs when the card is resolved.
Stormy Seas:
This card does not affect cards that allow players to draw cards without the Acquire Resources action.
The Plague:
A prophet cannot leave a location with an Idol even if they remove it.
Thieves:
If a Blessing or Sin and Punishment causes a player to move this round it does not affect the players because they are not Move actions.
Will Not Listen:
This does not affect things that remove Sin Cubes without using the “Preach to the Israelites” Action. This includes the Sailor’s ability.
Kickstarter Bonus Materials:
Components:
Here is a list of the Kickstarter bonus materials and what they are used with:
-4 Ability Cards, 4 Blessing Cards, and 4 Sin and Punishment cards
These are added to the Ability, Blessing, and Sin and Punishment card decks respectively. This allows for more events and prophet options in the game.
-3 Round cardboard tokens
These replace the 3 destruction cubes in the game, which are only used when the Brimstone and Fire card comes out.
-Prophet-shaped wooden tokens
These tokens can be used to replace the normal prophet tokens used in the game. They just look better!
-False Prophet Variant Postcard, three black False Prophet wooden tokens
This is a variant version of the Expert mode. In this mode, more False Prophets can appear but they can be permanently destroyed.
-5-6 Player False Prophet and Thief Postcards, one brown Thief wooden token
This is a variant that allows more than four players to play at once, with one or two players taking the role of the villainous False Prophet or Thief. Those player(s) win if the prophets lose. If playing with 5-players the villain can choose whether to be the False Prophet or Thief. The front part of each card tells how to set up and play the game if using that character, and the back side tells the character the actions them might take on their turn.
Foolish Prophets:
The Sin Cubes or Idols removed can be removed any way, such as Abilities or Blessing cards.
Martyr:
The Martyr can prevent a face-up Foretold Event from occuring.
Playable False Prophet:
Move: Discarding a Cattle or Grain card allows the False Prophet to move up to three locations by road like a normal prophet.
The False Prophet does not come on the board until the end of the first round.
The False Prophet rules from the rulebook do not apply to the Playable False Prophet. He does not prevent Sin Cubes or Idols from being destroyed at his location. He does not destroy an Altar if he builds an Idol there.
Blessing and Sin and Punishment cards that refer to “players” or “prophets” do not apply to the False Prophet.
Request Forgiveness:
Can be used to discard a face-up Foretold Event.
Terrifying:
Cubes moved from a player’s location can cause idols to appear and sin to spread as normal.
The Terrifying player may move cubes out of the False Prophet’s location.
Thief:
The Kickstarter copy of the Thief should state, “Placing the Thief” and not “Placing the False Prophet”.
Move: Discarding a Cattle or Grain card allows the False Prophet to move up to three locations by road like a normal prophet.