Banish the Snakes is now available for pre-order! You can find more info or pre-order on the P500 page here.

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A good historic simulation game will always tell a story; for Banish the Snakes, that is mostly accomplished through interaction with the Saints that appear in the game. St. Patrick is the best known of these Saints. Players direct the actions taken by these historic people – both men and women – and their successes and failures drive the game’s narrative.

The historic sources available for this time period is sparce. We have some good information about the dozen historic Saints in the game, and some others who did not make the “cut” to be included. And we have good information about the general social structure in Ireland during this time period. But we have only spotty information on individual political leaders from this era. Neil of the Nine Hostages is the most notable – and has the best sobriquet! And there is Benignus of Armagh, whose chieftain father features in a story about Patrick. They both have their own cards in the game. But for the most part, the chiefs, kings, and even high kings of the era remain anonymous.

That is why the leaders in the game are anonymous. These military and political leaders were historically all men, so I will use he/him pronouns below. Each leader has a numerical value on each side, indicating the strength of his religious convictions. They start with their Pagan side in play; when converted, their Christian side is revealed. The two values are not directly related!

Even though there are no names on the counters, by looking at the numbers on both sides, the personality of each leader can be inferred. Let’s look at some of the leaders, beginning with the most extreme examples.

-4 Pagan / +0 Christian. This is not an unusual leader; it represents someone who holds very strong Pagan beliefs which are hard to shake. But he’s also a politician, and will eventually see the secular advantage that Christianity brings: literacy. Reading and writing allowed communication over long distances, written laws, and improved commerce. For this, he would go through the motions of becoming a Christian. But in his heart, he is still a Pagan.

-1 Pagan / +4 Christian. This guy is the opposite, and more rare; there is only one in the game. He never bought into the importance of his Pagan beliefs. But then these Christian missionaries came along, telling him “the rest of the story”: accepting many Pagan ideas, while adding and explaining the Christian story. This really made sense to him. From now on, he would do everything he could to spread this new religion.

-4 Pagan / +4 Christian. I think everyone knows somebody like this! A very passionate person, and his spirituality is central to his personality. An unusual person; there is only one leader like this in the game. It was not easy to convince him to adopt this new religion. But once he did, he completely and passionately converted! Again, he would do everything he could to spread the word.

-1 Pagan / +0 Christian. This guy is again the opposite of the above leader, except more common. Spirituality is simply not an important part of his life. He was a faithful if not passionate Pagan, mainly for political reasons. So when the Christian missionaries came along, it was not difficult to get him to convert. But now, he will not lift a finger to help spread the word. He’s got important things to do.

-2 or -3 Pagan / +2 Christian. There are many examples of these in the game; the most common leaders. They are average in their spiritual strength. They will take part in religious ceremonies, but their spirituality is not the most important thing in their life. They were tepid Pagans, and after converting, they became unenthusiastic Christians. They will help spread the word when called upon, but they aren’t going to fully commit to the cause.

The game includes all options in between those mentioned here. Tepid Pagans can become fire-breathing Christians or become completely disinterested. Strong Pagans and disinterested Pagans can both become tepid Christians. Once you convert a leader, there is no way of knowing how strongly he will adopt his new religion.

There is also no way of knowing which leaders will be promoted. The cards will bring attacks and invasions where the top leaders meet their death. Promotion from the lower ranks is randomized, so you can’t count on your favorites moving up. You can hope that the strong Christian King becomes the new High King, but isn’t it always the King of the last Pagan province in Ireland that becomes High King instead? Historically, the Christian missionaries had no influence over military invasions and political promotions, so neither do the players in the game. They could only “turn the other cheek” and make the best of the new political situation.

When new leaders come out, it’s always exciting for the players. Will a Pagan leader be an easy mark, with just a -1 or -2 rating? Or will he be a hard-to-convert -4 leader? When a new Christian leader is placed, or a Pagan leader is converted, there is even more excitement: will he be a rare, strong +4 Christian? Or a more common +0 convert, just barely claiming that he’s Christian, but not offering any help. Probably something in between.

Next time you play Banish the Snakes, you and your friends can ponder the personalities of the leaders as they appear in the game. Even though they have no names, and do not represent specific people in history, you can imagine what sorts of characters they were.

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