If you don't see a default player name show up in the window after shortly after loading the Shockwave file, it is either because you have a firewall that is blocking Multi-User access (since the server is sending you info using port 1626), or because a Game Server has not been started yet.To start a Game Server, you will need to open up a Server browser in a seperate (or tabbed) browser window, at this location: http://www.betlikeduncan.com/Court/server_B.htm . Or, of course, it could be from any other numerous reasons.
OBJECT: Every year the High Court of Minsterpool plans re-convenes to set the direction of the Province. Weighty decisions occur at this time, and it is in the best interest of wealthy landowners to make sure that they have a controlling influence on the Court. Influencing Court Members can be done in 3 different direct ways: marrying relatives and cultivating other personal Relationships, providing Favors, and out-and-out Bribing. However, being a Court member is highly stressful, and they don't last very long (especially when the landowners can increase the pressure), so be careful spending a lot on influencing one member, as they may not be long for this world.
THE PROGRAM:
After entering your name on the first screen, this takes you to the game screen.
The upper right of the screen has the main game action buttons. RESET resets the current game, JOIN let's you join a game before the game has started, and once joined, you can START a game with the current players at the current seats. To the side of this are the people who are "in the room" watching the game.
The game starts with the same amount of Court Members as there are players.
In the upper righthand corner of each Court Member is it's Victory Point value. Court Members award the player who has influenced them the most. The first member dealt in the game has a VP of 3, the second one has a VP of 4.The third one, 5, etc. Throughout the game, every new Court Member added has a VP one point higher than the previously introduced Court Member.
During the Action Phase, you will play cards to place tokens on Court Members to gain their Influence. During the Scoring Phase, Court Members award Victory Points to the players that Influence them the most.
All Players start with 18 cards.
At the beginning of each round select 3 cards to play during the Action Phase. Once Action Cards are played, they are removed from the game. A player will play all of their cards over the course of 6 rounds.
Once all players have selected their three Action Cards, the Action Phase begins. The player currently with the most VP goes first (ties are determined randomly). Then turns proceed around the "table" to the next player in seat order.
A player MUST play at least one Action Card before ending his turn. He may, however, play more than one card.  
When a player wishes to end his turn, he clicks on the DONE button.
Play continues around the table until all players have played all their cards.  
When playing a Relationship Action, a player clicks on a Court Member with an empty Relationship LifeLine. The only way for this Relationship to be removed is by filling up the relationship's LifeLine with Hourglass tokens.
Playing a Bribe Action, all previously placed Bribes are shfted on the Bribe line to the right, and the new Bribe is placed on the left-most space. Any Bribe that "falls off" the line on the right because there are no more Bribe spaces are removed from the board.
Playing a Favor Action, the player places a colored Favor token on any open Favor space.
Playing an Hourglass lets a player place an Hourglass token on a Court Member LifeLine or a Relationship LifeLine.
If a Court Member LifeLine is filled up, that Court Member is retired (removed from play) and a new Court Member is drawn to replace it immediately.
If a Relationship LifeLine is filled up, that Relationship token, and all Hourglasses on that LifeLine are removed. A new Relationship can be played on this line.
SCORING PHASE:  
During the Scoring Phase, each Court Member awards it's VP amount to the player who has the most Influence on that Court Member. Influence(i) is calculated by using the numbers on the right side on the Court Member boards.
A player with a Relationship with a Court Member is awarded the amount of i shown to the right of the Relationship.
And a player is awarded i for EACH token on the Bribe and Favor lines.
At the end of each Scoring round, each LifeLine for every Court Member AND Relationship is advanced with one Hourglass token. Any Court Member that has filled up it's LifeLife is replaced immediately. Any Relationship LifeLife that is filled is removed immediately.

A new Court Member is "elected" to the court to end the Scoring Phase. A New Round begins, with players selecting their three Action Cards.

 

  
After six full rounds, the game is over, and the player with the most VP wins the game.