A strategic game for 5 players
Vie for dominance in Renaissance Europe’s ruthless power struggles!
Neither King nor God ~ Epic Edition ~
Post Tenebras Lux. In Renaissance Europe’s ruthless power struggles in Neither King Nor God you will command mercenary armies, sway religion, and control trade through hidden Courtiers.
Five great powers – England, France, Spain, the Papacy, and the Holy Roman Empire – clash across political, military, economic, and religious fronts.
Shifting alliances and overlapping objectives mean your gains may bring rivals closer to victory. Intrigue, strategy, and betrayal combine in a tense contest for supremacy.
Designer: Uwe Walentin
Artist(s): Marc von Martial
Developer: Jim Lauffenburger, Mark Trowbridge
Hist. period: Renaissance
Game length: 180+ minutes
Players: 2 – 5 players
Age: 14+ years
Complexity: 5 / 10
Solitaire: 1/10
Neither King Nor God is a game of ruthless ambition set in Renaissance Europe, where loyalty is bought, faith is weaponized, and every alliance is temporary. You lead one of five great powers – England, France, Spain, the Papacy, or the Holy Roman Empire – each with unique strengths, objectives, and a web of overlapping ambitions.
At the heart of the game is the hidden Courtiers system. Each turn, you secretly send your agents – generals, admirals, merchants, bishops, spies, assassins, and more – to key centers of Europe. They are revealed in unpredictable order, creating moments of sudden advantage, desperate improvisation, or well-laid plans coming to fruition. Courtiers can command armies, convert cities, dominate markets, or sabotage your rivals, all while pursuing your own path to victory.
The game’s victory conditions ensure constant tension: helping yourself may bring your rivals closer to their own triumph. Political, military, economic, and religious strategies are all vital, and shifting alliances can change in an instant.
What else will you find in the Epic Edition?
First, some new “Courtiers”. They are the heart of the game. We’ll have a fifth faction—the Spanish Kingdom—as well as several new regions, including the New World, Asia, and regions along the North African coast. This means we’ll have a large game board.
The Ottoman Empire will be a new Non-Playing Faction (NPF). The Ottoman Empire plays against the continental powers. If the Ottoman Empire dominates the European mainland, England wins.
With “Diplomacy,” we’ll have an additional layer in the game system. Neutral realms like Sweden and Denmark can become allies, and Landsknecht units can be hired. The factions will be even more asymmetrical than in the Pilot Edition.
The development of the game of Neither King Nor God includes a very special feature: many of you are familiar with the game’s “engine,” the “Courtiers.” In the current version, the game has 17 different “Courtiers.” Essentially, there is an infinite number of possible “Courtiers” that can be added to the game.
Neither King Nor God includes a huge mounted, dual layered game board of Renaissance Europe, over 600 wooden pieces representing armies, fleets, barrels, and Courtiers, player aids, and faction sheets. With its streamlined yet interactive system, the game balances historical flavor with fast, tense gameplay, keeping the focus on negotiation, timing, and decisive action.
The game will be available in a localized German and French version as well.
Game Components
- 2 double-layered mounted maps 84 x 60 cm
- over 600 wooden playing pieces, mostly customized & silk printed
- 5 double-layered faction sheets
- 45 Victory Conditions cards
- 5 wooden storage boards
- 2 dice
- 1 cloth bag
- 1 play aid with set up instructions
- 1 rules manual
Shop & Ordering
Q1: Can I apply more than one discount code to the same order?
A: We’re sorry, but only one discount code can be applied per order. If you have multiple codes, you’re welcome to use a different one on your next purchase.
Q2: I’ve already placed an order. How can I combine a new order with the previous one?
A: Unfortunately, orders cannot be merged automatically once they’ve been placed. However, if you add the new item to your shopping cart before checkout, our system will recognise it and won’t charge you additional shipping.
Please note: We cannot guarantee that orders can be merged once they are being processed. Unless we have specifically asked you to do so, there is a risk that your orders may not be combined. In that case, the outstanding order may either need to be refunded or shipped separately, and any shipping fees will be handled accordingly.
Q3: What happens if my order contains both a pre-order item and an item that’s already available, and I qualify for free shipping?
A: We’ll ship all the items together once the pre-order item becomes available
Q4: Can I reserve a game without purchasing it?
A: We’re sorry, but we’re unable to hold or reserve games without a purchase.
Q5: What is available right now?
A: All items listed as “in stock” — except pre-orders — are available for immediate purchase. In the rare case that an item is out of stock due to an error, we’ll contact you directly to resolve the issue.
Q6: How can I order something that isn’t currently in stock?
A: You can sign up for a back-in-stock notification (this option appears in place of the “Add to Cart” button). If the item becomes available again, we’ll notify you immediately by email so you can place your order.
Q7: Will pre-order items be shipped to me automatically?
A: Yes. If your order contains pre-order items, we’ll automatically ship it once all pre-ordered items have arrived — provided that shipping has been paid for or the order qualifies for free shipping.
Q8: Can you explain the different steps of fulfilling an order from your shop?
“Processing” = the order and payment is checked by our system
“Completed” = the order was successfully processed by our system and order data submitted to the respective fulfillment partner
“Fulfilled” = the order is in fulfillment by one of our partners. You will get a notification of the fulfillment/shipping partner for your region. Depending on their system and the postal service they use these might be multiple emails.
Q9: Who are your fulfillment partners?
Europe: Happyshops
United Kingdom: ZATU Limited,
United States: MM fulfillment
Canada: BoardGameBliss
Australia: Milsims Games
Spare parts
Q1: Can I order spare parts?
A: If you have missing/broken components* in any of our products, please contact us. We highly encourage you to remove all components from the box and open all inner packaging to look for components that appear to be missing before reporting that they’re actually missing.
Q2: My box is broken.
A: We can’t replace boxes, and for environmental reasons we generally prefer not to replace inserts and plastic trays. However, if your game box and/or insert was damaged during shipping from our web shop, please open a ticket in our helpdesk and submit your order number. Photos of the packaging and damage help us share feedback with our fulfillment centers.
Q3: Is a replacement necessary?
It’s important to us that you get the full and best version of your game, and we will respond to any requests for replacement parts. That said, we ask for your compassion and understanding if certain types of tokens are missing or broken. One missing or badly printed / trimmed unit counter will impact the game. On the other hand if you miss one admin marker that is available multiple times in that same game we kindly ask not to demand a replacement for environmental reasons. It will not make the game unplayable.
Game related
Q1: Can I read the manuals before I purchase?
A: For some of our products, full manuals are available online. For others, we provide abbreviated or introductory manuals. Please check the “Infos & Files” tab on the respective product page.
Q2: Where can I find support files or errata?
A: You can find support files and errata on the “Infos & Files” tab of the respective product page.
Fulfillment Times
Unless otherwise stated in the webstore, all “Sound of Drums” orders placed through our webstore will be shipped within 1 week, with preorders and holiday shipping taking longer due to our fulfillment centers receiving a flood of orders all at the same time. You will receive a shipment notification e-mail with a tracking number by our fulfillment partner – this information won’t show up on your “Sound of Drums” webstore customer account. Depending on the fulfillment partner and their shipping carrier these might be multiple emails. Please make sure to also check your spam/junk folder for these emails.
Shipping Costs
We charge a flat rate of EUR 16 for shipping, with free shipping on orders over EUR 150. Some exceptions for particularly large products might apply.
Shipping Times
We ship orders from different fulfillment centers around the world to expedite shipping, maintain low shipping fees, and reduce customs/taxes, so the courier will depend on your location. See the list below to find out from which center your order will be shipped.
Europe: Happyshops
United Kingdom: ZATU Limited,
United States: MM fulfillment
Canada: BoardGameBliss
Australia: Milsims Games
Need help?
Please read our FAQ for more informations. If you still have questions related to shipping contact us.
