The rules for combat state that each player selects one character to take an action each round, but the rules for love state that characters must retaliate for their love interests and attack their rivals. I could see this working out in a number of ways:

1. All retaliations are made, then rival attacks, then if the player has any remaining characters that haven’t done anything yet, one of them can take an action.

2. All retaliations are made, then rival attacks, but if none of the player’s characters had to make any of these, the player can have a character take an action.

3. Only one action is allowed. If characters are required to retaliate, the player selects one to do so, otherwise, if rivals are required to attack, the player selects one to do so. If neither retaliations nor rivalries require an attack, then the player can select a character to take an action.

4. Only one action is allowed. The player chooses which character will be taking the action. If that character would be required to retaliate or attack rivals, the character does so, otherwise the player can choose what action the character takes.

Does the game end immediately when a player dominates the required amount of City Strength, or do you wait until the end of the turn, in case someone else manages to overthrow one of that player’s cities later in the domination round?

Thanks for clearing that up. I’d been playing by #1, and although it does make love play a bigger part in the game, combat can get a bit confusing, and the sheer number of rolls being made tends to drag out the game.

Quote from Goldendice on November 14, 2009, 00:04
Does that mean that by always choosing a character with no love interest or whose love interest and rivals are out of the city, you can avoid the rules for retaliation and rivals? If so, and if that character were to be knocked out, would the remaining characters have to retaliate even if the attack on their love interest was multiple rounds beforehand?

Correct on both counts. Since you can choose who you attack with in a city per round, you could choose to use a character without Rivals or a Love Interest. If that character goes unconscious though, if you have other characters in the city who do still have rivals, retaliation rules, etc., they must still follow them.