A dynamic and extremely exciting game with a bias towards strategy. Number of participants: from 2 up to 6.
Preparation
All the cards are set out a resource and a basic decks. The cards of tribes are distributed between players in a random way. The deck of resources is carefully shuffled. The basic deck consists of cards which can be constructed or acquired during the game.
All players throw the dice to set the priorities of a turn. The player who will get the best combination moves the first one.
Unused cards of tribes are put aside. Relative cards of special resources are kept in the resource deck but they don’t play in draw.
Each player draws from the basic deck one card «City» and one card «Army». Then everyone gets three cards from the resource deck. All players should keep the cards of resources until they are played. If among three dealt cards you get a card «disaster» («Hunger», «Barbarians», «Earthquake» or «Eruption») this card should be laid down. No new card instead of it is drawn from the deck of resources. There are special useful cards (such as «Population growth») which should be played at once even before the beginning of the game.
As soon as all the cards of disaster have been laid down and all the «good» cards have been played the fair begins (see Fair). During the first day of the fair as well as while the first card distribution no cards of disaster can be played and are laid down at once. After the fair each player makes a move. Initially the first player moves, then the left-hand player, and etc. Every time after all the players made the next move (i.e. before the new move of the first player) the fair begins again.
Move
The player’s move consists of five phases:
- The player draws one card of the resource deck (1),
- does some action (2),
- uses special resources (3),
- lays down extra cards (if they are more than five) (4),
- and lays down or moves the cards which changed their status (5).
1. Getting a card
The player draws one card. If the card should be played at once, the player must do it immideately. If the player gets the card of disaster he or she can not take another card instead. If the deck of resources is over you should shuffle the thrown cards of resources to set a new resource deck.
2. Doing some action
The player can do one (only one!) action of three possible:
tax collection — the player can get one more card of resources for each city. If the player has no cities he or she puts down one card of resources and draws one card from the deck of resources.
Construction — the player can use the cards of resources for construction. The players can build whatever if they have resources enough. If all the cards for construction are over it means that the player cannot get anything until some necessary cards are returned to the deck (for example, if 12 cities are constructed nobody can build one more city until one of already constructed cities is destroyed by eruption of the volcano).
War — the player can send the armies to attack another player (see Battles)
Each player has the right not to do any action. He or she can just miss this phase.
3. Using of special resource
Each player has the special kind of resources which should be collected to build the monument of culture (it is one of ways to win the game). The player can use resources of his or her nation only (for example, the Egyptians can not use concrete).
4. Discarding
At the end of the move the player should have no more than five cards (while a move of another player you can get some additional cards and hold more than five cards, but at the end of your move you should lay down extra cards). If players have more than five cards they must discard them.
5. Moving and discarding
While this phase some different card manipulations are made according to the game rules. The armies come back to their owner, the cards of earthquakes blocking the player’s armies are laid down.
After the end of the move of a player the turn goes to the left-hand player. Every time when all the players have made their next moves (i.e. before a new move of the first player) the fair begins.
Fair
At the very beginning of the game and before each move of the first player the fair is arranged. During the fair players can exchange their cards from the deck of resources between each other.
At the beginning of the fair each player starting from the first participant draws cards from the deck of resources. Each player should take from the resource deck at least one card. If the player’s tribe is connected with the other tribes by roads then the player should draw one more card for each tribe which his or her roads lead to (the road can pass through one or more tribes).
When the players get their cards everyone (starting from the first player) uses the cards which should be played at once. After applying all effects of this Cards the bidding process begins. During the fair a player can have more than five cards.
The card exchanging occurs at will of the players. For instance, a player offers stone in exchange for iron? somebody agrees and in this case iron and stone change their owners.
If the players agree upon exchanging they cannot alter their decision and refuse to do it.
You can exchange any cards from the resource deck (resources, special resources, events (for instance Olympic Games). But you cannot exchange the cards from the basic deck (Cities, Armies, Fortresses, Generals).
If you wish to declare your desire to exchange this or that card you should click on it and select in the drop-down menu a suitable variant. If wishes of both participants are mutual the cards will change their owners automatically.
Battles
When a player makes a decision to attack he or she should choose the armies and generals who will be sent to the battle. The armies sent to a war cannot already be withdrawn back. It is also impossible to send any war reinforcement to them (for example, if a defending participant played the card «Hero» or «Olympic Games»). If an attacking player wishes to use the card «Hero» it should be played before sending the army to the war (thus it is necessary to select in what quality the hero will be used: as an army or general). As a general the card «Hero» is put on the card «army».
While one move you can attack only one tribe. Any player cannot send armies to attack tribes of various kind. Attacking any tribe the player must declare the purpose of this attack. There are three purposes:
- conquest — the gain of which is occupation of cities;
- plunder for capturing the cards of resources;
- destruction of the monument of culture.
The main purpose of the barbarians’ attack is always plunder.
The defending player should decide whether he or she uses special cards or not. Using the card «Olympic Games» you can turn round the attacking armies and send them back, the card «Hero» can strengthen the defending armies. The card «Fortune» cancels an invasion of the barbarians but it can not help in case of attacking by another player. The armies of the defending player which are under the influence of the earthquake don’t take part in the struggles.
Estimation of a battle Results
All players throw the dices by turn and add bonuses to the dropped points. A defending player gets +1 point for each fortress, any other player can get +2 points if the card «army» is played by the card «general»). The army with less force is defeated (if the army struggled under the leadership of the general- The general is defeated as well). In case of a draw game nothing happens. If the attacking army gains the victory this army is considered to be won.
Then a new battle takes place with the participation of any other armies until the player who has less armies uses the cards of all his or her armies. When it occurs the battle is over. All the defeated armies and generals come back in the basic deck.
The attacking player counts the won armies (which have won duelling against the army of defenders). The number of armies of the attacking player are added to them if the defending player doesn’t have enough armies (for example, if the player attacks with the help of six armies but the defending player has only four armies in this case the attacking player will have two victorious armies minimum).
Victory in battle
If the purpose of the attack is a conquest an attacking player can occupy one city in case if this player has two or three victorious armies left. If the player has 4 victorious armies or more he or she can occupy 2 cities.
If the purpose of the attack is plunder an attacking player can draw two cards of resources for each victorious army. The resource cards given to the conqueror are set in a random way. While an attack of the barbarians the resource cards are laid down. If the purpose of the attack is destruction — any attacking player can lay down one special resource card of the monument of culture belonging to the defending player. If the attacking player has three victorious armies or more he or she can lay down two cards of the special resources.
All the armies survived in the battle come back to the attacking player at the end of the next move of the attacking player. If there is a direct road between the tribes (not passing other tribes) the attacking armies come back immediately.
Cards
Deck of resources
There are three types of cards in the resource deck:
- Usual resources — iron, wood, grain, stone and gold. By means of these resources you can conquer cities, fortresses, armies, etc. Gold is a unique resource. It can be used instead of any other usual resource.
- Cards of special resources — each tribe collects such cards to build the monument of culture. The Egyptians collect limestone, the Romans — concrete, the Greeks — marble, the Babylonians — bricks, the Celts — sandstone, the Chineses — granite. Each tribe can use only appropriate type of cards and only for constructing the monument of culture (therefore it is possible to exchange with another tribe having the special resource of this tribe).
- Cards of events are the cards which benefit or cause harm to a tribe. Most of such cards are played immediately and you can hold some of them only («Hero», «Olympic Games», «Fortune»).
«Population growth» — this card allows to get a new city free.
«Earthquake» — if a player draws such card he or she should use it immediately for the army belonging to any other tribe. This army does not take part in the game till up to the end of the next move of its owner.
«Eruption» — if a player draws such card he or she should play it immediately for the city belonging to any other tribe. This city is destroyed.
The card «City» comes back in the basic deck.
«Hunger» — If you get this card all the players lay down the cards of grain.
«Barbarians» — the army of the barbarians attacks the player’s tribe! The Barbarians will plunder a tribe for two casual cards of the basic resources.
«Olympic Games» — You can draw this card from the deck but use it later. The card «Olympic Games» allows to cancel an attack of the barbarians or any other player.
In this case the card «Barbarians» is laid down and the armies of other player come back to its owner according to the rules (at once if there is a direct road or at the end of the next move of the attacking player).
«Hero» — You can draw this card but use it later. The card «Hero» can be used instead of one army or one general for one (only one!) battle (while attacking or defending). By means of only one card «Hero» you can attack another tribe.
«Fortune» — this card allows to cancel an action of the cards «Hunger», «Eruption», «Earthquake» or «Barbarians». It should be laid down after using.
Basic deck
In the basic deck there are cards which can be constructed or acquired.
Armies are large groups of equipped men. For constructing an army you need iron and two grains.
Fortresses are fortifications protecting a tribe. Each fortress adds 1 to defender’s force (cumulative effect). If a defender has several fortresses his or her armies get +1 for each fortress. Fortresses help to defend but not to attack. For constructing a fortress you need iron, wood and stone.
Generals are leaders who increase efficiency of the armies. Each general adds 2 to force in battle (see Battles). Generals head armies — the card «General» is put on the card «Army» and kept there until this army is defeated (thus the army is defeated with the general). One army can be headed by only one general. For «constructing» a general you need iron and gold.
Roads connect tribes. Each road allows a player to draw one additional card at the Fair (see Fair). Roads also help in battles — by means of them armies come back home faster. A player can build roads to the nearest two tribes only (neighbors on the left and right). The card «road» is put between the neighbor players as a reminder that their tribes are connected by the road. In order to build the road each player should get the approval of the neighbor to whom this road leads. For building the road you need two stones.
Cities are the heart of a tribe. Each city allows a player to draw the card of resources while tax collection. In order to build a city you need stone and two wood.
Building is limited by the quantity of cards in the basic deck (if there are no more cards of cities in the deck it means that you will have an opportunity to build a new city just when one of already built cities are destroyed).
Loss
A player loses if after failure in the war he or she has no card and no city left. If a player has at least one city or at least one card he or she continues to take part in the game. If a player loses all the roads which lead to this player are destroyed and come back in the basic deck. The tribes connected by these roads will have to build new roads.
Victory
You can win in three ways:
- The first one is if all the players have lost and dropped out of the game (see Loss), the rest player becomes the winner.
- The second one — to build the empire of five cities (they can be built or conquered).
- The third one is to build the monument of culture by means of collecting and putting five cards of special resource of this player’s tribe (your tribe is recognized as the keeper of great culture).
If a player has built the monument of culture or has five cities in this case the victory is not awarded automatically — «the last move» begins. The game continues up to the next move of this player including the Fair. If at the beginning of the next move of a player applying for the victory he or she owns five cities or if his / her monument of culture is not destroyed this player is announced as the winner (even if the player has just occupied five cities again or rebuilt the monument of culture again). Otherwise the game continues. While " the last move" any other player can win.