Antiquity Game Rules

Hey there! Let me walk you through the rules of the exciting game called Antiquity. Ready? Let’s dive in!

Objective: In Antiquity, the aim of the game is to build a prosperous and thriving civilization. You’ll need to expand your territories, explore new lands, manage your resources, and construct impressive buildings. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game will be crowned the winner! Setup: To get started, each player receives a game board and a set of tokens. The game board represents your growing civilization. Place your tokens along the board’s borders, signifying your initial explored territories. Gameplay: Antiquity is played over several rounds. In each round, players take turns performing different actions. These actions can include exploring new lands, gathering resources, constructing buildings, or developing new technologies. You’ll need to carefully plan your actions to maximize your civilization’s growth while keeping an eye on your opponents to stay competitive. Exploration: Exploring new lands is a crucial aspect of Antiquity. By exploring adjacent unexplored territories, you’ll uncover new resources and expand your domain. But be mindful of the risks involved. Some territories may be more challenging to explore, so consider your strategy and choose your explorations wisely! Resource Management: Resources are essential for the success of your civilization. You’ll need resources to construct buildings and advance your technologies. Different areas on the game board produce various resources, such as food, stone, wood, and gold. You must efficiently manage and balance your resource production to fuel your civilization’s growth. Building Construction: Constructing buildings enhances your civilization’s abilities and offers various benefits. Buildings can improve your resource production, provide defensive bonuses, or grant special abilities. Investing in building construction strategically can give you a significant advantage over your opponents. Technology Development: Advancing your technologies is another critical aspect of Antiquity. As you research new technologies, you’ll unlock powerful abilities and gain an edge in the game. Technology development requires investing resources, so plan wisely and strive for a well-rounded technological progression. End of the Game: The game ends when one of the game’s end conditions is met, such as a specific number of rounds completed or a certain number of victory points obtained by a player. At this point, victory points are tallied, considering various factors like buildings, territories, and technologies. The player with the highest number of victory points emerges as the triumphant ruler of Antiquity! Conclusion: Antiquity is an engaging and strategic game that challenges players to build their own ancient civilization. With countless possibilities and decisions to make, each playthrough offers a unique and exciting experience. So gather your friends, prepare your strategy, and immerse yourself in the world of Antiquity! Good luck and have fun!

• For this game, you’ll need 22 wooden cubes, 4 cities, and 16 inns in each player’s color
• There are 4 sets of buildings, with most buildings occurring 4 times, except for the Storage (16), Fountain (16), Cart Shop (16), and Fishery (12)
• You’ll also get 4 player aids
• 12 (small) city maps
• A famine level board and a famine level marker, which is just a plain wooden cube
• 16 map tiles and 16 exploration counters
• Hexagonal grass markers and pollution counters
• Finally, there are 48 goods counters, with 10 types including grain, olives, wine, sheep, fish, dye, pearls, gold, stones, and wood
• And of course, there is a rulebook to guide you through the game

Game Elements

Before we dive into the rules, there are a few key concepts to understand:

Countryside

The countryside is like a giant game board, with big hexagonal tiles forming the map. The size of the map depends on how many players there are, with each player getting two large tiles. Everyone plays on the same countryside board, which is made up of different kinds of areas: forests, seas, mountains, and grasslands. You can build various buildings in the countryside, like woodcutters, mines, farms, fishermen, and inns. You can even create cities in the countryside if you want!

City

When you play the game, you are allowed to have 1 to 4 cities. These cities are placed on the countryside map, and they are made up of 7 hexes that are colored to match your player color. Each city also comes with its own city map, which only you can use to build on. You can fill your city map with different city buildings, and there are many types to choose from. However, keep in mind that you can only build each city building once. You are allowed to have 1 large city that is 7×7 in size, and 3 small cities that are 6×6 in size.

About Men

In the game, men are represented by wooden cubes, and each player has their own color. Most of the field and city buildings require a man to operate. When you place a man in a countryside building, he will stay there until the land is depleted. During the city phase of each turn, you have the opportunity to place men in your city buildings, and they will become available again at the start of the next turn. It’s important to note that many buildings won’t have any effect unless they are manned.

Countryside Buildings and Goods

Hey there! Let’s talk about countryside buildings and the different goods they produce. These goods can be grouped into three types: food, luxuries, and building materials.

When it comes to food, you’ll find a variety of options such as olives, sheep, grain, and fish. These resources are essential for sustaining your people.

Luxuries, on the other hand, offer a touch of sophistication. You can produce goods like wine, pearls, dye, and even gold! They bring a certain elegance and charm to your community.

Last but not least, we have building materials. The resources here are wood and stone, which are vital for constructing new structures and expanding your town.

Patron Saints and their Special Abilities

I’m really excited to tell you about patron saints and how they can add a special touch to your game. By building a cathedral, you’ll have the opportunity to choose a patron saint for your town.

Now, each saint comes with their own unique set of abilities. It’s like having a secret weapon! From enhancing your farming skills to boosting your trading prowess, these saints can give you a real advantage.

Choosing a saint is not just about their abilities though. It also affects your victory condition. Each saint represents a different goal you need to achieve in order to win the game. So choose wisely, my friend!

Oh, and don’t worry if someone else chooses the same saint as you. Multiple players can have the same saint as their patron. Let’s see who can make the most of their saint’s abilities!

Pollution and its Impact

It’s important to carefully manage the resources in the countryside because once used, they become polluted and can’t be used again. This applies to most areas, except forests.

Imagine having limited space for your activities as the game progresses. Well, that’s what happens when pollution spreads and usable space decreases. It becomes increasingly challenging to win the game as your options become more limited.

So, my friend, make sure to plan ahead and make the most of your resources. Keep the pollution at bay and find creative ways to overcome these obstacles. Your victory depends on it!

The Threat of Famine

Famine is a serious concern in this game. It’s a double-edged sword that can hinder your progress. You need to be prepared for it.

As the game unfolds, the availability of food can become uncertain. It’s crucial to manage your resources efficiently and anticipate any potential shortages.

By staying vigilant and making wise decisions, you can ensure that your people always have enough to eat. Don’t let them starve, my friend!

The famine level indicator shows how much food civilized society currently needs. If there isn’t enough food (during the famine phase), graves will appear in your city.

Exploration

Exploration markers are placed on the map before the game starts. Players can uncover them and get farm goods they don’t have during the exploration phase.

Zone Of Control

A player’s zone of control includes any area they can reach from their cities. Typically, this includes areas within 2 steps of their cities, excluding water or areas only accessible by water. It can also include areas reachable from inns, water adjacent to cities or inns if the player has a manned harbor, and areas within 3 steps of cities or inns if the player has a manned stables.

If you build countryside and city buildings, and man them, you can make things. These things can be used to build more buildings. The goal is to use this strategy to achieve victory conditions and win the game.

How to Play the Game

The game is divided into phases. Usually, players can move at the same time. If the order of play matters, you can check the order of play chart.

Characters

Fig. 1: Take a look at this example of a city.

So here’s what I’ve done: I built two cart shops and put people in charge of them. Now, I also built a market, but it’s not being used right now because there’s no one working there. And then there’s the store. It’s made up of three storage tiles, and it’s being manned by just one person. This store can hold up to 6 goods.

Now, you see, the university connects the two faculties. So it only takes one person to operate both of them. And here’s the cool part: the houses, graves, and cathedral don’t need anyone to work on them.

Fig. 2: Here’s an example illustrating a “zone of control.”

All the places marked “A” are under the city’s control because they are within a 2-hex radius of the city. On the other hand, the area marked “B*” is not within the zone of control since it can only be accessed by water. However, if the player has a manned harbor, then all the areas marked “B” (including “B*”) become part of their zone of control as well.

Now, imagine the player decides to construct an inn on the designated spot. By doing so, the areas denoted as “C” (or “C” and “D,” if they also have a manned harbor) are added to their zone of control.

Fig. 3: Check out this beautiful countryside building.

Hey there! So, let’s say you’re playing a game and you want to build a woodcutter using one of your characters from the cart shop. There are a couple of options for where you can build it. For example, you could choose to build it on field “A*”. This would give you a woodcutter that takes up 6 spaces, marked “A” and “A*”.

Alternatively, you could build it on field “B*”. In this case, your woodcutter would only take up 3 spaces, marked “B” and “B*”. Now, here’s the fun part. Can you figure out if there are any places where you can build woodcutters of size 2 or 4? Give it a shot!

Fig. 4: Check out this mountain range!

See that highlighted area? It’s a mountain range, and it plays an important role in the game. But here’s the thing – it can only produce either stone or gold, not both. It’s a bit puzzling, right?

Now, let’s talk about building a city or any other countryside building on the mountain range. No matter what you build, it won’t affect the resources generated by the mountain range. It’s like they have their own special power!

Fig. 5: Building Fisheries

When it comes to constructing fisheries, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind. The first thing you need to know is that a fishery must be built on at least one hex within the zone of control. But here’s the catch: the second hex can be located outside the zone of control.

Another important factor is the requirement for adjacency to unpolluted water. You see, both hexes that the fishery is built on must be next to clean, pollution-free water. This means that not every location is suitable for a fishery. For example, fishery D in the diagram cannot be built because it fails to meet this requirement.

Let’s take a closer look at fishery A. This particular fishery will remain functional for a total of three turns. However, it has the potential to pollute the surrounding areas marked with an “a”. Fishery B, on the other hand, will function for only two turns. During its operation, it will release pollutants in the areas labeled as “b”.

Fig. 6: When it comes to establishing cities in the game, there are a few crucial factors to consider. One of the key things to keep in mind is that cities must be built within your zone of control. This means that they should be strategically positioned to maximize your influence and power. However, it’s important to note that cities cannot be placed next to one another. This rule helps to prevent overcrowding and ensures that each city has enough space to grow and thrive.

Let’s break it down with a simple example. Imagine you have three potential locations for your new city: A, B, and C. According to the rules, you can build your city in location A because it falls within your zone of control. However, locations B and C are off-limits because they are adjacent to other cities. This restriction is in place to maintain a balanced and fair gameplay experience for all players.

Figure 7: I’m Player A, and I’ve already built my woodcutter on the left side. That took up all of the space marked “A.” So, if you’re Player B, your woodcutter will be smaller, only taking up 3 spaces.

Now, to make it clear whose area is whose, just put your goods as close to your player icon as you can. In reality, these situations don’t happen too often.

Fig. 8: The Stables with Attendants.

I’ve taken the time to secure my stables and now I have a designated area that stretches 3 steps in every direction. My opponent, on the other hand, is surrounded by my inns. I can reach any hex my opponent can reach.

If I have San Giorgio as my patron saint, I’ve fulfilled my condition for victory.

Getting Started

You’ll need 2 map tiles for each player. Choose one of the configurations shown in figure 9 based on the number of players. Sort out 1 exploration counter (olive, sheep, wine, grain) per player. We won’t be using the rest of the exploration markers. Shuffle the markers and place one face down on each of the exploration hexes indicated on the map tiles.

Alright, let’s get started! First, we need to pick our colors and gather all the pieces. You’ll have your own set of men, cities, and inns, all in your chosen color. Also, grab your player aid, a set of city buildings, and 6 pieces of wood. Make sure to place your player aid with the large city map right in front of you, and set aside the other maps for now.

Now, let’s set up the houses. Each player places their houses on the ‘Cost of Housing’ chart on their player aid. Then, place one of your men on top of each house.

Alright, here comes the fun part! We need to determine the starting order of play. Each player takes one man. Let’s randomly draw men to figure this out. The first man drawn goes on field 1 of the order track, the second on field 2, and so on. Keep track of the famine level by placing the famine level indicator on the field marked 0.

Okay, here’s the deal: it’s time to pick where we’re gonna start. But here’s the twist – we do it in reverse order! That means the person whose man is at the end of the turn order track gets to choose first. Pretty cool, right?

Now, there are some rules about where we can build our starting city. It has to be fully on one of the starting map tiles, like the ones in figure 9. And don’t forget, each starting map tile can only have one starting city on it. So choose wisely!

When it comes to what kind of area you build your starting city on, anything goes. Yes, even if it’s on the sea! But here’s the catch – if your city ends up on an exploration marker, you gotta put the marker aside without taking a peek. The mystery will have to wait.

Once everyone has chosen their starting position and placed their cities, we’re ready to roll. Let the game begin!

Fig. 9: Setting Up the Game

I’m going to show you how to set up the game by laying out the map. First, you randomly pick two map tiles for each player and place them in the right configuration. Take a look at the diagram above to see how it should look. After that, each player puts their starting city on a different corner tile, just like the figure shows.

Step By Step: How to Play the Game

Playing the game is all about following different phases. There are 10 phases in each game turn, and I’m going to explain each one right here. In each phase, all players take their turns. Most of the time, everyone plays at the same time. But if a player wants to wait for someone else, they can ask to go one at a time. When that happens, just follow the order on the turn order indicator.

Did you know that some buildings in the game can give you special abilities? Pretty cool, right? These abilities come into play during specific phases of the game. Let me break it down for you.

Phase 1: All Rise

During this phase, we need to take our men off city buildings. Make sure to remove any men you have on city buildings and place them next to the city map. Don’t worry, we’ll have a chance to use them again in phase 2.

On the other hand, if you have men on country buildings, they should stay where they are. They’ll continue working until their task is completed. So no need to move them around.

Phase 2: Building Your City

In this phase, we all get to build new buildings in our cities and decide where to put our workers. This is when we have to make our smartest moves, so it can take a while.

But first, a secret…

Before we start, we need to hide our plans from each other. We each put up a screen in front of our city or cities, so no one can see what we’re doing. If you have any buildings you want to build, make sure they’re nearby.

If we want, we can also put the resources we use to build on top of our new buildings. That way, we can check each other’s actions later and remove the resources. But that takes a long time, so it’s easier to just trust each other and be honest.

Now, let’s choose what to do

We get to decide what order we want to take our actions in. We have the freedom to choose!

Hey there! You have the freedom to choose the order in which you do these actions. You can start by manning some buildings, then build others, and then go back to manning buildings if you like.

Manning Buildings

To use a building, you need to have a person manning it during this phase. Most buildings won’t work unless they are manned. You can put a person on a building at any time during this phase. Remember, if a building isn’t manned by the end of this phase, it won’t work for a whole round! Each building can only have one person on it. Once you place a person on a building, you can’t remove them until the next All Rise phase.

When a building is staffed, it starts operating. But there are certain types of buildings that don’t require human workers, like cathedrals, breweries, fountains, and granaries. They function on their own and can’t be staffed. Houses and graves, on the other hand, can’t be staffed at all. If there are any workers left on buildings at the end of the turn, they are stored next to the city map. Even though they won’t work this round, you can use them to staff buildings in the next City Building phase.

Building

To construct a building, you need to pay the required resources, acquire the building, and place it on any of your city maps. The location of the building doesn’t matter because it functions as if it exists in all of your cities. However, the building must still fit within the boundaries of the city. You can’t have any part of the building outside the city limits. Additionally, you can’t build one building on top of another.

Most buildings can only be constructed once by each player

When playing the game, you have the freedom to construct any of the buildings listed in the player aid. Most buildings can only be built once by each player. However, there are a few exceptions. Stores, Cart Shops, Fountains, and Houses can be built multiple times. On the other hand, a Cathedral can only be rebuilt if it was previously destroyed by the Faculty of Theology. As for the other buildings, once they’re incapacitated by graves, they can never be rebuilt.

Buildings with Limits

Keep in mind that some buildings have limitations. While most can only be built once, a few can be constructed multiple times. However, there is a limited number of these buildings available. If they run out, you won’t be able to build any more. The buildings with limits are Cart Shops (16), Fountains (16), and Stores (16).

Discarding Used Goods

When you build things, you need certain materials. These materials are used up and you can’t use them anymore. On the player aid, it tells you how much it costs to build each thing. Most things need 1 wood or 1 stone. But there are some special things like fountains and hospitals that need 1 luxury good. Luxury goods are things like wine, gold, pearls, or dye. And then there are stables, which need 2 different luxury goods. Houses have a different cost, which I’ll explain in a bit. But just remember, once you use up these materials to build something, you can’t use them again.

Welcome to the World of Buildings

Let’s Talk About Houses

Houses! They come in all shapes and sizes and have different costs. Just like any other building, a house needs to be built. But you know what? It doesn’t always cost the same. The price of building a house can vary.

Now, let me introduce you to the ‘Cost of Housing’ chart. It shows how much each house costs. You’re free to build them in any order you like, but most folks start with the cheapest ones and work their way up.

Here’s something interesting: the first four houses won’t cost you a thing! That’s right, they’re absolutely free. But after that, you’ll need to shell out some food and maybe even some luxury goods.

When you see a ‘2D food + 3D lux’ house, it means you need to gather two different food goods and three different luxury goods. Imagine things like grain, fish, gold, dye, and even a shiny pearl all bundled together. That’s what it takes to build this kind of house.

When you build a new house, you get a bonus. An extra man joins your team right away. This man will be placed next to the city map and can start working immediately.

Now, Let’s Talk About Stores

Did you know that you can build a store of any size using just 1 wood? Yep, it’s true! The store has to be rectangular, though, and made up of size-two blocks. So, you can have a store that’s 1×2, 2×2, 1×4, 2×3, 1×6, and so on. It’s basically a one-man operation and counts as a single building. Just keep in mind that you can’t expand it later to make it bigger.

Cathedral

Now, if you decide to build a cathedral, you’ll need to choose a patron saint right away. You can even choose the same saint as other players – no need to fight over it. Once you’ve chosen your saint, you get to enjoy the benefits that come with it. But remember, by the end of the phase, you have to let everyone know about your choice by placing a wooden cube on the ‘Patron Saint’ chart.

San Nicolo

If you choose San Nicolo or Santa Maria as your patron saint, you get a special perk: the ability to build two houses for the price of one.

Here’s how it works: when you want to build houses, you actually construct two, but you only have to pay for one of them. The cost of the house you pay for is determined by the number on the ‘Housing Cost’ chart.

Faculty Of Philosophy

If you decide to build a Faculty of Philosophy, you gain the ability to staff it with people. This is advantageous because normally, when building certain structures that require different types of food or luxury goods (indicated by “D”), you need to have those resources on hand. However, with the Faculty of Philosophy, you can bypass this requirement. For instance, you could build the Stables using two pearls, even though it typically requires two different luxury goods.

Faculty Of Theology

Hey there! Did you know that the Faculty of Theology has a special power in the game? It allows me to raze my cathedral if I have one. Pretty cool, right? So here’s how it works: if I have built and manned the Faculty of Theology, I can take my cathedral from the city map and leave some empty space behind. This happens during the City Building phase. Oh, and by the way, if I don’t have a cathedral yet, the Faculty of Theology doesn’t really do much.

After I’ve razed my cathedral, I can go ahead and build a new one if I want to. Maybe I’ll dedicate it to a different saint this time. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, I can’t raze a cathedral that’s dedicated to Santa Maria. And second, if there are graves in the cathedral, I can’t raze it either. They need to rest in peace, you know?

Just a heads up – I can only raze my cathedral once per turn. Gotta follow the rules, you know?

Hospital

I want to tell you about a really cool feature in the game. It’s called the Hospital. When I build a Hospital, I can man it, which means I can clear five graves from the game. This is awesome because then I can use that spot for another building right away. And if there were graves on top of a building, I can man that building again too, as long as there are no more graves left on it. It’s like a fresh start!

Oh, and let me tell you about the Market too!

The Market is great because it allows me to trade with other players or with the game. When I man my Market, I can start trading. The cool thing is, only one of the trading players needs to have a manned Market. So, even if the other player doesn’t have a Market, we can still trade. How awesome is that?

When it comes to making deals, it’s important to announce them publicly. You and the other players can trade goods with each other, without any limitations on the amount. You can even exchange promises, although keep in mind that these promises aren’t binding. However, buildings in the city or country cannot be traded. If you want to trade with the board, you have the option to discard two goods – they don’t need to be the same – and in return, you can choose any one good.

University

The University is a special building that transforms faculties into one single entity. Usually, a University is built directly next to faculties, although it can also be a standalone building. When a University is adjacent to faculties, they are considered one building. This means you only need one person to operate both the University and the surrounding faculties, even if you add more faculties later on.

When it comes to a University that is connected to the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Philosophy, there are some important benefits. If the University is manned, it can provide the advantages of both faculties without the need to staff them separately. It’s like killing two birds with one stone – you get the best of both worlds!

Let’s Talk Fountains

Now, let’s talk about Fountains. When a player builds a Fountain, it works wonders for the Famine level. It decreases the level by 1, and it can never drop below 0. Fountains don’t require any staff to operate, but they do have a fantastic impact. As soon as they are built, they reduce the pollution produced by your civilization by a whopping 1 point. It’s like taking a breath of fresh air!

Now, here’s something interesting – city structures are here to stay! Once you build a building in your city, it becomes a permanent fixture. You can’t take it off, except in two cases: Cathedrals (for more details, check out the Faculty of Theology) and Graves (see Hospital above). So, choose wisely when it comes to building your city, because what you build lasts forever!

Let’s Discover Santa Barbara

When it’s time to rearrange buildings in my cities, Santa Barbara (and Santa Maria) gives me the power to do so. As my patron saint, I can move my buildings around during this phase.

But there’s a rule to keep in mind—I can only take graves off buildings and put them on empty spaces. I’m not allowed to place graves on existing buildings or shift them from one building to another.

Phase 3: Order Of Play

Now, this phase is short, but oh-so important. It sets the order of play that will stay in effect until the next Order of Play phase.

Order (Cart Shop + Explorer)

Alright, time to count my men. I’ll tally up the total number of men I have on Cart Shops and Explorers. Whoever has the lowest number gets to move first. The player with the second lowest number goes next, and so on. We’ll mark the new order on the order track.

Ties are resolved based on the previous turn’s order.

Let’s talk about what happens when multiple players have the same number of men on buildings. In these situations, the players will maintain their relative order from the previous phase.

For example, let me give you an example. Bianca has two men on carts and no explorer. Ragnar has two men on carts and one on an explorer. Henriette has three men on carts. Their respective numbers are Bianca 2, Ragnar 3, and Henriette 3. In this case, Bianca moves first. Ragnar and Henriette keep the same order as last turn, which was Henriette/Bianca/Ragnar. So, this turn, the order becomes Bianca/Henriette/Ragnar.

Moving on to Phase 4: Countryside Building

In phase 4, I get to build buildings out in the countryside. These buildings can only be constructed within my zone of control, and I need certain city buildings to staff them. It’s a bit of a complex phase, so we usually play it one after the other, waiting for each player to finish their turn. We keep the same order as in phase 3.

What’s the Order of Actions?

I have the freedom to choose the order of actions in this phase. I can build inns, cities, and other buildings in the countryside in any order I like. For example, I can start by building an inn to expand my zone of control, then construct a city, and finally, put up a woodcutter’s building using the expanded zone of control.

What Kinds of Buildings Can I Construct?

If you have a manned Cart Shop, you can choose to build a countryside building or a city in your zone of control. To do this, you need to pay the required goods listed on the player aid.

The building must be placed within your zone of control, which is usually 2 steps away from any city or inn. You cannot build outside of your zone of control. However, you can build over any type of terrain except for sea. A sea hex is never considered to be within your zone of control unless you have a manned harbor.

Inn

Inns are special because they can be used even if they are not connected to a city. They still add to your zone of control, even if they cannot be reached from a city. For example, if you built an inn using a harbor but have not manned the harbor this turn, the inn is still considered part of your zone of control.

Harbor

When you have a Harbor, it expands your control over water and the coast. This means that any water that is right next to your cities and inns is also considered to be under your control. Water includes any connected sea hexes. Not only that, but all the hexes directly next to the sea hexes, which make up the waterfront area, are also added to your zone of control.

Have a Stable

If you have a Stable, your zone of control expands even further. With a manned Stable, you can take three steps from your city and inns, instead of just two.

However, the Stable doesn’t affect movement on water. The Harbor is still only useful for water that is directly next to a city or inn. It only adds the coastal hexes that are right next to the water, and not the land hexes that are farther away.

What is Zone of Control?

Hey there! Let’s talk about the zone of control and how it works in the game. It’s pretty cool, trust me!

Cart Shop

First things first, let’s talk about the Cart Shop. This nifty little place is where you build all countryside buildings. But here’s the catch – you gotta have someone manning the Cart Shop if you want to build those buildings. Each new countryside building (including inns and cities) needs its own manned Cart Shop. So, if you have 3 manned Cart Shops, you can build a maximum of 3 countryside buildings.

Now, if the countryside building you want to make requires a person (like Farms, Woodcutters, Fisheries, and Mines), you can use the person from the Cart Shop. Handy, right? But if the building doesn’t need a person (like Cities and Inns), the person from the Cart Shop just hangs out next to the city map to show that it built something. And here’s the best part – you can use that person again in the next turn. Talk about efficiency!

Monoculture

When it comes to building Farms, Fisheries, and Mines, it’s important to remember that each building specializes in producing only one type of goods.

Woodcutters

Woodcutters are built on an area of fresh forest within your reach. To construct a Woodcutter, you’ll need one unit of wood, which will be consumed. Once built, place a grass marker on the forest hex, followed by a wood counter and the man from the Cart Shop.

Next, place grass markers covered by wood counters on every adjacent hex with unpolluted forest. Some of these hexes may fall outside of your zone of control, but that won’t affect the Woodcutter’s production. Every turn during the Harvest phase, the Woodcutter will generate one unit of wood as long as there is wood remaining. For example, a Woodcutter with a size of 3 will produce for 3 turns, while a size 7 Woodcutter will produce for 7 turns, and so on (refer to figure 3).

Farms

When you set out to build a Farm, you’ll need a hex of clean grass in an area you control. It can be natural grass or the kind that comes from woodcutters. The important thing is to have a suitable location. Once you have that settled, it’s time to decide what kind of Farm you want to construct. You have four options: Olives, Grain, Wine, or Sheep.

Building a Farm requires a specific type of good, known as a seed. Each type of Farm requires a different seed – for example, an Olive Farm requires one Olive seed, while a Grain Farm requires one Grain seed. To build a Farm, you need to discard the corresponding seed. Once the seed is discarded, place a ‘pollution’ counter on the hex, followed by the appropriate type of good, and finally, the man from the Cart Shop.

Next, place pollution markers, covered by the appropriate farm goods, on all adjacent grass tiles that are not already polluted.

Faculty Of Biology

The Faculty of Biology provides players with one free seed. If you have a manned Faculty of Biology, you can build a Farm for free without discarding a seed. You are not limited to the types of Farms you own seeds for – you can build any type of Farm you like.

Mines

Did you know that mines are kind of like farms? The main difference is that mines need to be built on mountain hexes instead of grass. To build a mine, you’ll need to spend 1 wood, which you’ll discard. Once your mine is up and running, it will produce either stone or gold.

Here’s the interesting part: when it comes to the first mine in a mountain range, you get to choose which resource it produces. Whether you go for gold or stone is entirely up to you. However, any subsequent mines in the same mountain range will have to produce the same type of resource as the first one.

A mountain range is simply a bunch of connected mountain hexes. So, if someone builds a city that visually splits a mountain range in half, both halves will still be considered part of the same range. That means they will both need to contain mines that produce the same resource.

Now let’s talk about fisheries.

Did you know that you can create fisheries by the shore? It’s pretty cool! A fishery is like a special place where fish can be caught and it’s important because we need fish to eat! But there are a few things you need to know if you want to build one.

First, a fishery needs to be built on a hex that is right next to a clean, unpolluted sea hex. That means the water needs to be nice and clean so the fish can live there. You can see what this looks like in figure 5. And get this – a fishery is actually made up of two hexes! They both need to be next to a clean sea hex, but only one of them has to be in the area that you control.

Now, here’s something really interesting. You can build a fishery on hexes that are clean or dirty, or even on one clean hex and one dirty hex. But the important thing is that both land hexes have to be next to a clean sea hex. That’s what makes it a fishery!

So, remember, if you want to build a fishery, find a nice clean spot by the sea, and make sure both land hexes are next to clean water. Good luck!

So, here’s the deal: if I want to build a fishery in this game, it’s gonna cost me one wood, but then I can decide if I want to produce dye, pearls, or fish. Pretty cool, right? And get this, when I build that fishery, I gotta plop down a pollution marker and the corresponding good on each of the clean sea areas bordering the fishery. Oh, and here’s the catch: there’s only a specific number of fisheries you can build, and that number is 12. So if they’re all taken, you gotta wait until one opens up again.

Now, let’s talk breweries.

Here’s the deal with breweries: they let you build inns. And guess what? If you’ve got a brewery, you can use cart shops to build those inns. And the best part? You don’t even need someone working at the brewery for this. It’s basically a win-win! But here’s the thing: building inns costs you one food, which you just gotta toss out. Oh, and when it comes to where you can build those inns, you’ve got some freedom. You can put ’em on any open land hex in your control zone. Yes, even if the area is polluted. The only thing you need to do is put the person you used to build the inn next to your city map. Easy peasy!

When you build an Inn in the game, it automatically takes on your color. This means that only you can use the Inn. The great thing about building an Inn is that it instantly extends your zone of control. This means that you can start building in the newly opened area right away. And guess what? There’s no limit to how many Inns you can build!

Now let’s talk about Cart Shops.

Cart Shops have the ability to build cities. Imagine that! But that’s not all. If you have a manned Cart Shop, you can use it to build a brand-new city. Just make sure you’re building on land and not in the sea. If the land is polluted, don’t worry. You can simply get rid of the pollution markers. Oh, and one more thing – your new city can’t be right next to another city. But it does have to be within your zone of control.

When you decide to build a city, you need to have a few things ready. You’ll need 1 food, 1 wood, 1 stone, and two different luxury goods. Keep in mind that the luxury goods can be the same if you have a manned Faculty of Philosophy. Oh, and by the way, building a new city comes with some consequences.

The first consequence is that you get a fancy 6×6 city map to use for building new city buildings. It’s like having your own little playground! The second consequence is that you can start building in the countryside using your new city’s zone of control. Pretty cool, right? And here’s the not-so-great news: Your pollution rate will go up. We’ll talk more about that later in Phase 9: Pollution. Now, there’s one more thing to remember: You can only have a maximum of four cities.

No Building Over Existing Buildings

You know what’s interesting? When it comes to constructing a new building, there are rules that we have to follow. One important rule is that we can’t build a new building on top of an existing one. That means if there’s already a building on a certain piece of land, we can’t put another one on top of it. This rule applies to certain types of buildings like Inns, Fisheries, and Cities. We also can’t build on hexes that have goods or men on them, but if the hex only has pollution, then we’re free to use it.

Now, here’s something cool – we can build over exploration markers! These markers can be built on and we don’t even have to look at what’s underneath. We just remove the marker once we’ve built something on it.

Here’s another rule. If we build a new building right next to an existing building of the same type, the old building’s goods will be placed near the old building’s man. Those goods belong to the old building, not the new one. The new building won’t produce those goods, and the land beneath them can’t be used by the new building.

Oh, and let me tell you about the Faculty of Alchemy. It’s pretty interesting!

Hey there! Did you know that the Faculty of Alchemy has a cool power? It can clean polluted land, bringing it back to its natural state! If you have a manned Faculty of Alchemy, you can use it to clean a stretch of land. Just make sure that the center of the polluted area is in your zone of control. Once activated, the Faculty of Alchemy instantly cleans the polluted hex and all the hexes surrounding it that are also polluted, whether they are on land or in the sea.

Keep in mind that this power can only be used once per turn. So choose wisely when to activate it! Oh, and one more thing: if a forest gets turned into grass and then becomes polluted, the Faculty of Alchemy can remove the pollution, but it won’t grow any trees. So the grass markers will still remain. Just thought you should know!

Phase 5: Store Goods

A store can hold one item in each square. If you have people working in your store, you can store items there. Each square in the store can only hold one item, which means each storage tile can hold two items total.

San Christofori

If you’ve dedicated your Cathedral to San Christofori or Santa Maria, you can store unlimited goods there. No need to have anyone manning the Cathedral.

Phase 6: Harvest

During this phase, all players collect their goods. Workers who have finished their tasks go back home. Empty fisheries are removed from the game board and become available again.

Countryside Buildings

Each countryside building produces one good. This good is taken from one of the hexes surrounding the worker on the building and placed in the Harvest box on the player aid. If there are no more goods in the surrounding hexes, take the good from under the worker and return both the good and the worker to the Harvest box.

Forced Labor

When it comes to Forced Labor, you’ll find that it’s quite an interesting concept. This particular mechanic involves the production and harvesting of goods, with a few unique rules to keep in mind.

So, how does Forced Labor work? Well, if a player has a manned Forced Labor building, they must take three goods from each producer. However, there is a catch – the first good that is taken is discarded, while the second and third goods are put into the Harvest box.

Now, let’s say a producer has two goods remaining. What happens then? In this case, one of the goods is discarded, and the other is harvested. But what if there’s only one good left? Well, that single good will be discarded. And if any producers have no goods left at all, their workers return to the Harvest box.

It’s important to note that Forced Labor affects all of a player’s producers if it is manned. So, make sure to keep that in mind when strategizing.

Order Of Harvest

When it comes to harvesting goods, players have some flexibility. They can choose the order in which they harvest goods in a particular countryside building, except for the last one. However, the important thing to remember is that the good that is located underneath the worker must always be harvested last.

San Giorgio

Did you know that San Giorgio and Santa Maria are like the superheroes of cathedrals? Whenever someone builds a Cathedral, I get rewarded with fish. Yup, you heard it right! For every Cathedral constructed, I get one fish. I even get an extra fish if another player builds a Cathedral on the same turn. That means I could collect up to two fish in a single turn if I’m lucky!

But here’s the deal, this special bonus only happens once per Cathedral. So unless the Faculty of Theology comes into play, I can only get a maximum of one fish per player, including myself. The same goes for those who’ve chosen Santa Maria as their patron saint. Talk about excitement!

Phase 7: Explore

Now, let’s talk about the exciting Explore phase. It’s a quick one, but it’s important to follow the order of play.

Explorer Explores

Time to unleash the power of exploration! If I have an Explorer ready for action, I can flip over one exploration counter in my zone of control. The counter reveals a type of good, which I can collect and add to my Harvest box. The best part is, I might even trigger a Famine Level increase. Woah, things just got a whole lot more exciting!

As I explore, I keep an eye on the counter. If it shows food, I know the Famine Level goes up by one. But if I find wine instead, the Level stays the same. I can only explore once each turn, so I have to choose wisely.

Phase 8: Famine

During this phase, I have the opportunity to collect graves based on the Famine Level and my stock of food and buildings. Once graves are obtained, they cannot be removed.

Number of graves

The number of graves I receive is equal to the current Famine Level.

Food

Having food helps to combat famine. For each food I possess (whether it’s in my Harvest Box, Store, or Cathedral), the number of graves I receive is reduced by one. It’s important to note that, in this phase, any collected food is never discarded.

Granary

When you have a granary, it can save you from famine by reducing the number of graves you receive by three. And the best part is, you don’t even need to have someone manning the granary!

What are graves?

Graves are placed in empty city spaces. If you get one or more graves, you have to put them on empty city spaces. Once a grave is placed, that city space can no longer be used to build anything else.

If there are no more empty city spaces left, you have to put the graves on a building. But there’s a limit – each building can only have one grave per square. So, for example, a Cart Shop can have a maximum of three graves. But remember, graves cannot be placed on top of houses.

Have you ever wondered what happens when a grave appears on a building? Well, once that happens, the building becomes non-functional. If the building was manned, the person is placed next to the city map. However, it’s important to note that graves can only be placed on buildings if there are no empty spaces left in the city. If a player is unable to place a grave, they lose the game and have to quit (although this doesn’t happen often).

Famine Level

Every turn, the Famine Level increases by one. Once the famine is resolved, the Famine Level goes up by one step.

Phase 9: Pollution

In this phase, each player gets to pollute an area within their zone of control. Initially, this phase can be played simultaneously, but if multiple zones overlap, it should be played sequentially.

Three Pollution Per City

Hey there! Let me break it down for you. In this game, each player is responsible for three units of pollution per city in their zone of control. So, if you have two cities, you’ll have six units of pollution to deal with. Now, you can only place this pollution on empty and unpolluted hexes within your zone of control. But here’s the catch – you’re allowed to put your pollution in another player’s zone of control as well. Sneaky, huh?

Now, when it comes to sea hexes, you can only pollute them if they are within your zone of control and you have a manned Harbor. Oh, and here’s a fun little tip – you can use Inns and Harbors to pollute areas that are quite far away from your cities. So, the further, the better!

The Dump

Now, let’s talk about the Dump. If you have a manned Dump, it’s like a pollution fortress. No other player can put any pollution in your zone of control. It’s your safe zone from pollution invaders!

Have you ever wondered how fountains and dumps can help reduce pollution? It’s fascinating how these simple structures can make a difference in our environment. Let me explain.

Imagine a city with three sources of pollution. Each source contributes three units of pollution per turn, resulting in a total of nine units. But here’s where the magic happens.

By adding a fountain, the pollution is reduced by one unit per turn. And if we have a manned dump, the pollution decreases by an impressive four units per turn. So, if we have both a fountain and a manned dump, the pollution is drastically reduced.

With one fountain, the pollution is now down to eight units per turn. And with a manned dump, it decreases even further to just four units per turn. Isn’t that amazing?

Graves

So, here’s the deal. Pollution is a big problem. It’s like this unplaceable mess that we need to tackle. If you don’t have enough empty spaces to put pollution counters, well, you’re in a tight spot. In that case, you’ve got to build graves in your cities equal to the number of counters you can’t place. Phase 8 will give you all the details on how to handle those graves.

Let me give you an example. Say you’ve got two cities and you need to put down six pollution counters. The problem is, you’ve only got space for three counters. What do you do? Well, you don’t have a choice – you’ve got to build three graves. And the good news is, you can spread those graves out however you want among your cities.

Now, let’s talk about the end of the game.

Phase 10 is all about checking for victory. This is the part where everyone looks to see if they’ve won the game. And guess what? It happens at the same time for everyone.

Here’s the thing: your victory condition depends on your patron saint.

If you want to win the game, you’ve got to choose a patron saint by building a Cathedral. Now, here’s the really interesting part – your Cathedral doesn’t even need to be manned. Each patron saint has their own set of victory conditions, so choose wisely.

Did you know that in the game, multiple players can choose the same patron saint, but each player is limited to having only one Cathedral?

With San Nicolo, you win when you have 20 people.

If San Nicolo is your patron saint, you can win the game by having a total of 20 people, no matter where they are located – in the city or in the countryside.

If you have Santa Barbara, you win when all buildings are completed.

Having Santa Barbara as your patron saint means you win the game by building each city building at least once. You don’t need to build any graves to win.

San Christofori rewards you for collecting food and luxury goods.

If San Christofori is your patron saint, you can win by collecting at least three of each food and luxury good.

San Giorgio wins by trapping another player.

If San Giorgio is your patron saint, you can win the game by enclosing another player within your buildings.

If you have San Giorgio as your patron saint, you win the game by enclosing the entire zone of control of another player within your own. This means you can reach every hex that the other player can reach. It doesn’t matter if you can reach the hexes with inns and cities, only the hexes that can be reached from them.

Santa Maria wins by completing two victory conditions.

If you have Santa Maria as your patron saint, you win the game by completing any two of the victory conditions mentioned above. You get to choose which two to fulfill when the time comes.

Ties are resolved by the Largest Unpolluted Area.

Antiquity Game Rules

Hey there! Let me walk you through the rules of the exciting game called Antiquity. Ready? Let’s dive in!

Objective: In Antiquity, the aim of the game is to build a prosperous and thriving civilization. You’ll need to expand your territories, explore new lands, manage your resources, and construct impressive buildings. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game will be crowned the winner! Setup: To get started, each player receives a game board and a set of tokens. The game board represents your growing civilization. Place your tokens along the board’s borders, signifying your initial explored territories. Gameplay: Antiquity is played over several rounds. In each round, players take turns performing different actions. These actions can include exploring new lands, gathering resources, constructing buildings, or developing new technologies. You’ll need to carefully plan your actions to maximize your civilization’s growth while keeping an eye on your opponents to stay competitive. Exploration: Exploring new lands is a crucial aspect of Antiquity. By exploring adjacent unexplored territories, you’ll uncover new resources and expand your domain. But be mindful of the risks involved. Some territories may be more challenging to explore, so consider your strategy and choose your explorations wisely! Resource Management: Resources are essential for the success of your civilization. You’ll need resources to construct buildings and advance your technologies. Different areas on the game board produce various resources, such as food, stone, wood, and gold. You must efficiently manage and balance your resource production to fuel your civilization’s growth. Building Construction: Constructing buildings enhances your civilization’s abilities and offers various benefits. Buildings can improve your resource production, provide defensive bonuses, or grant special abilities. Investing in building construction strategically can give you a significant advantage over your opponents. Technology Development: Advancing your technologies is another critical aspect of Antiquity. As you research new technologies, you’ll unlock powerful abilities and gain an edge in the game. Technology development requires investing resources, so plan wisely and strive for a well-rounded technological progression. End of the Game: The game ends when one of the game’s end conditions is met, such as a specific number of rounds completed or a certain number of victory points obtained by a player. At this point, victory points are tallied, considering various factors like buildings, territories, and technologies. The player with the highest number of victory points emerges as the triumphant ruler of Antiquity! Conclusion: Antiquity is an engaging and strategic game that challenges players to build their own ancient civilization. With countless possibilities and decisions to make, each playthrough offers a unique and exciting experience. So gather your friends, prepare your strategy, and immerse yourself in the world of Antiquity! Good luck and have fun!

• For this game, you’ll need 22 wooden cubes, 4 cities, and 16 inns in each player’s color
• There are 4 sets of buildings, with most buildings occurring 4 times, except for the Storage (16), Fountain (16), Cart Shop (16), and Fishery (12)
• You’ll also get 4 player aids
• 12 (small) city maps
• A famine level board and a famine level marker, which is just a plain wooden cube
• 16 map tiles and 16 exploration counters
• Hexagonal grass markers and pollution counters
• Finally, there are 48 goods counters, with 10 types including grain, olives, wine, sheep, fish, dye, pearls, gold, stones, and wood
• And of course, there is a rulebook to guide you through the game

Game Elements

Before we dive into the rules, there are a few key concepts to understand:

Countryside

The countryside is like a giant game board, with big hexagonal tiles forming the map. The size of the map depends on how many players there are, with each player getting two large tiles. Everyone plays on the same countryside board, which is made up of different kinds of areas: forests, seas, mountains, and grasslands. You can build various buildings in the countryside, like woodcutters, mines, farms, fishermen, and inns. You can even create cities in the countryside if you want!

City

When you play the game, you are allowed to have 1 to 4 cities. These cities are placed on the countryside map, and they are made up of 7 hexes that are colored to match your player color. Each city also comes with its own city map, which only you can use to build on. You can fill your city map with different city buildings, and there are many types to choose from. However, keep in mind that you can only build each city building once. You are allowed to have 1 large city that is 7×7 in size, and 3 small cities that are 6×6 in size.

About Men

In the game, men are represented by wooden cubes, and each player has their own color. Most of the field and city buildings require a man to operate. When you place a man in a countryside building, he will stay there until the land is depleted. During the city phase of each turn, you have the opportunity to place men in your city buildings, and they will become available again at the start of the next turn. It’s important to note that many buildings won’t have any effect unless they are manned.

Countryside Buildings and Goods

Hey there! Let’s talk about countryside buildings and the different goods they produce. These goods can be grouped into three types: food, luxuries, and building materials.

When it comes to food, you’ll find a variety of options such as olives, sheep, grain, and fish. These resources are essential for sustaining your people.

Luxuries, on the other hand, offer a touch of sophistication. You can produce goods like wine, pearls, dye, and even gold! They bring a certain elegance and charm to your community.

Last but not least, we have building materials. The resources here are wood and stone, which are vital for constructing new structures and expanding your town.

Patron Saints and their Special Abilities

I’m really excited to tell you about patron saints and how they can add a special touch to your game. By building a cathedral, you’ll have the opportunity to choose a patron saint for your town.

Now, each saint comes with their own unique set of abilities. It’s like having a secret weapon! From enhancing your farming skills to boosting your trading prowess, these saints can give you a real advantage.

Choosing a saint is not just about their abilities though. It also affects your victory condition. Each saint represents a different goal you need to achieve in order to win the game. So choose wisely, my friend!

Oh, and don’t worry if someone else chooses the same saint as you. Multiple players can have the same saint as their patron. Let’s see who can make the most of their saint’s abilities!

Pollution and its Impact

It’s important to carefully manage the resources in the countryside because once used, they become polluted and can’t be used again. This applies to most areas, except forests.

Imagine having limited space for your activities as the game progresses. Well, that’s what happens when pollution spreads and usable space decreases. It becomes increasingly challenging to win the game as your options become more limited.

So, my friend, make sure to plan ahead and make the most of your resources. Keep the pollution at bay and find creative ways to overcome these obstacles. Your victory depends on it!

The Threat of Famine

Famine is a serious concern in this game. It’s a double-edged sword that can hinder your progress. You need to be prepared for it.

As the game unfolds, the availability of food can become uncertain. It’s crucial to manage your resources efficiently and anticipate any potential shortages.

By staying vigilant and making wise decisions, you can ensure that your people always have enough to eat. Don’t let them starve, my friend!

The famine level indicator shows how much food civilized society currently needs. If there isn’t enough food (during the famine phase), graves will appear in your city.

Exploration

Exploration markers are placed on the map before the game starts. Players can uncover them and get farm goods they don’t have during the exploration phase.

Zone Of Control

A player’s zone of control includes any area they can reach from their cities. Typically, this includes areas within 2 steps of their cities, excluding water or areas only accessible by water. It can also include areas reachable from inns, water adjacent to cities or inns if the player has a manned harbor, and areas within 3 steps of cities or inns if the player has a manned stables.

If you build countryside and city buildings, and man them, you can make things. These things can be used to build more buildings. The goal is to use this strategy to achieve victory conditions and win the game.

How to Play the Game

The game is divided into phases. Usually, players can move at the same time. If the order of play matters, you can check the order of play chart.

Characters

Fig. 1: Take a look at this example of a city.

So here’s what I’ve done: I built two cart shops and put people in charge of them. Now, I also built a market, but it’s not being used right now because there’s no one working there. And then there’s the store. It’s made up of three storage tiles, and it’s being manned by just one person. This store can hold up to 6 goods.

Now, you see, the university connects the two faculties. So it only takes one person to operate both of them. And here’s the cool part: the houses, graves, and cathedral don’t need anyone to work on them.

Fig. 2: Here’s an example illustrating a “zone of control.”

All the places marked “A” are under the city’s control because they are within a 2-hex radius of the city. On the other hand, the area marked “B*” is not within the zone of control since it can only be accessed by water. However, if the player has a manned harbor, then all the areas marked “B” (including “B*”) become part of their zone of control as well.

Now, imagine the player decides to construct an inn on the designated spot. By doing so, the areas denoted as “C” (or “C” and “D,” if they also have a manned harbor) are added to their zone of control.

Fig. 3: Check out this beautiful countryside building.

Hey there! So, let’s say you’re playing a game and you want to build a woodcutter using one of your characters from the cart shop. There are a couple of options for where you can build it. For example, you could choose to build it on field “A*”. This would give you a woodcutter that takes up 6 spaces, marked “A” and “A*”.

Alternatively, you could build it on field “B*”. In this case, your woodcutter would only take up 3 spaces, marked “B” and “B*”. Now, here’s the fun part. Can you figure out if there are any places where you can build woodcutters of size 2 or 4? Give it a shot!

Fig. 4: Check out this mountain range!

See that highlighted area? It’s a mountain range, and it plays an important role in the game. But here’s the thing – it can only produce either stone or gold, not both. It’s a bit puzzling, right?

Now, let’s talk about building a city or any other countryside building on the mountain range. No matter what you build, it won’t affect the resources generated by the mountain range. It’s like they have their own special power!

Fig. 5: Building Fisheries

When it comes to constructing fisheries, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind. The first thing you need to know is that a fishery must be built on at least one hex within the zone of control. But here’s the catch: the second hex can be located outside the zone of control.

Another important factor is the requirement for adjacency to unpolluted water. You see, both hexes that the fishery is built on must be next to clean, pollution-free water. This means that not every location is suitable for a fishery. For example, fishery D in the diagram cannot be built because it fails to meet this requirement.

Let’s take a closer look at fishery A. This particular fishery will remain functional for a total of three turns. However, it has the potential to pollute the surrounding areas marked with an “a”. Fishery B, on the other hand, will function for only two turns. During its operation, it will release pollutants in the areas labeled as “b”.

Fig. 6: When it comes to establishing cities in the game, there are a few crucial factors to consider. One of the key things to keep in mind is that cities must be built within your zone of control. This means that they should be strategically positioned to maximize your influence and power. However, it’s important to note that cities cannot be placed next to one another. This rule helps to prevent overcrowding and ensures that each city has enough space to grow and thrive.

Let’s break it down with a simple example. Imagine you have three potential locations for your new city: A, B, and C. According to the rules, you can build your city in location A because it falls within your zone of control. However, locations B and C are off-limits because they are adjacent to other cities. This restriction is in place to maintain a balanced and fair gameplay experience for all players.

Figure 7: I’m Player A, and I’ve already built my woodcutter on the left side. That took up all of the space marked “A.” So, if you’re Player B, your woodcutter will be smaller, only taking up 3 spaces.

Now, to make it clear whose area is whose, just put your goods as close to your player icon as you can. In reality, these situations don’t happen too often.

Fig. 8: The Stables with Attendants.

I’ve taken the time to secure my stables and now I have a designated area that stretches 3 steps in every direction. My opponent, on the other hand, is surrounded by my inns. I can reach any hex my opponent can reach.

If I have San Giorgio as my patron saint, I’ve fulfilled my condition for victory.

Getting Started

You’ll need 2 map tiles for each player. Choose one of the configurations shown in figure 9 based on the number of players. Sort out 1 exploration counter (olive, sheep, wine, grain) per player. We won’t be using the rest of the exploration markers. Shuffle the markers and place one face down on each of the exploration hexes indicated on the map tiles.

Alright, let’s get started! First, we need to pick our colors and gather all the pieces. You’ll have your own set of men, cities, and inns, all in your chosen color. Also, grab your player aid, a set of city buildings, and 6 pieces of wood. Make sure to place your player aid with the large city map right in front of you, and set aside the other maps for now.

Now, let’s set up the houses. Each player places their houses on the ‘Cost of Housing’ chart on their player aid. Then, place one of your men on top of each house.

Alright, here comes the fun part! We need to determine the starting order of play. Each player takes one man. Let’s randomly draw men to figure this out. The first man drawn goes on field 1 of the order track, the second on field 2, and so on. Keep track of the famine level by placing the famine level indicator on the field marked 0.

Okay, here’s the deal: it’s time to pick where we’re gonna start. But here’s the twist – we do it in reverse order! That means the person whose man is at the end of the turn order track gets to choose first. Pretty cool, right?

Now, there are some rules about where we can build our starting city. It has to be fully on one of the starting map tiles, like the ones in figure 9. And don’t forget, each starting map tile can only have one starting city on it. So choose wisely!

When it comes to what kind of area you build your starting city on, anything goes. Yes, even if it’s on the sea! But here’s the catch – if your city ends up on an exploration marker, you gotta put the marker aside without taking a peek. The mystery will have to wait.

Once everyone has chosen their starting position and placed their cities, we’re ready to roll. Let the game begin!

Fig. 9: Setting Up the Game

I’m going to show you how to set up the game by laying out the map. First, you randomly pick two map tiles for each player and place them in the right configuration. Take a look at the diagram above to see how it should look. After that, each player puts their starting city on a different corner tile, just like the figure shows.

Step By Step: How to Play the Game

Playing the game is all about following different phases. There are 10 phases in each game turn, and I’m going to explain each one right here. In each phase, all players take their turns. Most of the time, everyone plays at the same time. But if a player wants to wait for someone else, they can ask to go one at a time. When that happens, just follow the order on the turn order indicator.

Did you know that some buildings in the game can give you special abilities? Pretty cool, right? These abilities come into play during specific phases of the game. Let me break it down for you.

Phase 1: All Rise

During this phase, we need to take our men off city buildings. Make sure to remove any men you have on city buildings and place them next to the city map. Don’t worry, we’ll have a chance to use them again in phase 2.

On the other hand, if you have men on country buildings, they should stay where they are. They’ll continue working until their task is completed. So no need to move them around.

Phase 2: Building Your City

In this phase, we all get to build new buildings in our cities and decide where to put our workers. This is when we have to make our smartest moves, so it can take a while.

But first, a secret…

Before we start, we need to hide our plans from each other. We each put up a screen in front of our city or cities, so no one can see what we’re doing. If you have any buildings you want to build, make sure they’re nearby.

If we want, we can also put the resources we use to build on top of our new buildings. That way, we can check each other’s actions later and remove the resources. But that takes a long time, so it’s easier to just trust each other and be honest.

Now, let’s choose what to do

We get to decide what order we want to take our actions in. We have the freedom to choose!

Hey there! You have the freedom to choose the order in which you do these actions. You can start by manning some buildings, then build others, and then go back to manning buildings if you like.

Manning Buildings

To use a building, you need to have a person manning it during this phase. Most buildings won’t work unless they are manned. You can put a person on a building at any time during this phase. Remember, if a building isn’t manned by the end of this phase, it won’t work for a whole round! Each building can only have one person on it. Once you place a person on a building, you can’t remove them until the next All Rise phase.

When a building is staffed, it starts operating. But there are certain types of buildings that don’t require human workers, like cathedrals, breweries, fountains, and granaries. They function on their own and can’t be staffed. Houses and graves, on the other hand, can’t be staffed at all. If there are any workers left on buildings at the end of the turn, they are stored next to the city map. Even though they won’t work this round, you can use them to staff buildings in the next City Building phase.

Building

To construct a building, you need to pay the required resources, acquire the building, and place it on any of your city maps. The location of the building doesn’t matter because it functions as if it exists in all of your cities. However, the building must still fit within the boundaries of the city. You can’t have any part of the building outside the city limits. Additionally, you can’t build one building on top of another.

Most buildings can only be constructed once by each player

When playing the game, you have the freedom to construct any of the buildings listed in the player aid. Most buildings can only be built once by each player. However, there are a few exceptions. Stores, Cart Shops, Fountains, and Houses can be built multiple times. On the other hand, a Cathedral can only be rebuilt if it was previously destroyed by the Faculty of Theology. As for the other buildings, once they’re incapacitated by graves, they can never be rebuilt.

Buildings with Limits

Keep in mind that some buildings have limitations. While most can only be built once, a few can be constructed multiple times. However, there is a limited number of these buildings available. If they run out, you won’t be able to build any more. The buildings with limits are Cart Shops (16), Fountains (16), and Stores (16).

Discarding Used Goods

When you build things, you need certain materials. These materials are used up and you can’t use them anymore. On the player aid, it tells you how much it costs to build each thing. Most things need 1 wood or 1 stone. But there are some special things like fountains and hospitals that need 1 luxury good. Luxury goods are things like wine, gold, pearls, or dye. And then there are stables, which need 2 different luxury goods. Houses have a different cost, which I’ll explain in a bit. But just remember, once you use up these materials to build something, you can’t use them again.

Welcome to the World of Buildings

Let’s Talk About Houses

Houses! They come in all shapes and sizes and have different costs. Just like any other building, a house needs to be built. But you know what? It doesn’t always cost the same. The price of building a house can vary.

Now, let me introduce you to the ‘Cost of Housing’ chart. It shows how much each house costs. You’re free to build them in any order you like, but most folks start with the cheapest ones and work their way up.

Here’s something interesting: the first four houses won’t cost you a thing! That’s right, they’re absolutely free. But after that, you’ll need to shell out some food and maybe even some luxury goods.

When you see a ‘2D food + 3D lux’ house, it means you need to gather two different food goods and three different luxury goods. Imagine things like grain, fish, gold, dye, and even a shiny pearl all bundled together. That’s what it takes to build this kind of house.

When you build a new house, you get a bonus. An extra man joins your team right away. This man will be placed next to the city map and can start working immediately.

Now, Let’s Talk About Stores

Did you know that you can build a store of any size using just 1 wood? Yep, it’s true! The store has to be rectangular, though, and made up of size-two blocks. So, you can have a store that’s 1×2, 2×2, 1×4, 2×3, 1×6, and so on. It’s basically a one-man operation and counts as a single building. Just keep in mind that you can’t expand it later to make it bigger.

Cathedral

Now, if you decide to build a cathedral, you’ll need to choose a patron saint right away. You can even choose the same saint as other players – no need to fight over it. Once you’ve chosen your saint, you get to enjoy the benefits that come with it. But remember, by the end of the phase, you have to let everyone know about your choice by placing a wooden cube on the ‘Patron Saint’ chart.

San Nicolo

If you choose San Nicolo or Santa Maria as your patron saint, you get a special perk: the ability to build two houses for the price of one.

Here’s how it works: when you want to build houses, you actually construct two, but you only have to pay for one of them. The cost of the house you pay for is determined by the number on the ‘Housing Cost’ chart.

Faculty Of Philosophy

If you decide to build a Faculty of Philosophy, you gain the ability to staff it with people. This is advantageous because normally, when building certain structures that require different types of food or luxury goods (indicated by “D”), you need to have those resources on hand. However, with the Faculty of Philosophy, you can bypass this requirement. For instance, you could build the Stables using two pearls, even though it typically requires two different luxury goods.

Faculty Of Theology

Hey there! Did you know that the Faculty of Theology has a special power in the game? It allows me to raze my cathedral if I have one. Pretty cool, right? So here’s how it works: if I have built and manned the Faculty of Theology, I can take my cathedral from the city map and leave some empty space behind. This happens during the City Building phase. Oh, and by the way, if I don’t have a cathedral yet, the Faculty of Theology doesn’t really do much.

After I’ve razed my cathedral, I can go ahead and build a new one if I want to. Maybe I’ll dedicate it to a different saint this time. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, I can’t raze a cathedral that’s dedicated to Santa Maria. And second, if there are graves in the cathedral, I can’t raze it either. They need to rest in peace, you know?

Just a heads up – I can only raze my cathedral once per turn. Gotta follow the rules, you know?

Hospital

I want to tell you about a really cool feature in the game. It’s called the Hospital. When I build a Hospital, I can man it, which means I can clear five graves from the game. This is awesome because then I can use that spot for another building right away. And if there were graves on top of a building, I can man that building again too, as long as there are no more graves left on it. It’s like a fresh start!

Oh, and let me tell you about the Market too!

The Market is great because it allows me to trade with other players or with the game. When I man my Market, I can start trading. The cool thing is, only one of the trading players needs to have a manned Market. So, even if the other player doesn’t have a Market, we can still trade. How awesome is that?

When it comes to making deals, it’s important to announce them publicly. You and the other players can trade goods with each other, without any limitations on the amount. You can even exchange promises, although keep in mind that these promises aren’t binding. However, buildings in the city or country cannot be traded. If you want to trade with the board, you have the option to discard two goods – they don’t need to be the same – and in return, you can choose any one good.

University

The University is a special building that transforms faculties into one single entity. Usually, a University is built directly next to faculties, although it can also be a standalone building. When a University is adjacent to faculties, they are considered one building. This means you only need one person to operate both the University and the surrounding faculties, even if you add more faculties later on.

When it comes to a University that is connected to the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Philosophy, there are some important benefits. If the University is manned, it can provide the advantages of both faculties without the need to staff them separately. It’s like killing two birds with one stone – you get the best of both worlds!

Let’s Talk Fountains

Now, let’s talk about Fountains. When a player builds a Fountain, it works wonders for the Famine level. It decreases the level by 1, and it can never drop below 0. Fountains don’t require any staff to operate, but they do have a fantastic impact. As soon as they are built, they reduce the pollution produced by your civilization by a whopping 1 point. It’s like taking a breath of fresh air!

Now, here’s something interesting – city structures are here to stay! Once you build a building in your city, it becomes a permanent fixture. You can’t take it off, except in two cases: Cathedrals (for more details, check out the Faculty of Theology) and Graves (see Hospital above). So, choose wisely when it comes to building your city, because what you build lasts forever!

Let’s Discover Santa Barbara

When it’s time to rearrange buildings in my cities, Santa Barbara (and Santa Maria) gives me the power to do so. As my patron saint, I can move my buildings around during this phase.

But there’s a rule to keep in mind—I can only take graves off buildings and put them on empty spaces. I’m not allowed to place graves on existing buildings or shift them from one building to another.

Phase 3: Order Of Play

Now, this phase is short, but oh-so important. It sets the order of play that will stay in effect until the next Order of Play phase.

Order (Cart Shop + Explorer)

Alright, time to count my men. I’ll tally up the total number of men I have on Cart Shops and Explorers. Whoever has the lowest number gets to move first. The player with the second lowest number goes next, and so on. We’ll mark the new order on the order track.

Ties are resolved based on the previous turn’s order.

Let’s talk about what happens when multiple players have the same number of men on buildings. In these situations, the players will maintain their relative order from the previous phase.

For example, let me give you an example. Bianca has two men on carts and no explorer. Ragnar has two men on carts and one on an explorer. Henriette has three men on carts. Their respective numbers are Bianca 2, Ragnar 3, and Henriette 3. In this case, Bianca moves first. Ragnar and Henriette keep the same order as last turn, which was Henriette/Bianca/Ragnar. So, this turn, the order becomes Bianca/Henriette/Ragnar.

Moving on to Phase 4: Countryside Building

In phase 4, I get to build buildings out in the countryside. These buildings can only be constructed within my zone of control, and I need certain city buildings to staff them. It’s a bit of a complex phase, so we usually play it one after the other, waiting for each player to finish their turn. We keep the same order as in phase 3.

What’s the Order of Actions?

I have the freedom to choose the order of actions in this phase. I can build inns, cities, and other buildings in the countryside in any order I like. For example, I can start by building an inn to expand my zone of control, then construct a city, and finally, put up a woodcutter’s building using the expanded zone of control.

What Kinds of Buildings Can I Construct?

If you have a manned Cart Shop, you can choose to build a countryside building or a city in your zone of control. To do this, you need to pay the required goods listed on the player aid.

The building must be placed within your zone of control, which is usually 2 steps away from any city or inn. You cannot build outside of your zone of control. However, you can build over any type of terrain except for sea. A sea hex is never considered to be within your zone of control unless you have a manned harbor.

Inn

Inns are special because they can be used even if they are not connected to a city. They still add to your zone of control, even if they cannot be reached from a city. For example, if you built an inn using a harbor but have not manned the harbor this turn, the inn is still considered part of your zone of control.

Harbor

When you have a Harbor, it expands your control over water and the coast. This means that any water that is right next to your cities and inns is also considered to be under your control. Water includes any connected sea hexes. Not only that, but all the hexes directly next to the sea hexes, which make up the waterfront area, are also added to your zone of control.

Have a Stable

If you have a Stable, your zone of control expands even further. With a manned Stable, you can take three steps from your city and inns, instead of just two.

However, the Stable doesn’t affect movement on water. The Harbor is still only useful for water that is directly next to a city or inn. It only adds the coastal hexes that are right next to the water, and not the land hexes that are farther away.

What is Zone of Control?

Hey there! Let’s talk about the zone of control and how it works in the game. It’s pretty cool, trust me!

Cart Shop

First things first, let’s talk about the Cart Shop. This nifty little place is where you build all countryside buildings. But here’s the catch – you gotta have someone manning the Cart Shop if you want to build those buildings. Each new countryside building (including inns and cities) needs its own manned Cart Shop. So, if you have 3 manned Cart Shops, you can build a maximum of 3 countryside buildings.

Now, if the countryside building you want to make requires a person (like Farms, Woodcutters, Fisheries, and Mines), you can use the person from the Cart Shop. Handy, right? But if the building doesn’t need a person (like Cities and Inns), the person from the Cart Shop just hangs out next to the city map to show that it built something. And here’s the best part – you can use that person again in the next turn. Talk about efficiency!

Monoculture

When it comes to building Farms, Fisheries, and Mines, it’s important to remember that each building specializes in producing only one type of goods.

Woodcutters

Woodcutters are built on an area of fresh forest within your reach. To construct a Woodcutter, you’ll need one unit of wood, which will be consumed. Once built, place a grass marker on the forest hex, followed by a wood counter and the man from the Cart Shop.

Next, place grass markers covered by wood counters on every adjacent hex with unpolluted forest. Some of these hexes may fall outside of your zone of control, but that won’t affect the Woodcutter’s production. Every turn during the Harvest phase, the Woodcutter will generate one unit of wood as long as there is wood remaining. For example, a Woodcutter with a size of 3 will produce for 3 turns, while a size 7 Woodcutter will produce for 7 turns, and so on (refer to figure 3).

Farms

When you set out to build a Farm, you’ll need a hex of clean grass in an area you control. It can be natural grass or the kind that comes from woodcutters. The important thing is to have a suitable location. Once you have that settled, it’s time to decide what kind of Farm you want to construct. You have four options: Olives, Grain, Wine, or Sheep.

Building a Farm requires a specific type of good, known as a seed. Each type of Farm requires a different seed – for example, an Olive Farm requires one Olive seed, while a Grain Farm requires one Grain seed. To build a Farm, you need to discard the corresponding seed. Once the seed is discarded, place a ‘pollution’ counter on the hex, followed by the appropriate type of good, and finally, the man from the Cart Shop.

Next, place pollution markers, covered by the appropriate farm goods, on all adjacent grass tiles that are not already polluted.

Faculty Of Biology

The Faculty of Biology provides players with one free seed. If you have a manned Faculty of Biology, you can build a Farm for free without discarding a seed. You are not limited to the types of Farms you own seeds for – you can build any type of Farm you like.

Mines

Did you know that mines are kind of like farms? The main difference is that mines need to be built on mountain hexes instead of grass. To build a mine, you’ll need to spend 1 wood, which you’ll discard. Once your mine is up and running, it will produce either stone or gold.

Here’s the interesting part: when it comes to the first mine in a mountain range, you get to choose which resource it produces. Whether you go for gold or stone is entirely up to you. However, any subsequent mines in the same mountain range will have to produce the same type of resource as the first one.

A mountain range is simply a bunch of connected mountain hexes. So, if someone builds a city that visually splits a mountain range in half, both halves will still be considered part of the same range. That means they will both need to contain mines that produce the same resource.

Now let’s talk about fisheries.

Did you know that you can create fisheries by the shore? It’s pretty cool! A fishery is like a special place where fish can be caught and it’s important because we need fish to eat! But there are a few things you need to know if you want to build one.

First, a fishery needs to be built on a hex that is right next to a clean, unpolluted sea hex. That means the water needs to be nice and clean so the fish can live there. You can see what this looks like in figure 5. And get this – a fishery is actually made up of two hexes! They both need to be next to a clean sea hex, but only one of them has to be in the area that you control.

Now, here’s something really interesting. You can build a fishery on hexes that are clean or dirty, or even on one clean hex and one dirty hex. But the important thing is that both land hexes have to be next to a clean sea hex. That’s what makes it a fishery!

So, remember, if you want to build a fishery, find a nice clean spot by the sea, and make sure both land hexes are next to clean water. Good luck!

So, here’s the deal: if I want to build a fishery in this game, it’s gonna cost me one wood, but then I can decide if I want to produce dye, pearls, or fish. Pretty cool, right? And get this, when I build that fishery, I gotta plop down a pollution marker and the corresponding good on each of the clean sea areas bordering the fishery. Oh, and here’s the catch: there’s only a specific number of fisheries you can build, and that number is 12. So if they’re all taken, you gotta wait until one opens up again.

Now, let’s talk breweries.

Here’s the deal with breweries: they let you build inns. And guess what? If you’ve got a brewery, you can use cart shops to build those inns. And the best part? You don’t even need someone working at the brewery for this. It’s basically a win-win! But here’s the thing: building inns costs you one food, which you just gotta toss out. Oh, and when it comes to where you can build those inns, you’ve got some freedom. You can put ’em on any open land hex in your control zone. Yes, even if the area is polluted. The only thing you need to do is put the person you used to build the inn next to your city map. Easy peasy!

When you build an Inn in the game, it automatically takes on your color. This means that only you can use the Inn. The great thing about building an Inn is that it instantly extends your zone of control. This means that you can start building in the newly opened area right away. And guess what? There’s no limit to how many Inns you can build!

Now let’s talk about Cart Shops.

Cart Shops have the ability to build cities. Imagine that! But that’s not all. If you have a manned Cart Shop, you can use it to build a brand-new city. Just make sure you’re building on land and not in the sea. If the land is polluted, don’t worry. You can simply get rid of the pollution markers. Oh, and one more thing – your new city can’t be right next to another city. But it does have to be within your zone of control.

When you decide to build a city, you need to have a few things ready. You’ll need 1 food, 1 wood, 1 stone, and two different luxury goods. Keep in mind that the luxury goods can be the same if you have a manned Faculty of Philosophy. Oh, and by the way, building a new city comes with some consequences.

The first consequence is that you get a fancy 6×6 city map to use for building new city buildings. It’s like having your own little playground! The second consequence is that you can start building in the countryside using your new city’s zone of control. Pretty cool, right? And here’s the not-so-great news: Your pollution rate will go up. We’ll talk more about that later in Phase 9: Pollution. Now, there’s one more thing to remember: You can only have a maximum of four cities.

No Building Over Existing Buildings

You know what’s interesting? When it comes to constructing a new building, there are rules that we have to follow. One important rule is that we can’t build a new building on top of an existing one. That means if there’s already a building on a certain piece of land, we can’t put another one on top of it. This rule applies to certain types of buildings like Inns, Fisheries, and Cities. We also can’t build on hexes that have goods or men on them, but if the hex only has pollution, then we’re free to use it.

Now, here’s something cool – we can build over exploration markers! These markers can be built on and we don’t even have to look at what’s underneath. We just remove the marker once we’ve built something on it.

Here’s another rule. If we build a new building right next to an existing building of the same type, the old building’s goods will be placed near the old building’s man. Those goods belong to the old building, not the new one. The new building won’t produce those goods, and the land beneath them can’t be used by the new building.

Oh, and let me tell you about the Faculty of Alchemy. It’s pretty interesting!

Hey there! Did you know that the Faculty of Alchemy has a cool power? It can clean polluted land, bringing it back to its natural state! If you have a manned Faculty of Alchemy, you can use it to clean a stretch of land. Just make sure that the center of the polluted area is in your zone of control. Once activated, the Faculty of Alchemy instantly cleans the polluted hex and all the hexes surrounding it that are also polluted, whether they are on land or in the sea.

Keep in mind that this power can only be used once per turn. So choose wisely when to activate it! Oh, and one more thing: if a forest gets turned into grass and then becomes polluted, the Faculty of Alchemy can remove the pollution, but it won’t grow any trees. So the grass markers will still remain. Just thought you should know!

Phase 5: Store Goods

A store can hold one item in each square. If you have people working in your store, you can store items there. Each square in the store can only hold one item, which means each storage tile can hold two items total.

San Christofori

If you’ve dedicated your Cathedral to San Christofori or Santa Maria, you can store unlimited goods there. No need to have anyone manning the Cathedral.

Phase 6: Harvest

During this phase, all players collect their goods. Workers who have finished their tasks go back home. Empty fisheries are removed from the game board and become available again.

Countryside Buildings

Each countryside building produces one good. This good is taken from one of the hexes surrounding the worker on the building and placed in the Harvest box on the player aid. If there are no more goods in the surrounding hexes, take the good from under the worker and return both the good and the worker to the Harvest box.

Forced Labor

When it comes to Forced Labor, you’ll find that it’s quite an interesting concept. This particular mechanic involves the production and harvesting of goods, with a few unique rules to keep in mind.

So, how does Forced Labor work? Well, if a player has a manned Forced Labor building, they must take three goods from each producer. However, there is a catch – the first good that is taken is discarded, while the second and third goods are put into the Harvest box.

Now, let’s say a producer has two goods remaining. What happens then? In this case, one of the goods is discarded, and the other is harvested. But what if there’s only one good left? Well, that single good will be discarded. And if any producers have no goods left at all, their workers return to the Harvest box.

It’s important to note that Forced Labor affects all of a player’s producers if it is manned. So, make sure to keep that in mind when strategizing.

Order Of Harvest

When it comes to harvesting goods, players have some flexibility. They can choose the order in which they harvest goods in a particular countryside building, except for the last one. However, the important thing to remember is that the good that is located underneath the worker must always be harvested last.

San Giorgio

Did you know that San Giorgio and Santa Maria are like the superheroes of cathedrals? Whenever someone builds a Cathedral, I get rewarded with fish. Yup, you heard it right! For every Cathedral constructed, I get one fish. I even get an extra fish if another player builds a Cathedral on the same turn. That means I could collect up to two fish in a single turn if I’m lucky!

But here’s the deal, this special bonus only happens once per Cathedral. So unless the Faculty of Theology comes into play, I can only get a maximum of one fish per player, including myself. The same goes for those who’ve chosen Santa Maria as their patron saint. Talk about excitement!

Phase 7: Explore

Now, let’s talk about the exciting Explore phase. It’s a quick one, but it’s important to follow the order of play.

Explorer Explores

Time to unleash the power of exploration! If I have an Explorer ready for action, I can flip over one exploration counter in my zone of control. The counter reveals a type of good, which I can collect and add to my Harvest box. The best part is, I might even trigger a Famine Level increase. Woah, things just got a whole lot more exciting!

As I explore, I keep an eye on the counter. If it shows food, I know the Famine Level goes up by one. But if I find wine instead, the Level stays the same. I can only explore once each turn, so I have to choose wisely.

Phase 8: Famine

During this phase, I have the opportunity to collect graves based on the Famine Level and my stock of food and buildings. Once graves are obtained, they cannot be removed.

Number of graves

The number of graves I receive is equal to the current Famine Level.

Food

Having food helps to combat famine. For each food I possess (whether it’s in my Harvest Box, Store, or Cathedral), the number of graves I receive is reduced by one. It’s important to note that, in this phase, any collected food is never discarded.

Granary

When you have a granary, it can save you from famine by reducing the number of graves you receive by three. And the best part is, you don’t even need to have someone manning the granary!

What are graves?

Graves are placed in empty city spaces. If you get one or more graves, you have to put them on empty city spaces. Once a grave is placed, that city space can no longer be used to build anything else.

If there are no more empty city spaces left, you have to put the graves on a building. But there’s a limit – each building can only have one grave per square. So, for example, a Cart Shop can have a maximum of three graves. But remember, graves cannot be placed on top of houses.

Have you ever wondered what happens when a grave appears on a building? Well, once that happens, the building becomes non-functional. If the building was manned, the person is placed next to the city map. However, it’s important to note that graves can only be placed on buildings if there are no empty spaces left in the city. If a player is unable to place a grave, they lose the game and have to quit (although this doesn’t happen often).

Famine Level

Every turn, the Famine Level increases by one. Once the famine is resolved, the Famine Level goes up by one step.

Phase 9: Pollution

In this phase, each player gets to pollute an area within their zone of control. Initially, this phase can be played simultaneously, but if multiple zones overlap, it should be played sequentially.

Three Pollution Per City

Hey there! Let me break it down for you. In this game, each player is responsible for three units of pollution per city in their zone of control. So, if you have two cities, you’ll have six units of pollution to deal with. Now, you can only place this pollution on empty and unpolluted hexes within your zone of control. But here’s the catch – you’re allowed to put your pollution in another player’s zone of control as well. Sneaky, huh?

Now, when it comes to sea hexes, you can only pollute them if they are within your zone of control and you have a manned Harbor. Oh, and here’s a fun little tip – you can use Inns and Harbors to pollute areas that are quite far away from your cities. So, the further, the better!

The Dump

Now, let’s talk about the Dump. If you have a manned Dump, it’s like a pollution fortress. No other player can put any pollution in your zone of control. It’s your safe zone from pollution invaders!

Have you ever wondered how fountains and dumps can help reduce pollution? It’s fascinating how these simple structures can make a difference in our environment. Let me explain.

Imagine a city with three sources of pollution. Each source contributes three units of pollution per turn, resulting in a total of nine units. But here’s where the magic happens.

By adding a fountain, the pollution is reduced by one unit per turn. And if we have a manned dump, the pollution decreases by an impressive four units per turn. So, if we have both a fountain and a manned dump, the pollution is drastically reduced.

With one fountain, the pollution is now down to eight units per turn. And with a manned dump, it decreases even further to just four units per turn. Isn’t that amazing?

Graves

So, here’s the deal. Pollution is a big problem. It’s like this unplaceable mess that we need to tackle. If you don’t have enough empty spaces to put pollution counters, well, you’re in a tight spot. In that case, you’ve got to build graves in your cities equal to the number of counters you can’t place. Phase 8 will give you all the details on how to handle those graves.

Let me give you an example. Say you’ve got two cities and you need to put down six pollution counters. The problem is, you’ve only got space for three counters. What do you do? Well, you don’t have a choice – you’ve got to build three graves. And the good news is, you can spread those graves out however you want among your cities.

Now, let’s talk about the end of the game.

Phase 10 is all about checking for victory. This is the part where everyone looks to see if they’ve won the game. And guess what? It happens at the same time for everyone.

Here’s the thing: your victory condition depends on your patron saint.

If you want to win the game, you’ve got to choose a patron saint by building a Cathedral. Now, here’s the really interesting part – your Cathedral doesn’t even need to be manned. Each patron saint has their own set of victory conditions, so choose wisely.

Did you know that in the game, multiple players can choose the same patron saint, but each player is limited to having only one Cathedral?

With San Nicolo, you win when you have 20 people.

If San Nicolo is your patron saint, you can win the game by having a total of 20 people, no matter where they are located – in the city or in the countryside.

If you have Santa Barbara, you win when all buildings are completed.

Having Santa Barbara as your patron saint means you win the game by building each city building at least once. You don’t need to build any graves to win.

San Christofori rewards you for collecting food and luxury goods.

If San Christofori is your patron saint, you can win by collecting at least three of each food and luxury good.

San Giorgio wins by trapping another player.

If San Giorgio is your patron saint, you can win the game by enclosing another player within your buildings.

If you have San Giorgio as your patron saint, you win the game by enclosing the entire zone of control of another player within your own. This means you can reach every hex that the other player can reach. It doesn’t matter if you can reach the hexes with inns and cities, only the hexes that can be reached from them.

Santa Maria wins by completing two victory conditions.

If you have Santa Maria as your patron saint, you win the game by completing any two of the victory conditions mentioned above. You get to choose which two to fulfill when the time comes.

Ties are resolved by the Largest Unpolluted Area.