Welcome to the Eminent Domain Game!

Hey there! Ready to play the Eminent Domain Game? In this exciting game, you’ll have the chance to create your own galactic empire. But before you get started, let me walk you through the rules so you can become the best space conqueror out there!

Objective

The objective of the game is to strategically build a powerful empire and earn the most victory points.

Components

The game consists of different components that come together to create an immersive experience:

• Player cards: Each player has their own deck of cards that represent their empire.
• Technology deck: This deck contains all the different technologies that players can research and use to their advantage.
• Planet deck: The planet deck represents the galaxy and contains planets that players can explore and conquer.
• Role cards: These cards determine the actions that players can take each turn.
• Exploration, Warfare, and Production tokens: These tokens are used to track different aspects of the game.

Gameplay

The game is played over a series of rounds, with each round consisting of four phases:

1. Role Selection: Each player selects a role card, which determines the actions they can take during the round.
2. Action Phase: Players take turns performing actions based on their selected role cards. Actions can include exploring planets, colonizing them, researching technologies, or attacking other players.
3. Follow Phase: Players who did not select the current role card have the option to follow the actions of the active player, but with reduced effectiveness.
4. Cleanup Phase: Players discard unused cards and prepare for the next round.

The game continues until a specific number of turns have been completed or the endgame conditions are met.

Scoring

At the end of the game, victory points are calculated based on the size and development of each player’s empire, as well as any special achievements or technologies they have acquired. The player with the highest number of victory points is declared the winner!

Conclusion

So there you have it – the rules of the Eminent Domain Game! Now that you understand how to play, it’s time to embark on your journey through space and build the most powerful empire the galaxy has ever seen. May the best space conqueror win!

Hey there! Ready to explore the vast galaxy and build an empire? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In Eminent Domain, you’ll be in charge of expanding your empire and making all the big decisions.

This game is all about using your deck of Role cards to shape the destiny of your empire. Everyone starts with the same deck, so you’re all on a level playing field.

Each turn, you have to pick a role to execute. This means choosing one of your Role cards to play. But here’s the cool part – you can make that role even more powerful by playing other cards from your hand that match the chosen role.

Let’s say you’re focusing on research for your empire. The more research you do, the better your empire becomes at research. How? Well, simple! You’ll have more research cards in your deck, making your empire super efficient in the research department!

When you play the game, you have the opportunity to make your mark in the vast universe. You can achieve this by expanding your empire, conducting research, and engaging in trade.

First, you must explore the universe by surveying different planets. Once you find a planet that catches your interest, you have a choice: you can colonize it and make it a part of your empire, or you can use warfare to conquer it and gain access to its unique abilities and influence. The planet will be flipped over to show that it is now under your control.

To sustain your empire, you need resources. Fortunately, the flipped planets can be used to produce these valuable resources. You can then use these resources to engage in trade, bolstering your empire’s strength.

Lastly, research plays a crucial role in your quest for dominance. By studying the different planets you control, you can uncover new technologies that will give you an edge over your opponents.

At the end of the game, the player with the most influence in the galaxy will be crowned the ruler. Will you be able to seize control and claim victory?

Components

I have a lot of stuff for you. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

– 1 central card display

– 96 role cards

– 27 planet cards

– 6 start planets

– 39 technology cards

– 5 fighter tokens

– 24 resource tokens

– 4 player aid tiles

– 32 influence tokens

– 1 rulebook

Let’s get started with the setup. Take a look at this image:


Now, here’s what you need to do:

1. Give each player 1 Politics card. Any extra Politics cards are out of the game.

2. Sort the rest of the Role cards by their types and place them face-up in 5 Stacks on the central card display. These are the Role Stacks.

3. Each player needs to shuffle the following cards together to form a starting deck of 10 cards:


– 1 Politics card

That’s it for the setup! It’s time to start playing.

I’ve got one important card: the Warfare card. Then I have two Colonize cards, two Research cards, two Survey cards, and two Produce/Trade cards. There are many things to do in this game!

Now, here’s what I need to do to set up my empire:

1. Each player gets a Start Planet tile. Put it face down with the survey side showing in your empire. Take out any unused Start Planets.

2. Shuffle the Planet cards and make a draw deck with them, placing it beside the central card display.

3. Each player gets a Player Aid tile. One of them will say “Start Player” on the back. Whoever gets that one goes first. Any unused Player Aids are removed from the game.

4. There are 8 special Influence tokens. Set those aside and keep 24 in the supply.

I’m all set up and ready to go! Let’s conquer the galaxy!

I’m ready to begin! Let’s dive in and take a look at the rules for playing Eminent Domain. First, we need to prepare the Technology cards. We’ll divide them into three piles and place them face up, next to the central card display. These piles will be accessible to all players throughout the game. Once that’s done, it’s time to draw 5 cards from your deck.

Now, let’s talk about a helpful variant called the Learning Game. If you’re new to Eminent Domain, the sheer number of Technology cards might feel overwhelming. In that case, you can try the Learning Game described in the Variants section. It’s designed to make it easier to learn the game mechanics.

Alright, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of gameplay. Turns in Eminent Domain follow a clockwise order. Each player takes their turn, completing three phases in order: Action Phase (optional), Role Phase (mandatory), and Cleanup Phase (mandatory).

During the Action Phase, you have the choice to take actions, but it’s not required. This phase gives you the opportunity to strategize and make tactical decisions.

Next up is the Role Phase. This phase is mandatory, so you’ll always be involved. The Role Phase is where you choose and execute a role, which will determine what actions you can take during your turn.

Finally, we have the Cleanup Phase. This phase is also mandatory. It’s time to wrap things up, discard any remaining cards in your hand, and prepare for the next player’s turn.

That’s it! You now have a clear understanding of the essential rules of Eminent Domain. Have fun exploring the vast possibilities and strategies this game has to offer. Good luck!

Hey there! Let’s talk about playing cards and what happens when you use their Action effect. It’s pretty cool stuff! So, here’s what you do:

I’ll just bet you have a whole bunch of cards in your hand, right? Well, all you need to do is pick one of those cards and play it. Easy peasy! But hold on tight, because playing that card is gonna make things happen.

See, every card has something called an Action effect. And when you play a card, that effect is gonna kick into gear. It’s like pressing a big red button that sets off a chain reaction.

Now, the thing about these Action effects is that they can do all sorts of different things. I mean, seriously, they’re like little magic spells in card form! Some cards might let you draw extra cards, while others might make you discard cards from your opponent’s hand. The possibilities are endless!

So, when you play a card and use its Action effect, you just have to follow the instructions on the card. It might tell you to do something like draw cards, gain extra resources, or even attack your opponent. Just do what it says, and you’ll be good to go!

But here’s the thing: you can only use the Action effect of one card per turn. It’s like each card is taking its turn to shine. So make sure you pick the card with the Action effect that you think will help you the most in that moment. Strategy, my friend!

And remember, you can only play a card from your hand. You can’t just pick any card that’s already on the table. It’s all about those cards in your hand, ready to be unleashed.

So, now that you know how to play a card and use its Action effect, you’re ready to dive into the world of card games. Have fun, my friend, and may the cards be always in your favor!

• Actions can’t be boosted or followed.
• You can choose not to play any action and skip the action phase. After executing the action, put the card you played into your discard pile.

2. Role Phase (mandatory)

Take on one of the 6 roles: Colonize, Research, Produce, Trade, Survey, or Warfare, and carry out its role effect.

• First, you need to select a Role from the Central Display.
• Next, take a card from the corresponding Stack if there are any cards available, and place it in your play area.
• If you want, you can enhance the chosen role by playing cards from your hand that have symbols matching that role. You can also use symbols on face up planets in your Empire to boost the Role. Keep in mind that cards played during the Action Phase do not contribute to boosting the Role.
• Now, it’s time to resolve the Role effect, including the bonus from your Leader, while considering all the symbols you used to boost the role.

When playing this game, each player has a choice to make in a certain order. They can either disagree or agree with the role that has been selected:

• Disagree: Take 1 card from their deck and add it to their hand.
• Agree: Use cards from their hand that have symbols matching the chosen role and perform the role’s effect (not the Leader bonus). They can also use the symbols on their face-up planets in their Empire to perform the role. It’s important to note that you can agree with a role without playing any cards from your hand, as long as you have matching symbols in your Empire.

Even if a role’s stack of cards is empty, it can still be chosen. In this case, the Trade, Produce, and Research roles have an additional Leader bonus. This bonus only applies when the stack of cards is empty!

3. Cleanup Phase (mandatory)

After each player has made their choice and resolved the role, it’s time to discard the cards that were played and organize your hand.

During the Role Phase, I put the cards I played (except the ones under planets as Colonies) into my discard pile. You can choose to discard any number of cards from your hand and keep the rest. Keep drawing or discarding cards until you reach your Hand Limit. Remember, you only organize your hand during your own Cleanup Phase, not on your opponent’s turn.

If you need to draw a card and your deck is empty, just shuffle your discard pile to create a new deck.

The base Hand Limit is 5 cards, but it can change depending on the planets in your Empire. Discard piles are open for anyone to look at.

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



The game ends when either the Influence supply or a certain number of Role card Stacks run out. This means that all players will have an equal number of turns before the game ends. The player sitting to the right of the start player will take the final turn.

If the Influence supply runs out, don’t worry! You will still receive the Influence tokens you deserve. We have 8 set aside Influence tokens for this situation, and you can also use spare Resource or Fighter tokens if needed.

How to Determine the Winner

To calculate your score, add up the Influence from your Influence tokens, Technology cards, and face-up Planet cards. The player with the highest score is the winner.

If there’s a tie, don’t fret! The player with the most Resource and Fighter tokens in their Empire will be the winner. And if there’s still a tie after that, you can always play another game to determine the ultimate champion!

Try These Variants to Make the Game Easier to Learn

Learning a complex game like Technology can feel overwhelming at first. But don’t worry, I’ve got some variants that can help make it easier for you to understand and enjoy the game.

Let’s start with the Learning Game variant. In this variant, we’ll remove the Technology cards from the game, as well as the 3 Advanced planets with Research symbols. This way, we can focus on the core mechanics of the game without getting bogged down by the complexities of the Technologies.

Next, we’ll turn the Research role Stack face down and put it aside. We won’t be using it in the Learning Game. This will simplify things even further and allow you to grasp the basic gameplay without having to worry about the Research role.

If you still want to take it slow and ease into the game, you can choose to add only the Level 1 Technologies in your second game. This way, you can get a feel for how the Research role works without overwhelming yourself with too many options right from the start. Once you’re comfortable with the Level 1 Technologies, you can gradually introduce the Level 2 and Level 3 Technologies in your future games.

Extended 3-player Game