Ethnos Game Rules

Hey there! Today, I want to talk to you about Ethnos, a really cool game that I think you’ll enjoy. It’s all about strategy, collecting fantasy creatures, and conquering regions. Let’s dive in and learn how to play this awesome game!

So, here’s the deal: Ethnos is a game that combines cards, tokens, and a whole lot of decision-making. The goal is to have the most glory points by the end of the game. You’ll do this by forming bands of different fantasy creatures and controlling regions on the game board. The player with the most glory points is declared the winner. Exciting, right?

To start playing Ethnos, you’ll first need to set up the game. Distribute the board, tokens, and cards among the players. Create a pool of cards, the “Fate” deck, and place a certain number of creatures in each region on the board. Each region can hold up to three creatures. Make sure to shuffle the cards in the Fate deck for a fair game.

Once the game is set up, it’s time to take turns and make some strategic moves. On your turn, you have two options: recruit a band of creatures or play a band. Recruiting a band means you pick a card from the face-up cards or the top of the deck and add it to your hand. It’s like assembling your team of fantasy creatures!

When you have enough cards in your hand, you can play a band. A band consists of cards of the same color or creatures of different colors but the same race. You’ll place these cards on an empty region on the game board. Each race has special abilities that can help you during the game, so keep that in mind when forming your bands.

But here’s the twist: you can only have one band in a region at a time. So you’ll have to plan your moves carefully and strategize where to place your bands. Controlling regions and having the majority of bands in a region will earn you glory points, so it’s all about conquering those territories!

After playing a band, you can also use a special ability card from your hand. These cards add an extra layer of strategy to the game, allowing you to take additional actions or affect the game in various ways. Use them wisely to gain an advantage over your opponents.

As the game progresses, you’ll notice that drawing cards from the Fate deck can trigger scoring conditions. When a certain number of cards of the same race are drawn, a scoring round happens. During a scoring round, players will receive additional glory points based on which regions they control and the bands they’ve played. It’s an exciting moment that can shift the balance of power in the game.

At the end of three scoring rounds, the game is over. Now it’s time to tally up the glory points and see who emerges as the winner. Remember, glory points come from controlling regions and playing bands, so make sure you’ve been strategic in your decisions.

Ethnos is a fantastic game that combines strategy with the joy of collecting fantasy creatures. It’s all about making smart moves, controlling regions, and forming powerful bands of creatures. So gather your friends, set up the game, and dive into the world of Ethnos. May the best strategist win!

In the game Ethnos, a group of 2 to 6 players competes for the prestigious title of Lord of Ethnos.

To become the next Lord of Ethnos, you need to earn more Glory points than your opponents. You can do this by controlling the Kingdoms on the game board and recruiting Allies, who will help you in your quest. The 12 Tribes, represented by cards, are scattered throughout the game, and it’s important for you to gather and play these cards in Bands to gain control over the Kingdoms.

However, you need to be cautious because your Allies might not always be loyal. Any cards that you don’t use when creating a Band will be discarded, creating opportunities for your rivals to snatch them up.

Another crucial aspect is choosing the right Leader for each Band. Only Leaders can use their special abilities to assist you on your journey. The player who accumulates the most Glory points over three Ages will be declared the ultimate Lord of Ethnos and emerge victorious!

Components

Getting Started

“Back in ancient times, when everything was being created and taking shape, powerful heroes roamed the land. They were like mighty gods, who not only shaped the Six Kingdoms but also left their mark by naming them.”

Now, it’s time for us to set up the game. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Place the game board right in the middle of the table where everyone can reach it.
2. Take the Glory tokens and shuffle them. Then, randomly put one token face up in each of the Glory spaces on the game board. That’s three tokens for each Kingdom.
3. Inside each Kingdom, arrange the three tokens in order from lowest to highest. The token with the lowest value goes in the “I” space, and the one with the highest value goes in the “III” space.

When we play the game, each of us gets to pick a color and take the matching Control markers. You start by placing one of your markers on the “0” space of the Glory Track. That’s the track on the outer edge of the game board. This marker is called your Scoring marker.

Next, we shuffle all the Setup cards and flip over six of them. These cards will tell us which six Tribes we’ll be using in the game.

We then take the Tribe decks for those six Tribes and shuffle them together. This combined deck is now called the Allies Deck. Any Tribe decks and Setup cards that weren’t used can be put back in the box. We won’t need them for this game.

When playing the game with different Tribes, there may be some extra pieces to set up:

• a. If the Merfolk are part of the game, put the Merfolk board next to the main game board, making sure to use the side that matches the number of players. Each of us should put our Control marker on the “0” space of the Merfolk board.
• b. If the Trolls are part of the game, place all six Troll tokens next to the main game board.
• c. If the Giants are part of the game, place the Giant token next to the main game board, using the side that matches the number of players.
• d. If the Orcs are part of the game, each of us gets an Orc Horde board.

Now we’re ready to start the First Age!

Game Play

Welcome to Ethnos! In this game, we will go on a journey through three “Ages”. Each Age brings new opportunities for you to collect Bands of Allies and gain control over the Kingdoms of Ethnos.

As we progress through each Age, you will earn Glory based on the Kingdoms you control and the Bands of Allies that you have gathered.

Beginning A New Age

Let’s get started with a new Age! Follow these steps:

1. I will draw one card from the Allies Deck and add it to my hand.
2. I will also reveal a number of cards from the Allies Deck. The number of cards will be twice the number of players in our game. These cards will be placed face up in a row next to the main game board. For example, if we have 2 players, I will reveal 4 cards. If we have 3 players, I will reveal 6 cards, and so on.

Split the remaining Allies Deck into two equal parts. Put the three Dragon cards in one half and then place that half under the other half. This recreates the Allies Deck with all the Dragon cards on the bottom.

In the First Age, randomly choose one player to go first.

In the Second and Third Ages, the player with the lowest Glory on the Glory Track goes first. If there is a tie, the player closest to the person who drew the third Dragon card in the previous Age (starting from that person and going clockwise) goes first.

Playing Through An Age

When I’m playing the game, each player takes a turn, starting with me and moving to the left.

Recruiting Allies

When I recruit an Ally, I get to draw a card and add it to my hand.

I can choose to draw any of the Ally cards that are face up on the table, or I can draw the top card from the Allies Deck. If I choose to draw one of the face up cards, I don’t put a new card in its place.

Hand Limit: If I already have 10 Ally cards in my hand, I can’t choose to recruit an Ally on my turn. Instead, I need to play a Band of Allies.

Playing Tip: To make the most of my Allies, I should try to collect groups of cards that have the same color or come from the same Tribe.

Example: When I started playing the game, I set my sights on the Kingdom of Duris. I knew that in order to conquer it, I needed to have at least one purple Ally. Luckily, I already had a few Dwarves in my hand, so I decided to grab the purple Dwarf card that was face up. With this new Ally by my side, I felt confident that Duris would soon be mine!

As I look at the game board, I see that it’s Alexis’s turn next. I notice that Roderick is strategizing to conquer Duris, and I can tell that Alexis wants to challenge him there. However, none of the face-up cards on the board seem to be advantageous for her.

In this particular situation, Alexis decides to take a gamble and draw a card from the Allies deck instead. Will this card prove to be beneficial for her? The suspense builds as the other players remain unaware of her decision.

Dragon Cards

Hey there! If you happen to pick a Dragon card from the Allies Deck, you gotta show it to everyone right away. Put it next to the main game board where everyone can check it out. After that, grab another card from the deck.

I want to talk about the importance of Dragon cards in the game. The first two cards don’t have any effect on the game, but when the third Dragon card is drawn, something significant happens. It signals the end of the Age! When this happens, you should keep the third Dragon card next to the player who drew it. This will come in handy later.

Now, let’s discuss playing a Band of Allies.

A Band of Allies is when you play a group of cards together from your hand. You can have anywhere from 1 to 10 cards in a Band. Here’s the thing, though – all the cards in the Band must belong to the same Tribe or Kingdom. This means they must have the same name and art or the same color. It’s all about finding that common thread.

When you decide to form a Band of Allies, here’s what you need to do:

1. First, lay out all the cards you want to include in the Band right in front of you. Remember, all the cards in your Band must be the same color or Tribe.
2. Next, pick one card from the Band to be the Leader, and put it on top of the Band.
3. If your Band is big enough, you can place one of your Control markers on the Kingdom that matches the color of your Leader card. However, there’s a rule-you can only place a Control marker in a Kingdom if there are currently fewer Control markers of your color there than the number of cards in the Band you just played. For example, if you have one card in your Band, you can put your first marker in a Kingdom. If you have two cards, you can put your second marker there, and so on.

Here’s what you need to know about playing the game and building your Band of Allies:

1. Your Leader card is crucial. It has a special ability that can help you. Each Tribe’s Leader card has a unique ability, so choose wisely.

2. When you play your Band of Allies, make sure you use the ability on your Leader card. Other cards in your Band don’t have any effect, except for the Skeleton card.

3. After playing your Band, if you still have cards in your hand, you must discard them face up next to the main game board. These cards can be picked up by any player when they choose to Recruit an Ally on their turn.

4. Keep your Band of Allies together in front of you with the leader card on top. This way, all players can see how many cards are in your Band. Your Band of Allies will stay there until the end of the Age.

Remember, each Tribe has its own unique Leader ability. By using your Leader’s ability and strategically playing your Band of Allies, you can increase your chances of winning. Have fun!

Some abilities of my tribe talk about “X”. This is just a fancy way of saying the total number of cards in the group of friends that follow me as their leader.

Here’s a tip for you: Remember, you can gather up more friends than you actually need to win a point. Why would you do that, you may ask? Well, there are a couple good reasons. First, you can earn extra honor points. Second, it’s a clever way to keep your cards out of the reach of those nasty opponents. And finally, you might even activate some special powers that certain tribes have. But hey, don’t forget, you can also have a smaller group of friends than you really need, without winning a point, just to score a little extra honor for your gang.

Example 1: I’m ready to make my move. I play all three of my Dwarf cards, making sure the purple one is on top – that’s the Leader of my new Band. Since the Leader of the Band is purple, I can place a Control marker in Duris if my Band is big enough. Right now, I have two Control markers there, so a Band of three Allies is big enough for me to place my third marker. Now I’m in control of Duris! But will I keep it? I then discard all of the cards still in my hand, placing them with the other face-up cards next to the board.

Example 2: So here’s the deal. I want to slap a Control marker on Duris, but my purple Band of Allies only has 2 measly cards. Plus, I’ve already got 2 markers hanging out in Duris, so that’s a no-go. But fear not! I’ve got another plan up my sleeve. Instead of Duris, I’m gonna plop down one of my markers in Rhea and dominate that place. Normally, I couldn’t add a marker to the red Kingdom when I’m rocking a purple Leader. But lucky for me, my Band’s Leader is a Wingfolk. And you know what that means? It means I can use its fancy ability to toss that marker wherever I darn well please! So, without further ado, I shower Duris with the other cards from my hand. They shall be discarded!

An Age Comes to an End

Hey there! Let’s talk about what happens when we reach the end of an age in this game. So, we keep going, taking turns, recruiting allies, and playing bands until we reveal the third Dragon card.

Now, when that third Dragon is drawn, guess what? The current age ends right there. It’s like hitting the pause button. Exciting, right?

Allies Scatter

But hold up! I’ve got more to tell you. When the age ends, it’s time for everyone to discard all the cards still in their hands. Clear that deck and get ready for what comes next!

Glory For The Kingdoms

Now comes the interesting part. We find out who gets all the glory from the six mighty kingdoms! We’re going to score each kingdom separately. Here’s how it works:

• After the first age, the player with the most control markers in a kingdom earns some glory. How much? Well, it’s equal to the value on the lowest glory token in that kingdom. So, higher control means more glory for you! And don’t forget to move your scoring marker up on the glory track. Keep climbing that ladder!

At the end of the Second Age, the person who has the most Control markers in a Kingdom gets Glory points equal to the value of the middle Glory token in that Kingdom (in the “II” space). The person who has the second most Control markers gets Glory points equal to the lowest Glory token there (in the “I” space).

At the end of the Third Age, the person who has the most Control markers in a Kingdom gets Glory points equal to the value of the highest Glory token in that Kingdom (in the “III” space). The person who has the second most Control markers gets Glory points equal to the middle token (in the “II” space), and the person in third place gets Glory points from the lowest Glory token in that Kingdom (in the “I” space).

If there is a tie for the most Control markers in a Kingdom, the Glory points for the tied players are added together and then divided equally between them (rounded down).

Example: It’s the end of the Second Age now. Try as I might, I just couldn’t catch up to Roderick. He got 4 Glory from the token in the “II” space, while I only managed to get 2 Glory from the token in the “I” space. Poor Wilfred, with the third most Control markers, didn’t get anything.

If I had somehow managed to get one more Control marker, Roderick and I would have tied, and we would have split the Glory. We both would have gotten 3 Glory: 4 + 2 = 6, divided by two. Wilfred would still be in third place, so he wouldn’t get anything.

#image.jpg

The Power of Tribes

When it’s time to resolve the End of an Age, certain Tribes possess unique abilities that become relevant. If you have any of the Dwarves, Giants, Merfolk, Orcs, Skeletons, or Trolls in your possession, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the Tribes of Ethnos chapter. These specific groups can greatly impact the outcome.

Achieving Glory with Your Allies

Lastly, don’t forget that each player will earn Glory based on the number of Bands they control.

The size of your Band will determine the amount of Glory you receive:

Number of Cards in the Band
Glory Awarded

1	0
2	1
3	3
4	6
5	10
6 or more	15

Example: I’m getting really good at this game! Last time, I was able to play 3 Bands of Allies. The first one had 2 green cards, so I scored 1 Glory. The second Band had 3 Dwarves, and that earned me a whopping 6 Glory. Finally, my last Band was made up of 4 red cards, giving me another 6 Glory. That adds up to a total of 13 Glory. I’m on a roll!

A New Era Begins

Once we all earn our Glory, we have to get rid of our Bands of Allies.

If you’ve just completed the First or Second Age, the next Age starts like this:

Set aside the three Dragon cards for a moment and mix all the Ally cards together to create a new Allies Deck. Then, follow the steps for Beginning a New Age.

All Control markers on the main game board, the Merfolk board, and our Orc Horde boards, if we have any, stay for the next Age. But we need to put back the Troll and Giant tokens on the side of the main game board.

If we’ve just finished the Third and final Age, the game is over.

The End of the Game

When the Third Age is complete, that’s it – the game is over. And the person who has the most Glory is the winner!

So, here’s the deal. If there happens to be a tie in the game, the person who is tied and has the most Control markers on the board is the winner. But hold on, if the tie still exists, then it comes down to whoever has played the biggest Band of Allies in the most recent Age. And if there’s still no clear winner, they move on to the second largest Band of Allies, and keep going until they find a winner. It’s all about control and strategy, my friend. May the best player prevail!

#image.jpg

Playing With 2 Or 3 Players

When you play a game with only two or three players, there are some changes to the usual rules. Let me explain them to you:

Setup

• First, we need to prepare the Glory tokens. Take out the tokens marked with a “4+” and put them away. Then, shuffle the remaining tokens and place two of them in each Kingdom.
• Next, we need to set up the Setup cards. Instead of using six cards, we will only use five. This means there will only be five Tribes in the game.
• If the Tribe of Merfolk or the Tribe of Giants are being used, make sure to use the 2-3 player side of the board or token for them.

Special Scoring For 2-player Games

After we finish playing the First Age, it’s time for some special scoring. The player who has the most Control markers in each Kingdom will earn Glory points equal to the lowest Glory token in that Kingdom, just like in a normal game.

By the end of the Second Age, the player who has the most Control markers in a Kingdom gets Glory points, equal to the highest token in that Kingdom. In this special situation, if there’s only one player with Control markers in a Kingdom, they get Glory points equal to the total value of both Glory tokens in that Kingdom! It’s important to think about investing resources in every Kingdom, even if winning control seems unlikely!

In a game with 3 players, the Kingdoms are scored normally at the end of both Ages.

Playing A Band Of Allies For 2-player Games

In order to place your Control marker in a Kingdom, you have to play a Band with more cards than the total number of Control markers in that Kingdom.