Micropolis: Rules of the Game

Welcome to the world of Micropolis, a unique game that lets you create and manage your very own city! In this guide, I’ll walk you through the key rules to help you get started.

Objective

The goal of Micropolis is to build a thriving city by strategically placing buildings and managing your resources effectively. The more residents you attract and the more prosperous your city becomes, the more points you’ll earn.

Starting the Game

To begin, you’ll choose a starting tile from the central pool and place it on the table. This tile represents the heart of your city. Each player then receives a hand of three additional tiles to choose from on their turn.

Placing Tiles

When it’s your turn, you’ll select one of the three tiles in your hand and place it adjacent to an existing tile on the table. This allows you to expand your city and create new neighborhoods.

Managing Resources

In order to grow your city, you’ll need to manage your resources wisely. Each tile you place will have a specific resource associated with it, such as housing, commerce, industry, or amenities. These resources are essential for attracting residents and keeping them happy.

Attracting Residents

A successful city is built on the people who inhabit it. To attract residents, you’ll need to provide them with the resources they desire. This can include housing, jobs, and community facilities. The more residents you attract, the more points you’ll earn.

Earning Points

Points can be earned in various ways throughout the game. Some tiles have scoring conditions that grant you points when specific conditions are met, such as having a certain number of amenities or industry tiles in your city. Additionally, your city’s population and overall prosperity will contribute to your score.

End of the Game

The game ends when all players have placed their tiles, and there are no more legal moves available. At this point, the players tally up their final scores, taking into account their population, prosperity, and any bonus points earned throughout the game. The player with the highest score wins!

So, are you ready to dive into the exciting world of Micropolis? Get ready to strategize, plan, and build the city of your dreams!

Let’s embark on the task of creating the most captivating anthill and racking up as many victory points as possible.

The Beginning

First off, each of us will grab a Foundation tile and position 5 Soldiers on it. These soldiers will make up our very own army.

Next, let’s form a reserve with the remaining Soldiers and the 2 Architect tokens.

We’ll shuffle all 61 Anthill tiles and place them face-down to create a draw pile.

Now, draw the initial 7 Anthill tiles and arrange them in a line on the table with their faces up. Keep in mind, the tile that’s farthest away from the draw pile is number one.

The player who’s the youngest gets the honor of going first. This lucky individual takes the Red army token, placing it in front of themself, and assumes the role of the Military leader.

An example of the setup for a game with four players.

The Gameplay

Hey there! Let me tell you how this game works. It’s pretty fun!

We play the game in a clockwise order, going through several rounds. Each player takes their turn, starting with the Military leader. Now, let me explain what you need to do on your turn:

1. Choose a new Anthill tile
2. Expand your anthill

1. Choose A New Anthill Tile

Now, it’s time to choose a cool Anthill tile for your anthill. You can pick any tile from the line. Oh, and here’s the cool part: the first tile in the line is totally free! But, if you want a tile further down the line, you’ll have to place one Soldier from your army on each Anthill tile that comes before it in the line. That’s a small price to pay for an awesome tile, right?

If there are Soldiers on the Anthill tile you choose, don’t worry! You get to add them to your army. More soldiers, more power!

Remember: You can only have up to 10 soldiers in your army. Don’t go overboard!

Example: Let’s say I’m playing a game called “Ant Wars” and I’m faced with an interesting decision. There’s a line of Anthill tiles in front of me, each with different benefits. I want to choose the best one for my ants.

2. Build up the Anthill

At the start of the game, the first Anthill tile is connected to the Foundation tile. It’s like the heart of my ant empire, the core of it all.

But as the game progresses, I have the opportunity to expand my Anthill. I can place new Anthill tiles directly to the right or left of the ones I already have. It’s like adding new rooms to my ant palace.

Here’s the thing: if I have a specialist or a barracks on one of my Anthill tiles, I get to use their special powers. It’s like having my very own ant warrior training grounds or a genius ant scientist lab right in the heart of my colony. And let me tell you, those special powers can really give me an edge in this ant battle. It’s like having secret weapons up my six tiny sleeves.

After Each Round

Once all players have taken their turns, it’s time to assess the number of Anthill tiles that remain in the line.

• If there are more tiles than players, we move on to the next round.
• If there are fewer tiles than players, we refill the line and determine a new Military leader.
  • We shift the remaining tiles towards the front of the line by 1, and draw new tiles until there are 7 tiles in the line.
  • If a player has an army with as many or more Soldiers than the current Military leader, they claim the Red army token and become the new Military leader.

  

  Let’s take a look at what happens at the end of a 4-player round: There are only 3 tiles left in the line, so we need to refill the line and choose a new Military leader.

  Specialists, Barracks, and Fruits

  • 

  Queen

  

  When the game is over, each queen will award you victory points based on the number of Anthill tiles covered by the Gallery she is located in. However, be careful! If there are multiple queens in the same Gallery, this bonus will be canceled!

  Take Care

  

  I am responsible for caring for the valuable eggs that give birth to our Soldiers. When you acquire a nurse for your anthill, you can add an equal number of Soldiers to your mighty army, matching the number of eggs she is safeguarding.

  Builder extraordinaire

  

  I have a special ability in the game called Recruiting Sergeant. Here’s how it works:

  First, I need to take one Architect token from the reserve. This token helps me with my special ability.

  On any of my subsequent turns, I can choose to discard my Architect token. By doing this, I get to take my Anthill tile for free, regardless of where it is in the line.

  This ability gives me a great advantage because I can get the tile I want without having to worry about its position in the line.

  If you want to learn more about the game, you can check out the official rules here.

  

  When you have the Red army token, you must get rid of one of your Soldiers. Keep in mind that Soldiers in the barracks are safe and cannot be discarded. After you discard a Soldier, the player who just played the Recruiting sergeant gets to add one Soldier to their own army.

  The Sentry Ability

  

  When it comes to your army, you have the ability to rearrange the Soldiers and your barracks. It’s like a puzzle, figuring out the best way to organize them. But here’s the catch – once you start moving Soldiers around, each of your barracks must end up either completely empty or totally full. It’s all about finding the right balance.

  Barracks

  Fruits

  

  So, there are these Galleries that have some really special fruits in them.

  And get this, there are six different types of fruits: cherry, lemon, grape, blackberry, fig, and pomegranate. These fruits are like treasures, you know? They’re wild and rare! Well, in each Gallery, if you have 1-2-3-4-5 or 6 different types of fruits, you’ll earn yourself a bonus of 2-5-10-15-20 or 25 victory points. That’s pretty cool, right?

  But here’s the kicker: in the same Gallery, you can actually count each gift as a different fruit of your choice! How awesome is that? So you can really maximize your points by being a little creative.

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

  When all the players have completed their anthill, that’s when the game is over. It’s time to tally up your victory points and see who came out on top!

  Here’s how you do it:

  Step 1: Population

  You get 1 victory point for each ant in your anthill. And that includes both specialists and workers. So the more ants you have, the more points you’ll earn.

  Step 2: Colony

  If you have the most ants in one Gallery, you’re in luck! You’ll score 5 victory points. Pretty sweet, right?

  3 Harvest:

  So, here’s the thing. I’ve got some news for you. You know those lovely fruits you’ve been collecting in your gallery? Well, they actually have a purpose. Yes, you heard that right! They can help you earn victory points. And who doesn’t love victory points? They’re like little tokens of success, a tangible representation of your hard work and dedication.

  Now, let’s talk about this 3 Harvest business. It’s a bit of a game-changer, I must say. You see, depending on the number of different fruits you have in your gallery, you can earn anywhere from 0 to 25 victory points. It’s like a sliding scale of deliciousness.

  Picture this. You stroll into your gallery, and there they are, all those colorful, juicy fruits. You’ve got apples, oranges, strawberries, you name it. Each fruit is like a little burst of flavor, a burst of possibility. And the more variety you have, the more points you can earn.

  So, let’s say you’ve got just one type of fruit in your gallery. Maybe it’s a bunch of bananas. Now, don’t get me wrong, bananas are great. They’re tasty, they’re easy to peel, what’s not to love? But here’s the thing. If you only have bananas, you’ll earn 0 points. Zero. Zilch. Nada. It’s like a fruitless endeavor.

  But let’s say you’ve got a bit more variety. Maybe you’ve got some apples, some oranges, and some grapes. Now, we’re talking. With this mix of fruits, you can earn a respectable number of victory points. It’s like a fruit salad of success.

  But wait, there’s more. If you really go all out and collect all the different fruits, you’ll earn the maximum number of victory points. That’s right, a whopping 25 points. It’s like a jackpot of fruit-filled victory.

  So, the moral of the story is this: the more different fruits you have in your gallery, the more victory points you can earn. It’s like a little incentive to diversify your collection, to try new things, and to embrace a world of fruity possibilities.

  So, what are you waiting for? Let the harvesting begin!

  Gallery:

  Ah, the gallery. It’s like a treasure trove of beauty, a celebration of all things artistic. And in your case, it’s also a place to showcase your collection of fruits. I know, it may sound a bit strange, but trust me, it works.

  Think of your gallery as a canvas, a blank slate waiting to be filled with color and life. And what better way to infuse it with vibrancy than with a stunning collection of fruits? Each fruit is like a brushstroke, adding depth and character to your gallery.

  But it’s not just about the aesthetics. Oh no, there’s more to it than that. Your gallery is also a way to earn victory points. Yes, victory points. Those wonderful tokens of success we talked about earlier. The more fruits you have in your gallery, the more points you can earn. It’s like a win-win situation.

  Now, I know what you’re thinking. How do I get these fruits into my gallery? Well, it’s quite simple, really. Each time you harvest a fruit, you can choose to place it in your gallery instead of consuming it. It’s like a little sacrifice in the name of art and victory.

  But here’s the catch: you can only have one of each type of fruit in your gallery. So choose wisely, my friend. Think about the variety you want to showcase, the balance you want to strike. It’s like curating an exhibition of flavors.

  And remember, the more fruits you have in your gallery, the more victory points you can earn. So don’t be afraid to experiment, to try new things. Embrace the beauty of diversity and let your gallery shine.

  

  4 Royal Gallery: If you have a Gallery with only one queen, you will earn as many victory points as the number of tiles that Gallery covers.

  5 Red army: The player(s) with the largest army will get 5 victory points.

  Reminder: Keep in mind that soldiers in barracks are not considered part of the Red army.

  6 Barracks: Depending on the size of your barracks, you can earn 2, 4, 7, or 10 victory points.

  

  When we play this game, the goal is to have the most victory points. Whoever has the most is declared the winner. But what happens if two players have the same number of victory points? In that case, we need to determine a tiebreaker. And here’s where it gets interesting: the player with the largest army gets the win. It’s like a sudden twist in the plot! However, if there’s still a tie after that, something unique happens. Instead of having just one winner, the game becomes a shared victory between the players who are tied. So, it’s not just about winning on your own, but also about sharing the glory with others. It adds an element of surprise and camaraderie to the game. So, let’s see who can accumulate the most victory points, build the largest army, or maybe even experience the joy of sharing the victory with others. The possibilities are endless!