Porta Nigra: The Game Rules

Welcome to the world of Porta Nigra, an exciting board game set in ancient Rome! In this game, I’ll guide you through the rules and help you get started on your quest for victory. So grab your dice and let’s dive in!

Porta Nigra is a strategy game where you take on the role of an architect, competing with other players to construct the grandest buildings in the city. The game board represents the city of Trier, and your goal is to earn the most victory points by completing various building projects.

To begin, each player receives a player board, building cards, and a supply of assistants. The game is divided into several rounds, with each round consisting of four simple steps:

1. Roll the dice: At the beginning of each round, you roll the dice to determine the available actions. The dice have different symbols representing the actions you can take.

2. Assign assistants: Based on the dice results, you assign your assistants to different areas of the city to perform actions. Each assistant can only be assigned once per round, so choose wisely!

3. Perform actions: Once your assistants are assigned, you can perform the corresponding actions. These actions include gathering building materials, constructing buildings, and earning rewards. Be strategic in your decisions, as each action brings you closer to victory.

4. Regroup: After all players have completed their actions, it’s time to regroup. Prepare for the next round by returning your assistants to your player board and getting ready for the next dice roll.

As the game progresses, you’ll discover the depth and complexity of Porta Nigra. You’ll need to manage your resources, plan your actions carefully, and outwit your opponents to achieve success. Remember, victory points are awarded for completed buildings, so choose your projects wisely to maximize your score.

Now that you understand the basics, it’s time to embark on your journey in Porta Nigra. Put your strategic skills to the test and enjoy the thrill of ancient Rome. Good luck and may the best architect prevail!

• 1 game board
• 4 Player Boards
• 4 master-builder stands
• 4 Victory Point Markers
• 18 torch tokens
• 60 Romans
• 12 Action Markers
• 1 round marker
• 28 honor cards
• 10 supply cards
• 90 Bricks
• 32 Action Cards
• 16 influence tokens
• 51 Coins
• 20 Building Cards
• 4 victory points markers
• Instructions

Welcome to Porta Nigra!

In this game, I oversee the construction of amazing buildings in the ancient city of Augusta Treverorum.

When it’s my turn, I play an action card from my hand, choosing the actions I want to take. I’ll need to gather bricks and place them on the construction sites, matching their colors on the game board.

Timing is crucial. To gather the right bricks, you’ll need to guide your master builder through different parts of the city, spending 1 coin every time you cross a quarter border. If you time it just right, you can even earn building cards as rewards for making progress on important construction sites.

At the end of your turn, you draw an action card from your deck. Once every player’s deck is empty, the round is over, and you earn a mix of coins and victory points for each brick you’ve built.

After 2 rounds (or 3 in a 2-player game), the game comes to an end. You’ll score victory points based on majorities in the construction sites and sets of building cards you’ve collected.

Whoever has the most victory points is hailed as the greatest Roman architect north of the Alps and emerges victorious.

Now, let’s talk setup.

1. First, put the game board in the middle of the table.
2. Next, put the bricks, coins (sesterces), “+100/+200” victory point markers, torch tokens, and influence tokens next to the game board. These will be our reserves. Remember, the coins will act as our bank.
3. Now, let’s shuffle the 10 supply cards and place them face-down in a draw pile next to the game board.
4. Take the round marker and put it on the first space of the round track.
5. Lastly, let’s shuffle the building cards and put them face down as a draw pile next to the game board. Draw 6 building cards from the pile and arrange them face up in the building cards display.

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Shuffle the honor cards and place them face down next to the game board. Reveal 14 honor cards and place them face up in the honor cards display. The honor cards display has 7 card spaces. Place the honor cards in two rows.

Every player takes 20 sesterces and 1 torch token from the reserve and places them in her play area.

Every player chooses a player color and does the following:

• Take all of the following components in your player color: the player board, the victory point marker, the master-builder stand, 3 action markers and 5 Romans. Place your victory point marker on space 0 of the victory point track. Place the master builder, the 3 action markers and the 5 Romans next to your player board (i.e. your play area). The remaining Romans of your color are placed in a common reserve next to the game board.

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First, let’s shuffle the honor cards and put them face down beside the game board. Next, choose 14 honor cards and place them face up in the honor cards display. The display has 7 spaces, so arrange them in two rows.

Now it’s time for each player to gather their resources. Take 20 sesterces and 1 torch token from the reserve and put them in your play area.

Before we begin, each player must pick a color. Here’s what you need to do:

• Grab all the components in your chosen color – the player board, the victory point marker, the master-builder stand, 3 action markers, and 5 Romans. Put your victory point marker on space 0 of the victory point track. Place the master builder, the 3 action markers, and the 5 Romans next to your player board (your play area). The remaining Romans of your color go into a common reserve beside the game board.

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I’ll begin by taking the action card deck that matches my color. If we’re playing with four players, I’ll remove the action card labeled “2 or 3 players only” from my deck and put it back in the box. Once I’ve shuffled my deck, I’ll place it face-down next to my player board. Next, I’ll draw 2 cards from my action card deck and keep them hidden from the other players.

Finally, I’ll return any unused components back to the box.

Now, let’s move on to the game play. If we’re playing with 2 players, we’ll play for 3 rounds. If we’re playing with 3 or 4 players, we’ll play for 2 rounds. To determine the starting player, we can use any house rule we like.

The starting player will take the first turn, and then we’ll continue playing in clockwise order. Each player will take a turn until everyone has played all of their action cards.

So, after the first round (and also after the second round of a 2-player game), we have an intermediate scoring round. And finally, after the last round, it’s time for the final scoring sequence.

Quarters

When I play the game, I notice that the game board is divided into four quarters, each containing one of the four buildings: Amphitheatre, Basilica, City Wall, and Porta Nigra. It’s interesting to see how each quarter has its own set of building spots.

But that’s not all! Each quarter also has a shop in the brick market. It’s fascinating to observe how everything is laid out.

Let’s Talk About Bricks and Colors

The bricks in the game are all gray, which seems a bit dull at first. However, what’s fascinating is that the bricks only gain color when they are placed in specific locations. Once a brick occupies a certain spot, it takes on the color of that spot for the rest of the game.

There are three main places where the bricks can go: the shops in the brick market, a player’s personal supply on their player board, and the building spots in any of the four buildings. It’s crucial to consider the color-changing aspect when making decisions.

My Turn as a Player

When I take my turn in the game, I go through two important phases:

The Refill Phase:

1. I need to see how many bricks are available in the brick market.
2. I also need to check how many building cards are on display.
3. Lastly, I should take a look at the honor cards on display.