Game

• setup
  • builds a map – pay attention as starting location choice is critical
  • place 1 city, 1 ship, 1 nomad
• turn
  • everyone place a card face down, reveal it simultaneously
  • go round in turn order doing an action for each piece on the board that matches your card
• end of turn
  • Decline – dicard a card for each trophy won during the round
  • Decline buy back – cost shown on Trophy Board – limit of 1 buy back per round
  • if you’re out of cards pick up your dicard pile, advance first player token

During Play

• limit of 5 wood, 5 stone per player
• Get a trophy for placing all units of a particular type
  • Triggers a 1 card Decline at end of round from each player
• As your unit types join/leave the game add/remove their corresponding card to/from your hand

Gain Points From

• Area control (most units in an area – draws are lost)
  • Plains – 1VP
  • Sea – 2VP
  • Forest – 3VP
  • Mountain – 4VP (includes glacier in area)
• Each Active card (not reserve/decline)
  • Score for number of pieces in play
• 1VP for each 2GP
• Trophies

Tips

• Keep enough money to buy cards out of decline – 2 trophies in 1 round can wipe a player out of the game
  • Starting position tips
  • spread out
  • aim for wood/stone
  • avoid neighbours (avoid being fenced in)
  • look for areas to monopolise that others won’t get to easily (on edges surrounded by cliffs/glaciers)
• Early on quick expansion: nomads to cities to spawn nomads
  • has risk of no money to buy cards out of decline
• City spawning nomad is the main way to add pieces to the board (only other way is temple converting enemy)
• Leave spawned nomads by their spawning city to immediately convert to Merchant/Mountaineer
• Mountaineer not that useful – only needed for traversing ice/ice mining – only converts out to a city
• To spread out across water:
  • coastal city -> spawn nomad -> convert to ship -> travel away -> create coastal city/temple
• To spread out across land:
  • coastal city -> spawn nomad -> convert to merchant -> travel away -> convert to ship -> optional travel away -> create coastal city/temple
• Get a merchant in a nest of cities for big trade income
• Get multiple ships in water with many coastal cities for big trade income
• Early focus should be on getting cities out
• Early game strategy, quick expansion, get 5 ships out:
  • turns 1, 2, 3: city spawn, nomads produce, boat to city
  • turns 4,5: city spawn, nomads produce, nomad to city
  • turns 6,7,8: city spawn, nomads produce, nomad to city, nomad to ship, ships trade
  • turns 9,10: city spawn, nomads produce, nomad to city, nomads to ship