Aeolis Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Making Decisions
• Golden Rules
• Game Setup
  • Selecting Difficulty
  • Scenario Mode
  • Winning the Game
  • Heroic Events
  • Setting Up the Board
  • Selecting Heroes
  • Setting Up the Hero Mats
  • Card Identification
  • Map Setup and Movement
• Game Rounds
  • Round Phases
  • Phases
  • Upkeep Phase
  • Production (Upkeep Phase)
  • Player Phase
  • Enemy Phase
• The Queen of the Acropolis
  • Order of Play
  • The Round Counter (Upkeep Phase)
  • Queen's Tribute (Upkeep Phase)
  • Event Cards (Upkeep Phase)
  • Produce Workers (Player Phase)
  • Produce Structures (Player Phase)
  • Area of Control
  • Diplomacy (Hero Phase)
  • Upgrading the Acropolis (Hero Phase)
• The Merchant of the Agora
  • Training (Upkeep Phase)
  • Offer and Demand (Hero Phase)
  • Collecting Resources (Player Phase)
  • Upgrading the Agora (Player Phase)
  • Alms and Morale (Player Phase)
• The Philosopher of the Academy
  • Training (Upkeep Phase)
  • Produce Research (Upkeep Phase)
  • Ruin Tokens
  • Discover Technologies (Player Phase)
  • Structure Pile to the Queen (Player Phase)
  • Other Benefits from Technology
  • Blessings (Player Phase)
  • Upgrading the Academy
  • Repair Structures (Player Phase)
• The Hoplite of the Arena
  • Training (Upkeep Phase)
  • Miniatures and Units
  • Create Bronze (Player Phase)
  • Unlock Upgrades (Player Phase)
  • Place a Charax (Player Phase)
  • Toxotai
  • Hippeis
  • Move Units (Player Phase)
  • Combat (Player Phase)
  • Upgrade the Arena (Player Phase)
• The Priestess of the Temple
  • Training (Upkeep Phase)
  • Faith Increase (Upkeep Phase)
  • Move Units (Player Phase)
  • Divine Abilities (Player Phase)
  • Consecrate / Cure (Player Phase)
  • Bless / Resurrect (Player Phase)
  • Augury / Divination (Player Phase)
  • Proselytize (Player Phase)
  • Upgrading the Temple (Player Phase)
• The Magi of the Oracle
  • Starting Spell Crystals
  • Training (Upkeep Phase)
  • Move Units (Player Phase)
  • Draw Spells (Player Phase)
  • The Crystal Flow (Player Phase)
  • Casting Spells from the Spheres (Player Phase)
  • Backlash (Player Phase)
  • Upgrading the Oracle (Player Phase)
• The Triaconter of the Harbor
  • Training (Upkeep Phase)
  • Move Units (Player Phase)
  • Naval Combat (Player Phase)
  • The Exploration Compass
  • Explore Actions (Player Phase)
  • Explore Die (Player Phase)
  • Upgrade the Harbor (Player Phase)
• Expansion Content
  • Alchemist
    • Alchemical Abilities
  • Queen of the People
  • Companion
    • Divine Abilities
  • Caravan Master
  • Priestess of Death
    • Upgrading the Temple
    • Divine Abilities (Player Phase)
  • Arachnai Magi
    • Upgrading the Oracle
• Army and Naval Combat
  • Combat Power (Player Phase)
  • Winning Combat
  • Losing Combat
  • Fighting with Multiple Units
  • Upgrade Requirements
• Spells and Diplomacy
  • Spells (Player Phase)
  • Diplomacy (Player Phase)
• Events
  • Blessing Events
  • Invasions
  • Curses
  • Natural Disaster
  • The Plague
  • Plunder
  • Raids
  • Raiding or Plundering the City
  • Unrest
  • Enemy Unit Placement
  • Raid and Plunder Movement
  • Invasion Movement
  • Randomly Placing Events (D6 and D4)
• Discoveries Reference

Components

• 50 Electroplate Cubes
• 14 Hero Mats (Core Game) + 5 Hero Mats (Family Friendly) + 5 Hero Mats (Expansions)
• 32 Transparent Tokens
• 1 Transparent Cube
• 1 D4 Die, 4 D6 Dice, 1 D8 Die, 2 D10 Dice (Core Game) + 1 D12 (Expansions)
• 1 Custom Production Die
• 45 Upgrade Hex Tiles (Core Game) + 9 Upgrade Hex Tiles (Expansions)
• 107 Tokens
• 80 Transparent Crystals
• Trade Wheel
• 32 Spell Cards (Core Game) + 16 Spell Cards (Expansions)
• Game Board
• Rulebook (Core Game) + 5 Lorebooks (Expansions)
• 56 Oversized Event Cards (Core Game) + 195 Oversized Event Cards (Expansions)
• Exploration Pouch

Core mini figures: 1 Philosopher, 1 Architect, 4 Hoplites, 3 Toxotai, 3 Hippeis, 1 Priestess of Balance, 1 Priestess of Life, 1 Serpent Magi, 1 Scorpio Magi, 3 Triaconters, 3 Triremes.

Expansion mini figures: 1 Alchemist, 1 Companion, 1 Priestess of Death, 1 Arachnai Magi, 1 Galley.

Making Decisions

Although there is a shared goal, sometimes the way to get there isn't so clear and different players using different Heroes might disagree as to which is the best path to take.

The player using the Hoplite might request more workers from the Queen and more Gold from the Merchant in order to train more Hoplite units. However, the Queen might judge that Philosopher units are more useful right now and hear the plea of the Philosopher instead who is also requesting workers. At the same time, the Merchant might consider investing Gold in the Magi so she can buy more Spells to defend the city instead.

The person who has the final say as to what will be done is the player who has the resource. No one can tell another player what to do, not even the Queen. No one can order the Merchant to distribute the Gold a certain way just as no one can order the Philosopher what to discover and no one can tell the Hoplites where to move and how to fight.

Having said that, if everyone acts on their own whims, defeat is the most likely outcome. Only through communication, understanding, and prioritization will the players be victorious!

Golden Rules

• Any time the game instructs you to take half of any amount, always round down. For example, if you would deal 3 damage with a Spell against an enemy that takes half damage from Spells, you would only do 1 damage.
• A Hero can take actions before or after movement, or even while moving. A Hero can take all actions even if they don't move that turn.
• Each Hero can perform each available action a number of times equal to the number of trained workers they have. So, for example, if the Philosopher has 2 Philosopher units, then he could use his Repair Structure action up to 2 times and he could also Discover up to 2 Technologies. Ranged attacks are the exception to this rule. Toxotai can only take the ranged attack action once per turn, as can the Triaconter. For example, if the Triaconter had 3 Triaconter units, he could make 1 ranged attack and perform 3 Explore actions.
• During the Player Phase, there is no specific order in which actions take place. All players can act in any order they see fit for any given situation.
• Anytime a Structure is destroyed, you lose 1 Morale.

Game Setup

Selecting Difficulty

When not playing a scenario we highly recommend starting with an easy game. Once you've mastered that, you can attempt to continue an easy game as a marathon game, or attempt to progress to challenging mode. If you want a true challenge, try hardcore mode—it is not for the faint of heart.

In Aeolis, you will draw Event Cards at the start of each round. Different modes require you to draw from different Event piles, effectively altering the difficulty of the game.

Easy Mode:

• Round 1: Blessing
• Round 2-5: Age I Curse and Blessing
• Round 6: Age I Invasion
• Round 7-10: Age I Curse

Hardcore Mode:

• Round 1: Age I Invasion and Blessing
• Round 2-5: Age II Curse and Blessing
• Round 6: Age II Invasion
• Round 7-10: Age II Curse

Challenging Mode:

• Round 1: Age I Invasion and Blessing
• Round 2-5: Age I Curse and Blessing
• Round 6: Age II Invasion
• Round 7-10: Age II Curse

Marathon Mode:

• Round 1: Age I Invasion and Blessing
• Round 2-5: Age I Curse and Blessing
• Round 6: Age I Invasion
• Round 7-10: Age I Curse
• Round 11: Age I Invasion
• Round 12-15: Age II Curse
• Round 16: Age II Invasion
• Round 17-20: Age II Curse

Scenario Mode

The scenarios of Aeolis are self-contained stories with set parameters that significantly alter the core game. Each scenario has its own unique setup and special rules that must be followed when preparing and playing the game. When playing a scenario, always use the Core Event cards and the Event cards from the expansion associated with that scenario, if applicable, unless otherwise instructed. It is recommended not to mix Event cards from different expansions when playing scenarios, as they have not been balanced for this function and it may lead to chaotic gameplay.

Winning the Game

Different games and game types have different win conditions. In non-scenario games, the primary goal is to survive the incoming invasions. Optionally, you can try to fulfill a heroic destiny. Draw a random Heroic Event, most of which require you to discover a specific technology. Surviving the game is one thing; succeeding at the Heroic Event means you are a true champion of the people.

Heroic Events

Heroic Events add an extra difficulty factor to each game. Their use is optional, but once you get familiar with the rules and gameplay, we encourage you to do so as they add purpose and flavor in your game.

The following information is in every Heroic Event:

• Name of the Event
• Type of the event
• When you will face the event
• The description of the event
• The requirements you will have to meet in order to succeed
• Flavor text

Setting Up the Board

1. Place the board in the center of the play area.
2. Choose if you are going to play one of the scenarios or a non-scenario game. If you choose a non-scenario game, you must also select the difficulty mode you wish to play. (page 6)
3. Each player should choose the Hero or Heroes they want and take the corresponding Hero Mat(s). (page 7)
4. Using the Blessing, Curse, and Invasion Cards, create a deck for this game as instructed by the scenario or chosen difficulty mode. (page 6)
5. Place the two Plague Tokens randomly on the board. (page 35)
6. If you are playing on scenario mode, make sure to fulfill all the special setup instructions.

You are ready to play your first round!

Selecting Heroes

Different scenarios require different Heroes. In non-scenario games, you must always have the Queen, the Merchant, and the Philosopher. You will face an Invasion so you will also need to choose either the Hoplite or the Magi to survive.

Regardless of the number of players, feel free to choose more than one Hero or even all seven of them. Whether you are playing a solo or multiplayer game, divide the chosen Heroes among the players.

The seven Heroes are:

• The Queen of the Acropolis
• The Merchant of the Agora
• The Philosopher of the Academy
• The Hoplite of the Arena
• The Priestess of Balance of the Temple
• The Serpent Magi of the Oracle
• The Triaconter of the Harbor

Each Hero except the Merchant starts with 1 Trained Worker and 1 Gold. The Merchant gets 1 Trained Worker and 3 Gold. If you select fewer than seven Heroes, the Workers and Gold that would be allocated to unused Heroes are instead allocated as you desire to the active Heroes in the game.

For example, a non-scenario 4-Player game is about to start. The players choose to play with the Queen, the Merchant, and the Philosopher, and add the Magi for combat. One player wants to play with the Priestess also, so they will have two Heroes and the other three players will each use one. Each of those five Heroes will start with one trained worker and one Gold. Two Heroes will not enter play, so there are two extra trained workers and two extra Gold. These are allocated amongst the active five Heroes however the players desire. If any trained worker is allocated to the Queen, the worker is placed in the untrained worker slot as the Queen has only untrained workers.

Setting Up the Hero Mats

The Queen starts with one untrained worker (listed below), so place one cube in the appropriate location. Each other active Hero receives one trained worker (listed below). Some Heroes start with various hero-specific materials:

• The Queen starts with one worker. She is also in control of the transparent round marker cube.
• The Merchant starts with one Merchant unit and the Trade Wheel.
• The Philosopher starts with one Philosopher unit. He also takes possession of all the Structure Tiles.
• The Hoplite starts with one Hoplite unit.
• The Magi starts with one Magi unit and four Crystals, one of each color, on the first sphere (the black sphere).
• The Priestess starts with one Priestess unit and one Bloodthrall. She also has four D6s called Faith Dice, one in each ability slot. If the Priestess is not selected, the Bloodthrall is not available to the other Heroes. The Bloodthrall comes into play only if the Priestess is active.
• The Triaconter starts with one Triaconter unit and four random Loot Tokens, one on each of the four slots of the Exploration Compass.

Card Identification

Each Event Card has a unique combination of letters to indicate the expansion it was printed for. The list is as follows:

Blessings

• Core Game: B1 - B15
• Alchemist Expansion: AB1 - AB3
• Companion Expansion: CB1 - CB3
• Priestess of Death Expansion: DB1 - DB3
• Arachnai Magi Expansion: MB1 - MB3
• Galley Expansion: GB1 - GB3
• Founding Age: FB1 - FB7

Age I Curses

• Core Game: C1 - C12
• Alchemist Expansion: AC1 - AC2
• Companion Expansion: CC1 - CC2
• Priestess of Death Expansion: DC1 - DC2
• Arachnai Magi Expansion: MC1 - MC2
• Galley Expansion: GC1 - GC2
• Founding Age: FC1 - FC5

Age II Curses

• Core Game: C13 - C24
• Alchemist Expansion: AC3 - AC4
• Companion Expansion: CC3 - CC4
• Priestess of Death Expansion: DC3 - DC4
• Arachnai Magi Expansion: MC3 - MC4
• Galley Expansion: GC3 - GC4
• Founding Age: FC6 - FC7

Age III Curses

• Alchemist Expansion: AC5 - AC6
• Companion Expansion: CC5 - CC6
• Priestess of Death Expansion: DC5 - DC6
• Arachnai Magi Expansion: MC5 - MC6
• Galley Expansion: GC5 - GC6

Age I Invasions

• Core Game: I1
• Alchemist Expansion: AI1
• Companion Expansion: CI1
• Priestess of Death Expansion: DI1
• Arachnai Magi Expansion: MI1
• Galley Expansion: GI1

Age II Invasions

• Core Game: I2
• Alchemist Expansion: AI2
• Companion Expansion: CI2
• Priestess of Death Expansion: DI2
• Arachnai Magi Expansion: MI2
• Galley Expansion: GI2

Age III Invasions

• Alchemist Expansion: AI3
• Companion Expansion: CI3
• Priestess of Death Expansion: DI3
• Arachnai Magi Expansion: MI3
• Galley Expansion: GI3

Heroic Events

• Core Game: H1 - H7
• Alchemist Expansion: AH1 - AH3
• Companion Expansion: CH1 - CH3
• Priestess of Death Expansion: DH1 - DH3
• Arachnai Magi Expansion: MH1 - MH3
• Galley Expansion: GH1 - GH3
• Fall of Aeolis Expansion: FH1 - FH10

Exploration Cards

• Galley Expansion: X1 - X15

Foreign Trade Cards

• Core Game: FT1
• Founding of Aeolis Age I: T1 - T9
• Founding of Aeolis Age II: T10 - T15

God Blessings

• Gods & Titans Expansion: TB1 - TB6

Titan Curses

• Gods & Titans Expansion: TC1 - TC6

Map Setup and Movement

Other than the Queen and the Merchant who do not have miniatures and are always considered to be inside city walls, all other Heroes may travel anywhere in the map. Each Hero's miniature starts the game at their Structure. The Philosopher will start the game at the Academy, the Hoplite at the Arena, the Magi at the Oracle, the Priestess at the Temple, and the Triaconter at the Harbor.

Be careful not to step on a hex with an Inferno or the Plague as you lose one unit for each hex you move through. You can move through a hex occupied by any friendly unit, and you can even occupy the same hex as other friendly units. You cannot, however, pass through hexes occupied by enemy units.

Every Hero Mat indicates a character's Speed in the top left corner. The Philosopher, for example, has a Speed of 2. This means that when he wants to move in the Player Phase, he can move up to two hexes.

As soon as you enter a hex occupied by enemies, your movement stops. Any Hoplite or Naval unit initiates combat immediately; the combat is resolved in the Enemy Phase. All unprotected units such as the Toxotai, Philosophers, Magi, Priestesses or their upgrades are automatically destroyed.

Game Rounds

Round Phases

Each game is divided into rounds. Usually a game has ten rounds, but it depends on the scenario and game mode being played. Each round consists of a sequence of three phases. As soon as all three phases are concluded, the next round starts.

Phases

There are three phases in each round. Each phase has a symbol associated with it: Upkeep Phase, Player Phase, and Enemy Phase. All players play through each phase simultaneously. Each Hero has their own Hero Card with actions, and each action has one of the 3 phase symbols to indicate when each action happens.

The Queen of the Acropolis keeps track of the current phase. The player controlling the Queen notifies all players when the game moves into the next phase so all players are in sync.

Example Hero Card (Hoplite):

• Upkeep Phase: Workers become Army units.
• Player Phase: Craft Bronze from Copper. Unlock Upgrades. Hoplites set one Charax per Hoplite in an adjacent Hex. Toxotai may Fire once before or after movement. Move Army units and collect Resources.
• Enemy Phase: The Plague and Infernos attempt to spread. Natural Disasters and Unrest Events activate. Combat is Initiated before and after Enemy Movement. Invasion, Raids and Plunders move.

Upkeep Phase

In the Upkeep Phase, actions that happen automatically are resolved. Structures produce goods, workers become trained, and Philosophers produce Research. Most importantly, Events are drawn.

Produce Workers. The Queen spends Food resources to produce more untrained workers. Spending 2 Wheat or 1 Fish produces 1 worker, and spending 1 Meat produces two workers.

Conclude Worker Training. A worker becomes a trained worker by paying 1 Gold and, if necessary, consuming the appropriate resources. Example: to produce a Triaconter, you need an untrained worker, 1 Gold, and 1 Wood.

Produce Research. Place 1 Research per Philosopher unit on the appropriate slot of the Philosopher's Hero Mat.

Produce Resources. Each Structure produces one of each resource it can produce. Alternatively, roll the Production Die for each Structure. You can learn more about the Production Roll on page 10.

Draw Event Cards. According to the scenario (or difficulty mode in a non-scenario game), draw the appropriate Event Cards. Blessings, Curses, and Invasions are all Event Cards; you can learn more about them on page 33.

Production (Upkeep Phase)

By default, all Structures that are not destroyed or suffering from Plague produce one of each resource they can produce during the Upkeep Phase and when they are first built. Alternatively, the Queen may choose to rush the workers in order to produce even more. Such forced labor though does not come without a risk though. The possible outcomes of the Production Die are:

• Blank: Produce no Resources. Place no cubes on the hex.
• Produce 1 resource: Place the small copper cube on the hex.
• Produce 3 resources: Place three small copper cubes on the hex.
• Produce 5 resources: Place one large silver cube on the hex.
• Gold: Place 1 Gold on the hex. (Sometimes, when there is no production to be offered to the kingdom, the peasants pay their own valuables to the Queen to avoid dishonor.)
• Plague: The Structure is infected by the Plague. Place a Plague Token on top of the Structure. It does not produce again until the Plague is removed. Any unit that steps into it or starts its turn here receives 1 damage. In the Enemy Phase, the Plague has a 50% chance to spread into an adjacent hex if it contains a non-destroyed Structure.

The resources remain in the hex where they were produced until collected or the Structure gets destroyed. Any unit such as the Philosopher, Hoplite, Magi, Priestess, or any of their upgrades (or on the sea, the Triaconter or any of its upgrades) can pass through a hex containing resources to collect the resources.

Production exceptions:

• Crystal Seeding allows Crystal Farms to be built. Instead of placing copper cubes after production, place Crystals of the appropriate color.
• Engineering allows Windmills and Watermills to be built. Instead of placing copper cubes after production, place Gold.
• Mysticism allows the Light, Void, Blazing, and Glacial Altars to be built. Do not roll the production die for these Structures. These produce two Crystals of the appropriate color each turn.
• Democracy allows villages to be built. Place both copper cubes (workers) and Gold for each cube you would produce.

Player Phase

In the Player Phase, all players act simultaneously while trying to coordinate their actions. Some examples are:

• All units may move across the map and collect resources.
• All Heroes exchange resources and gold with each other at any time. A trained unit given to a different Hero becomes untrained.
• The Queen may build Structures, and initiate Diplomacy.
• The Merchant will buy and sell resources or even donate resources in order to raise Morale.
• The Philosopher will try to seize the opportunities offered by the helpful events called Blessings. Most importantly, he will discover new technologies.
• The Hoplite will move towards any enemies that threaten the kingdom while placing defenses and upgrading his weapons and armor.
• The Priestess will consume Faith and activate divine abilities.
• The Magi will learn new spells and consume crystals to cast them.
• The Triaconter will defend the island from sea attacks and explore new seas to bring home valuable loot.

The actions that each Hero may perform in the Player Phase are described in more detail in the section dedicated to each Hero.

Enemy Phase

In the Enemy Phase, enemy units act and most of the Curse events are resolved. Events such as Natural Disasters and Unrest are activated during this phase if the players didn't counter them during the Player Phase. Plagues and Infernos attempt to spread. Enemy units from Raids and Plunders will move on the map, and may initiate combat, destroy Structures, or even pillage the city. Invasions will move towards the city, eventually attempting to invade it. You can read more how those movements are resolved and the order in which events are resolved on page 35.

The Queen of the Acropolis

The Queen rules the Kingdom. In the game, she coordinates gameplay and builds Aeolis and the fields around it. She is also in charge of feeding the people and offering workers to be trained.

Order of Play

There are three phases in each round. It is the Queen's responsibility to coordinate everyone as to which phase the players are on and make sure that everyone is in sync.

The Round Counter (Upkeep Phase)

Most games have a duration of ten rounds. It is the Queen's responsibility to move the counter on her Hero Mat indicating the current round. This is done during the Upkeep Phase.

Queen's Tribute (Upkeep Phase)

The Queen always acquires 1 Wood and 1 Wheat on her Hero Mat regardless of what Structures exist.

Event Cards (Upkeep Phase)

At the end of the Upkeep Phase during every round, the Queen draws the appropriate event or events and reads them to all players. Each event is then placed in an active events pile and is not removed until it is concluded.

Produce Workers (Player Phase)

During the Player Phase, the Queen may consume any number of Wheat, Fish, or Meat from her Hero Mat to produce untrained workers. It takes 2 Wheat or 1 Fish to create a worker, while 1 Meat produces 2 workers.

Produce Structures (Player Phase)

During the Player Phase, the Queen may place a Structure Tile on a hex. All Structures require 1 worker and 1 Wood; some Structures also require 1 Stone. Each Structure Tile has its requirements printed on it. As the Philosopher discovers Structures, he will create a stack of tiles available for the Queen to build.

In order to place the Structure on a hex, the symbols on the top of the Structure Tile should match those on the board. If there is a Wheat icon on a hex on the board, you can place a Structure with the Wheat icon on top. That Structure will, somewhat obviously, produce Wheat.

All Structures have an icon on the top clearly indicating what they will produce. A Watermill will produce Gold while a Village will produce Gold and Workers.

Area of Control

Enemy Raids on the board exercise control over an area. That means that you cannot build any Structure in a hex on or above the horizontal line of any enemy Raid. For example, in the following image you could not build in the red area of the map.

Also, you cannot build a Structure in any Sea hex when there is a Plunder token on the board.

Diplomacy (Hero Phase)

(Printed heading reads "Hero Phase"; the Diplomacy action is taken in the Player Phase.)

During the Player Phase, the Queen may initiate Diplomacy in order to confront an event. She can initiate Diplomacy only once per round so she needs to prioritize between the Riot she has to quell and the wounded barbarians that need to be dealt with before they have the time to regroup. You can learn more about Diplomacy on page 32.

Upgrading the Acropolis (Hero Phase)

(Printed heading reads "Hero Phase".)

As soon as Monarchy is discovered, the Acropolis may be upgraded. This means that the Queen receives one powerful advantage. When attempting to use Diplomacy, she rolls a D8 instead of a D4.

The Acropolis requires Monarchy to be discovered. To construct it, consume one Worker, one Wood and one Stone.

The Merchant of the Agora

Gold is the most valuable commodity and the best way to produce it is through trade. If the Merchant can supply everyone with the Gold they require, the game will be won. Moreover, by donating goods, the Merchant keeps the people happy. Never underestimate that high morale wins most wars.

Training (Upkeep Phase)

Any Workers assigned for training now become Merchants as long as the 1 Gold per worker training cost is paid.

Offer and Demand (Hero Phase)

(Printed heading reads "Hero Phase"; the rotation below refers to the "Action Phase" as printed.)

The Merchant is responsible for the growth of Aeolis' economy and controls most of the Gold flowing within the city walls.

At the beginning of the game, the Trade Wheel starts at a random position. During the Action Phase, the Merchant rotates the trade wheel one step clockwise and can choose to make a single transaction. Then repeat the process for each Merchant unit.

In each turn of the Trade Wheel, some resources will be available to buy or sell for 1, 2, or 3 gold and some will be available for donation. These are resources that the people need, and donating them will increase Morale.

For example, let's say the Merchant has 3 trained Merchant units. During the Action Phase, he rotates the Trade Wheel one step and notices that the Wheat can be sold for 3 Gold. He removes a cube from the Wheat slot and takes 3 Gold from the stash. Then, he rotates the Trade Wheel again. This time, there is no beneficial transaction available, so the Merchant does nothing. Finally, he rotates it one last time (a total of 3 times, equal to the 3 Merchant units) to find that he can donate 1 Wood to the people. He removes a cube from the Wood slot and increases Morale by 1.

Some resources do not appear on the Merchant's Hero Mat. The Merchant cannot trade these resources until the Agora is upgraded. Keep in mind that those resources cannot be produced by Structures, explored by the Triaconter, or gained from Astronomy until the Agora is upgraded.

The resources listed on the Trade Wheel and the Merchant's trade options are: Algae, Copper, Fire Crystal, Fish, Horses, Ice Crystal, Iron, Leather, Light Crystal, Meat, Pearl, Salt, Stone, Void Crystal, Wheat, and Wood.

Collecting Resources (Player Phase)

Due to his connections with trade caravans, the Merchant can gather produced resources from any Structure on the board by paying 1 Gold each time he does so. So if there is a Hunter's Lodge with 3 Leather on it and a Village with 2 workers and 2 Gold on it, the Merchant could pay 1 Gold to gain the 2 workers and 2 Gold immediately, and then pay 1 more Gold to gain the 3 Leather from the Hunter's Lodge.

As always, this action can only happen a number of times equal to the number of Merchant units the Merchant has.

Upgrading the Agora (Player Phase)

As soon as Commerce is discovered, the Agora may be upgraded. This means that the upgraded Merchant Hero Mat replaces the original one. The Merchant now has all the resources available for trading.

Alms and Morale (Player Phase)

Alms (Donating) increases Morale by one step to the right whenever you donate a wanted resource. Increased Morale will be a positive modifier for your army and navy battles. Morale always starts at position 0.

Always keep your kingdom happy. People want luxuries. Offer them those. There will be events that will drop Morale, so be ready!

Trade icons:

• Sell this resource for 1 Gold.
• Buy this resource for 1 Gold.
• Alms this resource to the people to increase Morale.

The Philosopher of the Academy

Knowledge is power and nothing will be built or created if the Philosopher does not discover it first. Prioritize your technologies carefully and offer the technological edge the city of Aeolis will require to survive. It is up to you to complete the Heroic Quest by the end of the game.

Training (Upkeep Phase)

Any Workers assigned for training now become Philosopher units as long as the 1 Gold per Worker training cost is paid. The number of cubes in the Philosopher unit slot dictates how many Philosopher units you have, and all of them move together when you move the Philosopher miniature.

Produce Research (Upkeep Phase)

For every Philosopher unit you have, produce that much Research. Workers that are trained into Philosopher units that turn also immediately produce Research. To produce Research, add small copper cubes equal to the number of Philosopher units you have to the Research slot.

Ruin Tokens

When a Structure is destroyed, place a Ruin Token on top of it. As long as the Ruin Token remains, the Structure is considered destroyed and does not produce any resources. The Philosopher can repair a destroyed Structure by moving onto its Hex and removing the Ruin Token.

Strategy note printed in the margin: Recruiting Toxotai early on is great strategy. You will need to discover Fletching. However, Fletching has Woodcutting and Bronze Working as prerequisites. You need to discover both before discovering Fletching. In total, you will need to use 3 Research as the cost of each discovery is 1 Research.

Discover Technologies (Player Phase)

The Philosopher can discover as many Technologies as the trained units he has as long as he has enough Research. Research costs are indicated by a blue vial to the left of each row of Technologies on the Philosopher's Hero Mat. All Technologies in the same horizontal row have the same Research cost. To discover a Technology, you must also have already discovered all prerequisites. A technology has as many prerequisites as arrows originating from other technologies.

For example, in order to discover Fletching, you need both Woodcutting and Bronze Working, and you need to pay 1 Research for each as the cost indicated is 1.

If an Event offers you a Technology for free, you do not need the prerequisite Technologies in order to use the new, free one. However, you will need to discover the prerequisites in order to progress past the free one on the tech tree.

To pay with Research, remove the required number of small copper cubes from the research slot.

When you have discovered a Technology, you can remove the blue translucent token on top of it.

Structure Pile to the Queen (Player Phase)

The back of every Structure Tile indicates the Technology required for it to be researched and placed. For example, you need to discover Copper Working in order to build a Copper Mine.

As soon as a Technology is discovered, the Philosopher (who is the keeper of all tiles) finds the tiles that were unlocked and offers them to the Queen. The Queen will have access to a pile of tiles containing all discovered Structures.

Other Benefits from Technology

Most Technologies unlock new Structures. You can find what Technology prerequisites are needed by looking at the back of a tile. Some technologies do not offer a new Structure but offer a different bonus:

• Fletching will allow the Arena to build Toxotai units. As soon as Fletching is discovered, offer the Toxotai Hero Mat to the person playing the Arena units.
• Astronomy immediately gives you 1D4 Loot Tokens from the Exploration pouch.
• Horse Breeding will allow you to build the Horse Ranch Structure that produces Horses. Moreover, it will also allow the Arena to build the Hippei units. As soon as Horse Breeding is discovered, offer the Hippeis Hero Mat to the person playing the Arena units.
• Bronze Working allows the player with the Arena to transmute copper to bronze. Bronze is used in many events and for upgrading the Army's weapons.
• Witchcraft will eliminate the Backlash of Spells. Once discovered, no Spell has a miscast chance.
• Foreign Trade will enable the Merchant to use the Foreign Trade Card. This card is placed face up next to the Merchant's Hero Mat. As soon as all of the required resources are allocated to the card (one of each type), a trade route is established, and the player is immediately rewarded as stated on the card. Foreign Trade may be used as many times as desired.

Blessings (Player Phase)

The Philosopher can move to locations indicated by Blessings to resolve the positive effects of the Blessing. The Philosopher needs to visit the location and pay the price if applicable. For example, the Blessing Event "The Copper Trade Route" requires a payment of 3 Copper while visiting the Arena.

To activate the event and gain the reward, the Philosopher must go to the Arena hex during the Player Phase and immediately request 3 Copper to complete the quest. All Heroes may immediately contribute resources from their Hero Mats to complete Blessings.

Upgrading the Academy

As soon as Education is discovered, the Academy may be upgraded. When this happens, add the Architect Hero Mat to that of the Philosopher and immediately replace the Philosopher miniature with the Architect (on the same hex).

Repair Structures (Player Phase)

The Philosopher and all his upgrades can also repair Structures. At any time during his movement, he may repair any destroyed Structure he passes through. The Structures he starts and stops on can also be repaired. There is no limit to how many Structures he can repair each turn.

The Hoplite of the Arena

In Aeolis, the men fight. The shield of Aeolis is the trained Hoplites, the archers known as Toxotai, and the cavalry known as Hippeis. Invasions are inevitable, and you will have to be ready.

Training (Upkeep Phase)

Any worker assigned for training can now become a Hoplite unit as long as the 1 Gold per worker is paid. In order to build an Army unit, you must also pay 1 copper per unit. The copper must be spent from the appropriate Hero Mat (from the Hoplite's mat to train a Hoplite unit and so on).

Miniatures and Units

You can only have one miniature of each type of army unit on the board. Each miniature represents all of your units of that type. For example, if you have 3 Hoplite units and 2 Toxotai units, you still use one Hoplite miniature that represents a group of 3 Hoplite units and one Toxotai miniature that represents a group of 2 Toxotai units.

Create Bronze (Player Phase)

Once the Philosopher discovers Bronze Working you can pay one Gold in order to cast one Copper into one Bronze. You can use this Bronze for unlocking weapon upgrades or spend it in Blessing Events that require it.

Unlock Upgrades (Player Phase)

Every Arena unit has one armor upgrade (Leather Armor) and two weapon upgrades (Bronze Weapons and Iron Weapons) which upgrade the existing Copper Weapons. Iron Weapons always supersede Bronze Weapons, so if you have unlocked Iron Weapons you are covered for any Event requiring Bronze Weapons.

When you upgrade armor or weapons for one type of unit, you upgrade it only for that type of unit. For example, if you unlock Leather Armor for your Hoplite units, all existing and future Hoplites will have Leather Armor, but other units (the Toxotai for example) must unlock it individually.

In order to unlock an upgrade, you need to spend three of that resource. For example, to upgrade from Leather Armor, you need to have three small cubes in the Leather slot before the Player Phase and spend them all to unlock the upgrade. You can read more for the benefits of unlocking upgrades on page 30.

Place a Charax (Player Phase)

After the Hoplite moves, he can place a number of Charax tokens equal to the number of trained units he has. The tokens can be placed on the hex he is standing on or on any adjacent hex. Any enemy unit that moves through or stops on a hex with a Charax token takes 1 damage. Remove a Charax token after it damages an enemy. Each hex can only have 1 Charax token on it.

Toxotai

As soon as Fletching is discovered by the Philosopher, the Toxotai unit is available. Immediately place the Toxotai Hero Mat next to your Hoplite Hero Mat, allowing you to also train Toxotai. Once you train your first Toxotai unit, place the corresponding miniature on the Arena hex. Toxotai units are slower than Hoplite units and cannot fight enemies in their hex on their own, but can damage enemy units from one hex away.

Before or after the Toxotai units' movement, you can select an adjacent enemy and deal damage equal to the number of Toxotai you have. If the Toxotai are missing one or more upgrades required to face an enemy, they deal damage equal to half the number of Toxotai units rounded down. If the enemy has any Archers (such as in a Plunder or some Raids), you instead initiate combat as normal but from adjacent hexes. The Toxotai always deal half damage to Invasions. If the Toxotai ever find themselves alone in the same hex as an enemy, the Toxotai are destroyed without dealing any damage. If there are Hoplites or Hippeis on the same hex to support them, the Toxotai contribute to the fight as any Hoplite would.

Hippeis

As soon as Horse Breeding is discovered, the Hippeis unit is available. Immediately place the Hippeis Hero Mat next to your Hoplite Hero Mat, allowing you to also train Hippeis units. Hippeis are the most expensive unit in the game: to train a worker into a Hippei unit you need to spend 1 Gold, 1 copper, and 1 horse.

Once you train your first Hippei unit, place the corresponding miniature on the Arena hex. Hippeis are twice as fast as Hoplites, making them very valuable for collecting resources or protecting the realm. They are also twice as strong. Each Hippeis unit counts as 2 when determining power in combat. It is still one unit for all other purposes of the game.

Move Units (Player Phase)

During the Player Phase, you may move your units according to their Speed. The Hoplite, for example, can move from his hex to any adjacent hex and then again one more time since he has a Speed of 2. If he wants to enter any hex occupied by an enemy, his movement stops, and combat is initiated. The combat will be resolved at the very end of the Enemy Phase.

Combat (Player Phase)

When a unit enters a hex occupied by an enemy, combat begins at the end of the Enemy Phase. After the combat is resolved, there will be only one type of unit in the hex: either the enemy or your army, wounded but victorious. You can read more about how combat resolves on page 30.

Upgrade the Arena (Player Phase)

As soon as Warcraft is discovered, the Arena may be upgraded. This means that all Arena units will instantly be upgraded: they get to roll a D8 in combat instead of a D4.

The Priestess of the Temple

The Priestess has few but powerful options. She uses bloodthralls as slaves, draining their lives to empower her abilities. Only women are entrusted with the power of the Gods.

Training (Upkeep Phase)

Any workers assigned for training now become Priestesses or Bloodthralls. Priestesses cost the normal 1 Gold per worker cost is paid.

A Bloodthrall, however, is a silent, chained servant of a Priestess, powering her divine abilities with their blood. Creating a Bloodthrall means that a free worker becomes enslaved for life. Bloodthralls cost no Gold, but the impact on the city morale is tangible. Whenever you create a Bloodthrall, move the Morale counter one position to the left, increasing unhappiness.

Faith Increase (Upkeep Phase)

As long as you have 1 Bloodthrall, Faith will increase by 1 on each of the four Faith Dice. After training one more Bloodthrall (for a total of 2), all Faith Dice will increase by 2 and so on. All dice start at 1. As Faith increases, change the number on the dice according to how much Faith is produced each round.

Move Units (Player Phase)

During the Player Phase, you may move your Priestess according to her Speed. For the Priestess to be able to Cure or Confine the Plague, she must be adjacent to the contaminated hexes; in order to Bless or Resurrect Army units, she must be adjacent to them.

Divine Abilities (Player Phase)

In order for the Priestess to activate her abilities, she needs to consume Faith from a Faith Die. She selects which ability she wants to activate, checks how much Faith that Die indicates she has, and reduces that single die to 1. The ability activated is as powerful as the Faith indicated on the Die. This is described on the following abilities. She must always have all four dice on her mat.

Every turn, each Priestess can activate one ability. If the player wants to activate all four possible abilities, they need to have four Priestesses. You can only activate each ability once per round.

Consecrate / Cure (Player Phase)

The Priestess of Balance can attempt to Consecrate a Structure from the Plague. She can protect a number of adjacent Structures equal to the Faith indicated on the Faith Die. For example, if the Faith die was at 4 (and then reduced to 1), she can choose which 4 Structures she will protect.

When Consecrating a Structure, place a Consecrate Token on top of it. The next time you would place a Plague Token on said Structure, remove the Consecrate Token instead. If she Consecrates a Structure that already has a Plague Token, both tokens are placed on the hex. The Plague is there, but can no longer spread to adjacent Structures.

When the Priestess of Life Consecrates a Structure that already has a Plague Token, she instead cures the Structure and removes the Plague Token completely, placing it on her Hero Mat. It will be useful if she ever becomes a Priestess of Death! (See page 28.)

Bless / Resurrect (Player Phase)

The Priestess of Balance can Bless Army, Naval, or Magi units in combat. When she does, the Blessed units can choose to replace their combat die roll with the number she spent from her Faith Die. For example, if a Priestess spent 4 Faith (turning the die from 4 to 1) to Bless a unit and that unit rolls a 2 on the combat die, you can choose to replace that 2 with a 4.

The Priestess Blesses all units on her hex and adjacent hexes. She must Bless them before they move to initiate combat.

The Priestess of Life can also Bless units, but her Blessing also allows units to Resurrect after a victory. Units who were Blessed by a Priestess of Life do not suffer casualties after combat.

Magi who were Blessed by a Priestess of Balance or Life do not roll the Backlash Die.

Augury / Divination (Player Phase)

The Priestess of Balance can consume Faith to use Augury and see future Events. She selects both the Blessing and Curse Event Decks (either Age I or II) and can look at a total number of cards equal to the number indicated by the Faith Die. After reading the Events from the pile she selected, she returns them to the stack in the exact same order.

The Priestess of Life has the ability to use Divination and to rearrange the Event Cards as she prefers before returning them to the Events Deck.

Proselytize (Player Phase)

The Priestess of Balance can help the Queen with Diplomacy. She grants the Queen a +1 bonus to her Diplomacy Roll. The total Gold the Queen has to pay is also reduced by the amount of Faith indicated on the die (minimum of 0). Convincing your enemies with Faith is much better than using Gold!

The Priestess of Life grants a +2 Diplomacy bonus instead.

Upgrading the Temple (Player Phase)

As soon as Religion is discovered, the Temple may be upgraded. This means that the Priestess of Life will take the place of the Priestess of Balance, and the Faith Dice are all transferred as they are to the new Hero Mat. The Priestess of Life has different, more powerful abilities, as explained above.

The Magi of the Oracle

The Magi are powerful women who harness the power of crystals to cast powerful spells that can alter the course of the game. They are considered the most powerful unit, and it is through the Magi that the matriarchy was established in the city of Aeolis.

Starting Spell Crystals

The Magi starts the game with four Crystals, one of each color, on the black Sphere.

Training (Upkeep Phase)

Any workers assigned for training now become Magi as long as the 1 Gold per worker training cost is paid.

Move Units (Player Phase)

During the Player Phase, you may move your Magi according to her Speed. The Magi do not have much Speed, but the range of their spells make up for it.

Draw Spells (Player Phase)

Once per round, at any time during the Player Phase, the Magi can draw Spells equal to the number of Magi units and choose which to buy. The Serpent Magi can buy and cast Spells from the deck with the Serpent Magi on the back. The first Spell she chooses to keep each turn is always free; each additional Spell costs 1 gold. All unpurchased Spells are reshuffled into the Spells deck.

When you upgrade the Oracle, shuffle the Scorpio Magi cards into the Serpent Spell deck.

The Crystal Flow (Player Phase)

At any time during the Player Phase before casting Spells, the Magi can move Crystals from one Sphere to another. The flow stops after casting the first Spell.

The rules about the flow are:

• Every Crystal can be moved only once per round.
• You do not need to move every Crystal.
• Every Crystal can move to one adjacent Sphere following the flow indicated by the arrows.
• No Sphere can hold more Crystals than the Spell Lore limit. The Serpent Magi can hold up to 3 Crystals in each Sphere, and the Scorpio Magi can hold up to 6.
• Each Sphere except the first black one can hold only one type of Crystals. You cannot mix Crystals.
• The initial black Sphere works as a storage area and can hold an unlimited number of Crystals of all colors, but no Spell can be cast from that Sphere.
• The last, white Sphere is the most powerful one. Any Crystal on that Sphere is twice as powerful and counts as 2 Crystals. Casting a Spell from the white Sphere eliminates the Backlash chance; you do not need to roll the Backlash Die.

The Crystal Flow can be challenging to master, but if you do, you are capable of deeds of great power second to none.

Casting Spells from the Spheres (Player Phase)

The information on a spell is:

• The name of the Spell
• The number and color of Crystals it consumes
• The effect of the Spell
• The Backlash of the Spell

Each Magi may cast one Spell per round, and each Spell may only be cast once per round. In order to cast a Spell, the Magi must consume Crystals. Each Spell has a number indicating how many Crystals need to be consumed for the Spell to be cast, and a shape/color indicating what kind of Crystals are required.

• Yellow Spells consume yellow Light Crystals.
• Purple Spells consume purple Void Crystals.
• Red Spells consume red Fire Crystals.
• Light blue Spells consume the light blue Ice Crystals.

When a Magi attempts to cast a Spell, she selects a Sphere that contains enough Crystals for her Spell. She may select any Sphere other than the first black one which cannot be used to cast Spells. The Crystals are consumed, and the Spell is cast. Each Spell can be cast only once each round. The Magi can attempt to cast the same Spell again in the following turn.

Backlash (Player Phase)

Great power comes with, among other things, a great price. Every time a Spell is cast, there is a chance of Backlash.

After every casting, roll a D100 (this is the two D10 dice). If the result is above 25 then the Spell is cast normally. However, if the result is from 01 to 25, then the Spell Backlashes. The top effect does not occur. Instead, the bottom effect happens with its dramatic effects. The Magi can attempt to cast the same Spell again the following turn as normal.

The technology Witchcraft will eliminate the Backlash of Spells. Once Witchcraft is discovered, no Spell will ever Backlash.

Upgrading the Oracle (Player Phase)

When the Philosopher researches Occult, the Oracle may be upgraded. This means that the Scorpio Magi will take the place of the Serpent Magi. Move all Crystals from each Sphere to another Sphere of your choosing on the new Hero Mat, keeping the Crystals in the same groupings as before. All Crystals in the Serpent Magi's black Sphere must transfer to the Scorpio Magi's black Sphere. Similarly, the Crystals in the white Sphere must transfer to the new white Spheres, though they may be divided between the two new white Spheres if you wish.

The Triaconter of the Harbor

The sea is what made the city of Aeolis what it is. Not only for its rich supply of fish that provides food to the people or its valuable pearls for trading, but also for the variety of loot the explorers bring back from their adventures.

Training (Upkeep Phase)

Any workers assigned for training now become Triaconter as long as the 1 Gold and 1 Wood per worker training cost is paid.

The number of cubes on the Captain Slot dictates how many ships you have in your fleet; all of them move and fight together when you move the Triaconter miniature.

Move Units (Player Phase)

During the Player Phase, you may move your ships to adjacent hexes according to their Speed. The Triaconter, for example, can move from her hex to any adjacent hex and then again one more time since she has a Speed of 2. If she enters any hex adjacent to a hex occupied by an enemy ship, combat is initiated and resolved at the end of the Enemy Phase.

Naval Combat (Player Phase)

Your fleet is able to fight from distance just like the Toxotai units. This means that if your fleet starts or ends its movement on a hex adjacent to an enemy land unit on the shore, you will inflict 1 damage per Triaconter unit on the enemy.

Keep in mind that if your Triaconter is ever adjacent to an enemy ship as a result of either ship's movement, combat is initiated. As always at the end of the combat, only one side will stay alive—either you or your enemy.

The Exploration Compass

The Exploration Compass consists of four spaces towards the four directions and a circle in the middle. During game setup, place one randomly drawn Loot Token from the blue pouch on each of the four directions. After placing a Loot Token, you can look at each side any time.

The Loot token is loot that you can attempt to bring back to Aeolis. The more valuable the loot, the more difficult it is to bring home. The difficulty for every loot is shown as a percentage on the back side of the Loot Token.

Explore Actions (Player Phase)

The Triaconter can take a number of Explore actions equal to the number of Triaconter units he has. Each action can happen before or after its movement. An Explore action allows you to do one of the following:

• Roll for Loot and claim any eligible Loot Token (see Explore Dice below).
• Draw a Loot Token and place it on an empty area of the Exploration Compass.
• Replace an existing token with a random new one.

Explore Die (Player Phase)

One side of each Loot Token tells you what Loot you will get, and the other lists the difficulty that you need to surpass in order to claim it. For example, the 3 Wood Loot Token has a difficulty of 30% while the 4 Wheat one has a difficulty of 52% and the 5 Gold one has a difficulty of 88%.

When you roll the D100, you can claim any one Loot token that has a Difficulty value equal to or less than your roll. For example, if you roll 60, you could claim the 3 Wood token or the 4 Wheat token but not the 5 Gold token.

Keep in mind that you cannot gain resources that the Merchant cannot trade. i.e., Algae before the Agora is upgraded.

Upgrade the Harbor (Player Phase)

As soon as Navigation is discovered, the Harbor may be upgraded. This means that all Naval units will instantly be upgraded. They now roll a D8 in combat instead of a D4. All Triaconters are replaced by Triremes.

Expansion Content

Alchemist

As soon as Alchemy is discovered, the Academy may be upgraded a second time. When this happens, add the Alchemist Hero Mat to that of the Philosopher and Architect and immediately replace the Architect miniature with the Alchemist (on the same hex). The Alchemist can repair buildings just like the Architect.

When this upgrade happens, you can choose some or all of your scientists to become Alchemists.

Alchemical Abilities

The Alchemist has four actions available. Each trained Alchemist can perform one of those actions:

Transmutation (Player Phase). The Alchemist can store leather, wood, stone, and copper. She can then transmute one of those resources into another. For example, he might get 3 Wood from the Merchant and turn that into 2 Copper and 1 Stone. In order to do that, he would need at least 3 Alchemist units, one per transmutation.

Hand of Midas (Player Phase). The Alchemist can turn 1 unit of Leather, Wood, Stone, or Copper into 2 Gold. As always, one Alchemist unit is required for each exchange.

Immolate (Player Phase). The Alchemist can spend 3 Fire Crystals to choose any enemy on the map and place an Inferno token on that enemy. At the start of the Enemy Phase each round, deal 1 damage to each enemy with an Inferno token on them.

Control Weather (Player Phase). An Alchemist can spend 2 Salt to cancel any Natural Disaster Curse Card.

Queen of the People

As soon as Human Rights is discovered, the Acropolis may be upgraded a second time. This means that when the Queen is attempting to use Diplomacy, she rolls a D12 instead of a D8.

Companion

As soon as Chivalry is discovered, the Companion unit is available. Immediately place the Companion Hero Mat next to your Hoplite Hero Mat, allowing you to also train Companions. The Companion automatically has all upgrades unlocked. To train a worker into a Companion unit, you need to spend 1 Gold, 1 iron, and 1 horse. Once you train your first Companion unit, place the corresponding miniature on the Arena hex. Companions are extremely powerful and roll a D12 to determine their combat power.

Divine Abilities

Companions also have divine abilities that make them invaluable in combat both for offense and defense! Each Companion unit can use one ability per Hero Phase. The Companion unit must consume Light Crystals to activate any of their abilities. Any number of Light Crystals can be stored on the Hero Mat. As you use each ability, you choose how many crystals to consume.

Smite (Enemy Phase). During the Enemy Phase, before rolling for combat, consume X Light Crystals to deal X damage to the opponent. That damage cannot be reduced by any means. If the Enemy is still alive, roll for combat normally. If the enemy died from the Smite damage, do not roll for combat. Gain all the benefits of winning the combat and do not lose an army unit like you normally would.

Aura of Protection (Player Phase). Consume X Light Crystals to protect X adjacent hexes from enemy raids. Raids will not destroy the building this round. They will stay on that hex and try to destroy it again next turn as normal.

Lay on Hands (Enemy Phase). When a non-Companion, non-naval unit within 2 hexes dies from combat, either by losing or winning, consume X Light Crystals to prevent the deaths of X units. If you lost the fight, you must still retreat to an adjacent hex that has no enemies.

Caravan Master

As soon as World Wonder is discovered, the Agora may be upgraded a second time. This means that now the Merchant can collect Resources from any Structure on the map for free.

Priestess of Death

Upgrading the Temple

As soon as Cure is discovered for the Crimson Death, the Temple may be upgraded a second time. This means that the Priestess of Death will take the place of the Priestess of Life, and the Faith Dice are all transferred as they are to the new Hero Mat. The Priestess of Death has different, more aggressive abilities.

Anytime a Plague Token is removed from the map it is placed in the Priestess of Death's Hero Mat.

Divine Abilities (Player Phase)

In order for the Priestess to activate her abilities, she needs to consume Faith from a Faith Die. She selects which ability she wants to activate, checks how much Faith that Die indicates she has, and reduces that single die to 1. The ability activated is as powerful as the Faith indicated on the Die. This is described on the following abilities. She must always have all four dice on her mat.

Every turn, each Priestess can activate one ability. If the player wants to activate all four possible abilities, they need to have four Priestesses. You can only activate each ability once per round.

Kiss of Death (Player Phase). The Priestess of Death can deal damage equal the value of the Faith Die to all enemies on an adjacent Hex. To use this ability, the Priestess of Death must spend 1 Plague Token and a number of Void Crystals equal to the Faith Die value.

Blood Letting (Player Phase). The Priestess of Death cures the Plague for a number of adjacent hexes equal to the Faith spent. When she does, she receives a number of Void Crystals equal to the amount of Plague Tokens removed from the map.

Divine Intervention (Player Phase). The Priestess of Death can consume Faith to use Divine Intervention to see and alter future Events. She selects both the Blessing and Curse Event Decks and can look at a total number of cards equal to the number indicated by the Faith Die. After reading the Events from the pile she selected, she returns them to the stack in any order. She can also choose to remove 1 of these cards from play and replace it with another card of the same type (Blessing for Blessing and Curse for Curse) that is currently outside of the game.

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Proselytize (Player Phase). The Priestess of Death can help the Queen with Diplomacy. She grants the Queen a +3 bonus to her Diplomacy Roll. The total Gold the Queen has to pay is also reduced by the amount of Faith indicated on the die (minimum of 0). The Priestess of Death also allows the Queen to take up to 3 Diplomacy actions per round.

Arachnai Magi

Upgrading the Oracle

As soon as Arcane Aegis is discovered, the Oracle may be upgraded a second time. This means that the Arachnai Magi will take the place of the Scorpio Magi. Move all Crystals from each Sphere to another Sphere of your choosing on the new Hero Mat, keeping the Crystals in the same groupings as before. All Crystals in the Scorpio Magi's black Sphere must transfer to the Arachnai Magi's black Sphere. Similarly, the Crystals in the white Spheres must transfer to the new white Spheres, though they may be divided between the three new white Spheres if you wish.

When you upgrade to the Arachnai Magi, shuffle the Arachnai Magi Spells into your current Spell deck.

Galley

As soon as Colonization is discovered, the Harbor may be upgraded a second time. This means that all Naval units will instantly be upgraded. They now roll a D12 in combat instead of a D8. All Triremes are replaced by Galleys. Galleys are the fastest naval units and have a special Frost Blast ability.

Frost Blast (Enemy Phase). Before rolling for combat during the Enemy Phase, you can spend any number of Ice Crystals to gain a bonus to your combat roll equal to the number of Ice Crystals spent.

Army and Naval Combat

Combat Power (Player Phase)

As soon as you enter a hex containing an enemy unit or an enemy enters a hex containing one of your units, combat is initiated. Combat is also initiated when a ship is in a hex adjacent to a hex containing an enemy ship.

If non-combat units like Academy units, Temple units, or Oracle units are found unprotected and are attacked, then the enemy immediately destroys them. In order for them to have a chance, an Arena unit must be present on the same hex protecting them so combat can be initiated. If the Arena units are destroyed, so are all non-combat units on their hex.

Combat takes place during the Enemy Phase. The Power of the Arena units is compared to the Power of the enemies. To win combat, our units' Power needs to be equal to or greater than the enemies' Power.

Every enemy has a specific Power. The Raid Event Cadmean Spearman, for example, has a Power of 6.

Let's say that our Hoplites want to defend against the Cadmean Spearman. The Hoplites' power is calculated in the following way:

Power = D4 + Number of Hoplites + Morale Bonus

Let's assume in our example that we have three Hoplites and a Morale bonus of 2. This means that we can win the combat even with a D4 roll of 1.

Power = 1 (D4 Result) + 3 (number of Hoplites) + 2 (Morale) = 6

Winning Combat

If you win combat, you destroy the enemy. However, you also always suffer 1 damage from the fight. You must remove 1 of your participating Hoplite units. In the case of the previous example, you won the battle but now you have only two remaining Hoplites. If you have more than one type of unit, then you get to choose where to allocate the damage (select which unit to remove). If you defeat a Raid or Plunder, you gain their starting Power in Gold.

Losing Combat

If you lose a combat, then all of your units are destroyed. However, the enemy units are also damaged. To indicate this damage, place copper cubes on top of the enemy token equal to the number of your units that were destroyed, or half that if the enemy was an Invasion. Their Power is now reduced by the number of cubes on the token.

Let's say, for example, that in the previous battle against the Cadmean Spearmen (Power of 6), our army had a Morale of -1 and rolled a two on the D4.

Power = 2 (D4 Result) + 3 (Number of Hoplites) - 1 (Morale) = 4

Our Power was only 4. We lost the battle and all 3 of our Hoplite units are destroyed. We remove the Hoplite miniature; we can replace it in the Arena as soon as we train a new Hoplite unit.

However, the Cadmean Spearmen are now injured. They received 3 damage, so their Power now is 6 - 3 = 3.

It will be easier for the Queen to use Diplomacy next round!

Fighting with Multiple Units

As mentioned, you may want to fight one combat with multiple types of units. For example, against the Anatolian Riders who have 10 Power, you might want to have your 3 Hoplites reinforced by your 2 Toxotai. When different units join the same combat, you always still roll one Combat Die. However, all participating units contribute to your Power.

Combat with the Anatolian Riders requires Bronze Weapons and Leather Armor. For this example, let's assume that those upgrades have not been unlocked and that you have a Morale bonus of +2.

Power = 1 (D4 Result) + 5 (3 Hoplites + 2 Toxotai) + 2 (Morale) = 8

With no upgraded weapons and armor and thus a forced "roll" of 1, your Power was not enough to destroy the Anatolian Riders. Unfortunately your army is destroyed. It does inflict 5 damage to the Anatolian Riders. However, do not forget that if either the Hoplites or the Toxotai had both required upgrades, you would roll the Combat Die normally and would have a better chance of winning!

Upgrade Requirements

Some Raid Events have weapon or armor upgrade requirements that our units must have in order to have a fighting chance against the enemy. The Anatolian Riders, for example, require our units to have Bronze Weapons and Leather Armor.

If the Hoplite has not unlocked both the Leather Armor upgrade and the Bronze Weapons upgrade, the units have a disadvantage against the incoming army. In game terms, this means that instead of rolling the D4 (or the D8 if the Arena is upgraded), they receive a result of 1. Better get the weapons and armor upgraded.

If there are multiple units attacking the enemy, only one unit type needs to meet the upgrade requirements in order to roll the Combat Die normally.

Spells and Diplomacy

Spells (Player Phase)

There will be a time where an enemy will be too powerful to stop with metal weapons. The Magi can use their Spells to injure an enemy enough that the Arena units can destroy it, but there are stories of Magi destroying invading armies before they even reached the city walls.

Just like when damaging an enemy unit in combat, you usually roll a die and inflict that much damage, indicated by placing small copper cubes on the bottom of the enemy token. Now when the Arena's army attempts to combat the incoming threat, their chances will be better.

Careful, however, as invading armies and some Events have magic resistance and only receive half damage from magic attacks.

Diplomacy (Player Phase)

The Queen from the Acropolis may initiate Diplomacy once every round. She offers Gold equal to the remaining Power of an enemy Event as a gift in order to persuade her enemies to turn back. In order for her to succeed, she must make a Diplomacy roll and have a result equal to or greater than the remaining Power of the enemy.

Diplomacy = D4 (D8 instead if the Acropolis is upgraded)

The Cadmean Spearmen, for example, begin with 6 Power. Without the Acropolis upgrade, the Queen has no chance of persuading them to leave. If, however, they are wounded by a Spell for 4 damage, for example, she might have a chance as they feel more vulnerable and would be willing to negotiate.

They now have a Power of 2 so the Queen rolls a D4 for Diplomacy. If the result is a 1, then nothing happens (no Gold is spent) and the Queen has lost her chance this round. If the result is 2 or above, then the Cadmean Spearmen have agreed to retreat, and the Queen pays them 2 Gold.

By using Diplomacy, the Queen may confront several kinds of events such as Raids, Plunders, and most importantly Riots.

Events

Events are random incidents that alter the world. Some Events are helpful opportunities that you need to seize. Others are maladies that you cannot stop and just have to endure. And some you need to fight against in order to survive. When an Event is revealed during the Upkeep Phase, move it to the pile of Active Events where it may remain for some time depending on its type.

The Event types are the following: Blessing, Invasion Age I & II, Curse I & II, Natural Disaster, Plague, Unrest, Plunder, and Raids.

Blessing Events

These are great opportunities that you can complete in order to gain something really useful. Some may simply require the Philosopher to travel to a specific location on the map. In this case, place a Blessing Token on the Blessing Event Card and another Blessing Token with the same letter on the corresponding map location. Others might be a really good trade deal where you offer something and gain something worth much, much more. Some offer resources and others might offer free Technologies. Blessings remain in the pile of Active Events until concluded. A Blessing Event always has the following information on it:

• Name of the Blessing Event.
• Type of event (in this case Blessing).
• Instructions on where the Blessing Token should be placed on the board.
• Explanation of how this Blessing came to be.
• The benefit that this Blessing provides.
• Flavor text.

Invasions

These events are maybe the most dangerous of all. An invading army marches towards the city of Aeolis. If you do not confront them, you will lose the game.

When an Invasion occurs, roll a D6 following random token placement rules and place the appropriate token and a Hippei miniature.

Depending on the scenario, these events happen on specific rounds. Because Invasions consist of all unit types including archers, your Toxotai will not be able to kite them from afar. As soon as they are attacked, they will counterattack and engage in combat similar to how archer units engage in combat from two adjacent hexes.

Invasions include mages that protect the army, granting them Magic Resistance. Thus, an Invasion only receives half damage (rounded down) from any Spell.

Curses

These Events only mean trouble. They are problems that need to be dealt with or mitigated at least. There are several types of Curse Events, listed in the following sections.

Natural Disaster

Natural Disasters are revealed in the Upkeep Phase. You can attempt to counter them during the Player Phase before they are activated in the Enemy Phase. Most of the time, you cannot do much against Natural Disasters unless you have the Magi. Each Natural Disaster has an elemental affinity to Light, Void, Fire, or Ice. There are Spells that can counter any Natural Disaster of a specific affinity.

As soon as they are activated, most Natural Disaster Events will resolve and be removed. However, there are exceptions such as the Inferno Natural Disaster which remains until the fire is put out. The Inferno has 50% chance to spread to all adjacent tiles with a Wheat or Wood icon at the start of the Enemy Phase.

The Plague

You will not directly lose the game because of the Plague, but it can cripple your production. A Structure affected with the Plague does not produce again until the Plague is removed. During the Enemy Phase, the Plague has a 50% chance to spread into an adjacent hex that contains a Structure, so carefully placing your Structures can avoid catastrophes. Any unit that steps into a hex with Plague or starts its turn on a hex with Plague receives 1 damage. When a Structure is affected by the Plague and the Priestess cannot help, there is one extreme measure you can take to prevent the Plague from spreading. During the Player Phase, you can choose to destroy a Structure affected by the Plague. Remove the Plague Token and place a Ruin Token on that Structure. Each time you destroy a Structure that way, reduce Morale by one.

Plunder

Pirates will appear and move with Speed 1 towards the nearest sea Structure or the city. When they end their movement, they take all resources on that hex and destroy the Structure. Place a Ruin Token on top of the Structure Tile. Remember that any time a Structure is destroyed you lose 1 Morale. The Architect can sail (move over sea tiles) and repair destroyed sea Structures. The Plunder Event will not go away; it will remain in the active pile of Events until the pirates Plunder the city or are destroyed.

Raids

Barbarians will appear and move with Speed 1 towards the nearest land Structure or the city. When they end their movement, they take all resources on that Hex and destroy the Structure. Place a Ruin Token on top of the Structure Tile. Remember that any time a Structure is destroyed, you lose 1 Morale. The Architect can repair destroyed Structures. The Raid will not go away; it will remain in the active pile of Events until the barbarians Raid the city or are destroyed.

Raiding or Plundering the City

If the Raiding or Plundering units enter the City, the results will be severe. They will take resources equal to their Power and will slay a number of trained and/or untrained workers equal to their Power. The Queen decides which resources and which workers will be sacrificed.

Example: The Cycladian Looters enter the city. They have a Power of 4. The Queen only has 1 Wood and 1 Fire Crystal to give them, so she also must give them 2 Gold for a total of 4 resources. She also has to give them workers, so she gives them the 1 untrained worker she has and also 1 Merchant, 1 Philosopher, and 1 Hoplite. She now sits alone, poor, and sad in the Acropolis, wondering what went wrong.

Unrest

Unrest is revealed in the Upkeep Phase, giving you a chance to counter it during the Player Phase with Diplomacy or during the Enemy Phase with combat. Its effects are usually really devastating. Unrest will not go away; it will remain on the Active Events Pile with an ongoing disastrous effect until it is countered. Therefore, the faster you deal with it, the better.

As mentioned, there are two ways to deal with Unrest: Combat or Diplomacy. The first assumes you defeat the rioters in combat and results in a Morale decrease equal to the Unrest Power, so use it only as a last resort. It is usually the Queen's responsibility to counter Unrest through Diplomacy and paying Gold equal to the Unrest Power.

Enemy Unit Placement

When an Event is drawn that places an enemy unit on the board, place the appropriate miniature and underneath it place the Raid, Plunder, or Invasion token as instructed. Then place the identical token on the Event card that corresponds to that enemy.

Raid and Plunder Movement

Follow these instructions to determine the movement of any Raid or Plunder:

• While moving, always avoid passing through Plague-infected hexes if possible. If the Plague spreads into a hex that has an enemy unit, then the enemy unit suffers 1 damage.
• Always move towards the nearest Structure as long as it is not destroyed or infected by the Plague. When you reach a Structure, destroy it and remove any resources on it.
• If two Structures are an equal distance away, move towards the Structure with the most loot (in case of an equal amount of loot, determine the route randomly).
• If there are no more Structures to loot, then move towards the city.
• Avoid enemy Army or Naval units with one exception. If there is a Toxotai unit in an adjacent space, then prioritize movement toward the Toxotai, initiating combat.

Invasion Movement

The invasion moves towards the city always following the shorter path. If two hexes are eligible for the shorter path, choose one at random. While moving, always avoid passing through Plague-infected hexes if possible.

Randomly Placing Events (D6 and D4)

The initial two Plague Tokens placed during game setup and various events have random placement.

In order to determine where the random location is, roll a D6 and a D4. The D6 result corresponds to numbers at the top of the game board indicating where to begin with the token. The D4 will indicate how far into the map the exact hex is.

Example:

• The D6 roll is a 5 and the D4 roll is a 3.
• The 5 indicates that the Event placement starts at the top mountain hex and heads down and left.
• The 3 indicates that it is the third hex down, the first being the mountain itself while the third is the lake. This is where the Event will be placed.

Invasions are similarly placed, however they always start at the top row, so you only roll a D6 to determine the initial hex.

Order of Events

The pile with Active Events may have more than one Event in it. These Events are always resolved in a specific order:

1. Natural Disaster
2. The Plague
3. Riot
4. Plunder
5. Raid
6. Invasion

Discoveries Reference

• Agriculture allows Wheat Farms that Produce Wheat.
• Astronomy immediately gives you 1D4 Loot Tokens from the Exploration pouch.
• Salt Works allows Salt Pans that Produce Salt.
• Wood Cutting allows Woodcutters that Produce Wood.
• Bronze Working allows you to craft Copper into Bronze.
• Iron Working allows Iron Mines that Produce Iron.
• Copper Working allows Copper Mines that Produce Copper.
• Horse Breeding allows Horse Ranches that Produce Horses and recruitment of Hippeis.
• Foreign Trade allows you to send Caravans with the Foreign Trade Card.
• Crystal Seeding allows Crystal Fields that Produce Crystals.
• Occult allows you to upgrade the Oracle.
• Democracy allows Villages that Produce Workers and Gold.
• Shipbuilding allows Fishing Boats that Produce Fish.