Age of Innovation Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Components
• Game Setup
  • General Setup
  • Faction and Planning Display Distribution
  • Personal Setup
  • Placement of Your First Workshops
• General Concepts
  • Gaining Points
  • The Power Cycle
  • Native Terrain and Terraforming
  • Adjacency and Reach
  • Gaining Power from Builds
  • Found a City
  • Neutral Buildings
  • Science Display
• Gameplay
  • Phase I: Income
  • Phase II: Actions
    • Terraform and Build
    • Upgrade a Building
    • Increase Sailing
    • Upgrade Terraforming
    • Develop an Innovation
    • Send a Scholar
    • Power and Book Actions
    • Special Actions
    • Pass
  • Additional Option: Resource Conversion
  • Phase III: Science Bonus and Preparation for the Next Round
• End of Game and Final Scoring
  • Area Score
  • Science Scoring
  • Resource Scoring
• The 2-Player Game
• Variant: Drafting Planning Displays and Factions
• Appendix I: Planning Display Special Features
• Appendix II: The Factions
• Appendix III: The Innovation Tiles
  • Special Abilities
  • Immediate Points or Bonuses
  • Additional Buildings
• Appendix IV: The Palace Tiles
• Appendix V: The Round Bonus Tiles
• Appendix VI: The Power and Book Actions
• Appendix VII: The City tiles
• Appendix VIII: The Competency Tiles
• Appendix IX: The Round Score Tiles
• Credits

Goal of the Game

Spread out as much as possible on the map with your faction. However, this will require terraforming the terrain so that it is habitable for your faction. Seek proximity to other factions, but don't let them limit you. Gather knowledge, make innovations and acquire competencies. Adapt your gameplay to the variable round objectives and your faction's skills. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.

Terra Mystica Pro? If you already know the rules of Terra Mystica, you can also read only the sections that are marked in the original rulebook, where the rules have changed or are new.

Components

• 1 Game board (with different sides depending on player count)
• 1 Turn Order display
• 1 Science display
• 1 Innovation display base section + 2 additional Innovation display sections (to adapt to the player count)
• 7 Planning displays (1 per terrain) and 7 Planning Display cards
• 12 different Factions
• 56 Terrain tiles (2-sided) with 7 different terrains
• 48 Books (12 per color)
• 6 different Book Action tiles
• 21 City tiles (7 different, 3 of each)
• 10 Round Bonus tiles
• 48 Competency tiles (12 different, 4 of each)
• 12 different Round Score tiles
• 4 Final Round Score tiles
• 4 Area Score tiles (for the 2-player game)
• 18 different Innovation tiles
• 17 different Palace tiles + 7 Palace Placeholder tiles
• 7 Point tokens (100/200, front/back)
• 125 Coins (64x 1, 35x 2, 26x 5)
• 20 X-tokens
• 65 Power tokens
• 8 Annexes
• 65 Tools (natural colored)
• Neutral buildings: 1 Workshop, 1 Guild, 1 School, 1 University, 1 Palace, 5 Towers, 1 Monument

Wooden bits in 7 colors (yellow, red, black, blue, green, brown, gray), per color: 9 Workshops, 4 Guilds, 1 Palace, 3 Schools, 1 University, 7 Scholars, 3 Bridges, 2 Track markers, 5 Status markers, 1 Turn Order marker.

The components for the Automa Solo variant are listed in the corresponding rulebook.

Game Setup

General Setup

1. Place the game board in the middle of the play area with the side for your player count face up.

   • A 2-player game has additional setup steps (see The 2-Player Game).
   • In a 3-player game choose the game board side for 3–5 players for your first games. For a greater challenge, use the side for 1–3 players.

2. Mix the 12 Round Score tiles together face down and randomly select 6 of them to place face up from top to bottom (from 6. to 1.) on the corresponding Round Score spaces on the game board. Return the remaining Round Score tiles to the box.

   • The left half of the tiles shows how you may gain points each Round. If you reveal the tile that grants points for building a Palace or University as one of the first two tiles you place, set it aside until you have filled the top two spaces (for Rounds 5 & 6). Then shuffle it back together with the other tiles before you place more. It must not be in either of the top two spaces.
   • The right half of the tiles shows Science Bonuses for your Levels in 4 different Disciplines. Each Discipline appears 3 times. If you reveal the third (last) tile for a Discipline and none of the tiles are placed in the top Round Score space (for Round 6), don't place this tile; set it aside and reveal another instead. You aren't allowed to place all 3 tiles of the same Discipline in the Round Score spaces for Rounds 1 to 5.

3. Mix the 4 Final Round Score tiles together face down and randomly place 1 face up on top of the Round Score tile for Round 6 so that it hides the Science Bonus on the right side of the tile (which isn't used for the final round). If the Final Round Score tile shows the same type of building as the Round Score tile for Round 6, set it aside and place a different one instead. Return the remaining Final Round Score tiles to the box.

4. Mix the 6 Book Action tiles together face down and randomly select 3 of them to place face up on the corresponding Book Action spaces on the game board. Return the remaining Book Action tiles to the box.

5. Place the Turn Order and the Science display next to the game board.

6. Place the base section of the Innovation display next to the game board. Depending on the number of players, add 1 or 2 additional Innovation sections to expand the Innovation display. Pay attention to the icons for the player count on the front and back of the additional sections.

7. Turn the Competency tiles face down, sort out the 12 with the start (ribbon) icon, then randomly distribute them face up to the Competency spaces at the bottom of the Innovation display. Then place the remaining Competency tiles face up on top of the matching Competency tiles already in place to create 12 stacks, each with 4 Competency tiles of the same type.

8. Mix the 18 Innovation tiles together face down, and randomly place 1 face up on the corresponding Innovation spaces at the top of the Innovation display. Return the rest to the box.

9. Place the X-tokens, City tiles, Book tiles, Power tokens, Terrain tiles, Tools, and Coins as general supplies near the game board within easy reach. Whenever you gain or spend Book tiles, Power tokens, Tools, or Coins, take them or return them to these general supplies.

10. Place the Neutral buildings near the game board.

11. Find Palace tile #17 with the red back and place it face up next to the game board. Mix the remaining Palace tiles together face down and place 1 random tile per player plus 1 additional tile face up next to it. Return all remaining Palace tiles to the box.

Faction and Planning Display Distribution

Lay out the 7 Planning Display cards. Then place 1 random Round Bonus tile and 1 random Faction tile face up by each card as a set, for a total of 7 sets. You can recognize the matching Planning display by the terrain on the Planning Display card being the topmost and largest terrain on the Planning display.

Place the remaining 3 Round Bonus tiles next to the game board. Place 1 Coin on each of these.

Randomly determine a Start player. Then, beginning with the player to the right of the Start player and continuing counterclockwise, each of you selects one of the available sets, consisting of 1 Planning Display card, 1 Faction tile, and 1 Round Bonus tile. Place it in front of you. Then take the Planning display matching your Planning Display card.

Return all Planning Display cards, the remaining Planning displays, Faction tiles, and Round Bonus tiles to the box.

We recommend this type of distribution for your first few games. If you would like more choices and flexibility, use the draft described in the Variant: Drafting Planning Displays and Factions section.

Personal Setup

Take all the wooden components matching the color of your Planning display, and 12 Power tokens. Set them up as follows:

1. Place all the buildings of each type on the spaces provided on your Planning display.
2. Place a Palace Placeholder tile next to your Palace in the indented space so it won't slip.
3. Place your Track markers on the bottom spaces for the Sailing and Terraforming tracks on your Planning display.
4. The 3 Power Bowls are in the bottom right of your Planning display. Distribute your 12 Power tokens as indicated into Power Bowls I and II.
5. Place your 7 Scholars and 3 Bridges nearby as a supply. Take your Scholars from or return them to this supply whenever you gain or spend one. You must gain a Scholar from the supply before you can use it for any action.
6. Take the starting resources indicated in the upper-right corners of your Faction tile and your Planning display.
7. Place 1 Status marker in each of the Discipline track spaces marked 0 on the Science display. Then advance your markers 1 space for each Discipline icon depicted on your Faction tile and Planning display, if any.
8. Place your last Status marker in space 20 on the Score track on the game board.
9. Finally, place your Turn Order marker on the Turn Order display. The Start player places their Turn Order marker on the top space of the left column, with the Turn Order marker for each successive player in clockwise order placed on the space just below the player before them.

Placement of Your First Workshops

Beginning with the Start player and continuing in turn order, each player places 1 of their Workshops on a Terrain space on the game board matching the color of their Planning display. Then in reverse turn order (i.e. beginning with the player who placed last), each player places a second Workshop in the same way. This means the last player in turn order will place 2 Workshops one after the other and the Start player places the first and last Workshop.

General Concepts

Gaining Points

You will gain points both during the game and for final scoring. Details for individual game components are explained in the Appendix.

• 6 Round Score tiles have been set up, one for each round. Each round, you will score points whenever you perform a specific action. In the final round, you can also use the additional Final Round Score tile to score whenever you perform a second specific action.
• Whenever you found a City during the game, you will gain points and resources for it.
• Most of the Innovation tiles you take during the game will gain you points.
• Various Palaces, Round Bonuses, and Competencies will allow you to gain points during the game.
• At the end of the game, there are 3 final scoring opportunities: majority scores for the most connected buildings; scores for advancement in each of the 4 Disciplines on the Science display; scores for your leftover resources.

The Power Cycle

Power is represented by Power tokens that cycle through your 3 Power Bowls. On your Planning display, there are 3 interconnected Power Bowls. At the beginning of the game, all your Power tokens are in Bowls I and II. Power Bowl III is empty. The Power tokens always cycle clockwise.

When you gain power, cycle the Power tokens as follows:

• If there are any Power tokens in Bowl I, gaining 1 power means you can cycle a Power token from Bowl I to Bowl II.
• If Bowl I is empty, gaining 1 power means you can cycle a Power token from Bowl II to Bowl III.
• If both Bowls I and II are empty, you can't cycle any Power tokens and thus may not gain power.

When you want to spend power, you can only use the Power tokens in Bowl III. When spending power, cycle the necessary number of Power tokens from Bowl III to Bowl I.

A white arrow to the right above a Power token means that you gain a specific amount of power. A black arrow to the left above a Power token means that you must pay a specific amount of power (cycling Power tokens from Bowl III to Bowl I).

Native Terrain and Terraforming

Each Faction is bound to a specific Native terrain (depicted by the large terrain at the top of the Terraforming Circle on the Planning display) and may only construct buildings on hexes with its own Native terrain type. Each Faction strives to terraform the terrain on the game board to suit their own needs.

The Terraforming Circle depicts the complexity of terraforming terrain. The 7 terrains, in order around the circle, are: Desert, Plains, Swamp, Lake, Forest, Mountain, Wasteland. The large terrain at the top is your Native terrain. The further another terrain is from your Native terrain on the Terraforming Circle, the more you must pay to terraform it to your Native terrain type.

Adjacency and Reach

You can expand your Faction on the game board by terraforming terrain in a hex that is directly adjacent to a hex with one of your buildings. You may also expand along rivers using Sailing and Bridges.

Adjacency: All terrain spaces and buildings directly connected to one another by a hex side are adjacent. In addition, hexes and buildings connected via a Bridge across a river are also considered adjacent.

Reach: The following are considered to be in reach:

• All adjacent terrain hexes and buildings.
• All terrain hexes and buildings connected to each other by a number of river hexes less than or equal to your Sailing value.

Gaining Power from Builds

Whenever you build adjacent to one or more buildings belonging to other Factions, those Factions will gain power. In the same way, you will gain power when other Factions build adjacent to you.

The amount of power gained depends on the type of adjacent buildings, because they have different Power values:

• The buildings in the top row of your Planning display (Palace and University) have a Power value of 3.
• The buildings in the middle row of your Planning display (Guilds and Schools) have a Power value of 2.
• The buildings in the bottom row of your Planning display (Workshops) have a Power value of 1.

Whenever you construct or upgrade a building, each other Faction calculates a total of the Power values for all of their buildings adjacent to the newly built or upgraded building. Each Faction may then decide whether they want to gain exactly that much power or not. Gaining power comes at a cost of points equal to 1 less than the total amount of power gained. For 1/2/3/4 power, the Faction must spend 0/1/2/3 points. This series continues in like fashion.

Details:

• Whenever you build or upgrade and other Factions could gain power, you must make them aware of the possibility.
• The Power value of the new or upgraded building doesn't play a role in gaining power.
• You can't choose to lose points past 0 on the Score track.
• You are not allowed to take only a portion of the total power to keep costs in check. You must take all or none of the power. Two exceptions:
  • a. If you don't have enough Power tokens in Power Bowls I and II to take all the power, you may continue to take power until you have all your Power tokens in Power Bowl III. Then you must pay 1 point less than the power you gained.
  • b. If the cost would lower your score below 0, you may only lose enough points to reach 0. Then you would gain power equal to the number of points lost plus 1.
• You only have to give up points for the power you gain from the build actions by other Factions. You don't have to give up points for power from any other sources.

Found a City

You may found 1 or more Cities during the game. You automatically found a City as soon as:

• you have a group of at least 4 adjacent buildings,
• that are not yet part of an existing City,
• and that have a total Power value of at least 7.

Exception: A City with a University only needs 3 buildings. A City with a Monument only needs 2 buildings.

Select 1 of the City tiles in the general supply and place it next to one of the buildings in the newly founded City. You gain 3 bonuses when you found a City:

1. You immediately gain points as depicted on the selected City tile. If the Round Score tile depicts a Key, you will gain additional points.
2. You immediately gain a one-time bonus in resources or other benefits depicted on the selected City tile.
3. Each City tile provides you with a Key. Keys are necessary to advance to higher Levels on the Science display.

Note: If you build adjacent to one of your existing cities or connect a building to one of your existing cities, the building becomes part of that city. You cannot use it to found another city.

Neutral Buildings

Some buildings are a neutral color with no Faction affiliation. They can be built by any Faction and count as that Faction's buildings. These are most commonly gained through Innovations. However, Towers are gained via a Competency. In addition, the Omar Faction begins the game with 1 Tower.

• When you gain a Neutral building, you must immediately place it on the game board on an empty hex within your reach. If the hex is not your Native terrain, you must first terraform it. However, you may only obtain the required Spades by turning in Tools and not through any other action that gives you free Spades. If you can't place it this way immediately, you may not build it at all.
• Placing the building counts as building it (other Factions may gain power for adjacent buildings of their own).
• This is the only way (except for the Monks' starting ability) you are allowed to build a building other than a Workshop on an empty hex.
• The terrain the building stands on tells you which Faction it belongs to.
• Neutral buildings that correspond to player-color buildings are treated as if they are the corresponding building (e.g. regarding the Power value). However, they can't be upgraded. Your income, if any, is determined by the tile providing you the building.
• For Neutral buildings that don't correspond to player-color buildings, the Power value is indicated on the tile providing the building. (Monument has a Power value of 4; Tower has a Power value of 2.)

Science Display

Factions may track their advancement in each of the four Disciplines on the Science display. The Disciplines are: Banking, Law, Engineering, and Medicine. Advancing will also allow you to gain additional power and other bonuses.

1. For each Level you gain in a Discipline, advance your Status marker 1 Level in the corresponding Discipline on the Science display.
2. When one of your Status markers reaches Level 3, 5, 7, or 12 in a Discipline (even during setup), you immediately gain a one-time power cycling equal to the depicted amount of power.
3. In order to advance your Status marker to Level 8 in a Discipline, you must already have a City Key (and each Discipline will require a separate City Key). If you are unwilling or unable to use a Key, any extra Levels that you would have gained beyond Level 7 are forfeited.
4. If your Status marker is at Level 9 or higher in a Discipline, you gain the depicted additional income in Phase I (Income) for each round.
5. In each Discipline, only 1 Status marker can advance to Level 12. Once Level 12 of a discipline has been reached, no other player can advance to Level 12 of that Discipline.

Gameplay

A game of Age of Innovation is played over the course of 6 rounds. Each round consists of the following 3 phases:

• Phase I: Income
• Phase II: Actions
• Phase III: Science Bonuses and Preparation for the Next Round

Phase I: Income

At the beginning of each round (including the first), you gain Income in the form of new Resources. The icon for Income is an open hand. You gain everything depicted above the open hand. Income primarily comes from your Planning display. However, you only gain the Income that is visible, which means it's not covered by a building. You can also gain Income from your Round Bonus tile, your Competencies, your Innovations, and from the Science display.

Take Scholars, Coins, Tools, and Books from the supply. Your supply of Scholars is limited. The supply of Coins, Tools, and Books is unlimited.

Phase II: Actions

Following the turn order shown on the Turn Order display, players each take their turns performing exactly 1 action, until they take a Pass action. Once all players have passed, the Action Phase ends.

Except for the Pass action, you may perform any action as often as you like and in any order (but only 1 action per turn). Once you choose the Pass action, your turns are over for the current round.

You may also perform the additional option Resource Conversion immediately before or after any of your actions.

Each round there will be at least 1 Round Score tile that will allow you to score points for a specific action. Whenever you perform the action depicted on the left side of the Round Score tile for the current round, you will score the depicted number of points.

The different actions are as follows.

Terraform and Build

This action allows you to terraform a terrain hex to your Native terrain and build a Workshop there. Alternatively, you can use this action to build 1 Workshop without terraforming (if the hex is already your Native terrain) or to terraform terrain without building a Workshop.

Terraform Terrain: To terraform terrain, the target hex you want to terraform must be:

• undeveloped (no building),
• within Reach of one of your existing buildings, and
• have a terrain type that is not your Native terrain.

Additionally, you must pay the cost for terraforming it. The Terraforming Circle shows how complex the terraforming will be. Terraforming a terrain type that is adjacent to your Native terrain type on the Terraforming Circle costs 1 Spade. Terraforming a terrain type that isn't adjacent will cost 2 or 3 Spades, depending on how many steps apart the terrain types are.

You must always terraform using the shortest path from the target terrain type to your Native terrain. You aren't allowed to count past your Native terrain.

The Spades you need for terraforming can be gained in a number of ways. Tools can be turned in to gain Spades. The Terraforming track on your Planning display shows how many Tools you have to pay for each Spade. At the beginning of the game, you usually have to pay 3 Tools for 1 Spade; you can reduce the costs during the game (see Upgrade Terraforming). You can also get Spades using Power, Special, or Book actions.

You can use the Spades to terraform only a single terrain hex during these actions. 3 special cases can occur:

• Buy missing Spades: If and only if the (free) Spades you gain are not enough to terraform the desired terrain into your Native terrain type, you may gain the additional Spades you need by paying Tools (according to the cost shown on your Terraforming track).
• Terraform in steps: Alternatively, you may change the terrain type of the chosen hex to a different terrain type than your Native terrain — an intermediate step on the Terraforming Circle, but only in the direction towards your Native terrain type. In this case, you aren't allowed to build a Workshop on this intermediate terrain.
• Using 2 or 3 Spades: If you gain 2 Spades at the same time, but only need 1 to terraform the chosen hex, you may use the second Spade on another terrain hex within your reach. However, you may only build 1 Workshop on the first terrain. If you gain 3 Spades at the same time, you could even convert up to 3 terrain hexes as long as you always terraform one of them into your Native terrain type first.

In both scenarios: You must use all of your Spades before you build a Workshop. After paying for the Spades, place a Terrain tile for the new terrain type on the hex (or hexes). You are not allowed to save Spades for future terraforming; Spades must always be used immediately.

Spades can also be gained as a Science Bonus (Phase III). Since these Spades are gained outside of the action phase, you aren't allowed to build Workshops after using the Spades. You don't necessarily have to build a Workshop on the hex after terraforming; if you don't, the hex remains undeveloped and can be terraformed again by any Faction.

Build 1 Workshop: To build a Workshop, the terrain hex on which it will be built must be:

• your Native terrain type,
• undeveloped, and
• within Reach of at least 1 of your buildings.

You must also:

• have at least 1 Workshop available on your Planning display, and
• pay the printed cost of 1 Tool and 2 Coins.

After all these requirements have been met, take the leftmost Workshop from your Planning display, and place it on the chosen terrain hex. This may allow other Factions to gain power if they have buildings adjacent to the new Workshop.

Upgrade a Building

Using this action, you can gradually upgrade your buildings during the game. With 1 action you can upgrade 1 building 1 step. The upgrade costs are shown to the left of each new building on your Planning display. The upgrade counts as the build of the new building (which may allow other Factions to gain power).

The following applies to all upgrades:

• If you don't have a building of the type you want to upgrade to, then you can't upgrade.
• Always take any new building you are placing from the leftmost space on your Planning display.
• Important: For all upgrades, you must exchange the old building for the new building. Take the old building off the terrain hex and place it back on the rightmost empty space on the corresponding building track on your Planning display. This reduces the income of the corresponding building type. Then place the new building on the vacated terrain hex.

There are 4 different upgrades in the game (B and D only once per game):

• A — Workshop to a Guild: costs 2 Tools and 6 Coins. If there is at least 1 building from another Faction adjacent to the Workshop being upgraded, the financial cost is reduced from 6 Coins to 3.
• B — Guild to the Palace: costs 4 Tools and 6 Coins. With the construction of the Palace, you also gain a unique ability or Special action. When you build your Palace, you must first select a Palace tile to replace the Palace Placeholder tile on your Planning display, choosing from any of the Palace tiles placed next to the game board during setup (except those already built by other Factions).
• C — Guild to a School: costs 3 Tools and 5 Coins. Each time you upgrade to a School, you immediately select a Competency tile from the Innovation display and place it face up in front of you.
• D — School to the University: costs 5 Tools and 8 Coins. Upgrading to the University also allows you to immediately choose a Competency tile using the same rules as when upgrading to a School.

The following rules apply whenever you gain a Competency tile:

• You can't take a duplicate Competency tile.
• Depending on the location you take the Competency tile from, you will gain Levels on the Science display and/or Books for the depicted Discipline (always 3 in total).

Increase Sailing

This action allows you to advance your Track marker 1 space on the Sailing track on your Planning display (unless it is already at the top). This increases your Reach. The advancement cost is shown below the Navigation icon. As a one-time bonus, you will also immediately gain either points or your choice of Books as depicted in the new space.

Upgrade Terraforming

This action allows you to advance your Track marker 1 space on the Terraforming track on your Planning display (unless it is already at the top). This reduces the number of Tools you need to pay for terraforming a terrain type 1 step. The advancement cost is shown below the Terraforming track. As a one-time bonus, you will also immediately gain either points or your choice of Books as depicted in the new space.

Develop an Innovation

This action allows you to take an Innovation tile by paying the development costs. To take an Innovation tile, you must always pay at least 5 Books, with some requiring specific Disciplines. A gray Book represents a Book of any Discipline. In addition, if you haven't built your Palace yet, you must also pay 5 Coins.

The available Innovation tiles are in the top section on the Innovation display, sorted into columns with their costs at the bottom of the column. If you are playing with two or four players, the top two Innovations will have different costs.

Place the developed Innovation tile in the bottommost empty space on the right side of your Planning display. You may develop up to 3 Innovations during the game. Once all 3 spaces are occupied, you are no longer allowed to use the Develop an Innovation action. The space where you place your developed Innovation may show an additional cost of 1 or 2 Books (of your choice) that must be paid to place the tile.

There are 3 different kinds of Innovation tiles: Special abilities, immediate points, and additional Buildings.

Send a Scholar

The Science display consists of 4 Discipline tracks. Below each of these tracks are 4 spaces, each of which can host 1 Scholar (each space has a value of 2 or 3). This action allows you to place 1 Scholar on any empty space, which in turn allows you to advance your Status marker 2 or 3 Levels for the corresponding Discipline (depending on whether you place your Scholar on a 2 or 3 space).

You can never recover any of your Scholars you have sent to the Science display. Remember, you have a total of only 7 Scholars to use during the game.

Alternatively, you may return 1 of your Scholars to the supply to advance 1 Level in a Discipline of your choice.

Remember: You must first gain a Scholar from the supply before you can use it for any action.

Power and Book Actions

The spaces for the Power and Book actions are all located along the bottom of the game board (the orange octagons). The Power actions are the same every game, while the Book actions are variable.

All of these actions can only be used by 1 player each round. Whenever you perform one of these actions, you must place an X-token to cover the orange octagon, which indicates this action can't be taken again this round.

When you select one of the Power actions, you must spend power by cycling the specified number of Power tokens from Power Bowl III to Power Bowl I. When you select one of the Book actions, you must pay the cost by returning the specified number of Books in any combination of Disciplines. A gray Book represents a Book of any Discipline.

Special Actions

Special actions are available on various components and can be identified by the orange octagon like those for the Power and Book actions. As with the others, these must be covered with an X-token after use because they can only be used once per round. Unlike the Power and Book actions, Special actions are only available to you and can't be used by other players. They also have no cost to use them.

Pass

When it is your turn and you can't or don't want to take any other actions, you must Pass. This ends your participation in Phase II: Actions for the current round. Follow the steps below to Pass. For the final 6th round, only perform Step 1 and skip the rest.

1. Check your Round Bonus tile for the Pass icon. If present, you will immediately gain the depicted one-time bonus when you Pass. This works the same way for any other components you have with the Pass icon.
2. Now take one of the 3 face-up Round Bonus tiles available next to the game board. If there are any Coins on the Round Bonus tile, take those as well. Place your new Round Bonus tile face down in front of you to indicate you have dropped out of the current Round. Note: You must always take a new Round Bonus tile, because you can't use the same one two rounds in a row.
3. Then return your old Round Bonus tile face up with the other two unclaimed Round Bonus tiles.
4. Finally, move your Turn Order marker to the topmost free space in the column for the next round on the Turn Order display. The left column shows the turn order for odd numbered Rounds and the right column shows the turn order for even numbered rounds.

As soon as all players have passed, the Actions phase ends for the current round, and play continues with Phase III.

Additional Option: Resource Conversion

In addition to your action, you may freely convert resources on your turn, as often as you like before and/or after your action. You can't convert resources any other way, and you can only convert resources on your own turn.

Power Sacrifice: If you have at least 2 Power tokens in Power Bowl II, you may return 1 of them to the supply to cycle another Power token from Power Bowl II to Power Bowl III.

Power/Resource Conversion: You can convert power to resources. Pay the cost by cycling the corresponding number of Power tokens from Power Bowl III to Power Bowl I. Or you can pay the depicted resources for different resources. Options:

• Pay 5 power to gain a Scholar or a Book of your choice.
• Pay 3 power to gain 1 Tool.
• Pay 1 power to gain 1 Coin.
• Pay 1 Scholar to gain 1 Tool.
• Pay 1 Tool or 1 Book to gain 1 Coin.

Phase III: Science Bonus and Preparation for the Next Round

Phase III begins once all players have passed in the Actions phase. During Rounds 1 to 5 you may gain Science Bonuses and prepare for the next round. However, skip this phase in Round 6, and proceed immediately to End of Game and Final Scoring.

Perform the following steps in order:

1. Gain Science Bonus. The Science Bonus is depicted on the right half of each Round Score tile. Each player now gains the Science Bonus for the current round if they have a number of Levels in a Discipline at least equal to the value depicted. If a player has a value that is twice or three times (or more) the required value, they gain the reward for each multiple of the value.

   The following rules apply to the Spade Science Bonus:

   • Gain your bonuses in the new Turn Order for the next round.
   • If you have gained Spades for the Science Bonus, you can't acquire any additional Spades.
   • You can't save Spades for the next Round.
   • Spades acquired from the Science Bonus may be used on one or more terrain hexes within reach.
   • You can't Build a Workshop during Phase III.

2. Remove X-tokens from the spaces covered with them: the Power and Book actions along the bottom of the game board, Special actions on your Palace/Innovation/Competency tiles, and the Round Bonus tiles.

3. Place Coins on Round Bonus tiles. Place 1 Coin from the supply on each of the 3 Round Bonus tiles next to the game board. (If a tile hasn't been taken for two rounds, it will now have 2 Coins on it.)

4. Reveal your Round Bonus tiles. Flip your Round Bonus tiles face up in front of you.

5. Flip Round Score tile. Flip the Round Score tile you just evaluated face down so only the future Round Score tiles are visible.

End of Game and Final Scoring

The game ends immediately after Phase II: Actions in Round 6 once everyone has passed. (No Science Bonus is given for Round 6 since it is covered by the additional Final Round Score tile.) Now you will complete final scoring (for Area, Science, and Resources). After all scoring is complete, the player with the most points wins! If tied, the tied players share the win.

Area Score

Find your largest group of buildings that are all within Reach of each other. Only the number of buildings matters, the type or Power value doesn't matter.

• Whoever has the highest number of buildings in their largest group gains 18 points.
• Whoever has the second highest number gains 12 points.
• Whoever has the third highest number gains 6 points.

If players tie for having the same number of buildings, they share the points for a number of places equal to the number of players beginning with the tied place (rounded down).

Science Scoring

The following applies to each of the 4 Discipline tracks:

• Whoever has their Status marker at the highest Level relative to the others gains 8 points.
• Whoever has their Status marker at the second highest Level gains 4 points.
• Whoever has their Status marker at the third highest Level gains 2 points.

You don't gain any points if you are still on the Level 0 space. If there is a tie for the same Level, the points for that Level and the one(s) below it are divided evenly (rounding down).

Resource Scoring

Leftover resources are converted into Coins with the additional option Resource Conversion. Each group of 5 Coins is worth 1 point.

The 2-Player Game

If you are playing a 2-player game, the following additional rules apply.

Changes in the Setup:

1. Take the 4 Area Score tiles, shuffle them face down and place 1 of them still face down on the corresponding space on the game board (side for 1–3 players). Return the other three tiles to the box unseen.
2. Take 4 Scholars and 4 Status markers of an unused color, to act as a non-player Faction; place them on the Science display as follows:
   • Place 1 Scholar on a 2 space of each Discipline.
   • Place 1 Status marker on Level 2 for each of the 4 Disciplines. Then, using the Science Bonuses on the right side of the Round Score Bonuses for Rounds 1–5, advance the corresponding Discipline markers a number of Levels as shown by the number of Discipline icons. No key is needed in this case to advance to or above Level 8.

Changes in Gameplay and Final Scoring: At the beginning of Round 6, reveal the Area Score tile. At the end of the game, perform the Area and Science Scoring as if there were an additional (non-player) Faction. This Faction doesn't gain any points. However, if the non-player Faction takes first or second place for any of these scorings, the other Factions will score fewer points. Ties are scored as usual.

• Science Scoring: The markers for the non-player Faction determine their place for scoring for each of the 4 Disciplines.
• Area Scoring: The number on the Area Score tile indicates how many connected buildings the non-player Faction has in their largest group.

Variant: Drafting Planning Displays and Factions

If you want more variety, replace the Faction and Planning Display Distribution section with the following steps:

1. Shuffle the 7 Planning Display cards and randomly place 6 of them face up in the play area (leaving 1 Planning display unavailable).
2. Randomly select a number of Faction tiles equal to the number of players plus 1 and place them face up.
3. Randomly select a number of Palace tiles equal to the number of players plus 1 and place them face up. Don't use the Palace #17 with the red back side.
4. Randomly select a number of Round Bonus tiles equal to the number of players plus 3 and place them face up.
5. Return unselected game components to the box.
6. Randomly select a Start player.
7. Beginning with the Start player and continuing clockwise 3 times around the table, each player chooses 1 of the following in any order and places it in front of them: A Planning Display card, a Faction tile, and a Palace tile. Then each player takes their matching Planning display and returns the Planning Display card to the box.
8. Beginning with the player to the right of the Start player and continuing counterclockwise, each player selects 1 Round Bonus tile and places it in front of them. Then place the 3 remaining Round Bonus tiles face up next to the game board and place 1 Coin on each.
9. Return the Planning Display cards and any remaining Planning displays, Factions, and Palace tiles to the box.
10. Place your Palace tile on your Planning display. (You won't need the Palace Placeholder tiles.)

Appendix I: Planning Display Special Features

• Desert: At the beginning of the game, after all buildings have been placed, gain 1 free Spade. (No Workshops may be built at this time.)
• Plains: The action Upgrade Terraforming costs you less.
• Swamp: At the beginning of the game, gain 1 Scholar. Begin the game with 9 Power tokens in Bowl II and 3 Power tokens in Bowl I (instead of 7 and 5).
• Lake: Start the game with Sailing value 1.
• Forest: At the beginning of the game, advance 1 Level in each Discipline. Begin the game with 8 Power tokens in Bowl II and 4 Power tokens in Bowl I (instead of 7 and 5).
• Mountain: You have an additional income of 2 Coins. Your first Guild gives you an income of 3 Coins (instead of 2).
• Wasteland: At the beginning of the game, gain 1 Book of your choice and 1 Tool. When you Develop an Innovation, you don't have to pay the additional Book cost for your 2nd Innovation. (You must still pay for the 3rd one.)

Appendix II: The Factions

• Blessed: At the beginning of the game, advance 1 Level in each Discipline. During Phase III, the Blessed gain their Science Bonus as if their Level for that Discipline were 3 Levels higher. This also applies beyond Level 12.
• Felines: At the beginning of the game, advance 1 Level each in the Banking and Medicine Disciplines. Whenever the Felines found a City, they may advance a total of 3 Levels on the Science display (in 1 or more Disciplines) and gain a Book of their choice.
• Goblins: At the beginning of the game, advance 1 Level each in the Banking and Engineering Disciplines and gain 1 Tool. Whenever the Goblins use a Spade, they gain 2 Coins (per Spade).
• Illusionists: At the beginning of the game, advance 2 Levels in the Medicine Discipline. Whenever the Illusionists perform a Power action, they have a discount of 1 power (they cycle 1 less power to Power Bowl I than required). They also gain 3 additional points, or 4 points in a 5-player game.
• Inventors: After placing their first Workshops and choosing a Round Bonus tile at the beginning of the game, the Inventors also choose a Competency tile of their choice. If this Competency tile provides income, it is taken for the first time in Round 1. If it provides Spades, use them immediately.
• Lizards: At the beginning of the game, advance 2 Levels in 1 Discipline of their choice or 1 Level in 2 Disciplines of their choice. Whenever the Lizards found a City, they gain 1 Terraform and Build action with a free Spade and 1 free Workshop. The Workshop can be placed on any Native terrain hex in Reach.
• Moles: At the beginning of the game, advance 2 Levels in the Engineering Discipline. Whenever the Moles perform the Terraform and Build action, they may pay 1 Tool to skip over a terrain or river hex (Tunneling). They gain 4 points each time they use Tunneling. The target hex can't be adjacent to another Mole building. During Area Score, Mole buildings count as connected if they can be reached by Tunneling. Actions Phase II: As an action, the Moles may pay 1 Tool to build 1 Bridge.
• Monks: At the beginning of the game, advance 1 Level in the Law Discipline. When placing the first Workshops, the Monks don't use any Workshops; instead, they only place their University (after all other Factions). They gain a Competency tile of their choice for building their University.
• Navigators: At the beginning of the game, advance 3 Levels in the Law Discipline. Whenever the Navigators build a Workshop next to a river space, they score 2 points.
• Omar: At the beginning of the game, advance 1 Level each in the Banking and Engineering Disciplines. During placement of the first workshops, the Omar place a third building: A Neutral Tower (Power value 2). They place their first and second building at the usual times, then place their third building after all other Factions have placed both Workshops. Income Phase I: The Omar gain 2 power and 2 Coins.
• Philosophers: At the beginning of the game, advance 2 Levels in the Banking Discipline. Whenever the Philosophers gain a Competency tile, they also gain 1 additional Book of the same Discipline. Actions Phase II: The Philosophers have a special action that allows them to gain 1 Book of their choice.
• Psychics: At the beginning of the game, advance 1 Level each in the Banking and Medicine Disciplines and gain 1 Tool. Actions Phase II: The Psychics have a Special action that allows them to first gain 5 power and then immediately perform a second action.

Appendix III: The Innovation Tiles

Special Abilities

• Deus Ex Machina: Actions Phase II: You have a Special action that allows you to perform the Terraform and Build action with a free Spade. One-time Bonus: immediately gain 1 Book of your choice and advance 1 Level in each of the 4 Disciplines.
• Trading Routes: When you Pass: Gain 2 points for each Guild you have on the board.
• Professors: Actions Phase II: You have a Special action that allows you to gain 1 Scholar and 3 points.

Immediate Points or Bonuses

• Architecture: Immediately and once for each different shape of building you have on the game board, advance 1 Level for free in a Discipline of your choice. Additionally, immediately gain a one-time Bonus of 10 points.
• Census: Immediately gain points based on your buildings: 7–8 buildings gain 8 points; 9–10 gain 12 points; 11+ gain 18 points. Fewer than 7 buildings gains no points.
• Colleges: Immediately gain a one-time bonus of 5 points for each School you have on the game board.
• Communications: Immediately gain points based on the number of building groups: 4 groups gain 8 points; 5 groups gain 12 points; 6+ groups gain 18 points. Fewer than 4 groups gains no points.
• League of Cities: Immediately gain a one-time bonus of 5 points for each of your City tiles.
• Libraries: Immediately gain points based on your two highest-Level Disciplines on the Science display. Gain 1 point for each Level you advanced.
• Sewerage: Immediately gain a one-time Bonus of 2 points for each of your Workshops on the game board.
• Steam Power: Immediately gain a one-time bonus of 1 Scholar, 1 free upgrade on your Terraforming track and 1 free increase on your Sailing track. Gain the usual rewards.
• Steel: Immediately gain points based on the number of bridges you have connected to your buildings: 1 bridge gains 8 points; 2 bridges gain 12 points; 3 bridges gain 18 points.

Additional Buildings

Each of these Innovations will immediately allow you to place a specific Neutral building. This Bonus counts as a Build.

• Workshop: Immediately build a Neutral Workshop. Income Phase I: Gain 3 Tools.
• Guilds: Immediately build a Neutral Guild. Income Phase I: Gain 5 Coins.
• Schools: Immediately build a Neutral School. Immediately gain 1 Competency tile of your choice.
• University: Immediately build a Neutral University (do not gain a Competency). Allows you to found a City with only 3 buildings (but still Power value 7). Income Phase I: Gain 2 points.
• Palace: Immediately build a Neutral Palace (do not gain a Palace tile). One-time bonus: add 2 Power tokens to Power Bowl III. Income Phase I: Gain 4 power.
• Monument: Immediately build a Neutral Monument (Power value 4). Allows you to found a City with only 2 buildings (but still Power value 7). Immediately gain 7 points.

Appendix IV: The Palace Tiles

1. Income Phase I: Gain 5 power. Actions Phase II: Special action that gains you 2 Tools.
2. Actions Phase II: Special action to perform a Terraform and Build action with 2 free Spades.
3. Income Phase I: Gain 2 power. Actions Phase II: Special action to downgrade a School to a Guild free of charge; in return, gain 3 points and 1 Tool.
4. Income Phase I: Gain 2 power. Actions Phase II: Special action to upgrade a Workshop to a Guild free of charge.
5. Income Phase I: Gain 4 power. Immediately gain 1 Competency tile of your choice for free.
6. Income Phase I: Gain 2 power and 1 Book of your choice. Actions Phase II: Special action to advance up to 2 Levels in a single Discipline.
7. Income Phase I: Gain 4 power. When you Pass: Gain 3 points for each School you have on the board.
8. Income Phase I: Gain 2 Coins, 2 power, and 1 Tool. You may found Cities with a group of buildings with a total Power value of 6 (instead of 7).
9. Income Phase I: Gain 1 Scholar. Whenever you take the Terraform and Build action, you may fly over 1 or 2 Terrain and/or River hexes by returning 1 Scholar (Flight). Gain 5 points for each Flight.
10. Income Phase I: Gain 6 Coins. Immediately gain a one-time bonus of 12 power and 2 Books of your choice when you build this Palace.
11. Income Phase I: Gain 1 Tool. Immediately gain a one-time bonus of 1 City tile of your choice; gaining it is considered founding a city.
12. Income Phase I: Gain 8 power. Actions Phase II: Whenever you build a Workshop, gain 2 points.
13. Actions Phase II: Special action to gain 1 Book of your choice and 3 Coins. Actions Phase II: Whenever you build a Guild, gain 3 points.
14. Income Phase I: Gain 6 power. Immediately gain 2 free advances on the Sailing track. Whenever you found a City, you may choose to ignore 1 river hex between your buildings to create your group.
15. Income Phase I: Gain 6 power. Immediately perform a Terraform and Build action with 2 free Spades, build 2 free bridges, and gain 2 Books of your choice.
16. Income Phase I: Gain 2 power and 1 Book of your choice. Immediately take and place 1 Guild from your Planning display into any empty hex with your Native terrain for free (not requiring Reach; may not terraform).
17. Income Phase I: Gain 2 power. Immediately gain a one-time bonus of 10 points when you build this Palace. (This tile has a red back for easy setup.)

Appendix V: The Round Bonus Tiles

• Actions Phase II: Whenever you build a Workshop next to a river hex, score 2 points. Actions Phase II: Your Reach is increased by 1 (don't advance your Sailing Track marker).
• Actions Phase II: Whenever you Send a Scholar, gain 2 points. Income Phase I: Gain 1 Scholar.
• Actions Phase II: Whenever you build a Guild, gain 3 points. Income Phase I: Gain 3 power.
• When you Pass: Gain 4 points for each University and/or Palace you have on the game board. Income Phase I: Gain 1 Tool.
• Actions Phase II: Special action to perform a Terraform and Build action with a free Spade. Income Phase I: Gain 1 Book of your choice.
• Actions Phase II: Special action to place a Bridge for free. Income Phase I: Gain 1 Book of your choice.
• Actions Phase II: Special action to advance 1 Level for free in a Discipline of your choice. Income Phase I: Gain 2 Tools.
• When you Pass: Advance 1 Level in the Discipline of your choice for each School you have built. Income Phase I: Gain 4 Coins.
• Income Phase I: Gain 4 power and 2 Coins.
• Income Phase I: Gain 6 Coins.

Appendix VI: The Power and Book Actions

Book Actions (return Books of any combination of Disciplines):

• Return 1 Book to gain 5 power.
• Return 1 Book to advance 2 Levels in a single Discipline of your choice on the Science display.
• Return 2 Books to gain 6 Coins.
• Return 2 Books to upgrade a Workshop into a Guild for free (counts as a Build).
• Return 2 Books to gain 2 points for each Guild you have on the game board.
• Return 3 Books to immediately perform 1 Terraform and Build action with 3 free Spades.

Power Actions (spend power by cycling from Power Bowl III to Power Bowl I):

• Spend 3 power to build a Bridge from one riverbank to the other. You must have a building on at least one of the two terrain hexes to connect, and there can't already be a Bridge there.
• Spend 3 power to gain 1 Scholar.
• Spend 4 power to gain 2 Tools.
• Spend 4 power to gain 7 Coins.
• Spend 4 power to immediately perform 1 Terraform and Build action with 1 free Spade.
• Spend 6 power to immediately perform 1 Terraform and Build action with 2 free Spades.

Appendix VII: The City tiles

• Gain 4 points and 3 Tools.
• Gain 5 points and immediately perform 1 Terraform and Build action with 2 free Spades.
• Gain 5 points and 2 Books of your choice.
• Gain 6 points and 6 Coins.
• Gain 7 points and advance 1 Level in each Discipline.
• Gain 8 points and 8 power.
• Gain 8 points and 1 Scholar.

(Each City tile also provides a Key.)

Appendix VIII: The Competency Tiles

• Income Phase I: Gain 1 Tool and advance 1 Level in the Discipline of your choice.
• Income Phase I: Gain 3 points and 2 Coins.
• Income Phase I: Gain 1 Book of your choice and 1 power.
• Immediately gain a one-time bonus of 1 Tool, 5 points, and 2 Coins.
• Immediately: Gain a one-time bonus of a Terraform and Build action with 2 free Spades.
• Whenever you use the Send a Scholar action in Phase II, gain 2 points. This also applies when you return a Scholar to advance 1 Level.
• Whenever you build a Workshop on a border hex on the game board, score 3 points. (Border hexes have at least 1 dashed side.)
• Immediately: Gain 2 Neutral Annexes as a one-time bonus. As an action in Phase II, place 1 Annex next to one of your buildings without an Annex. The Annex increases the Power value of a building by 1 and the building and Annex count as 2 buildings to found a City.
• Immediately: Build a Neutral Tower (Power value 2) as a one-time bonus. Income Phase I: Gain 2 power and 2 Coins.
• Actions Phase II: Special action to gain 4 power.
• When you Pass: Gain 2 points for each of your City tiles.
• When you Pass: Gain points based on your Levels on the Science display. Gain 1 point for each Level you have in the Discipline where you have the lowest level.

Appendix IX: The Round Score Tiles

Each Round Score Tile represents 1 round. The left side shows how you can gain points for specific actions during Phase II. The right side shows the Science Bonuses awarded at the end of this round in Phase III.

• Build a Workshop: gain 2 points. End of Round: 1 Scholar for every 3 Levels in Law.
• Build a Workshop: gain 2 points. End of Round: 4 power for every 3 Levels in Banking.
• Build a Guild: gain 3 points. End of Round: 1 Book for every 3 Levels in Law.
• Build a Guild: gain 3 points. End of Round: use 1 Spade for every 4 Levels in Medicine.
• Build a School: gain 4 points. End of Round: 1 Coin for every Level in Banking.
• Build a Palace or University: gain 5 points. End of Round: 1 Tool for every 2 Levels in Medicine.
• Build a Palace or University: gain 5 points. End of Round: 1 Tool for every 2 Levels in Banking.
• Spend 1 Spade: gain 2 points (per Spade). End of Round: 1 Coin for each Level in Engineering. (This tile must not be in the space for round 5 or 6.)
• Advance a Level in a Discipline: gain 1 point per Level advanced. End of Round: 1 Book for every 3 Levels in Medicine.
• Take a City tile: gain 5 points. End of Round: use 1 Spade for every 4 Levels in Engineering.
• Advance on the Sailing or Terraforming track: gain 3 points. End of Round: 1 Scholar for every 3 Levels in Engineering.
• Take an Innovation tile: gain 5 points. End of Round: 3 power for every 2 Levels in Law.

Final Round Score tiles: In Round 6 during Actions Phase II, you will have a Final Round Score tile to gain additional points instead of the End of Round Science bonus. (For example: score 3 points each time you build a Workshop on a border hex of the game board.)

Credits

Game design: Helge Ostertag. Illustrations: Alvaro Calvo Escudero, Lukas Siegmon. Graphics design: Christof Tisch. Published by Feuerland Verlagsgesellschaft mbH (2023) and Capstone Games. English Translation: Ralph H Anderson.