Alexandria Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Overview
• Setup
• Winning the Game
• Overview of Game Elements
  • Hero Boards
  • Room Tiles
  • Hero Cards
  • Hero Tokens
  • Furniture Tiles
  • Rescue Cards
• Playing the Game
  • 1. Action Phase
  • Actions
  • 2. Burning Phase
    • A Hero in a Burned Room
  • 3. Cleanup Phase
• A New Round
• End of the Game
• Variant: A Common Fate
• Terms & Clarifications

Components

• 4 Player screens
• 4 Hero boards: Octavia (the Roman Secret Agent), Ptolemy (the Macedonian Royal Guard), Neferhotep (the Egyptian Architect), Tabitha (the Palmyran Scribe)
• 16 Common Room tiles
• 4 Hero Starting Room tiles
• 48 Hero cards (12 in each of the 4 Hero decks)
• 8 Dramatic End cards (2 for each Hero)
• 45 Rescue cards (15 books, 15 items, 15 persons)
• 9 Reference cards
• 4 Fire tokens and 1 Water token
• 80 Furniture tiles: 40 with two dots (used in all games), 20 with three dots (used in games with 3 or 4 players), 20 with four dots (used in games with 4 players)
• 6 Peril tokens (in 3 pairs of 2)
• 12 Hero tokens (3 for each Hero)
• 4 Time tokens
• 50 VP tiles
• 1 Time track
• 4 Hero standees

Overview

The game lasts five rounds, during which the library gets ever smaller as rooms burn.

Each Hero has their own deck of cards which reflects their specific capabilities. The Heroes must use their limited time wisely, taking actions to explore the library and rescue the treasures found within.

To some Heroes, books can be far more interesting than saving philosophers, mathematicians, and historians who are immersed in their studies. Some Heroes might be looking for relics, while others may want some knowledge to be lost forever…

As time runs out, so does the chance for survival. At the end of the fifth round, the library will collapse and the dramatic end of the library will be revealed. Was it an accident? Sabotage? Indifference? Whatever it was, only one hero will emerge from the debris with the most glory, to tell the tale of how the Library of Alexandria came to an end.

Setup

1. Each player selects a Hero and takes the matching:
   • Hero board
   • 12 cards of the Hero's deck
   • 2 Dramatic End cards
   • 3 Hero tokens
   • 1 Hourglass token
2. Create the Room stack by taking 4 Common Room tiles per player and shuffling them with the Starting Room tiles of each Hero in play. The stack should thus have 5 tiles per player in the game (10 tiles for 2 players, 15 tiles for 3 players, and 20 tiles for 4 players). Ensure that the image of the lighthouse on the back of each tile is in the same orientation.
3. Choose a player to build the library by following these steps:
   • A. Draw the top tile from the Room stack, turn it face up and place it on the table.
   • B. Draw the next tile from the stack and place it next to the first tile, making certain that the lighthouse is pointed upwards from the perspective of the player building the library. The lit hallway on the newly-placed tile should connect to the previously-placed tile. If the space where it would be placed is already occupied by another tile, then the new tile is placed in the nearest empty space in the direction of the light beam.
   • C. Then, turn the tile face up to show its Room side.
   • D. Continue to draw Room tiles one at a time, placing them next to the previously-placed tile according to the direction shown on the back of the new tile, until the Room stack is empty.
4. Shuffle the Furniture tiles appropriate for the number of players in the game and place them face down in a stack:
   • 2 players: Use only the tiles with two dots.
   • 3 players: Use the tiles with two and three dots.
   • 4 players: Use all the tiles.

Winning the Game

The Hero who has gained the most fame (represented by points) at the end of the game (after 5 rounds) emerges from the embers of the burnt library to tell the world how it all happened, and is declared the winner of the game.

Overview of Game Elements

Hero Boards

The Hero boards represent a character's innate abilities and skills. Heroes can use them to make a difference at critical times, but must concentrate to do so, and therefore may only use them once per turn.

• A. The first space is a Slot space, where a Hero can place an eligible card (marked by an icon). Slotted cards are always available to be used until they are replaced by another Slot card. When used, a Hero token is placed on them to signify that they have been used that round.
• B. The second space is a Hero's board ability. Similarly to a slotted card's ability, it remains available, but may not be replaced by any card. They can only be used once per round, so just like with Slot cards, a Hero token is placed on them to mark them as used for the round.
• C. The third space is a Hero's Destiny Response. It is used when a Hero is in a room that is burned during the Burning Phase. Just like the Hero cards and boards, it is unique to each Hero, and reflects how they would deal with such a situation, and what the outcome would be.

Room Tiles

Rooms are set up at the beginning of the game according to the direction of the light beam on their reverse side, and are removed from the game when burnt.

Room tiles contain Furniture that Heroes can interact with to draw Rescue cards. Each Room starts with 4 Furniture tiles. In later rounds, Hero actions may result in even more pieces of furniture being located in one Room.

There are no defined spaces within a Room – a Hero token or Furniture tile can be placed anywhere within it.

Hero Cards

Hero cards represent a Hero's special abilities and range of actions in pursuing their goals.

Each Hero card costs a certain amount of Time to play. Some actions may be assisted by other nearby Heroes who can pay part of the cost (depicted by the black Time icons).

Each card also has an ability text that describes the action to be taken if the time cost is paid.

Some cards have a Slot icon, which indicates that this card may be slotted (see Slotting, Actions section, page 9) to indicate an ability that a Hero is particularly skilled at.

Response icons indicate effects that may be triggered if certain conditions are met, even if it is not a player's turn at the time (see Respond, Actions section, page 9).

Some of Neferhotep's cards may have a Peril icon. Perils are dangerous defects or imminent collapses that could be triggered if a certain condition is met. For more, see Terms & Clarifications, page 12.

Hero Tokens

Hero tokens are used to mark various actions or situations throughout the game. They are inexhaustible, and in the unlikely case that more are needed, players may use any other token as a temporary substitute.

Furniture Tiles

There are 6 types of Furniture (Lectern, Armoire, Chest, Brazier, Carpet, Bookshelf). Each may be a source of different types of Rescue cards recovered by the Heroes.

By interacting with a Furniture tile, a Hero may rescue a Book, Item, or Person; or perform other actions indicated by the cards. Some Heroes may interact more effectively with certain types of Furniture.

Furniture tiles are not removed as a result of actions or interactions unless specified by an effect.

Rescue Cards

During the game, some actions may prompt a Hero to draw from the Book, Item, or Person decks. Each Rescue card has two traits (History, Codex, Iron, Weapon, Egyptian, Mathematician, etc.). All Rescue cards drawn are shown to all players and any cards kept are placed face up next to each player's Hero board.

Any Rescue cards not kept are discarded face up in separate discard piles, and may always be inspected by the players. If a Rescue card deck is empty, the discarded cards of that type are shuffled to form a new deck.

Some Rescue cards belong to one of 8 Collections, with each Collection comprised of 3 specific Rescue cards. Collecting Rescue cards that belong to the same collection results in additional points at the end of the game.

Playing the Game

A game of Alexandria consists of five rounds. Each round consists of three Phases:

1. The Action Phase: When players move about the library and take actions.
2. The Burning Phase: When Room tiles burn and are removed from play.
3. The Cleanup Phase: When a round ends.

1. Action Phase

The player with the most Time (with their Time token on the highest value on the track) selects and performs one action, moving their token on the track as many spaces as required by the chosen action.

If multiple players have tokens on the same highest-valued space, the player whose token is on top plays first.

Some effects may cause a Hero to gain Time. The maximum amount of time a Hero may have is 10, and any Time that would have been gained in excess of that is lost.

If, when moving a Time token, it lands on the same space as any tokens belonging to other players, it is placed on top of those tokens.

When a player's Time token is at the red end space on the track, they may not perform any actions (but may still Respond). Once all players reach the end space, the Action Phase is complete.

All tokens on the Time track are returned to space "8", in the same order as they were at the end of the round. I.e. the token that was on top remains on top, and the player that owns it begins the Action Phase of the new round.

The Burning Phase then begins.

Actions

Move. A player may spend 1 Time to move their Hero token to an orthogonally adjacent Room. The movement must be either horizontal or vertical, not diagonal. This may result in multiple Heroes occupying the same Room.

After movement, any face-down Furniture tiles in the Room and orthogonally adjacent Rooms are turned face up.

Draw one card. A player may spend 1 Time to draw 1 card from their deck to their hand. If at any point a player has 8 or more cards, they must discard excess cards to their discard pile until they hold 7 cards in hand.

If, at any point, a player's deck is empty, the discard pile is shuffled to form a new deck.

If an effect directs a player to draw a card from the discard pile when it is empty, then no cards are drawn.

Perform a card action. A player may play 1 card from their hand, spending as much Time as is indicated by the Time icons on the card. For each white Time icon, the player spends 1 Time. For each black Time icon, the player may spend their own, or another player's Time, as long as that player's Hero is in the same or an orthogonally adjacent Room tile.

Note: If there is more than one black Time icon, and a player chooses to spend another player's Time, it must all come from one other player.

If another player's Time token was moved in this way, that player is considered to be assisting the acting Hero and gains 1 Point. Keep in mind that no matter how many spaces an assisting player's Time token is moved, they only score 1 point for that action.

Example: Octavia plays A Burning Cache. She could choose to spend 1 Time herself and then 2 Time from one other nearby player. Or, she could spend 2 Time herself and 1 from a nearby player. Or, she could spend all 3 Time herself.

A card action may allow a Hero to interact with Furniture or with other Heroes. Some of Neferhotep's Hero cards allow him to identify Perils (see Terms & Clarifications, page 12). After playing the card, leave it next to the Hero board. Played cards are only discarded at the end of the round.

Slotting: If the Action card has an anchor icon over the seal on the top left corner of the card, after resolving the effect, the player may place it in the leftmost space of their Hero board and put one of their Hero tokens on it to signify that it may not be used again in the current round. Any previous card already in the slot is discarded.

A slotted card represents an action that is always available and is now part of the Hero board. It may be used as a Hero board action (see below). This card is not discarded at the end of the round.

Slotted cards have an ongoing effect, marked by an anchor icon. This effect is always active and no Hero token is placed on the card if it is triggered.

Perform a Hero board action. A player may take a Hero board action by placing a token on a slotted card or on an action printed on the board, spending as much Time as necessary. Each Hero board action may only be taken once per round.

Wait. A player may spend 1 Time to pass their current turn.

Respond. Some cards and Hero board spaces have a Response icon on them. These icons signify effects that may be triggered if certain conditions are met. A player may Respond even when it is not their turn. There is no cost to Respond and no Time is spent unless specified.

Note: A player is not obligated to Respond. Note: Responses may also be played during the Burning Phase. Note: Each player may only Respond once per action. Note: Some Response effects may cause a player to lose Time.

2. Burning Phase

In this phase, the library burns! A number of Rooms equal to the number of players will be removed from the game. These Rooms are burnt one at a time, in the following order:

1. A Room with a Fire token (placed due to certain effects).
2. A Room with no Heroes in it that is adjacent to only 1 other Room.
3. A Room with a Hero in it that is adjacent to only 1 other Room.
4. A Room with no Heroes in it that is adjacent to only 2 other Rooms.
5. A Room with a Hero in it that is adjacent to only 2 other Rooms.

Important: If the burning of a Room would split the Library into two different parts, it may not be burned, even if it has a Fire token. Another Room must be burned, according to the order above.

If at any point there are multiple possibilities of Rooms that may be burned and satisfy the same criterion, the player that took the last turn during the previous phase chooses which Room is burned.

When burnt, a Room tile is removed from the game and returned to the box, along with any Furniture tiles on it.

Note: A Room with a Water token in it may not be burned, unless it is the last round of the game. Note: During the Burning Phase of the last round of the game, all Rooms will be burned.

A Hero in a Burned Room

If there is a Hero in a Room about to be burned, then the Hero must resolve the effect of their Destiny Response, shown on the rightmost space of their Hero board. This allows them to remain in the game. This may occur multiple times during a Burning Phase.

Important: A Hero may not resolve the effect of their Destiny Response during the last round of the game.

After resolving the Destiny Response, a Hero is placed on any Room orthogonally adjacent to the one that was just burnt.

A Hero is never eliminated from the game; there is no limit to how many times their Destiny Response may be triggered and resolved.

3. Cleanup Phase

Once the Burning Phase is over, remove any Fire, Water, or Hero tokens still in Rooms or on Hero boards. Then, each player places all of their played cards in their respective discard piles. Note that any slotted cards remain on each player's board, and the players keep any cards still in hand.

A New Round

At the beginning of a new round, a Dramatic End card may be drawn, depending on the number of players.

Number of players	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5
2	–	–	Draw	–	Draw
3	–	–	Draw	Draw	Draw
4	–	Draw	Draw	Draw	Draw

("Draw" marks where the printed table shows the Dramatic End card icon.)

When the table indicates that a card should be drawn, reveal the top card of the Dramatic End deck and place it face up near the play area.

At the beginning of the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th rounds, only resolve the "Ominous Portent" effect. The effects of these cards last for the remainder of the game.

When the card is drawn at the beginning of the 5th round, only resolve the "Dramatic End" effect.

End of the Game

The game ends after the Burning Phase in the 5th round, when all the Rooms in the library have been burnt. It is now time to recount the story of the burning of the Library of Alexandria!

To determine the final Fame of each player, the collection value of their recovered Rescue cards is counted:

• If a player possesses 2 Rescue cards that belong to the same collection, they earn 4 POINTS.
• If a player possesses 3 Rescue cards that belong to the same collection, they earn 8 POINTS.

The player with the highest total Fame is the sole survivor, emerging triumphantly from the ashes to tell their story to future generations!

In case of a tie, the player among the tied players with the most Rescue cards is the true winner! If still tied, the true winner is the tied player that has the most Hero cards in hand. If still tied, resolve the tie by playing another game of Alexandria!

Variant: A Common Fate

For a more predictable endgame and a more strategic, possibly longer game of Alexandria, apply all Dramatic End effects at the end of the game, not just the one from the last card revealed.

The timing of revealing Dramatic End cards and applying Ominous Portent effects remains the same. The Ominous Portent effect of the last card revealed is also applied.

Terms & Clarifications

ALONE: A Hero is considered alone when there is no other Hero in the same Room.

INTERACT: To interact, a Hero must be in the same Room with the Hero or Furniture tile in question, and apply the effects specified.

LOSING CARDS OR POINTS: If any effect causes any player to lose cards or points, but they do not have enough to lose, they lose as many as they can.

NEARBY: Something is considered nearby when in the same or in an orthogonally adjacent Room as the Hero performing the action.

OCTAVIA'S DESTINY RESPONSE: Rome wants to see the Library destroyed, and Octavia's mission is to sabotage any attempt to save its treasures. Thus, her Destiny Response has a beneficial effect for her. As soon as it is triggered, Octavia scores 4 points minus 1 point for each Furniture tile in the Room. It is possible for Octavia to lose points in this way if more than 4 Furniture tiles are in the Room.

PERIL: A card type unique to Neferhotep, marked by an exclamation mark at the top left of the card. They cost 2 Time to be played, and are always placed face-down, with a Peril token matching the one placed in a Room. As soon as certain conditions on the card are met, the Peril is triggered and its effects are applied accordingly. If, as a result of triggering a Peril, multiple Heroes would lose Time, Neferhotep decides the order in which they lose it. A maximum of 3 Peril cards may be in play at any given time, and are not discarded in the Cleanup phase.

SLOTTED: A card with the anchor icon that has been placed in the Slot space of a Hero board.

TRAITS: Each Rescue card comes with 2 traits unique to each category. These traits may be required by some actions or may provide special benefits to the Player holding them.