Ancient Conquest Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Start of the Game
• 3. The Counters
• 4. Placement of Units
• 5. Stacking of Units
• 6. Movement Rules
• 7. Combat – Battles – Sieges
  • Combat Losses
  • Combat Mechanics
• 8. Fortified Cities (Red-Dot Cities)
• 9. Other Cities
• 10. Siege Machines (War-Mch)
• 11. Objectives Card
• 12. Explanation of the Objectives
• 13. End of the Game
• 14. Who Wins?
• Special Rules
• 15. Deities
• 16. Prisoners
• 17. Oracles
• 18. Plagues
• 19. Moses
• 20. Sea Peoples – Invasion
• 21. David vs Goliath
• 22. Cavalry Units
• 23. Queen-Consort
• Political and Military Objectives
  • Group 1
    • Egyptian Empire
    • Kingdom of the Medes
    • Kingdom of Urartu
    • Aramean Peoples
  • Group 2
    • Assyrian Empire
    • Peoples of the Marshes of Sumer
    • Kingdom of Mittani
    • Kingdom of Lydia
  • Group 3
    • Kingdom of Elam
• Summary of Peoples
• Unit Appearance Table
• Combat Table
• Siege Table
• Terrain Effects Table
• Optional Rules
  • 1. Movement
  • 2. Combat
  • 3. Diplomatic Phase
  • 4. Deities
  • 5. Queen-Consort
  • 6. The Founding of the Kingdom of Judah-Israel
  • 7. Slaves
  • 8. Sowing
  • 9. Treasure
  • 10. The Sea Peoples
  • 11. Fleets
  • 12. Kingdom of Urartu: Hurrian Peoples

1. Introduction

Ancient Conquest is a game for several players that simulates the political and military history of the ancient Near East, covering the period from the New Kingdom of Egypt to the Age of the 4 Kingdoms, from 1500 B.C. to 600 B.C.

This game combines diplomacy and the political objectives in which these kingdoms were involved during that period with a fast movement and combat system.

Read the instructions carefully before playing. There are four nation-groups. Each group has different historical peoples who appear chronologically according to the turn in their corresponding territories.

2. Start of the Game

Each turn is made up of a series of ordered steps:

1. Appearance of Units: The counters that appear at the start of the turn for each player are checked on the Unit Appearance Order Table and placed in their corresponding territory on the map.
2. Diplomatic Phase: Carried out by all players (in 5 minutes), written in secret on paper. Each player is allowed to send 1 single written message to another nation to start a diplomatic agreement, and to respond to all the messages received from other players.
3. Each player (Groups 1 to 4) moves and attacks in sequence each turn; no prohibited move may be made. Some or all of their units on the game map may be moved, and then any combat situation is resolved.

Explanation: At the start of each turn each player checks their unit appearance table and places theirs in their corresponding territory (except for the exception of the Sea Peoples). Each player is allowed to send 1 single written message to another nation to start a diplomatic agreement and to respond to 1 message received from another player. No more than one initial message or one response is allowed per turn. Verbal agreements are NOT permitted; they must be written on paper. This is to facilitate the rhythm of the game and to simulate the difficulty of communication in this period. Messages were normally written in Cuneiform Akkadian because during most of this period there was a constant migration of Indo-European peoples which caused a mixing of Semitic languages and different dialects.

After placing the counters and carrying out the diplomatic phase, the player on his turn decides which counters to move, and declares the order of the attacks. It must be indicated which enemy counters are being attacked and which of one's own units are involved in the attacks (consult the placement and movement rules). Everything a player does by means of diplomacy, movement or combat that results in the achievement of one of his objectives or one of his opponents' objectives is immediately indicated on the appropriate objectives chart. After player 1 has moved and all his combats have been resolved, player 2 does the same, then player 3, and then player 4. When the last player has finished his turn, the turn marker is moved one turn.

3. The Counters

The small cardboard contains the counters for the game. These counters represent armies, gods and other units needed for the game. The different types represented are:

Types of counters

• Infantry: heavy infantry, light infantry.
• Missiles: archers, slingers, incendiary throwing weapons, heavy bow.
• Cavalry: chariots, heavy cavalry, light cavalry.
• Siege Machines (WAR MARCH): devices for sieges.
• Queen-Consort: for diplomacy.
• Gods: Marduk, Ishtar, Amon-Ra, Storm God.
• Characters: David and Goliath.
• Peoples: Chosen People.
• Markers: Game Turn Marker.

Diagram of a Combat Unit (as printed): People or Kingdom; Type; Combat Factor; Movement Rate.

All counters have their combat and movement ratio built in, except siege machines, which always move 12 steps and have no combat factor.

4. Placement of Units

Before the start of each turn, the Unit Appearance Order Card is consulted to learn the arrival of the new units of the different peoples. The four nations place their units on the map simultaneously before the start of the Diplomacy Phase.

All placements are listed on the Unit Appearance Order Card and are generally within the hexagons of an important city or geographical area. They must be placed at most within that number of hexagons or less distance. Sometimes a direction, for example north-east of a point, means that the pieces must be placed "north of" and "east of" the area. There should be no problems placing the units simultaneously in the placement areas since they are quite well defined.

5. Stacking of Units

Stacking is limited. At most, one simple cavalry unit or one infantry unit together with one missile unit may be stacked in the same hexagon. A cavalry unit may never be stacked with another unit. A missile unit may be stacked with another of the same type or with one of infantry at most. Pieces may be stacked freely with infantry or missile units, siege machines, persons, characters and gods. Two infantry units may not be stacked together, nor may more than two light-missile pieces be stacked. Therefore the normal stacking limits are as follows:

Permitted

• 1 missile unit + 1 infantry unit
• 2 missile units

Not permitted

• 1 infantry unit + 1 cavalry unit
• 2 infantry units
• 2 cavalry units

An important exception to this rule is the red city hexagons, where up to 3 army units of any type may be stacked together. They may not attack together, however; if the city is attacked they defend as a combined force.

Likewise, units of two different nations may be stacked together, but only units of one nation may move or attack as a stack. The units of the two nations stacked together, however, do not defend as a combined force.

6. Movement Rules

Each player on his turn may move any number of his units according to their movement factor and the value of the terrain. As in chess, if you touch a piece, you must move it, and it may not be corrected once the movement has begun. The movement factor is determined by the number in the lower right of the piece, generally 12 steps for infantry, missile units and siege machines, and 16 steps for cavalry, while the God counters have a factor of 0.

A unit with a factor of 12 steps may move 12 hexagons if it makes them all over flat terrain or city. However, other types of terrain may negatively affect movement by increasing its cost. On the game board are the tables of the entry cost of movement steps for each type of terrain. The costs are as follows:

• Swamp: 6 steps per hexagon.
• Desert: 4 steps per hexagon.
• Mountain: 3 steps per hexagon.
• Hill: 2 steps per hexagon.
• Forest: 3 steps per hexagon.
• Clear and Cities: 1 step per hexagon.
• Rivers: 1 step must be added to the value of the terrain entered when crossing a river. (If the unit moves through the river ford running parallel along its course, nothing is added to the value of the terrain.)

Any hexagon with the presence of land is a land hexagon, although some may be predominantly covered by sea or a lake. If the lake or sea occupies the whole hexagon, it cannot be moved through. A hexagon with the presence (even minute) of swamp, desert, mountain or forest, etc., is considered a hexagon of that type.

Movement through other pieces, even one's own, is not permitted, except when two pieces are stacked together.

Optional rule "Encampments": If a combat counter does not move or makes only half its movement or less, it may "encamp" to improve its defensive position. To do this, place a trench counter on top of it. The effects of encamping are:

• It ignores retreat if attacked; a retreat result is considered "no effect".
• In defence, it adds half of its combat factors to them (e.g. 12 factors would add 6 more factors, for a total of 18 factors in defence. It symbolises the effects of camp defences, increased guards, etc.).

7. Combat – Battles – Sieges

After movement, your units adjacent to another unit of another player may attack. All attacks are optional, since there are no zones of control or forced attack situations. Once an attack is declared it must be carried out. Each player must declare all the attacks he proposes to make with any individual unit of his group before rolling the die for each of them.

Once it is determined that an attack will take place, the combat factors of the units involved are added to determine the factor ratio to resolve the battle or the siege.

The combat factor ratio is determined by the proportional difference, between the sums of the units involved in the combat, of the total combat factors of each opponent (numbers in the lower left of each unit) and the situation on the terrain of the units. The combat factor ratio is determined by the proportional difference, between the sums of the units involved in the combat, of the total combat factors of each opponent (numbers in the lower left of each unit) and the situation on the terrain of the units. The odds must be rounded down exactly (a combat of 11 factors against 6 factors is considered a ratio of 1/1).

The terrain effects table for combat is as follows. Note: the layout of the source table does not make the pairing of some conditions and effects fully certain; the rows are given in the order they appear in the source.

• Defender in mountain, swamp, forest: its defence value is doubled (if there are two types of terrain at the same time only one counts).
• Defender on clear terrain or hill: its defence value is normal.
• Defender in a Red-Dot City or Fortress: consult the Siege table, not the combat table.
• Defender or attacker in desert: the combat value is halved.
• Defender's combat value doubled (only if it receives all the attacks from the opposite bank of the river) – applies when all attacks come from one side of the river to the other.
• If a unit is completely surrounded and must retreat: it is automatically and permanently eliminated from the game.
• If a unit must retreat crossing a river: it is automatically and permanently eliminated from the game.
• The defender loses and is doubled in combat factors when retreating (as printed in the table; the source's row wording is not fully certain).
• A Red-Dot city has been left empty: the attacker loses, forcing its retreat; the defender may occupy the abandoned hexagon.
• Advance after combat: the source entry reads "Se puede avanzar después del combate al hexágono libre cuando" and ends there; the condition after "cuando" is missing from the source text and is not reconstructed.

Optional rule: Only tripling the combat value at most is permitted when increasing by terrain value and others… (e.g. Defender in city + deity + Leader = X3).

Combat Losses

Losses due to "Exchange" are determined by the original value of the unit before it is altered by the effects of terrain in combat. Although the defender doubles its combat factor for any reason, if an "Exchange" occurs, losses are determined from the normal basic factors of both sides.

Combat Mechanics

If a unit is attacked in a hexagon it defends with the totality of its combat factor. No more than one attack may be made against the same hexagon by one player in one turn. A player may only attack once against the same hexagon per turn. Therefore, if the defender has 4 and 6 combat factors in a hexagon under attack, its total defence strength is 10. These units cannot be attacked separately. If the attacker has more than one piece in a hexagon, it need not use all the units in the attack, only those it wishes to attack with. It is not obliged to attack with all adjacent units. (Note: bear in mind that only units adjacent to an enemy may attack.)

If a retreat results from the roll, remember that it is not permitted to retreat through friendly or enemy units. Furthermore, for all retreats, "back" is considered the zone of origin through which that hexagon was entered, and it must be used as the retreat route.

Some attacks will exceed the odds shown on the siege and battle result lists. Factor ratios that exceed the values of the Siege table are treated as 6-1. Factor ratios greater than 5-1 on the Combat table are automatic eliminations.

Finally, once the combat factor ratio is determined, the table is used as follows:

• Attacks against enemy units are resolved with the Combat Table.
• Attacks against enemy units in Red-Dot City hexagons are resolved with the Siege Table.

8. Fortified Cities (Red-Dot Cities)

Almost all the most important cities of the ancient Near East were fortified. To simulate their existence, fortified cities are represented with a red dot. Their effects are as follows:

• A: Up to 3 units may be stacked in a red-dot fortified city.
• B: When a red-dot fortified city is attacked, the Siege Table is used, not the Combat Table.
• C: Units that exceed normal stacking in a fortified city hexagon may not attack together, unless the excess units are removed by moving some of them out of the city hexagon. Units that do not exceed normal stacking may attack together.
• D: If a diplomatic agreement is made, units of two different nations may be stacked together in a city; for example, a Hittite unit could join the defence of Kadesh. If the two nations end their friendship and combat takes place inside the city, the Combat Table is used and the retreat results are considered "automatic elimination". All the combat factors of both sides are added to the battle inside the city.

Babylon (3721) is the largest of the fortified cities, and for the purposes of the game it is considered in the river hexagon even though it covers two hexagons on the map. Eshnunna (hex 3718) and Calakh (3211) are also considered in the river hexagon; Ascalon (1125) is considered to be in the coastal hexagon.

Optional rule: Because of the importance of Fortified Cities, at the end of the game each Fortified City is worth 1 victory point. Players add to the final count of the game the value of each Fortified City that has been conquered from another nation to determine the winner.

9. Other Cities

Many walled cities do not have a red dot in the game. Only those with a certain historical reference are included. This does not affect stacking or defence in any way. Memphis was given a red dot because of its importance and not because of its defence value.

10. Siege Machines (War-Mch)

Three siege machine counters are included in the game for carrying out attacks against red-dot fortified cities. Siege machines may move alone, with foot troops or with missile troops. When they attack a fortified city, the presence of the siege machine increases the combat factor ratio by one column. Thus a 3:1 attack becomes a 4:1 attack. Siege machines move at a speed of 12 steps, alone or stacked with an infantry or missile counter.

Siege machines cannot be eliminated from the game, but they can be captured and used by another player. If an enemy unit occupies a hexagon with an unprotected siege machine, alone without support units, it is captured. If the piece that captures it has no movement factor left when it reaches the siege machine, it may keep the siege machine but not use it. Once captured, the siege machine may be used by the player who captures it if it has movement points left to use, or in the following turns (assuming it still possesses it). If in a combat where a siege machine is stacked with units, these are defeated, the siege machine is captured by the other player.

11. Objectives Card

Each player has an objectives card that gives the value of the victory points of each objective, for each people or nation separately. Mark the circles beside the P.V. values to determine which objectives have been achieved. Fill in a circle if the objective is obtained and draw a thin line if it was not won. Use one column of circles per game, so the table can be used at least 7 times or more if you use a pencil. At the end of the game the total points should be recorded on a sheet of paper. Use the back of the message paper to note the completed objectives.

12. Explanation of the Objectives

The key to winning the game is to achieve the majority of objectives. To add colour to the game the objectives are written in a slightly different style and with abundant literary description. This has little to do with the actual objectives, so when an objective asks for something you should consider that:

• Wounds or kills: you must eliminate at least the number of combat factors cited, as a minimum.
• Occupies or prevents occupation: a counter must be kept in a city or enemy units must be prevented from occupying it. Sometimes this type of objective is the cause of your opponent being unable to achieve his objective.
• Establishes an alliance: write it on paper and if the alliance with that country is achieved you must show it to the other players.
• Survives: You cannot be eliminated by any opponent. You must keep at least one counter in any hexagon or in a city.
• Captures: You must capture the enemy deity and take it to 10 hexagons or more from its capital or to your capital city.

Many words have been chosen to give an added flavour to the game and make it more pleasant. Many have been taken from the real writings about the history of the Assyrian peoples and kings.

13. End of the Game

The game ends at the end of turn 15, and lasts about 5 to 6 hours for 4 players. At the end of the game each player verifies his final victory points, including conquered cities and points for capturing deities. Once the rules are mastered you can finish much sooner.

14. Who Wins?

The player who at the end of the game has the most historical victory points achieved wins the game.

The historical objectives assigned to each player are based on historical facts of each people or nation.

Each group is usually controlled by a single player and the objectives must be achieved by each people separately.

Once an objective is achieved it must be marked immediately on the sheet and the other players informed.

It is very possible that a people or nation will not survive until turn 15; however, objectives achieved before they disappear continue to count for the final count of the total of that group's peoples.

Therefore, the winner is whoever achieves the greatest number of historical objectives achieved.

Special Rules

15. Deities

Each nation has a counter representing the main deity and the cult of its people. A deity counter may be placed in a red-dot fortified city; it may only be moved when it is taken out of its temple by an enemy unit. Generally, they must be placed in the capital of the player who holds the counter.

The deity counter is considered captured when the city where it is located is occupied by an enemy counter.

Optional rule: At the end of the game each deity counter has a value of 2 victory points added to the total count.

Optional rule: The nation of Judah-Israel advocates monotheism, so, to simulate this unusual genocidal religious belief, when it captures an enemy deity it must permanently destroy its counter from the game. This is done simply by placing a counter next to the enemy deity and it is eliminated immediately from the game. No other nation may destroy a deity counter of the other peoples; only Judah-Israel has this option.

16. Prisoners

When a surrender occurs from the results of the combat table and prisoners are taken, the captured enemy counter is placed next to one of the attacking units. Stacking rules are ignored while for prisoners. The prisoner counter must be led to a red-dot fortified city of the player who captured it by any of his land counters. It may be left in the city and remains there until a prisoner exchange takes place. They do not have to be guarded after capture, since they cannot move by their own will, until they are released. Until a prisoner counter is returned to its homeland, its combat strength is 1, and if it is attacked, it uses this factor to defend itself.

Often in the heat of battle, the winning player may not want to bother taking prisoners, in which case the result becomes a surrender, wounded, or elimination.

When a city refuses to surrender, if as a result of the siege or combat it must surrender, all the units inside the city are permanently eliminated from the game (they are considered put to the sword).

* The Cimmerians can never be taken prisoner; they must be eliminated.

17. Oracles

Occasionally in the ancient Near East the peoples would consult their oracles before beginning a great battle or carrying out a treaty. This religious practice is added to the game in the results of the table. Needless to say, the plague was always a bad omen.

* Oracle Table (the number on the left is the die result):

1. "Your God has decreed your victory, attack again and you will conquer." (*You may attack again and the enemy may only defend with half of its combat factors.)
2. "Jehovah announces that an empire will fall; its God is weak and will not lend them his help." (*Its deity will not double the combat factor of the counters with which it is stacked in its next attack.)
3. "The liver is healthy", fortune smiles on the fortunate. (*A spy warns you in advance and you may withdraw from the combat without losses. The combat is null.)
4. "Beware of the gifts that the Greeks bring." (*You must hand over, in exchange for the gifts, all the prisoners you hold to their corresponding nations.) (The opponent must offer an amount of money or slaves for the prisoners that the enemy holds from him, and the opponent must accept.) (1 talent per combat factor, 1 slave counter per prisoner counter.)
5. "The blood of the goat says that today you will not emerge victorious in the combat." (*There is a traitor in your ranks; you attack again but with half of your combat factor.)
6. Plague: Roll the die twice and eliminate at least that number of combat factors. (*If playing with the slave variant, add to the retreat one slave counter for each slave counter of excess that the kingdom has.)

18. Plagues

When a result of "Consult the oracle" is obtained on the combat table, the die must be rolled again to see what is obtained on the Oracle table. Generally the omens are harmless, but if you roll "plague" it means problems… When you obtain the plague result on the die you must roll it twice more and the total obtained must be subtracted from the combat factors involved in the battle. Therefore, a result of 3 and 2 gives a total of 5 and at least that number of factors are removed from the game due to the resulting loss from the plague.

Given the low level and development of technology and medical knowledge in ancient armies, the possibility of contracting a disease and spreading a plague was very high. Suppiluliuma, the greatest king of the Hittites, died of a plague when Egyptian prisoners spread it among them. The Assyrians and other peoples were also prey to plagues. The Bible relates that Sennacherib at the gates of Jerusalem lifted the siege because the "angel of death" visited his camp, "the Plague".

19. Moses

In the fourth turn the Egyptian player must decide whether the Pharaoh authorises the exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt (Chosen People). If the Pharaoh authorises it, place the "Chosen People" counter in Heliopolis; in turn 5 place it south of Gaza in the desert; in turn 6 it is automatically placed in the Promised Land, at most 3 hexagons from Jerusalem, together with the counter of King David and of his deity Judah-Israel.

In turns 4, 5 and 6 no one may attack the chosen people. This rule has been added to give the game a biblical flavour and because of the historical frame of reference.

20. Sea Peoples – Invasion

Mass migrations were frequent in the ancient Near East and caused serious social upheavals. Many cities and civilisations disappeared because of these invasions. To reflect the influx of new peoples and the maritime invasions, the player who holds the Phrygians and the Philistines may bring these two peoples onto the game board in one of these two ways:

• Case 1: The Phrygians in any coastal hexagon north of Sidon in turn 6. The Philistines on the Egyptian coast in turn 7.
• Case 2: The Phrygians appear 3 hexagons from Gordium in turn 7. The Philistines appear on the coast of Palestine (Canaan) in turn 6, or in any coastal hexagon 5 hexagons from Ascalon.

In both options the Philistine units are not actually placed on the game map until the turn in which they appear and in the way the player chooses. It is the only exception to the appearance of units at the start of each turn.

Optional rule: The Philistine cities of the Pentapolis (Ascalon, Gaza, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath) must be ignored in the game until the appearance of the Philistines in that area. For them to become valid a Philistine counter must be placed in the city or pass through them; then they are considered founded and operative.

21. David vs Goliath

The David and Goliath counters each have a combat value of 1 and must challenge each other until one is eliminated. Any regular combat is ignored until this confrontation has been resolved. Both counters attack each other with a ratio of 1-1 until one eliminates the other. The results are:

• If David kills Goliath, the Philistines may not attack the Jews or occupy Jerusalem for 5 turns.
• If Goliath kills David, the Jews may not attack the Philistines or occupy Ascalon for 3 turns. If both die, both sides remain as they were until then.

22. Cavalry Units

Optional rule: Cavalry units that attack a foot unit from a distance of more than one hexagon double their combat factor if there is no enemy cavalry in that hexagon.

Cavalry units that attack or defend a Capital, Fortified, red-dot City halve their combat factor.

23. Queen-Consort

Optional rule: Occasionally, to cement a diplomatic union, a queen would be sent to another monarch as a sign of good faith. The "Queen-Consort" counter is used for this purpose; it must travel from the capital of its land to the capital city of the other player's nation. It has no combat factor and, if it is attacked by any enemy player, it may be captured or eliminated. Each nation may use one queen-consort counter per game for diplomatic efforts.

Political and Military Objectives

The victory point value (P.V.) of each objective is given after it. Where the source gives two values for one objective (a base value and a value marked with an asterisk for an optional rule), both are shown. Where the source gives no starting condition for a people, none is stated.

Group 1

Egyptian Empire

Starts in or to the West of Gaza.

1. Occupy the fortress of Megiddo in the first turn. P.V. 1
2. Occupy the fortress of Kadesh at the end of the fourth turn. P.V. 2
3. Eliminate 24 Hittite combat factors, the horrible enemies of the Hatti. P.V. 4
4. Prevent the Hittite occupation of Ascalon and Gaza (if the Hittites occupy another city, no victory points are gained for this objective). P.V. 2
5. Occupy Sidon in turn 6. P.V. 1
6. Occupy Tyre in turn 7. P.V. 1
7. Plot against Assyria and eliminate 12 factors before turn 10. P.V. 3
8. Prevent the occupation of Memphis (capital of Egypt) throughout the game. P.V. 1

Kingdom of the Medes

Starts within 3 hexagons of Ecbatana.

1. Form an alliance with the Neo-Babylonians (Chaldeans). P.V. 1
2. Control Nineveh from turn 14 to turn 15. P.V. 4
3. Eliminate a minimum of 16 Assyrian combat factors. P.V. 4
4. An army of 24 factors or more must be on the bank of the Halys river at the end of turn 15. All the factors must be there. P.V. 4
5. Eliminate 12 factors or more of Cimmerians. P.V. 2

Kingdom of Urartu

Starts within 3 hexagons of Lake Van.

1. Eliminate 12 or more Assyrian combat factors. P.V. 2
2. Occupy Nineveh, capital of the Assyrians, for one turn. P.V. 2
3. Defend against the Cimmerian invasion and eliminate 12 factors or more. P.V. 2
4. Keep two units at a maximum of 3 hexagons from Lake Van during turns 8 and 9. P.V. 1

Aramean Peoples

Starts on the desert frontier north of Damascus.

1. Control Damascus from turn 8 to turn 12. P.V. 1
2. Control Kadesh at the end of the game. P.V. 1
3. Eliminate 8 Assyrian prisoner factors (first they must be captured, taken to the capital and eliminated there). P.V. 1

Group 2

Assyrian Empire

Starts within 3 hexagons of Nineveh.

1. Occupy the fortress city of Mari at the end of turn 4. P.V. 1
2. Occupy the city of Babylon at the end of turn 6. P.V. 1
3. Capture the Babylonian god Marduk and take him to Assur or Nineveh. P.V. 2
4. Eliminate a minimum of 12 Kassite combat factors. P.V. 2
5. Eliminate a minimum of 12 Hittite combat factors (eliminated factors do not count for point 6). P.V. 3
6. Put the Hittites to fire and sword and eliminate 6 or more Hittite prisoner factors (first you must defeat them in combat, take them prisoner, take them to the capital and eliminate them one turn later). Cut down the Cedars of Lebanon and take them to Canaan (P.V. 1, plus 1* if the optional Sowing rule is played).
7. Subjugate the strange land of Judah and eliminate 6 or more factors. P.V. 1
8. Subjugate the Elamites in their own lair and occupy Susa in turn 8. P.V. 2
9. Occupy the cities of Carchemish and Damascus in turn 9, and capture their riches of silver and gold, taking them to Assur or Nineveh (P.V. 1, plus 1* if the optional Treasures rule is played).
10. Carry out a massacre, eliminate 6 Egyptian combat factors and occupy Memphis at the end of turn 9. P.V. 3

Peoples of the Marshes of Sumer

Starts in any marsh hexagon.

1. Eliminate 16 enemy combat factors in the North (Kassites). P.V. 3
2. Occupy and survive in marsh hexagons, until at least turn 10, with at least 1 counter. P.V. 1

Kingdom of Mittani

Starts within 3 hexagons of Haran.

1. Establish an alliance with Egypt against the Hatti (Hittites). P.V. 0
2. Occupy Haran from turn 1 to turn 4 with one counter (no points are received if there are no Mittani units inside the city during those four turns). P.V. 2
3. Eliminate 16 combat factors of the unfortunate Hatti (Hittite) enemies. P.V. 2

Kingdom of Lydia

Starts on the western frontier of the north-west corner of the board.

1. Occupy Hattusas (Hittite capital) at the end of the game. P.V. 1
2. Occupy Gordium at the end of turn 14 and hold it during turn 15. P.V. 1
3. Mercilessly eliminate 12 or more Phrygian combat factors. P.V. 1
4. Repel the savage Cimmerian hordes and eliminate 8 combat factors. P.V. 1

Group 3

Kingdom of Elam

Starts within 3 hexagons of Susa.

1. Eliminate at least 8 Kassite combat factors, and no more than 20. P.V. 2
2. Prevent enemy occupation of Susa from turn 1 to turn 15. P.V. 3
3. Lead Marduk to Susa on turn 5 and keep him there for at least 5 turns (counting starts from the turn after his arrival in Susa). P.V. 3
4. Eliminate 12 or more Assyrian combat factors at the end of turn 10. P.V. 3
5. Occupy Susa, Eshnunna and Ur in turn 15. P.V. 1

Hittite Empire

Starts within 5 hexagons maximum of Hattusas.

1. Eliminate, like livestock (ganado), 12 or more Mittani combat factors. P.V. 2
2. Occupy the city of Haran in turn 2 or 3. P.V. 2
3. Let the wrath of the Storm God fall upon the Pharaoh and eliminate 12 Egyptian combat factors. P.V. 2
4. Establish an alliance with Kadesh and prevent the Egyptian occupation of the city during turn 6. P.V. 1
5. Occupy Gaza in turn 8. P.V. 1
6. Occupy Ascalon in turn 8. P.V. 1
7. Drive back the invading Phrygian hordes and eliminate their pestilent presence by destroying 24 or more Phrygian combat factors. P.V. 2
8. Occupy the Syrian cities of Ugarit and Alalakh; create a new Syro-Hittite state at the end of turn 9 (both cities must be occupied to win the point). P.V. 1
9. Prevent an enemy from occupying Hattusas from turn 1 to turn 10. P.V. 3

Cimmerian Hordes

Starts in any hexagon north-east of Lake Van.

1. Destroy and sack Urartu; eliminate 12 or more combat factors. P.V. 2
2. Test the will of Assur and eliminate 12 or more Assyrian combat factors. P.V. 2
3. At the end of the game eliminate 40 or more combat factors in total. P.V. 1
4. Eliminate 12 or more Phrygian combat factors. P.V. 2
5. Eliminate 12 or more Lydian or Median combat factors. P.V. 2

Judah-Israel (The Chosen People)

See special rule "Moses".

1. Eliminate 6 Philistine combat factors. P.V. 1
2. Offend Ishtar by eliminating 6 or more Assyrian combat factors. P.V. 1
3. Be wise like Solomon and eliminate 6 Egyptian combat factors while the Pharaoh is occupied. P.V. 1
4. Do not allow the Chosen People to be exiled from Judah. P.V. 1

Group 4

Kassites and Babylonians

Starts within 3 hexagons of Babylon.

1. Crush the Marsh Peoples and eliminate at least 8 combat factors. P.V. 2
2. Eliminate 8 or more factors of the Elamite people. P.V. 1
3. Occupy the fortress city of Mari in turn 3. P.V. 1
4. Occupy the fortress city of Mari in turn 4. P.V. 1
5. Eliminate 12 factors of those who challenge Marduk. P.V. 2
6. Prevent the sacking of the holy city of Babylon from turn 1 to turn 10. P.V. 1

Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians)

Starts in Akkad, or in Sumer within 3 hexagons of Babylon.

1. Occupy Babylon in turn 15. P.V. 1
2. Eliminate 6 or more combat factors of Elam. P.V. 1
3. Establish an alliance with the Medes against the hated Assyrians. P.V. 1
4. Eliminate 12 or more combat factors of Assyrians. P.V. 2
5. Occupy Mari or Assur at the end of turn 14. P.V. 1
6. Lead Ishtar to Babylon and beg Marduk. P.V. 2
7. Occupy Jerusalem. P.V. 1
8. Make the Nile run red: eliminate 12 or more Egyptian combat factors. P.V. 3
9. When you capture the Chosen People, you must take them to a minimum of 10 hexagons from Jerusalem to score the points at the end of the game. P.V. 3

City-States

Starts in or beside the same city hexagon.

1. Aleppo. Eliminate 6 Hittite combat factors. P.V. 1
2. Carchemish. Occupy the city from turn 1 to turn 5. P.V. 1
3. Tyre. Occupy the city from turn 1 to turn 5. P.V. 1
4. Sidon. Occupy the city from turn 1 to turn 5. P.V. 1
5. Megiddo. Occupy the city from turn 1 to turn 3. P.V. 1
6. Kadesh. Allied with the Hittites. Eliminate 6 Egyptian combat factors. P.V. 1
7. Tarsus. Occupy the city from turn 7 to turn 10. P.V. 1

Phrygians (Sea Peoples rules)

No starting condition is printed in the source for this people.

1. Occupy Hattusas in any turn. P.V. 1
2. Occupy Kadesh in any turn. P.V. 1
3. Conquer the land of the Hittites; eliminate at least 6 combat factors. P.V. 1
4. Stop the tide of the savage Cimmerian horde; eliminate 12 Cimmerian factors. P.V. 2
5. Survive in Hittite territory and eliminate 6 Lydian combat factors at the end of the game (the units must be present on Hittite land at the end of turn 15). P.V. 1

Philistines (Sea Peoples rules)

No starting condition is printed in the source for this people.

1. Occupy Ascalon in turn 12. P.V. 1
2. Eliminate 6 Egyptian combat factors. P.V. 1
3. Send a message to King Saul; eliminate 6 combat factors of Judah-Israel. P.V. 1
4. Eliminate 6 Assyrian combat factors. P.V. 1

Summary of Peoples

• EGYPT: At first the New Kingdom of Egypt was the hegemonic power, and later its power declined.
• MEDIA: The peoples of the high mountains under the command of Cyaxares, together with the Chaldeans, ended the Assyrian kingdom and sacked Nineveh in 612 B.C.
• URARTU: A small but powerful kingdom north of Assyria centred on Lake Van. It was destroyed by the invasions of the Cimmerians.
• ARAMEANS: Numerous migrations entered Syria and Canaan from the desert. Jesus Christ spoke Aramaic, and even today its influence survives in the area.
• ASSYRIA: A hard people with a special ability for war, strongly militarised. Assyria was the first true empire that colonised and conquered the area. With a strongly imperialist and expansive policy, they were generally hated because of their military and commercial aggressiveness.
• MARSH PEOPLES: This people normally lived in the marshy land south of Sumer. They were particularly difficult to dominate.
• MITTANI: An Indo-European people that absorbed Hurrian culture and that introduced the extensive use of the horse.
• LYDIA: In the Hellenic period of Greek hegemony, the famous Oracle of Delphi gave Alexander the Great an omen: "If you attack tomorrow, an empire will fall." That empire was Lydia. It was situated in present-day Turkey.
• ELAM: A people that lived in the high, steep mountains and survived for a long time during this period.
• HITTITES: A strong Indo-European kingdom that possessed iron weapons and had a special ability to fight the Egyptians. The Syro-Hittites mentioned in the Bible are not the true and original Hittites. They are the Hittites responsible for ending the Amorite dynasty in Babylon when they sacked it shortly before 1600 B.C.

Unit Appearance Table

Transcribed from the appearance table printed in the source. The source does not define the "X" notation used in the cells (for example "8X6"); the values are reproduced exactly as printed and not interpreted. The Cimmerian and Kassite / City-State infantry cells are placed as printed; where the source's row alignment is ambiguous it is marked.

People	Turn	Infantry	Missile	Cavalry	Special
Group 1
Egypt	1	8X6	3X4	4X8	Amon-Ra
Egypt	4			2X6
Egypt	8	2X8

Note on the City-States row: in the printed table the "5X6" entry sits between the turn-1 and turn-5 labels of the same people. Its turn cannot be determined with certainty from the printed layout, so it is listed separately and not assigned to a turn.

Note on Egypt, turn 4 and turn 8: the source places "2X6" under cavalry at turn 4 and "2X8" under infantry at turn 8, as printed.

Combat Table

Transcribed from the printed Combat Table. Each cell gives the result for the die roll (row) and the force ratio (column). The printed ratio headers are 1:1, 1:2 / 2:1, 1:3 / 3:1, 1:4 / 4:1 and 1:5 / 5:1, reproduced as printed.

Die	1:1	1:2 / 2:1	1:3 / 3:1	1:4 / 4:1	1:5 / 5:1
1	Attacker eliminated	The player with ratio 1 retreats 2 hexes.	The player with ratio 1 retreats.	The player with ratio 1 retreats.	The player with ratio 1 retreats.
2	Attacker retreats 2 hexes.	The player with ratio 1 retreats 2 hexes.	The player with ratio 1 retreats 2 hexes.	The player with ratio 1 retreats 2 hexes.	Exchange
3	Exchange	Exchange	Exchange	Exchange	The player with ratio 1 surrenders.
4	Defender retreats 2 hexes.	Both players eliminated.

• *Exchange: Both players lose the same number of combat factors as the player who has fewer.
• *Consult Oracle: The die must be rolled to consult the oracle and the result applied before proceeding with another combat.
• *Retreat of a ratio-1 player: It must retreat 4 hexagons from the opponent and may not attack it in the next turn.

Siege Table

Used against units in Red-Dot City hexagons.

Die	1:1	2:1	3:1	4:1	5:1	6:1
1	N-E	Both players eliminated.	Exchange	Exchange	Exchange	Exchange
2	N-E	N-E	N-E	The player with ratio 1 is eliminated.	The player with ratio 1 is eliminated.	The player with ratio 1 is eliminated.
3	Attacker is eliminated.	N-E	N-E	The player with ratio 1 is eliminated.	The player with ratio 1 surrenders.	The player with ratio 1 is eliminated.
4

• *N-E: No effect.
• Attacks below a 1:1 ratio are not allowed.
• A city may refuse to surrender; in that case the units occupying it are immediately eliminated from the game.

Terrain Effects Table

Type	Effect on movement	Effect in combat
Swamp	Entering costs 6 steps.	Doubles the defender's factors.
Forest	Entering costs 3 steps.	Doubles the defender's factors.
Hills	Entering costs 2 steps.	No effect in combat.
Coast	If it has land, it is considered as such.	According to terrain.
Mountain	Entering costs 3 steps.	Doubles the defender's factors.
River	Crossing costs 1 additional step.	The attacker halves the units that attack across it.
Clear	Entering costs 1 step.	No effect in combat.
Desert

Note on the layout: the printed table's combat column is set in a grid, and some entries wrap across rows. The assignment above follows the order of the entries in the printed layout; where an entry could belong to two rows it is given under the row it most closely follows, and the printed table should be checked for those cells.

Optional Rules

The optional rules section of the source. Some items repeat rules given in the main text; they are kept as printed.

1. Movement

Optional rule "Encampments": If a combat counter does not move or makes only half its movement or less, it may "encamp" to improve its defensive position. Place a trench counter on top of it. The effects of encamping are:

• It ignores retreat if attacked; a retreat result is considered "no effect".
• In defence, it adds half of its combat factors to them (e.g. 12 factors would add 6 more factors, for 18 factors in defence. It symbolises the effects of camp defences, increased guards, etc.).

2. Combat

Optional rule: Only tripling the combat value, at most, is permitted when increasing by terrain value and others (e.g. Defender in city + deity + Leader = X3).

3. Diplomatic Phase

Optional rule: In a player's diplomatic phase, he is allowed to send one single written message to another nation to start a diplomatic agreement, and to respond to all the messages received from other players.

Optional rule: In addition to the original rules of the game, two extra types of diplomatic relations may be established: the Military Alliance and the Truce. There are no set rules for agreements, except that only truces are permitted, never alliances, between archi-enemy nations. The archi-enemy nations are:

• Egypt–Hittites
• Babylon–Judah
• Judah–Philistines
• Assyria–all nations (*the Assyrians were hated by all nations)

To establish a treaty with another nation or people, any conditions may be offered or requested, whether payment of talents or slaves (in the case of a truce).

A. The Truce. The truce allows two nations at war to establish a pact of cessation of hostilities for a certain number of turns. If the truce is accepted it must be written on paper, recording when it begins and ends and the conditions offered. A truce cannot be broken; one must wait for it to end. If two nations establish a truce, a series of requirements must be met:

• Talents and slaves may be offered (optional).
• Prisoners are exchanged between both sides.
• The queen-consort of the side requesting the truce is sent automatically to the capital of the kingdom that accepts it. If the queen was in another capital carrying out another mission, the player who requests it must withdraw her and send her on the new mission, the previous mission being cancelled.
• The units of both nations may not attack each other.
• Neither nation may exchange prisoners of other nations.

B. The Alliance. Two nations that are not archi-enemies may ally with each other. It must be written on paper which nation an alliance is requested from, when it begins and ends, and the conditions offered. If it is accepted by the other player, a series of requirements must be met:

• Talents may be offered for the negotiations (optional).
• Prisoners are exchanged between both nations.
• The units of both nations may not attack each other.
• Neither nation may exchange prisoners of other nations.
• Slaves may not be exchanged between the two nations.
• The queen-consort is sent immediately to the capital of the kingdom to which the alliance is requested. If the queen was in another capital carrying out another mission, the player who requests it must withdraw her and send her on the new mission, the previous mission being cancelled.
• The units of both nations may never be stacked together.
• The units of both nations may add their attack factors against an enemy hexagon. The units move on different turns but may attack in the same turn. That is to say, to attack jointly, a counter of one side must not move in its turn; it must already be adjacent to the enemy (it is supposed to be a reinforced attack on a held position).

4. Deities

Optional rule: A deity counter may move out of its original city provided it is stacked with another land counter, whether cavalry, infantry or missile. The deity counter doubles the combat factor of the counters with which it is stacked, both in attack and in defence. If the counters with which it is stacked are eliminated in combat, the deity counter passes under the control of the winning player.

Recovering a lost deity counter: A deity counter may be recovered if it has been lost in combat against another nation, provided it is not Judah-Israel, which eliminates it permanently from the game. To recover it, the player who lost it must win a battle against the player who seized it, and the enemy counter must be eliminated. The corresponding god is then considered to have smiled upon its people and regained its favour. The deity counter immediately returns to its original player.

5. Queen-Consort

Optional rule: Occasionally, to cement a diplomatic union, a queen would be sent to another monarch as a sign of good faith. The "Queen-Consort" counter is used for this purpose; it must travel from the capital of its land to the capital city of the other player's nation. It has no combat factor and, if it is attacked by any enemy player, it may be captured or eliminated. Each nation may use one queen-consort counter per game for diplomatic efforts.

If the counter is eliminated, it may be replaced two turns after its elimination if that nation still holds the capital (it is considered that the king has married again).

Optional rule: The queen-consort of the side requesting a truce or an alliance is automatically sent to the capital of the kingdom that accepts it. If the queen was in another capital carrying out a mission, the player who requests it must withdraw her and send her on the new mission, the previous mission being cancelled.

6. The Founding of the Kingdom of Judah-Israel

Optional rule: The Pharaoh must choose between letting the Chosen People leave or not.

If he accepts, he must:

• proceed with the "Moses" rule above, and also remove one chariot counter from the board (it symbolises the destruction of his army when trying to cross the Red Sea after Moses).

If he does not accept, he must:

• lose one army counter (of any combat factor) each turn in which the Chosen People are still in Egypt. Begin with the counter of greatest combat value (this rule symbolises the effect of the plagues and the presence of the Angel of Death in the land of Egypt).

• The counters of the kingdom of Judah-Israel do not appear in the game in the city of Jerusalem until the Chosen People counter reaches it.

• The cities of the kingdom of Judah-Israel (Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Lachish, Jericho, Bethel) do not exist for game purposes until the kingdom of Jerusalem is merged. To become valid, a Jewish counter must be placed in the city or pass through them; then they are considered founded and operative.

• Masada (hex 1696): The fortress of Masada is present during the game when the Jewish people appear. A fortress counter is placed on hexagon 1696 and acts as a fortified city until it is conquered. Counters defending in Masada never surrender; they ignore "surrender" effects and treat them as "elimination" (it symbolises the self-sacrifice of its defenders during the siege).

Optional rule: David and Goliath: The David and Goliath counters increase by one column the combat ratio of the units they are stacked with. If both are in a combat they must face each other first, and that combat is always to the death.

7. Slaves

A nation or people had a number of slaves that allowed it to maintain the social and labour functions in time of war, and they were a coveted spoil of war. Each nation starts with a number of slaves that will allow it to carry out a series of functions, but during the game that number may increase.

• Assyria: 2 initial slaves
• Babylon: 2 initial slaves
• Egypt: 2 initial slaves
• All other nations: 1 initial slave (*except the Cimmerians)

How slaves are obtained:

• The number of slaves may only be increased if prisoners are taken in combat or enemy cities are conquered. Each enemy combat counter taken prisoner may be exchanged for a slave counter if desired; once exchanged it cannot be rearmed as an army, nor can it be exchanged with the other nation.
• If a city is conquered, slaves may be obtained from the sack. To do so a slave counter is placed in it and it must be taken to the capital of the kingdom. The city is then razed and unusable and does not count for victory points at the end of the game unless it is rebuilt again.

Slaves always appear in a city. They may only leave it if accompanied by a combat counter; in that case they move the same number of steps as it, suffering the same terrain penalties.

They have a movement factor of 1 by themselves and may only move around a city.

There are no stacking limits for slaves.

Slaves have no combat factor; if attacked they are automatically eliminated.

Slaves may be voluntarily eliminated at the start of a turn before any action.

Slaves perform their functions (movement, sowing, construction) before all the other counters perform theirs.

The functions of slaves are:

• They allow a new city or a fortress to be built. The counter is placed in a hexagon and on the following turn the slave is removed. 1 counter for a City, 1 counter for a Fortress.
• They allow a city that has been razed and destroyed by the enemy to be rebuilt. For this, 1 counter must be placed inside the destroyed city and in the following turn the counters must be eliminated, returning the city to operative status.
• They allow the defences of a red-dot city to be reinforced, converting it into a fortified city. For this, 1 slave counter must be placed in the city and on the following turn it is eliminated; a fortress marker is placed in the city and from then on it is considered as such. The transformation of a red-dot city into a fortress does not increase its P.V. value; talents only reinforce it for defence. If it is destroyed in combat it returns to its red-dot city status.
• They allow sowing, which facilitates the maintenance of the army and population.
• For each slave counter added beyond the initial number, 1 is added to the die roll on the Oracle table (it is supposed that the overcrowding of masses of slaves, poor hygiene and sanitary deficiencies increased the risk of the appearance and spread of plagues).
• They allow fleets to be created in a coastal city. The slave is placed in the coastal city and on the following turn, after paying 1 talent, a fleet is placed adjacent to the city.
• A slave counter may only perform one function per turn.

8. Sowing

Agriculture was the main source of resources in those times and the basic means of subsistence of armies and people. The presence of this rule in the game allows the effects of famines on the population and on the armies to be taken into account. The conditions for sowing are:

• To sow, a slave counter must be adjacent to a city; then place a sowing counter beneath it. One may be placed per turn and per hexagon, so there may be at most 6 sowing counters around a city.
• Sowing is only possible on clear terrain hexagons.
• For each sowing counter one holds, the loss of combat factors in case of plague is reduced by 1 factor (it is considered that famine is reduced in the army, but not in the slave population, so the counter is lost anyway if applicable; this reflects the social abandonment of slaves).
• For each enemy counter held as a prisoner, one sowing counter must be eliminated per turn (maintaining many prisoners was an enormous expense in those times).

9. Treasure

Talent counters are used as a currency of exchange in political transactions. They serve to pay for prisoner exchanges if the Oracle decides, or to create fleet units. When a nation or people conquers a city it may decide to raze it completely or leave it in peace. If it leaves it in peace, the city remains as it is and suffers no economic or human losses, keeping its victory point value intact for the final count. But if it decides to raze it, it may choose one of the two following options:

• Raze the city and take slaves: A slave counter that appears in the razed city is taken, and a razed-city marker is placed in the city; its P.V. stop counting for the final count until it is rebuilt again.
• Raze the city and plunder its treasures: Cities have a value in talents of gold and silver. If it decides to plunder it, it takes the number of talents it is worth and places a razed-city marker; its P.V. stop counting for the final count until it is rebuilt again.

City	Talents
Hegemonic City	10
Capital City	5
Fortified City	2
Red-Dot City	1

A razed city has no function as a city for defence and movement until it is rebuilt again.

10. The Sea Peoples

The Sea Peoples are supposed to have come from Crete, the Aegean, Turkey and Cyprus. To represent their origin, on the turn they appear a fortified-port city of value 2 may be created in Cyprus. That will be their starting capital. This city may become a hegemonic city. A fleet of 2 ships will be assigned to it, allowing the transport of land troops; they start adjacent to the capital.

11. Fleets

Only two nations have fleets: the Egyptians and the Sea Peoples:

Nation	Fleet counters
Egypt	2 counters
Sea Peoples	2 counters (1 Philistine; 1 Phrygian)

Fleets allow the transport of units across the sea. Each fleet can transport one counter and only one of any type. They cannot transport slaves. Deity and Queen-Consort counters may be transported with any land counter and do not count in the transport calculation.

Fleets may not be stacked.

Pieces may embark and disembark at any coastal point. The counter cannot be moved, embarked, the fleet moved and the counter disembarked in the same turn.

To move an embarked counter it must already be embarked before starting the movement, but the fleet may move, disembark and afterwards attack with the counter, all in the same turn. A newly disembarked counter may immediately attack an adjacent enemy counter, but does so with only half of its combat factor.

Fleets have a combat factor of 1. If they engage in combat with each other they add the combat factor of the counter they carry, and if they are defeated both counters are lost.

Lost fleet counters may be created. For this, a slave counter is placed in a port city and in the following turn, after paying 1 talent, a fleet is placed adjacent to the port (the slave is not eliminated).

Fleet construction = 1 slave in port for 1 turn + payment of 1 talent.

Optional rule: The Egyptian fleet does not come into play until the arrival of the Sea Peoples.

12. Kingdom of Urartu: Hurrian Peoples

Optional rule: Urartu has no starting capital but may found cities and a capital. It may only found the capital Arzashkun (hex 3002): it is necessary to place a slave counter and then build it on the following turn. Its capital only has the value of a fortress, so it is worth 2 P.V. rather than 3 P.V., and it acts in every respect as a fortress-capital city. It can never be a hegemonic capital.

13. Cimmerian Hordes

The Cimmerians were a people of the Caucasus mountains. They cannot be taken as prisoners because they fought to the death; they were usually nomads.

Optional rule: They may found only one fortress-city during the game, but it cannot be a capital, and they may not build more cities or fortresses during the game. They must build it on a mountain hexagon as far to the north-east of the map as possible.

The Cimmerians do not receive starting slaves; they must obtain them through combat or sacking. Once obtained, they may build their fortress-city at the cost of one slave counter (only 1 is needed).

14. Cities

Optional rule: There are 4 types of cities: the hegemonic capital, the capital, the fortified cities and the red-dot cities. The capital is the most important city of the people or nation and is given in the scenario. The hegemonic city is the capital of the most powerful nation at that moment in the game. The fortified cities are those that carry the drawing of a walled city. The red-dot cities are considered relatively medium-sized unfortified cities.

Optional rule: Hegemonic City: The hegemonic city is the capital of the nation that holds the most cities, military and economic power at that moment. When the conditions change, and another nation or people acquires more cities, economic power and military power, the hegemonic capital changes side. The hegemonic city counter is then passed to the player who corresponds to it and placed in his capital. Only one hegemonic city may exist in the game at any turn. The hegemonic city is worth 4 P.V. at the end of the game. If a nation or people conquers a hegemonic city at a given moment, its P.V. are recorded at the moment it falls, but the marker passes to the player who holds the most controlled cities, the greatest army and riches at that moment.

There are 3 hegemonic cities during the game at the following turns:

• Turn 1: MEMPHIS
• Turn 4: ASSUR
• Turn 8: BABYLON

If at the turn of entry the hegemonic city counter is held by another player, it must be given to the nation that corresponds to that turn.

Optional rule: Slaves may found cities and build fortresses. To do so they must be placed in a hexagon, and on the following turn the counter is eliminated and a marker is placed in the hexagon. If a city or city-fortress is founded, it must be given a name, and it counts for the final P.V. count with its corresponding value.

The conditions for creating a city are:

• A city may be founded in a clear or coastal hexagon; it may not be founded in a forest, desert, swamp or mountain hexagon (except for the Cimmerians).

The cost is:

• City: 1 slave counter
• Fortified City: 1 slave counter

The construction values are added together, so if one wants to build a fortified city one must first found a city and then fortify it, so 2 slave counters are needed.

Optional rule: Tyre and Sidon count separately as Fortified Cities in the final count of points, but if both have been conquered by the same nation they are worth 5 victory points together (this symbolises the commercial influence of both ports in the area).

The following optional rules table is used:

Table of City Differences

Type	Rules
Hegemonic City	Up to 3 units may be stacked. Siege Table is used. The retreat result is ignored. Worth 4 victory points.
Capital City	Up to 3 units may be stacked. Siege Table is used. The retreat result is ignored. Worth 3 victory points.
Fortified City	Up to 3 units may be stacked. Siege Table is used. The retreat result is ignored. Worth 2 victory points. Tyre and Sidon are worth 2 points each separately but 5 points together.
Red-Dot City	Normal stacking rules. Combat Table is used. Units that defend double their combat factor. Worth 1 victory point.