Chronicler

Chronicler Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

90 Advancement Cards, 4 Player Sheets, 1 Rulebook

Objective

The game is played over 3 Eras, with an Era Shift after each Era. (Era 1 - Shift - Era 2 - Shift - Era 3 - Shift - End of the Game). The game ends either when the third Era Shift is triggered, or when any player plays an Age 9 Advancement Card. The player with the highest score at the end wins the game.

Card Details

Age of the Advancement Card (Age 1~9)
Card Symbol
Name of the Advancement
Required number of Tech Point

There is no difference between cards sharing the same Age. For example, any card of Age 4 is functionally the same as any other Age 4 card.

Game Setup

Isolate all of the Advancement Cards with a black 'V' symbol. Deal each player one such card from each Age 1 to 3 (one Age 1, one Age 2, one Age 3). Shuffle all remaining cards into the deck and deal each player 6 cards (Each player begins with 9 cards). Separate the remaining cards into three facedown piles. Shuffle two of these piles together; this will be the deck you will begin the game with, the Resource Deck. Leave a space near the Resource Deck for the Discard Pile. Set aside the third pile; you will use it during the first Era Shift.

For 2-player game, remove the 27 cards with the 'V' symbol before you begin setup.

Gameplay (Age of Peace): 4 Actions, 4 Structures Mode

In clockwise order from the first player, each player will play 2 actions from the 4 actions listed below. (You are allowed to play the same action twice.)

Obtain Resources Draw 1 card from the Resource Deck.
Advance Civilization Play 1 card from your hand to the right side of your Player Sheet according to the rules below.

When you play an Advancement Card, place it in the appropriate row according to its Age - Ages 1-3 - Top Row, Ages 4-6 - Middle Row, and Ages 7-9 - Bottom Row. This is helpful for scoring at the end of the game and also when you play the Age of Conflict mode.

Top row for the Ages 1-3. Middle row for the Ages 4-6. Bottom row for the Ages 7-9.

Condition for advancing your civilization

In order to play an Advancement Card, check the Age level in the upper-left corner and the Tech Point Requirement in the lower-left corner. Now look at ALL of the Advancement Cards in play, yours and other players', that are exactly one Age lower than the card you wish to play. Those cards in play will give you the Tech Points (TP) you need to play your card. Each card that you control that is exactly one Age lower than the card you wish to play, gives you 2 TP. Each card controlled by any other player that is exactly one level lower than the card you wish to play, gives you 1 TP. (Example- Computers is an Age 7 card that requires 5 TP from Age 6 cards to play. You have two Age 6 cards, giving you 4 TP total. There is one other Age 6 card controlled by another player, giving you the final TP you need to play Computers.)

All other players: [6] (1TP) You: [6][6] (4TP) => 5TP: [7] Age, Possible to advance.

All other players: [6][6] (2TP) You: [6] (2TP) => 4TP: [7] Age, Impossible to advance.

You cannot play a card if you already control a card of the same name. You cannot play a card with a lower Age value than the highest card you control. For example, you control an Age 5 card, you cannot play cards Ages 1 - 4.

Research Technologies Discard from your hand as many cards as you wish that are at or above your current Age (the highest Age card you control), and draw that many cards from the Resource Deck. For example, if you control an Age 4 card, you are allowed to discard any cards Ages 4 - 9. Or, discard three cards of the current/future Age from your hand and take any one card from the Discard Pile and put it in your hand.
Build a Structure Building a Structure allows you to play one card from your hand to the left of your Player Sheet, according to the rules below. The card you play can be a new Structure, or added to an existing Structure to create a new form.

Condition for Building a Structure

When building a Structure, you can use cards in your hand from the current and past Ages. For example, if you control an Age 5 Advancement Card on the right side of your board, you can use cards of Ages 1-5 to build Structures. Additionally, your highest Age Advancement Card determines the largest Structure you can have. No Structure can be larger than your current Age. For example, if your current Age is 4, you will be unable to finish the Plaza until you reach Age 5. You can control up to two of each Structure type.

List of Structures

Structures	Form	Ability
Monument	Single card	No ability, +2 Score
Road	Two cards side by side, horizontally	+1 TP to use when Advancing Civilization
Granary	Three cards: two side by side, with one card below the right-hand card	During Era Shift, +3 to your hand limit. (Refer to the Era Shift section)
Plaza	Five cards: a plus shape (one card above, a row of three, one card below)	+1 Action

The abilities of a Structure takes effect on your next turn. Structures can be modified by adding a new card to them. When this happens, the ability of the old Structure is no longer active and the ability of the new Structure will take effect on your next turn.

Era Shift

The game shifts Eras when the Resource Deck is depleted. First, each player discards down to three cards in their hands. During the shift from Era 1 to Era 2, take all of the cards that have been previously discarded, as well as the deck you set aside at the beginning of the game and shuffle them all together to form the new Resource Deck. In the shift from Era 2 to Era 3, again each player discards down to three cards. Then shuffle all previously discarded cards to form the new Resource Deck. If you trigger an Era Shift during your turn, pause to resolve the Era Shift and then continue your turn as normal.

End of the Game

The game ends when one of two conditions is met:

As soon as a player plays an Age 9 card. In this case, all other players get one last action (not a full turn) and then the game ends. You are not required to take this action.
As soon as the third Era Shift occurs. In this case, the game ends immediately. Calculate scores to determine the winner.

Score Calculation

Use your Player Sheet to help determine your final score.

Each card played to the left of your sheet as part of a completed Structure = +2 points.
Each card played to the right of your sheet:
- Ages 1-3 = +3 points each
- Ages 4-6 = +4 points each
- Ages 7-9 = +5 points each
First player to play an Age 9 card = +7 points
Each card in your hand, after the first one, that is Age 9 = -6 points each.

The player with the highest score wins! If there is a tie, the player who controls an Age 9 card wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the largest Structure wins.

CHRONICLER - Age of Conflict

Age of Conflict Intro

Chronicler can be played in two modes - Age of Peace or Age of Conflict. Choose which mode you will play before you begin. It is recommended that you play the Age of Peace mode before trying Age of Conflict. Age of Conflict adds two additional available actions, as well as new Structures available to build.

Game Setup (Age of Conflict)

Game Setup rules are the same as 'Chronicler - Age of Peace.'

Gameplay (Age of Conflict): 6 Actions, 9 Structures Mode

All the rules are the same as 'Chronicler - Age of Peace', except some additional actions and buildings.

Additional Actions

Attack As an action, take a card from your hand and use it to cover up an Advancement Card controlled by another player. The covered card is now a Lost Tech and is considered blank for all purposes involving - Attack, Researching Technologies, and Building a Construct. The player controlling this Lost Tech is still unable to play a card of the same name as the Lost Tech. Additionally, in the event that their highest-Aged card was Attacked, they cannot Advance Civilization with a lower-Aged card.

Condition for the attack You can only use cards which are equal to, or lower than, your current Age (your highest Age Advancement Card).

You will gain loot after you Attack. If you Attack a player who controls a higher-Aged card than you, you draw two cards from the Resource Deck. If you Attack a player whose highest-Aged card is equal to or lower than yours, you draw one card.
Rediscover Lost Tech As an action, remove one card from a top any Advancement Card.

Case 1: Rediscover Lost Tech in normal cases. Case 2: Rediscover Lost Tech when Attacked with Barracks.

(Editor's note: the printed text reads "from a top any Advancement Card"; transcribed as printed.)

List of Structures (Age of Conflict)

Structures	Form	Ability
Monument	Single card	No ability, +2 Score
Road	Two cards side by side, horizontally	+1 TP to use when Advancing Civilization
Library	Two cards stacked vertically	Fortifications, Rediscover Lost Tech twice with one Action
Granary	Three cards: two side by side, with one card below the right-hand card	During Era Shift, +3 to your hand limit. (Refer to the Era Shift section)
Laboratory	Three cards side by side, horizontally	+1 Card when you Research Technologies
Barracks	Three cards side by side, with one card below the right-hand card	Attack 2 cards with a single card (you can cover two horizontally adjacent Advancement Cards with one card, one action)
Mine	Three cards along the top, with one card below each of the two end cards

Player Sheet (Age of Conflict side)

The Player Sheet is labelled with these areas:

Available Structures - Structures building area
Points per card played on the left as a structure
Available Actions
Penalty for extra Age 9 cards
Bonus points for playing first Age 9 card
Points per card by Age
Points for Lost Techs
Types and quantities for cards in each age (for instance, in Age 3 there are four types of cards, three of each type.)
Civilization advancement area for each Ages

Score Calculation (Age of Conflict)

Follow all rules for scoring and breaking ties as in Age of Peace. However, each Lost Tech is worth only 1 point regardless of what row it is in on your sheet.

Q & A

If you have any question while or after playing the game, refer to the Q&A. You don't have to read the whole contents - just read what you are wondering about.

General Questions

Q: Can I choose to forfeit an action? A: No. You must use all your actions each turn. The only exception is the final action given to you by a player playing an Age 9 card.

Q: Are all cards kept hidden? A: Cards in your hand should always be kept hidden. Players can always look at discarded cards, cards played as Structures, and cards used to Attack.

Q: Can I do the same action twice in a turn? A: Yes you can. And if you have two Plazas, you could do the same action 4 times!

Questions about Advance Civilization

Q: Is the TP requirement different among cards and Ages? A: It is different from Age to Age, but always the same among cards of the same Age. Age 1 cards require zero TP, Age 2 cards require three TP, and Ages 3 and up require five TP.

Q: Do I need to advance in order from Age 1 to Age 9? A: Not necessarily. If other players control enough cards of a particular Age, you could certainly skip an Age. For instance, if your opponents have three Age 1 cards among them and you have zero, you could use the TP you gain from them to play an Age 2 card. Keep in mind though, that you can never play a card that is lower than you highest Aged card.

Q: How does the Road work? A: A Road will give you, and only you, a permanent +1 TP for purposes of Advancing Civilization.

Questions about Attacking

Q: Can I Attack a card that is already a Lost Tech? A: No. An Advancement Card can only have one card on top of it at a time.

Q: Do I have to meet any conditions to Attack a card? A: No. You can Attack any Advancement Card in play. Keep in mind that you cannot Attack Structures.

Q: I have a Barracks that allows me to cover two cards with one card; can I cover two cards that are adjacent vertically? A: No. You can only use the Barracks to cover cards which are horizontally adjacent.

Questions on Rediscovering Lost Tech

Q: Can I Rediscover Lost Tech on another player's Advancement Card? A: Yes. You can Rediscover any Lost Tech, even those belonging to another player.

Questions on Research Technology

Q: Am I allowed to discard my entire hand on my first turn and draw 9 new cards? A: Yes. This is something like a mulligan.

Questions on Build a Structure

Q: Do I have to build a Structure completely all in one turn? A: No. You can spread out the building of a Structure over many turns. But remember, unfinished Structures are worth no points at all at the end of the game.

Q: Since I can have up to two instances of each Structure, what does a second Fortifications do for me? And a second Library? A: Nothing. A second Fortifications or Library will give you no extra benefit, but of course you'll gain points for them at the end of the game.

Q: Can I rotate Structures or remove a card from a finished Structure? A: No. Once a card has been played it cannot be changed. You can play more cards onto it to create a new Structure.

Q: Can I join two Structures together to make a new Structure? For instance, can I merge a Library and a Granary to make a Mine? A: Yes. As long as you do not shift the orientation of a card or Structure, you can merge two completed Structures to form a new one. Keep in mind that you will lose the abilities of the two old Structures, and the new ability will not be active until your next turn.

Questions on Era Shift

Q: The Resource Deck only has a few cards in it after shuffling; what should we do? A: Continue the game as normal as long as there are card in the Resource Deck. If there are not enough cards to form a new Resource Deck the third Era Shift triggers immediately and the game will end.

Questions about the End of the Game

Q: The end game triggered by a player playing an Age 9 card. It's my final, extra action and there's nothing for me to do; what happens? A: Nothing, unfortunately. If you cannot, or choose to not, use your last action, you simply pass the turn.

Q: Again we triggered by an Age 9 being played. I have a Plaza in play; do I get an extra action on the final turn? A: No. When the game ends by a player playing an Age 9 card, all other players get exactly one Action.

Questions on Scoring

Q: I'm confused on the -6 points for Age 9 cards in hand. Help? A: At the end of the game, you will lose 6 points for each Age 9 card in your hand after the first one. So, one Age 9 in hand you lose no points. Two Age 9 cards, -6 points. Three Age 9 cards, -12 points, and so on.

Q: Are Lost Techs always just 1 point regardless of positioning? A: Yes. This makes it so that players will likely Attack your higher-Aged cards.