Comuni
Comuni Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 game board
- 15 Communal Envoys (3 per player)
- 5 scoring markers (1 per player)
- 210 resource tokens: 50 Believers, 60 Soldiers, 50 Coins, 50 Artisans
- 1 Invasion marker
- 1 First Defender marker
- 88 Project cards
- 20 Activation cards (4 per player)
- 11 Bonus Wall cards
- 4 Notable tiles
- 8 Heroism tokens
- 50 Loot Points
- 5 banners (1 per player)
- 5 player screens
- 1 rulebook
Setup
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Place the board in the center of the table.
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Set the Heroism tokens on their corresponding spaces.
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Some Project cards show colored symbols (a small figure icon). Remove from the game all cards that show more of these symbols than the number of players.
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Divide the remaining Project cards into four decks according to the letter on their back (A, B, C, and D). Shuffle each deck separately. Place the four decks face down on their respective spaces on the board.
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Draw from Deck A as many cards as needed to fill the Project Columns according to the number of players. Fill the Project Columns from left to right, face up. Note the number of symbols at the top of each Project Column. Do not use columns that show more symbols than the number of players.
- 5 players: use all cards.
- 4 players: discard all cards with 5 symbols.
- 3 players: discard all cards with 5 or 4 symbols.
- 2 players: discard all cards with 5, 4, or 3 symbols.
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Place the Invasion marker on the Invasion Track. The starting space for this marker equals the number of cards remaining in Deck A.
Deck 2 players 3 players 4 players 5 players A 10 13 17 18 B 11 14 16 18 C 11 14 16 19 D 12 14 16 19 -
Place the resource tokens, the Loot Points, the 4 Notable tiles, and the Bonus Wall cards near the board.
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Randomly choose which commune each of you will play. Each commune has different starting resources and a number from 1 to 5 (shown on the player screen: Firenze is number 2, for example). Sit around the table following the order of these numbers.
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Take your commune's player screen and place it in front of you. Take the Starting Resources indicated in the table below and keep them hidden behind your screen.
Commune Coins Soldiers Believers Artisans 1 Lucca 2 1 3 1 2 Firenze 2 1 1 3 3 Siena 2 3 1 1 4 Bologna 3 2 1 1 5 Milano 2 2 2 2 -
Give the First Defender marker to the first player (i.e., the commune with the lowest number).
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Take the 3 Communal Envoys and the banner of your commune.
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Place all scoring markers on the 0 (zero) space of the Scoring Track on the board.
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Take the 4 Activation cards, one of each type, and place them on their Inactive (gray) side in front of your screen so that they are visible to all players.
Object of the Game
During the game you will send your Envoys to acquire various Projects and build them in your commune. These buildings will provide the income you need to keep developing and to defend yourself against 4 invading armies. After the fourth invasion, the player who has accumulated the most Victory Points wins!
Buildings and Resources
Your main effort in the game will be building structures that will in turn increase your commune's production. Buildings will also be your main source of Victory Points. There are 4 types of buildings: Economic, Military, Cultural, and Religious.
Each building has a Level, which represents its size and importance. Higher-level buildings generate greater income and are worth more Victory Points. The Level of a building equals the number of cards it is made up of.
Each type of building gives you a different type of resource. Each type of resource can be used in different ways during the various phases of the game. Buildings and resources are described in the table below.
All resources must be discarded when used.
| Building | Income | Use 1 | Use 2 | Use 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic | Coin | Used together with Communal Envoys for Project Auctions | At any time, you may use 2 Coins instead of 1 Soldier | — |
| Military | Soldier | Used to increase the strength of the Defensive League during an Invasion | Used together with Walls to defend against an Invasion | — |
| Cultural | Artisan | Used to buy an additional Construction Action | Used to increase the Value of a Project, allowing you to build higher-Level buildings | — |
| Religious | Believer | Used to move one of your Communal Envoys if you have been outbid in a Project card auction | At any time, you may use 2 Believers instead of any one resource | Used to remove Loot Points: 1 Believer = 1 Loot Point, 3 Believers = 2 Loot Points |
Turn of Play
The player who controls the commune with the lowest number plays first. At the end of a turn, play passes to the player on the left, and turns proceed clockwise.
During their turn, the active player must carry out the following 6 phases in order:
- Projects
- Replace Project Cards
- Check for Invasion
- Construction
- Assign Notables
- Remove Loot Points
Phase 1 - Projects
During this phase, the player must choose one of the following options:
- Option 1: Make a Bid
- Option 2: Acquire Projects
- Option 3: Claim Income
Option 1: Make a Bid
To acquire the cards in a Project Column, you must first place a bid and then claim them in a later turn. Each player may bid on a column (by sending a Communal Envoy) only once per turn, and there may be only one Communal Envoy per column. If the player decides to make a bid during this phase, they must take one of their Communal Envoys and place it on the column that interests them. They may then add Coins next to the Envoy. Adding Coins will make it harder for opponents to outbid the offer. If another player's Envoy is already present on the Column, the active player must bid at least 1 Coin more than the existing bid. Remember:
- You may choose not to add any Coins with your Envoy, thus bidding "zero."
- You may always use 2 Believers instead of 1 Coin.
- To outbid an existing bid, your bid must be higher, or you may not make that bid.
The player whose bid has been outbid may:
- Remove their Envoy and Coins and put them back behind their screen.
- Spend 1 Believer to move their Envoy and Coins to another column. The bid cannot be modified by adding or removing Coins. If there is no Envoy in the new column, the phase ends. If there is an Envoy there, the bid being moved must be higher than the one present (otherwise this move cannot be made). If the Envoy being moved outbids another player's bid, that player may now remove their Envoy or spend 1 Believer to move it in turn.
Example: Firenze has sent an Envoy with 1 Coin as a bid on the first Column. Milano has sent an Envoy with no Coins as a bid on the fourth Column.
Lucca wants the projects in the first Column (where Firenze's bid is present). To bid, they must send an Envoy with at least 2 Coins (one more than Firenze's bid). They decide the projects are worth 2 Coins and place their bid.
Firenze has been outbid, but does not want to see their Envoy removed from the board. So they decide to spend 1 Believer (discarding it). Their bid (Envoy with 1 Coin) can be moved to a different Column. They decide to move it to the fourth Column. This is possible because the bid is higher than Milano's. Now Milano would like to move their bid in turn, but they have no Believers! So they must take back their Envoy behind their screen. The phase ends and Lucca can proceed with "Phase 2: Replace Project Cards."
Important: if a player has all of their Envoys already placed on Project Columns, they cannot make another bid and must choose Option 2: Acquire Projects.
Option 2: Acquire Projects
By choosing this option, the player takes all the Project cards present in all the columns controlled by their Envoys. It is not possible to take only some of the cards. The player takes back all of their Envoys and discards any Coins played in their bids.
Some Columns bear an icon (a resource token icon). If the player acquires one of these Columns, they also receive one resource of their choice.
Option 3: Claim Income
When a player chooses this option, they take all the income derived from their commune and from their constructed buildings, as follows:
- Base income of the commune, plus
- Income from buildings, plus
- Income from Notables.
Base income of the commune
Each commune has a base income, indicated on the player screen and in the table below. The multicolored cube icon indicates a resource of your choice.
| Commune | Base income |
|---|---|
| 1 Lucca | 1 Believer + 1 resource of choice |
| 2 Firenze | 1 Artisan + 1 resource of choice |
| 3 Siena | 1 Soldier + 1 resource of choice |
| 4 Bologna | 1 Coin + 1 resource of choice |
| 5 Milano | 2 resources of choice |
Income from buildings
The Activation cards establish which types of buildings generate income. The player receives income for the buildings whose Activation card is active, i.e. shows its colored face:
- The player receives resources from all active categories.
- The player receives resources, for each category, only from the highest-Level building. For example, if you have 2 Military buildings, one of Level 2 and the other of Level 4, you receive resources only from the Level 4 building. If two buildings of the same type are equal, you receive resources from only one of them.
- The player receives as many resources as the Level of the building.
After receiving the resources, the player must flip their Activation cards to the inactive side (gray). You will no longer receive income from that type of building until you activate the relevant Activation card again (by building or expanding a building).
Income from Notables
If the active player controls a Notable tile, they gain the related income. This income is one resource of the type related to that Notable.
Important: you cannot receive resources that do not exist in the game's reserve. If there are not enough resources, the excess income is lost.
Phase 2 - Replace Project Cards
If any Columns are left empty, they must be refilled. Draw the necessary cards from the current deck and place them face up in the empty spaces until all Columns have been filled.
If you draw the last card of the current deck (so the Invasion marker has reached space 0), an invasion will be triggered. If there are still empty spaces, fill them with cards drawn from the next deck. Cards must be drawn from the decks in alphabetical order: first from Deck A, then B, then C, and finally D.
Invasion Track
The Invasion Track is used to show the number of cards remaining in the current deck, so that you can better predict when the next invasion will occur.
Every time you draw Project cards, also move the Invasion marker as many spaces as the number of cards drawn.
When a deck runs out, before drawing cards from the next deck, place the Invasion marker on the starting space for the new deck (see the Invasion Track table in Setup).
Phase 3 - Check for Invasion
If, during Phase 2, the last card of a deck was drawn, an invasion will occur!
If an invasion occurs, you must resolve it immediately before continuing with the other phases of the turn. Only once the invasion has been completed, or if no invasion has occurred, can the active player proceed with Phase 4: Construction.
Phase 4 - Construction
During the Construction Phase, the active player may use the Project cards they own to build new buildings, expand existing ones, or expand the city Walls.
Project Cards
Project cards represent the work of great artists and engineers that players contact to improve their city. There are two types of Project cards: those relating to a specific building type (yellow Project cards for Economic buildings, for example), which can be used only for building and expanding that type, and Wild cards, which can be used for building two or more building types. Wild cards are dark red and show the symbols indicating the building types that can be built in the top right corner. Every type of Project card can be used to build or expand the city Walls.
Each Project card shows:
- The Project's Value.
- The color and symbol indicating the building type.
- Any symbols indicating the minimum number of players for which the card should be used (see Setup).
Construction Actions
During the Construction Phase, the active player may normally carry out one Construction Action. A Construction Action means:
Building a new building or expanding an existing one, and expanding the city Walls.
You are not required to do both of these constructions. There is no cost to pay for building or expanding.
If the active player wants to build more buildings during the same turn, they can "buy" an additional Construction Action by using 1 Artisan. There is no limit to the number of additional Construction Actions that can be bought, so long as you have Artisans to spend.
Building new buildings
The active player can build a new building by playing a Project card of any Value. The color and symbol on the Project card determine the type of building and therefore the type of income it will give.
To build a new building, simply play the relevant Project card in front of your screen so everyone can see it. A new building is always built at Level 1. The number of cards determines the Level of the building (1 card = Level 1).
Expanding buildings
The active player can expand a building by adding cards to those already present. To expand a building, the player must play a card of the same type as the building being expanded. The Value of the Project card played must be at least equal to the building's new Level.
Place the new card on the table above the expanded building so that all the cards remain visible.
Construction and expansion rules
The active player can use their Artisans to increase the Value of the card they are placing. For every Artisan spent this way, the Value of the card is increased by 1.
Once a Project card has been added to a building, its Value no longer has any effect on the game — only the building's Level matters. The Level of a building is determined solely by the number of cards it is made up of, regardless of the Values of the cards themselves. A building made up of 3 cards, for example, is a Level 3 building.
There is no limit to the number of buildings a player can build, but the maximum Level of each building is 4.
Every time a player builds or expands a building, they earn as many Victory Points as the building's new Level. So a new building (Level 1) is worth 1 Victory Point. When it is expanded to Level 2, the player earns an additional 2 Victory Points (for a total of 3), and so on.
A player can start a new building using a Wild Project card. However, the building's type must be declared at the moment the card is played.
When a player builds or expands a building, they must flip the relevant Activation card to its active side (colored). This will make it possible to earn resources from that type of building on a later income claim (see Option 3, "Claim Income").
At the end of the Construction Phase, the active player may hold a maximum of 2 Project cards in hand. If they have more, they choose the excess and discard them.
In any case, once a Project card has been added to a building, it can no longer be changed or modified in any way.
Expansion examples
This building is Level 2 because it is made up of 2 cards. The player wants to expand it to Level 3. To do so, they need a card of Value 3 or higher.
- This Project card is of the same type as the building and its Value is 4 (>3). Since the Project card meets all the requirements, it can be used to expand the building. There are no additional costs to pay.
- This Project card is of the same type as the building, but its Value is not sufficient (2 < 3). This card cannot be used to expand the building unless the player spends Artisans to increase its Value. The player decides to spend 1 Artisan to increase the card's Value by 1. Now the card has Value 3 and the expansion is possible. (Note: the Value of a card can be increased by 1 for each Artisan spent.)
- This Project card is not of the same type as the building, but it is a Wild card that can be used to expand any type of building. The card's Value is 3, sufficient for the expansion. Since the Project card meets all the requirements, it can be used to expand the building. There are no additional costs to pay.
Expanding the Walls
A Construction Action also allows you to build and expand the city's defensive Walls. You may use Project cards of any type to expand the Walls. Turn the cards face down to represent the Walls. As with buildings, each Wall section can be at most 4 Levels high, and the Level of a Wall section equals the number of cards it is made up of. There is no limit to the number of sections each player can build.
Building the Walls follows the same rules as building buildings. Thus, a Project card of Value equal to or higher than the Wall Level being built is required, and Artisans can be used to increase the Value for this purpose.
Wall construction rules:
- You may use Project cards of any type.
- Project cards are turned face down.
- If a player expands a Wall section to Level 4, they immediately receive a Bonus Wall card. This card becomes a new Wall section of Level 1. This Bonus Wall can then be expanded normally.
- It is not necessary to complete a Wall section up to Level 4 in order to start a new section.
- Walls do not give Victory Points.
The Walls will be very important in defending the city during an Invasion (see Invasions). Higher-Level Walls offer better defense.
Phase 5 - Assign Notables
There are 4 Notable tiles in the game. Each corresponds to one building type. During the game, the player who owns the highest-value building of each type receives the related Notable, and consequently a bonus when they claim their income.
At the start of the game, no one controls any Notable tiles.
The first player to build a Level 2 building of a given type receives the related Notable tile. Place the tile in front of your screen, visible to everyone. From this moment on, the Notable tile goes to the player with the highest number of Victory Points in that building category. Remember that Victory Points equal the sum of the Levels of that building type. For example, a Level 2 building is worth 3 Victory Points (1+2), while a Level 3 building and a Level 1 building of the same type together are worth a total of (1+2+3)+(1) = 7 Victory Points.
It is possible to own more than one Notable tile if the player has the highest-value buildings of more than one type.
Each Notable tile grants the player a bonus of one resource when income is claimed. The type of resource is shown in the table below:
| Building | Notable | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Economic | Treasurer | 1 Coin |
| Military | Captain | 1 Soldier |
| Cultural | Architect | 1 Artisan |
| Religious | Bishop | 1 Believer |
Phase 6 - Remove Loot Points
During an invasion, if the defenses are not sufficient, cities will be damaged. This damage is tracked with Loot Points. At the end of the game, each Loot Point you hold inflicts a penalty of 1 Victory Point.
During Phase 6, the active player may remove Loot Points by spending Believers. By spending 1 Believer, you may discard 1 Loot Point. By spending 3 Believers, you may discard 2 Loot Points. You cannot remove more than 2 Loot Points per turn.
End of Turn
When the active player has completed all 6 phases, they pass the First Defender marker to the player on their left. It is now that player's turn.
Invasions
During the game, 4 different Invasions will threaten the players. After the fourth Invasion, the game ends. Each Invasion begins when one of the 4 Project card decks runs out. Invasions grow in strength:
| Project card deck | Invader | Base Attack Strength |
|---|---|---|
| A | Venice | 4 |
| B | The Pope | 8 |
| C | France | 12 |
| D | The Emperor | 16 |
Historical note: the Middle Ages was a very troubled period in Italian history. Foreign powers often tried to seize control of the independent city-states of the peninsula. The city-states were able to maintain their independence only by forming defensive alliances with each other. These alliances were called "Leagues."
When an Invasion breaks out, players defend themselves in 2 ways: through the Soldiers placed on the Walls, and through the League of Communes.
The League of Communes
The League is an army created from the Soldiers sent by each player for the common defense. This army will reduce the Invader's Attack Strength for all players. The defensive value of the League equals the sum of the Soldiers sent by all communes. Every commune will be defended, even if it did not contribute any Soldiers to the League! The player who contributed the most to the League will receive a reward in the form of Heroism tokens.
The Defense of the City
The League will not always be strong enough to defeat the Invader on its own. Each player must also place some Soldiers on their own Walls to defend the city directly.
The defensive value of each Soldier depends on the Wall section they are assigned to. Each Wall card can have only one Soldier assigned to it. The value of each Soldier equals 1 plus the Level of the Wall it is defending. For example: a Wall section of Level 3 with 3 Soldiers assigned (one per card) will have a defensive value of (3+1)+(2+1)+(1+1) = 9. You can also use Soldiers without assigning them to a Wall card, but in that case their defensive value is only 1.
A Wall card with no Soldier assigned does not contribute to the defense. Its Defensive Value is 0!
Invasions
Invasions do not strike all communes with the same strength. Richer, more powerful communes attract greater attention from the invaders, so players with more Victory Points will be attacked by greater forces.
Each Invasion is resolved by following these steps:
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Place each commune's banner next to its scoring marker.
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To determine the strength of the Invasion against each commune, find the player with the fewest Victory Points and move their banner to the space of the Base Attack Strength, also indicated on the Scoring Track. Then move all the other banners the same number of spaces in the same direction.
Each player can now read on the Scoring Track the strength of the Invasion that will strike them: the player with the fewest Victory Points will always be attacked with a force equal to the Invasion's Base strength, while the other players will face a more dangerous Invasion.
Important: players who have more Victory Points will be attacked by a greater force!
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All players must now secretly decide how many Soldiers to send to fight in the Defensive League and how many to send to defend the Walls. Hide the Soldiers you are sending to the League in the fist of your right hand, and the Soldiers you are sending to the Walls in the fist of your left hand.
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All players reveal their Soldiers simultaneously. Each player places the Soldiers sent to the League on their city's figure on the board. Add up all the Soldiers sent to the League. This total is subtracted from the Invasion's strength against every commune, so move all banners backward as many spaces as the strength of the League. The number on the Scoring Track next to each banner will be the Invader's final attack strength against that commune.
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Compare the strength of each commune's City Defense to the strength of the Invader attacking it. If the City Defense value is equal to or greater, the commune is victorious. Otherwise, the city has been defeated and looted (see "Loot Points" below).
Remember:
- To successfully defend your city, the combined value of your City Defense and the Defensive League must be at least equal to the strength with which the Invader is attacking your city.
- Each player can always use 2 Coins or 2 Believers instead of 1 Soldier. To avoid giving information to your opponents, you may keep these Coins and/or Believers directly in your hands together with your actual Soldiers.
- You are not required to use all of your Soldiers! Once the battle is over, all Soldiers used are discarded. You may choose to save some of your Soldiers to defend against future Invasions. Leave unused Soldiers behind your screen.
- During an Invasion, the player who holds the First Defender marker has a bonus of 1 extra point in their City Defense.
Loot Points
If the value of your City Defense is lower than the Invader's attack strength against your commune, your city is looted. Each player receives 1 Loot Point for every point of difference between the attack strength and the defense value.
Each player can repair the damage suffered, and thus discard Loot Points, during Phase 6. At the end of the game, each unrepaired Loot Point takes away 1 Victory Point.
Important: do not reduce your score when you receive a Loot Point! The score reduction only happens at the end of the game.
Heroism Tokens
At the end of the battle, the commanders of the Defensive League are rewarded for their efforts. To assign these tokens, follow these steps:
- Only the two players who contributed the most Soldiers to the League are entitled to take Heroism tokens. All other players are not entitled to take a Heroism token under any circumstances.
- Of these two players, whoever contributed more Soldiers to the League is entitled to take the higher-value Heroism token. The other player is entitled to the lower-value Heroism token.
- In case of a tie, the player with fewer Victory Points has priority. In case of a further tie, the player with the lower commune number (shown on the player screen) has priority.
- These two players may take their Heroism token only if, during the current Invasion, they did not take any Loot Points. If they did, the relevant Heroism token is not awarded and must be removed from the game.
- Under no circumstances can a player who did not contribute any Soldiers to the League take a Heroism token.
- Under no circumstances can a player who took Loot Points take a Heroism token.
Heroism tokens are kept hidden behind your screen. At the end of the game, players receive Victory Points equal to the value of the Heroism tokens they hold.
Important: do not update your score when you receive a Heroism token! They are only counted at the end of the game.
Once the Invasion has been completed and any Loot Points and Heroism tokens have been assigned, the active player's turn can proceed with Phase 4 and the following phases.
The Emperor's Invasion
The final Invasion of the game is the Emperor's. This Invasion occurs when Deck D runs out, and it follows different rules from the others.
The Emperor's Invasion is not played on the same turn in which Deck D runs out. Instead, the active player finishes their turn normally. However, the First Defender marker is not passed to the next player.
All players now take one full additional turn, including the player who triggered the Invasion (who therefore has the First Defender marker in front of them). Only then is the Emperor's Invasion resolved.
The Emperor's Invasion follows the normal rules of the other Invasions.
Once it is complete, the game ends and Final Scoring is calculated.
Final Scoring
All players reveal all the resources and tokens hidden behind their screens, and rewards and penalties are calculated as follows:
- Each Notable owned grants a reward of 3 Victory Points.
- Compare each type of resource (Coins, Soldiers, Artisans, and Believers). The player with the majority of a type receives 2 Victory Points. It is possible for a player to earn this reward for more than one type of resource. If there is a tie for a resource type, all tied players receive 1 Victory Point.
- Each player receives as many Victory Points as the value of the Heroism tokens they hold.
- Each player loses 1 Victory Point for every Loot Point they hold.
- Finally, each player checks, among the 4 building types, the one in which they hold the fewest Victory Points. They receive as many Victory Points as the value of that lowest-scoring type. For example: a player has a Level 4 Economic building (10 VP), a Level 3 Military building (6 VP), a Level 2 Religious building (3 VP), and two Cultural buildings of Level 2 and 1 (3+1 = 4 VP); the lowest-value type is Religious, so they receive 3 Victory Points. If a player does not own buildings of all four types, they receive no Victory Points from this bonus.
Important: you cannot use 2 Believers instead of another type of resource, or 2 Coins instead of 1 Soldier, during Final Scoring.
The player with the most Victory Points wins! In case of a tie, the winner is the tied player who controls the commune with the lowest number.
Credits
Authors: Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Antonio Tinto, Stefano Luperto
Development: Luca Pansecchi, Piero Cioni, Fabio Sgubbi
Illustrations: Giorgio Albertini, Giuseppe Rava
Graphics: Luca Pansecchi
© 2005-2008 TenkiGames SrlU. Our thanks to everyone who contributed to playtesting the game. Special thanks to: Andrea "Sargon" Cupido, Virgilio "Genma1" Spaziani, Piero Cioni, Claudio Pansecchi, Ludoroma, La Tana dei Goblin, Maghi Guerrieri e Menestrelli, and IDG (www.inventoridigiochi.it).
TENKIGAMES™ and Comuni™ are registered trademarks of TENKIGAMES SrlU. All rights reserved.