Eternal Dynasty Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Start of Game
• Phases of Each Generation
• Event Phase
• Rulers
• Round of Play
• Gaining Influence
• Removing Influence
• Voting
• Leaders (Magistrates, Generals)
• Structures (Palaces, Fortresses)
• Scoring
• Coin Tokens
• Winning the Game
• Reshuffling
• Terms
• Recommended Players
• Variants
  • Special 2-Player Rules
  • Special 3-Player Rules
  • Basic Variant - No Events
  • Basic Variant - Only Minor Events
  • Basic Variant - No Coins
  • Advanced Variant - Ruler Draft
  • Length Variant - Longer 3-Player Game
  • Length Variant - Shorter 5-Player Game
• 2-Player Rules
  • Introduction
  • 2-Player Set-Up
  • 2-Player Rules Changes
  • Notes on 2-Player
  • List of Provinces
  • Note on Provinces
  • Specific Rulings on Rulers
  • Feng the Beloved, Fu-Quan the Strategist, Lu-Ban the Architect, Sun the Magnificent
  • Fu the Rat, Xue-Gui the Entrepreneur
  • Grand Educator Ing-Hwa
  • Kuo the Mountain King, Mei-Lin the Pirate Queen

Components

• 22"x22" Game Board

• 36 Ruler Cards (Ruler Deck)

• 89 Dynasty Cards (Dynasty Deck)

• 30 Vote Cards (Vote Deck)

• 20 Event Cards (Event Deck)

• 10 Aye/Nay Cards

• 300 Influence Tokens (50 1-Influence, 10 5-Influence of each player color)

• 5 Scoring Tokens

• 17 Scoring Reminder Tokens

• 5 Home Province Tokens

• 10 Leader Tokens

• 20 Structure Tokens

• 80 Coin Tokens (20 0-value, 40 1-value, 20 2-value)

• 1 Coin Bag

• 4 Event Tokens

• 2 3-Player Markers

• Turn Counter

• First Player Token

Start of Game

• The game will last a number of Generations equal to the number of players in the game.

• 3 Players: 3 Generations - 9 Rounds per Generation (27 turns total)

• 4 Players: 4 Generations - 7 Rounds per Generation (28 turns total)

• 5 Players: 5 Generations - 6 Rounds per Generation (30 turns total)

• Each player receives a number of Vote cards equal to the number of players (and Generations) at the beginning of the game.

• Each player receives 1 "Aye" card and 1 "Nay" card.

• Set aside 1 General card, 1 Magistrate card, 1 Fortress card, and 1 Palace card from the Dynasty Deck. Some Rulers will require these specific cards.

• Shuffle all Coin Tokens and set them aside, face-down.

• Roll randomly to determine the first player. That player receives the First Player Token.

Phases of Each Generation

• Event Phase (at the start of each Generation after the first).

• Deal 3 Rulers to each player.

• Deal 6 Dynasty Cards to each player.

• Each player chooses 1 Ruler and chooses and keeps a number of Dynasty Cards as indicated by their chosen Ruler, discards their extra cards and unpicked Rulers, checks "When Rulers are chosen" abilities, and adds 2 Military and 2 Political Influence to that Ruler's Home Province (in that order).

• Play X Rounds as dictated by the player count.

• Tally scores for the Generation.

• Remove all Leaders (Generals and Magistrates) from play.

• Set aside any Rulers chosen this Generation. Do not reshuffle them into the Ruler Deck.

• Pass the First Player Token clockwise. That player will be the first player for the next Generation.

Event Phase

An Event Phase occurs at the beginning of each Generation past the first. Events are classified as Minor or Major Events. At the beginning of each Event Phase, reveal and resolve one Event. If the first Event is a Minor Event, reveal and resolve a second Event. Events are revealed for the entire table and are not revealed individually by player.

Rulers

There are 36 Rulers total. At the start of the each Generation, each player is dealt 6 cards from the Dynasty Deck and 3 of the Rulers. Each Ruler has their own pool of Bonus Military and Political Influence markers, unique skills, and set number of cards that they keep for that Generation. Each player will secretly select a Ruler based on their Home Province, abilities, and card count.

There are 36 Rulers total. At the start of the each Generation, each player is dealt 6 cards from the Dynasty Deck and 3 of the Rulers. Each Ruler has their own pool of Bonus Military and Political Influence markers, unique skills, and set number of cards that they keep for that Generation. Each player will secretly select a Ruler based on their Home Province, abilities, and card count. After all players have finished choosing a Ruler, all Rulers are revealed, and players discard down to the number of cards to keep as indicated by their chosen Ruler. Discard all Rulers that were not picked.

Some Rulers may also have an "After Rulers are chosen" ability that will trigger at this time. If more than one Ruler has an "After Rulers are chosen" ability, resolve the abilities clockwise, starting with the first player in the Generation. "Cards" mentioned in Ruler abilities indicate Dynasty cards. Rulers that afford protection from cards or certain types of cards do not protect against Events or Votes.

Some "After Rulers are chosen" abilities require specific cards from the Dynasty Deck. These cards should have been set aside at the beginning of the game.

Each Ruler has a Home Province and adds 2 Military and 2 Political Influence token to their Home Province.

For ease of reference, place your bonus Military Influence on the top of your Ruler card near the Military symbol and your bonus Political Influence on the bottom of your Ruler card near the Political symbol. This way, all players can clearly see how much bonus Influence of each type your Ruler has remaining.

Round of Play

Play clockwise, taking turns starting with the Starting Player.

Once per Generation, at the start of their turn, a player may elect to call a Vote (see "Voting").

On their turn, a player may take one of the following actions:

• Place 1 Influence in or adjacent to a Province in which they already have Influence. The token is added to either the Military or Political half of the Province. A player may always place Influence in his Home Province even if he has no Influence there or in any adjacent Provinces.

• Play a card. In the event that more than one player takes action due to a card, play resolves clockwise, starting to the left of the player who played the card.

Gaining Influence

Whenever a player gains Influence for any reason other than adding the 2 Military and 2 Political Influence in their Home Province at the start of the Generation such as placement, card, Ruler ability, or Vote, they may choose to use some or all of their Bonus Influence. Bonus Influence must be placed in the same Province in which the player gained Influence and must match the type of Influence gained. If both types of Influence are gained, then Bonus Influence of both types may be spent. Even if another player causes you to gain Influence (such as through an Alliance card), you may choose to utilize your bonus Influence.

Some cards and Ruler abilities may not specify whether Influence gained is Military or Political. In that case, the player gaining the Influence may choose either or both types of Influence up to the total amount gained.

Some Rulers gain extra Influence in specific Provinces or Provinces in which they have no Influence. It is possible in some instances for a player to gain more than the normal 2 Military and 2 Political Influence in their Home Province after Rulers are initially selected.

Removing Influence

You may run into situations where a player cannot remove as much Influence as is required by a card, ability, Event, or Vote. In that case, the player must remove as much Influence as they are able to in compliance with the affecting source. You must always choose to remove at least 1 Influence when you are able to do so through a card or ability; in other words, you cannot target an empty area when you have a viable target.

Voting

Once per Generation, before using an "at the start of your turn" Ruler ability or taking their action, a player may elect to call a Vote, using one of their Vote cards. Calling a Vote does not count as your action for your turn. After discussing the Vote, players secretly set aside an "Aye" or "Nay" card. Once every player has selected their choice, reveal and tally the "Aye" and "Nay" votes. After "Aye"s and "Nay"s are revealed, players may then choose to use their remaining Vote cards to help the Vote pass or fail. Starting with the player to the left of the player who called the Vote, players may elect to spend some or all of their remaining Vote cards. Each Vote card can be cast as an additional "Aye" or "Nay" vote.

If there are more "Aye"s than "Nay"s, the Vote passes and the card takes effect, moving clockwise, starting with the player to the left of the player who called the vote.

Some Votes, if passed, will have consequences that can affect the entire Generation. For example, Consolidation of Power prevents any Leaders from being played for the rest of the Generation; however, if another player calls a Consolidation of Power Vote later on and it does not pass, then the new outcome will over-rule the previous one and Leaders can be played again.

Leaders (Magistrates, Generals)

• A player may only control up to 1 Magistrate and 1 General in a Province, but may have 1 of each in the same Province or have multiple Magistrates and Generals spread across multiple Provinces. Multiple Magistrates and Generals may also be present in the same Province if played by different players. Leaders are removed at the end of each Generation.

Structures (Palaces, Fortresses)

Only 1 Palace and 1 Fortress may be played in a Province, but both a Fortress and a Palace could be in the same Province.

Scoring

Tally scores at the end of each Generation.

For each Province, award the following:

• 2 Points to the player who has the most Military Influence

• 1 Point to the player who has the second-most Military Influence

• 2 Points to the player who has the most Political Influence

• 1 Point to the player who has the second-most Political Influence

• 1 Coin Token if a player has the most Military and Political Influence

• In the event of a two-way tie for first, each Ruler receives 1 Point. No points are awarded for three-way ties for 1st place or any ties for 2nd place.

• Players normally score 4 Points and 1 Coin per Province for having both the most Military and Political Influence.

Structures also provide additional Points.

• A Fortress provides 3 Points to the player who has the most Military Influence in that Province

• A Palace provides 3 Points to the player who has the most Political Influence in that Province

• It is possible for a player to score 10 Points and 1 Coin in one Province for having the most Military and Political Influence and also controlling a Fortress and a Palace in that Province.

• No Points are awarded on ties for Fortresses and Palaces

• Some Events may also award Coins. In the event of a two-way for first, each Ruler receives the 2nd place reward. No Coins are awarded for three-way ties for 1st place or any ties for 2nd place.

Coin Tokens

Coins are awarded primarily for controlling the most Military and Political Influence in a Province at the end of a Generation. Some Events may also provide Coin rewards. Each Coin is worth anywhere from 0-2 Points at the end of the game. When you receive a Coin, leave it face-down and do not look at it. Coins are not revealed until after you have tallied the points in the final Generation of the game. At that point, all players reveal their Coins and add their value to calculate their final score. Coins help disguise the score between players and add an element of uncertainty to final scoring.

Winning the Game

The player with the most total Points, including Coins, at the end of the final Generation wins the game! In the event of a tie score, the player with the most Coin Tokens wins (amount of Coins, not value of points from Coins). If the Coin count is also tied, the player with the most Influence tokens on the board at the end of the game wins. In the unlikely event that there is still a tie, the player who went first in turn order during the final Generations wins.

Reshuffling

Whenever a deck is empty, reshuffle that deck's discard pile. That is the new deck. The Vote Deck should never need to be reshuffled, but you may need to reshuffle the Dynasty and Ruler Decks. Remember not to shuffle back in any Rulers that have already been chosen as they should be set aside for the rest of the game.

Terms

New Province - A Province in which you have no Influence.

Represented Province - A Province in which you already have Influence.

Ruler - One player's chosen representative for their ruling family.

Border Province - The 7 provinces that are adjacent to the western edge of the map: Zhili, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guanxi.

Coastal Province - The 7 provinces that are adjacent to the eastern waters: Zhili, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi.

Recommended Players

When first learning how to play the game, we recommend starting with 3 or 4 players. The 2-player game requires some additional set-up that is unique to that game type, and the 5-player game is a longer and more confrontational game than it is with 3 or 4 players. Different player counts lend themselves to different types of games of Eternal Dynasty.

Variants

Special 2-Player Rules

Rules for the 2-player variant of Eternal Dynasty can be found in its own section following the listing of variants.

Special 3-Player Rules

At the start of the game, roll 2 different Provinces randomly. Remove any Rulers who have those Provinces as their Home Provinces from the game. These 2 Provinces are Quarantined for the duration of the entire game and no Influence can be gained in them. Place a 3-Player Marker in each of those Provinces as a reminder. Treat these 2 Provinces as removed from the game, and re-roll the die whenever the result is one of these Quarantined Provinces. This special rule constricts the flow of the board and forces earlier and additional interaction between the 3 players.

Basic Variant - No Events

Events are dynamic and can greatly impact the landscape of the board in the blink of an eye. Some players or playgroups may prefer less randomness. If so, simply set the Event Deck aside and skip the Event Phase for the duration of the game. This will shorten the game as well if you are looking for a faster Eternal Dynasty experience or have limited time.

Basic Variant - Only Minor Events

If you still want the dynamic effects of Events but do not want the drastic shifts that a Major Event can sometimes bring at the start of every Generation, remove all Major Events from the Event Deck at the start of the game.

Basic Variant - No Coins

Any time a player would receive a Coin Token (having the most Military and Political Influence in a Province or through an Event), that player instead receives 1 point. The scoring for this game variant will be less variable and more straightforward with all of the game information openly available. Final scoring is not obfuscated, and true point totals can be accurately calculated on each and every turn. Some players may prefer this over the more random nature of Coins.

Advanced Variant - Ruler Draft

When choosing Rulers, each player receives 3 Rulers at the start of the Generation as normal; however, Rulers are then drafted. Each player picks 1 Ruler and then passes the remaining 2 Rulers to the left. Then, each player picks another Ruler from those 2 and passes the remaining Ruler to the left. Players then choose their Ruler for the Generation from this new pool of 3 Rulers. On the next Generation, pass to the right instead and alternate passing with each subsequent Generation. On odd-numbered Generations, you will pass left, and, on even-numbered Generations, you will pass right. This variant will lengthen the game, especially with higher player counts, but can add additional weight and depth to the choosing of Rulers.

Length Variant - Longer 3-Player Game

• 3-player games of Eternal Dynasty are meant to be a faster and leaner Eternal Dynasty experience, but some players may desire a longer 3-player game with an additional scoring round. In this variant, follow the turn structure for the standard 4-player game. Each player will receive 4 Vote cards, and the game will last for 4 Generations with 7 turns per Generation. The amount of times that players will play first and last in a Generation will not be even (going last is generally considered an advantage). Rulers who rely on Dynasty cards for their power will become more effective than in the standard 3-player game.

Length Variant - Shorter 5-Player Game

• 5-player games of Eternal Dynasty tend to be longer and more complex compared to games with 3 or 4 players. As such, some gaming groups may desire a shorter Eternal Dynasty experience with 5 players. In that case, only play 4 Generations with 6 turns per Generation. As with the length variant for a longer 3- player game, the amount of times that players will play first and last in a Generation will not be even.

2-Player Rules

Introduction

The Eternal Emperor still holds to power; however, while he fights from a position of strength, his resources are limited to old alliances and petty political maneuvers. In truth, his allegiance can often be sold to the highest bidder. It is at this time that your family chooses to strike. Build your Dynasty and supplant the Eternal Emperor, but, beware, there is another family that has a similar notion.

2-Player Set-Up

• 1. Roll 2 random provinces to remove from the game as in a 3-player game. Select an unused player color to represent the Eternal Emperor.
• 2. Distribute the Eternal Emperor's Influence tokens. To do this, follow these steps:

• Roll 4 different Provinces and place 3 Military Influence in each.

• Roll 3 different Provinces and place 2 Military Influence in each.

• Roll 3 different Provinces and place 1 Military Influence in each.

The different amounts of influence can stack, for example, you can roll Hunan for both placing 3 Military and 2 military influence but not 3 and 3. Re-roll any results for a Province that has been removed.

Repeat this process for Political Influence.

• 3. Place a Fortress in whichever Province the Eternal Emperor has the most Military Influence and a Palace in whichever province he has the most Political Influence. Roll randomly to break ties.
• 4. Place the Eternal Emperor’s Starting Province marker in whichever Province he has the largest total amount of Influence. Roll randomly to break ties. The Eternal Emperor does not change his Starting Province during the game.
• 5. Each player begins with 10 Dynasty Influence. Dynasty Influence is used during the game to influence the Eternal Emperor. At the end of each Generation, a player may gain Dynasty Influence equal to the amount of unspent Bonus Influence on their Ruler. Players gain 2 Dynasty Influence at the end of each Generation for each un-played Dynasty Card.
• 6. Each player receives 5 Vote Cards.
• 7. Roll to determine who goes first.

2-Player Rules Changes

• 1. 2-player games take place over the course of 5 Generations with players taking 6 actions per Generation as they would in a 5-player game.
• 2. When a player plays a Vote Card, each player makes their decision while simultaneously and secretly choosing a number of Dynasty Influence to bid. Whomever bids the most Dynasty Influence (ties are broken by the player with the First Player Token) pays that amount of Dynasty Influence with the other player paying none. The player with the winning bid then declares which way the Eternal Emperor votes. All "Aye" and "Nay" cards are then revealed. The player who did not call the Vote may now discard cards to strengthen their position if they wish, followed by the player who called the Vote. If the Vote passes, it resolves for the player who did not call the Vote and then the player who called the Vote. Then the player with the winning bid resolves the Vote for the Eternal Emperor.
• 3. Whenever a player plays an Alliance card, they may choose the Eternal Emperor but must also pay 1 Dynasty Influence to do so.
• 4. Whenever a Dynasty Card requires the Eternal Emperor to make a choice, the player who played the card makes the decision for the Eternal Emperor.
• 5. The Eternal Emperor scores just as the players do. It is possible for both players to lose and for the Eternal Emperor to win.

Notes on 2-Player

One player will go first 3 times while the other will go first twice. One player will have one additional chance to play last in a Generation while the other player will have one additional Generation where they win ties when bidding Dynasty Influence for Votes.

Players may wish to use Basic Variant - No Coins as the hidden score mechanic is less important in a 2- player game.

List of Provinces

• 1. Yunnan

2. Sichuan
3. Gansu
4. Shaanxi
5. Shanxi
6. Zhili
7. Shandong
8. Jiangsu
9. Zhejiang
10. Fujian
11. Guangdong
12. Guangxi
13. Guizhou
14. Hunan
15. Hubei
16. Henan
17. Anhui
18. Jiangxi 19-20. Re-roll

Note on Provinces

Some Provinces have names that are very similar, so please be careful when checking these Provinces. Shanxi and Shaanxi are adjacent to each other and only a letter apart. Henan and Hunan also only differ by one letter.

Specific Rulings on Rulers

Feng the Beloved, Fu-Quan the Strategist, Lu-Ban the Architect, Sun the Magnificent

After using their special Leader or Structure card, set it aside. It does not go into the Dynasty Deck discard pile.

Fu the Rat, Xue-Gui the Entrepreneur

You can play a free card of the appropriate type either before or after your regular action for the turn.

Grand Educator Ing-Hwa

His ability triggers when placing your initial 2 Military and 2 Political Influence in Guangdong, so you will receive an extra Influence at that time. You also gain an extra Influence each time you gain Influence in Guangdong, so he can gain extra Influence in Guangdong twice, for example, if you called a Vote and placed an Influence token normally in Guangdong. He may also gain Influence of either type due to his ability, and his ability does not trigger itself again.

Kuo the Mountain King, Mei-Lin the Pirate Queen

You may gain Influence in a border or coastal province by either placing an Influence token normally or playing a card like Scouts, Envoys, or Bribe.

Li of the Sun, Mei of the Moon

Their abilities trigger when placing your initial 2 Military and 2 Political Influence in their Home Provinces, so it is possible for you to gain an additional Military or Political Influence at that time. You also check for their ability before you take your action. For example, if you play a Betrayal on another player with more Influence of the appropriate type, you will gain the extra Influence even if you have more Influence after resolving the Betrayal.

Wu-Gui the Paranoid

His ability is always in effect and takes place immediately. If another Ruler starts the Generation where you have Influence, they must choose to expend one of the initial 2 Military and 2 Political Influence that they would normally receive in their Home Province.

Xun, Twice-Blessed

If you roll a "1" when resolving his ability, it may wrap to "18" and vice versa.