Pecunia non olet (Second Edition) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Background and objective of the game
• Game contents
• Preparation
• Game Play
  • 1. Remove the turn marker
  • 2. Collect sesterces
  • 3. Re-occupy the latrine
    • Replenishing the queue
  • 4. Drawing an action card
• Playing action cards
• End of the game
• Variation for the distribution of the Roman cards when the game begins
• Action Cards
  • Action cards that can exchange Roman cards in the queue
  • Action cards that change the length of sitting time of Roman cards
  • Action cards that change the number of sesterces on Roman cards
  • Action cards that are acquired with other action cards
• Expansion Modules
• Module 1: Famous Romans
  • The individual Famous Roman cards
    • Famous Roman cards that can exchange Roman cards in the queue
    • Famous Roman cards that change the discarding rules of Roman cards
    • Famous Roman cards that change the length of sitting time of Roman cards
    • Famous Roman cards that change the number of sesterces on Roman cards
    • Famous Roman cards that are acquired with other action cards
• Module 2: Latrine Upgrades
  • The upgrades in detail
    • Upgrades that change the discarding rules of Roman cards
    • Upgrades that change the length of sitting time of Roman cards
    • Upgrades that change the number of sesterces on Roman cards
    • Upgrades that are acquired with other action cards
• Module 3: Events
  • The individual event cards
    • Events that can exchange Roman cards in the queue
    • Events that change the length of sitting time of Roman cards
    • Events that change the number of sesterces on Roman cards
    • Events that are acquired with other action cards
• Module 4: Career ladder
  • The individual career ladder cards
• Module 5: Favour of the gods
  • The individual favour cards
• Glossary

Background and objective of the game

The players try to generate the most sesterces as operators of public latrines in ancient Rome. To achieve this, you need to attract wealthy customers to your own latrine while leaving the competition with only the less-generous Romans.

However, not only the payment matters to the business-minded Roman latrine operator but also the length of stay of his customers in the latrine…

Game contents

Basic Game:

• 1 Instructions
• 6 Latrines
• 80 Turn markers
• 70 Roman cards (senators, citizens, slaves, Roman women)
• 36 Action cards (beige border)
• 21 coins (10 sesterces)
• 15 coins (5 sesterces)
• 42 coins (1 sesterces)

New to the game:

• 18 Famous Romans cards (golden line) (Module 1)
• 12 Action cards (dark red border)
• 18 Latrine upgrades (Module 2)
• 10 Event Cards (Module 3)
• 6 Career ladders & marker piles (Module 4)
• 7 Favour cards (Module 5)

If you are playing Pecunia non olet for the first time, remove the action cards with the dark red border and the "Famous Romans" cards with a golden line from the respective stacks. The unused material of the expansion modules is then placed back into the box.

Preparation

Each player places a latrine with 3 seats in front of himself.

The Roman cards are shuffled and placed facedown as a draw pile. Each player draws 2 Roman cards from the stack and lays one card on the left latrine seat and the other on the right latrine seat above his latrine. All players place as many turn markers from the stockpile onto their Roman cards as is specified in the card's top left corner.

Each player takes 5 Roman cards from the draw pile and places them face-up in the order drawn in a row below his latrine. The first Roman card drawn is placed at the marker on the left corner of the latrine. This is the beginning of the queue.

This is how a player's card layout can look. The Romans "sit" above the latrine on the seats; below the latrine the Roman cards form a queue. The left Roman card is the beginning of the queue. As the game progresses, a queue can consist of more than 5 Roman cards.

The action cards are then shuffled and placed facedown as a draw pile. Each player draws 2 action cards from the stack and holds them in his hand. Whoever went to the bathroom last is the starting player.

Game Play

The starting player begins, then the other players take turns going in a clockwise rotation. Whoever's turn it is (the so-called active player), proceeds according to the following game play:

1. Remove the turn marker
2. Collect sesterces
3. Re-occupy the latrine
4. Draw an action card

1. Remove the turn marker

The active player takes one turn marker from every Roman card in his latrine and puts them back in the stockpile.

The turn markers show how many rounds a Roman still has to sit on the latrine. The number in the top left corner of the Roman card indicates how many turn markers are to initially be placed on the card. One turn marker is then removed each round.

2. Collect sesterces

If there are no more turn markers lying on a Roman card, the player can now collect the number of sesterces that is shown in the top right corner of the card. The number and value of your own coins must always be visible to all players.

Romans without turn markers leave the latrine and are removed directly after collecting the sesterces. Removed Roman cards are collected in a discard pile.

3. Re-occupy the latrine

The active player must re-occupy vacant latrine seats with Roman cards. He takes the Roman card from the beginning of his own queue and places it on an empty space in his latrine. The number of turn markers given in the top left corner are placed on this Roman card.

With certain action cards, the order of the Roman cards in the player's queue can be changed.

Special feature 1: Senators do not want to sit next to slaves. Therefore there may be no Roman card with a senator lying next to a card with a slave in a latrine.

(Illustration: the latrine seat in the middle cannot be occupied by the senator from the beginning of the queue because this may not lie next to the slave on the right latrine seat.)

Special feature 2: Women may occupy a latrine seat in pairs. The active player can therefore occupy an open space with two Roman women at the same time or place another Roman woman from the queue with an already existing woman. The two cards are placed one above the other.

Basically, the active player must re-occupy all vacant seats in his latrine. Only due to the fact that senators do not want to sit next to slaves can a seat remain free.

The active player is not obliged to play action cards in order to occupy a latrine seat.

Example: The latrine seat in the middle is free (or has just become free) and must be re-occupied. But the use of the first Roman card in the queue is not allowed. It is a slave that may not be placed next to a senator (left latrine seat). The active player can either leave this seat unoccupied (which can be an advantage) or use an action card to move another, suitable Roman card forward in the queue (which he does not have to do).

Replenishing the queue

When all of the Roman cards from a player's queue are used up, that player immediately draws (even outside his turn) 5 new Roman cards from the draw pile and lays them out face up in the order drawn as his new queue.

If the Roman card draw pile is used up, the discard pile is shuffled and used as the new draw pile.

4. Drawing an action card

The active player draws an action card from the draw pile and puts it with his hand cards. With this, his turn is over.

Playing action cards

Each player may hold as many action cards as they like. The number at the bottom right on the action card indicates how often the particular card is available in the game.

Playing an action card may only happen during your own turn. The active player decides how many action cards he plays and at which point in his turn. Thus, he could play for example an action card then begin his actual move (remove turn markers), play 2 additional action cards, continue his actual move, etc.

Played action cards are collected face-up in a discard pile. If the action card draw pile is used up, the discard pile is shuffled and used (facedown) as the new draw pile.

Note: A detailed description of the action cards is provided below.

End of the game

The winner of the game is whoever generates a predetermined number of sesterces. Recommended are 30 sesterces with 2 players, 25 sesterces with 3 players and 20 sesterces with 4 to 6 players.

Variation for the distribution of the Roman cards when the game begins

Whoever feels the distribution of the first 2 Roman cards per player is too random can do it the following way:

The Roman cards are shuffled and 2 cards per player placed face up in the middle of the table. Beginning with the starting player, each player going clockwise takes one card and lays it on his left latrine seat. Then, each player going counter-clockwise (meaning the starting player goes last) takes a second Roman card and places it on the right latrine seat.

Action Cards

With a little game experience, the action cards with dark red border can also be mixed with other action cards. Every action card has a number at the bottom right indicating how often it is available in the game.

The individual action cards:

Action cards that can exchange Roman cards in the queue

I. Line cutter. Move a Roman card within the same (own or opponent's) queue all the way to the front.

II. Ejection. Move a Roman card from a queue (own or opponent's) to the very end in another queue.

III. Latrine change. Exchange a Roman card from a queue (own or opponent's) for any Roman from another queue.

IV. State visit. Take 3 Roman cards from the draw pile, place one card of your choice at the very front of your queue and discard the other two.

Action cards that change the length of sitting time of Roman cards

V. Villa Dixius. Place this card next to your latrine. You can place Roman cards over this card as you would over a latrine seat. The Villa card is also removed along with the removal of the last Roman card(s) over it. Rules in these instructions, which relate to Roman cards in latrines, always apply as well for Roman cards on a Villa Dixius action card. Special feature 1 (no senators next to slaves) does not apply here.

VI. Great haste. Remove a total of 2 turn markers from any Roman cards in your own latrine.

VII. Good business. Remove 3 turn markers from Roman cards in your own latrine. Give any other player 1 of your own sesterces.

VIII. Spring cleaning. Remove 1 turn marker from each Roman card in your latrine.

IX. Fish poisoning. Place 2 turn markers on any Roman card in an opponent's latrine.

X. Latrine gossip. Select an opponent's latrine seat on which 2 Roman women are sitting. Add as many turn markers as needed until there is the same number of markers on both Roman cards.

XI. Rat infestation. Distribute any number of turn markers from one Roman card to one or more other Roman cards in your own latrine.

XII. Slave Market / Citizens Assembly / Senate Meeting / Women's Forum. Four of these cards are available and they apply one time each for slaves, citizens, senators and women. All of one player's Roman cards with slaves / citizens / senators / women are removed from his latrine and queue. Sesterces are not paid.

XIII. Conspiracy. Each player chooses one Roman card in his latrine that has to leave the latrine immediately without paying.

Action cards that change the number of sesterces on Roman cards

XIV. Special tax. Three of these cards are available and they apply one time each for slaves, citizens and senators. All players (you too) place 1 sesterce back into the stockpile for each Roman card with slaves / citizens / senators in the latrine.

XV. Alms. The player with the most sesterces gives 2 from his supply to the player with the least sesterces.

XVI. Rich slaves. Slaves who leave the latrine in this turn pay double the amount of sesterces.

Action cards that are acquired with other action cards

XVII. Rumour mill. Draw 3 action cards. Give any other player 1 sesterce from your supply.

Expansion Modules

The game includes 5 expansion modules:

• Famous Romans (Module 1)
• Latrine upgrades (Module 2)
• Events (Module 3)
• Career ladders (Module 4)
• Favour of the Gods (Module 5)

These extension modules can be used in any combination together with the basic game. However, only experienced Pecunia non olet players should play with more than 2 modules at the same time. The sum of sesterces required to win the basic game should be extended by 5 sesterces for each module used.

The effects of expansion modules can contradict the basic rules and take precedence over these. For the modules the following applies: information about the number of rounds or sesterces of Roman cards (e.g. "more than 4 rounds") is to be understood as taking into account all modules being played, unless these instructions contain an explicitly different rule.

Module 1: Famous Romans

In this module, 18 Roman cards with historic Roman personalities come into play that elicit some especially helpful actions when entering or leaving a latrine.

Preparations: After setting up the game, mix any number of famous Romans into the pile of Roman cards.

The individual Famous Roman cards

Famous Roman cards that can exchange Roman cards in the queue

I. Senator Pompey. When Pompey enters a latrine, move all citizens in this latrine forward in the queue.

II. Citizen Vergil. When Vergil enters a latrine, the queue of this latrine is increased to 7 Roman cards.

III. Roman Livia. When Livia enters the latrine, turn over 5 Roman cards from the draw pile. Place all of the Roman women at the back of the queue and the other cards in the discard pile.

Famous Roman cards that change the discarding rules of Roman cards

IV. Senator Caesar. Caesar can only enter a latrine if there is no senator in it.

V. Slave Vercingetorix. When Vercingetorix enters a latrine, you can at the same time place a second male Roman card from the queue on one of the other two seats in this latrine. The general rules must be followed (in each case the foremost Roman card in the queue, no senators next to slaves, etc.).

VI. Senator Brutus. When Brutus enters a latrine and cannot be placed on the middle latrine seat, he is then put at the very end of the next player's (clockwise) queue.

VII. Senator Marc Antony. When Marc Antony enters a latrine, you may place his card with a citizen or senator on the same latrine seat.

Famous Roman cards that change the length of sitting time of Roman cards

VIII. Citizen Ovid. When Ovid enters the latrine, the number of turn markers on all other cards is changed to 3.

IX. Citizen Pliny. When Pliny enters the latrine, every other player must place 2 turn markers on any Roman cards in his latrine.

X. Senator Crassus. When Crassus enters a latrine, all visitors who only pay 1 or 2 sesterces are removed from this latrine (without paying).

XI. Citizen Seneca. When Seneca leaves your latrine, you may remove one turn marker each from all other Roman cards in your latrine.

Famous Roman cards that change the number of sesterces on Roman cards

XII. Slave Spartacus. When Spartacus leaves your latrine, you will immediately receive 1 sesterce for every other slave in your latrine.

XIII. Citizen Maecenas. When Maecenas leaves your latrine, you will immediately receive 1 sesterce for every other citizen in your latrine.

XIV. Senator Cicero. When Cicero leaves your latrine, you will immediately receive 1 sesterce for every other senator in your latrine.

XV. Roman Cleopatra. When Cleopatra leaves your latrine, you will immediately receive 1 sesterce for every other woman in your latrine.

XVI. Slave Flamma. When Flamma leaves your latrine, you will receive 1 sesterce for every other Roman card in your queue.

XVII. Senator Octavian. When Octavian leaves your latrine, you may place 1 / 2 / 3 of your action cards on the discard pile and receive 1 / 3 / 5 sesterces.

Famous Roman cards that are acquired with other action cards

XVIII. Roman Agrippina. When Agrippina leaves your latrine, you may draw 2 action cards.

Module 2: Latrine Upgrades

With this module, 18 items (upgrades) come into play, with which the player can upgrade individual latrine seats. Thus, upgraded latrine seats earn more sesterces or allow helpful actions.

Preparations: At the start of the game, the Roman cards and latrine upgrades are shuffled and placed in the middle of the table; 2 Roman cards and 1 latrine upgrade per player. Beginning with the starting player and going clockwise, each player takes either a Roman card or a latrine upgrade. Then one time in counter-clockwise rotation (beginning with the last player) and repeated again in a clockwise direction. In total, each player takes one Roman card for his left latrine seat, one for the right seat and an upgrade for any one of the latrine seats. To complete the preparations, 6 latrine upgrades are placed face-up in the middle of the table; the rest are laid facedown as a stockpile.

Acquiring upgrades: When a Roman card with a slave is taken out of a latrine after the removal of the last turn marker, the owner of the latrine can choose to accept the number of sesterces on the Roman card or select one of the 6 latrine upgrades from the cards in the middle of the table. When a latrine upgrade is removed from the table, a new one is taken from the stockpile and turned over so that there are always 6 latrine upgrades lying face-up.

Latrine upgrades may only be placed on unoccupied latrine seats, just vacated or never occupied. Roman cards that come later are placed so the latrine upgrade remains visible. Only one upgrade per latrine seat may be played. However, an existing latrine upgrade can be removed in order to allow the placement of a new upgrade.

Use of upgrades: Latrine upgrades apply only to the latrine seat on which they lie. They can be used at any time in your turn, but every upgrade only once per turn. However, the use of several latrine upgrades in the same turn is allowed. In the game preparations, the special actions of the latrine upgrades are, however, not used.

The upgrades in detail

Upgrades that change the discarding rules of Roman cards

I. Wooden urinal / II. Marble urinal / III. Golden urinal. The following applies to these urinals: A second slave/citizen/senator can be placed with a slave/citizen/senator on the same latrine seat (as with special feature 2).

IV. / V. / VI. "Reserved for" sign. Three of these cards are available and they apply one time each for citizens, senators and Roman women. If in your turn the latrine seat with the "Reserved for" sign is unoccupied, the citizen / senator / Roman woman who is furthest forward in the queue is placed on the vacated seat. But senators shall remain subject to the rule that they are not allowed to sit next to a slave.

VII. Partition. For latrine seats with a partition, the rule does not apply to slaves and senators not being allowed to sit next to each other. For the rest of the seats, special feature 1 remains intact.

Upgrades that change the length of sitting time of Roman cards

VIII. Wood splinter. Place 1 less turn marker than indicated on the Roman card – but at least one – on each Roman card that is newly placed on the latrine seat with the splinter.

IX. Hourglass. For each Roman card that is newly placed on a latrine seat with an hourglass, always put 3 turn markers on it instead of the indicated number.

X. Latrine scrubber. For each new Roman card that is placed on a latrine seat with a latrine scrubber, put 2 turn markers less only if 4 or 5 markers are indicated on the Roman card.

Upgrades that change the number of sesterces on Roman cards

XI. Towel rails. Put 2 sesterces on each new Roman card with a slave that is placed on a latrine seat with a towel rail.

XII. Sprig of lavender. Like XI. Towel rails, but for Roman women.

XIII. Fountain. Like XI. Towel rails, but for citizens.

XIV. Newspaper. Put 1 sesterce on each new Roman card that is placed on a latrine seat with a newspaper.

XV. Little bag of silver. Put 1 sesterce on each new Roman card that is placed on a latrine seat with a bag of silver, only if 2 or 3 turn markers are indicated on the Roman card.

XVI. Little bag of gold. Put 2 sesterces on each new Roman card that is placed on a latrine seat with a bag of gold, only if 4 or 5 turn markers are indicated on the Roman card.

Note: With upgrades XI to XVI, the player receives the sesterces laid on the card(s) when the Romans leave the latrine and thereby pay.

Upgrades that are acquired with other action cards

XVII. Mop bucket. If you place a new Roman card on a latrine seat with a mop bucket, draw one action card from the deck.

XVIII. Dustpan. If you – regardless of the reason – remove a Roman card from a latrine seat with a dustpan, draw one action card from the deck.

Module 3: Events

With this module, 10 event cards come into play with which events occur at certain times in the game. Players can control when these events occur.

Preparations: The event cards are shuffled and placed facedown in the middle of the table. With 2 and 3 players, 2 event cards are dealt face-up next to the stockpile; with 4, 5 and 6 players, 3 event cards. As many turn markers as indicated are placed on the face of each event card. The remaining turn markers form a general stockpile, with which also the game setup is carried out.

When event cards take effect: If a player has to put turn markers on Roman cards, e.g. because Romans entered the latrine or as a result of the "fish poisoning" action card, he must take these turn markers from any – also various – event cards. Once all of the turn markers are taken from an event card, it is immediately carried out. Event cards apply to all players. If more than one event occurs in a round, the active player chooses the order in which the events take place. Only at the end of the turn are implemented event cards replaced by new ones from the deck and given the corresponding number of turn markers from the general stockpile; there may be cases where all event cards were used and therefore turn markers must be taken from the general stockpile.

Note: In the unlikely event that there are not enough turn markers available, you can quickly use some other material until more turn markers become available.

The individual event cards

Events that can exchange Roman cards in the queue

I. Slave revolt. All slaves move all the way forward in the queue.

II. Bread and games. Each player puts any slaves from their queue on the discard pile. These do not pay any sesterces.

III. Coliseum. All players draw 3 Roman cards from the stockpile. 1 card is put at the very end of your queue, the other 2 cards you give to the player on your left. From these 2 cards each player places 1 at the very end of their queue and gives 1 to the player on their left. Also the last card is placed at the very end of your queue.

IV. Tumult. All players draw 3 Roman cards from the stockpile. Each player exchanges any number of these cards for Roman cards from their own queue. Exchanged cards and those from the stockpile that were not switched out are placed on the discard pile.

Events that change the length of sitting time of Roman cards

V. Flower market. 1 turn marker each is removed from all Roman women in all latrines.

VI. Campaign. Each player must either pay 1 sesterce for each citizen in their latrine or remove the citizen from the latrine.

Events that change the number of sesterces on Roman cards

VII. Feeding the poor. Place 1 sesterce on all Roman cards in latrines and queues that would pay 1 sesterce. The player gets the sesterces if the Roman leaves the latrine and pays thereby.

VIII. Freeing the slaves. Place 1 sesterce on all slaves in latrines and queues. The player gets the sesterces if the slave leaves the latrine and pays thereby.

Events that are acquired with other action cards

IX. Senate schemes. All players may place any number of action cards from their own hand on the discard pile and draw the same number of action cards from the stockpile.

X. Temple service. All players draw 2 action cards from the stockpile.

Module 4: Career ladder

With this module, 6 career ladders come into play. These make it possible to win the game to some extent not only by collecting sesterces but also by reaching other game objectives.

Preparations: The career ladder cards are shuffled and one is dealt to each player, who places it face-up next to his latrine. Leftover career ladder cards are placed back in the box. Each player begins as a "bucket carrier" and sets his latrine marker on the top step of the career ladder.

When career ladders take effect: In order to win the game, all steps of the career ladder cards must be climbed in the specified order. The next step is achieved when a player – at any time during his turn – pays the amount of sesterces indicated on the left of the card into the supply or fulfils the task given at the step. Then the player moves his latrine marker to this step. Each player can only climb one new step per turn.

The individual career ladder cards

All career ladder cards specify which task must be fulfilled to climb the individual steps of the ladder. These tasks are different on each of the 6 career ladder cards. The following applies for all tasks:

• that these can be fulfilled by playing action cards or through the special actions of expansion modules
• that turn markers or sesterces are counted which are placed or removed from Roman cards through the play of action cards or the special actions of expansion modules.

Module 5: Favour of the gods

With this module, 7 favour cards come into play. Citizens who leave a latrine make a sacrifice in a temple of a Roman god and thus, for the time being, secure the favour of the god for the player. Each player always has a favour card available and allows him a special action.

Preparations: When the game begins, the Roman cards and favour cards are shuffled separately; 2 Roman cards and 1 favour card per player are placed face-up in the middle of the table. Beginning with the starting player and going clockwise, each player takes either a Roman card or a favour card. Then one time in counter-clockwise rotation (beginning with the last player) and repeated again in a clockwise direction. In total, each player takes one Roman card for his left latrine seat, one for the right seat and one favour card. Leftover favour cards are placed face-up in the middle of the table. The special actions of the favour cards cannot be directly used in the game setup.

Acquiring favour cards: Whenever a citizen leaves your latrine during your turn, you may exchange your previous favour card for another one that either belongs to another player or is lying in the middle of the table.

Use of favour cards: The special action on a favour card can be used in any of your own turns. A newly acquired favour card may not be used until the next turn.

The individual favour cards

I. Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. Once per turn, you may draw 1 action card if you place 1 turn marker on any Roman card in your own latrine.

II. Diana, the goddess of hunting. Once per turn, you may immediately fill up your own queue with up to 5 Roman cards.

III. Juno, the goddess of family. Once per turn, you may take 1 or 2 turn markers that are lying on any latrine seat in your latrine and place them on Roman cards on the other 2 latrine seats. If thereby a seat becomes empty, the Roman immediately leaves the latrine.

IV. Jupiter, father of the gods. Place 1 additional turn marker and 2 sesterces on each Roman card that is new in your latrine; even several times in your turn. You get the sesterces if the Roman leaves the latrine and pays.

V. Mars, the god of war. If a seat in your latrine becomes free, you may choose the subsequent Roman from the first 3 Roman cards in your queue; even several times in your turn.

VI. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. Once per turn, you may take 1 sesterce and remove one turn marker if you lay one of your action cards on the discard pile.

VII. Venus, the goddess of love. As long as you are holding the card, no player – not even yourself – may play action cards on your latrine.

Glossary

• o tempora, o mores! – Oh times, Oh customs!
• nomen est omen – The name is an omen.
• quis leget haec? – Who will read it?
• Romani ite domum! – Romans, go home!
• dum spiro spero – As long as I breathe, I hope.
• Lucius et Julia – Lucius and Julia
• manus manum lavat – One hand washes the other.
• noli me tangere! – Don't touch me!
• per noctem ad lucem – Through the night into the light.
• SPQR (senatus populusque romanus) – The Senate and the Roman people.