Polis
Polis Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Main board
- 1 Round marker
- 24 Event cards
- 18 Polis cards
- 14 Project tiles
- 1 End of Round marker
- 24 Battle cards
- 1 Four-sided die
- 11 Black cubes
- 90 Blue and red cubes (45 of each color)
- 50 Blue and red disks (25 of each color)
- Blue and red Merchants (8 of each)
- Blue and red Proxenos (1 of each)
- 2 personal boards (Sparta and Athens)
- 2 player info sheets
Game Setup
Below is a description of how to set up all of the game elements to prepare a game of Polis. In order to set up the game components, place them as shown in the picture to the right. Players can decide which side they wish to play, or toss the End of Round marker as a coin and leave the sides to be played to chance.
First, separate the parts that belong to each individual player. The rest of the components remaining will be common to both players.
Sparta
Take your personal board, a player info sheet, all of the red wooden pieces and the cards for your starting Poleis (Pylos, Gythion and Sparti). Place as many cubes as the number indicated for their Base Populations (2, 1, and 4 respectively) on them.
- Place disks on the Poleis of Pylos, Gythion and Sparti on the map.
- Place 3 Hoplites (cubes) in the territory of Lakedaemon.
- Place 1 Galley (cube) in Ionion pelagos.
- Place 2 Galleys (cubes) in Myrtóon pelagos.
- Place 1 Merchant in your Commercial Port.
- Place your Proxenos on Sparta.
- On your personal board, place wooden cubes to cover the number 3 for all items except for Prestige (place it on number 2) and Wheat (place it on the icon).
Leave the rest of your wooden pieces next to your personal board to serve as your reserve.
Athens
Take your personal board, a player info sheet, all of the blue wooden pieces and the cards for your starting Poleis (Chios, Chalkis and Athinae). Place as many cubes as the number indicated for their Base Populations (2, 1, and 5 respectively) on them.
- Place disks on the Poleis of Chios, Chalkis and Athinae on the map.
- Place 3 Hoplites (cubes) in the territory of Attika.
- Place 2 Hoplites (cubes) in the territory of Ionia.
- Place 2 Galleys (cubes) in Kyklades.
- Place 1 Galley (cube) in Noties sporades.
- Place 1 Merchant in your Commercial Port.
- Place your Proxenos in Athinae.
- On your personal board, place wooden cubes to cover the number 3 for all items, except for Prestige (place it on number 2) and Silver (place it on the icon).
Leave the rest of your wooden pieces next to your personal board to serve as your reserve.
Shared Components
A Place the Round marker on the board with the Alpha side showing.
B Leave the neutral Polis cards above the board along with the die and the Battle cards, within easy reach.
C Shuffle the Project tiles and put them face down next to the main board. Take 3 from the pile at random and place them face up on the matching spaces of the Project Area on the main board.
D Divide the Event cards according to their backs (they correspond to the Alpha, Epsilon, and Omega rounds) and shuffle each deck separately. Draw 1 random card from the Omega deck and place it face down on the Event Area on the board. Then place a random card drawn from the Epsilon deck face down on top of the Omega card. Finally, place a random card drawn from the Alpha deck face down on top of the other two. Return the rest of Event cards to the box, they will no longer be needed.
E Place a black cube on the far left spaces of each of the three market goods: Iron, Wood, and Wine. Also place black cubes to cover the spaces with a 4 or a 5 in the Foreign Markets on the map.
F Leave the End of Round marker within reach of the players.
Now that we have the board set up and all the pieces where they need to go, let's see what they all mean:
1 The game board is split into two clearly defined areas—The map shows 12 territories, 5 seas, 18 Poleis, 5 Foreign Markets, 2 Commercial Ports (the squares with the symbols of Athens and Sparta on the sea), and the different Trade Routes (dotted lines).
The left part of the board shows, from top to bottom, the following:
2 Current Round. This is where we place the Round marker. At the start of the game, it shows the Alpha round. At the start of the second round, we flip it to show the Epsilon side. Then, at the beginning of the third round, we remove it from the board to show the Omega.
3 Market Area. Here we see the values of the different Resources (Iron, Wood, and Wine) at every moment during the game. The black cubes will fluctuate over each of the Resources, representing their current Market Value as shown by the numbers on the Round marker, just above the Market Area. This shows the amount of each Resource that must be paid when trading for Wheat or Silver (page 17).
4 Tribute Area. These boxes show which Resource types and amounts can be collected as Tribute from each of the territories. The top value visible below the last cube in each of the columns shows the amount to be collected.
5 Project Area. The Projects that are available to the players, in accordance with the round of play, are shown here (page 11). The rest of the projects are placed next to the board.
How the Game is Played
A game of Polis is played over three game rounds, representing the historic period from the formation of the Delian League (478 B.C.E.) to the defeat of Athens in the Second Peloponnesian War (404 B.C.E.):
Alpha - The first (Alpha) round covers the period of expansion for Athenian influence after its fleet gained the final victory over Persia, whose fleet had fled to the coast southeast of the Sporádes. Meanwhile, Sparta underwent the scandalous trials of its king, Leotychidas II, and its general, Pausanias.
Epsilon - The start of the second (Epsilon) round corresponds approximately to the year 460 B.C.E. At that time, the friction between Athens and Sparta broke out into military skirmishes that led to the First Peloponnesian War. Despite this, Athenian culture flourished under Pericles' rule.
Omega - Throughout the period represented by the third (Omega) round, hostility increased on both sides, leading to the Archidamian War. Sparta began raiding Attika, and the territory's inhabitants sought safe haven behind the walls of Athens. The capital's overpopulation exacerbated an outbreak of plague that led to many deaths, among them Pericles himself. Nevertheless, Athens was able to recover and brokered a truce between the two leagues of poleis, known as the Peace of Nicias.
The conflict culminated in a period during which the military genius Alcibiades changed political allegiances not once, but twice. A disastrous campaign in Sicily by Athens (just when the tide of the war seemed to favor them) allowed Sparta to block its rival's trade routes after several victories at sea. Unable to provide food to its Population, Athens was forced to surrender to Sparta.
The Round marker is updated at the start of every round so that it shows the letter for the current round: Alpha, Epsilon, Omega.
At the start of each round, Events come into play. The player with the most Prestige on their personal board (in case of a tie or during the first round, it shall be Athens) reads the card from the top of the Event deck aloud and resolves all of the effects that apply to them. After that, their opponent resolves the effects that apply to them.
After the Event card has been read and resolved, the player with less Prestige on their personal board (in case of a tie or during the first round, it is Sparta) begins their turn.
During each round, the players alternate turns. During each of their turns, they carry out two of the eleven available actions, without repeating the same type of action twice in the same turn. There is no limit to the number of turns the players may play each round, and they can pass—meaning that they do not carry out an action—at any time they wish.
At the end of each player's turn, check if any battles arise in any of the territories or seas (any area in which 8 or more units are present). These battles must be resolved one by one in the order chosen by the player whose turn it is. Then the other player takes their turn (executing two different kinds of actions and then checking if any battles break out). Both players take turns until they both pass and the round comes to an end.
As soon as one player decides to pass one or both of their actions for their turn, they no longer take turns for the rest of the round. Their opponent may continue to carry out all the actions they want to (including taking the same action multiple times in a row), until that player also decides to pass. However, each action carried out by the player who has not yet passed has an added cost: They must pay 1 additional Resource of their choice (i.e., 1 Iron, 1 Wood, 1 Wine, 1 Silver, or 1 Wheat) from their personal reserve before carrying out the action.
When a player declares that they have decided to pass, their opponent will receive the End of Round marker as a reminder of the extra cost that has to be paid for every action carried out.
The round ends once both players have passed and the end of round steps have been performed. If any of the conditions for the end of the game are met (page 22), then move to the end of the game rules. Otherwise, a new round begins.
The Essential Concepts
The Round marker is used to remind us of several important things. First of all, it shows us which round is in play (Alpha, Epsilon, or Omega). The number in the circle reminds us of the Maximum Troop Stacking limit (page 9), the number of Projects available during the round (page 11), and the trades that are available in the Foreign Markets (page 15): 3 in Alpha, 4 in Epsilon, and 5 in Omega.
All game components are limited to the number of pieces in the game. If a player runs out of cubes, disks, or Merchants, they may not carry out an action that requires more pieces than those available at that time. The cubes represent both the Population of the Poleis as well as the Hoplites and Galleys on the board. They are also used to show the values of the Resources on each player's personal board.
The disks are used to show who has control over the Poleis on the map, to show which territories have paid Tribute (page 15), and to indicate sieges (page 13).
The pyramid-shaped die only shows results from 1 to 4. When rolled, the result is the number that matches on all three sides of the top point. The die in the picture shows a result of 2.
A player's personal board shows the amount of Prestige, Iron, Wood, Wine, Silver, and Wheat that player has. Spaces on the personal boards are also limited, so a player can never have more Resources than the maximum value shown on their board. The first visible number to the right of the space occupied by the cube indicates the current value of each of the different items (Resources or Prestige). So, if the game set-up rules have been followed, at the start of the game the Sparta player will have four of everything except for Prestige (they have 3) and Wheat (of which they have none) and the Athens player will have four of everything except for Prestige (they have 3) and Silver (of which they have none).
The five Resource types are: Iron, Wood, Wine, Silver, Wheat.
Prestige is vital to achieving victory and is needed to undertake all military actions. It can be obtained by successfully laying siege, completing Projects at the end of a round, ordering decisive Maneuvers during battle, or by controlling a Polis with sufficient Population growth.
Both Prestige and Population are extremely important concepts in this game! A player's final score at the end of the game is primarily the sum of these two values. That is why both players must pay attention to them while managing the rest of the game's factors. Likewise, it is important to take into account that if a player finishes a round with their Prestige reduced to zero, they automatically lose the game.
All of the Polis cards have a series of elements in common. At the top there is the name of the Polis (A), shaded with the color of the territory it is in (B). To the left of that are its Base Population value (which is the same as its Fortification value) (C), its Maximum Growth (D), and its Maximum Population (E). The white frame indicates where to place the projects and which of them can be built in this city. There are three commercial Poleis, which are indicated by an amphora (both on the card and on the map) (F).
Population lives inside the Poleis. Over the course of the game, both players will compete to control and maintain the majority of the 18 Poleis in their League, with special attention being paid to the most valuable ones. However, if a player is unable to supply enough food to their League at the end of each round, they will suffer a loss of Prestige and some of their allied Populations may desert their league.
When a Polis is allied with a player's League (and therefore they control it), its Population can vary between 1 and its Maximum Population value. At the end of each round, the player who controls the Polis may decide to increase the Population by a number of cubes up to the Maximum Growth value on the card, as we will see later in the end of round phase (page 21).
Each Polis is shown on the map with a circle. The number inside this circle equals the Base Population of that city, also shown on its corresponding card, as long as it remains neutral (meaning that it is not allied with either player). This number also shows the Polis' Fortification value. The higher this number, the more difficult it will be to lay siege to the Polis and force it to join the League of one player or the other.
The Population of a Polis controlled by a player is determined by the number of cubes of that player's color there are on the matching Polis card in that players playing area. These cubes can be turned into Hoplites, Galleys, or Merchants, as we will see later in the detailed descriptions of the actions (page 9). The process of producing these units causes the player's Population to be reduced (and consequently their victory points as well). Nevertheless, these three unit types will be needed to execute actions that are fundamental to the game such as collecting Tribute, trading, or laying siege to a Polis.
Hoplites are land-based military units represented by a player's cubes located on the territories of the map. A player controls a territory if they have more Hoplites there than their opponent has. This control prevents the other player from moving their Hoplites through that territory.
Galleys are maritime military units represented by a player's cubes located on the seas of the map. A player controls a sea if they have more Galleys there than their opponent has. This control prevents the other player from moving their Galleys, Hoplites, and Merchants through that sea.
Sending Merchants to Foreign Markets allows a player to obtain two of the most valuable Resources in the game: Silver (through the sale of Iron, Wood, or Wine) and Wheat (which can be obtained in the same manner or by buying it with Silver). We will examine this in greater detail further on when we explain the Trade Action (page 15).
The last unit type that players control are the Proxenoi, influential diplomats who plot and use bribes of silver to corrupt cities and military units to convince them to join the League of that player (page 17).
There are different types of Projects, divided into different categories. A Project tile shows the name of the Project (A), the Project category (B), in which Polis it can be completed (C), the completion cost (D), and its value in Prestige, which it provides to the player at the end of the round that it is completed (E). The blue squares next to the Prestige value (F) indicate how many End of Game Prestige points are granted to the players when determining victory (page 22).
Event cards describe effects relevant to both players during each round. In order to distinguish them easily, those that affect only the Athenian player are shown with a blue background while those that affect only the Spartan player have a red background. Some Event cards have effects which apply throughout the entire round and others take effect only when the round ends. These effects have a neutral background.
Finally, the player info sheets are available for the players to help remember the order of play and the costs of the different actions, along with summaries of other useful information.
Actions
Now we are going to take a look at the 11 actions that are available to the players.
1. Create Hoplites
A player can carry out this action in one single Polis they control during their turn.
The cost to create these units is the player's choice of either 1 Iron or 1 Silver per Hoplite.
After paying, the player takes 1 Population cube away from the chosen Polis' card and places it on the map in the territory where that Polis is located. Keep in mind that the last Population cube on a Polis card can never be used to create a Hoplite.
A Hoplite can only be in a territory as long as it does not exceed the Maximum Troop Stacking Limit for that territory.
The Polis of Epidamnos and the Polis of Abdira are located in totally neutral areas (note that there is no territory color around them on the map or on their cards). It is not possible to create Hoplites in these two Poleis in any way, and Hoplites cannot even be moved into the areas they occupy. This means the only way to take control of them is through the use of a Proxenos (page 17).
The Spartan player controls Pylos (they have its card and a disk on top of it on the map). At the end of the first round of the game (Alpha) its maximum Population of 3 has been reached, and the player decides to create in that territory as many Hoplites as possible during the second round (Epsilon). The Hoplites created will be located in Messinia, where there are 2 Spartan Hoplites already. So, it takes only 2 more Hoplites to reach the Maximum Troop Stacking Limit for the territory in this round. The player has enough Iron, and pays 2 of them (by moving the cube for that Resource on their personal board two spaces to the left). Then, the player takes 2 Population cubes off of the Pylos card and moves them to the Messinia territory.
Stacking Limits
The Round marker shows the Maximum Troop Stacking Limit for each territory and sea, depending on the round: 3 in Alpha, 4 in Epsilon, and 5 in Omega. The stacking limit shows the maximum number of Hoplites or Galleys that each player can have in a single territory or sea at any time during the round (including when moving units). For this reason, no battles can break out during the first round of the game, since at most 6 units would be able to gather in a single zone (three per player) and a battle begins only when there are 8 units together.
During the first (Alpha) round of the game, each player can have a maximum of 3 Hoplites or Galleys in the same territory or sea (all together the total number of units can be 6). This maximum is increased to 4 units per player (8 between the two players) in the second round, and then moves up to 5 in the third round (10 between both players). Battles can break out starting in the second round (as they require a minimum of 8 units to be together).
2. Create Galleys
A player can carry out this action in one single Polis they control during their turn.
The cost to create these units is the player's choice of either 1 Wood or 1 Silver per Galley.
After paying, the player takes 1 Population cube away from the Polis card and places it on the map in the sea where the port for that Polis is pointing. Keep in mind that the last Population cube on a Polis card can never be used to create a Galley.
A Galley can only be located in a sea as long as it does not exceed the Maximum Troop Stacking Limit for that sea.
Galleys can be created in all Poleis except for Sparti and Thibae, since they do not have a port. On the other hand, Korinthos has two ports indicated on the map, so the player can choose either of those two seas to deploy each Galley they create in this Polis.
The Athenian player controls Chalkis, which has reached its maximum Population of 2. It is the second (Epsilon) round of the game, and the player wants to build a Galley. He pays 1 Wood and takes 1 Population cube off of the Chalkis card and moves it to the Kyklades sea, thereby reaching the Maximum Troop Stacking Limit of 4 units that can be located there.
3. Create Merchants
This action can only be taken in one of the three Commercial Poleis, identified by the amphora symbol on their Polis cards and the map. The Athenian player can only create Merchants in Athinae, while the Spartan can only create them in Gythion and Pylos. If Athens captures either of the Spartan commercial Poleis, the Spartan player will not be able to create Merchants there until he reclaims it.
The cost to create these units is the player's choice of either 1 Wood or 1 Silver per Merchant. After paying, the player takes 1 Population cube away from the Polis card and returns it to their personal reserve. They then place a Merchant figure on the map inside their corresponding Commercial Port: For the Spartan player, this is the square with the Sparta icon located between the Ionion pelagos and the Myrtóon pelagos seas, while the Athenian player places their Merchants on the square with the Athens icon in the Kyklades sea.
The maximum number of Merchants that can be created is not affected by the round and is only limited by the number of Merchant pieces that each player has available (the Maximum Troop Stacking Limit does not apply to Merchants).
Just as in the two previous action types, the last Population cube on a Polis card can never be used to create a Merchant.
4. Develop a Project
Most of the Poleis can develop Projects. A Project is developed during the round but is completed only at the end of the round, at which time it awards the player Prestige. Each Project tile shows which cities that Project can be developed in.
Each Polis can only develop one single Project each round, which can only be chosen from those available on the game board at that moment.
A player can begin a Project in a Polis that they control by choosing one of the Project tiles available on the board and paying the Resources indicated on that tile. Each Resource type can be completely (but not partially) paid by supplying an equal amount of Silver instead of the required Resource. The player takes the Project tile and places it face down on the Polis card where it will be developed. From that moment on, the Project is no longer available to the other player.
The Athenian player decides to start a Project in Athinae. There are three Projects available at the moment, but only the artist Myron can be used in this Polis. The player pays the cost of the Project (2 Wood and 3 Silver in this case), and places the tile face down on the Athinae card.
Any Project started in a Polis will be completed at the end of the round, at which time the tile is turned over. The player who controls the Polis at that time will receive the Prestige shown next to the icon. The End of Game Prestige is only awarded at the end of the game.
Continuing the previous example, once Athinae completes the Project, Myron will award 2 Prestige to the player at the end of the round and then another 3 Prestige at the end of the game.
If a Polis changes sides and falls under the control of the other player or becomes neutral, any Projects under development or completed there are still linked to the same Polis, and also become controlled by the player who gains the Polis. Therefore, a Project started by one player can be lost and even end up giving Prestige to the other side if the opponent controls the Polis at the end of the round or the end of the game.
There are 14 Projects, of which 3, 4, and 5 are available in the different game phases (meaning two of them will not be used each game). The Projects are grouped into seven types:
Philosophers: The cost of hiring them must be paid in Silver, as indicated on the tiles, and they will only come to Athinae and Syrakousae.
Artists: Phidias and Myron can be hired using Wood and Silver in Athinae, Syrakousae, and Korinthos.
Temples: These are impressive buildings that require Wood and Iron and Silver to pay the builders involved. However, in exchange they offer substantial Prestige when erected in Sparti or Syrakousae.
Theaters: These are more affordable than temples, and are built on the hillsides just outside the Polis. They can be built in Korinthos, Athinae, and Thibae.
Statues: Sculptors only need Wood and a bit of Iron for the scaffolding. These Projects are easy to achieve, but award the least Prestige. They can be commissioned in Abdira, Gela, Epidamnos, and Sparti.
Mysteries: Large quantities of Wine are consumed during these celebrations. The festivities can be organized in Sparti, Potidaea, and Samos.
Games: Besides the Olympics, other minor games are held in several different Poleis. Winners are awarded with Wine and Wheat. These games can be held in Korinthos, Pydna, and Argos.
5. Move Hoplites
This action costs 1 Prestige.
This action allows the player to move their Hoplites between territories. Neither the distance between the start and the end of their journey nor the route they take are limited. There is no need to take the shortest route, but there are certain rules regarding the route taken:
- A single destination territory is chosen for the movement. Hoplites that move can start their movement in different territories, but all of the units that move must end up in the same territory. The number of Hoplites that can move to the destination is determined by the Maximum Troop Stacking Limit for that space (in accordance with the round of play and any units that are already there before the action is carried out). Hoplites cannot be moved to multiple territories with a single action.
- The movement only crosses territories or seas that are different from the origin and destination territories. The latter two are not considered to be "crossed" during the movement.
- Each Hoplite can move by crossing territories or seas, but it is not possible to combine them and cross both territories and seas during the same movement of a single unit. A Hoplite that moves through one or more seas must always start its movement by crossing one sea that touches the territory the Hoplite is located in and end its movement by crossing a sea next to the destination territory to which it moves.
For example, it is impossible to start the movement of a Hoplite in Makedonia, cross Thrakiko pelagos and Kyklades, disembark in Attika, and then march to Arcadia. In this case, the final destination for the movement would have to be Attika. Another, later action is required to reach Arcadia.
- When moving Hoplites, the player is not required to have Galleys or Merchants in the seas the Hoplite crosses.
- A Hoplite cannot cross a territory or sea that is controlled by the other player, which is the case if the other player has more units in the territory or sea in question. However, it is possible that the origin and/or destination of the movement is controlled by the other player (since neither one is "crossed").
- A Hoplite cannot cross territories that have reached their Maximum Troop Stacking Limit for the current round.
During the third round of the game, a Hoplite cannot move from Megaris through Boiotia and Thessalia into Makedonia if the player already has 5 units in Thessalia. However, the number of Galleys in a sea does not affect the movement of Hoplites that cross that sea.
- In order to comply with these movement rules, Hoplites cannot be moved in groups, but rather must be moved one by one. For this reason, it is important to keep track of the order in which the Hoplites move during the action, as when the player moves them out of the territories they were in, those territories may fall under the control of their opponent, thereby blocking the movement of other Hoplites through those territories for the rest of the action.
- If a player controls the Polis of Korinthos, they may move their Hoplites directly from Kyklades to Ionion pelagos or vice versa. Hoplites that move in this manner, across the isthmus of Corinth, do so using the "diolkos" (a paved path that allows the transport of ships over land.)
- The areas of the map that have no color of allegiance (around the Poleis of Epidamnos and Abdira as well as the Foreign Market spaces) are neutral territories and Hoplites cannot enter them.
- Hoplites can only enter (or leave) the territories of Sicelia and Ionia using a movement action that only crosses seas.
In the example shown in the picture, you can see the movement of 5 Hoplites during the Omega round (Maximum Troop Stacking Limit of 5), and the importance of the order in which they move. Keeping in mind that the destination must be a single territory, the Athenian player chooses Thessalia, where they have no units yet. The Hoplites that will move there are in three different origin territories:
A. The Hoplite from Ionia (1) is the first to move. From that territory, the unit can only cross seas as part of the action. So, it crosses through Noties sporades (which is not controlled by either player), then crosses Kyklades (which is controlled by Athens) and reaches Thessalia.
B. Two other Hoplites (2 and 3) move from Attika, through Boiotia (a territory nobody controls) to reach Thessalia, one after the other.
C. Finally, the last two Hoplites (4 and 5) move from Boiotia directly to Thessalia, one after the other. Note that at the moment the first of these Hoplites reaches its destination, the territory of Boiotia falls under the control of the Spartan player, but the last Hoplite can still move because Boiotia is the origin territory for its movement, so that territory is not "crossed."
It does not matter where in the order Hoplite 1 moves during the action, but if the Athenian player had moved one of the Hoplites marked 4 or 5 before those marked 2 and 3, they would have had to find another route for them to reach Thessalia (such as crossing the sea of Kyklades).
6. Move Galleys
This action costs 1 Prestige.
This action allows the player to move their Galleys between seas. Neither the distance between the start and end of their journey nor the route they take are limited. There is no need to take the shortest route, but there are certain rules regarding the route taken, similar to those for Hoplite movement:
- A single destination sea is chosen for the movement. Galleys that move can start their movement in different seas, but they must all end up in the same sea. So, it is the Maximum Troop Stacking Limit of the destination sea (determined by the round of play and any units that are already there before the action is carried out) that limits the number of Galleys that can move to that destination. Galleys cannot be moved to multiple seas with a single action.
- Galley movement only crosses seas that are different from the origin and destination seas. The latter two are not considered to be "crossed" during the movement. Just in case it needs to be pointed out, Galleys cannot enter territories (move out of the sea).
- A Galley cannot cross a sea that is controlled by the other player, which occurs when the other player has more units in that sea. However, it is possible that the origin and/or destination of the movement are controlled by the other player (since neither one are "crossed").
- A Galley cannot cross seas that have reached their Maximum Troop Stacking Limit for the current round.
- Just like for Hoplite movement, to comply with these movement rules, Galleys cannot be moved as a group, but must move one by one.
- Only if a player controls the Polis of Korinthos, they may move their Galleys directly from Kyklades to Ionion pelagos or vice versa.
7. Lay Siege to a Polis
This action costs 1 Prestige.
Using this action, a player can get a Polis to come over to their side through the use of force. The action can be carried out only if the player has sufficient Hoplites in the territory the Polis is in.
In order to lay siege to a Polis (whether it is neutral or controlled by the opponent), the player must control the territory that Polis is located in, meaning that the player must have more Hoplites there than their opponent. The player must also have a number of Hoplites in that territory that is at least equal to the Fortification value of the Polis under siege (the current Population is irrelevant for this). Remember that the Fortification value of a Polis appears both on the map and on its Polis card.
You can see that it is not possible to lay siege to the Polis of Korinthos or the Polis of Syrakousae during the first round of the game, since it would be impossible to have enough Hoplites in those territories to equal the Fortification value of these Poleis.
On the other hand, Epidamnos and Abdira can never be subject to siege, given that they are in neutral territory and it is impossible to move troops to that part of the map.
Kerkyra, Chalkis, Chios, and Samos belong to their territories just like any other Polis, regardless of the fact that they are located on islands on the map.
Likewise, as a special case, the capitals of both players, Athinae and Sparti, cannot be subject to siege either.
- In order to resolve the siege, the besieging player rolls the die. If the result is equal to or greater than the Fortification value of the Polis, the siege is successful and the Polis is taken.
- If the siege is not successful (the value of the die roll is less than the Fortification value), the player who executed the siege loses one of their Hoplites from the territory in which the siege was attempted (the cube is returned to the player's reserve) and places a disk of their color, called a Siege disk, with their Hoplites next to the recently-besieged Polis. If that Polis happens to be under the control of their opponent, then their opponent must lose 1 Population cube from the matching Polis card (returned to their reserve). A Polis that loses its last Population cube in this manner rebels against the player who currently controls it and becomes neutral: the Polis card is returned to the Neutral Polis Area, taking any completed and/or developing Projects with it. Neutral Poleis subject to unsuccessful sieges do not lose Population.
An unsuccessful siege can be repeated in later turns if the player meets the requirements and decides to take another siege action. In this case, the player receives a +1 modification to the die roll for each Siege disk of their color that is in that territory. The Siege disks are removed from the board immediately if the player removes or loses all their troops in that territory, if the other player attempts to lay siege to the same Polis (if it is neutral), or at the end of the round, whichever comes first.
- If the siege is successful, the player who executed the siege takes control of the Polis and moves the corresponding Polis card with all its Projects (completed or under development) to their playing area. Then, the player receives Prestige equal to the Fortification value of the Polis that was taken.
If the other player's Proxenos was in this Polis, they are captured and become the prisoner of the player who won the siege. The owner of the Proxenos can free them at any time during their turn (it does not take an action to do this) by paying 2 Silver to their opponent as a ransom. Their captor cannot refuse this Silver, and must place the freed Proxenos in their owner's capital city.
The player who triumphed in the siege of a Polis must place cubes from their reserve on the Polis card to indicate its current Population, and recovers their Siege disks if there were any.
If the Polis was neutral, the number of Population cubes will match the Base Population value (which equals the Fortification value).
If the Polis was under the control of their opponent, the Population cubes are returned to the reserve of the defeated player and the victorious player places the same number of their own cubes on the card (these cubes are not taken from the Hoplites that carried out the siege, but rather from the player's reserve). Finally, the player places a disk of their color on the conquered Polis on the map (replacing their opponent's disk if it is there).
Siege Examples
Example 1: The Athenian player wants to take control of the neutral Polis of Nafpaktos in the first round (Alpha - 3). There are 2 Spartan Hoplites in the territory of Thessalia (which the Polis is in), so the Athenian player moves 3 of their Hoplites to this territory, thereby acquiring control of it, then lays siege to the Polis. The movement action required the Athenian to give up 1 Prestige and the siege requires another. The siege is automatically successful since the Fortification value of the Polis is only 1 (and the die roll cannot be less than 1). The Athenian player takes control of Nafpaktos and receives one Prestige (the Fortification value of the Polis).
On their next turn, the Athenian player decides to move 2 more Hoplites to Boiotia and attempt to lay siege to Thibae again (paying 2 more Prestige for these actions). This time they are victorious even though the die roll is a 2 again, because the +1 modifier for the Siege disk makes it equal to the Fortification value. If the Athenian had decided to move all 4 Hoplites in their previous turn, before attempting the siege (instead of 3 in one turn and 2 in the next), they would have spent 1 less Prestige.
Example 2: The Athenian player wants to lay siege to the neutral Polis of Thibae in the second round (Epsilon - 4). There are no Spartan Hoplites in the territory of Boiotia and the Polis' Fortification value is 3. They use an action to move 3 Athenian Hoplites to this territory (the minimum required), spending 1 Prestige to do so. For their second action, they pay another Prestige to lay siege to the Polis. However, the result of the die roll is a 2 and that is not enough for the siege to be successful, so the Athenian loses 1 of their Hoplites located in Boiotia and places a Siege disk in that territory.
Example 3: During the last round (Omega - 5), the Spartan player wants to seize control of Thibae from their opponent. The Polis has a Fortification value of 3 and its current Population is 2 (which is of no importance at the start of the siege). The territory of Boiotia has 2 Athenian Hoplites in it. The Spartan decides to move four Hoplites to the territory and lay siege to the Polis, which costs them 2 Prestige in total. The Spartan rolls a 4 and the siege is successful. They take control of their opponent's Polis (including all of their Projects) and replaces the 2 blue Population cubes with 2 red ones from the Spartan reserve. The Spartan player also receives 3 Prestige points.
If the siege had not been successful, the Spartan player would have lost 1 of their Hoplites from the territory of Boiotia and the Athenian player would have lost 1 Population cube from Thibae. On their next turn, the Spartan player could lay siege to the Polis again, since they still have enough Hoplites in the territory to do so (so long as the Athenian does not move any Hoplites there first). However, it should be noted that regardless of whether the second siege is successful or not, the Athenian player is destined to lose control of the Polis, since a second unsuccessful siege would make them lose their last Population cube from Thibae and the Polis would rebel against them and become neutral.
8. Collect Tribute
This action costs 1 Prestige.
If a player controls at least one Polis in a territory where they have Hoplites, they may demand that the population hand over the Resources they produce there. The Resources they receive are shown in the Tribute Area (the area with the territory names on the left side of the main board). Each territory produces all of the Resources listed under its name.
In order to receive the Resources, the player temporarily moves their Hoplite cubes from that territory to the territory's Tribute spaces. The player may choose how many and which columns of Resources to place their Hoplites on, but the spaces must be filled consecutively, always going from top to bottom in each column, starting with the space that has no number. After all the Hoplites are placed, the player receives the number of Resources indicated in the top empty space in each column (below the last Hoplite placed in that column), moving the marker for each of the Resources obtained on their personal board. For example, if a player uses 1/2/3/4/5 Hoplites to demand Wine in Sicelia, they would receive 1/3/6/10/15 units of Wine respectively.
When a player demands Tribute in the region of their own capital (Attika for the Athenian player and Lakedaemon for the Spartan player), they do not need to pay any Prestige to carry out the action: The people voluntarily collaborate for the cause. To remind players of this exception, the symbol of each side (an owl and the Greek letter lambda) is shown in the Tribute Area for those Poleis to the left of the map.
After the player has received the chosen Resources, all of the Hoplite cubes used are returned to the territory on the map. Then, the player places a disk of their color on the territory's space in the Tribute Area to indicate that this action cannot be executed in that same territory again by either of the players for the rest of the current round.
Note that there is no Polis in the territory of Achaea, so a player simply has to have Hoplites there to execute this action (and be the only one who can demand Tribute in that territory for the entire round).
In Sicelia, a Tribute of up to 15 units of Wine and up to 6 units of Wheat can be collected. The Spartan player decides to demand Tribute from Sicelia in the last round of the game (Omega). To do so, they use 3 of their 5 Hoplites to get 6 units of Wine and the other 2 to get 3 units of Wheat. They could have decided to get 15 units of Wine, by using all 5 of their Hoplites in the Wine column.
9. Trade
Foreign Markets
Foreign Markets begin to open up and gain importance as the game advances. Depending on the round, the exchange rate for shipments of Silver or Wheat will have a value of 3, 4, or 5.
Silver and Wheat are the two most valuable Resources in the game, but they are also the most scarce. Territories in the Greek world do not produce enough of what they need, so the players can only acquire the amounts necessary to achieve dominance by trading with Merchants. In order to use this action, a player must control one of their own Commercial Poleis. This is no problem for Athens, since its capital, Athinae, is also its Commercial Polis, and they will maintain control of it throughout the game. However, the Spartan player must be sure to pay attention and not lose their two commercial Poleis (Pylos and Gythion).
Even if Athens gets control of both of Sparta's Commercial Polis, that doesn't allow them to use Sparta's Commercial Port or Merchants.
In order to trade with one of the five Foreign Markets (Euxinos, Persia, Aegyptos, Illyria, and Thraki), the player must move one of their Merchants from their Commercial Port to the selected market space using the Trade Route lines (dotted lines drawn on the map). This movement must be executed in its entirety, all the way to the market space that the player has selected—It cannot be a partial trip in which the Merchant is left waiting at some point along the route.
In the case of Euxinos, Persia, or Aegyptos, reaching these foreign markets requires a free maritime route along the path chosen, which is only possible if none of the seas the Merchant must cross to reach the market are controlled by the other player's Galleys.
From their Commercial Port, the first sea that an Athenian Merchant must cross is always the Kyklades. The Spartan player can choose to start their Merchants' routes either by crossing the Ionion pelagos or the Myrtóon pelagos, since their Commercial Port provides access to both seas. If these seas are blocked by the other player (for the Spartans it would have to be both of the two seas), they cannot trade with any of the three Foreign Markets mentioned above.
As with the movement of Hoplites and Galleys, if a player controls the Polis of Korinthos, they may move their Merchants directly from Kyklades to Ionion pelagos or vice versa.
The route to the markets of Illyria and Thraki can also be made by land, respectively, from Epidamnos and Abdira. The player who controls one of these Poleis may trade with the foreign market that they are connected to without needing to ensure that maritime routes from their Commercial Port are open (the Merchant moves directly from the Commercial Port to the Foreign Market)—as long as the player still remains in control of at least one of their Commercial Poleis.
Each Foreign Market shows which Resources they will exchange for Wheat (yellow) or Silver (grey) with any Merchant that moves there. When a player moves a Merchant to a Foreign Market, they may place it in any empty space that is also available during the current round. In the first round of the game, only spaces with an exchange rate of 3 are available. In the second round, values of 3 and 4 are available, and then in the third round, the spaces for all values are available.
The market of Persia has three trade spaces: 3 units of Wheat in exchange for Iron or Wine, 4 units of Wheat for Wine, and 5 units of Silver for Iron, Wood, or Wine. In the first round of the game (Alpha - 3), the Persian market only has the top space available. The middle space becomes available starting in the second round (Epsilon - 4), and the bottom space becomes available at the start of the third round (Omega - 5).
When a Merchant occupies a space, the player must hand over a number of Resources equal to the current Market Value for that Resource, as shown in the Market Area on the board (by moving the corresponding cube on their personal board). The Market Value of the Resources (Iron, Wood, and Wine) at any given moment can be checked in the Market Area to the left of the map.
In the second round of the game (Epsilon - 4), the Athenian player decides to trade some of the Wine in their reserve to get 4 units of Wheat in Persia. Their Merchant can access the market (neither Kyklades nor Noties sporades are controlled by the Spartans) and the space is empty and available for this round.
The player places their Merchant in the middle row of the Persian market to indicate that they are trading Wine for Wheat. Upon checking the Market Value, they see that to receive the Wheat, they must hand over 5 units of Wine. They have that amount to trade, so they can carry out the action, reducing their Wine by 5 and raising their Wheat by 4.
In order to figure out how many units of the Resource they are trading they must spend, the player checks the column of the Market Area with the cube for that Resource, in the row corresponding to the quantity of Wheat or Silver they are receiving.
Following the last example, we can see that in order to receive 4 units of Wheat (A), the player must hand over 5 units of Wine (B). As a new example, If we were playing the Omega round of the game, when trading on this same market, to get 5 Silver (in the lower row), a player could then hand over either 5 units of Iron, 6 units of Wood, or 7 units of Wine.
When a trade is made, the Resource that is exchanged loses value since the demand decreases (from this moment on, a larger amount will have to be traded to obtain the same quantity of Wheat or Silver). The player must roll the die twice and move the cube for the Resource just traded a number of boxes to the right along its row in the Market Area equal to the lowest of the die roll results (or until the cube reaches the end of the row).
Continuing the example above, the Athenian player rolls the die twice and gets a 4 and a 3, so they move the Wine cube three boxes to the right.
When trading for Wheat, players have the option of handing over Silver instead of the required Resource. In this case, ignore the current Market Value. Instead, the player pays as much Silver as they receive in Wheat (e.g., if the player gets 4 units of Wheat, they must pay 4 units of Silver). In this case, the Resource or Resources that would have been handed over increases in value due to increased demand. The player rolls the die once for each of the Resources they could have used to trade for Wheat in that trade space and moves the matching cubes to the left the number of boxes shown on the die.
When a player carries out a trade action, they leave the Merchant who performed the trade in the Foreign Market until the end of the round. That trade space is not available for the rest of the round.
All merchants return to their corresponding Commercial Ports at the end of each round. That still happens even if Sparta has lost control of all of its commercial Poleis, in which case the Spartan player will not be able to use their merchants further in the game until any of those are recovered.
The trade action cannot be carried out if the Merchant is unable to get to the market, if the selected row is not empty or is not available in the current round, or if the player does not have enough Resources to make the exchange.
10. Move Proxenos
In Classical Greece, a Proxenos was a diplomatic figure who represented their own Polis while living in another. Great citizens were chosen to be Proxenos in the most emblematic places, where the League they represented was ready to invest in defending its interests far beyond the limits of its borders.
In the game, the Proxenos is represented by a piece in the player's color that can use this action to move from one Polis to another. Their movement is similar to that of a Hoplite, since they are able to move through land territories or seas. However, unlike the Hoplite, the Proxenos is able to cross spaces that are under the control of the other player.
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When a Proxenos moves from a Polis, they are considered to begin in the territory that Polis is in or a sea that Polis has access to. From there, they move through territories or seas (but never a combination of both) until they reach a Polis in the destination territory or a sea which the destination Polis has access to.
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Unlike Hoplites and Galleys, territories and seas controlled by the other player do not block the movement of a Proxenos. However, regardless of who controls the territory or sea, the Proxenos must bribe the opponent's units along the way. To do so, the moving player must pay 1 Silver for each Hoplite or Galley their opponent has in those territories or seas to permit the crossing, including the origin and destination spaces. The Silver paid does not go into the other player's coffers (the corrupt officials do not share their earnings with the League they belong to).
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If a player controls the Polis of Korinthos, they may move their Proxenos directly from Kyklades to Ionion pelagos or vice versa.
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A Polis can only host one single Proxenos at a time. So, a player cannot move their Proxenos to a Polis where their opponent's Proxenos is already present.
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Kerkyra, Chalkis, Chios, and Samos are considered within their territories like any other Polis: there is no difference regarding movement for the Proxenos due to the fact that these are located on islands on the map. A Proxenos could move from Chios to Samos crossing the Noties sporades sea or the Ionia territory.
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The Poleis of Epidamnos and Abdira do not belong to any territory, so a Proxenos can only reach them through the seas that their ports are connected to.
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As they have no ports, the Poleis of Sparti and Thibae can only be reached by a Proxenos moving overland, crossing through their territories.
The Athenian player wants to move their Proxenos from Athinae to Potidaea. The most direct way might seem to be through Thessalia to Makedonia, which would cost 4 Silver for bribes. However, in this example, the more reasonable choice would be to move by crossing the seas indicated in the figure above, since it would require only 1 Silver to bribe the Galley in Thrakiko pelagos.
- A player must protect their Proxenos, since they can be captured by their rival's Hoplites. This will happen if the Proxenos is located in a Polis that is successfully besieged by the other player. A player can recover their Proxenos by paying a ransom as indicated in action 7 - Lay Siege to a Polis (page 13). An adequate way to protect them is to move them to a Polis already controlled by the other player or seek refuge in their own capital (since neither one could be besieged and captured).
11. Instigate Civil War
If a player has their Proxenos in a neutral Polis or a Polis controlled by their opponent, they may instigate a civil war between competing factions (called "Stasis" in ancient Greece). To do so, the player will have to bribe part of the population by paying them in Silver. The amount of Silver required depends on the political situation of the Polis, but in no case will the Silver ever reach the other player's coffers.
- If the Polis is neutral, the player must pay an amount of Silver equal to double the Base Population.
- If the Polis is controlled by the other player, the amount of Silver needed is triple the current Population of the Polis.
Once the bribe has been paid, the Polis automatically changes its allegiance and joins the League of the player who provoked the conflict.
As a consequence, this player receives the Polis card (including its Projects) and places their Population cubes on it (equal to the Base Population if it was neutral or as many as the current Population if it was controlled by the other player, who recovers their cubes). Then, the player places one of their disks on top of the Polis on the map (replacing their opponent's disk if necessary).
Finally, the player receives Prestige equal to the Population bribed (not equal to the amount of Silver paid).
It is not possible to instigate a civil war in the capital of the other player.
Battles
Description of the Battle Cards
The Battle cards show formations, represented by a word and a figure (A). Most cards have two formations, one for land battles: Phalanx, Ippiko (Cavalry), Toxotis (Archers), or Peltasta (Light Infantry) on one side, and another for maritime battles when turned over (B): Treeris, Anotera Treeris, Biremes, or Triacontors. For the special cards (C), the formation is represented by a single figure that is one of two possible types: Misthoforos (Mercenaries) or Salpinx (Trumpet).
Battle cards also show maneuvers, represented by a word and a symbol (E). Most cards have two: one for the land battle maneuver (Othismos, Proothisi, Antistasi, or Voli) and the other for maritime maneuvers (Diekplous, Periplous, or Kyklos). For the special cards, the Misthoforos have only one maneuver: Antistasi (Hold); while the Salpinx has as its only maneuver: Enedra (Ambush).
Each maneuver has a Prestige value linked to its strength (D), which can be positive (granting 1 or 2 Prestige points) if it is successfully used in a battle, zero, or negative (the ambush of the Salpinx costs 1 Prestige point if an attacker uses it).
Each formation can execute one or two types of maneuvers (E). The numbers in the top right corner indicate the number of cards there are for each formation/maneuver combination.
For example: The Phalanx formation can execute an Othismos maneuver (for 2 Prestige points and this combination appears on 3 cards) or a Proothisi (for 1 Prestige point and it appears on 5 cards).
At the end of their turn, players must check whether any battles break out. A battle must be resolved if there are 8 or more units (counting both players') in the same territory or sea.
If there are several battles to resolve, the player whose turn it is decides the order of their resolution.
Exception: After one of the players has passed for the round, if there are 8 or more units together in a single space while the other player carries out the rest of their actions, it is not necessary to check whether any battle needs to be resolved. In this case, all battles will be checked and resolved at the end, after both players have passed.
Fighting Battles
Each battle is made up of several consecutive rounds of combat in which the Battle cards are used. At the beginning of each battle, all of the Battle cards are shuffled together. Both players draw as many cards for their starting hand as the number of units they have in the territory or sea in dispute. For example, a player with 5 Hoplites in a battle will draw a starting hand of 5 cards.
During combat, the players take turns being the attacker and defender. The players compare the cards they played and resolve their effects. If the battle does not come to an end, another combat round begins in which the players switch roles: the attacker becomes the defender and vice versa.
For a battle that occurs in a territory, the Spartan player is always the first to attack. For any battle that breaks out in a sea, the Athenian player is always the first to attack.
During each combat round, the attacker chooses two Battle cards from their hand and places them one at a time, face up, one next to the other. The defender then selects one card from their hand to place in front of each card chosen by the attacker (two cards total). After that, the formations and the power of the military maneuvers on each of the paired cards chosen by the attacker and defender are compared:
- If the defender does not play a card with the same formation as that played by the attacker, they lose one of their units in that territory or sea. Also, the attacker receives the Prestige shown on their card.
- If the defender does play a card with the same formation as the one played by the attacker, they do not lose any units. The attacker will receive Prestige only if their card has a strength that is greater than the defender's card. If that is the case, the attacker gains Prestige equal to the difference between the two cards' strength values.
There are two types of special cards whose formations are different from the others. Each only works in one way and has particular effects on the game:
Misthoforos. This card can be used by the defender as a "wild card" that will match any formation on the card played by the attacker (except for the other special card, the Salpinx). Likewise, if it is played by the attacker, it is automaticaly matched by the formation of the defender and can never lead to the loss of a unit.
Salpinx. If played by the attacker, this card can never be matched by the defender and will always cause the loss of a unit. However, the attacker must lose 1 Prestige to use it. If it is played by the defender it will not cost any Prestige to play it, but it will not cause the loss of any of the attacker's units either. On the other hand, as it will not match the attacker's formation, the defender will lose one unit and the attacker will gain the corresponding Prestige.
After resolving the clash, both players discard their used cards and draw new ones from the deck. The player who was the attacker in the combat round always draws two cards. The player who was the defender draws cards until they again have a number of cards equal to the number of units they have in the battle (this may be 2, 1, or no cards depending on the losses they suffered during the combat round).
Finally, the players switch the attacker and defender roles and the battle continues with another combat round. They continue alternating roles until the battle comes to an end. This occurs immediately when one of the three following situations arises:
- Either player decides to retreat from the battle, losing 1 Prestige for their cowardice (if the player does not have any Prestige, they cannot retreat). Their opponent gains 1 Prestige. The retreat must be declared before drawing cards from the Battle card deck. A player can even retreat before the first round of combat. When a player retreats from a battle, all of their Hoplites or Galleys remain in the territory or sea they were located in; and this can lead to a new battle during the next turn if there are still 8 or more units there.
- At the end of a combat round, if the player who was the defender now has less than 2 units left in the territory or sea where the battle broke out.
- If there are not enough cards in the Battle card deck for both players to draw the cards they need.
It may happen that a battle ends when there are still 8 or more units in that territory or sea. In this case, if the next player does not do anything to change the situation, a new battle will break out in the same location at the end of their turn.
Land battle. The attacker plays a Phalanx/Othismos and Toxotis/Voli, while the defender responds by matching both formations (Phalanx and Toxotis) so that they will lose no units. The attacker earns 1 Prestige, since their Othismos maneuver has a greater strength value than the defender's Proothisi (2-1)
Maritime battle. The attacker plays a Treeris/Kyklos and a Salpinx. The defender answers by matching the Treeris and for their second card plays an Anotera Treeris/Diekplous. The Treeris card played by the attacker does not cause any units to be lost and does not gain any Prestige (its maneuver strength value is lower). The Salpinx does cause 1 defending unit to be lost, but the attacker must lose 1 Prestige.
Land battle. The attacker plays a Phalanx/Othismos and Toxotis/Proothisi. The defender matches the Phalanx with Misthoforos and suffers no losses. In this face off, the attacker receives (2-0=) 2 Prestige for their maneuver. The defender is unable to match the Toxotis and plays an Ippiko formation. This would lead to the loss of a defending unit and the attacker would gain another 1 Prestige.
The End of the Round
The current round ends after both players have passed and all battles that break out have been resolved. Then, the players must follow the 7 steps that are detailed below, one after the other (4 if it is the end of the game). The player who passed first during the round completes each step first.
1. Projects
All Projects that are being developed in the Poleis (whether controlled by a player or neutral) are completed. Each Project tile is turned over and remains on top of the Polis card. These Projects give the player who controls the Polis the Prestige shown on the tile.
Projects completed in neutral Poleis during this step do not provide any Prestige to either of the two players. However, they may provide End of Game Prestige if this Polis ends up under the control of one of the players.
Continuing the example of the "Develop a Project" action with Myron, the Athenian player receives 2 Prestige when the Project is completed at the end of the round. The tile is turned over and placed on top of the Athinae Polis card.
2. Food
The people of the Leagues must be fed. Each player must spend as many units of Wheat as they have Population cubes on all of their Polis cards.
If they do not have enough Wheat to pay the total amount, they must make up the difference with the same amount of Prestige or by giving up Poleis from their League (back to neutrality) until the full Wheat payment can be made (including the removal of all the Population cubes and placing the card in the Neutral Polis Area). The player may combine the two methods to compensate for the shortfall in order to reach their required obligation.
It is not permitted for a player to remove part of the Population from any Polis to fulfill their commitments in this step.
3. Growth
In this step, each player chooses whether to use any Wheat they still have left to increase the Population of their Poleis. Each Wheat unit paid by the player allows them to place 1 new Population cube from their reserve on the card of any Polis they control.
The number of cubes added to each Polis during this step cannot exceed its Maximum Growth value. Likewise, the total number of cubes on a Polis at the end of this step cannot exceed its Maximum Population value.
Sparti can grow by up to 3 Population at the end of each round (by paying the same amount in Wheat) until it reaches its maximum Population of 8.
4. Megalopolis
When a well-managed Polis is home to a considerable number of citizens, it achieves the admiration of the Greek world as a whole.
In this step, each player gains 1 Prestige for each Polis they control whose current number of Population cubes is greater than its Base Population value. That means that if Sparti has 5, 6, 7, or 8 Population cubes, the Spartan player receives 1 Prestige point.
The following three steps are not executed after the last round of the game. Instead the players skip directly to the "End of the Game" section.
5. Adjustment of Goods
This step reflects the difficulty of storing perishable goods in the period of Classical Greece.
During this step, each player reduces the perishable goods (Wine and Wheat) they hold by half, rounding up the amount that remains.
Before this step, the Spartan player has 5 Wine in their reserve and no Wheat. They end up with 3 Wine and no Wheat.
6. Phoros
Phoros was a tribute that the city-states belonging to a League would pay to their protector, in this case Athens and Sparta.
At this time, both players decide whether they want to lose Prestige and demand the Phoros from the Poleis in their League. To do so, they must control at least one Polis in addition to their capital.
A player may decide to lose 1 Prestige and receive 1 Silver. Alternatively, the player may opt to lose 2 Prestige in exchange for 3 Silver.
7. Preparing for the Next Round
Before starting the next round, you must do the following:
- Upon finishing the Alpha Phase, flip the Round marker. Upon finishing the Epsilon Phase, remove the marker from the board. Leave the End of Round marker within reach of the players.
- Remove all disks from the Tribute area as well as all Siege disks from the map.
- Remove 1 black cube from each of the Foreign Markets that have any (the one at the top for those markets that have more than one cube).
- Remove the Merchant pieces belonging to both players from the Foreign Markets and return them to the Commercial Port of the player to which they belong (even if the Spartan player has lost control of their two Commercial Poleis).
- Any Project tiles that are still on the board and have not been developed by the players are removed from the game. Then, take face down Project tiles at random and place them face up in their corresponding board spaces.
At the end of the Alpha round, 5 Projects are drawn and the player with the least Prestige (in case of a tie, the one who passed first in the round that is being finished) choses one to remove from the game so that 4 remain available. At the end of the Epsilon round, the 6 remaining Projects are drawn and again the player with the least Prestige chooses one to be eliminated from the game, so that 5 remain.
The End of the Game
The game immediately ends if any of the following happens:
- If, after the end of round steps and before beginning the new round, one player is left without any Prestige.
- If a player must lose Prestige for any reason and at any time during the game, and that player does not have enough Prestige to pay the penalty.
- If, during any Food Step at the end of the round when a player controls only their own capital and that player is unable to feed its Population with their Wheat reserves and/or Prestige.
If a player meets one of the above conditions, that player immediately loses the game. Their opponent is the winner!
If none of the three conditions above is met first, the game ends after the fourth end of round step ("Megalopolis") during the last round of the game.
Determining Victory
In order to determine who is the winner of the game, each player adds up the following:
- The total amount of Population they have on all of the Polis cards they control, one point per cube.
- Their current Prestige.
- The total of the End of Game Prestige bonuses indicated by the blue squares next to the Prestige icon on all completed Projects on their Polis cards.
The player whose combined score from all three sources is higher wins the game! In case of a tie, the player with the most total Resources (Iron, Wood, Wine, Silver, and Wheat) wins. If there is still a tie, both players become part of the Olympus of Polis Players.
Reference Tables
Poleis
| Polis | Territory | Base Pop. | Max Growth | Max Pop. | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athinae (commercial) | Attika | 5 | 3 | 10 | Koilon, Skini, Myron, Fidias, Protagoras, Socrates |
| Chalkis | Attika | 1 | 1 | 2 | — |
| Sparti | Lakedaemon | 4 | 3 | 8 | Apollo, Zeus, Efebos, Aphrodite, Dionysos, Demeter |
| Gythion (commercial) | Lakedaemon | 1 | 1 | 2 | — |
| Argos | Arcadia | 3 | 1 | 5 | Isthmia, Nemea |
| Korinthos | Megaris | 4 | 2 | 6 | Isthmia, Nemea, Koilon, Skini, Myron, Fidias |
| Thibae | Boiotia | 3 | 1 | 5 | Koilon, Skini |
| Gela | Sicelia | 3 | 1 | 5 | Efebos, Aphrodite |
| Syrakousae | Sicelia | 4 | 2 | 7 | Apollo, Zeus, Protagoras, Socrates, Myron, Fidias |
| Kerkyra | Akarnania | 2 | 1 | 3 | — |
| Nafpaktos | Thessalia | 1 | 1 | 2 | — |
| Pylos (commercial) | Messinia | 2 | 1 | 3 | — |
| Samos | Ionia | 3 | 2 | 6 | Dionysos, Demeter |
| Chios | Ionia | 2 | 1 | 3 | — |
| Potidaea | Makedonia | 2 | 1 | 3 | Dionysos, Demeter |
| Pydna | Makedonia | 2 | 1 | 3 | Isthmia, Nemea |
| Epidamnos | (neutral, no territory) | 1 | 1 | 3 | Efebos, Aphrodite |
| Abdira | (neutral, no territory) | 1 | 1 | 3 | Efebos, Aphrodite |
(Base Pop. also equals each Polis' Fortification value. Commercial Poleis are marked with an amphora on the map and card.)
Foreign Markets
Ionion pelagos — Illyria: 3 Wheat for 3 Wood; 4 Wheat for 3 Wood.
Thrakiko pelagos — Thraki: 3 Wheat for 3 Iron; 4 Wheat for 3 Iron.
Thrakiko pelagos — Euxinos: 4 Silver for 3 Wine; 5 Silver for 3 Wine.
Noties sporades — Persia: 3 Wheat for 3 Iron or Wine; 4 Wheat for 3 Wine; 5 Silver for 3 Iron, Wood, or Wine.
Myrtóon pelagos — Aegyptos: 3 Wheat for 3 Wood; 4 Wheat for 3 Wood or Wine; 5 Silver for 3 Wine.
Combat Cards
Land formations
| # | Formation | Maneuver | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Phalanx | Othismos | 2 |
| 5 | Phalanx | Proothisi | 1 |
| 4 | Ippiko | Proothisi | 1 |
| 2 | Ippiko | Antistasi | 0 |
| 3 | Toxotis | Proothisi | 1 |
| 2 | Toxotis | Voli | 0 |
| 3 | Peltasta | Antistasi | 0 |
| 1 | Misthoforos | Antistasi | 0 |
| 1 | Salpinx | Enedra | -1 |
Maritime formations
| # | Formation | Maneuver | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Anotera Treeris | Diekplous | 2 |
| 5 | Anotera Treeris | Periplous | 1 |
| 4 | Treeris | Periplous | 1 |
| 2 | Treeris | Kyklos | 0 |
| 3 | Bireme | Periplous | 1 |
| 2 | Bireme | Kyklos | 0 |
| 3 | Triacontor | Kyklos | 0 |
| 1 | Misthoforos | Kyklos | 0 |
| 1 | Salpinx | Enedra | -1 |