Scholars of the South Tigris: Promo Starting Translators
Scholars of the South Tigris: Promo Starting Translators Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Cards
The set contains 11 Translator cards, one for each Room numbered 1 to 11. The card faces are described below in Room order. Each card shows:
- Two languages in the dark banner (the languages the translator speaks).
- A red tab at the bottom right carrying a number from 1 to 11 (the Room number, see Reading the Card Faces).
- A yellow tab at the top right carrying a number from 1 to 3 (see Reading the Card Faces).
- A white asterisk at the top left, the spot where an Influence is placed when the translator is employed.
- A small action picture at the bottom right of the banner.
- A band of icons along the bottom: a requirement on the left, an arrow, and the result on the right. The card prints no words for this band.
According to the publisher's description, these cards alternatively replace the original starting translators in the game. No setup text is printed on the faces.
Reading the Card Faces
- Red number (Room): the base rulebook describes Starting Translators as carrying "the white number against a red background at the bottom of each Room and Starting Translator". The red numbers on these 11 faces are the numbers 1 to 11, one each, so they are read as the Room each translator is placed in (inference).
- Yellow number: the yellow number is not explained on the cards. The base rulebook's Scoring section refers to "VP printed on Retired Translators under their Player Board". The yellow numbers (1 to 3) are the only other printed numbers on the faces, so they are read as that printed VP (inference, unconfirmed).
- Asterisk (top left): the base rulebook's Setup says players place 1 Influence "on the top-left corner of their chosen Starting Translator". The asterisk printed there marks that spot. Pictures of the cards in play show a player's Influence on it.
- Corner action picture: each face shows one of four pictures: a person silhouette, a horse, a bar chart, or a quill. The base rulebook names four actions (Recruit, Travel, Research and Translate) but prints no pictures for them. The person is read as Recruit, the horse as Travel, the bar chart as Research and the quill as Translate (inference). The base rulebook's Card Appendix describes Retiree abilities that "May take the indicated action instead of the main action from this Action Slot", which is consistent with this reading.
- Action requirement: a grey square with a number (for example "1+", "8+" or "12") is read as the value the main action must reach. The base rulebook says actions are "valued between 1-12" (inference).
Icon Key
The table lists each icon that appears in the retire bands. Status is either Inferred (matched by name to a term in the base or Body of Books rulebook, or by a clear colour or symbol convention) or Unresolved (no term in either rulebook matches, so the icon is not transcribed as a rule).
| Printed icon | Where it appears | Reading | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grey square with "1+" (or "8+", "12") | Requirement, left | A main action of at least that value (1-12 range) | Inferred |
| Blue/yellow split square with "1+" | Requirement, left | A 1+ die in one of those two colours | Inferred from the colour split only |
| Yellow/purple split square with "1+" | Requirement, left | A 1+ die in one of those two colours | Inferred from the colour split only |
| Red/green split square with "1+" | Requirement, left | A 1+ die in one of those two colours | Inferred from the colour split only |
| Dark grey square with "1+" (white) | Requirement, left | A 1+ White Die | Inferred |
| Blue planet |
Translator Cards
Each card is listed in Room order. The ability is given as printed, left to right, with the status of each icon. The cards print no timing text, so when each ability is used is unresolved. The base rulebook's Card Appendix gives the Retiree ability types, and none of the printed icons on these cards is named there.
Room 1: Greek, Hebrew, Persian
- Yellow number: 1. Red number: 1. Corner action picture: person silhouette.
- Ability: [yellow/purple split square, "1+"] [yellow hexagon] → [green card with white X].
- Reading: a 1+ requirement in a yellow/purple die (inference). A Gold is shown before the arrow, so it may be a cost (inference, the card's position suggests this but the rules are not printed). The green card with white X is unresolved.
Room 2: Greek, Hebrew, Syriac
- Yellow number: 2. Red number: 2. Corner action picture: horse.
- Ability: [dark grey square, "1+"] → [yellow hexagon].
- Reading: a 1+ White Die requirement, then gain 1 Gold (inference).
Room 3: Hebrew, Persian, Syriac
- Yellow number: 2. Red number: 3. Corner action picture: bar chart.
- Ability: [pulley with red bar and bucket] / [green leaf] → [black cube with green hand].
- Reading: the requirement is the pulley or the leaf (the slash is read as "or"). The leaf is inferred to be the Biology Research Track. The pulley is unresolved. The result is gain 1 Black Die to hand (inference).
Room 4: Greek, Persian, Syriac
- Yellow number: 1. Red number: 4. Corner action picture: quill.
- Ability: [grey square, "12"] → [stack of four coloured tiles] [stack of four coloured tiles].
- Reading: a requirement of a main action value of 12 (inference). The result is two stacks of coloured tiles, which is unresolved (the same icon as Room 11).
Room 5: Sanskrit, Persian
- Yellow number: 1. Red number: 5. Corner action picture: person silhouette.
- Ability: [red/green split square, "1+"] [white shield with green plus] → [flag with blue, red and yellow panels].
- Reading: a 1+ requirement in a red or green die (inference from the colour split). The white shield with a green plus is read as gain a White Die to Bag (inference). The flag is unresolved. No arrow appears between the requirement and the white shield; the printed order is kept as shown.
Room 6: Chinese, Syriac
- Yellow number: 1. Red number: 6. Corner action picture: horse.
- Ability: [white ring] [grey coin] → [minaret with asterisk, purple, orange and green].
- Reading: the white ring is unresolved. The grey coin is read as Silver (inference). The result is Influence a Guild, read from the asterisk on the minaret (inference). The Guild is not shown.
Room 7: Persian, Arabic
- Yellow number: 3. Red number: 7. Corner action picture: bar chart.
- Ability: [bearded figure with thought bubbles and gold chain] / [purple abacus] → [eight-pointed star outline].
- Reading: the requirement is either the figure or the Mathematics (Purple) abacus (the slash is read as "or"). The figure is unresolved. The result is unresolved.
Room 8: Syriac, Arabic
- Yellow number: 2. Red number: 8. Corner action picture: quill.
- Ability: [grey square, "8+"] → [white shield with red X].
- Reading: a main action value of 8 or more (inference). The result is destroy a White Die (inference).
Room 9: Greek, Arabic
- Yellow number: 2. Red number: 9. Corner action picture: person silhouette.
- Ability: [blue/yellow split square, "1+"] → [multi-colour cube with green plus].
- Reading: a 1+ requirement in a blue or yellow die (inference from the colour split). The result is gain any 1 primary Die to Bag (inference).
Room 10: Hebrew, Arabic
- Yellow number: 2. Red number: 10. Corner action picture: horse.
- Ability: [dark grey square, "1+"] → [green bag with multi-colour die and black arrow out].
- Reading: a 1+ White Die requirement (inference). The result is randomly draw 1 Die from Bag to hand (inference).
Room 11: Persian, Syriac, Arabic
- Yellow number: 2. Red number: 11. Corner action picture: bar chart.
- Ability: [blue planet] / [orange flask] → [stack of four coloured tiles].
- Reading: the requirement is the Astronomy (Blue) planet or the Chemistry flask (the slash is read as "or"; the flask is inferred). The result is unresolved, the same stacked icon as Room 4.