The Colonists: The Alliance of the Six Cities
The Colonists: The Alliance of the Six Cities Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About Scenarios
"The Alliance of the Six Cities" is a scenario for The Colonists, based on Era II. The game board and the players' starting setup are fixed. There are also a few special rules. Scenarios are meant to deepen certain aspects of the game and confront you with new challenges. They are usually played without diplomacy. Further scenarios will follow in the future, including special solo scenarios.
Goal of the Game
Each game of the scenario presents you with one of six tasks, which bring you additional Dollars at game end if you have mastered them by then. The goal of the game remains building the most valuable community. Whoever masters the task has, of course, better chances of winning. Fulfilling the task is not required for victory. Only in the solo game does the following apply: if the task is not fulfilled, the player has lost.
Setup
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Take this double sheet carefully out of the middle of the booklet and lay it out on the table with the inside facing up. The town tiles and Markets of the base game are not needed. You play on this double sheet.
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Decide together which task applies to this game. There are six tasks, which are explained in more detail at the end of these rules. They are shown symbolically on the game board. Mark the chosen task. (If you cannot decide, simply roll to determine a task.)
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Take any Special Ambassador and place it on the Head Official in Freidingen. It represents a neutral Steward. The Embassies and other colony material are not needed.
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Set out all buildings and all goods that you need in Era II. These are all buildings that show one of the symbols (a cog-wheel symbol, I or II), as well as all goods except Iron, Clothing and Coal. Also prepare the Farmers and Citizens.
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Find the Era II cards and prepare them as described in the base game rules. Also lay out the Round card and the Round indicator.
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Each player takes a Community board and a Steward of a color of their choice. Place your Community board as shown, with buildings, Colonists and goods. Determine a starting player and give them the starting player marker.
Note: Unlike starting in a later Era, you do not receive a permanent Improvement for free. You also do not receive additional goods through Goods Dollars.
Board Notes
The board is printed on the double sheet (pages 10–11). Its six towns, the task tiles and the printed callouts below belong to this scenario's setup and rules.
- Activating buildings: Assign workers – possible at any time. Removing workers – only at the end of the year.
- Important! Building over buildings: the building cost of the new building is paid. Remodelling buildings does not count as building over!
Game Flow
The scenario lasts five years and is based on Era II. Besides your private Stewards, the Emperor provides you with a neutral Steward (represented by the Special Ambassador), which all players may control equally. In each turn you move either your own Steward, which no other player may move, or the neutral Steward. Then you carry out the action of the destination as usual.
As the name of the scenario already reveals, the game board is divided into six towns. At the centre of each town is always a Market bearing the town's name, and around that Market are six places. You get from town to town by jumping onto the corresponding Markets. In this scenario, however, a Fee is also due on Markets. Since you are in Era II, the Fee is 2 Building resources plus either 1 Food or 1 Tool.
The neutral Steward may likewise be moved onto a space with other players' Stewards. Then the Fee is due to those players as well. Conversely, this is not possible: the space with the neutral Steward is off-limits.
As with your own Stewards, the neutral Steward may not end on the space on which it stood at the beginning of your three turns.
End of the Game
The game ends after the production phase of the fifth year. Whoever has mastered the task receives 6 Dollars. Then scoring takes place. As usual, the player whose community is worth the most Dollars in total wins.
The Tasks
Task 1 – Have 4 Forester's Houses and 2 Hollows
The task counts as fulfilled if at the end you have at least 4 Forester's Houses and 2 Hollows on your Community board. The buildings you start the game with also count. So you only need to build two more Forester's Houses and one more Hollow. You only need to have the buildings; they do not need to be staffed with a worker.
Task 2 – Have 3 Storage Houses
The task counts as fulfilled if at the end you own 3 Storage Houses. To do so you must remodel all three Storage Sheds during the game. It is enough that you have the Storage Houses; they do not need to be staffed with a worker.
Task 3 – Have 2 Iron Mines
The task counts as fulfilled if at the end you own at least 2 Iron Mines. They do not need to be staffed with a worker.
Task 4 – Have 3 permanent Improvements
The task counts as fulfilled if at the end you have at least 3 permanent Improvements (∞) laid out in front of you. They must actually have been played; it is not enough to hold them in your hand.
Task 5 – Have 25 Dollars in cash
The task counts as fulfilled if at the end you have at least 25 Dollars in your Toolbox. The 6 Dollars you receive for fulfilling the task do not count toward this; you only receive them once you have collected 25 Dollars yourself (whereupon you will have at least 31 Dollars in cash).
Task 6 – Have 10 Citizens
The task counts as fulfilled if at the end you have at least 10 Citizens. The Citizens do not need to work. All Citizens you have on your Community board or among your Improvements count.