The Great Library Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• What Do You Do in the Game?
  • End of Game
• Components
• Setup
• Player Setup
• First Player and Turn Order
  • Turn Order
  • Inauguration Round
• Main Concepts
  • Paying and Gaining
  • Time
  • Supplies
  • Knowledge and Scribes
  • Library Tokens
  • Location Tiles
  • Local and Invited Scholars
  • Pinax Tiles
  • The Great Library
• Gameplay
  • 1. Planning Phase
  • 2. Execution Phase
  • End of the Game
• Executive Actions
  • 1. Use a Library Token
  • 2. Send an Invited Scholar to an Executive Space
• Main Actions
  • 1. Use a Location Tile
  • 2. Take a Time Action on the Time Board
  • 3. Use an Available Scholar (Local or Invited)
  • 4. Fulfill a King's Request Card
  • 5. Read (Pass)
• Locations of the Mouseion
  • A. Navigation
  • B. Harbor
  • C. Palace
  • D. School
  • E. Scriptorium
  • F. Garden
  • G. Academy
  • Residence
• 3. The End of Generation Phase
  • Triggering an Event
• Final Scoring
• Designer Tips
• Reference
  • Library Benefits
  • Scholar Cards
  • King's Improvements
  • Great Work Improvements
  • Ship Location Tile Bonus
• Overview
  • Main Goal
  • Game End Triggers
  • Game Flow
  • Locations Explained
  • Key Concepts
  • End Game Scoring
  • Tie-breakers

What Do You Do in the Game?

During this game, you research Great Works, deliver Crafts to the kingdom, and train Scribes to translate Manuscripts. Then, following the King's Requests, you send the Manuscripts, Great Works, and Crafts to the Great Library to gain Renown, Improvements, and other benefits, and attract the great Scholars of the time to the Library to work with you.

The Scholars and Improvements you earn grant you more actions and flexibility in your choices. You will need to manage resources to achieve your aims, including the most important resource of all: Time.

End of Game

As Scholars perform their work, Generations will pass triggering Events and the Great Library will fill. When the second Event is triggered or when 2 or fewer empty spaces remain in the Library, the end of the game is triggered and the player with the most Renown is named the Greatest Librarian and wins the game.

Components

All components are limited.

• 1 Double-sided Main board and 1 double-sided Time and Pinakes board
• 4 player Workshop boards; 1 in each player colour
• This rulebook, a Solo rulebook and 4 player aids
• 7 Time dice and 12 Knowledge dice; 3 in each player colour
• 7 Generation tiles, and 8 Local Scholars; 2 in each player colour
• 8 Setup cards, 7 Library Location tiles, 1 Starting Craft tile
• 6 Head Librarian tiles
• 4 Starting Scribes with no specialty; 1 in each player colour
• 16 Manuscript tiles, and 12 Scribes specialized in Arts & Satire
• 16 Manuscript tiles, and 12 Scribes specialized in Laws & Oratory
• 16 Manuscript tiles, and 12 Scribes specialized in Medicine & Philosophy
• 6 Starting Manuscript tiles; 2 in each specialty
• 9 Great Works; 3 of each specialty with values 4, 5 and 6 Renown
• 12 Craft tiles
• 6 Event tiles; 2 of each specialty
• 36 King's Request cards in 5 Decks. 2 with 9 and 3 with 6 cards
• 8 King's Improvement tiles; 4 of each type
• 16 King's Improvement cubes, and 12 Great Works Improvement cubes
• 18 Invited Scholar cards in 3 decks (A/B/C)
• 16 Invited Scholars; 4 in each player colour, numbered 1 to 4
• 16 Invited Scholar Location tiles; 4 in each player colour, numbered 1 to 4
• 15 Translation Stones; 5 each in 3 types
• 4 Fleet markers and 16 Captain tokens; 4 in each player colour
• 20 Ship Location tiles; 5 in each player color
• 16 Pinax tiles
• 48 Seals; 12 in each player colour and 48 Library tokens
• 4 Turn Order and 4 Renown markers; 1 in each player colour
• 4 Time and 12 Academy markers; 3 in each player colour
• 20 King's Grace tokens and 20 Research tokens; 5 of each in value 5
• Crate tokens: 16 Silver, 16 Ink, 16 Papyrus

Setup

2/3-player game: Changes to the rules for a 2/3-player game are indicated like this.

1. Place the Main board in the middle of the table, 1-2 or 3-4 side up depending on your player count. (Look for the symbols on the top left of the main board).
2. Place the Time and Pinakes board next to the Main board, 1-2 or 3-4 side up depending on your player count.
3. Shuffle the Generation tiles, and place one face up at random on each of the 7 leftmost spaces of the Generations track.
4. Shuffle the Event tiles and place 1 at random face up on each of the 2 Event spaces of the Generations track. Return the remaining Event tiles to the box.
5. Separate the Scribe tiles by specialty: Arts, Laws, and Medicine. Set aside the Starting Scribe tiles for now (with no specialty). Shuffle each specialty separately to form three face-down stacks and place these stacks next to the Main board. Leave room next to each for a discard pile. From each stack, take the top 2 tiles and place them face up on the matching spaces in the Residence.
6. Separate the 6 starting Manuscript tiles (with an 'S') into 3 stacks by their specialty and place the stacks next to the Main board, for later.
7. Separate the remaining Manuscript tiles by specialty: Arts, Laws, and Medicine. Shuffle each specialty separately to form 3 face-up stacks and place each stack next to the Main board. From each stack, take the top 2 tiles and place them face up on the matching spaces in the Scriptorium. Then, from each stack, take the top tile and place it face up on an empty Manuscript Tile space in Alexandria.
8. Separate the King's Request cards by their backs into 5 decks and shuffle each deck face down. From the deck with a star on its back (Starting King's Request cards) give 2 face-down at random to each player. Return the remaining Starting King's Request cards to the box.
9. Place the 3 decks of cards showing one type of Manuscript icon on their backs (Arts, Laws, and Medicine) face up on the indicated spaces in the Palace. Place the deck of cards showing (≠) on their backs face up on the indicated space in the Palace. Place the top card of this deck face up in the space to the right of the deck.
10. Separate the Invited Scholar cards by their backs (A/B/C) into 3 decks and shuffle each deck face down. Place the decks face down on top of each other in alphabetical order; the 'A' deck on the bottom, the 'B' deck in the middle, and the 'C' deck on the top. Flip this combined deck and place it face up on the top space of the Garden. Fill the display in the Garden with the top 4 cards of the deck.
11. Separate the Great Works by the number of Renown on them (4/5/6) into 3 face-up stacks. The order does not matter. Place each stack face up in the Academy on the space with the matching number.
12. Shuffle the Head Librarian tiles into a face-down stack. Place the stack on the right side of the Great Library face up. Place the top Librarian of the stack face up on the left side of the Great Library.
13. Shuffle the Pinax tiles face down. Give 1 Pinax tile face down at random to each player. Place a Pinax tile face up on each of the 7 Pinax spaces on the bottom half of the Time and Pinakes board. Return the remaining Pinax tiles to the box.

For a 2-player game: Randomly select 3 of the 7 Library Location tiles to shuffle with the Starting Craft tile, and lay out 5 Great Library Setup cards. If any card shows a column number greater than 5, flip that card to its other side. 17. Create a general supply of Ink, Papyrus, Silver, Research tokens, King's Grace tokens, Library tokens, and Translation Stones next to the Main board.

The 3 types of Manuscripts found in the game: Arts & Satire, Laws & Oratory, Medicine & Philosophy.

Player Setup

Each player chooses a colour and takes the following:

1. 1 Workshop and 1 Player aid.
2. 1 Pinax tile face down and the 2 starting King's Request cards you received earlier.
3. The 2 Local Scholars and 1 Ink, 1 Papyrus, 1 Silver, 1 value 1 Research token, and 1 value 1 King's Grace token placed next to your Workshop as your supply.
4. 5 Ship Location tiles, 1 of each type.
   • For your first game, place the tiles as shown: 4a - Royal Ship spaces (tile 1), 4b - Merchant Ship spaces (tiles 2,3,4 in any order), and 4c - Location tile spaces (tile 5) of your Workshop.
   • If you are experienced players, each player may instead arrange the Ship Location tiles in any order of their choice on the indicated 5 spaces (1 tile per space).
5. 4 Captain tokens, 1 placed below each Ship Location tile in your Royal and Merchant Ship spaces.
6. 12 Seals, 1 placed above each Library benefit.
7. 1 Time marker, placed next to your workshop for now.
8. 4 Invited Scholar Location tiles (numbered 1-4), each placed in the matching numbered space of their Office in your Workshop.
9. 4 Invited Scholars (numbered 1-4), each placed in the matching numbered on the action space next to their Office in your Workshop.
10. 2 King's Improvement tiles, placed in the recesses in your Workshop.
11. 4 purple King's Improvement cubes and 3 gold Great Work Improvement cubes, placed in the matching colored recesses in your Workshop.

On the main Board (Setup image pages 4-5)

• A. 1 Renown marker, placed on the 0 space of the Renown track on the Main board.
• B. 1 Fleet marker, placed in Alexandria on the Main board.
• C. 3 Academy markers, 1 placed on the leftmost space of each Research track in the Academy.
• D. 1 Starting Scribe, placed on a Scribe space in the School on the Main board: In order of the player colors shown above the Scribe spaces (Blue, Purple, Yellow, Gray) players place their Starting Scribes such that:
  • In a 2-player game, the Starting Scribes are placed in color order on the 4th and 7th spaces.
  • In a 3-player game, the Starting Scribes are placed in color order on the 7th, 8th, and 12th spaces.
  • In a 4-player game, the Starting Scribes are placed in color order on the 7th, 8th, 11th, and 12th spaces.
• E. 3 Knowledge dice, 1 placed on your Starting Scribe, and the other 2 on the matching colored spaces in the School. Set all of these dice to a value of 1.
• F. 1 Turn Order marker, placed on the top row of the turn order track.

First Player and Turn Order

Turn Order

The player who has most recently visited a Library in person is the first player.

In clockwise order, starting with the first player, each player places their Turn Order marker on the leftmost empty space on the upper Turn Order track.

Turn order follows the order of these markers from left to right. Some parts of this game are performed in reverse turn order.

Inauguration Round

In reverse turn order, each player performs the following 3 steps:

1. Choose 1 of your 2 starting King's Request cards and place it face up in one of your two King's Request spaces next to your Workshop. Return your other King's Request card to the box.

2. Choose 1 of the starting Manuscript tiles next to the Main board. Flip it to its face-down side (the translated side) and place it on any empty Shelf space in your Workshop. Choose any 1 of the Seals above your Library benefit spaces and place it on the starting Manuscript. Removing Seals from the Library benefits makes those benefits available for Executive Actions (see Executive Actions).

   Note: the starting Manuscript does not score when placed in your Workshop.

3. Gain Time based on your Turn Order position: 7/8/9/10 Time if you're in 1st/2nd/3rd/4th place respectively, as shown above the turn order spaces. Move your Time marker forward that many spaces on your Time track. (This is the only moment you will gain this Time from the Turn Order track.)

   2-player game: Gain 7 Time if your Turn Order marker is on the first space or 9 Time if it is on the second space.

Once all players have completed these 3 steps, return the remaining starting Manuscript tiles to the box.

Main Concepts

Paying and Gaining

Whenever a cross icon is shown, you must pay the indicated Time or Supply. If there is no cross icon, you gain the indicated item.

Time

Time is the main resource of the game. Most actions require you to pay Time to perform them. Most Locations require you to pay Time when you visit them.

Whenever you gain Time, advance your Time marker rightwards that number of spaces along your Time track. If your Time marker reaches space 20 of your Time track, any additional Time you gain is lost.

Whenever you must pay Time, move your Time marker leftwards that number of spaces along your Time track.

If an action or Location requires you to pay more Time than you have, you may not perform that action or visit that Location.

Supplies

The general supply consists of the 3 types of Crate resources (Ink, Papyrus, and Silver), the Research tokens, and the King's Grace tokens.

Your supply consists of your Crate resources, Research tokens, and King's Grace tokens that are placed next to your Workshop. Crate resources placed in your Ship spaces in your Workshop do not count as being in your supply.

Whenever you gain one of these supplies during the game, it is taken from the general supply and placed in your supply.

Whenever you must pay a supply as a cost of something, remove it from your supply and place it back in the general supply. If an action or Location requires you to pay a supply you don't have, you may not perform that action or visit that Location.

The Crate resource symbol represents any one of the 3 Crate resources of your choice.

A King's Grace token may be used as any one of the other 4 types of Supplies or as 1 Time. Additionally, you must pay 1 King's Grace token to take a card from one of the top 2 spaces in either the Garden or Palace.

Note: King's Grace tokens may be spent as any other supply, or as 1 Time each.

Knowledge and Scribes

Knowledge is essential for translating Manuscripts and is represented by the die on your Scribe tile.

Your Starting Scribe starts with 1 Knowledge. When taught at the School, their Knowledge value grows in increments of 1 up to 6. Each time you visit the School, if your Starting Scribe is there, they gain 1 free Knowledge increment.

Young Scribes do not initially have any useful Knowledge and must be taught at the School before they may be used in the Scriptorium. The Knowledge die on a young Scribe may not have a value higher than 4, but the Knowledge a young Scribe has is equal to twice (2x) the value of their Knowledge die.

Middle-age Scribes start with 1 Knowledge. When taught at the School, their Knowledge value grows in increments from 1 to 3, then to 5, and finally to 6.

Elderly Scribes start with 2 Knowledge. When taught at the School, their Knowledge value grows in increments of 1 up to 6.

Your Starting Scribe has no specialty. They are a generalist, meaning they may be used to help translate any Manuscript. All other Scribes in the game have a specialty and may only be used to translate Manuscripts of the same specialty.

Each Scribe may be used once; after a Scribe has been used to translate one or more Manuscripts at the Scriptorium, they will be discarded next to the Main board at the end of the Generation.

Example: Blue places a Laws Manuscript next to Yellow's Medicine Manuscript. Because Zenodotus, the Head Librarian of this Generation, wants Medicine Manuscripts placed next to Laws Manuscripts, Blue gains 2 Renown for their Manuscript, and Yellow receives a Library token from the general supply.

Library Tokens

Players gain Library tokens when a player fulfills a King's Request by placing tiles (translated Manuscripts, Great Works, and Crafts) in the Great Library. Each tile that is orthogonally adjacent to the tile being placed, and which fulfills the requirements of the current Head Librarian tile, gains its owner a Library token. In this way several players may gain 1 or more Library tokens for each new tile placed in the Great Library.

Each player may have up to 2 Library tokens, unless they have removed the King's Improvement tile to the left of the Library benefits in their Workshop. Once this Improvement tile is removed, there is no limit to how many Library tokens they may have.

A Library token may be used at the start of your turn in the Execution phase to take an Executive Action to claim one available Library benefit in your Workshop.

Location Tiles

Location tiles offer you actions in the game. They become available to be used when you complete certain tasks.

When you gain a Location tile, it is placed in one of the Location tile spaces in your Workshop. If you gain a Location tile and you do not have a space for it, you must either discard the Location tile, or discard an existing Location tile (in either case, keep it face down next to your Workshop).

There are 3 types of Location tiles:

1. Ship Location tiles: You gain a Ship Location tile from a Ship space in your Workshop each time you visit the Harbor. These represent the building of a new Ship and the benefits of having that ship.
2. Library Location tiles: You may gain a Library Location tile when placing a Great Work or Craft tile in the Great Library when you fulfill a King's Request Card. If you do, you gain 2 Research tokens immediately. Library Location tiles represent the rewards for sending special items to the Great Library.
3. Invited Scholar Location tiles: You gain an Invited Scholar Location tile each time you gain an Invited Scholar card by visiting the Garden location. These represent the body of work that the Invited Scholar brings with them.

During the Execution phase, you may use a Location tile as your Main Action to visit one of the Locations shown on it. If it is a Ship Location tile, you also gain the benefit shown.

Each Location tile may be used only once in the game and is then placed face down next to your Workshop (there is an Invited Scholar card that allows you to reuse them).

Local and Invited Scholars

You start the game with 2 Local Scholars. Local Scholars are placed below Generation tiles during the Planning Phase and may then be used to visit the Location indicated on the Generation tile in the Execution phase.

You do not have any Invited Scholars at the start of the game, but you may attract them during the game if you have the required translated Manuscripts, Great Works or Crafts in the Great Library. Invited Scholars can be sent to any Location. They also have their own Action space on their Scholar card.

Invited Scholars may also be sent to Executive spaces at the Scriptorium, Academy, and School to save you precious Time when visiting those Locations. They can also be sent to the Navigation Location, allowing you to score Renown by offering your cargo of resources to the Muses of Creativity when your Fleet returns to Alexandria.

Every time each Invited Scholar leaves their Office, you must pay the supply what the Invited Scholar needs to work, shown at the top right of their Office in your Workshop: either 1 Research token, 1 Papyrus, 1 Ink, or 1 Silver.

Invited Scholars have a value between 1 and 4.

Pinax Tiles

"The Pinakes (Ancient Greek: Πίνακες 'tables', plural of πίναξ pinax) is a lost bibliographic work composed by Callimachus (310–240 BCE) that is popularly considered to be the first Library catalog in the West; its contents were based upon the holdings of the Library of Alexandria during Callimachus's tenure there in the third century B.C.E." — N. Krevans 2002: 173 in Wikipedia

You start the game with 1 Pinax tile and you may gain more by visiting the Academy. These tiles are private information.

Each Pinax tile you have provides a pattern for Seals on tiles (translated Manuscripts, Great Works and Crafts) you delivered to the Great Library. You will score extra Renown at the end of the game for matching the patterns on your Pinax tiles. Each delivered tile may only be used to score once.

Example: Purple has two Pinax tiles. She scores 4 Seals for her first Pinax tile, and 2 for her second. She will use these tiles to plan translations, commission Great Works, and deliver Crafts.

The Great Library

Translated Manuscripts, Great Works, and Crafts are placed in the Great Library area of the Main board as part of fulfilling a King's Request, gaining you Renown and King's Improvements. Great Works and Crafts may be used to replace a Library Location tile, gaining you the tile and the 2 Research tokens indicated on it.

• Translated Manuscripts: Each Manuscript has a specialty: Arts, Laws or Medicine. This determines the type of Scribes required to translate them at the Scriptorium.
• Great Works: Each Great Work also has one of the same 3 specialties. This determines the type of research you must perform at the Academy to gain the Great Work.
• Crafts: They represent items such as rare statues, artifacts, and exotic animals. Crafts may be bought from certain Ports at the Navigation Location. Once your Fleet returns to Alexandria, the Craft tile may be unloaded. Crafts may be used as any specialty when fulfilling a King's Request.

Gameplay

The game is played over several Generations. Each Generation is divided into 3 phases.

1. The Planning phase: In reverse turn order, each player places 1 of their Local Scholars below a Generation tile on the Generations track. Once all players have placed both of their Local Scholars, this phase ends.
2. The Execution phase: In turn order, each player takes a turn. On your turn you may take up to two different Executive actions and then must take a Main action. Once all players have taken the Read Main Action, this phase ends.
3. The End of Generation phase: Each player recovers their Scholars and clean-up is performed. If the end of the game has been triggered (see below), this phase is skipped and final scoring is performed instead. (See Final Scoring.)

1. Planning Phase

In reverse turn order, each player takes a turn placing 1 of their Local Scholars below a Generation tile on the Generations track.

Up to 2 Local Scholars may be placed below each Generation tile (either 2 from the same player or 1 each from 2 different players). Once a Generation tile has 2 Local Scholars below it, no more may be placed there.

2-player game: To place a Local Scholar below a Generation tile where another player has already placed a Local Scholar, you must pay 2 Time and the other player gains 2 Time.

After you place a Local Scholar below a Generation tile, count the Generation tile spaces (empty or with Generation tiles) to the right of that Generation up to and including the rightmost placed Generation tile. Gain that much Time. If you place your Local Scholar below the rightmost Generation tile you gain 0 Time.

Example: Purple places one of her Local Scholars below the Navigation Generation tile. There are 4 spaces on the track including the rightmost Generation tile: 2 that are empty and 2 that contain Generation tiles. She gains 4 Time.

Once each player has had 2 turns, and therefore placed both of their Local Scholars, this phase ends.

2. Execution Phase

In this phase, players take turns in turn order until all players have taken the Read Main action.

On your turn, you may take ONE or TWO DIFFERENT Executive actions and then must take ONE Main action. If you wish to do both, you must take your Executive action(s) first.

Once you have taken the Read Main action, you may not take any more turns this Generation. You passed.

Once one or more players have taken the Read Main action, immediately before taking your Main Action on each of your turns, you must pay 1 Time for each player who has passed, and each player who has passed gains 1 Time.

2-player game: You must pay 2 Time and the other player gains 2 Time.

Exception: If you are taking the Read Main action, you do not have to pay any Time, and passed players do not gain any Time.

Once all players have taken the Read Main action, this phase ends.

End of the Game

The end of the game may be triggered during the Execution phase by 2 situations:

1. The second Event tile on the Generations track is triggered.
2. There are 2 or fewer empty spaces remaining in the Library. Empty spaces are those that do not have a Manuscript, Great Work, or Craft tile (spaces with a Library Location tile are considered empty).

Example: There are three empty spaces in the Library: Two with no tile, and one with a Library Location tile. Therefore the end game is not yet triggered.

Once the end of the game has been triggered, play continues until the end of the player's turn whose Turn Order marker is last on the Turn Order track. Then:

• If the end of the game is triggered by situation 1 above, finish the round and all players take one more turn. Then you proceed to final scoring. See Final Scoring.
• If the end of the game is triggered by situation 2 above, finish the round and proceed to final scoring immediately.

Situation 1 may also happen during the End of Generation phase. In this case, each player takes one turn in the next Execution phase and then proceed to final scoring.

Note: The end of the game may be triggered only once; if the end of the game is triggered by situation 1, it is not brought closer by situation 2 occurring.

Executive Actions

There are 2 different Executive actions:

1. Use a Library token.
2. Send an Invited Scholar to an Executive space.

1. Use a Library Token

This Executive action allows you to use one of your Library tokens to gain an available Library benefit in your Workshop. Each token can only be used once.

1. Take a Library token from the storage area to the left of your Library benefits.
2. Choose an available Library benefit. A Library benefit is available if it does not have a Seal or a Library token on it.
3. Gain the chosen Library benefit and place the Library token on it. See Library Benefits for an explanation of these benefits.

If you do not have an available Library token or an available Library benefit, you may not perform this Executive action.

2. Send an Invited Scholar to an Executive Space

If you are visiting the Navigation, Scriptorium, Academy, or School Location this turn, this Executive action allows you to move one of your available Invited Scholars onto an Executive space with the matching specialty in that Location.

Attention: You may not move an Invited Scholar to a Location that you will not be visiting this turn.

To send an Invited Scholar to an Executive space:

1. Choose an available Invited Scholar. An Invited Scholar is available if: a. There is an Invited Scholar card in their Workshop slot, and b. The Invited Scholar is in its Office in your Workshop or a different Executive space.

   An Invited Scholar is not available if it is on a Main Action space of a location on the Main board or their Action space in your Workshop.

2. Choose an Executive space with the matching specialty in either the Navigation, Scriptorium, Academy, or School Location. The specialty of your Invited Scholar is shown on their Invited Scholar card. a. If the Invited Scholar is in its Office, you must pay the cost for using the Invited Scholar, as shown above their Action space in your Workshop: either 1 Research token, 1 Papyrus, 1 Ink, or 1 Silver. b. If you choose an Executive space in the Navigation Location, you must also pay 1 Time.

3. If there is already an Invited Scholar on your chosen Executive space, the player whose Invited Scholar it is must return it back to its Office in their Workshop (in the future, they will have to pay the associated resource cost to use that Invited Scholar again). You can't replace your own Invited Scholars.

Invited Scholars on Executive spaces improve the action of the area they are in.

When visiting the Navigation Location, if you return your fleet to Alexandria, each Invited Scholar you have there will gain you 2 Renown per resource you gift to the Muses from your ships, up to the value of the Invited Scholar (from 1 to 4 Resources).

When visiting the School, Scriptorium, or Academy, each Invited Scholar you have there will give you a discount on your Time cost equal to the value of the Invited Scholar (from 1 to 4).

Example: Gray is going to be bringing his fleet back to Alexandria during his Main Action. Before doing so, he decides to move his Invited Scholar with a value of 2 to the Navigation Location. The Invited Scholar's specialty is Laws, as shown on its Invited Scholar card. Therefore he must place this Invited Scholar on the Laws Executive space. Since he is moving the Scholar from its Office he has to pay 1 Papyrus, and as he is placing it in the Navigation Location, he must also pay 1 Time. Since Blue already has an Invited Scholar on the same space, it is returned to its Office. When visiting the Navigation Location later this turn, if Gray returns his fleet to Alexandria, this Invited Scholar will allow him to gift to the Muses up to 2 resources (the value of the Invited Scholar) from his Ships to gain 2 Renown for each one.

Invited Scholars are acquired by visiting the Garden (see Garden).

Main Actions

Most Main Actions allow you to visit a Location to perform the actions of that Location. See Locations of the Mouseion for a description of the Locations and their actions.

There are 5 Main actions:

1. Use a Location tile
2. Take a Time action on the Time board
3. Use an available Scholar
4. Fulfill a King's Request card
5. Read

1. Use a Location Tile

(Ship, Library or Invited Scholar)

This action allows you to use one of your Location tiles in your Location Tile spaces in your Workshop to visit a Location shown on it.

1. Choose a Location tile in a Location Tile space in your Workshop. (Ship Location tiles still on a Ship space and Invited Scholar tiles still on an Invited Scholar space may not be chosen).

2. Each Location tile shows 1 or 2 Locations. If it shows two locations, you may only visit one of them.

   Place the Location tile face down next to your Workshop to indicate it has been used.

   Ship Location tiles show 2 Locations and a benefit. The benefit may be gained before or after you visit your chosen Location depending on where it is shown on the tile. If a benefit is shown at the top of the tile, it is gained before your chosen action. If a benefit is shown at the bottom of the tile, it is gained after your chosen action.

   Library Location tiles show 1 Location. Note: The 2 Research tokens shown on the tile are gained as soon as you take the Library Location tile, not when you use the Location tile for its Location action.

   Invited Scholar Location tiles show 2 Locations for you to choose between, but no benefit.

Example: Gray decides to use a Ship Location tile showing the Navigation and Palace Locations, with a benefit of King's Grace shown at the top of the tile. First, he gains the benefit, taking a King's Grace from the general supply into his supply. Then, he chooses to visit the Navigation Location shown on the tile. He performs all the normal actions of the Navigation Location. After completing the action, he places the Ship Location tile face down next to his Workshop.

2. Take a Time Action on the Time Board

This action allows you to use an unused Time die to either buy Time by paying 1 Silver, or to pay Time to visit the Location shown to the left of the Time die.

A. Buy Time: Pay 1 Silver. Gain Time equal to the value on the chosen Time die.

OR

B. Visit the Location: Pay Time equal to the value on the chosen Time die.

2-player game: If you choose a Time die from one of the topmost 3 spaces, choose which one of the 2 indicated Locations to visit.

In both cases, move the die to the left to cover the corresponding Location on the Time board. The Time die has now been used and may not be used again during this Generation.

Modifying the die before use:

1. For each Craft tile in a Royal Ship space or on a Shelf space in your Workshop, you may increase or decrease the value of the chosen die by 1. This is an ongoing benefit until you send the Craft tile to the Great Library.
2. If you have removed the King's Improvement tile to the right of your Location Tile spaces, you may increase or decrease the value of the chosen die by 1. This effect is cumulative by 1.

The value of the die may not go below 1 or above 6, but it does wrap around, so you may 'increase' a 6 to a 1 or 'decrease' a 1 to a 6.

Example: Purple takes a Time action to visit the Academy. The die to the right of the Academy icon shows a 3. She has a Craft tile on a Shelf of her Workshop, allowing her to change the value of the die by 1. She adjusts it to 2 and pays 2 Time. Purple moves the Time die to the left to cover the Academy icon, indicating the Time die has been used this Generation, and visits the Academy. Alternatively, if she had chosen to Buy Time: She pays 1 Silver, uses the benefit of her Craft tile to adjust the die from 3 to 4, and gains 4 Time. Then she moves the Time die covering the Location icon to indicate it has been used.

3. Use an Available Scholar (Local or Invited)

This action allows you to use one of your available Local or Invited Scholars to visit a Location.

To use an available Local Scholar:

Choose one of your available Local Scholars. A Local Scholar is available if it is below a Generation tile.

1. If the Local Scholar is the last one below that Generation tile:
   • Advance the Generation tile by placing it on the space of the Generation track to the right of the rightmost Generation tile.
   • If the Generation tile is already the rightmost tile, instead, advance the tile one space to the right on the Generations track.
   • In either case, receive the benefit or trigger the Event tile (see Triggering an Event) of the space on the Generations track you moved the Generation tile to.
2. Place the Local Scholar onto the first empty Scholar space at the Location shown on the Generation tile.
3. Pay any Time cost shown on the Scholar space and visit the Location.

Example: Blue decides to use her available Local Scholar placed below the Scriptorium Generation tile. There is at least one empty Scholar space at the Scriptorium and the leftmost one shows a Time cost of 2. She pays 2 Time, places her Local Scholar on the Scholar space, and visits the Scriptorium.

To use an available Invited Scholar:

Choose an available Invited Scholar; (see available Invited Scholar under Executive Actions).

If the Invited Scholar is on an Executive action space you can freely move it.

If the Invited Scholar is in its Office in your Workshop, you must pay the cost for using the Invited Scholar, as shown above its Action space in your Workshop. Then:

1. Place the Invited Scholar on the first empty Scholar space of any Location or on its own action space in your Workshop.
2. Pay any Time cost shown on the Scholar space and visit the Location.
3. If you place the Invited Scholar in their Action space, gain the immediate or ongoing bonus and visit the Location indicated on the card. You may gain the bonus either before, during, or after you visit the Location (see Reference for Scholar cards).

Invited Scholars are acquired by visiting the Garden (see Garden).

Example: Purple wants to visit the Palace using her value 3 Invited Scholar as its Invited Scholar card shows that Location. The Scholar is currently on an Executive space (at the Academy), so she does not need to pay the cost shown above its Action space in her Workshop. She places the Invited Scholar (Apollonius himself) on its Action space. Using his own action, she visits the Palace location and may take one of the top King's Request cards without paying a King's Grace to do so.

Example: Gray decides to use his value 4 Invited Scholar to visit the School. The Scholar is in its Office in his Workshop, he pays the cost shown above its Action space: 1 Silver. He places his Invited Scholar on the leftmost available Scholar space at the School. The Scholar space has a Time cost of 1, he pays 1 Time and visits the School to train his Scribes.

Note: If there are no empty Scholar spaces remaining at the Location shown on the Generation tile, or if you cannot pay the Time cost shown on the first empty Scholar space at the Location, (the Scholar space closest to the Location icon), you may not use the Local Scholar nor the Invited Scholar.

4. Fulfill a King's Request Card

This action allows you to place translated Manuscripts, Great Works, or Crafts in the Library according to the demands on the King's Request card.

Choose a King's Request card next to your Workshop.

1. For each specialty on the card (Arts, Laws, or Medicine), one at a time you must move a translated Manuscript tile, Great Work, or Craft tile from a Shelf space in your Workshop to the Library. The specialty of the translated Manuscript tile or Great Work must match the indicated specialty. A Craft tile may be used to match any specialty.

   King's Request cards with this symbol (≠) require a tile of the indicated specialty and another one of a different specialty or a Craft tile.

   a. To move a translated Manuscript tile, Great Work, or Craft tile to the Library:

   • If you are moving a Manuscript tile, place the tile on an empty space in the Library and gain the benefit indicated on that space.
   • If you are moving a Great Work or Craft, you may either: i. Place the tile (with your seal on it) on an empty space in the Library and gain the benefit indicated on that space (just as for a Manuscript tile), or ii. Replace a Library Location tile in the Library with your Great Work or Craft (with your seal on it). Place the Library Location tile onto any empty Location Tile space in your Workshop. If you do not have an empty Location tile space, you must either discard the Library Location tile, or an existing Location tile. Whether you keep the Library Location tile or not, gain 2 Research tokens as indicated on the Library Location tile.

   In all cases, leave your Seal on the tile to mark it as yours. b. On the left Head Librarian tile, locate the type of the tile you are moving (Medicine, Arts, Laws, or a Craft tile). The types shown directly above and below it are considered matching types. When you place your tile orthogonally adjacent to one or more tiles of these matching types, gain the Renown value shown on your placed tile for each such adjacent tile.

   Note: The adjacencies on the Head Librarian tile don't wrap around. In the above case, Crafts and Medicine are not adjacent. c. For each orthogonally adjacent tile that you just scored Renown for, the player whose tile it is (who may be you) gains a Library token.

2. Then, you may pay the Time shown on the King's Request card to receive the indicated resources and 1 King's Improvement by removing either a King's Improvement tile or a King's Improvement cube from your Workshop. King's Improvements are explained under Reference. If you choose not to pay the Time, all rewards are lost.

3. Discard your fulfilled King's Request card.

Reminder: The end of the game is triggered if there are 2 or fewer empty spaces remaining in the Library. Spaces with a Library tile are considered empty.

Example: Blue decides to fulfill one of her King's Request cards. Her card requires a Laws Manuscript. She happens to have a translated Laws Manuscript tile that she takes from her Workshop and places it on an empty space in the Great Library, claiming the benefit printed on that space. Then, she reviews the Head Librarian tile. It shows that if a Laws tile is placed adjacent to an Arts tile or to a Craft, she will gain Renown. Her newly placed Laws Manuscript is next to Yellow's Arts Manuscript and next to her own Craft. Blue gains Renown equal to the value of her Laws Manuscript tile per each adjacency – in this case, 2 times 3 Renown. Additionally, both Yellow and Blue gain a Library token because their adjacent Arts and Craft tiles contributed to fulfilling Callimachus' requirements. Blue then pays 1 Time and gains 1 Ink as shown on her King's Request card. Finally she removes a King's Improvement cube from her Workshop, placing it aside, and discards the fulfilled King's Request card.

Note: The player placing the tile gains Renown for adjacency matches, and each owner of the adjacent matching tiles gains a Library token.

See Palace to learn how to get King's Request cards.

5. Read (Pass)

This action indicates you do not want to take any further turns during this Generation.

Move your Turn Order marker to any empty space of the Turn Order track you are not in, and gain the benefit shown on that space.

For the remainder of the Execution phase, each time another player performs a Main Action other than Read, they must pay 1 Time to each passed player. 2-player game: They must pay 2 Time and you gain 2 Time.

Example: Purple decides to Read. She moves her Turn Order marker to an empty space below the Turn Order track and gains the Research token shown on that space. For the rest of the Execution phase, each time another player takes a Main Action (except Read), they must pay 1 Time, and she gains 1 Time.

Locations of the Mouseion

Each time you visit a Location, you perform the actions of that Location. Most Locations require you to pay Time to visit them. If you cannot pay this Time, you may not visit the Location.

• A. Navigation
• B. Harbor
• C. Palace
• D. School
• E. Scriptorium
• F. Garden
• G. Academy
• Residence* — *The Residence has no associated actions and may not be visited; it is the place where Scribes wait to be called to work in the Scriptorium or be taught at the School.

A. Navigation

Ships from every corner of the Mediterranean arrive, laden with new Manuscripts and Crafts to offer to the Great Library, enriching its collection and contributing to the vibrant tapestry of ancient knowledge. In the bustling port of Alexandria, Fleets bearing Manuscripts surrender their treasures to the Library for translation, exchanging them for copies, a symbiotic relationship that enriches the Great Library's archives while ensuring the dissemination of knowledge throughout the Hellenistic world.

Navigation allows you to move your Fleet marker in any direction, between spaces connected by a white line, to load Crate resources and Translation Stones onto your Ships, visit Locations, and buy Craft tiles. On returning to Alexandria, you may unload your Ships.

Ship spaces in your Workshop

Each Royal Ship space may contain only 1 Ship Location tile or 1 Translation Stone, or 1 Craft tile. Each Merchant Ship space may contain 1 Ship Location tile or any number of Crate resources, different or of the same type.

Ship Movement

You may not leave your Fleet marker in its current location or return it to the Port where it was at the start of your turn.

If your Fleet marker ends its movement in a Port other than Alexandria and there are one or more other players' Fleet markers in that Port, you must give each of those players 1 Crate resource of your choice from your supply (not from your Merchant Ship spaces), which they place in their supply.

1. Pay 1 Time for every 2 spaces (or part thereof) you want to move your Fleet marker; 1 Time to move 1 or 2 spaces, 2 Time to move 3 or 4 spaces, etc.

2. If you end your movement on a space with the Merchant ship icon: For each Merchant Ship space in your Workshop without a Ship Location tile in it (built Ship), you may place 1 Crate resource of your choice (Ink, Papyrus, or Silver) from the general supply onto the Ship space.

   If you end your movement on a space with both Ships and a Translation Stone icon next to them, you may either: Load each of your built Merchant Ships with Crate resources (as above), OR Load a Translation Stone (used at the Academy): Place the indicated Translation Stone from the general supply onto an empty Royal Ship space in your Workshop.

   • You may buy the top Craft tile by paying the resources indicated on the tile and place it onto an empty Royal Ship space in your Workshop.

3. Receive the benefit shown above or below the Port you ended your movement in:

   • Gain the indicated resource and 2 Research tokens to your supply.
   • Visit the indicated Location. You may forgo this visit.

4. If you end your movement in Alexandria you may unload your cargo: a. For each Craft tile on your Royal Ship spaces, flip it and place it into an empty Shelf space in your Workshop. Choose a Seal from your Library benefits area and place it on the Craft tile, then score 3 Renown. You may not have more than 4 translated Manuscripts, Great Works, or Crafts in total at any given time.

   If you do not have space for a Craft tile it must remain in your Royal Ship space. However, at any time during a subsequent turn, if your Fleet marker is in Alexandria and you have an empty Shelf space, you must move the Craft tile from your Royal Ship space to an empty Shelf space. b. Place any Translation Stones on your Royal Ship spaces into your supply. c. For each resource on your Merchant Ship spaces, in any order, you may either:

   • Place it into your supply, or
   • If you have Invited Scholars in any of the Executive spaces at Alexandria, you may offer resources as a gift to the Muses of Creativity: For each Invited Scholar you have in an Executive space at this Location, you may return a number of resources from your Merchant Ship spaces, to the supply, up to the value of each of your Invited Scholars. Gain 2 Renown for each resource you return in this way. d. Choose any Manuscript tile in Alexandria and place it on top of any tiles that are currently under the Lighthouse space in the Scriptorium that has the fewest tiles in it (if tied, you may choose). e. Choose any topmost tile from the stack of Manuscript tiles next to the Main board to refill the empty Manuscript tile space in Alexandria.

Example: The Royal Ship — Gray plans to acquire a Translation Stone to later claim a Great Work. He takes the northern route, spending 2 Time to sail from Alexandria to a nearby Port with a Stone. His Royal Ship is empty, so he chooses to load the Stone instead of Crate resources. The Port's benefit allows him to visit the Harbor, where he chooses to gain a new Royal Ship. This will, on a later turn, let him also carry a Craft tile or another Translation Stone on his way back to Alexandria.

Example: Resources space — Purple chooses to navigate for the first time in order to gain Crate resources. She has already carefully planned her route and pays 1 Time to move her Fleet marker exactly one space along the Mediterranean. Since she has the only Fleet in this Port, she does not need to give a Crate resource to anyone. The Port she moved her Fleet to shows the Merchant ship icon, allowing her to load any Crate resource from the general supply onto each of her built Merchant Ships. She chooses one Silver and one Ink. Finally, she claims the additional benefit indicated at this port, immediately gaining 1 Ink and 2 Research tokens from the general supply into her supply.

Example: Other Players Present — Yellow plans a longer journey on his turn. He pays 3 Time to move his Fleet marker 5 spaces along the Mediterranean. The Port he moves to already has Blue's Fleet marker there, so he gives 1 Papyrus from his supply to Blue, who places it in her supply. The Port has a Craft tile available for purchase. Yellow pays a Silver and an Ink, (resources shown on the tile), and places it into his empty Royal Ship ready to be unloaded when he returns to Alexandria.

Example: Returning to Alexandria — Wanting to unload her cargo, Blue decides to sail back to Alexandria. Before moving her Fleet, she uses her Executive action to send her value 2 Scholar to Alexandria, paying 1 Time and discarding the related resource, since the Scholar was moved from its Office. She then pays 1 additional Time to move her Fleet marker 2 spaces into Alexandria. Upon arrival, she moves the Silver from her Merchant Ships into her supply, then offers the Papyrus and Ink to the Muses, gaining 4 Renown. Blue unloads her Craft tile to an empty Shelf space in her Workshop, places a Seal on it, and scores 3 Renown. To finish her move, she selects a Manuscript tile from Alexandria and places it in one of the Lighthouse spaces, then refills the empty space in Alexandria with a new Manuscript tile drawn from a stack next to the Main board.

Manuscripts arriving by ship in Alexandria were routinely requisitioned by the Library. Scribes would copy them, return the copies to their owners, and keep the priceless originals for the Great Library's collection.

B. Harbor

In the bustling Harbor of Alexandria, royal and merchant ships are constructed, vessels destined not for war but for wisdom. From these docks they will one day embark across the Mediterranean, gathering treasures of thought and craft to be delivered into the ever-growing archives of the Great Library.

The Harbor allows you to expand your Fleet, gaining a Ship Location tile and new ships with extra space for cargo.

1. Pay 2 Time.

2. Choose a Captain token below one of your Ship spaces and place it on an empty Captain token space in the harbor corresponding to the type of Ship you are building. Royal Ship spaces are those to the left of the dotted line in the harbor; Merchant Ship spaces are those to the right of the dotted line.

   If you built a Merchant Ship, pay the cost (if any) indicated on the space.

3. Gain the benefit associated with the space you placed your Captain token; the Royal Ship spaces show the benefit on the space itself; the Merchant Ship spaces are connected to the benefit by a line.

4. Place the Ship Location tile from the Ship you took your Captain token from onto any empty Location tile space in your Workshop. If you do not have an empty Location tile space, you must either discard the Ship Location tile, or discard an existing Location tile.

Example: Blue decides it's time to expand her Fleet and visits the Harbor. She pays the required cost of 2 Time and then selects a Captain token from below one of her Merchant Ship spaces, placing it onto an empty Captain token space to the right of the dotted line. The chosen space requires an additional cost of 1 Papyrus which she returns to the general supply. Then, she receives the benefit associated with the selected Harbor space: 2 Crate resources. She chooses 2 Silver and places them in her supply. Finally, she takes the Ship Location tile from the Merchant Ship space where she removed the Captain token and places it onto an empty Location Tile space in her Workshop, making it ready for future use.

C. Palace

The Palace, a realm where the King and key dignitaries overseeing the Library convened, served as the authoritative space where approval and payment for translated works by the Head of Libraries were granted, affirming the pivotal role of knowledge in the corridors of power.

The Palace allows you to take a King's Request card that you plan on fulfilling on a future turn.

1. Pay 2 Time.

2. Take the topmost King's Request card from any of the 5 card spaces and place it on an empty King's Request space in your Workshop. You may not have more than 2 King's Request cards and you may not replace or discard them; if you do not have space for a King's Request card, you may not perform this action.

   If the card you take shows this symbol, you immediately take a Research token.

To take a King's Request card from either of the top two spaces (a card with a (≠) on its back) you must pay 1 King's Grace token.

If you empty the King's Request card space, and there are still cards in the deck next to it, move the topmost card to the empty slot, revealing the card underneath. If any of the decks is empty you cannot take those cards anymore.

Example: Yellow visits the Palace. He pays 2 Time and takes a King's Request card from the top left space. Since he chose a top-row card, he pays 1 King's Grace token. He places the card face-up to the right of his Workshop and refills the top left space with the topmost King's Request card from the deck of cards to its right.

D. School

Within the grandeur of the Mouseion's School, Scribes and students underwent comprehensive training, honing their skills and absorbing the wealth of knowledge that echoed through the historic chambers of the Great Library.

The School allows you bring in Scribes from the Residence and teach them.

1. Choose 0, 1, or 2 Scribes from the Residence and place each on an empty Scribe space in the School.

   To place a Scribe in one of the leftmost 6 spaces, the Scribe's specialty must match the specialty indicated on the space.

   To place a Scribe in one of the rightmost 6 spaces, you must pay the cost indicated on the space then gain the indicated number of Research tokens. You may not replace any Scribes, and you may not have more than 3 of your Scribes in the School at any one time.

2. Place one of your Knowledge dice on each Middle-Aged and Elderly Scribe tile you just moved to the School, set the starting Knowledge value of the Scribe to 1 for a Middle-Aged Scribe and 2 for an Elderly Scribe. This does not cost any Time.

   For each Young Scribe you place, spend one Time and place one of your Knowledge dice with a starting value of 1 on the tile (their initial value is 0). If you do not have Time to spend, you may not place a Young Scribe.

   If your Starting Scribe is in the School, increase the Knowledge die value on it by 1. This does not cost any Time.

3. You may then pay Time to increase the value of the Knowledge die of any or all of your Scribes in the School:

   • Elderly Scribes: Each 1 Time paid increases their Knowledge die value by 1, up to 6.
   • Middle-Aged Scribes: Each 1 Time paid increases their Knowledge die value to the next increment shown on their tile (1 to 3, then to 5, and finally to 6).
   • Young Scribes: Each 1 Time paid increases their knowledge die value by 1. The Knowledge die on a Young Scribe may not go above a value of 4.
   • Starting Scribes: Each 1 Time paid increases their knowledge die value by 1, up to 6.

4. For each Invited Scholar you have on an Executive space at the School, reduce the total Time you need to pay to teach all your Scribes of the matching specialty by the value of the Invited Scholar (1-4).

   Note: Your Starting Scribe is a generalist (has knowledge of all specialty types), any Time paid to increase their Knowledge die may be reduced by the values of all your Invited Scholars in the School Executive spaces.

5. To finish your turn, if you moved any Scribes, refill the empty spaces in the Residence from the top of the appropriate stacks. If a stack is empty, shuffle its discards to create a new stack.

Example: Gray visits the School. He has his Starting Scribe in the School with a Knowledge die of value 1 on it, but no other Scribes. He decides to move 2 Scribes from the Residence to the School: a Young Scribe with the Medicine specialty and a Middle-Aged Scribe with the Laws specialty. He chooses to place the Young Scribe on the space requiring the Medicine specialty. He chooses to place the Middle-Aged Scribe in the 8th space, paying 1 Papyrus and gaining 1 Research token. He places one of his Knowledge dice on the Middle-Aged Scribe set to a value of 1. This does not cost him any Time. He increases the value of the Knowledge die on his Starting Scribe by 1, to 2. This also does not cost him any Time. He must increase the value of the Knowledge die on his Young Scribe by at least 1, so he pays 2 time and sets it to 2. He may now pay Time to keep increasing the value of Knowledge dice on his other Scribes. He has a value 3 Invited Scholar in an Executive space at the School, specializing in Medicine. This allows him to reduce the total Time cost for upgrading any Scribes with the Medicine specialty, or his generalist Starting Scribe by up to 3. He plans to increase the Knowledge of his Young Scribe by 2 points, his Starting Scribe by 1 point and his Middle-Aged Scribe by 2 points. He applies the 3-point discount to the first two (2 to the Young Scribe, 1 to the Starting Scribe), covering their full upgrade cost. He then pays 2 Time to increase the Middle-Aged Scribe's Knowledge twice (from 1 to 3), since the discount does not apply to that Scribe. Finally, he refills the 2 empty Scribe spaces in the Residence with the topmost Scribe tiles from the Laws and Medicine stacks.

E. Scriptorium

Nestled within the Mouseion, the Scriptorium stands as a bustling hub of collaborative endeavor, where diligent Scribes, united by a shared dedication to their craft, work together to expedite the meticulous and challenging process of copying and preserving the profound treasures of knowledge within the hallowed walls of the Great Library.

The Scriptorium allows you to use your Scribes to translate any of the visible Manuscripts in the 8 spaces (including the Lighthouse spaces) of the Scriptorium. If you do not have any empty Shelves on your Workshop, you cannot take this action.

1. Move up to 2 of your Scribes (along with the Knowledge die on them) from the School and/or from the Residence into empty Scribe spaces in the Scriptorium.

   • If you choose to move 2 Scribes, only one of them can come from the Residence (these Scribes don't require any dice, they use the knowledge value printed on the tile).
   • Young Scribes may not be moved from the Residence (they have no useful Knowledge).
   • Each Scribe you move must translate at least 1 Manuscript during this visit to the Scriptorium.
   • Your Starting Scribe is a generalist and may split Knowledge across specialties (see Main Concepts).

2. For each Scribe you move onto one of the six rightmost spaces, pay the indicated Crate resource and gain the indicated benefit.

3. Choose one or more Manuscripts to translate. Add the total Knowledge of your Scribes by specialty. That total Knowledge may be used to translate one or more Manuscripts of that specialty. a. Pay Time equal to the required Knowledge, minus the value of any of your Invited Scholars on Executive spaces of the Scriptorium with a matching specialty.

   For all Manuscript tiles you translate: b. Flip the Manuscript tile and place it in an empty Shelf space in your Workshop. Choose a Seal from your Library benefits and place it on the translated Manuscript tile. c. Score Renown equal to the value depicted on the translated side of the Manuscript tile.

4. Return the Knowledge dice on all your Scribes in the Scriptorium into a matching color space in the School. Any remaining Knowledge is lost.

5. After you've finished translating all desired Manuscript tiles, refill any empty spaces in the display with Manuscripts of the same specialty as the tile(s) just translated:

   • First, use matching Manuscript tiles from Lighthouse spaces in the Scriptorium.
   • If none are available, take them from Alexandria.
   • If still unavailable, refill with the top tile from the matching specialty stack next to the Main Board.

   If you used Manuscripts from Alexandria, refill those spaces with the top tile from any of the three stacks next to the Main board.

   If you moved a Scribe from the Residence, refill the Scribe space as normal (see step 4 of the School Location).

All the used Scribes stay in the Scriptorium until the End of Generation.

Note: When moving Scribes to the Scriptorium, the spaces chosen don't have to be aligned with the Manuscripts you want to translate.

Example: Gray decides to translate Manuscripts at the Scriptorium. He moves two of his Scribes from the School to the Scriptorium: his Starting Scribe with 3 Knowledge, and a Young Art Scribe with 3 Knowledge (worth 2x the knowledge). He translates both Art Manuscript tiles, requiring a total of 9 Knowledge. He would normally pay 9 Time (one per Knowledge), but at the start of his turn, he sent his value 4 Invited Scholar (specialty: Art) to an Executive space in the Scriptorium. This reduces the Time by 4, so he only pays 5 Time. He removes the dice from both Scribes, returning them to the School. To refill the empty Manuscript spaces, he takes one Arts Manuscript from the Lighthouse space in the Scriptorium and another from Alexandria. In Alexandria, since there are 2 of the same type he chooses the more valuable Manuscript. Finally, he fills the Alexandria display with a Manuscript of his choice, taking the topmost tile from one of the stacks beside the Main board. Gray flips the Manuscript tiles to their translated side, places them onto empty Shelf spaces in his Workshop, moves one of his Seals onto each one, and immediately scores 5 Renown.

F. Garden

The Alexandria Library, a beacon for Scholars and intellectuals across cultures, attracted Hellenistic minds with its unparalleled knowledge repository, fostering cross-cultural exchange, collaboration, and serving as a vibrant hub for education and innovation — a reservoir of collective human wisdom.

The Garden allows you to attract an Invited Scholar to work for you, as long as they are impressed enough by your contributions to the Library.

Each Invited Scholar card has requirements shown on it. You must have the indicated number and specialty of Manuscript tiles and/or Great Works in the Library in order to take the card:

• You must have the indicated number of Manuscript tiles and/or Great Works of the indicated specialty.
• You must additionally have at least the indicated number of other Manuscript tiles and/or Great Works (of any specialty) and/or Craft tiles.

Note: For the Invited Scholars, Craft tiles you have in the Great Library only contribute when the requirement does not specify the specialty. This is different from King's Request cards, for which Crafts can satisfy any requirement, even when the specialty is specified.

1. Pay 1 Crate resource of your choice and 3 Time.

2. Choose an Invited Scholar card slot in your Workshop.

   If the slot has an Invited Scholar Location tile, place it in any empty Location tile space in your Workshop. If all Location tile spaces in your Workshop are full, discard either the Invited Scholar Location tile or an existing Location tile.

   If all 4 Invited Scholar Offices contain cards, choose one to replace, remove it, and place it face down next to your Workshop.

   Note: You can only replace an Invited Scholar if all 4 Offices of your Workshop contain cards.

3. Take an Invited Scholar card that you meet the requirements for. To take a card from either of the top two spaces you must pay 1 King's Grace token.

   Slide the card into the chosen Invited Scholar card slot. If this is the first time you have placed an Invited Scholar card in this slot, gain the benefit indicated on the Office space.

4. Move the Invited Scholar to the space of their Office where the Location tile was. It is now available to be used on a subsequent turn. If the new Invited Scholar card is replacing an old one, leave the Scholar meeple where it is, until you are able to move it in a future turn.

   • If you chose an Invited Scholar card other than the one from the top of the deck, refill the empty space in the Garden by sliding each card above it down one space and then taking the topmost card from the deck and placing it in the topmost empty space.

Example: Purple visits the Garden, planning to attract Archimedes to support her growing prestige in the Great Library. Archimedes requires her to have at least one Medicine tile (Manuscript or Great Works) in the Great Library, plus one additional tile of any specialty or Craft. Purple meets these requirements. She pays 3 Time, moving her Time marker accordingly, and 1 Crate resource, returning 1 Papyrus from her supply to the general supply. Purple chooses the Scholar in the top space, which means she must also pay 1 King's Grace token. She moves the Location tile in the chosen Office to a Location tile space. Places the Invited Scholar card into the now-empty Scholar slot number 3 in her Workshop. She immediately receives the indicated benefit shown in the slot (1 Research token), placing it in her supply. She then places the corresponding numbered Invited Scholar into its Office. It is now ready for her to use on future turns. Finally, she refills the Garden display by sliding down the topmost Invited Scholar card and placing a new card from the top of the deck into the now-empty topmost space.

G. Academy

The Great Works awaiting translation by academics were meticulously preserved in the Depository, a sacred archive within the Great Library, where the echoes of ancient knowledge whispered through the carefully organized scrolls and parchments.

The Academy allows you to spend your Research tokens to advance your Academy markers along the 3 Research tracks. Breakthrough spaces (Thoth statue) are skipped over.

1. Choose one of the 3 Research tracks to advance your Academy marker along.

2. Pay 1 Research token, and 1 Time for each space you choose to advance your marker. For each Invited Scholar you have on an Executive space at the Academy, if that Invited Scholar has the same specialty as the Research track you are advancing along, reduce the Time you need to pay by the value of the Invited Scholar.

   You may advance each Academy marker past one Breakthrough (Thoth statue) space during this visit, but you may not advance the same marker past a second Breakthrough space during the same visit to the Academy.

3. Gain one of the benefits shown above the Research tracks that is either above or to the left of the space your Academy marker stops at: 1 Renown, 1 Crate resource, 1 Time, 1 King's Grace token, visit the Palace, get a Great Work or 1 Pinax tile.

You may repeat the previous steps for each of the other Research tracks, but at most once per track, per turn.

There are 3 benefits shown above the Research tracks that allow you to get a Great Work. The first (leftmost) of these allows you to get any one Great Work from stack I, the second from stack II, and the third from stack III.

You may only take a Great Work of the same specialty as the Research track that granted you the benefit. If there are no more Great Works of that specialty in any of the stacks available to you, you may not take a Great Work.

Getting a Great Work:

1. Pay the Translation Stone, indicated next to the stack you are getting your Great Work from, and score Renown equal to the value of the Great Work (4, 5, or 6 Renown).
2. Flip the Great Work and place it onto an empty Shelf space in your Workshop. Remember that you may not have more than 4 translated Manuscript tiles, Great Works, or Crafts in total at any given time. If you do not have an empty Shelf space, you may not get a Great Work.
3. Choose a Seal from your Library benefits area and place it on the Great Work.
4. Move the Academy marker that granted you the Great Work back to the leftmost (starting) space of its Research track.
5. Remove the Great Work Improvement cube from your Workshop indicated to the right of the stack from which you took a Great Work. Great Work Improvements are explained under Reference.

Example: Yellow visits the Academy and performs two advancements on different research tracks: First, he advances his Laws Academy marker by two spaces, paying 2 Research tokens and 2 Time. He reaches the stack III Great Work space and takes the Laws Great Work from stack III. He pays the matching Translation Stone, gains 6 Renown, and places the Great Work on a Shelf space in his Workshop, placing his Seal on it and removing the matching Great Work Improvement cube. He then resets his marker on the Laws Academy track to the start. Next, he chooses to advance 2 spaces on the Medicine Research track. He has a Scholar value 3 on the Medicine Executive space of the Academy, and because of it, he pays only the 2 Research tokens but no Time. He reaches the Pinax tile space and takes a Pinax tile from the Time and Pinakes board, placing it face down beside his Workshop.

Residence

Enlisting youthful Scholars as Scribes presents a dilemma: while their vigour allows for extended work hours, their limited knowledge poses a challenge, demanding a careful balance between productivity and the pursuit of wisdom in the Great Library.

The Residence has no associated actions and may not be visited; it is where Scribe tiles are stored, ready for use in the Scriptorium or School.

3. The End of Generation Phase

Once all players have taken the Read Main action, the Execution Phase ends and the End of Generation Phase begins.

Perform the following steps in this phase:

1. In the new turn order, each player recovers any of their Local Scholars still below Generation tiles in any order they choose. To recover one of your Local Scholars, proceed as normal: a. If the Local Scholar you recover is the last one below that Generation tile, advance the tile to the right of the rightmost Generation tile. b. If the Generation tile is already the rightmost tile, instead, advance the tile one space to the right.

   In either case, receive the benefit or trigger the Event tile (see Triggering an Event) of the space on the Generations track you moved the Generation tile to.

2. Return all your Scholars from Executive and Main Action spaces; Local Scholars are placed next to your Workshop, Invited Scholars return to their Offices.

3. Take the topmost Head Librarian tile from the stack on the right side of the Great Library and place it face up on the stack on the left side of the Library.

4. Discard all Scribe tiles in the Scriptorium face down to 3 separate discard piles, i.e., one per specialty. Starting Scribe tiles in the Scriptorium are removed from the game.

5. Remove all Time dice from the Time board. Then, for each of the 7 actions on the Time board, roll a Time die and place it to the right of the action.

6. At the end of the 2nd Generation, remove any 'A' Invited Scholar cards in the Garden from the game (to identify the current generation number, count the number of Head Librarian tiles in the Stack to the left side of the Great Library minus 1). At the end of the 3rd Generation remove any 'B' Invited Scholar cards in the Garden from the game. Refill the display in the Garden by sliding each card above it down into that space.

7. 2-player game: Move the leftmost Generation tile on the Generations track onto the space to the right of the rightmost Generation tile. If the space it is moved to contains an Event tile, trigger the Event (see Triggering an Event).

Triggering an Event

The Great Library did not fall all at once, but in two great silences. First, when Caesar's fire reached the shore and the scrolls caught flame — not by hatred, but by accident. Then, centuries later, when the hands of faith tore down what remained, fearing what it could not control. What was lost were not only parchments, but ideas that were never read, or questions that were never asked again. When these events are triggered in the game, they mark not just a shift but the fading of a golden age.

When a Generation tile moves onto an Event tile, immediately:

1. Remove the Great Work matching the Event's specialty from stack I in the Academy. If there isn't one of that specialty, remove it from stack II. If none there, remove it from stack III. If none exist in any stack, do nothing.
2. Remove the Event tile from the game.
3. Place the Generation tile as normal. The player triggering the event gains nothing.

Reminder: removing the second Event tile will trigger the end of the game.

Final Scoring

As the final Generation concludes, the halls of the Great Library fall quiet. The Scholars step back from their Manuscripts, the Scribes lay down their ink-stained tools, and the final tally of achievements begins.

Each player scores Renown as follows:

1. Add the value of your King's Grace tokens and Research tokens to the number of Crate resources in your ships and in your supply. Score 1 Renown for every 3 you have.
2. Score 2 Renown for each Translation Stone you have in your supply and in your Royal Ship.
3. Sum the total Knowledge die values of any Scribes you have in the School (the value of a Knowledge die on a Young Scribe is not counted twice). Score 1 Renown for every 2 you have.
4. For each Pinax tile you have, score 3/6/10/15 Renown for having 1/2/3/4 of your Seals on translated Manuscripts, Great Works, and Crafts in the Great Library matching the pattern of brown squares on the Pinax tile. Each such tile may only be used to score 1 Pinax tile (remove your Seal from a tile each time it is used to score). The Pinax tile may be rotated in 90 degree steps to any orientation before scoring.
5. Score Renown equal to the value shown on the backs of each of your Invited Scholar cards in the slots in your Workshop.

The player with the most Renown wins.

In case of a tie, break it in this order: Most Seals removed from your workshop, most Invited Scholar cards (in Workshop and face down), most fulfilled King's Requests. If still tied, players share the victory.

Example of Pinax tile scoring: Blue has a Pinax tile she wishes to score. She rotates it such that she has 3 tiles in the Great Library that match the pattern of brown squares on the Pinax tile. She scores 10 Renown for this Pinax tile. She removes the Seals from these tiles as they may not be used to score another Pinax tile.

Example of Final scoring: Yellow gathers his remaining King's Grace tokens (2), Research tokens (3), and Crate resources (4 total: Silver, Ink, and Papyrus), scoring 3 Renown in this step. He has 1 Translation Stone in his supply and 1 stored on his Royal Ship. He gains 4 Renown. In the School, Yellow has three Scribes. Their Knowledge dice show values 2, 5, and 4, summing to 11 total, earning 5 more Renown. He has two Pinax tiles: The first matches exactly 3 tiles (two Crafts and one translated Manuscript) in the Great Library. That scores him 10 Renown. After taking his Seals from those Manuscripts, he scores a second Pinax tile that matches 2 Manuscripts, giving him 6 Renown. Lastly, he scores Renown from his Invited Scholars. In the four slots of his Workshop, he has three Invited Scholar cards still in place, showing values 3, 1, and 5, earning 9 Renown.

Yellow's Final Renown Total: 3 Renown (from Grace/Research/Crates) + 4 Renown (from Translation Stones) + 5 Renown (from Knowledge dice in the School) + 16 Renown (from two scored Pinax tiles) + 9 Renown (from Invited Scholars) = 37 Renown is added to his Renown track.

Designer Tips

The Great Library can feel overwhelming at first — like walking into a vast archive without a map. Here are a few friendly tips to help you find your path through the scrolls, ink pots, and King's favors.

• Focus on efficient Time use, training Scribes quickly, completing King's Requests aligned with your Pinakes, and strategically choosing Invited Scholars for cumulative advantages.
• Time is not money here; it's even more valuable. Use it wisely.
• Focusing on the Scriptorium can help you gain early Renown and fulfill King's Requests. Though slower, the Academy offers valuable rewards, including Great Works and Pinax tiles.
• Navigating just 1 or 2 spaces is often enough to load valuable resources or buy Craft tiles.
• Buy Crafts early in the game.
• Increasing your Fleet will widely open new opportunities.
• Invited Scholars are powerful workers. Invite them as early as possible, and use them! Their cards provide bonuses and flexible actions that can help you adapt when the board doesn't offer ideal placements. Their Executive actions will save you precious Time.
• Translated Manuscripts give you Renown, help fulfill King's Requests, attract Invited Scholars, and contribute to the end-game goal.
• King's Requests naturally align with your core actions—translating manuscripts, researching Great Works, gaining Renown, and Inviting Scholars—so aim to fulfill them early.
• Your first game won't be perfect — and it doesn't need to be. Focus on understanding the flow of Time, how actions interlock, and how Scholars can support your plans. With each Generation, the Library will feel a little more familiar.

And remember: even the greatest Scholars needed time to read the first scroll.

Reference

Library Benefits

These benefits are gained as an Executive action.

• Increase the Knowledge of your Scribes in the School by 1 step, twice, free of Time (a Middle-Aged Scribe increases from 1 to 3, 3 to 5, 5 to 6). You may pick the same Scribe or two different Scribes.
• Take a Scribe from the Residence and place them in an available space in the School. Follow the normal rules for placing a Scribe in the School (see steps 1-2 of the School action). Note: You may not choose a young Scribe with this benefit. Refill the Scribe space in the Residence as normal (see step 4 of the School action).
• Place your Fleet marker in Alexandria and immediately perform step 4 of the Navigation Location "If you end your movement in Alexandria".
• Take a King's Request card from the Palace without paying Time. You must still pay a King's Grace token if you take a card from one of the top 2 spaces. After you have taken the card, refill the Palace as normal.
• Score 3 Renown.
• Gain 2 Time.
• Gain 1 King's Grace token.
• Gain 2 Research tokens.
• Gain 1 Crate resource of your choice - Ink, Papyrus, or Silver.
• Gain the indicated Crate resource - 1 Silver, Ink, or a Papyrus.

Scholar Cards

These benefits activate only when your Invited Scholar is placed on its Scholar card action space to perform the action.

Scholar Cards "A" — Score 1 Renown during final scoring.

1. Theocritus: 1 extra Knowledge towards translating 1 Manuscript of any specialty free of Time.
2. Antipater: 1 Time to use to train a Scribe during this School action.
3. Nicander: Gain 1 Silver during this harbor action.
4. Callippus: 1 Time to use to advance 1 Academy token during this Academy action. You must still pay Research tokens.
5. Euclid: Gain 1 Research token during this Palace action.
6. Archimedes: 1 Time to use to move your ship during this Navigation action.

Scholar Cards "B" — Score 3 Renown during final scoring.

7. Hipparchus: Gain 1 Crate resource during this Harbor action.
8. Zeno: You may move your Fleet marker +1 space for each 1 Time you spend during this Navigation action.
9. Philetas: 2 Time to use to train your Scribes during this School action.
10. Apollonius: Don't pay a King's Grace when taking a King's Request card from the top row of the display during this Palace action.
11. Straton: 1 free Research token when moving 1 of your Academy markers during this Academy action.
12. Ptolemy: 2 extra Knowledge to reduce by 2, the value of translating Manuscripts of any specialty free of Time.

Scholar Cards "C" — Score 5 Renown during final scoring.

13. Hypatia: You may take 2 King's Request cards (paying a King's Grace if required) during this Palace action.
14. Serenus: Your Academy markers may each be advanced past 2 Breakthrough spaces during this Academy action.
15. Zenodotus: 3 extra Knowledge towards translating Manuscripts of any specialty free of Time.
16. Aristotle: You may move your Fleet marker +2 spaces for each 1 Time you spend during this Navigation action.
17. Plutarch: 4 Time to use to train your Scribes during this School action.
18. Menelaus: Place one of your used Location tiles on an empty Location tile space in your Workshop.

King's Improvements

• Navigation: You may move your Fleet marker 1 more space for each 1 Time you spend to move at the Navigation Location.
• School: Each time you visit the School, you may increase the Knowledge of one Scribe once free of Time. (A Middle-Aged Scribe increases from 1 to 3, 3 to 5, 5 to 6).
• Scriptorium: Each time you visit the Scriptorium, you have 1 extra Knowledge towards translating 1 Manuscript of any specialty free of Time.
• Extra Location Tile space: You now have 3 Location Tile spaces in your Workshop. Additionally you can increase or decrease the value of the chosen die by 1 during the Time action on the Time Board.
• Library Token Limit: You may now have an unlimited number of Library tokens in that space.

Great Work Improvements

• Navigation: You may now move your Fleet marker along the Mediterranean up to 5 spaces for each 1 Time you spend. This Improvement is gained when you get a Great Work from stack I in the Academy.
• School: Each time you visit the School, you may increase the Knowledge of one Scribe once for free. (A middle-aged Scribe increases from 1 to 3, 3 to 5, 5 to 6). This Improvement is gained when you get a Great Work from stack II in the Academy.
• Scriptorium: Each time you visit the Scriptorium, you have 1 extra Knowledge towards translating 1 Manuscript of any specialty free of Time. This Improvement is gained when you get a Great Work from stack III in the Academy.

Ship Location Tile Bonus

• Get some Knowledge: If you visit the Scriptorium, you have 2 extra Knowledge towards translating Manuscripts of any specialty free of Time.
• If you visit the School, increase the value of one or two dice a total of 2 times towards educating Scribes without paying any Time. (A Middle-Aged Scribe increases from 1 to 3, 3 to 5, or 5 to 6).
• Return to Alexandria: Place your Fleet marker in Alexandria and immediately perform step 4 of the Navigation Location "If you end your movement in Alexandria".

Overview

"All the knowledge in the world in one place."

Become the greatest librarian in Alexandria, managing Manuscripts, Crafts, Scribes, and Scholars to fulfill the King's Requests for Knowledge and Renown.

Main Goal

Have the most Renown points at game end.

Game End Triggers

• The second Event tile is triggered, or
• 2 or fewer spaces remain in the Great Library.

Game Flow

Each Generation (round) has 3 phases:

1. Planning Phase

   • In reverse turn order, place Local Scholars below Generation tiles.
   • Gain Time based on distance to the rightmost tile.

2. Execution Phase

   In turn order, each player:

   Optionally: Take 1 or 2 different Executive actions:

   • Use a Library token for a benefit.
   • Send an Invited Scholar to an Executive space (Navigation, Scriptorium, Academy, School).

   Then: Take 1 Main action, choosing among:

   • Use a Location tile: Ship, Library, or Invited Scholar tile for benefits/actions.
   • Take a Time action: Use a Time die to buy Time or visit a Location.
   • Use an available Scholar: Local or Invited to visit a Location.
   • Fulfill a King's Request: Place Manuscripts, Crafts, or Great Works in the Library and pay Time to gain rewards.
   • Read: End your turn for this Generation and gain a bonus. Receive time from others until they take the Read action. Continue until all players choose to Read.

3. End of Generation Phase

   • Retrieve Scholars and advance Generation tiles.
   • Change the Head Librarian.
   • Roll Time dice, discard Scribes from Scriptorium, remove Invited Scholar cards from Garden, as needed.

Locations Explained

• A. Navigation: Move your Fleet, load resources, buy Crafts, find Translation Stones, take benefits. Then return to Alexandria to unload and deliver new Manuscripts to the Scriptorium.
• B. Harbor: Increase your Fleet with new Ships to load more cargo and gain Location tiles.
• C. Palace: Take new King's Request cards to fulfill later.
• D. School: Gain new Scribes and/or teach them to increase their Knowledge.
• E. Scriptorium: Use Scribes to translate Manuscripts, bring them to your Workshop to fulfill King's Requests, and score Renown.
• F. Garden: Attract powerful Invited Scholars who give bonuses, extra actions and Time savings.
• G. Academy: Advance in your Research to complete Great Works, gain Pinax tiles (scoring objectives), or earn other benefits.

Key Concepts

• Time: The main resource; spent for actions, gained during planning, rewards and from Time dice. Cannot exceed 20 on your track.
• Supplies: Ink, Papyrus, Silver, King's Grace tokens (can be spent as any Crate resource or +1 Time), Research tokens.
• Scribes: Train them to increase their Knowledge, and use them to translate Manuscripts (Arts, Laws, Medicine).
• Invited Scholars: Provide Time discounts, extra actions, and scoring bonuses.
• Manuscripts, Crafts & Great Works: May be used to fulfill King's Requests; Crafts are wild, Great Works grant permanent improvements.
• Library Tokens: Earned when tiles that score are placed adjacent to your tiles in the Library. Spent as an Executive Action.
• Pinax tiles: End-game objectives giving points for tile patterns in the Library.

End Game Scoring

• Tokens & Resources: 1 Renown per 3 total.
• Translation Stones: 2 Renown each.
• Dice values on Scribes: 1 Renown per each 2 Knowledge (don't double for Young Scribes).
• Pinax tiles: Points based on pattern matching for your Seals in the Great Library.
• Invited Scholars: Points shown on the back of their cards in your Workshop.

Tie-breakers

Most Seals removed from your Workshop, most Invited Scholars, most fulfilled King's Requests, shared victory.