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Gamehelpgreatwesterntrail

2025-02-16T21:50:16Z

Jupiter2000: /* Game Anatomy */

In Great Western Trail, you'll play the role of mid-1800's-era ranchers traversing the American west in order to trade cattle and develop the area leading west. You'll do this by moving along the trail, taking an action related to the space you end up, and restocking your cattle. Periodically you'll arrive at Kansas City to make a bigger trade and develop your abilities even further. This is a game containing a mix of deck building, tile placement, and engine development. Players earn points based on their cards, buildings placed, the deliveries made, how far their train can reach, and various other measures. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
[[Category:Board games]]
== Game Anatomy ==

The central board and the area immediately around it consists of:
* The game map, with the trail itself appearing as a dotted line.
* Various buildings showing the different actions that can be taken. Gray buildings are neutral and can be used by all players. Buildings of a specific player color can only be used by that player. Square outlines are spaces that can be built on by a player later. Other tokens are hazards and require a money cost to move through.
* The delivery track, along the top edge of the board. As you complete the trail, you can place discs on here for points and other bonuses (or penalties).
* The train station, appearing just under the delivery track and continuing along the right edge of the board. You can upgrade the stations along this for additional points and bonuses.
* The worker market, along the left side of the board. This shows the workers available for hire. It also shows the approximate game progress - if the marker along the right side of it is scrolled off the board, the game will end shortly after.
* The cattle market, shown under the board. This allows you to purchase more cattle.
* The objective display, shown under that. This allows you to pick up new objectives.

Each player has their own board, which also shows:
* The overall turn structure, shown along the top of the board. This shows your movement, actions, and cleanup parameters, which can be upgraded as the game proceeds.
* Auxiliary actions, shown on the left side of this board. These show various actions you can take - if the disc next to the action has been removed, you can take this action.
* Your workers, in the center of your board. The number of cowboys, craftsmen, and engineers are shown here, along with bonuses for hiring these workers.
* Your certificates, represented by ribbons along the right side of your board. These can be spent in order to get a higher value hand.
* Your buildings still left to build, represented by tiles of your player color.
* Your cattle cards. These can be spent on various actions for money, or taken to the end of the trail for a delivery.
* Your objectives. You can complete these for extra points.

== What To Do On Your Turn ==

A turn of Great Western Trail consists of three phases: a movement phase, an action phase, and a cleanup phase, performed in that order. So in general, you will move some number of spaces, take an action related to where you moved to, and replenish any spent cards during your turn.

=== Movement ===

During your movement phase, you can move up to your movement rating, which is listed on your player board. You don't have to move all of your allotted movement, but you do have to move at least once. You can only move forward along the trail, never backwards. One move consists of touching any building or token on the board - moving through empty space is free.

Some spaces have a toll to cross, represented by a hand symbol. If you touch here, you must pay money - if it's a hazard on the board, you pay to the general supply, but if it's from another player's building, you pay them the money. However, if you don't have enough money, you just pay what you can and move ahead.

=== Actions ===

If you ended your movement on a neutral building or one of your color, you can take actions for the spaces you are currently on. Alternatively, you can also take one of the auxiliary actions on your player board.

==== Auxiliary Actions ====

These actions can be taken regardless of where you stop on the board, and can sometimes be taken as part of another building's action, frequently as a double action (i.e. take the same action twice). However, these need to be unlocked as the game progresses (the first two of these start the game unlocked).
- Gain 1 coin.
- Draw a card from your deck, then discard a card.
- Pay 1 coin and move your train back one space to gain 1 certificate.
- Pay 1 coin to advance your train 1 space.
- Move your train back one space to permanently remove one of your cards from the game.

==== Building Actions ====

These are some of the common building actions. Note that all of these actions are optional and can be performed in any order.
* Discard one or two cards for money. The tile will tell you which card(s) to discard and how much you will receive for doing so. Note that you can make only a single discard, even if you have other cards in hand that match the building action.

* Go to the cattle market.

** For each cowboy you have, you can take a certain number of actions - these actions are listed along the bottom of the board.
** In general, you can use some number of cowboys to acquire a card of a certain number at a specific cost.
** When you buy a card, it goes to your discard pile (where it will return to your draw pile once you have run out of cards to draw).
** You may use these available cowboys in any combination of purchases, including taking the same purchase action twice.
** You can also use 1 cowboy to add 2 more cards to the cattle market.
** Note that you do not lose any cowboys by using them at the market - you only need to have them on your player board.
** All of the cows that you purchase at the market give you the victory points marked on them at the end of the game (the cows that you start with do not give any victory points).

* '''Build a building.'''

** The buildings do not have to be built in order, but your choice will usually be limited by the number of craftsmen on your player board.
** Each building tile shows how many craftsmen it requires, and you must usually spend 2 coins for each craftsman. However, you can overbuild one of your tiles already on the board if you have as many craftsmen as the difference between those required for the original building and the new one; if you do this, you pay only for the extra craftsmen (the original building is permanently lost, and does not give you any victory points).
** Building tiles on the map award points to their owners at the end of the game, both because they have points marked on them, and because they might contribute to achieving objective cards or claiming points from Stationmaster tiles.

* '''Move your train.'''

** When you move your train, skip over any occupied spaces (this also applies if you ever have to move your train backwards).
** Some train movement actions are free and some require a payment, whilst the movement allowed by others is dependent on the number of engineers you have, including the one you start with.
** All of these actions allow you to move to an unoccupied station siding. If you end your movement at a station and there is not already one of your discs there, you can pay (but you don't have to - you might just want to block the station!) to place a disc on the station, gaining points and uncovering another ability on your player mat. Note that if you do not place a disc, you cannot do so in a future turn unless you first leave the station and then return.
** In the turn when you place a disc on a station, you can also take the Stationmaster tile, if it is still available, by replacing it with one of your purchased workers (not one of the workers you start with). This will give you a one-time bonus or one or two permanent certificates, and possibly also some conditional victory points at the end of the game. Note that you lose the chance to take the Stationmaster tile if you do not do so in the turn when you place your disc.

* '''Hire more workers.'''

** The cost to hire is based on which row the worker has been placed on.
** Only workers in rows above the round marker are available.
** If hiring a worker covers an action on your board, immediately perform that action if able.
** Workers in the 5th and 6th column of your board are worth extra points - up to 24 points in total if you fill all of the worker spaces.

* '''Trade with the natives/outlaws.'''

** Pick up the native/outlaw tile and gain coins or an exchange token based on its position. Note that you cannot pick up one of these tiles by landing on it.

* '''Clear a hazard.'''

** Pay money, then pick up a hazard tile of your choice from the board. (Notice that you can also pick up a hazard tile for free whenever you place a cowboy on the 4th space on the cowboy track.)
** These tiles will award points at the end of the game, both because they have points marked on them, and because they might contribute to achieving objective cards or claiming points from Stationmaster tiles.

* '''Take auxiliary actions.'''

** These will let you take any of your unlocked auxiliary actions, usually twice.

Other similar actions may exist on your building tiles.

==== Actions in Kansas City ====

If you end your move in Kansas City, instead take the following actions:
# Add one tile from each of the three columns to the board. These will contain hazards and workers.
# Discard your hand. Gain coins equal to its numerical value, but ignore any duplicate cards - only unique cows are worth anything here! You may also spend certificates to add to this value.
# Place one of your discs on a delivery space up to the value you received in the previous step.
## These discs will unlock auxiliary actions or improve your movement, hand size, or maximum certificate.
## If there are any train crossings between your train and the space you're placing a disc, pay 1 coin for each of these.
## Note that the white bordered disc spaces can only accept white bordered discs (unless none are available), but black bordered spaces, which usually unlock stronger abilities, can accept either type of disc.
# Return your player marker to the start of the trail.

==== Cleanup ====

During the cleanup phase, draw until you have 4 cards in hand (potentially more if you've removed the discs to increase your hand size). You must keep any cards that were left in your hand, including objective cards (objective cards can be played to the table at any time during your turn, but such objectives cards must be satisfied at the end of the game, otherwise they will impose a victory point penalty).

==== End Game ====

End game is triggered when a player places a worker tile onto the last space of the job market, moving the job market token off the bottom of the market. They finish their turn, and each other player has a last turn.

'''Then scoring takes place:'''

*1 VP per 5 dollars

*VP from building tiles on the board

*VP from disks on the city crests (don't forget to subtract 6 VP for each disc that you placed on Kansas City).

*VP next to train stations where you have a disc.

*VP from hazard tiles

*VP from all cattle cards with VP's on

*VP's from all your objective cards, whether in your decks or on the table. Note that each building, hazard tile, etc can be counted towards only one objective.

*Subtract VP's for any objective cards <u>on the table</u> that were not completely satisfied.

*VP's from Stationmaster tiles. Note that buildings, hazard tiles, etc can be counted towards these VP's even if they have already been 'used' to satisfy objective cards.

*VP's from workers in 5th or 6th column on your player board (so a maximum of 24 VP's).

*VP's from removing certain discs on your player board.

*2 VP for the job market token.

Gamehelpgreatwesterntrail

2025-02-16T21:45:22Z

Jupiter2000:

In Great Western Trail, you'll play the role of mid-1800's-era ranchers traversing the American west in order to trade cattle and develop the area leading west. You'll do this by moving along the trail, taking an action related to the space you end up, and restocking your cattle. Periodically you'll arrive at Kansas City to make a bigger trade and develop your abilities even further. This is a game containing a mix of deck building, tile placement, and engine development. Players earn points based on their cards, buildings placed, the deliveries made, how far their train can reach, and various other measures. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
[[Category:Board games]]
== Game Anatomy ==

The central board and the area immediately around it consists of:
* The game map, with the trail itself appearing as a dotted line.
* Various buildings showing the different actions that can be taken. Gray buildings are neutral and can be used by all players. Buildings of a specific player color can only be used by that player. Square outlines are spaces that can be built on by a player later. Other tokens are hazards and require a money cost to move through.
* The delivery track, along the top edge of the board. As you complete the trail, you can place discs on here for points and other bonuses (or penalties).
* The train station, appearing just under the delivery track and continuing along the right edge of the board. You can upgrade the stations along this for additional points and bonuses.
* The worker market, along the left side of the board. This shows the workers available for hire. It also shows the approximate game progress - if the marker along the right side of it is scrolled off the board, the game will end shortly after.
* The cattle market, shown under the board. This allows you to purchase more cattle.
* The objective display, shown under that. This allows you to pick up new objectives.

Each player has their own board, which also shows:
* The overall turn structure, shown along the top of the board. This shows your movement, actions, and cleanup parameters, which can be upgraded as the game proceeds.
* Auxiliary actions, shown on the left side of this board. These show various actions you can take - if the disc next to the action has been removed, you can take this action.
* Your workers, in the center of your board. The number of cowboys, craftsmen, and engineers are shown here, along with bonuses for hiring these workers.
* Your certificates, represented by ribbons along the right side of your board. These can be spent in order to get a higher value hand.
* Your buildings still left to build, represented by tiles of your player color.
* Your cattle cards. These can be spent on various actions for money, or taken to the end of the trail for a delivery.
* Your objectives. You can complete these for extra points.

== What To Do On Your Turn ==

A turn of Great Western Trail consists of three phases: a movement phase, an action phase, and a cleanup phase, performed in that order. So in general, you will move some number of spaces, take an action related to where you moved to, and replenish any spent cards during your turn.

=== Movement ===

During your movement phase, you can move up to your movement rating, which is listed on your player board. You don't have to move all of your allotted movement, but you do have to move at least once. You can only move forward along the trail, never backwards. One move consists of touching any building or token on the board - moving through empty space is free.

Some spaces have a toll to cross, represented by a hand symbol. If you touch here, you must pay money - if it's a hazard on the board, you pay to the general supply, but if it's from another player's building, you pay them the money. However, if you don't have enough money, you just pay what you can and move ahead.

=== Actions ===

If you ended your movement on a neutral building or one of your color, you can take actions for the spaces you are currently on. Alternatively, you can also take one of the auxiliary actions on your player board.

==== Auxiliary Actions ====

These actions can be taken regardless of where you stop on the board, and can sometimes be taken as part of another building's action, frequently as a double action (i.e. take the same action twice). However, these need to be unlocked as the game progresses (the first two of these start the game unlocked).
- Gain 1 coin.
- Draw a card from your deck, then discard a card.
- Pay 1 coin and move your train back one space to gain 1 certificate.
- Pay 1 coin to advance your train 1 space.
- Move your train back one space to permanently remove one of your cards from the game.

==== Building Actions ====

These are some of the common building actions. Note that all of these actions are optional and can be performed in any order.
* Discard one or two cards for money. The tile will tell you which card(s) to discard and how much you will receive for doing so. Note that you can make only a single discard, even if you have other cards in hand that match the building action.

* Go to the cattle market.

** For each cowboy you have, you can take a certain number of actions - these actions are listed along the bottom of the board.
** In general, you can use some number of cowboys to acquire a card of a certain number at a specific cost.
** When you buy a card, it goes to your discard pile (where it will return to your draw pile once you have run out of cards to draw).
** You may use these available cowboys in any combination of purchases, including taking the same purchase action twice.
** You can also use 1 cowboy to add 2 more cards to the cattle market.
** Note that you do not lose any cowboys by using them at the market - you only need to have them on your player board.
** All of the cows that you purchase at the market give you the victory points marked on them at the end of the game (the cows that you start with do not give any victory points).

* Build a building.

** The buildings do not have to be built in order, but your choice will usually be limited by the number of craftsmen on your player board.
** Each building tile shows how many craftsmen it requires, and you must usually spend 2 coins for each craftsman. However, you can overbuild one of your tiles already on the board if you have as many craftsmen as the difference between those required for the original building and the new one; if you do this, you pay only for the extra craftsmen (the original building is permanently lost, and does not give you any victory points).
** Building tiles on the map award points to their owners at the end of the game, both because they have points marked on them, and because they might contribute to achieving objective cards or claiming points from Stationmaster tiles.

* Move your train.

** When you move your train, skip over any occupied spaces (this also applies if you ever have to move your train backwards).
** Some train movement actions are free and some require a payment, whilst the movement allowed by others is dependent on the number of engineers you have, including the one you start with.
** All of these actions allow you to move to an unoccupied station siding. If you end your movement at a station and there is not already one of your discs there, you can pay (but you don't have to - you might just want to block the station!) to place a disc on the station, gaining points and uncovering another ability on your player mat. Note that if you do not place a disc, you cannot do so in a future turn unless you first leave the station and then return.
** In the turn when you place a disc on a station, you can also take the Stationmaster tile, if it is still available, by replacing it with one of your purchased workers (not one of the workers you start with). This will give you a one-time bonus or one or two permanent certificates, and possibly also some conditional victory points at the end of the game. Note that you lose the chance to take the Stationmaster tile if you do not do so in the turn when you place your disc.

* Hire more workers.

** The cost to hire is based on which row the worker has been placed on.
** Only workers in rows above the round marker are available.
** If hiring a worker covers an action on your board, immediately perform that action if able.
** Workers in the 5th and 6th column of your board are worth extra points - up to 24 points in total if you fill all of the worker spaces.

* Trade with the natives/outlaws.

** Pick up the native/outlaw tile and gain coins or an exchange token based on its position. Note that you cannot pick up one of these tiles by landing on it.

* Clear a hazard.

** Pay money, then pick up a hazard tile of your choice from the board. (Notice that you can also pick up a hazard tile for free whenever you place a cowboy on the 4th space on the cowboy track.)
** These tiles will award points at the end of the game, both because they have points marked on them, and because they might contribute to achieving objective cards or claiming points from Stationmaster tiles.

* Take auxiliary actions.

** These will let you take any of your unlocked auxiliary actions, usually twice.

Other similar actions may exist on your building tiles.

==== Actions in Kansas City ====

If you end your move in Kansas City, instead take the following actions:
# Add one tile from each of the three columns to the board. These will contain hazards and workers.
# Discard your hand. Gain coins equal to its numerical value, but ignore any duplicate cards - only unique cows are worth anything here! You may also spend certificates to add to this value.
# Place one of your discs on a delivery space up to the value you received in the previous step.
## These discs will unlock auxiliary actions or improve your movement, hand size, or maximum certificate.
## If there are any train crossings between your train and the space you're placing a disc, pay 1 coin for each of these.
## Note that the white bordered disc spaces can only accept white bordered discs (unless none are available), but black bordered spaces, which usually unlock stronger abilities, can accept either type of disc.
# Return your player marker to the start of the trail.

==== Cleanup ====

During the cleanup phase, draw until you have 4 cards in hand (potentially more if you've removed the discs to increase your hand size). You must keep any cards that were left in your hand, including objective cards (objective cards can be played to the table at any time during your turn, but such objectives cards must be satisfied at the end of the game, otherwise they will impose a victory point penalty).

==== End Game ====

End game is triggered when a player places a worker tile onto the last space of the job market, moving the job market token off the bottom of the market. They finish their turn, and each other player has a last turn.

Then scoring takes place:

*1 VP per 5 dollars

*VP from building tiles on the board

*VP from disks on the city crests (don't forget to subtract 6 VP for each disc that you placed on Kansas City).

*VP next to train stations where you have a disc.

*VP from hazard tiles

*VP from all cattle cards with VP's on

*VP's from all your objective cards, whether in your decks or on the table. Note that each building, hazard tile, etc can be counted towards only one objective.

*Subtract VP's for any objective cards <u>on the table</u> that were not completely satisfied.

*VP's from Stationmaster tiles. Note that buildings, hazard tiles, etc can be counted towards these VP's even if they have already been 'used' to satisfy objective cards.

*VP's from workers in 5th or 6th column on your player board (so a maximum of 24 VP's).

*VP's from removing certain discs on your player board.

*2 VP for the job market token.

Gamehelptzolkin

2023-02-12T16:57:47Z

Jupiter2000: /* Aids */ removed link to unavailable picture.

Rules are here: http://czechgames.com/files/rules/tzolkin-rules-en.pdf

(A picture of all 18 Age II buildings: https://i.imgur.com/BOGVhXA.jpg )

== '''For Each Round''' ==

- Each player takes their turn, going around the table

- On a food day, feed your workers and take your rewards

- Advance the Calendar

== '''Player turn''' ==

- '''Beg for corn:''' If you have 2 or less corn, you may beg for corn unless you are at the bottom step of all three temples. (Turn in all corn, take 3 corn and move one step down on any temple)

- '''Either place workers OR pick up workers'''

-- ''Placing workers'': pay corn for the number of workers you place. The cost for the number of workers you place is 0, 1, 3, 6, 10, or 15 for, respectively, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 workers placed on that turn, plus the cumulative cost noted next to each of your placed workers.

-- ''Picking up Workers'': You may pick up one or more of your placed workers. For each worker picked up either

--- Use the action where your worker was standing

--- Use a lower action on the wheel from where your worker was standing(if not
standing on a free action space,pay 1 corn for each step back)

--- Do nothing.

== '''Food Day''' ==

-'''Feed the Workers''' Each players must pay 2 corn for each worker they have in play (on a gear or in front of you) with the exception for any farms you own. You must feed as many workers as you have corn for.
-- For each worker not fed, you lose 3 points

-'''Take Rewards'''

--''Middle of Age (Brown days)''

--- Receive items shown on the left edge of temples from step you are on and all steps below

-- ''End of Age (Teal Days)''

--- Remove all Age 1 buildings and fill spaces with Age 2 buildings

--- Receive points shown on the right edge of temples for the step you are on.

--- Bonus points on each temple track for the player whose marker is highest. Bonus amount is shown above each temple. For ties, everyone receives half the bonus.

== '''Advance the Calendar''' ==

If there is no worker on the starting player space, place a corn on the current Tzolk'in gear tooth and advance the gear one day.

Otherwise:

- The worker on the Starting Player space returns to the player

-- If this person was not the starting player, they take the starting player marker.

-- If they were the starting player, the starting player marker is moved to the player on their left

- Advance the Tzolk'in Gear one day.

- The player that placed their worker on the Starting Player space may decide to advance the gear one extra day if the player board is light side up AND this advance will not push a player off the gears.

-- If you use this option, flip your board to dark side up.

-- This does not avoid food days.

== End of Game Scoring ==
The game ends after the fourth Food Day. The Tzolk'in gear will have made one complete revolution. Players convert all of their commodities to victory points and score their monuments. Then the player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, whoever has the most workers left on the gears wins. If it is still a tie, then all tied players win. Esoteric Note: Technically, the Tzolk'in gear advances one more day after the end-of-Age-2 scoring and before the final scoring. This might push workers off the gears, which could affect the tiebreaker.

=== Final Scoring ===
To score your final victory points, do the following:

1. Convert all resources to corn using the exchange rate for the market.

2. Score 1/4 victory point for each corn.

3. Score 3 victory points for each crystal skull you still have.

4. Score your victory points from your monuments.
== '''See also''' ==

[[Tips_tzolkin|Strategy Tips]]

Gamehelptzolkin

2023-02-07T02:17:43Z

Jupiter2000: /* Advance the Calendar */ Added final game scoring list and a graphic from the rules that explains the symbols on the wealth tiles and buildings.

Rules are here: http://czechgames.com/files/rules/tzolkin-rules-en.pdf

(A picture of all 18 Age II buildings: https://i.imgur.com/BOGVhXA.jpg )

== '''For Each Round''' ==

- Each player takes their turn, going around the table

- On a food day, feed your workers and take your rewards

- Advance the Calendar

== '''Player turn''' ==

- '''Beg for corn:''' If you have 2 or less corn, you may beg for corn unless you are at the bottom step of all three temples. (Turn in all corn, take 3 corn and move one step down on any temple)

- '''Either place workers OR pick up workers'''

-- ''Placing workers'': pay corn for the number of workers you place. The cost for the number of workers you place is 0, 1, 3, 6, 10, or 15 for, respectively, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 workers placed on that turn, plus the cumulative cost noted next to each of your placed workers.

-- ''Picking up Workers'': You may pick up one or more of your placed workers. For each worker picked up either

--- Use the action where your worker was standing

--- Use a lower action on the wheel from where your worker was standing(if not
standing on a free action space,pay 1 corn for each step back)

--- Do nothing.

== '''Food Day''' ==

-'''Feed the Workers''' Each players must pay 2 corn for each worker they have in play (on a gear or in front of you) with the exception for any farms you own. You must feed as many workers as you have corn for.
-- For each worker not fed, you lose 3 points

-'''Take Rewards'''

--''Middle of Age (Brown days)''

--- Receive items shown on the left edge of temples from step you are on and all steps below

-- ''End of Age (Teal Days)''

--- Remove all Age 1 buildings and fill spaces with Age 2 buildings

--- Receive points shown on the right edge of temples for the step you are on.

--- Bonus points on each temple track for the player whose marker is highest. Bonus amount is shown above each temple. For ties, everyone receives half the bonus.

== '''Advance the Calendar''' ==

If there is no worker on the starting player space, place a corn on the current Tzolk'in gear tooth and advance the gear one day.

Otherwise:

- The worker on the Starting Player space returns to the player

-- If this person was not the starting player, they take the starting player marker.

-- If they were the starting player, the starting player marker is moved to the player on their left

- Advance the Tzolk'in Gear one day.

- The player that placed their worker on the Starting Player space may decide to advance the gear one extra day if the player board is light side up AND this advance will not push a player off the gears.

-- If you use this option, flip your board to dark side up.

-- This does not avoid food days.

== End of Game Scoring ==
The game ends after the fourth Food Day. The Tzolk'in gear will have made one complete revolution. Players convert all of their commodities to victory points and score their monuments. Then the player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, whoever has the most workers left on the gears wins. If it is still a tie, then all tied players win. Esoteric Note: Technically, the Tzolk'in gear advances one more day after the end-of-Age-2 scoring and be�fore the final scoring. This might push workers off the gears, which could affect the tiebreaker.

=== Final Scoring ===
To score your final victory points, do the following:

1. Convert all resources to corn using the exchange rate for the market.

2. Score 1/4 victory point for each corn.

3. Score 3 victory points for each crystal skull you still have.

4. Score your victory points from your monuments.

== Aids ==
[[File:Tzolkin tiles.gif|alt=Explanation of symbols on wealth tiles and buildings.|thumb|555x555px|Explanation of symbols on wealth tiles and buildings.]]

== '''See also''' ==

[[Tips_tzolkin|Strategy Tips]]

File:Tzolkin tiles.gif

2023-02-07T02:08:15Z

Jupiter2000:

Explanation of symbols on wealth and building tiles from rules.

Gamehelpdeus

2022-10-03T16:10:48Z

Jupiter2000: /* More detail */

[[Category:Card games]]
== Basic Flow ==
On each turn you have 2 options:
==== Build a building ====
Choose a card from your hand, pay for it (if able) and place on an available map location. Move the card to the top of the relevant column of your tableau, and resolve all cards in that column, in order from bottom to top.

Maritime buildings can only be built on water (blue spaces on the tiles). Non-maritime buildings cannot be built on water.

==== Make an offering to the gods ====
Discard one or more cards from your hand, choosing one to discard on top. Receive a benefit of type depending on the colour of that top card, and of size corresponding to the number of cards discarded.

== More detail ==
TYPES OF CARDS
There are 6 types of card:

- Maritime (blue). Connected with trade, effects include buying resources for gold, and selling resources for gold or VP

- Production (green). Produce resources, always of the type associated with the terrain type the corresponding building is on (forests produce wood, swamps produce clay, mountains produce stone, and farms produce wheat).

- Scientific (yellow). Have a variety of effects, including drawing cards and gaining new buildings (thus reducing the need for making offerings). Some yellow cards allow activation of cards of other colours, or score for the number of cards of another colour.

- Civil (brown). Give either gold or victory points based on the arrangement and/or locations of your buildings on the map.

- Military (red). The military units these cards let you build are used for attacking barbarian villages. Some military cards can also move military units around the map. Others steal from other players.

- Temples (purple). Have no immediate effect when built, but are worth victory points at the end of the game (up to a maximum of 12) depending on how well you meet the conditions stated on the card.

BUILDING

When building, you must have a building of the appropriate type available in your supply (ie on your player board below the column).

You may always freely substitute 4 gold for each of the 4 main resources (wood, stone, clay, wheat) when paying for a building.

Maritime buildings ("ships") can only be built on sea locations, and are the only types of building which can be built there - all others must be built on land. (You may move a military unit over or onto a sea location where you have a ship, but you cannot build one there directly.)

Your first build must be at the edge of the map, and (if possible) at least 3 spaces away from any opposing building. Subsequent builds can only be on or adjacent to locations where you already have a building - with one exception: you can always build on any empty location on the edge of the map, but must pay 3 VP if it does not meet the adjacency rule.

Two different players can never occupy the same location.

You cannot have more than one building of each type on any one location. (Thus the maximum number of buildings you can have on any one location is 5 - one each of production, scientific, civil, military and temple.)

Temples cannot be built on empty locations, but only in (non-sea) locations that you already occupy. You may not build a second temple until you have built at least one of each of the other building types, or a third temple until you have built at least 2 of each of the other types, and so on. (You can tell this at a glance from your player board - the Temple column is offset a little below the rest so you can only build a temple if the rest of its "row" is fully occupied with cards.)

Temples also cannot be "abandoned" - so if you have a military unit on a location with a temple and no other buildings, you may not move that military unit.

OFFERINGS

When making an offering, you always draw up to 5 cards and gain 1 building from the stock of the appropriate type. (Assuming any are available - you have 5 of each type.) You also get another benefit depending on the God that you make the offering to - which is determined by the colour/type of the card you discarded on top. God benefits are:

- Neptune (blue/maritime): gain 2 gold per card discarded

- Ceres (green/production): gain 1 resource of your choice per card discarded

- Minerva (yellow/scientific): draw 1 additional card for each card discarded. (Eg if you discard 3 cards, you draw up to a minimum of 8 cards rather than 5. This takes place AFTER drawing to 5, so you always draw at least as many cards as the number discarded, even if you still have a large hand after discarding.)

- Vesta (brown/civil): gain 1 VP token if you discarded 1 card, or 2 VP tokens if you discarded 2 or more. (There is no further VP benefit to discarding 3 or more.)

- Mars (red/military): gain a total of 1 building per card discarded, which you can freely choose. You do not have to choose any military buildings.

- Jupiter (purple/temple): choose any of the other 5 Gods to benefit from (still according to the number of cards discarded)

You may never hold more than 10 cards in your hand - if you would draw more, you simply stop drawing.

If you build the last card in your hand, you automatically draw back up to 5. (But do not gain any of the other benefits associated with making an offering.)

The resource stock is strictly limited - to 5 per player of each resource. If you would gain more, you simply do not gain the excess. Coins and VP tokens are unlimited.

If the deck runs out, the discard pile is reshuffled to form a new deck.

== Barbarian Villages ==
Each barbarian village location holds a number of VP (starting at 1VP for each adjacent location). They can never be built on, even when emptied of VP. Any card effects which refer to barbarian villages (notably Ballista) do not count villages which have no VP left.

A village is attacked as soon as the following 2 conditions are both met:

- each surrounding location is occupied by at least 1 building

- there is at least one military building on the surrounding locations

As soon as this happens - before resolving any further cards or even (in the case of War Elephants) before moving any more armies - the village attack is resolved, with the VP going to the player who has most military buildings surrounding the village. If tied, the VP go to the tied player with most buildings in total on the surrounding locations. If still tied, the players share the VP, with any excess removed from the game.

== End of the game ==
The game end is triggered when one of the following 2 conditions is met:

- the last barbarian village is emptied of VP (either via a normal attack or via the Siege Tower card)

- the Temple stock is exhausted (the number of players available in the stock at the start of the game is 4 in a 2-player game, 6 in a 3-player game and 7 in a 4-player game)

When this happens, the current round is finished, then each player gets 1 more turn.

Temple cards can still be built after the stock is exhausted, and their VP will count - but no temple piece will be placed on the map. The temple card which scores 4 VP per temple played counts temple cards, not temple pieces on the map. Other temples which count buildings only count those physically on the map.

== Scoring ==
VP are scored for the following:

- VP tokens earned during the game (which are kept hidden until the end of the game). These can be scored from defeating barbarian villages, or from a variety of card effects (mostly maritime, scientific and civil cards).

- each temple scores VP for the player who played it according to its text (up to a maximum of 12 for each temple card)

- finally, for each of the 4 basic resources plus gold, the player with the most of that resource remaining gets 2 VP. (If tied, all tied players get the 2VP - but no-one gets anything for that resource if no player has any.)

The player with the most VP wins. There is no tiebreak.