890 Anno Domini Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Objective
• Components
• Game Setup
• Cards and tiles description
  • Tiles
  • Character cards
  • Scenario cards
• Gameplay
  • 1. Taking a tile
  • 2. Adding the tile to your Kingdom
  • 3. Checking if there are new trios
  • 4. Checking if an invasion occurs
• End of the game
• Special Tiles
• Characters
• Guide to icons
• Game flow

Game Objective

In this game, you will impersonate the local lords of a territory in Provence. You will try to make the territory thrive by growing crops and building structures and monuments, but also by fortifying it to face invasions from the coast, and by persuading nobles and specialists to settle there.

The objective of this game is to make your kingdom more prosperous than that of the other players throughout the 8 rounds that make up the game. You earn points when you erect buildings, attract specialists and achieve objectives related to the scenario, to buildings or to territories.

Components

• 36 Territory tiles
• 6 Castle tiles
• 12 Special Building tiles
• 4 Banners with their standees
• 18 Character cards
• 6 Scenario cards
• 1 Invasion Track / Scoring board
• 4 Kingdom boards
• 2 Help tiles
• 20 Tower tokens
• 12 Noble tokens
• 54 Coins
• 6 Saracen tokens
• 1 Defence cube and 1 Invader cube
• 4 Score cubes

Game Setup

This is the setup for a 4-player game: if there are fewer players, read the sections on 2-player or 3-player games.

1. Each player chooses a Score cube of the colour they prefer and keeps it next to them. It will help them count Victory Points (also called VPs) at the end of the game.

2. Shuffle the Special Building tiles keeping them face down, draw as many as the number of players plus one, and create a horizontal row of tiles face up. The other Special Building tiles must be placed in the box and will not be used in this game.

players	2	3	4
used tiles	3	4	5

3. Shuffle the Territory tiles keeping them face down, draw 4, and create a vertical row of tiles face up, perpendicular to the Special Buildings. A T will then be formed, as suggested by the image.

   2 or 3-player games: with less than 4 players, some tiles must be removed and placed in the box. These tiles are easily recognisable by the numbers 3+ and 4+ depicted in the bottom left-hand corner.

4. Place the remaining Territory tiles in a face-down stack within reach of the players.

5. Place the Invasion track on the table. Place the Defence cube on the value which is equal to the number of players and the Invader cube on space "0".

   Example A: Margherita, Christian, and Francesca start a new game; so the Defence cube must be placed on number 3 of the Invasion track.

6. Choose a Scenario card (for the first game, we recommend that you start with the First Steps Scenario) and place it next to the Invasion Track as suggested by the picture. Read the introductory text written on the Scenario card aloud, give each player the number of Coins indicated by the chosen Scenario card and activate all the special rules (if any). These might change the setup of the game and change the final VPs count with bonus points.

   Scenario card: Scenario cards contain information for a 3-4 player game on one side and information for a 2-player game on the other (2-player icon).

7. Place the 4 Banners inserted into their standees on the table, shuffle the Character cards deck, and then, for each Banner, draw 3 cards and place them next to the Banners. Place the remaining cards in a face-down stack within reach of the players.

   2 or 3-player games: place only 2 Character cards for each Banner.

8. Create a general supply of Tower tokens, Noble tokens and Coins. The Saracen tokens will only be used on some occasions. Finally, each player places a Kingdom board in front of them.

Cards and tiles description

In this section, you will find examples of tiles and cards. For an in-depth explanation of icons, see the section "A Quick Look at Icons" on page 8 or "Guide to Icons" at the end of the rulebook on page 15.

Tiles

1. Category
2. Type of Crop
3. Effect of the tile
4. Victory Points
5. Number of players

Character cards

1. Victory Points
2. Name
3. Ability of the Character

Scenario cards

1. Name
2. 2-player icon (on the back only)
3. Description
4. Special Rules
5. Bonus Victory Points (1st Place)
6. Bonus Victory Points (2nd Place)

Gameplay

During the game, players will take their turns in clockwise order: the game lasts 8 rounds, at the end of which each player will have a complete Kingdom of 9 tiles in front of them (the initial Castle tile + 8 tiles obtained during the game).

Each round consists of the following steps:

1. Taking a tile
2. Adding the tile to your Kingdom
3. Checking if there are new trios
4. Checking if an invasion occurs

1. Taking a tile

The current player chooses a tile (Territory or Special Building) from the face-up tiles.

Territory tiles: The Territory tiles form a vertical row, and it is always possible to take the first tile in the row, that is the one furthest from the horizontal row of Special Building tiles, for free. Instead, if you decide to take one of the tiles closest to the horizontal row, you must pay its cost by placing 1 Coin next to each Territory tile that you skip to take the desired tile. If the Territory tile taken already has Coins next to it (placed by players who previously skipped it), the player gets those Coins too. After doing this, the player moves the other Territory tiles down, along with any Coins and Saracens tokens next to them, and draws 1 new Territory from the stack to fill the gap (the Saracen tokens will only be used on some occasions).

Special Building tiles: Special Building tiles, on the other hand, form a horizontal row perpendicular to the row of Territory tiles. They never move and no new ones are added; therefore, the cost to take one is always 4 Coins: to pay their cost, the current player places 1 Coin next to each Territory tile and then chooses the Special Building tile they want. Try not to run out of Coins or you will be forced to take the free Territory tile the next turn, whether you want it or not!

Example B: Francesca has collected enough Coins. During her turn, she decides to take the Cathedral tile: she puts 1 Coin next to each Territory tile in the vertical row, spending the 4 Coins necessary to pay the cost of the Special Building tile she desires.

2. Adding the tile to your Kingdom

The current player places the newly taken tile on any free space in their Kingdom: it doesn't need to be adjacent to another tile (by the end of the game, all 8 spaces around the Castle will be occupied). The space is chosen by the current player according to their strategy, to create the most effective tile combinations (see next phase).

Important: Towers and Nobles cannot be moved from their tile, unless otherwise indicated.

A quick look at icons:

• If the new tile has at least 1 Tower icon, the Defence cube on the Invasion Track advances by 1 space for each on the tile. Then, the player takes the same number of Tower tokens from the general supply and places them on the tile.
• If the new tile has at least 1 Saracen icon, the Invader cube advances by 1 space for each present on the tile.
• If the new tile has at least 1 Noble icon, the player takes as many Noble tokens from the general supply as indicated and places them on the tile.
• If the new tile has at least 1 Coin icon, the player takes as many Coins from the general supply as indicated on the tile.
• If the new tile is a Church with one of these icons (the four Crop icons), every other player who has 1 or more Crops of the same type as the one indicated on the Church tile must give 1 Coin to the current player.
• If the new tile has a VPs icon, it means that it will give positive (+) or negative (-) VPs at the end of the game.
• If the new tile has a bonus VPs icon, it means that at the end of the game, you will have to multiply that number of VPs by the number of the elements to the right of the "X" that are in your Kingdom.

For other icons, please refer to the "Guide to Icons" section below.

Example C: Margherita takes the tile with both the Church and the poppies; so, every other player with at least 1 poppy Crop in their Kingdom must give her 1 Coin. Francesca gives 1 Coin to Margherita and the turn goes on.

Example D: Francesca takes a tile with a wheat Crop, a Tower, and 2 Saracens. After placing the tile on her Kingdom board, the Defence cube on the Invasion Track advances by 1 space, and the Invader cube advances by 2 spaces.

Example E: Christian has taken the Forge tile. At the end of the game, he will earn 2 VP for every 2 Tower tokens on his Kingdom board.

3. Checking if there are new trios

The current player checks whether the newly placed tile creates one or more rows of 3 of the same Crops: the trio can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. For each new trio created, you will attract an important person to your Kingdom! You can choose 1 Character card from those next to the Banner associated with the type of Crop you made the trio of, and place it next to your board.

If the Characters are no longer available, or you are not interested in those associated with that Banner, you get 2 Coins instead.

Example F: Christian has just taken a new tile with both lavender and olive trees. Christian decides to place it in a free space on his Kingdom board next to two Territory tiles with lavender. This way, he creates a trio of the same Crop! At this point, he can attract one of the Characters associated to the purple Banner.

When you attract a chosen Character to your Kingdom, they provide a certain number of VPs as well as a unique ability. Unless otherwise indicated, the effects apply immediately. On the other hand, some Characters have effects that can be activated only at specific times (beginning of turn or end of game). For an in-depth explanation of the various Characters, see "Characters" below.

Crops: there are four different types of Crops, that is, wheat (yellow), olive trees (green), lavender (purple), and poppies (red). Each Banner represents one of the 4 Crops.

4. Checking if an invasion occurs

If the Invader cube has been moved during a turn, players check whether it is further forward than the Defence cube on the Invasion track: if this happens, the player with the fewest Tower tokens on their Kingdom board will be invaded.

Tie-breaker: all players with the fewest Tower tokens are invaded.

Example G: After taking her turn and applying the effects suggested by the icons on the chosen tile, Margherita realises that the Invader cube has moved on the Invasion Track and is now further forward than the Defence cube. At this point, each player checks their defences: Margherita has 4 Towers, whereas Christian and Francesca only have 2 Towers on their Kingdom boards. Both will be invaded by the Saracens!

At this point, each invaded player must:

• Choose 1 of their tiles (except for the Castle, which can never be destroyed);
• Remove any tokens on the tile, place them in the general supply, and then turn the tile face down (in this case it is called a Ruin);
• If it was a Territory tile, add a Tower token on it as indicated by the icon on the back of the tile (Special Buildings do not add Towers when destroyed). Each Tower added in this way makes the Defence cube advance by 1 space on the Invasion Track.

Important: Towers built on Ruins often cause the Defence cube to advance beyond or to the same level as the Invader cube, but it may not happen: in that case, at step 4 of the next turn, there will NOT be another invasion, unless the Invader cube has moved again.

Tower Shortage: should you, at any time, need to add a Tower (as a result of a tile or Character, or because of an invasion) but there are no more available in the general supply, no Tower is added. If several players need to add a Tower due to an invasion, but the reserve is not enough for everyone, the Towers are taken, starting with the current player and then in clockwise order.

Defence Reduction: in some situations, the number of Towers in play may decrease (for example, if the Fortress, which is worth two Towers, is destroyed): in this case, the Defence cube will also move back accordingly. The total value of Defence is always equal to the number of towers in play plus the number of players at the table.

Example H: Christian has been invaded. Therefore, he chooses the tile with the farm and the poppies, removes the Noble on it, placing it in the general supply. Then, he turns the tile face down: after doing this, he places 1 Tower on the Ruin (as indicated on the back of the tile) and, consequently, the Defence cube on the Invasion Track advances by 1 space.

End of the game

The game ends when all players' Kingdoms have been completed: this means that the 9 squares that make up the 3x3 grid on each Kingdom board must all be occupied by tiles.

At this point, players remove the Defence and Invader cubes from the Invasion Track and place the Scoring cubes they chose at the beginning of the game on space "0" so that the seal is visible. From now on, the board will be used as a Scoring board.

Each player adds up the VPs (positive and negative) visible on their Kingdom boards and Character cards, advancing their cube accordingly.

Finally, they get the VPs indicated on the Scenario card used for the game: each Scenario awards bonus VPs to the first and second players with the most Noble tokens, Coin tokens, and Tower tokens.

If a player's cube exceeds space "0" after completing an entire lap of the scoring board, they turn the cube over to show the side of the seal indicating +20.

2-player games: In 2-player games, the tie-break for end-game bonuses is awarded to the first player only, as indicated on the Scenario cards.

The player with the most VPs is the winner!

If several players end the game with the same number of VPs, follow the same rules for tie-breaks.

Tie-breaker: if one of the players has attracted the Duchess to their Kingdom, they will gain the tie-break on all end-game bonuses, but if none of the players has the Duchess, the player who has the most Nobles in their Kingdom gains the tie-break. If the tie persists, look at who has the most Coins. If it still persists, look at who has the most Towers. Finally, if there is a tie on everything, the end-game bonuses are resolved according to turn order.

Example I: Margherita, Christian and Francesca have completed their Kingdom boards. It's time to award VPs according to the First Steps Scenario: since there are 3 players, both the first and second player in each of the 3 categories are rewarded. As suggested by the image, Margherita has the majority of the Nobles; therefore, she gets 5 VPs. Christian, who is second, gets only 2 VPs. As for Coins, everyone has the same amount but, in this case, Francesca has the Duchess: although she does not have the majority of Nobles, she still gets the maximum (3 VPs). Margherita, on the other hand, gets second place (1 VP) because she has more Nobles than Christian. Finally, as far as Towers are concerned, Christian gets 5 VPs and Francesca gets 2 VPs. The players must then count the VPs they find on the tiles in their Kingdom and on the Character cards they have attracted during the game. In the end, Margherita totals 23 VPs (6 VPs for the Scenario + 10 VPs for Characters and Tiles), Christian totals 20 VPs (7 VPs for the Scenario + 8 VPs for the Characters and 5 VPs for Tiles), and Francesca totals 23 VPs (5 VPs for the Scenario + 14 VPs for the Characters and 4 VPs for the Tiles). Margherita and Francesca have the same number of VPs: Margherita would normally be the winner, since she has the most Nobles in her Kingdom, but since Francesca controls the Duchess, she is the winner.

Special Tiles

The Special Building tiles are: Pig Farm, Amphitheatre, Arc de Triomphe, Cultivated Fields, Cathedral, Town, Forge, Forest, Fortress, Market, Pasture, Flower Meadow. Their effects are shown as icons on the tiles (see the Guide to icons).

Characters

• Apprentice: At the end of the game, draw 2 cards from the Character deck, keep 1, and discard the other: gain the indicated VPs but do not apply the effect.
• Military Architect: Move up to 3 Towers in your Kingdom to the Castle tile (so you will not lose them in case their tile is destroyed).
• Treasurer: Gain 1 Coin at the beginning of each turn.
• Caravanner: At the end of the game, gain 2 VPs for each Tavern in your Kingdom.
• Master Builder: Turn face up 1 Territory tile in your Kingdom that has become a Ruin. Get Towers and Nobles back, but ignore any trios.
• Cartographer: Swap the position of 2 tiles in your Kingdom, together with any tokens on them. Ignore any trios.
• Courtesan: Take 1 Noble from another player (you choose which tile to take it from and where to place it).
• Duchess: You win all end-game tie-breaks, both for bonuses and VPs.
• Blacksmith: Add 1 Tower to your Kingdom, on a tile of your choice.
• Inventor: At the beginning of the turn, you can discard this card to take 1 of the available Special Buildings for free, instead of taking a new tile according to the normal rules.
• Thief: Take 1 Coin from every other player.

Guide to icons

• Tower icon: Take 1 Tower and advance the Defence cube.
• Sword icon: Advance the Invader cube on the Invasion Track.
• Noble icon: Take 1 Noble.
• White Coin icon: Take 1 Coin.
• Red Coin icon: Lose 1 Coin.
• Tavern icon: Tavern
• Church icon: Church
• Star icon: Special Building
• Banner icon: At the end of the game.
• Hourglass icon: At the beginning of your turn.
• One-person icon: 1 player
• Three-person icon: Each player
• Crop icons with Coin: Each other player with 1 or more Crops of the type represented by this icon must give you 1 Coin.
• "X" icon: You get as many elements to the left of this icon as the elements (not the icons) to the right which are in your Kingdom.
• Scales icon: You win all tie-breaks.
• Flip icon: Flip over a Ruin in your Kingdom.
• Swap icon: Swap 2 tiles in your Kingdom.
• Crossed-out trio icon: Ignore any trios.
• Character icon: Character card
• Character with plus icon: Draw 2 Character cards and keep 1.
• Crossed-out Character icon: Discard this Character card.
• Tile icon: Tile
• Castle icon: Castle tile
• Star tile icon: Special Building tile

Game flow

Each round consists of five steps, which must be carried out in the following order:

1. Taking a tile

   • Choose one of the face-up tiles.
   • Place a Coin next to each tile situated before the one you have chosen.
   • Take the tile. If it is a Territory tile, move the remaining tiles down and draw a new one.

2. Adding the tile to your Kingdom

   • Place the tile on any free space in your Kingdom.
   • Apply the effect of the tile you have placed (if any).

3. Checking if there are new trios

   • If you have created a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row of 3 of the same Crops by adding the new tile, you can take 1 Character card from those next to the Banner associated with that Crop, or take 2 Coins from the reserve.
   • Apply the effect of the Character, unless its effect applies during another phase of the game.

4. Checking if an invasion occurs

   • If the Invader cube has moved during this turn, and it is further forward than the Defence cube on the Invasion track, an invasion occurs.
   • The player(s) with the fewest Tower tokens must choose a tile, remove any token on it and turn it face down (Ruin).
   • If there is a Tower on the back of the tile, they place the Tower token on the tile and move the Defence cube.