Academic Society Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Icon Overview
• Component Overview
  • Society Board
  • Management Board
  • Individual Board
  • Royal Commission Tiles
  • Treatise Tiles
• Setup
  • Whole Game
  • Players
  • Turn Order
• Game Overview
• Phase 1: Contribution to the Nation
• Phase 2: Research Activities
• Phase 3: Maintaining Authority
• Phase 4: Effects of Contribution
• Phase 5: Treatise Presentation Results
• Phase 6: Preparation for the Next Round
• Scoring
• Action Spaces
  • Society Headquarters
  • Library
  • Lecture Hall
  • Workshop
  • Observatory
  • Lecture Room
  • Salon
• Treatise Tiles
  • Mathematics Treatise Tiles (4)
  • Astronomy Treatise Tiles (4)
  • Physics Treatise Tiles (4)
  • Chemistry Treatise Tiles (4)
  • Mathematics and Physics Treatise Tiles (10)
  • Astronomy and Chemistry Treatise Tiles (10)
• Sabbatical Effects
  • Additional Theory gain
  • Royal Commission cost reduction
  • Research Report cost reduction
• Translator's Notes

Overview

The game is made up mainly of three mechanisms, and the goal is to gain a large amount of Influence.

• The first mechanism is the action spaces of the Society Board, where you place your scholar pawns from hand to carry out various main actions. Besides the main action, the number of action spaces that allow a bonus action is limited, so reading the other players is important.
• The second mechanism is the Authority track of the Management Board, which gives Influence for each cell holding a scholar at game end. Returning a scholar from the Authority track to your hand lets you place it on an action space from the next round onward. However, there is no way to put a returned scholar back on the Authority track, so it is important to decide whether to prioritise the Influence gained at game end or to increase the number of scholars in hand to widen your strategy.
• The third mechanism is the Sabbatical track (遊学トラック) of your Individual Board, which gives ongoing effects as you move scholars along it. However, a scholar must be taken from your hand to the Sabbatical track, which reduces the number of scholars that can be placed on action spaces. Also, there is no way to return a scholar from the Sabbatical track to your hand, so timing and planning are important when deciding when to place a hand scholar there.

Efficiently managing your scholar pawns, which all three mechanisms require, leads to victory.

Components

• Round marker: 1
• Theory markers: 4 colours, 4 of each colour (one per player)
• Influence markers: 4 colours, 1 each
• Turn order markers: 4 colours, 1 each
• Contribution markers: 4 colours, 1 each
• Scholar pawns: 4 colours, 7 each
• Secretary pawns: 4 colours, 1 each
• Royal Commission tiles: 10 (printed side and reverse side)
• 100 Influence tiles: 2 (front and back)
• Treatise tiles: 36 (four kinds by back, see Setup)
• Individual Boards: 4
• Society Board: 1
• Management Board: 1
• Rulebook: 1

Icon Overview

• Influence (brown star icon)
• Influence (earned at game end) (star inside a circle, shown on Treatise tiles, the Authority track, and the Sabbatical track)
• Authority (building icon)
• Contribution (rosette icon)
• Theory (coloured icons, one colour per subject: Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, or any subject)
• Treatise tile (book icon, one colour per subject)
• Crest (on the Authority track, each subject has three crest ranks. Ranks increase from left to right. A higher-rank Crest may be used in place of a lower-rank Crest.)
• Lack of a Crest (a crossed-out Crest)
• Royal Commission tile (crown icon)
• Scholar pawn (dark pawn)
• Secretary pawn (grey pawn)
• Sabbatical (globe icon)
• Round-bottom flask (round flask icon)
• Triangle flask (triangle flask icon)

Component Overview

Society Board

The Society Board has the Society Headquarters, the Library, the Lecture Hall, the Workshop, the Observatory, the Lecture Room and the Salon, each of which is an action space. Around the outside is the Influence track, numbered from 0 to 50 and then continuing around the loop. The Influence marker tracks each player's Influence, which is gained and spent along this track.

Management Board

• Round track: Move the round marker to track the round number. Under each round is the number of Royal Commission tiles revealed that round.
• Turn order track: Rearrange the turn order markers to show the turn order.
• Secretariat: Holds Secretary pawns for each subject: Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry and Mathematics.
• Authority track (Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Mathematics): Move scholar pawns to track the crest level of each subject. The number at the top right of each cell is its processing order. A cell showing a Crest gives that Crest to a player who has a scholar on it. The cost at the bottom left of each cell is the Research Report cost. The Influence shown on a cell is gained at game end if a scholar is placed on that cell.
• Contribution track: Move Contribution markers to track each player's Contribution. The space at START is the lowest. A player whose Contribution marker is on a space with a bonus gains that bonus. The highest space gives an extra bonus when Contribution is gained beyond it (see Phase 4).
• Premier Bonus: Printed on the Management Board, shows the Secretary reward for holding the first position on the Authority track.

Individual Board

• Theory track: Move the theory markers to track how many Theories you hold in each subject. The maximum you can hold in each subject is 6.
• Sabbatical track (Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry): Scholar pawns placed here give ongoing effects. Scholars placed here cannot be taken back.
  • Secretary pawns cannot be placed on the Sabbatical track.
  • A new scholar cannot be placed on a Sabbatical track that already holds a scholar.
  • If no scholar is placed on a subject's Sabbatical track, that subject's Treatise presentation space can hold 0 Treatise tiles.
• Treatise presentation spaces (Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry): Treatise tiles acquired are placed here. The number under each space (×2 or ×3) shows how many Treatise tiles that space can hold. Each subject's Treatise presentation space can hold at most 3 Treatise tiles.
• Influence at game end: Shown at the right end of the Sabbatical track and on the Treatise tiles.

Royal Commission Tiles

Each tile shows the Theories required to achieve it (the cost) on the front, and the Contribution gained when it is achieved. The reverse side reads ROYAL COMMISSION.

Treatise Tiles

Each Treatise tile shows its effect on the front, and an icon for the subject on the reverse. Mixed Treatise tiles are used for two subjects, as described under Treatise Tiles below.

Setup

Whole Game

• Place the Society Board and the Management Board in the centre.
• Place the round marker on the "1" space of the Round track on the Management Board. Place one Secretary pawn of each subject on the matching space of the Secretariat on the Management Board.
• 2-player game: Do not place Secretaries on the Secretariat spaces of the Management Board. Place them beside the board instead.
• Shuffle the Royal Commission tiles face down, and place them as the Royal Commission tile pile beside the Management Board.
• Shuffle the Treatise tiles face down, separated into four piles by back type, and place them as the Treatise tile piles beside the Management Board. Reveal 2 tiles from each pile and place them next to that pile.
• 2-3 player game: Remove from the game the 4 Treatise tiles that show the 4-player icon.
• ATTENTION! Before the game starts, it is recommended that all players check the effects of all the Treatise tiles.

Players

• Each player chooses a colour and receives: 7 scholar pawns, 1 Influence marker, 1 turn order marker, 1 Contribution marker, 1 marker in each of the four theory colours, and 1 Individual Board.
• Place your Influence marker on the "0" space of the Influence track on the Society Board.
• During the game, when your Influence marker goes around the Influence track once, flip it over to show that you have reached 50. When it goes around a second time, flip it back to the front, take a 100 Influence tile, and show that you have reached 100.
• On the Authority track of the Management Board, place one scholar pawn on each of the cells with processing order "1", "2", "3" and "4". Keep the remaining 3 scholars in your hand.
• On the "4" space of the Theory track on your Individual Board, place one marker in each of the four theory colours.

Turn Order

• Determine the turn order at random, and place the turn order markers on the turn order track of the Management Board.
• Place the Contribution markers on the START space of the Contribution track, one above another in the turn order, so that the first player's marker is on top.

Game Overview

The game lasts 7 rounds. Each round consists of Phases 1 to 6, as follows:

• Phase 1: Contribution to the Nation
• Phase 2: Research Activities
• Phase 3: Maintaining Authority
• Phase 4: Effects of Contribution
• Phase 5: Treatise Presentation Results
• Phase 6: Preparation for the Next Round

Phase 1: Contribution to the Nation

• Reveal Royal Commission tiles from the pile. The number revealed depends on the round: Rounds 1-4: 1 tile. Rounds 5-7: 2 tiles.
• Starting with the first player and continuing in turn order, each player takes one turn. On a turn, for each revealed Royal Commission tile, declare whether you will achieve it or not.
• If you declare that you will achieve a tile, pay the "cost required to achieve" printed on the tile, and gain 2 Contribution.
• A player may declare achievement of a Royal Commission tile that another player has already achieved, and may do so on their own turn.
• When every player has finished their turn, remove the revealed Royal Commission tiles from the game.

2-player game: If the total of Theories shown on all the revealed Royal Commission tiles is 2 or more for a subject, place the Secretary of that subject on the matching space of the Secretariat on the Management Board.

Example: A player spends one Chemistry Theory and one Physics Theory, achieves one revealed Royal Commission tile, and gains 2 Contribution.

Phase 2: Research Activities

• Starting with the first player and continuing in turn order, each player takes one turn. On a turn, the player places one scholar pawn from their hand onto an action space on the Society Board, and carries out its main action (see Action Spaces).
• A scholar cannot be placed on an action space that already holds a scholar. (The Salon is an exception, see Action Spaces.)
• If you have no scholars in your hand, you must pass. You may not pass while you have scholars in your hand.
• If you have a Secretary in your hand, treat it as a scholar.
• If the action space you placed on has a bonus action symbol (a star marker), you may carry out the bonus action after the main action. You may not carry out a bonus action without carrying out the main action.
• After carrying out your main action and, optionally, your bonus action, the turn passes to the next player.

2-3 player game: You may not place a scholar on an action space that shows the 4-player icon.

Phase 3: Maintaining Authority

• Following the processing order (the number at the top right of each cell) on the Authority track of the Management Board, process each cell in turn. For each cell, the owner of a scholar on that cell chooses whether to keep the scholar on the cell or move it.
• Where scholars of more than one player are on the same cell, process them in turn order.
• For a cell with a scholar on it, the owner chooses one of two options:
  • Keep the scholar on the cell by spending the Research Report cost shown at the bottom left of the cell.
  • Move the scholar, without spending the Research Report cost. If you choose to move a scholar, lay it on its side.
• A scholar on the cell with processing order "13" must spend the Research Report cost. However, if your Influence marker is on the "0" space of the Influence track, you do not spend the Research Report cost.
• After all cells have been processed, move each scholar that was laid on its side one cell in the direction of the red arrow shown on its cell.
• After moving, if a player has more than one of their own scholars in the same column of the Authority track, compare the processing order of those cells, and return to hand the scholar on the cell with the smaller number. That scholar will be used as a scholar in Phase 2 of later rounds.

ATTENTION! A scholar that has been returned to hand cannot be placed on the Authority track again.

Phase 4: Effects of Contribution

• On the Contribution track of the Management Board, rearrange the turn order markers on the turn order track so that players with more Contribution take their turns earlier. If two Contribution markers are on the same space, the player whose marker is higher on that space goes first.
• Following the new turn order, each player gains the bonus printed on the space of the Contribution track where their Contribution marker is.
• The player whose Contribution marker is on the lowest space of the Contribution track moves that marker back to START. Then they choose one of their scholars on the Authority track and move it one cell in the direction of the red arrow shown on its cell. After moving, if the player has more than one of their own scholars in the same column of the Authority track, compare the processing order of those cells, and return to hand the scholar on the cell with the smaller number. That scholar will be used as a scholar in Phase 2 of later rounds.
• If several players' Contribution markers are on the lowest space of the Contribution track, process them starting with the player whose marker is highest.
• When a Contribution marker is returned to START, if other players' Contribution markers are there, place it on top of them.

Upper limit bonus on the Contribution track: If your Contribution marker is on the space with the highest Contribution, and you gain further Contribution, then instead of moving your marker forward, you gain 2 Influence for each space you would have moved. If another player's Contribution marker is also on the highest space, place your marker on top.

Example: A player whose Contribution marker is on the highest space gains 3 Contribution. Instead of moving the marker 3 spaces, they gain 6 Influence.

Phase 5: Treatise Presentation Results

• Starting with the first player and continuing in turn order, each player takes one turn. On a turn, the player activates, one at a time, the effects of all the Treatise tiles on their Individual Board's Treatise presentation spaces. Activation goes from the top row to the bottom row, and from left to right within each row.
• Each Treatise tile's effect may be activated only once per round.
• If a new Treatise tile is placed during activation and it comes later in the activation order than the tile just activated, its effect is activated too. If it comes earlier in the activation order, its effect is not activated.

The example shows the activation order as numbers 1 to 6: 1 and 2 on the top row, 3, 4 and 5 on the next row, and 6 on the bottom row.

Phase 6: Preparation for the Next Round

• Each player returns their scholars on the Society Board to their hand. Secretaries return to the Secretariat on the Management Board.
• For the cells on the Authority track with processing order "1", "2", "3" and "4", carry out the Premier Bonus in processing order. If a player has the only scholar on a cell that is being processed, that player takes the Secretary of the subject in that column from the Secretariat of the Management Board into their hand. A Secretary taken in this way can be used as a scholar in Phase 2 of the next round.

2-player game: If there is no Secretary of that subject in the Secretariat, you cannot take one.

• Discard all revealed Treatise tiles, and reveal 2 new tiles from each Treatise tile pile.
• When a Treatise tile pile runs out, shuffle the discarded Treatise tiles face down to make a new pile. If there are no discarded tiles, do nothing.
• Advance the round marker on the Round track by one space. When the round marker reaches the "END" space, the game ends and final scoring is carried out.

Scoring

After gaining the final Influence at game end, the player with the most Influence wins.

• Tie-break: If players are tied on Influence, the player with the most Theories in total wins. If still tied, the player who is earlier in the turn order wins.

Influence is gained at game end from:

• Management Board, Authority track: The Influence shown on each cell where you have a scholar, at game end.
• Individual Board, Sabbatical track: The Influence shown on the rightmost cell, if you have a scholar there (the rightmost cell only).
• Individual Board, Treatise presentation spaces: The Influence shown on each Treatise tile you have placed there.

Action Spaces

Each action space on the Society Board shows its main action. If it also shows a bonus action symbol (a star marker), that bonus action can be carried out after the main action (see Phase 2).

Society Headquarters

Main action: Spend one Theory of each of the four subjects (one Mathematics, one Physics, one Astronomy and one Chemistry Theory). Then choose one of the following two actions:

• Place one scholar from your hand on the leftmost space of any one of your Individual Board's Sabbatical tracks.

• Choose one scholar on your Individual Board's Sabbatical track and move it one space forward.

• When placing a scholar on, or moving a scholar along, a Sabbatical track, the Crest shown on the destination space must be held on the Authority track.

• If a scholar on the Authority track moves so that the Crest's rank goes down or the Crest is lost, scholars already placed on the Sabbatical track are not affected.

• A Secretary cannot be placed on the Sabbatical track.

Bonus action: Spend 1 Contribution, choose one of the revealed Treatise tiles, and place it on the Treatise presentation space of its subject on your Individual Board.

• If placing it would exceed the Treatise tile limit of that presentation space, choose one Treatise tile already placed there, discard it, and then place the new tile in the same position.
• If your Individual Board has no Treatise presentation space for that subject that can hold the tile, you cannot gain it.

ATTENTION! A scholar on the Sabbatical track can never be returned to your hand.

Library

Main action: Choose one revealed Treatise tile and place it on the Treatise presentation space of the matching subject on your Individual Board.

• If placing it would exceed the Treatise tile limit of that presentation space, choose one Treatise tile already placed there, discard it, and then place the new tile in the same position.
• If your Individual Board has no Treatise presentation space for that subject that can hold the tile, you cannot gain it.

Bonus action: Spend 1 Contribution, choose one revealed Treatise tile, and place it on the Treatise presentation space of the matching subject on your Individual Board.

Lecture Hall

Main action: Spend any 3 Theories in total. Choose one scholar of yours that is placed on the Authority track of the Management Board, and move it one space in the direction of a blue arrow on its cell. If there is more than one blue arrow, choose any blue arrow and move one space in that direction.

Bonus action: Spend 1 Contribution and gain 1 Theory of any subject.

Workshop

Main action: Gain 2 Physics Theories.

Bonus action: Spend 1 Contribution and gain 2 Physics Theories.

Observatory

Main action: Gain 2 Astronomy Theories.

Bonus action: Spend 1 Contribution and gain 2 Astronomy Theories.

Lecture Room

Main action: Gain 1 Chemistry Theory and 1 Mathematics Theory.

Bonus action: Spend 1 Contribution and gain 1 Theory of any subject.

Salon

This action space can hold any number of scholars or Secretaries. There is no limit to how many scholars may be placed here.

Main action: Choose one of the following two actions:

• Spend any 2 Theories and gain any 2 Theories.
• Gain 1 Influence.

There is no bonus action on the Salon.

Treatise Tiles

Each Treatise tile is placed on the Treatise presentation space of its subject on your Individual Board. The effect of a Treatise tile is activated in Phase 5 (see Phase 5), each once per round.

Mathematics Treatise Tiles (4)

Placed on the Mathematics Treatise presentation space.

• Gain 1 Influence. (2 tiles)
• Spend 2 of the Theories shown on the tile (Mathematics or Physics, as shown on the tile) and gain 4 Influence. Two different variants, 1 tile each.

Astronomy Treatise Tiles (4)

Placed on the Astronomy Treatise presentation space.

• Spend 1 Contribution and gain 3 Theories in total of any subjects. (2 tiles)
• Spend 2 Contribution, choose one scholar on your Sabbatical track and move it one space forward. When moving a scholar along the Sabbatical track, the Crest shown on the destination space must be held on the Authority track. (2 tiles)

Physics Treatise Tiles (4)

Placed on the Physics Treatise presentation space.

• Gain 2 Theories in total of any subjects. (2 tiles)
• Spend 2 of the Theories shown on the tile (Mathematics or Physics, as shown on the tile). Choose one of your scholars on the Authority track of the Management Board and move it one space in the direction of a blue arrow on its cell. If there is more than one blue arrow, choose any blue arrow and move one space in that direction. Two different variants, 1 tile each.

Chemistry Treatise Tiles (4)

Placed on the Chemistry Treatise presentation space.

• For each round-bottom flask on your Individual Board's Treatise presentation spaces, gain 1 Theory of any subject. (2 tiles)
• For each triangle flask on your Individual Board's Treatise presentation spaces, gain 1 Influence. (2 tiles)

Mathematics and Physics Treatise Tiles (10)

These tiles are treated as both Mathematics Treatise tiles and Physics Treatise tiles. They are placed on the Mathematics or Physics Treatise presentation space.

• Gain 1 Mathematics Theory and 1 Physics Theory. (3 tiles, one of which is used only in a 4-player game)
• Spend 1 of the Theories shown on the tile and gain 2 Influence. The Theory shown may be Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, or any subject. (5 kinds, 1 each, one of which is used only in a 4-player game)
• Choose one revealed Mathematics or Physics Treatise tile, and place it on the matching Treatise presentation space of your Individual Board. If the space would exceed its tile limit, choose one Treatise tile already placed there, discard it, and then place the new tile in the same position. (2 tiles)

Astronomy and Chemistry Treatise Tiles (10)

These tiles are treated as both Astronomy Treatise tiles and Chemistry Treatise tiles. They are placed on the Astronomy or Chemistry Treatise presentation space.

• Gain 1 Astronomy Theory and 1 Chemistry Theory. (3 tiles, one of which is used only in a 4-player game)
• Spend 1 of the Theories shown on the tile and gain 1 Contribution. The Theory shown may be Astronomy, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, or any subject. (5 kinds, 1 each, one of which is used only in a 4-player game)
• Choose one revealed Astronomy or Chemistry Treatise tile, and place it on the matching Treatise presentation space of your Individual Board. If the space would exceed its tile limit, choose one Treatise tile already placed there, discard it, and then place the new tile in the same position. (2 tiles)

Sabbatical Effects

The ongoing effects of the Sabbatical track can be used from the leftmost space of the track up to the space where your scholar is.

Additional Theory gain

• Each of the four subjects: when you gain a Theory of that subject through the main action in Phase 2 (Research Activities), or through a Treatise tile in Phase 5 (Treatise Presentation Results), gain 1 additional Theory of that subject, once for each such activation.
• This effect does not activate when you gain a Theory of any subject.
• This effect does not activate when you gain a Theory through a bonus action in Phase 2.

Royal Commission cost reduction

• Each of the four subjects: in Phase 1 (Contribution to the Nation), reduce by 1 the Theory of that subject in the "cost required to achieve" of each Royal Commission tile.

Research Report cost reduction

• Each of the four subjects: in Phase 3 (Maintaining Authority), reduce by 1 the Theory of that subject in the Research Report cost.

Translator's Notes

• The Japanese rulebook names the Management Board's Authority track 権威トラック, and its printed English heading on the board reads "Influence". This translation uses "Authority track" to follow the Japanese text. The Influence track on the Society Board is a separate track.
• The Phase 3 rule for the cell with processing order "13" reads, as printed, that a scholar on it does not spend the Research Report cost if your Influence marker is on the "0" space of the Influence track. This is transcribed as printed and was not clarified in the source.
• The number of Treatise tiles each Treatise presentation space can hold (×2 or ×3) is transcribed as printed on the Individual Board diagram in the source. The source's Sabbatical track text says that a subject's Treatise presentation space holds 0 tiles without a scholar on that subject's Sabbatical track.
• Two-player Secretary placement (Phase 1) and the 2-player Premier Bonus (Phase 6) are transcribed as printed.
• Gain 2 Contribution in Phase 1 is transcribed from the rule text, which states 2 explicitly.