Age of Heroes
Age of Heroes Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Lay out the cards in the resource deck, the main deck and the battle deck (the cards can be told apart by their backs). Tribe cards are placed face up on the table in front of the players.
Shuffle the resource deck and the battle deck thoroughly. The main deck consists of cards that can be built or acquired during the game. Lay out identical cards of the main deck in piles (cities with cities, armies with armies, and so on), then place all the piles face up in front of the players.
To determine the turn order, each player draws one card from the battle deck. The holder of the card with the most "Shield-and-sword" combinations makes the first turn (the cards are then shuffled back into the battle deck).
Each player chooses a tribe. This can be done at random or by agreement among the players. The player who makes the first turn chooses a tribe first. Unused tribe cards are set aside. Their corresponding special resource cards remain in the resource deck but are not used in the game.
Each player takes one city card and one army card from the main deck and places them face up in front of their tribe card. Cards from the main deck are always placed face up.
Then the first player deals three cards from the resource deck to each player. Resource cards are kept in hand until they are played. If one of the three dealt cards is a catastrophe card (Famine, Barbarians, Earthquake or Eruption), that card is discarded and a new card is not drawn from the resource deck in its place. Special beneficial cards that must be played immediately (for example, Population Growth) are played at once, before the game begins.
As soon as all catastrophe cards have been discarded and all "good" cards have been played, the Fair begins (see Fair). During the first day of the Fair, as during the first deal, catastrophe cards have no effect and are discarded immediately. After the Fair, each player takes a turn. The first player goes first, then their left-hand neighbour, and so on. Each time all players have completed a turn (that is, before the first player's next turn), the Fair begins again.
Turn
A player's turn consists of five phases. The player draws one resource card (1), performs an action (2), uses special resources (3), discards excess cards from hand if there are more than five (4), and discards or moves cards whose status has changed (5).
1. Drawing a card
The player draws one card. If a card must be played immediately, the player must play it at once. If the player draws a catastrophe card, they may not draw another card in its place. If the resource deck runs out, shuffle the discarded resource cards to form a new resource deck.
2. Performing an action
The player may perform one (only one!) of three possible actions:
Collecting taxes – the player may draw one additional resource card for each of their cities. If the player has no cities, they may discard one resource card from hand and draw one card from the resource deck.
Building – the player may use resource cards to build. Anything may be built as long as there are resources to pay for it. If all the cards that could be built have run out, the player cannot acquire anything of that type until the corresponding cards return to the deck (for example, if 12 cities have been built, no one can build another city until one of the built cities is destroyed by an eruption).
War – the player may send their armies to attack another player (see Battles).
A player is not obliged to perform an action. They may simply skip this phase.
3. Using a special resource
Each player has a special type of resource that must be collected to build a monument of culture (one of the ways to win the game). The corresponding type of resource is shown on the special card of each tribe. Only during THIS phase may a player use special resources to bring the construction of their monument of culture closer to completion. Any number of special resources may be used in one turn. When special resource cards are used, they are placed face up in front of the player. A player may use only the resources of their own nation (for example, Egyptians cannot use concrete).
4. Discarding cards
At the end of a turn, a player may hold no more than five cards in hand. (During another player's turn a player may receive additional cards and may hold more than five cards, but at the end of their own turn any excess must be discarded.) If a player has more than five cards in hand, they discard the excess.
5. Moving and discarding cards
During this phase, card manipulations are carried out in accordance with the rules of the game. Armies return to their owner, and earthquake cards that block a player's armies are sent to the discard pile.
After the player's turn is complete, the turn passes to their left-hand neighbour. Each time all players have completed a turn (that is, before the first player's next turn), the Fair begins.
Fair
At the very start of the game and before the start of each turn of the first player, a Fair begins. During the Fair, players may trade cards from the resource deck with one another.
At the beginning of the Fair, each player, starting with the first player, draws cards from the resource deck. Each player must draw at least one card from the resource deck. If a player's tribe is connected by roads to other tribes, the player must draw one more card for each tribe to which their roads lead (a road may pass through one or several tribes). If the resource deck runs out of cards, thoroughly shuffle the discard pile – this is the new resource deck. After the players have drawn their cards, each one (starting with the first player) uses the cards that must be played immediately. If a barbarian attack occurs, the Fair is suspended until the end of the battle. After all card effects have been applied, bargaining begins.
During the Fair a player may hold more than five cards in hand.
There are two kinds of bargaining – exchanging cards and other deals. Exchanging cards happens at the players' discretion. For example, a player offers stone in exchange for iron; someone agrees, and the iron and the stone change hands. Once players have agreed to an exchange, it can no longer be withdrawn.
Deals are something else. For example, a player may offer someone gold in exchange for a promise not to attack them during the turn. Unlike agreements to exchange cards, such promises may be broken; the rules of the game do not forbid it. The only question is whether anyone will make deals with a player who consistently fails to keep their promises.
Trading proceeds as follows: a player says "I have iron, and in exchange for it I want wood." Or: "I need marble," "Does anyone have marble?" Any cards from the resource deck may be traded (resources, special resources, events (e.g. the Olympic Games)). Cards from the main deck (cities, armies, fortresses, generals) may not be traded.
Battles
When a player decides to attack, they must choose the armies and generals they send to fight. Armies sent to war can no longer be recalled. Reinforcements cannot be sent to them either (for example, if the defender has played a Hero card or the Olympic Games). If the attacking player wants to use a "Hero" card, it must be played before the army is sent to war (and the player must choose in what capacity the hero is used: as an army or as a general). When used as a general, the "Hero" card is placed on an army card.
Only one tribe may be attacked in one turn. A player may not send troops to attack different tribes. When attacking a tribe, the player must declare the goal of the attack. There are three goals in all: conquest, whose aim is the capture of cities; plunder, for the purpose of seizing resource cards; and destruction of a monument of culture (a barbarian attack always has plunder as its goal).
The defending player must decide whether to use special cards. Using the "Olympic Games" the defender can turn the attacking armies around and send them back; the "Hero" can strengthen the defending troops. The "Luck" card cancels a barbarian invasion, but cannot help in the case of an attack by another player. Armies of the defending player that are affected by an earthquake do not take part in the battle.
Determining the result of a battle
The attacking player draws one battle card for each army taking part in the battle. The defending player then does the same. Battle cards are placed by the players under their army cards (which card goes under which army is chosen by each player).
Then each player chooses one army that will take part in the battle. The battle cards are revealed and the bonuses are counted. The defending player receives +1 for each of their fortresses; any player may receive +2 if a general was played on their army card. The army whose strength turns out lower is destroyed (if the army was led by a general, the general is destroyed together with it). In case of a tie nothing happens. If the attacking army wins, such an army is considered the winner.
After this, a new battle takes place with the participation of other armies, until the player who has fewer armies has used the cards of all their armies. When this happens, the battle ends. All destroyed armies and generals return to the main deck.
The attacking player counts their winning armies (those that won their duel against the defenders' armies). To these is added the number of the attacker's armies for which the defending player did not have enough armies (for example, if the player attacked with six armies and the defending player has only four armies, then at least two of the attacker's armies will be winners).
Victory in battle
If the goal of the attack was conquest, the attacking player may capture one city if they have two or three winning armies left. If the player has 4 or more winning armies, they may capture 2 cities.
If the goal of the attack was plunder, the attacking player may take two resource cards for each winning army. The resource cards that fall to the conqueror are determined at random (drawn face down). In the case of a barbarian attack, resource cards are discarded.
If the goal of the attack was destruction, the attacking player may send to the discard pile one special resource card from the defending player's monument of culture. If the attacking player has three or more winning armies, they may send two special resource cards to the discard pile.
All armies that survive the battle return to the attacking player at the end of the attacking player's next turn. If there is a direct road between the tribes (one that does not pass through other tribes), the attacking armies return immediately. All battle cards that the players used in the battle are shuffled into the battle deck.
Cards
Each card contains information that plays a defined role in the game. Many cards also carry flavour text, which does not affect play.
Resource deck
The resource deck contains three types of cards.
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Ordinary resources – iron, wood, grain, stone and gold. Cities and armies are acquired with these resources. Gold is a unique resource: it may be used in place of any other ordinary resource.
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Special resource cards – each tribe collects such cards in order to build a monument of culture. The Egyptians collect limestone, the Romans concrete, the Greeks marble, the Babylonians bricks, the Celts sandstone, and the Chinese granite. Each tribe may use only the type of card that corresponds to it, and only for building its monument of culture (therefore it is advantageous to trade with a tribe if you hold that tribe's special resource).
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Event cards – these are cards that bring benefit or harm to a tribe. Most event cards are played immediately; only some (Hero, Olympic Games, Luck) may be kept in hand.
Population Growth – this card allows the player to receive a new city for free.
Earthquake – if this card is drawn, the player who received it must immediately play it on an army belonging to any other tribe. That army takes no part in the game until the end of its owner's next turn. If the army is led by a general, an earthquake cannot be played on it.
Eruption – if this card is drawn, the player who drew it must immediately play it on a city belonging to any other tribe. That city is destroyed. The city card is returned to the main deck.
Famine – when this card is drawn, all players discard their grain cards.
Barbarians – a barbarian army attacks the player's tribe! If the barbarians win, they plunder the tribe (see Battles).
Olympic Games – this card may be taken into hand to be used later. The "Olympic Games" allow the defender to cancel a barbarian invasion or an attack by another player. In this case the barbarian card is discarded, and the other player's armies return to them under the normal rules (immediately if there is a direct road, or at the end of the attacking player's next turn).
Hero – this card may be taken into hand to be used later. The "Hero" card may be used in place of one army or one general in a single (only one!) battle (in attack or in defence). With the Hero card alone, it is possible to attack another tribe.
Luck – this card cancels the effect of the "Famine", "Eruption", "Earthquake" or "Barbarians" cards. It is discarded when used.
Battle deck
The battle deck consists of battle cards with strengths from 1 to 6. The battle deck is shuffled after each battle.
Main deck
The main deck contains the cards that can be built or acquired.
Armies – these are large groups of equipped men. Each army allows the player to draw one battle card in a battle. Building an army requires iron and two grain.
Fortresses – these are fortifications that protect a tribe. Each fortress adds 1 to the strength of the defenders' battle cards (the effect is cumulative). If a defender has several fortresses, their armies receive +1 for each fortress. Fortresses help in defence but not in attack. Building a fortress requires iron, wood and stone.
Generals – these are leaders who increase the effectiveness of armies. Each general adds 2 to the strength of one battle card in a battle (see Battles). Generals lead armies – the general card is placed on the army card and remains there until that army is destroyed (the army perishes together with its general). Only one general may lead one army. A general also protects an army from earthquakes. Building a general requires iron and gold.
Roads connect tribes with one another. Each road allows the player to draw an additional card at the Fair (see Fair). Roads also help in battle – armies return home along them more quickly. A player may build roads only to the two nearest tribes (the neighbours on the left and on the right). The road card is placed on the table between the neighbouring players as a reminder that their tribes are joined by a road. To build a road, the player must obtain the consent of the neighbour to whom the road will lead. Building a road requires two stone.
Cities are the heart of a tribe. Each city allows the player to draw a resource card when collecting taxes. Building a city requires stone and two wood.
Construction is limited by the number of cards in the main deck (if the city cards have run out, a new city can be built only once one of the built cities has been destroyed).
Defeat
A player loses if they have no cards left in hand and no cities. If a player has at least one city or at least one card in hand, they continue to take part in the game. If a player is defeated, all roads that led to them are destroyed and returned to the main deck. Tribes that were connected by these roads will need to build new roads.
Victory
There are three ways to win.
The first: if the other players have lost and been eliminated from the game (see Defeat), the remaining player is declared the winner.
The second: build an empire of five cities (they may be either built or conquered).
The third: build a monument of culture by collecting and laying out on the table five special resource cards of your tribe (your tribe is recognised as the bearer of a great culture).
If a player has built a monument of culture or has five cities, victory is not awarded automatically – a "final turn" begins. The game continues until the next turn of this player, including the Fair. If at the end of the next turn of the player claiming victory they still own five cities, or their monument of culture has not been destroyed, that player is declared the winner (even if the player has just regained five cities or rebuilt the monument of culture). Otherwise the game continues.
During the "final turn" another player may also win the game.