Alexander the Great: Birth of an Empire Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • The Game Board
• Play Preparation
  • 3.1 The Gameboard
  • 3.2 The Gameplay Outline
  • 3.3 Play Preparation
• Order of Play
  • 4.1 Resources and the Tablets
    • 4.1.1 Resource Distribution
    • 4.1.2 New Resources and Rearrangement
• Play Order in Rounds
  • 5.1 Resource Distribution
  • 5.2 Tablets Are Uncovered and Play Sequence Determined
  • 5.3 Movement
  • 5.4 Building of Temples and Establishment of Cities
  • 5.5 Scoring
    • 5.5.1 Provinces
    • 5.5.2 Temples
    • 5.5.3 Cities
    • 5.5.4 Several Players Want to Build in a Province
  • 5.6 End of a Round
• Game End
  • 6.1 Final Scoring at Game End
• Short Game/Campaign

Components

Every copy of Alexander the Great contains:

• 1 game board
• 10 player markers (wood figures, 2 per color/player)
• 75 resources (small cubes, 15 per color/player)
• 50 temples (houses, 10 per color/player)
• 40 cities (cubes, 8 per color/player)
• 5 player tablets
• 5 screens
• 1 gameplay outline
• 1 rulebook

The Game Board

• Campaign symbol
• City symbol
• Region
• Province
• Temple symbol

If one of the above parts should be missing or damaged, we apologize. Please contact us for spare parts at:

Phalanx Games B.V. Attn: Customer Service Postbus 32 1380 AA Weesp Niederlande

Play Preparation

3.1 The Gameboard

The gameboard is divided into 6 separate colored regions. Each Region consists of a different number of numbered Provinces. The region numbers indicate the order of the scoring rounds, but otherwise have no meaning.

From Region to Region, temples and cities can be built, and different provinces can be conquered. Provinces are only considered "adjacent" if they are connected by arrows. Therefore, e.g., Cilicia and Capadocia are not considered adjacent. A player can only build in Provinces with temple or city symbols.

The circles with the black numbers over the portrait of Alexander represent the campaign symbols. Each campaign ends in this province of a region. Subsequent campaigns begin in the following region, after scoring, according to the numbered campaign symbols.

Depending upon the players' strategies, 1-3 rounds can be played in a region. A region is played to the end when an army reaches a province with a campaign symbol. After 3 rounds, the Region automatically ends, and the next one begins.

3.2 The Gameplay Outline

The auxiliary player guide outlines the important rules and should be laid out in view of all the players.

3.3 Play Preparation

• Place the game board in the center of the table.
• Each player selects a color and receives:
  • 1 tablet with view screen
  • 15 resources
  • 2 player markers. One is placed in front of the player, the other is placed on the 0 space of the scoring track.
  • 10 temples
  • 8 cities
• Each player's temples and cities are placed in front of their screens.

The following are labeled: player screen, start space, player tablet, player marker, resources, city, temple.

Order of Play

Each region represents a "stage" of the Alexander campaign. The players are required to play 1-3 rounds, in order to traverse a region.

In a round, all players first distribute resources on their tablets. The "active" player moves his armies and then places temples and city pieces. All other players follow according to the turn order with their movements and possible buildings. Then scoring takes place.

If a further game round takes place in the region, again resources are distributed (but only toward the building of temples and establishment of cities) and the players reveal and implement their courses of action.

This is described in detail in the following sequence.

4.1 Resources and the Tablets

At the beginning of the first play round for a Region, each player secretly distributes his 15 resources behind his view screen on the 4 fields of his tablet.

The resources can be used to implement the following actions:

• Affect turn order (leftmost field of the tablet)
• Deploy armies (2nd field from the left of the tablet)
• Temple building (2nd field from the right of the tablet)
• Establishment of cities (rightmost field of the tablet)

Resources placed on the Deploy Armies field are considered armies and are deployed on the game board. Resources on the temple or city fields are considered as building material.

4.1.1 Resource Distribution

Resources may be distributed at will on the tablet. Their placement depends on the individual player's strategy:

• Those who would like to conquer many provinces invest in armies.
• Those who would like to build many temples invest in the building of temples.
• Those who would like many cities invest in cities.

4.1.2 New Resources and Rearrangement

If 2 or 3 rounds are played in a region, each player may again divide their resources present at the beginning of the round between temple and city fields on the tablet. This happens again hidden behind the player screens.

A player cannot, however, invest in armies or further affect the play sequence! They must make do with the armies that they deployed in the first round.

Each player always has 15 resources available at their disposal for playing in a region. Deployed (assigned) resources (to play order or to build temples or cities) only become available again to a player at the beginning of the first round involving the next Region.

Play Order in Rounds

5.1 Resource Distribution

Each player distributes his 15 resources on the 4 fields of his concealed tablet (see also 4.1.2).

Turn Order: The player who puts the most resources down in this field can select at which position (first, second, third, etc.) in the turn order track he wants to put his player marker. The others cannot affect this turn position. The turn order will be determined by the number next to the players' markers (always played in the order determined by the number of resources played by the players). This may resemble, coincidentally, the same order that the players chose their turn order.

Special rule for the first play round of the game: If no players place resources in the order sequence field, the oldest player goes first. Subsequently, play continues clockwise.

If there is a tie for resources in this field (with a minimum of at least one), play order is determined by the number of resources the tied players have in their army fields, with the player having more going first.

If there is a similar tie for this field, then the tie is broken similarly by looking at the number of resources in the Temple field. If this also results in a tie, then choice of turn order is determined in a random method between the tied players. As a result, the players' turn order is determined.

Example: In a 4-player game, Michael and Marion each allocate one resource to their turn order fields. Michael, however, has put 5 resources in his army field, Marion only 3. Michael, therefore, gets to select his turn order first and puts his marker in the 4th position. Marion then decides to put her marker in position 2. Daniel and Peter placed no resources to their turn order fields. Since Daniel had placed 4 resources on his army field (Peter only 3), he decides to put his turn marker in the 3rd position. For Peter, the only remaining position is 1.

All players, their resources for this action having been used, must place these resources beside their tablet. These resources may no longer be used for this region.

Army field: Resources allocated to this field are armies. A player's armies, if he can move them (see 5.3), are placed on the campaign symbol of the current region. From there they are moved into the Region, in order to occupy provinces.

Temple building field: Resources invested here contribute to the building of temples in the region and for paying special area costs (see 5.3).

City building field: Resources invested here contribute to the establishment of cities in the region and for paying special area costs (see 5.3).

5.2 Tablets Are Uncovered and Play Sequence Determined

The turn order is determined by uncovering the tablets. This is determined only in the first play round of a region. In this way, the players' markers are placed in the corresponding spaces of the turn order box. This turn order applies to all rounds of the region!

5.3 Movement

Now the players deploy their armies according to turn order. Only armies can move. Temples and cities may never move!

Armies can move a maximum distance of 3 provinces per play round.

Note: The first province of a region — directly after the campaign symbol — counts towards this maximum!

If armies move into provinces with difficult terrain (mountains, desert, etc.), special area costs arise. The arrows between provinces on the board indicate how many resources must be spent to cross. Movement over lakes is possible in certain places — see the "ship passages" between individual coastal provinces.

Note: These area costs must be paid with resources from the city or temple fields ("combined" paying is possible).

Resources, which were used for "paying" the area costs, must be put down beside the tablet. You cannot, in this region, deploy these resources again.

The dark arrowheads indicate the resulting cost from movement into that province; light arrowheads mean that there is not a required cost to move into that province.

You can move as many armies as you want from one Province into another – the cost need only be paid once. If a player moves multiple sets of armies separately from a province to another (poor planning), or from different provinces into another province, then the movement costs must be paid separately. The playing rounds in a region are terminated if at least one army is moved into the province with the campaign symbol.

Each player can build temples and cities immediately after the movement of their armies. After all players have placed their temples and cities, the region is scored. After 3 play rounds, the region ends automatically and the next one begins, even if the last province of the region has not been entered yet.

Caption in illustration: Connection over lake and its resource cost; Cost when entering the province.

5.4 Building of Temples and Establishment of Cities

After a player has completed his movement, he can, in each province, build temples or cities. Symbols illustrate where a temple or city can be built. This can only be done if the player has at least one of his own armies in that Province.

If the player would like to build, he puts one of his temples (laterally tilted) or a city (with the point downward) into the appropriate province. More than one player is allowed to build in a province. During the scoring phase (see 5.5), however, in each case only one player can actually establish a temple or a city.

5.5 Scoring

Now, starting with the province with the lowest number, the individual provinces of the Region are scored in succession. All points awarded are scored immediately by moving the appropriate player's scoring marker on the scoring track around the border.

5.5.1 Provinces

The player who has the most armies in a province receives 2 points. If there is a tie for the most in a province, no points are given.

Note: Provinces are scored in each play round of the region (thus a maximum of three times).

5.5.2 Temples

If there is only one temple in a province, the owner puts it upright and pays one resource from their tablet's temple building field. This scores 3 points on the border score track.

If a player does not have the necessary resources in the temple building field, he cannot build the temple and must take it back from the province!

Note: In a later round of the region, additional temples can be established, even by the same player in the same province. Temples established in earlier rounds do not score in a new round! The number of temples per player is limited — no player can build more than 10 temples. Once built, temples cannot be removed and later moved to other places.

5.5.3 Cities

If a city is the only one in a province, the owner turns the cube (point upward) and pays 2 resources from the city establishment field of their tablet. This scores the player 5 points on the border score track. If a player does not have necessary resources in their city establishment field, he cannot establish the city, and must take their city-cube back!

Note: There can only be one city in a province. In later play rounds no further cities can be established in this province. Cities established in earlier rounds are not scored in new rounds!

The number of cities per player is limited — no player can create more than 8 cities. Once built, cities cannot be removed and later moved to other places.

5.5.4 Several Players Want to Build in a Province

If several temple or city cubes are in a province, the player with the most resources in the appropriate field of their tablet must build (see 5.5.2 and 5.5.3). However, the construction costs are computed differently:

The successful temple or city builder pays as many resources as the next highest temple or city building player has on the appropriate field of their tablet, plus one additional resource.

And still, a temple scores 3 points, a city 5 points. All other players take their unsuccessful pieces from the board and put them beside their tablet.

If 2 or more players tie for the most resources, then no players may build the corresponding building in this round. City construction and building of temples are independent, even if both actions take place in a province.

5.6 End of a Round

After a scoring, one of the two following things can occur:

1. Play continues in the region. The players again distribute their remaining resources behind their view screens between temple and city fields.
2. Playing in the region ends. The players receive all 15 of their resources back and may distribute them on their 4 boxes behind their view screen.

Game End

The game ends at the end of the play round if at least one army entered the province with the campaign symbol of the sixth and last region (the province with the X in the red circle). Subsequently, a "normal" (see 5.5) and a concluding/final scoring (see 6.1) takes place.

6.1 Final Scoring at Game End

After the last play round is normally scored, a final scoring of all regions takes place. The players receive points for:

• The most cities on the board: 10 points
• The most temples on the board: 15 points
• The most cities in a region: 5 points (per region)
• The most temples in a region: 5 points (per region)

This means that a player can receive a maximum of 10 points per region (for having the most temples and cities) in this final scoring.

Note: If two or more players are tied for the most cities or temples, no one receives the additional points.

Short Game/Campaign

The game begins on campaign symbol 2 and ends in the last province of region 4 (marked by campaign symbol 5).

The points for the scoring at game end are halved (rounded down). Otherwise all other rules of normal gameplay apply.