Alexander's Campaign Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective of the Game
• Game Contents
• Game Setup
• Objective Cards Overview
• Playing the Game
• Provincial Event Card Overview
• Player Actions
  • Assault
• Tactics Tiles
  • 1. Hetairoi (Cavalry)
  • 2. Toxotai (Archers)
  • 3. Macedonian Phalanx (Phalanx)
  • Tactics Tiles Combinations
  • Exploration
  • Exploration Tiles Overview
  • Great Mason
  • Pass
  • Taxation
  • Truce
• General's Special Abilities
• Winning the Game / Final Scoring
• Player Mat and Symbols
• Provincial Event Cards
• Player's Aid Action Table

Objective of the Game

Each player assumes the role of one of Alexander's Generals, each with his own Special ability and unique characteristics. Every turn (almost) Alexander moves forward in his conquest of Persia and players are taking turns in taking one of the available actions.

As Alexander's Generals, the players strive to conquer enemy cities through military might or crafty diplomacy in an attempt to fulfill their personal agenda. In addition to the military aspect of the game, players also construct Strongholds, establish Settlements or build Temples to multiply the Conquest points gained by claiming each city. In this tile management game, each player has a set number of "Tactics" tiles which are spent once used, with the only way to replenish them being through enforcement of Taxation in each city Alexander's pawn stands on. Every tile is unique and has a variety of uses, thus players have to find the optimum tactical approach in using/spending their tiles, furthering their agenda while foiling the plans of their fellow generals.

At the end of the campaign, players subtract Conquest points for unused Fighting Formations. Additionally, they add any hidden Conquest points from Exploration tiles or Conquest points gained by having conquered cities found in their Objective card. The player with the most Conquest points wins the favor of Alexander the Great and becomes his second in command.

Game Contents

• Gameboard 55x36cm
• 3 Player mats (Alexander's Generals)
• 15 Tactics tiles
• 14 Exploration tiles
• 7 Provincial cards
• 9 Military tokens, 1 Taxation token, 3 City tokens
• 3 Conquest point tokens
• 3 Objective cards (Gordium, Siwa, Aspadana, Aria, Drangiana, Maracanda, Sagala, Gedrosia)
• Alexander's token (pawn)
• 1 six-sided die
• 9 Temples, 9 Strongholds, 6 Settlements
• 3 Special Ability tokens

Game Setup

1. Shuffle the Provincial Event cards deck and place them on their designated space on the board.
2. Shuffle the Exploration tiles and place them as a pile on the designated space on the board.
3. Place Alexander's pawn on Amphipolis.
4. Select a General. Players assume the role of one of Alexander's generals. There are 3 Generals in Alexander's Campaign: Antigonus, Craterus, and Ptolemy. Each General's player mat features important information, like that general's Special ability or the Fighting Formations that General must use during the course of the game and the number of the conquered cities (objective cards).
5. Each player receives 3 Temple pawns, 3 Stronghold pawns and 2 Settlement pawns.
6. Each player places the City token on the designated spaces of the player mat on space 0.
7. Each player receives a random Objective card.
8. Each player receives an assortment of 5 Tactics Tiles, unique to each General which is designated by the letter (i.e. P for Ptolemy, A for Antigonus, C for Craterus).
9. Each player places their Conquest points token on the Conquest track in the space numbered 0.
10. Each player places their Special Ability token on space 2 on the special ability track on the player mat.
11. The youngest player plays first with the game proceeding in a clockwise order.

Objective Cards Overview

Each General randomly draws an Objective card featuring a list of 8 cities which the player should strive to conquer. These cards are visible to all players. Should a player manage to conquer 6 out of the 8 cities listed, she immediately claims Victory of the game.

Please note the following:

• In case no player has conquered the 6 cities from the list of his Objective card by the end of the campaign, then when the game ends, the player who has conquered the most cities from his Objective card immediately gains 10 Conquest points.
• If two players are tied with the same number of cities conquered, then each player receives 5 Conquest points.
• If 3 players are tied with the same number of cities conquered, then no player receives extra Conquest points.

When a player conquers an "Objective" city, she moves her Objective token 1 space forward on the Objective track found on her player mat.

Playing the Game

During her turn, each player may attempt one out of a variety of available actions in order to advance Alexander's pawn from point to point following the black/yellow line, unless they choose to take the "Taxation" or "Pass" action. To move Alexander's pawn to the next point, the active player may choose to conquer it with the "Assault" or "Explore" action. Additionally they may use actions like "Great Mason" to multiply their Conquest points from a conquered city, or "Truce" to foil the next player's plans. All available actions are explained in the section "Player Actions" found below.

Provincial Event Card Overview

When Alexander's pawn starts a new turn on a new province (marked with a different color than the current one), a Provincial Event card is drawn. The Event condition found on the drawn Provincial Event card is in effect for the whole duration of Alexander's movements through that area. A new Provincial Event card is drawn only when Alexander's pawn is in the last city of a province, then a Provincial Event card is revealed and takes effect.

Player Actions

Assault

With this action the active player makes an attempt to gain as many Conquest points as the rating of the city on the next space from Alexander's pawn. Reminder: If Alexander's pawn is in the last city of a province, then a Provincial Event card is revealed and takes effect.

The regular way this action is resolved is by rolling the d6 die. In contrast to Exploration, the player doesn't have to spend the relevant Tactics tile.

• If the die roll is 3-6: the player wins in battle, moves Alexander's pawn to the next city and adds the conquered city's rating as Conquest points to his score.
• If the die roll is 1-2: the player is defeated and loses his turn. Alexander's pawn remains in the same space that it was occupying and it's now the next player's turn.

Example: Its player A's turn and Alexander's pawn is on Sardes. The player chooses the Assault action and rolls a 4, so she moves Alexander's pawn from Sardes to Ephesus and adds Ephesus rating of 2 to his Conquest points.

PLEASE NOTE: In contrast to the Exploration action, the player that conquers a city through assault is allowed to construct buildings as we will see in the "Great Mason" section below.

Tactics Tiles

Players may spend an available Tactics Tile in order to bolster their forces during a battle and thus increasing the effectiveness of their actions. These tiles may be used either one at a time or in combination. Additionally, after they are used regardless of a successful or failed attempt, these tiles are spent. When a player uses a Fighting Formation (Phalanx, Toxotai etc.) she moves that Formation's token 1 step forward in its relevant Formation track on his player's mat.

At the General's player mats in the Military Formation Track section there are three skulls for each tactic which are a reminder that the players must use at least one tactic for each fighting formation otherwise they will loose the game. The negative numbers are the lost conquest points (which are calculated at the end of the session) if the players fail to use at least two tactics per fighting formation before the end of the session.

Important: Tactics Tiles are always visible to all players.

1. Hetairoi (Cavalry)

By spending this tile, the player may take 2 consecutive Assault actions. If the player is victorious on her fist attempt, she moves Alexander's pawn to the next city and after scoring that city's rating in Conquest points, she can take the Assault action again targeting the next city in line. Should she fail on her first attempt, then she may take another Assault action to conquer the first city. In order for the player to use the Cavalry, she has to have at least one Cavalry Fighting Formation available for use (noted on her player mat).

Important: The player may use the Great Mason free action(s) once before and twice after the second assault is concluded.

Example: It is player A's turn, who has the Cavalry tactics tile available for use as well as an available relevant Fighting Formation on her player mat. Alexander's pawn is on Sardes. Player A uses the Cavalry and the tile is spent. She rolls a 5 and thus moves Alexander's pawn to the next city which is Ephesus, adding 2 Conquest points to her score (Ephesus' rating). Next, she rolls the d6 again for a result of 3, conquering Halicarnassus (and moving Alexander's pawn on that city), while also adding 2 Conquest points to her score (Halicarnassus' rating). The Player also moves the Cavalry Formation token one space on her player mat.

2. Toxotai (Archers)

By spending this tile, the player may assault one city farther and "skip" the next city during her Assault action (instead of Assaulting the next city in line). In order for the player to use the Toxotai, she has to have at least one Peltast Fighting Formation available for use (noted on her player mat).

Please note: Toxotai may be used in combination with the Cavalry Tile.

Example: It is player A's turn, who has the Toxotai Tactics Tile available for use as well as an available relevant Fighting Formation on her player mat. Alexander's pawn is on Sardes. Player A uses the Toxotai and the tile is spent. The player rolls a 5 and is victorious. She moves Alexander's pawn on the city which lies next in line after Ephesus, namely Halicarnassus, while at the same time adding 2 Conquest points (Halicarnassus rating) to her score. She also moves the Formation token by 1 one space on the Toxotai track found on her player mat.

3. Macedonian Phalanx (Phalanx)

By spending this tile, the player may conquer the next territory immediately and without rolling the d6. In order for the player to use the Phalanx, she has to have at least one Phalanx Fighting Formation available for use (noted on her player mat).

Please note: The Macedonian Phalanx may be used in combination with the Cavalry Tile.

Example: It is player A's turn, who has the Phalanx Tactics Tile available for use as well as an available relevant Fighting Formation on her player mat. Alexander's pawn is on Sardes. Player A uses the Phalanx and the tile is spent. The battle is won automatically (without rolling the d6) and thus Player A moves Alexander's pawn from Sardes to Ephesus while at the same time she adds 2 Conquest points (Ephesus rating) to her score. She also moves the Formation token by 1 space on the Phalanx track found on her player mat.

PLEASE NOTE: Should the player have rolled a result of 1 or 2, then Alexander's pawn would remain on Sardes, but the Tactics Tile would be spent and the use of the Formation noted on her player mat (by moving the Formation token one space).

Tactics Tiles Combinations

Players may use the following combinations of Tactics Tiles, always provided they have the relevant tiles and Formations available.

A) Cavalry and Toxotai

Example 1: Player A is on Sardes and uses the Cavalry Tactics Tile to attempt to conquer Ephesus first. She rolls a 3 and moves Alexander's pawn to Ephesus, while adding 2 Conquest points to her score (Ephesus' rating). She now may use the Toxotai Tactics Tile and attempt to conquer Gordium (the city next in line from Halicarnassus). If her roll is 3 or more, she is successful and moves Alexander's pawn to Gordium, adding that city's rating to her Conquest points. If she is defeated, Alexander's pawn remains on Ephesus.

Example 2: Player A is on Sardes and uses the Cavalry Tactics Tile to attempt to conquer Ephesus. She rolls a 2 and is defeated in battle. Alexander's pawn remains on Sardes. She may now use the Toxotai Tactics Tile and attempt to conquer Halicarnassus (the city next in line from Ephesus). If she is successful, she moves Alexander's pawn to Halicarnassus and adds that city's rating to her Conquest points. If she fails, then Alexander's pawn remains on Sardes.

B) Cavalry and Phalanx

Example 1: Player A is on Sardes and uses the Cavalry Tactics Tile to attempt to conquer Ephesus first. She rolls a 3 and moves Alexander's pawn to Ephesus, while adding 2 Conquest points to her score (Ephesus' rating). She now may use the Phalanx Tactics Tile and conquer Halicarnassus automatically, adding 2 more Conquest points to her score.

Example 2: Player A is on Sardes and uses the Cavalry Tactics Tile o attempt to conquer Ephesus first. She rolls a 2 and is defeated in battle. Alexander's pawn remains on Sardes. She now may use the Phalanx Tactics Tile and conquer Ephesus automatically, adding 2 Conquest points to her score.

Exploration

Symbol of Exploration: a red eye.

A player may take this action by spending the respective Tactics Tile, move Alexander's pawn on the next city and immediately gains that city's rating as Conquest points. In addition she receives an Exploration tile.

Please note: If Alexander's pawn is currently on the last city of the current province, then a new Provincial Event card is drawn and is in effect.

Historical note: Alexander's conquests had more than just a military impact. During his campaign he strived to explore the lands and the coastlines of the regions he went through. This provided the contingent of wise men that followed him with a plethora of invaluable information regarding the geography, physics, flora and fauna of each region.

Exploration Tiles Overview

These tiles are shuffled face down and placed in their respective space on the board. Every time a player takes the "Exploration" action, she receives one of these and keeps it secret from the other players. Exploration tiles have a variety of characteristics which can be used during a player's turn or saved for the end of the game as they may contain Conquest points.

Important: the players cannot have more than 4 exploration tiles on their hand during the game.

Great Mason

This is an action allowed only after a successful Assault action. The active player may spend available Tactics Tiles for the resources printed on them and/or on any Exploration tiles she may have available in order to construct buildings to appease the local citizens and gain more Conquest points. Please note: Alexander's pawn doesn't move again in this turn.

The buildings available are the following:

a) Settlement: Every player may establish up to 3 Settlements. Establishing a Settlement requires 1 Stone and 1 Wood resource (found on either Tactics Tiles or Exploration Tiles). When a player establishes a Settlement, she gains Conquest points equal to the current city's rating multiplied by 2.

Example: Player C has conquered Babylon through the Assault action. Babylon's rating is 4. The player subsequently establishes a Settlement and thus instead of gaining 4 Conquest points, she gains 2x4=8 Conquest points.

b) Stronghold: Every player may build up to 3 Strongholds. Building a Stronghold requires 1 Stone and 1 Iron resource (found on either Tactics Tiles or Exploration Tiles). When a player builds a Stronghold, she gains Conquest points equal to the current city's rating multiplied by 3.

Example: Player B has conquered Babylon through the Assault action. Babylon's rating is 4. The player subsequently builds a Stronghold and thus instead of gaining 4 Conquest points, she gains 3x4=12 Conquest points.

c) Temple: Every player may build up to 3 Temples. Building a Temple requires 1 Gold, 1 Stone and 1 Wood resource (found either on Tactics Tiles or Exploration Tiles). When a player builds a Temple, she gains Conquest points equal to the current city's rating multiplied by 4.

Example: Player A has conquered Babylon through the Assault action. Babylon's rating is 4. The player subsequently builds a temple and thus instead of gaining 4 Conquest points, she gains 4x4=16 Conquest points.

Pass

For strategic reasons, the active player may choose to Pass her turn and allow the next player clockwise to play.

Please note: The next player may not Pass her turn as well (no two consecutive Pass actions are allowed).

Taxation

Taxation token: a white sun-star token.

This action allows the active player to replenish her spent Tactics Tiles. When this action is selected, Alexander's pawn doesn't move, instead it remains on the same city of the map and the Taxation marker is placed next to the current city, thus designating that the current area is drained of resources and Taxation cannot be enforced again. The active player returns to her hand as many Tactics Tiles as the current city's rating. When Alexander's pawn moves to the next city, the Taxation marker is removed from the previous city and the Taxation action is available again.

Example: Alexander's pawn is on Babylon with a rating of 4. The next active player, player A, decides not to move to the next city and takes the Taxation action. She immediately receives up to 4 spent Tactic Tiles back to her hand and places the Taxation tile next to Babylon's space. Player A's turn is over and now Player B can only move forward (or pass).

Truce

Symbol of Truce: a trumpeter figure.

This is the only action that can be taken during another player's turn. The inactive player uses her Tactics Tile with the "Truce" symbol and the active player loses her turn. Using this action causes the Tile with the "Truce" symbol to be permanently removed from the current game. Please note: The next active player in line cannot play her Truce Tile (no two consecutive Truce actions are allowed).

General's Special Abilities

Every General has a unique Special ability. Each Special ability may be used only once per turn and twice in total during each playthrough of Alexander's Campaign.

The Special abilities are explained below:

1. Ptolemy: Ptolemy may increase a city's rating that he's just conquered (or explored) by 1, thus increasing the Conquest points he gains. This can be used in combination with the Great Mason action.

   Example: The player playing as Ptolemy takes the Assault action and conquers Susa which have a rating of 3. She then uses Ptolemy's Special ability increasing the city's rating from 3 to 4. If she would also build a Temple she would gain 16 points instead of 12.

   Please note: This action cannot be used on cities which already have a rating of 4. These cities are Babylon, Alexandria, Memphis, Persepolis and Taxila.

2. Antigonus: Antigonus' Special ability is used when he is defeated in battle during an Assault action (Please note that typically a roll of 1-2 is a failed attempt). Using this ability allows Antigonus to conquer the city immediately, ignoring the dice roll result.

3. Craterus: When Craterus uses his Special ability, Alexander's pawn may move immediately to the next city and from that space take any action of the following: Assault or Exploration (on the next city).

   Example: It's Craterus' turn and Alexander's pawn lies on Palmyra. Craterus uses his Special ability and moves Alexander's pawn on the next city which is Gaugamela. From Gaugamela he may choose to make attempt to conquer the next city which is Babylon by exploration or by assault. Craterus do not conquer Gaugamela just moves Alexander's pawn on Gaugamela.

Winning the Game / Final Scoring

When Alexander enters Babylon for the second time then the active player receives the four conquest points (if it was taken by assault or exploration) and no further action is allowed. The game ends immediately.

Each player calculates her final score. Players take turns revealing secret points (in Exploration Tiles) and subsequently deducting Conquest points from the formations she didn't manage to use. Additionally, players add Conquest points found on their Tactics Tiles if they finished the game with these tiles available. After all the players have finished calculating their score, they check their Objective track on their player mats to see who has conquered most cities from their Objective cards and gain Conquest points accordingly.

Important: The players must manage to built at least one Settlement, one Stronghold and one Temple to claim the victory.

Important: The players also must have at least two Exploration Tiles at the end of the game to claim the victory.

Tie-breakers: In case of a tie, players check the tiebreaking conditions found below in the following order:

a) The Winner is the player who has used on the player mat the most military formations (Archers, Cavalry, Phalanx). b) The Winner is the player who has built the most Temples. c) The Winner is the player who has built the most Strongholds. d) The Winner is the player who has established the most Settlements.

If after checking for all of the above conditions there is still a tie, it means that all tied players have gained Alexander's favor.

Player Mat and Symbols

Each player mat shows a Military Formations track (Archers, Cavalry and Phalanx rows, each with a skull on the first space and the negative values -8/-4 for Archers, -4/-2 for Cavalry and -12/-6 for Phalanx on later spaces, as printed on the Antigonus mat) and an Objective Cities track (spaces 1 to 5 and a laurel wreath).

Symbols: Phalanx, Cavalry, Archers, Truce, Exploration; resources Gold, Iron, Wood, Stone.

Provincial Event Cards

1. Heavy Rainfall Season: While this Provincial Event card is in effect, players may not use the Cavalry.
2. Illness: While this Provincial Event card is in effect, players may not use the Archers.
3. Exhausted soldiers: While this Provincial Event card is in effect, players may not use the Phalanx.
4. Rich Province: While this Provincial Event card is in effect, players gain +1 Tactics card when they use the "Taxation" action.
5. Zealous defenders: While this Provincial Event card is in effect, players using the "Assault" action receive a -1 penalty to their dice roll.
6. Faithful Zoroastrians: While this Provincial Event card is in effect, players may not build a Temple when using the "Great Mason" action.
7. Good Omens: While this Provincial Event card is in effect, there is no negative or positive effect in play.

Player's Aid Action Table

Player's turn actions

• Assault: Spend a Tactics Tile for a Formation or simply roll the d6. If successful (3-6), move Alexander's pawn and gain Conquest points. The player may spend resources from the Tactics and/or exploration tiles to build a temple/stronghold/settlement.
• Exploration: Spend the Exploration Tactics Tile and moves the Alexander's pawn. Gain Conquest points.
• Pass: Skips your turn.
• Taxation: Replenish Tactics Tiles as many as the rating of the city where Alexander's pawn currently stands.

Free turn actions

• Great Mason: Spend resources and multiply the Conquest points gained from the conquered city.
• Using a General's Special Ability

Action during other player's turn

• Truce: Force the active player to lose her turn. Remove your Truce Tactics Tile from the game.