Archon: Glory & Machination Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Overview
• 2. Components
• 3. Setup
• 4. Gameplay
  • 4.1 Passing and Player Order
  • 4.2 Actions
    • 4.2.1 Repository
    • 4.2.2 Barracks
    • 4.2.3 Treasury
    • 4.2.4 Marketplace
    • 4.2.5 Guild Hall
    • 4.2.6 Royal Guard
    • 4.2.7 Builders' Guild
    • 4.2.8 Academy
    • 4.2.9 Planetarium
    • 4.2.10 Palace
• 5. Magisters
  • 5.1 Tax Collector (Red)
  • 5.2 Cleric (Blue)
  • 5.3 Scribe (Green)
  • 5.4 Merchant (Yellow)
• 6. End of Round
• 7. End of Season — Attack
  • 7.1 Scoring
  • 7.2 Preparing for the Next Season
• 8. Winning the Game
• 9. Building Tiles
• 10. Symbols
• Credits

1. Overview

The game is played over 3 Seasons. In each Season the King sets out a fresh set of demands the players must try to meet. Every Season is made up of 3 rounds, and in each round players take turns using a card-driven worker-placement system to carry out actions: gathering resources, recruiting soldiers for the royal guard, rebuilding parts of the city, and using the city's buildings to earn scoring cards in Science, the Arts, and Elite Warriors. The game lasts 9 rounds in total (3 Seasons of 3 rounds each); at the end, the player with the most Victory Points wins.

2. Components

• 1 Game Board
• 56 Magister cards
• 32 Courtier cards
• 20 Wooden Figures
• 24 Wooden Discs (Markers)
• 60 Wooden Cubes (Resources)
• 6 King's Grant cards
• 22 King's Favor cards
• 20 1-Gold coins
• 7 5-Gold coins
• 6 Attack cards
• 16 Tax Collector tokens
• 25 Recruit tokens
• 23 Building tiles
• 1 Season Track token
• 4 60-Victory Point tiles
• 9 Action Cover tokens
• 23 Science cards
• 23 Arts cards
• 20 Elite Warrior cards
• 20 Province cards
• 12 Player Aid cards
• 3 Rulebooks

3. Setup

1. Place the Game Board in the center of the table.
2. Place all Resource cubes on the Repository to form the general stockpile (Stone, Papyrus, Silver, Iron).
3. Each player takes 5 Wooden Figures and 6 Markers in a chosen color, 5 Elite Warrior cards in that color, and 8 Courtier cards bearing a chosen emblem (Unicorn, Dragon, Lion, or Eagle).
4. Randomly determine player order. Each player places one Marker on the Player Order Track (in the Palace section of the board) in that order.
5. Give starting resources based on turn order:
   • 1st and 2nd players: 1 Silver cube, 2 Gold coins, 1 Recruit token each.
   • 3rd and 4th players: 1 Silver cube, 2 Gold coins, 2 Recruit tokens each.
   • In a 2-player game, the 2nd player instead receives 1 Silver cube, 2 Gold coins, and 2 Recruit tokens.
6. Shuffle the Province cards and place the deck face down on the Repository. Reveal the top card and fill the Repository with the Resources it lists, scaled to player count: with 2 players add only the resources shown on a white background; with 3 players also add the resources shown on an orange background; with 4 players add every resource listed.
7. Fill the Marketplace with the Resources shown on the first King's Grant card (from the Palace section of the board).
8. Each player places a Marker on the 4th space of the Scoring Track.
9. Put the remaining Recruit tokens on the Barracks.
10. Shuffle the Attack cards and place the deck face down in its spot on the board.
11. Shuffle the 6 King's Grant cards. Place 3 face up on the Palace (one for each Season) and return the other 3 to the box.
12. Place the Science cards face up next to the board by the Planetarium, and the Arts cards face up next to the board by the Academy.
13. Stack the remaining Gold coins on the Treasury.
14. Place all King's Favor cards near the Palace, then reveal one face-up King's Favor card per player, filling the Palace's Favor slots in order along the arrows.
15. Sort the Magister cards into 4 face-up piles by type (Merchants, Scribes, Clerics, Tax Collectors) next to the board by the Guild Hall.
16. Each player places 1 Marker on the starting square of each of the 4 tracks of the Magister Track (identified by the Magister icons) — 4 Markers total per player.
17. In player order, each player acquires two different starting Magisters by paying the cost shown on the first square of each Magister's track, then advances their Markers on the Magister Track to record the choices.
18. Sort the Building tiles by name and place them on their building's placeholder, face up. In a 2-player game use only 1 tile per building (return the rest to the box); with 3 or 4 players use all the tiles.
19. Place the Season Track token on the 1st space of the Season Track.
20. Adjust the available Action Slots for player count: with 4 players, every slot on the board is in play. With 3 players, cover the 4-player (green) slots with 3 Action Cover tiles. With 2 players, cover both the 4-player (green) and 3-player (orange) slots with 9 Action Cover tiles. Covered slots cannot be used.

4. Gameplay

At the start of the game each player takes their 8 Courtier cards and 2 starting Magister cards (10 cards total) and splits them into 2 face-down piles of 5, divided however the player likes. One pile is used as the player's hand for round 1; the other pile becomes the hand for round 2. After round 2, and then again after every other round, players repeat this split with their 10 cards. The Season Track marks which rounds require a new split.

On each round, in player order, a player plays one card from hand and places one of their Wooden Figures on an open Action Slot, immediately resolving the action tied to that slot. Some slots require two cards to use — a player may pay for these with 2 Courtier cards or a single Magister card. Once a player has used all the cards they are willing to spend, they must pass. The round ends once every player has passed.

4.1 Passing and Player Order

A player may pass even while still holding unused cards and unplaced Wooden Figures — either because they have run out of cards worth spending, or simply because they choose not to act further this round. Once a player passes, they take no further actions for the rest of the round. Cards not yet played stay hidden until the round ends; when a player passes, they must announce to the table how many unused cards they are holding, though not which ones.

When the round ends, all unused cards are revealed and used to set next round's player order: the player holding the most unused cards becomes the new starting player, and the rest of the order follows the same rule. Ties are broken by the total value of the unused cards, using these per-card values: Courtier = 0, Tax Collector = 1, Cleric = 2, Scribe = 3, Merchant = 4. If cards are still tied in value, the tied players keep their existing order relative to one another.

4.2 Actions

Placing a Wooden Figure on an open slot immediately triggers that slot's action, subject to two restrictions:

• A Wooden Figure cannot be placed on a slot that is already occupied by another Wooden Figure, except where a Cleric or a Building tile ability specifically allows it.
• A Wooden Figure cannot be placed on a slot without carrying out the action tied to it.

4.2.1 Repository

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Repository lets the player take one Resource cube of their choice from those on display. If the action is paid for with a Merchant card, the player takes 2 Resource cubes instead.

4.2.2 Barracks

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Barracks lets the player take 1 Recruit token. If paid for with a Merchant card, the player takes 2 Recruit tokens instead.

4.2.3 Treasury

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Treasury lets the player take 2 Gold coins. If paid for with a Merchant card, the player takes 3 Gold coins instead.

4.2.4 Marketplace

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Marketplace lets the player make up to 2 purchases and/or 1 sale. If a player both buys and sells in the same visit, the Resource(s) purchased must differ from the Resource sold. To buy a Resource, the player pays the Gold cost printed on the slot directly above that Resource. To sell a Resource, the player places it on a slot and receives Gold coins equal to the number printed on that slot.

Example: A player wants to buy 1 Silver. After paying 2 Gold coins, they take the cube from beneath the slot marked "2".

Example: A player wants to buy 1 Silver and 1 Papyrus. They first sell 1 Iron for 3 Gold coins, then spend 2 of those Gold coins to buy the two cubes.

4.2.5 Guild Hall

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Guild Hall lets the player recruit a new Magister card (limited to one per visit). The player pays the cost listed on the next open space of the relevant track on the Magister Track, advances a Marker onto that space, and immediately scores any Victory Points shown there. The newly recruited Magister must immediately replace one of the player's 8 Courtier cards; the replaced Courtier card is removed from the game permanently.

Example: A player wants to recruit a second Cleric. She pays 1 Gold coin and 1 Recruit token, then advances her Marker to the next space on the Cleric track of the Magister Track, immediately scoring 2 Victory Points.

4.2.6 Royal Guard

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Royal Guard lets the player place 1 Elite Warrior card on an open slot on the city wall, paying 1 Recruit token and 1 Silver cube for each placement. This can be done up to twice per Wooden Figure placed here. If an Elite Warrior is placed on one of the two marked slots next to the Main Gate, the placing player immediately scores 1 Victory Point.

4.2.7 Builders' Guild

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Builders' Guild lets the player acquire one of the available Building tiles from the lower part of the city, paying its listed Resource cost, taking the tile, and scoring any Victory Points it shows. A Building tile's ability becomes usable immediately. A player may never acquire the same Building tile more than once.

4.2.8 Academy

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Academy lets the player buy an Arts card for 2 Gold coins. The player may then buy a second Arts card at the same price. No more than 2 Arts cards may be bought from a single placement here.

4.2.9 Planetarium

Placing a Wooden Figure in the Planetarium lets the player buy a Science card for 1 Gold coin and 1 Papyrus. The player may then buy a second Science card at the same price. No more than 2 Science cards may be bought from a single placement here.

4.2.10 Palace

The Palace holds the King's Favor cards, displayed face up. Each King's Favor card provides an extra Action Slot, and the set of available slots changes from round to round. These slots are used the same way as building action slots. With 2 players, only the first 2 King's Favor slots are filled; with 3 players, the first 3; with 4 players, all of them.

5. Magisters

Playing a Magister card instead of a Courtier card to pay for an action can grant an extra benefit. A player may always choose to treat a Magister as a plain Courtier and use it to enter any Action Slot normally, without claiming the bonus. A single Magister card can also be used, by itself, to pay for an Action Slot that would normally require 2 cards.

5.1 Tax Collector (Red)

When a Tax Collector card pays for an action, the player first places a Tax Collector token on the chosen slot, then places their Wooden Figure on top of it. From then on, whenever any other player places a Wooden Figure in that same building, they owe 1 Gold coin to the token's owner — unless the visiting player is themselves paying with a Tax Collector card, in which case the toll is waived.

5.2 Cleric (Blue)

When a Cleric card pays for an action, the player may ignore normal slot-occupancy limits and place their Wooden Figure on a slot already occupied by another Wooden Figure. They must still pay any toll owed to a Tax Collector token present on that building.

5.3 Scribe (Green)

After an action paid for with a Scribe card resolves, the player may immediately take another action (playing card(s), placing a Wooden Figure, and resolving the action). If that second action is itself paid for with another Scribe card, the chained bonus does not apply again — no further extra action is granted.

5.4 Merchant (Yellow)

Using a Merchant card in a building marked with the Merchant symbol grants an extra benefit: in the Treasury it yields 1 additional Gold coin, in the Repository it yields 1 additional Resource (if one is available), and in the Barracks it yields 1 additional Recruit token.

6. End of Round

When a round ends, resolve the following in order:

• Compare unused cards and determine next round's player order as described in section 4.1. All hand cards (used and unused) are then discarded.
• Remove the King's Favor card that has advanced farthest along the Palace track. Slide the remaining King's Favor cards forward one slot (following the arrows), reveal a new King's Favor card, and place it in the now-empty first slot.
• Return any Resources left in the Repository to the general stockpile, then reveal a new Province card and place the Resources it lists into the Repository.
• Players remove their Wooden Figures from the board.
• Remove any Tax Collector tokens from the board.
• If the upcoming round is an odd-numbered round (3rd, 5th, etc.), each player splits their 10 cards into two piles of 5 again, as in section 4, and picks one to use next round. If the upcoming round is an even-numbered round (2nd, 4th, etc.), each player simply picks up the leftover pile of 5 cards from their earlier split to use next round.
• Advance the Season Track token one space.

7. End of Season — Attack

When the Season Track token reaches the attack space, the Season ends and the city comes under attack. The Attack deck is shuffled and the top card is revealed to set the Attack's Strength (the value used depends on player count); the card is then removed from the game.

If the total number of Elite Warriors currently on the wall is equal to or greater than the Attack's Strength, the city is defended with no losses. If the total is lower than the Attack's Strength, the city is raided, and each player must pay losses equal to the shortfall between their own Elite Warriors on the wall and the Attack's Strength: first losing Recruit tokens one for one; if they run out of Recruit tokens before the shortfall is covered, they lose Resources one for one; if Resources also run out, they must pay 2 Gold coins for each remaining point of shortfall; and if a player exhausts their Recruit tokens, Resources, and Gold coins and still has not covered the shortfall, they lose Victory Points for the remainder — a player's score can drop below 0 this way.

Example: At the end of the first Season, the players have a combined 4 Elite Warriors on the wall, one of which belongs to Sandra. The revealed Attack card sets the Attack's Strength at 5. Since 4 is less than 5, the city is raided. Sandra has 1 Elite Warrior on the wall, so her personal shortfall against the Strength of 5 is 4. She has only 1 Recruit token, which covers 1 point; she has only 1 Resource, which covers a 2nd point (Resources are lost 1-for-1, same as Recruit tokens, per the shortfall math above); with 2 points of shortfall still remaining she must pay 2 Gold coins per point, i.e. 4 Gold coins, but she only has 2 Gold coins, so the last point of shortfall costs her 1 Victory Point.

7.1 Scoring

After the attack is resolved, players score Victory Points according to the current Season's King's Grant card. Separately for Arts cards, Science cards, and Elite Warriors on the wall: the player who holds the most of that category scores the highest value listed for it on the King's Grant card, the player with the second most scores the next-highest value, and so on down the King's Grant card's ranked list.

If players are tied for a ranked position, they pool the Victory Point values for all the tied ranks, divide the total evenly among themselves (rounding down), and each receives that share; a player scoring immediately below the tied group receives the value for the next open rank. For example, if two players are tied for 2nd place, they add together the values for 2nd and 3rd place, divide by 2, and each takes that amount; if three players are tied for 1st, they add the values for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, divide by 3, and each takes that amount.

A player must hold at least 1 card in a category (or have at least 1 Elite Warrior on the wall, for that category) to receive any Victory Points from it.

7.2 Preparing for the Next Season

• Turn the just-completed Season's King's Grant card face down.
• Refill the Marketplace according to the next Season's King's Grant card.
• Return all Elite Warriors from the wall to their owners.
• Return all Arts and Science cards to their respective piles.

8. Winning the Game

The game ends once scoring for the 3rd King's Grant card is complete, at the end of the 3rd Season. Players add any Victory Points earned from Building tile abilities (such as the Architects' Guild or Magisters' Court) to their Scoring Track total. The player with the most Victory Points wins. Ties are broken first by the largest combined total of Recruit tokens, Gold coins, and Resources; if still tied, the game ends in a shared victory.

9. Building Tiles

Building tiles are acquired through the Builders' Guild action (section 4.2.7). Some buildings offer more than one available tile; others offer only one. In a 2-player game, use only 1 tile per building; in a 3- or 4-player game, use all the tiles. A player can never acquire the same Building tile twice.

• During the 2nd Season, all level-2 Building tiles cost 1 less Iron (black cube) to acquire.
• During the 3rd Season, all level-2 Building tiles cost 1 less Iron to acquire, and all level-3 Building tiles cost 1 less Stone (white cube) to acquire.

Each tile lists its Resource cost, any Victory Points scored on acquisition, the building where its ability applies, and the ability itself. The tiles are:

Tile	Building	Ability
Craftsman	Builders' Guild	Each time the player acquires a new Building tile (including the Craftsman tile that grants this ability), they receive 2 Gold coins.
House of Arts	—	At the start of each remaining Season, the player receives 3 Gold coins.
Tavern	—	At the start of each remaining Season, the player receives 2 Recruit tokens.
Inn	Guildhall	The player pays 1 less Resource when recruiting a new Magister through the Guild Hall.
Weaponsmith	Barracks	The player receives 2 additional Recruit tokens each time they place a Wooden Figure in the Barracks.
House of Trade	Marketplace	The player receives 1 additional Gold coin when selling Resources in the Marketplace, and pays 1 less Gold coin when buying Resources in the Marketplace.
Chapel	—	The player's Merchant cards also count as Tax Collector cards, and vice versa.
Laboratory	Marketplace	The player receives 1 Papyrus or 1 Silver from the stockpile when placing a Wooden Figure in the Marketplace.
Gallery	—	During each Season's scoring, the player receives 1 Victory Point for each Arts card in their possession.
Library	—	During each Season's scoring, the player receives 1 Victory Point for each Science card in their possession.
Armory	—	During each Season's scoring, the player receives 1 Victory Point for each Elite Warrior they have on the wall.
Architects' Guild	—	At the end of the game, the player scores 1 Victory Point for each Building tile they acquired (including the Architects' Guild tile itself).
Magisters' Court	—	At the end of the game, the player receives 1 Victory Point for each Magister card in their possession.
Gardens	—	The player immediately scores 8 Victory Points.
Statue	—	The player immediately scores 9 Victory Points.

10. Symbols

The rulebook's reference page illustrates the icons used throughout the game: Cleric, Tax Collector, Scribe, Merchant, and Courtier (the Magister/card types); Province, Divide Deck, Elite Warrior, Arts, and Science (deck and card-type icons); Any Resource, Silver, Iron, Stone, and Papyrus (the four Resource types plus the wild "Any Resource" icon); Attack, Marker, Wooden Figure, Victory Points, and Each Season (general game-state icons); and Builders' Guild alongside the four player emblems — Eagle, Lion, Dragon, and Unicorn — used to mark each player's Courtier cards.

Credits

• Designers: Nikolas Sakaloglou, Sotiris Tsantilas
• Assistant developers: Pantelis Bouboulis, Kostas Retalis, Konstantinos Kokkinis
• Illustrator: Antonis Papantoniou
• Graphic designer: Giota Vorgia
• Production supervisor: Konstantinos Kokkinis

Archon is a work of fiction; any resemblance to real names or characters is coincidental, and the game does not represent an accurate historical record.

© 2012 Nikolas Sakaloglou, Sotiris Tsantilas. © 2013 Artipia Games. All rights reserved.