China: The Middle Kingdom Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Board
• Markers
• Starting the Game
  • Turn 1 Starting Areas
  • Turn 13 Starting Areas
• Player Turn Steps
• 1.0 Determine the Next Country to Move
• 2.0 Count Population Points
• 3.0 Place New Armies & Reinforcements
  • 3.1 Emperors
  • 3.2 Replacement Countries
  • 3.3 Rebellions
    • 3.31 Three Kingdoms Rebellion
    • 3.32 Chinese Civil War
• 4.0 Move Armies
  • 4.1 Encountering Other Armies
  • 4.2 Grand Canal
  • 4.3 Emperors
  • 4.4 Hainan
  • 4.5 Boats
  • 4.6 Foreign Concessions
  • Notes on Chinese Geography
• 5.0 Resolve Battles
  • A. Determine the Number of Attackers & Defenders
  • B. Determine Modifiers to the Battle
  • C. Roll Dice to Determine Hits
  • D. Defenders May Retreat
  • E. Attackers May Retreat
  • F. Continue until a Country has been Eliminated from the Province
  • G. Building Foreign Concessions
  • H. Conquering Emperors
  • I. Conquering Countries
• 6.0 Rebellions, Invasions & Uprisings
  • 6.1 Rebellions
  • 6.2 Invasions
  • 6.3 Uprisings
  • 6.4 Simultaneous Countries
• 7.0 Remove Armies from Overpopulated Regions
• 8.0 Score Points
  • 8.1 Territories
  • 8.2 Attacking Countries
  • 8.3 Conquering Emperors
  • 8.4 Conquering Countries
  • 8.5 Foreign Concessions
  • 8.6 Nationalists
• 9.0 Winning the Game
• Pronunciation Notes

Components

• 1 Game Board
• 1 Turn Marker
• 365 Army Counters
• 34 Population Markers
• 10 Emperor Markers
• 20 Foreign Concession Markers
• 4 Hero/Invention Counters
• (456 Counters Total)
• 50 Country/Scoring Cards
• 4 Hero/Invention Cards
• 1 Rule Book
• 2 Scoring Sheets
• 4 Dice

Game Board

The game board features a map of China and its surrounding environs. China is divided into 28 areas, which correspond to the provinces and autonomous regions currently used in China today (municipalities and special zones are not represented here). Each province is a clear color and is given a unique identification number, ranging from 00 to 66. In addition, various boxes and lists appear around the game board to enhance game play. Note that many provinces in China have very similar-sounding names when rendered into English, especially Hubei and Hebei, Shanxi and Shaanxi, and Henan and Hunan.

North China: The part of China north of the Yangzi River and south of the Great Wall is generally considered to be North China. For game purposes, North China is made up of Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, and Hebei. Some countries initially begin in the North China provinces.

South China: The part of China south of the Yangzi River is generally considered to be South China. For game purposes, South China is made up of Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Hainan. Some countries initially begin in the South China provinces.

Highlands: Some provinces in China are very mountainous and hinder travel, but provide for defensive protection. These provinces (Yunnan, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia) are shown with mountainous icons on the game board.

Pacific Ocean: The Pacific Ocean is to the east and south of China. It is considered to be one location. The Pacific Ocean comes in contact with nine provinces: Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning, and Jilin (via a narrow strip of land). In addition, there are two island provinces in the Pacific: Hainan and Taiwan. Only armies from countries with boats may cross the Pacific Ocean (except for armies entering or leaving Hainan; see below), but no army may stay within the Pacific Ocean. Some countries start in the Pacific Ocean, but must move into China as soon as they are able to.

Hainan: Hainan is an island province just offshore the south coast of China. It cannot be reached until Turn 6. Hainan is considered to be directly connected to Guangdong. Armies can cross the ocean between Hainan and Guangdong without boats, and there is no penalty for doing so.

Taiwan: Taiwan is an island province off the east coast of China. Due to its distance from the mainland, it can only be reached by countries that have access to boats (which first appear during Turn 17 under the Ming Dynasty).

Foreign Areas: The 18 foreign areas do not have identification numbers. Some countries start in foreign areas, but cannot remain there and must move into China as soon as they are able to do so. Countries may not move back into or cross foreign areas. Sources of various foreign invasions, and their contact points with China are as follows:

• India: Tibet and Xinjiang
• Kazakhstan: Xinjiang
• Russia: Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Jilin (not Xinjiang; see below)
• Mongolia: Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and Xinjiang
• Vietnam: Yunnan and Guangxi

Note that Kazakhstan has been slightly extended to reach Mongolia, so that Russia does not come into contact with Xinjiang, for the purposes of game play.

Great Wall: The Great Wall is shown as a gray wall icon stretching from the Pacific Ocean between Hebei and Liaoning, to Gansu. Note that the Great Wall ends in Gansu, making it possible to go from Inner Mongolia to Gansu and vice versa without actually crossing the Great Wall. The Great Wall was originally built by the Qin dynasty to keep the northern barbarian tribes (the Huns and the Xianbei) from invading China, connecting other walls previously built by the Warring States. Armies crossing the Great Wall suffer a -1 penalty to their attack rolls.

Grand Canal: The Grand Canal runs through Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. It is shown on the game board as a dark red line. The Grand Canal is an immense canal, originally dug during the Sui dynasty (Turn 10), connecting the cities of Beijing and Tianjin in the north with Hangzhou and Yangzhou in the south. Armies moving along the Grand Canal can move one additional province.

Yangzi River: Although the actual course of the Yangzi (Yangtze) River is also shown on the map, for game purposes, the Yangzi River is shown as a dark blue river separating the central plains into North China and South China. Certain countries may not cross the Yangzi River.

Reinforcement Box: This box is in the upper left corner of the game board. It is used to temporarily hold reinforcements before they enter the game.

Turn Number Box: This box can be found in the upper right corner of the board. It consists of 24 squares, each of which has a turn number and the approximate dates for which that turn represents. This box is used to track the current turn of the game.

Turn Order List: This list is on the left side of the game board. It shows the order in which each country moves. Special rules for movement exist for certain countries in Turns 5 and 24; these are also indicated on this list.

Population Points Box: This box is in the lower right corner of the board, and is used to track the number of population points that each country has. Population points can range between 0 and 2 1/2; 3 population points are traded in for a reinforcement army.

Moves Box: The Moves Box is at the lower right of the game board. It lists the various events that occur during each turn, such as the appearance of new nations, rebellions, invasions, uprisings, etc.

Loss Box: This box is next to the Turn Order List. Armies eliminated that store points go here to be counted at the end of the turn.

Markers

Turn Marker: The turn marker is placed in the appropriate square on the Turn Number chart, to indicate the current turn of the game.

Army Markers: There are 365 army markers, representing each of the 46 countries. They are colored red, green, blue, or purple to indicate the player that owns them. Four of the countries (6 Dynasties, 16 Kingdoms, 5 Dynasties and 10 Kingdoms) are simultaneously owned by two players, and are thus represented by two colors. Each country is identified by the name of the country in both English and Chinese (or a flag for the Foreign Powers). The number in the upper left corner is the Power Factor of the country (representing the strength of that country), with an "F" indicating a Foreign Power. A ship in the right corner shows that the country may use boats for travel; if a number appears below that, it indicates the first turn at which boats become available for that country.

Population Markers: These markers are used in the Population Points Box to track the number of population points a country has. These pieces have white backgrounds, with the color of the text indicating the player that owns them. Not all countries have population markers.

Emperor Markers: The emperor markers are used to indicate the presence of an emperor, whose abilities allow him to found a new dynasty. The emperor is not an army piece. However, the presence of an emperor in a province confers special advantages for attack, defense, and movement for the armies in that province. Each emperor is identified by his real name, printed in both English and Chinese (running script). Since Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Zedong were viewed in the eyes of the Chinese almost as emperors, they are also considered to be emperors for game purposes.

Foreign Concession Markers: The Foreign Concession markers are used to indicate provinces of China with port cities that have been forced opened to international trade. These are treaties imposed onto China by Britain, Russia, France, and Germany starting from the 1840's (during Turns 21 through 23). The seal on this piece is the Municipal Seal of the Shanghai International Settlement, actually used in Shanghai during the 1860's.

Country Scoring Cards: The country scoring cards indicate the starting locations of each country, its objectives, and the points that it scores for meeting those objectives. Four countries (6 Dynasties, 16 Kingdoms, 5 Dynasties, and 10 Kingdoms) have two scoring cards each, since they are controlled by two different players. At the top of each card is the name of the country, the name of the country in Chinese (or a flag for the Foreign Powers), and the Power Factor of the country on the right side. The color of the country's name indicates the player that owns that country. At the bottom of each card are statistics showing the total number of army markers that country has (with a +"E" showing the presence of an emperor), the order number indicating when the country moves (lower numbers go first), and the sequence number indicating the relative ordering of countries for the player who owns that card.

Hero Cards: The four hero cards (Sun Yat-sen, Genghis Khan, Sun Tzu, and Zhu Geliang) allow each player to reset the outcome of any one battle. These cards may be used at any time during a player's turn during a battle or immediately after it, but can only be used once per game. They are identified by "reroll" in the upper right corner. Each player's card is identified by the color of the title.

Invention Cards: The four invention cards (paper, compass, gunpowder, and printing press) allow each player to add 1 to all of the attack rolls during any one battle. These cards must be declared at the beginning of an attack, and can only be used once per game. They are identified by a +1 in the upper right corner. Each player's card is identified by the color of the title on that card.

Scoring Sheets: The scoring sheets are a two-page form that can be used to track the score. They are broken down into the various countries owned by each player.

Note: the Hero/Invention cards were printed together. Players may cut them apart or may use the counters provided (or both). The counters can be placed in a battle to denote the use of the bonus and then removed from play.

Starting the Game

China: The Middle Kingdom can be played either as a full game (24 turns) or as one of two half games. Like the full game, the "Ancient China" half game starts in Turn 1 with the Warring States Period, and ends at the end of Turn 12, with the rise of the Tang Dynasty. The "Modernizing China" game starts in Turn 13, after the collapse of the Tang Dynasty, and ends in Turn 24, as the Communists win control of China. The two half games are played exactly like the full game, except for the lesser number of turns (12 instead of 24 turns) and the starting positions in Turn 13 for the "Modernizing China" game.

Place the turn marker on Turn 1 of the Turn Number Box (or Turn 13 if playing the "Modernizing China" version). Each player should have all of their cards and markers of the corresponding color. The initial armies on the board should be placed as follows (province identification numbers are presented for players new to Chinese geography).

Turn 1 Starting Areas

• Qiang: Tibet (2 armies) (40)
• Haan: Anhui (22)
• Zhao: Shanxi, Hebei (33, 46)
• Wae: Hubei, Henan (16, 34)
• Yan: Liaoning, Jilin (56, 55)
• Qi: Shandong, Jiangsu (35, 36)
• Chu: Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang (13, 14, 24, 26)
• Qin: Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Ningxia (15, 44, 33, 60)
• Huns: Qinghai, Xinjiang (2 armies) (11, 50)
• Xianbei: Inner Mongolia (2 armies) (00)

Turn 13 Starting Areas

• Tufan: Tibet (2 armies) (40)
• Xixia: Qinghai (2 armies), Sichuan (2 armies) (11, 15)
• Khitans: Liaoning (2 armies), Jilin (2 armies), Heilongjiang (2 armies) (56, 55)
• Uighurs: Xinjiang (2 armies), Gansu, Ningxia (50, 44, 60)
• 10 Kingdoms: Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangdong, Jiangxi (25, 26, 14, 23, 24)
• 5 Dynasties: Henan, Shandong, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu (34, 35, 16, 22, 36)
• Nanzhao: Yunnan (30)

For each country shown here, also place its corresponding population marker in the "0" box in the Population Points Box (note that the 10 Kingdoms and 5 Dynasties do not have population markers). Each country starts with zero population points.

Player Turn Steps

1. Determine the next country to move
2. Count population points
3. Place new armies and reinforcements
4. Move armies
5. Resolve battles
6. Rebellions, invasions, and uprisings
7. Remove armies from overpopulated regions
8. Score points

1.0 Determine the Next Country to Move

In China: The Middle Kingdom, the order of play is determined by the order of the countries, not the players. On the game board is the Turn Order List, which numbers the countries in the order that they are to be played. Thus, in Turn 1, the first country to move would be Qiang (purple player), followed by Haan (also purple), Zhao (green), Wae (blue), Yan (also blue), Qi (red), and so on. Countries without any pieces to be played are skipped (for example, the Kushan, the Nanyue and all of the countries following the Nanyue in Turn 1). The number of each country is also printed on the Scoring Cards as the Order Number.

Once all of the countries have moved, the turn is complete. Move the turn marker to the next turn number, make any changes in the countries that may occur in the new turn as described in the Moves Box (for example, some countries are to be removed from or added to the board on specific turns), and start back at the beginning of the Turn Order List (with the Qiang).

2.0 Count Population Points

Population points determine how quickly each country grows in population. Not every country earns population points. Every three population points a country earns equals a new army that can be used in the following step (Place New Armies and Reinforcements). Unused population points (up to 2 1/2) may be saved for the next turn.

On each country's turn, each plain (or lowered) that contains at least one army of that country earns one population point. Each highland province (Yunnan, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia) with at least one army earns one-half of a population point. Armies not in China do not earn population points. A province with several armies in it still only earns one (or 1/2) population point.

Add those points to the population points already stored in the Population Points Box. For every 3 population points a country has, subtract 3 from the total and add an army to the Reinforcements Box; thus, if a country had 13 1/2 population points, then the country would receive 4 additional armies, leaving 1 1/2 behind in the Population Points Box. If no more armies are available, the country may keep up to 2 1/2 population points in the Population Points Box, but any extra population points are lost.

3.0 Place New Armies & Reinforcements

Information about the placement of new armies and the turns where they appear is printed on each country's corresponding Scoring Card. Most new armies start in a foreign area or in the Pacific Ocean, and must move into an adjoining Chinese province when it is their turn to move. New armies start with zero population points, if they can earn population points; place their population marker in the "0" box in the Population Points Box. Some countries start within the borders of China, typically within empty provinces. The starting locations for rebellions, the Three Kingdoms, and the Chinese Civil War are further discussed below.

Armies from the Reinforcements Box or from population growth must be placed within provinces that already contain at least one army of that nation. There are no limits as to how many new armies can be placed in any given province. They may not be placed into empty provinces or provinces containing armies from other countries, even if they are of the same color as the moving nation.

3.1 Emperors

If an emperor of the moving country is still present on the board (from a previous turn), he is now removed (emperors can only be in play for one turn, which represents their entire lifespan). However, exceptions to this rule are made for Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Zedong. They should not be removed from the board in Turn 24, as Turns 23 and 24 represent much shorter periods of time.

New emperors are placed like armies. They cannot be placed in empty provinces or provinces containing armies from other countries. They must be placed within provinces that already contain at least one army of their nation.

3.2 Replacement Countries

Some countries automatically become new countries during the course of the game (for example, the Qiang become the Tufan at the start of Turn 9). These new countries are independent countries, with different Country Scoring Cards and objectives from the original country, and may even be controlled by a different player. All of the original country's armies on the board are replaced by equal numbers of armies from the new country (and sometimes with free reinforcement armies as well). If not enough new armies exist, then the remaining armies are lost (the armies to be lost are chosen by the player of the new country). The new country begins with zero population points; population points can not be transferred to the new country.

3.3 Rebellions

Some countries begin by rebelling against another country. To determine the starting province of the new rebelling country against a loyal country, the player controlling the rebelling country should roll two dice and read them from lowest to highest number (thus, a roll of 2 and 1 would be read as "12," indicating Guangxi, while a roll of 4 and 4 would be read as "44," indicating Gansu). If there are loyal armies present in the province of that number, then that province becomes the center of the rebellion. If no loyal armies are present (for example, the province could be empty, or contain armies from the rebelling country or other countries), the dice should be rerolled until a province containing loyal armies is found. If more than one area is indicated in a rebellion, the dice should be rolled until that many different rebelling provinces are found. All of the loyal armies in those provinces are automatically replaced by an equal number of armies from the rebelling country.

Next, for each province containing loyal armies that is adjacent to a rebellion center, the rebelling player should roll a die to determine if the armies of that province stay loyal to the original nation or join the rebellion. A die roll higher than the original nation's Power Factor indicates the armies in that province stay loyal; a die roll equal to or lower than the original nation's Power Factor indicates that the armies in that province have joined the rebellion; they are replaced by an equal number of armies from the rebelling nation. If there is an emperor, he may be placed in any province containing rebelling armies (the emperor can wait until all of the rebelling armies have been placed). See example 1 on page 8.

3.31 Three Kingdoms Rebellion

During the Three Kingdoms period (Turn 5), the Han Dynasty essentially split into three countries (Shu, Wu, and Wei). Thus, there are three different rebellion centers, one for each new nation, and the rebellions are considered to occur simultaneously. This is handled in Turn 5 as follows: the Shu first rebel (finding a starting province as described below, then determining the loyalty of the adjacent provinces as described above in "Rebellions"), then the Wu rebel, then the Wei rebel.

The Shu center must start in a Han province starting with a "1." The Shu player should roll a die and place a 1 in front of it, so that a roll of "4" indicates that the rebellion starts in Province 14 (Hunan). This province must contain Han armies; if other armies are present there, reroll the die to find a province that contains Han armies. Likewise, the Wu must start in a Han province starting with a "2" (reroll any 1's, since there is no Province 21) and the Wei must start in a Han province starting with a "3" (reroll any 1's and 2's). If no Han provinces are available, then the rebelling army may start in any empty province starting with a 1 (Shu), 2 (Wu), or 3 (Wei), respectively. The extra Wu and Wei reinforcements should also be placed at this time.

3.32 Chinese Civil War

At the start of Turn 24, each province that contains at least one Nationalist or Communist army gains one free reinforcement army. This army must be placed only in that province.

Between 1911 and the end of World War II, there were two major factions vying for control of China: the Nationalists and the Communists. Widespread corruption among the Nationalists and erosion of the populous base caused a fair number of Nationalist armies to switch loyalties. This is represented as a loyalty check at the start of the Communists' move in Turn 24. Each province containing a Nationalist army must roll a die to check its loyalty, with the exception of the province containing Chiang Kai-Shek (which automatically passes its loyalty check). The die should be rolled by the player controlling the Communists; this is similar to a rebellion. A roll of 4 or lower indicates that the Nationalist armies have switched loyalties and are replaced by an equal number of Communist armies; a roll of 5 or higher indicates that the armies remain loyal to the Nationalists.

4.0 Move Armies

The country's armies may now move. Each army is allowed to move up to two adjacent provinces if those provinces are plains. However, an army must stop moving if it encounters highlands. Most armies can move freely around China, but cannot enter any of the foreign areas, or the Pacific Ocean if they do not possess boats. Certain armies (6 Dynasties, 16 Kingdoms, 5 Dynasties, and 10 Kingdoms) cannot cross the Yangzi River. The Great Wall does not impede movement in any way.

4.1 Encountering Other Armies

Armies may move only through empty provinces or provinces containing armies from the same country. Armies cannot freely travel through provinces containing other armies, even if they are the same color; they must stop and fight the opposing armies.

4.11 Outnumbering Opposing Armies: If the moving armies outnumber the opposing armies by at least 2:1, then any additional armies trying to move through the province may continue to move without stopping. Emperors are not counted as armies.

4.12 Qing and Yuan Invasions: The Yuan in Turn 15, and the Qing in Turn 18 may move through areas occupied by another nation's armies on a 1:1 basis during their respective invasions, rather than on a 2:1 basis.

4.13 Highlands: Armies normally must stop moving if they encounter any of the highland provinces (Yunnan, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia). However, during the Yuan Invasion of Turn 15, the Yuan may ignore this rule and continue moving through the highland provinces without stopping, as if those provinces were plains.

4.2 Grand Canal

Starting on Turn 10, armies traveling along the Grand Canal (shown as a red line running through Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang) increase their movement by one area. However, this free movement must occur along two adjacent Grand Canal provinces. For example, an army starting in Liaoning could move to Hebei, then to Shandong along the Grand Canal (gaining one free movement), then to Henan or Jiangsu. This free movement is in addition to all other movements.

4.3 Emperors

The emperor, and any armies traveling together with him, may move up to three provinces instead of two. An emperor can not exist in a province without at least one accompanying army, so any move that would result in the emperor becoming isolated in a province is forbidden. Emperors are subject to all other movement rules. Thus, an emperor traveling with an army along the Grand Canal could potentially move through four provinces, but an emperor traveling to Yunnan must stop there, due to the presence of the highlands.

4.4 Hainan

Starting on Turn 6, armies may freely move between Hainan and Guangdong, as if they were connected. They do not need boats to reach Hainan. Armies moving from Hainan to Guangdong can continue moving into neighboring provinces, if otherwise permitted to do so.

4.5 Boats

Armies with boats may move through the Pacific Ocean (treated as one area) as if it were a single province. Some countries do not receive boats until a specific turn (the Ming on Turn 17, and the Qing on Turn 19). Armies can not stop in the ocean at the end of the move, and must return to land. Thus, an army could start in Hainan, move through the Pacific Ocean, and end in Jilin or Taiwan. An army in Guizhou could not move into the Pacific Ocean (unless it is with an emperor), since the ocean is two provinces away, and armies are not allowed to stop in the Pacific Ocean.

4.6 Foreign Concessions

If at any point during a turn (including after a battle), British, Russian, French, or German armies are the only units in a Chinese province, then those armies force a Foreign Concession on to the Chinese government. More than one concession can be made by an army in a turn. The Foreign Concession is a trade treaty imposed onto the government and is represented by a Foreign Concession marker. Place a Foreign Concession marker in that province. Provinces that already contain a Foreign Concession do not get additional concessions. Once in place, a Foreign Concession can not be destroyed, even if the foreign armies are later eliminated or move on. Other armies (Chinese or otherwise) may freely enter provinces containing a Foreign Concession, but cannot affect it in any way. All Foreign Concessions are removed on Turn 24.

Notes on Chinese Geography

Henan and Jiangsu meet by a thin strip of land; thus, direct movement is not possible between Shandong and Anhui. Ningxia borders Shaanxi (via a narrow strip of land), as well as Inner Mongolia and Gansu. Jilin borders the Pacific Ocean. See example 2 on pages 8 and 9.

5.0 Resolve Battles

If a moving army encounters armies of another country in the same province, a battle must be waged to determine which armies wins control of that province. Battles do not occur in foreign areas or in the Pacific Ocean; more than one country may be present in those locations without conflict. Battles are determined by rolling dice, with armies being eliminated until only one country remains in that province. If multiple battle sites exist, the attacking player may choose which battles to resolve first. However, once a battle has been started, it must be resolved before the attacking player can move on to the next battle. If the same player owns both the attacking and defending countries, then that player should have someone else roll the dice for one country or the other. Battles are resolved as follows:

• A. Determine the number of attackers and defenders
• B. Determine modifiers to the battle
• C. Roll dice to determine hits
• D. Defenders may retreat
• E. Attackers may retreat
• F. Continue until a country has been eliminated from the province
• G. Building Foreign Concessions
• H. Conquering emperors
• I. Conquering countries

A. Determine the Number of Attackers & Defenders

Count the number of attacking and defending armies in the province. Each attacking army in the province gets one die. Each defending army also gets one die. Emperors are not directly involved in combat, and do not receive any dice to roll, although they modify the rolls of the armies in that province. Foreign Concessions are treaties, rather than armies, and do not receive dice to roll, nor do they modify other dice rolls.

B. Determine Modifiers to the Battle

Attacking armies need to roll a 4 or higher to hit a defending army. Defending armies need a 5 or higher to hit the attacking armies (thus, the attacking armies have an edge over the defenders). However, there are several possible modifications to these rules, which are described below. All of these modifiers are cumulative, unless otherwise stated, so that modified rolls higher than 6 or lower than 0 are possible. Note that in some situations, these modifiers can make it absolutely suicidal to attack under certain conditions, as there will be no possible chance of success.

Highlands: The defensive benefit of highlands gives a -2 penalty to all of the attacking armies' dice rolls. However, during the Yuan invasion of Turn 15 only, other armies in the highlands that fight the Yuan lose this defensive benefit, and can be hit by the Yuan on a 3 or higher (see below).

Emperors: The presence of an emperor in a province inspires awe among all of the attacking and defending armies, so that the emperor's armies receive a +1 bonus to all of their dice rolls, while the opposing armies suffer a -1 penalty to all of their dice rolls. This is true regardless of whether the emperor's armies are attacking or defending. If two emperors battle each other (possible only between Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Zedong), the two modifiers cancel.

The Great Wall: An attacking army crossing the Great Wall (in either direction) suffers a -1 penalty to its attack rolls. Armies attacking from Gansu to Inner Mongolia or vice versa do not need to cross the Great Wall, and hence do not suffer this -1 penalty (although they will still suffer the -2 penalty due to the presence of highlands, i.e. a -3 penalty). Because these modifications are cumulative with the highlands, an army attacking into Inner Mongolia or Ningxia across the Great Wall may find it impossible to win. During the Yuan Invasion (Turn 15), the Yuan may ignore the effects of the Great Wall; they are not penalized for attacking across it.

Foreign Powers: The Foreign Powers (British, Russians, French, Germans, and Japanese) have more powerful armies, and need to roll a 3 or higher when attacking another army. If they are defending their territories, they hit the attacking army on a 4 or higher. These armies can only be eliminated on a 6 or higher, whether they are attacking or defending; thus, two Foreign Powers that attack each other only eliminate each other on rolls of 6's.

Yuan Invasion: During Turn 15 only, the Yuan attack as if they were a Foreign Power: the Yuan need to roll a 3 or higher when attacking another army, and are only eliminated on a 6 or higher. Furthermore, the Yuan ignore the effects of highlands and the Great Wall. Armies opposing the Yuan during Turn 15 do not receive defensive bonuses due to either highlands or the Great Wall.

Inventions: Once per game, each player may use an invention card (paper, compass, gunpowder, and printing press). The use of an invention card gives a bonus of +1 to the attacking armies' dice rolls, for the duration of one battle only. The defending armies do not suffer any penalties. The invention cards may be only used for one battle, and must be declared prior to any die rolls (they cannot be used to modify pre-existing die rolls). They can be played at any time before the end of a battle, but can only affect die rolls after declaration.

Heroes: Once per game, each player may use a hero card (Sun Yat-sen, Genghis Khan, Sun Tzu, and Zhu Geliang) during or immediately after a battle. A hero card resets the entire battle: the original number of attacking armies, defending armies, and emperors are restored back to the province, and the battle is restarted anew as if the original battle never occurred. The hero cards may only be used for one battle, and must be played during or immediately after the battle. Note that using this card does not guarantee a more favorable outcome for the player using the card.

C. Roll Dice to Determine Hits

Each attacking and defending army rolls a die to determine whether it hits or not, with the modifications described above. Battles are considered to be simultaneous. Count the number of hits that each side makes. For each hit the attacking armies make, remove one defending army. For each hit the defending army makes, remove one attacking army. Note that emperors are not considered to be armies; if an emperor is left alone in a province without any armies left to defend him, then the opposing armies have defeated the emperor and won the battle.

D. Defenders May Retreat

If there are any defending armies left in the province after the initial die rolls, they can opt to retreat rather than continuing to fight the battle. However, defending armies may only retreat to adjacent provinces which contain only armies of the same country. They may not retreat to empty provinces, provinces which contain armies from other countries (even if they are the same color), or provinces with armies of the same country involved in other, unresolved battles. Any number of defending armies can retreat into an available province, since overpopulation limits will not be determined until the end of the defending player's move. If there are no available provinces for the defending armies to retreat to, they may not retreat, and must continue to fight. Not all of the defending armies have to retreat; some armies can retreat while others stay to continue the battle.

Note: An emperor may only retreat if armies from his country are still in the province. If an emperor is alone, he is removed per Step H.

E. Attackers May Retreat

If there are any attacking armies left in the province after the initial die rolls, they can opt to retreat rather than continuing to fight the battle. However, attacking armies may only retreat to adjacent provinces which contain only armies of the same country. They may not retreat to empty provinces, provinces which contain armies from other countries (even if they are the same color), or provinces with armies of the same country involved in other, unresolved battles. Any number of attacking armies can retreat into an available province; however, since overpopulation limits are determined immediately after the battle phase, these retreating armies may get eliminated anyway. If there are no available provinces for the attacking armies to retreat to, they may not retreat, and must continue to fight. Not all of the attacking armies necessarily have to retreat; some armies can retreat while others stay to continue to fight. Note that the defenders retreat before the attackers do; thus, if all of the defenders retreat, then the attackers have won the province and may not retreat.

Note: An emperor may only retreat if armies from his country are still in the province. If an emperor is alone, he is removed per Step H.

F. Continue until a Country has been Eliminated from the Province

If there are still attacking and defending armies left in the province, then the battle continues. Go back to Step A and repeat until at least one side has been eliminated or has completely withdrawn from the province.

G. Building Foreign Concessions

As previously stated in the movement section, if British, Russian, French, or German armies remain the only units in a Chinese province (for example, if they have just won a battle for a new province), and that province does not yet have a Foreign Concession, then they may force a Foreign Concession onto the Chinese government. Place a Foreign Concession marker into that province.

H. Conquering Emperors

If an emperor becomes stranded in a province without any of his armies during a battle, then the opposing army immediately eliminates the emperor from the board and receives a number of points equal to the Power Factor of the defeated emperor's country. This elimination occurs even if no armies from the opposing country remain after the battle (for example, if the last remaining armies were simultaneously defeated, leaving only a lone emperor remaining behind in that province).

I. Conquering Countries

If, after a battle has been resolved, all of the armies of a country have been eliminated from the board (not including armies in the Reinforcement Box), then that country has been conquered by the opposing country. Any armies from the conquered country remaining in the Reinforcement Box are also eliminated, as they can no longer be played (since there are no longer available provinces for them to enter). The conquered country's population marker should also be removed from the Population Box.

The conquering country receives a number of points equal to the Power Factor of the eliminated country. The conquering country also receives a number of reinforcement armies equal to the Power Factor of the eliminated country in the Reinforcement Box for use in later turns (or potentially during the same turn if the country can continue to move, as in a rebellion or an invasion). Note that the Foreign Powers (British, Russians, French, Germans, and Japanese) cannot be conquered in this game, as their home bases are overseas; they therefore do not have Power Factors.

If both attacking and defending armies simultaneously eliminate each others' countries, then both countries receive Power Factor points for conquering the other country, but neither side receives any reinforcements, as there will not be any available provinces for the reinforcement armies to appear in. See example 3 on pages 8 and 9.

Wei: The Wei can be conquered before Turn 7. If that happens, then the conquering army receives Power Factor points and reinforcement armies, and the Wei lose all of their population points, as usual. However, the Wei will still reappear in Turn 7 in North Korea. The newly appearing Wei can also be conquered in turn, with the usual points and reinforcements for the conquering country.

Tufan: The Tufan can be conquered before Turn 13, with Power Factor points and reinforcement armies going to the conquering country. The Tufan will still reappear in Turn 13, and the newly appearing Tufan armies can also be conquered in turn.

Taiping: The Taiping can be conquered in Turn 21, with Power Factor points and reinforcement armies going to the conquering country, as usual. However, the Taiping will still rebel again in Turn 21, and the newly appearing Taiping armies can also be conquered in turn.

Qing: The Qing cannot be eliminated in Turn 17, as their starting base of power is in northern Russia. If all of the Qing armies are removed from the board during Turn 17, then the country that eliminated them does not receive any Power Factor points or reinforcement armies. The Qing may still continue their invasion on Turn 18. (The Qing are the only real exception to the conquering rule; the other countries can be conquered with points and armies going to the conqueror, but the defeated armies will still always reappear as listed in the Moves Box.)

6.0 Rebellions, Invasions & Uprisings

While rebellions, invasions, and uprisings originate in different ways, they are played in the same way. Essentially, they consist of a double move for the rebelling, invading, or uprising country. The country moves its armies, resolves battles, places any new reinforcements onto the board (usually from conquered countries), then moves its armies and resolves its battles again (in the Order of Play, parts 3 through 5 are repeated twice). Each rebellion, invasion, or uprising is completed in one turn; in other turns, the armies move and fight as usual.

6.1 Rebellions

Rebellions occur when a new country stages a revolt against an already existing country. Rebellions occur by the Han against the Qin; by the Shu, Wu, and Wei against the Han during the Three Kingdoms Rebellion; by the Tang against the Sui; by the Ming against the Yuan; and by the Taiping (twice) against the Qing.

Starting locations for the rebellions were previously described in the section on movement. After the rebellion has begun, the armies of the rebelling country can move and fight twice.

6.11 Three Kingdoms Rebellion: Once the Three Kingdoms (Shu, Wu, and Wei) have rebelled against the Han in Turn 5 (see the section on movement), they enter a special movement phase. In this phase, the Shu move and fight; then the Wu move and fight; then the Wei move and fight. The Shu now may place reinforcements (if any), move, then fight again; followed by the Wu; then followed by the Wei. Overpopulation limits for all three countries are not determined until the end of the Wei armies' second move.

6.2 Invasions

Invasions start from pre-existing countries. The Qin, Yuan, and Qing stage invasions, although both the Yuan and the Qing have special rules for their three-move invasions.

6.21 Yuan Invasion: The Yuan have a special three-move invasion during Turn 15. During Turn 15, the Yuan move and fight; then they place reinforcements (if any), move, and fight again; then they place reinforcements (if any), move, and fight yet again. In addition, they have many advantages that are effective only during Turn 15: the Yuan fight as if they were a Foreign Power, they ignore highlands and the effects of the Great Wall, and they may pass through their opponents' territories at a 1:1 ratio instead of the usual 2:1 ratio.

6.22 Qing Invasion: The Qing have a special three-move invasion during Turn 18. The Qing move and fight; then they place reinforcements (if any), move, and fight again; then they place reinforcements (if any), move, and fight yet again. In addition, during Turn 18 only, the Qing may pass through their opponents' territories at a 1:1 ratio instead of the usual 2:1 ratio.

6.3 Uprisings

Uprisings start from within China, from empty provinces. The Sui, Song, Nationalists, and Communists all begin with uprisings. Those armies can move and fight twice during the Uprising turn.

6.31 Chinese Civil War: Turn 24 is a special move that represents the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists and the Communists. In Turn 24, initially, each Nationalist and Communist province gets a free reinforcement army. Next, the Nationalists move and resolve battles. However, after the Nationalist move, each province must check its loyalty to see if it stays with the Nationalists or defects to the Communists. Roll a die for each Nationalist province, except for the one containing Chiang Kai-Shek. A province needs a roll of 5 or higher to stay loyal; a roll of 4 or lower causes the province to switch to the Communists. After that, the Communists move and fight; then the Nationalists place reinforcements (if any), move, and fight again; and then the Communists place reinforcements (if any), move and fight again.

6.4 Simultaneous Countries

There are four countries in this game that are simultaneously controlled by two players: 6 Dynasties, 16 Kingdoms, 5 Dynasties, and 10 Kingdoms. Points for owning provinces are given to both players; however, points for attacking or conquering other nations go only to the player currently playing the country. In each case, one player first places reinforcing armies (if any), moves and fights battles; then, the other player places any newly generated reinforcement armies onto the game board, moves, and fights battles again. Note that any reinforcement armies generated by one player first get used by the other player. The two players controlling the country are not required to agree on anything, and could potentially follow conflicting or contradictory strategies.

7.0 Remove Armies from Overpopulated Regions

After an army has finished moving and resolving battles, overpopulation limits need to be determined. Plains provinces can support up to three armies; highland provinces can only support up to two armies. Any armies found in excess must be immediately removed from the game board and are lost. Overpopulation typically results from battles where too many victorious attacking armies have survived. Overpopulation is determined only after a country has finished moving its armies. Countries in the midst of a rebellion, invasion, or uprising do not determine overpopulation limits until after the end of its second move (or third, for the Yuan and Qing Invasions).

8.0 Score Points

Points can be scored in many ways. Points can be scored by controlling certain territories, attacking or conquering other countries or emperors, or building Foreign Concessions. Some points may be tallied at the end of a round; other points may be tallied immediately after a country has finished moving. Scores may be tallied on the Scoring Sheets.

8.1 Territories

Many countries receive points for holding various provinces, typically at the end of every three turns. Point values are given on each country's Scoring Card. After certain turn numbers are a list of provinces and the amount of points that each one is worth if the country owns them. However, some countries determine their territorial point scores immediately after they are done moving, rather than at the end of the turn. These situations are indicated on the Scoring Cards as "Immediately after move."

8.2 Attacking Countries

Some countries receive points for attacking other countries. For some countries, points are scored only if the country is attacking (described as "during attack"); no points can be scored if they are defending their own provinces. For other countries, points can be scored against the other country whether they are the attackers or defenders.

8.3 Conquering Emperors

A country that conquers the emperor of another country gains a number of points equal to the Power Factor of the country of the emperor. See the section on resolving battles for more details.

8.4 Conquering Countries

A country that conquers another country gains a number of points equal to the defeated country's Power Factor. See the section on resolving battles for more details.

8.5 Foreign Concessions

The building of Foreign Concessions by the British, Russian, French, or Germans can score points. See the section on movement for further details.

8.6 Nationalists

The Nationalists are the only country that can lose points during the course of the game. If the Nationalists are conquered by the Communists, the Nationalists lose 10 points. Note that this is in addition to the 4-point gain the Communists receive for conquering the Nationalists.

9.0 Winning the Game

At the end of the game (Turn 24, or Turn 12 if playing the "Ancient China" half-game), the player scoring the most points overall is the winner. Note that the winner may not necessarily be the person that controlled the most territory or had the largest dynasty during the game.

Pronunciation Notes

In China, the system of Romanization (translating Chinese characters into a Latin alphabet) is known as Pinyin. For the most part, Pinyin is pronounced as it looks, with certain notable exceptions: a "q" is pronounced as /ch/, a "c" is pronounced as /ts/ as in "its," and an "x" is pronounced as /sh/. For example, "Qi" is pronounced /chee/ and "Xianbei" is pronounced /shian-bay/. All vowels in Pinyin are short and adjacent vowels are diphthongs or triphthongs, so "Tang" is pronounced /taung/ (not /tayng/), while "Sui" is pronounced /sway/ (not /sue-yee/ or /sue-eye/).

Many Chinese words appear identical when Romanized under Pinyin; this is because Chinese words are further differentiated by tones. Tones do not formally exist in English. The difference in Chinese tones can be approximated by the difference between the sentences "Oh?" and "Oh." However, Mandarin Chinese has four such tones, which are nearly indistinguishable to English ears.

In this game, certain places and nations were intentionally misspelled to help to distinguish them. In particular, "Shaanxi" should correctly be spelled "Shanxi," "Haan" should be "Han," and "Wae" should be "Wei." Shaanxi and Shanxi are two different words in Chinese, as well as Haan and Han; however, Wae and Wei really are the same word, used by two different countries (this can be observed by looking at the Chinese characters). This "recycling" of names was common in Chinese history.

For some nations (Huns, Tibetans, Kushans, Khitans, Turks, Uighurs, Tungus, Tartars, as well as the Foreign Powers), English names were used instead of the Chinese ones, to help orient players who are more familiar with Western history. Likewise, the English name of Tibet was used for that province instead of the Chinese name of Xizang.

Some players may also be familiar with the older spellings of Chinese places before Pinyin was accepted as a standard. Some of these older, well-known spellings include Szechwan (Sichuan), Fukien (Fujian), and Anwei (Anhui). Similarly, some Chinese cities are better known by their older spellings, such as Peking (Beijing), Tientsin (Tianjin), Hangchow (Hangzhou) and Yangchow (Yangzhou).