Civolution Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Setup
How to Play
Phase 1: New cards
Phase 2: New goals
Phase 3: Extra find
Phase 4: Action phase
- Activating a module
The Modules
Do a Reset
- End of the Action phase
Phase 5: Site phase
Phase 6: Feeding phase
Phase 7: Event phase
Phase 8: Income phase
End of the Game
- Final scoring
The Sites
Solo Mode

Components

2 game boards (progress board, sequence board)
4 consoles
4 frame pieces (assembled into the score track)
1 sheet with 50 double-sided adhesive strips
160 research cards (5 decks of 32 cards each): 32 x invention, 32 x mutation, 32 x insight, 32 x building, 32 x achievement
20 event cards
12 starting marker cards
10 starting chip cards
65 goal chips
25 income chips
12 attribute chips
22 cards for the solo mode (7 display cards, 15 action cards)
12 100-point tokens (100-point side / blocking side)
8 stage tiles (4 stage-4 tiles, 4 stage-5 tiles, each with an inactive and an active side)
9 scoring tiles (icon side / point side)
3 bags (for goal chips, income chips, attribute chips)
29 activation dice
9 fate dice
1 phase indicator
1 weather indicator
80 tribes (20 in each of 4 colors)
16 settlements (4 per color)
200 markers (50 per color)
12 farms (3 per color)
8 boats (2 per color)
28 discs (7 per color)
60 module tiles (4 sets of 15 each), with a Level-I side and a Level-II side
8 continent tiles (3 have a mountain part to be folded and glued to the front)
18 material tiles (Forest, Grassland, Hills, Swamp, Mountains, Desert types)
24 sites
16 territory tokens (front: hunting token; back: blocking token)
1 starting monolith
6 storage boxes + 8 card dividers

Before your first play: Each console must be folded and glued (using 10 adhesive strips on the marked spots of the top part's inner side). On three of the continent tiles, a mountain part must be folded onto the front and glued with adhesive strips.

Setup

Civolution requires a large playing area. Especially in 4-player games, at least 130 cm x 90 cm (51'' x 35'') of table space is recommended. The following describes setup for 2 to 4 civilizations. For the solo mode, see the Solo Mode section.

Assemble the 4 frame pieces into the score track and place it in the center of the table. To the left of the score track, place the progress board, which includes the hunting table, the progress tracks, the final scoring area, and the display area (hunting token display, dice display, 100-point token display, goal chip display, income chip display, attribute chip display). To the right of the score track, place the sequence board, which shows the phase sequence on its left half, and on its right half the weather gauge, the event card spaces, the era scoring area, and the Favor of Agera track.
Place the phase indicator onto the hexagon space in the top left corner of the phase sequence. Place the weather indicator onto the "Mild" weather space of the weather gauge.
Shuffle the 20 event cards and place 4 of them face down as a face-down event stack onto the righthand event card space. Return the remaining event cards unseen to the game box.
Shuffle the 9 scoring tiles. Draw 4 and place them in random order onto the 4 spaces of the era scoring area, all showing their icon side. Then draw 3 more tiles at random and place each onto the space below its matching icon in the final scoring area of the progress board. Flip these 3 tiles point side up. Return the remaining 2 scoring tiles to the game box.
Place the 100-point tokens as a supply onto the 100-point token display. In games with two or three civilizations, take some of these tokens, flip them blocking side up, and use them to cover certain spaces:
- In a 3-player game, cover one space in the goal chip display. Also cover both of the yellow spaces of the phase sequence.
- In a 2-player game, cover two spaces in the goal chip display. Also cover both of the yellow spaces and both of the yellow spaces of the phase sequence.
Mix the 65 goal chips in the dark blue bag and place one randomly drawn goal chip face up onto each empty space of the goal chip display. Mix the 25 income chips in the white bag and place one onto each of the 3 spaces of the income chip display. Mix the 12 attribute chips in the yellow bag and place one onto each of the 3 spaces of the attribute chip display. Set aside the three bags with their chips afterwards; you will need them throughout the game.
Construct the continent by fitting the 8 continent tiles in a random order and orientation into the frame of the score track until it is completely filled. (For your first play, use the tiles marked A, B, and C on their backs as shown in the rulebook, then supplement at random.) The continent consists of 18 land territories (3 each of the 6 types: Forest, Grassland, Hills, Swamp, Mountains, Desert) and 4 Water territories (one with a "Building ground" island).
Shuffle the 24 sites face down and place one face down in each octagonal recess of the continent. These can be explored during the game.
Distribute the 18 material tiles across the land territories. For your first plays: place the Wood material tile face up on the material tile space marked "Start" in the Forest (Forest starting territory), and the Papyrus material tile face up on the "Start" space in the Grassland (Grassland starting territory). Shuffle the remaining material tiles face down by territory type and place one face-down tile of the matching type onto each remaining material tile space.
In games with two or three civilizations, cover encampments with blocking tokens (territory tokens flipped back side up):
- In a 2-player game, cover the 10 encampments showing the + icon or the relevant icon with a token of matching territory type.
- In a 3-player game, only cover the 4 encampments showing the relevant icon.
- Flip the remaining territory tokens front side up and place them as a general hunting token supply in the hunting token display.
Place dice on the dice display: 2-player game — 3 activation dice and 3 fate dice; 3-player game — 4 and 4; 4-player game — 5 and 5.
Each civilization takes a console, unfolds it, and places it in front of itself. A console is the center of a civilization, where it manages its resources and actions. Then each civilization chooses a color, receives all components of that color, and:
1. Takes a set of 15 module tiles and places each in its corresponding recess on the right side of the console, level-I side up (single blue stripe at the bottom edge).
2. Takes 6 activation dice and turns them to show values 1 through 6, placing each on the dice space of the corresponding value.
3. Takes 1 fate die and places it next to the console.
4. Takes a stage-4 tile and a stage-5 tile and places them inactive side up above the top left edge of the console (stage 4 above stage 3, stage 5 above stage 4).
5. Places its 4 settlements, 3 farms, and 2 boats in their recesses on the left side of the console.
6. Places 7 stackable discs: one on space 0 of the score track, one on the left space of the Favor of Agera track, and one on space 0 of each of the 5 progress tracks. Discs of different civilizations can be stacked in any order.
7. Prepares its 20 tribes as a supply. Places one tribe on a free encampment in the Grassland starting territory and one in the Forest starting territory (the encampment with the fire must remain free for now).
8. Prepares its 50 markers as a supply. Places one marker in the Grassland starting territory and one in the Forest starting territory (outside encampments). Places one marker in the notch of each of its two boats and one at the top of each of its 4 reset columns.
Each civilization receives its starting cards:
- Option A (newcomers): Shuffle the 6 numbered starting marker cards (1 to 6) and give each civilization one. From each of the 5 research decks, each civilization selects the card showing the same number as its starting marker card, taking these 5 starting research cards into hand and placing the starting marker card in front of itself. Then set up the research display.
- Option B (advanced): First set up the research display. Each civilization draws 2 cards from each of the 5 face-down stacks. Shuffle the starting marker cards, give each civilization 3, and each secretly chooses one card of each of the 6 types (a starting marker card, invention, mutation, insight, building, and achievement). Unchosen research cards go face down to the bottom of their stacks; unchosen starting marker cards return to the box.
- Setting up the research display: Shuffle the 5 research decks separately, place each as a face-down stack next to the boards, and leave room next to each for its face-up stack. The 5 face-down and 5 face-up stacks together constitute the research display.
Each civilization receives its starting markers: place as many markers from supply onto the console spaces indicated on its starting marker card, then return all starting marker cards to the box.
Determine a starting civilization and give it the starting monolith.
Each civilization receives one of the 10 starting chip cards (Option A: the one matching its starting hand number, with a random goal chip on it; Option B: choose one from a display). Then: place the goal chip face up on one of the 3 spaces of the goal area; flip the module shown in the middle of the starting chip card to its level-II side (your first upgraded module); slide the starting chip card under the right top edge of the console so only its top third is visible (your first income chip).

How to Play

Civolution is played over 4 eras. Each era consists of 8 phases, with phases 1 to 3 as preparatory phases, phase 4 as the main phase, and phases 5 to 8 as post-action phases:

Phase 1: New cards
Phase 2: New goals
Phase 3: Extra find
Phase 4: Action phase
Phase 5: Site phase
Phase 6: Feeding phase
Phase 7: Event phase
Phase 8: Income phase

After the Income phase of the fourth era, the game ends with the final scoring, in which the 9 scoring categories and each civilization's console are scored. Whoever has the most success points wins.

How do you gain success points?

Whenever you gain success points, advance your disc on the score track accordingly. The two most important sources are the 9 scoring categories and the stage partition of your console.

The 9 scoring categories

Five of the categories are the 5 progress tracks: 1) Technology, 2) Prestige, 3) Knowledge, 4) Construction, 5) Culture (your score depends on how far your discs advance). The others are: 6) Evolution (how many feature markers you have), 7) Prosperity (how many money and food markers and which stored materials you have), 8) Population (how many tribes you have on the continent), and 9) Expansion (in how many territories you have tribes).

The value of each category differs from game to game. At the start, four random categories are displayed, one scored at the end of each era. When all 9 are scored at the end of the game, some yield more points than others.

The stage partition of your console

Your console can be worth a lot of success points. In the stage partition, you "install" research cards, goal chips, income chips, and attribute chips by inserting them (cards slid under so only their top third remains visible). Each column may only contain one type of card or chip: once you install the first card or chip of a type, that column and type are associated (the exception is income chips, which are wild and may appear in any column). Columns fill from bottom to top. In the final scoring, you receive as many success points per card and per chip as is shown in front of the stage in which it was installed.

Phase 1: New cards

Reveal the top card of the face-down event stack and place it face up on the event card space (in later eras, just cover the previous face-up card). The event card shows: how the weather will develop (whether the weather indicator moves one or two steps towards "Hot" or "Cold" in phase 7), and which event will occur. The event is usually positive and rewards civilizations that meet a certain requirement.

Then reveal the top card of each of the 5 face-down research stacks and place each face up on its face-up research stack (covering the previous card in later eras).

Phase 2: New goals

In seating order, each civilization may choose one goal chip from the goal chip display and place it face up in its goal area. Civilizations may decline. If all 3 goal area spaces are occupied, you may still take a goal chip but must place it on top of an existing one, covering it. Only after all civilizations have had the opportunity, refill the empty display spaces from the dark blue bag.

Phase 3: Extra find

In seating order, each civilization makes an extra find by choosing a land territory where it has at least one tribe. Place one marker from your supply as a stored material onto any of the 3 storage spaces of your console that matches your chosen territory's type. Only the territory type matters, not the specific material depicted.

Phase 4: Action phase

The Action phase is the main phase. The phase indicator starts on the first yellow reset space of the phase sequence and moves to the next reset space whenever a civilization does a Reset. When it reaches the red reset end space for the player count, the Action phase ends.

The phase is played in action rounds. Each round begins with the starting civilization's turn and proceeds clockwise until each civilization has had one turn. This continues until the last action round is triggered via a Reset.

On your turn you must either Activate a module or Do a Reset.

Activating a module

On the right side of your console are 22 different modules. To activate a module, you must use exactly 2 activation dice from your dice spaces: one showing the value depicted in the bottom left of the module, the other the value in the bottom right.

Changing die values with idea markers: For each marker you return from the idea space of your console to your supply, you may increase or decrease the value on any die by one. Note that the 6 and the 1 are considered beside one another (with one idea marker you can turn a 6 into a 1 or vice versa).

Using planning markers in place of activation dice: Planning markers (obtained mainly via the Planning module) are added to your dice spaces; each equals the value of the dice space it is on. When activating a module, in place of any required activation die you can use a planning marker taken from the dice space of that value (changing the value with idea markers if needed).

Place the two activation dice you use below your console. If you use planning markers instead, return them to your supply. Then carry out the action(s) of the activated module.

The Modules

There are 15 main modules, 6 feature modules, and 1 Sleep module on your console.

The Sleep module

A fill-in module you can activate with any two activation dice regardless of their values. When activated, choose to either place 1 marker from your supply as a focus marker onto your focus space, or 2 markers as idea markers onto your idea space.

Focus markers: You can use focus markers as planning markers of any value. If you need an activation die of a specific value, use a focus marker in its place by returning it from your focus space to your supply.

The feature modules

Each of your 6 feature modules is linked to the feature space below it. To activate a feature module, use 2 activation dice of the required value and place a marker from your supply onto the feature space below it. From now on, this marker represents a marker of that feature.

The main modules

The 15 main modules can be upgraded. Each has three levels: Level I is the basic level, while levels II and III are improved versions. Many modules show an "OR" operator (choose which action to perform); if there is no "OR," you can perform all shown actions.

Module: Migration

Level I: Perform 1 migration.

Perform 1 migration: Move one of your strong (upright) tribes from its territory to an adjacent territory, where it must settle on an encampment. Either place it upright on a free encampment or displace another tribe (even your own) from its encampment into the wilderness.

Displacing into the wilderness: The displaced tribe stays in the same territory but outside the encampments, retaining its state (strong stays upright, weak stays lying). Your migrating tribe seizes the vacated encampment but must be laid down on it (taking over the encampment weakens it).
Fire encampments: In every land territory there is a yellow-bordered encampment marked with a fire. If your tribe settles there, you immediately receive the success points depicted on it.
Migrating onto boats: Alternatively, move one strong tribe onto one of your boats in an adjacent Water territory that has a free seat. Each boat only accommodates tribes of its own color and has 2 seats. Displacement is not possible.
Developing a territory: Whenever a tribe is the first to settle in a territory, it is developed: flip its material tile face up and place one of your markers from supply as a raw material into the territory. Water territories have no material tile and are developed from the start.

Additional rules: Strong tribes in the wilderness can migrate normally. Migration within the same territory is not possible. Strong tribes can migrate from boats to territories adjacent to the boat's Water territory. Weak tribes can never migrate. Territories are adjacent if their borders touch at any point; territories of the same type that border each other are separate adjacent territories. Tribes cannot enter sites. Mountain territories work the same as all other land territories.

Level II: Take a favor test. If you pass, you may perform up to 2 migrations (same or different tribes). If you do not pass, you may perform 1 migration.

Level III: Take a favor test. If you pass, perform up to 3 migrations. If you do not pass, perform up to 2 migrations.

Attention: If you use the same tribe for more than one migration, it can only settle in the territory it enters last and merely crosses through the others. Crossing through means the tribe does not enter an encampment (so it doesn't displace, gain fire points, or develop the territory). To cross through a Water territory, you must have your own boat there with a free seat.

Module: Procreation

Level I: Perform 1 procreation.

Perform 1 procreation: Choose a territory where you have at least one tribe. Take a new tribe from your supply and place it onto any encampment there. If it's free, place it upright; if occupied, displace that tribe into the wilderness and lay your new tribe weakened onto the vacated encampment; if it's a fire encampment, you receive its success points.

Additional rules: You may procreate on a boat if you have exactly one tribe on it. If you have no tribe on the continent, choose any territory and place a new tribe per the usual rules (developing an undeveloped territory). If all 20 tribes are on the continent, you cannot procreate.

Level II: Take a favor test. If you pass, perform up to 2 procreations. If you do not pass, perform 1 procreation.

Level III: (A) Perform up to 2 procreations. (B) Take a favor test; if you pass, you may strengthen 1 of your weak tribes on the continent by standing it up. You may perform B either before or after A.

Take a favor test

Whenever this symbol appears in front of an action icon, you must first take a favor test; only if you pass can you perform the action.

To take a favor test, roll all your pink fate dice once (each civilization starts with 1 fate die; acquire more via the Achievement module). Whether you pass depends on the value(s) rolled and how far your disc has advanced on the Favor of Agera track:

Leftmost space: passed only if you roll a 6 with at least one die.
Second space: passed if you roll a 5 or 6.
Third space: passed with a 4, 5, or 6, and so on.
Rightmost space: automatically passed without rolling.

You may change the value of your fate dice with idea markers (6 and 1 are beside one another). Planning markers cannot be used. You advance on the Favor of Agera track via a specific action icon (found on certain research cards, especially mutation and building cards, and as a bonus for advancing on the progress tracks).

Module: Production

Level I: (A) Produce 2 raw materials (in the same or different territories). (B) Take a favor test; if you pass, transport 1 of your raw materials from anywhere on the continent to your storage. You may perform B either before or after A.

Produce 1 raw material: Choose a territory where you have at least one tribe. Place a marker from your supply into the territory; it now represents a raw material of the type depicted on the territory's material tile. Raw materials have no value until transported to storage. You can produce on a boat if you have a tribe on it and its central notch is free (each boat holds a single raw material in its notch).

Transport 1 raw material to your storage: Choose one of your markers in any territory and place it onto the storage space of your console showing the same type of material as the territory's material tile. It doesn't matter whether you have tribes there. To transport from a boat, choose one of the developed adjacent Water-territory materials and move the marker from your boat to that storage space.

Level II: Produce a total of 3 raw materials; transport 1 of your raw materials from anywhere. B before or after A.

Level III: Produce a total of 4 raw materials; transport any 2 of your raw materials from the continent. B before or after A.

Module: Transport

Level I: Transport up to 3 of your raw materials from anywhere on the continent to your storage.

Level II: Transport up to 6 of your raw materials from anywhere.

Level III: Transport all of your raw materials from the continent. Each raw material transported from your boats may be placed onto any of your 18 storage spaces, regardless of adjacency (only when activating this module).

Module: Sustenance

Level I: Perform a hunt OR Strengthen 1 of your weak tribes.

Perform a hunt: Choose a territory where you have at least one tribe and no hunting token, and announce it aloud. Roll all your pink fate dice once. Choose the value of one die and determine how many food markers you receive by cross-referencing the die value with the chosen territory type's column in the hunting table on the progress board. Take that many markers from your supply and place them on your food space. You may change your chosen die value with idea markers. Finally, take a hunting token from the display and place it in the territory you hunted in; no one can hunt there for the rest of the era. All hunting tokens return to the display at the end of the era.

Strengthen 1 of your weak tribes: Stand any one of your weak (lying) tribes up.

Level II: Perform a hunt OR Strengthen up to 3 of your weak tribes.

Level III: Perform up to 2 consecutive hunts (in different territories) OR Strengthen up to 4 of your weak tribes.

Module: Exploration

Level I: Explore new sites (choose a territory where you have at least one tribe; reveal all face-down sites adjacent to it, gaining the success points in each site's top left corner; revealed sites remain face up and affect adjacent territories) OR Make a lucky find.

Make a lucky find: Choose a type of land territory where you have at least one tribe, announce it, and roll all your pink fate dice once. Choose one die and find its value in the column next to your storage. Follow that value's connecting line left to the storage space of the announced territory type, and place a marker from your supply there. You may change your chosen die value with idea markers.

Level II: (1) Reveal all face-down sites adjacent to a territory where you have a tribe and receive their points. (2) You may reveal 1 more face-down site anywhere and get its points. (3) Receive 2 additional success points. OR Make a lucky find.

Level III: As Level II items 1 and 2, then receive 4 additional success points. OR Make 2 consecutive lucky finds (same or different territory types).

Module: Building

Level I: Complete 1 building project OR Install 1 building card from your hand in your stage partition.

Complete 1 building project — there are 4 types:

Build a farm: Choose a land territory where you have at least one tribe and no farm. Place a farm from your console on the farm building space; there is no cost. As a reward, immediately gain an idea marker. Farms provide benefits in the Feeding phase (tribes in territories where you have a farm need fewer food markers). Each land territory holds only one farm. No farms can be built adjacent to a face-up Volcano site.
Build a boat: Choose a Water territory where you have no boat and which is adjacent to at least one territory where you have a tribe. Place a boat (with its marker) there; no cost. As a reward, you may immediately move one of your strong tribes from an adjacent territory onto the boat. Each water territory holds a maximum of 1 boat per civilization.
Build a statue: Choose a Building ground where you meet the requirements and pay the building cost. Two or three types of stored materials are specified; take a marker from your storage space of one of them and place it as a statue on the Building ground. As a reward, you may immediately advance a disc on a progress track of your choice 1 step. Each statue generates success points in every following Income phase.
Build a settlement: Choose a Building ground where you meet the requirements. Choose a settlement from your console and pay the building cost listed in front of it (returning all shown stored materials to supply). Place the settlement on the chosen Building ground. As a reward, immediately gain a new income chip. As soon as you build your fourth settlement, you may immediately flip one of your inactive stage tiles to its active side. Removing a settlement reveals 1, 2, or 3 diamonds (counting towards Prosperity).

Building grounds: Vital for building statues and settlements. Initially there is one Building ground in the large Water territory; six more are found among the sites. To build on one, you must: (1) have at least one tribe in an adjacent territory (for the Water territory Building ground, a boat there with a tribe); (2) observe the building limit — no more than two of your buildings on each Building ground, and only one of them may be a settlement.

Level II: Complete up to 2 building projects of the same type OR Install 1 building card.

Level III: Complete up to 2 building projects (same or different types) OR Install 1 building card with a special bonus: Either ignore any one of its active cost spaces (unless it is the only active cost space), or (if you did not ignore a cost space) immediately install another card of the same type from your hand.

Gain 1 income chip: (1) Choose one of the 3 income chips from the income chip display and take it. (2) Refill the empty display space from the white bag. (3) Install the income chip in your stage partition. (4) Carry out the action of this income chip once. Income chips are wild and can be installed in any column; the bottom edge must be in full contact with the part below it. Once installed, its action is triggered in each following Income phase and can also be used via its action icon.

Flip 1 stage tile to active: Chips and cards in stage 4 or 5 are only worth points if the corresponding stage tile is active at the end of the game. With this action, flip any one of your 2 inactive stage tiles to its active side. For installing and using cards/chips, it does not matter whether the stage tiles are active; this only matters for scoring.

Perform the action of 1 of your income chips: Choose one income chip in your stage partition and perform its action once. You may instead receive 1 success point. If the action requires a favor test and you fail, you get nothing (you cannot switch to the success point after the fact).

Install 1 research card

Choose a research card from your hand of the type specified by the activated module (achievement, building, insight, mutation, or invention). Install it in your stage partition:

Determine the column: If no card of this type is installed yet, choose any column that is empty or contains only income chips. If a column already holds this type, you must choose that column.
Determine the cost: The cost depends on the stage you install it in (always the lowest free stage in the column), which defines how many of the 5 cost spaces must be fulfilled from left to right (stage 1 = leftmost only; stage 2 = two leftmost; etc.). Empty or not-required cost spaces are inactive; the rest are active.
Fulfill the active cost spaces: Requirements can include returning stored materials, returning a feature marker, or having at least 3/2/1 feature markers of a type (not removed). Building cards often offer an alternative requirement (e.g., having built at least 2 settlements).
Gain the success points of the active cost spaces (if any).
Gain the instant bonus of the card (if any), depicted in the light bottom part of the card.
Insert the card into the determined column, sliding it under until only the top third is visible. If it has an ability in its top third, that ability is now active.

Note: You may always assume the costs of a higher stage (fulfilling all its active cost spaces) to gain otherwise-inactive success points, but you must fulfill all active cost spaces of the assumed stage, not just individual ones.

Module: Planning

Level I: Install 1 goal chip OR Take 2 markers from your supply and place them as planning markers onto any one dice space of your console (both on the same space).

Install 1 goal chip: Choose a visible goal chip in your goal area whose requirement you can now fulfill (e.g., having certain components in a territory, or returning a specific stored material). If you fulfill it:

Determine the column (if no goal chip installed yet, any empty or income-only column; otherwise the existing goal-chip column).
Remove the goal chip from your goal area, flip it back side up, and place it in the column with its bottom edge in full contact below. Goal chips are half a column's width, so two fit side by side per stage.
Gain the upgrade bonus if this icon is revealed when you remove the fulfilled goal chip — perform "Upgrade 1 main module." (Not revealed only if the goal chip had been sitting on top of another goal chip.)

Level II: (A) Install 1 goal chip OR (B) Place 3 markers from supply as planning markers onto one dice space (all 3 on the same space).

Level III: (A) Gain 1 goal chip and/or install 1 goal chip (in the order you choose) OR (B) Place 3 markers as planning markers onto one dice space.

Gain 1 goal chip: Choose one goal chip from the goal chip display and place it face up in your goal area, then refill the display from the dark blue bag. You may do this even if all 3 goal area spaces are occupied (placing the new chip on top of one, covering it).

Upgrade 1 main module: Choose any one of your main modules and upgrade it to its next level: level I flips to level II; level II is removed entirely to reveal level III (set the tile aside for the rest of the game — it cannot go beyond level III). If you upgrade a module while performing its actions, you cannot use its new level until your next turn.

Attribute chips

Attribute chips are the third type of chip you can install in your stage partition. Three are always displayed. You can take and install one at any time during your own turn, provided you fulfill its requirement:

Fulfill the requirement: have at least as many feature markers of the depicted type on your console as shown (3 or 4) AND return one of those markers to your supply.
Take the attribute chip and refill its display space from the yellow bag.
Determine the column (if none installed, any empty or income-only column; otherwise the existing attribute-chip column).
Insert it in the lowest free stage; it gives an individual benefit throughout the game. You may install several attribute chips on the same turn.

Completion bonuses: Stages 1 and 2 each have a completion bonus, gained at the end of the turn in which you install a chip or card that completes the stage. Stage 1's bonus lets you "Gain 1 income chip"; Stage 2's bonus lets you "Flip 1 stage tile to active." You may install in a column already filled to stage 5 or higher (using stage-5 costs for cards), but stages 6+ are worth no success points.

Module: Research

Level I: Gain 1 research card OR Draw 2 cards from the face-down research stacks (same or different stacks), look at them secretly, choose one for your hand, and place the other face down at the bottom of its stack.

Gain 1 research card: Gain the top card from one of the 5 face-up or 5 face-down research stacks and add it to your hand (no hand limit). Whenever you take the last card of a face-up stack, immediately reveal the top card of the corresponding face-down stack to form a new face-up stack.

Level II: Gain 1 research card OR Draw 4 cards from the face-down stacks, look secretly, choose one for your hand, return the other 3 to the bottoms of their stacks.

Level III: Perform "Gain 1 research card" 2 times in a row OR Draw 4 cards from the face-down stacks, look secretly, choose 2 for your hand, return the other 2 to the bottoms of their stacks.

Module: Achievement

Level I: Gain either 1 activation die or 1 fate die OR Install 1 achievement card.

Activation die: Take any activation die from the dice display, roll it once, and place it on the matching dice space; use it to activate modules like your others.
Fate die: Take any fate die from the dice display and add it to your fate dice; roll them together for favor tests, hunts, and lucky finds.
If no dice of your chosen type remain in the display, take one from the civilization with the most of that type (ties: you choose). You cannot take a die from others if you already uniquely have the most of that type.

Level II: Gain 1 activation die and 1 fate die OR Install 1 achievement card.

Level III: Gain 1 activation die and 1 fate die OR Install 1 achievement card including the special bonus.

Module: Insight

Level I: Gain 3 idea markers (place 3 markers from supply on your idea space) OR Install 1 insight card.

Level II: Gain 6 idea markers OR Install 1 insight card.

Level III: Gain 6 idea markers OR Install 1 insight card including the special bonus.

Module: Mutation

Level I: Move 1 of your feature markers to any of your feature spaces OR Install 1 mutation card.

Level II: Do up to twice: move 1 feature marker to any feature space. OR Install 1 mutation card.

Level III: Do up to twice: move 1 feature marker to any feature space. OR Install 1 mutation card including the special bonus.

Module: Invention

Level I: Perform the action of 1 of your income chips OR Install 1 invention card.

Level II: Perform up to 2 actions of your income chips (2 different chips or the same action twice) OR Install 1 invention card.

Level III: Perform up to 2 actions of your income chips OR Install 1 invention card including the special bonus.

Module: Trade

Level I: Perform the Sale action and the Purchase action up to once each (in any order).

Sale: Sell up to 2 stored materials from your storage — one for money and one for success points. Selling for money: return the material to supply and take as many markers onto your money space as the money bag in front of its storage row indicates (e.g., Wood gives 1, Oil gives 3). Selling for success points: return it to supply and gain 2 success points.
Purchase: Choose any type of material to buy. If its material tile is already face up on the continent, return 2 money markers to supply; if not, return 4. Then gain the material by placing a marker on its storage space.

Level II: Perform the Sale and Purchase actions up to twice each, in any order.

Level III: Gain 2 money markers, then perform the Sale and Purchase actions up to twice each, in any order.

Module: Activity

Level I: Perform 1 activity.

Perform 1 activity: Perform one of the activities available to you. You start with one activity in the top right corner of your console. Get more by installing research cards that provide activities (marked with the activity icon). Activities include advancing a disc on a progress track, or returning a money marker to advance a disc.

Level II: Perform up to 2 different activities.

Level III: Perform up to 2 activities (2 different or the same twice).

The progress tracks

Advance your discs on the progress tracks via action icons (mostly found on research cards). The tracks belong to the scoring categories. By advancing, you gain bonuses: every bonus threshold you cross grants the track bonus to its right. Track bonuses include:

Upgrade 1 of 5 possible modules — from which 5 depends on their color matching the track's color (the threshold shows the required value).
Either advance on the Favor of Agera track 1 step OR perform the action of 1 of your income chips.
Either "Flip 1 of your stage tiles to active" OR gain 3 success points.
Gain 3 success points.

You can't advance beyond space 12 on any progress track; if already on space 12, gain 2 success points for every additional step.

Do a Reset

Instead of activating a module, you may do a Reset to retrieve your used activation dice — only allowed if you currently have 3 or fewer activation dice on your dice spaces (planning markers don't count). Move the leftmost reset marker step by step down its column:

A — Move the phase indicator along the yellow arrow to the next reset space. (If it reaches the reset end space of your player count, you trigger the end of the Action phase.)
B — Take all your used activation dice from below your console into hand. For each die still on your dice spaces, decide whether to leave it or take it. Roll all dice in hand once and place each on the dice space of its value.
C — Remove the reset marker and place it on either your idea or your food space.

If you do a Reset but have no reset markers left, still carry out steps A and B, then place a marker from your supply on your idea or food space.

End of the Action phase

Triggered when the phase indicator moves onto the reset end space for the player count. Complete the current action round, then play one full final action round (each civilization has one last turn). Then move the phase indicator to Phase 5.

Phase 5: Site phase

Go through the following 3 types of sites and carry out their effects (skip any not revealed):

A) Gorge of the Grimwolves: For each revealed Gorge, each civilization with at least one tribe in an adjacent territory must return 1 food marker. (If you have no food markers, you are exempt.)
B) Glacier: For each revealed Glacier, each civilization with a strong tribe in an adjacent territory must weaken one such strong tribe by laying it down. (Weak tribes are never affected.)
C) Mystic oak: For each revealed Mystic oak, each civilization checks its adjacent territories where it has a tribe: gain 2 points for each such Water, Swamp, or Desert territory, and 1 point for each such Forest, Grassland, Hill, or Mountain territory. Territories adjacent to multiple oaks score separately for each.

Phase 6: Feeding phase

A) Feed tribes: All tribes must be fed (can be simultaneous, or in seating order if needed). Each tribe on an encampment or boat requires 1 food marker; each tribe in the wilderness requires 2. If you have a farm in a territory, all your tribes on encampments there are automatically fed, and your tribes in that territory's wilderness require only 1 food marker each. For each tribe, decide whether to pay by returning food markers from your food space. Any tribe not fed must be weakened: strong tribes are laid down; already-weak tribes die and return to your supply.

Special action "Deus ex machina": Whenever one of your tribes would die, you may save it instead by moving your disc on the Favor of Agera track one step backwards (not possible if already on the leftmost space).

B) Score strong tribes: Once all civilizations finish step A, each gains 1 success point for each of its strong tribes.

Phase 7: Event phase

A) Adjust the weather and resolve its effect: Attend to the era's event card. Move the weather indicator 1 or 2 steps up (hotter) or down (colder) as shown. The weather space where it ends indicates the effect triggered. (If moved over a white line, place it on the weather space before that line — "Hot" or "Cold" — and trigger the effect beyond the white line.) In seating order, each civilization resolves the effect. Positive effects may be forgone; negative effects must be carried out. A slash indicates you must choose between two effects.

Positive effects: perform the action of 1 income chip; perform 1 activity.
Negative effects: return 1 food marker to supply; remove one of your tribes from anywhere on the continent (you may use "Deus ex machina" to save it). You only remain unaffected by "Hot"/"Cold" if you have neither a food marker nor a tribe.

B) Resolve the event: Resolve the event of the face-up event card, granting a bonus to one or more civilizations if the requirement is met (in seating order). If no civilization meets the requirement, the bonus is forfeited.

C) Score the category of the current era: On the leftmost non-empty scoring space of the era scoring area, see which category is scored and how many points each unit is worth. Each civilization counts its units of that category and gains that many points per unit. Then remove the scoring tile.

The 9 scoring categories and their units:

Technology, Prestige, Knowledge, Construction, Culture — each step your disc has advanced on the respective progress track (multiply the digit printed on your disc's space by the category points).
Evolution — each feature marker on your feature spaces.
Prosperity — each active diamond on the left half of your console (across 4 sections: food space = 1 diamond per column of 3 food markers; money space = 1 diamond per column of 2 money markers; settlements = each diamond visible in built settlements' empty recesses; storage = diamonds between two storage spaces of the same territory type that both hold at least 1 stored material).
Population — each of your tribes on the continent.
Expansion — each territory in which you have at least one tribe.

D) Determine the starting civilization: After removing the scoring tile, give the starting monolith to the civilization that just scored the most points in that category. Ties (even at 0): pass the monolith from the outgoing starting civilization to the tied civilization next in seating order. If the starting civilization alone scored the most, it remains.

Phase 8: Income phase

A) Gain income: Each civilization performs the action of each of its income chips once (in any order; can be simultaneous, but resolve order-relevant cases in seating order).

B) Score statues: For each of your statues on the continent, gain as many points as is printed above your disc on the Favor of Agera track.

C) Remove hunting tokens from the territories and return them to the display (do not remove blocking tokens from encampments).

D) Equip the reset columns — each civilization refills its empty reset columns with markers from supply.

Afterwards the era ends and the phase indicator returns to phase 1 to start the next era.

End of the Game

In the Income phase of the fourth era (all era scoring spaces empty), carry out steps A "Gain income" and B "Score statues" as usual, then skip C and D and place the phase indicator on the leftmost hexagon space of the final scoring area. Carry out the final scoring.

Final scoring

Each civilization gains success points for each of the 9 scoring categories as well as its console. Advance the phase indicator along the arrows from hexagon to hexagon and score each category (exactly as in phase 7), but the category points are now set by the point space below that category (or the scoring tile covering it).

Once all 9 categories are scored, move to hexagon space "A" and score the stage partition of each console: for each chip and research card whose top third is visible in a stage, gain the success points to the left of that stage. Chips and cards in stages 4 and 5 only score if their corresponding stage tile is active.

Then move to hexagon space "B": each civilization checks for research cards with a point bonus (marked with the point-bonus icon). For each card and income chip installed in the column of such a point bonus card, gain the success points shown on that point bonus card (itself included), scoring all cards and chips in that column regardless of stage.

Who wins? The civilization with the most success points wins. Ties are broken by more module upgrades, then by seating order.

Important additional notes: Whenever you complete a lap on the score track (onto or past space 0), take a 100-point token. If your disc on the Favor of Agera track is on the rightmost space when you would advance it, you must forgo that bonus. Your marker supply is limited to 50 pieces; if empty when you would gain markers, you may replenish by returning any number of markers from your console and continent (excluding statues, reset markers, and markers on boats). There is no limit to how many markers you may have on any space of your console; for Prosperity you can never claim more active diamonds than are printed.

The Sites

There are 24 sites, revealed via the Exploration module. Each revealed site affects adjacent territories. There are 9 types; four are explained elsewhere (Building ground, Gorge of the Grimwolves, Glacier, Mystic oak). The remaining five:

Hidden grotto (x2): Whenever you activate your Production module, at each revealed Hidden grotto first choose an adjacent territory where you have a tribe, produce 1 raw material there, and transport it to storage. Then perform your usual Production actions.
Holy rock (x2): Whenever you activate your Procreation module, at each revealed Holy rock choose an adjacent territory where you have a tribe and take a favor test; if you pass, perform 1 procreation there. Then perform your usual Procreation actions.
Cave (x3): During migration, all territories adjacent to any Cave are considered adjacent to one another (you may not move a tribe back into the territory it came from with a single migration).
Mushroom valley (x2): Whenever you hunt in a territory adjacent to one Mushroom valley, gain 1 additional food marker (2 if adjacent to both).
Volcano (x2): You cannot build farms adjacent to a Volcano; existing farms in adjacent territories are returned to their consoles when a Volcano is revealed.

The success points on a site's front are only relevant when revealed during exploration.

Solo Mode

Play against V.I.C.I, an entity simulating a rival civilization.

Setup: Set up as a 2-player game, but carry out setup steps 12 to 16 only for yourself. Then set up V.I.C.I's play area: place the 7 display cards in ascending order and shuffle the 15 action cards into a face-down action stack; choose a color for V.I.C.I, place one of its 7 discs on each of your discs on the boards; place 15 tribes (5 unused) and 50 markers as V.I.C.I's supply, with 1 tribe upright on the non-fire encampment in each starting territory and a provision marker lengthwise next to each starting territory's farm building space; place 4 of V.I.C.I's markers on spaces 1+2 of the Evolution grid and spaces 1+2 of the Prosperity grid; place 6 activation dice and 1 fate die in V.I.C.I's play area.

Playing: Go through the 8 phases as usual with the following adjustments.

Phase 1: As usual.
Phase 2: When V.I.C.I "chooses" a goal chip, roll one of its dice and remove the goal chip from the display position matching the rolled value (1=top, 2=second, 3=third, 4=fourth; 5/6 or empty = none removed). Return removed chips to the box.
Phase 3: As usual; V.I.C.I makes no extra find.
Phase 4: You and V.I.C.I take alternating turns (starting monolith first). On V.I.C.I's turns, reveal the top action card, place it face up beside the stack (offset to keep all reset icons visible), and carry out its action(s). V.I.C.I's Reset: when all visible reset icons total at least 4 blue AND at least 4 red, do not carry out the new card's action — do a Reset instead (advance the phase indicator, discard revealed action cards). Reshuffle the discard pile when the stack is empty.

V.I.C.I's actions use the relevant (blue or red) half of each action card per the difficulty level. Actions include advancing V.I.C.I's discs on progress tracks, removing top face-up research cards, gaining success points, advancing on the Favor of Agera track, placing statues on the Water-territory Building ground, gaining dice, and placing markers on the Evolution/Prosperity grids (removing attribute/income chips when covering icons). Five action types (procreation, migration, provision, exploration, hunting) require determining a territory via priority requirements and territory/beacon rolls, following the display cards' priority tables for encampment selection.

Phase 5: Sites affect you as usual; V.I.C.I is never affected by any face-up sites.
Phase 6: Feed your tribes as usual. For V.I.C.I: first perform 1 provision action, then feed based on provision markers (1 provision marker feeds 1 tribe on an encampment; 2+ feed all encampment tribes plus 1 in the wilderness). Unfed tribes are weakened. V.I.C.I gains 1 point per strong tribe in step B.
Phase 7: As usual; V.I.C.I is never affected by weather or event bonuses, but counts toward majority/lead checks. V.I.C.I scores the era's category per the usual rules (Evolution/Prosperity counted via the grids).
Phase 8: As usual; for V.I.C.I only statue scoring is relevant.

End of the game: In final scoring, V.I.C.I scores the scoring categories per the usual rules but has no console. If you have more total success points than V.I.C.I, you win.

Difficulty levels (by how many eras use the red action-card halves): Beginner (blue throughout), Moderate (red in era 4), Medium (red in eras 3–4), Advanced (red in eras 2–4), Expert (red throughout). An extra-tough variant: whenever V.I.C.I does a Reset, also perform the triggering action card's action before discarding.