Eminent Domain
Eminent Domain Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Central Card Display x1 — holds the Survey, Warfare, Colonize, Produce/Trade, and Research Role card Stacks.
- Role Cards x96 — Produce/Trade x16, Research x20, Colonize x20, Warfare x16, Survey x20, Politics x4.
- Planet Cards x27
- Start Planet Tiles x6
- Technology Cards x39 — 13 Advanced, 13 Fertile, 13 Metallic.
- Fighter Tokens x35
- Resource Tokens x24 — 6 Food, 6 Water, 6 Iron, 6 Silicon.
- Player Aid Tiles x4 — 1 labeled "Start Player."
- Influence Tokens x32
Setup
- Deal each player 1 Politics card. Remove any unused Politics cards from the game.
- Separate the other Role cards by type and put them face up in 5 Stacks on their respective spaces on the central card display. These are the Role Stacks.
- Each player shuffles the following cards together to make a 10 card starting deck:
- 1 Politics card.
- 1 Warfare card.
- 2 Colonize cards.
- 2 Research cards.
- 2 Survey cards.
- 2 Produce/Trade cards.
- Randomly deal each player a Start Planet tile which they put FACE DOWN (survey side showing) in their Empire. Remove unused Start Planets from the game.
- Shuffle the Planet cards and place them in a face down draw deck on the side of the central card display.
- Randomly deal 1 Player Aid tile to each player. Whoever receives the Player Aid with "Start Player" on the back will play first. Remove unused Player Aids from the game.
- 8 Influence tokens are marked differently than the rest. Set those aside leaving 24 in the supply.
- Separate the Technology cards by type (Fertile, Advanced, Metallic) into three FACE UP piles placed to one side of the central card display. These piles are freely accessible to all players at all times.
- Draw 5 cards from your deck and you're ready to begin!
Learning Game: Some players can be overwhelmed by the number of Technology cards when learning the game. For your first game you might consider using the Learning Game described in the Variants section to help teach the game.
Turns
Player turns proceed clockwise. During your turn, you'll complete the following 3 phases in order:
- Action Phase (optional)
- Role Phase (mandatory)
- Cleanup Phase (mandatory)
1. Action Phase (optional)
Play one card from your hand and resolve its Action effect.
- Actions cannot be Boosted or Followed.
- You may choose to play no Action and skip the Action Phase.
After executing the Action, place the card played into your discard pile.
(Diagram: 1. Play card from hand → 2. Resolve the Action → 3. Move to discard pile.)
2. Role Phase (mandatory)
Lead one of the 6 roles: Colonize, Research, Produce, Trade, Survey, or Warfare, and resolve its Role effect.
- Choose a Role from the Central Display.
- Take a card from that Stack (if available) and place it in your play area.
- You may Boost the chosen role by playing any number of cards from your hand with symbols matching that role. Symbols on face up planets in your Empire may also be used to Boost the Role. Cards played during the Action Phase do not contribute to Boosting the Role.
- Resolve the Role effect, including the Leader bonus, taking into account all symbols used to Boost the role.
(Diagram: 1. Lead a role from the Stacks → 2. Boost the effect of the role with cards from your hand.)
- In clockwise order, each opponent has the option to either Dissent or Follow the role:
- Dissent: Draw 1 card from their deck to their hand.
- Follow: Play cards from their hand bearing symbols matching the chosen role and execute the role effect (not the Leader bonus). Symbols on face up planets in their Empire may also be used to Follow the role. Note that you can Follow a role without playing any cards from your hand, using only symbols in your Empire.
A role may still be chosen when its stack is empty. In that case, Trade, Produce, and Research have an additional Leader bonus. That bonus only applies when the stack is empty!
3. Cleanup Phase (mandatory)
Discard played cards and reconcile your hand.
- Each player places cards they played during the Role Phase (except those tucked under planets as Colonies) into their respective discard piles.
- You may discard any number of cards from your hand, keeping the rest.
- Draw or discard cards until you reach your Hand Limit.
- You only reconcile your hand during your own Cleanup Phase, never on an opponent's turn.
Whenever you must draw a card and your deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile to create a new deck.
Discard piles are open information and may be examined at any time.
The base Hand Limit is 5 cards, though it can be modified by planets in your Empire.
Game End
The game end is triggered when EITHER the Influence supply OR a number of Role card Stacks are exhausted. After this occurs, the game will end as soon as all players have taken an equal number of turns. The player sitting on the start player's right will therefore take the last turn of the game.
If the Influence supply runs out, players still receive Influence tokens they are entitled to – use the 8 set aside Influence tokens and spare Resource or Fighter tokens if need be.
| Game | Game End Trigger |
|---|---|
| 2 player standard | 1 stack depleted |
| 3 player standard | 1 stack depleted |
| 3 player extended * | 2 stacks depleted |
| 4 player standard | 2 stacks depleted |
* See VARIANTS for Extended 3-player game variant.
Determining the Winner
Add the Influence from your Influence tokens, Technology cards and face up Planet cards to determine your score. The player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie, the tied player with the most Resource and Fighter tokens in their Empire is the winner. In case of a further tie, play another game to determine the victor!
Variants
Learning Game
It can be overwhelming to take in all of the Technology cards while trying to learn the game. Some players may prefer to play with this Learning Game variant to make it easier to understand how to play. Remove the Technology cards from the game, as well as the 3 Advanced planets with Research symbols. Turn the Research role Stack face down; it will not be used. The Learning Game is played exactly the same as the regular game, but without the Research role.
To further ease into the game, you may choose to add only the Level 1 Technologies in your second game, leaving the Level 2 and Level 3 Technologies for after you see how the Research role works.
Extended 3-Player Game
For those who prefer a longer 3-player game, this variant will increase the game length. Remove 2 of each Role card (only 1 Warfare) from the Stacks during Setup. Play until the Influence supply or ANY TWO Role Stacks are exhausted.
Planet Cards
Each Planet card has a back (its Survey side) showing the Warfare cost (Fighter tokens required to Attack it), the Colonize cost (Colonies required to Settle it), and the Planet type (Fertile, Advanced, or Metallic).
Each Planet card also has a front (its face up side, revealed once Settled or Attacked) showing the planet's Name, Planet type, a Game Effect, a Symbol, its Influence value, and a Resource slot.
- Each symbol on a face up planet in your Empire counts when resolving a role effect matching that symbol.
- Resource slots store resources during the game. The slot indicates the type of resource it stores.
Some planets have a "+1 hand of cards" icon in their Game Effect area. This indicates that your Hand Limit is increased by 1.
Role Cards
Politics
Action:
- Remove the Politics card from the game. Choose 1 Role card from the Stacks and add it to your hand.
- Politics cards are never used to Boost or Follow any Roles.
Survey
Action:
- Draw 2 cards from your deck to your hand.
Role:
- Look at one fewer Planet cards than the number of Survey symbols played. Examine the front and back of those card(s), and choose 1 to add (face down) to your Empire. Place the Planet cards that were not chosen in a face up planet discard pile.
- If the Planet deck is empty, shuffle the planet discards to create a new planet deck.
Leader Bonus:
- Look at 1 additional Planet card.
Colonize
Action (Choose only 1):
- +1 Colony: Tuck the Colonize card underneath the planet with Colonize symbols showing so all players can see the number of Colonies on the planet.
- Settle 1 Planet: If a planet has sufficient Colonies, flip it over. The number of Colonies required is indicated on the Planet card. Place all Colonies from that planet into your discard pile.
Role:
- +1 Colony per Colonize symbol: Tuck all cards played under any number of face down planets in your Empire. Colonize symbols on those cards count as Colonies on that planet.
Leader Bonus:
- Settle 1 planet instead of adding Colonies: If a planet has sufficient Colonies, flip it over. The number of Colonies required is indicated on the Planet card. Place all Colonies from that planet into your discard pile.
Important Notes:
- Face up planets show some number of Influence points – this is the Influence value of the planet for end game scoring. DO NOT take Influence tokens from the supply when flipping a planet face up!
- It is legal to add more Colonies to a planet than the number required to Settle it.
- Planets cannot be Settled when Following a Colonize role.
Each Colonize symbol in your Empire reduces the number of Colonies needed to Settle a Planet by 1. You can think of these symbols as virtual Colonies on each planet in your Empire when you are trying to Settle.
Example: Seth has a face down planet in his Empire that has 3 Colonies on it. It has a Colonize cost of 4. He also has a face up planet in his Empire with a Colonize symbol. When Seth plays a Colonize Action, he may choose to Settle that planet.
Warfare
Action (Choose only 1):
- Collect 1 Fighter token (it doesn't matter which one) and place it in your Empire.
- Attack 1 Planet: Return X Fighter tokens from your Empire to the supply (it doesn't matter which ones) and flip over 1 planet in your Empire. "X" is shown as the Warfare cost on the Planet card.
Role:
- Collect 1 Fighter token for each Warfare symbol played.
Leader Bonus:
- Attack 1 Planet instead of collecting fighters: Return X Fighter tokens to the supply and flip over 1 planet in your Empire. "X" is shown as the Warfare cost on the Planet card.
Important Notes:
- Face up planets show some number of Influence points – this is the Influence value of the planet for end game scoring. DO NOT take Influence tokens from the supply when flipping a planet face up!
- Players may only Attack face down planets in their own Empire.
- Players may not Attack when Following a Warfare Role.
- When Attacking a planet, place any Colonies on that planet into your discard pile.
Produce
Action:
- Add 1 Resource token to an empty resource slot in your Empire.
Role:
- Add 1 Resource token per Production symbol played to an empty resource slot in your Empire.
Leader Bonus:
- No Leader Bonus until Stack is depleted.
- After Stack is depleted, +1 Produce symbol as shown on Central Card Display.
Important Notes:
- The type of resource (Silicon, Water, Food, or Iron) is determined by and indicated on the resource slot. Resource type matters for some of the Technology cards.
- Produce may only be Boosted or Followed by the Produce symbol.
- Resources are not piece limited. If you run out of tokens of one color, use another color token as a proxy.
Trade
Action:
- Return 1 Resource token from your Empire to the supply. If you do, take 1 Influence token.
Role:
- Return 1 Resource token from your Empire to the supply for each Trade symbol you played. Take 1 Influence token per Resource returned.
Leader Bonus:
- No Leader Bonus until Stack is depleted.
- After Stack is depleted, +1 Trade symbol as shown on Central Card Display.
Important Notes:
- You cannot Trade more resources than you have in your Empire.
- You only collect Influence for resources returned to the supply, even if you played additional trade symbols.
- Trade may only be Boosted or Followed by the Trade symbol.
Research
Action:
- Remove up to 2 cards in your hand from the game. This may include the Research card you are playing. Put removed cards back in the box; they will not be used for the remainder of the game.
Role:
- There are 3 types of Technology cards corresponding to the three types of planets: Fertile, Advanced, and Metallic.
- Take any one Technology card from the Technology piles and add it to your hand. Each Technology card has a research cost and a prerequisite number of face up planets of the appropriate type:
| Technology Level | Prerequisite * | Cost * |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 1 Planet | 3 Research symbols |
| Level 2 | 2 Planets | 5 Research symbols |
| Level 3 | 3 Planets | 7 Research symbols |
*These costs and prerequisites are printed on the cards.
- To satisfy the Research cost, play that number of Research symbols before resolving the role.
Leader Bonus:
- No Leader Bonus until Stack is depleted.
- After Stack is depleted, +1 Research symbol as shown on display.
Important Notes:
- 6 of the Technology cards are not added to your hand but instead stay in play for the remainder of the game. These Technology cards are double sided, and when you purchase one you choose which side comes into play. The other side is ignored for the remainder of the game.
- Level 2 and Level 3 Technology cards have Influence points printed on them. This is the Influence value of the card for end game scoring. DO NOT take Influence tokens from the supply when purchasing a Technology card!
- You MAY choose the Research role and then not take a Technology card, just to get a Research card in your deck.
Glossary
Attack - Flip a planet over by spending Fighter tokens as indicated by the Planet card. Spent Fighters are returned to the supply.
Boost – Play symbols that match the Role you've chosen.
Colony – A Colonize symbol on a card tucked under a planet is called a Colony.
Dissent – Choose to draw 1 card rather than Follow an opponent's Role.
Empire – Your play area is called your Empire.
Follow – Participate in the role chosen by an opponent.
Influence – The player with the most Influence at the end of the game wins.
Leader – The player choosing a role in the Role phase.
Settle – Flip a planet over. There must be sufficient Colonies tucked under it as indicated by the Planet card.
Stack – Common pool of Role cards – there is 1 stack for each basic Role card.
Technology Card Quick Reference
The back cover of the rulebook includes a quick-reference chart of every Technology card in the game, organized by planet type (Metallic, Fertile, Advanced) and Level.
Level 1 (Cost: 3 Research symbols; Prerequisite: 1 Planet of the matching type). One copy of each of the following exists for each planet type:
- Improved Colonize — Action: Settle 1 Planet. Settle another Planet OR +1 Colony. (Note: "Settle 1 Planet" is optional.)
- Improved Survey — Action: Draw 3 cards.
- Improved Production — Action: Produce 2 Resources.
- Improved Warfare — Action: Collect 2 Fighters OR Attack 1 Planet.
- Improved Trade — Action: Collect 1 Influence from the supply.
- Improved Research — Action: Draw 1 card. Remove up to 3 cards in hand from the game.
Level 2 (Cost: 5 Research symbols; Prerequisite: 2 Planets of the matching type):
Metallic:
- Survey Team — Action: Take the top card of the Planet deck and put it into your Empire face down.
- Mobilization — Action: Collect 2 Fighters. You may Attack 1 Planet after your Role phase this turn.
- War Path — Action: Attack up to 2 Planets.
- Imperialism / Scorched Earth Policy (double-sided; put this card into play, not into your deck): Front (Imperialism): Permanent — depicts the Survey, Trade, and Warfare symbols (no additional text printed on the card). Back (Scorched Earth Policy): Permanent — -2 to your Warfare costs. When you Attack a Planet, leave a Fighter on it. That Planet cannot store Resources.
Fertile:
- Terraforming — Action: Add this card to a Planet as 2 Colonies. If that fulfills the printed Colonize cost, Settle that Planet. (Note: Ignore Colonize symbol discounts in your Empire.)
- Artificial Intelligence — Action: Take any 2 Role cards from the stacks into your hand.
- Genetic Engineering — Action: +1 Influence for each TYPE of Resource you produce this turn.
- Fertile Ground / Abundance (double-sided; put this card into play, not into your deck): Front (Fertile Ground): Permanent — depicts the Colonize, Produce, and Research symbols (no additional text printed on the card). Back (Abundance): Permanent — Planets you Settle or Attack come into play with Resource slots full.
Advanced:
- Data Network — Action: Draw 2 cards. Remove any number of cards in hand from the game.
- Diverse Markets — Action: +1 Influence for each TYPE of Resource you trade this turn.
- Specialization — Action: Choose 1 Resource TYPE. +1 Influence for each Resource of that TYPE you trade this turn.
- Weapon Emporium / Streamlining (double-sided; put this card into play, not into your deck): Front (Weapon Emporium): Permanent — You may trade Fighters as if they were Resources. (Note: "Fighter" is not a resource type.) Back (Streamlining): Permanent — You may remove 1 card in hand from the game each turn.
Level 3 (Cost: 7 Research symbols; Prerequisite: 3 Planets of the matching type):
- Logistics / Productivity (Metallic, double-sided; put this card into play, not into your deck): Front (Logistics): Permanent — Play the Action and Role phases of your turn in any order. Back (Productivity): Permanent — You may play an additional card for its Action effect during your Action phase.
- Dissension / Bureaucracy (Fertile, double-sided; put this card into play, not into your deck): Front (Dissension): Permanent — Draw 1 additional card when Dissenting. Back (Bureaucracy): Permanent — You may use the Leader Bonus when Following the Colonize and Warfare Roles.
- Adaptability / Hyperefficiency (Advanced, double-sided; put this card into play, not into your deck): Front (Adaptability): Permanent — Your standard Research role cards gain all Research symbols. They can be used to Boost or Follow any role. Back (Hyperefficiency): Permanent — You may remove any number of cards in hand from the game each turn.
Credits
Game Design and Development: Seth Jaffee
Graphic Design and Illustration: Gavan Brown
Illustration: Eric J. Carter, Ryan Johnson, James Wolf Strehle, Patrick McEvoy, Jeremy Deveraturda
Copyright 2011 Tasty Minstrel Games, L.L.C., Tucson, AZ — www.tastyminstrelgames.com
Sincerest Gratitude
I would like to thank the following people, without whom Eminent Domain would not exist:
For early and constant playtesting: Tyler Morgan, John Heder and Steve Carleson.
For Print & Play testing and evangelism above and beyond the call of duty: Carlos Robeldo, Tom Gurganus, Kenny Ven Osdel, David Etherton, Scott Anderson, Adam Kunsemiller, Hank Panethiere, and everyone else who printed a copy or played a copy of the game, wrote a review or session report, or otherwise spread the word about Eminent Domain.
For contributing to rules edits: Jim Cote, Brad Perry, Heidrun Spohr, Lars Rose, Adam Kunsemiller, Shea Parkes, David Etherton, Kenny VenOsdel, Doug Orleans, Minty Hunter, and everybody else who emailed or posted comments online.
And for making Eminent Domain a reality (and a gorgeous reality at that): Michael Mindes, Gavan Brown, Eric Carter, Ryan Johnson, James Wolf, Patrick McEvoy and Jeremy Deveraturda.
Special thanks to the Tasty Minstrel Street Team for helping get the word out about Eminent Domain: David Fristrom, Dan Foster, Wystan Benbow, Adam J O'Brien, Esq., Fung Chun Ping, Tom Gurganus, Christian Spear, Jon Hall, Dan Skogstad, Bob Menzel, Frank Hamrick, Allen Sam, Elindo Castro, Richard Walter, Marc Specter, Levi Applegate, Todd Derscheid, Kevin O'Brien, Uriah Otting, Michael B. Cook, Kristian Jansen Jaech, Louis Seelbach VI, Doug Orleans, Cathy Griffin, Mike Logan, Hank Panethiere, Michael Satre, David Hoffman, Darth, Daniel Grant, Mike Betzel, David Etherton, Matt Baughman.
Special Thanks: Tasty Minstrel Games also extends heartfelt thanks to its hundreds of Kickstarter supporters (Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze) whose backing on Kickstarter made Eminent Domain possible.