Era of Atlantis

Era of Atlantis Rulebook

Table of Contents

2. Overview
- Objective
- Play
3. Contents
4. Setup
5. Concepts
6. Play
- 6.1 Actions
- 6.2 End of Round
7. Strategy Tips
8. Advanced Game
- 8.1 Secret Society Powers
- 8.2 Objectives for Major Nations
9. Variants
- 9.1 Two-Players
- 9.2 Hidden Agents
10. Campaign Game
11. Tables

2. Overview

Objective

The main objective of the game is to expand the power of both of the nations you control. You do this by either expanding to new areas or constructing buildings. The lesser Power value of your two nations counts toward your final score in victory points (VP).

You can score additional VP by accumulating Virya (mystical energy), controlling the leading nation, and fulfilling secret objectives.

Play

The game is played over a variable number of rounds with each player taking a single turn per round. On your turn, you select one action from the action spaces available to you. This can be either an action from your secret society or from one of the two nations you control.

There are two main ways to gain new areas for your nation: militarily or politically. A nation will grow more successfully the better its two controlling players cooperate. There is also the possibility of switching control to a different nation during the game.

Effective communication and consultation with your partners are essential for success.

3. Contents

Components are limited as listed above.

90 Warrior minis (military units, 15 small and 3 large in each of the 5 major nation colors: red, green, yellow, blue, dark gray)
35 Control markers (small obelisks, 7 in each of the 5 major nation colors)
10 Archons (large character meeples, 2 for each secret society in the 5 player colors: white, gray, orange, purple, pink)
14 Special Action tiles
Passive Major Nation Blocking marker (3 player games only)
18 Objective cards
10 Secret Society Control markers
15 Setup cards (3-4 player games only)
26 Minor Nation Property counters (14 of them with a round protrusion for the special actions)
8 Lost Relics (wooden tokens, 2 in each player color)
5 Loot counters (1x "+4", 2x "+3", 2x "+2")
5 Bases
5 Pyramids
5 Capitols
5 Major Nation Property counters
5 Virya Indicators (small pawns, one in each player color)
15 Temples (6 black, 9 white)
5 Factories
5 Power Track markers (in the 5 major nation colors)
5 Temple markers
End marker
Healing Crystal, Psychic Control, Chimera Lab markers
4 Wilderness counters
45 Agent counters (9 for each player color: 3x "1", 2x "2", 1x "3", 3x "0")

4. Setup

Note: The numbers in the yellow and gray dots correspond to the steps in the separate setup guide. After completing your first setup, you can use this guide to quickly navigate through the setup process again.

Setup example for 4 players (after setup has been completed), key to the image: A Major Nation tiles; B Game Board; C Special Action tiles; D Player Aids; 1 Round marker; 2 Doom marker; 3 Temples of Light; 4 Lost Relics; 5 Wilderness counters; 6 Minor Nation Property counters for special actions; 7 Minor Nation Property counters (normal); 8 Major Nation Property counters; 9 (see page 13); 10 Power Track markers; 11 Starting Player tile; 12 Secret Society pads; 13 Virya Indicators; 14 (see page 14); 15 Objective Card Layout pad; 16 Objective Cards; 17 Secret Society Control markers; 18 (see page 15); 19 Agent counters.

4.1 Major Nations

A Lay out the five major nation tiles, each with all the components of their color, on one side of the table.

4.2 Prepare Board

B Lay out the board with the world map in the center of the table.

1 Place the Round marker (a white disc with an hourglass icon) on the leftmost position of the Round track, marked with a "1."

2 Position the Doom marker (a black wave meeple) at the right end of the Round track on the space marked with a Doom marker symbol, with the number next to it equal to the number of players. Place the End marker at the right end of the track, on the space marked with the End marker symbol corresponding to the number of players. Make sure the side with the black arrow and white background is facing up, and that the arrow points toward the left end of the track.

3 Place the nine temple of light building pieces on the board, on the spots with the matching icons (see image) just above the left end of the Round track. This is the Ascension track.

Usage: Whenever a temple of light building is needed, take one of the bottom-most pieces from here to place it on the map. Whenever such a building is removed from the map, place it back here on one of the topmost empty spots. The top four temples of light must first be "unlocked" before they can be used (see below). To mark a temple of light as "unlocked" place its two transparent cubes next to it (see "Lost Relics" below).

Practical Tip: To make it even clearer, place the unlocked temples on the track standing up and lay the locked ones down.

There were nine life-sized crystal skulls, believed to contain crucial information for humanity's ascent to an enlightened society. Of these, only five had been recovered from the previous cataclysm, while the remaining four were shattered into pieces and lost to time and the wilderness that grew over the ruins of the past civilizations. The priests of light hoped these skulls could be found in time to save humanity.

Lost Relics

4 Place a lost relic (small transparent plastic cube) on each of the five wilderness areas printed on the board. Place the remaining lost relics on the positions numbered 9, 11 and 13 of the Round track.

Usage: Whenever military units enter a wilderness area with a lost relic, take it and place it on the Ascension track (see above). Every two lost relics unlock one temple of light. Unlock the temple of light positions in order starting with the bottom locked row, and assigning as many lost relics as possible to a position before doing the next. Likewise when any piece (Round marker, Doom marker or End marker) on the Round track enters a position with a lost relic, place it on the Ascension track, in the same manner as above.

Wilderness Areas (3-4 players)

5 If playing with fewer than 5 players some nations are designated as wilderness areas. Shuffle the 15 setup cards and draw one. Place a wilderness counter (using either side) on each of the three areas as indicated in the top half of the card.

Minor Nation Properties

Take all the nation property counters and separate them by shape face down into three piles, and then shuffle each one. The pentagonal shaped counters are for the major nations (for later in step 8) and the other two shapes are for the minor nations (for now, in steps 6 and 7).

6 Draw Property Counters for Special Actions

The counters with a round-protrusion shape (see image) determine which special actions are in play.

Draw a number of these:

3 with 3 players
4 with 4-5 players

and then remove all the remaining ones of this shape from the game.

Important: The Psychotronic Weaponry special action is not used in a game with 3 players!

Also note: Players can agree beforehand to play with a certain combination of special actions instead of drawing them.

Introductory Version: Leave out all the Special Action Tiles from the game. Ignore the special action icons on the property counters.

C For every property counter for a special action take the special action tile with the matching icon (see upper left corner of tile) and lay it face up near the edge of the board, away from any major nation tiles.

7 Draw Normal Property Counters

Then draw a number of counters from the other pile with a shape as in the image in the following amounts:

9 with 3 players (for a total of 12*)
8 with 4 players (for a total of 12*)
11 with 5 players (for a total of 15*)

* together with the counters for the special actions

Remove all the remaining counters of this shape from the game.

Place in Minor Nations

Take the 12 or 15 selected property counters and put them into the black cloth bag and shake it. Draw one counter for each minor nation in play, placing it face up into its property spot (shaped like the counter).

Note: You can do the following to ensure the placement of the property counters is random. One player draws a counter from the bag without revealing its shape (keeping it hidden in the enclosed hand) and then another player points to a minor nation on the map without such a counter. Place the counter drawn into the property spot of that minor nation. Repeat this until all minor nations have a property counter.

For every counter with a building icon also place a matching building into a building spot in that minor nation.

Property counters with the Power icon increase the Power value of the minor nation by the indicated number (see image).

Use the round power value overlay counters to cover up any thereby modified power values of minor nations with the correct number.

8 Major Nation Properties

Draw a major nation property counter (shaped as a pentagon) for each major nation and place it face up in its spot with the same shape and size of the counter. Then place a number of military units of the appropriate color into its home area equal to the number of helmet symbols at the bottom.

9 Passive Major Nation (3 players)

A game with 3 players uses a passive, fourth major nation. It can be a target for attacks without negatively affecting any of a player's partners.

The major nation used in that way is indicated in the bottom half of the setup card that was drawn to determine the wilderness areas (see step 5).

Usage: This major nation cannot be selected for control by players and its home area cannot be the target of a Coup action during the game.

Place the blocking marker to cover up the two control spots on the right side of the major nation tile as a reminder.

In addition to the units in the major nation's home area (as per its property counter), place a control marker (obelisk) and 5 units of that nation each in three minor nations shown in the bottom half of the setup card (see image).

Take three agents, numbered 3, 2 and 2, from an unused player color, shuffle them face down, then draw and place one face up in each of the above three minor nations.

Usage: These agents always automatically defend against Coup attempts in those areas. If the passive major nation is Lemuria, then its special effect applies to these agents.

Then take one building of each type, except the temple of light, and put them in the black bag. Draw two buildings and place them in the major nation's home area. The remaining three buildings in the bag go back into the supply.

Note: You can also use a different random selection method.

Usage: The passive major nation does not do any actions, but otherwise affects the players as if it were player-controlled (e.g. scoring for leading major nation). In advanced games, it also affects the scoring for major nation objectives (see below).

Place its power track markers (see next setup step) accordingly during setup and keep them updated during the game as normal.

10 Power Tracks

Put the power track marker (ring-shaped marker, see image) for each major nation on the lowest-numbered position of its track in the bottom-right part of the board with the blank side of the marker face up.

Note: When playing with a Passive Major Nation (see 3 player setup), place its power track marker on its current Power total (as described below) instead of the lowest-numbered position.

Usage: These are for easier tracking of the Power totals of the major nations. This is the Power value of the home area plus the Power values of all buildings and minor nations a major nation controls. Update these whenever the Power of a major nation changes. These tracks are not authoritative though. You may need to occasionally recalculate the actual Power of a major nation from the current map state.

Use the temple markers (see image) to keep track of each major nation's total including the +2 Power bonus per temple of light it would get at game end.

Note: Major nations may have a Power total higher than 22 despite the tracks ending there. If it is higher than 22, you can wrap around by starting the marker with the "+20" side face up at the bottom again.

4.3 Player Setup

11 Choose a starting player. Give the starting player marker to that player (either side of it can be face up).

12 Each player chooses a player color and takes all the components of that color:

1 secret society pad
9 agent counters
2 secret society control markers
2 archons
1 Virya indicator
1 bidding dial

Place the side of the secret society pad without special texts face up (the side with special texts is for the advanced game). Players place their archons on the two starting positions (top left and right corners) of their secret society pad. See also the image of the archon starting position.

D Every player also gets a player aid.

13 Starting Virya

Each player places their Virya indicator on position 6 of the Virya track on their secret society pad.

14 Remove Objective Cards (3-4 players)

In a game of four players, remove a set of three objective cards ("Ascension", "Continuation", "Pole Shift") from the game. With three players, remove two such sets.

15 Objective Card Layout

Then place the Objective Card Layout pad next to the board. Take one set of three cards (like above), shuffle them, and place them face up on the Objective Card Layout pad, one card on each spot (in random order).

Introductory Version: Leave out the Objective Card Layout.

16 Objective Cards for Players

Shuffle all the other objective cards face down into a deck. Deal three cards face down to each player. Players may look at their cards but may not show them to other players. Every player keeps two of these cards and returns one to the deck.

When everyone has done that, shuffle the deck again and place it face down next to the Objective Card Layout.

Introductory Version: Just deal two objective cards to each player.

17 Select Major Nations

The secret societies of the era were very risk-averse. To balance their chances, they never controlled just one major nation and never aligned themselves with only a single secret society.

Players then choose which major nations they control using a snake draft. Beginning with the starting player and then going around clockwise each player selects one major nation. For this, players place a secret society control marker of their color on an empty control square (see image) of that major nation tile.

After that, beginning with the last player and going around counterclockwise, all players select a second major nation using their second control marker (subject to the restrictions below).

Control Restriction Rule

The following two conditions must always be met during the game:

The two control markers on a major nation tile must be of different colors.
No player may share control of the same two major nations with another player.

Example: It would not be allowed that Sophia controls both Aztlán and Lemuria and Tayanna controls both Aztlán and Lemuria, too.

During this process, the number of major nations selected may not exceed the number of players. This ensures that every (active) major nation in play is controlled by two players.

If a player has no possible position to place a control marker according to the rules, then the previous player must make a different selection instead.

Note: Players may not select the Passive Major Nation in a game with 3 players (see step 9 of the board preparation).

18 Remove Major Nation Not Chosen (3-4 players)

In a game with 3-4 players there will be one major nation that was available but not chosen by players. This major nation is out of the game. Place a wilderness marker on its home area, and also remove its nation tile, the property counter and all the pieces of its color from the game.

19 Place "0" Agents

In turn order, each player places all their "0"-value agents (at once) on the map. Place them in any major or minor nations, but not in wilderness areas.

Tip for new players: Place your "0" agents in nations with a low political stability value. Do not place any in the home areas of your major nations.

5. Concepts

5.1 Map

The map is divided into various areas. There are 25 land areas: 5 major nation home areas, 15 minor nations, and 5 wildernesses. There are also 4 ocean zones.

The colored lines are the borders of the major nation home areas. The light brown lines are the borders between the other land areas.

The map is a Mercator projection of Earth with the poles in different positions. The North Pole is closer to North America, and the South Pole is nearer to Australia. This means that half of Antarctica lies within ice-free latitudes.

Aztlán and Paititi are considered to be bordering each other (wrapping around the map).

5.1.1 Nations

There are two types of nations in the game: major and minor.

Each nation area has a name and a Power value shown on the map by the large number inside a pair of white wings. Each of these areas also has some building spots. (Example images label: power value, name, property counter spot, building spots.)

Major Nations

Major nations are what players control through their secret societies and they determine a large part of their score at game end. They are controlled by two players each. This is marked by the secret society control markers in the two square control spots in the upper right corner of the major nation tile (with the puppet icon).

On the map, a major nation initially consists only of the land area marked with a border and a five-pointed star of its color. This area is called a home area. A major nation cannot take control of the home area of another major nation.

Minor Nations

Minor nations are the land areas with a name that are not a home area of a major nation.

They can become controlled by a major nation, but as long as they have no control marker (obelisk) they are considered to be "neutral".

A "minor nation property counter" is assigned to each minor nation at setup. There are two types: one normal and one for special actions. This counter determines various properties of that minor nation (see chapter 5.5).

(Example minor nation labels: property counter spot, control marker spot, power value, name, building spots.)

Taking Control

Only one major nation may be in control of a minor nation at a time. When taking control of a minor nation, mark this by placing a control marker (obelisk) in the round control spot of the minor nation on the map while removing any previous marker there. Once control is taken, the Power value of the minor nation and all of its buildings, building spots and special actions belong to that major nation.

Any special action tile belonging to that minor nation should be placed next to the tile of the newly controlling major nation. To find the right tile, match the icon in the top left corner of the tile with the icon at the right end of the property counter.

5.1.2 Wilderness

Wilderness areas are the land areas on the map without a name but with a wilderness icon. They have no Power value, no building spots and no property counters. Military units may enter these areas. Any wilderness area with units is considered to be under the control of the major nation of those units while they are there.

Areas may become wilderness areas during setup by having a wilderness marker placed on them.

5.1.3 Ocean Zones

Ocean zones are the large blue portions of the map between the land masses. The borders of an ocean zone are marked by the stormy waters depictions. Each ocean zone also has its own slightly different shade of blue. Ocean areas serve only to restrict the movement of military units or, under certain circumstances, to allow passage (see chapter 6.1.7).

Note: The Mediterranean Sea is part of the Borean ocean. Both the Borean and the Murian oceans are each a single zone that wraps around the left and right sides of the map.

5.2 Military Units

The small warrior minis each represent a single military unit, the large ones count as five units each. Players may exchange their large minis for five small ones anytime (as long as the effective amount of units in each area does not change).

Military units may only stay in land areas.

5.3 Virya

Virya is a mystical energy that the secret societies used to manipulate reality.

Players record their Virya using their small pawn on the Virya track of their secret society pad. Virya are used to pay for or to enhance actions in the game. They are also worth VP at the end of the game as indicated by the green numbers on the same track.

Note: You cannot have more than 22 Virya during the game. Any additional Virya you would get then is wasted.

5.4 Buildings

Buildings can be placed during the course of the game on the building spots of a nation. Each building spot can only have one building. Buildings give bonuses to certain values or have special effects. A building's effect usually only applies to the area it is in (unless stated otherwise). See chapter 11.2 in the tables section for an overview of what each building does.

A major nation controls all buildings in all areas it controls. Players control all buildings of the two major nations they control.

5.5 Defense Values

There are two defense values for nations, the "garrison" value and the "political stability" value.

The garrison value is used when defending against an attack with military units. The garrison value of a nation is the first number on the assigned property counter plus the garrison effects of any buildings there.

Note: Wilderness areas have no garrison value.

The political stability value is used when defending against a Coup. The political stability value of a nation is the second number on the assigned property counter plus the political stability effects of any buildings there.

5.6 Player Involvement in Combat

Whenever a bidding contest happens (Coup or conflict actions, see 6.1.2, 6.1.7, and 6.1.8) the players involved are determined as follows:

The active player (whose turn it is) is always involved as attacker (even if also controlling the defending nation).
In the case of a conflict action, any other player who also controls the attacking nation but not the defending nation is always involved as attacker.
Any non-active player who controls both the attacking and the defending nations is also involved and may choose to support either side.
Any other players who only control the defending nation are always involved as defender.
Any other players who have an agent in the targeted area, or if it is a Global Conflict action, are also involved and may choose to support either side.

Rule of Thumb

If you belong to only one of the two sides, you can only bid for that side. If you belong to both sides or neither, you can choose which side to bid for.

Note: During a Coup action, the attacker is a secret society (so there is only one player who is in control of that).

6. Play

Players take turns beginning with the starting player, then going around clockwise until the game ends after several rounds (at the end of a round).

On their turn, players move one of their archons (character meeples) to an empty action space (with no archon on it) and execute that action. If either of their archons is on a starting position, they must move that archon.

Note: Players cannot choose to execute an action on a space where their archon is already standing at the start of the turn.

The action spaces players can move to are only those on their own secret society pad, those on a tile of a major nation they control, or any of its special action tiles.

When placing their archon on an action space belonging to a major nation (including any of its special actions) players may only execute the action with and for that major nation.

Note: The special action tiles are separate, additional, action spaces. Their special effect only triggers when an archon is moved onto them.

Any required Virya cost for an action must be paid in full at the very start of the action, otherwise the player may not choose that action.

Wherever an action space has a special modification (marked as a box with dark background and white text), then this change applies only when the action is executed on that space (not on other spaces!).

Example: The Recruit action for Aztlán has a special modification called "Warrior Culture", which allows the player to get 3 additional units for 2 Virya each (instead of 1 Virya per unit). This does not apply when the player executes the Recruit action from the "Military Research Complex" tile, even if owned by Aztlán.

Note: Archons stay on the action space where they were last used until they are used again in a future round. They thus prevent anybody from using that action space until then.

Archons on Illegal Action Spaces

Whenever an action results in the loss of control required for the action space an archon occupies, then immediately place such an archon on one of its starting positions (on its secret society pad).

Summary Introductory Game: These rules are left out for an introductory game:

Repolarize action (see 6.1.3)
Special Actions (see 6.1.9)
Objective Card Layout (see 6.3.2)

6.1 Actions

6.1.1 Intrigue (secret society)

You may place your agents face up on any nation areas (major or minor). For every agent you place you must pay 1 Virya, but you can place your "0" agents for free. You may also relocate any of your agents already on the map at the start of the action to a different nation for free.

Note: Distance plays no role for placing agents.

6.1.2 Coup (secret society)

In a Coup action, you try to take over a nation politically (using your agents).

At the start of this action, you may swap two of your agents on the map for every 1 Virya you pay.

Target a minor nation area or a major nation home area where you have at least one agent. However, you may not target a major nation home area you already control.

All involved players (see chapter 5.6) take their bidding dial, secretly set it to a bid value (large yellow numbers 0-5) on the section of the dial that indicates which side they are supporting, and place their dial face down in front of themselves. They may not show their selected bid value to other players.

Select a number from the red section (with a sword icon) to support the attacker or a number from the blue section (with a shield icon) to support the defender.

Communication Rule: All talk must be understandable to everyone. Secret communications between some of the players are not allowed.

Any involved, non-active players may also select the noncombatant "0" position (the section with the white background and peace dove icon).

When all are done, then all dials are revealed simultaneously and the result is determined.

Note: In a Coup action there is only an attacking player and no attacking nation (exception: "The Black Knight" special action).

The active player and all players supporting the attacking side add up the values of their agents and the bid values on their dials together.

The defenders likewise add up their numbers. The defenders also add the political stability value (including building effects) of the targeted area to their total.

Note: There may be no defending players in some cases (e.g. if the target is a neutral minor nation). In such a case, only the political stability value is used for the defending total.

All players must pay the Virya for their bid selected on their dial. The amount to pay is indicated by the red number (inside the Virya symbol) below the bid value at the selected position.

Example: Tayanna sets her bidding dial to the large, yellow "3" in the red section (see image). This means she is supporting the attacker (which may be herself) with a bid value of 3. This will cost her 6 Virya, which she should be able to pay.

Any bids of players who cannot pay the required amount of Virya count as the noncombatant "0" (in the white section) instead, or if this happens to the active player as the "0" in the attacker (red) section instead.

Note: The bid value is often different from the cost of the bid in Virya.

If the attacking side's total is higher than the defending side's, then the Coup is successful, otherwise not.

"Defender wins ties" applies to all bidding contests.

Success vs. Minor Nation

If the Coup is successful and the target was a minor nation area then you put it under the control of a (different) major nation, which must be one of the two major nations you control. See chapter 5.1.1 Taking Control, for how you take control. Any military units in that nation are removed (returned to the nation's supply).

Note: You may make your choice after the bidding contest has been resolved. Any promises beforehand are not binding.

Success vs. Major Nation

If the Coup is successful and the target was a major nation home area then you become one of the players in control of that major nation. You swap control markers with one of the players there. The player you swap with thus becomes the controller of one of your previously controlled major nations.

Note: No military units are removed from the area in this case.

The result of any Coup must satisfy the Control Restriction Rule for major nations as mentioned in the setup section (see 4.3, Select Major Nations), otherwise the Coup may not be done!

Unsuccessful

If the Coup is not successful then the control status remains as it is.

Remove Agents

In any case (whether the Coup was successful or not), remove all agents in that nation (return to each player's supply) except those of players who selected the noncombatant "0" position on their dial.

Component Limitation

You may only do the Coup action on a minor nation if there is an unused control marker available to take control of it if successful.

Example: Tayanna is doing a Coup with her secret society, the Sisters of Starlight, on the minor nation of Akakor. She currently has a "1" and a "0" agent counter there.

The property counter for Akakor indicates that it has a political stability of 4 (see image). Since Tayanna needs a total of at least 5 for a successful Coup, she decides to first swap her "0" agent for a "2" agent which she has in Eden. So she places the "0" agent in Eden and the "2" agent in Akakor. This costs her 1 Virya which she subtracts from her Virya amount as indicated on her track.

Now her agent's values in Akakor have a total of 3.

She needs 2 more to beat the political stability value, so she bids 2 on her bidding dial for a grand total of 5. This costs her 3 Virya which she also subtracts from her track. Since there are no agents of other players there and Akakor is currently neutral, the Coup is unopposed and she is automatically successful. She chooses to give Akakor to Aztlán, one of the two major nations she controls, and places a green control marker (obelisk) there. She could have given it to Hyberborea instead, which is the other major nation she controls. Since the special action "Utopian City" is associated with Akakor, she places that special action tile next to the major nation tile of Aztlán. Finally, she removes both of her agent counters from Akakor and puts them into her personal supply.

6.1.3 Repolarize (secret society)

Introductory Version: The Repolarize action is not used.

Pay Virya equal to the current round number.

Take two of the face up objective cards from the Objective Card Layout and put them into your hand of objective cards.

If you take the card from the moon position you immediately get 6 Virya. You may use this Virya to pay for the cost of this action.

Note: This is an exception to the general rule that you need to pay the required cost for an action before doing it.

Choose two cards you do not wish to keep from all of the cards you have now in your hand and put the other cards to the side for now.

Draw two cards from the deck and add these to the two cards you are not keeping.

Note: Keep all of these cards hidden until this point.

Use any two of these four cards (not being kept) to fill up the empty spots of the Objective Card Layout, in any order, and put the others face down under the bottom of the deck.

Note: Cards are always placed face up on the Objective Card Layout.

6.1.4 Collect Virya (major nation)

You get Virya equal to the current Power total (i.e. counting all of its areas and buildings) of the major nation. Your partner also in control of that major nation gets the same amount.

Note: Wilderness areas provide no Virya.

6.1.5 Construct Building (major nation)

You place one building on any empty building spot in any area belonging to the major nation.

You may likewise place an additional building for every 5 Virya you spend now.

Note: Initially, only five temple of light building pieces are available. During the course of the game, lost relics will be gathered which unlock the remaining four temple of light pieces (see 4.2).

6.1.6 Recruit (major nation)

Place a number of military units into each of the major nation's areas equal to its Power value (i.e. the Power value of that area plus the effects of its buildings). Some buildings provide additional units (see player aid or chapter 11.2) in the area they are located.

You may also get an additional unit for every 1 Virya you spend now. You may place these additional units in any areas belonging to the major nation (including wilderness areas where units of that major nation are present).

Example: Tayanna is doing the Recruit action for Aztlán, which controls the minor nations Akakor and Hawaiki. There are also 2 buildings in the Aztlán home area: a pyramid and a base. She places 8 units in the Aztlán home area: 5 for the Power value of that area (being 4 + 1 for the pyramid) and 3 for the base.

She then places 1 unit in Akakor and 2 units in Hawaiki, those being the Power values of those areas. She then decides to spend 2 Virya for 3 additional units (using Aztlán's cheaper cost) placing 2 of these in Akakor and 1 in Hawaiki.

6.1.7 Move & Conflict (major nation)

This action consists of two parts in this order:

a) Moving b) Resolving Conflicts

Note: You must finish moving before resolving conflicts.

a) Moving

You may move any or all military units of the major nation. Each unit can move to an adjacent land area. Alternatively, units can move across straits or oceans as detailed below. The cost for this can be paid either in units (returning that many units to the supply from the group that is moving), or in Virya (by the active player), or in any combination of the two.

Moving across straits

A group of units may move using a "straits" connection (see the two-headed arrows on the map) to the area on the other side of the arrow. The cost for this is 1 (unit or Virya).

During this era, advanced sailing vessels were capable of crossing all the seas. Armies that wished to do so sometimes needed to retrain some of their warriors as sailors to operate them.

Moving across ocean zones

A group of units from an area can pass through an ocean zone if the cost of three is paid. This allows moving through an ocean zone adjacent to the land area where the group started the turn and into another land area also adjacent to that same ocean zone. This cost must be paid for each separate group (i.e. different starting and target areas). Groups may also cross multiple connected ocean zones, but must pay the cost for each one.

When a group crosses an ocean zone or a strait, at least one unit from the group must arrive in the target area (i.e. you cannot use this to only remove units).

Near the end of this age, the great nations had developed and stockpiled weapons with enormous but indiscriminate destructive power. These weapons served as an effective deterrent against any invasion of a nation's homeland.

Units may never enter home areas of other major nations!

Note: The ice sheets at the edges of the map cannot be entered nor used for movement.

Causing Conflicts

If units enter an area that is either a neutral minor nation or one controlled by another major nation, then this is a contested area, also called a "conflict".

Note: This includes wilderness areas with units of another major nation, but not wilderness areas without any units.

You can only cause one conflict every time you do this action unless you pay 5 Virya for each additional conflict.

Component Limitation

You can also only cause conflicts if there would be enough unused control markers to take control of each minor nation being attacked.

Example: Sargon controls Lemuria and is doing a Move & Conflict action for it. Lemuria currently has 15 units in its home area and 3 units in Shangri-La. He wants to invade both Beringia and Hawaiki on the same turn.

Sargon moves the 3 units from Shangri-La to Beringia by crossing the Murian ocean and choosing to pay the cost with 1 of those units and 2 Virya, so that 2 units from this group arrive in Beringia.

He then moves the remaining 9 units from the home area to Hawaiki, also crossing the Murian ocean and again losing 3 units for that, so that 6 units from that group arrive there. Since Beringia is neutral and Hawaiki is owned by Aztlán, he is causing two conflicts, which means he must pay 5 Virya.

Then he moves 6 units from the Lemurian home area also to Beringia paying 3 units (and no Virya) for the ocean crossing so that 3 of these units arrive there. Lemuria now has a total of 5 units in Beringia.

b) Resolving Conflicts

Any contested areas (conflicts) are then resolved in an order of your choice. Do the following for each such area:

All involved players (see chapter 5.6) make their bids and choose sides to support in the same manner as for a "Coup" action. The only difference is that instead of adding agent values and the political stability value to the totals, players add the number of military units and the garrison value (including building effects) in the contested area. Also, in this action, the noncombatant "0" position on the dial has no different effect than the other zero positions.

Note: In this action, the agent values are not added to the totals. Agents only allow a player to participate in the bidding contest.

Successful

If the attacker's total is higher than the defender's, then the attack is successful and the following happens:

Remove defender's units
Place control marker
Destroy 1 building
Remove 1 agent

Remove defender's units

All of the defender's units in that area are removed.

Place control marker

If the area is a minor nation then place a control marker of the attacking major nation there (removing any previous one).

In a war there are always casualties.

Destroy building

You must destroy exactly one building (of your choice) if there are any in the area (return it to the supply). If this happens, move the Doom marker one step to the left (in the direction of the black arrow).

The Doom marker is moved 1 step to the left every time a building is destroyed!

Note: In the special case of a temple of darkness and another building being in the same area, the attacker can destroy the other building and immediately use the newly gained temple of darkness for its effect (gaining 3 Virya, see table in chapter 11.2).

Remove agent

You must remove exactly one agent if there are any in the area (including your own).

Unsuccessful

If the defender's total is higher than or equal to the attacker's total then the attack is unsuccessful. All of the attacker's units are removed. Everything else on the map remains unchanged.

Example: Sargon is resolving the conflicts from his Move & Conflict action for Lemuria.

He chooses to resolve the conflict in Beringia first. There are 5 Lemurian units in Beringia, which is currently neutral. Beringia has a garrison value of 6 and there are no agents of other players present. This means the attack is unopposed since no players can bid against him. Sargon bids 2 (paying 3 Virya) for a total of 7 (5 units + 2 bid value) and thus automatically wins the conflict. Lemuria takes control of Beringia and the one building there (a base) is destroyed. The Doom marker is moved 1 step forward. If the End marker has its white side facing up, it is flipped (see chapter 6.2.1).

The next conflict to resolve is Hawaiki, which is owned by Aztlán. This means an actual bidding contest will happen.

Tayanna controls Aztlán together with Sophia, who also controls Lemuria though. Tayanna can only choose to defend Hawaiki or bid nothing, while Sophia can choose to support either side (or bid nothing).

There are 6 Lemurian units in Hawaiki against 3 Aztlánian units, but Hawaiki has a garrison value of 3, so it is currently a tie with each side having a total of 6.

Sophia wants Aztlán to keep Hawaiki, so she asks Tayanna to support her in defending Hawaiki against Lemuria, but she refuses (and sets her dial to 0).

Sophia then chooses to bid 3 (paying 6 Virya) for the defending side (Aztlán), while Sargon bids 3 as well. When all bids are revealed, it is still a tie (9 on each side), so Aztlán wins being the defender. This means the 6 Lemurian units in Hawaiki are removed (and nothing else happens).

6.1.8 Global Conflict (major nation)

You must pay 7 Virya and select another major nation as the target. The major nation whose action you triggered is the attacker and the targeted major nation is the defender.

Calculate totals in the same manner as for a "Move & Conflict" action using bids, but counting all military units of the two major nations everywhere on the map. Add the garrison value of the home area of the defending major nation to their total (garrison values of other areas are not used). All players are considered to be involved and thus participate in the bidding.

The side with the higher total (or the defending side if tied) is the victorious nation of the global conflict and the other side is the defeated nation.

Effect on Defeated Nation

You (the active player) choose the losses of the defeated nation following these steps in this order:

Remove 2 buildings or minor nation control markers.
Move the Doom marker 1 step for each building destroyed.
Remove half of all military units.

1.) Remove buildings/control markers

The defeated nation either has two of its buildings destroyed or it loses two of its minor nation control markers (obelisks), or one of each. Remove as many of these as possible, up to a total of two.

Note: The removal of a control marker from a minor nation causes it to revert to a neutral status. Any units in minor nations lost are also removed.

Also remove any special action tiles which belong to lost minor nations from the defeated major nation.

2.) Move Doom marker

Move the Doom marker one space to the left for every building destroyed.

3.) Remove half of all units

The defeated nation loses half (rounded down) of its military units. Units removed due to lost minor nations already count towards this total.

Note: The loss of minor nations may result in losing more than half of all units.

When an inferior nation managed to defeat a superior one, it significantly boosted its status and morale, especially by stealing from the enemy's stockpile of powerful crystals.

Effect on Victorious Nation

The victorious major nation possibly gets a loot counter: If, at the start of the turn, the victorious major nation had a Power total which was lower than or equal to the Power total of the defeated major nation, then you must place a loot counter of your choice from the supply (if any are there) into the victorious major nation's home area. Loot counters increase the Power value of the home area by the indicated amount (cumulatively).

Note: The player doing this action chooses both the losses of the defeated nation and the possible loot counter for the victorious nation, regardless of which nations that player controls.

6.1.9 Special Action (minor nation)

Introductory Version: Special Actions are not used.

Special actions always belong to a certain minor nation as indicated by the matching minor nation property counter (see 5.1.1 Taking Control).

Only special actions of minor nations that are owned by a major nation can be used, and only by the controllers of that major nation.

Example special action tile (labels: title, specific icon, related standard action, effect).

You execute a special action by placing your archon on such a tile (which is considered to be an action space).

Note: Each special action tile has an explanation with icons on one side or with text on the other side. Either side can be used. The symbol in the top right corner of every special action tile indicates what type of action this is. A purple spiral icon (see image above) indicates a different type of special action that is not similar to any of the standard actions.

Any special effects of the controlling major nation do not apply when executing special actions (exception: Lemuria).

Example: Sophia controls Aztlán which has the "Military Research Complex" special action tile. If she moves her archon onto that tile to do a Recruit action she will need to pay 1 Virya for each additional unit she buys (instead of 2 Virya for 3 units which is the special effect for Aztlán).

Special Action Markers

Some special actions have their own special components, to indicate "continuous effects". They only come into play once the special action has been executed (using an archon). Thereafter, the continuous effect applies as described all the time, regardless of archon placement or current ownership of the special action tile.

6.2 End of Round

A round ends when every player has taken a turn. Do the following in this order then:

If the side of the End marker with the black arrow and white background is facing up (see the right part in the below image), then move it one step towards the start of the track. If the other side of the End marker (with the black background) is facing up instead, then just flip it to the other side.
Move the Round marker (white disc with hourglass icon) one step further on the Round track (white arrow direction).
Check if any of the game end conditions are met (see 6.3 Game End).

6.2.1 End Marker

If, at any time during a round, a temple of light is constructed or a building is destroyed, flip the End marker so that the side with the black background is facing up (see the left part in the image). This prevents it from advancing one step further at the end of the round.

Note: If the black side is already face up, then you do not flip it.

6.3 Game End

The game ends when any of the following three conditions are met at the end of a round:

There are seven or more temples of light on the map. This is an "Ascension" game end.
The Doom marker is on or past the position of the Round marker. This is a "Pole Shift" game end.
The End marker is on or past the position of the Round marker. This is a "Continuation" game end.

Note: It does not matter whether any of the conditions were met earlier in the round, only the end of the round matters.

Also note: You can easily see how close the game is to an Ascension game end by looking at how many temples of light buildings are still on the Ascension track.

6.3.1 Multiple Simultaneous Endings

Only one of the three possible game endings is applied. The conditional rewards for the other endings are not granted.

If the conditions for multiple endings are met simultaneously, compare the number of objective cards (see below) held by players for those endings. Apply only the ending with the most cards. If there is a tie in the number of cards, break the tie using the order specified in the previous section (e.g., the Ascension game end has the highest priority).

6.3.2 Objective Cards

Players reveal all their objective cards at the end of the game.

Players only get the reward for objective cards with the game ending that happened (and was applied in the case of multiple simultaneous game endings).

Example objective card (labels: title, conditional reward, game end condition).

Every Continuation card a player has at game end also gives 3 Virya, regardless of how the game ended (unconditionally and additionally to any other rewards).

Objective Card Layout

Introductory Version: The Objective Card Layout is not used.

The game end rewards for objective cards that are of the same type as those on the Objective Card Layout are modified as follows:

Cards of the type like the one on the sun position give 2 additional Virya per card, regardless of how the game ended (additionally to other rewards).

The reward for cards of the type on the eclipse position is increased by 1 VP per card. This only happens if the game ending of that card happened (and was applied in the case of multiple simultaneous endings).

The reward is some amount of VP or Virya, which is added to the player's total at game end. Players get this once for each card of that type they have.

The VP or Virya awarded per fulfilled card depends on how many players hold at least one card of that type. If only one player has this type of cards, then that player scores the highest amount possible. If two players have these cards, then they score the second-highest amount. If three or more players have these, then they score the lowest amount.

Note: The effects are cumulative if the same type of card is on both positions.

6.3.3 Scoring & Winner

Game End Virya

Before scoring, players first possibly add some Virya to their current amount, namely from their objective cards (as explained above).

Score

Then players determine their score (VP) by adding up the following:

the lower of their two major nation Power totals

Reminder: Add 2 Power per temple of light for a major nation's final Power.
2 VP if controlling the leading major nation (with the most Power). If there is a tie for leading major nation, then 1 VP instead, or 2 VP if controlling two leading major nations.
the VP for the final position of their Virya indicator
VP for every fulfilled objective card of theirs

Winner

The player with the most VP wins the game. If there is a tie, the tied player earliest in turn order wins.

Example: Tayanna is playing the Sisters of Starlight who are controlling both Hyperborea and Lemuria. Hyperborea has a Power value of 13. Lemuria has a Power value of 12. She thus gets 12 VP for that.

Hyperborea is also the leading major nation, so she gets another 2 VP for that.

She has 8 Virya but adds 3 Virya because she has a Continuation card in her hand, and thus has a total of 11 Virya which is worth 3.5 VP.

The other objective card she has is a Pole Shift (Doom) card. Only this card is fulfilled because the game ended with a Pole Shift. This card is worth 3 VP because she is the only player with such a card.

This card also gives her an additional 1 VP because the same type is in the eclipse position on the Objective Card Layout (see above), so in total 4 VP.

Note that the cards in the other positions (sun and moon) are Ascension cards, so she does not get anything for that.

Her score is thus 12 + 3.5 + 4 + 2 = 21.5 VP.

7. Strategy Tips

Always Have a Few Virya

It is recommended to always have at least a few Virya. Having no Virya at all makes you very vulnerable to attacks on your areas.

Consider Which Archon To Use

An important consideration during your turn is which of your two archons to use. Choose the one on the action space you want to free up for use in the near future.

Coordinate With Your Partners

Coordinate or make deals with your partners regarding what to do for the major nation you jointly control. This approach is more likely to yield better results than if you try to do everything yourself.

Note: Deals are not binding.

Turn Order Advantages

Depending on your position in the turn order, you have different advantages that you can leverage: If you are last in turn order, you have the most influence over when and how the game ends, and no one can counteract your final turn of the game. If you are first in turn order, you can choose the best major nation during setup, and you have the widest selection of action spaces on major nations in the first two rounds.

8. Advanced Game

To play an advanced game, use either or both of the following rules.

8.1 Secret Society Powers

Players use the other side of the secret society pads. This provides an additional special effect for that player as described there.

During setup, players choose their secret society in turn order immediately after the starting player has been determined.

8.2 Objectives for Major Nations

Each major nation gets a secret objective (see image above) which is revealed at the end of the game and modifies its Power for scoring (only).

At the start of the game, shuffle the major nation objective cards and deal one face down to each major nation in play. Keep the remaining cards face down in a deck next to the board.

The controllers of a major nation (only) may look at the card for their nation during the game. They may not show this card to other players.

Changing the Objective

When you do a successful Coup action on a major nation, you draw the top card from the deck of major nation objectives. You take both this card and the existing card for this major nation into your hand and choose which card to keep as the objective for this major nation. You place whichever card is not used face down at the bottom of the deck.

9. Variants

9.1 Two-Players

The 2-player game is not included in the regular player count because there is no negotiation, which is a core feature of the regular game. However, it remains a strategically challenging game and can be used to practice the rules.

Setup

Set up the game as if for 3 players, but with the following changes:

Leave out the third secret society (player). Do not deal out any objective cards for a third player.
Place the End marker with its black side face up (on the spot for 3 players).
Place the Doom marker on position number 15 of the Round track.
Players draft major nations as normal from four, but with the following final result. Each player controls one nation alone, one nation is controlled by both players, and one is out of the game.
Before placing agents during setup (so between steps 18 and 19), in turn order, every player places one temple of light on any empty building spot on the map except one belonging to the major nation they control alone. Take the temples from the bottom of the Ascension track.

Extra-VP

Players who select an action space for the major nation controlled by both players on their turn, thereby gaining troops, a temple of light, or a higher score for that nation, receive 1 VP extra.

Players also receive this when they successfully execute a Coup action benefiting the major nation jointly controlled by both players.

Track these extra VP with separate markers, either using agent markers from an unused player color or some suitable components from another game.

Coup Action

When doing the Coup against a major nation, players may only target the major nation controlled by the other player alone. If successful, the active player chooses one of these two effects instead:

Swap control of the two major nations controlled alone.
The active player removes their secret society control marker from the major nation controlled by both players and places it in the empty control spot of the major nation targeted by the Coup, which thus becomes the new major nation controlled by both players.

Objective Cards

For fulfilled objective cards, players score using the category one lower than normal (as if an additional player also had such a card). For example, if a player is the only one with a fulfilled objective card, the player scores in the category for two players instead.

Game End

The extra VP markers are added to a player's final score.

9.2 Hidden Agents

This variant is intended for players who enjoy even more bluffing and unpredictability.

Agents in a player's supply are always face up.

Agents on the map are always face down, except as follows. During a Coup or Move & Conflict action, reveal all agents in an affected area after revealing the bids for it (also if no bidding contest). At the end of the action, turn any agents remaining there face down again.

Players may inspect their own agents on the map at any time, but may not show them to others.

When doing the Intrigue action, you (the active player) must show which agents you are placing on the map so that the cost can be verified. You may shuffle these together with your agents already on the map and then distribute them all.

Advanced Game

When playing with the Secret Society Powers (see 8.1), the player of the Lemurian Brotherhood may and must reveal their agents to activate the "Peacekeepers" special power (see 11.6).

10. Campaign Game

"Era of Atlantis" can be played together with "Galactic Era" (also a game by Seajay Games) as a campaign game.

10.1 Play

First play Era of Atlantis, then Galactic Era. The outcome of the Era of Atlantis game affects the setup for the Galactic Era game.

10.2 Setup for Galactic Era

Starting Advantages

Players get the following advantages at the start of the Galactic Era game:

The winner of the Era of Atlantis game starts with an additional 3 DP (Destiny Points) and chooses a technology to start with at level 2 (additionally to what the winning player would normally start with).

The player in second place starts with an additional 2 DP.

All players can also get the following depending on how the Era of Atlantis game ended and what alignment players start with in the Galactic Era game:

Era of Atlantis game end	advantage for starting as STO	advantage for starting as STS
Ascension	1 additional population per Ascension card held at Era of Atlantis game end
Pole Shift (Doom)		1 additional ship per Pole Shift card held at Era of Atlantis game end
Continuation	Get either 1 additional star people or domination card to choose from per Continuation card held at Era of Atlantis game end.	(same)

Any additional population or ships are placed at the player's home star.

After getting additional domination cards, players may only keep a total of one card and must return the others to the deck. Shuffle the deck before the game starts.

Alignment Restriction

Players who held more Ascension cards at the Era of Atlantis game end than Pole Shift cards, must choose to start the Galactic Era game as STO. Likewise, a player who held more Pole Shift cards than Ascension cards must start as STS.

Players who held equal amounts or none of these cards have no alignment restriction.

Note: Players may switch their alignment during the course of the game as normal.

Galactic Story & Goal

If the Era of Atlantis game had either an Ascension or a Pole Shift game end, the selection of galactic stories and galactic goals to randomly draw from during setup is restricted to the following:

Era of Atlantis game end	available galactic stories	available galactic goals
Ascension	Journeys, Migrations	Cooperation, Discovery, Leadership, Personal Growth
Pole Shift (Doom)	Rivalry, Wars	Control, Legacy, Power, Presence

Note: There are no restrictions if the Era of Atlantis game had a Continuation game end.

10.3 Winner

The winner of the Galactic Era game is also the winner of the campaign game.

11. Tables

11.1 Major Nations

Name	Power	Starting Building Spots	Color	Special Effect
Atlantis	5	3	dark gray	Crystal Technology: Gain +2 Virya when doing the Collect Virya action on the major nation tile (both controlling players receive this bonus).
Aztlán	4	3	green	Warrior Culture: Get 3 units for every 2 Virya spent when doing the Recruit action on the major nation tile (you can still recruit 1 unit for 1 Virya for odd amounts).
Brahmapura	4	3	yellow	Agni Strike: Before resolving the Move & Conflict or Global Conflict actions you are doing on the major nation tile you may remove up to 3 military units of other major nations from anywhere on the map (they do not have to be from the same area or major nation).
Hyperborea	3	4	blue	Levitating Construction Method: When doing the Construct Building action on the major nation tile additional buildings only cost 3 Virya each.

11.2 Buildings

Name	Effect per Building Piece
base	+5 garrison value; +3 units in the same area when doing the Recruit action for the owning major nation
capitol	+5 political stability value; Place 2 agents per Intrigue action for free. You get this for all capitols you control (i.e. in both of your major nations).
factory	+1 building for free when doing the Construct Building action for the owning major nation. These additional buildings are not restricted to the area where the factory is. Newly placed factories do not provide this effect on the same turn they are placed. +1 conflict (contested area) for free when doing the Move & Conflict action for the owning major nation.
pyramid	+1 Power or +2 Power if with a temple in the same area. Every temple can increase the Power value of only one pyramid.
temple of darkness	Immediately gain 3 Virya for every step the Doom marker moves forward (black arrow direction). Note: A temple of darkness provides no Virya when it is destroyed (in that turn).
temple of light	+2 Power at game end (for determining VP only) for the owning major nation.

11.3 Objective Cards

Title	VP (Virya) for 1/2/3+ players	Condition	Special Effect
Ascension	2 / 1.5 / 1	Ascension game end (7 temples of light on map)
Continuation	4 / 2 / 0 (2)	Round marker reaches the End marker	Get 3 Virya at game end (always).
Pole Shift (Doom)	3 / 2 / 1	Pole Shift game end (Round marker meets Doom marker)

11.4 Special Actions

Name	Effect
The Black Knight (mind control satellite)	You do a Coup action on a minor nation for the benefit of the controlling major nation with all your agents there counting double. If successful, any military units in the taken nation are converted to this major nation (instead of being just removed). Replace these units with the same number of units of the new color. The "Healing Crystal" (see "Crystal Healing Grid") has no effect in this case.
Brahmastra (weapon of doom)	For every temple of darkness in play you must remove 3 military units (at least as many as you can). This may require you to remove your own units. Move the Doom marker 1 step forward (black arrow direction).
Chimeras	Place the Chimera Lab marker in the home area of the controlling major nation. See section 11.5 for the continuous effect of this marker. Also place 3 units of this nation in every wilderness area under its control.
Crystal Healing Grid	Place the Healing Crystal marker in the home area of the controlling major nation. See section 11.5 for the continuous effect of the Healing Crystal marker. You may also construct a temple of light in the same home area for free.
Extraterrestrial Contact Center	You must pay 3 Virya. Execute any special action tile in play (including those of neutral minor nations or with an archon) as determined during setup. Any effect referring to the controllers (major nation or player) applies to the controllers of the Extraterrestrial Contact Center instead. The effect of the "Psychic Control" marker still only applies to the actual controllers of "Psychotronic Weaponry" though.
Military Research Complex

Note: All removed units and markers are returned to their respective supply.

11.5 Continuous Effects

These effects only apply once the marker of the associated special action has come into play (by executing the special action).

Marker	Continuous Effect
Chimera Lab (from Chimeras)	As long as this marker is in the home area of a major nation, all military units of that nation count double, except for paying ocean/straits costs.
Healing Crystal (from Crystal Healing Grid)	As long as this marker is in the home area of a major nation, any units that would be lost (removed from map) from that major nation are placed in the home area instead of returning them to the supply. This does not apply to units removed for crossing oceans or straits. The maximum amount of units that can be placed in this way within a single turn is 3 per temple of light in play (so none if there are no temples of light in play). Note: Any temples of light that are destroyed in a turn are not counted then.
Psychic Control (from Psychotronic Weaponry)	Whenever an archon is moved onto an action space where this marker is, the player must pay 10 Virya (extra) to do that action. The current owners of "Psychotronic Weaponry" each get 5 Virya then.

11.6 Secret Society Powers (advanced game)

Name	Special Power
Lemurian Brotherhood	Peacekeepers: You may prevent movement of units, that would cause a conflict as part of a Move & Conflict action, into a minor nation that contains your agents with a value total of 3 or more. You must decide to use this option before any conflicts are resolved in that action. The attacker can move units from prevented conflicts elsewhere then instead or undo the movement (regaining any costs paid). You get an additional 6 Virya at the start of the game if you do not control Lemuria then.
Order of Thoth	Secret Tablets: When doing the Repolarize action on your secret society pad you keep 3 cards (instead of 2). Select fewer cards not to keep accordingly. You also get 3 Virya instead of paying the normal cost. You do not get the Virya for the card in the moon position. Note: When doing the "Temple of Anu" special action after having done the above action you still keep 3 cards (because you take 2 cards and give 2 cards away).
Priests of Atla-Ra	Clerical Espionage: When doing the Intrigue action on your secret society pad you may also inspect all objective cards from one player of your choice who controls a temple. You may not show these cards to others. You also get 6 Virya, either before or after the Intrigue action (your choice).
Purple Dragon Society	Lizard King: When doing the Coup action on your secret society pad, your agent with the number "3" counts as a 9 instead and you may pay 1 Virya afterwards to keep it on the map (if it would otherwise be removed).
Sisters of Starlight	Unity Consciousness: You can move your archon onto an action space where an archon of your partner is standing and execute that action, if your partner agrees to that. The action space must not contain one of your own archons and must belong to one of the two major nations you control. Your partners can do this likewise with your archons. Note: You only need your partner's permission to select the action, but not for how the action is executed.

11.7 Major Nation Objectives (advanced game)

Name	Objective
Aquatic Spirit	The major nation gets +1 Power per minor nation controlled that borders 2 ocean zones.
Cosmopolitan Dream	The major nation gets +1 Power per area controlled with all building spots filled (wilderness areas do not count).
Emulous Explorers	The major nation gets +3 Power if controlling more wilderness areas than every other major nation.
Fanatical Sectarians	If the major nation controls at least one temple and there are in total on the map at least twice as many temples of that type compared to the other type, then: +3 Power (if with 3 players), +4 Power (if with 4 players), +5 Power (if with 5 players). Note: The condition is also fulfilled if there are no temples of the other type on the map.
Imperial Ambition	The major nation gets +4 Power if controlling more minor nations than every other major nation, or -1 Power if not.
Militaristic Zeal	If the major nation has more military units than every other major nation, then: +2 Power (if with 3 players), +3 Power (if with 4 players), +4 Power (if with 5 players). Note: The effect of the Chimera Lab marker does not apply for this.
Mystical Aspiration	The major nation gets +3 Power if controlling more areas with a pyramid than every other major nation.
Occult Collectors

11.8 Glossary

action – the effect of a space upon which an archon is moved (see page 18).
active player – the player whose turn it currently is.
agent – a personal counter of a player (secret society) numbered 0–3; placed using the Intrigue action and used to determine the outcome of a Coup action (see page 18). It also determines player involvement in Move & Conflict actions.
archon – one of the two character meeples every player gets; used to select an action space (see page 18).
area – a portion of land on the map: either a wilderness area, minor nation or major nation home area (see page 15).
Ascension – one of the three ways a game can end; happens when there are 7 temples of light on the map at the end of a round (see page 26).
Ascension track – serves as supply location for the temples of light, is located in the bottom left corner of the board, also used to see if the Ascension game end has been reached (see page 9).
attacker – the side of the active player in a Coup, Move & Conflict, or Global Conflict action (see page 17).
base – a type of building; gives a bonus to the garrison value and extra military units when doing the Recruit action (see page 31).
bidding contest – method of combat in the game; used as part of the Coup, Move & Conflict and Global Conflict actions (see pages 18, 23).
– game component which players use to secretly select a side and a bid value in a bidding contest; also indicates the cost of that bid (which may be different from the bid value) (see page 18).

11.9 Icon Index

Collect Virya, Construct Building, Coup, Global Conflict, Intrigue, Move & Conflict, Recruit, Repolarize and unique special action each have their own action icon. Further icons listed: agent counter, building (any building), building destroyed, building spot, bidding (attacker / defender / no side), conflict (contested area), control marker (obelisk), crossing cost for ocean, crossing cost for straits, defense value (garrison / political stability), Doom marker, entire map (globally), game end, game ending that gave rewards (objective fulfilled), major nation home area, not allowed, objective card, player, Power value, round, Round marker, temple (either type), unit (military unit), unit loss, Virya cost, Virya gain, victory points, wilderness area.