Foundations of Rome
Foundations of Rome Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Game Overview
- Core Game Components
- Expansion / Module Components
- The First Time You Play
- Game Setup
- How to Play
- Player Turns
- The End of an Era
- End of Era Scoring
- End of Game
- Optional Rules
- Monuments Expansion
- Additional Content (Modules)
- Trading & Stealing Module
- Objectives Module
- Invocations Module
- Player Roles Module
- Will of the Consul (Cooperative Module)
- Architect's Codex
- Credits
Game Overview
Over three rounds of play, you will compete to be the greatest architect in Rome by purchasing empty Lots in strategic patterns and constructing your Buildings on them.
More complex Buildings are harder to construct, but they bring their builder even greater glory (in the form of Victory Points).
At the end of the game, the player with the most glory is the winner!
Core Game Components
- A) 81 Deed cards
- B) 48 Silver coins, in denominations of 1's (24x) and 3's (24x)
- C) 4 Player trays (Red, Blue, Green, Purple)
- 96 Buildings, in three types:
- 32 Residential Buildings (Beige)
- 32 Commercial Buildings (Olive)
- 32 Civic Buildings (Gray)
- 96 Buildings, in three types:
- D) 96 Icon tiles (24 per player color)
- E) 32 Lot markers (8 per player color)
- F) 8 Score cubes (2 per player color)
- G) 4 Player Aid cards
- H) 1 First Player token
- I) 1 Deed board, where Deeds to the city's Lots are sold
- J) 1 Score board, used for tracking Victory Points and Population
- K) 1 City board, showing the area of the city of Rome, divided into vacant Lots
Expansion / Module Components
5th Player
- 19 Deed cards
- 1 Player tray
- 24 Buildings & Icon tiles
- 8 Lot markers
- 6 Monument markers
- 2 Score cubes
- 1 Player Aid card
Monuments
- 19 Monument Buildings & Icon tiles
- 19 Monument cards
- 24 Monument markers (6 per player color)
Trading & Stealing
- 10 Favor tokens
Will of the Consul
- 1 Consul card
- 30 Consul Building tokens
Objectives
- 18 Objective cards
Invocations
- 20 Invocation cards
Player Roles
- 15 Player Role cards
The First Time You Play
Before you sit down to play your first game of Foundations of Rome, you must put the Icon tiles into the Buildings. Fortunately, unless you wish to artistically paint your Building miniatures at a later date, there is no need to remove these snap-in tiles once they are inserted. Applying the tiles is a great time to familiarize yourself with the Buildings and your Player tray!
See the Architect's Codex for information about each Building and applying the snap-in tiles.
Game Setup
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Lay out the City board, Deed board, and Score board near each other. For 4 or 5 player games, use the side of the City board with more Lots (A). For 2 or 3 player games, use the side of the City board with fewer Lots (B).
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Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding Player tray. Player trays contain their Buildings, Lot markers, and Monument markers. Players should also take the Score cubes matching their color.
Note: If you are not using the Monuments Expansion in your game, players should ignore the Monument markers in their Player trays.
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Place your Score cubes on the designated spaces of the Score board matching your player color — one on the Victory Point tracker, the other on the Population tracker.
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Decide who will be the first player. By default, the owner of the game chooses who it will be (and can choose themselves!). Give them the First Player token.
a. The starting player takes 5 Silver. Going clockwise, each player gets 1 Silver more than the previous player. So, in a four-player game, the first player takes 5 Silver, the second takes 6, the third 7, and the last player gets 8 Silver.
b. Place the rest of the Silver into 2 piles (of 1's and 3's) near the Deed board to create a common "bank."
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When playing with 5 players (requires the 5th Player expansion), you will play on the entire City board. When playing with fewer players, you will use less of the City board and not use certain rows or columns of Lots. Depending on the number of players, you will need to remove some of the Deed cards from the game:
a. For four players, remove all the Red Deed cards (corresponding to Column J and Row 10). You will play on a 9x9 layout using 81 Lots.
b. For three players, remove all the Red and Purple Deed cards (corresponding to Columns I and J and Rows 9 and 10). You will play on an 8x8 layout using 64 Lots.
c. For two players, remove all the Red, Purple, and Blue Deed cards (corresponding to Columns H, I, J and Rows 8, 9, 10). You will play on a 7x7 layout using 49 Lots.
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Shuffle the remaining Deed cards together and deal six to each player.
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Place Lot markers of your color on each Lot corresponding to the Deed cards you were dealt. At this point, you will have two Lot markers left in your Player tray.
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Then, place your cards in a pile in front of you. Each player has their own pile of Deed cards that they acquire during the game. Should a question arise, players can look at these piles to determine who owns each Lot in the city.
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Split the rest of the Deed cards into three approximately equal piles. Place one pile each on the Era 1, Era 2, and Era 3 spaces of the Deed board.
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Using the Era 1 pile, turn over six Deed cards and place them face-up in the spaces of the "Deeds for Sale" area of the Deed board.
You are now ready to start building the city of Rome!
How to Play
Foundations of Rome is played over three Eras, each representing approximately ten years in the early history of the city.
Each Era consists of multiple rounds of player turns, with each individual player taking one turn per round, starting with the first player and going clockwise. The Era continues until the stack of Deed cards for that Era (including those on the Deed board) runs out.
Players earn Victory Points at the end of each Era and record them on the Score board. After the third Era's scoring is complete, the game ends.
Player Turns
On your turn, you must choose one of the actions shown below. After you complete your action, your turn is over and the player to your left begins their turn.
- Take Income
- Buy a Deed
- Construct a Building
Action: Take Income
You may petition Romulus for more resources. Doing so will gain you 5 Silver from the bank. In addition, you will receive Silver equal to the value of the Commercial Buildings you have constructed on the City board.
Example: Cornelia decides to take income on her turn. She gets 5 Silver from Romulus, plus 3 Silver for the Bakery and Artisan Studio she has on the City board, so she takes a total of 8 Silver from the bank and adds them to her supply.
Helpful tip: Look at your Player tray to quickly tally up how much Silver the Buildings you have constructed provide. You can do this for the other types of Buildings as well.
Action: Buy a Deed
You may not take this action if all your Lot markers are already on the City board.
You may purchase any of the Deed cards available on the Deed board by following these steps:
A. Pay the amount of Silver shown above the Deed you wish to purchase. These coins go to the bank.
B. Take the Deed card from the Deed board and add it to your personal Deed card pile.
C. Slide the other Deed cards to the left to fill the empty space, if needed.
D. Fill the last spot by turning over the top Deed card from the deck for the current Era.
E. Place one of your Lot markers on the corresponding Lot on the City board.
Important! When the last Deed card for the current Era is drawn, do not refill the Deeds for Sale when taking this action until the end of the Era (see "The End of an Era").
Example: Fabius sees Lot B4 for sale and wants to buy it. He pays 4 Silver to the bank (A), then takes the card from the Deed board and places it in his personal Deed pile (B). Next, he slides the three higher-priced cards down one space each (C), before turning over a new Deed card from the current Era deck and placing it on the 10 Silver space (D). Finally, he places his Lot marker on Lot B4 of the City board (E).
Action: Construct a Building
You can only construct Buildings on Lots that you own.
Each player has their own supply of 24 Buildings. Buildings come in different shapes and sizes. To construct a Building, you must first own a set of adjacent Lots that match the shape of the Building.
When constructing a Building, choose the one you want from your Player tray and place it on top of the Lots you own after retrieving the Lot markers from that space to use later.
You may build on empty Lots you own without restriction. You may also "build over" a Building you constructed earlier, but only if the new Building is bigger than any individual one you are building over. The type of Building does not matter.
Example: Cassius decides to build over two Domus he already built and replace them with one Domus Maxima. He can do this because the Domus Maxima is 2-Lots in size, while the two Domus are only 1-Lot each. The two smaller Buildings are removed from the City board and Cassius constructs his Domus Maxima in their place.
You can never build over a Building of the same size or larger. So, you could never build an Artisan Forum (size 3) on top of an Insula (also size 3), nor a Foundry (size 4).
If you build over one of your Buildings, remove the Building from the City board and return it, along with any of your Lot markers used, to your Player tray. You may later reuse those pieces as normal. When constructing over one of your own Buildings, any Lots you own remain owned by you, even if the shape of the Building changes.
Example: Fabius owns an "L" shaped Insula and two adjacent unbuilt Lots. On his turn, Fabius builds a Grand Insula over his Insula and the Lots. This leaves a Lot (E4) unbuilt. Fabius places a Lot marker on that empty Lot to signify he still owns it.
There is a limited number of each Building type available! You cannot construct a Building if you do not have one in your supply.
There is no Silver cost when constructing a Building. Romulus supplies the materials and labor required to build it!
Constructing Residential Buildings
Typically, when you construct a Building, nothing happens immediately; however, when constructing or removing a Residential Building, players must update the Population Tracker to reflect the total value of Citizen icons across their Residential Buildings.
The End of an Era
When the current deck of Deed cards runs out, the Era will soon end. Continue taking turns and playing normally, including buying Deeds from the Deed board, until all the Deeds available for purchase have been bought.
Do not refill the Deed board when you buy the final Deed for that round.
Once the Deed board is empty for the round, each player takes one final turn to collect income or build (including the player who purchased the last Lot on the Deed board).
End of Era Scoring
After the round is over, players score Victory Points from each of the three types of Buildings they have constructed — Residential, Commercial, and Civic. Players also collect bonus Silver for their Commercial Buildings.
There is a Quick Scoring Guide for each Era printed on the Deed board!
Residential Building Scoring
Each player counts the total value of Citizens they have across their Residential Buildings on the City board, then confirms their total is marked correctly on the Population Tracker.
The player with the most Citizens scores Victory Points equal to their current position on the Population Tracker, plus a bonus. That bonus changes each Era:
- Era 1 = +4
- Era 2 = +7
- Era 3 = +10
Ties are "friendly." If two or more players are tied for first place on the Population Tracker, they both get the bonus.
Each of the other players score Victory Points equal to the number of Citizens of the player in front of them on the Population Tracker.
You must have at least 1 Citizen to gain Victory Points from the Population Tracker; if you have no Residential Buildings, you do not gain any Victory Points from Population at the end of an Era.
Example: It is the end of Era 1 and time for scoring:
- Purple has 13 Citizens,
- Green has 10 Citizens,
- Red also has 10 Citizens,
- Blue has 0 Citizens.
Purple scores 17 Victory Points (their current Population + the Era bonus of 4 points).
Green scores 13 Victory Points. (Green scores points equal to the position of the next marker ahead of them. Purple is the next player ahead of Green on the track, so Green scores 13 points for Purple's 13 Citizens.)
Red also scores 13 points, just like Green. Red is on the same space as Green, and ties are friendly.
Blue does not score anything; to score, they must have had at least 1 Citizen on the Population Tracker.
Civic Building Scoring
Next, players receive Victory Points based on the icons on the Civic Buildings they have constructed. Civic Buildings typically reward Victory Points depending on the other Buildings orthogonally adjacent to them (sharing an edge) on the City board.
- Awards points for Citizens on adjacent Residential Buildings
- Awards points for every two Citizens on adjacent Residential Buildings
- Awards points for every Silver on adjacent Commercial Buildings
- Awards points for every adjacent Civic Building
- Awards points for every adjacent Building — regardless of type!
It does not matter which player owns the adjacent Buildings. Your Civic Buildings provide Victory Points for any adjacent Buildings — not just your own!
Example: Porcia has built a Resplendent Library, which provides Victory Points equal to the total value of Citizens on adjacent Residential Buildings, regardless of who owns those Buildings. In the example shown, Porcia will earn 6 Victory Points from her Resplendent Library during the end of Era scoring.
Commercial Building Scoring
Each player takes Silver from the bank equal to the total value of Silver icons across the Commercial Buildings they have constructed in the City (just like the Take Income action, but without gaining the extra 5 Silver).
Additionally, players gain a flat amount of Victory Points for each of their Commercial Buildings in the City. The amount of Victory Points a Commercial Building is worth is printed on the Player tray.
Note: During the final Era scoring, players gain bonus Victory Points instead of Silver for their Commercial Buildings. For example, in the final Era the Pottery Studio is worth a total of 3 Victory Points.
Replenish Deeds
After all players have collected their Victory Points and Silver, refill the Deed board using cards from the next Era's deck. A new round begins with the player to the left of the one who took the last turn in the previous round. Pass the First Player token to this player and start the new Era!
End of Game
The game ends after the third Era. During the final Era's scoring, players gain Victory Points as normal through end of round scoring, with two additions:
Commercial Buildings: Instead of collecting Silver from their Commercial Buildings, each player scores bonus Victory Points equal in value to the Silver they would have received in the final round.
Empty Lots: Players score 1 Victory Point for each Lot marker they have on the City board (marking an empty Lot they own).
The player who has the most Victory Points is appointed Grand Architect by Romulus, and their name is heralded throughout the illustrious history of Rome!
Optional Rules
Once you are familiar with the game, and are ready for new challenges, you can add the following optional rule to the game, along with any additional modules, in any combination you choose!
Deed Drafting
You may use this optional setup rule if you would like a less random start to the game:
Like the normal game, shuffle the Deed cards and randomly deal six to each player, but deal them all face-down. Hold your cards in your hand, hidden from the other players.
Simultaneously, each player chooses one Deed card from their hand and places it face-down on the table in front of them. Once all players have selected a card, players simultaneously flip their cards face-up to reveal their selection. They then place a Lot marker on their revealed Lot and add the Deed card to their personal pile.
Next, each player passes the remaining Deed cards in their hand to the player on their left.
Continue selecting and passing cards until all of them have been chosen. At this point, each player will own six empty Lots on the City board and will have six Deed cards in the pile in front of them.
Monuments Expansion
As the city of Rome continues to grow, so too do the ambitions of its architects. With population and commerce on the rise, the architects of Rome have set out to bring the Eternal City to new heights of glory. Romulus, our legendary king and founder, has spared no expense providing the materials to build epic Monuments to honor our gods, our citizens, and our king. Soon Rome will be shining brighter than ever before!
Overview
The Foundations of Rome: Monuments Expansion adds a new, limited pool of shared Buildings that only the most talented architects can construct. Monuments are available for any player to build and are constructed just like the Buildings from a player's personal supply. However, each Monument is unique and, once constructed, is no longer available for other players to build. Monuments are powerful, but many of these epic Buildings have special requirements that must be met before construction.
Setup
Set up the game as normal. Then, follow these additional steps:
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Shuffle all the Monument cards together.
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Turn over a number of Monument cards equal to the number of players + 3 (e.g. 7 cards in a four-player game). These will be the only Monuments available for construction during the game.
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Lay these cards face-up near the City board and place the matching Monument Buildings on top of them (or nearby).
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Return the unused cards and Monument Buildings to the box.
Reminder: Each player has a set of 6 Monument markers matching their color in their Player tray.
Monument Buildings
The Monument Buildings you set near the City board during setup form a "common pool" of Buildings that any player can build; however, each Monument is "first come, first served." Once a Monument is built, it is no longer available to other players.
Competition can be fierce! Keep an eye on what your opponents are doing and what Lots they are acquiring — do not let them construct the epic Monument you need!
The Monuments pool includes all three types of Buildings — Residential, Commercial, and Civic. Some Monuments have special Construction Requirements that a player must meet before they are eligible to construct that Monument.
Constructing a Monument Building
Like other Buildings, a Monument can be constructed on empty Lots or over smaller Buildings that the player owns — including smaller Monuments.
First, you must confirm that you have fulfilled any Requirements listed on the Monument card for the Building you wish to construct. Place the Monument card next to your Player tray as a reminder of its effects.
Then, take the Monument Building miniature from the pool and add it to the City board, following all the normal rules for construction. If you build over your own personal Buildings, they return to your supply. If you build over a smaller Monument that you own, it returns with the matching card to the common pool and is again available for any player to build.
After you construct a Monument, insert one of your Monument markers on it to show that it belongs to you. If you do not have a Monument marker available to place, you cannot construct that Building.
Monument Clarifications
Edge of the City board: "Edge of the board" refers to the edge of the active play area, which changes based on player count (2, 3, 4, or 5 players).
Must be constructed on a Lot on edge of the City board: To construct a Building with this requirement, at least one of the Lots it is built on must be on the edge of the play area (but they do not all have to be on the edge).
The Temple of Minerva: This Building is worth 2 Citizens, +1 Citizen for each adjacent Building (regardless of the size or type of Building).
The Temple of Vulcan: This Building is worth 1 Silver, +1 Silver for each adjacent Building (regardless of the size or type of Building).
The Pantheon: To construct the Pantheon, you must build it over your existing Buildings while all your Lot markers are in your Player tray (i.e. not out on the City board).
Additional Content (Modules)
Ready for new challenges? Once you have mastered the base game and the Monuments expansion, there are several gameplay add-ons called "Modules" available to test your skills. Modules are optional rulesets that add new twists and depths to the Foundations of Rome experience.
Players are free to mix-and-match the Invocations, Trading & Stealing, Objectives, and Player Roles modules in any combination they see fit.
There is one additional standalone module, Will of the Consul, that can only be played with the base game and, optionally, the Monuments Expansion. Will of the Consul cannot be used in conjunction with the other 4 modules.
- Will of the Consul: Work cooperatively to outsmart a common foe.
- Trading & Stealing: Negotiate or intimidate to gain larger territories.
- Player Roles: Start the game with a unique special effect.
- Objectives: Meet the requirements to earn bonus Victory Points.
- Invocations: Spend Silver to acquire powerful abilities.
Trading & Stealing Module
In the back rooms of bathhouses and the dim interiors of the taberna, architects make secret deals behind closed doors, hoping to secure their control over Rome's grand design and curry favor with Romulus himself.
Overview
This optional rule is recommended for games with four or five players. There are three ways to add this Module to your game:
- Trading: Players may make voluntary trades with each other.
- Stealing: Players may forcefully take Lots from other players.
- Both: You can choose to play with both sets of rules at the same time.
Note: This Module makes it easier to construct larger Buildings, which can change the dynamic of the game. Thus, only experienced players who are familiar with the core game should use this optional Module.
Favor Tokens
Regardless of which combination of rules you use, at the start of the game each player receives two Favor tokens.
Important: The 4 VP side of the token is only used when playing with the Stealing ruleset. If you are only playing with the Trading ruleset, then Favor tokens must remain with the 2 VP side face-up for the entire game.
Favor tokens may be used as a component of a Trade (when using the Trading ruleset) and are a necessary resource for Stealing (when using the Stealing ruleset).
At the end of the game, players earn Victory Points based on the Favor tokens in their possession.
Trading
On your turn, you may trade empty Lots you own with any other player(s) who are willing to trade. You may trade with as many of the other players as you wish during your turn (assuming they are interested). Only the currently active player may make or propose trades — the other players may not trade with each other during your turn.
A trade is made by simply swapping the Lot tokens on the traded Lots, along with their associated Deed cards.
Note: If a Lot changes hands, make sure the new owner takes the matching Deed card and adds it to their own pile of Deed cards to avoid any confusion.
You may offer more than a single Lot in a trade. You can trade multiple Lots, make uneven trades, and offer Silver or Favor tokens as part of your trade.
- Fabius may trade 2 Lots for 1 of Cornelia's Lots.
- Fabius may trade 2 Lots for 3 of Cassius' Lots.
- Fabius may trade 2 Lots for 1 Lot and 8 Silver from Porcia.
- Fabius may trade 2 Lots for 1 Lot, 3 Silver, and 1 Favor token from Porcia.
Players may make promises to each other as part of a trade, but the rules do not force any player to keep their promises. For example, you might say, "If you make this trade now, I will not construct a Civic Building on this Lot." But, after the trade is complete, you could break your promise and build the Civic Building on that Lot anyway!
You can trade Lots in addition to taking normal actions during your turn. So, for example, you could make a trade, then buy a Lot as your normal action, then trade away the Lot you just bought.
Important: Only empty Lots can be traded, never Buildings. If there is a Building on a Lot, it cannot be traded.
Stealing
During your turn you may choose to forcefully take an empty Lot from another player. Like Trading Lots on your turn, this is a free action you can take in addition to your normal turn, with the following restrictions:
- You can never seize a Building, only an empty Lot.
- You must own at least two Lots and/or Buildings orthogonally adjacent to the Lot you wish to steal.
- You must have at least one 2 VP Favor token. Flip this token to the 4 VP side and give it to the player you are stealing from.
Once you have stolen a Lot, replace the original owner's Lot marker with your own. Return the Lot marker to the player you have stolen from and make sure you take the Deed card associated with that Lot and add it to your Deed pile.
Flipping Favor Tokens
Once flipped to the 4 VP side, a Favor token is considered "Spent" and will remain on this side for the rest of the game. It may not be used to steal again.
If you are also playing with the Trading rules, players may choose to trade their Favor tokens Spent (4VP) or Unspent (2VP). Spent Favor tokens are worth more Victory Points, but Unspent Favor tokens can still be used to steal.
Objectives Module
In an effort to make Rome as prosperous and beautiful as possible, Romulus is offering incentives to architects who bring the most flavor and personality to the city.
Overview
The Objective module gives you a new way to acquire Victory Points by completing certain requirements during the game. There are two ways to play with this module — Hidden Objectives and Public Objectives.
Hidden Objectives
At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt two random face-down Objective cards. Players secretly choose one Objective to keep and discards the other face-down.
If a player completes the requirements for that Objective before the end of the game, they will be awarded bonus Victory Points during final scoring.
Public Objectives
At the beginning of the game, deal out random Objective cards equal to the number of players. Keep these cards face-up in a common space, where all players can see them.
At the end of the game, during final scoring, review each Objective card and award bonus Victory Points to any players who completed the listed requirements.
Clarifications
Ties are "friendly." If two or more players meet the requirements for an Objective, they are both eligible to receive the Victory Points. If playing with Public Objectives, both tied players gain the Victory Points. If playing with Hidden Objectives, only the player holding the Objective card will receive the Victory Points.
Contiguous Lots. If two or more Lots share an orthogonally adjacent edge, they are considered contiguous.
Invocations Module
Since the city's inception, the architects of Rome have sought to honor the gods with lavish temples and statues. Mercury, god of messages, among many things, is responsible for bringing blessings from the pantheon to the people in thanks for their devotion. As competition over Rome's design heats up, the most successful architects invoke Mercury's name while praying to outwit their opponents.
Setup
Following the normal game setup, after all players have received their starting Deed cards, shuffle the Invocation cards and deal 9 face-down at random. Shuffle 3 Invocation cards into each Era deck, and then return those decks to the Deed board.
Note: Some Invocations specify that they can only be used when playing with certain Modules. Players should agree on what Modules they are playing with before the game begins and remove any Invocation cards that do not apply before shuffling.
Purchasing Invocation Cards
Invocation cards are treated like Deed cards; they are dealt onto the Deed board and purchased with Silver. Once purchased, Invocation cards are kept face-down in a player's play area until used.
Using Invocation Cards
Activating an Invocation card does not require an action. Unless otherwise specified, an Invocation card can only be used on your turn. After using an Invocation card, place it face-up in your Deed card pile.
Some Invocations specify that they are ongoing abilities — keep these cards face-up in your play area. These effects are persistent throughout the rest of the game.
Some Invocation cards show a Victory Points value — these points are only awarded at the end of the game if the Invocation has not been used.
Note: If playing with the Trading & Stealing module, players may include unused or ongoing Invocation cards as part of their trades.
Player Roles Module
Player Role cards provide powerful passive bonuses to strategize around.
Setup
Shuffle the Player Role cards and deal 2 face-down to each player. Players secretly select 1 Role to keep and discard the other. Once all players have selected their cards, all players simultaneously reveal their chosen Player Role cards and share their abilities aloud.
Gameplay proceeds as normal.
Note: If you are not playing with the Monuments Expansion, remove the Philosophical Role card before setting up the game.
Will of the Consul (Cooperative Module)
The Consul serves directly beneath Romulus. They are the king's right-hand men, facilitating his every whim. However, the Consul have a will of their own, and seek to circumvent you and your fellow architects to solidify their control over the city.
Only playable with 2-4 players. You may choose to incorporate the Monuments Expansion, but no other Modules may be used.
Setup
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Set up the game as usual.
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Select a player color not in use to represent the Consul on the Victory Point and Population trackers.
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Players and the Consul begin the game with 5 Victory Points (but still 0 Population, as normal).
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Place the Consul card Planning side face-up in front of the first player. That player will control the Consul until the end of the Era.
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Shuffle the size 1 Building tokens and create a face-down pile. Do the same for the size 2, 3, and 4 Building tokens.
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Select a Difficulty setting:
- Standard: The Consul starts with 0 Deed cards.
- Hard: The Consul starts with 2 random Deed cards. Place a Building token on each associated Lot. If these Lots are adjacent, place a size 2 Building token.
- Challenge: The Consul starts with 4 random Deed cards. Place a Building token on each associated Lot. If any are adjacent, place the largest possible Building token on each contiguous Lot.
If playing with the Monuments Expansion, it is recommended players use the Hard or Challenge difficulty setting.
Gameplay
Players take turns as usual. After the starting player finishes their turn, they must flip the Consul card to the Ready side. If the Consul card is already on the Ready side, perform the following steps:
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Take the leftmost card on the Deed board. That Deed now belongs to the Consul.
- Place the Deed card off to the side, in a separate Deed discard pile for the Consul.
- Slide the Deed cards down and draw a new card from that Era's Deed deck as normal.
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Construct a Building token:
- If the new Lot does not expand an area for the Consul (i.e. not placed adjacent to an existing Building token), draw the top token from the size 1 face-down pile and place it in the newly acquired Lot.
- If the new Lot connects to one or more of the Consul's existing Building tokens, place the largest Building token possible on those Lots. Remove the smaller Building tokens and place them in token discard piles based on their size.
- If this would cause one or more Lots the Consul owns to become empty, draw the largest token(s) that can occupy those Lots and place it in the vacant space.
- If a face-down token pile is empty, shuffle the token discards to form a new face-down pile.
Note: If there are no more of the needed building size, the Consul does not take the Lot. Instead, the Consul receives 7 Victory Points.
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Afterward, flip the Consul card to the Planning side.
Special Rules
Population Scoring: Players do not receive Victory Points as normal for their Population. Instead, the player (including the Consul) that has the most Population will receive the majority bonus (4 Victory Points for Era 1, 7 Victory Points for Era 2, and 10 Victory Points for Era 3). All other players will receive a Victory Points penalty for the difference between their Population and the player that has the most.
Example: At the end of Era 1, the Consul has 12 Population and Titus has 10 Population. The Consul will receive 4 Victory Points bonus and Titus will receive a -2 Victory Points penalty.
The rest of the Buildings score as normal.
The Consul's Commercial Buildings: As the Consul places Commercial Building tokens on the City board, they will affect the minimum cost of Deeds on the Deed board. At the start of the game, the minimum Deed price is 2 Silver, but that will increase as the game progresses. The price of the first Deed slot, and other Deed slots, will rise according to new minimum Deed prices being set.
Every 2 Silver icons on the Consul's Commercial Building tokens (that are in play) increases the minimum Deed price on the Market board by +1 Silver. Place coins on the Deed board as a reminder of the adjusted, new minimum Deed price.
Example: The Consul has 4 Silver icons across their Building tokens in the city, raising the Minimum Deed price +2. The 2 Silver and 3 Silver Deed spaces are now each worth 4 Silver.
End of an Era: In addition to normal end of an Era cleanup, pass the Consul card (and control of the Consul) clockwise to the next player.
Winning and Losing: After final scoring, the players win if each player has a higher individual score than the Consul. Otherwise, the Consul wins.
Architect's Codex
Use this guide to help familiarize yourself with the Buildings in Foundations of Rome, including initial setup information for the snap-in tiles!
Residential Buildings
While some single-family homes exist, most middle- and lower-class Romans live in humble, multi-family buildings made from mud bricks, concrete, and wood.
- Domus (x2) — 1 Citizen
- Domus Maxima (x2) — 2 Citizens
- Insula (long & L-shaped) — 4 Citizens
- Grand Insula (long & square) — 6 Citizens
Commercial Buildings
Commerce in Rome mainly consists of trading food, wood, glass, metals, textiles, pottery, and construction materials such as marble and brick.
- Bakery (x2) — 1 Silver
- Pottery Studio (x2) — 1 Silver
- Artisan Forum (long & L-shaped) — 2 Silver
- Foundry (long & square) — 3 Silver
Civic Buildings
Rome is a highly social city, filled with public forums and municipal establishments to enrich the daily lives of its citizens and businesses.
- Fountain — 1 VP per adjacent Building (of a type)
- Library — 1 VP per Citizen on adjacent Residential Buildings
- Resplendent Library — 1 VP per Citizen on adjacent Residential Buildings
- Majestic Fountain — 1 VP per adjacent Building
- Luxury Garden — 3 VP per adjacent Civic Building
- Marketplace — 2 VP per Silver on adjacent Commercial Buildings
- Market — 1 VP per Silver on adjacent Commercial Buildings
- Garden — 2 VP per adjacent Civic Building
Monuments
- The Pantheon
- Forum Romanum
- Circus Maximus
- Temple of Vulcan
- Temple of Minerva
- Tower of Wonders
- Temple of Mars
- Temple of Neptune
- Lighthouse
- Watchtower
- Temple of Jupiter
- Colosseum
- Royal Winery
- Regia
- Statue of Romulus
- Temple of Venus
- Temple of Apollo
- Triumphal Arch
- Imperial Harbor
Credits
Game Design: Emerson Matsuuchi. Published by Arcane Wonders. ©2021 Arcane Wonders, LLC.