Improvement of the POLIS Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Contents and Setup
  • Boards
  • Cards
  • Components and Tokens
• Game Flow
  • A: Event Announcement Phase
  • B: Tax Revenue Phase
  • C: Dice Phase
  • D: Action Phase
  • E: Progress Phase
  • F: Event Resolution Phase
  • G: Milestone Phase
• About Each Action
• About Philosophy Tokens
• Final Scoring
  • Supplemental Information
• Terms

Game Contents and Setup

Boards

1 Main board. Put in the center of the table. The Victory Point track is located around the edge of the main board. The main board also has the Colonial Cities, the Event Cards Area, the Politics Cards Area and the Milestones.

7 Polis Boards. Each player takes 1 Polis board at random and places it face-up in front of themselves.

Cards

16 Event Cards. Remove the Concentrated Living card and The King's Arrival card from the event cards. Shuffle the remaining cards and choose 7 at random to create an Event Deck. Do not look at these cards. (The unchosen cards will not be used for this game.) Place the Concentrated Living card on the top of the Event Deck and The King's Arrival card on the bottom of the Event Deck. Place the deck on the Event Deck Area at the bottom right of the main board.

40 Politics Cards. Deal 5 politics cards to each player. Then draft these cards clockwise.

To draft cards, a player looks at their hand, chooses one card, and lays it face-down in front of themselves. Then, everyone passes their 4 remaining cards to the person on their left. Each player chooses one card from this new hand, lays it face-down in front of themselves, and passes the remaining 3 cards to the left. Continue this action until players have no more cards to pass to the left. All players will have five cards in front of them upon completion. This will become that player's hand. Keep this hand secret from other players.

4 Sets of 7 Action Cards (28 cards in total). One set of action cards are as follows: 1. Lawmaking 1. Philosophy 2. Culture 3. Trade 4. Military Expansion 5. Politics 6. Development. Each player takes 1 set of action cards in the color of their choice (blue, yellow, white, black).

8 Summary Cards (Japanese 4, English 4). Hand each player 1 summary card. Each phase of the game is written on the front side of the summary card. An explanation of terms and the use of Philosophy tokens is written on the reverse side of the summary card.

Components and Tokens

• 1 Drachma (Dp) (27 coins). Each player receives 4 drachmas. Put the remaining coins to the side of the board.
• 5 Drachma (Dp) (15 coins). Put the coins to the side of the board.
• Philosophy Tokens (20 tokens). Put the tokens to the side of the board.
• Knowledge Tokens (55 tokens). Place the knowledge tokens on the knowledge spaces in each Colonial City on the main board. Put the remaining tokens to the side of the board.
• Special Knowledge Tokens (20 tokens). Place the Special Knowledge Tokens on the matching spaces in each Colonial City on the main board.
• 4 Score Markers. Put the markers to the side of the board. During the game, if a player goes all the way around the score track, take the score marker in your color. At the end of the game, add the points from your turn marker as well as the points on the score track.
• 4 Sets of 11 Wooden Cubes (44 cubes in total). Each player takes one set of wooden cubes in their color. Each player places 1 cube on the 0 of the score track on the main board. Each player places 1 cube on the 3 of the Citizenry track. Each player places 1 cube on the 0 of the remaining tracks (Tax Revenue, Glory, and Troop Strength). Finally, place 1 cube at the top level of the Development track on your Polis Board and gain that ability. Each player's 5 remaining cubes will be used as milestone markers later.
• 4 Sets of 3 Wooden Discs (12 discs in total). Each player takes one set of discs in their color. On each player's Polis board, put the wooden discs on the leftmost space of the 3 tracks (Culture, Economy, Military).
• 4 Sets of 3 Dice (12 dice in total). Each player starts the game with 2 dice in their color.

Game Flow

The game is 9 rounds long. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins. Each round is divided into the following phases:

A: Event Announcement Phase, B: Tax Revenue Phase, C: Dice Phase, D: Action Phase, E: Progress Phase, F: Event Resolution Phase, G: Milestone Phase.

When all phases have been completed, the start player marker is passed to the person on the left, and the next round will begin. If it is the end of the ninth round, final scoring will begin.

A: Event Announcement Phase

The start player reveals the top card of the event deck and reads the effect out loud. However, the effect of the event card does not happen yet. Note that the event card of the first and ninth round is fixed. The Concentrated Living card will be played in the first round and The King's Arrival card will be played in the ninth round. At the start of each round, place the previous event card to the side of the board. In this way, you can confirm which round of the game it is.

Quick rules: Confirm the effect of the Event Card.

B: Tax Revenue Phase

All players refer to the Tax Revenue track on the main board. Each player takes the amount of Drachma equal to their Tax Revenue level. Also, some Politics cards (see page 4) will trigger their effect at this time.

Quick rules: Receive Drachma equal to the level of your Tax Revenue.

C: Dice Phase

All players perform the following steps at the same time during the Dice Phase.

1. Every player rolls their dice.
2. Each player places one action card face-down under each of the dice they rolled.
3. Once all players have placed their action cards, everyone reveals their cards at the same time.
4. Each player looks at the number on their action card. If the number on the card is larger than the number of the dice it is placed under, reduce that player's Citizenry on the main board by the difference of these two numbers. If a player is unable to reduce their Citizenry by the necessary amount, then that player will be unable to take the action. If the number on a player's action card is lower than the number of the dice it is placed under, then that player's Citizenry is unaffected. In other words, higher dice numbers are more valuable as they let you play higher number action cards without affecting your Citizenry.

Dice Phase Example. Mike has rolled a 2 and a 3 on his dice. He really wants to perform the Lawmaking Action (1) and the Politics Action (5). He places his Lawmaking Action card under the number 2 dice. He places his Politics Action card under the number 3 dice. Everyone else also secretly places the action cards they want to play under the dice they rolled. Once everyone is finished, everyone reveals the cards they have placed at the same time. Mike sees that his Politics Action Card (5) is larger than the number on the dice he rolled (3). The difference between these numbers is 2. So, Mike decreases his Citizenry on the main board by 2. His Lawmaking Action card (1) is lower than the dice it is under (2). So, his Citizenry is unaffected by this.

D: Action Phase

Players perform the effects of their action cards that they placed during the dice phase. The actions are performed in numerical order, but there is no player turn order at this time. Generally, everyone involved can perform the action at the same time. For example, when everyone involved has finished executing the Philosophy action, everyone involved can move to the Lawmaking action, followed by the Culture action and so on. This phase is conducted in order of Philosophy, Lawmaking, Culture, Trade, Military Expansion, Politics, and Development. If player turn order is necessary, play starts from the person with the first player marker and then continues clockwise.

Quick rules: Resolve action cards in appropriate order.

Action Phase Example. Mike, Kelly, Sarah, and Tim are playing a four-player game. Mike has played the Lawmaking and Politics action cards. Kelly has played the Philosophy and Military Expansion action cards. Sarah has played the Culture and Military Expansion action cards. Tim has played the Philosophy and Trade action cards. In this situation, Kelly and Tim first perform the Philosophy action at the same time. Then, Mike performs the Lawmaking action. Then, Sarah performs the Culture action. Then, Tim performs the trade action. Then, Kelly and Sarah perform the Military Expansion action at the same time. However, turn order was deemed necessary. So, play begins from the person with the start player marker. Tim is the first player and Kelly is sitting to his left. So, Kelly performs the Military Expansion action first, followed by Sarah. Finally, Mike performs the Politics action.

E: Progress Phase

From the player holding the start player marker and then continuing clockwise, each player chooses one area to upgrade on their Polis board. A player can raise their Culture, Economy, or Military by 1 level, but they must also pay the cost for doing this. Move the disc on the area you wish to upgrade one circle to the right. The number in this circle is the drachma you must pay to upgrade this area.

The icons underneath the circles represent bonuses that are gained once that level is reached. (Tax Revenue +1, Glory +1, Citizenry +3, etc.) The bonus is received immediately after paying for the upgrade. If Tax Revenue, Glory, or Citizenry are gained, move the cube of that player's color on the appropriate track on the main board by the indicated amount. (For example, if you gained a bonus of Glory +1, move the cube of your color up one level on the Glory track.)

Note that when you raise your Culture to level 4, you gain an extra dice to roll in the dice phase for the remainder of the game. This will allow you to roll 3 dice and play 3 action cards. (Hint: Having more dice is very powerful in this game.)

Quick rules: In turn order, choose one area (Culture, Economy, or Military) to upgrade and pay the cost.

F: Event Resolution Phase

Resolve the effect of the Event card from the Event Announcement Phase. When the effect refers to players with the highest/lowest of something (highest Troop Strength, etc.) and multiple players have an equal number, then the effect happens to all players involved.

G: Milestone Phase

The Milestones refer to the five goals on the main board (to the left of the Event deck). When entering this phase, if there is any player who meets any of the Milestone conditions, then they have achieved that Milestone. The player who achieves each of these conditions in the Milestone Phase is rewarded with either 1 Glory or 1 Tax Revenue.

Note that if multiple players have achieved the same Milestone in this phase, then all players involved can only choose 1 Tax Revenue (Glory cannot be gained if multiple people have accomplished the same milestone at the same time). The player or players who achieved the Milestone first put one of their wooden cubes on the corresponding Milestone marker. This Milestone is now lost to all other players.

Quick rules: The first player or players to achieve a milestone place a wooden cube on the appropriate icon and gain 1 Tax Revenue or 1 Glory if possible.

The five Milestones are: 10 Victory Points (VP); 12 Citizenry; 6 Troop Strength; Economy Level 4; 3 Politics cards in play. On the main board tracks and the Economy track of each Polis Board, small shield symbols are drawn as a reminder for each Milestone.

About Each Action

1. Philosophy: Gain 1 Philosophy Token. Put your Philosophy Tokens next to your Polis Board. The Philosophy Tokens have 3 possible effects. (See About Philosophy Tokens.)

2. Lawmaking: Take 2 Politics Cards from the top of the deck. Choose 1 to keep in your hand and return the other to the bottom of the Politics Deck. Additionally, gain 3 Citizenry by moving the wooden cube of your color up the Citizenry Track on the main board.

3. Culture: Gain Victory Points (VP) equal to the number of your current Culture level. In other words, if your Culture level is currently at 2, then gain 2 Victory Points. Move the wooden cube of your color up the Victory Point Track on the main board.

4. Trade: Gain Drachma (Dp) equal to the number of your current Economy level plus 1. In other words, if your Economy level is currently at 2, then gain 3 Drachma. After that, you may purchase one Knowledge Token of your choice for 5 Drachma from the Knowledge Token stock next to the main board. You may only purchase one Knowledge Token per round.

   Place your purchased Knowledge Tokens next to your Polis Board. There is no limit to the amount of Knowledge Tokens you may hold. Also, you may discard Knowledge Tokens freely at any time.

5. Military Expansion: Gain Troop Strength equal to the number of your current Military level. In other words, if your Military level is currently at 4, then gain 4 Troop Strength. After that, you may perform "Colonization" one time. Colonization is the act of conquering a Colonial City on the main board by taking a Knowledge Token from the area of your choice. If more than one player carries out "Colonization" during the Military Expansion action, turn order will begin from the start player.

   Colonization Conditions:

   1. You cannot Colonize a Colonial City where Knowledge Tokens are already gone.

About Philosophy Tokens

1. When revealing action cards during the dice phase, you may return Philosophy Tokens to the stock to receive 3 Citizenry for each token. You may return as many Philosophy Tokens as you wish. This effect can only be activated at this time during the Dice Phase, and it can be invoked even if you do not consume your Citizenry.
2. In the Progress Phase, you may return Philosophy Tokens to the stock to upgrade your Culture, Economy, or Military by 1 extra level for each token spent. You may choose to upgrade the same area or different areas. You must still pay all costs associated with each level as you upgrade.
3. During the Politics or Development action, you may return 2 Philosophy tokens to temporarily take the place of one Knowledge token of your choice. Note that this does not gain you a Knowledge Token, but acts as if you have one in your possession. You may spend as many Philosophy tokens as you like. You may use the card effects / development abilities on future rounds, even if you still haven't gained the appropriate tokens.

Final Scoring

The game ends and final scoring begins after the Milestone Phase in the ninth round. Each player adds the following Victory Points to their current score:

1. Victory Points gained from the Polis Board Development track
2. Victory Points gained from Scoring (Gray) Politics Cards
3. Glory x Special Knowledge Tokens (Multiply Glory by Special Knowledge Tokens. Ex: A player with 7 glory and 8 Special Knowledge Tokens gets 56 points)

Total each player's Victory Points and the player with the most Victory Points wins. If there is a draw, the winner is the player with more Drachma.

Supplemental Information

There is no limit on the amount of Drachma, Knowledge Tokens, and Philosophy Tokens a player can hold. If tokens in the supply are depleted, use a substitute.

On the other hand, each track on the main board does have a limit which cannot be exceeded. (In the case of the Military Expansion action, it is possible to exceed Troop Strength of 15 temporarily. For example, a player gains 20 Troop Strength after performing Military Expansion. They then colonize a Colonial City that costs 4 troop strength. The player must keep their Troop Strength at 15, and will not have 16.)

Terms

• Troop Strength: This track's value is related to fighting the colonial cities. It is mainly acquired by the Military Expansion action and is consumed by the colonial cities during Colonization.
• Citizenry: This track's value is related to the value of the dice rolled. Increasing your Economic level and the Lawmaking action mainly gain you more citizenry. During every Dice Phase, a player's Citizenry is reduced if the dice number is lower than the card it is on.
• Tax Revenue: This track's value is related to Drachma (Dp). Earn it by raising your Culture level or achieving Milestones. At the Tax Revenue Phase, you get Drachma equal to your Tax Revenue value.
• Glory: This track's value is related to Victory Points. Earn it by raising your Military level and achieving Milestones (so long as no one else has achieved the same Milestone with you). Glory is multiplied by your number of Special Knowledge Tokens to gain Victory Points.
• Colonial City: Each circle on the main board represents one colonial city. There are 3 kinds of cities: blue, red, and green and each has a corresponding Knowledge Token. By Colonizing with the Military Expansion action, you can obtain these Knowledge Tokens, Drachma, and Victory Points.
• Milestones: There are 5 goals (Milestones) written on the main board, to the left of the Event Deck Area. These are resolved every round in the Milestone Phase. Tax Revenue and Glory can be gained here.