Khôra: Rise of an Empire
Khôra: Rise of an Empire Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview and Goal of the Game
In Khôra, each player is the head of a blossoming city-state in Ancient Greece.
On your turn, you must take 2 of the following 7 Actions: Philosophy, Legislation, Culture, Trade, Military, Politics, or Development. Choose Actions that align with your strategy, but which also work with your dice roll.
You will need to adapt your strategy constantly and strengthen your Actions by moving your markers up on your Economy, Culture, and Military Tracks.
Move up on the Taxes Track to collect highly sought-after Drachmas, the Troop Track to Explore and gather Knowledge tokens, and the Glory Track to capitalize on your Knowledge.
Unlock Achievements and, above all, make sure you have the most points at the end of the 9th Round to be crowned with the laurels of victory!
Components and Setup
I. Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding components:
A. One City board, placed in front of you.
Your City board has four zones: a space for your City tile on the left, three Progress Tracks (Economy, Culture, and Military) running from 1 to 7 in the middle, an overview of the different phases for each Round on the right, and an outline of the three possible uses for Philosophy tokens at the bottom.
B. One City tile chosen randomly from the 7 tiles available: place it in the zone on the left side of your City board.
Each City tile has an illustration above the 4 Developments. Next to each Development is a hole that fits a wooden marker to track your Developments as you unlock them.
C. Wooden markers, Achievement tokens, a Victory Point tile, and dice of your color: place your Economy, Culture, and Military markers in the level 1 spaces. Place your Development marker next to the bottom Development on your City tile. Place one of your dice in the empty space below your Culture Track.
Keep your Achievement tokens and Victory Point tile in front of you for now.
You will use these markers on the Tracks on the central board and your City board and to indicate Achievements you've unlocked.
Each player starts with 2 dice and can obtain a 3rd one during the game. Dice let you take Actions. Your 3rd die starts on the space below your Progress Track.
Your Economy Track lets you gain Drachmas when you take a Trade Action. Moving up this Track gives you Citizens or Victory Points.
Your Culture Track lets you gain Victory Points when you take a Culture Action. Moving up this Track gives you Taxes or your 3rd die.
Your Military Track lets you gain Troops when you take a Military Action. Moving up this Track gives you Glory.
D. 7 Action tiles in your color, placed in front of you.
Action tiles are numbered from 0 to 6. You can apply the effects described on them during the Action Phase.
E. 5 Politics cards: shuffle all of the Politics cards and deal each player 5 random cards, face down. Then everyone drafts their hands of cards (see the box below). Make a face-down deck next to the central board with the remaining cards.
There are three types of Politics cards: yellow cards have an immediate effect, purple cards have a continuous effect, and red cards have an end-game effect. They each have a title, effect, and sometimes a cost you must pay and/or a requirement you must fulfill in order to play it.
DRAFTING CARDS
All players simultaneously choose one card from their hand, place it face down in front of them, then pass the remaining cards to the player on their left. Follow these steps with the new cards you received until you receive only a single card, which you must keep. At that point, the drafting is finished.
F. 4 Drachmas. Make a reserve with the remaining Drachma tokens where everyone can reach them. At any point during the game, you can exchange 5 value-1 coins for 1 value-5 coin or vice versa.
Drachmas are used to pay the costs for some Politics cards and Development Actions, or to move up on a Track during the Progress Phase.
II. Prepare the rest of the components as follows:
A. Unfold the central board and place it in the middle of the table.
This board has several different elements: the Citizen, Tax, Glory, and Troop Tracks on the left, the Achievement zone above those Tracks, and the Exploration zone with spaces for Knowledge tokens on the right. A Score Track wraps around the outside of the board.
B. Place 36 Knowledge tokens on the matching spaces on the right side of the board. Place the remaining Minor Knowledge tokens near the board.
There are 2 types of Knowledge tokens: Minor Knowledge, without laurels, and Major Knowledge, with laurels. They come in three colors: red amphora, blue helmet, and green lyre. 3 of them are placed in the Persepolis section at the bottom-right of the board.
C. All players place their Citizen marker on level 3 of the Citizen track and their Tax, Glory, and Troop markers on level 0 of the other Tracks.
These markers will move up and down these Tracks during the game, representing the players' progress in each area.
Citizens let you take stronger Actions, when your die roll doesn't help you. Moving up on your Economy Track or taking the Legislation Action increases your Citizens.
Taxes let you gain Drachmas during each Tax Phase. Moving up on your Culture Track or unlocking Achievements increases your Taxes.
Glory is tied to the Victory Points you will gain at the end of the game. Moving up on your Military Track or unlocking Achievements increases your Glory.
Troops are needed to claim Knowledge tokens during a Military Action. This Action is also the main way to increase your Troops.
D. Place your Victory Point marker on the 0 space of the Score Track. Place your Victory Point tile next to the board, near the 0 space of the Score Track.
This marker indicates the number of Victory Points you've earned during the game. The tile is used if you pass the 89 space on the Score Track.
E. Create the Event card deck:
- Take all 16 Event cards and set aside the Growing Populations and Conquest of the Persians cards.
- Place Conquest of the Persians face down next to the central board.
- Shuffle the 14 remaining cards and take 7 at random and place them face down on top of Conquest of the Persians.
- Then put Growing Populations face down on top of the stack you made.
A new Event will be revealed each Round, which may reward or punish certain players depending on the criteria described. The events for the first and last Rounds are always the same every time you play.
F. Make a reserve of Philosophy tokens where everyone can reach them, with the Drachma tokens.
Philosophy tokens have multiple uses. They can let you move up 3 levels on the Citizen Track, gain a Minor Knowledge token, or move up a second time during the Progress Phase.
G. All players now apply the text of their first (unlocked) Development: some Cities grant an immediate benefit. If you move up on a Track, you also gain the benefits for the new level (see Benefits, p.13).
H. Randomly choose the Start Player.
EXAMPLE
Miletus gets to move up 1 level on the Economy Track for free at the start of the game. Your marker is placed on level 2 of this Track, therefore you gain 3 Citizens.
Gameplay
Khôra is played over 9 rounds. At the end of the 9th Round, count your final score to determine the winner (see End of the Game, p.15).
Overview of a Round
Each Round is divided into 7 phases, played in the following order:
- A. Event Announcement
- B. Tax
- C. Dice
- D. Action
- E. Progress
- F. Event Resolution
- G. Achievement
A. Event Announcement
The Start Player reveals the top card of the Event deck, places it face up on the table, then reads the text aloud. This Event does not have any effect for now. It will be resolved during Phase F. Event Resolution. There is one exception: The Growing Populations Event always takes effect during the Dice Phase of the round it is revealed instead of the Event Resolution Phase.
Continue to the Tax Phase.
Summary: Reveal and read the next Event card from the Event deck.
B. Tax
Each player gains Drachmas equal to the level of their marker on the Tax Track. Take the Drachmas from the reserve and place them in front of you.
Continue to the Dice Phase.
Summary: Gain Drachmas equal to the level of your Taxes.
C. Dice
All players simultaneously complete these steps in the following order:
1. Roll all your dice.
At the start of the game, you will have 2 dice available during this step. As soon as you reach 4 Culture, your 3rd die will be unlocked. You may only roll once per Round. Place your dice in front of you after rolling.
The player who rolls the lowest total sum across their dice will be the Start Player for this Round. If there is a tie between multiple players, the Start Player is the tied player closest to whoever was the Start Player in the previous round, going clockwise.
2. Choose your Actions.
Each player secretly assigns one of their seven Action tiles to each of their dice. Each of your tiles can only be assigned to one of your dice, and each of your dice can only receive one of your tiles.
3. Reveal your chosen Actions.
Once all players have assigned their Action tiles, reveal them.
4. Adjust the position of your Citizen marker.
In any order, compare the value of each tile to its die.
- If the value showing on the die is less than the number on the Action tile, you must move your marker down on the Citizen Track a number of spaces equal to the difference between these two values. Adjust the position of your Citizen marker accordingly. If you cannot lose the required Citizens, you don't lose any Citizens for this tile, but you must set it aside with your other unused tiles.
- If the die is greater than or equal to the number on the Action tile, leave the tile and die in front of you.
Continue to the Action Phase.
Summary: Roll your dice and assign an Action tile to each die. Reveal them simultaneously. Lose Citizens if the die is less than the number on the tile.
EXAMPLE
You rolled a 2 and a 4 with your dice. You choose to assign the Culture tile (2) to the 2 and the Development tile (6) to the 4. When you reveal your tiles, you must move your Citizen marker down 2, since the Development tile is 2 higher than the value of your die.
D. Action
The Action tiles are now resolved in order, starting with Philosophy (0) and continuing in increasing number order. All players who have the current tile in play apply its effects.
To save time, all players with an active tile can take their Actions simultaneously. Only the Military tile (4) must respect turn order. In this case, players take the Action starting with the Start Player and going clockwise.
The effects of your chosen Actions are optional: you are never required to apply any effects you do not want to.
Summary: Apply the effects of the Action tiles in increasing order.
EXAMPLE
Orange, Black, and Green are in the middle of a game.
Orange chooses the Philosophy (0) and Military (4) Actions. Black reveals Military (4) and Politics (5). Green plans on Philosophy (0) and Trade (3).
To start off, Orange and Green resolve the Philosophy (0) Action at the same time. Then, Green takes the Trade (3) Action. Next, Orange and Black take the Military (4) Action. This Action cannot be completed by both players simultaneously, since one player's choices can affect the other's. Since Black is closer to the Start Player than Orange, going clockwise, Black takes their Action first. Finally, Black uses Politics (5). If anyone had selected the Development (6) Action, they would resolve it last.
Here are some clarifications on the Actions:
0 — Philosophy
Tile text: Gain 1 Philosophy token.
There is no limit to the number of Philosophy tokens you can have. There are three ways to use them (see Philosophy Tokens p.14).
1 — Legislation
Tile text: Gain 3 Citizens. Then draw the top 2 cards from the Politics deck. Choose one to add to your hand. Put the other at the bottom of the deck.
You can temporarily exceed level 15 on the Citizen Track and spend these extra Citizens on other Actions this Round. Adjust your Citizen marker accordingly if you spend any. If you still exceed level 15 at the end of the Action Phase, you must decrease it to 15 at that time. There is no limit to the number of Politics cards you can have in hand.
2 — Culture
Tile text: Gain Victory Points equal to your Culture level.
If your Victory Point marker passes space 89 of the Score Track, place your Victory Point tile in front of you as a reminder of your position. You can now have more than 90 Victory Points.
3 — Trade
Tile text: Gain 1 Drachma more than your Economy level. Then you may buy 1 Knowledge token for 5 Drachmas.
You can buy any color of Minor Knowledge token from the reserve next to the board by paying 5 Drachmas to the reserve. Take the token and place it in front of you.
You can only buy a single Knowledge token per Action, but there is no limit to the number of Knowledge tokens you can have.
The reserves for Drachmas and Knowledge tokens are unlimited. If at any point you run out of the tokens you need, use a substitute.
4 — Military
Tile text: Gain Troops equal to your Military level. Then you may take 1 Explore Action.
You can temporarily exceed level 15 on the Troop Track and Explore with the extra Troops. After Exploring, adjust your Troop marker accordingly. If you still exceed level 15 at the end of the Action Phase, you must decrease it to 15 at that time.
To Explore, complete the following steps in order:
- Choose a Knowledge token that is still available on the central board.
- Your Troops must be greater than or equal to the value of the Troops to the right of the Knowledge token. If your Troops are not sufficient, you cannot Explore that Knowledge token.
- Lose Troops on the Track equal to the die value shown.
- Take the Knowledge token and place it in front of you. Also, gain any benefits shown below the token's space (see Benefits p.13). You can only explore once per Action to gain 1 Knowledge token. Exception: Exploring Persepolis allows you to take all 3 Major Knowledge tokens from there at the same time.
EXAMPLE
You are taking the Military Action. At the start of the Round, you had 2 Troops and are at level 4 on the Military Track. By taking the Action, your Troops increase to 6. You can then Explore any Knowledge token from the area highlighted below. You want to take the Major Knowledge token that requires you to have 6 Troops and lose 3. You take the token and gain 2 Victory Points.
If you had started the Round with 13 Troops and a Military level of 4, by choosing this Action you would end up at 17 Troops. Since this exceeds the maximum level, you would ultimately end up with a maximum of 15 Troops after Exploring.
5 — Politics
Tile text: Play one Politics card from your hand.
To play a Politics card, complete the following steps in order:
- Verify that you have the token(s) required, shown in the upper right of the card. It doesn't matter whether the Knowledge tokens are Major or Minor. Keep these tokens in front of you. A token can fulfill the requirements for multiple cards. If you don't have the tokens required for a card, you cannot play it.
- Pay the Drachmas required, shown in the upper left of the card. Return the Drachmas to the reserve. Some cards don't have any Drachma cost. If you don't have enough Drachmas for a card, you cannot play it.
- Place the card face up in front of you. There are 3 types of Politics cards:
- Immediate effect (yellow): Cards with a yellow background have an immediate effect. As soon as you play a card of this type, apply its effect as much as possible and leave it face up in front of you.
- Continuous effect (purple): Cards with a purple background have an ongoing effect. When you play this type of card, place it face up in front of you. Its effect remains active for the remainder of the game (unless the card leaves your board for some reason).
- End-game effect (red): Cards with a red background have an end-game effect. When you play a card of this type, leave it in front of you. It has no effect until the final scoring, during which it will give you Victory Points.
EXAMPLE
You want to play the Mercenary Recruitment card via the Politics Action. This card has no Drachma cost, but requires that you have at least one red Knowledge token. Since you have one, you can play this card face up in front of you. This card has an immediate effect: You are at level 5 on the Economy Track, so you gain 5 Troops. However, since you're already at 13, you only raise it to the maximum level of 15.
6 — Development
Tile text: Unlock the next Development on your City tile.
To unlock the next Development on the Development Track of your City tile, complete the following steps in order:
- Verify that you have the Knowledge token(s) required, shown just above the next Development. It doesn't matter whether the Knowledge tokens are Major or Minor. Keep these tokens in front of you. A single token can fulfill the requirements for multiple Developments. If you don't have the required tokens, you cannot unlock the Development.
- Pay the Drachmas required to the reserve. Some Developments don't have any Drachma cost. If you don't have enough Drachmas, you cannot unlock the Development.
- Move your Development marker to the next space. The effect to the right of the marker is now active, along with every effect below the marker. There are 3 types of Developments, identified by the symbol to the right of the text:
- Immediate: Apply this effect as soon as you unlock this Development.
- Continuous: Apply this effect whenever you trigger it for the rest of the game.
- End-game: Apply this effect during Final Scoring.
- You can only take this Action 3 times during the game.
Continue to the Progress Phase.
EXAMPLE
As Argos, you're taking your first Development Action. You must have 2 blue Knowledge tokens, which you do. You then move your marker to the next Development. This new Development has an immediate effect, so you apply it right away.
E. Progress
Starting with the Start Player and going clockwise, each player in turn may choose to improve a single Track on their City board: Economy, Culture, or Military.
To improve your Track, you must pay the Drachma cost for the next level on that Track, shown in the hole for the next space. Then, move your marker up one level and gain the benefits shown to the side (see Benefits p. 13).
Note that some Politics cards may allow you to increase a Track more than 1 level in the same Round, sometimes even on different Tracks, as well as Philosophy tokens.
Continue to the Event Resolution Phase.
Summary: Pay the Drachma cost for the next level on a single Track of your City board to move your marker up.
EXAMPLE
You want to Progress on the Economy Track. You are currently at level 2, so you must pay 2 Drachmas, as shown on your board. You move your Economy marker to level 3 and gain 3 Citizens.
F. Event Resolution
Apply the effect of the Event card revealed during Phase A. Event Announcement.
- If an effect targets the player with the most or least Troops, only that player applies the effect. If multiple players are tied for this, all tied players apply the effect.
- If the effect concerns an element other than Troops, all players apply the effect.
Continue to the Achievement Phase.
Summary: Apply the effect of the Event card.
G. Achievement
There are five Achievement spaces on the central board, each showing a different Achievement that players can attempt to earn during the game. Each Achievement can only be completed once, and only during this phase of the Round. But, if more than one player meets the requirements for the same Achievement during the same round, they all earn that Achievement.
Here is a list of the requirements for each of the Achievements:
- 10 Victory Points: Have at least 10 Victory Points on the Score Track.
- 12 Citizens: Reach at least level 12 on the Citizen Track.
- 6 Troops: Reach at least level 6 on the Troop Track.
- 4 Economy: Reach at least level 4 on the Economy Track.
- 3 Politics cards: Have at least 3 Politics cards in play (face up in front of you).
The Glory symbols on the central board are reminders of the requirements for most of the Achievements.
During this phase, if you completed an Achievement this phase, place one of your Achievement tokens on the matching space of the central board. Then, you receive the following awards:
- If you are the only player to complete that Achievement this phase, you choose to gain either 1 Taxes or 1 Glory. Move your marker up 1 space on the corresponding Track.
- If multiple players completed that Achievement this phase, you each gain 1 Taxes. Move your marker up 1 space on the corresponding Track.
Once earned, an Achievement can never be lost, even if you no longer meet the requirements. Once an Achievement is completed and one or more tokens are placed on it, no other player can earn that same Achievement in later Rounds.
EXAMPLE
During this phase, your Citizens are at 12, while your opponent's are at 14. The Citizen Achievement wasn't unlocked by anyone during a previous Round. You and your opponent both place an Achievement token on this Achievement space, and then both of you move up 1 space on the Taxes Track.
If you just finished the 9th Round, continue to the End of the Game. If not, start a new Round, beginning with the Event Announcement Phase.
Benefits
Here is a list of benefits or losses and their possible effects during an Event Resolution, Exploration, or activation of a Politics card or Development.
- −/+X Citizens: Lose or gain as many Citizens as shown. Move your marker on the Citizen Track accordingly. However, you cannot exceed the maximum value of 15 on this Track.
- −/+X Victory Points: Lose or gain as many Victory Points as shown. Move your marker on the Victory Point Track accordingly.
- −/+X Glory: Lose or gain as many Glory as shown. Move your marker on the Glory Track accordingly. However, you cannot exceed the maximum value of 10 on this Track.
- −/+X Drachmas: Lose or gain as many Drachmas as shown. If you do not have enough, lose all of your Drachmas.
- −/+X Philosophy tokens: Lose or gain as many Philosophy tokens as shown. If you do not have enough, lose all of your Philosophy tokens.
- −/+X Troops: Lose or gain as many Troops as shown. Move your marker on the Troop Track accordingly. The maximum level on this Track at the end of an Action is 15, even if you can temporarily exceed it (see 4 Military p.9).
- −/+X Politics cards: Draw or discard as many Politics cards as shown. If you do not have enough cards to discard, discard your entire hand.
- −/+X Knowledge tokens: Lose or gain as many Knowledge tokens as shown of any color. If you do not have enough, do not lose any.
- −/+X Taxes: Lose or gain as many Taxes as shown. Move your marker on the Tax Track accordingly. However, you cannot exceed the maximum value of 10 on this Track.
- −/+X Economy: You may Progress that number of spaces on the Economy Track, by paying the normal Drachma costs.
- −/+X Culture: You may Progress that number of spaces on the Culture Track, by paying the normal Drachma costs.
- −/+X Military: You may Progress that number of spaces on the Military Track, by paying the normal Drachma costs.
- +1 Die: Unlock your 3rd die. From now on, keep it and roll it with your other 2 dice during the Dice Phase.
Philosophy Tokens
Philosophy tokens can be used in 3 different ways at different times during the game:
C — 1 Philosophy token → 3 Citizens. During Phase C. Dice (step 4. Adjust the position of your Citizen marker), you may spend as many Philosophy tokens as you like. For each token spent, gain 3 Citizens. Move your marker on the Citizen Track accordingly.
You can spend tokens even if you do not spend any Citizens this Round.
D — 2 Philosophy tokens → 1 Knowledge token (any color). During a Politics or Development Action during Phase D. Actions, you may spend as many pairs of Philosophy tokens as you like. For each pair of tokens spent, you can temporarily ignore one Knowledge token required to play a card or unlock a Development, during that Action only. Do not take these Knowledge tokens.
E — 1 Philosophy token → 1 Economy / 1 Culture / 1 Military. During Phase E. Progress, you may spend as many Philosophy tokens as you like. For each token spent, you can move up one extra level on the Track of your choice, while still paying the required Drachma cost. By doing this, you can Progress multiple levels on the same Track or Progress on different Tracks during the same Round.
End of the Game
The game ends after 9 Rounds. Then it's time for the Final Scoring.
Final Scoring
Each player adds the following Victory Points to their current position on the Score Track:
- Any Victory Points from end-game effects on unlocked Developments on their City tile.
- Any Victory Points from end-game effects on Politics cards played in front of them.
- Victory Points equal to their Glory level multiplied by the number of Major Knowledge tokens they possess.
The player with the most Victory Points wins! If there is a tie, the tied player with the most Drachmas wins. If there is still a tie, they share the victory.
Credits
Original Game: Improvement of the Polis Designers: Head Quarter Simulation Game Club Original Publisher: Asobition Ltd. Illustrators: David Chapoulet & Jocelyn Millet Project Manager: Ludovic Papaïs Graphic Designer: Vincent Mougenot 3D Visuals: Lenaïg Bourgoin Rules Editor: Xavier Taverne Proofreader: William Niebling Translator: Danni Loe
Khôra: Theme and History
Khôra is a game that needed a specific treatment during its development. We used many historical works on Ancient Greece to guide us throughout the entire creative process. Imposing our own game design choices on history was not an option. Rather, we wanted history to dictate the importance of the cards and effects in the game.
Originally, the Japanese version of the game was called "Improvement of the Polis." Polis means "City" and would have worked fine as the title of the English version of the game. However, there were already several games with this same name and adding another to the mix would hardly bring the game the attention it deserved. So we set off in search of another name, which ultimately brought us to Khôra. In Ancient Greek, this term designated the territory of the Polis, which also included its surrounding land and villages, which seemed particularly fitting for the experience of the game that we wanted to publish.
Time Period
Khôra covers the period of Ancient Greece from the 5th Century BC (with the Ionian Revolt, Peloponnesian War…) to the end of the 4th Century BC. The cards in the game make direct references to this period, with all of its political, cultural, economic, and military aspects.
Politics Cards
Peripteros — Peripteros are the typical buildings we see when we think of Ancient Greece, meaning those surrounded by columns.
Tunnel of Eupalinos — This tunnel was built in the 6th Century BC. It was used as an aqueduct, allowing water to be supplied to the city of Samos (on the island of the same name). It was a little more than a kilometer long and passed under Mount Kastro. This aqueduct held considerable defensive importance, since it was undetectable by the enemy who therefore could not disrupt the water supply.
Diolkos — Diolkos are paved paths that enable boats to cross land by guiding them on foot. The most well-known, located in Corinth, allowed boats to cross the isthmus and therefore travel from the Gulf of Corinth to the Saronic Gulf in only 6 to 8 kilometers.
Corinthian Columns — Greek columns of the Corinthian order are those with capitals adorned with acanthus leaves.
Stoa Poikile — This refers to a covered walkway used as a public place (market, forum, festival…).
Proskénion — This refers to the stage where actors performed in Greek theatres.
Event Cards
The Thirty Tyrants — At the end of the Peloponnesian War, Athens negotiated with Sparta to avoid being forced into slavery. After these negotiations, a government of these magistrates was installed, which was heavily influenced by Spartan garrisons.
Supplies from Lydia — Lydia is a country in Asia Minor, which was celebrated for its richness and named Croesus as its last king. It was conquered by Cyrus the Great and annexed into the Persian Empire.
Eleusinian Mysteries — This was a ceremony performed by a cult in the city of Eleusis.
Plague of Athens — Originating in the city of Athens, it spread throughout Greece from 430 to 426 BC. The consequences of this epidemic were very serious, decimating between a quarter and a third of the population, especially in Athens. The plague had a big impact on the Peloponnesian War and gave a significant advantage to Sparta.
Conquest of the Persians — Alexander the Great succeeded in uniting the entirety of Greece in order to defeat their old enemy: the Persians. Alexander left Greece in 334 BC and did not leave Persian territory until his death in 323 BC. He reached the banks of the Indus River in the East and Egypt in the South.