Nations: The Dice Game
Nations: The Dice Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 33 Chits (12 reroll, 9 gold, 3 food, 3 strength, 3 books, 3 stone)
- 44 6-sided dice (20 white, 8 blue, 8 orange, 8 red)
- 1 4-sided die (for solo game)
- 8 Wooden player markers (2 each in 4 colours)
- 12 Event tiles (3 each for 4 ages)
- 60 Progress tiles (15 each for 4 ages)
- 4 Player order / round overview cards
- 4 Player boards
- 1 Score board
- 1 Progress board
- 1 Rulebook
Icon key
- Stone
- Gold
- Book
- Food
- Strength
- Victory points
- Reroll
Tile anatomy
Each progress tile shows:
- Title
- Cost (in gold or strength)
- Victory points
- Gains (die or chit)
- Building cost
- Age
Setup
Sort and shuffle the tiles into 4 stacks for progress tiles (15 for each age) and 4 stacks for events (3 for each age).
Randomize the player order by shuffling and dealing one player order card to each player, use as many cards as there are players. Give each player a player board, 5 white dice, 1 gold chit and 1 reroll chit to be placed beside the player board.
Place a player marker for each player (as shown by the player boards) on 0 victory points and on the same space as the player order number on the books track (player 1 starts with 1 book, 2 with 2, 3 with 3 and 4 with 4). In a 2-player game player 2 starts with 3 books instead of 2. For solo rules see the end of the rulebook.
The rest of the components are in the supply.
Game overview
Over 4 rounds of history you will develop your Nation and compete with the other players. A game takes 10-15 minutes per player. You will upgrade your dice by buying buildings and military. You will build wonders and conquer colonies to gain victory points and resources, hire advisors to gain additional rerolls and compete to accumulate the most books, to avoid famine and to win wars. Dice and chits beside your player board are unused. Dice and chits in the large coloured area on your player board are used.
Each round new tiles are revealed, players take actions until all pass and then score for books and famine. The new player order is determined and war is scored. After 4 rounds the player with the most victory points is the winner.
New tiles and event
At the start of each round remove all remaining progress tiles from the progress board and fill up with new tiles from the current age (round 1 = age 1, round 2 = age 2, round 3 = age 3, round 4 = age 4). Fill 4 columns in a 4 player game and 3 when 1-3 players. Remove the old event tile and place a new event tile from the current age on the score board. Return remaining tiles from the current age to the box.
Move all chits and dice from your used area to beside your player board. Turn your player order card upwards so "Passed" is not facing you.
(Sidebar summary: Clear tiles, Place new tiles, Clear used area, Turn player order card.)
Trading dice
At any moment when you want to use 1 gold, 1 food or 1 stone, you may use 2 unused dice instead (any colours, resources and combinations). Move the dice to your used area. This can be done multiple times, it is not an action. You cannot get book or strength this way. Chits cannot be used this way.
Example: a red die and a white die can be traded for 1 food.
Actions
Take actions in player order, starting with player 1. When a player passes (and turns the player order card sideways to show this) he/she takes no more actions in this round. Remaining players take actions until all have passed.
Available actions are:
- Reroll
- Buy tile
- Build wonder
The very first time you are about to take an action in each round you roll all your dice, this is not an action. Immediately after rolling you take your first action.
You may only take a single action, then it is the next player in player order. After the last player has taken an action it is player 1 again.
During the game you only move your victory point marker for Books, Famine and War. Victory points on tiles are only added to your score at the end of the game.
(Sidebar: Take actions in player order until all have passed. Roll dice just before your first action each round.)
Reroll
To do a reroll you move one reroll chit from beside your player board to your used area (the large area with your player colour on your player board). Then you pick up one or more unused dice and roll them. You may not buy a tile, build a wonder or make another reroll as part of the same action, you must wait until it is your time to take an action again.
Buy tile
To buy a tile you pay the cost in either gold or strength, shown by the icon on the left side of the tile. The amount of gold or strength that must be paid is shown by the row the tile is on.
- row 3: pay 3 gold / strength
- row 2: pay 2 gold / strength
- row 1: pay 1 gold / strength
Example: a colony costs 3 strength; a building costs 2 gold.
To pay you move one or more dice and/or chits from beside your player board to your used area that total up to the cost or more. You must pay full dice, you do not get any change if you use a 3-gold die to pay for a 2-gold tile.
Buildings replace another building on your player board. When you do you must return the dice shown on the old building to the supply. You choose which dice to return (but they must be of the appropriate colour), used, unused or a mix. Then take the dice provided by the new building from the supply (take one red die if the tile has a red die etc) and immediately roll them. They can be used later in the same round.
Example: You have a building that gives you one orange die. The die shows 2, you buy a building that gives you two orange dice with this die, move it to the used area. You place the new building on the old building, return the die you just used, take two new orange dice, and roll them.
Advisors are placed in the upper left corner of your player board. If you already have an advisor he/she is replaced and the rerolls he/she gave are returned to the supply. You choose whether to return used, unused or a mix. The new rerolls can be used later in the same round.
Colonies are placed beside your player board. You can have any number of colonies. Take the chit shown on the bottom of it from the supply (if any) and place it beside your player board. It can be used later in the same round.
A wonder must be placed in the upper right corner of your player board. If you already have a wonder there it is returned to the box. A wonder in this space is under construction, its effects are not available yet and a wonder here scores no victory points at the end of the game. To build it you must take the action Build wonder later in the same round or a later round.
Build wonder
If you have a wonder under construction you can pay the cost in strength shown on the left side of it, below the gold symbol, to build it. To pay you move one or more dice and/or chits from beside your player board to your used area that total up to the cost or more.
Place the finished wonder beside your player board. You can have any number of finished wonders. Take the chit shown on the bottom of it from the supply (if any), place it beside your player board. It can be used later in the same round.
Passing
When you cannot or do not want to take any more actions you pass. Turn the player order card sideways so "Passed" is facing you. Take no more actions in this round. Remaining players take actions until all have passed. Then proceed to collecting and scoring books.
Books
All players in reverse player order may use dice and chits showing book. For each book used move the player marker on the books track on the score board 1 step. The dice and chits that are used are moved to the used area.
Then books are scored. Every player gains 1 victory point for every other player that has less total books (2 victory points in solo and 2-player game). You do not get any victory points for players that have the same amount of books as you.
Example: Red gets 3 victory points, yellow gets 2 victory points, purple and green get 0 victory points.
(Sidebar: Collect books. Score books.)
Famine
All players in reverse player order may use dice and chits showing food. If you use at least as much food as shown by the event you score as many victory points as shown on the event (1 for age 1, 2 for age 2, 3 for age 3 and 4 for age 4). The dice and chits that are used are moved to the used area. There is no benefit in paying more food than shown nor in paying a partial amount.
Example event tiles: 3 food = 3 victory points; 4 strength = 3 victory points (these are the Famine and War values printed on the same age-3 event tile).
Player order
Determine the new player order. Highest total unused strength goes first, second-most goes second and so on. If tied the previous relative player order between tied players is preserved. Give each player the appropriate player order card for the new player order. Dice and chits are not moved to the used area when determining the new player order.
(Sidebar: Most strength goes first. Strength dice/chits are not moved to used for player order.)
War
All players in reverse player order may use dice and chits showing strength. If you use at least as much strength as shown by the event you score as many victory points as shown on the event (1 for age 1, 2 for age 2, 3 for age 3 and 4 for age 4). The dice and chits that are used are moved to the used area. There is no benefit in paying more strength than shown nor in paying a partial amount.
Example event tiles: 2 food = 2 victory points; 2 strength = 2 victory points (the Famine and War values printed on the same age-2 event tile).
Each event tile carries both a Famine requirement (paid in food) and a War requirement (paid in strength) for its age; both are resolved independently during the round, using the steps above.
End of the game
After round 4 all players add the victory points shown by their wonders, colonies, buildings and advisors to their total victory points on the score board. Wonders under construction are not counted. The player with the most victory points is the winner! Ties are broken by player order (player 1 wins over player 2 etc).
(Sidebar: Add up victory points. Most victory points wins!)
Solo game
You play against a shadow opponent that collects books and buys tiles. Both you and the opponent start with 1 book. Use 3 columns on the progress board. You are always player 1.
When you draw the event tile also roll 1 blue die per age number (so 1 in age 1, then 2, then 3, then 4) and give the rolled amount of books to the opponent. Ignore any strength.
After every action you take roll the 4-sided die. On a 1-3 remove the cheapest tile in column 1, 2 or 3 on the progress board, counting from the left (shown below the columns). If you roll 4 or if the column is empty nothing happens.
Score 2 victory points (same as in 2-player) if you have more books than the opponent at the end of each round.
At the end of the game compare your score with the Hall of Fame. Try to score more in the next game. For a tougher game reroll any 4s you roll for the opponent.
Hall of fame
- 50 Trajan
- 40 Ashoka
- 35 Wu Zetian
- 30 Saladin
- 25 Victoria
- 20 Charles V
- 15 Cleopatra
- 10 Dan Quayle
Play more
If you would like to play a deeper and more involved game please check out the big Nations game that this dice game is based on and shares many elements with. It is for 1-5 players and takes 40 minutes per player to play.
Example game situation
The rulebook's back page walks through a fully-set-up player board, progress board and score board with a numbered legend:
- Wonder under construction
- Used dice and chits
- Bought Buildings replaced Buildings underneath
- Bought Advisor
- Colonies in use and Built Wonders
- Unused player chits
- Unused player dice
- Player order / round overview card
- Progress board
- Event tile for this round
- Supply for chits
- Supply for dice
- Event and Progress tiles for next rounds
- Score board
Credits
Game design Rustan Håkansson
Graphic design, rulebook Jere Kasanen
Game box cover, colony tile art Ossi Hiekkala (www.archipictor.com)
Tile art Frida Lögdberg (www.fridalogdberg.se)
Logo Paul Laane (www.designaqua.com)
Publisher © Lautapelit.fi 2014 (www.lautapelit.fi)
Thank you for help and suggestions Anna Call, Andrea Novicky, Brent Lloyd, Daniel Hammond, David Stenbeck, Evelina Olsson, Ingalisa Novicky, Jere Kasanen, Johan Falk, Johan Sebring, Johanna Linders, Jonathan Madison, Justin Zera, Lena Viktorsson, Lewis Wagner, Marcus Lagré, Markus Bremer, Mikael Andersson, Mikael Call, Rafael Hannula, Ronald Novicky, Tomas Wallström, Toni Niittymäki, Torsten Linders, Yann Wenz.
Special thanks Nina Håkansson, Robert Rosén, Einar Rosén.
Textures www.cgtextures.com