Path of Civilization Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Description
• Clarifications
• Content
  • Solo Mode Content
• Content Description
  • Technology Card
  • Leader Card
  • Wonder Card
• Civilization Board & Research Board
• Cubes & Trays
• Victory Point Tokens
• Technology Library
• Military Board
• Philosophy Board
• Market Cards
• Challenge Card
• Battle Card
• Set Up
  • Common Area
  • Player Area
• Playing the Game
  • General Rules
  • New Game Round
• A. Project Phase
• B. Deployment Phase
• C. Evolution and Purchase Phase
  • 1. Progression of Philosophy
  • 2. Acquisition of Wonders
  • 3. Acquisition of Leaders
  • Acquisition Priority Rule
• D. Research Phase
• E. Technology Purchase Phase
• F. End of Round Event Phase
  • Challenge
  • Battle
• End of Game
• Credits

Description

Path of Civilization is a nation management game, where players compete to earn the most Victory points. The game is played in 9 rounds with each round divided into several phases. In each round, players will position 4 of their 5 Technology cards to generate the resources they need.

Some resources are represented by cubes that allow players to build new Wonders, recruit new Leaders, advance their people's Philosophy, or face the Challenges and Battles that Humanity will experience. Other resources are materialized by cylinders symbolizing the Research points necessary to discover new technologies.

The end of each round is punctuated by an event – either a Challenge or a Battle – which will grant Victory points and bonuses upon resolution.

Clarifications

The elements present in this game are only intended to serve its interest and in no way represent the opinion of its author, its partners or the members of the Captain Games team.

The characters included in this game cannot possibly represent the full range of men and women who have influenced humanity throughout its history. They where chosen solely to suit gameplay, and without any endorsement or approval. In our view, their notability justifies their presence among the well-known characters of the game.

The terms Spirituality and Philosophy have been used to symbolize different religions, beliefs, and convictions of Humanity in general without favoring one over another. As Path of Civilization is a game that addresses the human epic, the facts related and used are those that have marked History.

Their presence in the game does not mean that they are endorsed or promoted by the team at Captain Games or its author. It is up to each individual to recognize their values in the game while respecting everyone.

Content

• 5 Civilization boards
• 5 Research boards
• 1 Military Board
• 1 External Threat pawn (red with a sticker)
• 5 Technology card organizers
• 1 Philosophy board
• 5 Small trays for Leaders, Wonders, Challenges, Battles, Philosophy
• 10 Benefit tokens
• 185 Technology cards – 25 at the base level, 32 per type (color) of Technology (9 of level I, 8 of level II, 8 of level III and 7 of level IV): Cultural, Scientific, Spiritual, Military and Industrial
• 40 Leader cards – 8 Leaders per Technology, divided into 3 levels (3 of level I, 3 of level II and 2 of level III)
• 40 Wonder cards – 8 Wonders per Technology divided into 3 levels (3 of level I, 3 of level II and 2 of level III)
• 4 Market and Phase reminder cards
• 48 Challenge cards – 13 different cards per Challenge round (rounds 3, 5, 7 and 9a). For each Challenge round there are 3 Cultural, 3 Spiritual, 3 Scientific and 3 Industrial cards.
• 24 Battle cards – 6 different cards per Battle round (rounds 4, 6, 8 and 9b)
• 150 cubes – 30 cubes of 5 colors
• 25 Research cylinders – 5 cylinders of 5 colors
• 15 Civilization pawns – 3 pawns in each of the 5 colors
• 10 card stands numbered from 1 to 9b – 2 gray, 4 yellow and 4 red
• 1 Game round marker
• 90 octagonal Victory point (VP) tokens – 48 tokens of 1 VP, 22 tokens of 5 VP and 20 tokens of 10 VP
• 1 score pad

We have done our best to make this game accessible to color-blind players. All cards feature a symbol to identify their type; the symbols in the squares are visible on the trays to help players identify their type and know where to place the cubes; the symbols in the circles are displayed at the top of the Research tracks; the trays are divided into areas so that players can sort and store their cubes; and the External Threat pawn is red and comes with a dedicated sticker included in the box, which should be attached for easy identification.

Solo Mode Content

(See Solo Mode booklet for details)

• 1 Automa board
• 5 Civilization cards
• 12 Action cards – 3 Battle cards, 3 Wonders Market cards, 3 Leaders Market cards, 3 Philosophical Evolution cards
• 5 Interest tokens

Content Description

Technology Card

• Type: Indicates to which type this card belongs.
• Name of the Technology.
• Cost: the number of Research points of the required type to obtain the card.
• Deployment: the maximum number and type of cubes that the card will produce when placed in the left section of the Civilization board.
• Research: the maximum number and type of research points that the card will generate if placed in the right section of the Civilization board.
• Level of this Technology.
• Victory Points: Number of VP that the card will yield at the end of the game.

Leader Card

• Leader's Name.
• Cost: Number of Ambassadors required to acquire the Leader. Ambassadors are symbolized by a player's cubes in the Leaders tray (purple).
• Level: Determines when the Leader can enter the game (see: Market cards).
• Type: Indicates to which type this card belongs.
• Bonus: Leaders provide bonuses that can be instant, permanent or conditional. Some powers are active as long as the Leader is alive and some become active only once the Leader is in the cemetery. Some bonuses can generate Victory points based on a calculation at the end of the game.
• Victory Points: The number of VP that the card will yield at the end of the game.

Wonder Card

• Name of the Wonder.
• Cost: Number of Builders needed to purchase the Wonder. Builders are symbolized by a player's cubes in the Wonders tray (gray).
• Type: Indicates to which type this card belongs.
• Level: Determines when the Wonder can come into play (see: Market cards).
• Bonus: Wonders provide an immediate bonus at the time of their construction. Some Wonder bonuses can generate Victory points based on a calculation at the end of the game.
• Victory Points: The number of VP that the card will yield at the end of the game.

Civilization Board & Research Board

Start of game bonus: Each Civilization has a bonus at the start of the game.

Population Track: The population level, represented by the number, indicates independently:

• the maximum number of cubes that can be won during the deployment phase (Phase B).
• the maximum number of Research points that can be earned during the research phase (Phase D).

This limit also holds for the bonuses that some Leaders yield during phases B or D. Each time a player gains a population, they advance their Civilization pawn by one space on their Population track. When their pawn passes or stops on a bonus, they receive it. At the end of the game, the position of the pawn can earn VP.

Technology Spaces: 4 horizontal and rectangular spaces on which Technology cards will be placed to deploy cubes or earn Research points.

The Leader's Space: A reserved spot for the Leader currently guiding the Civilization.

Priority Track: This track is used to resolve conflicts between Civilizations wishing to acquire the same Leader or Wonder card. This track is made up of the 5 symbols of the different types of cards. Each Civilization has the same symbols but placed in a different order. The symbol furthest to the left takes precedence.

Discovery Space: Space reserved for the Technology cards obtained during a turn.

Summary of a game round: Each phase of the game is detailed by icons.

Research Board: This board tracks the number of Research points available in each of the 5 types of Technologies (Cultural Research, Scientific Research, Spiritual Research, Military Research, Industrial Research), tracked by Research Cylinders, one set per Civilization Number.

Cubes & Trays

Each player has 30 cubes of their respective color which represent their Agents. When placed in a tray, they become characters that are usable for the actions specific to that tray. Once used, the cubes are always returned to the reserve of the player to whom they belong. There is no limit to the quantity of cubes available to each player. If there were to be a shortage of cubes, you can replace the missing ones with a substitute of your choice.

There are 5 trays of different colors:

• The cubes placed in the purple tray (Leaders tray) become Ambassadors, who will be used to recruit Leaders.
• In the gray tray (Wonders tray), they become Builders who will be used to construct Wonders.
• In the blue tray (Philosophy tray), they become Philosophers, who will aid in the development of Philosophy.
• In the yellow tray (Challenges tray), they become Sages, who will help solve Challenges.
• In the red tray (Battles tray), they become Units, who will be used to confront other players in Battles.

Victory Point Tokens

These tokens represent the VPs that players can earn during the game.

Technology Library

The Technology Library contains all the Technology cards that can be purchased. All the cards contained in the same box are identical. The bonuses obtained when acquiring a card are indicated on the inner sides of the storage box where the card is located, organized by type: Culture, Science, Spirituality, Military, Industry.

Military Board

Military Legacy: This track follows the level of Military Legacy of each Civilization. Each time you obtain this symbol, advance your Civilization pawn by 1 level on this track.

Power: This track indicates the Power of each Civilization during each Battle. The Power ranking allows to distribute the reward lines at the end of each Battle. This track, and this track alone, is reset to 0 after each Battle.

Philosophy Board

This board tracks the progress of each player on the Philosophy track. At each level, a Benefit will be obtained a number of times indicated by the multiplier in front of its position. The board tracks Civilization Pawns, VP, and the Level on the Philosophy track, and displays the Benefits available and a list of all the Benefits.

Cost: Number of Philosophers needed to advance by one level on the Philosophy track. Philosophers are symbolized by a player's cubes in the Philosophy tray (blue).

Market Cards

These cards indicate the quantity and level of Leader and Wonder cards to be placed in the Market each turn, based on the number of players. To streamline the flow of the game, these cards are prepared and positioned near each card stand during the setup phase. Their presence in the event line only serves as a reminder to play them during specific rounds. Each card shows the quantity and level of the Leader and Wonder cards to place on the markets, indexed by Game Turns and Number of players.

Challenge Card

Name of the Challenge.

Destiny: An effect applied to all players, sometimes with a condition imposed by the card.

History: A potential gain in Victory points and bonus calculated for each player individually. The Sages will be used to resolve these cards. The Sages are symbolized by a player's cubes in the Challenges tray (yellow).

A number on the card indicates the round in which this challenge will happen.

Battle Card

Name of the Battle.

External Threat: Indicates the Power of an additional Civilization that is not managed by any of the players during the Battles.

Reward Lines: Bonuses that Civilizations will distribute among themselves based on their Power ranking when resolving the Battle. The Units will be used to resolve these cards. Units are symbolized by a player's cubes in the Battles tray (red).

A number on the card indicates the round in which this battle will take place.

Set Up

Common Area

A. Place the card stands at the back of the table in the order of the game rounds. The stands should be placed in such a way that the cards are visible to everyone. The last two stands (9a and 9b) are positioned close to each other. They form a single round and will be played successively during the last round.

B. Place the Challenges tray in front of the first yellow card stand in round 3. Place the Battles tray in front of the first red stand in round 4.

C. Place the Markets card, corresponding to the number of players taking part in the game, and the phase reminder card on the stands of round 1 and 2 (grey).

D. Randomly place a Challenge card in each of the Challenge card stands (round 3, 5, 7, 9a). The round of the Challenge card must correspond to the round number indicated on the stand in which it is placed. There are 4 different types of Challenge cards: Spiritual, Cultural, Scientific and Industrial. A Challenge of each type must be placed on the card stands.

Example: The card of Cultural type Invention of Paper in round 3 and the card of Industrial type Rapid Sedentarization in round 5 are already placed. To fill round 7, the card of Cultural type Demographic Shock is drawn. Since there is already a card of Cultural type in place, Demographic Shock is put back into the box and other cards are drawn until a card of Spiritual type or Scientific type is obtained. If a card of Scientific type is drawn, then a card of Spiritual type will need to be randomly drawn for round 9A.

E. Randomly place a Battle card in each of the Battle card stands (round 4, 6, 8, 9b). The round of the Battle card must correspond to the round number indicated on the stand in which it is placed. When you are finished there will be 10 cards standing and visible to all. The number at the bottom of each card corresponds to the game round indicated by the stand. These cards form the event line.

F. Referring to the Market cards and the number of players, stack in a face-down pile the relevant number of randomly drawn Leader and Wonder cards of the appropriate level, in front of each stand.

Example: for a 3-player game, place 2 Wonder cards of level I in front of the round 1 stand; 2 Wonder cards of level I and 2 Leader cards of level I in front of the round 2 stand; 2 Leader cards of level I in front of the round 3 stand; 2 Wonder cards of level II and 2 Leader cards of level II in front of the round 4 stand; and so on up to round 9.

G. Place the Game Round marker in front of the round 1 card stand (gray).

H. Place the Military board below the Leader and Wonder cards. Position the External Military pawn on the Power line (bottom line) at the level indicated by the Power of the first Battle card (number next to the character on the card).

I. Position the Technology Library below the Military board. The library consists of 5 Technology card organizers placed side by side. Make sure to follow this order: Cultural / Scientific / Spiritual / Military / Industrial. Fill each of the slots with the appropriate type and level of Technology cards placed face up. For each Technology, there are 9 cards of level I, 8 cards of level II, 8 cards of level III and 7 cards of level IV.

J. Place the Leaders tray below the Technology Library. The Leader cards will be revealed next to this tray. This will be the Leaders Market.

K. Place the Wonders tray below the Leaders tray. The Wonder cards will be revealed next to this tray. This is will be the Wonders Market.

L. Place the Philosophy board and the associated tray below the Wonders tray. Mix the Benefit tokens face down and place one on each of the designated spaces.

Player Area

Distribute to each player:

1. 1 Randomly drawn Civilization board. For a 2 player game, use boards 1 and 2. For a 3 player game, use boards 1, 2 and 3. For a 4 player game, use boards 1, 2, 3 and 4. For a game with 5 players, distribute all the boards.
2. 1 Research Board.
3. 38 pieces of their color: 3 Civilization pawns, 5 Research cylinders and 30 cubes (which constitutes the player's cube reserve).
4. The 5 different basic Technology cards (Fire, Tools, Rituals, Hunting, Tribe) symbolized by the icon in their corner.

Each player places:

5. 1 Civilization pawn on the first space (level 4) of the population track.
6. All of the Research cylinders on the level 0 of each of the Technology tracks on the Research board.
7. 1 Civilization pawn on the first space (level 0) of the Philosophy track.
8. 1 Civilization pawn on the first space (level 0) of the Military Legacy track.
9. Each player receives the bonus of their Civilization represented by the icon in the top left of their Civilization board.

Playing the Game

The game is played over 9 rounds. Each round is divided into 6 phases:

• Phase A - Project Phase
• Phase B - Deployment Phase
• Phase C - Evolution and Purchase Phase
• Phase D - Research Phase
• Phase E - Technology Purchase Phase
• Phase F - End of Round Event Phase

A reminder of the different phases of a round is indicated at the bottom of each Civilization board.

General Rules

• Each phase occurs simultaneously for all the players.
• If the text on a card contradicts the rules in this booklet, then the card takes precedence.
• When using a game piece or taking an action or bonus featuring a square, take a cube from your reserve and place it in the tray displaying the symbol in the square. These cubes represent your Agents and can be used to take actions specific to the tray.
• When using a game piece or taking an action or bonus displaying a circle, advance one of your cylinders by one slot on the corresponding track of your Research board, matching the circle's type on the game piece.
• When you are required to pay cubes, you take cubes from the appropriate tray and place them back into your reserve.
• When a Victory Point symbol includes a lightning bolt, the VP tokens (octagonal) are distributed immediately. When there is no lightning bolt, the Victory Points are counted at the end of the game.

New Game Round

1. Except for the first round, advance the Game Round marker to the next round.
2. Add the Wonders and/or Leaders cards for the round, face up, to their respective markets.
3. The players retrieve their hand of 5 Technology cards. These include the 4 cards they played on their Civilization boards, as well as the card that they placed in the discovery space during the previous turn. During the first turn, the 5 basic Technology cards are used.
4. If necessary, update the Power of the External Threat by moving its pawn to its new level. The Power of the External Threat is indicated by the next Battle card in the upcoming rounds.

Summary

1. Advance the Game Round marker.
2. Add the Leaders and/or Wonders to the markets.
3. Gather the Technology cards played in the last round and the newly purchased card.
4. If necessary, update the Power of the External Threat.

A. Project Phase

Each player selects 4 of the 5 Technology cards at their disposal and:

1. Place 2 cards in the left section of the Civilization board in the spaces provided. These cards will produce cubes that will go into the different trays. Only the left side of these 2 cards will be used during this round. The cards are placed in the reading direction.
2. Place 2 cards in the right section of the Civilization board in the spaces provided. These cards will produce Research points on the corresponding tracks of the Research Board. Only the right side of these 2 cards will be used during this turn. The cards are placed in the reading direction.
3. The card that was not selected is discarded into the Ancient Technologies area. It is flipped over and slid under the left side of the Civilization board so that the number of Victory points it provides and its type stay visible. It can no longer be used for the rest of the game but it will still be used in various calculations.

Note: In rare instances, a player may have obtained more than one Technology card during a turn. In all cases, only 4 cards will be played and the rest will be discarded.

A. Summary

1. Place two cards in the left section of the board.
2. Place two cards in the right section of the board.
3. Place the last card upside down under the board.

B. Deployment Phase

The two cards placed in the left section of the Civilization boards are used. For each square present on the left side of the cards, the player deploys an Agent. That is, the player adds a cube of their color to the tray of the type corresponding to the square. Some Leaders may also give cubes.

Warning: The population level limits the amount of gains allowed number of cubes that can be deployed. During this phase, the total number of cubes that a player can place in the trays cannot exceed their population level. If this were to happen, the affected player must choose which of the cubes to place from those that they could deploy, without exceeding the quantity indicated by their population level.

For example, if a player can deploy 2 Philosophers, 2 Units, and 2 Ambassadors but their population level is 5, then they can only place 5 of the 6 cubes that they could have deployed.

B. Summary

Using your reserve, place as many cubes as there are squares on the left side of the cards placed on the left side of your Civilization board, in the trays displaying the same symbol. Add any potential bonus granted by your Leader.

The number of cubes deployed cannot exceed the population level.

C. Evolution and Purchase Phase

This phase consists of 3 steps that must be resolved one after the other:

1. Progression of Philosophy
2. Acquisition of Wonders
3. Acquisition of Leaders

1. Progression of Philosophy

A player with enough Philosophers must use them to increase their Philosophy by one level. A player can only advance by one level during this phase.

On the Philosophy track, the cost to progress from one level to the next is indicated by the number of cubes between the levels. The cubes are then removed from the tray and returned to the player's reserve.

If a player is the first to reach a new level of Philosophy, they must first reveal the 2 Benefit tokens of this level to all players, and then choose which of the two Benefits will now become available (to all players, for the entire game) by placing it face up on the spot above the level (a). The other Benefit is placed face down on the bottom spot (b).

If, during the same turn, several players arrive on a level of Philosophy that has never been reached before, the 2 Benefit tokens are made available for the entire game. They are both placed face up on the level's spaces.

Any player (including the first to arrive) who reaches a new level of Philosophy wins the bonus of this level modified by the level multiplier. If several Benefits are available, the player or players choose only one Benefit modified by the multiplier.

Example: The Roman player uses 3 Philosophers and moves their Civilization pawn from level 2 to level 3. They are the only player advancing to this level and they choose among the two available benefits. They select the Military Legacy benefit, place it face-up (a) and then set the other one face-down on the table after all the other players have seen it (b). They advance their Civilization pawn by 2 spaces on the Military Legacy track since the benefit is multiplied by 2 at this level.

2. Acquisition of Wonders

Players who have enough Builders can spend them to acquire a Wonder. Each player can only acquire one Wonder during this stage.

The cost of the Wonder is written on the card. Players indicate their desire to acquire a Wonder by positioning their cubes on the Wonder that they want. If several players place their cubes on the same Wonder, the rule of priority determines the winning player (see next page).

A player who obtains a Wonder pays the indicated number of cubes by returning them to their reserve, and then places the Wonder above their Civilization board and receives the card's bonuses.

The Wonder's Victory Points will be counted at the end of the game. The complete description of the Wonders is available in the Compendium.

3. Acquisition of Leaders

Players who have enough Ambassadors can spend them to obtain a Leader. Each player can acquire only one Leader during this stage.

The cost of the Leader is written on the card. Players indicate their desire to acquire a Leader by positioning their cubes on the Leader that they want. If several players place their cubes on the same Leader, the rule of priority determines the winning player (see next page).

A player who obtains a Leader pays the indicated amount of cubes by returning them to their reserve, and then places the Leader on the dedicated space at the center of their Civilization board.

Warning: A player can only have one living Leader at a time. When they acquire a new Leader, it replaces the one that was already present if there was one.

The replaced Leader is placed in the cemetery area (under the Civilization board). It is slid under the player's board in a way that allows the card's Victory points, type and active effects indicated by the cemetery symbol, to remain visible.

Leaders can provide repeated bonuses such as the production of Agents (cubes) during phase B or Research points (cylinders) during phase D. These bonuses are also limited by the population level.

The Leader's Victory Points will be counted at the end of the game. The complete description of the Leaders and their bonuses is detailed in the Compendium.

Acquisition Priority Rule

To resolve a priority issue among the players wanting to purchase the same card, the competing players compare their levels in the type of the concerned card on their priority track, from left to right, and the one with the highest priority wins the card.

A player is free to change their mind about their purchase. The resolution of priority is not done until each player has made a decision. This means that a player can decide to buy another card if they see another player taking something that bothers them and if they have priority over that purchase.

Example: The Egyptian player and the Mayan player are competing for the same card: Euclid, a Scientific Leader; the Chinese player chooses the Confucius card, a Spiritual Leader; and the Roman player chooses the Cleopatra card, a Cultural Leader.

The Egyptian player's scientific symbol is on the 3rd position of their priority scale, while the Mayan player's one is in 4th position. Therefore, the Egyptian player has the priority to purchase Euclid. The Mayan player must therefore move their Ambassador cubes to another Leader card or back into the Leaders tray. They choose to move their cubes to the Confucius card, where the Chinese player has already placed their cubes. We then have a second comparison of priority.

The Mayan player has their Spiritual symbol in 1st position, while the Chinese player's one is in 5th position. Therefore, the Chinese player must move their cubes. They can return their cubes to the tray or place them on another Leader. Since the player is not interested in any other Leader, they decide to put their cubes back in the tray for future use.

Once each priority has been resolved, each player pays their cubes, takes possession of the card that they have purchased and places it on their Civilization board. This example is based on the purchase of Leader cards, but it also holds for the purchase of Wonder cards.

These icons indicate when the bonuses provided by the Leaders are obtained:

• Instantaneous: This action applies only at the moment when the card is acquired.
• Alive: This effect persists as long as the Leader is alive.
• Cemetery: This effect becomes active as soon as the card is placed in the cemetery and will last until the end of the game.
• End of game: This effect applies at the end of the game during the calculation of VP.

C. Summary

1. If you have enough cubes in the Philosophy tray, you must return them to your reserve to progress by one (and only one) level on the Philosophy track and obtain the Benefit of the level reached (multiplied if applicable).
2. If you have enough cubes in the Wonders tray, you can return them to your reserve to purchase one (and only one) Wonder and obtain its bonuses.
3. If you have enough cubes in the Leaders tray, you can return them to your reserve to purchase one (and only one) Leader and obtain its bonuses.

D. Research Phase

Only the two cards placed in the right section of the Civilization boards are used (and sometimes the living Leader).

For each circle present on the right side of the cards, the player earns a Research point of the relevant type. They advance the cylinder of the correct color by one level on their Research board. Some Leaders may provide one or more additional Research points.

Warning: The population level limits the number of research points allowed. During this phase, the total amount of Research points that a player earns cannot exceed their population level. If this were to happen, the player chooses which of their Research points they want to earn without exceeding the quantity indicated by the population limit.

Clarification: This does not limit the level of Research that a player can reach in Technologies. The maximum level of each Technology is 10. Hence, having a population level of 6 does not prevent reaching level 7, 8, 9, or 10 in Research.

Example: A player has placed the Illumination card (3 Science points + 2 Military points) and the Coal card (2 Military points + 2 Culture points) on the right side of their Civilization board. In addition, they possess the Julius Caesar Leader which gives them a bonus of 1 Military point each turn. Therefore, they could increase their Research levels by 3 Science points, 5 Military points, and 2 Culture points for a total of 10 points. However, as their population level is at 7, they choose from the 10 Research points the 7 points they will gain. In this case, the player decides to take 5 Military points and 2 Science points. This forces them to give up 2 Culture points and 1 Science point. As they already had 4 Military points, they now reach level 9, and since they were at 2 in Science, they now advance to level 4 in this technology.

D. Summary

Accumulate Research points by advancing your cylinders by the number of circles on the right side of the cards situated in the right section of your Civilization board. Add any extra bonus granted by your Leader.

The number of Research points earned cannot exceed the population level.

E. Technology Purchase Phase

Each player must purchase one (and only one) Technology card of their choice. There are no constraints on which card a player can buy as long as they have the necessary Research points to do so. The purchase phase follows these 3 steps:

1. The player pays as many Research points as the cost of the Technology card purchased by lowering the cylinder of the corresponding type by the necessary number of levels on their Research board.
2. The player takes the Technology card and places it on the discovery space of their Civilization board. They now have a total of 5 Technology cards visible on their board.
3. The player receives the bonuses of the purchased card. The bonuses are indicated on the inner sides of the storage box from which the card was selected.

Clarification: Players can purchase the same Technology card multiple times during the game.

Example: A player decides to buy the Aviation technology card. They pay 7 Military Research points by lowering their cylinder by 7 levels on the Research board. Then, they take the card and place it on their discovery space. Immediately, they receive the bonuses from their purchase, which includes gaining a Philosopher, a Builder and 3 Military Legacy points (they advance their Civilization pawn by 3 levels on the Military Legacy track).

E. Summary

You must purchase a Technology card by spending the Research points of the corresponding technology (lower the cylinder of the same type as the card). Add the new Technology card to your board and receive the bonus associated with its purchase.

F. End of Round Event Phase

Events are represented by cards. There are two kinds of events: Challenges, placed on yellow stands (rounds 3, 5, 7, 9A), and Battles, placed on red stands (rounds 4, 6, 8, 9B). The two are resolved in different ways.

No events are resolved during the first two rounds (gray stands) since these represent the Beginning of Humanity. In the ninth and final round, a Challenge (9a) and a Battle (9b) are resolved in the same round. In all other rounds, only one event is resolved each time.

Challenge

Challenge cards are divided into 2 parts:

1. The upper part (Destiny) represents an effect for all players, sometimes with a condition specified on the card. These effects are available to all players, and the instructions vary for each card. For detailed information on each card, please refer to the Compendium. Most bonuses are immediate unless otherwise indicated, such as with the permanent symbol. A player can benefit from the same bonus an unlimited number of times as long as they are able to pay for it or meet the prerequisite multiple times. Sometimes a maximum number of times is specified on the card.

   Example: The Fate of the Industrial Revolution, Challenge of round 7, offers a bonus of 5 VP if a player owns 3 Wonders at its resolution. If a player has 6 Wonders, they receive 10 VP.

2. The lower section (History) represents a possible gain in Victory points and bonuses that will be calculated for each player individually. This second section is indicated on a color block. This color represents the type of cards that will be used for the calculation of History points.

Each player calculates their History points and adds:

• All of their cards of the type indicated on the Challenge card (Cultural, Scientific, Spiritual, Industrial). This includes all of the player's cards: all their living Leaders and those in the cemetery, all their Wonders, as well as all their Technology cards, whether they are on their Civilization board or discarded face down.
• Their number of Sages.

The sum of their cards and cubes represents their History points. Each player earns the value of their History points in the form of VP tokens.

On the next line, the History points are divided by the number indicated on the card. This result (rounded down) provides a bonus to the player.

All the Sages in the Challenges tray are used in each round when a challenge is resolved and all the cubes from the Challenges tray are returned to the players' respective reserves at the end of this phase (even on the last round). The tray is then moved in front of the next Challenge card.

In rare cases, due to the effects of certain cards, cubes might be temporarily set aside outside of the Challenges tray, in front of an upcoming Challenge. When the tray reaches that Challenge, the cubes on hold are placed inside for the Challenge's resolution.

During the final Challenge of the game, the only bonus available is additional VP. If a player's total History points reach a specific threshold, they will receive these VP in addition to their regular VP. A Battle is resolved immediately after this Challenge.

F. Challenge Summary

See if you can take advantage of the bonus provided to all players (top box of the card). Add the number of your cards matching the Challenge type to your cubes in the Challenges tray and convert this total into Victory points. Divide this result as specified on the Challenge card to obtain the indicated bonus (bottom box of the card). Retrieve all your cubes from the tray, and once it's empty, move it to the next Challenge.

Example: Destiny: Each player can turn an Ambassador into a Builder a maximum of two times. To do so, players transfer their cubes from the Leaders tray to the Wonders tray.

History: Each player totals the number of their cards of Industrial type and their cubes placed in the Challenges tray. The total corresponds to their individual VP count. The same total, when divided by 3, determines the number of Ambassador cubes that each player places in the Leaders tray.

The Roman player decides to exchange an Ambassador cube to turn it into a Builder. The Mayan player does not change anything.

The Roman player has 4 cards of Industrial type in their individual playing area. They also have 3 cubes in the Challenges tray. Therefore, they receive a total of 7 VP. Then, 7 divided by 3 gives 2 (rounded down), which allows them to put 2 cubes in the Leaders tray.

The Mayan player has 3 cards of Industrial type on their board and 2 cubes in the Challenges tray. They get 5 VP which divided by 3 (rounded down) allows them to place 1 cube in the Leaders tray.

Battle

The Battle cards show the rewards that the players and the External Threat will distribute among themselves based on their Power ranking. The Power of the External Threat is indicated on the Battle card.

Each player calculates the Power of their Civilization for this Battle. A player's Power is equal to two points per Unit added to their level of Military Legacy. To represent each player's Power during this Battle, place a temporary cube for each player on the level they have reached on the Power track (second line of the Military board).

Once the Power of all players has been determined, the reward lines are allocated in the order corresponding to the position of the cubes on the Power track. The most powerful player receives the bonuses from the first reward line, the second player from the next line, and so on. It is possible that a player may not receive any reward line. Players must have a minimum Power of 1 to be eligible for a reward line; otherwise, they receive none.

The External Threat pawn is treated as a full-fledged player and it can take part in the allocation of the reward lines. However, it does not receive any material rewards. Instead, it prevents the other players from claiming the rewards of the line it occupies.

In case of a tie, all tied players receive the same reward line. However, subsequent reward line or lines are not allocated, as each tied player is considered to have already occupied the spot.

The Victory points obtained during Battles are distributed to players in the form of VP tokens.

All the Units in the Battles tray are used in each round when a Battle is resolved. All the cubes from the Battles tray, as well as the cubes used to represent the Power are retrieved at the end of this phase, even on the last round. The Military Legacy pawns remain in their positions and are not reset. The tray is then moved in front of the next Battle card.

In rare cases, due to the effects of certain cards, cubes might be temporarily set aside outside of the Battles tray, in front of an upcoming Battle. When the tray reaches that Battle, the cubes on hold are placed inside for the Battle's resolution.

Example: The Egyptian player has a Military Legacy of 4 and 2 Units, bringing their Power to 8. The Roman player also has a Power of 8 because they have a Military Legacy of 2 and 3 Units. The Mayan player has a Military Legacy of 1 and 1 Unit, which gives them a Power of 3. Lastly, the Chinese player has neither Units nor Military Legacy so their Power remains at 0. Each player places a cube on the level of their Power except for the Chinese player who cannot aspire to any reward lines.

Thus, the Egyptian and Roman players both have a power of 8 so they are tied for the first place. They both take the winnings of the first position and they deprive the other players of the winnings of the 2nd level. The External Threat is 3rd so it deprives the other players of the winnings of the 3rd level. The Mayan player who is 4th position gets no rewards. The Chinese player also gets nothing since he has a Power of 0.

F. Battle Summary

• Multiply your Units (cubes in the Battles tray) by two and add them to your Military Legacy (top line on the Military board).
• Position a cube of your color at the corresponding level on the Power track (bottom line on the Military board).
• Depending on your position, receive the bonuses from the reward lines of the Battle card. Consider the External Threat pawn as if it were a player. Tied players receive the same reward line, but subsequent lines are skipped.
• Take all of your cubes back from the tray and once the tray is empty, move it in front of the next Battle.

End of Game

Once the final round is over (and its Challenge and Battle resolved), each player calculates their final score using the score pad.

Players add up the Victory points from:

A. all of their Technology cards, including the newly purchased one and those that have been discarded. B. their position on the Philosophy track. C. their position on the Population track, if any VP are available. D. their Leaders, both alive and in the cemetery, without forgetting to account for the end-of-game VP represented by the end-of-game symbol. E. their Wonders, without forgetting to account for the end-of-game VP represented by the end-of-game symbol. F. their VP tokens. G. their remaining cubes in the Leaders, Wonders and Philosophy trays – the total divided by 2 (rounded down).

Summary: Score Calculation — Add up:

• A. The VP from all of your Technology cards
• B. The VP from your position on the Philosophy track
• C. The VP from your position on the Population track
• D. The VP from all of your Leaders
• E. The VP from all of your Wonders
• F. The total of your VP tokens
• G. Half of your remaining cubes

The player with the highest score is named the Leader of the most glorious Civilization of Humanity. Their Civilization will go down in history as the most powerful and influential of all.

In the case of a tie, the players share the victory – and the glory.

Credits

PATH OF CIVILIZATION

• Author: Fabien Gridel
• Development: Cédrick Caumont
• Product Manager: François Romain
• Solutions Provider: Lumturije Krasniqi
• Graphic Design: Cédrick Caumont & Adrien Journel
• Production: Eva Madenoglu
• Translation: Elfine Caumont, Salman Shahid, Annika & Markus Lützner, Darius Dreßler
• Proofreaders: Audrey Remacle, Nicolas Doguet, Laurence Liénard, Laurent d'Aries, Jeff Ridpath
• Guarding, Olfactory Analysis: Pirat

Image banks, photographs, artificial intelligence generations, or works from the public domain may have been used as working elements in the design or development of certain graphical and textual aspects of the game.

The elements of this game are not the result of a simple request to an Artificial Intelligence. Instead, they are the product of an artistic direction process that includes compositing, editing, and careful retouching by real humans with real bits of neurons...

CAPTAIN GAMES, SPECIAL THANKS: First of all, Fabien Gridel, who placed his trust in us for this adventure, Murielle Lemmens, Elfine Caumont, Salman Shahid, Gwendoline Caumont, Ibrahim Kouanda, Ilir Kadriaj, Tybald Romain, Audrey Remacle, Cyril Maréchal, Anaïs Marques Lopes, Eric Lalberteaux, Nicolas Doguet, Valentine Deguelle, Laurent d'Aries, Laurence Liénard, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Annika Markus & Mattis Lützner, Annika & Sam Domke, Patrick Scholz, Carine & Nicolas Maréchal, Thomas Vermeir, Géraldine Volders, Tanguy Gréban, Randy Klepetko, Jackson Roberts, Dan Schmitt, Scott Alden, Lincoln Damerst, Stefan-Cyborg-Brunell, Stephen Conway, Marc Nunes, JB le Meeple, Ben, Côme, Erwin Susara, Michael McMann, Darrell Ottery, Alexandre Bogdanic, Dr Mops, Cédric Gimzia, Sandra Lebrun, Yannick Mescam, Philine Wollast, Adrien Martinot, Cyril & Maud Daujean, Johanna Emily, Philippe Mouret, Sébastien & Stéphanie & Thomas Dubois, Arne Rheingans

FABIEN GRIDEL, SPECIAL THANKS: The development of Path of Civilization has spanned over several years, and many individuals have contributed to it. I want to give special thanks to Laetitia, Pat, my friends who are authors of 'majeurdi,' the Catchups, A&J, Adrien & Cyril, my 'almost-agent' Olivier, Nath, Renaud, Alain (twice!), Jerem, Marina, and several Thomases… And of course, the Captains, who steer the ship despite the storm!

CRASH TESTERS: Valerie Callebaut, Christophe Loncin, Cedric Baelen, Nicolas Opdebeeck