Pecunia non olet: Geld stinkt nicht
Pecunia non olet: Geld stinkt nicht Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 rulebook
- 70 Roman cards (15 senators, 20 citizens, 20 slaves, 15 Roman women)
- 40 action cards
- 6 latrines
- 60 round markers
- 18 coins (5 sesterces)
- 25 coins (1 sesterce)
Setup
Each player places a latrine with 3 latrine seats in front of them.
The 70 Roman cards are shuffled and placed as a face-down draw pile. Each player draws 2 Roman cards from this pile and places one card on the left latrine seat and one card on the right latrine seat above their latrine. All players place as many round markers from the supply on their Roman cards as the number in the top left corner of the cards indicates.
Each player draws 5 Roman cards from the draw pile and lays them face up in a row below their latrine, in the order drawn. The first card drawn is placed at the marking on the left corner of the latrine. This is the start of the queue.
This is what a player's row might look like. Above the latrine the Romans "sit" on the latrine seats; below the latrine, Roman cards form a queue. The leftmost Roman card marks the start of the queue. Over the course of the game a queue may also consist of more than 5 Roman cards.
The 40 action cards are likewise shuffled and placed as a face-down draw pile. Each player draws 2 action cards and takes them into hand.
A starting player is determined.
Turn Order
The starting player begins, then the players take turns clockwise. Whoever's turn it is (the so-called active player) proceeds according to the following turn order:
- Remove round markers
- Collect sesterces
- Refill the latrine
- Draw an action card
1. Remove Round Markers
The active player takes one round marker from every Roman card in their latrine and returns it to the supply.
The round markers show how many more rounds a Roman must still sit on the latrine. The number in the top left corner of the Roman card indicates how many round markers must be placed on the card at first. One round marker is then removed per round.
2. Collect Sesterces
If a Roman card no longer has any round markers on it, the active player collects the number of sesterces shown in the top right corner of the Roman card. The number and value of a player's own coins must always be visible to all players.
Romans without round markers leave the latrine and are removed from the latrine immediately after collecting the sesterces. Removed Roman cards are gathered in a face-up discard pile.
3. Refill the Latrine
The active player must refill any latrine seats that have become free with Roman cards. They take the Roman card from the start of their own queue and place it on a free seat in their latrine. The number of round markers shown in the top left corner is placed on this Roman card.
Certain action cards can affect the order of the Roman cards in players' queues.
As a rule, the active player must refill all free seats in their latrine. Seats can only remain empty because senators do not want to sit next to slaves.
The active player is not required to play action cards in order to be able to fill a latrine seat.
Refilling the Queue
If all the cards in a player's queue have been used up, that player draws 5 new Roman cards from the draw pile and lays them out face up, in the order drawn, as their new queue.
If the Roman card draw pile is used up, the face-up discard pile is shuffled and used as the new face-down draw pile.
4. Draw an Action Card
The active player draws one action card from the draw pile and takes it into their hand. This ends their turn.
Playing Action Cards
Each player may hold any number of action cards in hand.
Action cards may only be played on a player's own turn. The active player decides how many action cards to play and at what point during their turn. For example, they might play one action card, then continue their actual turn (remove round markers), then play 2 more action cards, and so on.
Played action cards are gathered in a face-up discard pile. As soon as the action card draw pile is used up, the discard pile is shuffled and used as the new draw pile.
Game End
The game is won by whoever is the first to accumulate a previously agreed number of sesterces. Recommended targets are 30 sesterces for 2 players, 25 sesterces for 3 players, and 20 sesterces for 4 to 6 players.
Special Rule 1: Senators and Slaves
Senators do not want to sit next to slaves. So a Roman card showing a senator may never lie next to a Roman card showing a slave in a latrine.
Villa Dixius action cards disregard this rule.
The latrine seat in the middle cannot be filled with the senator from the start of the queue, because that senator may not lie next to the slave on the right latrine seat.
Special Rule 2: Women
Women may be seated two to a latrine seat. So the active player may fill a free seat with two Roman women at once, or add another Roman woman from the queue to a Roman woman already seated there.
The two cards are placed on top of each other.