Saga (2004)
Saga (2004) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Each land card has two different sides. It is recommended that the side with the crown symbol is used when playing the game for the first time. Otherwise, the players may choose which side to use.
Divide the knight cards into five sets according to the symbol printed on the back. Each player is given one set. With four players the remaining set is used as “mercenaries”.
Place the land cards on the table. Place two mercenary cards below each land card. The mercenary cards serve as defense troops. The placement is done according to the following rules:
The first card must have the same color as the land card.
The second card must have a different color than the first card.
On page 3 in the german rules, there is recommended setup. The set with the castle symbol is used as mercenary cards.
The players form attack troops to conquer lands, initially from mercenary troops, later on from other players. When the attack troop is sufficiently strong, it automatically defeats the defense, takes over the land, and becomes new defense troops.
When it is a players turn, she does the following:
Receive fame points.
Play a knight by creating a new attack troop or strengthen an already existing one. (Compulsory!)
Conquer a land (if one of the attack troops are stronger than the defense troops of the targeted land)
Hire a mercenary card without land to defend.
Note: receiving of fame points is always done first. It is allowed to hire a mercenary card before playing a knight.
Fame points
In the lower left corner of the land card the “income” of the land is printed. This income is 1 fame point, with the gold land as the only exception.
The player receives income for every land under her control.
Play a knight
The player places one of her knight cards face up in front of her. This card is either the first card of an attack troop or the reinforcement of an already existing attack troop. The following rules apply:
The color of the first card indicates what land is targeted.
There may be any number of different attack troops.
No two cards in an attack troop may have the same color. (Thus, there can be only five cards in an attack troop)
The strength of an attack troop is the sum of the included knights individual value.
Conquer a land
Should, by playing a knight, an attack troop become stronger than the defense troop of the corresponding land, that land becomes the player’s property. She takes the card and places her attack troop as the lands new defense troop. The player who lost the land takes back the defense troops into her hand. If the land was neutral, the defense troops stays on the table and may be recruited in this or subsequent turns.
Hire a mercenary
A player can hire a mercenary knight from the table by paying the value of the knight in fame points. She takes the knight to her hand. It is allowed to use the card immediately. Only mercenaries without land to defend may be recruited in this way.
Game end
The game ends as soon as one player has played her last card and has none left in her hand. If that last card is sufficient to conquer a land, the conquest takes place before scoring.
Rules for scoring
Every fame point already awarded is counted.
Count the sum of the value of all defense troops
Attack troops are worth nothing.
Cards on hand counts for negative points.
Note: some lands may modify these rules
Special properties of the land cards
On the lower edge of the land cards there may be up to three different symbols. The leftmost symbol indicates the income during every turn. The middle symbol indicates properties that are used during the game. The rightmost indicates modifications of the end scoring.
These symbols may be different depending on which side of the land cards is used.
Explanations of middle and right symbol:
(The left symbol is obvious, the others are fairly easy to understand)
Purple
Middle: A player in control of the purple land may once, instead of play a knight to build on attack troops, reinforce the defense troops of the purple land. The color rule still applies. This action cannot be used again until the purple land is conquered.
Right: At the end of the game, the player is allowed to play one card from hand to any of the defense or attack troops, provided she abides by the color rule. This card may not be used to conquer a land.
Blue
Middle: A player in control of the blue land may once play a card face down into one of her attack troops. This card may be revealed any time it’s her turn, and must be revealed before the attack troop is used for conquest. As long as the card is face down it counts as zero. The color rule still applies. This action cannot be used again until the blue land is conquered.
Right: The player is awarded points, equal to the sum of the knight values, for one of the attack troops.
Yellow
Middle: A player in control of the yellow land may at any time during her turn take back one of the knights from the yellow defense troops into her hand. If, as a consequence of this, the defense troop becomes weaker than an already formed attack troop somewhere on the table, the blue card immediately changes owner. If several attack troops have equal strength, the blue land stays until the tie is broken.
Right: The player who controls the yellow land receives five fame points, or, if the other side is chosen, 15 points for every defense troop, regardless of their actual value.
Red
Middle: The red defense troop has value one more than the sum of its knights. Or, if the other side is chosen, when the red land is conquered, the player may immediately take, free of charge, one of the idle mercenaries.
Green
Right: The player who controls the red land when the game ends, takes two fame points from each and every one of the opponents. Or, if the other side is used, there is no penalty for cards on hand.
Gold
Middle: The gold defense troop has value one less than the sum of its knights.
Right: There are no points given for the defense troop of the gold land.