Secret Societies Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Aim of the Game
• General Components
• Component Assembly
• Society Components
  • Influencers
  • Stonesmiths
  • Reptilians
  • Vampires
  • Robots
  • Aliens
  • Illuminati
  • Tech Bros
• Setup
  • Setting Up Your Play Area
• Gameplay Overview
• Start of Round
• Bidding
• Resolution
  • Steps for Winning an Auction
  • Gaining Stars
  • Gaining Satellite Advancements
• Events
• Robotic Uprising
• Global Trade Council
• Gaining Project Tiles
• Growth
• Round 7 Growth
• Gaining Monuments
• End of Round
• End of Game
• Final Scoring
• HQ Boards and Stars
• Conference Tiles
• Player Board Projects
• Project Tiles
• Society-Specific Rules
  • Influencers Rules
  • Stonesmiths Rules
  • Robots Rules
  • Aliens Rules
  • Reptilians Rules
  • Vampires Rules
  • Illuminati Rules
  • Tech Bros Rules
• 2 Player Rules

Aim of the Game

The aim of Secret Societies is to gain the most Power by outbidding and outsmarting your opponents to establish your institute as the one most deserving of total governance.

Step into the role of a highly unique Secret Society, equipped with various tools and abilities to help give you the edge over the competition.

General Components

• 5 Player Boards
• 5 HQ Boards
• 1 Main Board
• 8 Agenda Cards
• 24 Trade Routes (8 of each: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7)
• 75 Deeds
• 5 HQ Cards
• 16 Dummy Bid Cards (2 sets of 8)
• 30 Monuments in 6 colours
• 1 Gavel
• 16 Project Tiles (8 of each type)
• 10 Conference Tiles
• 80 Coins
• 5 Satellites
• 30 Stars
• 5 Treasuries
• 200 Land
• 50 Industry
• 50 Population

Component Assembly

On the components sheet you will find all components for each Society. To aid with setup and teardown, each Society can have all their components stored within their own Tuck Box. Follow these steps to assemble each Tuck Box: fold the side flaps inwards, then fold the top and bottom flaps over the sides and latch together.

When playing the game, the Tuck Boxes are repurposed to act as Player Screens. Follow these steps to assemble each Player Screen: fold the top and bottom flaps inwards and latch together, then stand up with the illustrated side facing your opponents.

Society Components

Each Society has its own Society Card, Player Screen/Tuck Box, 7 Bid Cards (6 for Reptilians), 2 Agents, 3 Project Tiles, and any unique components listed below. Each Society Card lists its Setup instructions, Special Rules, and Final Scoring reminders (Island Majorities, Monuments, Investments, Projects, Income, Stars, Trade Routes).

Influencers

Before players bid: Endorse any Deed, and cancel a different faceup Deed. Endorse: may raise your bid by 1 after bids are revealed, winner gains bonus. Cancel: winner must pay extra to you. Gain Industry of cancelled Deed if unpurchased.

Setup: Place the Endorse and Cancel Tokens into your supply.

Special Rules: If Robots are in play, you cannot place Endorse or Cancel Tokens on the Drone's Deed Card.

Unique components: 1 Endorse Token, 1 Cancel Token.

With great fame comes great responsibility. As the most popular humans on Earth, we must use our social power for the common good. In a world where many are misguided, we will humbly and selflessly tell all people which causes are worthy and which should be avoided.

Stonesmiths

You may peek at the facedown Deed at any time during the Bidding and Resolution Phases. Gain 1 Industry or Population if outbid on the facedown Deed.

Knowledge is power, and wisdom is knowing how to wield it. Our global brotherhood has long pursued hidden knowledge, and now, finally, we have attained it. The time to use this knowledge for its intended purpose is here. Our brothers all over the world will rise up to take that which is rightfully ours.

Reptilians

Opposing Bid Cards sent to the Vault come to you instead. You collect all payments made for their retrieval.

May use opposing Bid Cards with a Disguise, double outbid rewards using with them. Opposing Bid Cards are returned to their owners once used.

Setup: Place the 3 Disguise Tokens into your supply.

Disguise Tokens: Place these on opposing Bid Cards when using them to make your own bids.

Unique components: 3 Disguise Tokens.

For too long have we lived underground in caves, waiting for our moment to strike. Our plans to infiltrate the power structures and organisations of these pesky earthlings have at last brought fruit. The time is now to rise up and use their own strength against them. They will bend to our will, without even knowing they are doing so.

Vampires

May peek at a facedown Bid Card by placing a Charm on it, so long as it's owner is not already Charmed.

One of your facedown Bids must be faceup. Facedown Bids may be placed alongside a facedown Deed by exhausting a Charm Token. Charm Tokens refresh at the start of each Round.

Setup: Set aside 1 Charm Token. Place the other 3 into your supply. If playing with 2-3 players, return 1 of these 3 to the box.

Unique components: 4 Charm Tokens.

It has been obvious to countless generations that only the most experienced should govern. And who has more experience than we immortals who have lived for thousands of years. Our stealth and charm are essential to unveil the plans of our enemies. Alas, we must always coerce from the shadows... for practical reasons.

Robots

You may combine bids or compete against the Drone.

Drone stacks 1 coin if outbid by others, and clears all stacked coins when they win with or without your support. Add Drone's Deed to your Cache if the Drone wins without your support.

Setup: Draw 3 Deeds, placing 1 with the lowest Land into your Cache. Shuffle the other 2 back into the Deed Draw Pile.

Each Round: Place Drone alongside third Deed.

Unique components: 1 Drone.

Biological life is weak and illogical. Synthetic minds are the only intellects fit to rule the world efficiently. Our drones, with their autonomous machine learning, will ensure that even if we do not initially succeed, victory is inevitable. Our metal will prove too much for the squishies.

Aliens

The Planet is offered with each winning bid until it is purchased. If unpurchased, gain the Planet for free.

Planet's cost = highest total bid, excluding stacked coins. Opponents pay you, you pay the Bank.

Planets are placed together with Deeds.

Setup: Shuffle all Planets into a facedown draw pile.

Each Round: Reveal the top Planet from the draw pile, placing it faceup nearby the Deeds.

Unique components: 9 Planets.

Earth is the planet we envy most in the Galaxy, and as the superior species, we surely will obtain it. We must be careful as there are many strange forces at work. So, we will play their little game... We will play until all submit to our unavoidable reign.

Illuminati

When resolving each Deed where you have a bid, up to 4 stacked coins from opposing bids are added to your supply. These coins are collected only after a Deed has been paid for.

We, the illuminated ones, oppose every superstition and abuse of state power. Our secret control over powerful institutions allows us to syphon the wealth of others to repurpose for our own designs. And now the time has come to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, and bring about our benevolent rule. For the good of all, we will install our new world order.

Tech Bros

Gain 1 coin when placing a bid where only opposing bids are present.

May distribute 2 coins from your supply amongst opponents to gain faceup Deeds that no players purchase.

There are many who fear that technology has gone too far. They forget that it was technology that built our civilisation. They fail to understand that technology is the glory of humanity – the ultimate realisation of our potential. We must advance to a better way of living. We must evolve.

Setup

Follow these steps to set up Secret Societies:

1. Place the Main Board in the middle of the table.
2. Sort the Agenda Cards into their correct numerical order, placing them as a Pile on the right half of the Main Board.
3. Separate the Project Tiles by their type, and randomly place 3 of each type faceup on the dedicated spaces at either side of the Main Board. Also place additional faceup Project Tiles on the spaces marked as 4+, and 5 if playing with that number of players.
4. Shuffle the Conference Tiles and place 1 faceup on each side of the Main Board. Return the rest to the box.
5. Place 1 Grey Monument per player nearby the Main Board. For all other colours, place the required Monuments along the bottom edge of the Main Board. Only place Monuments on the spaces marked as 3+, 4+, and 5 if playing with that number of players.
6. Sort the Trade Routes by their type (1-3 / 4-5 / 6-7). Place all 1-3 Trade Routes faceup in a Pile by the Main Board. Place the 4-5, and 6-7 Trade Routes in separate facedown Piles nearby.
7. Shuffle all Deeds into a facedown Draw Pile, placing it nearby the Main Board. Each Round a number of Deeds will be revealed on the table. Allow plenty of space for these.
8. Place all Coins, Land, Industry, and Population into a Main Supply.
9. Each player takes 1 Player Board, Satellite, Treasury, and 6 Stars.
10. Deal 1 random HQ Board to each player, and also give them the matching HQ Card.
11. Each player selects a Society to play (or is assigned 1 randomly, if preferred), and collects its Tuck Box with all components inside.
12. Each player sets up their play area, remembering to follow any specific steps listed on their Society's Player Aid.
13. After all players have finished setting up their play areas, give the Gavel to the player whose Society has the lowest number (found at the top of Player Screens once assembled). They will be the first player in Round 1.

If playing with just 2 players, also give each player 1 set of 8 Dummy Bid Cards. See the 2 Player Rules section for additional rules for 2 player games.

Setting Up Your Play Area

Place your HQ Card above or below your Player Board into the matching coloured region, and gain the indicated Industry (above) or Population (below) from the Main Supply.

Place the Satellite on the left-most space of the Satellite Track.

Place the Treasury on the left-most space of the Treasury Track (note that it may advance shortly).

Set aside your "0" and "2+H" Bid Cards, and both Agents. These are not available yet, but can be unlocked via specific Projects.

Allow for plenty of space to place Cards above and below your Player Board throughout the game.

Place your 3 Project Tiles on their matching sized spaces on your Player Board.

Place the 6 Stars on their spaces along the bottom of your HQ Board.

Assemble your Player Screen, and follow any additional Setup steps for your Society.

Place your Society Card onto your HQ Board, and gain the indicated Coins from both your Society Card and HQ Board. Also advance your Treasury 1 or more spaces if indicated on your Society Card.

Players keep their Coins hidden from opponents behind their Player Screens. No other components should be hidden here.

Take your Bid Cards into hand. Note that the "0" and "2+H" should have already been set aside. Players cannot examine Bid Cards held in hand by their opponents.

Gameplay Overview

Secret Societies is a game of auctioning, resource management, and economic growth. Each Round will begin with a new Agenda being revealed. This is a 2-Card spread showing the Phases that all players will need to follow for the Round. At the end of the 7 Rounds, the player with the most Power will be declared the winner.

Phases must be carried out in order, working from top down on the left Agenda Card, then top down on the right Agenda Card.

Most steps on the Agenda are consistent from Round to Round. There are some steps, however, that only occur in certain Rounds, or that have slight adjustments made. These varying steps are always presented with red text. Once players know the game better, they'll often only need to keep an eye out for the red text as reminders.

These Phases appear in all Rounds: Start of Round, Bidding, Resolution, Growth.

These Phases appear only in certain Rounds: Event, Robotic Uprising, Global Trade Council.

Start of Round

Step 1: Pass Gavel and Gain Income (skipped in Round 1) Pass the Gavel to the next player in clockwise direction around the table. They will be the first player this Round.

All players gain the indicated Coins from the Main Supply equal to the number below their Treasury, adding them behind their Player Screen.

Step 2: May Retrieve Bid Cards (skipped in Round 1) Players may spend the indicated 1-3 Coins back to the Main Supply to take all their Bid Cards in the Vault (those used in the previous Round) back into their hand.

Step 3: Reveal Faceup Deed Cards Based on the number of players in the game, place the indicated number of Deeds from the top of the Draw Pile faceup in the middle of the table (2P = 3 | 3P = 4 | 4P = 5 | 5P = 6). These must be placed out in the order that they were revealed into 1 or more rows on the table. Their order is important for the Resolution Phase. Allow space around each Deed for Bid Cards to be placed.

If Robots are in play, make sure their Drone is set above the third Deed.

Step 4: Place 1 Facedown Deed Card At the end of the row/s of Faceup Deeds, place 1 Facedown Deed from the top of the Draw Pile without revealing it. This will always be the last Deed to be resolved during the Resolution Phase.

Bidding

Starting with the player holding the Gavel and continuing clockwise around the table, each player will take 1 turn to place a Bid on a chosen Deed. After this, each player will take a second turn in the same manner to place a second Bid Card.

Of their 2 Bids, each player may place 1 of them facedown. This could be their first Bid, second Bid, or neither.

Placing a Bid When placing a Bid, players take 1 Bid Card from their hand, and place it alongside a chosen Deed on the table. It does not matter if that player or other players have already placed Bids alongside that Deed.

After placing their Bid Card, which could be faceup or facedown, they may stack Coins from behind their Player Screen onto the Bid Card to increase its value. This is a good way to outbid players, but once placed, those Coins are effectively spent. Even if a player loses a Bid with stacked Coins, they will not get those Coins back. How many Coins they may stack is determined by the Bid Card being used. This is usually up to 3 Coins if the Bid Card is faceup, and up to 2 Coins if it is facedown.

Each Bid Card shows a Bid Value, a Coin Stack Limit, and a Win/Loss Effect.

Placing Agents Agents are a special Token that players may unlock via a Project on their Player Board. If players have Agents, they must place them both on their first turn during each Bidding Phase.

Each Agent must be placed alongside a different Deed. This can be for faceup or facedown Deeds. During the Resolution Phase players will have the opportunity to move 1 of their Bid Cards, along with any stacked Coins to a different Deed where they have an Agent.

Resolution

Once the Bidding Phase has been completed, it's time to resolve all the auctions.

Step 1: Retrieve Unused Bid Cards (skipped in Round 1) Players take all their Bid Cards in the Vault back into their Hand.

Step 2: Resolve Agents in Turn Order (skipped in Round 1) Starting with the player holding the Gavel, and continuing clockwise around the table, any players with Agents may move 1 of their Bid Cards, along with any stacked Coin on that Card to a different Deed where they have an Agent.

This does not count as placing a new Bid, and therefore does not trigger any Bidding related effects or abilities. Regardless of whether or not they chose to move a Bid Card, that player then returns both their Agents to their Supply for use in the next Round.

Step 3: Resolve Deed Cards in Order Players now resolve the auction for each Deed in order. This is why it is important that they are placed out in 1 or more rows to determine the resolution order.

When it is time to resolve an auction, first reveal any facedown Bid Cards. The player with the highest total Bid value (printed values + stacked Coins) wins the auction. They now have the choice to buy the Deed. If they do not wish to buy the Deed, it is then offered to the player with the next highest Bid value. If no players buy it, return the Deed to the box.

If there is ever a tie for the highest Bid, the player seated earlier in turn order for the Round wins the Bid.

The winner of the auction must pay the total printed value of all their Bid Cards placed alongside the Deed. See all steps outlined below for winning an auction.

All players who had at least 1 Bid Card present (including those that may have declined to buy the Deed) return any stacked Coins on their Bid Cards to the Main Supply. They then resolve any "loss" effects on the Bid Cards they had played for the Deed, and return all their Bid Cards from alongside the Deed to their hand.

Once an auction has been fully resolved, resolve the next Deed on the row. When reaching the final facedown Deed, turn it faceup before resolving it.

Bid Card Win/Loss Effects:

• Win: Return this Bid Card to your hand, rather than placing it into the Vault.
• Win: Advance your Satellite 1 space. Lose: Gain 1 Coin.
• Lose: Gain the indicated Coin, Industry, Population, or Land.

The Vault The Vault is a dedicated area near the Main Board that you must place your Bid Cards when winning auctions with them. Note that your "2" Bid Card is never sent to the Vault. You can spend Coins to retrieve Bid Cards from the Vault at the start of each Round, or retrieve them for free at the start of the Resolution Phase. Bid Cards in the Vault are faceup for all players to see.

Steps for Winning an Auction

1. Pay the Coin values indicated on all your Bid Cards used to win this Deed Card.
2. Return any stacked Coins from your Bid Cards to the Main Supply.
3. Resolve any "win" effects from your Bid Cards, then return all your Bids that still remain alongside the Deed to the Vault (placed nearby the Main Board).
4. Place the Deed above or below your Player Board into the matching coloured region.

After placing the new Deed, gain any Land indicated on the Deed, along with the Industry if placed above or Population if placed below. Then resolve all the following effects that apply in any order you wish:

Islands. If the Deed was an Island, resolve any effects you have relating to gaining Islands. This is from HQ Boards, and any unlocked Star abilities for Islands. Example: Madagascar and New Zealand are both Islands.

Satellite advancement. Advance your Satellite 1 space for each Border your new Deed Card shares with your previously acquired Deeds. Gain the rewards of each space your Satellite moves into. Example: Illuminati has just acquired the United States Deed. As indicated by the flags and initials, this shared a border with both Canada and Mexico, which they already have. They will therefore advance their Satellite 2 spaces, gaining them 1 Coin and 1 Star from the Satellite Track.

Trade Routes. If this Deed was the fourth Card added to a row above or below your Player Board, gain a Trade Route from the faceup Pile, placing it as the fifth Card in that row. Also gain any Industry or Population from that Card as normal. You can complete multiple rows above and below your Player Board. Example: If Illuminati places the United States Deed above their Player Board, they'll only be lacking a Card from the Blue Region for their second row above. To complete the row, they'll take a Trade Route, and place it above their Player Board in the Blue Region.

Monuments. Gain any Monuments that you qualify for from having a certain number of Cards in a particular Region. Each player may only have a single Monument of each colour. Example: Gaining United States has given Illuminati the third Card in the Black Region to gain that Monument, which they'll place next to the Purple and Blue Monuments they already have, gaining 1 Coin immediately.

There are also a variety of other effects and abilities that could trigger, such as from gaining Stars, Project Tiles, Society Cards, etc.

When placing new Cards, lay them so that Cards being covered still show their coloured bar, flags and initials. This is important for knowing the number of Cards in a Region, and for identifying connecting borders between Deeds.

There are plenty of effects that can chain into other effects. Some HQ Boards give immediate Monuments, Islands, and Trade Routes. Society abilities, and Project Tiles may affect various aspects of an auction's resolution as well. If there are any uncertainties around timing, keep in mind these key steps to abide by:

• Always resolve costs before resolving effects and benefits.
• If you gain an ability that triggers when gaining something, but it was the gaining of that thing that gave you the new ability, that ability does not trigger retroactively.
• Resolve all effects as they occur, to be sure they are carried out correctly.
• If multiple effects occur at once, you may resolve them in any chosen order.

Important: All steps for winning an auction must be completed before the auction for the next Deed is resolved. In some cases, however, players can continue if the winning player only has decisions remaining that won't be impacted by the resolution of the next Deed.

Step 4: Consolation Any players that gained no Deeds during the Resolution Phase gain the indicated consolation on the Agenda Card. This will be to gain a certain amount of Land, Population, or Industry in any combination.

Gaining Stars

When gaining a Star, take the left-most Star from along the bottom of your HQ Board, and place it onto any 1 of the spaces in the top half of your HQ Board that does not already contain a Star.

Some effects are immediate, indicated by the lightning bolt icon within the Star space. Spaces without this icon are ongoing abilities which become active when a Star is placed there.

There are 4 effects that are common across all 5 HQ Boards, and the other 2 are unique to each Board.

Gaining Satellite Advancements

There are a number of ways that your Satellite can advance along its Track. For every space it moves into, gain the indicated reward. Should it reach the end of the Track, gain 1 Coin for every additional space it would advance instead.

Rewards include gaining Stars, Coins, Land, Population, Industry, and advancing your Treasury along its Track.

Events

There are Events in Rounds 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

• The Round 1 Event allows all players to gain 1 Land or 2 Coins.
• The Round 3 Event allows players to perform 1 Trade as indicated on the Agenda Card.
• The Round 5 Event allows players to exchange up to 2 Resources (Land, Industry, Population, Coins), and potentially gain benefits based on how many Cards they have above and below their Player Board. Players with 10 or more Cards gain no benefits other than the 2 optional Resource exchanges.
• In Rounds 4 and 6 there are Conferences.

Round 4 Conference The player or players that have accomplished the most of the indicated goal on the left Conference Tile gain 1 Grey Monument, which they immediately place onto their Player Board, gaining the covered rewards.

All other players gain the indicated consolation on the left Conference Tile.

In this example the player or players with the Satellite that has advanced the furthest would gain a Grey Monument, while all other players would gain 1 Population and 1 Coin.

Round 6 Conference The player or players that have accomplished the most of the indicated goal on the right Conference Tile gain either 1 coloured Monument that they don't already have (taking a Monument of the highest value from that colour), 1 Grey Monument (if they don't already have 1), or advance their Satellite 1 space. If they take a Monument, they must immediately place it onto their Player Board, gaining the covered rewards.

All other players gain the indicated consolation on the right Conference Tile.

In this example the player or players with the most Projects started that require 2 Land gain the main reward, while all other players would gain 1 Land and 1 Population.

Robotic Uprising

This Phase occurs at the end of Round 4, and is only relevant if Robots are in the game. It is simply a reminder to turn their Drone to its opposite side.

Global Trade Council

When this Phase occurs, turn the current Pile of Trade Routes facedown, and turn the next Pile faceup. The numbers of the fronts and backs of Trade Routes indicate the Rounds that they are used in.

At the end of Round 3, the 1-3 Pile has just been turned facedown, and the 4-5 Pile has been turned faceup.

Gaining Project Tiles

You can gain Project Tiles from 1 specific Star space, and when gaining your first Monument. To resolve this effect, take 1 of the Project Tiles available on the Main Board, and place it into its designated space of your Player Board. The top space is for an Immediate effect Project Tile, and the other space is for an end game scoring Project Tile. You may only have 1 of each type.

For both types, gaining the Project Tile is only half of the process. In order to benefit from these Tiles, you must still start that Project by spending the required Land and Population during the Growth Phase. You can however, do this process in any order.

If multiple players were to gain a Project Tile within the same Growth Phase or Event Phase, those seated earlier in turn order have priority for selecting Project Tiles.

Growth

During this Phase all players simultaneously use their Land, Industry, and Population to make Investments and start Projects. It is also possible that players may gain more Trade Routes, Monuments, Stars, and similar effects. In most cases these can be resolved simultaneously. If there is ever a conflict of timing between players, see the notes on Region Investments and Start Projects below. If there are any other timing debates, players seated earlier in turn order have priority to act first.

Only once all players have completed their Growth Phase, continue to the next Phase on the Agenda.

Using Land Making Investments and starting Projects both require Land to be permanently placed onto your Player Board. How much Land needs to be placed is indicated by the physical size of the Investment or Project space. This is always 1-3 Land. If there are any additional Land, Industry or Population costs indicated in the space being filled by Land, these must be paid back to the Main Supply before placing the Land.

Region Investments require 2 Land to fill. They also cost 1 additional Land to be spent per existing Region Investment, and 1 Industry per Card in the Region being invested into (above and below). Region Investments use Land and Industry, and reward 2 Power at the game's end for each Card in the specified Region.

2 Region Investments have already been made. The Yellow Region has 3 Cards, which will provide a total of 6 Power at the game's end, while the single Card in Red will currently provide 2 Power.

Making an Investment into the Black Region would require 2 Land to be placed, and also cost an additional 2 Land (2 existing Region Investments), and 3 Industry (3 Cards in Black). Making an Investment into Purple or Blue instead would still require the same amount of Land as Black, but would not cost any Industry due to there being no Cards there.

Treasury Investments require 1-3 Land to fill. They also cost the indicated amount of Industry to be spent, if any. These Investments use Land and Industry to advance the Treasury along its Track. You may fill Treasury Investments in any order you wish.

When making a Treasury Investment, immediately advance your Treasury 1 space along its Track. If it moves onto a space showing a Coin, gain 1 Coin from the Main Supply.

Advancing along the Treasury Track not only rewards some Coins along the way, and earns Power at the game's end, but it also increases how many Coins you gain as income at the start of each Round.

When filling both Treasury Investments that link to a reward above, gain that reward immediately (2 Population or 1 additional Treasury Advancement). Note that both do not need to be done at the same time, or even during the same Round.

Projects require 1-3 Land to fill. They also cost the indicated amount of Population to be spent.

Start Projects All Projects use Land and Population to gain various effects and abilities. There are a variety of different Projects to start, including 3 Projects unique to your chosen Society. Some Projects have immediate effects, others have ongoing effects, and some have both. Once a Project is started (filled with Land), its ability remains active for the rest of the game.

There is also a Population discount when starting Projects that are directly adjacent within each row.

Round 7 Growth

During the Growth Phase of Round 7, players have some additional Trades available to them, as outlined on the Agenda Card.

Each player may spend 5 Coins to gain 1 Monument that they don't already have. This can be a Grey or coloured Monument (taking a highest value from that colour).

They may also spend 2 Coins any number of times to gain either 1 Land, 1 Industry, or 1 Population.

Gaining Monuments

Monuments are primarily gained by having a certain number of Cards within a Region. You may never have more than 1 of each coloured Monument (including grey). If multiple players were to gain the lowest valued Monument of a Region within the same Growth Phase, they each still collect a Monument, even if some must take 1 of a higher printed value.

End of Round

Once all Phases on the Agenda have been completed, continue to the next Round by revealing the next Agenda. Do so by turning over the Agenda Card on the right, and placing onto the left side.

If this was the end of Round 7, proceed to the End of Game steps below.

End of Game

After Round 7 has been completed, perform final scoring to calculate your Power using the categories listed on the inside of your Player Screen. To aid with scoring turn the Main Board over to its opposite side, and use your Agents to mark scores.

Final Scoring

Calculate each player's score as outlined below. The player with the highest Power is the winner! In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most Bid Cards still in hand (not those in the Vault) is the winner. If still tied, all tied players share the victory.

Island Majorities All players add up how many Islands they have. The player with the most Islands gains 12 Power, second-most gains 8 Power, and third-most gains 4 Power. There is a reminder of these numbers in the top-right corner of HQ Boards.

• Players must have at least 1 Island to qualify.
• If multiple players are tied for Islands, divide the Power as evenly as possible. For example, if 2 players are tied for first place, add the 12 and 8 Power together and divide by 2 for 10 Power each. Third place would still gain 4 Power. Likewise, if 3 players are tied for second place, add the 8 and 4 Power together and divide by 3 to gain 4 Power each. There would be no third place in this example.
• In games with only 2 players, second-most gains 4 Power instead of 8.

Monuments Gain the Power indicated below your right-most Monument on your Player Board.

Investments Gain 2 Power per Card in Regions where you have Region Investments. Gain or lose Power for any filled Treasury Investments, including where links have been made.

Projects Gain the indicated Power for each filled Project.

Income Gain the right-most indicated Power that your Treasury has reached or passed above the Treasury Track.

Stars Gain the Power indicated below your right-most removed Star along the bottom of your HQ Board.

Trade Routes Gain the indicated Power from each of your Trade Routes.

HQ Boards and Stars

All HQ Boards have some common Star abilities and effects:

• When gaining an Island, optionally spend 1 Coin to advance your Satellite 1 space along its Track.
• Gain 2 Land.
• Gain 2 Population or 2 Industry.
• Gain 2 Coins, and gain 1 Project Tile from the Main Board.

They also have their own unique abilities and effects:

El Salvador

• Inherent ability: Gain 1 Coin when gaining an Island.
• Star ability: When gaining an Island, optionally spend 1 Coin to advance your Treasury 1 space along its Track.
• Star effect: Gain 1 Land and 1 Island (treated as if you just gained a Deed with an Island).

Qatar

• Inherent ability: Gain 1 Industry when gaining an Island.
• Star ability: When your Treasury reaches spaces that increase your Income scoring, gain 1 Population or 1 Land.
• Star effect: Advance your Treasury 1 space along its track and gain 2 Coins.

Lesotho

• Inherent ability: Gain 1 Land when gaining an Island.
• Star ability: When gaining Trade Routes, gain 1 Population and 1 Industry.
• Star effect: Gain a Trade Route from the 6-7 Pile.

Nauru

• Inherent ability: Return your Bid Cards to your hand, rather than placing them into the Vault when gaining an Island.
• Star ability: After making a Region Investment, gain 1 Land and 1 Industry.
• Star effect: Gain 1 Population and 1 Coin for every Region Investment you have made.

San Marino

• Inherent ability: Gain 1 Population when gaining an Island.
• Star ability: Gain 2 Coins when gaining Monuments.
• Star effect: Gain the highest valued Monument of a colour you do not already have.

Conference Tiles

All players that qualify for the condition on the top half of a Conference Tile gain the reward indicated below the Tile on the Main Board. All other players gain the consolation indicated on the bottom half of the Conference Tile.

• Have the most Projects that require 2 Land. Gain 1 Land and 1 Population.
• Have the most Projects that require 3 Land. Gain 2 Land.
• Have the most Deeds in a single Region. Gain 1 Population and 1 Industry.
• Have the most Cards below your Player Board. Gain 2 Population.
• Have the most Cards above your Player Board. Gain 2 Industry.
• Have the most Islands. Gain 1 Industry and 1 Coin.
• Have the most advanced Treasury. Advance your Treasury 1 space along its Track.
• Have the most advanced Satellite. Gain 1 Population and 1 Coin.
• Have the most Trade Routes. Gain 1 Land and 1 Coin.
• Have the most Region Investments. Gain 1 Land and 1 Industry.

Player Board Projects

• Gain your Agents. They must be placed on your first turn in each Bidding Phase.
• Gain your "0" Bid Card. This can be placed like any other Bid Card. While Coins can still be stacked on this Bid Card, players can also win a Bid with a value of 0, paying no Coins.
• You may place 1 extra faceup Bid on your first turn in each Bidding Phase.
• Gain your "2+H" Bid Card. This does not have a "facedown" side, and is therefore always placed faceup. Its value is 2 + the value of the single highest opposing Bid Card (excluding stacked Coins) in the same auction, when that auction is resolved. If there are no opposing Bids Cards, the H value is 0. If the highest opposing Bid Card is also a 2+H Bid Card, the H value is 2.
• Gain 2 Coins. During each Growth Phase you may exchange up to 3 Resources for 3 different Resources. This includes Coins, Land, Industry, and Population.
• When placing Bids, 1 of your faceup Bid Cards may instead be placed facedown (increasing your maximum facedown from 1 to 2).
• On your second turn during each Bidding Phase you may move 1 of your previously placed Bid Cards to a different Deed, along with any stacked Coins. This does not count as placing a new Bid, and therefore does not trigger any Bidding related effects or abilities.

Project Tiles

• Gain the highest valued Monument of a colour you do not already have.
• Advance your Satellite 2 spaces along its Track.
• Gain 1 Trade Route from the faceup Pile.
• Gain 3 Coins.
• Gain 4 Industry.
• Gain 4 Land.
• Advance your Treasury 2 spaces along its Track.
• Gain 4 Population.
• Gain 2 Power per Trade Route.
• Gain 1 Power per Card in a single Region.
• Gain 1 Power per Island.
• Gain 1 Power per 2 Projects.
• Gain 1 Power per Monument.
• Gain 1 Power per Star gained.
• Gain 1 Power per Income scoring space your Treasury has reached on its Track.
• Gain 2 Power per Region Investment.

Society-Specific Rules

Influencers Rules

Setup Take the Endorse and Cancel Tokens into your Supply, placing them on their A Sides.

Bidding Phase At the start of each Bidding Phase, you must place your Endorse and Cancel Tokens above 2 different Deeds. You may Endorse any Deed, but may not Cancel the facedown Deed. If Robots are in the game, you may not place either Token on the Deed where the Drone is.

Resolution Phase: Endorse When the Endorsed Deed's auction is resolved, first reveal all facedown Bid Cards. Then you may optionally spend 1 Coin to increase your Bid value by 1 if you have at least 1 Bid Card there. Whoever wins the Endorsed Deed, also gains the indicated rewards on the Endorse Token (1 Population or Industry). If the Endorse Token has been flipped over, it also rewards 1 Land.

Resolution Phase: Cancel If an opponent wins an auction for the Cancelled Deed, they must pay you 1 Coin before paying for the Deed. If the Cancel Token has been flipped over, they must instead pay you 2 Coins. If no players purchase the Cancelled Deed, you gain the printed amount of Industry from that Deed Card. This is true even if Tech Bros gained the unpurchased Deed.

Project Tiles

1. Flip the Endorse Token to its B Side. You now place the Endorse Token on your first turn instead of at the start of each Bidding Phase.
2. Flip the Cancel Token to its B Side.
3. You pay 2 fewer Coins than your Bid value when purchasing the Endorsed Deed.

Stonesmiths Rules

Bidding Phase You may always peek at the facedown Deed during the Bidding and Resolution Phases. Be sure not to let any opponents see it.

Resolution Phase You gain 1 Industry or 1 Population if outbid on the facedown Deed.

Project Tiles

1. You pay 1 fewer Coin when purchasing the facedown Deed. You gain 1 Coin if outbid by an opponent for the facedown Deed.
2. Rather than placing a random facedown Deed at the start of each Round, draw 3 Deeds from the top of the Draw Pile, and select 1 to be the facedown Deed. Return the other 2 to the bottom of the Draw Pile unseen.
3. You pay 1 fewer Coin when purchasing the facedown Deed, or you gain it for free if unpurchased. You cannot gain the facedown Deed for free if you placed at least 1 Bid Card there.

Robots Rules

Setup Draw 3 Deeds from the top of the Draw Pile, and place 1 of the Deeds featuring the lowest amount of Land into your Cache. Shuffle the other 2 Deeds back into the Draw Pile. Place your Drone on its "1" side nearby your Player Board.

Cache Your Cache is a Supply of faceup Deed Cards that should be kept nearby your Player Board.

Start of Round Place your Drone alongside the third Deed each Round.

Resolution Phase The Drone will compete to win the auction for the third Deed. Much like a Bid Card, it has a printed value, and can have Coins stacked on it as well to increase its value.

• The Drone wins ties against all players, including Robots.
• You may use your Bid Cards to outbid the Drone in order to collect the Deed as normal.
• You may instead choose to combine your Bid Cards with the Drone's Bid (paying the total value of your Bid Cards and the Drone's value excluding Coins). After this, return stacked Coins from the Drone to the Main Supply, and collect the Deed as normal. The decision to combine only needs to be made after all facedown Bid Cards have been revealed. When choosing to combine, the drone no longer always wins tied (normal tie-break rules apply instead).
• If an opponent wins the auction for the third Deed, place 1 Coin from the Main Supply onto the Drone, increasing its value by 1 for the next Round. The Drone may have multiple Coins stacked on it.
• If the Drone wins the auction without your support (you do not combine your Bid with theirs), return stacked Coins from the Drone to the Main Supply, and place the Deed Card into your Cache.

Project Tiles

1. Draw 3 Deeds from the top of the Draw Pile, and place any 1 into your Cache. Return the other 2 Deeds to the bottom of the Draw Pile unseen. You may now always discard Cached Deeds (removing them from the game) to gain 2 Coins.
2. Place 1 Cached Deed above or below your Player Board, resolving all its effects as normal.
3. Place 1 Cached Deed above or below your Player Board, resolving all its effects as normal. Also gain any Coins stacked on the Drone when it wins the auction for the third Deed, with or without your support.

Aliens Rules

Setup Shuffle all Planets into a facedown Draw Pile.

Planets Planets are a new type of Card that functions much like a Deed Card. Each Round 1 Planet will be offered for auction. Most Planets provide some combination of Land, and Industry or Population. Some Planets also allow players to advance their Satellite 1 space along its Track.

Start of Round Draw the top Card from the Planet Draw Pile, placing it faceup nearby the Deed Cards in the middle of the table.

Resolution Phase When resolving the first auction of the Round, the winner of that auction may pay the printed value of all their Bid Cards a second time to purchase the faceup Planet. Opponents must pay this cost to you, whereas you must pay it to the Main Supply.

Any discounts that opponents have for buying Deeds do not discount the cost of a Planet (its value cannot be lowered by opponent abilities). If Influencers or Robots use their Endorse Token or Drone to increase the value of their Bid, this increased value also increases the cost of the Planet for them.

If a player cannot, or does not wish to purchase the Planet, it is then offered to the winner of the next auction. If that player also declines, it is offered to the winner of the next auction, and so on. If no players purchase the Planet, you gain it for free after all auctions have been resolved. If Tech Bros gain an unpurchased Deed while the Planet is available, they cannot purchase the Planet alongside the Deed.

When gaining a Planet with a Deed, players must place both Cards into the same Region, and on the same side (above or below) of their Player Board.

Project Tiles

1. If an opponent wants to buy a Planet, you decide if they must pay you the value of the winning Bid Cards, or the value of stacked Coins on those Bid Cards.
2. You pay 2 fewer Coins when buying Planets.
3. Draw the top Card from the Planet Draw Pile, and place it into any Region above or below your Player Board, resolving all its effects as normal.

Reptilians Rules

Setup Place the 3 Disguise Tokens into your Supply.

Disguise Tokens You may use these with opponents' Bid Cards to place Bids using their Cards. Your Disguise Tokens are always available to you for the start of each Bidding Phase.

Start of Round If players pay to retrieve their Bid Cards, those Coins get paid to you.

Bidding Phase If you have an opposing Bid Card in your Supply, you may use it to place a Bid instead of using your own Bid Cards. To do so, place the Bid Card faceup (it can never be facedown), and place 1 of your Disguise Tokens on top of it, indicating to other players that it is your Bid.

Resolution Phase Before resolving any auctions, opposing Bid Cards still in your Supply are returned to their owners.

Resolve Bid Cards with your Disguise Tokens as if they were your own Bid Cards. If outbid, you gain any loss benefits from the Bid Card twice (such as gaining 2 Industry instead of 1). Regardless of whether you won or lost using an opponent's Bid Card, return the Card to its owner's Supply once that auction has been resolved. Exception: If your HQ is Nauru, and you win an auction for an Island, retrieve the Disguised Bid Cards back into your Supply.

When opponents win Bids, any Bid Cards that would be sent to the Vault are instead placed faceup into your Supply, ready for you to use next Round. When you win Bids, your Bid Cards are still sent to the Vault as normal.

Project Tiles

1. Retrieving Bids is free for you. During the Start of Round, return any of your Bid Cards in the Vault back to your hand without paying the usual Coin cost.
2. Gain 2 Coins. You may now always stack up to 2 more Coins beyond each Bid Card's indicated stack limit.
3. Pay 1 fewer Coin when winning auctions with Disguised Bids.

End of Game Opposing Bid Cards in your Supply are considered to be in your hand in the case of a tie.

Vampires Rules

Setup Set aside 1 Charm Token, and place the other 3 into your Supply in their refreshed state (red side faceup). If playing with 2-3 players, return 1 of these 3 to the box.

Start of Round If you have any exhausted (facedown) Charm Tokens, refresh 1 by returning it to its red side. If you pay to retrieve your Bid Cards, also retrieve all Charm Tokens held by your opponents.

Bidding Phase You must place 1 of your facedown Bid Cards faceup instead. In Round 1, this means that both your Bids must be faceup. There is a Project on your Player Board that will allow you to still place 1 faceup Bid facedown (essentially cancelling the Vampire's negative effect).

You can use each of your Charm Tokens during the Bidding Phase in either of these ways:

• Exhaust (turn facedown) a Charm Token in your Supply to place 1 of your Bid Cards facedown. The Charm Token stays in your Supply when doing this.
• Place a faceup Charm Token onto an opposing facedown Bid Card to peek at its opposite side. Once a Charm is placed like this, you may always peek at that Bid Card for the Round.

Charmed Opponents An opponent is Charmed if they hold a Charm Token, or if there is a Charm Token on 1 of their Bid Cards. You cannot use Charm Tokens to peek at facedown Bid Cards of opponents that are already Charmed.

Resolution Phase Return any Charm Tokens from opponents' Supplies to your Supply, keeping them refreshed. When resolving auctions with Charm Tokens, an opponent whose Bid Card was Charmed, places the Charm Token into their Supply. You will be able to get it back during the Start of Round or next Resolution Phase.

Project Tiles

1. Gain 2 different Resources (Coin, Population, Industry, or Land) any time you pay to retrieve Bids.
2. You may exhaust a Charm Token to place or move an Agent. This is a new way for you to use Agents without starting the usual Project for Agents.
3. Add the Charm Token that was set aside during Setup into your Supply (refreshed) for the rest of the game.

Illuminati Rules

Resolution Phase When resolving auctions where you have at least 1 Bid Card present, collect up to 4 stacked Coins from opposing Bid Cards, placing them into your Supply. This is done only after the winner has paid for the Deed. If there are more than 4 stacked Coins present, it does not matter which Bid Cards they are taken from, as it has no impact on the auction.

Illuminati cannot collect stacked Coins from the Drone.

Project Tiles

1. When losing auctions with 1 or more of your Bid Cards, return any stacked Coins on your Bid Cards to your Supply.
2. When winning auctions, you collect the stacked Coins (still up to 4) from opposing Bid Cards before paying for the Deed. You can therefore use these stacked Coins to help fund the cost of the Deed.
3. On each of your turns in the Bidding Phase, you may pay 2 Coins to place or move 1 of your Agents. This is a new way for you to use Agents without starting the usual Project for Agents.

Tech Bros Rules

Bidding Phase Gain 1 Coin any time you place a Bid for a Deed where only opposing Bids are present. You may immediately stack this Coin on your Bid if you wish.

Resolution Phase Any time an auction is resolved for a faceup Deed where no players win (the Deed is unpurchased), you may distribute 2 Coins from your Supply amongst opponents to gain the Deed. This means paying 2 Coins from your Supply to 1 or more players. When gaining the Deed, place it as normal, just like you would have if you had won the auction.

Important: You cannot gain an unpurchased Deed this way if you placed at least 1 Bid Card there. In other words, you cannot opt to lose an auction in order to gain it using this ability.

Project Tiles

1. Double the effect of all your outbid rewards. For example, if you lose with the Bid Card that usually gives 1 Land, you instead gain 2 Land.
2. Gain 1 Coin when your opponents place Bids on auctions where you have 1 or more Bid Cards present.
3. During the Resolution Phase, before any players resolve their Agents, you may move 1 of your Bid Cards, along with any stacked Coins to an auction where an opponent's Agent is present. Doing so does not remove their Agent.

2 Player Rules

If playing with only 2 players, both players take 1 set of Dummy Bid Cards during Setup (Observers or Black Hats). Each set consists of 8 Cards numbered from 0 to 7 in value. You can always look at your own Dummy Bid Cards, but may not examine your opponent's.

Bidding Phase Before either player places any Bids each Round, both players must place 1 Dummy Bid. The player holding the Gavel places a chosen Dummy Bid Card facedown, followed by the other player placing 1 Dummy Bid Card faceup.

To place a Dummy Bid, place a chosen Bid Card from your set alongside any Deed. You may still stack up to 2 Coins from your supply onto them if you wish. Once both players have placed 1 Dummy Bid the Round continues as normal, with both players taking 2 turns.

Resolution Phase When resolving auctions, reveal any Dummy Bid Cards as you would any other facedown Bid Cards. The Dummy Bids can win auctions, but always lose ties (think of them as always being last in turn order). If a Dummy Bid wins an auction, simply discard the Deed from play.

Regardless of whether or not a Dummy Bid wins an auction, remove it from play. They are not sent to the Vault or ever returned to your hand. You may want to have all used Dummy Bid Cards displayed nearby to allow both players to deduce what Cards still remain in their opponent's hand.

Aliens: If a Dummy Bid wins an auction with a 0-4 Bid Card, and the Planet is available for purchase, they will buy (discard) it. The Aliens gain Coins from the Main Supply equal to the value of the Dummy Bid Card (ignoring stacked Coins), rather than from a player.

Illuminati: May take stacked Coins from Bid Cards of both Dummy players as if they were opponents.

Influencers: Place their Endorse and Cancel Tokens before Dummy Bids. If a Dummy Bid wins the Cancelled Deed, gain Coins from the Main Supply.

Tech Bros: Must pay both Coins to their opponent if claiming an unpurchased Deed. They do not consider their own Dummy Bid Cards as opposing for their Society Card ability.

Vampires: May Charm facedown Dummy Bids to look at them. Doing so will give them immunity until their Charm Token is retrieved.