Ur: 1830 BC
Ur: 1830 BC Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Playing Material
- A game board;
- A non-permanent marker;
- Water (24 blue discs);
- Four land price markers (the yellow squares with mountains, trees, grass and sand);
- Ownership markers for six players (the bigger squares);
- 38 cards with waterworks and diggers;
- Sequence markers (hourglasses) and waterworks in the six colours of the states: Akkad (grey), Babylon (blue), Elam (green), Persia (black), Sumer (yellow) and Urartu (red);
- 6 treasury charts of the states Akkad, Babylon, Elam, Persia, Sumer and Urartu;
- 6 independent nation cards (Ashur, Barahshum, Calah, Der, Eridu and the First Akkadians);
- 1 primogeniture card (the mess of pottage);
- Splotter banknotes of 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 Splägels.
Game Overview
Each player controls a dynasty in ancient Mesopotamia. The game is played in rounds consisting of three phases. In the settlement phase, players buy and sell land, trying to settle the areas that will yield most.
If the population in an area grows large enough, states emerge. These states can build irrigation works in the development phase. After that, the rainy season starts: water comes down the river and is diverted to be used for irrigation. Each plot of irrigated land yields income to the land owner and to the state that operates the waterworks.
As more and more states are founded, the technological development in waterworks and digging tools drives old equipment out of use. Canals are built faster and faster, land yield goes up, and more and more land becomes available for agriculture.
The game involves three levels of strategy: first, smart buying and selling on the land market; second, tactical play developing the right land and canals on the map; and third, strategic anticipation and control of the speed of technological development.
A Note On Treasuries
The notion of treasuries is vital to this game. There are two kinds of treasuries: private and state. Private treasuries are controlled by players. They are used to buy and sell land, and count towards victory in the end. State treasuries are controlled by kings. They can be used to buy waterworks and hire digging crews, and do not count towards victory. It is vital to keep the two separated. All state money must be placed on a state treasury chart. Private money must be placed on the table.
All treasuries, state and private, may be counted by any player at any time.
Setting Up
Each player chooses a set of ownership markers (the big squares). Split 1800 Splägels evenly among the players (see table). Put the map in the middle of the table, and place the four markers indicating land prices on the matching colonization price slots on the land price bar. Put the cards showing digging teams on the slots provided.
| Number of players | Splägels at start of game |
|---|---|
| 3 | 600 |
| 4 | 450 |
| 5 | 360 |
| 6 | 300 |
Shuffle the cards with the independent nations. Deal one card to each player, face down. The initial letters on the cards indicate the order of play (A plays first, then B, etcetera). Players may have to change seats to ensure that play can proceed clockwise. The player who got card A gets the primogeniture card (this is the right-of-birth card, showing a mess of pottage). This player starts the game.
Take back the six independent nation cards and put them on the map in alphabetical order.
Dividing The Independent Nations
Before the game starts, each player gets the option to ensure the support of independent nations. There are six independent nations in the game. Each nation occupies a piece of land on the board, and pays contribution each turn. The contribution size is indicated on the card. In addition, some nations bring special skills to the player or state to which they belong.
As long as there are still nations left, a player must, in his or her turn, do one of the following:
- convince the treaty nation to join his dynasty by paying the amount of money indicated on the card;
- negotiate with one of the other nations still available;
- or pass.
The "treaty nation" is the first nation in alphabetical order that has not yet joined a dynasty, and which has not negotiated with any player.
Negotiating with non-treaty nations proceeds by placing aside money which is offered to that nation's chief. The sum put aside must exceed the value printed on the card (and the previous offer, if there was any) by at least 5 SPL. This amount cannot be used for other purposes until another player offers the same chief a higher sum. Any number of players may bid for the same nation. Negotiating twice with the same nation gives no extra benefit.
If there have been negotiations with a particular nation, that nation can no longer become a treaty nation. As soon as it becomes the first nation in the alphabetical order, because the nation preceeding it has joined a dynasty, the usual playing order stops. Instead, the bids on this nation are examined first. If only one player negotiated with the nation, it joins his dynasty for the amount put aside. If several players negotiated, they may now outbid each other, starting at the highest amount put aside. The nation is auctioned off, the minimum raise being 5 SPL. If a player put aside any money to negotiate with the nation, he may use that now. The nation joins the highest bidder, who pays the price bid. All other players get back any money put aside or bid on that nation. Play then proceeds with the player to the left of the last player to get a treaty nation (a nation on which no bid has been placed).
For example, in a 4-player game: Player 1 buys Ashur at 20 SPL. Barahshum is now the treaty nation.
Player 2 bids 115 SPL on Der and puts the money aside. Player 3 then bids 120 SPL on Der and puts it aside. Player 4 bids 175 SPL on Eridu. Player 1 buys Barahshum at 40 SPL; Calah becomes treaty nation. Player 2 passes. Player 3 buys Calah; players 2 and 3 then bid for Der in an auction, which is won by player 2 at 150 SPL. Eridu then goes to player 4 for 175 SPL, as he was the only one to negotiate. Play proceeds with player 4, as player 3 was the last one to get a treaty nation. Player 4 passes. Player 1 then pays the First Akkadians to join him.
If all players pass in an uninterrupted sequence, before the people of Ashur have not been sold, they lower their price by 5 SPL and become available for 15 SPL. If all players pass in an uninterrupted sequence again, they drop their price once more, and so on until the price drops to 0 SPL. The first player then gets Ashur for free. This counts as his turn.
Should all players pass in an uninterrupted sequence after the people of Ashur have been sold, all players that already have a nation get income to the amount printed on the card, after which play proceeds as usual. The treaty nation remains available for the price printed on its card; unlike Ashur, it does not lower its price.
After all independent nations have found an owner, the first settlement phase starts. The primogeniture card is given to the player to the left of the last player to attract a treaty nation.
Settlement Phase
Order Of Play
In the settlement phase, players take turns to buy or sell land. The player holding the primogeniture card must start. The phase continues as long as any player wants to do anything; it ends as soon as all players pass in an uninterrupted sequence.
There are four types of land indicated on the map: hills, forest, savannah and desert. Each type of land has a fixed "colonization price" as printed on the land price bar. The current sale price, which may be higher or lower than the colonization price, is indicated by a marker which moves on the land price bar.
Each piece of land also belongs to a state, as indicated by the coloured boundaries. There are six states. A state is called "emerging" if less than six pieces of land in that state have been sold. It is called "active" if six or more pieces of land have been sold at the end of a settlement phase.
In his turn, a player may either:
- sell as much of his land as he wants, and/or buy one piece of land,
- bid for primogeniture,
- or pass.
Buying Land
A player may buy one piece of land. He may do so before, or after selling pieces of land. He may also sell, buy, and sell again.
If a player buys land that has not been sold before (i.e., it has no marker on it), he pays the fixed colonization price printed on the price bar into the treasury of the state in which the land lies.
If a player buys land that has been sold before (i.e., with a flipped-over counter on it) he pays the current sale price indicated by the marker on the price bar to the bank. The flipped-over counter is returned to its owner.
The buyer places one of his counters on the land which he has bought. If the buyer has no counters left to do so, he cannot buy the land. It is not allowed to take back flipped-over counters from resold land before the land is sold to a player again.
A player may not buy:
- land that belongs to other players;
- river areas;
- land of a type which that player has already sold during the current settlement round;
- land of any type in an emerging state in which that player has already sold land during the current settlement phase (see below for the definition of an emerging state).
Example: Player 1 sells a desert in state A, which is still emerging as only 4 pieces of land have been sold so far. He also sells a desert in state B, which is already active. For the remainder of this phase, he may no longer buy any deserts, nor any land in state A. He may, however, buy savannah, hills or forest in state B (which was already active) or anywhere else. He may sell whatever he buys in the same turn, or later in the phase. Of course, he may also hang on to his investments.
Selling Land
A player may sell as much of his land as he wants. He flips over his markers on the land sold to indicate they are no longer his. In return, he gets the price indicated by the current price marker of that type of land from the bank. If a player sells more than one piece of land, he gets the indicated amount for each piece of land before prices are changed.
Each piece of land sold makes the price of that type of land drop by one box in value, with a maximum of three boxes. The land price cannot drop further than to the first box in the shaded area, called the intervention zone: as soon as prices become this low, the temple intervenes to keep prices up. If the land price was already in the intervention zone before the selling action, it only drops by one box per action, independent of the amount of land sold.
The last player-owned piece of land in a state (whether active or emerging) may never be sold.
Bidding For Primogeniture
The primogeniture card gives a player the right to start the next settlement phase. A player may bid for primogeniture instead of buying and selling. The amount must be higher than the previous amount bid (if any). The money that is bid must be put on the primogeniture card in front of the player and may not be used for any purpose, until either another player bids more on the card or the settlement phase ends, in which cases the original owner gets back the money. Note that no money is paid to the bank. If no player bids for primogeniture, the card remains with its current owner.
Pass
A player may also pass. If all players pass in an uninterrupted sequence, the settlement phase ends and the development phase starts. If, however, another player buys land, sells land, or bids for primogeniture, the passing player will get another turn in which he may become active again.
City Prices
Cities are indicated on the map with a Ziggurat (an ancient oriental religious structure, resembling a pyramid).
Cities yield more than ordinary land, but they are also more expensive. They are priced equal to the next highest land price on the price bar. So:
- The colonization prices follow the table below, where a desert city is as expensive as savannah, a savannah city is as expensive as forest, and both forest and hill cities are valued as hills.
- The current sale price follows that of the next highest marker.
| Type of land | Normal land price | City price |
|---|---|---|
| Hills | 100 | 100 |
| Forest | 82 | 100 |
| Savannah | 71 | 82 |
| Desert | 60 | 71 |
Example (city prices): The desert marker is at 53; the savannah and hills markers are at 67; the forest marker is at 112. Desert cities are now worth 67 (next highest price). Savannah and hill cities are worth 112 (next highest marker), as are forest cities (no higher marker present).
If a city land is sold, the price of that type of land drops. So, selling a desert city will decrease the price of deserts. Note that this will not necessarily decrease the price of desert cities. Selling a city means you cannot buy any city or non-city land of the same type in the remainder of the settlement phase; conversely, selling a non-city land also precludes you from buying city land of the same type.
Emerging States
Buying a piece of land increases the population of the state that is emerging in that area. At the start of the game, all states are "emerging": they are minor entities with no centralized tax revenues.
A state becomes active if six pieces of its land have been colonized (i.e. there is a marker on it, either flipped or unflipped) after a settlement phase has ended. States cannot become active during a settlement phase.
Once a state is active, it cannot become "emerging" again.
Note that all land with markers on it counts towards the limit of six. That is, land which has been sold again and thus contains a flipped-over marker does count towards this limit.
Kings
States are controlled by kings. The first player to buy land in a state becomes its king. To indicate this, give the treasury of the state to the current king.
If a player buys land in a state so that he has more than the current king, he becomes the new king. The treasury should change accordingly.
If a king sells land in his state so that he owns less than another player, he must hand the treasury to the player who now has the most land. If two players tie, the tied player who is first in clockwise order from the previous king becomes the new king.
Development Phase
Order Of Play
In the development phase, kings decide on actions of their states. Only active states get a turn.
The development phase consists of three parts.
- All independent nations contribute income to their owner.
- The Eridu may dig a canal using a 2-digger (see Digging Canals for details).
- States may develop their land. A state may do the following (in the order indicated):
- build canals;
- construct waterworks, hire digging crews, and assimilate independent nations.
Each independent nation contributes the amount indicated on its card to its owner. If it is owned by a player, it pays to the treasury of that player. If it belongs to a state, it pays to the state treasury. The money is paid from the bank.
The order in which states play depends on the amount of land sold to players, that is, containing non-flipped markers. (Thus, land sold again does not count here.) The state in which the smallest amount of land has been sold plays first. In case of a tie between two or more states, their order is indicated on the playing board: the state with the lowest number plays first. Note that emerging states do not play at all.
The order in which states play is determined at the start of the development phase and will not change during the phase, even if land may occasionally be sold. Place the states' hour-glass markers in the row at the top of the board to indicate the playing order.
Digging Canals
Note that to dig a canal, a state must have a digging crew. As these can only be hired after digging canals, a newborn state can never dig canals in its first turn.
The board already contains a few canals. More canals are built by drawing them on the board with the marker included in the game. A state may dig a number of canals, depending on the number and quality of digging crews it employs. A canal may be dug from the center of any piece of land already containing a river or canal, to the center of any neighbouring piece. All canals and rivers in a particular piece of land are always connected to each other. Canals can run in circles, or connect two rivers. They cannot run off the board.
A digging crew may dig the number of canals indicated on the card. So, a 3-digging crew may dig three canals, connecting four areas. The stretch dug by a crew in a particular turn must form one line. A crew does not have to use all its canal-building points.
If a digging crew starts or ends on a river area or on land already connected to two or more lands, the crew must build a junction point. Each junction costs one extra canal-digging point. Junctions can only be made at the start or the end of the stretch dug by a crew in a particular turn. Junctions in the middle of a stretch are not allowed. Digging a canal which starts and ends on the same piece of land is not allowed, nor is it allowed to dig a canal which ends in a Y-junction with itself. One cannot make a junction without a canal; nor is it possible to combine two crews to let one make a junction and the other the canal.
The 1+1-crew may make one junction and dig a canal of length 1. The M(ass)-digging crew may dig canals of any length.
A crew may not dig a canal that is already there. Crews may not dig on the land of independent nations until these belong to states or disappear. If an independent nation is assimilated by a state, any crew may dig on its land. For the rest, crews may dig anywhere on the board, even on land belonging to other players and/or states.
Digging example 1: a state has a 4-digging team. Digging a stretch that forms one continuous line is allowed; digging separate canals that do not run in one line is not.
Digging example 2: to dig canal A costs 2 points — one for the river junction, one for the canal; it can be built by any team. To build canal B costs 2 points, for two stretches of canal; it can be built by a 2-team or higher, as there are no junctions. To build canal C costs 2 points — one for the junction, one for the canal; there is no junction on the right. To build canal D costs 3 points — one for the canal, two for the junctions; it can be built by a 3-team or higher.
Digging example 3: no digging team may dig stretches A, B or C in one turn, as this would create a junction in the middle of a stretch. However, a player could have one team dig half of the stretch, including junctions as needed, then another team could dig the other half of the stretch, including a junction to connect it to the first half.
Waterworks And Digging Crews
Apart from canals, a state can construct two types of waterworks: reservoirs and pumps. It can also hire digging crews.
These are represented by cards (see below). Although a state can buy any number of cards and use them in any combination, it must always buy the most primitive cards available first. Thus, all 2/1/1+1-cards must be sold before the 4/2/2-cards become available.
Example of a card with waterworks and diggers: a card shows, in its corners, the reach of a pump and its price (e.g. 2, price 80), the quality of diggers and their price (e.g. 2, price 100), and the capacity of a reservoir and its price (e.g. 4, price 80).
If a state buys a card, it must immediately decide whether to use it as a reservoir, a pump, or a digging crew.
A reservoir can only be placed on river areas. It may even be placed on a river area within another state's territory. The capacity of a reservoir is indicated in the lower left corner of the card and the number in brackets indicates its price. The state places a reservoir marker in its own colour and of the right capacity on a river area. Note that a river area cannot contain more than one reservoir. After the marker has been placed, the card is put in the box.
A pump can be placed on any non-river area that does not already contain one. On areas belonging to an independent nation, a pump can be placed only after that nation has been assimilated or has disappeared. If the area is owned by a player, that player may deny permission to build the pump on his land. Pumps can be built on areas containing canals and on areas that are still devoid of water. They can also be built outside of the state's territory. The state pays the price of the pump, which is indicated in brackets in the upper left section of the card, next to the big number showing its capacity. The state places a pump marker with its own colour and the right capacity on the field. After the marker has been placed, the card is put in the box.
Note that reservoirs and pumps are represented by the same tokens. The figure on the token should however be interpreted differently: reservoirs can pump the indicated amount of water one step to a neighbouring land, provided a canal is present. Pumps may distribute any amount of water over the indicated distance or less, measured by the number of canals it is routed through.
If a state has no tokens left to represent the correct type of waterwork, it cannot buy any more of that type.
Pumps and reservoirs, once built, cannot be moved or removed except as a consequence of storing a harvest. They cannot be upgraded.
If the state uses the card to hire a digging crew, it is placed in the state's treasury. The state pays the amount indicated in brackets in the top right corner of the card.
Dawn Of A New Era
When the first card of a particular set is bought, a new era of technology starts. The amount of water available and the harvest per area depend on the current era.
As soon as the third era starts, all 1+1-digging crews leave; they are no longer willing to work with the old tools. The cards are placed in the box and will no longer be used. The state that has started the new era may immediately assimilate independent nations.
At the start of the fourth era, all 2-digging crews leave. In addition, all independent nations disappear forever. Their cards are put in the box.
At the start of the final era (Millennium era), all 3-digging crews leave.
Canal Maintenance And Revolutions
A state is required always to have a digging crew to perform maintenance on existing canals and river beds. This crew must be present at the end of a state's turn. A state which has just become active, or which has lost its digging crews at the dawn of a new era, has to hire a digging crew in its next turn.
If the state treasury does not suffice to hire a digging crew, the king must pay the difference from his personal treasury. If this is also not enough, he must immediately sell land until he has enough money to pay. If the king cannot raise the money, a revolution occurs. The king must then sell all the land he can, and forfeits all his money to the bank. The game ends after the next rainy season. During that rainy season, the state in which a revolution has occurred will function normally; its harvest will always be distributed. The former king gets his share of the harvest as usual.
If the king is forced to sell land, he may not sell any land that would cause someone else to become king of the revolting state. Although he may freely choose which lands to sell, he must stop selling as soon as he has raised enough money to hire the digging crew. The cash left after having hired the digging crew must be less than the price of the cheapest land sold. The king keeps this as personal money.
The king is allowed to use the state treasury to assimilate nations or buy waterworks first, even if this forces him into an insolvent position he could otherwise have avoided. It is not allowed to use any personal money or money from land sold to buy waterworks or second digging crews, however.
Land prices are adjusted as normal. Although the throne of the current state cannot change, the sovereignty of other states may pass on to other players as a result of these sales. The order in which states play is not affected.
Assimilating Independent Nations
A state may assimilate (absorb) any independent nation. To do so, the current 'owner' of the nation (which may be a player or another state) must agree. The state pays a maximum of twice the listed price and a minimum of half the listed price, as agreed with the current owner.
This action may only be taken after the dawn of the third era (that is, after the first 3-card has been sold). As soon as an independent nation has been assimilated, all its land is open for buying, selling, digging and building waterworks.
After assimilation (in the same turn or later), Barahshum can be exchanged by the assimilating state to dig a canal from the Barahshum homeland to any of the surrounding areas; in doing so, it may create one or two junctions.
Calah can be exchanged by the assimilating state to gain a free pump or reservoir in any of the areas surrounding Calah's hills (including the hills themselves). Building this free waterwork is subject to the normal rules (permission of landowner required; cannot build on land containing waterwork; appropriate card is put aside in box).
If a state wishes to trade in Barahshum or Calah, it must do so in its own turn.
Ashur and Der cannot be exchanged by a state, although they can be assimilated.
Eridu can be used by the king of the controlling state to dig canals before the other states operate.
The First Akkadians (Frühakkadier) cannot be assimilated.
After a nation has been assimilated, it cannot be freed again: that is, it cannot be given or sold back to a player.
The Rainy Season
Dividing The Water
Finally, water flows down the rivers, starting at the sources. The main streams are handled one by one in the order indicated on the map. Put a number of blue water markers at the source of each of the three rivers. The amount of water per source depends on the current era (see the drops on the board).
Start by moving the main water flow of river 1 downstream. Where rivers flow together, the water from one tributary should wait until the other tributary has brought in its water.
If water reaches a waterwork, the king of the state that operates the waterwork must decide what to do with the water.
If the water reaches a reservoir, this reservoir must pump water equal to its capacity to a neighbouring area connected by a direct canal. It may distribute the water among different neighbouring areas, as long as it is connected to each of them. A M(ill)-reservoir has unlimited capacity and must therefore distribute all water it gets.
If the water reaches a pump, this pump can distribute the water over the indicated distance measured along canals, but not past other pumps. A pump can distribute any amount of water. It can also pump water to another pump within reach, which may then pump the water even further. A Mill (M-pump) can distribute water over any distance, but still it cannot pump past other pumps.
If a pump has excess water (because there was no more land left to irrigate), the water returns to the previous pump, which must either use it to irrigate land or send the water to a pump where it has not yet been.
Eventually, if there is more water in the canal stretch than land that can be irrigated, the excess water is returned to the reservoir from where it originated. If possible, the reservoir must now redistribute it among the other pieces of land it is connected to. If this also fails, the excess joins the main water flow, which flows downstream again until it encounters the next reservoir.
A pump or reservoir may not pump water directly into the river, across a river or into a reservoir.
If no water flows out of the downmost area of the river, leaving the map, the Southern Peoples invade the land: the game ends as soon as the rainy season has been completed.
Mills example: an M-reservoir can pump any amount of water, but it can only reach the tiles connected to it directly. Using a 1-pump further along, water can be brought to additional lands as well. A 3-reservoir can pump 3 water to an M-pump; this pump must use 1 water to irrigate its own land and pump the remaining 2 water to two of the lands to which there is a direct connection.
Land can be irrigated by putting a water marker on it. A piece of land can be irrigated only if it is owned by a player. Each land can only be irrigated once. To irrigate land, a state must be able to reach it using reservoirs and/or pumps. He puts one water marker on it. A state may choose which lands to irrigate. However, the king controlling a pump is obliged to get rid of as much water as possible: he must either irrigate as much land as he can or pump the water to a pump, of any state, where it has not yet been. In addition, a pump must always irrigate the piece of land it is on, if this is owned by a player.
Harvests
A state harvests a certain amount of food for each area it irrigates. The amount varies between 20 and 30 SPL, depending on the current era (see the numbers on the squares under the stacks of cards on the game board).
A state irrigates an area if it owns the final pump or reservoir in the series that has brought water to that area. If an area contains a pump, the state that owns that pump is said to irrigate the area.
Owners of irrigated areas get 5 SPL per irrigated area. City areas yield a double harvest both for the state and the private landholder.
Storing Or Distributing The Harvests
The king of every active state now announces what to do with the harvest; if this is important, kings must make this announcement in the order indicated by the hourglasses in the row on the board.
The harvest can either be stored, or divided among the landowners. If the harvest is divided, each piece of land in the state gets an equal share (round down before multiplying; put any remaining money in the state treasury; exception: if only one player has land, he gets the entire harvest). It does not matter if the land have been irrigated.
Rainy season example: it is era 3. Put six water at river 1 (not shown), six water at river 2 and six water at river 3. Start with river 1 (not shown). Next allow water to flow down river 2. The water reaches a 4-reservoir. The owner may choose to send water either east or west, or both. As he owns a 1-pump, he sends water east. The 1-pump diverts two water to the surrounding fields and uses one water to irrigate its own land. One water is put back on the reservoir, which has to pump it west. A 2-pump has to irrigate its own land. The state owning the 1-pump gets 2 × SPL 25 + 1 × SPL 50 (city site) = SPL 100; the state owning the 2-pump gets SPL 25; the landowners each get SPL 5, except for the city-site owner, who gets SPL 10. The rest of the water flows down the river, reaches the junction, and waits for water from river 3 to arrive.
Water now flows down river 3 and reaches the first 2-reservoir. As there are no canals leading to other pumps or sold land, it cannot divert any water. The water then reaches the second reservoir of capacity 2. This reservoir sends one water to the south, irrigating that area. The other water is diverted to the pump in the north, which must use it to irrigate any of the areas within two steps. The rest of the water then reaches the 4-reservoir, which must try to divert four water. It can only send them to the 1-pump, which cannot irrigate any lands itself as all sold land is too far away. The 1-pump sends the water to the 2-pump, which irrigates a land which had not yet been irrigated. The rest of the water is put back in the 4-reservoir. By now, the water of river 3 has earned the state controlling the 2-pump 2 × SPL 25 = SPL 50; the state owning the second 2-reservoir earned SPL 25; the three landowners each earned SPL 5. The rest of the water flows down, reaches the junction and then flows down together with the water at the junction.
If the harvest is stored, all money goes to the treasury. However, the king must remove one of his waterworks with the lowest printed number from the map. Mills can never be removed, even if the state only has mills and stores its harvest.
No waterwork has to be removed if there is no harvest at all.
For example: suppose Akkad harvests 75 SPL. Tamara has 4 fields in Akkad; Frank has 3. Nobody else owns land in Akkad. The total number of player-owned fields in Akkad is 3 + 4 = 7, so each field will earn its owner 75 / 7 = 10 SPL (round down!). Queen Tamara decides to distribute the harvest and gets 4 × 10 = 40 SPL; Frank gets 3 × 10 = 30 SPL. The remaining 5 SPL go into the state treasury of Akkad. — Harry owns six fields in Babylon, where nobody else has land. Babylon harvests 50 SPL. If King Harry distributes the harvest, he must put the full amount of 50 SPL into his private treasury.
Effect Of Irrigation On Land Prices
All types of land increase in value by a number of steps equal to the number of regions of that type that were irrigated this turn. A region is an uninterrupted area of land of the same type. There are thus 5 regions of hills, 4 of desert and forest, and 3 of savannah.
Example: counting regions. Four regions of hills were irrigated. The fifth one was not. The hill price therefore increases by four steps.
After the prices have been adjusted, play proceeds with the next settlement phase; the player who has primogeniture starts.
Game End
The game ends at the end of the rainy season, if:
- a revolution has occurred because a king cannot maintain the waterworks, or
- an invasion of the Southern Peoples occurs because no water flows off the board from the Southernmost river area, that is, all water was used for irrigation.
When the game ends, the player with the most valuable set of assets wins the game. Only private money and land value count for a player's assets. State treasuries and independent nations are not counted.
List Of Independent Nations
Ashur — Price: 20 SPL. Yield per round: 10 SPL. Special properties: none.
Barahshum — Price: 40 SPL. Yield per round: 20 SPL. Special properties: owning player or state may exchange card to dig a canal from Barahshum homeland to any neighbouring area; two junctions may be created in this way. A player may exchange the card at any time during the settlement phase, or in between states in the development phase. May be used in the same way by a state after assimilation, but only in state's turn.
Calah — Price: 70 SPL. Yield per round: 25 SPL. Special properties: if assimilated by a state, the state may trade this nation for a free waterwork of the current type in the hills of Calah or any of the surrounding areas during its own turn. Normal rules apply (waterwork card discarded; land owner must give permission; no more than one waterwork per land).
Der — Price: 110 SPL. Yield per round: 30 SPL. Special properties: may be traded for one available forest land during player's turn in settlement phase. This constitutes a buy action.
Eridu — Price: 160 SPL. Yield per round: 35 SPL. Special properties: acts as a 2-digging crew in all respects, except that it can be operated by the player who owns it. It may dig before any of the state diggers, even if it is owned by a state. A state owning Eridu need not have another digging crew.
First Akkadians — Price: 220 SPL. Yield per round: 40 SPL. Special properties: the money paid for this nation goes into the state of Akkad. The player who bought the First Akkadians immediately gets three Savannah lands in the state of Akkad. This independent nation disappears as soon as the state of Akkad hires a digging crew. May not be assimilated.
Technological Development Scheme
| Era | Number of cards | Reservoirs — capacity (price) | Pumps — reach (price) | Diggers — quality (price) | Water supply per river | Yield/area for irrigating state (land owner) | Special events at dawn of era |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 2 (30) | 1 (30) | 1+1 (50) | 6 | 20 (5) | None |
| 2 | 8 | 4 (80) | 2 (80) | 2 (100) | 6 | 20 (5) | None |
| 3 | 7 | 6 (100) | 3 (100) | 3 (150) | 6 | 25 (5) | All 1+1-diggers disappear. Independent nations may be assimilated. |
| 4 | 5 | 8 (150) | 4 (150) | 4 (200) | 7 | 25 (5) | All 2-diggers disappear. Independent nations disappear. |
| M (Millennium) | unlimited (8 provided) | M (200) | M (200) | M (400) | 8 | 30 (5) | All 3-diggers disappear. |