ANTIQUITY

OBJECTIVE OF ANTIQUITY: The objective of Antiquity is for the player to complete the victory condition of their chosen patron saint.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 4 Players

MATERIALS: Instructions, 48 Grain, 48 Olives, 48 Wine, 48 Sheep, 48 Fish, 48 Dye, 48 Pearls, 48 gold, 48 Stones, 48 Wood, Pollution Counters, Grass Markers, 16 Exploration Counters, 16 Map Tiles, 1 Famine Marker, 1 Famine Board, 12 City Maps, 4 Player Aids, 4 Sets of Buildings, 42 Game Pieces in the Players’ Colors

TYPE OF GAME: Strategy Board Game

AUDIENCE: Ages 14 and Up

OVERVIEW OF ANTIQUITY

Antiquity takes place during the late Middle Ages in Italy. Players can choose what their victory will mean. Will they have the largest population, the best trade, or the largest city? Each of the goals will require a different strategy in order to accomplish it. Players must constantly travel outside of their comfort zone in order to supply their growing civilization. What happens when there are no more resources? Hopefully, one of them will win before they must find out the hard way.

SETUP

The map should consist of two tiles for every player, and they should be placed in a way that players are as far away from each other as possible. For each player one grain, wine, sheep, and olive will be shuffled into the marker pile. The remaining exploration markers are not used for the rest of the game. One marker will then be placed face down on all of the hexes that are marked for exploration on the map.

Players will then choose their color, collecting the men, cities, and inns of that color. Players will also collect 6 wood pieces, a certain set of buildings, and a player aid. Players will then place the houses on the chart portion of their player aid, ensuring that there is one man on the top of each of them. Each player will then add a man to the group to be shuffled to determine the playing order. The first drawn is placed on the first space of the order track, the second goes on the second space, etc.

The last player to be drawn is then the first player to choose their starting city. The game is then ready to begin after everyone has chosen.

GAMEPLAY

Each game is composed of 10 phases of gameplay. During each phase, all players are able to play simultaneously, but players can demand that it be played in order.

Phase 1

During this phase, all of the players take all of the men off the buildings and place then beside the map of the city. Men located in the country or in country buildings can stay there.

Phase 2

Players are able to build new buildings within their city during this phase. The most strategic decisions must be made when deciding where to place their men. Each player will block their city, ensuring that none of the other players are able to see it. Players should place all of the goods they used to build the buildings on top of them, so that other players may ensure that nobody is cheating.

Players may choose to complete actions in whatever order they see fit. When a player wants to use a building, it must be manned during this phase. Placing a man on the building is how buildings are manned, and only one man may be placed there. Players may also choose to build buildings, and this is done by paying the required goods, collecting the building, and placing it on their city map.

Some buildings can only be built one time for each player, but players should ensure that they check their player aid. If buildings run out, then they are no longer available to build.

Phase 3

This phase determines the order of play. Each player will tally the number of men that they have on explorers and cart shops. The player with the lowest number will get the first move, and the player with the highest number will get the last.

Phase 4

Players will build buildings in the countryside during this phase. They may only be built within the player’s zone of control, and some buildings require city buildings to be manned in order for them to be built. Players may complete any action that they wish, in whatever order, but it is played sequentially.

Phase 5

In this phase, players will store their goods. A store can store only one good for each square available. San Christofori and Santa Maria are able to score unlimited amounts of goods, so players who have chosen them may store their goods in the Cathedral.

Phase 6

During this phase, the players will harvest goods. Countryside buildings create one good for each building. These goods are harvested from the hexes that are around the man who is on the building, and they are placed in the Harvest box. Forced labor creates three goods, with the first good being discarded.

Goods can be harvested in whatever order, but the good that is found under their man is always harvested last. Any player who has dedicated their cathedral to San Giorgio or Santa Maria will collect one fish for each Cathedral build during this turn.

Phase 7

This phase is always completed sequentially. Players will send their explorer to explore. If the counter that is revealed in the zone of control is food, then the famine level is increased by one.

Phase 8

Each player will collect graves depending on their famine level and their goods. Each player will receive graves equal to their famine level. If a player has food, for each food, the number of graves is reduced by one. If they have a granary, then that reduces their grave number by three.

Graves are placed in city spaces that are unoccupied. They are no longer able to be used. If no more empty spaces remain, then the graves are placed on buildings, which are no longer able to be used.

Phase 9

During this phase, each of the players will pollute an area in their zone of control. All players can do this at the same time, unless their zones overlap. Each player collects three pollutions for each city within their zone of control. Players must place these pollutions on unoccupied hexes in their zone.

END OF GAME

The end of the game occurs during Phase 10. Players will check to see if they have completed their Victory, winning the game. Players are only able to win if they have chosen a patron saint and built a Cathedral. The players may choose the same saint, but each player is only able to build one Cathedral. Each of the saints require something different in order to win the game.

If a player chose San Nicolo as their patron saint, then they win if they have 20 civilians, regardless of the location. If they chose Santa Barbara, then they win if each of the city buildings have been built at least once. San Christofori requires that the player has a minimum of three food and each luxury good.

If the player chose San Giorgio, then they win by enclosing another player’s zone of control. Santa Maria wins if two of the prementioned conditions have been fulfilled. If the players are tied on victories, then the player with the most unpolluted area wins the game.

Nakoa Davis
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