Mare Nostrum: Mythology Expansion — Rules Manual

Principles
of the Expansion Set
The Mythology expansion for Mare Nostrum adds a
mythological dimension to the basic game. It intro-
duces the people of Atlantis as a 6th player.
Mythology allows players to call upon The Gods
and recruit Mythological Creatures to aid their
effort of conquest and. Mythology also adds a score
of new Heroes and Pottery as an additional resource
in the game.
A note on the layout
of these rules:
The basic principles of the game remain the same
as in Mare Nostrum. Mythology simply adds new
elements and makes a few minor changes to the
original rules. To simplify the process of adding the
new features introduced, we have included in this
rule book all of the rules from the original game
with the new expansion rules simply inserted here
appropriate and printed in a different color to make
them easier to identify.
Throughout the rules are sidebars for common
questions and answers to help address several speci-
fic instances that, while not fundamental to
knowing how to play the game, will help you when
you encounter potentially confusing situations that
may arise during play.
Object of the game
The winner of the game is the first player to
either build the pyramids, or to own 4 heroes
and/or wonders.
Players who want a longer, more strategic
game, can agree to can change the victory condi-
tions to 5 heroes and/or wonders and change
the cost of the pyramids to 13 cards (because the exten-
sion introduces a 13th resource). Advanced players will
appreciate this modification on a strategic level, but it
will lengthen the game by about 1 hour.
Additional
Components
in the Expansion
◆1 Game Board used to expand the board beyond
the basic game.
◆6 Player Aid sheets: redesigned for this expansion.
◆1 Rule Book with all of the additional rules
included.
◆10 Cardboard Building Tokens including: 1 temple,
2 cities, 2 markets, 5 caravans.
◆1 Set of 33 Wooden Game Pieces for the Atlantian
Player, consisting of: 12 influence markers, 8
legions, 5 triremes, 8 Fortresses.
◆18 Mythological Creature Pawns: 3 pawns in 6
different colors.
◆78 Cards consisting of:
•1 New Player Role Card: High Priest.
•1 Civilization Specific Hero: Atlas.
•21 New General Heroes: Achilles, Adonis, Ajax,
Antigone, Ariane, Castor & Pollux, Circe, Croesus:2
Hero Cards
Temple City Market Caravan
Expansion Game Board

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King of Lydia, Aeneas, Gilgamesh, Hamilcar,
Hercules, Imhotep, Jason, Medusa, Midas, Minos,
Moses, Penthesilee: Queen of the Amazons,
Queen of Sheba, and Spartacus.
•8 Gods: Isis, Ishtar, Athena, Baal, Hermes,
Mars, Poseidon, and Vulcan.
•6 Mythological Creature Pawns, one for each
civilization: Centaur, Behemoth, Phoenix, Kraken,
Titan, Griffon.
•24 Resource Cards including: 5 Tax cards, 1 card
each of: Fruit, Gems, Gold, Papyrus, Perfume, 2
cards each of: Fish, Grain, Livestock, Metal, Olive
Oil, Slaves, Wine.
•6 New Resource Cards: Pottery
•11 Updated Cards to replace the ones in the
Basic Game.
STARTING SETUP
The expansion board is placed on the western edge of
the basic board and represents the western part of the
Mediterranean including the “Pillars of Hercules”
and the mythical island of Atlantis.
3
Player Aid Card
These cards show the
starting setups for
each player.
Resource Cards
Mythological
Creature cards
God Cards
Mythological Creature
Trireme Legion Influence Fortress
For the non-pyramid victory conditions, do you
need 4 wonders OR 4 heroes, or a mixture of both?
Either 4 of one kind OR a mixture of both will win
the game.
What are all of the tokens used for?
Each player has 12 influence markers which are
used to indicate control of the land provinces and 24
military units (8 fortresses, 5 triremes, 8 legions and 3
mythological creatures). The other cardboard tokens
(caravans cities, temples and markets) are used by all
the players. If a province has a caravan on the oil
resource, and the province changes ownership, the cara-
van remains in place and profits its new owner.
What are the heroes and wonders used for?
The heroes and wonders bring a single advantage to
the player that possesses them. They are not represented
on the game board and cannot be captured or traded.
They may be bought by any of the players, with the
exception of the civilization specific heroes. Each civili-
zation in the game has one hero that only it can
purchase (ex: Julius Caesar for the Roman Player).
Why are some of the heroes and Wonders from
the basic game included in this expansion with
modified abilities?
This was done to address game balance issues that
arise with the addition of a 6th player and the abilities of
all of the new heroes. Certain heroes and wonders from
the basic game seemed to be inadequate when compared
to the new heroes in the expansion, and thus would tend
to be ignored by the players. Therefore, the author decided
to redesign their abilities for more balanced play in
the new game.

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The 6th player will represent the civilization of Atlantis, and its starting capital is Poseidonis.
For 6 players, all the Resource Cards and Building Tokens are sorted and placed, face up, beside the game board. If there are fewer than 6 players, use the chart below to choose the appropriate number of Building Tokens for the game.
The new Heroes and Wonders in the expansion are shuffled together with the ones from the basic game. Then take 8 Heroes and Wonders at random from this pile and set them aside; these 8 will not be used in the game.
Predetermined Setup
Each player randomly chooses one of 6 Starting Civilizations and the corresponding Player Aid Card and follows the Basic Setup. The players then take their Civilization Specific Hero cards (Hannibal for Carthage, for example), and possibly a Player Role Card, if indicated in the Basic Setup (for example, at the beginning of the game, the Rome player takes the Military Leader card) placing these cards face up in front of themselves. Referring to the Basic Setup for their civilization, they then place the indicated number of influence markers, building tokens and 3 mythological creature pawns in the appropriate spaces on the game board.
Free Setup
When the players are more experienced, they can skip the predetermined setup, and instead construct their empire as they choose by adopting these free setup rules. In this method, instead of using the set starting positions for the pieces as shown on the Player Aid cards, each player now starts with 45 construction points (instead of 36 points as in the basic game) to spend on Influence Markers, Buildings, Military Units, Creatures and/or their Civilization Specific Hero (but not the General Heroes or Wonders) as they choose. The cost for each item is shown on the Construction Cost Chart on page 7 of these rules. The Capital Province for each civilization is the same as in the predetermined setup, except for the Greek player, who can occupy any region adjacent to the Aegean sea, and for the Atlantian player, who can also settle on the western-most regions of Europe and Africa.
Please note that all items built may be placed only in the players’ Capital Provinces and the provinces immediately adjacent thereto, and all normal construction rules apply. Also note that any Legions or Triremes built must begin in the player’s Capital Province, and can then move out on the first movement phase.
Building proceeds as follows: First, randomly determine the order in which the players will build. Then starting with the first-building player, each player picks and places on the board 9 construction points’ worth of the player’s total. The second-building player does the same and so on until each player has built 5 times, thus spending all of their 45 construction points.
During this building phase, each player MUST place at least one influence marker on their capital.
Playing with fewer than 6
If there are fewer than 6 players, any civilizations not chosen by a player are made “neutral civilizations” by placing in the appropriate capital province: 1 influence marker, 1 mythological creature pawn, 1 legion, 1 fortress. Further, this neutral civilization is expanded by placing in each region adjacent to the capital: 1 influence marker, 1 legion, and 1 fortress. If the Greek or Atlantis civilization is neutral, the regions adjacent to its capital are the same as shown on the player aid sheet. These neutral civilizations never grow, move or change. They simply remain on the board and defend their province if they are attacked.
NOTE: With 3-5 players, use a smaller number of building markers (caravans, cities, markets, and temples). The table below indicates the quantity of each marker that is available. Remove the excess markers from play.
4
3 players 4 players 5 players 6 players
Caravan 18 23 28 33
City 8 10 12 14
Market 8 10 12 14
Temple 4 5 6 7

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PHASES OF A TURN
Each turn is divided into 4 phases: the Commerce
Phase, the Offering to the Gods Phase, the Construc-
tion Phase, and then the Military Phase. Players take
their turns in a particular order (described below)
during each phase, before proceeding to the next
phase. During each of these phases, one privileged
player will play the role (and thus determine the turn
order) indicated by one of the following special Role
Cards: The Director of Commerce determines the
number of cards to be traded during the Commerce
Phase. The High Priest determines the turn order in the
Offerings to the Gods Phase. The Political Leader deter-
mines the turn order during the Construction Phase,
and The Military Leader determines the turn order
during the Military Phase.
At the start of the game, each role (and the appro-
priate Role Card) is given to the player indicated on
the Player Aid Card. After that, the
Role Cards are only reassigned at the
start of each new turn as follows:
Director of Commerce: Is the player with the
most caravans and markets in their provinces.
High Priest: Is the player with the most
temples and markets in their provinces.
Political Leader: Is the player with the most
cities and temples in their provinces.
Military Leader: Is the player with the most mili-
tary units (legions, triremes, creatures and fortresses
combined) deployed on the game board.
In case of a tie between the current owner of
the Role Card and another player, the current
owner keeps the card. If two (or more) OTHER
players are tied for the role, the current owner
of the card decides which of the tied players
will inherit the role.
Note: Certain heroes in the basic game give
bonuses to obtain role cards (Agamemnon,
Archimedes and Solomon). In this expan-
sion Moses gives a bonus to be High
Priest and the Goddess Athena gives a
bonus of 2 towards any of the role cards.
Commerce Phase
A) Collect Revenues
For each City marker or Caravan marker in a
province under a player’s influence, or occu-
pied by a player’s Legion(s), the Director
of Commerce gives that player their income
(Resource Cards) as follows:
• 1 Tax Card per City (2 Tax cards if there is a
Temple in the province).
• 1 Commodity Card for each resource icon
marked by a Caravan Token (2 if there is a
Market in the province).
Note: The heroine Circe makes it possi-
ble to use legions in lieu of caravans. And,
the Gods Hermes & Isis make it possible to
obtain additional cards.
Important Note: If a player occupies a City with
their Legion, and they want to receive the bonus
gained by having a Temple in the province, that
player must also occupy the Temple with a
Legion. The same applies to players occu-
pying a Caravan seeking the bonus gained
by having a Market in the province.
Buildings in provinces which are in the
process of being converted (See “Convert
5
Is it necessary to obey the rules of placement
during the initial setup when using the free setup?
Yes, it is necessary for example to initially place an
influence marker in a province before you are able to
build but you do not have to wait for a subsequent turn
to build there. However, when buying heroes, each
player may only buy their national hero (for 9), and,
except for Hannibal's free legion and Pericles' free
trireme, the hero’s abilities WILL NOT apply during
the setup phase (Caesar cannot buy the legions for 2
after he is purchased, for example); no other heroes or
wonders may be purchased during the initial setup.
When using the free setup does a player have to
buy their Civilization Specific Hero at the begin-
ning of the game?
No, you may choose to spend your construction points
on other things instead. This Hero will be available to
buy normally during the rest of the game. However, the
only player that can buy this Hero will always be that
specific civilization.
How are the Role Cards given out when doing the
Free Setup?
After the initial deployment has been completed,
count up the appropriate buildings each player has, to
determine which roles they will receive (for example the
player with the most caravans and Markets gets the
Director of Commerce Card). Then during normal game
play, the role cards will only change hands at the end of
the game turn based upon the same building criteria.
When using the predetermined setup with fewer
than 6 players, how are the role cards given out
if their starting civilizations are not used?
Use the normal rules of building possession for each
role. For example if Egypt is not taken, either Greece or
Babylon could take the Political Leader card (they both
have 2 cities and the others have only 1 city). In the case of
a tie, like this, the tied players determine randomly who
will receive the role at the beginning of the game. However,
in all cases during set up, you should avoid giving one
player 2 roles. So, in the Greece/Babylon example above,
Babylon should get the Political Leader Card, as
Greece already has the High Priest Role.

setup with fewer than 6 players how are the role cards given out if their starting civilizations are not used Use the normal rules of building possession for each role For example if Egypt is not taken either Greece or Babylon could take the Political Leader card they both have 2 cities and the others have only 1 city In the case of a tie like this the tied players determine randomly who will receive the role at the beginning of the game However in all cases during set up you should avoid giving one player 2 roles So in the Greece Babylon example above Babylon should get the Political Leader Card as Greece already has the High Priest Role

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the Province” in the Military Phase
section) produce revenue for the original
owner of the province until they are
fully converted (The original owner’s influence
marker is replaced).
B) Trading Between the Players
• The Director of Commerce decides how many
Resource Cards must be offered for trade. The
Director of Commerce may ask for 0 cards to be
traded, but may not ask for more cards to be
traded than he has in his hand.
• Each player must choose that number of
Resource cards (taxes and commodities) from
their hand, and place them facedown in front of
themselves. These are the offered trade cards. If a
player does not have enough Resource cards to
meet the stated offer, they may not participate in
the trading this turn.
Note: The heroine Antigone makes it possible to be
voluntarily excluded from the trade phase.
• Once all players have completed step 2, all of the
offered trade cards are simultaneously turned face
up in front of each player, and trading begins:
The Director of Commerce chooses 1 offered
trade card from any other player and places it
face down in front of himself.
The player whose card was taken by the
Director of Commerce then takes a card from
another player, and so on until all of the cards
have been taken by the players. Players may
take cards from the player that took cards from
them, but they can never take a face down card
back. Also, only two trades in a row may be
made between the same two players.
For Example: The Director of Commerce takes an
offered card from Alicia. Then Alicia takes an
offered card from the Director of Commerce. Now,
the Director of Commerce may not take a second
offered card from Alicia — but must instead take
one from a different player.
Players keep taking offered cards until the
cards are gone, or only one person has offered
cards remaining in front of them. At this
point there are two possibilities:
• The last card was taken and everyone finds
themselves with the same number of face
down cards. Each player takes these cards into
their hands, and proceeds to the next phase.
• The player from whom the last card was
taken is one card short. In this case, the
Director of Commerce must choose a card
out of the Director’s own hand (either his face
down cards or the cards he has in his hand) and
give it to the player who is short one card. Now
proceed to the next phase.

keep taking offered cards until the cards are gone or only one person has offered cards remaining in front of them At this point there are two possibilities The last card was taken and everyone finds themselves with the same number of face down cards Each player takes these cards into their hands and proceeds to the next phase The player from whom the last card was taken is one card short In this case the Director of Commerce must choose a card out of the Director s own hand either his face down cards or the cards he has in his hand and give it to the player who is short one card Now proceed to the next phase

Offering to the Gods Phase
In Mythology, an additional phase is inserted between
the Commerce and Construction phases. A correspon-
ding Role (and role card) controls this phase:
the High
Priest. When using the predetermined setup, the Greek
player starts with this role. After that, the role is given to
the player with the most temples and markets.
The High Priest chooses the order in which players
call upon the assistance of a God by making an offe-
ring. Making an offering to a God is always optional,
so when the High Priest tells you it’s your turn, you
can opt to make an offering or not.
To make an offering you have to spend a set of 3
cards (as defined in the Construction Phase section,
below) to enlist the aid of any available God of your
6
If I’m in Carthage and I have 1 caravan, do I have to
choose between taking a perfume or a fruit, or can
I take both?
Just as each city is placed on a specific city site,
each caravan must be placed on a specific
Commodity site. So, in order to get both the perfume
and the fruit, it is necessary to have 2 caravans.
Is the number of cards each player has kept a
secret, or open to all?
The number of cards is always open to all players.
This allows the Director of Commerce to choose a
“convenient” number of cards to exchange.
Can the Director of Commerce choose to trade
zero cards, or a number of cards greater than an
opponent has?
Yes to both cases. One of the prerogatives of the
Director of Commerce is the ability to exclude
some of the players from a trade by asking for more
cards than they have, or by canceling the trade
altogether by asking for zero. This sort of tactic is
often ideal to force opponents to waste resources.
The market is sometimes cruel.
When trading it says “only two trades in a row may
be made between the same two players.” What does
that mean exactly?
A takes from B, B takes from A, A cannot take
from B again until he has taken from C,D,E or F.
Can a player voluntarily opt out of the trade phase?
No, if you have the cards to take part, you must
do so. Unless you have Antigone, a heroine in this
expansion that allows you to opt out if you wish.
During the trading, can a player take a card which
has just been exchanged, and is face down in front
of another player?
No, once a card has been taken and placed face
down, it cannot be taken by another player.

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choice. Once the cards have been spent, the player takes the appropriate God card and places it (face up) in front of themselves. This God Card remains in front of this player until the next Offering Phase (the Gods are capricious and often change their minds about whom they would favor). At any point during the time the player holds this God card (face up), the player can decide to activate the power of the God. The God’s effects are applied immediately and the God card is flipped face down to indicate its powers have been used. At the beginning of each new Offering Phase, all God Cards (used or unused) are returned to “the heavens” (beside the board) and are made available for further offerings. There are 8 Gods and Goddesses in the game (see Powers of Gods section)

Construction Phase
The Political Leader chooses the order in which players may improve and expand their empires. When it is a player’s turn to expand, that player cashes in one or more Sets of Resource Cards in order to purchase Heroes or Creatures, construct Buildings and Military Units, and place Influence Markers.

A set of Resource cards is composed of either:
• Tax Cards ONLY, or;
• Non-matching Commodity Cards ONLY (See the example on page 8).

All Commodity Cards not used to make sets must be discarded at the end of the Construction Phase. However, a player is allowed to keep two Tax Cards to carry over to subsequent turns. Resource cards that are cashed in and/or discarded are returned to the bank.

The value of a set is equal to the number of cards in the set. This value determines what sort of item can be built with that set of cards (see the rules summary on the Player Aid Cards for the construction values of each item.) Thus, a player can make sets of:
3 Cards to buy the majority of buildings and markers,
6 Cards to buy some particularly powerful buildings and creatures,
9 Cards for the heroes and wonders, and
12 Cards to build the ultimate wonder (the Pyramids) which brings instant victory!

Marker, Token or Card Type Cost
Influence Marker (marker to indicate control of a province) 3
City Token (Produces income of 1 tax) 3
Caravan Token (Produces income of 1 commodity) 3
Legion (a military land unit) 3
Trireme (a military sea unit) 3
Fortress (a military land unit that may never be moved) 3
Temple (doubles income from cities in the province) 6
Market (doubles income from caravans in the province) 6
Mythological Creature (military unit unique to each civilization) 6
Hero or Wonder (confers various effects to the owner of the card) 9
The Pyramids (win the game) 12

Can there be conflicts of timing when using the powers of the Gods?
That cannot occur except between Hermes and Isis during the trade phase. In this case Hermes uses his power before Isis.

Can a player have several Gods at the same time?
Normally no. However, the hero Adonis allows an exception to this rule.

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Example of Sets
After completing the trade phase, a player has 3 taxes, 2 grain, 1 perfume, 1 livestock, 1 gold, and 1 slave. This player cannot create a set of 6 different resource cards (the 2 grain would prevent this). However, he can make 3 sets of 3 cards as follows: (Set #1: 3 taxes), (Set #2: 1 grain and 2 other cards), (Set#3: 1 grain and 2 other cards). This player can then build 3 things that cost 3: 2 legions and 1 trireme for example...

Rules for Construction
• Players may construct buildings and military units, including creatures, only in provinces in which they already have an influence marker. They may not build in an un-owned province or in an opponent’s province, even if they have legions present in the province.
• Players may place influence markers only in a province adjacent to a province which they already control at the beginning of the turn, and which is not under the influence of another player.
• During the turn in which a player places an influence marker in a province, nothing else may be constructed in that province. The player must wait until their next turn.
• Players may not build more than one city per site, one caravan per resource, or more than one temple, market, or fortress per province. Note: The Statue of Zeus makes it possible to build 2 fortresses per province.
• Triremes are built in the provinces (not in the sea spaces). They may be built only on island provinces, or in provinces adjacent to a sea space. They are then moved to an adjacent sea space during the Military Phase.
• Players may not build in a province “at war” or under military occupation (see below). Exception: a player may always construct in their own Capital Province.
• Advantages given by a Hero or Wonder are conferred immediately upon purchase.
• Although several hero and wonder cards grant a reduced cost to build various things (Caesar, Pericles, Atlas, Mausoleum, Croesus, Minos, Spartacus, and Imhotep), these reductions are not cumulative; the player simply takes the single best reduction available. NOTE: The Queen of Sheba allows you to build legions even in a province where you do not have an influence marker.

Military Phase
The Military Leader decides in what order players will take turns in the Military Phase. On each player’s turn, that player first performs all of their naval moves and resolves all naval combats that they wish to occur. Once all naval movement and combat is complete, the player performs all of their ground moves, immediately resolving any combats that result. Full Movement and combat rules are detailed below:

A) Movement
The player may move as many units as he chooses: all, some, one or none.
1. Naval Movement: The player begins by moving Triremes (if any). If they were just constructed, they move to an adjacent sea space. If already at sea, they may move to an adjacent sea space. Naval battles are NOT required when moving into an occupied sea space (except in the special case of a “Greek Blockade”, see rules below). However, if a player chooses to attack, that player must do so before moving any Legions, since the results from the naval battle may impact using the Triremes to move Legions.
2. Naval Battles (Optional): are conducted using the Rules for Battle detailed below, if the moving player chooses to fight. Please Note: Atlas, the Civilization Specific hero of Atlantis, allows its triremes to move 2 times, but if these triremes fight after their first move, they lose the ability to make a second move this turn. Aeneas, the mythological hero, allows a player to transport ground units through 1 sea space in absence of a fleet. The God Poseidon allows a player to destroy an opponent’s trireme at any time. For full descriptions of these powers see card descriptions below.
3. Legion Movement: The player then moves their Ground units (Legions and Mythological Creatures). Ground Units may only move to an

8 Can I place an influence marker into a province that is only adjacent to the province where I just placed a new influence marker this turn?
No, this must wait until next turn (just like the construction of buildings in this new province).

Can any 2 provinces be considered adjacent if they are connected by uninterrupted chains of my triremes?
Yes, both for building and movement they are considered adjacent (see military phase - movement).

Is a province already under my control lost if it has been cut off, and is no longer adjacent to the rest of my empire?
Not, adjacency is only required when first placing an influence marker.

Can one put influence markers in sea spaces?
No. However, it is necessary to put influence markers on islands if you wish to build there.

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adjacent province through a shared border, or
through a chain of Triremes.
For Example: A player could move one or more Legions
from the Athenae Province to the Alexandria Province as
long as that player had one Trireme in each of the two sea
spaces that are located between these two provinces.
4. Ground Battles (Obligatory): are conducted
using the Rules for Battle detailed below. Legions and
Creatures MUST fight when in a space occupied by
opposing units (Legions, Creatures or Fortresses).
Note: Two mythological units have special move-
ment rules. The Kraken can dive under the seas and
the Griffon can fly from region to region. These units
cannot be used as Ground Unit convoys like triremes.
For full descriptions of these powers see card descrip-
tions below.
B) Combat
General Rules for Battle:
• All battles last a single round only.
• Ground units (Legions, Mythological
Creatures and Fortresses) may only fight
ground units, and naval units (Triremes) may
only fight naval units.
• Un-launched Triremes (just built, but not yet
moved out to sea) cannot attack or be attacked.
• If there are no opposing ground units in the
province being attacked, the invading player need
not roll any dice (see below). Simply follow the
rules in section 2 below “only one invading
player survives”.
• Fortresses: Do not roll a die for a fortress invol-
ved in the battle, as the fortress “rolls” an auto-
matic 6. Add 6 points to the die roll sum for the
owner of the fortress. Fortresses are military units
(not buildings) and cannot move. Fortresses
must be destroyed by the invading army before
the province can be sacked, occupied or conver-
ted (see below).
• Each civilization has a specific Mythological
Creature unit which has a special ability that
only it can confer (see Mythological Creatures
below). However ALL Mythological Creatures
have a further advantage. They “roll” an auto-
matic 6 in combat where they are involved (just
like a fortress), so no die roll is necessary.
Creatures are the most powerful military units
in the game. They are limited to 3 per player and
it is necessary to build a set of 6 cards to build a
single creature.
• The attacker and defender each simultaneously
roll as many dice as they have legions in the
contested province or triremes in the contested
sea space: Sum the dice for each player (be sure to
add any applicable bonuses conferred by Heroes,
Wonders, Fortresses, etc.), and that player’s oppo-
nent must remove one unit for every 5 points of
the sum (rounding down). The owning player
chooses which units to lose.
For Example: The Green player has 3 Legions and is
attacking the Blue Player who has 1 Legion and 1
Fortress. The Green player rolls 3 dice (6, 3, and 2) for a
sum of 11. The Blue player rolls 1 die (3, +6 for the fort-
ress) for a sum of 9. The Green player must lose 1
Unit, and the Blue player must lose 2 units.
Note: The heroine Penthesilee grants its
owner the ability to lose units every 6
points instead of 5 (just like a fortress).
For full descriptions of these powers see
card descriptions below.
9
In the event of shortage, can I decide to destroy one of
my own buildings so that I can rebuild it elsewhere?
No, nor can you practice the technique of the “scor-
ched earth” and voluntarily destroy your buildings in
face of an enemy invasion.
What happens if 2 players can build their 4th hero
or wonder, or pyramids on the same turn?
As soon as one player meets the victory conditions,
the game ends immediately. This is significant because
the building phase is controlled by the Political Leader,
so that player would naturally choose themselves as the
first to build. However, if several players can win on
same turn, and neither is the political leader (thus
putting the Political Leader in the position of an arbi-
trary “King Maker”), players can either agree on a joint
victory, or, if one of the players builds the pyramids, that
player is declared the winner.
Can a single trireme in a sea space transport multi-
ple military units?
Yes.
Can a trireme control a sea space?
No, there is no concept of “area control” at sea in this
game. Sea combat is always optional. A player can move
a trireme into a sea space that is occupied by an opponent
without attacking if he wishes. The player already present
will only be able to attack during his own turn (except in
the case of the “Greek Blockade” see Combat section).
Can a trireme that was built on a previous turn, but
which has not been moved out to sea yet, be
Sacked, Occupied or Converted by an attack in the
province where the trireme was built?
No. There is no interaction of any kind between sea
combat units and ground combat units (The
Mythological creature Titan allows an exception to this).
The trireme is simply ignored by the conqueror.
Can a trireme be left “in port” after its construction?
No, it must immediately be moved to the sea as soon
as they player controlling it can do so.

present will only be able to attack during his own turn except in the case of the Greek Blockade see Combat section Can a trireme that was built on a previous turn but which has not been moved out to sea yet be Sacked Occupied or Converted by an attack in the province where the trireme was built No There is no interaction of any kind between sea combat units and ground combat units The Mythological creature Titan allows an exception to this The trireme is simply ignored by the conqueror Can a trireme be left in port after its construction No it must immediately be moved to the sea as soon as they player controlling it can do so

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• Many heroes confer an advantage in combat: Ajax makes it possible to re-roll some of the dice; Ariane gives a bonus in defense based on buildings in the province; Midas makes it possible to use one’s taxes to pay off an opponent’s legion; Hamilcar makes it possible to “roll” 4 automatically on some or all die rolls instead of actually rolling them; Medusa makes it possible to prohibit, once per turn, the battles in a province. The God Mars grants a bonus of +6 after having seen the result of a combat die roll. For full descriptions of these powers see card descriptions below.
After the battle, and once losses are decided, a surviving attacker has two possibilities:
1. More than one player’s Military Units (Legions, Creatures, Fortresses or Triremes) survive the battle (or battles, if more than 2 players are involved):
If there are military ground units (Legions, Creatures and Fortresses) belonging to two (or more) players in a land province, the province is considered “At War”. The invading military units remain in the province after the battle. As long as opposing units remain in the province, they must continue to fight during their subsequent Combat Phases.
If a province is “At War” during the Commerce Phase, the player in control of the influence token in the province will collect the Resource Cards as usual. However this player may not build anything in this province during the Construction Phase.
Players in a province “At War” that have not yet moved when the province was invaded may move their Legions out of the province when it is their turn to move.
If there are triremes belonging to two (or more) players in a sea space, the sea space is NOT considered to be “At War”, and players may still move into, out of, and transport Legions through this space freely.
2. Only one invading player survives:
The invader must choose to allocate the remaining invading legions in one of the following three ways:
a. Sack the Province:
The player destroys ONE BUILDING in the province (a city, caravan, temple or market, but NOT a fortress, which is considered a military unit.) The destroyed building is returned to the general stock.
b. Occupy the Province:
A single Legion or Creature Token may be placed on each City or Caravan in the province to claim the income associated with that city or commodity. A single Legion or Creature Token may also be placed on each Market or Temple in the province in order to double income gained by another Legion or Creature on a City or Caravan in that same province. As soon as the units of the invader leave the province, its legitimate owner (influence marker) again takes control of it.
c. Convert the Province:
A single Legion or Creature Token may be placed on top of an opponent’s Influence Marker in the province. During the next building phase, the invading player MAY construct their own influence marker to replace the existing one respecting the normal rules of construction (the province must be adjacent to the converting player’s empire, and the cost to construct the new influence marker must be paid as usual). The province (and any buildings in it) will now be
10
The High Priest, the Military Leader and the Political leader decide the turn order in their respective phases. Do they have to announce complete turn order at the beginning of the phase? Or do they choose the players, one at a time, only after the previous player has completed their turn?
The latter.
Can a player alternate movement and combat?
Yes. However, each individual military unit can move and attack only once per turn (and only in that order). The moving player organizes his movements and his attacks as he wishes. The attacker can, for example:
- Attack a province with units coming from several adjacent provinces, by moving in one unit to see if it is successful in its attack, then move the next unit and attack and so on.
- Attack several adjacent provinces with legions starting in the same province.
- Attack several opponents’ military units that remain in a single province from earlier battles.
This method both intends and allows the most flexibility to the attacking player during the military phase.
When a 3rd player attacks a “province at war” (2 players’ military units are present), whom does this 3rd player attack?
Each one of the 3rd player’s military units will have to fight, but it’s up to the 3rd player to choose which of his units will attack which opponent’s units. The choices are either to divide its forces carefully into several attacks or to group them together for a single attack against one opponent. Either way, the choice is the attacker’s to make.
In a “province at war” from a previous turn, is a round of combat obligatory?
Only if the active player does not move his units out of the province, but instead decides to remain in the province. A fortress (as it is not on wheels!) will not be able to leave the province and will be obliged to fight.

s military units will have to fight but it s up to the 3rd player to choose which of his units will attack which opponent s units The choices are either to divide its forces carefully into several attacks or to group them together for a single attack against one opponent Either way the choice is the attacker s to make In a province at war from a previous turn is a round of combat obligatory Only if the active player does not move his units out of the province but instead decides to remain in the province A fortress as it is not on wheels will not be able to leave the province and will be obliged to fight

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controlled by the new owner. Until the influence
marker changes, the province (and anything it
produces) remains in control of the player with
the influence marker in it.
Strategic Notes: Sacking a province does not
gain the attacker anything, but makes it possible to
slow down an opponent by having an immediate
impact on his resource income.
Occupation makes
it possible for the attacker to immediately (next
turn), albeit temporarily, gain additional resources
(or possibly take a Role Card) from an area but
leaves the player a bit more vulnerable in the long
term. And, finally,
Conversion is potentially more
lucrative long-term, at the sacrifice of the short term
gain, but it still has elements of risk since the inva-
der may not be able to meet all of the requirements
to actually convert the province on their next turn
(adjacency to your empire can be cut off by another
player’s successful conquests, for example).
Other factors to consider are the effects of the
heroes a player controls. Many heroes confer some
advantage to the options of conquest:
Nebuchad-
nezzar makes it possible to gain resources when
sacking, Achilles makes it possible to devastate 1
building per military unit present, Gilgamesh makes
it possible to place a free fortress at the same time
you place an influence marker,
Jason makes it possi-
ble to move 1 controlled caravan marker per round,
and so on.
NEW RULE: “The Greek Blockade”
The Greeks naturally draw their powers from the sea
and they have a tendency to extend their empire by
colonizing Islands. As naval battles are not manda-
tory in Mare Nostrum, The Greek Player often has
difficulties defending its territory from enemy inva-
sions. To address this problem, the rule of the "Greek
blockade" has been added. Please note that these
special rules apply only to the Greek player, and other
civilizations do not have this special defensive ability.
• If a player is attacking a province under Greek
control (it has a Greek Influence Marker in it)
and the attacking player is using triremes to
transport the invading ground units, the attac-
king player must first declare that they are
attempting to break the Greek blockade, and
declare which units they are attempting to move
and on which triremes.
• Once the move is declared, the Greek player can, if
they wish, use their own triremes to attack any of
that opponent’s triremes that are transporting an
invading unit. The Greek player can attack in any sea
space where the transportation of oppo-
sing units takes place as long as the Greek
player also has a trireme in this sea space.
• This special attack can only be used against oppo-
sing triremes that are transporting invading units;
it cannot be used to attack triremes elsewhere.
• If the Greek player is successful in destroying a
trireme transporting an enemy unit, that unit is
not lost, just the trireme transporting it. The unit
is moved back to its starting space and may make
another move.
• If the Greek player is unsuccessful in destroying
the trireme (or triremes), and the invading player
still maintains an uninterrupted chain of triremes
to support the proposed invasion, the invading
player may move his ground units normally.
Example: I built 2 legions and 1 trireme in the province
of Athens. I already had a trireme in the Ionnean sea
space. I move my trireme from the Ionnean to the Adriatic
sea space, and move the trireme that I just built in Athens
to the Ionnean Sea. Now I can convoy my 2 legions from
Athens directly to Rome, thanks to my 2 triremes, which
create an uninterrupted chain of triremes between Athens
and Rome. I attack the fortress immediately! As long as
this chain of triremes remains, I will be able to move as
many units as I care to build in the same fashion.
Please Note: It is impossible to completely remove a player
from the game. The influence marker in a player’s capital
city may NEVER be converted, and a player may ALWAYS
build in their capital, even if the province is “At War”.
An Example of Combat:
The Atlantian player attacks the capital
province of Carthage with 4 legions and 1 kraken
(via the sea). Carthage contains: 1 fortress, 1 behe-
moth and 2 legions.
The Atlantian player will roll 5 dice because the
kraken doesn’t benefit from the automatic 6, since
there is a behemoth on the opponent’s side.
The Carthaginian player will roll 2 dice (for the
legions) and adds 12 (6 for its Fortress + 6 for its
Creature). The Carthaginian player will also benefit
from a bonus of +2 (Hannibal’s power adds +1 to
each legion).
The Atlantian rolls: 2+4+1+5+4 = 16. This
kills 3 Carthaginian units.
The Carthaginian rolls: 3+3+(12+2 of
bonus) = 20 and kills 4 Atlantian units.
The Carthaginian chooses to lose its 2
legions and its fortress in order to keep the
Behemoth (which cost 6 to build).
11
What happens when player A begins to attack
player B in a province where player B has placed
units to Occupy or Convert)
There is normal combat and all the units present in
the province can take part (even those which were
placed in occupation or conversion). If B successfully
repels A’s attack, (and B has units available!) B can
continue to occupy or convert. If B does not eliminate A
completely, occupation or conversion is not allowed,
because that is not possible in a province at war.

of bonus 20 and kills 4 Atlantian units The Carthaginian chooses to lose its 2 legions and its fortress in order to keep the Behemoth which cost 6 to build 11 What happens when player A begins to attack player B in a province where player B has placed units to Occupy or Convert There is normal combat and all the units present in the province can take part even those which were placed in occupation or conversion If B successfully repels A s attack and B has units available B can continue to occupy or convert If B does not eliminate A completely occupation or conversion is not allowed because that is not possible in a province at war

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The Atlantian makes the same observation and loses its 4 legions to save the Kraken. Some units remain belonging to the 2 players, so the province remains at war. However, since this is a capital city, the Carthaginian player will be able to build there on the next round. The kraken will have no choice but to dive back in the sea quickly!

THE CARDS IN THE GAME
EFFECTS OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Colossus: Take 1 extra Tax card per turn. During the Commerce Phase, when collecting Resource Cards, take 1 extra Tax Card.
Hanging Gardens: Keep 2 Commodity Cards. Normally all Commodity cards are discarded at the end of the Construction Phase. You may now keep two Commodity Cards from one turn to another (face down).
Temple of Artemis: Take 1 extra Commodity Card each turn. During the Commerce Phase, when collecting Resource Cards, take 1 extra Commodity Card of your choice.
Statue of Zeus: Allows you to build 2 fortresses per province. Normally a player may only build 1 fortress per province. You may now build 2 per province. This card comes with 1 free fortress placement when it is acquired.
Lighthouse: Allows you to place influence markers in provinces that are not adjacent to provinces under your control. You may now place influence markers anywhere you like, as long as you follow all other rules for placing influence markers. This card comes with 1 free Influence Marker placement when it is acquired.
Mausoleum: Construction of Influence Markers and Buildings (cities, caravans, temples and markets) costs -1. A set of only 2 cards is needed for influence markers, cities and caravans, and only 5 cards are needed for temples and markets. This “reduction” does not apply towards Heroes or Wonders.
The Pyramids: Build the Pyramids and win the Game. They require a set of 12 cards to build.

EFFECTS OF THE GENERAL HEROES

Agamemnon: Bonus of +3 towards becoming the Director of Commerce. When roles are assigned, before each new turn of the game, add 3 to your total Caravans and Markets to determine if you are the Director of Commerce.
Archimedes: Bonus of +3 towards becoming the Military Leader. When roles are assigned, before each new turn of the game, add 3 to your total number of legions, fortresses, creatures and triremes to determine if you are the Military Leader.
Helen of Troy: Convert 1 invading Legion. Once per Military Phase, you may convert an enemy Legion as it enters one of the provinces that you control to your own color.
Nebuchadnezzar: Earn 1 Resource Card from sacking. When your legions sack a province, take one Commodity card for the destroyed caravan, or one Tax card for the destroyed city, or 1 of any resource produced in this province for a destroyed temple or market.
Solomon: Bonus of +3 towards becoming the Political Leader. When roles are assigned, before each new turn of the game, add 3 to your total Cities and Temples to determine if you are the Political Leader.
Ulysses: Force a player to trade with you. Once per Commerce Phase, you may force another player who has just taken an offered card from another player, to give the card back to that player, and instead to take 1 of your offered cards of his choice.

12

When a player buys a hero or a wonder, do you choose the specific card or is it drawn at random?
You choose, of course.

Does the Civilization Specific hero you start with count as one of the 4 necessary to win?
Yes

If the Roman player chooses the Mausoleum, does the Roman pay only 1 tax or 1 resource for Legions?
No, the Mausoleum bonus only applies to “influence markers and buildings”, not to military units or Heroes & Wonders (cities and caravans cost 2 instead of 3, temples and markets cost 5 instead of 6). Moreover, at no time in the game are these kind of reduced cost bonuses cumulative. Simply take the highest bonus available to a player when there is duplication.

Can Helen of Troy convert an opponent’s legion if her controlling player already has 8 legions on the board? Can She convert a legion that moved into the province on the previous turn?
In Mare Nostrum, all of the elements are intentionally scarce. This shortage is an element of the game that must be struggled with by all players. So, if a player doesn’t have a legion in reserve, it’s too bad, no conversion can take place! As for the latter, rules are specific about this “as it enters one of the provinces you control”. So, only as it enters, not after.

Can the owner of Ulysses, after taking a card from another player, force this same player to take an offered card from the Ulysses player?
Yes absolutely. The abilities of the heroes always take precedence over the rules as written.

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EFFECTS OF THE CIVILIZATION
SPECIFIC HEROES:
Atlas – Atlantis:
Triremes cost 2 to build and they can be moved 2 sea spaces. If a player chooses to fight after the 1st movement, the trireme cannot move again.
Julius Caesar – Rome: Legions cost only 2 to build. (Note: This bonus no longer applies to Fortresses).
Hannibal – Carthage: Legions gain a bonus of +1 to each die rolled in combat. This card comes with 1 free Legion placement when it is acquired. This Legion must be placed in Carthago.
Hammurabi – Babylon: Allows you to place one influence marker per turn at no cost.
Pericles – Greece: Triremes cost only 2 to construct, and gain a bonus of +1 on each die rolled in naval combat. This card comes with 1 free Trireme placement when it is acquired. This Trireme must be placed in Athenae/Sparta.
Cleopatra – Egypt: During each Construction phase, you may exchange one resource card for one tax card (or vice versa) with the Bank.
EFFECTS OF THE CIVILIZATION
SPECIFIC CREATURES
Each civilization has a specific Mythological Creature unit which has a special ability that only it can confer. However ALL Mythological Creatures have a further advantage. They “roll” an automatic 6 in combat where they are involved (just like a fortress), so no die roll is necessary. Creatures are the most powerful military units in the game; they are limited to 3 per player and it is necessary to build a set of 6 cards to build a single creature.
Behemoth – Carthage: When fighting a Behemoth the units which “roll” 6 automatically (fortresses and mythological creatures) lose this advantage and must roll the dice normally.
Centaur – Greece: At the beginning of a combat where it is involved (before dice are rolled), each centaur destroys one enemy legion (not a fortress, trireme or a mythological creature).
Griffon – Babylon: The Griffon can move a distance of up to 2 regions by flying over an area (even a sea space or even an area occupied militarily). However, a Griffon cannot be convoyed by a trireme.
Kraken – Atlantis: On land, the Kraken can only move in coastal territories. At sea it can move into sea spaces and attack triremes there. A Kraken cannot be convoyed by a trireme. In lieu of its normal move, a Kraken can dive/emerge. To perform this maneuver, the Kraken token is removed from the board and placed on the Kraken card. On ANY subsequent turn the Kraken can emerge in ANY Sea Space AND Move.
Phoenix – Egypt: When a Phoenix token is eliminated place it on the Phoenix Card. This token may re-emerge in the Egyptian capital for the cost of a 3-card set on any subsequent construction phase.
Titan - Rome: Each Titan may attack units in adjacent provinces (even sea provinces), in lieu of attacking in the province the Titan occupies. For this special attack you must roll dice (as in normal combat, the automatic 6 does not apply). Several Titans can combine in this special attack, rolling 1 die per Titan.
EFFECTS OF THE GODS
Athena: Bonus of +2 towards becoming any Role.
Baal: Can destroy an opponent’s city anywhere on the board.
Hermes: Produces 3 additional resource cards of any resource that the player produces. This ability occurs during the commerce phase, after production but before Isis.
Ishtar: Protect against the power of another God (usable only if you are the target)
Isis: Secretly give 1 resource card to each player (including yourself). This ability occurs during the commerce phase, after production, after Hermes and before trading begins.
Mars: Add +6 to the total of a single combat roll after having seen the result.
Poseidon: Can destroy an enemy trireme anywhere on the board, even as its owner tries to use it for conveying or fighting.
Vulcan: Can destroy an opponent’s caravan anywhere on the board.
EFFECTS OF THE ROLE CARDS
Role Cards are only reassigned at the start of each new turn as follows:
Director of Commerce: The player with the most caravans and markets on the board. The Director of Commerce determines the number of cards traded. Additionally, if, after trading is complete, a player was shorted a card, the Director of Commerce must choose a card out of the Director’s own hand or those newly traded and give it to the player who was shorted.
High Priest: The player with the most temples and markets on the board. The High Priest determines the order of the players during the Offerings to the Gods Phase.
Political Leader: The player with the most cities and temples on the board. The Political Leader determines the order of the players during the Construction Phase.
Military Leader: The player with the most military units (legions, creatures, 13

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triremes, and fortresses) on the board.
The Military Leader determines the order
of the players during the Military Phase.
EFFECTS OF
THE MYTHOLOGICAL HEROES
Achilles:
Sack 1 building per military
unit present after a successful combat.
Adonis: Allows a player to take a God for
free, at the end of the Offering Phase, once all
other players have made their offerings. Note:
By using Adonis, a player may get two gods on
the same turn, one via normal offering, and a
second after the offerings have been
completed.
Ajax: When rolling dice in ground combat, this
player can re-roll once any dice they wish.
Antigone: Can exclude herself voluntarily from
the trade phase after having heard the number of
cards requested by the Director of Commerce.
Ariane: Each building in the province gives a
bonus to the dice in combat. Cities and caravans
give +1 each; markets and temples give +2 each.
Castor & Pollux: Completely copy the abilities
of any opponent’s HERO in the game, excluding
civilization specific heroes.
Circe: Allows a player to use its legions as cara-
vans to produce resources that they control (need
to have influence in the province). Further, a
market doubles the revenue of the Circe-powered
legion, just like a caravan.
Croesus, King of Lydia: Allows you to build in a
new province during the same round you put an
influence marker. This build is at a cost of -1 per
build type (this ability is non-cumulative with any
other reductions and this reduction can only be
applied once per province).
Aeneas: Allows a player to move through a
single sea space without triremes (the selected
space is the same one for the entire round, but the
player announces it when he wants).
Gilgamesh: Place 1 free fortress in a new province
(at the time the player places their influence marker).
Hamilcar: Allows a player to get an automatic 4
on any dice to be rolled in Ground combat, rather
than rolling them (you can decide to use this power
for some or all dice to be rolled).
Hercules: Once a round this player can use 1
legion as if it were a mythological unit belonging to
that player.
Imhotep: Allows a player to build the Wonders
(not heroes) for 1 card less than the usual cost
(including the Pyramids).
Jason: Captures occupied caravans. Once per
turn, during the construction phase, this player can
hijack 1 caravan that it occupies (has a legion
standing on it). A caravan may only be hijacked if
the player controlling Jason has a commodity space
available to place the captured caravan.
Medusa: Once per round, can prohibit all
combat in a single province where the player has
units. This prohibition must be announced before
the throw of the dice.
Midas: Use the taxes in combat (attacking or
defending): Pay 2 taxes to the bank to convert 1
opponent’s legion to your own.
Minos: Allows a player to build on Islands with
a cost of -1 per build type. This is non-cumulative
with any other reductions, and the reduction only
applies to 1 unit of each type built each round. (see
Q&A below for an Example)
Moses: Gains a bonus of +2 towards becoming
the High Priest. Further, Moses grants ground units
passage through Messina, the Bosporus, The Pillars
of Hercules (modern Gibraltar) and of course cross-
ing the Black Sea. Passage means Moses can trans-
port units and allow the establishment of influence,
without needing a trireme.
Penthesilee: Queen of the Amazons: Her
ground units are eliminated on a 6 instead of 5.
Queen of Sheba: Allows a player to “recruit
mercenaries”. These mercenaries are built from
14
Does having 2 behemoths in the same region gain
any additional defensive advantage?
No, one behemoth would have been enough.
Can a kraken emerge the round it is created?
Yes, however, that replaces its normal movement.
Can the Titans attack adjacent triremes?
Yes.
Can Baal or Vulcan use their power during the
construction phase to regain a city or a caravan and
rebuild it immediately?
A: Yes, and it can have interesting side effects...
When Poseidon destroys a trireme, after the
player announces it’s convoying, are the units
transported lost?
A: No, but the convoying is canceled.
What’s so cool about Isis?
Generally, Isis allows you to take resources you do not
produce and give them to the other players that do
produce them. The hope is that these players will offer
these doubles for trade. But there can be uses of Isis that
are even more twisted, and you will undoubtedly disco-
ver these while playing...
If a player has Adonis and the role of High Priest,
can he play first and take the 2 Gods he wants?
No. He can play first thanks to the title of High
Priest, but the power of Adonis only applies at the end of
the phase, once all the players had the opportunity to
make an offering.

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legions the Queen’s player holds in their reserve.
These mercenaries can be built in any space at the
edge of the game board without the need of an
influence marker, and can even be built in a space
controlled by an opponent.
Spartacus: Once per round, during the construction phase, this player can build 1 legion with 1 slave card (non cumulative with other reductions).
Some strategic advice
The Roles and their
corresponding phases
The roles are vital, and experience shows that if a
player succeeds in controlling 2 of them at once
during at least some of their turns he will almost
certainly win. Some players even use the role card as
an alternative victory condition to the basic game.
Instead of the usual victory conditions, any player
who controls 3 of the role cards at once
immediately wins the game.
The Director of Commerce is very
advantageous because it avoids wasting
cards (in theory!) and allows its holder to
force the other players to follow your rhythm,
trading only a few cards when you need small
combinations, and trading more if you are trying
to form a combination of 9 cards, when getting a
hero or a wonder becomes a priority.
The High Priest is quite useful since the abilities
of the Gods are unique and it is almost always
better to choose your god first and force your
strongest opponent to choose last. When the battle
is fierce for the titles of Director of Commerce or
the Political Leader, being able to control which
player has the opportunity to take Vulcan or Baal is
often a deciding factor in the game.
The Political Leader role allows a player to
build first when there is going to be “a turn of
wonders” (several players have sets of 9 or more
cards, and are likely to build heroes & wonders). In
these instances it is always better to choose before
the others because you will get the cards you want,
and force the worst choice upon your strongest
opponent. Moreover, this role makes it possible to
play last when you want to see what building
might take place near the borders of your king-
dom. By doing this, you can decide not to buy
caravans this turn, but invest in legions instead!
Also remember that the victory conditions are the
FIRST to meet one of the 2 conditions. Therefore
being able to choose turn order is extremely
important when there are several players that
could possible win on the same turn.
Lastly,
The Military Leader is of primary
importance for players who either want to expand
their empire or who want to defend it. Using the
power of this role to move last on one turn, then
first in the following turn, makes it possible to
raid an opponent’s province in succession without
them being able to react. You can also force a
neighbor that is threatening you to slow down, or
reduce the force that is on your border, by making
him play before an opponent that is threatening
to do the same to him. By doing this you will
often force the potential invader to divide their
troops on 2 fronts instead of decisively
invading you. When playing last with
this role, it is often practical to occupy or
sack 1 building, after a successful inva-
sion. Doing this can sometimes force a
role card to change hands...
15
Can Ajax re-roll a die that has
already been re-rolled?
No. After the initial roll, Ajax
allows the player to re-roll as many of
the rolled dice he wants, but the result
from the re-roll stands.
If the player that recruits Castor &
Pollux decides to copy Adonis for example, in
which order do the 2 Adonises act?
The original will always act first (if he so chooses),
then the copy.
Does Circe’s power mean that her owner can take
advantage of the resources in a new province on
the round immediately after he places an influence
marker (assuming he thought to move legions into
that province after placing the influence marker)?
Yes, and Circe is quite useful in defense against the
power of Vulcan, if you have 1 legion in the province
Vulcan attacks, of course.
For Croesus what does “-1 per build type”
mean exactly?
Let us imagine that the player wants to build 2
caravans and 3 legions. 1 caravan and 1 legion will get
the reduced cost. The remaining 1 caravan and 2
legions will be at normal cost. The same principle is
true for Minos.
Can the automatic 4 roll of Hamilcar combine
with the Hannibal bonus and allow one automatic
5 roll?
Yes, and that’s an historical "combo"
Can Hercules temporarily change his legion into
ANY mythological unit of the game?
No, only the mythological unit corresponding to the
civilization of the player controlling Hercules.
Does Midas have to (like Helene of Troy), have a
legion in reserve to be able to use his power?
Yes, on the other hand he doesn’t have the
province/influence restriction.

build 2 caravans and 3 legions 1 caravan and 1 legion will get the reduced cost The remaining 1 caravan and 2 legions will be at normal cost The same principle is true for Minos Can the automatic 4 roll of Hamilcar combine with the Hannibal bonus and allow one automatic 5 roll Yes and that s an historical combo Can Hercules temporarily change his legion into ANY mythological unit of the game No only the mythological unit corresponding to the civilization of the player controlling Hercules Does Midas have to like Helene of Troy have a legion in reserve to be able to use his power Yes on the other hand he doesn t have the province influence restriction

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Civilization
Specific Heroes
These heroes, in general, confer an advantage that reinforces the “natural tendencies” of the civilization that it champions. For this reason they are automatically included when using the predetermined starting setup.
Certain abilities are particularly advantageous at the beginning of the game: Hammurabi makes it easy to expand the Babylonian empire. Caesar & Pericles makes it possible to avoid attack thanks to reduced cost of building military units. Cleopatra, while appearing to be only useful at the end of the game when trying to build sets of 9 or 12 cards to buy heroes/wonders or the pyramids, is actually quite useful at the beginning by converting commodities to tax that can be saved from turn to turn. Hannibal, while remaining extremely useful in the heat of battle, in his new guise, becomes more worthwhile from the very beginning thanks to his free legion. Atlas, thanks to the movement bonus of his triremes, allows the Atlantian player to easily reach the other players while remaining protected on his remote island.

Heroes and Wonders
The advantages that the different Heroes/Wonders confer are extremely varied and their utility will always be a function of the game and the opponents you play with. It is incorrect to say that some are good or bad, because in each case their power depends entirely upon the context in which they are used. Heroes that grant reductions (even exemption from payment, like Adonis) are particularly valuable if you are late in developing your empire or if you play Greece or Egypt, who cannot expand easily. Heroes that are defensive are more useful if you are in the lead toward building the heroes & wonders, because all of the other players are now attempting to prevent you from winning. Heroes that allow you to obtain commodities or additional taxes, in a direct way (like the Colossus) or a more subtle way (like Ulysses), allow you to continue the race to victory even in the face of reduced trade set by the Director of Commerce. Lastly, among the various heroes that give a bonus in combat, one or two will be a good fit for your playing style and the Civilization you are playing (look for them).

With the 21 new heroes this expansion provides, many "combos" become possible. For Example: Nebuchadnezzar, who gains resources plundering, combined with Achilles, who ransacks as many resources as of units present; Gilgamesh combined with Hammourabi make it possible to place an influence marker and a free fortress each turn; Hamilcar combined with Hannibal make it possible to “roll” 5 with all the combat die rolls; Ariane combined with the Mausoleum; etc. Some combos extend even to 3 heroes, for example Cleopatra, Antigone and Imhotep will make you a “frightening” builder...

The Gods
The interest in each god varies according to the players and their position at various points in the game. In the beginning, Hermes is perfect for players that produce rare resources that would be interesting to other players. Athena is great for players that are fighting over a particular role. Later in the game the Gods of Destruction (Baal, Mars, Poseidon and Vulcan) come into play and allow you to slow down opponents that would be otherwise difficult to attack because they are either far away or are too well defended (early in the game these gods are seldom taken, because the costs of building your own empire does not allow such an investment). Poseidon and Mars often make the difference in turns where combat is a player’s primary focus.

Mythological Creatures
Creatures are powerful and, in general, compensate for a specific weakness in each civilization. The Greek Centaur makes it possible to counter the Roman legions. The Titan makes it possible to attack the triremes remotely. The Babylonian Griffon and the Atlantian Kraken (the two players at the edges of the board) provide increased mobility. The Egyptian Phoenix makes it possible to maintain an armed force at lower cost. And, finally, the Carthaginian Behemoth, by neutralizing the other mythological units and enemy fortresses, provides necessary protection to Hannibal’s armies, that, while being more powerful, are also more expensive to rebuild than those of Rome.

Credits
Author: Serge LAGET
Illustrations: Vincent Dutrait & Franck Dion
Graphic Design: Asmodée Éditions
English Rules Translated by: Christophe Eberhardt
English Rules Edited by: Ron Magin, Café Games Limited
Mare Nostrum™, and Mythology™ are Eurogames / Descartes brand games published in English by Café Games Limited.
Mare Nostrum, Eurogames, Descartes Editeur and Jeux Descartes (their names and logos) are trademarks of Asmodée Editions, used under license by Café Games Limited.
Graphics and Artwork © 2005, Asmodée Editions
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Ph# +01.39.56.06.07
English Version © 2005, Café Games Limited
PO Box 953 • Phoenixville • PA 19460 • USA
Ph# 610-917-0311
Email: cafegames@aol.com
www.cafegames.com

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