1. Game Objective

In Clash of Cultures: Monumental Edition, each player leads a culture from a single settlement to a grand empire. The goal is to expand, build cities, research advancements, and conquer opponents. The game ends after Era VI or when a player has no cities left during the status phase. The winner is the player who accumulates the most Victory Points, calculated as follows:

• 1 point per City Piece (Settlement or Building)
• ½ point per Advancement owned
• 2 points per Objective completed
• 4 points per Wonder (2 if conquered)
• 2 points per Leader defeated

2. Setup

1. Assemble the Game Board according to the manual images. Place each player’s Starting Region face up, noting the Mountain position.
2. Randomly distribute the Common Regions face down.
3. For each player:
   • Select a color and receive: Player Board, Player Aid, cubes of your color (reserve), city pieces (7 Settlements, 5 Temples, 5 Academies, 5 Fortresses, 5 Ports, 5 Obelisks, 5 Markets, 5 Observatories), unit pieces (16 Infantry, 4 Ships, 4 Colonists, 4 Elephants, 4 Cavalry, 1 Leader), resource markers (Food, Wood, Ore, Ideas, Gold), and a random Civilization Board.
   • Place 3 reserve cubes on the three spaces of the Event Marker in the upper right corner of your Board.
   • Place one reserve cube on Cultivation Advancement and Mining Advancement (all start with these two Advancements).
4. Shuffle and distribute the cards:
   • Objective Deck (1 card in hand)
   • Action Deck (1 card in hand)
   • Event Deck (not used in this game unless the expansion is in play)
   • Wonder Deck (not used in this game unless the expansion is in play)
5. Place the Round Track next to the Game Board and position the Round Marker on the first space (Era 1, Round 1).
6. Randomly determine the First Player and hand out the First Player Marker.

3. Game Flow

The game is divided into 6 Eras, each containing 3 Rounds followed by a Status Phase. The Round Marker controls the order.

1. Round: Each player, in clockwise order, performs 3 Main Actions (Advance, Found City, Activate City, Move Units, Raise Happiness, Influence Culture). Before or after each main action, the player may perform any number of Free Actions (from Buildings, Advancements, or Leaders) they have access to.
2. Status Phase (after the 3 Rounds of each Era):
   1. Check if any player has no cities; if so, the game ends immediately.
   2. Each player receives one Free Advancement (chooses one, in turn order).
   3. Card purchase: each player draws 1 Action Card and 1 Objective Card from the top of the decks.
   4. Other status rules (e.g., destroy a size‑1 city, change government) are applied as per the manual.
3. The Round Marker advances to the next round/era.

4. Actions and How to Play

During your turn, you can choose from the 6 Main Actions in any order and repeat them as many times as you like (except Influence Culture, which can only succeed once per turn). Additionally, you may perform Free Actions whenever you have access.

• Advance: spend 2 resources (or 1 Idea/Gold) to buy an Advancement. Move a cube from your Event Marker to the corresponding space. If the space has a blue border, gain 1 point immediately; if yellow, gain 1 Culture token. If no cubes remain, resolve an Event and replenish with 3 cubes.
• Found City: remove a Colony from a non‑arid space and place a Settlement. Place a Mood token (Happy) next to it.
• Activate City: choose a city and perform one of the options:
  • Recruit Units: purchase units according to the city.
  • Collect Resources: gather resources from the adjacent space.
  • Build a Building: purchase and place a building in the city if you have the required Advancement.
• Move Units: move up to 3 units or groups of different units.
• Raise Happiness: pay Mood tokens equal to the city size for each desired happiness level.
• Influence Culture: use Culture tokens to increase reach or roll (1 success per turn).

In addition to main actions, you can use effects from Advancements, Action Cards, or Leaders that provide “As an Action” or “Free Action”.

5. End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when:

• The Round Marker reaches the end of Era VI, or
• A player has no cities left during the Status Phase.

To calculate Victory Points:

1. Count 1 point per City Piece (Settlement or Building).
2. Count ½ point per Advancement you own.
3. Count 2 points per Objective completed.
4. Count 4 points per Wonder (2 if conquered).
5. Count 2 points per Leader defeated.

The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, break it by the criteria listed above.

6. Tips for Winning

• Plan Your Advancements: start by buying Advancements that unlock essential buildings (e.g., Writing for Academy). This opens more collection and construction options.
• Use the Status Phase to Your Advantage: take advantage of the Free Advancement and card purchase to strengthen your hand before the next era.
• Manage Your Cities: keep cities at size 3 or 4 to maximize collection and recruitment, but avoid growing beyond the number of cities you have.