How to Play Concordia: Aegyptus / Creta

Game Objective

The goal in Concordia: Aegyptus / Creta is to expand your influence through trade and city building. As this is an expansion, the core objective remains the same as the base game: to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game through efficient resource management, the expansion of colonists, and the strategic use of your personality cards.

Setup

To play this expansion, you must own the base game Concordia. The standard rules apply, with the following specific adaptations for each map:

• For the Aegyptus map:
  • The city tokens marked with "B" are removed. The remaining 22 are distributed normally.
  • A "food" bonus marker is placed in the KUSH province.
  • Each player starts with 1 land colonist and 1 sea colonist in MEMPHIS.
• For the Creta map:
  • The city tokens marked with "C" are removed. The remaining 20 are distributed normally.
  • The location of the bonus marker with the "?" must be left blank.
  • Each player starts with 1 land colonist and 1 sea colonist in KNOSSOS.
• General Rule: The cities of Memphis (Aegyptus) and Knossos (Creta) replace "Rome" on the Tribune and Colonist personality cards.

Game Flow

The game follows a structure of alternating turns between players. On each turn, the player must play a personality card from their hand and perform the corresponding action. The game progresses until the end-game trigger is reached. Consult the manual for details on the round structure and maintenance phases, as the standard Concordia rules are maintained.

Actions and How to Play

Actions are determined by your personality cards. Some specific mechanics of this expansion alter the functioning of certain cards:

• Architect: At the end of the movement action, if you have a sea colonist on a specific connection line (Red Sea or Nile), you may place it in a special location (incense or gold trade). These colonists can no longer move or build, but are worth 7 victory points at the end of the game.
• Prefect (Aegyptus):
  • Flooding of the Nile: When producing in the Nile provinces (Kush, Nubia, Upper Egypt, Arcadia, and Lower Egypt), you receive 1 extra food if the province has the "food" bonus marker. After production, the marker moves to the next province downstream (returning to Kush after Lower Egypt).
  • Incense Trade: Players with a sea colonist in the special Red Sea location receive 5 sestertii whenever any player produces in provinces with a port on the Red Sea (Sinai, Arabia, and Litus).
• Prefect (Creta):
  • On the island of Gavdos, when producing, the player chooses a bonus good and places a bonus marker with the coin side face up on the space with the "?".
  • Whoever collects the money bonus on this space receives 2 additional sestertii.
• Colonist: It is necessary to use this card to place sea colonists in the Red Sea.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends according to the standard Concordia rules. The final score is calculated by adding the victory points from your personality cards and the bonuses obtained on the board. Specific points for this expansion include:

• 7 victory points for each sea colonist placed in the special locations (gold or incense).
• Only 1 sea colonist per player is allowed in each special location.

Consult the manual for details on card scoring and victory criteria.

Tips for Winning

• Nile Strategy: Monitor the position of the food bonus marker. Planning your production to coincide with the fertility of the Nile provinces can ensure a constant flow of essential resources.
• Occupying Special Locations: Try to place your sea colonists in the special locations of the Red Sea or the Nile as soon as possible. In addition to the 7 victory points guaranteed at the end, the 5 sestertii bonus when producing in port provinces can greatly strengthen your economy.