How to Play Hadrian's Wall

Game Objective

In Hadrian's Wall, each player takes on the role of a Roman General tasked with building and defending a milecastle along the wall that separates the Picts from the rest of England. The goal is to accumulate the highest number of Victory Points (VP) by the end of the 6th Year. VP are earned by developing the fort, defending the wall, and increasing the attributes of Renown, Devotion, Valor, and Discipline. If a player accumulates Disdain, it will reduce their VP at the end of the game.

Setup

1. Shuffle the Fate Cards and place the draw pile face down in the center of the play area.
2. Place all Resources and Workers (Soldiers, Builders, Servants, and Civilians) in the General Reserve near the play area.
3. Collectively decide on the difficulty level (recommended "easy" for first games).
4. Distribute to each player:
   • 12 Player Cards (with the same Roman General on the back)
   • 1 Player Board (consisting of 2 parts)
   • 1 sheet of each type (mining, guard, etc.)
   • A pencil or pen (not included in the box)
5. Players should place the 2 sheets side by side, with the Player Board above them.
6. Shuffle each player's Player Cards and create a face-down draw pile to the left of their Player Board.

Game Flow

The game unfolds over 6 years (rounds). In each year, the sequence of events is as follows:

1. Start of Year:
   • Flip the fate card from the top of the draw pile and place it face up, creating a discard pile.
   • Players immediately receive the Resources and Workers shown at the bottom of the card.
   • Each player draws 2 cards from the top of their player card draw pile. One is chosen as the Path Card (placed face down above the board) and the other as the Perspective Card (placed face down to the right of the board). When revealed, the perspective card may grant Resources and Workers.
   • Players receive additional items from specific areas of their sheets:
     • 1 Resource for each filled circle in Resource Production.
     • 1 Civilian for each filled circle in the Hotel.
     • 1 Builder for each filled circle in the Workshop.
     • 1 Attribute (Renown, Devotion, Valor, or Discipline) for each filled circle on the Road.
2. Player Actions: Each player, simultaneously, performs actions by paying Workers and Resources to fill boxes on their sheets. Actions continue until all players exhaust their Workers and Resources. When everyone has finished, unused resources and workers are returned to the General Reserve.
3. End of Year:
   • One player (usually the one who started the year) reveals additional fate cards, according to the year and chosen difficulty. The number of cards revealed determines the number of Pict attacks.
   • For each card revealed, the player observes the Cohorts indicated at the top of the card and resolves the defense individually. The player must have an equal or greater number of filled boxes in the corresponding Cohort to repel each attack.
   • If the defense is successful, the player gains the amount of Valor indicated on the year's gray flag. If they fail, they gain Disdain (up to the maximum indicated on the gray flag). If there is a difference between repelled and non-repelled attacks, the player gains Valor for the difference.

Actions and How to Play

Actions are performed by paying Workers and Resources and filling boxes on your sheets. Below are some examples of actions described in the manual:

• Cohorts – By filling a box with a Cohort icon, the player returns 1 Servant to the General Reserve and fills the next box on the Cohort track. This may grant Discipline and Valor.
• Abatis and Wall – To expand the Abatis or the Wall, the player must first develop the relevant section of the Fort. Each box of the Abatis and the Wall requires 1 Resource returned to the General Reserve. The Fort requires 1 Builder or 1 Soldier returned.
• Medium Granary – Requires 1 Servant, 1 Builder, and 1 Resource returned to the General Reserve. Upon filling the box, the player gains 1 Renown and increases Infrastructure.
• Monument Construction – When a player has at least 15 of a specific attribute, they may return 1 Builder and 2 Resources to build the monument, filling 2 boxes on the indicated attribute track.
• Baths – Once built, the player may return 1 or more Resources to fill boxes in the Baths. Each action allows the removal of 1 Disdain (by writing the current year in the box).

For full details on all actions, consult the manual.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the 6th Year, when the Picts attack for the last time. Workers gained on the Valor Track in the final year are wasted.

To calculate the score:

• Use the scoring column in the bottom right corner of your left sheet to sum your VP.
• The player with the highest score wins and is crowned Legatus Legionis.
• In the event of a tie, the tie-breaker is resolved as follows:
  1. The player with the least Disdain wins.
  2. If still tied, the player with the most VP from Path Cards wins.
  3. If still tied, the players share the victory.
• To record Disdain, circle an unused box at the bottom of the left sheet. Each remaining Disdain at the end of the game subtracts VP (e.g., 4 Disdain = -7