Objective of the Game

Welcome, fellow empire builders! In Imperial Settlers, you'll lead one of four mighty factions – the Romans, Barbarians, Egyptians, or Japanese – to carve out your dominion in newly discovered lands. Your ultimate goal? To amass the most Victory Points (VP) by expanding your empire and strategically hindering your opponents. Throughout five intense rounds, you'll explore new lands, construct powerful buildings, forge lucrative deals, and even conquer enemy territories to prove your faction's supremacy. The player with the most VP at the end of the game will be crowned the undisputed ruler of the greatest empire!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, let's get this empire-building party started! Here's how to set up your game:

1. Place the score board where everyone can easily see it. This board tracks both Victory Points and the current round.
2. Put the round marker on the "I" space of the round track.
3. Shuffle the Common cards and place them face down in a deck accessible to all players.
4. Each player chooses a Faction. Take your chosen faction's components:
   • A Faction board (two-sided, choose your preferred leader!).
   • A deck of 30 Faction cards.
   • A Faction marker.
   Place your Faction board in front of you, shuffle your Faction cards, and put them face down nearby. If you have fewer than 4 players, return unused faction components to the box. (Heads up: Japanese players have some special rules, but we'll get to those later!)
5. Each player places their Faction marker on the "0" space of the Victory Point track on the score board.
6. Create a general supply by placing all Resource (Food, Wood, Stone), Worker, Gold, Raze token, Defense token, and Multiplier token markers within easy reach of everyone. Remember, these are unlimited, so use multiplier tokens if you run out!
7. Randomly select the First player and give them the First player marker.
8. Finally, each player, starting with the First player and going clockwise, draws 2 cards from the Common deck and 2 cards from their own Faction deck. These four cards form your starting hand.

You're all set! Time to build some empires!

The Turn of Play

Imperial Settlers unfolds over 5 rounds, each divided into four distinct phases:

1. Lookout Phase

   Time to get some new cards for your hand! Each player will acquire 3 new cards:

   • Draw the top card from your own Faction deck and add it to your hand.
   • Draw a number of Common cards equal to the number of players plus 1, and place them face-up in the center. Starting with the First player and going clockwise, each player selects 1 card. The remaining card is discarded.
   • Repeat the previous step: draw a number of Common cards equal to the number of players plus 1. This time, the last player starts, and selection proceeds counter-clockwise. Each player selects 1 card, and the remaining card is discarded.

   There's no limit to how many cards you can hold, and cards in hand are kept secret!

2. Production Phase

   This is where your empire generates its wealth! Starting with the First player and going clockwise, each player collects Goods from three sources:

   • Faction board: Your faction's basic output of Workers, specific Resources, and tokens.
   • Deals: Each active Deal you've made provides 1 specific Good.
   • Production Locations: Any Production Locations you've built will generate their specified Goods.

   Cards are drawn from either your Faction deck or the Common deck (your choice). Victory Points are immediately marked on the track. All other Goods are taken from the general supply and added to your personal supply. Remember, in the first round, you only collect from your Faction board!

3. Action Phase

   This is the heart of the game, where you expand your empire! Starting with the First player and going clockwise, players take one action at a time. You can take any available action or pass. The phase continues until all players have passed. Once you pass, you can't take any more actions this round, and your Locations cannot be targeted by opponents' actions.

   Here are the actions you can take:

   • Build a Location:

     Choose a card from your hand and pay its building cost (shown in the upper left corner) using Goods from your supply. Place the card in your empire in the appropriate row (Production Locations on top, Feature Locations in the middle, Action Locations on the bottom). Faction Locations are typically placed to the left of your board, Common Locations to the right. Some Faction Locations might require you to discard an already built Location from your empire as part of their cost.

     • Production Locations: Give you specific Goods immediately when built and during every subsequent Production phase.
     • Feature Locations: Have special abilities active during your turn or grant Goods after certain actions.
     • Action Locations: To use their ability, you must place a Worker and/or specific Resource on the card. An Action Location can usually only be used once per round.
   • Make a Deal:

     Choose a Faction card from your hand (you can't make a deal with a Common card). Discard 1 Food. Place the card under your Faction board so only the "Deal" field (at the bottom) is visible. You immediately gain the Good the deal provides, and it will continue to provide this Good in future Production phases. There's no limit to how many deals you can have!

   • Raze:

     This action requires Raze tokens!

     • Raze a Common Card from Hand: Select a Common card from your hand, discard 1 Raze token, take the Goods depicted in the "Raze" field (upper right corner) from the general supply, and discard the card. (Japanese players can also raze their own Faction cards from hand.)
     • Raze an Opponent's Location: Choose an opponent and one of their Common Locations. Discard 2 Raze tokens. Take the Goods depicted in the "Raze" field from the general supply. The razed Location is turned face down and becomes a Foundation, and the opponent receives 1 Wood. (Note: Most Faction Locations cannot be razed, except for Japanese ones.)
   • Activate an Action Location:

     If you have an Action Location in your empire, choose it and pay the required Goods (Workers and/or Resources) by placing them on the card. Use the card's action. An Action Location can only be used once per round unless stated otherwise.

   • Spend 2 Workers to get 1 Resource or 1 Card:

     Discard 2 of your Workers. Take 1 Resource of your choice (Wood, Stone, or Food) from the general supply, or draw 1 card from either your Faction deck or the Common deck.

   Defense tokens: During the Production phase, each faction gains 1 Defense token. During your turn in the Action phase, you can place a Defense token on one of your Common Locations to protect it. This increases the number of Raze tokens an enemy needs to raze that Location by 1.

4. Cleanup Phase

   Time to tidy up before the next round! (Skip this phase in the final round.)

   • Players can use any storage abilities (from cards or their Faction board) to save indicated Goods.
   • Discard all non-stored Resources, Workers, and tokens (including Defense tokens and Goods used to activate Action Locations). Cards in hand are never discarded!
   • Pass the First player token to the next player in clockwise order.
   • Move the round marker to the next space on the Round track.
   • Begin a new round!

End of Game and Scoring

The game concludes after the fifth round. Once the Cleanup phase of the fifth round is skipped, it's time to tally up those scores!

1. Each player adds the Victory Point value of the Locations in their empire to their current VP score:
   • Each Common Location is worth 1 VP.
   • Each Faction Location is worth 2 VPs.
   • (Some Japanese Feature Locations like Shrine and Gate might grant extra VPs.)
2. The player with the most Victory Points wins the game!

Ties

In case of a tie, here's how to break it:

1. The tied player with the most Workers and Resources left is the winner.
2. If still tied, the winner is the tied player with the most cards left in their hand.
3. If there's still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Tips for Winning

Ready to lead your faction to glory? Here are a few pointers to get you started:

1. Resource Management is Key: Always keep an eye on your Resources (Food, Wood, Stone) and Workers. They are the lifeblood of your empire, allowing you to build, make deals, and activate powerful Locations. Remember that Gold tokens are super flexible and can substitute for any Resource!
2. Diversify Your Empire (or Specialize Smartly): While it's tempting to focus on one type of Location, a balanced empire with Production, Feature, and Action Locations can be incredibly powerful. Production Locations provide a steady income, Feature Locations offer ongoing benefits, and Action Locations give you flexible, on-demand power. Consider what your faction excels at and lean into it, but don't neglect other areas entirely.
3. Don't Underestimate Deals and Razing: Deals provide a consistent income stream, making your Production phase more robust each round. Razing, especially opponent's Common Locations, can be a great way to gain immediate Goods you need while simultaneously slowing down your rivals and denying them end-game Victory Points. Just be mindful of the cost in Raze tokens!