How to Play Tribune: Expansion

Edge Entertainment, Fantasy Flight Games, Heidelberger Spieleverlag · Board game · 2008
2–6 · best 4 60–90 min Weight 2.9/5
8.0 rating Ludopedia
7.3 rating BGG

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Step by step

Objective of the Game

The objective of the game remains the same as in the base game: the winner is the first player to fulfill the required number of achievements at the end of a round, as shown on the victory condition card chosen at the beginning of the game. If multiple players achieve this, the player whose achievements have a higher total point value wins. The expansion introduces new achievements like Favor of the Emperor and Patron, which are obtained through the new regions on the expansion game board.

Preparation (Setup)

  1. Lay out the base game materials as outlined in the base game rules.
  2. Lay the expansion game board out alongside the base game board.
  3. Stack the patron tiles on the Refugium (IX).
  4. Shuffle the 10 Favor of the Emperor tiles and stack them, face-down, on the Basilica (X) on the expansion game board. Reveal the topmost tile.
  5. Place the official tiles, face-up, onto the 5 spaces of the Capitoleum (XI) on the expansion game board.
  6. Shuffle the 3 assassin cards as well as all 15 slave cards (Nubians, Germanians, and Greeks) into the faction card pile from the base game (forming the draw pile).
  7. Choose (or draw at random) a new victory condition card. Give each player 1 of these victory condition cards.

Game Without Brutii Player

  • Choose a start player in any manner.
  • Each player chooses a color, then receives:
    • A number of followers depending on the number of players in the game:
      • 2-4 players = 6 followers
      • 5 players = 5 followers
    • The family sheet of his chosen color.
    • 6 cards from the draw pile (keep 4, discard 2).
    • Denarii depending on player position. The starting player receives 12 denarii, each other player receives 1 more denarius than the player to his right.

Game With Brutii Player

  • One player chooses to lead the Brutii family. The starting player is the player to the left of the Brutii player.
  • The Brutii player receives:
    • The 6 action discs
    • The 12 action cards
    • The Brutii family sheet
  • Each other player chooses a color, then receives:
    • A number of followers depending on the number of players (including the Brutii player) in the game:
      • 5 players = 6 followers
      • 6 players = 5 followers
    • The family sheet of his chosen color.
  • All players receive:
    • 6 cards from the draw pile (keep 4, discard 2).
    • Assign Denarii. The starting player receives 12 denarii, each other player receives 1 more denari than the player to his right.

Game Setup for the Brutii Player

  • Shuffle the action discs and place them, face-down, next to the family sheet.
  • The Brutii player keeps the 12 action cards in hand, hidden from the other players. Each action card's effect is described on the Brutii family sheet.

Fluxo do Jogo

The Brutii expansion is played in phases, just as in the base game. Overall, the phase sequence is identical to that of the base game except that after the “Faction Benefits” phase, a new phase is included: “Expansion Board Region Evaluation.” During the individual phases, however, some special rules for the Brutii player exist.

The starting player begins; the other players follow in clockwise order.

  1. Phase 1: Card Placement
  2. Phase 2: Placement of Followers
  3. Phase 3: Base Game Board Region Evaluation
  4. Phase 4: Faction Take-overs
  5. Phase 5: Faction Benefits
  6. Phase 6: Expansion Board Region Evaluation
  7. Phase 7: Chariot Auction
  8. Phase 8: Next Round Preparation

Ações e Como Jogar

Phase 1: Card Placement

  • Cards from the draw pile are placed on the game board as in the base game.
  • No cards are placed on the expansion game board.

Phase 2: Placement of Followers

  • Followers may now also be placed on the expansion game board. Evaluation of regions on the expansion game board doesn’t take place until Phase 6.
  • Followers are placed as in the base game. Follower spaces may hold only one follower each.

Special rules for follower placement on the expansion game board:

  • Refugium: Each player may only occupy one of the follower spaces.
  • Basilica: The first player to place a follower here places it onto the space marked with a “1.” The next player to place a follower here places it onto the space marked with a “2.” Each player may only occupy one of the follower spaces.
  • Capitoleum: The first player to place a follower here places it onto the space marked with a “1.” The next player to place a follower here places it onto the space marked with a “2,” the third player places his follower on the “3” space. Each player may only occupy one of the follower spaces.
  • The player who owns the Princeps official tile may place 2 of his followers each turn until he runs out. His turn is then skipped until the end of the phase.

Brutii Player's Turn in Phase 2:

On the Brutii player’s turn, he reveals one of his action discs. There are three possibilities:

  • The action disc shows a cross: The Brutii player may not play an action card.
  • The action disc shows a circular arrow: The Brutii player must choose an action card and place it, face-up, in front of himself.
  • The action disc shows a circular arrow as well as a follower: The Brutii player must choose an action card and place it, face-up, in front of himself. In addition, he must place the proconsul piece, if he has it. This can only occur if he controls the Patricians this round.

In all three cases, his turn is then usually over and play passes to the next player. The action cards whose effects are resolved immediately are exceptions to this rule. They include:

  • Buy A Legion
  • Slave Cards
  • Mass Murder
  • Veto

Each action card’s effect is described on the Brutii family sheet.

Proconsul Special Case

It can occur that the Brutii player has the proconsul piece (via control of the Patricians). This gives him the opportunity to place a follower, just like the other players. He can choose to place it on a faction space, in a region on either the base game or the expansion game board, or on the coin bowl.

Phase 3: Base Game Board Region Evaluation

  • The regions of the base game board are resolved as in the base game.
  • Only pairs of faction cards may be discarded at the Field of Mars. Assassin cards or slave cards may not be discarded there.
  • If an assassin card or slave card is located at the Pantheon, then the corresponding card type must be sacrificed as well. With slaves, however, the nationality is irrelevant.

Brutii Player Actions in Phase 3:

  • Forum Romanum: The Brutii player played the “Cards” action card. If he chooses option 1, he receives, free of charge, all cards in the Forum that no other player bought.
  • Latrine: The Brutii player played the “Denarii” action card. If the Latrine is unoccupied, he receives denarii equal to the card’s value. If the Latrine is occupied by another player, who chooses to buy the card, the Brutii player receives the denarii from that player instead. If the occupying player chooses to take denarii, the Brutii player receives nothing.
  • Curia: The Brutii player played the “Cards” action card. If he chooses option 1, then he receives, free of charge, all cards in the Curia that no other player chose to discard for. If he chooses option 2, he receives all cards that the other players chose to discard at the Curia instead.
  • Catacombs: The Brutii player played the “Cards” action card. If he chooses option 2, he receives, free of charge, all cards from the Catacombs that no other player chose to buy.
  • Pantheon: The Brutii player played the “Eternal Favor of the Gods” action card. If, in this round, another player placed a follower on the Pantheon, then the Brutii player can also claim an Eternal Favor of the Gods tile, provided he can sacrifice an appropriate card. Unlike the other player, the Brutii player may not look at the card on the Pantheon card field ahead of time.
  • Field of Mars: The Brutii player played the “Wreaths” action card. He can discard as many card pairs as the Field of Mars has unoccupied follower spaces. Pairs must be made up of cards of the same faction. For each discarded card pair, he receives one wreath. He also receives the additional laurel if he discarded the card pair with the highest total sum.
  • Coin Bowl: The Brutii player played the “Denarii” action card. He receives 1 denari from the stock for each follower placed on the coin bowl.

Phase 4: Faction Take-overs

  • Faction take-overs are carried out as in the base game.

Assassin (Assassino)

During the take-overs, assassin cards can be played. The following rules apply:

  • Each assassin card, when played, removes the highest-value card from the set of faction cards currently displayed on the table for the faction currently being taken over.
  • Only the player currently attempting a take-over may play an assassin card, and only if he can actually play a card set and take the faction over.
  • More than one assassin card can be played. Each assassin card played removes a faction card.
  • Assassin cards, once played, are added to the discard pile.
  • The two lowest cards in a faction card set may not be assassinated.

Note: Assassin cards may also be placed face-down in the Pantheon. To claim Eternal Favor of the Gods in this event, 1 assassin card must also be sacrificed. Assassin cards may not be discarded as a card pair in the Field of Mars.

Assassin cards have a value of 0. If they are added to the Curia, then no additional cards are added to that card field, even if the field’s sum of card values is less than 5.

Brutii Player Faction Take-Overs

The Brutii player can only take factions over when he played the “Faction Take-Over” action card. He then has 2 options, one of which he must choose at the start of Phase 4.

  1. The Brutii player can take over all factions where no other players placed followers on the follower spaces.
  2. The Brutii player can try to take over all factions where only one player placed a follower on a follower space. In this case he acts as if he had placed followers on the second follower spaces (see base game rules).

In both cases, the Brutii player must of course meet all usual requirements for faction take-over.

Phase 5: Faction Benefits

  • Faction benefits are received as in the base game.
  • The player who owns the Tribunus Plebis official tile can use any 2 factions of his choice to claim a tribune tile. He must currently control at least 2 factions and own a scroll. He must use both factions to claim the tile – that is, he may not receive those factions’

Rules manual

Official PDF file

Prefer the Official PDF? Download the official Tribune: Expansion rulebook or browse it online with our AI rules assistant.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about the rules

3 questions
What is the objective of Tribune: Expansion?
The objective of the game remains the same as in the base game: the winner is the first player to fulfill the required number of achievements at the end of a round, as shown on the victory condition card chosen at the beginning of the game. If multiple players achieve this, the player whose achievements have a higher total point value wins. The expansion introduces new achievements like Favor of the Emperor and Patron, which are obtained through the new regions on the expansion game board.
How do you set up Tribune: Expansion?
Lay out the base game materials as outlined in the base game rules. Lay the expansion game board out alongside the base game board. Stack the patron tiles on the Refugium (IX). Shuffle the 10 Favor of the Emperor tiles and stack them, face-down, on the Basilica (X) on the expansion game board. Reveal the topmost tile. Place the official tiles, face-up, onto the 5 spaces of the Capitoleum (XI) on the expansion game board. Shuffle the 3 assassin cards as well as all 15 slave cards (Nubians…
How do you play Tribune: Expansion?
The Brutii expansion is played in phases, just as in the base game. Overall, the phase sequence is identical to that of the base game except that after the “Faction Benefits” phase, a new phase is included: “Expansion Board Region Evaluation.” During the individual phases, however, some special rules for the Brutii player exist. The starting player begins; the other players follow in clockwise order. Phase 1: Card Placement Phase 2: Placement of Followers Phase 3: Base Game Board Region…
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