Eternal Dynasty Rules: Updated 1/13/14

3-5 Players, 60-150 Minutes

Introduction:
In Eternal Dynasty, players will take on the role of different rulers of competing families in ancient China.
They will complete for the highest score by spreading their Military and Political Influence and
controlling different Provinces. As each round of play passes, control of each family will pass onto a new
generation of Rulers.

Components:
22"x22" Game Board
36 Ruler Cards (Ruler Deck)
89 Dynasty Cards (Dynasty Deck)
30 Vote Cards (Vote Deck)
20 Event Cards (Event Deck)
10 Aye/Nay Cards
300 Influence Tokens (50 1-Influence, 10 5-Influence of each player color)
5 Scoring Tokens
5 Home Province Tokens
10 Leader Tokens
20 Structure Tokens
80 Coin Tokens (20 0-value, 40 1-value, 20 2-value)
1 Coin Bag
4 Event Tokens
2 3-Player Markers
Turn Counter
First Player Token
20-Sided Die

Start of Game:
-The game will last a number of Generations equal to the number of players in the game.
3 Players: 3 Generations - 9 Rounds per Generation (27 turns total)
4 Players: 4 Generations - 7 Rounds per Generation (28 turns total)
5 Players: 5 Generations - 6 Rounds per Generation (30 turns total)
-Each player receives a number of Vote cards equal to the number of players (and Generations) at the
beginning of the game.
-Each player receives 1 "Aye" card and 1 "Nay" card.
-Set aside 1 General card, 1 Magistrate card, 1 Fortress card, and 1 Palace card from the Dynasty Deck.
Some Rulers will require these specific cards.
-Shuffle all Coin Tokens and set them aside, face-down.
-Roll randomly to determine the first player. That player receives the First Player Token.

Phases of Each Generation:

-Event Phase (at the start of each Generation after the first).
-Deal 3 Rulers to each player.
-Deal 6 Dynasty Cards to each player.
-Each player chooses 1 Ruler and chooses and keeps a number of Dynasty Cards as indicated by their
chosen Ruler, discards their extra cards and unpicked Rulers, checks "When Rulers are chosen" abilities,
and adds 2 Military and 2 Political Influence to that Ruler's Home Province (in that order).
-Play X Rounds as dictated by the player count.
-Tally scores for the Generation.
-Remove all Leaders (Generals and Magistrates) from play.
-Set aside any Rulers chosen this Generation. Do not reshuffle them into the Ruler Deck.
-Pass the First Player Token clockwise. That player will be the first player for the next Generation.

Event Phase:
An Event Phase occurs at the beginning of each Generation past the first. Events are classified as Minor
or Major Events. At the beginning of each Event Phase, reveal and resolve an Event. If the first Event is a
Minor Event, reveal and resolve another Event.

Rulers:
There are 36 Rulers total. At the start of the
each Generation, each player is dealt 6 cards
from the Dynasty Deck and 3 of the Rulers. Each
Ruler has their own pool of Bonus Military and
Political Influence markers, unique skills, and
set number of cards that they keep for that
Generation. Each player will secretly select a
Ruler based on their Home Province, abilities,
and card count.

There are 36 Rulers total. At the start of the each Generation, each player is dealt 6 cards from the
Dynasty Deck and 3 of the Rulers. Each Ruler has their own pool of Bonus Military and Political Influence
markers, unique skills, and set number of cards that they keep for that Generation. Each player will
secretly select a Ruler based on their Home Province, abilities, and card count. After all players have
finished choosing a Ruler, all Rulers are revealed, and players discard down to the number of cards to
keep as indicated by their chosen Ruler. Discard all Rulers that were not picked.
Some Rulers may also have an "After Rulers are chosen" ability that will trigger at this time. If more than
one Ruler has an "After Rulers are chosen" ability, resolve the abilities clockwise, starting with the first
player in the Generation. "Cards" mentioned in Ruler abilities indicate Dynasty cards. Rulers that afford
protection from cards or certain types of cards do not protect against Events or Votes.
Some "After Rulers are chosen" abilities require specific cards from the Dynasty Deck. These cards
should have been set aside at the beginning of the game.
Each Ruler has a Home Province and adds 2 Military and 2 Political Influence token to their Home
Province.
For ease of reference, place your bonus Military Influence on the top of your Ruler card near the Military
symbol and your bonus Political Influence on the bottom of your Ruler card near the Political symbol.
This way, all players can clearly see how much bonus Influence of each type your Ruler has remaining.

Round of Play:
Play clockwise, taking turns starting with the Starting Player.
Once per Generation, at the start of their turn, a player may elect to call a Vote (see "Voting").
On their turn, a player may take one of the following actions:
-Place 1 Influence in or adjacent to a Province in which they already have Influence. The token is added
to either the Military or Political half of the Province. A player may always place Influence in his Home
Province even if he has no Influence there or in any adjacent Provinces.
-Play a card. In the event that more than one player takes action due to a card, play resolves clockwise,
starting to the left of the player who played the card.

Gaining Influence:
Whenever a player gains Influence for any reason other than adding the 2 Military and 2 Political
Influence in their Home Province at the start of the Generation such as placement, card, Ruler ability, or
Vote, they may choose to use some or all of their Bonus Influence. Bonus Influence must be placed in
the same Province in which the player gained Influence and must match the type of Influence gained. If
both types of Influence are gained, then Bonus Influence of both types may be spent. Even if another
player causes you to gain Influence (such as through an Alliance card), you may choose to utilize your
bonus Influence.
Some cards and Ruler abilities may not specify whether Influence gained is Military or Political. In that
case, the player gaining the Influence may choose either or both types of Influence up to the total
amount gained.
Some Rulers gain extra Influence in specific Provinces or Provinces in which they have no Influence. It is
possible in some instances for a player to gain more than the normal 2 Military and 2 Political Influence
in their Home Province after Rulers are initially selected.

Removing Influence:
You may run into situations where a player cannot remove as much Influence as is required by a card,
ability, Event, or Vote. In that case, the player must remove as much Influence as they are able to in
compliance with the affecting source. You must always choose to remove at least 1 Influence when you
are able to do so through a card or ability; in other words, you cannot target an empty area when you
have a viable target.

Voting:
Once per Generation, before using an "at the start of your turn" Ruler ability or taking their action, a
player may elect to call a Vote, using one of their Vote cards. Calling a Vote does not count as your
action for your turn. After discussing the Vote, players secretly set aside an "Aye" or "Nay" card. Once
every player has selected their choice, reveal and tally the "Aye" and "Nay" votes. After "Aye"s and
"Nay"s are revealed, players may then choose to use their remaining Vote cards to help the Vote pass or
fail. Starting with the player to the left of the player who called the Vote, players may elect to spend
some or all of their remaining Vote cards. Each Vote card can be cast as an additional "Aye" or "Nay"
vote.
If there are more "Aye"s than "Nay"s, the Vote passes and the card takes effect, moving clockwise,
starting with the player to the left of the player who called the vote.
Some Votes, if passed, will have consequences that can affect the entire Generation. For example,
Consolidation of Power prevents any Leaders from being played for the rest of the Generation; however,
if another player calls a Consolidation of Power Vote later on and it does not pass, then the new
outcome will over-rule the previous one and Leaders can be played again.

Leaders (Magistrates, Generals):

A player may only control up to 1 Magistrate and 1 General in a Province, but may have 1 of each in the
same Province or have multiple Magistrates and Generals spread across multiple Provinces. Multiple
Magistrates and Generals may also be present in the same Province if played by different players.
Leaders are removed at the end of each Generation.

Structures (Palaces, Fortresses):

Only 1 Palace and 1 Fortress may be played in a Province, but both a Fortress and a Palace could be in
the same Province.

Scoring:
Tally scores at the end of each Generation.
For each Province, award the following:

2 Points to the player who has the most Military Influence

1 Point to the player who has the second-most Military Influence
2 Points to the player who has the most Political Influence
1 Point to the player who has the second-most Political Influence
1 Coin Token if a player has the most Military and Political Influence

-In the event of a two-way tie for first, each Ruler receives 1 Point. No points are awarded for three-way
ties for 1st place or any ties for 2nd place.
-Players normally score 4 Points and 1 Coin per Province for having both the most Military and Political
Influence.
Structures also provide additional Points.

A Fortress provides 3 Points to the player who has the most Military Influence in that Province
A Palace provides 3 Points to the player who has the most Political Influence in that Province

-It is possible for a player to score 10 Points and 1 Coin in one Province for having the most Military and
Political Influence and also controlling a Fortress and a Palace in that Province.
-No Points are awarded on ties for Fortresses and Palaces
-Some Events may also award Coins. In the event of a two-way for first, each Ruler receives the 2nd
place reward. No Coins are awarded for three-way ties for 1st place or any ties for 2nd place.

Coin Tokens:
Coins are awarded primarily for controlling the most Military and Political Influence in a Province at the
end of a Generation. Some Events may also provide Coin rewards. Each Coin is worth anywhere from 0-2
Points at the end of the game. When you receive a Coin, leave it face-down and do not look at it. Coins
are not revealed until after you have tallied the points in the final Generation of the game. At that point,
all players reveal their Coins and add their value to calculate their final score. Coins help disguise the
score between players and add an element of uncertainty to final scoring.

Winning the Game:

The player with the most total Points, including Coins, at the end of the final Generation wins the game!
In the event of a tie score, the player with the most Coin Tokens wins (amount of Coins, not value of
points from Coins). If the Coin count is also tied, the player with the most Influence tokens on the board
at the end of the game wins. In the unlikely event that there is still a tie, the player who went first in
turn order during the final Generations wins.

Reshuffling:
Whenever a deck is empty, reshuffle that deck's discard pile. That is the new deck. The Vote Deck should
never need to be reshuffled, but you may need to reshuffle the Dynasty and Ruler Decks. Remember not
to shuffle back in any Rulers that have already been chosen as they should be set aside for the rest of
the game.

Terms:
New Province - A Province in which you have no Influence.
Represented Province - A Province in which you already have Influence.
Ruler - One player's chosen representative for their ruling family.
Border Province - The 7 provinces that are adjacent to the western edge of the map: Zhili, Shanxi,
Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guanxi.
Coastal Province - The 7 provinces that are adjacent to the eastern waters: Zhili, Shandong, Jiangsu,
Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi.

Special 3-Player Rules:

At the start of the game, roll 2 different Provinces randomly. Remove any Rulers who have those
Provinces as their Home Provinces from the game. These 2 Provinces are Quarantined for the duration
of the entire game and no Influence can be gained in them. Place a 3-Player Marker in each of those
Provinces as a reminder. Treat these 2 Provinces as removed from the game, and re-roll the die
whenever the result is one of these Quarantined Provinces. This special rule constricts the flow of the
board and forces earlier and additional interaction between the 3 players.

Basic Variant - No Events:

Events are dynamic and can greatly impact the landscape of the board in the blink of an eye. Some
players or playgroups may prefer less randomness. If so, simply set the Event Deck aside and skip the
Event Phase for the duration of the game. This will shorten the game as well if you are looking for a
faster Eternal Dynasty experience or have limited time.

Basic Variant - No Coins:

Any time a player would receive a Coin Token (having the most Military and Political Influence in a
Province or through an Event), that player instead receives 1 point. The scoring for this game variant will
be less variable and more straightforward with all of the game information openly available. Final
scoring is not obfuscated, and true point totals can be accurately calculated on each and every turn.
Some players may prefer this over the more random nature of Coins.

Advanced Variant - Ruler Draft:

When choosing Rulers, each player receives 3 Rulers at the start of the Generation as normal; however,
Rulers are then drafted. Each player picks 1 Ruler and then passes the remaining 2 Rulers to the left.
Then, each player picks another Ruler from those 2 and passes the remaining Ruler to the left. Players
then choose their Ruler for the Generation from this new pool of 3 Rulers. On the next Generation, pass
to the right instead and alternate passing with each subsequent Generation. On odd-numbered
Generations, you will pass left, and, on even-numbered Generations, you will pass right. This variant will
lengthen the game, especially with higher player counts, but can add additional weight and depth to the
choosing of Rulers.

Length Variant - Longer 3-Player Game:

3-player games of Eternal Dynasty are meant to be a faster and leaner Eternal Dynasty experience, but
some players may desire a longer 3-player game with an additional scoring round. In this variant, follow
the turn structure for the standard 4-player game. Each player will receive 4 Vote cards, and the game
will last for 4 Generations with 7 turns per Generation. The amount of times that players will play first
and last in a Generation will not be even (going last is generally considered an advantage). Rulers who
rely on Dynasty cards for their power will become more effective than in the standard 3-player game.

Length Variant - Shorter 5-Player Game:

5-player games of Eternal Dynasty tend to be longer and more complex compared to games with 3 or 4
players. As such, some gaming groups may desire a shorter Eternal Dynasty experience with 5 players. In
that case, only play 4 Generations with 6 turns per Generation. As with the length variant for a longer 3player game, the amount of times that players will play first and last in a Generation will not be even.

List of Provinces:
1. Yunnan
2. Sichuan
3. Gansu
4. Shaanxi
5. Shanxi
6. Zhili
7. Shandong
8. Jiangsu
9. Zhejiang
10. Fujian
11. Guangdong
12. Guanxi
13. Guizhou
14. Hunan
15. Hubei
16. Henan
17. Anhui
18. Jiangxi
19-20. Re-roll

Note on Provinces:
Some Provinces have names that are very similar, so please be careful when checking these Provinces.
Shanxi and Shaanxi are adjacent to each other and only a letter apart. Henan and Hunan also only differ
by one letter.

Specific Rulings on Rulers:

Feng the Beloved, Fu-Quan the Strategist, Lu-Ban the Architect, Sun the Magnificent:
After using their special Leader or Structure card, set it aside. It does not go into the Dynasty Deck
discard pile.
Fu the Rat, Xue-Gui the Entrepreneur:
You can play a free card of the appropriate type either before or after your regular action for the turn.
Grand Educator Ing-Hwa:
His ability triggers when placing your initial 2 Military and 2 Political Influence in Guangdong, so you will
receive an extra Influence at that time. You also gain an extra Influence each time you gain Influence in
Guangdong, so he can gain extra Influence in Guangdong twice, for example, if you called a Vote and
placed an Influence token normally in Guangdong.
Kuo the Mountain King, Mei-Lin the Pirate Queen:
You may gain Influence in a border or coastal province by either placing an Influence token normally or
playing a card like Scouts, Envoys, or Bribe.
Li of the Sun, Mei of the Moon:
Their abilities trigger when placing your initial 2 Military and 2 Political Influence in their Home
Provinces, so it is possible for you to gain an additional Military or Political Influence at that time. You
also check for their ability before you take your action. For example, if you play a Betrayal on another
player with more Influence of the appropriate type, you will gain the extra Influence even if you have
more Influence after resolving the Betrayal.
Wu-Gui the Paranoid:
His ability is always in effect and takes place immediately. If another Ruler starts the Generation where
you have Influence, they must choose to expend one of the initial 2 Military and 2 Political Influence that
they would normally receive in their Home Province.
Xun, Twice-Blessed:
If you roll a "1" when resolving his ability, it may wrap to "18" and vice versa.

Credits:
Game Design: Nicholas Yu
Additional Design: Joshua Reubens
Card Artwork: Lea Segarra
Cover Art: Tong Bui
Variant Artwork: Kendall Goode
Map Design: Heavycat Studios
Graphic Design: Atomic Design; Samantha Armstrong
Symbol Design: Jackson Lin
Distribution & Publishing: Game Salute
Play-Test Lead: Matthew Congdon
Additional Play-Testing: Patrick Geraghty, Jen Kandris, Thomas Kandris, Michelle Kessel, Colin
O'Loughlin, , Sara Reubens

Special Thanks:
My patient and loving wife, Feng, and our twins, Malcolm and Jackson
My family and friends
Chris Leder and Jason Glover
Game Salute (http://www.gamesalute.com)
The Game Crafter community (http://www.thegamecrafter.com)
The BoardGameGeek community (http://www.boardgamegeek.com)
Calabrese Studio (http://www.calabresestudio.com)

Legal:
Eternal Dynasty is and 2014 Zucchini People Games, LLC. All rights reserved.
http://www.zucchinipeoplegames.com