Teach the Game

A script to read aloud: how you win, the boards, a turn, how the game ends, every way to score, and what each resource is for.

How you win

“Dante’s Florence. Sin runs through every alley, and your family sees to it that sinners are accused, executed and sent below. Down in Hell, your ancestors herd their Souls through the nine circles, each to the punishment that fits its sin. The family that earns the most Infamy — before Dante finishes his descent — wins. One to four players, 45 to 120 minutes.”

To win you need Infamy points, and they come from three places in roughly equal shares:

• Souls in Hell — lay a Soul down in the circle of its own colour and score at once.
• Florence — Barrels delivered to your supply panel, Fraud cards and your reputation.
• Diplomas — at the end, each Diploma scores its circle’s fullness × your progress on that Sin Track.

The loop: in Hell you move a Soul down; where it stops tells you where in Florence you may act. In Florence you send family members out, then accuse a sinner — which feeds a new Soul to the Graveyard, pushes your Skull up its Sin Track and moves Dante one step closer to the end.

The boards

• Florence (top, 1–2) — eight locations in four quartieri: four free-access, four special.
• Hell (middle) — the Graveyard and River Acheron (3–4), Dante’s path (5), nine coloured circles of shields linked by chains, the Walls of Dis (6), the Loan track (7) and the Infamy track around the edge (8).
• The Death Log (bottom) — the bonuses (9), the eight Sin Tracks (10), the Diploma area (11), the Phlegethon multipliers (12) and the River Styx (13).
• Your player board — a Tower (rooms for Guests, Barrels and accusers), a supply panel for Barrels, and your home, where free family members wait.

Each part is explained on Boards & General Concepts.

A turn

Two compulsory phases:

1. Hell — move one Soul down: a standing Soul already in Hell, or one from the Graveyard for 1 . It jumps any occupied shield, never goes below its own circle, and needs your safe passage to cross the Walls of Dis. In its own circle it lies down and scores. → Hell phase
2. Florence — in the quartiere shown by that Soul’s shield (or anywhere, for 2 ):
   • send a family member from home to a location and take its actions; or
   • accuse with a family member already at a location: the accuser goes to your Tower, the others come home, a Soul of that colour enters the Graveyard, your Skull climbs its Sin Track, you take the track’s bonus, and Dante steps down — rewarding a pagan Soul and a Guardian, a Fraud card, or a Diploma; or
   • if you can do neither, a family council (−2 Infamy and fix one thing). → Florence phase

How the game ends

When an accusation takes Dante to his final stop: that player scores 2 and takes the last Diploma, and everyone else gets one more turn. Then the final scoring: Fraud cards, Phlegethon adjustment (−1 per empty shield in each circle), extra Diplomas from ½ Diplomas, Diplomas, loans, reputation. Most Infamy wins; ties go to most Diplomas. → Game End & Final Scoring

Ways to score

Source	How	When
Souls laid down	The value printed beside the circle (1 in Limbo up to 5 in Treason)	Hell phase
Weapons Barrel	1 per 2 Skull spaces advanced	Delivered at the WALL
Bread Barrel	2 per Diploma	Delivered at the WALL
Wine Barrel	1 per Skull on the tracks	Delivered at the WALL
Cloth Barrel	4, or a ½ Diploma	Delivered at the WALL
Sin Track past the 4th space	The points at the end of the track	Any advance
Bonuses and Fraud cards	Small amounts (1–3)	When played
Dante’s final stop	2	The final accusation
Fraud card endgame effects	Varies	Final scoring
Diplomas	Phlegethon value (1–5) × Skull level (1–4), up to 20 each	Final scoring
Reputation in Florence	Tallest Tower 4, most Guests 4, most Florins 3, most family at home 3	Final scoring
[Bulls] Unplayed Papal Bull	2	Final scoring
Losses: family council	−2	Each council
Losses: loans	−5 at once on the 3rd loan and each one past the 4th; −2 or −4 at the end	Loan track

What each resource is for

Resource	Why you need it	How you get it	How you use it
Nobles / Urchins	Act and accuse in Florence	Family card; Urchins at the HAYSTACK	Sent to locations; only Urchins enter the MARKET, and they enter the BONFIRE and WALL without paying a Florin
Tower space	Room for accusers, Guests and Barrels	Floors at the BANQUET	No free space, no accusation
Guests	Accuse at special locations	PALACE (+Florins = floor)	Accuser goes on the Guest’s floor
Florins	Entry costs; turn into Drachmas	BANK, PALACE	Pay entries; change at BONFIRE/WALL
Drachmas	Charon’s fare, bribes, cards, Guardians, Styx	Changing Florins; loans	Pay Hell’s costs
Barrels	Fraud card requirements; points	MARKET (Urchins only)	Own for cards; deliver at the WALL
Fraud cards	Instant boosts and endgame points	Start with 2; draw one per card played	Play at the WALL, a gold bonus or a Dante stop
Skulls on Sin Tracks	Diplomas and their multiplier	Accusations, River Styx, cards	Lead a track when Dante reaches its circle
Safe passages	Cross the Walls of Dis	BONFIRE, silver bonus	Stay on the gate all game
½ Diplomas	Buy a missed Diploma	4th space of a track, Cloth Barrel, cards	Two = one Diploma at the end
Guardians	Twist Hell to your plan	Pagan stops, silver bonuses, BONFIRE	See Guardians

Teaching tips

• Teach the Soul jump with the board: a Soul from the Graveyard skips anything occupied, even in Limbo, and may zigzag — this is the most misplayed rule.

• Stress that you can accuse at any time, with only one family member out — and that only an accusation gives a track’s bonus.

• Explain the end scoring early: a Diploma is worth nothing unless its circle is full and your Skull is high. One or two well-filled circles beat a fistful of Diplomas.

• For a first game use the first-game setup (I/II side, Apprentice cards, Medusa and Minos, no bonus tiles): it saves about 45 minutes.

• For a special-location accusation, show the matching Guest and an empty space on its exact Tower floor before moving the accuser. Practice example.