Teach the Game
A table-ready introduction to building a colony and trading from Carthage.
How you win
We govern rival Roman colonies around Carthage. Over five rounds we draft dice, build a colony and fleet, and send ships past pirates to trade. Most Prestige wins.
Draft dice for resources, cards and Colonists. Turn them into useful card effects, Senate progress and trading Ships; keep enough free Colonists for Domestic Growth.
The boards
- Map and card displays supply resources, Persons, Buildings and Ships.
- Shipyard supplies the three Ship sizes.
- Harbor tiles are activated by matching dice.
- Ship displays hold one of each size.
- Person display provides reusable actions.
- Building display provides engines and scoring.
- Round marker tracks A and B.
- Senate rewards playing coloured cards.
- Dice Bonus tiles change colour rewards each round.
- Senate markers start at the bottom of all four tracks.
- Dice bag supplies each draft.
- Shared tokens include Colonists, Coins and Prestige.
A round
- A: draft two dice. Anchor starts clockwise. The spare die becomes the Smuggler die.
- Act from lowest dice total to highest. Finish both die placements and any Govern actions before the next player. A slot must match the die’s colour; split pips between neighbouring tiles if useful.
- Sail. Compare Ships with cumulative Pirates; trade for Coins and Prestige or push farther. Turn stopped Ships left.
- End the turn. Left-facing Ships sail home by Speed. Clear Pirates, refill demand and pass Anchor.
- Repeat for B, leaving A’s Harbor dice in place. Then score free Colonists, retrieve employed Colonists except crew, refresh displays and Bonus tile, and return all dice.
How the game ends
Finish round V and its end steps, then add final scoring. Ties use remaining Coins, then shared victory.
Ways to score
| Source | When |
|---|---|
| Trading and matching Luxuries | During Voyages. |
| Domestic Growth | One Prestige per two free Colonists before employed Colonists return. |
| Senate and overflowing resources | When the relevant reward triggers. |
| Ship and Building printed values | Game end, including retired Ships. |
| Governor colour pairs | One Prestige per one-of-each pair at game end. |
| Dock Huts, Insulae and adjacent pairs | Game end. |
| Endgame Building effects | Game end. |
| Unspent Smuggler’s tokens | One Prestige each at game end. |
What each resource is for
| Resource | Why you need it and how to use it |
|---|---|
    | Basic resources come from Harbor actions and colour bonuses; pay them for Ships, Buildings, structures and repairs. Each track stops at five. |
| Colonists | Gain from Harbor benefits and cards; house them, employ them or put them aboard docked Ships. Free pairs score each round. |
 | Gain from Harbor benefits and cards; spend for temporary pips, retrieving activations or Senate progress. |
 | Trading income; convert to resources or use Conversion cards. Coins break final ties. |
| Luxuries | Two Colonists produce one; deliver against demand for extra trading Prestige. |
 | Gain in the Smuggler’s District; spend to ignore one Shore Fee or save for final Prestige. |
| Activation markers | Three reusable markers activate Persons; pay two Favor to retrieve one. |
Teaching tips
- Demonstrate one split-pip placement before the first draft.
- Keep A’s dice in place when explaining the start of B.
- Show a Ship’s Strength, Cargo, Speed and Hull as four different jobs.
- Explain Domestic Growth before anyone employs their last free pair.