Teach the Game

A script to read aloud: how you win Trajan, the mancala action circle, the boards, a turn, the end of each quarter, every way to score and what each piece is for.

How you win

“Rome, 110 AD, under the Emperor Trajan. We are patricians gaining prestige in six fields: the seaport, the forum, the army, Trajan’s favour, the senate and the building sites. Our actions come from a little mancala of coloured markers on our own mat. Four quarter years; most points wins — 60 to 120 minutes.”

• You need: points from shipping goods, conquering provinces, the senate, construction sets, Trajan tiles and the bonus tiles of the senate — while feeding the people every quarter.
• You get them by: sowing your action markers round your action circle; the tray where the last one lands is your action, and matching colours there fulfil the Trajan tile beside it.

The action circle

This is the heart of Trajan, played like mancala (full rules):

1. Pick up all the markers of one tray.
2. Drop them one per tray, clockwise, in any colour order.
3. The tray of the last marker is your target: you may do its action.
4. If the Trajan tile beside that tray shows two colours that are now both in it, you score the tile and use its bonus.
5. The number of markers you picked up moves the shared time marker; one lap of it ends a round.

So you plan two things at once: which tray your last marker reaches (the action), and which colours pile up where (the Trajan tiles). Few markers = small step, short time; many markers = long reach, and the round runs out faster for everyone.

The boards

1. Victory points track — round the edge.
2. Provinces — each with a forum tile and a value for your first legionnaire.
3. Military camp — your leader and legionnaires start here.
4. Seaport — three ships buy sets of commodity cards.
5. Worker camp — workers waiting to build.
6. Construction district — 20 construction tiles.
7. Arch of Trajan — the six stacks of Trajan tiles.
8. Forum — 3 extra action tiles and 6, 9 or 12 forum tiles.
9. Senate track — each step scores 2 to 8 and adds a vote.
10. Senate bonus tiles — for consul and vice consul each quarter.
11. Time tracks — one for each player count; a lap is a round.
12. Unmet demands — −4, −9, −15 points.

1. Construction tiles — the icon beside each slot is the bonus action of your first tile of that type.
2. Trajan demand tiles — kept for good once accomplished.
3. Trajan tile slots I–VI — one beside each tray.
4. Supply of small tokens — future legionnaires and workers.
5. Forum demand tiles — bread, games, religion.
6. Wild cards — commodity, demand, construction and extra action.
7. Action circle — six trays, one action each.
8. Extra action tiles — repeat an action once per turn.
9. Senate tiles — extra votes this quarter.
10. [+2] marker spaces — an extra action tile there repeats the action twice.

A turn

1. Sow markers from one tray; the time marker moves that many spaces.
2. Trajan tile: if the target tray now has its two colours, score it and use its bonus.
3. Action of the target tray — then perhaps one extra action tile to repeat it.

The six actions (details): Seaport (commodity cards and ships), Forum (take a tile), Military (recruit, march, occupy), Trajan (take a Trajan tile), Senate (climb and score), Construction (hire and build).

How the game ends

• A round ends when the time marker completes a lap: reveal a demand tile. The fourth lap ends the quarter: meet the three demands (or lose 4 / 9 / 15), the senate names consul and vice consul (bonus tiles), and the board is refilled (details).
• After the fourth quarter: 1 point per card in hand, worker in camp, legionnaire in camp and Trajan tile on your circle; 10 / 20 per set of 3 / 4 construction tiles of a type; bonus tiles (final scoring).
• Ties: the higher senate position wins.

Ways to score

Source	How and when
Ships	Seaport action: identical cards, different cards or pairs — up to 20
Provinces	Military action: a legionnaire scores the province’s value, −3 per rival legionnaire there
Senate	Senate action: 2 to 8 per step
Trajan tiles	When accomplished: their points (1 to 9)
Construction tiles	When taken: 2 to 5; at the end 10 per set of 3, 20 per set of 4
Bonus tiles	End: as printed (9 or 6 for a demand, 3/2 per commodity card, per worker, per legionnaire, per yellow bonus tile)
Leftovers	End: 1 per card in hand, worker and legionnaire in the camps, Trajan tile on the circle
Losses	End of each quarter: 4 / 9 / 15 for 1 / 2 / 3 unmet demands

What each resource is for

Teaching tips

• Teach the action circle first, with real markers on a mat: pick up, sow clockwise, last marker = action.
• Then show a Trajan tile and its two colours, and let everyone try to land one.
• Point at the demand tiles from round 1: each quarter’s three demands must be met or cost points.
• Mention that big handfuls shorten the round for everyone.

Rehearse the action circle

Choose a tray holding two markers. Place one in each of the next two trays clockwise; the second tray is your target. Advance time by two spaces, even if you later decline the tray’s action. Check the target’s Trajan tile first: its required colours may include markers that were already in the tray. Resolve a completed tile before the target action.

Ask: ‘Does crossing the start end my turn immediately?’ No: finish the turn, then resolve the round or quarter ending.