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e rise and decline of the Serenissima A strategy game by Marco Maggi & Francesco Nepitello
The rise and decline of the SerenissimaA strategy game by Marco Maggi & Francesco Nepitello
INTRODUCTIONIn Venetia, 2 to 4 players compete to become the most prosperous and influential noble family in the history of the Serenissima Republic.
From its rise in the ninth century to its decline and fall in the eighteenth, players take part in the golden age that built the city that once was the Queen of the Mediterranean.
Your aim in the gameEach player controls a patrician household of Venice, vying for power against other influential families. To gain clout and fortune (Victory Points), families extend their influence outside the city, sending representatives to foreign markets.
As their authority spreads, the power of Venice increases accordingly, and distant towns and ports fall under the sway of the Serenissima. At the same time, players compete inside the city for the coveted title of Doge, the head of the government, spending Ducats to gain popularity.
Many threatsBut the hegemony of Venice over the Mediterranean is threatened by many enemies. The Republic faces the rise of competing powers, such as the rival seafaring Republic of Genoa and the Kingdom of Aragon to the west, or the Byzantine Empire and then the Ottoman Turks to the east.
Century after century, players will take part in the struggle that will see the rise and fall of the Republic of Venice.
Rewrite historyThe game is played across three epochs: Rise, Apogee and Struggle. A Power track on the board is used to trigger the passage of the various epochs, and an Epoch box and marker are used to keep track of the current epoch.
Venice starts the game in its Rise, and the game ends when the Struggle epoch is completed.
Players score Victory Points (VPs) at the end of every epoch.
The player with the highest VP score at the end of the game wins!
Components listThe standard rules require the following components:
- 1 game board
- 7 Action dice
- 160 Influence tokens, in 4 colours
- 32 Podestà tokens, in 4 colours
- 24 Family cards, 6 for each family
- 45 Action cards
- 20 Threat cards
- 10 Battle tiles
- 18 VP tokens (Victory Points)
- 18 Doge tokens
- 12 Venice Control/Enemy fleet tokens
- 42 Kingdom tokens (shields)
- 1 Infamy marker
- 1 Venetia marker
- 1 Enemy Powers markers
- 3 Epoch markers, 1 for each Epoch
The set of optional rules found at page xx require the following additional components:
- 60 Ducat tokens, in 4 colours
- 24 Monument tokens, in 4 colours
- 7 Voting tiles
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STANDARD RULESMost games of Venetia should be played using the rules presented in this chapter.
Players looking for a higher level of historical accuracy and strategy may consider the addition of the optional rules presented at page xx.
STANDARD COMPONENTSWhen using the standard rules, players do not make use of a number of components (Ducat and Monument tokens, and Sestiere tiles) and do not take into account the names of the districts of the city of Venice (Sestieri) shown on the board around the city diagram.
Players’ materialsAt the start of a game, each player chooses a colour (among white, red, blue and yellow) and takes all the components related to that colour.
Family cardsFamily cards are used by players to select their candidate for the title of Doge when new elections occur.
Influence tokensEach player gets 40 Influence tokens (wooden cubes) in the selected colour.
Players place Influence tokens in sea areas and colonies on the board, competing with other players for predominance.
Podestà tokensPlayers receive 8 Podestà tokens apiece (wood pawns), representing the city officials who govern a colony in the name of the Serenissima.
Podestà tokens are placed on the board to mark when a player has gained control over a colony.
Action diceThe game uses seven custom dice, divided in three sets by colour. The colour indicates the type of action that a die allows a player to undertake: military (silver), political (bronze) and commercial (gold). Each die offers the same set of icons, regardless of its colour:
The dice are rolled to generate the Action die pool, a set of die results that are used by players to take actions. At the start of his turn, each player selects one die result among those available.
Action cardsThere are 45 Action cards in the game. Each card describes a powerful special opportunity of play inspired by historical events, and shows a number of Ducats, to be used for the elections of a new Doge.
Players draw cards when a die result showing a card icon is selected. Cards that have been used or discarded are placed to form a discard pile. If the Action deck is ever exhausted, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
White player: the Dandolo
Red player: the Gradenigo
Yellow player: the Morosini
Blue player: the Venier
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Threat cardsThreat cards introduce events capable of changing the political, economical and military landscape of the Mediterranean. (a section at the end of this booklet illustrates the historical circumstances introduced by each card - see page xx).
Players draw cards from the Threat deck at designated moments - whenever the Action die pool is exhausted, and when a player taking a military action triggers a Casus belli - an incident that provokes the reaction of enemy powers.
Battle tilesBattles in Venetia are resolved using a set of ten Battle tiles. These large cardboard tiles are kept aside until needed, and must be shuffled each time they are used.
VP tokensPlayers gain VP tokens by removing Enemy fleets and playing Action cards specifically instructing them to draw them. VP tokens are worth a variable number of Victory Points - from 1 to 3. These tokens are scored and then discarded at the end of each epoch of the game (see Scoring, page xx).
The game boardThe gameboard depicts the Mediterranean Sea and its coasts - the focus of the expansion of the Serenissima Republic along its history.
The map is divided in ten regions and eight sea areas.
RegionsRegions are identified by a distinctive colour and name (the numbers are keys to the board image at the bottom of the page).
Ponente (a), Tirreno (b), Italia (c), Dalmatia (d), Grecia (e), Romania (f ), Arcipelago (g), Tartaria (h), Levante (i), Africa (l).
Every region contains three minor colonies and one major colony (smaller circles inscribed with a ‘3’ and bigger circles with a ‘4’, respectively).
A small shield box is placed beside each region’s name, and will be used to hold a Kingdom token should it enter play.
Finally, one or more dots are placed on top of each region’s name - this is the value of a Victory Points bonus awarded to players who have Influence tokens inside a major colony (see Scoring, page xx)
Sea areasEight sea areas are distinguished by a name and by a large white circle. Sea areas are separated from each other by dotted borders.
Boxes and tracks on the board are used to keep track of different activities.(m) The Power track: Used to record the rise of
the power of the Serenissima, and the threat of its enemies (using the Venetia and the Enemy Powers markers, respectively).
(n) The Action die pool boxes: Where the Action dice are placed after they have been rolled.
(o) The Family boxes: Where players place their Action cards when they decide to run for the next Doge elections.
(p) The Doge box: Where the Family card of the current Doge is displayed, along with the available Doge tokens.
(q) The Threat box: Where the deck of Threat cards is placed at the start of the game.
(r) The Epoch box: Where an epoch marker corresponding to the current Epoch is placed.
ab c
d
e
f
g
h
i
l
mn
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q r
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SETTING UP THE GAME1. Every player chooses a colour and takes all the
corresponding components (set of Family cards, Influence and Podestà tokens).
2. Shuffle the deck of Threat cards and place it on the Threat box on the board.
3. Place the Epoch marker numbered ‘I’ on the Epoch box to the right of the Threat box on the board.
4. Shuffle the deck of Action cards and deal 3 cards to each player. Then, place the deck beside the board.
5. Place the Venetia marker on the leftmost step of the Power track (white circle). Then, place the Enemy marker on the opposite end of the track (black circle).
6. Place all Battle tiles face down and mix them. Keep them near at hand.
7. Put all VP tokens inside an opaque container. Keep it near at hand.
8. Proceed to elect the first Doge.
The first DogeNow proceed to elect the first Doge of the game: all players take part in the elections choosing one Family card and one Action card. All players place both cards face down on the table - then, all cards are revealed and their values compared.
Add up the value on the Family card and the number of Ducats shown on the Action card played along with it: the highest scoring player is the first Doge.
In case of a tie, the player who played the Family card with the highest value among those that tied is elected Doge (break any further tie randomly).
The elected player places the Family card he played on the Doge box on the board. The Family cards chosen by those players who lost the elections are discarded (unless it was the Family member with a value of 1 - see Doge Elections, page xx), along with all the Action cards used for voting.
The new Doge takes a number of Doge tokens, based on the number of players: 3 tokens with 3 or 4 players, 4 with 2 players (these tokens will be used to track when the next election will take place).
The first turnNow, the Doge player rolls the Action dice to create the first Action die pool (place the dice in their respective boxes on the board). Then, the Doge takes the first action of the game. The game proceeds with players choosing a die and taking actions, alternating in clockwise order.
TURN SEQUENCEThe game is played in turns. Players alternate as the acting player in clockwise order around the table. During each turn, the acting player applies the sequence of phases found below. When he is done, the sequence starts anew with the player to his left.
Each phase is applied every turn, with the exception of the first and the last phases in the sequence (Threat phase and Election phase, in italics in the sequence).
1. Draw Threat cardsIf the Action die pool is empty, the Doge player proceeds to draw a number of Threat cards. (Skip this phase if the Action die pool isn’t empty). The number of cards to draw depends on the current epoch:
Draw 1 Threat card during Rise, 2 Threat cards during Apogee, 3 Threat cards during Struggle.
The Doge draws one card at a time, and applies the effects of each card before he draws another (see also Threat cards, page xx).
When the effects of all cards drawn have been resolved, the acting player rolls all the Action dice to form the new Action die pool.
2. Choose an Action dieThe acting player chooses a die result among those available in the Action die pool. If the result directs to draw one or more cards, read the entry below.
Draw Action cardsIf the acting player has chosen a (2 Card) die result, he now draws one Action card. If he has chosen a (4 Card) die result, then all the other players (but not the acting player) in turn draw one Action card.
Players draw cards in clockwise order starting from the player to the left of the acting player.
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When a player draws a card, he looks at it and chooses whether he wants to:
a. Keep the card and add it to his hand (to use later its special ability);
OR
b. Place the card face down on the board, on the box corresponding to his Family (on top of other cards eventually played there). The number of Ducats on the card will be accounted for the next Doge election.
Players entitled to draw cards must do it before the acting player starts using his Action points for the turn.
N.B. Cards can be placed on a Family box only when drawn. If a card is added to a player’s hand, it can then be played exclusively for its special ability.
3. Take an actionThe acting player now takes an action based on the selected die type (military, political, commercial).
Actions are executed spending a number of Action points equal to the chosen die result (see Taking Actions, in the following column).
If the acting player is the current Doge, he must first use up a Doge token (see The Power of the Doge, page xx).
Play Action cardsWhen it is his time to take an action, the acting player may play one card from his hand (only one). Cards are distinguished by type in the same way as the Action dice (there are military, commercial and political cards).
To be able to play it, the acting player must choose a card of the same type of the Action die chosen for the turn.
For example, a player may play “Unique Trade” (a gold card) only if he chose a commercial Action die for the turn.
A card showing the keyword ◆ Free can be played in addition to the expenditure of Action points. Otherwise, the action described by the card replaces the expenditure of Action points. Read carefully the text on a card to apply its effects.
4. Elect a new DogeIf the current Doge player is left without any Doge tokens, proceed now to elect a new Doge. (Skip this phase if the Doge player still has Doge tokens).
TAKING ACTIONSThe acting player has at his disposal a number of Action points equal to the value of the die result he chose for the turn.
For example, if the selected die result is a 3, the acting player may spend up to 3 Action points.
Actions points are mainly used to establish naval routes and place Influence tokens in colonies on the board.
Players may only place Influence in colonies that are connected to the city of Venice by a valid naval route; when a colony is not connected to Venice, the acting player may spend points to establish a naval route.
1. Establishing a naval routeTo be able to place Influence in colonies the acting player must establish a naval route connecting those colonies to Venice.
The acting player checks the board to see which sea areas separate Venice from the colonies he intends to influence:
For every sea area that does not contain a Venice Control token (uncontrolled sea areas) the acting player must spend one Action point and place an Influence inside it.
When the acting player places an Influence token inside a sea area, he gains control over it for the entire turn (and is thus entitled to add the area to a naval route).
N.B. Players are not allowed to place more than one Influence token in the same sea area during the same turn.
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For example, the blue player places Influence in Corphu. The colony is separated from Venice by three sea areas (Golfo di Venetia, Mare Adriatico and Mare Libico). Golfo di Venetia and Mare Adriatico contain a Venice Control token: to reach Corphu, the acting player must spend 1 Action point and place one Influence token in Mare Libico. (If all three sea areas were already controlled, the acting player would not have needed to spend any Action points to establish a naval route).
The Dominion of Venice over the SeasA sea area containing a Venice Control token is part of the dominion of Venice and can be included in any naval route without the need to spend Action points.
A Venice Control token is placed in on a sea area when the total number of Influence tokens placed inside it reach the numerical rating printed on the board.
When an uncontrolled sea area becomes controlled, all Influence tokens are given back to their respective owners.
2. Placing Influence in ColoniesThe acting player may spend Action points to place Influence tokens in colonies that are connected to Venice by a naval route.
Based on the number of Action points available to buy Influence and on the type of die, it is possible to affect one or more colonies.
N.B. The rules concerning commercial and political actions are very similar, while military actions differ the most, as they require the use of Battle tiles.
Commercial Action (gold die)To place 1 Influence token costs 1 Action point. It is not possible to place more than one Influence in the same colony (i.e.: the acting player cannot place more than one Influence token in the same colony this turn).
In the previous example, the red player chooses a commercial die result for 3 Action points. He establishes a naval route to Mare Libico and is left with 2 Action points. Since he can place a maximum of one Influence in the same colony, he chooses to place one token in Corphu and one in Sicilia.
Political Action (bronze die)To place 1 Influence token costs 1 Action point. All Influence must be placed in the same colony (i.e.: the acting player cannot place Influence tokens in different colonies this turn).
In the example, the white player chooses a political die result for 3 Action points. He establishes a naval route to Mare Libico and is left with 2 Action points. Since he must place all his Influence in one colony, he chooses to place two tokens in Malta.
Military Action (silver die)Instead of placing Influence in colonies directly, the acting player spends Action points to draw Battle tiles.
For every Action point, the acting player chooses a colony and draws a Battle tile; then, he places in the attacked colony a number of Influence equal to the numerical value on the drawn tile (see Battle tiles in the next page for details).
The acting player may attack the same colony several times, or may switch and attack different targets, as long as he has Action points to spend.
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For example, the yellow player has chosen a military die for 3 Action points. He establishes a naval route to Mare Libico and now has 2 Action points left. He first chooses to target Corphu and draws one Battle tile - the tile shows a numerical value of 2: the acting player places 2 Influence tokens there. He decides to press militarily on Corphu, and spends his last Action point to draw another Battle tile targeting the island (he might have chosen to switch his target, and attack Malta instead, for example): he draws a zero. Better luck next time!
InfamyIf the acting player attacks a colony with a Podestà token, he receives the Infamy token (taking it from the current owner, if there is one).
The owner of the Infamy token cannot attack a colony containing a Podestà (and suffers a penalty during the elections of a new Doge, see Doge Elections, page xx).
Enemy fleetsA military action can be used to remove Enemy fleets from the board (see Enemy fleets, page xx).
N.B. A military action is less predictable than a commercial or a political action. The values on the Battle tiles may allow for the placement of 2 Influence tokens at a time, but may also bear a result of zero, or even provoke a Casus belli - a diplomatic incident causing the draw of a Threat card! Judge carefully what you want to accomplish when you choose a military die result.
PODESTA’Placing Influence tokens in colonies on the board represents the opening of trading posts run by families of merchants. When the number of Venetian trading posts reaches a certain level, the Serenissima Republic takes notice and elects an official representative, the Podestà.
In gaming terms, placing Influence tokens in colonies may gain a player Victory Points, and placing a Podestà token even more.
Placing a PodestàAll the colonies on the board have a rating. Minor Colonies have a rating of 3, while major colonies have a rating of 4. Colony ratings are used to determine when a colony falls under the control of Venice and a Podestà is placed there.
To replicate the effects of battles and military interventions, the game uses a set of ten Battle tiles.
Whenever Battle tiles are used, apply the effects of each tile before drawing another. Drawn Battle tiles are left on the table - the tiles will be shuffled back together only when all attacks are done.
Most Battle tiles show only a numerical value, indicating how many Influence tokens can be placed in the targeted colony.
A number of tiles bear the following icons:
Casus Belli tilesIf one or more Casus Belli tiles are drawn, at the end of the turn the Doge player will proceed to draw and apply a number of Threat cards equal to the number of Casus Belli tiles (see also Threat Cards).
PillageWhen the acting player pulls a Pillage icon he gets to draw one Action card and place it upon his Voting box on the board.
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A Podestà token is put in play if, at the end of a player’s turn, a colony contains a number of Influence of any colour equal to or higher than its rating.
The player that gets to place the Podestà is the one who has the majority of Influence tokens in the colony.
If no player has more Influence than his opponents, then the Podestà is not placed.
For example, in Candia there are two Influence tokens, one belonging to the yellow player and one belonging to the white player. The red player places two Influence tokens in the colony (a). Now, the total number of Influence tokens in Candia matches its rating of 4, enough to place a Podestà. The red player gets to place the Podestà (b), since he has more Influence in Candia than the blue player and the white player.
If for any reason the number of Influence tokens inside a colony decreases below its rating, the Podestà token is immediately removed.
Ousting a PodestàIt is possible to remove a Podestà token of another player, by placing enough Influence in a colony to reach a new majority (a tie is not enough).
If a player achieves a new majority, he replaces the Podestà in play with one of his own.
For example, in Corphu there is a Podestà belonging to the red player - the colony contains a yellow token and two red tokens. When his turn comes, the yellow player places in Corphu two Influence tokens, bringing his total Influence to three. Since there is now a new majority (3 yellow vs 2 red), the yellow player replaces the red Podestà with one of his own.
RiotsIf at any time the number of Influence tokens of any colour placed inside a colony (either major or minor) reaches or exceeds 6, a riot occurs.
Immediately remove from the colony one token for each colour (i.e.: one for each player present in the colony).
If this is not enough to reduce the number of Influence below six, again remove one token for each colour, until the total number of tokens goes below the riot level.
For example, the red player has the majority in Candia (and thus a Podestà). During his turn, the blue player places 4 Influence there (a): this brings the total Influence to 8, well above the riot level of 6.
All players remove one token each (b), reducing the new total to 4 Influence: 1 red token and 3 blue tokens - a new majority! The blue player replaces the red Podestà with one of his own (c).
a
b
a
c
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THREAT CARDSThreat cards represent historical events of great import, tied to the political, economical or military upheavals that affected the Mediterranean. There is only one deck of Threat cards, but each card contains information concerning the three different epochs of the game.
When a Threat card enters play, players consider only the information concerning the current epoch.
When an epoch ends and a new one begins, all the Threat cards that entered play are shuffled back into the Threat deck.
Drawing Threat cardsThreat cards are drawn in the following occasions:
a. If the Action die pool is empty at the start of a turn (Draw Threat Cards phase), the Doge player draws a number of Threat cards (one card in epoch I, two epoch II, three in epoch III).
b. Whenever a player draws one or more Casus Belli tiles, at the end of the turn the Doge player draws one Threat card for every Casus Belli tile (regardless of the current Epoch).
Threat cards are drawn one at a time; this means that the Doge player must read each card and apply its effects completely before he proceeds to draw another Threat card.
Effects of Threat cardsEach Threat card depicts the consequences of the rise of a foreign enemy power in a specific region of the board. The name of the affected region is shown on the title block on the card, while the region’s defining colour is featured on the card background.
A Threat card may affect the presence of Venetian Influence in a region (Kingdoms), its naval routes across a sea area (Enemy fleets) and finally worsen the relationships of Venice with other major nations of the Mediterranean (Enemy powers advancement).
KingdomsThe lower half of each card has three entries in a vertical row, showing the name and flag of three kingdoms. When a Threat card enters play, it provokes the emergence of the kingdom corresponding to the current epoch.
Starting from the top, the first entry corresponds to epoch I (Rise), the second entry to epoch II (Apogee) and the last entry to epoch III (Struggle).
To put in play a kingdom, take the corresponding Kingdom token (shield) and place it on the board upon the ‘shield box’ beside the region’s name.
Then, apply the following consequences:
a. If the shield box on the board was empty (it wasn’t occupied by a Kingdom token previoulsy placed there) remove one Influence token of each colour from the major colony of the region affected.
b. If the shield box already has a Kingdom token, replace it with the new one and then proceed to remove one Influence of each colour from all the colonies of the region (minor and major).
For example, a Kingdom token of the Mamluk Sultanate is in play in Africa. A new Threat card provokes the placing of an Ottoman Empire token in the same region: the Mamluk Sultanate token is discarded, and the Ottoman Empire token takes its place. All players who have Influence inAfrica must lose one of their tokens from each colony.
Effects of KingdomsThe presence of a Kingdom token in a region prevents players from placing Influence tokens in colonies belonging to that region.
A Kingdom token may be removed spending 1 Action point from a die of any type, provided that the acting player can trace a naval route from Venice to any one colony in the region.
(a) Affected region
(b) Affected sea area (Enemy fleet)
(c) Epoch I Kingdom
(d) Epoch II Kingdom
(e) Epoch III Kingdom
(f) Enemy powers advancement
a
b
c
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e f
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During their turn, players may remove any number of Kingdom tokens, as long as they can trace a naval route to the corresponding regions and that they spend the corresponding Action points cost.
TreatiesPlayers get to keep any Kingdom token they remove from the board as treaties: treaties will be worth Victory Points at the end of the game (see Endgame scoring, page xx).
Enemy fleetsWhen a Threat card bearing the symbol of an Enemy fleet is drawn, apply the following consequences (regardless of the epoch currently being played):
a. If the sea area indicated on the card does not contain a Venice Control token, place one Enemy fleet token in the sea area, removing any Influence tokens placed there;
b. If the sea area contains a Venice Control token, simply remove that token (but do not place an Enemy Fleet token);
c. If the sea area already contains one or more Enemy Fleets, add another one.
Effects of Enemy fleetsThe presence of one or more Enemy Fleet tokens in a sea area prevents players from tracing a naval route across it and from placing Influence tokens inside it.
Players may remove Enemy fleet tokens using a military die result. The acting player targets a sea area connected to Venice by a naval route and spends 1 Action point to draw one Battle tile.
Then, a number of Enemy fleet tokens equal to the value on the tile is removed from the sea area (the various effects of a Battle tile are applied normally, see page xx).
If an attacked sea area is left empty, the acting player may place an Influence token there. The acting player may target the same sea area several times, or switch and attack different sea areas containg Enemy fleets.
Naval victoriesPlayers removing Enemy fleets get to immediately draw one VP token for each Enemy fleet token they remove.
For example, there is an Enemy fleet in Mar Tirreno, and the acting player intends to remove it. He has chosen a military die result for 3 Action points, and has established a naval route to Mar Tirreno leaving him with only 1 Action point. He proceeds to draw one Battle tile, yielding a result of (2 Casus Belli). The acting player succesfully removes the fleet, places one of his Influence tokens in Mar Tirreno, and finally draws a VP token as his reward. Now, a Threat card will be drawn by the Doge player, and everyone will face the consequences of the daring Venetian military action...
Enemy Powers advancementMany of the epoch II and III entries on a Threat card are followed by a number of ‘crosses’.
When a Threat card is drawn, the Doge player must advance the Enemy Powers marker on the Power track a number of steps equal to the number of crosses to the right of the appropriate entry.
The Enemy Powers marker starts its course on the last step of the track (the black circle to the right) and advances to the left, towards the white circle to the left end of the track (see The Power Track, page xx).
DOGE ELECTIONSAll players in the game compete for the position of Doge and the special opportunities of play that come with the title. At the start of the game, all players receive six Family cards, representing renowned members of their family who will run for the election of Doge.
If during phase 4:Elect a new Doge the current Doge player is left without Doge tokens, it is time to elect a new Doge.
The Family card currently placed on the Doge box on the board is removed and all players take part in the voting process, following the directions found in the next page.
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Running the Elections1. All players select one Family card from those still in
their possession, and place it face down on the table in front of them. The owner of the Infamy token (if there is one) must select the Family card with value 1 and play it face up.
2. Then, all players pick up the Action cards they played previously on their Family boxes on the board (if any) and select three of them (discarding the others).
3. All cards (Family and Action cards) are then revealed. Each player adds up the Ducati values on his Action cards, together with the numerical value of the chosen Family card.
4. Finally, players compare their totals: the player totalling the highest score is elected Doge. In case of a tie, the player (among those who tied) who played the Family card with the highest value is the new Doge. In case of a further tie, the former Doge player chooses the new Doge among the tying players.
The new DogeThe Family card of the winner is placed on the Doge box.
Then, three Doge tokens are then placed upon it (four tokens in a 2-players game).
The Family cards of the players who lost the elections are discarded, with one exception:
The Family card with a value of 1 always returned to its owner.
N.B.: The fact that the Family cards numbered from 2 to 6 are discarded after use means that players must carefully consider their chances to win the elections, based on the number of cards they have on their voting boxes, or on their bluffing ability!
+ = 11
The Power of the DogeThe Doge player in charge must always open his turn by using up a Doge token from those in his possession (this mechanic will eventually lead to new elections).
Using up a Doge token allows the Doge to choose among two possible bonuses:
1. The Doge player discards the Doge token and receives 1 additional Action point for the turn (regardless of the selected type of die).
OR
2. The Doge player spends the Doge token to score it as 1 Victory Point (he sets the token aside as a reminder).
A Doge remains in charge until there are no Doge tokens left in the Doge box at the end of a turn.
EPOCHS OF THE GAMEAs previously explained, the game is articulated along three distinct epochs, Rise (epoch I), Apogee (epoch II) and Struggle (epoch III).
One of three Epoch markers is placed on the box to the right of the Threat deck on the board to keep track of which epoch the game is currently in.
The game starts with Venice in its Rise: the Epoch marker numbered ‘I’ is placed on the board.
The Power trackThe Power track and the markers placed upon it (the Venetia marker and the Enemy Powers marker) are used to trigger the end of each epoch and the beginning of the next, across the three epochs until the fall of the Republic and the end of the game.
The Venetia and Enemy Powers markersAt the beginning of the game, the Venetia marker is placed on the full white circle to the left of the Power track, while the Enemy Powers marker is placed at the opposite end of the track, on the full black circle to the right.
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The Venetia marker moves to the right along the Power track.
It advances one step whenever a player places a Podestà token on the board, and every time that a Venice Control token is placed in a sea area.
In the same way, the Venetia marker moves back one step to the left along the Power track whenever a Podestà token or a Venice Control token are removed from the board.
The Enemy Powers marker moves in the opposite direction of the Venetia marker, starting from the right end of the Power track and going left.
It advances one step whenever a Threat card instructs to do so (see Threat Cards, page xx).
If the Enemy Powers marker meets the Venetia marker, the latter is removed from the Power track, regardless of which marker was moving (see Epoch progression below).
Epoch progressionThis progression across three distinct phases of the game is particularly important, as the passing of an epoch triggers a scoring sequence and changes how Threat cards are drawn and applied (see Threat Cards, page xx).
Rise ends, Apogee beginsThe Rise epoch ends when the Venetia marker reaches for the first time the eight step of the track (the white circled step) at the end of any player’s turn.
The first scoring phase occurs. Epoch II (Apogee) begins Replace the Epoch marker ‘I’ with Epoch marker ‘II’ on the board. Then, play resumes normally.
Apogee ends, Struggle beginsThe Apogee epoch ends when the Venetia marker and the Enemy Powers marker meet on the Power track at the end of any player’s turn or at the end of the Threat phase. Remove the Venetia marker from the track.
The second scoring phase occurs. Epoch III (Struggle) begins. Replace the Epoch marker ‘II’ with Epoch marker ‘III’ on the board. Then, play resumes normally.
Struggle ends, the Endgame phase beginsFinally, the game reaches its endgame phase when the Enemy Powers marker reaches the end of the Power track, entering the white circle to the left (at the end of a player’s turn, or during the Threat phase).
The third scoring phase occurs, then the Endgame phase begins.
SCORINGPlayers calculate their Victory Points scores at the end of each of the three epochs of play, using a copy of the Scoring sheet found at page 20 (permission is granted to photocopy or print the sheet for personal use).
Sources of Victory Points Scores are calculated by checking the tokens the players placed on the board (Influence and Podestà) and by taking into account the VP tokens they gained so far and the scored Doge tokens in their possession.
See Epoch Scoring at page xx.
Endgame BonusesFinally, at the end of the third epoch, all players receive a supplementary VP bonus, based on the number of Kingdom tokens they accumulated in the course of the game (see Treaties, page xx) and as the result of a final Doge election.
See Endgame Scoring at page xx.
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Epoch ScoringEnd of Epoch scores are recorded using the appropriate boxes on the scoring sheet.
PresencePlayers get a number of Victory Points for each region where they have at least one Influence token.
The amount of points depends on whether their Influence is found in a major colony, or only in minor colonies.
a. Major colony: if the player has at least one Influence token inside the region’s major colony, he gains a number of Victory Points equal to the region’s value (the number of dots placed on top of a region’s name).
b. Minor colonies: if the player has placed Influence exclusively in one or more minor colonies of a region, he gains 1 Victory Point.
Podestà tokensPlayers gain Victory Points for every Podestà they placed on the board.
2 Victory Points for each Podestà in a minor colony, and 3 Victory Points for every Podestà in a major colony.
VP tokensPlayers now reveal all the VP tokens in their possession.
Each player scores a number of Victory points equal to the sum of the numerical values on the three tokens with the highest values.
All VP tokens are placed back into the container at the end of each scoring phase.
Scored Doge tokensPlayers gain Victory Points for every Doge token they scored during their turns as the Doge (see The Power of the Doge, page xx).
1 Victory Point for each scored Doge token.
Endgame ScoringEndgame scores calculations are made using the appropriate boxes on the scoring sheet.
Kingdom tokensPlayers now take into account hom many Treaties they concluded during the game, counting the number of Kingdom tokens in their possession.
Each player gains 1 Victory Point for each type of Kingdom token (i.e.: 1 VP for every different ‘flag’).
For example, the red player ends the game with four Kingdom tokens. Two belong to the Ottoman Empire, one to Byzantine
Empire and one to the Republic of Genova: he gains 3 VPs.
Last Doge Elections
The last segment of the game is a final voting phase, held to elect the Doge who will negotiate the end of the Serenissima Republic.
But first, the current Doge player resigns, scoring any Doge token still in
his possession as Victory Points (1 VP for each Doge token).
Players then resolve the last elections by adding up the Ducat value of any cards played
in the Family boxes to the value of the selected Family cards (as in a normal voting).
The player with the highest total is the last Doge in the history of the Republic and gains a final Victory Points bonus equal to the value of the Family card used in the elections.
When this last voting phase is concluded, the final scoring is calculated and victory is adjudicated.
The game ends, and the player with the highest Victory Points score is the winner. In case of a tie, the winner is the player with more Influence tokens on the board (among the players who tied).
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OPTIONAL RULESThe rules contained in this section offer additional options, providing a higher degree of strategy and historical accuracy - at the cost of a higher complexity.
Players are advised to apply them only when they feel comfortable with the standard rules.
OPTIONAL COMPONENTSAll players take the following additional components: 20 Ducat tokens and 6 Monument tokes for each player (in their colour).
The seven Voting tiles are kept near at hand, close to the board.
The Family boxes used to play cards for voting are not used, as the new voting procedure uses the diagram of Venice drawn on the board instead.
OPTIONAL SET-UPWhen the optional rules are in place, the game starts with three Kingdoms already in play.
Before the first Doge is elected, put on the board the following tokens, in the area shown in brackets.
Abbasid Caliphate (Levante)The Abbasid Caliphate ruled Islam from Baghdad for many centuries, reaching its apogee in the 9th century.
Eventually, administrative difficulties led to the loss of entire provinces, and Syria and Palestine fell under the sway of the Fatimid Caliphate.
Byzantine Empire (Romania)Between the end of the 9th century and the beginning of the 11th, the Byzantine Empire reached the peak of its power, reaching as far as the entire Anatolia, the Balkans, and part of southern Italy.
Costantinople was the largest and richest city in the known world.
Caliphate of Córdoba (Ponente)In the 9th and 10th centuries, members of the Umayyad dynasty ruled over the greater part of the Iberian peninsula from the city of Qurtuba.
Their rule marked the heyday of the Arab domination of Spain, and theirs was the largest fleet to sail across the Mediterranean.
Place also an Enemy Fleet token in Mar di Ponente.
OPTIONAL DOGE ELECTIONSUnder the standard rules, players affect the elections of a new Doge by playing cards on their Family boxes.
These optional rules replace the use of Family boxes with the use of the city diagram on the board, the placing of Ducat tokens and the drawing of Voting tiles.
Placing Ducats on the CityThe city diagram at the top left of the board shows the names of the six quarters of Venice (the Sestieri), each inscribed inside a cartouche.
Every Sestiere is associated with one of the three colours of the Action dice (silver, bronze and gold), corresponding to the three types of actions in the game (military, political and commercial).
San Polo and Santa Croce are associated with silver, San Marco and Dorsoduro with bronze, and Castello and Cannaregio with gold.
Using these optional rules, when a player draws an Action card, he looks at it and chooses whether he wants to keep it as under the normal rules, or he may discard it to place on the board a number of Ducat tokens of his colour equal to the Ducat value on the card.
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When a player chooses to discard a card to place Ducats, he is entitled to place tokens of his colour only on the two Sestieri bearing the colour of the card he discarded.
Players are free to place all their Ducats on one Sestiere among the two corresponding ones, or to divide them among the two.
For example, the red player draws the ‘Stato da Mar’ Action card. It is a commercial card (gold) with a Ducat value of 3. The red player is allowed to place his tokens on Castello and/or Cannaregio. He chooses to place 2 Ducats in Castello and 1 Ducat in Cannaregio.
There is no limit to the number of Ducat tokens that can be placed in a Sestiere.
Players are free to place their tokens anywhere, regardless of the presence or not of tokens of different colours.
The aim of placing Ducats is to accumulate prestige and potential votes for the next Doge election.
MonumentsWhenever a Sestiere contains four Ducat tokens of the same colour, it may be replaced by a Monument.
The owning player takes the four Ducats back and replaces them with a Monument, placing it on the coloured side.
Monument tokens keep their value as the Ducats they replace during the next elections (4 votes) and will be worth one vote in all the following elections (see Running the Elections).
Additionally, players gain 1 Victory Point for every Monument in play at every scoring phase.
Each player can have a maximum of six Monument tokens in play at any time. If a player has already placed six Monuments, he doesn’t get to replace Ducat tokens, regardless of their number.
Running the ElectionsNew elections happen as described in the standard rules (at the end of the turn of any player, if the current Doge player is left without Doge tokens).
These optional rules change the way votes are accounted for.
Voting tilesThere are seven Voting tiles in the game. Six tiles bear the names of the Sestieri of the city. One tile is marked Quarantia (a vigilance body of the Republic).
As explained previously, players place Ducat tokens on the city diagram to gain popularity.
When new elections occur, the popularity of the different families of Venice are checked by drawing two Voting tiles.
The two drawn tiles identify the Sestieri that will be accounted for the elections. The drawn tiles will be then set aside, and won’t be used in future elections until the Quarantia tile is drawn (see below).
Elections SequenceFollow the steps described below when running elections using the optional rules.
1. Select candidates. Players choose a candidate by secretly selecting a Family card.
2. Draw Voting tiles. The current Doge shuffles the Voting tiles and then draws two. If one of the two tiles drawn is the Quarantia, then only one Sestiere will be accounted for.
3. Count Votes. The tokens played upon the drawn Sestieri are accounted for each player: Each Ducat and Monument token on the grey side is worth one vote for its owner; each Monument on the coloured side is worth 4 votes.
4. Elections result. The number of votes coming from the Sestieri for each player are added to the value of the Family card selected as candidate. The player totalling the highest score is the new Doge. Break any ties as in the standard rules.
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In addition to the standard follow-up procedures, apply the following upkeep procedures.
Ducat and Monument tokensDiscard all Ducat tokens on the Sestieri that took part in the elctions.
Monument tokens on the coloured side are flipped on the grey side (Monuments already on the grey side are unaffected).
Voting tilesIf the Quarantia tile has been drawn, all seven Voting tiles are now shuffled back together, and will be available for the next elections.
If the Quarantia has not been revealed, the tiles that have been used so far are kept aside, and won’t be used in the next elections.
THE DOGE POWER OF VETOUnder the optional rules, the Doge player gains a new special ability.
Whenever the Doge draws a Threat card, he may look at it and then spend a Doge token to veto and cancel the Threat card.
The Doge may call upon his power of veto once for every instance of drawing Threat cards,
For example, at the end of a player’s turn, the Doge must draw two Threat cards, as the consequence of two Casus Belli tiles. The Doge draws and applies the first card; then, after having drawn and inspected the second Threat card, he decieds to invoke his power of veto and cancel it. He discards a Doge token, together with the canceled card.
A canceled Threat card is discarded and its effects are not applied, with the exception of the Enemy powers advancement, that is always enforced.
credits
Game designMarco Maggi & Francesco Nepitello
IllustrationsMatteo Alemanno
Developmentfm game studio
Historical consultantDavide Trivellato
Art direction and graphic designFrancesco Nepitello
Production managerSilvio Negri-Clementi
PlaytestersAmado Angulo, Martino Castellani, Giuliano Nepitello, Davide Trivellato, Saverio Santarello, Roberta Montagna,
Marco Molin, Irene, Marianna and Riccardo Maggi, Andrea ‘Beretar’ Costa, Filippo Vianello, Francesca
Canella, Elisa Vianello, Tomaso Borzato.
Playtest Play (Modena)Pierluigi Colutta, Marco Signore, Piero Flaminio,
Andrea Ranieri.
Playtest Conpulsion (Edinburgh, Scotland)Graeme Smith, Kieren Fortune, Sebastian Hickey.
Special thanks to Mark Rein-Hagen Venetia is a © & ™ 2013 Giochi Uniti, licensed by Stratelibri srl. All rights reserved. Stratelibri srl – Via Sant’ Anna dei Lombardi, 36 – Napoli 80134 Italy – www.stratelibri.it - [email protected] Any reproduction or translation of this game – even partial – is strictly forbidden.
Warnings: Not suitable for children under 36 months due to small parts. Made in China
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IMPORTANT TERMSVenitian NoblesThe Venetian patrician class was one of the three social groups composing society - along with the citizenry and the foresti (foreigners). All adult male nobles could run for any position in the government, and were all lifelong members of the Maggior Consiglio, the highest political organ of the Republic (the number of members composing the council was restricted by the Serrata of 1297 and by a law passed in 1320, barring the access to noble families of recent make).
Venetian nobles were characterised by a strong mercantile and seafaring vocation. As a consequence, the patrician class based its power not on land property but on trading (especially with the Orient), contributing for a very dynamic composition of families (as opposed to the static nature of nobility elsewhere).
ColonyVenetian settlement on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. When a colony was part of a larger settlement in a foreign coun-try, like a village or city, it was administered by a Consul. If the settlement was subject to direct political control from Venice, the colony was administered by a Podestà.
PodestàA magistrate of noble birth, charged with the administration of justice and the keeping of public order in the main settlements of the Serenissima Republic. The title was first created in the 13th century.
Naval RouteTrading route for the shipping of goods across the sea. Along these routes sailed convoys of ships called mude, composed of government-owned ships, rented out to private merchants (the patroni) by means of an auction (the incanto). Several routes took their name from their destination, like the Muda di Siria, the Muda d’Egitto, the Muda di Barbaria, etc.
DogeThe highest magistrate of the Serenissima Republic. In the be-ginning (7th century) the Doge was an officer of the Byzantine Empire, subject to the Exarch of Ravenna. The term derives from latin dux: duke, governor or commander. The Doge could be referred to as Dux Venetiarum, Serenissimo Principe or Sua Serenità.
From the election of the Doge Orso in the year 726-727, the title changed from a local honorific to a kind of monarchy that lasted until the 11th century. In fact, even if the local nobles
were involved in the exercise of power since the beginning, the powers of the Doge were subject to limits only after the institu-tion of a communal government - the Commune Venetiarum. From that moment on, representatives of the richest mercan-tile families entered the government, and in the 14th century the Serenissima Republic was born - an aristocratic republican regime that would rule the city for more than three centuries.
The evolution in the political infrastructure of the Venetian state robbed the Doge of any dynastic ambition, turning the title into that of the supreme magistrate of the Republic, elected by the highest ruling authority - the Maggior Consiglio. This re-duction in stature notwithstanding, the title of Doge preserved much value in the eyes of every patrician, enough to make them all covet it, regardless of the enormous costs attached to it (mainly tied to the expensive ceremonies the Doge was required to take part in).
The Doge was also de facto the head of the Church in the city, since when the body of Mark the Evangelist was taken to Venice in 828 and the basilica was built by doge Giustiniano Partecipazio to house the relics. The doge retained episcopal prerogatives, separate from the authority of the legitimate repre-sentative of the Church in Venice, the Patriarch.
The doge displayed publicly several symbols of authority, especially in the occasion of the great ducal processions. The particular hat, the corno ducale, stands out: it consisted of a stiff bonnet made of brocade or cloth-of-gold, worn over a white linen cap, the camauro.
Stato da MarTerm used by the Republic to indicate their overseas dominions. It was used especially to refer to Istria, Dalmatia, the Ionian Islands, the Aegean Islands and Candia (Crete). It was one of the three partitions of the Republican territory, along with the Dogado (the Venetian lagoon and nearby areas) and the Stato da Tera (mainland territories in the Italian peninsula).
The conquest of colonial dominions started around the year 1000, with the conquest of Dalmatia, and reached the maximum expansion with the acquisition of territories of the Byzantine Empire, as stipulated at the end of the Fourth Crusade (1204).
The Stato da Mar was a vital source of income, and was funda-mental for the safekeeping of the naval routes of the Serenissima (thanks to the many ports, fortresses and the patrolling of coasts).
RiseThe Rise epoch can be indentified in the historical period going from the establishment of the ducal power in Venice (9th cen-tury) to the Fourth Crusade (1204). Along these centuries, the
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Republic became an international power and trading centre of primary stature, through the creation of naval routes and com-mercial outposts in the Mediterranean and beyond.
ApogeeThe Apogee epoch can be identified with the historical pe-riod going from the Fourth Crusade (1204) to the defeat at Agnadello (1509) against the League of Cambrai. The ep-och saw Venice expand its influence not only by commercial means, but also by military conquest along the coasts of the Mediterranean and Northern Italy.
StruggleThe Struggle epoch can be identified with the historical period going from the defeat at Agnadello (1509) to the fall of the Republic (12th of May, 1797). This period saw Venice dimin-ish in the face of the rise of the major European countries - the Serenissima Republic struggled to maintain its independence and succeeded for almost three centuries, thanks to the dip-lomatic skills of its representatives and to the solidity of its institutions.
TreatiesThe diplomatic cunning of the diplomats of the Republic was legendary. The treaties regulating the relationships between Venice and the other powers of the Mediterranean were of primary importance to secure those privileges that made trade more profitable for Venetian merchants.
When diplomacy failed, Venice would intervene by sending the fleet, or by sending money, when a war could turn into an exces-sively onerous affair.
The Venetian DucatIn the year 1284, the Venetian govern-ment decided to mint the ducat, a gold coin (3,56 grams, 24 carats), after the success of the fiorino of Florence. The coin was later called zecchino (from the Zecca, the state authority for the minting of coins) and became a pres-tigious currency across Europe and the Mediterranean. Silver and copper coins were added to the gold version.
MonumentsMonuments are works of great artistic and historical value (from latin monumentum, memory), like churches and palaces.
The patrician families funded the building and restoration of many churches, chapels, altars and oratories, to commemorate their most illustrious members, or simply for the acquisition of prestige.
Their family palaces are also counted among the most precious pieces of the cultural patrimony of the city.
QuarantiaThe Council of Forty, or the Quarantia, was one of the highest constitutional bodies of the Republic of Venice, with both legal and political functions. It was established in the year 1179, as part of the constitutional reforms that gave Venice its commu-nal form of government. Forty members assisted the Doge in the administration of justice, and governed the state along with the Senate.
SestiereVenice is divided in six partitions called Sestieri. This current subdivision was first created in the 12th century.
Cannaregio: The name comes from the beds of reeds (canne) that originally covered the area, before the urbanization process reached the northern portion of the city.
Castello: The name comes from the Byzantine castrum (fortified village, castle) that rose on the island of Olivolo, on the eastern end of the city. The Arsenale, the renowned Venetian shipyards, is located here.
Dorsoduro: The name originates with the sandy hillocks that dotted the southernmost portion of the city. This sestiere in-cludes la Giudecca, the largest island of the Venetian lagoon (the current residence of the two designers of this game...).
San Marco: The name comes naturally from the basilica in St. Mark’s square. The area was once the political centre of the city.
San Polo: The name comes from the church with the same name. Here is found the market of Rialto, once the centre for all trading activities.
Santa Croce: The name comes from an ancient church and mon-astery that stood here until the year 1810 (church of the Holy Cross). It was demolished by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. The sestiere corresponds to the western portion of the city.
The Fall of VeniceOn the 12th of May, 1797, the Doge Ludovico Manin decreed the end of the Republic, after a last meeting of the Maggior Consiglio. The decision was taken amidst rumours of conspiracy and of an imminent attack by the French revolutionary army.
On the 15th of May, the Doge left his palace for the last time, retiring in his family’s residence and announcing with his last decree the birth of a democratic government, inspired by the principles of the French Revolution.
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Players
Epoch I - Rise
Presence
Podestà tokens
VP tokens
Doge tokens (scored)
Monuments (optional)
Epoch I total
Epoch II - Apogee
Presence
Podestà tokens
VP tokens
Doge tokens (scored)
Monuments (optional)
Epoch II total
Current total
Epoch III - Struggle
Presence
Podestà tokens
VP tokens
Doge tokens (scored)
Monuments (optional)
Endgame bonus
Final total
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