THE BYZANTINES

INTRODUCTION
Card game for 2 players. 
Players take turns controlling the Byzantine Empire. 
On a players off-turn he represents the many Foes of the Byzantines. 

GAME END
The Game ends after 12 Turns. 
If at any time the Byzantine Empire is reduced to zero or less 
Territory Tokens the game ends immediately and the 
Current Byzantine player loses 3 Legacy Tokens. 

VICTORY
The player with the most Legacy Tokens at the end of the game wins. 

LEGACY TOKENS
Players share a common set of Legacy Tokens (LT). 

TERRITORY TOKENS
The Byzantine Empire starts with 10 Territory Tokens (TT). 
The most TT it can have is 20. 

EMPEROR TOKEN
Players take turns controlling the Emperor Token (ET). 
The current controller is the Byzantine player (The Emperor).  
Each player will get to be the Byzantines for 6 out of the 12 turns. 

THE DECKS
There are 2 decks: 
The Byzantine Deck
The Foes Deck

TURNS & AGES
The game is divided into 3 Ages. 
The Game is played in 12 Turns. 
The first 4 Turns is the Early Age
Turns 5-8 is the Middle Age
Turns 9-12 is the Late Age
Some cards are only useable during specific Ages. 

SETUP & DECK MANAGEMENT
Remove all Middle Age cards from the decks and set them aside. 
Remove all Late Age cards from the decks and set them aside. 
When the Middle age starts shuffle the Middle age cards into the deck. 
When the Late age starts shuffle the Late age cards into the deck. 
The older player gets the Emperor Token First. 
Each player starts with 10 Legacy Tokens. 

TURN SEQUENCE
Each turn has 6 Phases: 
1. Draw Phase
2. Age Phase
3. Redraw Phase
4. Meld Phase
5. Legacy Phase
6. End Phase

DRAW PHASE
Each Foe player fills their hand to 8 cards. 
The Byzantine player fills his hand to only 9 cards in the Early Age. 
The Byzantine player fills his hand to only 8 cards in the Middle Age. 
The Byzantine player fills his hand to only 7 cards in the Late Age. 
If a deck ever runs out, shuffle the discard and draw from it. 
Important: The first 4 cards you draw are revealed to your opponent 
for 10 seconds. Draw the remaining cards you are entitled to and 
keep them all in your hand. 

AGE PHASE
Discard any cards in your hand that are not useable in the 
current Age and draw replacements. 
If the discarded cards are from an earlier age, remove them 
from the game. 

REDRAW PHASE
Each player may discard up to 4 cards and draw replacements. 

MELD PHASE
Each player makes a Meld. 
A Byzantine Meld may have:  
Up to 1 Leader card
Up to 2 Recovery cards
Up to 4 Troop cards 
Up to 1 Negotiation card
Up to 2 Legacy cards
A Foe Meld may have: 
Up to 1 Northern Foe card
Up to 1 Southern Foe card
Up to 2 Disaster cards (Max 1 Natural Disaster)
Up to 4 Troop cards
If a Negotiation card is played, the Byzantine player may 
discard 1 target Foe card. The Foe player may replace it 
immediately with another Foe card if he has one in hand. 
Each player totals the Force of the cards in his Meld. 
The Foe player gets Force Bonuses if his Foe cards match 
his Troop card types. 
The side with the higher Force Total wins. 
If Tied the Foe player wins. 
The Byzantine Empire gains or loses Territory Tokens equal 
to the difference in the Force Point Totals.  
All Meld cards are discarded. 
Unique Meld cards are removed from play. 

LEGACY PHASE
The Byzantine Player (BP) potentially earns Legacy Tokens (LT). 
If the Empire lost TT this turn the BP loses 1 LT. 
If the Empire gained TT this turn the BP gains 1 LT. 
The BP gains LT equal to the Legacy value of the Legacy cards he 
played in Meld Phase. 

END PHASE
If you have cards left in your hand, discard down to 1 card and
pass it to your opponent. 
Players switch control of the Emperor Token.

PLAY IN DEFENSE CARDS
PD = Play in Defense
Some Foe cards have this Trait. 
If the Byzantine player plays a Leader the Foe player may play 
a PD card in excess of any other Foe card limits. 

CAN BE BOUGHT OFF CARDS
BO = Can be Bought Off
Some Foe cards have this Trait. 
The Byzantine player may discard a target BO card by discarding 
any one card from his own Meld. 

FOES DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
D = Disaster
N = Natural Disaster
FN = Northern Foe
SF = Southern Foe
T = Troop Type
E = Early Age (300-630 AD)
M = Middle Age (630-1000 AD)
L = Late Age (1000-1453 AD)
A = All Ages
BO = Can be Bought Off
PD = Play in Defense
U = Unique

FOES DECK CARD LIST
Name:			#	Type	Force	Age	Notes:
Barbarians		12	T	1	A	
Heavy Cavalry		6	T	4	A	
Light Cavalry		9	T	3	A	
Infantry       		6	T	2	A	
Fleets			6	T	2	A	
Siege			6	T	3	A	
Huns			1	FN	5	E	BO; Barbarians +2
Gothic Tribes		1	FN	4	E	BO; Barbarians +2
Vandals			1	FS	2	E	PD; Barbarians +2
Persians       		1	FS	3	E	Any Cavalry +1
Sassanids		2	FS	4	E	Heavy Cavalry +3
Avars			1	FN	3	E	Light Cavalry +2
Slavs			1	FN	1	EM	Barbarians +2
Rus			1	FN	4	M	Infantry +3
Varangians		1	FN	3	M	Fleets +3
Magyars			1	FN	3	M	Light Cavalry +2
Lombards       		1	FN	3	M	Barbarians +2
Muslims			1	FS	5	M	Any Cavalry +1
Arabs			2	FS	4	M	Light Cavalry +2
Umayyad Caliphate 	1	FS	4	M	Fleets +3
Pechenegs		1	FS	2	L	Light Cavalry +2
Seljuk Turks		1	FS	4	L	Light Cavalry +2
Ottoman Turks		2	FS	5	L	Siege +3
Hungarians		1	FN	3	L	PD; Infantry +3
Normans			1	FN	3	L	Barbarians +2
Crusaders		1	FN	4	L	Siege +3
Bulgarians		1	FN	3	A	Infantry +3
Exhaustion		2	D	2	A
Weakness       		1	D	3	A
Rebellion		2	D	2	A
Riots			1	D	1	A	
Renegade       		1	D	3	A
Revolts			1	D	3	A
Decadence		1	D	1	A	
Crisis			1	D	3	A	
Disease			1	N	3	A
Plague			2	N	5	A
Famine			2	N	4	A
Fragmentation		1	D	2	M
Iconoclasm		1U	D	3	M	
Great Schism		1U	D	4	L	
Decline			1	D	3	L	
Disintegration		1	D	3	L
Civil War		1	D	5	L
Feudalization		1	D	1	L



BYZANTINES DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
R = Recovery
G = Great Leader
N = Negotiations
T = Troop Types
X = Legacy
LV = Legacy Value

BYZANTINES DECK CARD LIST
Name:			#	Type	Force	Age	
Justinian		1U	G	7	E
Belisarius		1U	G	6	E
Macedonian Dynasty	1U	G	5	M
Basil 			1U	G	6	M
Komnenian Dynasty	1U	G	5	L	
Palaiologan Emperors	1U	G	4	L
Varangian Guard		1	T	5	A
Mercenaries		4	T	3	A
Cataphracts		2	T	4	A
Light Cavalry		2	T	3	A
Heavy Infantry		1	T	4	A
Light Infantry		1	T	3	A
Stronghold		1	T	4	A
Militias       		1	T	1	A
Garrison Troops		1	T	2	A
Constantinople Walls	1	T	5	A
Fortifications		2	T	3	A
Siege Engines		1	T	4	A
Greek Fire Fleets	2	T	4	A
Allied Contingents	3	T	2	A
Diplomacy		1	N	2	A
Treachery		1	N	2	A
Marriage       		1	N	3	A
Tribute			1	N	1	A
Treaty			1	N	1	A
Trade			2	R	3	A
Reconquest		1	R	5	A
Autocracy		1	R	2	A
Taxes			1	R	3	A
Administration		1	R	2	A
Theme System		1	R	3	ML
Campaigns		1	R	4	A
Restoration		1	R	5	A
Reforms			2	R	3	A	
Missionaries		1	R	3	A
Hagia Sophia		1	L	-	E	LV = 3
Codex Justinianus	1	L	-	E	LV = 2
Coinage			1	L	-	A	LV = 1
Music & Dance		1	L	-	A	LV = 1
Cuisine & Dress		1	L	-	A	LV = 1
Science			1	L	-	A	LV = 1
Literature		1	L	-	A	LV = 1
Civilization		1	L	-	A	LV = 2
Unique Art		1	L	-	A	LV = 2
Architecture		1	L	-	A	LV = 2
Greek Orthodoxy		1	L	-	A	LV = 2	
Bureaucracy		1	L	-	A	LV = 1
Renaissance		1	L	-	L	LV = 3


LINKS
Wikipedia