ITALIAN CITY STATES
INTRODUCTION
Card game for 3-5 players.
Theme: Italian Renaissance 15th Century.
Each player controls an Italian City State.
VICTORY
Your Final Score at the end of the game is equal to your lowest
score out of each of the 6 Scoring Categories.
The 6 Scoring Categories are:
Politics, Economics, Military, Humanities, Religion, and Buildings.
So if your individual scores were 90, 110, 89, 102, and 95, your
Final score would be 89.
If tied, the highest score in Humanities wins.
If still tied, the highest score in Buildings and then Economics and
then Politics wins.
The game ends when the deck is used up and there are no cards
left in any players hands except disasters.
COMPONENTS
Players share a Common Deck.
Player Score Sheets.
Turn Order Markers.
SCORE SHEETS
Each player will need one of these to keep track of their
cumulative score in each of the 5 Categories.
TURN ORDER MARKERS
These should be numbered 1-5.
One goes first in the turn, Two goes second, and so on.
These will change ownership during play.
A player may only be in possession of 1 of these at a time.
In a 3 player game only use the first three.
In a 4 player game only use the first four.
Possession will be determined in Initiative Phase, in order of
ranking in the Politics Category; The highest score getting the
first Turn Marker and so on.
THE COMMON DECK
There are 9 types of cards in the Deck:
Humanities
Economics
Politics
Military
Religion
Buildings
Disasters
Action
Leaders
HUMANITIES CARDS
These cards when played increase your Humanities Score
ECONOMICS CARDS
These cards when played increase your Economics Score
POLITICS CARDS
These cards when played increase your Politics Score
MILITARY CARDS
These cards when played increase your Military Score
RELIGION CARDS
These cards when played increase your Religion Score
BUILDINGS CARDS
These cards when played increase your Buildings Score
DISASTER CARDS
These cards when picked or drawn immediately penalize you
They are discarded immediately after being picked or drawn.
ACTION CARDS
These cards when picked or drawn immediately penalize an
opposing player of your choice.
They are discarded immediately after being picked or drawn.
LEADER CARDS
These are personalities from a variety of fields.
When played they improve 1 or 2 of your Categories and
may allow you to draw an extra card directly from the deck
SETUP
Shuffle the deck.
Each player chooses one of the 5 city States.
CITY STATES
There are Five:
Republic of Florence
Republic of Venice
Duchy of Milan
Kingdom of Naples
Papal States
REPUBLIC OF FLORENCE
Politics cards played by the Florence player get +1.
Florence starts with 10 Political Points.
REPUBLIC OF VENICE
Economics cards played by the Venice player get +1.
Venice starts with 10 Economic Points
DUCHY OF MILAN
Military cards played by the Milan player get +1.
Milan starts with 10 Military Points
KINGDOM OF NAPLES
Hand Size +1.
Naples starts with 2 randomly drawn cards.
PAPAL STATES
Religion cards played by the Papal player get +1.
The Papal States start with 10 Religious Points
TURN SEQUENCE
Each turn has 9 Phases:
Fate Phase
Initiative Phase
Commission Phase
Vitality Phase
Trade Phase
Destiny Phase
War Phase
Score Phase
End Phase
FATE PHASE
Draw the top 4X cards of the deck.
X = the number of players
These are called the Bid cards.
Place the bid cards face-up, spread-out in the middle of the table.
In Fate Phase the player with the highest Religion Score may choose to
discard 1 target Bid card: Flip over a replacement.
INITIATIVE PHASE
On the first turn of the game Florence gets the first Turn Order Marker.
Randomly distribute the remaining Turn Order Markers.
On all consecutive turns:
The player with the highest Political Score gets the First Marker.
The player with the second highest score gets the second Marker and so on.
If 2 or more players are tied, the highest Military and then
Economics scores decide it.
The player with the highest undisputed Economics score may look at the next
10 cards in the deck.
COMMISSION PHASE
In turn order each player selects a Bid card and places it in his hand.
This continues until all Bid cards are selected.
Note: each player will get 4 cards.
VITALITY PHASE
The player with the highest undisputed Humanities score may draw 1 card from
the top of the deck and put it in his hand.
The player with the highest undisputed Politics card make look at each
other players hand.
TRADE PHASE
Players may trade cards from their hands with each other.
Trades of cards are done face down and you don't have to give what you promised.
Let the buyer beware.
DESTINY PHASE
Players may play Melds.
A Meld may consist of up to:
1 Humanities Card
1 Building Card
1 Politics Card
1 Military Card
1 Religion Card
1 Economics Card
1 Leader Card may be substituted for any of the above 5 card types.
Less than 6 cards may be played in a Meld if that is all a player can manage.
Disaster cards are not played in Melds.
The player with the highest undisputed Economics score may play
one extra card of any non-Leader type.
Meld cards are placed face up in front of the owning player.
WAR PHASE
The player who played the most Military points this turn may
decrease the Total Military or Political score of any target player by an
equal number of points.
If tied the player with the highest Total Military Score wins.
SCORE PHASE
Players record on their Score sheets the points they earned in each Category.
Players must keep a running total for each of the 6 Categories.
Scores can never go below zero.
END PHASE
Players must discard their hands down to 3 cards.
The player with the highest undisputed Building Score discards down to 6 cards.
COMMON DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
H = Humanities
E = Economics
P = Politics
R = Religion
M = Military
B = Buildings
D = Disasters
A = Action
L = Leaders
DC = Draw 1 card when Played
TP = Target Player
COMMON DECK CARD LIST
Card Name: Type Value Notes:
Peasant Revolt D 0 You lose 5 Political Points
Corruption D 0 You lose 5 Economic Points
Plague D 0 You lose 5 Economic Points
Famine D 0 You lose 5 Economic Points
Ottoman Incursion D 0 You lose 10 Military Points
Factionalism D 0 You lose 5 Political Points
Internal Strife D 0 You lose 5 Political Points
Civil War D 0 You lose 5 Political Points
Unpaid Mercenaries D 0 You lose 5 Military Points
Invite France to Invade A 0 TP loses 10 Military Points
Assassination A 0 Discard a Leader in Play
Exile A 0 Steal a Leader in Play
Censorship A 0 TP loses 7 Humanity Points
Heresy A 0 TP loses 7 Religious Points
Intervention A 0 TP loses 7 Political Points
Foment Rebellion A 0 TP loses 5 Military & Political Points
Poisoning A 0 TP must discard 2 random cards from hand
Betrayal A 0 Steal 5 Political Points from TP
Bribe Mercenaries A O Steal 5 Military Points from TP
Commerce E 6
Merchants E 6
Trade Routes E 9
Banking E 7
Urbanization E 5 Also B+3
Industry E 5
Taxation E 2
Spice Trade E 5
Printing E 5
Capitalism E 9
Loans & Credit E 6 DC
Textiles & Glass E 3
Amass Great Wealth E 8
Silk Trade E 7
Manufacturing Guilds E 3
Luxuries E 4
Rich Oligarchs E 8 Also P+5
Highly Skilled Craftsmen E 4
Byzantine Trade E 6
Growing Middle Class E 2
Bell Towers B 6 Also P+3
Museums & Galleries B 5 Also H+3
Libraries B 5 Also H+3
Churches B 6 Also R+5
Cathedrals B 8 Also R+7
Baptistry B 5 Also R+4
Palazzos B 8
Academy B 2 DC
Hospital B 5
Castles B 7 Also W+3
Bridges & Roads B 6
Villas B 4
Piazzas B 4
Shrines & Chapels B 3 Also R+3
Markets B 3 Also E+4
Town Hall B 6 Also P+4
Modernization B 2 DC
Arsenal B 9 Also W+5
Port B 9 Also E+5
University B 7 Also H+3
Mediation P 6
Peace Treaty P 6
Pact P 7
Ally P 8
Balance of Power P 9
Agreement P 6
Gain Favor P 3
Influence P 3
Intrigue P 4
Promises P 2
Renunciation P 6
Reconciliation P 5
Marriage P 7
Status Quo P 5
Appeal P 2
Compromise P 5
Coalition P 8
Accord P 9
Alliance with Spain W 5
Ally Holy Roman Empire W 7
Invasion W 8
Army W 4
Pitched Battle W 3
Condottiere W 4
Treachery W 6
Conquest W 7
Siege W 5
Artillery W 5
Occupation W 7
Encroachment W 6
Fighting W 2
Fleet W 5
Glorious Victory W 9
Capture W 6
Mercenaries W 2
Inflict Crushing Defeat W 9
Triumph W 8
Reversal W 5
Strong Position W 6 Also W+3
Galleys W 3 Also E+3
Paintings & Portraits H 9
Frescos & Mosaics H 5
Literature H 7
Poetry H 5
New Musical Instruments H 2
Song & Chamber Music H 4
Sculpture H 8
Neo-Classical Architecture H 6 Also B+5
Patronage H 8
Astrology & Numerology H 2 DC
Alchemy & Kabbalah H 2 DC
Mathematics & Astronomy H 3
Perspective & Proportion H 7
Neo-Platonic Philosophy H 6
Scientific Inquiry H 4
Greek & Latin Scholarship H 9
Invention H 3
Civic Culture H 6 Also P+5
Engineering H 5 Also B+5
Study of Antiquity H 6
Devotional Art H 5 Also R+5
Schism R 6
Theology R 4
Inquisition R 5
Collect Indulgences R 5
New Religous Attitudes R 6
Fears for Salvation R 8
Support Monastaries R 7 Also B+3
Franciscans R 5
Popular Preaching R 4
Cardinals R 5
Competing Popes R 6
Praise the Saints R 2
Spiritual Revival R 3
Religious Themes in Art R 9 Also H+5
Fight the Turks R 8 Also W+5
Reformation R 7
Counter Reformation R 9
Church Orthodoxy R 3
Christian Piety R 2
Cosimo the Elder L - P = 9 E = 9 (Prince)
Ghiberti L - B = 7 (Architect)
Brunellischi L - B = 8 (Architect)
Verrocchio L - H = 5 DC (Sculptor)
Botticelli L - H = 8 (Painter)
Giovanni Bellini L - H = 7 (Painter)
Leonardo da Vinci L - H = 10 DC (Polymath)
Donatello L - H = 9 (Artist)
Pope Nicholas L - B = 5 R = 5 DC (Patron)
Francesco Sforza L - M = 5 P = 5 (Condotierre)
Giovanni Pico L - H = 5 DC (Philosopher)
Rodrigo Borgia L - P = 5 R = 5 DC (Pope)
Machiavelli L - P = 3 M = 3 DC (Writer)
Leon Battista Alberti L - H = 4 DC (Polymath)
Bartolomeo Colleoni L - M = 8 (Condotierre)
Lorenzo de Medici L - E = 10 (Prince)
Toscanelli L - H = 5 (Mathematician)
Federico da Montefeltro L - M = 9 (Condotierre)
Michelangelo L - H = 10 (Artist)
Titian L - H = 8 (Painter)
Raphael L - H = 9 (Painter)
Nicollo Nicolli L - H = 5 DC (Book Collector)
