SPANISH EMPIRE
INTRODUCTION
Card game for 2-4+ players.
Theme: The Spanish Empire: 15-18th Centuries.
Each player is a Noble Family in Spain, trying to serve the
Crown by arranging the loans and manpower to fight the Wars and
Discover, conquer, and exploit new lands in the name of Empire.
VICTORY
At the end of the game players add up the Victory Points from all
The Empire and Exploitation cards they own.
The player with the most Victory points is the winner.
GAME END
The game ends, when all the War and Colonization cards in the
Empire deck have been claimed.
THE DECKS
There are 2 decks:
The Empire Deck
The Spanish Deck
THE EMPIRE DECK
There are 27 cards in the Empire Deck:
9 War Cards
9 Colony Cards
9 Event Cards
SETUP
All players are dealt 3 cards from the Spanish Deck.
Flip a coin to see who goes first.
TURN SEQUENCE
Players take turns.
Each turn has 7 phases:
1. Empire Phase
2. Event Phase
3. Viceroy Phase
4. War Phase
5. Conquest Phase
6. Exploitation Phase
7. End Phase
EMPIRE PHASE
If there are not 2 Empire cards face up, flip over
1 or 2 Empire cards until there are 2 Empire cards face up.
These are called Opportunity cards.
EVENT PHASE
If 1 or 2 Empire cards are Event cards, they take effect in the order
They were drawn. They are then discarded.
VICEROY PHASE
Draw 1 card from the Spanish Deck and put it in your hand.
You may discard an Investment card to draw 2 Spanish cards.
You may discard a Politics card to cause a target Opportunity card to be
Shuffled back into the Empire Deck.
WAR PHASE
If one of the Opportunity cards is a War card you may claim it.
To claim it you must discard 3 cards consisting of:
1 Investment Card or Support Card
1 War Card or Fight Card or Ship Card
1 Politics Card or Support Card
Discard the Spanish cards.
Put the War card face up in front of you.
CONQUEST PHASE
If one of the Opportunity cards is a Colonization card you may claim it.
To claim it you must discard 3 cards consisting of:
1 Investment Card or Support Card
1 Discovery Card or Ship Card
1 Conquest Card or Fight Card
Discard the Spanish cards.
Put the Colonization card face up in front of you.
EXPLOITATION PHASE
If you control a Colonization card you may attach an Exploitation card to it.
To do this you must also discard a Manpower Card or Support Card.
The Exploitation card is placed next to the target Colonization Card.
A Colonization card may have a maximum of 1 Exploitation card attached.
END PHASE
Max hand is 5 cards.
Discard excess cards.
EMPIRE DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
E = Event
W = War
C = Colonization
AP = All Players
TP = Target Player
CP = Current Player
RC = Random Card
EMPIRE DECK CARD LIST
Card Name: Type VP Notes:
Spanish Armada E 0 AP Discard 2 RC
Treaty of Utrecht E 0 AP Discard 1 RC
English Privateers E 0 TP Discard 1 RC
Treaty of Tordesillas E 0 CP Draw 2 cards
Barbary Pirates E 0 TP Discards 1 RC
Golden Age of Spain E 0 AP Draw 2 cards
Inquisition E 0 CP Steal 1 RC from TP
Bankruptcy E 0 TP Discards 2 RC
Pax Hispanica E 0 CP Draws 1 Card
North Africa C 1
Philippines C 2
Canary Islands C 3
Mariana Islands C 4
West Indies C 5
Spanish Main C 5
Mexico C 6
Inca Empire C 7
Aztec Empire C 8
Anglo-Spanish War W 1
War with France W 2
Thirty Years War W 3
War of Spanish Succession W 5
Dutch Revolt W 4
Ottoman Empire W 5
Italian Wars W 6
Annexation of Portugal W 7
Granada W 8
SPANISH DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
P = Politics Card
C = Conquest Card
S = Ship Card
A = Army Card
D = Discovery Card
U = Support Card
E = Exploitation Card
I = Investment Card
F = Fight Card
SPANISH DECK CARD LIST
Card Name: Type Notes:
Governor C
Conquistadors C
Native Allies C
Disease C
Missionaries C
Guns & Steel C
Invasion F
Occupation F
Massacre F
Religious Crusade F
Expedition D
Explorers D
Portuguese Navigator D
Voyage of Discovery D
Castilian Adventurers D
Genoese Sailor D
Foreign Mercenaries A
Brilliant General A
Great Siege A
Italian Veterans A
German Troops A
Swedish Pikemen A
Spanish Tercios A
Portuguese Immigrants M
Black Slaves M
Native Laborers M
Genoese Settlers M
Spanish Colonists M
Mestizos M
Mulatos M
Galleons S
Belgian Fleet S
Caravels S
Sea Power S
Marriage P
Dynasty P
Negotiation P
Diplomacy P
Alliance P
Balance of Power P
Truce P
Gold Mines E 8 VP
Silver Mines E 7 VP
Teas E 6 VP
Coffee E 5 VP
Tobacco E 4 VP
Spices E 3 VP
Sugar E 2 VP
Plantations E 2 VP
Italian Financiers I
Genoese Bankers I
Seville Merchants I
Antwerp Investors I
Portuguese Entrepreneurs I
Royal Debt I
Borrowed Capitol I
Bills of Exchange I
Adelantados I
Fugger Loans I
International Traders I
Foreign Credit I
Collaboration U
Imperial Idea U
Common Enterprise U
Foreign Expertise U
LINKS
Spanish Empire Wikipedia
