Res Publica

About this board game

Res Publica is a trading and card-collection game for 3–5 players that takes about 60 minutes to play. Released in 1991, it puts each player in the role of the will of the people, guiding five ancient civilizations toward greater power and technology.

Each turn, the active player makes a trade offer. Every player then responds in kind, creating an exchange of cards and information that helps shape future choices. The trading process is central to gathering the matching cards needed to develop your civilizations.

Players work to acquire sets of five identical cards in two different categories:

• People cards: Collect five identical people cards to build a city. A city increases the number of cards you can draw each turn.
• Technology cards: Collect five identical technology cards to build a monument. Monuments provide victory points at the end of the game.

As cities improve your card-drawing capacity and monuments contribute to your final score, each completed set supports a different part of your progress. The information revealed through trading helps players pursue the cards they need while making offers to the other civilizations.

At the end of the game, players total the points earned through their cities and monuments. The player with the highest score wins. With its focus on trade offers, matching card sets, expanding card access, and end-game monument points, Res Publica presents a focused contest of collection and development.