Deus

2014

In Deus, strategic development of civilizations is key. Construct buildings, make offerings to gods, and strategically play cards to dominate the game board and score the highest points.

90
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

14+

Medium

About the game

Deus is an engaging and immersive board game that takes you into the heart of ancient civilizations. The game’s theme is built around the concept of developing civilizations, allowing players to experience the thrill of guiding a civilization from its infancy to its peak.

In Deus, the setting is a modular board representing different geographical regions. Each player represents a civilization that seeks to expand and develop within these regions. The board changes with each game, providing a unique and dynamic setting that adds an element of unpredictability to each playthrough.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Deus is an engaging strategy board game that combines resource management, area control, and deck building elements. Here are the components of Deus and their roles within the game:

1. Game Board: The game board is a modular map composed of multiple hexagonal regions. Each region represents different types of terrains and has its own resource. Players expand their civilization by placing buildings on these regions.

2. Building Cards: There are 96 Building cards in the game, divided into six colored decks based on the type of building. Players use these cards to construct buildings and expand their civilisation. Each card also offers a unique ability when played.

3. Wooden Pieces: These consist of 100 Building tokens and 60 wooden resource tokens. The Building tokens are used to populate the game board, while the resource tokens represent the resources (wood, stone, clay, wheat and gold) players gather and spend throughout the game.

4. Player Mats: Each player has a mat that helps them organize their cards and buildings. It also provides a summary of the game rules and the effects of each type of building.

5. Barbarian Tokens: These tokens represent the local population of the game board. Players can gain victory points by conquering these barbarians.

6. Temple Cards: These 5 special cards provide ways for the players to earn additional victory points. Players can build a temple by discarding a set of cards from their hand.

7. Gold Coins: These are used as the game’s currency. Players can use gold to buy resources, construct buildings, and interact in other ways within the game.

8. Victory Point Tokens: These are awarded to players for achieving various accomplishments. The goal of the game is to have the most victory points by the end.

9. Player Aid Cards: These cards provide a summary of the game rules and the effects of each type of building. They are a handy reference for players throughout the game.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Deus is an intriguing board game of civilization development and territorial control. To set up the game, follow the steps outlined below.

Step 1: Player Roles

In Deus, every player takes on the role of a civilization’s leader, guiding their people through various stages of growth. Each leader has the same abilities and resources at the start of the game, and it is the choices made during the game that will determine the most successful civilization.

Step 2: Board Placement

To start, lay out the game board in the center of the play area. The game board is modular, made up of multiple region tiles. For the first game, follow the layout shown in the game’s rulebook. After you’re familiar with the game, you can create your own board setups for increased replayability.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each player begins the game with five building cards, five resources, and a set of building tokens in their chosen color. The resources are wood, stone, clay, wheat, and gold. The building tokens represent different types of buildings: Trading Posts, Temples, Laboratories, Workshops, and Forts.

Step 4: Random Elements

The game includes some random elements to keep each playthrough fresh. The region tiles are shuffled and placed randomly to form the game board, creating a unique map for each game. Additionally, the building cards are drawn from a shuffled deck, ensuring a different starting hand for each player.

Setting up the Game Board: Shuffle the region tiles and lay them out in a pattern according to the number of players. Each tile has a mixture of land and water spaces.
Preparing Player Decks: Each player shuffles their building cards and draws five to form their starting hand. The rest of the building cards form a draw pile.
Distributing Initial Resources: Each player receives one of each resource: wood, stone, clay, wheat, and gold. These resources will be used to construct buildings.
Preparing Building Tokens: Each player takes a set of building tokens in their chosen color and places them in their reserve area.

With these steps, the game of Deus is ready to begin. Remember, the key to victory lies in careful planning, strategic building placement, and efficient resource management.

Game flow Round and round we go

Deus is a strategic board game where players take the roles of ancient civilizations trying to achieve dominance through the development of technology, military strength, and territory expansion. The game progresses in rounds, each consisting of two phases: the action phase and the refresh phase.

Action Phase: In this phase, players can choose to do one of two actions:

Construct a building: To do this, a player must have a building card in their hand and the necessary resources on their player board. The player then places a building of the matching color on a region of the board that matches the card’s color. The player also places the card in the corresponding color row on their player board. Each card in a row triggers its effect, starting from the leftmost card.
Make an offering to the gods: The player discards a card, then receives the benefits depicted on their player board in the row of the same color as the discarded card. They may also receive additional bonuses depending on the number of buildings they have of the corresponding color on the game board. After this action, the player refills their hand to five cards.

Refresh Phase: After all players have taken their turn, the refresh phase begins. During this phase, the following steps are performed:

All players check the victory conditions. If one player meets the victory conditions, the game ends and that player is declared the winner. If no player meets the victory conditions, the game continues to the next round.
The starting player marker is passed to the next player clockwise.
All players draw cards until they have five cards in their hand. If the deck is empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new deck.

Note that in Deus, strategic planning is crucial. Players need to balance their resource management, and strategic building placement, while keeping an eye on their opponents’ progress and trying to meet the victory conditions.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In the strategic board game Deus, players take on the role of ancient civilizations, seeking to expand their influence and power. Each turn in Deus involves a series of actions and decisions that affect the game’s outcome. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

1. Card Action: The beginning of each player’s turn starts with a decision to either play a card from their hand or discard cards.

Playing a Card: When a player chooses to play a card, they must place it on the corresponding colored column on their player board and pay the cost listed on the card. This will either establish a new building on the board, or improve an existing one. The effects of the card are then activated from bottom to top of the column.
Discarding Cards: A player may choose to discard a number of cards from their hand and draw that same number of cards plus one. They will then gain resources or coins according to the type of the cards they discarded.

2. Building Action: After playing a card, if it was a building card, the player then places the corresponding building on an available region on the game board. Depending on the type of building, different benefits or resources can be gained.

Maritime Buildings: These promote sea expansion, allowing players to gain control over sea areas.
Production Buildings: These provide players with resources which can be used to pay for other actions.
Scientific Buildings: These grant special abilities or bonuses to the player.
Civic Buildings: These can provide victory points or other benefits.
Trading Buildings: These enable players to exchange resources for coins or victory points.

3. End of Turn: The player’s turn ends after they have played or discarded their card and performed any resulting actions. The player then refills their hand to five cards. If the draw deck is empty, the player shuffles their discard pile to form a new deck.

Through these actions and strategic choices, gameplay in Deus is dynamic and ever-changing. It’s crucial for players to adapt to changing circumstances and make the most of their cards and resources to gain an advantage over their opponents.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game ‘Deus’ ends when all the temples from the common supply have been built on the game board. This triggers the end of the game and the commencement of final scoring. The player who built the last temple finishes their turn, and after that, no further turns are taken.

Victory Conditions:

In ‘Deus’, players earn victory points by building buildings, making offerings to the gods, and controlling areas on the game board. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Building Buildings: Each time a player constructs a building, they earn the number of victory points indicated on the building’s card. Temples grant a variable number of victory points depending on the situation on the game board and the temple’s card instructions.
Making Offerings: Players can earn victory points by making offerings to the gods. The number of points earned is indicated on the civilization card.
Area Control: Players earn victory points for having the majority of buildings in a region. The number of points per region is determined by the number of different building types present in the region.

Actions Before Final Scoring:

Before final scoring takes place, players must perform the following actions:

Each player counts the number of victory points on their score marker and adds any victory points indicated on their temple cards.
Players calculate the victory points for area majority. In each region, the player with the most buildings earns a number of points equal to the number of different building types in that region. If there is a tie for the most buildings, all tied players earn the points.
Players add up all the victory points they have earned from buildings, offerings, and area control.

After these steps, the player with the most victory points is declared the winner of ‘Deus’. In case of a tie, the player with the most gold wins. If there is still a tie, the player who built the last temple wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game Deus, players accumulate victory points (VPs) throughout the game and at the end, the player with the most VPs is declared the winner. Points are awarded in several ways:

Building Temples: Each time players build a temple, they earn VPs equal to the number of temples they have on the board.
Building Civil Buildings: Civil buildings, such as the Workshop or the Lab, provide VPs based on specific conditions. For instance, the Lab awards 2 VPs for each different type of building in its area.
Building Production Buildings: Some production buildings, like the Gold Mine, award VPs for each resource of a particular type in the area.
Building Military Buildings: Military buildings can also grant VPs. The Fort, for example, awards 3 VPs for each enemy village in its area.
Building Scientific Buildings: These buildings often grant VPs based on other factors, such as the Telescope, which awards 1 VP for each area the player controls.
End of the Game: At the end of the game, players receive additional VPs based on the number of buildings they have built in each civilization and for remaining resources.

In case of a tie, the Deus rules specify the following tie-breaking mechanisms:

The player with the most buildings on the board wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most remaining resources wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most cards in hand wins.
If there is still a tie, the victory is shared.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Deus is a strategic board game designed by Sébastien Dujardin. While the game rules are generally straightforward, there are certain rare or special rules, exceptions, and important clarifications to note.

1. Building Structures:

As a part of building structures, you can’t build more than one structure on a single area. However, exceptions exist for barbarian villages. In this case, the maximum number of structures equals the number of victory points the village offers.
In case a player runs out of buildings, they’re unable to build more until some are freed up. However, this doesn’t apply to temples as they aren’t considered buildings.

2. Activating Cards:

Cards are activated in the order of the player’s choosing. It’s important to remember that the effects of one card can impact the activation of another. Hence, sequencing can significantly affect gameplay.
While activating cards, the resources and victory points must be available immediately. If not, the card can’t be activated.

3. Temples:

Temples are the only buildings that can be built on water regions. However, they can also be built on land regions.
As per the rule clarifications, each temple card is unique and only one copy of each exists in the game.

4. Barbarian Villages:

Barbarian villages can’t be built on. However, they can be attacked and conquered. For this, the player needs to have a military presence in adjacent areas.
Once a barbarian village is conquered, the player receives victory points equal to the village’s strength. It’s important to remember that this strength decreases each time a player fails an attack.

5. Game End:

The game ends immediately when a player builds their last building or the last temple is built. No other actions can be taken after this.
The victory points are then counted and the player with the most points wins.

Note: These rules and exceptions apply specifically to the base game of Deus. They may vary or be expanded upon in different editions or expansions of the game.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Deus is a vibrant and challenging strategy board game that requires careful planning and smart tactics. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Building Your Civilization: A strong civilization needs a balanced combination of buildings. Focus on creating a mix of different buildings rather than just one type to maximize your scoring potential.
Card Utilization: Hold onto your cards and use them strategically. Sometimes, it’s better to wait and build up your resources rather than playing a card immediately.
Area Control: Pay attention to the map and try to control areas with valuable resources. This can provide a steady flow of resources throughout the game.

Beginner Tips:

Understanding the Game: Make sure you understand the rules and the basic mechanics of the game before you start. This will help you make better decisions during gameplay.
Practice: Try to play a few practice rounds to get a feel for the game. This will help you understand the game’s flow and give you a better idea of what strategies work best for you.
Resource Management: Always keep an eye on your resources. Make sure you’re not running out of necessary resources and plan ahead to gather more when needed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring the Map: One common mistake players make is ignoring the map. Make sure you pay attention to the placement of your buildings and the resources available in different areas.
Unbalanced Civilization: Another mistake is focusing too much on one type of building. A balanced civilization is key to winning the game.
Poor Resource Management: Running out of resources can seriously hinder your progress. Be mindful of your resource usage and always plan for the future.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Planning Ahead: Plan your moves in advance. This will help you make the most of your turns and avoid mistakes.
Adapting Strategies: No two games of Deus are the same. Be ready to adapt your strategy based on the current game situation.
Learning from Mistakes: Each game is an opportunity to learn and improve. Analyze your gameplay after each round and identify areas where you can improve.