Hadara

2019

Immerse in Hadara's rich tapestry of cultures. Strategically select accomplishments, balance agriculture, culture, and military power to outshine rivals and build a flourishing civilization!

60
minutes

2 - 5
player(s)

10+

Medium

About the game

‘Hadara’ is an enthralling board game that invites you to dive into the rich tapestry of human civilization. The game is set in a world that spans epochs, where players are tasked with creating the most prosperous civilization, starting from humble beginnings to a grand culmination of culture, economy, and military might.

The theme of ‘Hadara’ revolves around the growth and development of civilizations. Players take on the roles of leaders who must make strategic decisions in order to build a civilization that stands the test of time. The setting is as vast as the annals of human history, with influences drawn from different cultures and periods, which adds a layer of educational value to the engaging gameplay.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

‘Hadara’ is a strategic board game that involves building and expanding a civilization through various means. The game includes several components, each with its own specific purpose in gameplay.

1. Game Board: The central part of the game where players track their progress and manage their resources. The game board is divided into several sections representing different aspects of the civilization, including money, military, culture, and food.

2. Player Boards: Each player receives a player board to keep track of their individual civilization’s progress in the different areas. The player board also provides a place for the player to store their cards and tokens.

3. Civilization cards: These cards represent different aspects of a civilization, such as military strength, cultural influence, technological advancements, and economic power. Players can acquire these cards to improve their civilization and gain advantages in the game.

4. Money Tokens: These tokens represent the wealth of the players’ civilizations. Players use money tokens to purchase Civilization cards and to feed their population.

5. Colony Tokens: These tokens represent the colonies that players can establish during the game. Establishing a colony provides players with additional resources and benefits.

6. Statues: These pieces represent the cultural achievements of the players’ civilizations. Players can build statues to increase their civilization’s cultural influence and score victory points.

7. Workers: These pieces represent the population of the players’ civilizations. Workers are used to harvest resources, build structures, and perform other tasks.

8. Score Track: This track is used to keep track of each player’s score. The player with the highest score at the end of the game is the winner.

9. Phase Markers: These markers are used to keep track of the current phase of the game. The game is played in several phases, each with its own set of actions that players can perform.

10. Color Markers: These markers are used to indicate the current player’s color. Each player chooses a color at the beginning of the game and uses that color for their pieces and markers.

Each of these components interacts with the others to create a dynamic, engaging game experience. Players must carefully manage their resources, make strategic decisions, and adapt to the changing game conditions in order to build the most successful civilization.

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

‘Hadara’ is a strategic game that allows players to build their own civilization over three epochs. The game involves managing resources, building colonies, recruiting soldiers, and feeding your people. Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to set up ‘Hadara’.

First, let’s understand the player roles:

Leader: The player who goes first is referred to as the leader. This player will start the game and make the first move. The leader role moves clockwise around the table each epoch.
Followers: The other players are followers who will perform their actions after the leader.

Now, let’s move on to board placement and initial resources:

Place the main game board in the middle of the table. The main board represents the market where players can recruit people for their civilization.
Each player receives a personal board. This board represents your civilization where you will place your recruited people, colonies, and monuments.
Place the five decks of people cards (green, yellow, blue, red, and purple) on the corresponding colored spaces on the main game board. Shuffle each deck separately and place them face down.
Each player receives 2 gold coins as their starting resources. Place these on the designated spaces on your personal board.
Each player receives one person card from each color deck. These cards should be placed face-up in front of your personal board and will form your initial population.

Finally, let’s deal with any random elements:

The game includes a deck of colony cards. Shuffle this deck and place it face down on the designated space on the main game board.
At the start of each epoch, reveal a number of colony cards equal to the number of players. These colonies can be conquered during the epoch.
Similarly, the game includes a deck of monument cards. Shuffle this deck and place it face down on the main board.
At the start of each epoch, reveal a number of monument cards equal to the number of players. Players can build these monuments during the epoch.

That’s it! You’re now ready to play Hadara. Remember, the goal of the game is to build the most prosperous civilization, so plan your moves wisely and good luck!

Game flow Round and round we go

‘Hadara’ is a strategic board game where players strive to build the most prosperous civilization. The game is divided into three epochs, each consisting of two phases: an income phase and a selection phase. During these phases, players perform various actions, including earning income, drawing civilization cards, buying or discarding these cards, and feeding their populace.

First Phase: Income Phase

Earning Income: At the start of each epoch, players earn income based on the progress of their civilization. The income comes in three forms: coins, food, and military strength. The amount earned is determined by the players’ civilization board.

Second Phase: Selection Phase

Drawing Cards: During the selection phase, players draw civilization cards from five different colored decks. Each deck represents a different aspect of civilization: culture (purple), military (red), economy (yellow), food (green), and technology (blue). The players draw cards from these decks in a clockwise order.
Buying or Discarding Cards: After a card is drawn, the player can decide to either buy the card by paying its cost in coins or discard the card for coins. Buying a card allows the player to advance in the corresponding aspect of civilization on their board.
Feeding the Populace: At the end of the selection phase, players must pay food equivalent to their current population. If they can’t, they must discard cards until they can afford the food cost.

End of Epoch: At the end of an epoch, players can purchase medals to increase their score, and colonies for additional benefits. This process repeats for three epochs. At the end of the third epoch, the player with the highest score, calculated from their civilization’s progress and medals, wins the game.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

‘Hadara’ is a strategy board game where players build their civilizations by collecting resources, developing technologies, and recruiting soldiers. A player’s turn in ‘Hadara’ can be broken down into several steps, each offering a variety of actions and strategic choices. Here is a thorough explanation of what happens during a player’s turn:

1. Draw Cards

The player begins their turn by drawing cards from the five colored deck piles. These cards represent different civilizations, each offering unique benefits when played. The color of the card determines its type:

Green cards: Increase food production.
Yellow cards: Provide gold.
Blue cards: Boost cultural progress.
Red cards: Strengthen military might.
Purple cards: Offer diverse benefits, including all of the above.

2. Choose Cards

After drawing cards, the player must choose one to keep and one to discard. The kept card can be used immediately or saved for later, while the discarded card is out of the game. This choice requires careful strategy, as players must balance their immediate needs against potential future benefits.

3. Pay for Cards

To use a card, players must pay its cost in gold. If a player cannot or does not want to pay for a card, they can sell it for gold instead. This introduces an element of resource management, as players must decide whether to spend their gold on immediate gains or save it for later purchases.

4. Activate Card Effects

Once a card is paid for, its effects are activated. These effects can increase a player’s resources, advance their civilization, or provide other strategic advantages. Players must carefully consider the timing and order of their card activations to maximize their benefits.

5. Buy a Colony or Statue

Finally, players can choose to buy a colony or a statue, if they have enough military or cultural points, respectively. Colonies provide ongoing benefits, while statues give one-time bonuses.

In summary, a player’s turn in ‘Hadara’ involves drawing cards, choosing which to keep and which to discard, paying for cards, activating their effects, and potentially buying a colony or a statue. Each of these actions requires strategic decision making and can significantly affect the course of the game.

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

‘Hadara’ is an immersive board game that tests players’ strategic planning and decision-making skills. The game concludes after the end of the third epoch, which is the third round in the game. At this point, all players must add up their points to determine the winner.

Victory Conditions:

In ‘Hadara’, victory is achieved by accumulating the highest number of victory points. These points can be gained through various avenues during the game. They include:

Colonies: Each colony tile a player possesses at the end of the game is worth a certain number of points.
Monuments: Monuments provide players with victory points. The number of points varies depending on the specific monument.
Person Cards: Person cards can grant players victory points. The number of points depends on the card.
Medals: Medals of honor can be purchased during the game and are worth victory points.
Statue: Players can earn points by having the statue in their possession at the end of the game.
Civilization Track: Players earn points corresponding to their position on the civilization track.

End of Game Actions:

Before the final scoring, players must perform a few actions:

Players must ensure they have played all three epochs.
Players need to complete any final purchases or sales. This includes buying or selling colonies, person cards, and medals of honor.
All players must count the number of coins they have. Every two coins are worth one victory point.
Finally, players tally their victory points from all sources – colonies, monuments, person cards, medals, the statue, and the civilization track. The player with the most victory points wins the game.

If there’s a tie, the player with the most leftover coins wins. If there’s still a tie, the player who is earlier in the player order wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘Hadara’, players earn points by building colonies, erecting statues, gaining achievements, and advancing in civilization tracks. The full scoring system is described in detail below:

Building Colonies

Each player earns points by building colonies. The point values of the colonies are depicted on the colony cards. At the end of the game, add up all the points from the colony cards to get the total colony score.

Erecting Statues

Statues can earn players a significant amount of points. Each statue card has a point value; add these together for the total statue score.

Gaining Achievements

Achievements are another way players can earn points. Each achievement card has a point value; add these up to get the total achievement score.

Advancing in Civilization Tracks

Additionally, players can earn points by advancing in the four civilization tracks: military, culture, finance, and agriculture. The further a player advances in a track, the more points they earn. The points earned per track are summed up to get the total civilization track score.

The Final Score

The final score of a player is the sum of their colony score, statue score, achievement score, and civilization track score. The player with the highest final score wins the game.

Tie-Breaking Rules

In the event of a tie, the player with the most gold wins. If there’s still a tie, the player with the most leftover food wins. If there’s still a tie after this, the victory is shared between the tied players.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

‘Hadara’ is a strategy board game that involves building a civilization over three epochs. While the game rules are generally straightforward, there are a few rare or special rules, exceptions, and rule clarifications that might be important to remember. These include:

Civilization Card Distribution:

The civilization cards should be evenly distributed among all players. However, in a two-player game, two cards are drawn from each deck instead of one.

Colonies:

Players can only purchase colonies that are in their reserve or if they have the necessary military strength. If a player does not have enough military strength, they cannot purchase a colony.

Income:

Each player’s income is determined by the sum of their income discs. However, players do not receive income during the first phase of the first epoch.

Scoring:

At the end of the game, players score points for their civilization cards, colonies, statues, and progress on the culture track. However, players do not score points for their unused coins or food.

Feeding Phase:

During the feeding phase, players must feed their population by paying one food for each population symbol on their civilization cards. If a player cannot feed their population, they must discard civilization cards until they can.

Statues:

Players can build statues to earn points. However, a player can only build one statue of each value during the game.

Discarding Civilization Cards:

If a player cannot or does not want to play a civilization card, they can discard it to gain coins equal to the epoch number.

End of the Game:

The game ends after the third epoch. At this point, players score their points. The player with the most points is the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most coins wins.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies in ‘Hadara’

Focus on Colonies: Colonies provide a steady income of resources that can be critical in the late game. Make sure to invest in colonies early on to get the maximum benefit.
Balance Your Development: It’s important to not heavily favor one aspect of development over others. Strive for a balanced civilization that excels in multiple areas to cover all bases.
Pay Attention to the Market: Keep an eye on the market and adjust your strategy accordingly. If purple cards are in high demand, consider investing in them to gain an advantage.

Beginner Tips in ‘Hadara’

Start with Income: At the start of the game, focus on increasing your income. This will give you more flexibility and options in later rounds.
Don’t Ignore Culture: Culture points are a key part of winning the game. Don’t neglect this aspect of your civilization.
Learn the Cards: Familiarize yourself with the different cards and their effects. This knowledge can be very helpful in planning your strategy.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in ‘Hadara’

Overlooking Colonies: Many new players overlook the importance of colonies. Don’t make this mistake. Colonies are a key part of your civilization’s development.
Ignoring the Market: It’s easy to get caught up in your own strategy and ignore what’s happening in the market. However, adapting to the market conditions can give you a significant advantage.
Favoring One Development Area: It’s tempting to focus on one area of development, but this can leave you vulnerable in other areas. Strive for a balanced civilization.

Optimizing Gameplay in ‘Hadara’

Plan Ahead: Always think a few steps ahead. This will allow you to make the most of your turns and avoid wasting resources.
Use Your Resources Wisely: Resources are limited in Hadara. Make sure you are using them as efficiently as possible.
Adapt to the Game: The game can change quickly. Be ready to adapt your strategy to the changing conditions of the game.