Imperial Settlers

2014

Imperial Settlers is an exciting card game where players explore new lands, construct buildings, gather resources, and engage in strategic battles to expand their empires and score victory points.

90
minutes

1 - 4
player(s)

10+

Medium

About the game

Welcome to the fascinating world of Imperial Settlers, a strategy-based board game that transports you to an era where four powerful civilizations are vying for dominance. Step into the shoes of the Romans, Barbarians, Egyptians, or Japanese as they each set out to build their empires and make their mark in history.

Set in the ancient world, Imperial Settlers pulls you into a vibrant setting where every decision counts. The game board sets the scene with different civilization-specific buildings, resources, and adorable settlers, adding complexity and a delightful aesthetic to the game.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Imperial Settlers is a rich and strategic board game that comes with a variety of components, each playing a unique role in the gameplay. The components include:

1. Faction Boards: The game comes with four Faction Boards, each representing one of the four civilizations: Romans, Egyptians, Barbarians, and Japanese. Players use their respective Faction Boards to manage their own civilization, build structures and store resources.

2. Faction Markers: Each player receives a set of Faction Markers matching their civilization. These markers are used on the scoring track to keep track of the player’s victory points throughout the game.

3. Faction Decks: Each faction has its own deck of 30 cards. These cards are unique to each faction and represent various structures that players can build to gain benefits and victory points.

4. Common Deck: In addition to the Faction Decks, there is a Common Deck of 84 cards. These cards represent structures that any player can build, regardless of their faction.

5. Resources: The game includes four types of resources: wood, stone, food, and gold. Players collect these resources to build structures and trade.

6. Raze Tokens: These tokens are used to indicate a razed structure. When a player razes a structure, they flip the card over to its razed side and place a Raze Token on it.

7. Defense Tokens: Players can use these tokens to protect their structures from being razed by opponents.

8. Workers: Workers are used to carry out various actions during a player’s turn, such as building structures or producing resources.

9. Round Marker: The Round Marker is moved along the round track to keep track of the current round.

10. Score Track: The Score Track is used to keep track of players’ victory points. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

11. Deal Tokens: These tokens are used to indicate a structure that a player has made a deal with, receiving resources or other benefits in exchange for some of their workers.

12. Action Markers: Used to track the progress of each player’s turn. Once a player finishes their actions, they place their Action Marker in the appropriate space on their Faction Board.

Game flow Round and round we go

Imperial Settlers is a card game by Portal Games that is set in the world of civilization development. In this game, players lead one of the four factions striving to create an empire. The game is played over 5 rounds and each round is broken down into four distinct phases: Lookout, Production, Action, and Cleanup. Let’s take a closer look at each phase.

1. Lookout Phase:

The Lookout phase is the first phase of the round. In this phase, players draw faction cards and common cards. The number of cards drawn depends on the number of players in the game. These cards represent new buildings, technologies, and actions that can be used in later phases.

2. Production Phase:

During the Production phase, players generate resources from their faction board and any buildings they have. These resources, including wood, stone, food, and gold, are used to build new buildings and take actions in the Action phase. It’s important for players to plan their resource allocation carefully, as it can greatly influence their strategy and overall score.

3. Action Phase:

The Action phase is the core of the game where players can take a variety of actions such as building new structures, making deals, razing, and activating building abilities. Players can also exchange goods for other benefits. Actions can be taken in any order and players continue to take turns until all players have passed. The number of actions a player can take during their turn is only limited by the resources they have available.

Building: To build a building, a player must pay the cost indicated on the card and then place it in their empire.
Making Deals: A player can make a deal with a faction by paying one food and then placing a common card under their faction board.
Razing: A player can raze a building (either from their hand or an opponent’s faction) by paying one sword and then collecting the resources indicated on the card.
Activating Building Abilities: Many buildings have special abilities that can be activated to provide additional resources or bonuses.

4. Cleanup Phase:

Finally, the Cleanup phase wraps up the round. During this phase, players prepare for the next round by discarding excess resources, resetting used buildings, and removing any activated deals. Once the Cleanup phase is complete, a new round begins, starting again with the Lookout phase.

After five rounds, the game ends and the player with the highest score, determined by the number of victory points accumulated throughout the game, is declared the winner.

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

The game of ‘Imperial Settlers’ concludes after a total of five rounds have been completed. Each round represents a year in the game’s narrative, and once all five years (rounds) are complete, the game comes to an end.

Victory Conditions:

The primary objective in ‘Imperial Settlers’ is to accumulate the most victory points. These points are obtained through various means such as:

Constructing buildings
Defeating enemies
Executing actions
Storing resources

At the conclusion of five rounds, the final tally of victory points is calculated, and the player with the highest total wins the game.

Actions Before Final Scoring:

Before final scoring can commence, players must complete a few necessary actions:

Exhaustion of Actions: All players must ensure that they have exhausted all available actions for their faction and common cards. This includes exhausting the actions that generate victory points.
Use of Workers: Any remaining workers can be used to generate resources or additional actions. Each worker can be used once per round.
Conversion of Resources: All remaining resources (wood, stone, food, and gold) can be converted into raze tokens. These raze tokens can then be exchanged for victory points at a rate of one victory point for each raze token.

Once all these actions have been carried out, the final scoring can begin. Each player adds up their victory points from the victory point track, faction board, common cards, and any remaining raze tokens. The player with the most points is declared the winner of ‘Imperial Settlers’.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Imperial Settlers is a strategy game where players lead one of the four factions and try to build the best and most prosperous empire. The game is won by the player who collects the most victory points (VPs) at the end of the game. Here is a detailed explanation of how points are awarded and the tie-breaking rules:

Scoring during the game:

Each time a player builds a common building, they gain victory points as indicated on the card.
When a faction building is constructed, victory points are also awarded based on the information on the card.
Some buildings provide victory points when used. The number of points gained is indicated on the card.
Players can also gain victory points through certain deals or by using action cards.

Scoring at the end of the game:

Each player adds up the victory points on their faction board.
Victory points from the constructed buildings are also added. Both common and faction buildings count.
Some buildings provide victory points based on certain conditions at the end of the game. Players add these points to their total.
Razed tokens that were not used during the game are worth one victory point each.

Tie-breaking rules:

If two or more players have an equal number of victory points at the end of the game, the tie is broken in the following manner:

The player with the most unused resources (workers, food, wood, stone, gold) on their faction board wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most constructed buildings (both common and faction) wins.
If a tie persists, the victory is shared.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Imperial Settlers is a board game which has some special rules, exceptions, and requires several rule clarifications. Here are some of the most important ones:

1. Faction Buildings:
Each player in Imperial Settlers has a unique Faction, each with its own deck of Faction buildings. These buildings provide special abilities and benefits, and only the player of the corresponding Faction can build them.

2. Production Phase:
During the Production Phase, players collect resources indicated on their Faction board, common buildings, and Faction buildings. However, resources from deals and certain buildings are not produced in this phase.

3. Open Production:
Some buildings have Open Production ability which means they can produce resources that are not limited to the Production phase only. The resources are produced immediately when the building is built and whenever its ability is activated.

4. Razing Buildings:
When a player razes a building, they gain resources shown in the building’s Raze box. However, if a player decides to raze a building from their own province, they do not gain any benefits.

5. Defense Tokens:
Defense tokens are used to protect buildings from being razed by opponents. However, the player can decide to remove the defense token from a building at any time.

6. End of Game:
The game ends after the 5th round. However, if one player has no Faction markers left on their Faction board at the end of a round, the game ends immediately.

7. Scoring:
At the end of the game, players score points for their buildings, bonuses from Faction buildings, and some kinds of deals. However, resources left unused at the end of the game do not score any points.

Note 1: In a 2-player game, if one player has no buildings left in their province, the other player can continue to raze buildings from the common pool.
Note 2: Buildings under construction do not provide any benefits or abilities until they are completed.
Note 3: Some buildings have abilities that are activated by spending workers. These abilities can be used as many times as the player can afford during their action phase.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Imperial Settlers is a card game that involves player interaction and the building of civilizations. Players lead one of the four factions and build empires by placing buildings, then sending workers to those buildings to acquire new resources and abilities. Here are some strategies, tips, and common mistakes to avoid for both beginner and advanced players.

Advanced Strategies:

Resource Management: One of the biggest keys to success in Imperial Settlers is effective resource management. Try to build a strong economy early in the game. This will provide a steady flow of resources throughout the game, allowing for more flexibility and options during later rounds.
Defense: Protecting your buildings is also crucial. By ensuring that your buildings are well-defended, you can prevent opponents from razing them, thereby preserving your resource supply and potential victory points.
Long-Term Planning: While it’s important to adapt to the current state of the game, having a long-term strategy can be beneficial. Try to build a combination of buildings that will provide strong synergies and maximize your points in later rounds.

Beginner Tips:

Start by focusing on building a strong base of production buildings. These will ensure a steady income of resources.
Don’t forget about defense. While it’s tempting to focus solely on expansion and resource generation, neglecting your defense can leave you vulnerable to opponent’s attacks.
Use your faction’s unique abilities to your advantage. Each faction has a different playstyle and strengths, so be sure to leverage these in your strategy.
Try to keep a balance between the different types of buildings. Each type of building (production, feature, action) provides different benefits, and a balanced approach can help ensure success.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring Defense: Many beginners neglect their defense in favor of rapid expansion. While expansion is important, failing to protect your buildings can result in a major setback.
Overlooking Faction Abilities: Each faction in Imperial Settlers has unique abilities and strategies. Overlooking these can result in lost opportunities for points and advantages.
Focusing Too Much on One Type of Building: It’s easy to get caught up in building one type of building, but neglecting others can limit your options and leave you vulnerable.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Take time to understand the different card combinations and synergies. This can greatly enhance your strategy and scoring potential.
Watch your opponents closely. Understanding their strategies and adapting accordingly can give you a competitive edge.
Strive for efficiency. Try to make each action count and avoid wasted moves whenever possible.