Independent Kingdoms (final draft - January 11, 1993) An Advanced Civilization Variant by Bruce Harper Advanced Civilization is best played by six to eight players on the full board (including the western expansion map). Because not every nation can secure enough space for nine cities, it becomes difficult for any nation to sit back and relax. The game becomes an entertaining struggle for survival, not merely an exercise in accounting. But what if that sixth or seventh player fails to show up? It's possible to play on only part of the board (this is what the rules recommend), but for those who prefer a crowded, confused ancient world, there is another solution - the independent kingdom variant. The idea of the variant is that, in addition to the nations controlled by players, there are one or two independent nations, control of which passes from player to player throughout the game. Players may use these independent kingdoms in different ways. Which Nation? There are several ways to determine which nation(s) are independent. One is to select nations normally (let's say we have six players), then draw one of the three remaining nations at random. Alternatively, the player who selected last could decide which of the remaining nations would act as an independent kingdom. Or everyone might agree that a nation such as Crete ought to be an independent kingdom. But the best way is probably to determine the independent kingdom(s) before any players select their own nations. This raises the possibility that nations which are normally selected by players, such as Egypt or Babylon, might be independent kingdoms. With six or seven players, one would usually have only one independent kingdom in the game. With five players or less, or in groups which like mayhem, more than one independent kingdom may be used. Controlling the Independent Kingdom Throughout the game, control of the independent kingdom rotates in AST order. As an example, assume that six players decide to have one independent kingdom, and that it turns out to be Crete. Illyria and Asia aren't selected by the players are therefore aren't in the game at all. On the first turn, Africa controls the independent kingdom; on the second turn Italy controls the independent kingdom, and so on. This means that in the course of a normal game, each player might expect to have control of the independent kingdom about three times. Were there two independent kingdoms, control of the second independent kingdom would begin halfway down the AST (in our example, the second independent kingdom would be controlled by Assyria at the start of the game). Independent Activities Once control of the independent kingdom has been established, the independent kingdom increases its population, constructs ships, moves, resolves conflicts, constructs cities, removes surplus population, checks for city support and collects trade cards. Independent kingdoms do not collect taxes or trade, and do not acquire civilization cards. Independent kingdoms are governed by the normal rules, with a few important exceptions. The first is shipbuilding. Rather than collect taxes and spend to build ships, independent kingdoms automatically build one ship for each of their cities, to a maximum of four ships. Since independent kingdoms don't bother to maintain ships, the simplest way to handle this is to remove all the independent kingdom's ships at the start of each turn, and build new ships where desired. Independent kingdoms may not build ships by levy. The second is movement. Independent kingdoms always move first, even if the controlling nation holds Military. If there are two independent kingdoms in the game, they move in AST order. Independent kingdom movement is subject to several restrictions. The first restriction on independent movement relates to the number of independent tokens which may enter a given area. Independent tokens may only move into or remain in an area in excess of the area's population limit in order to build a city (and only to the extent necessary to build the city), or if the area contains tokens belonging to another nation (in which case the number of independent tokens permitted is double the population limit). In both cases, the population limit used is that printed on the board (as modified by the effects of Agriculture for area which do not contain tokens belonging to another nation). Independent tokens may not move into areas which contain a city, including an independent city. The second restriction is that independent tokens may only be used to attack other nations if the independent kingdom has enough cities on the board or under construction in secure areas (a "secure area" is defined as an area which cannot be reached by any other player, including the controlling player, in the current turn. All other areas are "insecure areas") to meet the city requirement of the current epoch (as determined by the nation furthest along the AST). If no secure areas are available, the independent kingdom must try to build cities in insecure areas. Thus in the Early Iron Age the independent kingdom would have to try to assure itself of having four cities before it used any tokens to attack other nations. In addition, even during the Stone Age, an independent kingdom may not attack other nations unless it has at least one city on the board or building in a secure area. Taken together, these restrictions limit suicide attacks by independent tokens. There is, however, another reason to build independent cities. Trade Cards A player may collect trade cards for independent kingdom cities if he can establish trade routes with the independent kingdom. Trade routes are traced from city to city. Land trade routes may be of any length, but may only pass through areas containing units belonging to the controlling nation or the independent kingdom. Sea trade routes must begin and end in a port, and are subject to the same limits as sea movement. If the controlling power holds Astronomy, a sea trade route could be traced over open seas, while Cloth Making allows the sea trade route to be traced through five, rather than four, sea areas. For each independent kingdom city with which the controlling nation has a trade route, the controlling player may take draw one additional trade card, beginning with the highest value cards. Such independent trade cards are drawn before any other nations draw their trade cards. If the independent kingdom has five cities, one trade route would result in the controlling player receiving one trade card (unless the fifth stack was empty at the start of the turn). Two trade routes would allow the controlling player to draw a trade card from the fifth and fourth trade card stacks, and so on. Since trade routes are traced from city to city, and each of the controlling player's cities may only trade with one of the independent kingdom's cities, the number of trade cards drawn by the controlling player is limited to the number of cities the controlling nation has on the board or the number of independent kingdom cities on the board (whichever is lower). Calamities Some of the trade cards obtained by the controlling nation from the independent kingdom may be calamities. These act on the controlling nation as though it drew them directly from the trade card stacks. An independent kingdom may never the primary victim of a calamity, and may never be selected as the secondary victim of a calamity. In short, the same immunities that apply to Barbarian tokens and Pirate cities apply to independent kingdoms. If players can't resist combining the independent kingdom variant with the Atlantis variant (p.41 of the Gamers Guide), a volcanic eruption drawn by an independent Atlantis would affect the independent kingdom rather than the controlling nation (an exception to the prohibition against calamities affecting independent kingdoms). An independent kingdom may not be the beneficiary of a Civil War. Independent kingdom attributes With the exception of the effects of Military, independent kingdoms take on the attributes of their controlling nation, including the ability to convert adjacent units to Monotheism. Thus, if its controlling nation had Astronomy, an independent kingdom's ships could move across open sea areas, and so on. The attributes of an independent kingdom change from turn to turn, depending on which nation controls it. If the trading city variant (p.44 of the Gamers Guide) is being used, the controlling nation benefits from an independent kingdom city built on a trading location. A nation which eliminates an independent city does not receive a trade card, but it can pillage the city (24.5). As stated earlier, independent kingdoms may not attack cities belonging to other players. Benefits of Controlling an Independent Kingdom One obvious benefit to controlling an independent kingdom is that its units may be used to attack other players. For the more pacific, at least the independent kingdom won't attack you while you control it! On a more strategic level, the controlling player may move an independent kingdom's tokens to relatively harmless locations, in anticipation of control passing to an adversary. A good example of this might be a nation with Astronomy sending a portion of the independent kingdom's tokens to a far shore, from which they would be unable to return if controlled by an enemy which didn't hold Astronomy. The controlling nation may also obtain trade cards from an independent kingdom if trade routes exist between the controlling nation and the independent kingdom. If the controlling nation is adjacent to the independent kingdom, trade will usually be limited only by the number of cities involved, which offsets the drawbacks of being next to an independent kingdom. Where sea trade routes must be established, the situation can be trickier. And, as with trade between d)? It is worth constructing cities next to an independent kingdom to prevent attacks (the "Great Wall" strategy)? Can enemy nations be completely overthrown by an attacker which controls one an independent kingdom? Is it better to build independent cities and obtain trade cards from the independent kingdom or use its tokens to attack other nations? Should an attempt to be made to establish cities close enough to the independent kingdom to permit trade? Does this make Astronomy more important for nations such as Egypt and Babylon, which usually have no use for it? The uncertainty introduced into Advanced Civilization by the variant may not be to everyone's taste, but for those who want a board crowded with units and danger, I would recommend an independent kingdom or two.