Board Game - Chora: The Rise of an Empire

In ancient times, Hellas, also known as Ancient Greece, was not a single, cohesive state. It was a territory consisting of separate city-states known as poleis. They were inhabited by various tribes, such as the Dorians, Achaeans, etc. The poleis endlessly fought amongst themselves, competing for dominance over the other cities. In this struggle for development, the greatest emphasis was placed on the chora; this referred to the rural areas surrounding the polis. It is precisely the chora that will help you lead your empire to prosperity in this board game. About the Game The board game "Chora: The Rise of the State" invites you to become the leader of one of the seven poleis and compete with other players for dominance. Each state has its unique aspects that provide advantages over one another (choosing will not be easy). Explore them and build a sound strategy to succeed in developing military power, economy, and culture. Create the best living conditions to stand out favorably against other states and attract new residents. In turn, they will fill the treasury with taxes, which will be used to form troops and their expeditions. In the game, you will find many direct references to economic, military, political, and cultural events of that time, as the game covers the historical realities of Ancient Greece from the 5th century BC to the end of the 4th century BC. This also forms the basis for the value of each card: it is dictated not so much by mechanical considerations, but rather reflects the importance of events and phenomena of this historical period. How to Play? A game lasts for 9 rounds, each of which is divided into 7 stages, following one another in strict order: 1. Announcement of the Event 2. Tax Collection 3. Dice Roll 4. Actions 5. Progress 6. Event Draw 7. Achievements When the board is set up, future conquerors have chosen their city and laid out the game components, the announcement of the event begins: the first player reveals the top card from the event deck and reads its text aloud. The card is placed face up next to the event deck, and its effect will be played later. During the tax collection stage, each player receives drachmas, also money, equal to the division of the track on which their tax token is located. At the start of the game, the tax, glory, and troop tokens are at the zero mark. After this, players roll 2 dice and connect each one with an action token they wish to play (placing the token face down next to the die). If the value rolled on the die is greater than or equal to the value on the token, then that action can be performed. If the die value is lower, then either the population must be sacrificed to pay the difference (in this case, move the population token down by the corresponding number of divisions), or the token must be discarded - this action will not be executed. When all dice and tokens are linked, and the differences are paid, the action stage begins. At this stage, one can perform two out of seven actions, which are played in increasing order: * Philosophy (0) * Legislation (1) * Culture (2) * Trade (3) * Military Affairs (4) * Politics (5) * Development (6) If several players choose the same action, they may play it simultaneously. Next begins the "Progress" stage, during which all players take turns raising the level on one of the tracks: economy, culture, or military power. To do this, they must pay drachmas in the amount indicated in the slot for the next level. When this stage is completed, proceed to the event draw: execute the effect of the event card that the first player read and placed face up during the event announcement stage. If there is no indication on the card regarding which players are affected by this effect, all players must follow the instructions. During the achievements stage, players may receive, unexpectedly, achievements (only if they have met the condition). Each achievement can be obtained only once, but by several players simultaneously, if at the end of the round they all meet its condition. If one player meets the condition for obtaining an achievement, but in the previous round the same achievement was already obtained by another player, then the first player does not receive it. Each achievement grants a certain advantage to the player who received it. Details about the achievements and their conditions can be found in the game rules. After this stage is completed, proceed to the first stage "Announcement of the Event". Who has won? The game lasts for 9 rounds. As soon as the last round is finished, it is time for scoring: points accumulate throughout the game for completing certain actions and achieving goals. The player who has collected the most points is declared the winner.