How to Play Concordia

Introduction

Concordia is a strategic board game of trade and empire-building set in ancient Mediterranean. It’s designed for 2-5 players, ages 12 and up, with a playtime of about 120 minutes. This guide will teach you how to play Concordia, step-by-step.

Getting Started

1. Setup: Place the game board in the center of the table and shuffle the cards. Place one card face up in each of the six scoring areas on the board. Give each player a player mat, 15 colonists, six provincials, one consul, three Jupiter cards, four action cards, and a trade fleet marker. Place the remaining colonists, provincials, priests, and Jupiter cards in the appropriate spaces on the board.

2. Turns: The game is played in turns, clockwise around the table. On your turn, you can take one of three actions:

• Play a card: You can play a card from your hand into the scoring area of the card’s color. To do this, place a colonist or provincial from your mat onto the card. If you place a colonist on a card, you score the points indicated on the card. If you place a provincial, you score the points indicated on the card and you can also place one of your trade fleet markers on the card. Trade fleet markers give you special abilities, such as the ability to trade resources or move your colonists and provincials around the board.
• Build a colony: You can build a colony by placing a colonist from your mat onto an empty space on the game board. When you build a colony, you score the points indicated on the space and you also gain control of the city. You can collect resources from cities under your control and use them to build even more colonies.
• Buy a card: You can buy a card from the market by paying the resource cost indicated on the card. You add the card to your hand and can play it on your next turn.

Scoring

The game ends when all of the cards in the market have been bought. Players then score points for the cards they have played, the colonies they have built, and the resources they have collected. The player with the highest score wins the game.

Tips for Beginners

Here are a few tips for beginners:

• Focus on early colonization: The sooner you build colonies, the more points you’ll score. Try to build colonies in areas with good resources and access to trade routes.
• Don’t neglect the scoring cards: The scoring cards can give you a big boost in points at the end of the game. Pay attention to the cards that are available and try to play cards that will give you the most points.
• Use your trade fleet markers wisely: Trade fleet markers can give you a big advantage in the game. Use them to trade resources, move your colonists and provincials around the board, and score bonus points.
• Don’t be afraid to buy cards: Cards are essential to winning the game. Don’t be afraid to spend resources to buy cards, even if you don’t have a use for them right away.

Variations

There are several variations of Concordia that you can try once you have mastered the basic game. These variations include:

• Two-player game: This variation is designed for two players. The setup is the same as the standard game, but each player gets two player mats, 30 colonists, 12 provincials, two consuls, six Jupiter cards, eight action cards, and two trade fleet markers.
• Team game: This variation is played in teams of two or three players. The setup is the same as the standard game, but each team gets one player mat, 15 colonists, six provincials, one consul, three Jupiter cards, four action cards, and one trade fleet marker.
• Advanced game: This variation adds more complexity to the game. The setup is the same as the standard game, but each player gets a random hand of six cards. Players can also use their Jupiter cards to activate special abilities.