Play the kind of game YOU want – and choose among 20+ unique civilizations to play it!
As with its predecessors – Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea and Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East– , this newest entry in the series, Ancient Civilizations of East Asia, can be any kind of game you and your fellow players want it to be.
If you want a war game, there are short, historical scenarios which put the players, either just you for a solo contest or as many as six, in immediate conflict with their neighbors. War is a viable gaming option in the basic and sandbox setups, and there are several civilizations whose unique powers give them an edge in Competition (which is how we define the clash of empires culturally, economically and militarily).
Ah, the atavistic joy of smashing an enemy civilization’s city to acquire Loot: which can be slaves (two disks for the upcoming turn and a VP) or wealth (a tael, ACEA’s money, and a VP). Furthermore, if that conquered city had a Terracing/Improved Irrigation marker, it could be “taken over” by the area’s new civilization owner or removed from the map and converted into a next turn available disk representing captured slaves. A similar principle applies if that conquered city had a Workshop. That captured Workshop could be taken over or removed from the map for a next turn tael.
But one of the most important rewards of looting an enemy civilization’s city is that it provides a CHANCE, just a chance, to either advance your own civilization on a Track of the Cultural Development Tracks Display or reduce by a level that of the defeated civilization. The three Cultural Development Tracks are: Military-Political, Economic-Social, and Religious-Intellectual.
If, however, you and your friends prefer a more pacific-minded game, there are many civilizations whose unique abilities reward and encourage players to build a harmonious infrastructure both on the board (with Workshops and Terraces/Improved Irrigation System pieces, which facilitate building the magnificent Grand Canal) and , notably, by peaceably advancing along the Cultural Development Tracks Display, which in itself can lead to an automatic victory for the civilization who accomplishes, through such advancement, a Mandate of Heaven instant victory. Such comparatively peaceful games are best played by choosing one of the basic or sandbox setups.
As long or short of a game as you like – EVERY game is a COMPLETE Game
As with the two other games of the “Ancient Civs.” series, players can set the game to ANY length desired. They can choose the full, four-Epoch-long epic, which can range from as few as eight to as many as sixteen turns, OR they can choose to play a shorter, quicker game.
This is done by setting an Epoch, turn or clocked time limit, or by defining a victory point level to win which, once achieved by one civilization, brings the game to conclusion at the end of that turn. Ancient Civilizations of East Asia will also include an option for players, prior to commencing a game, agreeing to a Sudden Death Victory Condition for even more nail-biting uncertainty as to a contest’s duration and determination of its winning civilization!
ACEA’s Solo, NPC and Quick-Start Exploration Play Options
EVERY Ancient Civilizations of East Asia game setup and scenario can be played SOLO, or with a combination of human and Non-Player Civilizations (NPC’s). The latter are run by following a simple, yet comprehensive chart that lists how the Non-Player Civilization(s) play cards, place their disks, and spend their taels (the game’s money).
This system comes into its own especially with the Exploration Game option – which begins with a map devoid of pieces. A player (or players) begins by placing their first disk on the board – and then pulling a card whose number refers to a chart which tells what – or who – they found in that and subsequent map areas. Among the discoveries they may make are the revelation of friendly tribes, riches, barbarians, pirates – or rival civilizations controlled by the Non-Player Civilization rules – some of which may be friendly (or not).
And woe to those players who become a game’s VP leader or get aggressive with an NPC! As players of ACIS and ACME can attest, a riled-up NPC, or worse having more than one NPC in a single game can become the most fearsome and determined of game opponent(s). Ancient Civilizations of East Asia provides no exception.
Ancient Civilizations of East Asia’s Arena – The Game Board
Here’s an image of the ACEA hand-drawn playtest map which has, and is continuing to provide, its play testers many fun, exciting, and challenging gaming experiences. Oh, the table talk with its wheeling, dealing, implorations and cajoling… all in good spirits of course!!!
For information regarding this map, and Ancient Civilizations of East Asia overall, please reference GMT’s site for the game which shall hopefully pique your P-500 interest: Ancient Civilizations of East Asia
A Forthcoming “Meet the Civilizations of ACEA” Series
In closing, one of this article’s purposes is to introduce readers to a forthcoming InsideGMT series regarding the game’s 19 historic based civilizations, the first of which shall be Meet the Chu: A Civilization of GMT’s Ancient Civilizations of East.
Each short article will open with a brief description of that civilization, perhaps encouraging readers to do additional research of their own, its special game attributes along with an image of its play test Civilization Card and a snippet of the above map showing how its Homeland marker and 12 colored wooden disks are placed on the map at the beginning of an ACEA game.
We hope you’ll enjoy and appreciate these articles!
