Introduction: Part 1 of this article took readers through an Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East (ACME) game’s set-up through its Growth Phase; which includes deployment of each civilization’s disks upon the map. Article Part 2 continued the narrative to include the Card through Competition Phases.
Those familiar with ACME’s predecessor, Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea’s (ACIS) Playbook example of play may observe similarities between that piece and this exposition. However, although both games share the same basic system, there are differences. For details, and links to material which explain game term references (for this article’s limitations can only allude to rulebook details); see an associated InsideGMT article: Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East Design Background and Differences from Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea.
This final installment of an ACME example of play takes this two-player game’s action (Sue as the Egyptians and Bob as the Hittites) into its Reckoning Phase through the turn’s conclusion. Since the last article installment was not that “meaty” insofar as a Competition resolution example was concerned; this piece makes amends by including a real doozy; one which readers shall hopefully find of entertaining interest. Now, let’s return to this Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East’s Epoch One / Turn One action…
Reckoning Phase: After checking there are no areas with over-stacked disks, so all comply with the stacking limits of 2 in Desert/Sea and 3 in all other Land areas; the Sea Domination Step is executed. The current map situation does not result in any change due to this Step.
The Victory Tally Step is next: the Hittites receive one Victory Point for God of the Dead placed within the Hattusa temple. Egypt also gets one Victory Point for God of the Forge located in the Thebes temple Shared area (now occupied by one black and one sky blue disk) and a Victory Point each for the Egyptian Cities in Abydos and Amarna for a total of 3VP. Both players respective Victory Point Track disks are placed accordingly.
The Turn Order Reset Step results in the Egyptian Player going first as she has the most (and only) Cities on the board: two. Consequently, Egypt’s Civilization Turn Order Track disk is placed in its “1” Box and the Hittite disk in the Track’s “2” Box.
The next step of the Reckoning Phase is the Gilgamesh Step. Neither of this game’s players fulfill any condition permitting them to “bail out” of their current civilization and select another available one. This step is therefore ignored.
Since this is turn one, the Sudden End of Epoch Step is also ignored.
The Draw Step concludes this Reckoning Phase.
The Egyptian Player draws new Fate cards first. Before doing so, she announces she’ll spend the one Mina in her Treasury to gain an extra card (a player must decide how many cards to receive before gaining knowledge of any card’s identity) in addition to the three Egypt is normally entitled to. She therefore selects the top four cards from the Draw Deck. One of them is an Event and it is a Barbarian Invasion…Mountain Tribes Descend!
The Hittite Player rolls his eyes heavenward and heaves a sigh of relief; for he is the player with fewest Victory Points and therefore controls where this Barbarian Invader’s disks are placed. Had it been up to Egypt, the Hittite Player believes the Egyptian Player may have selected the adjacent to Mountain area of Kaska for initial placement of four black disks. This would then have added stacks of four black disks each into Zab and more Hittite territory: namely Pala and Kumannis to involve three Hittite Settlements. Would that have been a “big ouch”!
However, the Hittite Player chooses Lukka for the initial area which results in two more stacks of four black disks each being placed in Lydia, and unfortunately, the Hittite Settlement in Karahuyuk… but better to have one Settlement invaded than three rationalizes the Hittite Player. Therefore, Hittite play of this Event results in Barbarian stacks in Lukka, Lydia, and Karahuyuk.
Note: since this is after commencement of the Reckoning Phase these stacks of four Barbarian disks will persist into turn two.
The Egyptians replace Mountain Tribes Descend with another Fate card and now have four cards in Hand for turn two.
The Hittite Player announces use of God of the Dead. Consequently, after drawing the first three Fate cards from the top of the Deck and not looking at them, he shuffles the small Discard pile and randomly takes three cards from it. Fortunately, Mountain Tribes Descend does not again appear so he selects one of the three cards chosen for his hand, returns the other two to the Discard pile and reshuffles it. Next, the Hittite player looks at the three cards from the Draw Deck (no Event card[s], as luck would have it) and he now has four cards for turn two.
For purpose of this example of play, there is no need to reveal what Fate cards the Egyptian and Hittite players have in their respective Hands of four cards each.
The Turn Marker is moved to Epoch One’s “Turn 2”.
This concludes the example of this ACME game’s Epoch One / Turn One.
Examples from this game’s turn two Competition Phase: To further demonstrate how ACME Competitions are resolved, let’s fast forward to next turn’s Competition Phase. Egypt used its Growth to assure the retaking of Thebes, do a bit of empire expansion, and reinforce their presence adjacent to Hittite territory: building Cities in Aleppo and Emar.
After seeing how the Egyptian player deployed her disks on the board; the Hittite Player used his Growth Phase to place two disks in Emar and a stack of four disks in Aleppo. His other disk placements are not germane to this example.
The Egyptian Player wonders why the Hittites only placed two disks in Emar and soon learns the harsh answer when, before any Competitions are resolved, the Hittites play Great Person – Traitor. All three Egyptian disks are immediately returned into their Supply. The Hittite Player receives one Victory Point and chooses to take Captives rather than one Mina of loot.
Consequently, two Hittite disks are taken from Supply and placed upon the Hittite Civilization Display’s “Disks for Growth” Box for Deployment during the next turn’s Growth Phase. Thinks the Egyptian Player, Oh, if only I had a Negate Card such as Corruptor or Assassin to kill that miserable Traitor before he could strike!
The next competition is for Aleppo (as it is the easternmost area: competitions in ACME, just as with ACIS, are resolved from the northeast corner of the map to the southwest corner).
Since both sides have a City in the area, the victor will earn loot. Consequently, the white cylinder to indicate a competition site is placed on the Aleppo area with its star side up.
A competition commences with both sides revealing the Competition cards being committed to it. Egypt must place any Competition card(s) first face-down as it ended the prior turn with the most Cities and its disk occupies the Civilization Turn Order Track’s “1” Box.
Egypt has Great Person – Master Armorer with three sky blue disks upon it carried over from turn one. No need to announce that card’s potential use since it is currently placed face-up by the Egyptian Player’s Civilization Display. What is declared and placed face-down is Mercenaries Desert.
Egypt, due to its civilization benefit and God of the Forge has four Mina available.
The Hittite Player considers options regarding this critical competition for Aleppo. Here’s what the Hittites know… two Egyptian cards could come into play for this competition:
The Hittite Player, now knowing what Egypt could commit to the Aleppo competition, at least in terms of one face-up and one face-down card, places face-down Light Chariots and Great Person – Siege Master.
The Hittite Player also has “an ace in the hole” with the Negate card, Great Person: Corruptor being the sole card remaining in his hand. The Hittites announce use of their civilization competition benefit and add a white disk to their stack in Aleppo… which brings the Hittite stack to five disks, for the stacking limit may be exceeded during the Competition Phase. Alas, the Hittites have no Mina.
With commitment of the Hittite civilization benefit’s one white disk for competition, here’s the situation before resolving Competition cards, Aleppo has:
Face-down Competition cards are simultaneously revealed and the Egyptian Player, due to being in the “1” Box of the Civilization Turn Order Track, resolves her Mercenaries Desert Competition card. She then announces commitment of three Mina to this card’s resolution, which the Hittite Player, lacking Mina and being unwilling to play his one available card, can do nothing to impede.
Consequently, the Hittite stack in Aleppo is reduced by three: one white and two burnt orange disks leaving two Hittite disks remaining. The Egyptians add three sky blue disks to their Aleppo original stack and now have six disks.
Because of Mercenaries Desert, the Hittite stack is reduced by three. Here’s the new Aleppo disk situation:
The Hittites now resolve their two Competition cards. Siege Master, which Egypt can do nothing to stop by expending its remaining Mina, reduces the Egyptian stack to five. Light Chariots brings the Hittite stack up to three disks and, when the loss of one Egyptian disk due to Siege Master is announced, the Egyptian Player advises she’ll invoke the Great Person – Master Armorer to avoid that loss. This prompts the Hittite Player to gleefully reveal Corruptor out of his hand to Negate that play and compel Master Armorer to be placed into the Discard pile. It’s three sky blue disks are returned into Egyptian Supply.
From the preceding Competition card play there are now three Hittite disks vs. four Egyptian disks. Each civilization must now remove disks by round, Hittites first as they have the lesser number of disks.
Round 1 of disk removal:
Round 2 of Disk Removal:
Round 3 of Disk Removal:
The Egyptians win the competition for Aleppo and have a City remaining in the area. Furthermore, the Hittite City which began this competition is no more. It’s been sacked. Therefore, the Egyptian Player gains one Victory Point and chooses to take one Mina of loot. That Mina white disk of loot is placed into the Egypt Civilization Display’s “Sacked City Loot” Box. It will be moved into Egypt’s Treasury at conclusion of the turn’s Competition Phase.
Action now moves to the remaining competitions needing resolution: the Hittites confronting the Karahuyuk stack of four black disk Barbarians and Egypt destroying the last black colored Barbarian disk in Thebes.
That concludes this turn two Competition Phase example.
As readers reflect on this three-part series, questions and/or requests for clarification may arise. Please feel free to pose these using InsideGMT’s below communications capability.
Thanks for sharing your time to learn more about Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East.
Author: Fred Schachter
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