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{{ three ? "Three-Player" : ""}} {{ mega ? "Mega" : "" }} Magnate {{ empire ? "Empire" : ""}} is a game for {{ empire ? "3 or 4" : (three ? "3" : (solo ? "1" : "2")) }} player{{ solo ? "" : "s" }} requiring {{ mega || empire ? "two decktets" : "a Decktet" }}, about {{ mega || three || empire ? 20 : 12 }} suit tokens per Decktet suit, and either this Roller or {{ empire ? "three" : "two" }} d10 and {{ doubleTaxation ? "two" : "one" }} d6. {{ solo ? "The human player plays against a simple automaton player who does not use or collect resources." : ""}}
Districts: Set up {{ empire ? "an" : "the" }} Excuse and {{ empire ? "a Harvest/Festival and a Borderland/Depths" : (three ? (mega ? "all but three " : "all ") + "Crowns" : "all Pawns") }} in a {{ three ? "Y shape" : "line" }} {{ empire ? "" : "centered around the Excuse" }} between {{ empire ? "each pair of" : ( solo ? "the human and automaton" : "the") }} players. {{ mega ? "(Remove the second Excuse.)" : "" }} {{ three ? "Optionally, add one or two tokens of different suits to each Crown." : "" }} These are the districts. The goal of the game is {{ empire ? "to improve your set of districts the most," : "to control the most districts (as in Schotten Totten/Battle Line)" }} by adding the most property value to them: i.e., having a higher total rank on your side of the {{ three ? "Crown" : "Pawn" }} or Excuse than your {{ empire ? "opponents have" : "opponent has" }} on the other. {{ three ? "Optionally, the Excuse district can be designated as uncontented and count only towards the tiebreaker." : "" }}
{{ three ? "Pawns" : "Crowns" }}: Deal out {{ empire ? "three Crowns to each player" : (three ? (mega ? "six" : "three") + " Pawns" : "all Crowns") + " evenly among the players" }}, who should set them aside on their own side of the table. {{ solo ? "The human" : "Each" }} player also takes one matching suit token per {{ three ? "suit on their Pawn" : "Crown" }}. {{ empire ? "Set aside any extra Crowns and the extra Pawns." : "" }}
Courts are optional and may be removed from the deck. (There is also a variant in which Courts are used as trading posts.)
Shuffle the remaining cards and deal out {{ empire ? 5 : (mega ? (three ? 5 : 6) : 3)}} to {{ solo ? "the human player." : "each player." }} {{ (empire || solo) ? "" : "There is no official method of choosing a start player." }}
Players will develop properties (cards) by placing them in columns on their own side of the District line. The first card must match a suit {{ three ? "or token" : ""}} on the District ({{ three ? "Crown" : "Pawn" }}) it is placed next to; the next card in line must match a suit on the previous card, and so on. The first card next to the Excuse is unrestricted, but subsequent cards must match a suit of the previous card as usual.
{{ empire ? "Play is simultaneous. The initial passing direction is to the left." : (solo ? "The automaton player develops cards sold by the human player." : "" ) }}
Your {{ three ? "Pawns" : "Crowns" }}, developed, and deeded properties can all generate resources. Your {{three ? (mega ? "Pawns generate" : "Pawn generates") : "Crowns generate" }} one matching resource token {{ three ? "per suit" : "each" }}. Fully-developed properties generate a resource per suit if fully developed; deeded or partly developed properties generate one matching resource of your choice. Note that {{ solo ? "" : "every player is affected (as in Catan), and " }} only the {{ empire ? "ranks rolled generate" : "rank rolled generates" }} resources. (Courts cannot be rolled.)
If you are not using the roller, roll {{ empire ? 3 : 2 }}d10 for resources. {{ doubleTaxation ? "Double": "" }} Taxation: If a 1 appears, roll {{mega || doubleTaxation ? 2 : 1}}d6 to determine the taxed suit{{mega || doubleTaxation ? "s" : "" }}; {{ solo ? "the human player discards" : "all players discard" }} all but one of their resources in {{mega || doubleTaxation ? "those suits" : "that suit"}}.
Next, {{solo ? "the human player collects" : "all players collect" }} resources on the {{ empire ? "two" : "" }} greater of the {{ empire ? "three" : "two" }} d10s. If {{ empire ? "one of those values" : "that value" }} is a 10, they collect their {{ three ? "Pawn" : "Crown" }} resources; otherwise they collect one resource per suit on each of their own properties of the rolled rank{{ empire ? "s" : ""}}. For a duplicate higher value, collect the resources twice. In case of snake eyes, collect one matching resource per Ace. If a matching property is deeded instead of owned outright, {{ solo ? "the human player collects" : "players collect" }} one resource of their choice out of the (usually two) suits on the deeded card.
You may store partial payment in resources, tax-free, on a deeded property. When you complete a deed (by accumulating the same total number and required types of resources as if purchased outright), discard the paid resources and turn the property sideways.
Deeds to properties can be bought at the cost of one of each suit pictured on the card (even for Aces). The resources go to the bank, not on the card, and do not count towards the final cost of the property. You cannot place another deed or property in the same district until this deed has been fully developed.
Properties cost their face value in resource tokens, but these tokens must all match the suit(s) on the card, with at least one resource token in each suit. Pricing exceptions: A Court costs 10 resources, does not generate resources like other properties, but counts as rank 10 for controlling districts. An Ace costs three resources of the matching suit, and scores one point per matching suit on your fully developed properties in that district. (The original rule was that an Ace cost one resource and scored simply as rank 1.)
Properties in your hand may be sold for one matching resource token per suit on the card, except an Ace is sold for two resources matching the suit of the card. {{ solo ? "When placing sold properties in the automaton's districts, the usual suit restrictions apply. Use a d6 (or the roll for placement button above) to pick the district as follows: for an odd number, try to place the card from left to right, and for even, right to left. If one or more of the automaton's crown suits is on the card, place the card in the first district matching a crown suit; otherwise place it on the first district matching a non-crown suit. (A bare Excuse matches any suit.)" : "" }}
If the card cannot be placed, it may be discarded. {{ mega ? "There's no official rule for distributing the automaton's properties in the mega game; to keep them from clumping at the ends, place a spare token on one of the districts and move it over one district per sale as the game progresses. Place properties starting from the token rather than the ends." : ""}}
{{ solo ? "When" : "Reshuffle the discards " + ( three || empire ? "twice; the third time" : "once; the second time") }} the draw pile runs out, {{ empire ? "the game ends immediately" : ( solo ? "take one more turn" : "players get one more turn each" ) }}. {{ empire ? "The passing direction (left vs. right) changes after each shuffle." : "" }}
At the end of the game, players discard {{ empire ? "" : "their hands of " + (mega ? 4 : 2 ) + " cards each," }} any incomplete deeds, and the resources on them.
Determine {{ empire ? "each player's total score and " : "" }} control of districts by totaling card ranks.
Courts count as 10, and Aces count as one per matching suit in the district, including its own. (There are variants of the rule in which the {{ three ? "Crown" : "Pawn" }} or both the {{ three ? "Crown" : "Pawn" }} and the opponent's cards are also counted when scoring Aces.) {{ three ? "Recall that the Excuse district may be designated as uncontented and count only towards the tiebreaker." : "" }}
{{empire ? "District bonuses are awarded for each district type (that is, for the Excuse, Harvest/Festival, and Borderland/Depths). The player with the highest value in the district gets 15 points, the second-highest gets 10 points, and, in a four-player game only, the third-highest gets 5 points. (In case of a district tie, the tied players get the higher bonus and the next bonus is skipped.)" : ""}} If players tie {{ empire ? "on total score after bonuses, the" : "on districts, the first tiebreaker is the total value of their developments, and the second" }} tie-breaker is the most remaining resources.