SWEEP OF HISTORY
INTRODUCTION
Card game for 2-4+ players.
VICTORY
The player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the end of the game wins.
A regular game uses 1 Deck.
The game ends when there are no cards left to draw and no players have any
cards left in their hand they are able or willing to play.
DECKS
Players use 2 regular decks of Playing Cards mixed together.
This double deck of regular cards is called the Bid deck.
Players also share 12 special Era decks.
There is a deck for each Era of History.
The List of Era Decks in order include:
1. Bronze Age (3500-2000 BC)
2. Iron Age (2000-1000 BC)
3. Classical Age (1000-400 BC)
4. Antiquity (400-0 BC)
5. Empire (0-430 AD)
6. Dark Ages (430-1050 AD)
7. Middle Ages (1050-1350 AD)
8. Renaissance (1350-1600 AD)
9. Enlightenment (1600-1820 AD)
10. Industrial Age (1820-1900 AD)
11. Early Modern (1900-1944 AD)
12. Modern Age (1944-2010 AD)
ERA CARD INFO
Each Era card will have 4 attributes:
1. What deck it belongs to.
2. The Name of the card.
3. The Type of card it is.
4. The Region the card belongs to.
REGIONS
Most cards belong to a particular region.
Regions are determined by the Era Deck.
For example, in the Bronze age deck there are 4 Regions:
Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China.
CARD TYPES
There are 13 card types.
Not every Deck will use all available types.
Civilization
Leader
City
Paragon
Advance
Wonder
Disaster
Event
Religion
Ideology
Book
Usurp
Disgrace
SETUP
This setup procedure is repeated at the beginning of each Era Deck.
The player who lost the last game by the greatest amount goes first.
Shuffle the Bid deck and the Era Deck.
Flip over all the cards of the Era deck to make piles of 5 cards each.
The rightmost pile may have less than 5 cards.
Each Pile of 5 cards is called a Bid Pile.
All cards in a Bid pile are to visible to all players.
The Bid Piles should be lined up in a row.
The leftmost pile is bid on first and so on.
TURN SEQUENCE
Each turn has 4 phases:
1. Draw Phase
2. Bid Phase
3. Action Phase
4. End Phase
DRAW PHASE
Each player is dealt 3 Bid cards.
If the Bid deck runs out, shuffle the discard and draw from it.
BID PHASE
Each player may bid up to 5 Bid cards for the current (leftmost) Bid Pile.
Bids are revealed simultaneously.
The Best Poker hand wins.
5 of a Kind are allowed. They rank just above 4 of a Kind.
The winner discards the Bid cards he used to win the pile.
Other players put their Bid cards back into their hands.
The winner takes control of the Bid Pile he just won: He places
the 5 Era cards face up in front of him.
All players must bid at least 1 card.
If tied, tied players cut the Bid deck. Highest cut wins the Bid.
ACTION PHASE
Some of the cards the Bid winner just won have special effects that
take place in this phase.
Disaster Cards: Opponent must discard a Target City, Wonder, or Civilization card.
Usurper: Steal Target City or Civilization card.
Disgrace: Give this card to a target opponent.
END PHASE
Max Bid hand size is 10 cards.
Discard excess cards.
END OF ERA SCORING
After an Era deck is competely Bid-up, players score for that deck:
Check for each REGION in that deck.
The player with the most cards for a Region gets 2 VP.
Check for each Card TYPE in that deck.
Disgrace, Disaster, and Usurper cards are not included as Types for scoring.
The player with the most cards of that type gets 2 VP.
(For Example: The player with the most Leader cards gets 2 VP)
If 2 or more players tie for the most, each gets 1 VP.
If you have a Disgrace card in your Scoring Pile lose 2 VP.
Bonus cards give 1 extra VP if you also own the card they target.
ERA CARD LIST TYPE NOTATION
C = Civilization
L = Leader
Y = City
P = Paragon
A = Advance
W = Wonder
D = Disaster
E = Event
R = Religion
I = Ideology
B = Book
U = Usurp
G = Disgrace
BRONZE AGE (3500-2000 BC) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
M = Mesopotamia
I = India
H = China
E = Egypt
BRONZE AGE (3500-2000 BC) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Sumeria C M
Indus Valley C I
Great Flood D -
Mohenjo-Daro Y I
Harappa Y I
Gilgamesh L M
Nubia C E
Menes L E
Thriving Trade A -
Upper Kingdom C E
Lower Kingdom C E
Akkadians C M
Mentuhotep L E
Old Kingdom C E
Pottery A -
Taxation A -
Cuneiform A M
Hieroglyphics A E
Dynasty A -
Bronze Working A -
Ziggurat W -
Sphinx W E
Astronomy A -
Mythology A -
King Djoser L E
Irrigation A -
Famine D -
Great Pyramids W E
Papyrus A E
Sargon L M
War D -
Slave Labor A -
Medes C M
Uprisings D -
Assyria C M
Ur Y M
Babylon Y M
City States A M
Memphis Y E
Plow A -
Wheel A -
Sail A -
Granaries A -
Yangshao C H
Longshan C H
Xia C H
Yellow Emperor L H
Conquest U -
Beer Brewing A M
Animal Domestication A -
IRON AGE (2000-1000 BC) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
M = Mesopotamia (and Persia)
I = India
H = China
E = Egypt
N = Near East
G = Agean
O = Europe
X = Anatolia
Z = Americas
IRON AGE (2000-1000 BC) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Hammurabi L M
Babylonian Empire C M
Book of the Dead B E
Hyksos C E
Thebes Y E
Temple of Karnak W E
Middle Kingdom C E
Shang Dynasty C H
I Ching B H
Library at Ebla W M
Stonehenge W O
Megalithic Culture C O
Abraham P N
Hebrews C N
Monotheism R -
Cretans C G
Tholos A G
Myceneans C G
Hittites C X
Minoans C G
Thutmose L E
Iron Working A X
Shuppiluliumash L X
Assyria C M
Annexation U -
Wine A -
Jericho Y N
Ramses L E
Zoroastrianism R M
Volcanic Eruption D G
Troy Y X
Moses L N
Elamites C M
Migrations D -
Collapse D -
Nebuchadnezzar L M
Statue of Marduk W M
Architecture A -
Flowering of Art A -
Wu L H
Zhou C H
Hao Y H
King Saul L N
Canaanites C N
Chiefdoms C O
New Kingdom C E
King Minos L G
Trojan War E G
Agamemnon L G
Glass Vessels A -
Parchment A -
Nefertiti L E
Newgrange W O
Cycladic Culture C G
Chariots A -
Aryans C I
Dravidians C I
Andean Chiefdoms C Z
Mayans C Z
Olmecs C Z
Urnfield Culture C O
Hallstatt Culture C O
Celts C O
Mother Goddess A G
Sea Peoples C G
Alphabet A -
Rich Treasures A -
Overextended D M
Hinduism R I
Villanovans C O
Vedas B I
CLASSICAL AGE (1000-400 BC) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
M = Mesopotamia
P = Persia
H = China and India
E = Egypt
N = Near East
S = North Africa
G = Greece
O = Europe
Z = Americas
K = Central Asia
CLASSICAL AGE (1000-400 BC) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Rome Y O
Roman Republic C O
Xerxes L P
Socrates P G
Temple of Solomon W N
Palace of Nimrud W M
La Venta Y Z
Temple of Artemis W G
Persepolis Y P
Darius the Great L P
Chavins C Z
Jerusalem Y N
King David L N
Carthage Y S
Kush C S
Assyria C M
Babylonians C M
Late Period C E
Diaspora D N
Cyrus the Great L P
Achaemenid Empire C P
Statue of Zeus W G
Torah B N
Etruscans C O
La Tene Culture C O
Iberians C O
Dorians C G
Ionians C G
Colonization A G
City States Y G
Phoenicians C N
Conquest U -
Parthenon W G
Tyrants U G
Democracy I G
Biremes A G
Coinage A -
Athens Y G
Sparta Y G
Hanging Gardens W M
Over Cultivation D A
Olympic Games A G
Persian Wars E G
Peloponnesian Wars D G
Alcibiades G G
Pythagoras P G
Satraps C P
Drama A G
Herodotus P G
Pericles L G
Homer P G
Jainism R H
Warring States C H
Zhou Dynasty C H
Confucius P H
Mandate from Heaven I H
Shen C H
Sun Tzu P H
Cimmerians C K
Scythians C K
Nomadic Pastoralism A K
Oxus Civilization C K
Philosophy A G
ANTIQUITY (400-0 BC) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
P = Persia (Plus Near East & Mesopotamia)
R = Rome
I = India
H = China
E = Egypt
S = North Africa
G = Greece
O = Europe
Z = Americas
K = Central Asia
ANTIQUITY (400-0 BC) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus W P
Parthians C P
Seleucid Dynasty C P
Nabateans C P
Petra Y P
Alexander the Great L G
Macedonia C G
Philip of Macedon L G
Aristotle P G
Plato P G
Hippocrates P G
Archimedes P G
Diadochi L G
Oracle at Delphi W G
Colossus of Rhodes W G
Cynics & Skeptics A G
Stoics & Epicureans A G
Temple of the Winds W G
Antigonid Dynasty C G
Julius Caesar L R
Gallic Wars E R
Samnite Wars E R
Roman Republic C R
Punic Wars E R
Scipio L R
Octavian L R
Spartacus Slave Rebellion G R
Marius Reforms P R
Aqueducts A R
The Pantheon W R
Pompey L R
Civil War D R
Roman Empire A R
Coliseum W R
Carthaginian Empire C S
Hannibal L S
Celtic Gaul C O
Cimbri C O
Teutons C O
Sarmatians C K
Xiongnu C K
Alexandria Y E
Cleopatra L E
Lighthouse of Alexandria W E
Ptolemy Dynasty C E
Mauryans C I
Ashoka L I
Buddhism R I
Qin C H
Shi Huangdi L H
Great Wall of China W H
Han Empire C H
Crossbow A H
Liu Bang L H
Taoism R H
Terracotta Army W H
War Elephants A -
Bureaucracy I -
Conquest U -
Empire U -
Expansionist A -
Pyrrhic Victory D -
Tribute A -
Tiahuanaco Y Z
Zapotec States C Z
Nazca C Z
Moche C Z
EMPIRE (0-430 AD) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
R = Roman Empire
P = Persia
I = India
H = Asia
S = Africa
B = British Isles
O = Europe
X = Anatolia
Z = Americas
EMPIRE (0-430 AD) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Christianity R R
Jewish Revolt D R
Hadrians Wall W B
Celtic Britons C B
Boudica L B
Flavian Emperors L R
Good Emperors L R
Soldier Emperors L R
Parthian Empire C P
Han Empire C H
Tibetans C H
Meroe C S
Sassanid Empire C P
Caligula G R
Kushans C I
Ellora Temples W I
Hindu Kingdoms C I
Guptas C I
Golden Age A -
Three Kingdoms C H
Yayoi Period in Japan C H
Kingdom of Funan C H
Conversions U -
Puppet Emperor U -
Teotihuacan Y Z
Egypt Roman Province A R
Axum C S
Bantu C S
Silk Route A P
Temple of the Sun W Z
Cult of Mithras R P
Trajans Forum W R
Neros Golden House W R
Baths of Diocletioan W R
Saint Augustine P R
New Testament B R
City of God B R
Roman Empire C R
Civil War U -
Conquests A -
Roman Engineering A R
Constantine L X
Constantinople Y X
Eastern Empire C R
Western Empire C R
Water Wheel A -
Armenia C X
Saint Paul P R
Galen P R
Ptolemy P R
Schism A -
Pax Romana E R
Octavian L R
Battle of Teutoburg E O
Goths C O
Alaric L O
Germanic Tribes C O
Mayan City States C Z
Maya Calendar A Z
Paracas C Z
Teotihuacan Y Z
DARK AGES (430-1050 AD) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
Z = Byzantium
I = India
H = China and Japan
S = Scandinavia
B = British Isles
M = Moslem World
C = Central Asia
E = Europe
K = Americas
DARK AGES (430-1050 AD) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
East Roman Empire C Z
Byzantine Empire C Z
Hagia Sophia W Z
Basilica Cistern W Z
Horyu-Gakumonji W H
Leif Eriksson P S
Moors C M
Visigoths C E
Ostrogoths C E
Vandals C E
Anglo Saxons C B
Normans C B
Book of Kells B B
Irish Monks C B
Mohammed L M
Islam R M
Arabs C M
Collapse D -
Tang Dynasty C H
Charlemagne L E
Franks C E
Huns C C
Attila L C
Avars C C
Theodoric the Great L E
Barbarian Migrations E E
Gupta Empire C I
Justinian L Z
Bubonic Plague D -
Lombards C E
Greek Orthodox Church R Z
Slavs C E
Seljuk Turks C C
Heraclius L Z
Sui C H
Toba C H
Japanese Yamato C H
Harsha L I
Windmills A -
Picts C B
Scots C B
Merovingians C E
Feudalism I E
Danish Vikings C S
King Alfred L B
Swedish Vikings C S
Assimilation U -
Rus Kiev C E
Norwegian Vikings C S
King Otto I L E
Holy Roman Empire C E
Papacy R E
Catholicism R R
Magyars C C
Monasticism R E
Umayyad Dynasty C M
Dome of the Rock W M
Mecca Y M
Koran B M
Abbasid Empire C M
Golden Age A -
Fragmentation D -
Wendi L H
Fatmids C M
Islamic Science A M
Rajput States C I
Tamil Kingdoms C I
Chola Kingdoms C I
Huari Empire C K
Maya Old Empire C K
Tikal Y K
Chichen Itza W K
MIDDLE AGES (1050-1350 AD) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
L = Levant, Egypt, Anatolia, and Persia
H = China, India, and Japan
B = British Isles
C = Central Asia, Russia, and East Europe
E = Europe
Z = Byzantium
K = Americas
MIDDLE AGES (1050-1350 AD) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Crusades E L
Chivalry A E
England C B
Battle of Hastings E B
France C E
Feudalism I E
Universities A E
William the Conqueror L B
Gothic Style A E
Dante P E
Frederick Barbarossa L E
Magna Carta B B
Roger Bacon P B
Heresy D -
Mongols C C
Genghis Khan L C
Paper Manufacture A -
Kingdom of Hungary C E
Russian Principalities C C
Black Death D E
Excommunication D E
House of Habsburg C E
Knights Templar C L
Jerusalem Y L
Saladin L L
Richard Lionheart L L
Reconquista E E
Three Crop Rotation A E
Thomas Aquinas P E
Banks and Credit A E
Hanseatic League C E
Communes A E
Marco Polo P H
Crusader States C L
Incas C K
Aztecs C K
Chimu C K
Alex Newski L C
Tartars C C
Golden Horde C C
Kublai Khan L C
Khanate of Persia C L
Venice Y E
Genoa Y E
Kingdom of Poland C C
Seljuk Sultanate C L
Byzantine Empire C L
Latin Empire C L
Fatimids C L
Holy Roman Empire C E
Hohenstaufen Emperors C E
Northern Sung C H
Southern Sung C H
Heian Period C H
Zen Buddhism R H
Magnetic Compass A H
Kamakura Shogunate C H
Yaun Dynasty C H
RENAISSANCE (1350-1600 AD) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
T = Italy
S = Spain and Portugal
M = Middle East, Africa, and Asia Minor
H = China, India, and Japan
B = British Isles
C = Central Asia, Russia, and East Europe
E = Europe
K = Americas
A = Any Region
RENAISSANCE (1350-1600 AD) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Hundred Years War E E
Gunpowder A E
Cannons A E
Medici L T
Machiavelli P T
Dynastic Rivalries D E
Florence Y T
Venice Y T
Italian City States Y T
Joan of Arc L E
Burgundy C E
English C B
Canterbury Tales B B
Sir Thomas Malory P B
French C E
Wars of the Roses E B
Lancaster C B
York C B
Henry VIII L B
Ferdinand & Isabella L S
Printing Press A E
German Empire C E
Tudor Dynasty C B
Fugger Banking Dynasty A E
Spanish Armada G S
Hiernoymus Bosch P E
Christopher Columbus P S
Leonardo da Vinci P T
Botticelli P T
Utopia B B
Michelangelo P T
Copernicus P T
Sistine Chapel W T
Reformation E E
Siege of Vienna E E
Elizabethan Age L B
Shakespeare P B
Martin Luther P E
95 Theses B E
Protestantism R E
Timur the Lame L C
Habsburg Emperors C E
Ottoman Empire C M
Late Byzantine Empire C M
Ming Dynasty C H
Ashikaga Shogunate C H
Delhi Sultanate C H
Vijayangar Kingdom C H
Porcelain Pagoda W H
Mamluke Sultanate C M
Magellan P S
Grand Duchy of Lithuania C C
Great Russia C C
Moscow Y C
Ivan the Terrible L C
Golden Horde C C
Red Square W C
Plague D -
Hugenots C E
Cortez in Mexico L K
Pizarro in Peru L K
Spanish California C K
Incas C K
Aztecs C K
Overseas Discoveries E K
The New World C K
Machu Picchu W K
Suleiman the Magnificent L M
Safavi Empire C M
Abbas the Great L M
Portuguese Goa Y H
Babar L H
Akbar the Great L H
Sikhism R H
The Golden Temple W H
Hideyoshi L H
Mogul Period C H
Timbuktu Y M
Songhai Kingdom C M
Petrarch P T
Humanism I T
ENLIGHTENMENT (1600-1820 AD) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
E = Europe
B = British Isles
F = France
N = Americas
M = Middle East and Africa
H = China and Japan
I = India
C = Central Asia, Russia, and East Europe
ENLIGHTENMENT (1600-1820 AD) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Spanish Empire C E
Caribbean C N
Pilgrims C N
United States of America C N
North America C N
30 Year War E E
French Revolution E F
Seven Year War E E
Napoleonic Wars E F
Napoleon Bonaparte L F
Peter the Great L C
Romanov Dynasty C C
English Civil War E B
Oliver Cromwell L B
Ottoman Empire C M
East India Company C I
Turkish Wars E C
British Empire C B
William Pitt L B
Wellington L B
Horation Nelson L B
Maratha Confederacy C I
Mogul Empire C I
Manchus C H
Afghans C I
Ching Dynasty C H
Clive of India L I
Tokugawa Shogunate C H
Edo Y H
Sea Pirate States C M
Slave Trade A M
Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia C M
Religious Discord D E
Russia C C
Rembrandt P E
The Dutch C E
Rubens P E
El Greco P E
JS Bach P E
Baroque Era A E
Mozart P E
Handel P E
Paradise Lost B B
Jane Austen P B
Voltaire P F
Francis Bacon P B
Galileo P E
Newton P B
George Washington L N
Benjamin Franklin P N
American Colonies C N
Declaration of Independence B N
Thomas Jefferson L N
American Revolution E N
Logarithms A B
Steam Engine A B
Hot Air Balloon A F
The Sun King L F
Fredrich the Great L E
Prussia C E
Maria Theresa L E
Austrian Empire C E
William Blake P B
Holy Roman Empire C E
Robespierre L F
Taj Mahal W I
Telescope A E
Pendulum Clock A E
Flintlock Muskets A E
Microscopy A E
Fahrenheit P E
INDUSTRY (1820-1900 AD) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
E = Europe and Russia
B = British Isles
N = North America
X = The Rest of the World
INDUSTRY (1820-1900 AD) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Steam Ship A N
Ironclads A N
Rail Roads A B
Telegraph A N
Photography A E
Dynamite A E
Periodic Table A E
Phonograph A N
Lightbulb A N
X-Rays A E
Motor Car A E
Tesla P N
Edison P N
American Civil War E N
Marie Curie P E
Cinematograph A E
Gilded Age C N
Abraham Lincoln L N
Bismark L E
Ulysses Grant L N
Queen Victoria L B
Industrial Revolution A B
Suez Canal W X
British India C X
Boxer Rebellion E X
Dowager Empress L X
Meji Reform A X
Boer War E X
Cape Town Y X
Opium War E X
Sepoy Mutiny D X
Robber Barons P N
Occupation U -
Crimean War E E
Franco-German War E E
Czarist Russia C E
Germany C E
France C E
British Empire C X
Austrian Empire C E
Eiffel Tower W E
Bicycle A E
Spanish American War E N
US/Mexican War E N
United States C N
Van Gogh P E
Gauguin P E
Impressionism A E
Romantic Period A E
Statue of Liberty W N
Darwin P B
Pasteur P E
Chopin P E
EARLY MODERN (1900-1944 AD) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
E = Europe and Britain
G = Germany and Italy
R = Russia
U = United States
X = The Rest of the World
A = Any Region
EARLY MODERN (1900-1944 AD) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Great War D E
World War D -
Great Depression D U
Albert Einstein P U
Airplanes A U
Rockets A R
Hitler L G
Stalin L R
Tanks A E
Captains of Industry P U
Machine Guns A G
Gas Warfare A G
Russian Revolution E R
Churchill L E
Mussolini L G
Fascism I G
Communism I R
Theodore Roosevelt L U
Franklin D. Roosevelt L U
Lenin L R
Nazi Germany C G
Turkish Republic C X
Iran and Iraq C X
Mahatma Gandhi L X
Civil Disobedience I X
Third Reich C G
United States C U
Soviet Union C R
Spanish Civil War E E
Holocaust G G
Quantum Mechanics A U
Rodin P E
Renoir P E
Chaplin P U
Chagall P R
Abstract Art A E
Matisse P E
Dali P E
Picasso P E
Penicillin A U
Fission A U
Freud P G
Gershwin P U
Empire State Building W U
Panama Canal W X
Golden Gate Bridge W U
Hoover Dam W U
Radio A U
Sonar A E
MODERN ERA (1944 - Present AD) DECK CARD LIST NOTATION
E = Europe and Britain
R = Russia
U = United States
S = Asia and India
M = Middle East
T = Third World
MODERN ERA (1944 - Present AD) DECK CARD LIST
Card Name Type Region
Electronics A U
Television A U
Computers A U
Internet A U
Missiles A U
Jet Aircraft A -
Helicopters A U
Korean War E S
Vietnam War E S
Cold War E R
Nuclear Weapons A U
Moon Voyage E U
Sputnik A R
USSR C R
USA C R
Space Race E R
Discovery of DNA A E
Socialism I E
Plastics A U
Green Revolution A -
Israel C M
Western Europe C E
Eastern Europe C R
Balkan War D E
New World Order C U
Democratic India C S
Pakistan C M
Middle East Conflict D M
Cultural Revolution D S
Peoples Republic of China C S
United Nations A -
Reagan L U
Gorbachev L R
Civil Rights A U
Scandal U -
Russian Empire C R
Unified Germany C E
American Super Power C U
Democratic Party C U
Republican Party C U
JFK L U
Banana Republics C T
African States C T
Castro L T
Civil Wars D T
Elvis P U
Rock and Roll A U
Counter Culture E U
McCarthyism D U
NATO C U
Totalitarianism I R
Chunnel W E
Gulf War D M
Terrorism D -
Bill Gates P U
Stock Market Crash D U
Global Warming D -
Space Shuttle A U
GAME DESIGNERS NOTES
If you notice any glaring historical inaccuracies or omissions please let me know.
CLASSROOM AID
This game could be incorporated into a semester long lesson plan.
On the first day give the students a pre-test: A blank timeline going back 5000 years.
Students try to fill in the timeline with as many historical facts as they can remember.
Each week of the semester can correspond to one of the decks.
Students can make the cards using photographs and adding text to the cards.
Allow students to play the game in addition to presentations and exams.
At the end of the semester give the post-test.
