MEN OF SUMER
INTRODUCTION
Players a rival kings in the land of Sumeria.
VICTORY
The first player to control six of the ten city-states is the winner.
THE MAP
Use a hex map to depict:
The Fertile Crescent (The lands around and between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers).
There are 10 City states:
Kish, Larak, Nippur, Umma, Lagash, Uruk, Ur, Eshnunna, Khafaje, and Eridu.
There are 5 Terrain types:
1. Mud (Farmland & Villages)
2. River Valleys
3. Desert
4. Sea
5. City-States
COUNTERS
Each player gets a set of counters of a unique color.
A counter set contains counters of the following types:
Type: Number Notes
Armies 30 Each Army represents about 1,000 men.
Leader 1 Kingly personification of each player
Control Markers 70
WAR DECK
The War Deck has 6 types of cards:
Phalanx, Javelins, Chariots, Morale, Strategy, Terrain.
For each type of card there are 10 such cards in the deck numbered 1 through 10.
The Harvest Deck is a seperate deck.
SETUP
Shuffle the deck.
Each player gets a counter set.
Roll high on 1D6 to determine placement order.
Each player places his Leader counter on one of the City-states.
Place a control marker on your city-state and all of the surrounding adjacent spaces.
Neutral City states contain 3 Armies which must be defeated to gain control of the city.
Neutral city-states will retake adjacent unoccupied spaces in Planting Phase.
STACKING
Any number of armies may stack in one space.
MAIN TURN SEQUENCE
Each turn consists of 3 phases:
1. Harvest Phase
2. War Phase
3. Planting Phase
HARVEST PHASE
Players roll high on 1D6 to determine turn order. Reroll ties.
Each player…
Gains 5 armies for each City-state they control.
Gains 1 army for each ‘Mud’ terrain they control.
Gains 1 army for each ½ of a river valley they control.
Each Player is dealt 4 cards face up from the Harvest Deck and plays them.
Players place these armies in their City-states in turn order.
If a player lost a Leader last turn, he gains a new one.
He places the new leader in one of his City-States.
Discard all harvest cards.
WAR PHASE
This phase is divided into 10 segments.
Each player gets one segment turn during each segment.
Players take their segment turns in the order determined during Harvest Phase.
Each segment turn is divided into 3 sub-segments:
1. Movement Sub-segment
2. Fighting Sub-segment
3. Conquest Sub-segment
MOVEMENT SUB-SEGMENT
A player may move each of his armies 2 spaces.
A Leader may move 4 spaces.
In river spaces denote which side of the river the stack is on.
It costs 1 space to cross a river.
Armies & Leaders may not enter Sea spaces.
An army must stop upon entering a City-state, or a space occupied by enemy armies.
FIGHTING SUB-SEGMENT
If two stacks of opposing armies occupy the same space there will be a battle.
Exception: The armies are on either side of the river and the moving player
does not want to attack.
Each player is dealt 7 cards from the War deck.
If the deck runs out shuffle the discard and draw from it.
Players may then discard up to 6 cards and draw replacements.
Each player may play up to one card of each of the six types of cards.
(For Example: a player could not play 2 chariot cards.)
Each player calculates his battle total:
Add the numeric value of all cards played + 1D6 per Army present and +2D6 if
your Leader is Present.
If the defending stack was in a City-state, the defender adds 2D6.
If the attacking stack just crossed a river the defender may add 1D6.
The player with the higher Battle Total wins.
Roll high on 1D6 to break ties.
The losing stack is destroyed utterly. The winner takes no casualties.
If your leader is destroyed, all of your armies on the board disband.
Discard all war cards.
CONQUEST SUB-SEGMENT
On any space you have an army add a control marker if you didn’t already have one there.
Replace enemy control markers with your own in any space you occupy.
PLANTING PHASE
All players discard all their army counters.
The men return home to plant their fields.
Place your Leader counter into a City-state you control.
HARVEST CARD LIST
Card Name: Effect: Notes:
Revolt Lose 1D6 Armies
Flood Lose 1D6 Armies
Dust Storms Lose 1D6 Armies
Draught Lose 1D6 Armies
Flash Floods Lose 1D6 Armies
River changes Course Lose 1D6 Armies
Swamps Lose 1D6 Armies
Wild Jackasses Lose 1D6 Armies
Semite Invaders Lose 1D6 Armies
Martu Invaders Lose 1D6 Armies
Elamite Invaders Lose 1D6 Armies
Plague Lose 1D6 Armies
Pestilence Lose 1D6 Armies
Piracy Lose 1D6 Armies
Locusts Lose 1D6 Armies
Disease Lose 1D6 Armies
Rebellion Lose 1D6 Armies
Bloody Coup Lose 1D6 Armies
Corruption Lose 1D6 Armies
Heresy Lose 1D6 Armies
Famine Lose 1D6 Armies
Uprising Lose 1D6 Armies
Banditry Lose 1D6 Armies
Class Warfare Lose 1D6 Armies
Tax Reform Lose 1D6 Armies
Epidemic Lose 1D6 Armies
Food Shortage Lose 1D6 Armies
Anarchy Lose 1D6 Armies
Unrest Lose 1D6 Armies
Trade for Wood Gain 1D6 Armies
Trade for Metal Gain 1D6 Armies
Trade for Exotic Foods Gain 1D6 Armies Spices
Surplus Grain Gain 1D6 Armies Exported
Good Harvest Gain 1D6 Armies
Sumerian Beer Gain 1D6 Armies Favorite Drink
Bread & Onions Gain 1D6 Armies Staple Foods
Blessing of Innanka Gain 1D6 Armies The Goddess of Fertility
Blessing of En-Lil Gain 1D6 Armies The Wind God
Semite Migrations Gain 1D6 Armies
Elamite Mercenaries Gain 1D6 Armies Renowned archers
Martu Mercenaries Gain 1D6 Armies Semitic Desert Nomads
Trade for Gold Gain 1D6 Armies
Cuneiform Script Gain 1D6 Armies Written on Clay Tablets
Temple Festivals Gain 1D6 Armies Music & Sports
Trade Pottery Gain 1D6 Armies Clay was abundant
Livestock Gain 1D6 Armies Sheep, Oxen, and Swine
Build Ziggurat Temple Gain 1D6 Armies Step Pyramids
Irrigation Ditches Gain 1D6 Armies
Immigrant Workers Gain 1D6 Armies
Artisans & Craftsmen Gain 1D6 Armies Carpenters, Bricklayers, Jewelers, Weavers
Fishing Gain 1D6 Armies
Conquer Foreign Tribes Gain 1D6 Armies
Slavery Gain 1D6 Armies
Great Leader Gain 1D6 Armies Gilgamesh
Sacred Marriage Gain 1D6 Armies Yearly Ritual Orgy
Good Omens Gain 1D6 Armies Astrology, Reading Sheep’s Livers
Raise Taxes Gain 1D6 Armies Silver Shekels
Peace Treaty Gain 1D6 Armies
MAP
Thanks to Janne Thörne for making a Great map!
