How to Play Civolution | Rules & Setup Guide

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Assemble the score track

Fit the 4 frame pieces together and place in the center of the table

Place the progress board

Position to the left of the score track, containing the hunting table, progress tracks, final scoring area, and display area

Place the sequence board

Position to the right of the score track, containing the phase sequence, weather gauge, event card spaces, era scoring area, and Favor of Agera track

Set the phase indicator

Place onto the hexagon space in the top left corner of the phase sequence

Set the weather indicator

Place onto the "Mild" weather space of the weather gauge

Prepare event cards

Shuffle the 20 event cards and place 4 face down as the event stack; return remaining cards to the box

Set up scoring tiles

Shuffle the 9 scoring tiles, place 4 randomly icon-side up onto the era scoring area, then place 3 more onto matching final scoring spaces and flip those point-side up; return remaining 2 to the box

Place 100-point tokens

Put as a supply onto the 100-point token display

Cover spaces for fewer players

In 2-player games, cover designated spaces with blocking tokens; in 3-player games, cover fewer spaces as indicated

Fill the goal chip display

Mix 65 goal chips in the dark blue bag, then place one face up on each empty space of the goal chip display

Fill the income chip display

Mix 25 income chips in the white bag, then place one face up on each of the 3 income chip display spaces

Fill the attribute chip display

Mix 12 attribute chips in the yellow bag, then place one face up on each of the 3 attribute chip display spaces

Construct the continent

Fit the 8 continent tiles randomly into the score track frame

Place sites

Shuffle 24 sites face down and place one in each octagonal recess of the continent

Distribute material tiles

Place face-up Wood tile on Forest starting territory and Papyrus tile on Grassland starting territory; place remaining tiles face down on matching territory types

Take a console

Each player unfolds a console and places it in front of themselves

Place module tiles

Take 15 module tiles and place each level-I side up in corresponding recesses on the right side of console

Prepare activation dice

Take 6 activation dice, set them to show values 1-6, and place each on the corresponding dice space

Take a fate die

Place 1 fate die next to your console

Place stage tiles

Take one stage-4 tile and one stage-5 tile, place inactive side up above your console

Place buildings

Put 4 settlements, 3 farms, and 2 boats in their recesses on the left side of console

Place discs on tracks

Put one disc on space 0 of score track, one on left space of Favor of Agera track, and one on space 0 of each of the 5 progress tracks

Prepare tribes

Keep 20 tribes as supply, then place one on a free encampment in Grassland starting territory and one in Forest starting territory (not fire encampments)

Prepare markers

Keep 50 markers as supply, then place one in Grassland starting territory and one in Forest starting territory outside encampments; place one marker in each boat's notch and one at top of each of 4 reset columns

Receive starting research cards

Either use pre-made starting hands (Option A) or draft from 2 cards per deck keeping 5 total (Option B)

Set up research display

Shuffle the 5 research card decks separately and place each as face-down stacks next to game boards

Receive starting markers

Place markers from supply onto console spaces as indicated on your starting marker card

Determine starting player

Give the starting monolith to the chosen starting civilization

Receive starting chip card

Take a starting chip card with goal chip, place goal chip in goal area, flip the indicated module to level II, and slide the card under console as your first income chip

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Choose your action

You must either activate a module or do a Reset on your turn

Activate a module

Use exactly 2 activation dice from your dice spaces showing the values depicted on the chosen module

Modify dice values

Spend idea markers to increase or decrease any die value by one per marker spent (1 and 6 are considered adjacent)

Use planning markers

Substitute planning markers from dice spaces in place of required activation dice

Place used dice

Put the two activation dice used below your console; return any used planning markers to supply

Perform module actions

Carry out the action(s) shown on the activated module

Perform 1 migration

Move one strong tribe to an adjacent territory and settle on an encampment (free or by displacing another tribe)

Perform 1 procreation

Choose a territory with your tribe and place a new tribe from supply onto any encampment there

Take a favor test

Roll all your fate dice; pass if any die shows a value meeting or exceeding your position on Favor of Agera track

Produce 1 raw material

Place a marker from supply into a territory where you have at least one tribe

Transport 1 raw material

Move one of your markers from any territory to matching storage space on console

Perform a hunt

Choose territory with tribe and no hunting token, roll fate dice, gain food markers based on hunting table, then place hunting token

Strengthen weak tribes

Stand any one of your weak (lying) tribes up

Make a lucky find

Choose land territory type where you have a tribe, roll fate dice, place marker on storage space indicated by the connecting line

Complete building projects

Build farms (gain idea marker), boats (move tribe onto it), statues (advance on progress track), or settlements (gain income chip)

Install research cards

Choose card from hand, determine column, pay costs based on stage, gain success points and instant bonuses, slide into stage partition

Install goal chips

Fulfill visible goal chip requirement, flip it back-side up, place in determined column, gain upgrade bonus if revealed

Gain goal chips

Take from display, place in goal area, refill display immediately

Gain income chips

Take from display, install in any column's lowest free stage, refill display, perform its action once

Upgrade modules

Flip module from level I to II, or remove level-II tile to reveal level III

Perform activities

Execute one available activity from your console or installed research cards

Advance on progress tracks

Move disc up the indicated track, gaining track bonuses when crossing thresholds

Do a Reset

Only allowed with 3 or fewer activation dice on dice spaces

Install attribute chips

At any time during your turn, fulfill feature requirement (have 3-4 markers, return one), take chip, install in determined column

Winning

How to claim victory.

Play four eras

Complete all 8 phases of each era, with scoring occurring at the end of each era and final scoring after the fourth

Score era categories

At end of each era in phase 7, score the displayed category based on success points per unit shown on scoring tile

Score the 5 progress tracks

Multiply your disc's space number by category success points for Technology, Prestige, Knowledge, Construction, and Culture

Score Evolution

Count total feature markers on feature spaces, multiply by category success points

Score Prosperity

Count active diamonds from food space (columns of 3), money space (columns of 2), built settlement recesses, and storage gaps with materials above and below

Score Population

Count total tribes on continent, multiply by category success points

Score Expansion

Count territories where you have at least one tribe, multiply by category success points

Complete final scoring

After fourth era's Income phase, score all 9 categories using point values on final scoring area tiles

Score stage partition

Gain success points per installed card and chip based on stage (stages 4-5 only score if their stage tiles are active)

Score point bonuses

For each card with point bonus icon, gain its points multiplied by total cards and chips in that column

Determine the winner

Civilization with most success points wins