# Civil Cards

Civil cards can expand your civilization. You take them from the card row and play them during the Action Phase of your turn. There are four types of civil cards:

- Technologies

- Farm and Mine Technologies
- Urban Building Technologies
- Military Unit Technologies
- Special Technologies
- Governments

- Leaders
- Wonders
- Action Cards

## Civil Decks

Each age has its own deck of civil cards. You know what is in each deck at the start of the game, but you can't be sure when a given card will appear.

When there are fewer players, certain cards are removed to ensure that there will be competition for key technologies. But for a given number of players, the same decks are used for each game.

On your player screen, the current deck is displayed in the upper right corner just below the card row. Tapping on this will take you to the deck screen, which gives you an overview of every card that will be available during the age.

Below the deck is a number telling how many cards are left in it. This number is important because when the civil deck is empty, the age ends.

## Card Row

The card row is displayed along the top of the screen. These are the cards that are available for you to take into your hand. Whether you want to discover a new technology, change your leader, build a wonder, or get an action card, taking a civil card from the card row is your first step.

Taking a civil card uses up a certain number of civil actions, depicted below the card. The row is divided into three sections. Cards on left cost 1 action. Cards in the middle cost 2. Cards on the right, generally the newest cards, cost 3 actions. Taking a wonder might also cost extra actions, depending on the number of wonders you have already completed.

At the beginning of each player's turn (except in the first round) the cards marked by icons will be discarded, leaving one or more empty spaces on the left end of the row. There will also be other empty spaces if the previous player took any cards. All cards will slide left into the empty spaces and new cards will be dealt on the right from the current civil deck. Thus, cards get less expensive over time until someone takes them or until they are automatically discarded.

In games with fewer players, more cards are marked by icons to keep the game moving.

In general, if a card is cheap, this is probably your last chance to take it. And even the expensive cards might be taken by someone else before you have a chance to take them cheaply on your next turn. Your civilization's future hinges on your ability to weigh the cost of a particular card against the other things you need to do this turn.

### Taking a Card from the Card Row

During your Action Phase, you can take civil cards from the card row:

- Drag a card from the card row to your hand.
- This costs you:

- The number of civil actions depicted under the card.

## Hand of Civil Cards

Your hand of civil cards is depicted at the bottom of your player screen. Because civil cards come from the card row, players' civil cards are public knowledge, and you can see other players' cards on their player screens.

Cards in your hand have no effect until you put them into play during your Action Phase. Doing so usually costs a civil action.

#### Civil Cards Hand Limit

The number of civil cards you can keep in your hand is limited by the total number of civil actions you have. If you are at your limit, the game will not let you take any more. However, you can still start constructing a wonder, because wonders never go into your hand.

## Technologies

Technologies are civil cards that represent various things your civilization can do. They have a science cost icon in the upper left corner.

When you take a technology from the card row, it goes into your hand, where it will stay until you develop it. Governments and special technologies have permanent effects that start as soon as they enter play, but all other technologies require workers before they will give you their benefits.

Note: You cannot take a technology that has the same name as a technology you already have in your hand or in play.

You start the game with several technologies in play. These are represented graphically on your player screen, and tapping on them will let you see their cards.

### Developing a technology

During your Action Phase, you can develop technologies:

- Drag a technology card from your hand to the center of your player screen.
- This costs you:

- 1 civil action .
- The number of science points depicted on the card.

When developed, the technology card disappears from your hand and its graphical representation appears on your player screen. You can tap on the graphic to see the details of the card.

You can develop a higher-level technology even if you do not have a lower-level version. Your only limitation is your ability to pay the cost.

### Farm and Mine Technologies

Farm and mine technologies allow you to build farms or mines. You start the game with Age A farm and mine technologies, and higher levels are available in each age.

You can develop farm and mine technologies during your Action Phase. When developed, a new building site appears on your screen.

The game will store food on your developed farm technologies and resources on your developed mine technologies. When you gain or spend food or resources, the game will automatically represent these transactions in a way that uses the fewest blue tokens, to minimize corruption. However, it is not possible to exchange several tokens on low-level technologies for fewer tokens on high-level technologies.

#### Farms and Mines

You start the game with two farms and two mines. On your player screen, each farm and mine is represented by a building occupied by one worker. In game terms, a farm or mine is a yellow token on a corresponding technology card, as depicted in the card overview you can see by tapping on any building site.

Farms produce food for increasing and sustaining your population. Mines produce resources for building farms, mines, urban buildings, wonders, and military units. During the production phase of your turn, each farm and mine produces one blue token – that is, each yellow token gets one blue token. The symbol at the bottom of the card depicts how much food or resources the blue token represents.

#### Building a Farm or Mine

During your Action Phase, you can build farms and mines:

- Drag an idle worker to the farm or mine technology.
- This costs you

- 1 civil action .
- The resource cost depicted on the technology card.

#### Upgrading a Farm or Mine

Once you have developed a higher level farm or mine technology, workers from lower-level farms or mines can be upgraded.

During your Action Phase, you can upgrade farms and mines to higher levels:

- Drag your worker from a farm or mine technology to a higher technology of the same type.
- This costs you:

- 1 civil action .
- The difference between the resource costs of the two farms or mines.

#### Destroying a Farm or Mine

You can move a worker off of a farm or mine to turn it into an idle worker. This destroys the building.

During your Action Phase, you can destroy a farm or a mine:

- Drag the worker off the farm or mine to your pool of idle workers.
- This costs you 1 civil action .

### Urban Building Technologies

Urban building technologies allow you to build urban buildings. On your player screen, they are represented by building sites of various types. These technologies don't do anything until they have a worker.

#### Urban Buildings

An urban building is represented by a worker on an urban building technology card. There are five types:

- Labs contribute to your science rating.
- Temples contribute to your culture and happiness ratings.
- Libraries contribute to your culture and science ratings.
- Theaters contribute to your culture and happiness ratings.
- Arenas contribute to your strength and happiness ratings.

The benefits of individual urban buildings are depicted by the symbols at the bottom of the technology card, which can be seen in the card overview screen.

You start the game with one Age A lab built. You also have the technology to build Age A temples. In Age I, all five types of urban building technologies become available.

You can develop urban building technologies during your Action Phase. When developed, a new building site appears on your player screen, ready for new buildings of that level and type.

#### Building an Urban Building

During your Action Phase, you can build urban buildings:

- Drag an idle worker to the technology.
- This costs you:

- 1 civil action .
- The resource cost depicted on the technology card.

#### Urban Building Limit

Each urban building is represented by a worker on an urban building technology card. At the beginning of the game, you can have at most 2 of each type. This urban building limit is determined by your government.

Later in the game, you will have the opportunity to change to a government with a higher urban building limit. The limit is depicted in the lower right corner of the government card.

Note: Farms, mines, and military units are not limited.

#### Upgrading an Urban Building

Once you have developed a higher-level urban building technology, workers from lower-level buildings can be upgraded.

During your Action Phase, you can upgrade urban buildings to higher levels:

- Drag your worker from an urban building technology to a higher-level one of the same type.
- This costs you:

- 1 civil action .
- The difference between the resource costs of the two buildings.

#### Destroying an Urban Building

You can remove a worker from an urban building technology and turn it into an idle worker. This destroys the building.

During your Action Phase, you can destroy an urban building:

- Drag the worker from the building to your pool of idle workers.
- This costs you 1 civil action .

### Military Unit Technologies

Military unit technologies allow you to build military units. They do nothing until you put a worker on the card.

#### Military Units

A military unit is a worker on a military unit technology card. There are 4 types:

- Infantry are available at the start of the game.
- Cavalry become available in Age I.
- Artillery become available in Age II.
- Air forces become available in Age III.

The strength of each unit is depicted at the bottom of the card. The type of the unit is important for tactics and certain other card effects.

You start the game with one Age A infantry unit, represented by a group of warriors with one yellow flag. It is actually a yellow token on a technology card, as you can see by tapping on the unit to bring up the card overview screen.

Tactics cards allow you to form military units into armies, which have a strength greater than the sum of the parts. An air force unit, in addition to having a strength of its own, can double the benefit an army gets from the tactics card. All of this is calculated automatically, and your civilization's total strength rating is depicted on the civilization overview panel on the right of the screen.

You can build, upgrade, or disband military units during your Action Phase. This is just like building, upgrading, or destroying buildings, except that you spend a military action instead of a civil action.

#### Building a Military Unit

During your Action Phase, you can build military units:

- Drag an idle worker to the military unit technology.
- This costs you:

- 1 military action .
- The resource cost depicted on the card.

#### Upgrading a Military Unit

Once you have developed a higher level military unit technology, lower-level units can be upgraded to the new level.

During your Action Phase, you can upgrade military units to higher levels:

- Drag the military unit to a higher-level technology of the same type.
- This costs you:

- 1 military action .
- The difference between the resource costs of the two units.

#### Disbanding a Military Unit

You can remove a worker from a military unit technology to get an idle worker. This disbands the unit.

During your Action Phase, you can disband a military unit:

- Drag the worker off the military unit technology to your pool of idle workers.
- This costs you 1 military action .

### Special Technologies

The blue technology cards are special technologies that give your civilization a permanent benefit. They take effect as soon as you develop them, without requiring any workers. There are four types:

- Law gives you additional civil actions and may also give you additional blue tokens .
- Warfare increases your strength rating and gives you additional military actions .
- Exploration increases your strength rating and your colonization modifier .
- Construction lowers the cost for building urban buildings and reduces the number of civil actions required for constructing wonders.

You cannot have two special technologies of the same type. If you develop a more advanced special technology, your less advanced one of that type is removed from play.

You can develop special technologies during your Action Phase. When developed, they appear as monuments on your player screen.

### Governments

Your government is represented by a technology card. You start the game with Despotism, but more advanced governments become available throughout the course of the game.

Your government determines your base number of civil and military actions. These are depicted on the card. Some governments offer other advantages (or disadvantages!) that are depicted at the bottom of the card. Your government also determines your urban building limit: The maximum number of urban buildings you can build of the same type is given in the lower right corner of your government card.

Governments have two different science costs because the technology can be developed in two different ways:

#### Changing Your Government

During your Action Phase, you can change your government. Drag the card out of your hand, and choose one of the two options:

- A peaceful change works just like developing any other technology:

- It costs 1 civil action .
- You pay the higher of the two science costs .

- A revolution is a cheaper way to change governments, but it uses up most of your turn:

- It costs all your civil actions ….
- You pay the lower of the two science costs .

Note: The actual cost of a revolution is a number of civil actions equal to your civil action total. Most of the time, this is all your civil actions for the turn, but in rare cases, it isn't.

When you change your government, your number of civil and military actions usually changes, too. This change takes effect immediately. If you changed your government peacefully, you will usually end up with more civil actions to spend on that same turn. If you underwent a revolution, the rioting continues and all those new civil actions are used up, too.

Either method counts as developing the government technology. This is relevant for certain cards like Isaac Newton, who will give you back 1 spent civil action even if all the others were spent on a revolution.

## Leaders

A leader is a famous historical figure. His or her legacy gives your civilization special abilities and benefits.

Your civilization starts the game without a leader. To get a leader, you must first take it from the card row during your Action Phase. Be careful about whom you choose. Once you have taken a leader, you will not be able to take a different leader from that same age, regardless of whether you put your chosen leader into play.

#### Putting a Leader Into Play

During your Action Phase, you may put a leader in your hand into play:

- Drag a leader card from your hand toward the middle of your player screen.
- This costs you 1 civil action .

If you already have a leader in play, it is replaced by your new leader and you immediately get 1 civil action back.

Your new leader's portrait appears in the civilization overview panel. His or her effects start to apply immediately.

## Wonders

Wonders are the most epic constructions in the game. They provide significant benefits, but they take time and resources to build.

Unlike other civil cards, wonders enter play as soon as you take them from the card row. Because they do not go into your hand, you can take a wonder even when you are at your hand limit. A wonder under construction appears as a construction site in the upper part of your player screen. You can have at most one wonder under construction at a time.

Wonders are constructed in stages. Each stage is represented by a box under the construction site. The cost to build each stage is given on the card. Stages are built in that order. When the last stage is completed, the wonder is complete and its effects begin to apply immediately.

You have a limited amount of time to complete your wonder. When an age ends, an unfinished wonder from the previous age becomes antiquated and must be discarded. For example, you must complete an Age A wonder before the end of Age I.

While a wonder is under construction, you cannot take a wonder from the card row. There is no way to get rid of a wonder under construction except to complete it or to wait until it becomes antiquated.

When taking a new wonder from the card row, your cost is increased by one civil action for each wonder you have already completed.

#### Building a Stage of a Wonder

During your Action Phase, you can build stages of a wonder:

- Drag a blue token from your blue bank to the wonder under construction.
- This costs you:

- 1 civil action .
- The resource cost of that particular stage.

The leftmost empty box under the construction site will be filled by one of your blue tokens, marking this stage as constructed. Such tokens will remain on the wonder until it is completed, which may make it more difficult to avoid corruption – things tend to go missing around big construction projects.

When you build the last stage of a wonder it is completed. All its effects begin to apply immediately, and all the blue tokens marking the stages of construction are returned to your blue bank.

## Action Cards

Action cards are yellow civil cards representing the results of directing political will toward exceptional efforts. At the beginning of the game, an action card can help your civilization get off to a good start. Later in the game, you might be able to use an action card to make up for a deficiency in your civilization's production.

Unlike the other civil cards, action cards do not have a permanent effect. They give you a one-time benefit right after you play them. Action cards cannot be played on the turn they are taken from the card row. You keep them in your hand and play them on later turns.

#### Playing an Action Card

During your Action Phase, you may play action cards:

- Drag an action card from your hand to the center of your player screen.
- This costs you 1 civil action .

The action card leaves play, and its effect applies immediately.

#### Effects of Certain Action Cards

With some action cards, the effect might be another action. For example, Age A Frugality says, Increase your population. After you pay the food cost, gain 1 . In this case, you do not pay an action for increasing your population – the action is paid for by the action card.

Some action cards let you perform an action with a discount. If the discount reduces the cost below zero, the cost is zero.

Engineering Genius allows you to build one stage of a wonder with a discount. In this case, you can build only one stage, even if you have technologies that allow you to build multiple stages with one action.

Breakthrough allows you to develop a technology. This can also be used to declare a revolution if all your civil actions are available.

In general, if you want to know what a card in your hand can do, just tap it, and a list of options will appear on your screen.