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Annotated Games: 4 playersThis game was played during the game testing of Politeia. The players pursued different paths towards the victory.
The action board is coded with black numbers for the number of neutral action markers with colored numbers if any of them is a player action marker. The political and geographical boards are coded with colored numbers for the citizens placed there and the resource board lists the face up resources. Finally, the player table shows talents, citizens, talents in stock, citizens removed and hand (resources and buildings). Actions are written with parantheses around actions not taken (i.e. the actions from which action markers are taken and any actions where action markers are dropped without any action taken). Round 1
Athens starts with (Trade)-Produce1-Mobilize1, earning her 1 talent, 1 grain and 1 more citizen in Athens. Sparta aims for early aggressive actions with (Tax)-Intrigue1-Influence1 to place 1 citizen in Ephesus, and move up 1 level on the Hellas diplomacy track. Thebes chooses (Produce)-Import1(0)-(Export1)-Build1 to build the Import building and immediately use it for a cheaper Import action. She chooses to skip the Export action, since pottery would only pay her 1 talent. Korinth finds some free resource yielding actions with (Export)-Import2-Produce0-Trade0, importing 1 metal, producing 1 grain and immediately trading it for 1 pottery and 1 more metal. The full round of peace increase the political level to +1. Round 2
Athens adds more resource cards to her hand with (Mobilize)-Trade1-Produce1, trading the grain from the Produce actions for 1 pottery and 1 metal. Sparta uses (Influence)-Revolt1-Colonize1 to revolt in Ephesus. The 1st Spartan demos citizen is removed together with the Persian and the 2nd Spartan moves to the archegos circle. This gives Sparta the war marker and decreases the political level to 0. Thebes prepares for the next round with (Build)-Export0-Import3, paying 3 talents for the import action (-1 for her building) but using it to first export pottery for 3 talents and then immediately import it again. Thebes now has 4 actions next round. Korinth continues to collect talents with (Trade)-Mobilize0-Export1, selling her metal for 3 talents and adding 1 citizen to Korinth. Round 3
Athens expects a Graeco-Persian war soon and goes for (Produce)-Trade0-Mobilize1, adding 1 citizen to the board and another 1 card to her hand by trading metal for wine and oil. Sparta reaps the rewards of her newly acquired polis with (Revolt)-Influence0-Tax0, giving her 2 talents. She also adds another level to her Hellas diplomacy. Thebes uses her 4 actions for (Import)-Build0-(Attack1)-Colonize0-Influence0, giving her the Export building, 1 level on the Persia track and 1 colonist in Emporion. This gives Korinth the free actions of (Export)-Import0-Produce0 and leaves her with 9 talents and 4 resources. However, this will not earn her any victory points so she must find ways to make use of them. Round 4
Athens uses (Mobilize)-Export0-Build1 to sell pottery for 3 talents and build the Mobilize building. Sparta now sees a chance to trigger a beneficial war with (Tax)-Mobilize0. The mobilized citizen (in Ephesus) increases the military level to +1 and since the political level is also +1, a war won by Greece breaks out. Athens, Sparta and Korinth all have more than 1 citizen in their attacked archegos circles and don't lose them to Persia. Thebes has only 1 citizen in Thebes archegos circle but the 1 citizen in the demos circle takes its place. All players get 1 talent each for their removed citizens and Sparta gets another 1 talent for having the highest Hellas level. Thebes still decides to pursue her strategy with (Influence)-Colonize, placing a 3rd colonist (in Massalia). Korinth starts turning her talents into citizens with (Produce)-Mobilize1-Intrigue2 to place citizens in Korinth archegos circle and the now empty Thebes archegos circle. So far the players haven't directly attacked each other but a conflict gets closer. Round 5
Athens positions herself for citizen actions (Mobilize, Intrigue) next round, hoping that the other players will vacate them by then, with (Build)-Import1-Produce0. Sparta improves her liquidity and prepare a multi-action turn next round with (Mobilize)-Export1-Import2, letting her import and export pottery for 3 talents and leaving her with 3 actions next round. Thebes would like to add more citizens to the board but since those actions are blocked, she decides to abandon Thebes and attack Erythrae with (Colonize)-Attack2-Build0. Since the military+political level is positive, the Persian citizen is removed first, but since Thebes is abandoned, it's taken over by the Korinthian citizen from the demos circle. On the other hand, Thebes will now be able to import 3 resources next round. With military level 0 and political level +1, the next Graeco-Persian war is close. However, Korinth chooses (Intrigue)-Influence0-Revolt2-Intrigue0 to add a citizen in Phocaea and immediately revolt. The result is that Phocaea becomes Korinthian AND that the levels change to military +1 and politics 0. Hence, the war was avoided for now. She also went for Persian diplomacy level +1. The next round will likely see even more conflicts. Round 6
Athens uses her only available action to add a citizen with (Produce)-Mobilize0. Sparta finally gets to attack with (Import)-Build1-(Revolt3)-Attack3, skipping the Revolt action but building Attack+1 and attacking the last Persian on the board in Miletus. This moves the political level back to negative (-1) but with a military level of 3, there is no imminent risk of a Graeco-Persian war. Thebes makes an impressive import with (Build)-Import0-Export2, importing wine, pottery and metal and exporting the metal for 3 talents. Like Athens, Korinth has only 1 available action and chooses (Intrigue)-Tax0 to get more talents. Round 7
The 7th round became a quiet build-up. Athens intrigued in Miletus with (Mobilize)-Intrigue0, upon which Sparta replied with (Attack)-Colonize0-Intrigue1-Tax1-Mobilize0, adding citizens to Sparta, Ephesos and Emporion, the latter kicking out a Korinthian citizen. This completed a peaceful round, pushing up the political level to 0 again, but also increased the military level to more than +4 so a Graeco-Persian war is triggered anyway. With 2 Ionian polises, Sparta is attacked twice and hence earn 2 talents in addition to the 1 talent earned thanks to having the highest Hellas influence. However, Miletus is lost and taken over by an Athenian citizen from the demos circle. Thebes' and Korinth's Ionian polises are also attacked but kept, earning them 1 talent each. After this, Thebes felt forced to join the citizen race with (Export)-Mobilize1-Intrigue2-Export0, exporting pottery for 3 talents and adding citizens to Erythrae and Thebes. Korinth went against the flow with (Tax)-Trade1-Produce0, producing 2 grain and 4 talents and trading 1 metal for another 2 talents. Round 8
Athens launches the first attack against another player with (Int)-Inf1-Col1-Att1, moving to Persia level +1 and uses it to attack and intrigue in Spartan Ephesus. Since Sparta has Hellas level +2, Athens must send all 3 citizens to get a higher strength, after which her demos citizen moves to the Athens archegos circle. She also kicks out Thebes from the colony of Syracuse. Sparta grumbles but can't do anything else this round but (Mobilize)-Intrigue0-Influence1, preparing a revenge with a reserve demos citizen in Sparta and Persia level +1. Thebes withdraws from the aggression with (Export)-Build0 to build her 2nd monument and hopefully secure the 4 VP for most monuments in the end. Korinth adds a citizen in Phocaea with (Produce)-Mobilize0. Round 9
The ninth round gets even more dramatic than the previous one. Athens hoped for a quiet round with (Attack)-Export0, exporting grain for 3 talents. However, Sparta adds citizens through (Influence)-Intrigue1-Mobilize1-Produce0, bringing the military level to more than +4 and triggering a war. No polises are lost to Persia but all other players have to remove citizens for talents (in Athens' case 2 citizens) while Sparta still gets 1 talent for thanks to her Hellas level. Suddenly Sparta has the most citizens on the board again. Thebes surprises even more with (Build)-Revolt4 and actually paying for the revolt action to revolt in Thebes, clear the polis from both her and Korinth's citizen and bringing a Persian there. She reasons that she'll be first to attack next time and in a good position to do so with 5(!) actions. Korinth finds herself weakened again and add another citizen with (Mobilize)-Intrigue2-Influence0... in Thebes! The internal wars in Greece have just started! Round 10
Athens has only 1 action and mobilizes in Miletus with (Export)-Mobilize0. Sparta is also limited and capitalizes on her many colonies with (Produce)-Import1 and get oil, pottery and metal. Thebes' "super turn" consists of (Revolt)-Attack0-Build0-Export0-Mobilize1-Intrigue3, giving her the Intrigue+1 building and citizens in Erythrae, of which 1 attacks the Persian in Thebes with more strength thanks to military+politics being +1. Korinth finds no better way to add citizens than (Influence)-Colonize2 to colonize Cyme. Round 11
With Athens close to depleting her talents and ending the game, all players take actions. Athens goes for (Mobilize)-Export1-Build1 to get the monument Mobilize+2 (worth VP). Sparta attacks Athens with (Import)-Build2-Attack1 and also builds a monument (paying with Metal): Attack+2. Athens and Sparta are equal in Persia level but Sparta attacks with 2 citizens and captures Athens. Thebes takes another super turn with (Intrigue)-Mobiize0-Export2-(Revolt0)-Intrigue0, getting 2 more citizens to the board in Thebes and Phocaea. Korinth does likewise with (Colonize)-Intrigue1-Mobilize1-Export3 to add citizens in Korinth and Thebes. She also decides to execute the Export action for 3 talents to get 3 talents for her grain, not getting any net talents but preventing other players from doing so by lowering the grain price. Round 12
Athens cannot end the game now, as this would give the victory to Sparta, and decides to add more citizens first with (Build)-Import0-Mobilize1-Intrigue1, adding 1 citizen to Miletus and 1 citizen to Athens. This also brings the military level above +4 and triggers a war. This costs her 2 citizens in exchange for talents and Thebees and Korinth 1 citizen each. Again, Sparta receives 1 talents thanks to her having the highest Hellas level. Sparta on the other hand wants to end the game but needs more talents first and goes for (Attack)-Build0-Import1, building Revolt +1 (paying with oil), and getting oil, pottery and metal. Thebes needs more citizens after the war and chooses (Intrigue)-Tax0-Mobilize3 to add a new citizen in Erythrae. This pushes the military level to +4 so Korinth can use her Hellas level +1 to attack Persia with (Export)-Build1-Attack0-Colonize0-Influence0-Tax0 (and to kick out Sparta from Syracuse). She also joins the build race with the Build +1 building, paid for with metal, as well as the diplomacy race with Persia +2. This brings the political level to -4 so it won't be long before the next Graeco-Persian War. Round 13
Athens is still behind Sparta and desperately tries (Int)-Inf1 to get victory points from the Hellas diplomacy level. Sparta completes a 2nd monument with (Import)-Export0-Build2, using both her oil for exporting (2 talents) and building (Revolt+2). Thebes makes a last effort to expand with (Mobilize)-Export1-(Revolution)-Intrigue1-Mobilize0, adding citizens Erythrae and Phocaea. This pushes the military level to +5 and triggers the last war in the game. Again, Athens loses 2 citizens in exchange for 2 talents, depleting her supply. Sparta gets her usual talent for the highest Hellas level while Thebes and Korinth lose 1 citizen each. More importantly, Korinth loses her last archegos citizen in Phocaea so the polis is taken over by Korinth. Korinth's best idea is (Tax)-Influence to get to end the game with the highest Persia level. Since Athens won't be able to take her turn talent, the game is over and the victory points counted. Citizens + Archegos + Hellas + Persia + Buildings + Monuments
Thebes' last effort gave her an archegos circle and 2 points to pass Sparta and win! Athens had a good position but failed to turn her talents into citizens and withstand the Spartan attacks. Korinth's cheap strategy simply gave her too few actions to compete. Overall a tense game with plenty of screwing and manipulation of the war to benefit the most from it. |
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