Crown of Emara

To set up Crown of Emara, place the two main game boards (the city and the countryside) side-by-side. Distribute resource tokens (wood, stone, grain, bread, gold, rings, books) to their designated areas. Shuffle the event cards and place them face down, revealing the top card. Shuffle the 'A' action cards and place eight face up, with the 'B' cards forming a separate deck. Each player chooses a color, takes their player board (double-sided for male/female characters), nine action cards of their color, and a reference card. Place player pawns on the starting spaces of the two scoring tracks (one for resources, one for buildings), typically at 0 and 35 respectively, though the starting position on the building track can be adjusted for difficulty.

The primary objective in Crown of Emara is to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game. Players earn victory points by efficiently managing their resources, constructing buildings, and advancing their markers on two distinct scoring tracks. Strategic planning of actions and resource conversion is crucial to maximize point generation and outperform opponents over the course of the game.

Each round begins by revealing a new event card, which dictates a starting position for pawns on the building track and provides a universal resource bonus for all players. Players then take turns playing one of their three available action cards. An action card allows a player to move their pawn on one of the two rondels (city or countryside) and perform the associated action, such as collecting resources or building. Players can also perform bonus actions indicated on their player board, like placing workers to gain additional resources or converting resources. The number of spaces a pawn can move is determined by the played action card, and pawns do not block each other. After playing an action card, it is placed in one of three slots on the player board, determining how many movement points will be available in future turns when that slot is activated.

Victory points are primarily scored by advancing markers on two separate tracks: one for resources and one for buildings. When a player collects resources or builds, their corresponding marker moves forward on its track, earning points. Additionally, players can gain immediate victory points by purchasing specific cards or tokens from the market. Some cards and tokens also provide end-game victory points based on certain conditions or collected sets. The player who has their marker furthest along on the building track at the end of the game receives bonus points, with diminishing returns for subsequent players.

The game concludes after six rounds. Players then proceed to a final scoring phase where they tally all accumulated victory points. This includes points from their positions on the resource and building tracks, purchased cards and tokens, and any remaining resources or money converted into points. The player with the highest total victory points is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most remaining resources wins.