2-Player Game Setup

Place the board in between the players. Players shuffle their own decks and then offer them to their opponent to cut. Then, decks are placed within reach, to the side of the board.

Each player chooses a colour of dice, and keeps them next to the board. If players are facing each other from opposite sides of the board, there will be two city hexes closest to them. These hexes are your home city hexes. Place a die on each of them showing the number "4". This represents the amount of influence the respective players have on that hex.

Determining Initiative

Each player should roll two dice to determine who begins the game with the initiative (re-roll on a tie). Whichever player rolled the highest number chooses whether to start with the initiative or not. For your first game, it is recommended to start with the initiative.

The player who begins with the initiative should place one of their dice to one side of the board showing the number "2". The other player should then place one of their dice next to it showing the number "3". Continue placing dice this way until the fifth die is placed showing the number "6". This line of dice represents the turns of the game and who has the initiative during those turns.

Drawing Your Starting Hand

Lastly, each player draws 5 cards from their deck and looks at them (don't show your opponent!). It is recommended that players start with at least 1 card that costs 2 energy (the number in the top left corner of a card). If a player does not have a hand they are happy with, they may take a mulligan (see below).

Mulligan

To mulligan, a player may set aside any number of cards from their starting hand. That player draws that many new cards from their deck, then shuffles the cards they set aside back into the deck. Players may only mulligan once per game.

Winning the Game

To win the game, a player must control more hexes on the board than their opponent(s) at the end of the last turn of the game. In the event of a tie, the winner is the player with the highest total influence on the board. In the unlikely event that players are also tied for total influence, the game ends in a tie.