HISTORICAL CONQUEST: RULES
Introduction: (All underlined words are referenced on page 3)
This game is set up as a worldwide adventure where you set up scenarios using: people, places, events in history to defend your Countries,
attack your opponent, and confiscate their land.
To Begin: Start each game with a minimum of 50 cards, customizing your Deck to fit your Objective. Hint: You may have more than 50
cards but you’ll want to concentrate them on the cards you want to pull quickly from your pile; this includes at least 6 Countries, one for each
Continent and enough Explorers to find those lands. Separate all Country cards from your Deck, shuffle, and place them face down to your
right, this is considered your Land pile (as shown in Player’s Card Layout, Diagram #1). Shuffle remaining cards and place them face down
to the left of your Land pile, this is considered your Deck. Above the Land pile, you may place your discarded cards face up, as your Discard
pile.
Take your top Country card and place it face up on the playing surface directly in front of you, this area is considered your Battlefield (see
‘Player’s Card Layout’ Diagram #1). This card represents the Country where your civilization will begin. Draw five cards from the top of
your Deck to use as your Hand. You may only look at the cards in your Hand and the cards already in play on your Battlefield.
To defend your civilization, choose Character and Army cards from your Hand to protect your Country. Character and Army cards are
placed above the Country they are protecting.
Diagram #1: Player’s Card Layout
Occupancy Rules states that a maximum of four cards, including 4 Character cards or 3 Character cards and one Army card, may be placed
above each Country to protect it. If you have no Character cards in that Land, it becomes forfeit for any opponent on the same Continent and
they may take it without an Attack. Your opponent may take possession of the unprotected Country if they have a Character to protect it, and
that Country is moved to his Battlefield. If your opponent takes one of your Countries and the Characters/Armies on that land become refuges
and move to an additional Country, these rules still apply and you must choose which 4 should stay in this Country and which one(s),
including ones that were already on the Country, must be discarded. Remember you may not split your refuge move between two or more
Countries.
A Turn is played in this sequence:
1) Play up to three cards from your Hand (or more if a card’s Abilities say otherwise. You may lay down these cards or you may
Discard some of them. Each card discarded from your Hand is considered one card played. If you discard a card on your Battlefield,
this card does not count as one of your three because it is already in play. During this phase you may also use the Abilities of the
Cards already in play, of which there is no limit;
2) Declare an Attack and Battle your opponent (See Attack Section) As soon as you declare your first Attack, you may not play any
additional cards until your next turn, unless you play an Interrupt Card from your Hand, which may be played at any time.
3) After all Battles are fought, you may Transport any one Character to another Country within the same Continent or, if you have an
Explorer already in the land of the Character you wish to move, you may Transport that Character to any Country in any Continent.
Restriction: A Land Explorer may only transport a Character to a Continent connected by land (ie. North America to South America
if you were Lewis and Clark) A Sea Explorer may transport a Character to any Country in any Continent with a coast connected to
an ocean. Only one Character may be transported per turn unless an Explorer card’s Abilities say otherwise.
4) To end a Turn, you must draw enough cards from your Deck so that you have 5 cards in your Hand. Certain cards’ Abilities permit
you to hold six cards in your Hand or play four cards each Turn. These bonuses continue for each Round that the Character remains
on your Battlefield)
GAINING LAND: All Explorer card played may add one new Country to your Battlefield. After playing an Explorer card, pick the top card
off of your Land pile. These Explorers always start off protecting the Country they discover. At least one new Character will need to be
played to protect a new Country put into play. No Character may occupy two Countries (i.e. just because Argentina and Brazil are both
located in South America, does not mean they can share the same Characters or Armies).
MORALE: Morale is collected through a card’s Abilities. Write down on a separate sheet of paper all Morale collected and display it so all
opponents may see. Morale is lost through you or your opponent’s cards played or by losing a Battle (see ‘Attack’ section). No Morale is lost
when a card is discarded unless the Card specifies otherwise.
ATTACK: During your first two turns, no one may attack, whether from a Country in battle or any other card through their abilities; no
opponents may interact through their cards. After the first two turns you have the option of attacking your opponent up to two times during
each Turn.
Restrictions: You may only Attack an opponent’s Country that resides within the same Continent as your attacking Country, unless another
card says otherwise. For example, if you have played Germany and want to attack your opponent, you may only attack his/her countries in
Europe (find the Continent labeled in the Reference Plate, shown in Diagram #2: Card Layout. A defenseless Country may be seized by your
opponent during his next Turn if he has a Character to defend the Country. You may only attack twice per Turn.
An Explorer with the Ability to Transport, may Transport a Character for a battle(s) in another Continent. If the Explorer and its passenger(s)
that was transported win the battle and none of your Opponent’s Characters are left, they may stay in that Country. If they lose the battle or if
there are still Characters or an Army still defending that land after their allowed two attacks, the Explorer and its passenger(s) must return to
the Country of its origin.
To Win an Attack: In an attack, the Country with the most Strength points is declared
the winner of that attack. Character or Army Card’s Strength points are found at the
card’s bottom right hand corner. The first number in the sequence represents Attack
points, the second Defense Points. Each card has unique Abilities which may also
help in Attacks or Defense by adding to their Strength (found in the Ability section of
the card). A Character’s Abilites only apply to the Country they occupy, unless stated
on the card. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with your cards’ Abilities so they
are not missed during the heat of a battle.
Calculating Strength: If attacking, add all Attack points found in all cards associated
with the Attacking country (both in the right hand corner and in the Abilities plate on
the card); if defending, add the second number or defense points of all Characters
occupying the defending Country. If the Abilities of your cards increases/decreases
‘Attack’ then you add/subtract that number if you are attacking. If the Abilities increase/decrease ‘Defense’ then you add/subtract that
number if you are defending. If the Abilties increase/decrease ‘Strength’but does not specify Attack or Defense, it must be added to either,
depending on if you are attacking or defending. The stronger country wins.
If you Attack your opponent and win, your opponent must discard a Character or Army occupying that Country under attack and loses 100
Morale points. If you Attack your opponent and lose, you lose 100 Morale points for that battle, but do not lose a Character. Remember you
may only Attack twice per turn, unless a card’s abilities say otherwise. If, at the end of the battle, there are no more Characters/Armies
defending the Country, the attacker may occupy that Country if they have someone to defend it and it is placed in the Attackers Battlefield.
TO WIN THE GAME: There are two ways to win Historical Conquest: 1) Build your Morale; first player to 3000 Morale points wins
(Morale goal may be adjusted before the game); 2) World Domination by confiscating all of your opponents’ Countries.
TERMS AND THEIR RULES:
Land Pile: No duplicate Country cards are allowed on your battlefield, though your opponent may occupy the same Country in their Battlefield.
Deck: You may have duplicate Character or Army cards in your Deck but only one may be in play at a time. You may only pull from your Deck at
the end of your Turn. Decide before the game what happens if your Deck runs out. Here are your two options: 1) flip over your discard pile and use
those cards, starting with the ones that were discarded first; 2) have a backup deck in case you run out and need an overflow.
Hand: You may only hold 5 cards in your hand at one time, unless a card’s Abilities say otherwise. Cards from your Hand may only be played at the
beginning of your Turn. After you declare war or transport a card no more cards may be played from your Hand.
Battlefield: This area is designated for all Land cards lined up side-by-side and Character/Army Cards to be placed above each Land. Group Land
cards with similar Continent s together, side-by-side.
Discard Pile: When you are finished with a card, if a Character is “killed” (as in an Attack) or otherwise disabled, place the cards face up in your
discard pile. When all cards are played from your Deck, shuffle the Discard pile and place it face down in place of your Deck. This now turns into
your Deck.
Countries: Countries must only be in the Land pile or your Battlefield’s Country row. Learn their Abilities, which apply to that Country only, unless
stated otherwise. If, during a Battle, you acquire a Country you already own, give it back to your opponent to place in their a discard pile. These
discarded Countries may not be brought out of your Discard pile by any card unless they specify bringing back a Land, no exceptions.
Continent: You may want to have an atlas accessible. All Countries have their Continent’s labeled at the center bottom of each card. Cards in you
Battlefield from the same Continent are best displayed next to each other.
Occupancy Rules: A maximum of four cards, including 4 Character cards or 3 Character cards and one Army card may be placed above each
Country to protect it. This is unless another card’s Abilities says otherwise. Hint: Though a Character may be weak, they are good to play in case
someone attacks your land (see the Attack section). If you have no Character cards in that Land, it becomes forfeit for any opponent on the same
Continent and they may take it without an Attack. Your opponent may take possession of the unprotected land card if he has a character to protect it,
and is moved to his Battlefield.
Morale: Each player begins the game at 0 Morale points. Add points to your Morale when it is stated on a card. Subtract 100 Morale points every
time you lose a battle. After receiving Morale from a card, the points stay with the player even when the card is discarded, unless stated in the
abilities.
Strength: Strength is unique to each Country depending on the Character, Army, or other cards associated with that country. Cards with Abilities
that effect the entire civilization include Technology, Knowledge, Documents and may boost the Strength of any Country unless stated in the
Abilities. During a battle, count your strength points, whether attack or defense. Strength is found in the bottom right hand corner of the card. The
first number in the sequence represents Attack points, the second Defense Points. To add to your strength, refer also to the Abilities of the cards
associated with the country.
Army (Non-Character Card): Each Country may only house one Army card.
Explorer Cards (Character Card): These cards allow you to gain one new Country when the Character is first played. To transport, both cards
(Explorer and passenger) must begin the turn on the same country. If the Explorer is in another Country, take one turn to move the Explorer to the
country of the card needing transport, then on the next turn move both cards. Land Explorers may transport a Character/Army to any Country
connected by Land. A Sea Explorer may transport any Character/Army to any Country with an ocean front coast.
Event Cards: These cards may be played at the beginning of your Turn. The Ability plate contains instructions on how it affects you or your
opponent. Unless the card is intended for multiple turns or stated otherwise, place the event card on your Discard pile at the end of the Turn.
Transport: Army and Character cards may move between Countries but only if they move between Countries of the same Continent. (See also
Explorer Cards for other transportation)
Interrupt Cards: may be played at any time, whether during your turn or your opponents. The Abilities may only be used once and then discarded,
unless stated or intended for multiple turns, or the Abilities are from a Character.
Objectives: The two objectives of this game are to win by World Domination or Peace and Prosperity. World Domination is won by taking all of
your opponent’s Country cards through combat and card play. Peace and Prosperity is achieved by increasing the Morale of your civilization to 3000
points.
Turn: A Turn is specified in the sequence listed on the rules page #1. It starts by a player laying their first card and ends when they pick up cards
from their Deck.
Round: A Round is specified by the first player picking up their first card and ends when the last player in the circle picks up their last last card from
the Discard pile.