The Japanese

The Japanese faction is different from the others found in the base game. Japanese Faction cards are unique in that they have Raze fields, which can be the target of a Raze action.

If razed, Japanese Faction Locations are not turned into a Foundation, but discarded instead. The Japanese player can also use his Workers as Samurai to protect his Faction Locations.

Deploying Samurai

At any moment during his turn, the Japanese player may deploy any number of his Workers in front of Faction Locations in his Empire to protect them. Such Workers are called Samurai in terms of card abilities. Any Japanese Faction Location cannot have more than 1 Samurai.

Note: Samurai can protect a Faction Location which cannot normally be razed (Shrine, Gate).

Each Samurai protects the card to which he is assigned and cannot be moved or used for any other purpose. Samurai are not discarded at the end of the round in the Cleanup phase. Each Samurai increases by 1 the number of Raze tokens required for an enemy to raze the Location. When the Location is razed the Samurai returns to the general supply.

Cards:

Garrison

Its Action enables you to discard a Location, completely removing it from another player's Empire. It is not treated as Razing a Location.

Gate

If you decide to place any cards under the Gate, you cannot take these cards back into your hand. Do not remove the cards placed under this Location in the Cleanup phase. These cards stay there until the end of the game. The Gate cannot be Razed.

Negotiator

When you activate its Action you immediately take one of your Deals (from under your Faction board) and build it as a Location. You still have to pay the building cost of the Location, except that you do not discard a Location from your Empire, should it be required. You can also build a Faction Location that does not include a Location as its building cost. If you have Deals with enemy Locations (thanks to the Trade Route card), you cannot choose such a Deal when you activate this Location's Action.

Ninjas

Its Bonus provides you with 2 Samurai. If you only have 1 Faction Location on which you could deploy a Samurai, the other one is lost.

Shrine

Do not remove the Resources placed on this Location in the Cleanup phase. These Resources stay there until the end of the game. The Shrine cannot be Razed.

Trade Route

If you lose this Location (e.g. it's razed by an enemy), the Deals it allowed you to make remain in play.

The Egyptians

Cards:

Desert

This Location has no building cost. You can build it for free, but it still requires you to spend your turn taking the Build Location action.

Note: According to the rules when you activate an Action Location you place the Goods spent on the Location card, but covering the Location with another card would be very inconvenient, so we recommend to discard the card and take a Worker from the general supply to indicate that the Action was executed.

Chariot Builder

Its Action allows you to Raze any enemy Location without spending any more Raze tokens (only the one you use to activate the action). You can even Raze a location protected by a Samurai or a Defense token.

Oasis

If an opponent spends multiple pairs of Workers at once, you receive 1 Worker for each pair spent by him.

Sanctuary

Its Action is not treated as Razing a Location. It allows you to immediately place a card from your hand as a Foundation in your Empire. You also receive 1 stone (instead of Wood) for turning a Location into a Foundation.

Sphinx

Its Feature is also active during the Production phase.

Temple of Ra

A Location taken over cannot be discarded in order to build other Locations by any of the players. If you take over an enemy Location which was activated by its owner the maximum number of times, you cannot activate it on your own. Temple of Ra uses a special Egyptian token to mark the Location take over. Use a Worker from the general supply to indicate that the Action was executed.

The Romans

Cards:

Engineers

Its Action allows you to completely remove the enemy Location by discarding it from another player's Empire. It is not treated as Razing a Location.

Trade Colony

When it's built, this Location is treated simultaneously as brown, grey and red.

Spies

Its Action is not treated as Making a Deal. When you activate its Action and want to choose a player commanding the Japanese who has Deals with your or other enemy Locations (due to the Trade Route card), you cannot take away such a Deal - you can only choose a Deal from under an enemy Faction board.

Warehouses

If you lose this Location (e.g. discard it from your Empire to build another Faction Location or if it's razed), the Resources it allowed you to store are not immediately lost, but are added to your supply. You may still use them until the Cleanup phase of the current round.

The Barbarians

Cards:

Saboteurs

Its Action allows you to take 1 Resource from a player's supply (you cannot take a Resource the player spent to activate a Location) and place it in your own supply.

Dark Chapel

When the player wants to Raze an enemy Location protected by a Samurai or a Defense token, he must use respectively more Raze tokens to activate this card's Action.

Pack

When you activate its Action you do not Raze an enemy Location, you only take from the general supply one of the Goods (of your choice) depicted in the card's Raze field.

Rabble

When you turn a Location into a Foundation, you receive 1 Wood as normal.

Mission

Each card you draw due to this Location's Action can either be a Common or Faction card.

Robbers

When you activate its Action and choose the player commanding the Japanese who has Deals with your or other enemy Locations (due to the Trade Route card), you can cancel such a Deal instead of discarding a Deal from under an enemy Faction board.

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