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Rules for Sicilia

During the middle ages, Sicily was the melting pot of its day. People from all the surrounding continents mixed together as the island was constantly conquered and traded among empires. Rarely did the ruling emperor or king live on the island. Instead, leaders, such as barons and dukes, were appointed to govern the island for the monarch.

One such leader, the Baron Beneamato, governed the territory of Sicily. He was a good man and treated his subjects well. In his advancing years, he realized that he wanted his love for his people to last beyond his death. He decided to find a way to ensure that his people were governed by a good leader—a person they trusted and loved. So rather than pass his sovereignty to his eldest son, he proclaimed that the people would decide who would become the next ruler. The island would now be governed as a democracy.

For any potential candidates, this would prove to be a greater challenge than expected, as the melting pot of Greeks, Italians, Arabs, French, and Spanish that live in the island’s villages were all so different. Only a true diplomat could build the necessary respect to earn enough of the people’s loyalty. The first person to earn a majority of support, by influence or force, will become the next Baron of Sicilia.

Just be careful of the Innominato (the un-named), a secret society similar to the modern Mafiosi, who will do whatever it takes to overthrow the ruling power. Only by working together, can you prevent the Innominato from corrupting the kingdom.

A game by Adam Morgan

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GAME COMPONENTS 1 Board game map1 Active player tile1 Innominato pawn (black)5 Quick reference cards5 Voting wheels5 Allegiance tiles6 Village cards15 User pawns (one small, two large, of each player color)24 Potenza strategy cards100 Village markers (20 of each player color)120 Support cards (20 of each support type)

OBJECT OF THE GAME

The player who earns a majority of loyalty points wins the game and becomes the Baron of Sicilia. Players earn loyalty points by acquiring the support of the many villages in Sicilia.

GAME SET UP

Place the game board in the middle of the table. Shuffle all the support and Soldi cards together and randomly give each player four (4) starting support cards. Your hand is kept private. Next, divide the remaining cards into five equal stacks. Place each stack face down near the side of the board labeled the Melting Pot – with one stack represented by a corresponding number of the Melting Pot. These five stacks will be referred to as the Melting Pot.

Place the five Allegiance tiles near the game board in view of all players. Shuffle the village and Potenza strategy decks of cards separately and place them near the game board. Each player selects a color (red, blue, green, white, or orange) and takes the three corresponding pawns, the village markers, and the voting wheel.

Divide support cards in 5 stacks, and flip over top card of each stack.

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Each player selects a village card at random. (For two player games, see the two player variation after game end and scoring.) Once each player has established a home village, then place a village marker on that village along with a pawn of your color. Place a second pawn on the transportation track at the first level—walking. Place the final (small) pawn on the loyalty point track, earning 8 points automatically for your home village.

The person who has visited Sicily the most times is the first player and play continues clockwise around the table. Otherwise, roll a dice to determine the first player. Place the active player tile in front of the first player. After each round, place the active player tile in front of the next player to the left.

TURN SEQUENCE

Several people are eager to become the next baron. However, in order for the decision to be civil, all must obey the following sequence on every turn.

1. Earn support of the people Select a support type on your voting wheel Settle any disputes (duels) Receive support cards 2. Take action (in player turn order) Move the Innominato (active player only) Travel to another village Change transportation levels Acquire a village and loyalty points Play or acquire Potenza strategy cards Earn Allegiance tiles

3. Pass the active player tile to the next player Turn top card on each melting pot stack

The following sections describe each action in greater detail.

milazzo

Select a random village card and earn 8 loyalty points each.

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1. EARN SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE

At the beginning of each round, turn the top card face up on each draw stack in the melting pot. All nobles can now see which type of support card is on top. All support cards have a small number in the corners of the card that represents a different form of support:

1 = Greek support (blue Support cards) 2 = Arab support (yellow Support cards) 3 = Italian support (orange Support cards) 4 = French support (grey Support cards) 5 = Spanish support (red Support cards) 6 = Soldi (green Support cards)

SELECT A SUPPORT TYPE ON YOUR VOTING WHEELEach player considers the top card of each stack in the melting pot. Decide which stack you wish to win and reference the type of support required to win that stack. The five types of support are Food, Wine, Protection, Speech, and Education.

Next, secretly turn the arrow on the voting wheel until it points at your desired support type. Keep your selection hidden until everyone has made a choice. Once you have all decided how to vote, simultaniously reveal your voting wheel on the table in front of you.

RECEIVE SUPPORT CARDSIf no other player voted on the same stack as you from the melting pot, then you win that stack. You take the top card plus two additional cards from that stack, for a total of three cards. If you voted on the same stack as any number of other players, you must resolve the conflict – see the next section on dueling. There is no hand limit.

There are 6 types of support cards.

For example, a player choose the following support type of food.

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SETTLE ANY DISPUTESSome of the people are happy to settle the matter of the throne by the sword. In this game, all disputes are settled with a duel. This happens when two or more players vote on the same stack in the melting pot.

To begin the duel, each participating player selects one support card from his hand. In the lower right corner of each support card, you will find a random number of sword icons that range in number from two to five. These sword icons represent the strength of your duel.

Once you have selected how many swords you wish to play, each person involved with the duel secretly places that card face down on the table. At the same moment, you all reveal your cards and count up the number of swords. The person who plays the highest number of swords wins the duel. (This includes if anyone has played the Conquest Potenza card that lets you instantly win that duel. The Conquest card can be played before or after the duel cards are revealed. If more than one player uses a Conquest card in the same duel, whoever has the most swords on their support card wins. Once the Conquest card is used, it is placed in a discard pile.)

The player who wins the duel takes the top card and two additional cards from the contested stack in the melting pot, for a total of three cards. If the number of swords is a tie, each player must select another support card from his hand and play it. Continue adding one card from each player’s hand until a winner is decided by a majority of swords or if one player forfeits the duel.

However, all is not lost if you don’t win the duel. The losing player or players of the duel can select another stack that did not receive any votes and take the top two cards from the stack. If more than one player loses in a duel, the players select the remaining stacks in a clockwise order from the player who won the duel.

However, you can always retain your honor and forfeit the duel. Simply announce that you wish to forfeit and you instantly draw two cards from another stack that received no votes in the melting pot. The first to announce gets to select the leftover stack from which he draws two cards. You can also select two cards at random from any stack after those who won a stack have taken their chosen cards.

For example, the players vote on the following melting pot stacks: Player 1: Education Player 2: Protection Player 3: Wine Player 4: Wine Player 5: Wine Players 3, 4, and 5 are now in a duel. Player 4 forfeits before any dueling cards are played. He selects the Food melting pot stack and takes the top two cards. The others decide to continue the duel.

Player 3 reveals a support card with five swords. Player 5 reveals a support card with three swords. Player 3 wins the duel and takes the top three cards from the Wine melting pot stack. Player 5 takes the top two cards of the only remaining option, the Speech melting pot stack.

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2. TAKE ACTION

MOVE THE INNOMINATOEven during the middle ages, secret societies like the modern Mafia plagued the island of Sicilia. The Innominato was such a group. They despised the ruling class and would do anything to remove them from power. So as the players travel the island looking for support, the Innominato is close behind convincing the people to revolt. In this game, the Innominato is represented by a black pawn.

Before any other action in this phase, the active player must first move the Innominato pawn to any free village on the board. The Innominato pawn must move and cannot remain on the same village. Whichever village is currently occupied by the Innominato, the people of that village cannot offer support to any player. In other words, you cannot win the support and loyalty points of a village while the Innominato is present. Also, once a village has shown its support to a player and is covered by a village marker, you cannot place the Innominato on that village. You can place the Innominato pawn on a free village, even if another player’s pawn is present. You can still pass through or stop on a village occupied by the Innominato.

After the active player has moved the Innominato to a new village, any other player can use a Treachery strategy card to move the Innominato. Once the Innominato pawn is moved, the active player can now focus on strategies to win the throne. There are several additional actions you can take each turn: travel to another village, increase your transportation level, acquire the support of a village, acquire or play a Potenza strategy card, or earn an allegiance tile. During your turn, you can do one, all, or none of the actions, in any order. However, you can only take each type of action once. Or you can pass and take no actions.

TRAVEL TO ANOTHER VILLAGEIn order to earn the support of the many villages in Sicilia, you must visit as many villages as possible. Movement from village to village is limited by your transportation level. Everyone begins the game at a transportation level of one (walking), which lets you travel only one village away in any direction during your turn. As you move up to higher forms of transportation, you can travel longer distances to reach more villages.

Only the active player moves theInnominato pawn once for free each round. Other players must use a Potenza strategy card to move the Innominato.

During your turn, you can take any of the 5 basic actions, once per turn.

increase transportation:

2 Soldi per level

Move your pawn:

Based on transportation

Acquire a village:

Match with support cards

Potenza strategy cards:

3 of any support card

earn allegiance tiles:

5 villages in one region 1 village in 5 regions

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If you choose the action to travel to another village, simply move the distance of your current transportation level in any direction.

For example, the red player’s pawn is currently on Catania. He has a transportation level of three. He decides to move his pawn three villages to the south and visit the village of Augusta.

CHANGE TRANSPORTATION LEVELSTruth be told, walking isn’t the fastest way to tour the kingdom. On the board, there are 5 levels of transportation: 1 ) walking, 2) a mule, 3) a horse, 4) a basic wagon, and 5) a luxury carriage. Each level gained offers a longer distance of travel in any direction.

The only ways to move up a transportation level is with Soldi support cards (Money) or by playing a Tribute strategy card (that acts as two Soldi cards). The cost of each level is the same, two Soldi cards. That is, it costs two Soldi cards to move your pawn from level 2 to level 3, or from level 4 to level 5. Level 1 is the slowest a player can travel, and has no associated cost.

Transportation Level Distance Allowed Cost

Carriage 5 villages 2 Soldi Wagon 4 villages 2 Soldi Horse 3 villages 2 Soldi Mule 2 villages 2 Soldi Walking 1 villages Free

To change your transportation level, place the required cost of Soldi cards in the discard pile.

There are two types of Potenza strategy cards that can affect transportation level .

The Tribute card moves you up one transportation level for free,and the Plague card moves another player down one level.

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ACQUIRING VILLAGE LOYALTY POINTSThis is the most important action on a player’s turn – earning a village’s loyalty points. Each village has a support requirement printed on the game board. This requirement is a series of numbers located in a bracket near the name of the village. These numbers correlate to the same numbers found on all support cards.

In order to win the support of a village, you must move your pawn to that village and be able to satisfy the required support by discarding the matching series of support cards from your hand. Once you satisfy the requirement, place one of your village markers on the village so that other players know that you have won the loyalty of that village and it is no longer available to other players. Then move your smaller pawn up the loyalty point track bordering the game board, and discard the required support cards to the discard pile. The number of loyalty points you earn for each village is also printed on the game board next to the village’s name.

Every village has a unique required support combination. Chances are, you may have the necessary support cards in your hand for a certain village, so search the board to find it. (Hopefully your transportation level will allow you to reach it.)

The number of required support cards depends on the number of loyalty points you can earn from each village. Villages with high loyalty points require more support cards, and villages that only require a few support cards earn you fewer loyalty points. You may want to save up for the larger villages that offer more loyalty points, or quickly race around the kingdom of Sicilia, picking up the small villages that require less.

At any time, you can use two Soldi cards or three of the exact same Support card as a wild (for example, three yellow Arab support cards). This allows you more flexibility to meet the required support of a certain village. You can also play a Treason strategy card that also acts as a wild support card.

For example, green moves his pawn to the village of Palermo.

He pays the cost of three support cards (2,3,5) as indicated on the board—one yellow Arab support card, one orange Italian support card, and one red Spanish support card.

He then places one of his village markers on Palermo and then moves his small pawn up the loyalty track +5 points.

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2 Soldi = support card of choice 3 pair = support card of choice

POTENZA STRATEGY CARDSA smart Sicilian will use whatever means necessary to earn the support of his people. Potenza strategy cards give you an advantage over the other players, but they’ll cost you a few support cards.

A player can obtain a Potenza strategy card during his turn by returning any three support cards to the discard pile. The three support cards do not have to be the same type of card, but can be a combination of any support or Soldi card.

You can use as many Potenza strategy cards at any time during your turn. Once a Potenza strategy card is used, it is discarded to the bottom of the Potenza card deck.

All Potenza strategy cards will help you – each in a different way. Some boost your transportation level, others increase your loyalty points, and some harm an opponent by moving his transportation down a level. You’ll find a complete list of all the Potenza strategy cards in the card glossary.

For example, a Potenza strategy card can be earned by returning a yellow Arab Support card, a grey French support card, and a green Soldi card to the discard pile.

Strategy tip: often near the end of a game, trading Soldi cards for Potenza strategy cards is a great way to manage resources if you are satisfied with your current level of transportation.

ALLEGIANCE TILESSometimes, a baron is so loved by a certain region, no matter what happens, they will support that leader. Allegiance tiles allow players to solidify their loyalty with a certain type of people.

Allegiance tiles can be used in the same way as a support card, except that once you earn an allegiance tile, you never discard it. It remains in front of you on the table and can be used once each turn for the rest of the game.

There are only five Allegiance tiles available for all players – one representing each of the five groups of people on the island. Allegiance tiles are handed out on a first-come-first-serve basis. Once a tile is taken, you can no longer get it.

There are eight different types of Potenza strategy cards. For a complete listing of each card, see the card glossary.

There are 5 Allegiance tiles, one that represents each group of people.

Trade in any 3 support cards for a Potenza strategy card.

For example, a Potenza strategy card can be earned by returning a yellow Arab Support card, a grey French support card, and a green Soldi card to the discard pile.

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There are two strategies to earn an Allegiance tile: 1. By winning a majority of the villages (5) in any region.

Each region has 7-8 villages. In order to win a majority, you must win five villages in a single region. The regions are as follows: Palermo, Catania, Regosa, Agrigento, Trappani, and Milazzo. If you win five villages in a single region, you may choose one Allegiance tile from the available Allegiance tiles on the board. 2. By winning one village in each of five different regions.

It doesn’t matter which village you win in any given region, as long as you win at least one in five different regions. This strategy may cost fewer Support cards if you win smaller villages in each region, as long as you have the transportation level to reach them first.

Players are not limited in the number of Allegiance tiles they can win. So if you’re fast, you could earn all the Allegiance tiles. Of course, you’d have to be very lucky or be running against the slowest players in Sicilia.

Note: If a village requires two of the same Support cards (i.e. two blue Greek) the tile only satisfies one of the required support cards – the other must be satisfied with a card from your hand.

Also, none of the Allegiance tiles can be used as a replacement to purchase a Potenza strategy card.

For example, a player has the Allegiance tile representing the Greeks (blue). On his turn, he lands on the village Alcamo that requires the following Support cards: 1, 4, 5.

To satisfy the support requirement, he only needs to discard a grey French support card and a red Spanish support card as the Greek Allegiance tile satisfied the blue requirement.

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earn allegiance tiles:

5 villages in one region 1 village in 5 regions

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3. PASS THE ACTIVE PLAYER TILE Once each player has finished his actions, pass the active player tile to the person on the left and begin a new round. The game continues until a player earns a majority of loyalty points from the people.

If any of the stacks in the melting pot are empty, reshuffle all the cards in the discard pile and the remaining melting pot stacks. Then evenly distribute the cards into five new stacks for the melting pot.

GAME END AND SCORING

With two players, the game ends when a player is the first to earn 81 loyalty points. With three players, it ends when a player earns 71 loyalty points. With four players, the game ends when a player earns 61 loyalty points. And finally, with five players, the game ends when a noble earns 51 loyalty points. The moment a player reaches a loyalty point limit, even if they go over, the game ends immediately.

2 PLAYER VARIATION

Because Sicilia is such a large island, a two-player game has a few slight variations. First of all, during the selection of your capitol city, both players may draw two capitol cities and earn a total of 16 loyalty points at the start of the game. You can choose either one of your two home villages to place your starting pawn.

During the voting phase of the game, both players vote on two stacks in the melting pot rather than one (each player uses two voting wheels). You collect three cards from each stack that you win, and you duel the same if you select the same stack as your opponent.

The first player to reach the following loyalty points wins:

2 player game = 81 points 3 player game = 71 points 4 player game = 61 points 5 player game = 51 points

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CARD GLOSSARY

Village cards

There is one principal village in each of the six regions. Each principal village card is worth 8 loyalty points. The principal villages are marked on the game board with a special star marker.

Support and Soldi cards

Support and Soldi cards are earned during the voting phase of the game. All support cards have a small number in several corners of the card that represents a different form of support:

1 = Greek support (yellow Support cards)2 = Arab support (blue Support cards) 3 = Italian support (orange Support cards) 4 = French support (red Support cards)5 = Spanish support (black Support cards)6 = Soldi cards (green money cards)

In the lower right of each support card you will find icons that represent a random number of swords. These swords are used during the duel phase of the game, with higher numbers of swords giving players an advantage.

caccamo

trapini milazzo

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2 Arab

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Campaign Strategy cards

Tribute (x2) – A wealthy supporter gives you a valuable tribute. This card can be used to increase your transportation by one level. (Transportation +1)

King’s Ransom (x3) – You applied a small amount of pressure on a village to give their support. Ok, you threatened to burn the village. They quickly offered their support. Draw 5 cards from any melting pot draw stack of your choice, regardless of whether the top card is face up or face down. (Draw 5 cards)

Plague (x2) – Perhaps you sent another player some bad meat. Or perhaps they vis-ited a village full of disease. Either way, one of your fellow players (of your choice) must now move down one transportation level. (Transportation -1)

Marriage (x3) – Some marry for love. This time, it’s for support. With your new marriage contract comes the support of a distant village worth 6 loyalty points. (Loyalty points +6)

Conquest (x4) – Sometimes you have to get support wherever you can find it—even if that includes mercenaries. You now have the support of many swords and will win a duel of your choice. (Win one duel)

Treachery (x2) – You happen to uncover a little secret of the Innominato. To keep it quiet, they promise to stay out of your affairs for a season. At any time, you can move the Innominato pawn to any village of your choice. (Move the Innominato to any village)

Treason (x4) – You make a secret pact with the Innominato. They help you by giving you the support you need. This card can now be used as a replacement for any support card. In other words, it is now a wild support card. (This card acts as a wild)

Treaty (x4) – You negotiate a treaty with a distant village. They give you support by lending you extra transportation for a season. You can move up to five extra villages in one turn. (Move up to 5 extra villages)

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Game FAQs

Q: My pawn is on a village, but no village marker is on the village yet, can another player still put the Innominato on this village?A: Yes. The Innominato can be placed on any village that has not already pledged support to a specific player, as indicated by a village marker. Another player’s pawn on a specific village does not prevent the presence of the Innominato.

Q: Can I move my pawn to the same village as another player, or a village that already has a village marker or the Innominato?A: Yes. You can move through or land on a village that has a village marker, another player, or the Innominato.

Q: Is there a way to get an Allegiance tile from another player?A: No. Once an Allegiance tile is earned, that player keeps it the rest of the game.

Q: Can I earn the support of more than one village per turn?A: No. You cannot earn the support of your current location, then move and earn the support of a second village. You are limited to earning the loyalty of one village per turn by redeeming support cards. You can however earn additional support through the use of Potenza strategy cards.

Game Variations

• For a quick game, simply limit the number of loyalty points. For example, a 2-player game could end when one person reaches 61 loyalty points.

• You can also collect four or five support cards each round rather than three to speed up the game. Another way to speed up the game is to have two support phases and then one action phase, as every person would have more cards to use.

• To make the duels more exciting, you can decide to return all support cards used in a duel to the discard pile. This forces players to choose wisely when participating in a duel, as you will be giving up valuable support cards in the process. It also adds an element of negotiations to the duel because players try to convince others to forfeit.

SICILIAGame design by Adam Morgan

Artwork by Lance Oscarson

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, contact pixidgames@gmail.com

©2014 Adam Morgan

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