agora rules

8/10/2019 Agora Rules

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This Cheapass Game is free. Thats right,free.You can print it, copy it, and share it withyour friends. Obviously, if you like it, wed appreciate a dollar or two in return. We think

this is the best way to get great games into your hands, so please help us make it work

Yes! I gave Cheapass Games $_________ for this game!

To learn more, read the last page of this document, or visit www.cheapass.com

Game Details:

Players:2 to 4 Game ype:ile-placing strategy game Game Length: 15-25 Minutes

Game Components:

36 game cards and 4 player cards

About 25 colored counters for each player(here is no upper limit, but 25 should do.)

Money in denominations of $1 and $5 (about $200) his rules sheet

For more help on assembling the game components for thefirst time, see the last page of this document.

The Playing Surface:

Your playing surface should be reasonably large, soyou can have plenty of building space. It also helps if the

surface is cloth or felt, so that the cards do not slide.

Welcome to the Agora, the ever-changing

Ancient Greek Marketplace. Its a wide open space filled

with chaos and excitement. And its what youre

afraid of if you have agoraphobia.

You are a hardworking merchant. You will build shops,

sell goods, and struggle to earn money.

Agora is a simple game about constructing a sprawling

marketplace. There are fires, floods, and festivals to add

excitement. But the coolest thing about the game is that

you can play your cards nearly anywhere, at any angle!

Setting Up:

Start each player with $10. he goal is to reach $50.Mix the four player cards (A, B, C, and D) and hand one

of these to each player. Set the others aside. A players letterhas nothing to do with his turn order. It merely determines

which special effects will happen on that players turn.Shuffle the other 36 cards and place them face down on

the table. o start the marketplace, place one card face up inthe middle of the table. he player whose letter matches

that card will go first. If that letter is not a player letter,then choose a starting player at random.

Players will take turns, with the turn passing to the left.

On Each Turn:

Your turn consists of four steps: collecting income,drawing acard, placing your card,and (optional) buying a shop.

Step 1: Income.At the beginning of your turn, you collectincome from all of your shops. (On your first turn, yourincome will be zero.) If your income puts you over $50, you

win. (Yes, the currency of the ancient Greek marketplacewas not dollars. Breathe.) A shop earns one dollar for every section of its edge that

a customer can walk to, as shown in the examples below.hese edge segments are called doors. he empty table

space is open ground, but other cards and the edges of thetable are not. So a customer can reach any door thats not

blocked by other cards or by the table edge.

Agora is 2002, 2011 James Ernest and Cheapass Games: www.cheapass.com

$

$

$

$

$$

$

$

$

Income Example 1:he shops on this card have

incomes of $3, $4, and $2,

because they have 3, 4, and2 open doors respectively.

$3 $4

$2


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Step 2: Draw.

Reveal the top card of the deck. You will play this card instep 3, but first it mighthave a special effect. If the letter on the card matches your player letter, the

speical effect happens. If its any other letter, you ignore theeffect and move on to step 3.

Note: Not accounting for cards that have already been

played, there is a 25% chance that a special effect will happen ona given turn. This is true no matter how many players there are.

Special Effects: he three special effects are Fire, Flood, andFestival,represented by a flame, a rain cloud, and a sun.

Fire:A Fire destroys the largest shop, removing thosecards from the table. he definition of largest shop is

the shop with the most countersin it, not necessarily thebiggest shop by any other measure. In the figure below, Player B owns the largest shop (in

the center) with four counters. If there is a Fire, this shopwill burn down, and those cards will leave the table. Note

that this removes a total of three cards, one of which is partof Bs shop even though it has no B counters.

Player Bs other shop, unconnected to the largest shop, isunaffected by this Fire.

Ties:If there is a tie for largest shop, a Fire has no effect.

Flood: Like a Fire, a Flood affects the largest shop. heFlood removes all the counters from that shop, but leavesthe cards on the table.

In the example below, the same shop (player Bs largershop) would be the target of the Flood. In this case, Player

Bs counters would be removed from that shop, but thecards (and the other shops counters) would remain.

Ties: As with Fire, if there is a tie for largest shop, aFlood has no effect.

Festival: A Festival means that every player earns hisincome right away. If more than one player breaks $50 at

the same time, then the player with the most money wins.In the example below, a Festival would pay out as follows:

$6 to Player A, $2 to Player B, $5 to Player C, and $7 to

Player D. Note how none of the doors in the enclosed alleypay anything.


$$

$

$$ Income Example 2:

When cards join, the shops

expand, but often loseincome. Only doors that

are open to foot traffic canmake money. his shop

occupies two cards, andhas an income of $3.

Income Example 3:If the corner of another card

interrupts a door, that door isclosed. his shop has an income

of $2 because of its closed door.(he shop on the opposite cardstill has an income of $4.)

$2

Income Example 4:If an alley is completelyenclosed, doors facing

into that alley make nomoney.

$1

$3

$2X

XX

XX

X

X

X

$3

$3

Fire Flood Festival


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Step 3: Place your Card.

In Step 3 you will play the card you have drawn. As youhave seen in the examples, you can play this card at any

angleand in nearly any position on the table.It does not haveto touch the existing cards or conform to the same grid as

the existing cards. However, there are some restrictions onbuilding:

Cards can not overlap. You cannot join shops owned by different players. If a new card shares an edge with an existing card,they must conform to the same grid. Below is an exampleof an illegal play. Because these cards share an edge, they

must line up. Use the pillars to match the grids.

ouching Or Not? When you play cards at odd angles neareach other, you should state whether those cards are meant

to be touching. If its not clear, you might be trying to closean alley, or force it to stay open! Cards often shift in thecourse of the game, so if you make the intent of each move

clear, its easier to remember whether an alley was supposedto be open or closed.

Expanding Existing Shops: When you enlarge an existingshop by attaching a new card, the shop grows. he owner ofthe shop immediately covers all the empty spaces with hiscounters. his expansion is free and automatic, and hap-

pens no matter who owns the shop. You might use this effect as a free way to grow your own

shops, but its also a good way to make other players more

vulnerable. A well-placed card can simultaneously expand ashop and cause it to lose income. And larger shops are morevulnerable to Fires and Floods.

If youre a defensive player, expand-ing an existing shop can also be a good

way to cause a tie for largest shop,which can shield you from the effects

of Fires and Floods. At least, untilsomeone decides to break the tie!

Step 4: Buy One Shop.

In the last step of your turn, you may buy one shop. hisis optional, but it is usually a good idea.

As youve probably figured out, a shop is any singleshop piece or a connected string of shop pieces. Shops are

separated by walls, but continue between connected cards.he price of a shop is the same as its current income. So

any of the income examples shown above also indicate thecurrent price of those shops. You can buy a shop thats completely closed off for noth-

ing! However, it will also make no money unless a fire openssomething up. his is a cheap but high-risk strategy.

o mark a shop as yours, cover all the circles with yourcounters to show that its yours. he counters are an

abstract measure of the volume of the shop, which is howthey determine which is the largest for Fires and Floods.

Some parts of your shop might not have stones on them,and thats fine. hose segments still belong to you, but they

dont count as volume for Fires and Floods. You cant buy a shop that has no circles, because there isno way to mark it as yours. (Yes, we did that on purpose.)

Running out of Money: You can not actually run out ofmoney in this game. You start with 10 coins, but thats justan illusion; you can borrow as much as you need. If youwant to start everyone with more money, just remember to

adjust the winning score appropriately.

Winning:

As described above, the winner is the first player to reach50 coins or more. Remember that Festivals pay everyone atonce, and if two players break 50 at the same time, the

player with the highest total wins. (ies are ties.) If you play through the entire deck before anyone goes

out, then after the last card is played, the player with themost money wins.


Legal Not Legal

Does it say something that we have chosen to launch our

line of free PDF games with a game about the chaos anddangers of selling physical items in a real marketplace?

Agora was designed by James Ernest with help from Jeff

Vogel, Elizabeth Marshall, Mariann Krizsan, oivo Rovainen,Julie Haehn, Joyce Godecke, and Anthony Gallela. Graphics byJames Ernest and the Internet. Agora is 2002, 2011 James

Ernest and Cheapass Games. Some rights reserved. Publishedby Cheapass Games, Seattle WA: www.cheapass.com.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution -

Non Commercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy

of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street,

Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. There is abrief license rights summary on the following page.


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Our Creative Commons Agreement

Summary: This work is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution - Non Commercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

To view a copy of this license, visit:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a

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Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

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You are free:

to Share to copy, distribute and transmit the work (inthis case, the electronic files that comprise the work).

Under the following conditions:

Attribution You must attribute the work in the mannerspecified by the licensor (but not in any way that suggests that

they endorse you or your use of the work). In this case, Agora is 2002, 2011 James Ernest and Cheapass Games: www.cheapass.com.

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Free? Seriously?ell me a little more about that.

Okay, heres the deal. If I made a great game and soldit to you for ten bucks, Id probably keep about a dollar.

If I sold it to a big game company, theyd probably

make a nicer version for thirty bucks, and Id still getabout a dollar.

he rest of your money would go to printers, distribu-

tors, retail stores, and at least three freight companies.And most of those guys dont know anything about

what makes a great game.

Mass-producing entertainment is a gamble. Its a con-

voluted way for creators to protect their intellectualproperty, by selling it in a way that is prohibitively

expensive to counterfeit. And its getting a little old.

Why do you pay $30 for a board game? he story goeslike this: the retail price of a game covers the cost ofmanufacturing it, and there is no way you could make

your own copy for that price, to say nothing of thehassle of finding little wooden men in six colors. So,

its worth $30 because it costs $30, QED.

But the value in a board game isnt the manufacturingcost. Its the play value. Unfortunately, this means thatsome games are priced way out of whack with what

they are worth. And because the big gamble doesntalways work out, some of your money actually helps

pay for the stuff that goes straight to the dump.

Ive decided to try a different gamble. Im giving mygames away for free. his way, you can read the rules,make a copy, and even play the thing, before you

decide what its worth.

If you do like my games, I hope you will send me somemoney. But Im also hoping you will share this experi-

ment with your friends. You are my sales force, mymarketing department, my demo team.

Youre also my testers, so if you can think of ways to

improve my games, please share them with me. Imeasy to find at big gaming conventions, and even easi-er online. Look for Cheapass Games on Facebook, or

drop me a line at [email protected].

If we do this right, we will get famous and do shaving

ads. But more importantly, we will prove that there isa better way for a creator to profit from his work.

And nothing has to go to the dump.


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How to Make your Agora Cards:

Making the cards for Agora is simple. Heres how I do it. If

youre an expert, you can ignore these hints and do it however

you like.

Step 1: Full-Sheet Labels:

Full-sheet mailing labels are great. Get white ones,suitable for whatever printer you will use. You can get them

at any office supply store for about 25 each (in packs) andthey will be very handy for making cards and game boards.

Print the five card sheets on full-sheet labels. You canuse inkjet, laser, or whatever gives you the best and most

convenient results. See Step 4 about sizing the card backs.

Step 2: Heavy Card Stock:

You could buy medium-weight stock (110-lb Index, for

example) and print directly on that, but I prefer to stickthe labels to something heavier. Look for white shirt-box

cardboard or lightweight illustration or matte board. If youget colored matte board, it makes its own card backs. Stick the uncutfull-sheet labels to the boards. If the

boards are really large, you can cut them to a manageablesize, but DO NO cut them down to card size. Stick the full

sheet labels on first, and then cut them down in Step 3.

Step 3: A Good Guillotine Cutter:

If you dont have an awesome guillotine paper cutter,

use the one at the local copy shop. Or buy one.

rim the sheets as follows: First, trim them at the out-side edge of the printed area (do not cut at the crop marksyet). Tis rough cut makes the crop marks easier to use,

and ensures that you have put the labels on straight.Next, make horizontal slices (the short way) at the

crop marks. Tis means you will lose the crop marks on the

short sides, but thats not a big deal. Next, slice down the middle of each pair, using the

centers of the pillars as a guide. Finally, set your cutter stop(there should be a backstop on the cutter that you can lock

in place) so you can finish every card to the same length.

Step 4: Card Backs (Optional):

If you want card backs, there is a card back file. Printthis file at 93% on full-sheet labels, so that the card backlabels will be slightly smaller than the fnished cards.

Once the cards are labeled (on the front) and cut, cutthe label sheets with the guillotine cutter, eyeballing thelines, and apply the stickers to the backs of the cards.

If youre clever enough to print both sides of the card-stock before you cut it, or to align the labels, more power to

you. I find that is more trouble than its worth. If you do itthis way, you can print the card backs at 100%.

Nice Bits!How to flesh out your Cheapass bits box.

The Rules: Weve standardized our new rulebooks to8.5 x 11 PDFs, so you can keep them together in a

binder. Older PDF rulebooks are harder to deal with,

so please bear with us as we convert all the old ones.You might also want to fold up your rulebooks and

keep them in the box with the game, but for a littlegame like Agora this might be more than the box can

hold. And of course, if you live in the 21st century, youdont have to print the rules at all.

The Game Box: Start collecting empty boxes, or finda supplier of decent cheap boxes. Agora is 40 cards andsome counters, and fits easily in a small card box,roughly 4.5 x 3.25 x 2.25, which you can find in a shop

that sells baseball cards. here is a PDF called boxlabels at Cheapass.com if you want to print labels for

various sizes of box, notebooks, or your school locker.

The Bits Box: For Cheapass Games you might want tokeep one collection of good pieces, rather than puttingadequate parts in every box. Many of our pieces are

generic enough to be re-used in lots of differentgames. Personally, I like to have the right bits in every

box. But if your collection spends a lot of time on theroad, consolidate!

You can pilfer pieces from old board games youhate, or games (and other toys) that you get cheap: onsuper-sale at the department store, garage sales, or at

your friendly local reseller of donated junk. For verynice specialized parts, check online piece sellers and

educational products stores, who often carry bettergeneric bits than normal hobby game stores.

Check out cheapass.com for fun labels to help youcustomize your bits box.

Pieces for Agora:

Money:Use paper money or poker chips, in denomi-nations of $1 and $5, to a total of about $200.

For your master bits box, you should get someunmarked poker chips in four colors for maximum

cross-game versatility. For Agora, you can use papermoney in 1s and 5s, pennies and nickels, two colors ofnon-player counters, or keep score on a piece of paper.

Counters: hese are colored counters approximately0.75 to 1 across. hey should fit within the squaresbut cover the circles. You can use glass beads, plastic

mini-chips, 2x2 Lego plates, or whatever you can stealfrom your least favorite game. here is no legal limit,

but 25 is about as many as we have ever needed.

agora rules

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