Overview

Argent: The Consortium is a cutthroat worker-placement game set at Argent University, a school of magic. The university chancellor has died, and a secret consortium of voters will elect a new one. Each voter has a hidden criterion for their vote, and players must figure out what the voters value and position themselves to win the most votes. Players deploy mage workers with unique powers, cast spells, gather resources, research vault cards, and use influence to gain advantages.

Components

• Game board (university rooms – modular)
• Room tiles
• Mage workers in multiple colors (each color has different powers)
• Consortium voter cards (hidden vote criteria)
• Vault cards
• Spell cards
• Treasure cards
• Mark tokens
• Influence tokens
• Mana crystals
• Gold coins
• Research points
• Merit badges
• Bell tower track
• Player boards
• Candidate cards (player characters)
• Various other tokens

Setup

1. Arrange the university rooms on the board (modular – varies each game).
2. Place resources, marks, and treasures.
3. Shuffle and deal consortium voter cards (hidden criteria that determine the winner).
4. Each player selects a candidate (asymmetric starting powers) and takes their player board, starting mages, and starting resources.
5. Place round tracker and bell tower tokens.
6. Determine first player.

Turn Structure

The game is played over 5 rounds. Each round:

1. Placement Phase: Players take turns placing mage workers on room spaces to claim actions. Continue until all players pass.
2. Resolution Phase: Resolve each room in order, performing the actions claimed by placed workers.
3. Cleanup Phase: Return workers, refresh rooms, advance round track.

After 5 rounds, the consortium votes and a winner is determined.

Actions

Room actions vary by room configuration but commonly include:

• Gather Resources: Collect gold, mana, or influence from specific rooms.
• Cast Spells: Learn and cast spell cards for powerful effects.
• Research Vault: Peek at consortium voter cards to learn hidden vote criteria.
• Gain Supporters: Recruit allies and supporters who provide ongoing benefits.
• Collect Treasures: Gain treasure cards for points or abilities.
• Recruit Mages: Hire new mage workers of various types.
• Use Influence: Spend influence for special actions and advantages.

Mage Types (each color has a unique power):

• Red mages: Can wound opposing mages, removing them from rooms.
• Blue mages: Cannot be wounded by other mages.
• Green mages: Provide bonus resources when placed.
• Grey mages: Can be placed in already-occupied spots.
• Other colors have their own abilities.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

After 5 rounds, the consortium votes:

1. Reveal all consortium voter cards (hidden criteria).
2. Each voter awards their vote to the player who best meets their specific criterion (e.g., most gold, most spell cards, most influence, most mage workers, etc.).
3. The player with the most votes becomes the new chancellor and wins.
4. Ties broken by specific tiebreaker rules.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Wounding: Red mages and certain spells can wound (remove) opposing mages already placed on the board, a key aggressive tactic.
• Shielded Mages: Blue mages and shielded spaces protect against wounding.
• Bell Tower: First player can change based on bell tower actions.
• Vault Research: Peeking at voter cards is crucial for determining strategy – you cannot win votes you don’t know about.
• Asymmetric Candidates: Each candidate has unique starting abilities and special powers.
• Modular Rooms: The university layout changes each game, creating different action availability.
• Marks: Placed on rooms to reserve future benefits.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
1. Placement	Place mages on room spaces
2. Resolution	Resolve rooms in order
3. Cleanup	Return mages, refresh

Voter Criteria Examples
Most gold	Most spells known
Most influence	Most supporters
Most mages	Most treasures
Most marks	Most merit badges

Mage Color	Special Power
Red	Can wound opponents
Blue	Cannot be wounded
Green	Bonus resources
Grey	Ignores occupancy limits