Overview

Cleopatra and the Society of Architects is a game where players are architects competing to build Cleopatra’s palace. Players collect resources from the market and use them to construct parts of the palace, earning talent (VP). However, some actions involve corruption (using tainted resources or shady deals). At game end, the most corrupt player is fed to Cleopatra’s sacred crocodile. Among survivors, the richest architect wins.

Components

• 3D palace model (built during play)
• Resource cards (marble, wood, lapis lazuli, etc.)
• Corruption amulets (hidden behind player screens)
• Palace building pieces (walls, columns, obelisks, throne, door, etc.)
• Offering tokens
• Talent (money/VP) tokens
• Character cards
• Market display
• Ankh tokens

Setup

1. Assemble the base palace structure.
2. Shuffle resource cards and place as draw piles in the market area.
3. Each player takes a screen to hide corruption amulets.
4. Place building materials in their designated areas.
5. Deal starting hand of resource cards to each player.
6. Choose starting player.

Turn Structure

On your turn, choose one of two actions:

Option A: Visit the Market

Take cards from the market. Some cards are face up (safe), others are face down (risky - may be tainted). Tainted cards earn corruption amulets but may provide better resources.

Option B: Build for Cleopatra

Use resources from your hand to construct one or more building elements:

• Each element requires specific resource combinations.
• Completed elements earn talents (VP) and may provide bonuses.
• Some elements trigger special scoring or grant abilities.

Actions

Market Actions

• Take 1-3 cards from the market (combination of face up and face down).
• Face-down cards may be corrupted resources.
• Certain character cards provide special powers when played.

Building Actions

| Building Element | Description | |—————–|————-| | Wall Sections | Require marble; worth moderate talents | | Columns | Require lapis lazuli; worth talents | | Obelisks | Require multiple resource types; high value | | Throne | Major construction; requires many resources | | Door | Special element with unique requirements | | Mosaic | Decorative element worth talents |

Offerings to the Priests

Spend resources to make offerings, which reduce your corruption.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when the last major palace element is built. Then:

1. Corruption check: Each player reveals their corruption amulets. The player with the most corruption is eliminated (fed to the crocodile).
2. Among remaining players: The one with the most talents wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Corruption amulets are hidden behind screens; you never know exactly how corrupt your opponents are.
• Tainted resource cards are more powerful but add corruption.
• Offerings to priests can reduce corruption at the cost of resources.
• If multiple players are tied for most corruption, all tied players are eliminated.
• Building elements physically snap onto the 3D palace model.
• Some character cards let you peek at opponents’ corruption or manipulate the market.

Player Reference

Key Tension	Description
Corruption risk	Tainted cards are powerful but add corruption
Offerings	Spend resources to reduce corruption
Elimination	Most corrupt player is eliminated at game end
Victory	Most talents among surviving players