Overview

Ethnos is a card-driven area-control game where 2-6 players compete to become Lord of Ethnos over three Ages (two Ages with 2-3 players). Players recruit Allies from 12 Tribes and play them in Bands to place Control markers in six Kingdoms. Each Tribe has a unique Leader ability. Glory (victory points) comes from controlling Kingdoms and from Band sizes. The player with the most Glory after the final Age wins.

Components

• 1 main game board (6 Kingdoms)
• 12 Setup cards
• 12 Tribe decks (12 cards each, except Halflings with 24)
• 3 Dragon cards
• 1 double-sided Giant token
• 6 Troll tokens
• 18 Glory tokens
• 156 Control markers (26 per player color)
• 6 Orc Horde boards
• 1 double-sided Merfolk board

Setup

1. Place the board centrally. Shuffle Glory tokens face down; place one face up in each of the 18 Glory spaces (3 per Kingdom). Arrange each Kingdom’s tokens in ascending order (lowest in “I” space, highest in “III”).
2. Each player takes Control markers of one color; place one on the “0” Glory Track space.
3. Shuffle Setup cards; reveal 6 to determine the 6 Tribes used this game. Shuffle those 6 Tribe decks together to form the Allies Deck.
4. Set up Tribe-specific components if applicable (Merfolk board, Troll tokens, Giant token, Orc Horde boards).

2-3 player adjustments: Remove Glory tokens marked “4+”; use only 5 Tribes; use 2-3 player sides of Merfolk board/Giant token; play only 2 Ages.

Turn Structure

Beginning Each Age

1. Each player draws 1 card from the Allies Deck.
2. Reveal face-up cards equal to 2x the number of players.
3. Split the remaining deck roughly in half; shuffle the 3 Dragon cards into the bottom half, then stack the halves.
4. First Age: random first player. Later Ages: player with least Glory goes first (ties broken by proximity to the player who drew the 3rd Dragon in the prior Age, going clockwise).

On Your Turn (choose one)

• Recruit one Ally: Draw 1 card (from face-up cards or the top of the deck). Face-up cards are not replaced when taken. Hand limit: 10 cards.
• Play a Band of Allies: Play a group of cards that share the same Tribe OR the same color (Kingdom).

Dragon Cards

If drawn from the deck, reveal immediately, set aside, and draw again. First two Dragons have no effect. The third Dragon ends the Age immediately.

Actions

Playing a Band of Allies

1. Lay down cards (1-10) from your hand that all share the same Tribe or same color.
2. Designate one card as the Leader (placed on top).
3. If your Band has more cards than your current number of Control markers in the Leader’s Kingdom color, place one Control marker there.
4. Activate the Leader’s Tribe ability (only the Leader’s ability applies).
5. Discard all remaining cards in your hand face up next to the board (available for other players to recruit).

2-player placement rule: Your Band must have more cards than the total number of all Control markers (both players) in that Kingdom to place a marker.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

End of Each Age (triggered by 3rd Dragon)

1. All players discard remaining hand cards.
2. Kingdom Scoring:
   • Age I: 1st place in each Kingdom earns the “I” Glory token value.
   • Age II: 1st place earns “II” value; 2nd place earns “I” value.
   • Age III: 1st place earns “III”; 2nd earns “II”; 3rd earns “I”.
   • Ties: combine tied positions’ Glory and divide equally (round down).
3. Band Scoring:

Band Size	Glory
1	0
2	1
3	3
4	6
5	10
6+	15

1. Discard all Bands; reshuffle for new Age. Control markers remain on the board.

Game End

After the final Age (3rd for 4-6 players, 2nd for 2-3 players), the player with the most Glory wins. Tiebreakers: most Control markers on the board, then largest Band played in the last Age.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

The 12 Tribes

• Centaurs: If you place a Control marker, immediately play another Band from your hand before discarding.
• Dwarves: Band scores Glory as if it has one extra card.
• Elves: Keep cards in hand equal to Band size instead of discarding them.
• Giants: If you have the largest Giant-led Band, gain 2 Glory and take the Giant token. At Age end, the token holder gains bonus Glory (Age I: 2, Age II: 4, Age III: 6). Token returns between Ages.
• Halflings: Cannot place Control markers, but the deck has 24 cards (double-sized), making large Bands easier.
• Merfolk: Advance on the Merfolk board equal to Band size. Passing marker symbols lets you place extra Control markers in any Kingdom. Merfolk board scores like a 7th Kingdom at Age end.
• Minotaurs: Place a Control marker in any Kingdom (not just the Leader’s color).
• Orcs: Place a marker on your Orc Horde board corresponding to your Band’s color. At Age end, gain Glory based on markers placed (1/3/6/10/15 for 1-5 markers).
• Skeletons: Every Skeleton card in any Band (not just the Leader’s) counts as +1 to Band size for Glory scoring. As Leader: no special ability beyond this.
• Trolls: Take a Troll token (worth 2 Glory at game end) if your Band size meets or exceeds the current Age threshold (Age I: 4+, Age II: 5+, Age III: 6+).
• Wingfolk: Place your Control marker in any Kingdom regardless of Leader color.
• Wizards: Draw cards equal to your Band size from the deck (not face-up cards).

Player Reference

Turn options: Recruit 1 Ally OR Play a Band of Allies

Band Glory table: 1=0, 2=1, 3=3, 4=6, 5=10, 6+=15

Kingdom scoring by Age:

• Age I: 1st only
• Age II: 1st and 2nd
• Age III: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

Hand limit: 10 cards

Ages played: 4-6 players = 3 Ages; 2-3 players = 2 Ages