Overview

History of the World takes 3-6 players on an epic journey through humankind’s history from the dawn of civilization to the twentieth century. Over five epochs, players command various empires at the height of their power, expanding across the globe and gaining points for conquests. The player with the most points at the end of Epoch V wins.

Components

• 1 Game Board (world map divided into 13 colored regions)
• 40 Empire Cards (5 epochs, 8 of each)
• 40 Event Cards (5 epochs, 8 of each)
• 150 Armies (6 colors, 25 of each)
• 24 Capitols/Cities (double-sided)
• 20 Monuments
• 14 Forts
• 1 Catapult (with siege track and launcher)
• 32 Region Tokens
• 6 Fleet/Caravan Markers (double-sided)
• 6 Score Markers
• 15 Siege Tokens
• 4 Dice

Setup

1. Choose Colors: Each player chooses a color and takes the score marker and all 25 armies of that color.
2. Place Board and Score Markers: Place the board centrally. One player blindly draws score markers one at a time, placing each on spaces 1, 2, 3, etc. of the score track.
3. Prepare Decks: Sort empire and event cards into piles by epoch, shuffle each individually, place facedown in order I-V. Return cards from each pile until each has cards equal to the number of players.
4. Prepare Region Tokens: Sort by roman numeral and place near the empire deck of the same epoch.
5. Prepare Supply: Sort remaining pieces (capitols, cities, monuments, forts, siege tokens, fleet/caravan markers) into piles near the board.

Turn Structure

The game is played over 5 epochs. Each epoch:

Start of Epoch

1. Update Region Tokens: Place current epoch’s region tokens on the board on matching nameplates, replacing old ones.
2. Choose Empire and Event Cards:
   • Event cards: Player with most points picks first, passing remaining cards to next-most points, etc.
   • Empire cards: Player with fewest points picks first, passing remaining cards to next-fewest points, etc.
   • Both sets are passed simultaneously.

Player Turns (in empire order shown on card backs)

Each player resolves these steps:

1. Take Catapult - marks you as the active player
2. Play Kingdom - if you chose a kingdom event card (optional minor empire)
3. Establish Empire - gather armies equal to the number on the card, place one army and a capitol in the starting territory
4. Invade - use armies to invade adjacent territories
5. Build Monuments - build 1 monument for every 2 resource icons occupied by active armies
6. Resign Armies - set armies on sides, remove fleet/caravan/siege tokens, return played cards
7. Gain Points - calculate points for regions and structures

Actions

Invading

• Invade any territory adjacent to one occupied by your active (upright) armies
• Place one army from your empire card into the target territory
• Empty territory: You simply occupy it
• Your resigned army: Return it to supply, occupy with active army
• Opponent’s army: Fight a battle

Battle

• Invader rolls 2 dice; defender rolls 1 die
• Compare highest individual die results:
  • Win (higher): Defender’s army removed; you occupy the territory
  • Lose (lower): Choose to siege or retreat
  • Tie: Both armies removed; territory becomes empty

Sieging

• After losing a battle, place an army from your card on the catapult’s “+1” space
• Fight another battle, adding the catapult value to your highest die
• Continue sieging through “+2” and “+3” spaces
• After “+3”, additional siege armies go to supply instead of catapult
• Siege ends on win, tie, or retreat; all catapult armies return to supply

Fortifying

• During the invade step, remove one army from your empire card to place a fort in any territory with your active army
• Forts give defenders the “Fortified” effect (roll 2 dice instead of 1)
• Maximum 1 fort per territory; removed when invader wins or ties

Defender Effects

• Terrain (mountain/forest): Defender adds 1 to highest die result
• Naval (fleet invasion): Defender may reroll one die
• Fortified (fort present): Defender rolls 2 dice instead of 1
• Multiple effects can apply to a single battle

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Region Scoring (per turn)

Check each of 13 regions for your degree of impact:

• Presence (at least 1 army): Left number on region token
• Dominance (at least 2 armies AND more than each individual opponent): Middle number
• Supremacy (at least 3 armies AND no opponents): Right number
• Score only the highest degree achieved per region

Structure Scoring

• Capitol: 2 points
• City: 1 point
• Monument: 1 point

Winning

After Epoch V ends, the player with the most points wins.

Score Marker Ties

If your marker would land on an occupied space, choose to gain or lose 1 point until reaching an empty space.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Marauders: Empires with a torch icon gain 1 point immediately when reducing a structure after a battle (win or tie). They do not receive a capitol.
• Kingdoms: Event cards that function as minor empires. Resolve establish/invade/build/resign steps before your main empire. Cannot be saved for later epochs. Your empire’s effect does not apply to your kingdom.
• Enhancements: Event cards providing special effects. Can be saved for future epochs (shown by “+” icon). Cannot be played during an invasion.
• Fleets/Caravans: Allow invasion across seas/oceans (fleets) or barren lands (caravans). Can chain together. Naval invasions give defender the “Naval” effect; caravan invasions do not.
• Siege Tokens: When your supply runs out of armies, take siege tokens instead. Used only for sieging (placed on catapult), not for invading territories.
• Structure Reduction: Winning or tying a battle reduces one structure in priority order: Capitol flips to City, City removed, Monument removed.
• Straits: Stepping stones connecting territories separated by water; territories with straits are adjacent.
• Component Limits: All structures/forts limited to quantities provided. Each player limited to 25 armies. Siege/fleet/caravan tokens unlimited.
• Mesoamericans: Represent both Aztecs and Incas. Place one capitol and army in each starting territory.

Player Reference

Epoch	Time Period	Example Empires
I	Dawn of Civilization	Sumerians, Egyptians, Minoans
II	450 BCE - 300 CE	Persians, Romans, Han Dynasty
III	300 CE - 900 CE	Arabians, Byzantines, Tang Dynasty
IV	900 - 1600 CE	Mongols, Ottomans, Vikings
V	1600 - 1912 CE	British, French, Americans

Battle Summary:

• Invader: 2 dice

  Defender: 1 die (2 if fortified)

• Terrain: Defender +1

  Naval: Defender rerolls 1 die

• Siege: +1/+2/+3 to invader’s highest die per siege round

Scoring Quick Reference:

• Presence: 1+ army in region
• Dominance: 2+ armies, more than each opponent
• Supremacy: 3+ armies, no opponents present

• Capitol: 2 pts

  City/Monument: 1 pt each