Introduction:

The game:

Age of Renaissance has been called a lighter version of Civilization. It has hints of History of the World and even Risk. Up to six countries compete for land and commodities on the colorful map: Venice, Genoa, Barcelona, Paris, London, and Hamburg.

The game progresses through three ages, representing progress in time. There are commodity cards, leader cards, and event cards to be played, and dice are rolled for combat. Unlike in Risk, though, combat is not the sole purpose of the game. There is a little of something for everyone. Players will negotiate, gain territory, and make advancement purchases.

New this year: we will stop at the end of the second age during the Heats. This will shorten the heat length and make the game a bit more approachable for those concerned about the time commitment required. I checked with the 2024 finalists, and all agreed that it was worth giving it a try in order to generate more interest.

Timing:

Hard Finish – Heats. At 3 hours and 45 minutes after the start of a Heat, players should complete their current phase and proceed to final card play, unless all players agree to complete the turn normally or if the table has already agreed to play to the end of the second age. That decision needs to be announced to the table so that everyone knows which turn is the last turn. In all cases, complete final card play after the completion of the upkeep phase in the final turn.

There will be no time limit for the Final, which will run the full three ages.

Consider the following suggestions and rules to keep the games moving:

• Feel free to record the purchases of other players.
  • Players should announce which advances they bought when they've completed purchasing.
  • However, it is a tournament rule you are not allowed to ask for a full list of a players advances when it's their turn or your turn.
  • You may ask about Exploration/Religious advances since they usually have a significant effect on purchasing or expansion for the entire game.
  • You may always ask a player what they bought in the purchase phase of the current turn.
  • A good time to catch up is during the expansion phase when neither you nor the player you are checking is expanding.
  • This rule is intended to speed play, not to conceal from players which advances you own!
  • Taking a rundown of what every player has purchased after the purchase phase should be avoided since it is very time consuming.
  • Tables that continually do this should be brought to my attention and may be asked to move immediately on to expansion at the conclusion of the purchase phase.
• Bidding should be limited to 2 minutes. Especially for new players, just bid high (at least above 20) if you don't know what to do since this is often a safe play (protects against events, gives you options during expansion, and you'll probably get paid anyway during card play)
• Players continually taking excessive time should be brought to my attention
• Plan your purchase phase in advance!

AOR is a game with a decent number of moving parts. Things are bound to be overlooked, forgotten, and even possibly done the wrong way. Whenever you feel something is awry, say something, right away! If there was a significant mistake, please alert a GM or assistant GM to help solve the issue. It's always best to have an independent party make the choice for everyone, this way no one feels badly after the game.

WBC House Rule:

The Attribute of Master Art is amended to allow its owner to immediately discard one card during the turn of its purchase in addition to its normal discard abilities during the Buy Card Phase. Per the rules, this discard will also be face up.

Advancement:

All Heat winners and alternates (second place finishers) have the potential to be eligible for advancement to the Final. Advancement to the Semifinal will use the HMW-P: Heats Most Wins – Points standard tie-breakers listed below. If six or fewer winners and alternates show up to the Final, then they will play. I will post a list of winners and alternates after each Heat on the kiosk. If you win a heat and know that you will not be attending the Final, the GM would appreciate knowing that ahead of time.

Notes:

There will be a final shortage/surplus roll before the start of the final card play phase, per the rules.

Watch carefully for prerequisites. One year, a player purchased cathedral without Holy Indulgences. It was not discovered until cathedral had been used at least once and maybe twice. This is a hard one to unwind, so it is incumbent upon all players to check each other on purchase prerequisites.

Event Sheet: In order for a game to count, a summary sheet must be accurately completed, recording ALL pertinent info, and submitted promptly to the GM. Winners are responsible for seeing that this is accomplished. Summary sheets will be handed out by the GM before play begins.

Have fun!

HEATS: MOST WINS - POINTS (HMW-P):

1. Most Wins (e.g., total in all heats entered)
2. Total Points – Players earn the following pints in each heat they entered:
   • 1st Place - 1,000 points
   • 2nd Place - 100 points
   • 3rd Place - 10 points
   • 4th Place - 1 points
   • All other places - 0 points
   • e.g. player has a 1st, 2nd, and 4th in three heats: total points would be 1,101
3. GM Specific Tie-breaker - Highest Winning %
4. High dice roll.

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