China is an area majority control game. Players have 3 cards in their hand and can place up to two houses, emissiaries or a fortification. 3 to 5 players and takes about an hour to play.

Setup 3 player game remove 2 color of each (red, yellow, green, purple, orange)
Setup 4 player game remove 1 color of each (red, yellow, green, purple, orange)
Setup 5 player game don't remove any cards.

Cards are shuffled in a draw pile and each player is dealt 3 cards. Each player places one of their emissaries on the scoring track so each player has 8 emmissaries to build with. Also each player is given ONE fortification. Click picture for closeup of the various regions with house markers (houses can only be built on house markers) and dragons (emissaries can only be built on dragons) on them.

Green player starts and places two houses in the green region Han with a green card and two orange cards (wild/joker). Two cards of the same color and be used for any color (wild). A player may only place two things and only in the SAME region on his turn. Never two houses in two different regions on the same turn.

Green player takes two green cards that were face up and decides to draw another one from the deck. Players always replinish there hands backup up to 3 cards.

Purple player places two yellow cards (wild purple) and one purple card. Builds a fortification under his purple house. Fortifications double house scoring in that region for the player with the fortification and also fortifications double house road scoring if at least 4 houses are consecutive.

Purple player already has two houses in the red region Wei and decides to play two orange cards to build a house and an emissary. Any player can build an emissary even if they don't have houses in that region. However, the maximum amount of emissaries that can be built in a region is determined by how many houses the player with the most houses in the region. There are 3 purple houses so 3 emissaries could be built by whoever.

Purple has the most houses in Wei (orange region) with three houses so the 2 green emissaries and 1 purple emissary (3 emassiries total) is the maximum that can be built currently. In the green region of Han green has 4 houses so a maximum of 4 emassaries can be built.

Newsflash it appears one of the red houses got hit with an earthquake.

The green region of Han has been completely built so it is scored. Put a black circle scoring marker (not shown in this photo though) to indicate that it has been scored.
Green player scores 5 points for houses (5 houses total in Han)
Red player scores 4 points (1st most built 4 houses).

House scoring is the player with the most 1st gets points based on the total number of houses in a region. 2nd most gets how many houses the 1st has built. 3rd most gets points depending on how many houses the 2nd most player has built and so on 4th, and 5th if player 4 or 5 player games.

Move the scoring markers on the scoring track.

Region of Lu purple player scores 4 points (4 houses total)
Green scores 6 points (3 points x 2 because of the green's fortification.

Region of Zhao red scores 5 points.

Region of Chu purple scores 16 points (8 houses total x 2 for fortification)
Green and Red both score 4 points each (both tied for 2nd).

Red and Green both score 6 points as they are both tied for first.

Purple scores 6 points and green scores 4 points.

Red region Wei purple scores 7 points and red scores 5 points.

Now score any regions that were not completed if the game comes to an end which it did. Green scores 3 points.

Game ends if the deck of cards is exhausted for the 2nd time. The player to the right of the start player is the last one to play. Basically this allows each player to have an equal number of rounds.

Red scores 3 points for #2 alliance. (1 emissary in orange + 2 emissaries in green = 3 points)

Alliance scoring - There exists 15 possible alliances between two connecting regions. Move the emperor marker from 1 to 15 in order to score each one. To score an alliance you must have the most or be tied for the most in both regions. You score based on the total number of emissaries of both regions.

Red has most emissaries in yellow region and purple has most emissaries in red region. So no one scores for #3 alliance.

Alliance #10 red player has most emissaries in yellow region and is tied for most in green region. Thus red player scores 7 points and green player scores nothing.

Alliance #12 green player scores 8 points and red and purple player score nothing.

Alliance #14 purple player scores 7 points and green scores nothing.

Red scores 8 points for having 8 consecutive houses on a road. Note the 9th house isn't scored as it branches off. Also each house can only be scored once for road scoring.

Road scoring is occurs when a players has built 4 or more consecutive houses on a road. 1 point for each house connected along a road.

Green scores 5 points (5 houses on a road).

Purple scores 8 points (4 points for one road in yellow region and 4 points for one road in red region).

Green scores 8 points (4 points for 4 houses on a road x 2 for fortification).

Game is over once all the house, alliance and road scoring is complete. Player with the most points is the New Emperor.

Updated Nov 9, 2005

Back German Board Games