Iliad

Rules of the game

A game by Dominique Ehrhard
Iliad
Iliad is a game for two to six players.
Each game lasts approximately 45 minutes.
Contents

Game instructions (plus two play aids).

3 victory tiles (Agamemnon, Athena, Poseidon).

110 cards in the following distribution:

21 Victory cards (Trireme, City, and Helen),

6 Hero cards,

8 Oracle cards (Thanatos and Gorgon),

75 Army cards (Hoplites, Archers, Elephant, Chariot, Catapult, Ballista, Harrow, and Trojan
Horse).
Game overview
The players, embodying brave Greek heroes, set out to besiege Troy in order to liberate the beautiful
Helen. The winner is the first player to reach 12 victory points. The game proceeds through several
successive sieges, during which Victory cards are brought into play. Each player places cards in front
of herself to build an army or to weaken the armies of her adversaries. At the end of the siege, the
players who amassed the most powerful armies take a Victory card of their choice. All the cards
forming their armies, which are sitting in front of the players, are discarded. However, they keep the
cards that they still have in their hands. Each player receives three new Army cards; new Victory cards
are brought into play, and a new siege starts.
Game setup

With 2 players, the rules are slightly different and are explained at the end of these instructions.

With 3 players, set aside the Hero cards of value 4, 5, and 6.

With 4 players, set aside the Hero cards of value 5 and 6.

With 5 players, set aside the Hero card of value 6.

With 6 players, play in teams, as indicated in the end of these instructions.

Shuffle the Army cards and deal 12 to each player. Each player takes these cards into her hand
without showing them to her opponents. Form a deck with the remaining cards, and place it in
the middle of the table to constitute the draw deck.
Shuffle the Victory cards, form a deck and place it beside the deck of Army cards. Make a similar deck
with the Oracle cards. Place the Agamemnon, Athena, and Poseidon tiles beside these decks. Place all
the Hero cards face-up beside each other, near the other decks.
At the beginning of each siege, turn over an Oracle card and the Victory cards which will be awarded
to the winners of the siege. These cards are placed face-up beside each other, in the middle of the
table.
With 3 players, turn over one Oracle card and one Victory card.
With 4 players, turn over one Oracle card and two Victory cards.

With 5 players, turn over one Oracle card and three Victory cards.
The Oracle card revealed at the beginning of the siege determines the way the siege unfolds.
STARTING LAYOUT
Starting layout with 4 players

Thanatos Card
FACE OF THANATOS CARD
If the Oracle card is a Thanatos card, the siege ends when the players are done playing cards.
When a player decides to pass her turn, she will not be able to take part in this siege any longer. She
immediately adds to her army the highest-value Hero still available (the value of this Hero will be
added to the value of her army at the end of the siege).
The siege ends when all players have passed their turn.
The player who has the strongest army takes one Victory card of her choice, as well as the Agamemnon
tile.
With 4 players, the player whose army is next-strongest takes the second Victory card.
With 5 players, the player whose army is next-strongest takes the third Victory card.
The player whose army is weakest must take the Thanatos card. This card subtracts from the player's
total victory points.
Gorgon Card
FACE OF GORGON CARD
If the Oracle card revealed at the beginning of the siege is a Gorgon card, victory will go to the player
whose army, at the beginning of her turn, has a higher total value than that of the other players. "At the
beginning of her turn" means "before she places a card in front of her or attacks another player".
The winner of the siege and only the winner receives a Victory card as well as the Agamemnon
tile.
The players who pass their turn and thereby stop participating in the siege do not receive a Hero.
As soon as a player passes, she immediately discards all Army cards sitting in front of her.
In this very fast and violent type of siege, the players cannot play the Trojan Horse card.
The Gorgon card is discarded at the end of the siege. The Victory cards that were not awarded remain
in place; add only one new Victory card at the beginning of the next siege.
Siege flow
For the first siege, the youngest player plays first. For subsequent sieges, the player with the
Agamemnon tile plays first. Each player then plays in turn, clockwise.
On her turn, a player can take precisely one of the following actions:

Take a card from her hand and place it face-up in front of herself on the table.

Attack an opponent with one of the cards sitting in front of her.

Pass her turn.
She can execute only one of these actions, after which play goes to the player to her left.
Place a card from her hand onto the table
The cards are always placed in such a way as to be visible to all players.
If the Oracle card is a Gorgon, one cannot place the Trojan Horse card.
Chariot, Elephant, Ballista, Catapult, Harrow, and Trojan Horse cards are always placed by themselves

 not stacked. They are simply placed beside those already lying in front of the player.
The player can place her Hoplites cards in several ways in front of herself: either separately (beside
each other), or by stacking them on Hoplites cards placed earlier, in order to form a Phalanx, or on an
Elephant or Trojan Horse placed earlier.
The value of the cards of a Phalanx must always be decreasing, with the strongest placed first and the
weakest placed last. The value of a Phalanx is equal to the sum of the points of the different Hoplites
which form the Phalanx, multiplied by the number of cards which compose it.
CALCULATION OF THE POWER OF A PHALANX
CALCULATION OF THE POWER OF A PHALANX
In the example above, the phalanx on the left is worth 12 points (4+2, times 2); the one on right-hand
side, 24 (4+3+1, times 3).
Archers cards can be placed separately or on an Elephant or Trojan Horse.
The value of the Hoplites and/or Archers cards sitting on an Elephant is doubled. One can place a
maximum of two cards on an Elephant.
Hoplites and/or Archers cards are placed face-down on a Trojan Horse card. These cards are revealed
only at the end of the siege.
Once a card is placed on the table, whether it is isolated or part of a group, it may no longer be moved.
To avoid weighing down the rules, the values and the advantages of the various cards and groups of
cards are detailed in the glossary.
Attacking an opponent's army
Instead of adding a card to her army, the player can use one of the cards already sitting in front of her
to eliminate a card from one of her opponents. Except for the Chariot cards, a player can never
directly use a card from her hand to attack an opponent. She can use only one card, which she placed
in front of herself during an earlier turn.
On the left side of each card, the cards which it can eliminate are shown in red circles. Hoplites,
Elephant, Harrow, and Trojan Horse cards can never be used to attack another player.
A Chariot or Archers card eliminates an opposing Archers card or Hoplites card. It can be a solitary
Hoplites card or the Hoplites card having the lowest value (the last one placed) in a Phalanx.
A player cannot use a Chariot to attack an army equipped with a Harrow.
A player can never directly attack a card sitting on an Elephant or a Trojan Horse.
An Archers card sitting on an Elephant can eliminate the Hoplites card having the strongest value (the
first one placed) in a Phalanx.
A Catapult eliminates a Ballista, a Harrow, a Catapult, or Trojan Horse of an opponent.
A Ballista eliminates an opposing Elephant or Chariot.
The card used by the player for attacking is discarded, as well as the attacked card.
To avoid weighing down the rules, the way to attack each card is detailed in the glossary.
Passing her turn
A player can decide to pass her turn, i.e. not place a card and not attack another player.
If the Oracle card is a Thanatos card, she takes the highest-value Hero card still available, and adds it to
the cards lying in front of her. The value of this Hero will be added to the value of her army. She must
place the Hero by itself: she can place it neither in a Phalanx, nor on an Elephant, nor on a Trojan
Horse.
A player who passes her turn is neither able to place nor use any more cards thereafter during this same
siege. The other players continue to play normally, each in their turn. If only one player remains, that

player can continue to place or use cards for as a long as she wishes. A player who passed her turn
nevertheless takes part in the calculation at the end of the siege, and can be the winner if she has more
points in her army than the others.
A player who passed her turn can still be attacked by the other players. On the other hand, her Hero
can never be eliminated.
If the Oracle card is a Gorgon card, the players who pass their turn do not receive a Hero: they
immediately discard all Army cards lying in front of them and do not participate further in this siege.
End of the siege
Sieges provoked by a Gorgon end as soon as one player, at the beginning of her turn, has an army
stronger than the other players. "At the beginning of her turn" means "before she places a card or uses
a card to attack an opponent". This player takes one Victory card of her choice, as well as the
Agamemnon tile. The other players do not receive a Victory card. The Victory cards that were not
awarded remain in place for the following siege. The Gorgon card is discarded.
Sieges launched by a Thanatos card end when all players have passed their turn, and thus have a Hero
lying in front of them.
The players who have cards sitting on their Trojan Horse turn them face-up and add them to their army.
These cards can be placed by themselves, added to Phalanxes, or placed on an Elephant.
Each player adds up the value of the cards that form her army.
The player with the highest value takes one of the Victory cards (her choice) and places it face-up in
front of herself. She also takes the Agamemnon tile (it is worth 1 victory point).
With each new siege, the Agamemnon tile changes owner and is granted to the player whose army is
strongest.
The following players, in the descending order of the values of their armies, take one of the remaining
Victory cards, until there are no more Victory cards remaining for this siege.
In the event of a tie, the tied player with the higher-value Hero takes the Victory card.
The player whose army is weakest takes the Thanatos card.
In the event of a tie, the tied player with the lower-value Hero must take the Thanatos card.
Awarding the Athena and Poseidon tiles
The player whose total value of City cards is highest immediately takes the Athena tile (it is worth 2
victory points).
The Athena tile is awarded as soon as the player collects the City card which gives her the majority. In
the event of a tie, it remains the property of the player who currently has it. It changes player only
when a player has more City points than the player who currently possesses the tile.
In the same way, the Poseidon tile (value: 2 victory points) is awarded immediately to the majority
player in Triremes.
The points of the Victory cards are independent of those of the Army cards or Heroes. They are not
added to the value of the armies during subsequent sieges. In the same way, the points of the Heroes
are only added to the value of the armies, and are not added to the victory points.
New siege
Each player returns her Hero card. All the Hero cards are set on the table beside the Victory cards.
All players discard the Army cards lying before them. They keep the cards which they still have in
hand.
Each player receives 3 new Army cards. The players who have more than 12 cards in hand must
discard until they have 12 cards in their hands.
If the draw deck is exhausted, make a new one from the shuffled discards.
Place a new Oracle card and new Victory cards (three for 5 players, two for 4 players, only one for 3

players) on the table. If the Oracle card of the preceding siege was a Gorgon card, only one Victory
card is added.
The player who has the Agamemnon tile plays first. Play continues clockwise.
Negotiations between players
The players are free to discuss, to negotiate between themselves, or to make whatever promises they
want. However, giving or exchanging Army and/or Victory cards is forbidden.
End of the game
As soon as the total value of a player's Victory cards (including the Agamemnon, Athena, and Poseidon
tiles, and subtracting the points of the Thanatos cards) reaches or exceeds 12 points, this player wins
the game. This victory is immediate, and occurs at the moment when the player collects her Victory
card, even if there are still Victory cards to be collected by the other players.
If the deck of Oracle cards is exhausted without a player reaching 12 points, the winner is the player
who has the most victory points. In the event of a tie, the tied players receive three new Army cards,
which they add to the cards remaining in their hands, and start a new siege of the Gorgon type without
bringing any new Victory cards into play. Only the tied players take part in this siege. The player who
wins during this final siege wins the game. The player who has the Agamemnon tile begins the siege:
if none of the tied players have the Agamemnon tile, the player who had the Hero of the highest value
during the previous siege starts.
Play with 2
The rules for two players are exactly the same as for the basic game, but without using the Oracle cards
and the Hero cards. At the beginning of each siege, turn over two Victory cards. A player who passes
can still play thereafter during the same siege. She can pass several turns, as long as her opponent
continues to play. The siege stops as soon as the two players pass their turn one after the other.
The player who has the strongest Army takes the Victory card of her choice. In the event of a tie, the
loser is the last player to have passed her turn. The loser does not collect a Victory card.
The second Victory card remains in place, and a new one is added. Each player receives three new
cards and a new siege starts.
The winner is the first player to have 15 victory points.
Play in teams for 4 or 6 players
A completely enthralling alternative consists of playing in teams. The rules are exactly the same as for
the basic game. Each player plays with her own army and tallies the total of her army individually.
The Victory cards, as well as the Agamemnon, Athena, and Poseidon tiles are also awarded
individually to each player of the team.
The difference is that to determine the winning team, tally the total victory points of both partners for
each team.
With 4 players
The game is played in two teams of two. The members of the same team face each other.
Set aside the 5 and 6 Hero cards. Deal 12 Army cards to each player.
At the beginning of each siege, turn over an Oracle card and two Victory cards.
At the end of each siege, deal 3 new Army cards to each player.
No player can have more than 12 cards in hand.
The first team to obtain or exceed 15 victory points wins the game.

With 6 players
The game is played in three teams of two. The members of the same team are divided equitably around
the table (player of team A, then player of team B, player of team C, player of team A, then B, then C).
Deal 10 Army cards to each player.
At the beginning of each siege, turn over an Oracle card and three Victory cards.
At the end of each siege, deal 3 new Army cards to each player.
No player can have more than 10 cards in hand.
The first team to obtain or exceed 15 victory points wins the game.
GLOSSARY
Archers
FACE OF THE CARD
Archers cards can be placed by themselves or on an Elephant or a Trojan Horse.
By using an Archers card, the player can attack another Archers card, a solitary Hoplites card, or the
weakest Hoplites card of a Phalanx (the last one placed; the top card of the Phalanx).
An Archers card cannot attack an Archers card or a Hoplites card sitting on an Elephant, nor the cards
sitting on a Trojan Horse.
An Archers card can attack a Hoplites card, even if the target has a higher value than that of the
Archers card.
An Archers card sitting on an Elephant can eliminate a solitary Archers card or Hoplites card, but also
the strongest Hoplites card of a Phalanx (the first one placed; the bottom card of the Phalanx).
The player discards her Archers card (even if it is sitting on an Elephant) as well as the opponent's
target card.
Archers cards can be eliminated by an Archers card or an opposing Chariot unless they are on an
Elephant or Trojan Horse card.
The Archers cards sitting on a Trojan Horse are revealed at the end of the siege and are placed by
themselves beside the other cards or are placed on an Elephant.
The Archers cards which are still sitting in front of a player at the end of a siege are worth 1 point if
they are by themselves or 2 points if they are on an Elephant.
Catapult
FACE OF THE CARD
Catapults are always placed by themselves in front of the players.
By using a Catapult positioned in front of her, the player can eliminate another Catapult card, a Harrow
card, a Ballista card, or a Trojan Horse card of another player.
The player discards her Catapult card as well as the target opposing card.
The cards sitting on a Trojan Horse are not eliminated, but are placed separate from one another beside
the player's other cards. The player cannot place the cards that have "fallen" from the Trojan horse
onto an Elephant, another Trojan Horse, or into a Phalanx. On the other hand, a player thereafter can
add a card onto a Hoplites card that has "fallen" from the Trojan Horse and thus assemble a new
Phalanx.
Catapult cards are eliminated only by an opposing Catapult.
Catapult cards do not count for any points in the calculation at the end of the siege.
Ballista
FACE OF THE CARD
Ballistae are always placed by themselves in front of the players.
By using a Ballista positioned in front of her, the player can eliminate an Elephant card or Chariot card

sitting in front of another player.

The player discards her Ballista card as well as the target opposing card.
The cards sitting on the Elephant are not eliminated, but are placed separate from one another beside
the player's other cards. The player cannot place the cards that have "fallen" from the Elephant onto
another Elephant, nor on a Trojan Horse, nor in a Phalanx. On the other hand, a player thereafter can
add a card onto a Hoplites card that has "fallen" from an Elephant, and thus assemble a new Phalanx.
Ballista cards are eliminated only by an opposing Ballista.
Ballista cards do not count for any points in the calculation at the end of the siege.
Chariot
FACE OF THE CARD
Chariot cards are always placed by themselves in front of the players. The players can also use the
Chariot cards directly from their hands to attack another player.
It is the only card which can be used to attack without first being placed in front of the player.
By using a Chariot card, either positioned in front of her or directly from her hand, the player
eliminates a solitary Archers card or Hoplites card, or the weakest Hoplites card of a Phalanx (the last
one placed; the top card of the Phalanx).
The Chariot card as well as the target card are discarded.
A player can never attack another player with a Chariot card if the target player has a Harrow card
sitting in front of her.
On the other hand, a player who has a Harrow card sitting in front of her can use a Chariot to attack
another player. A Chariot can never attack cards sitting on an Elephant or Trojan Horse.
A Chariot can attack a Hoplites card even if the target has a higher value than that of the Chariot.
Chariot cards are eliminated only by an opposing Ballista.
Chariot cards which are still sitting in front of a player at the end of a siege are worth 3 points.
Trojan Horse
FACE OF THE CARD
If the Oracle card is Gorgon, no player can place a Trojan Horse card.
Trojan Horse cards are always placed by themselves in front of the players.
The players can add Hoplites and/or Archers cards onto a Trojan Horse previously placed in front of
them. These cards are placed face-down, and will be revealed only at the end of the siege. A player
can add as many cards as she wishes onto a Trojan Horse.
A player can have several Trojan Horse cards sitting in front of her. One can never place a Trojan
Horse card under a Hoplites card or Archers card already placed on the table.
The Hoplites and Archers cards cannot be moved by the player any longer, and remain on the Trojan
Horse card until the end of the siege, unless the Trojan Horse is eliminated by an opponent.
The cards sitting on a Trojan Horse cannot be eliminated. If an adversary destroys the Trojan Horse,
all the cards sitting on the Trojan Horse are turned face-up and are placed separately in front of the
player. The cards thus "fallen" from the Trojan horse cannot be placed on an Elephant or added to a
Phalanx.
At the end of the siege, the players who have cards sitting on their Trojan Horse turn them face-up and
add them to their army. These cards can be placed by themselves, added to Phalanxes, or placed on an
Elephant.
Trojan Horse cards are eliminated only by an opposing Catapult.
Trojan Horse cards do not count for any points themselves in the calculation at the end of the siege.
Elephant
FACE OF THE CARD

Elephant cards are always placed by themselves in front of the players.

Hoplites and Archers cards can be placed on an Elephant card. To be able to place a card on an
Elephant, the Elephant must already be sitting on the table. The value of the Hoplites or Archers cards
sitting on an Elephant is doubled. A player can place at most two Hoplites or Archers cards on the
same Elephant. The cards are placed slightly offset on the Elephant card, so that one can see their
values. One can never place an Elephant card under a Hoplites card or Archers card already sitting on
the table.
During an attack, an Archers card sitting on an Elephant can eliminate the strongest card from a
Phalanx instead of the weakest card.
Value: 4 (1+1 times 2)
ARCHERS AND HOPLITES ON AN ELEPHANT
Hoplites and Archers cards sitting on an Elephant cannot be moved by the player any longer, and
remain on the Elephant card until the end of the siege, unless the Elephant is eliminated by an
opponent.
The cards sitting on an Elephant cannot be attacked by an adversary. On the other hand, the Elephant
can be eliminated by a Ballista card. In this case the cards sitting on the Elephant "fall" to the ground
without being eliminated, and remain on the table as if they had been placed separately.
A player can have several Elephant cards in her army.
Elephant cards are eliminated only by an opposing Ballista.
Elephant cards do not count for any points themselves in the calculation at the end of the siege, but they
double the value of the Hoplites and Archers cards sitting on them.
ELEPHANT EXAMPLE
Hero
FACE OF THE CARD
At the beginning of a siege, the Hero cards are placed in the middle of the table beside the Victory
cards.
If the siege is started by a Thanatos card, a player who passes her turn takes the highest-value Hero
card still available, and adds it to the cards sitting in front of her. She must place the Hero by itself: she
can place it neither on a Phalanx, nor on an Elephant, nor on a Trojan Horse.
If the siege is started by a Gorgon card, the players who pass do not receive a Hero.
In the event of a tie between the values of the armies of two or more players, the player among them
having the Hero with the highest value takes the Victory card.
In the event of a tie for the weakest army, the player among them having the Hero with the lowest
value must take the Thanatos card.
A Hero can never be attacked or eliminated by an adversary.
After the Victory cards are distributed, the players return all the Hero cards, and place them on the
table.
The value of a Hero is added to the value of its army at the end of the siege.
Harrow
FACE OF THE CARD
Harrow cards are always placed by themselves in front of the players. A player can never attack
another player with a Chariot card if the target player has a Harrow card sitting in front of her.
On the other hand, a player who has a Harrow card sitting in front of her can use a Chariot to attack
another player.
Harrow cards are eliminated only by an opposing Catapult.

Harrow cards do not count for any points in the calculation at the end of the siege.
Hoplites
FACE OF THE CARD
Hoplites cards can be placed by themselves or on an Elephant or a Trojan Horse, but they can also be
placed one atop the other to form a Phalanx. The value of a Phalanx is equal to the sum of the points of
the various Hoplites cards which form it, multiplied by the number of cards in the Phalanx.
The value of the cards of a Phalanx must always be decreasing, with the strongest placed first, and
the weakest placed last.
Hoplites cards can never be used to attack opponents' cards.
Hoplites cards sitting on a Trojan Horse are revealed at the end of the siege. They are then placed
separately beside the other cards, placed on an Elephant, added to an existing Phalanx, or stacked to
form a new Phalanx.
A Phalanx is composed by a set of Hoplites cards which are placed in order of decreasing value. The
new Hoplites card added is placed on the preceding card of the Phalanx, shifted downwards slightly.
The value of the new Hoplites card must be lower than that of the last card of the Phalanx, but it does
not need to be lower by precisely one (there can be "jumps" in the values of the cards). Once placed on
a Phalanx, a Hoplites card cannot be moved any more. One cannot add Hoplites cards by "inserting"
them between the Hoplites cards already placed.
The value of a Phalanx is equal to the sum of the points of the various Hoplites cards which form it,
multiplied by the number of cards that make up the Phalanx.
If a Phalanx is attacked by a Chariot or Archers card, it is always the last card of the Phalanx (the one
having the lowest value) which is eliminated, unless the Archers card is sitting on an Elephant. In this
case, the Archers card eliminates the card with the highest value in the Phalanx.
Solitary Hoplites cards count for the value indicated on the card: this value is doubled if they are on an
Elephant.
Hoplites cards can be eliminated by an opposing Archers card or Chariot card unless the Hoplites are
on an Elephant or a Trojan Horse.
Victory
FACE OF THE CARD
The Victory cards constitute the stake of each siege. Place 3 new Victory cards in the middle of the
table at the beginning of each siege if there are five players, 2 for four players, only one for three
players. If the previous siege was started by Gorgon, add only one Victory card at the beginning of this
siege.
The player whose army is strongest at the end of a siege takes one of the Victory cards brought into
play. The following players proceed in the same way until all the Victory cards brought into play
during this siege are awarded, except in the case of a siege caused by Gorgon, in which only the
victorious player takes a Victory card.
As soon as the total value of the Victory cards collected by one player is at least 12, play stops and this
player wins the game immediately.
There are three kinds of Victory cards: Triremes, Cities, and the beautiful Helen.
The Helen card does not have a particular function: she simply earns 5 victory points for her owner.
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Iliad is a game by Dominique Ehrhard, illustrated by John Mac Cambridge, translated to English by
Nathan Morse, and published by ASMODEE Editions LLC.