Basilica is an abstract tile-laying game for two players offering strong player interaction and a wonderful historical setting.
A basilica that is unlike anything the world has ever seen is being built in Florence. Not one, but two architects are working on it. The first received this task from the queen, the second - from the bishop of the diocese. Which of them will design a larger part of the temple, thus gaining fame and wealth?
In this two-player, dynamic game you are faced with a lot of meaningful crunchy tactical decisions as you duel with your opponent. On your turn, you perform three actions: adding new tiles to the play area, placing your Builders to contest the territory, and making one-time orders to influence the game. But beware of your opponent - they can copy your action outside their turn by paying its cost.
In this new edition of Basilica, you will find a mini-expansion - Festum Fatuorum, which adds special Basilica tiles and Altar tokens to the game.
Who came up with the thought of two architects designing the same basilica? That’s how it ends when you have a dispute with a bishop, but you don’t want to attack the Church ... By the way, it turned into a small competition. The one who builds the greater part of the temple will be rewarded. Profusely rewarded…
Did you know that two architects are working on the construction of this new basilica? Exactly, you didn't mishear that. One is working on the behalf of the queen and the other on the behalf of the local bishop. Yes, the queen does not like this old priest, but she also doesn’t want to start a dispute with the Church, so she came up with a small competition: the one of the architects who will design most of the basilica will be showered with gold and honors. Isn’t that exciting?
Place the Basilica game board in the center of the table and place 3 Basilica Vault tiles (on the front side of the Basilica tile) and 2 Order tiles (the back of the Basilica tile) in the indicated places. From the remaining Basilica tiles, make a pile to replace the missing tiles on the board. Then add 6 Builder pawns, 4 Promotion tokens and 1 Coin to your supply. Place the remaining components - Scaffolding tiles, Stained Glass tiles, and Score markers - next to the board.
In your turn, you must perform three of the three available actions, and they may be repeated. During the Place a Vault action, you will add more Vault tiles to the Basilica, Placing a Builder will allow you to place a Builder piece on the previously placed tile, while Executing an Order will allow you to give your Builders a specialization, place Stained Glass, divide the basilica with Scaffolding, or even remove previously added Vault tiles.
There are four colors of the Basilica tiles - yellow, blue, red, and green, as well as Jokers, or two-color tiles. Vault tiles placed in the Basilica are divided into areas. An area is a group of tiles of one color adjacent to each other with at least one side. During the scoring phase, you check the number of your Builders in each area of the Basilica. The player with the most Builders in a given area scores points equal to the number of tiles that the area has. His opponent will receive as many points from this area as the number of Workers he has in it. The game ends immediately after the third scoring.