Civitas is a fast-paced hand management card game about different government forms. Become the President, General, or even King while you try to be the first to empty your hand of cards. Customize each game by mixing and matching the eight different government types (Monarchy, Military, Democracy, Communism, Theocracy, Plutocracy, Republic, and Anarchy).

Before starting the game, players choose which forms of government they want to use. Each governmental form features its own deck of color-coded number cards, event cards, law cards, wild cards, and government change cards. Combine the decks together and then deal each player 7 cards. The top card of the deck determines the starting government, and then on your turn, you play one card out of your hand that matches the color of the government in play. If it's a number card, play continues. If it's an event card, resolve the action on the card. Law cards have special actions that must be resolved according to the government in play (voting in a democracy or the first player deciding in a monarchy, for example). And government change cards force a shift to a new form of government. If you don't have a card to play, draw a new card and play passes to the next player. The game continues until one player has gotten rid of all his or her cards. You then score according to the number of cards left in your hand modified by the governments you led during the game.

Be sure to chose wisely when changing the governments because each one has special effects that can make it easier for you, or harder for your opponents, to win. Use the power of Communism to slow down the leader as you redistribute cards, or declare a Plutocracy and watch your lead get bigger with every turn. Move cards around in the deck in a Theocracy, and decide events together in a democracy. Build up other players' decks in a Military government, make other players lose turns in a Monarchy, and build coalitions in a Republic. But watch out for descent into Anarchy, where government leaders lose their power, and anything goes as wild cards take over game play.

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