Below are some videos from the City of Glory YouTube channel to teach you how to play.
NOTE: There are two sets of rules and two rulebooks within each box of cards: 1. Standard Rules, which are for fully collaborative gameplay: players win or lose as a society — not as individuals. 2. Clash of Kings rules, in which an individual player can be the winner of the game, but only if the society wins as a society as in the Standard Rules.
Not all of the cards included in the box should be used when playing by the Standard Rules. The cards used specifically for Clash of Kings gameplay are bundled separately in your game box and include five Victory Point cards, one Leper King card, one City Gate card, six Elephant statue cards, six Lion statue cards, four additional King cards, two more Queen cards, another Priest card, and an extra Sacred Sword and Silver Nandin. All of these cards should be not be used unless playing by the Clash of Kings rules.
For Standard Rules, check out these videos from the City of Glory YouTube channel:
It takes a few tries to get a feel for the gameplay but the rules are quite common sense: for example, an elephant can help you build more quickly but can not help you carve sandstone decorations any faster.
Object: The object is to build, carve, and populate an Angkor temple. You must work together to accomplish this task. There are no individual winners or losers.
Number of players: 3 to 4 players is ideal but it is possible to play with 2 or 5.
The Playing Area: The playing area consists of The Temple: a 16-card square in the center of the table where the temple is to be built and 4 Villages, one in front of each player. The Village in front of each player consists of a 3 by 4 card grid that provides space for 12 cards to be placed in front of each player (Note: More than 12 cards may be placed in each village grid because Buffalo, Elephant, and Artisan’s chisel cards are played on top of Laborers.
Winning the game: The game is won when the temple is completed as follows: 1. A 16-card square of Laterite has been laid down, covered with Sandstone, and decorated by Artisans; 2. The interior of the temple includes: 3 towers of carved Sandstone in the center of the temple with Sacred Sword & Silver Nandin placed atop two side towers; 3 Apsaras are dancing in front of the towers and the King, Queen, and Priest are inside the temple.
Losing the game: The game is lost if the temple is not completed before all the cards in the stock have been drawn or the community has failed because there was not enough rice to feed them after a Harvest or while honoring the gods.
“A lion-man, he tore the enemy
with the claws of his grandeur.”
~ Yasovarman, “Protected by Glory”,
guardian of the honor of the solar race of Sri Kambu,
founder of Yasodharapura, City of Glory (889 CE)
City of Glory - Card Game 