← All Instructions

Commons Game — Player Instructions (Ostrom Variant)

Read this page before the Ostrom Variant begins. All Basic rules still apply — this page covers what's new.

What Changes?

You now have access to governance tools: Town Meetings, a Monitor, and a system of sanctions and rewards. The goal is the same — reach more than 8 victory points to survive — but now you can communicate and coordinate (within the rules).

Your Turn (5 Steps)

Step Required? What You Do
1. Roll Yes Roll two dice. All players may request resources as usual (up to 3 per settlement, up to 6 per city).
2. Trade No Trade with the bank at 4:1 (or better at a port). Still no player-to-player trading.
3. Build No Spend resources to build roads, settlements, or cities per your building cost card.
4. Play a Development Card No Reveal and follow the instructions on a progress or victory-point card.
5. Call a Town Meeting No Call a resource-group meeting or a whole-group meeting. This is the only time you may talk.

Town Meetings

On your turn, after your other moves, you may call a Town Meeting. There are two types:

Resource-Group Meeting

  • Say: "I'd like to hold a town meeting for [resource name]."
  • Only players with a settlement or city on that resource type may discuss and vote.
  • Everyone else listens silently.
  • You can propose changes to sanction or reward rules for that resource group.

Whole-Group Meeting

  • Say: "I'd like to hold a town meeting for the whole group."
  • All players discuss and vote.
  • You can propose changes to sanction and reward rules that affect everyone.

Voting Rules

  • Decisions pass by simple majority. Ties mean the proposal fails.
  • Once the meeting ends, communication stops until the next Town Meeting.

The Monitor

  • The player with the most victory points at the start of the Ostrom Variant becomes the Monitor. Ties are broken by group vote.
  • The Monitor can see the resource bank and tracks how much each player requests.
  • The Monitor delivers sanctions (penalties) and rewards (bonuses) based on your behavior.
  • If the Monitor gives you a sanction or reward, you must accept it.

Sanctions and Rewards

  • The game starts with a preset list of sanctions and rewards. The Monitor applies them at their discretion.
  • At least 2 sanctions and 2 rewards must always be active — you cannot vote them all away.
  • Sanctions and rewards are in-game actions only (losing cards, gaining cards, skipping a turn, etc.).
  • You can add, change, or remove specific sanctions and rewards during Town Meetings by majority vote.

Sue the Monitor

If you believe the Monitor is being unfair — biased sanctions, refusing to sanction themselves, favoritism — you can take action:

  1. Call a whole-group Town Meeting on your turn.
  2. State: "I'd like to sue the Monitor."
  3. Explain your case to the group.
  4. All players vote. If the majority votes in favor, the Monitor must return 3 resource cards to the bank.
  5. If the vote is tied, the Monitor is not sued.