Adam P. McIver's CoinAge
Game Overview
Coin Age is a microgame for two players that is played with a single card and pocket change.
Players take turns placing coins on a map to control spaces, outmaneuver their opponent, and score victory points.
The game was originally published as a "print & play" download that could be carried in a small "mint tin".
Setup
Place the map card in the center of the table directly between the two players.
Each map has ten spaces and several color-coded regions of various sizes (depending on the map).
Both players begin the game with 4 dimes, 3 pennies, 2 nickels, and 1 quarter in their "bank."
In this BGA implementation, each coin is represented by its value at the end of the game when controlling a territory:
| Coin | Represented by |
|---|---|
| Dimes | The value "1" coin (smallest in size) |
| Pennies | The value "2" coin |
| Nickels | The value "3" coin |
| The Quarter | The value "4" coin (largest in size) |
Coins can be stacked (see the "Place" action) with "smaller" coins being placed on top of "larger" coins: Dimes (1) < Pennies (2) < Nickels (3) < Quarters (4)
"Heads" are represented as gold coins. "Tails" are represented as silver coins.
The player assigned "Heads" takes the first turn.
Turn Sequence and Actions
At the beginning of your turn, a single coin of each different kind of the coins remaining in your "bank" are tossed/flipped.
The number of coins that match your side ("Heads" or "Tails") determine what actions you can take:
| Number of Matches | Available Actions (Optional and in Any Order) |
|---|---|
| Four (4) | Place 2 or Pay 1 to Place 3 |
| Three (3) | Place 2 |
| Two (2) | Place 2 |
| One (1) | Place 1 and Move |
| None (0) | Capture and Move |
Action Details
Place
Take one of your matching coins and either:
- Place it on an empty map space, or
- Place it on an occupied map space (if your coin is of a lower rank [i.e.: smaller])
Pay
Transfer one of your matching coins to your opponent's bank.
Move
Move a stack (all the coins) in one map space to an empty, adjacent map space.
Capture
Remove any single coin from a map space (or from the top of stack) and place it in your bank.
Note: Click the [[File:CoinAge-QuestionMark.png] icon in the BGA game display for a graphical representation of coins and actions.
Game End & Scoring
The game ends immediately when a player places a coin in the last empty map space, or when a player runs out of coins in their bank (whichever comes first). The players then add up their victory points:
Controlling Spaces
Each coin that "control" a space scores victory points (VP) equal to their rank (1, 2, 3 or 4). A coin "controls" a space if it is either the only coin on a space or is the top coin on a stack of coins on a space.
Region Bonuses
If a player controls the majority of spaces in each color-coded region, the VP scored by their coins in that region is doubled. No region bonus is given in the case of a tie.
Bank Bonuses
Players score 1 bonus VP per coin remaining in their bank at the end of the game.
The player with the most VP wins! In the case of a tie, the player with the highest total value of coins (based on the values above) remaining in their bank is the winner.
Note: Click the [[File:CoinAge-Star.png] icon in the BGA game display for a running tally of the current scoring situation for both players.
Map Variants
There are several maps available, each with different (creatively-named) regions and unique region sizes. You can also allow BGA to choose a random map.
Forest, Frozen, Lagoon, Volcano or Random.
