BarBEARian Battlegrounds Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Setup
• Gameplay
• Plan Phase
• Brawl Phase
  • Stealing Loot
• Gather Phase
• Build Phase
• Clean Up Phase
• Trial Cards
• Marketplace
• Winning
• FAQ

Objective

Prove your clan has the best bears of all by reaching seven Glory tokens. Glory tokens are flags earned either for heroic feats or stolen from neighboring villages. Players begin the game with two Glory tokens, and gain more by either successfully raiding a neighbear's village, or completing a Trial card. If at any point a player reaches seven Glory tokens during the game, they immediately win.

Setup

Follow these steps to set up your first game:

1. Each player picks a clan color - Red, Blue, Green, or Yellow - and takes the corresponding Clan screen and Village board. Place them in front of each player as shown. Note: It is helpful for players to arrange themselves to match the order of clan flags on the Village board. For example, Red and Blue clans should sit opposite one another (as shown above).
2. Give each player the dice of the corresponding color. Players start with three dice active, and place their other two dice off to the side of their Village board.
3. Give each player the Glory tokens of the corresponding color. Each player starts with two Glory tokens, and the remainder are placed off to the side with the extra dice. Glory tokens start on the side without the lock icon.
4. Place the Resource tokens, Specialist tokens, and Upgrade cards in the center of the playing area. The number of Specialist tokens of each type in a game is determined by the number of players:
   • Two Player Game: Three of each
   • Three Player Game: Five of each
   • Four Player Game: Six of each
5. Look through the Trial cards and remove any that do not match the number of players. Then, shuffle the Trial cards and deal two to each player. Before the game begins, players must select one of the two cards and shuffle the other back into the deck. Trial cards should be kept face-down, secret from other players until completed.

Gameplay

Begin the game by randomly giving one player the First Player token. The game is played in a series of rounds, with each round broken into four phases:

1. PLAN - All players roll their dice together. After observing the roll results, players secretly place dice behind their Clan screen.
2. BRAWL - Players who assigned dice to attack (on the Battleground) or defend (in the Barracks) are in combat! Players who successfully raid an opponent's village collect loot.
3. GATHER - Players who assigned dice or have Specialist tokens on the Temple, Forge, or Farm collect Resource tokens.
4. BUILD - All players have an opportunity to purchase Specialist tokens, Upgrade cards, or use abilities from the Marketplace (listed on the inside of their Clan screens).

CLEAN UP - At the end of a round, players should organize the table, pass the First Player token, and prepare for the next round!

Note 1: During the Plan phase, all players take their turn simultaneously; however, players take turns one at time in the Brawl, Gather, and Build phases. Turn order begins with the player with the First Player token and proceeds clockwise.

Note 2: If at any point a player completes a Trial card, they may immediately reveal it and collect the reward. That player then draws two new Trial cards, selects one to keep, and shuffles the other back into the deck.

Note 3: On the inside of each Clan screen is the Marketplace. The Marketplace contains six different powerups and abilities that players may use in exchange for Resource tokens. Each ability in the Marketplace has a listed cost, effect, and specific time it can be activated.

Plan Phase

1. All players roll their active dice at the same time, in front of their Clan screens and in plain sight of all other players. After rolling, players should announce their results one at a time, and observe the rolls of other players.
2. Players set up their Clan screen in front of their Village board, such that their village is hidden from opponents. Then, they secretly place their dice onto the different spaces of their Village board, allocating bears to various tasks. Players do this action simultaneously.
3. The effects of each space on the Village board are as follows:

A. Battleground: Dice placed here represent bears attacking an opposing village to steal Resource or Glory tokens. Each space corresponds to the enemy village of that color.

B. Barracks: Dice placed here represent bears defending the village from enemy intruders.

C. Farm: Dice placed here represent bears tending the village beehives. Each die or Specialist token on this space produces one Honey Resource token. Only dice with value 1, 2, or 3 may be placed here.

D. Forge: Dice placed here represent bears hard at work collecting and refining Ore. Each die or Specialist token on this space produces one Ore Resource token. Only dice with value 4, 5, or 6 may be placed here.

E. Temple: Dice placed here represent bears taking a quiet moment of reflection to contemplate the higher powers at work in the universe. Any value dice may be placed on this space. Each Specialist token or die value 1 through 5 placed on this space produces one Faith Resource token. For each die with a value 6 placed on this space, you must choose:

• Gain two Faith Resource tokens, or;
• Lock one of your Glory tokens. Flip that token over - it may no longer be stolen in an enemy raid.

Important!: A player may only place one die on each space on their Village board, UNLESS they roll multiple dice of the same value. There is no limit to how many dice of the same value can be placed on the same space.

Example: Yellow rolls her starting dice and gets a 3 and two 4s. Eager for an early jump on some Ore, she decides to place both her 4s on the Forge, and her 3 on the Battleground on the Red clan space.

When everyone is ready, all players remove their Clan screens and reveal how they used their dice this round! The Brawl, Gather, and Build phases begin with the first player, and proceed clockwise.

Brawl Phase

1. Check to see whether or not players put any dice in their Battleground - and if so, which opposing clan they are attempting to raid. Combat is resolved starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise.
2. If two players both attempted to raid each other, their forces clash. In the event of a clash, tally the total strength of each side. If one force is larger than the other, subtract the value of the smaller force from it, and then remove that smaller force from the Battleground. The remainder of the larger force attempts to raid the village with their reduced numbers.
3. After resolving a clash (if any), the raiding force attempts to break through the Barracks. Subtract the total value of dice and Specialist tokens placed in the Barracks of the defending Village from the remaining strength of the raiding forces. If the raiding player has a higher value than the total value in the Barracks, the raiding player successfully gets to steal some loot! In the event of a tie, the raiding player wins.

Stealing Loot

If one player successfully raids another, the raiding player has a choice to either steal Glory or Resource tokens:

• Glory: If the raider chooses Glory, the defending player must give the raiding player one Glory token (the raiding player may choose the color) that is not locked. Glory can be locked by placing a 6 on the Temple space. If a player only has locked Glory, and no unlocked Glory, the raiding player must instead take Resource tokens.
• Resource: If the raider chooses Resources, the defending player must choose two of their own Resource tokens to give to the raiding player, if able. If the defending player has no Resource tokens to give, the raiding player must choose to either take Glory or walk away empty-handed. If the defending player only has one Resource token to give, it must still be given.

Note: Some Upgrade cards improve your ability to steal, such as the Pillaging card, which allows a player to not only take both Glory AND Resource tokens, but also have control over which Resources you steal (as opposed to normal, where the defender chooses which Resource tokens to give).

Example: Red rolls poorly, getting two 1s and a 6. Knowing that she is likely to be attacked, Red decides to place a 1 on the Barracks for defense, and the other 1 in the Battleground targeting Yellow. She then puts her 6 on the Temple to be sure to collect some Resources. When the Brawl phase begins, Red and Yellow reveal their plans. Because each has dice targeting the other on the Battleground, their forces are considered clashing. Red's 1 is subtracted from Yellow's 3, leaving Yellow with a strength of 2 leftover. Yellow's leftover 2 meets Red's 1 in the Barracks - strong enough to break through! Yellow then gets to choose to either steal Glory or Resource tokens.

Note: If multiple players successfully raid the same target, loot is stolen following turn order.

Gather Phase

After the Brawl phase has ended and loot has been stolen, the Gather phase begins. Following turn order, each player announces which dice and Specialist tokens they have on their Farm, Forge, and Temple spaces, and collects the corresponding Resource tokens they earned that round from the common pool. Players with a 6 on the Temple may choose to lock a Glory token or gain two Faith tokens.

Note: Some Resource tokens are worth three of that Resource. Players should always "make change" with their tokens and the tokens in the common pool so as to maximize the number of tokens available to all players. If a player goes to collect a Resource token that is not available, check to see if any player can turn three 1 value tokens into one 3 value token.

Build Phase

After all players have collected Resource tokens, the Build phase begins. Following turn order, players may spend their Resource tokens to purchase Specialist tokens, Upgrade cards, or bonuses from the Marketplace. There are a limited amount of Specialist tokens in each game - once they run out, they're gone! A player can only obtain one copy of each Upgrade card (you may not purchase more than one of each type). Players should read the Marketplace carefully to determine what other benefits can be purchased during the Build phase.

Clean Up Phase

After all players have finished purchasing in the Build phase, the Clean Up phase begins. Pass the First Player token clockwise and prepare for the next round by organizing all piles of tokens and cards. Players should use this opportunity to make sure they turn three "1" value Resource tokens into one "3" value token if able. Return any mercenary dice purchased that round to the common pool.

Trial Cards

Trial cards are secret objectives that shape player strategies and offer extra ways of obtaining Glory tokens. At the beginning of the game, deal each player two random face down Trial cards. Players each look at their Trial cards in secret, choose one, and shuffle the other back into the Trial deck. They are considered on that Trial until it is completed. A player can win the game while never completing a Trial but they can help.

If at any point a player meets the requirements on their Trial, regardless of what phase or whose turn it is, that player may reveal their Trial and collect their Glory. Glory tokens earned from Trial cards are taken from the extra stack of Glory tokens that match that player's Clan color (put aside at the beginning of the game). This Glory is unlocked.

After completing a Trial, that card is discarded and that player draws two more Trial cards. That player chooses one Trial to keep, and shuffles the other back into the deck.

Marketplace

In addition to being a game flow rules reminder, the inside of each player's Clan screen contains the Marketplace - a list of bonuses that can be purchased during various phases.

A. Hire Mercenary: Use in the Plan phase before rolling. Hire Mercenary adds one purple die to the player's active dice pool for this round only. There are a total of five purple mercenary dice available for all players to purchase from in a single round. The option to buy mercenaries begins with the first player and proceeds clockwise in turn order. A single player may purchase multiple mercenaries in one round. If there are no more mercenaries left when it reaches a player's turn, they're out of luck.

B. Change Fate: Use in the Plan phase immediately after rolling; change the value of a single die you rolled to any face. Any number of players may use the Change Fate ability in a single round, and one player may choose to pay to activate Change Fate more than once, altering the value of multiple dice they rolled.

C. Empower: Use during the Brawl phase; add +1 value to any die you have in the Battleground or Barracks. When two players are clashing, the player closest to the first player in turn order must declare if they are choosing to Empower or pass, then the next player makes their choice. Players may choose to Empower multiple times, so long as they have Resources to spend. The option to Empower ends once both players in a clash have chosen to pass.

D. Hire Specialists: Use in the Build phase. Specialists are placed on a matching space in a player's Village board. That player gains +1 of the corresponding Resource token during the Gather phase, regardless of dice placed. There are a limited number of Specialists tokens in each game - once they're gone, there are no more to purchase. A player may have more than one of the same Specialist token on a space, collecting multiple of the same reward.

E. Reinforcements: Use in the Build phase. Reinforcements allow players to gain one die of their color for the rest of the game. Players begin the game with three active dice of their Clan color, with two of their dice off to the side in reserve. By purchasing Reinforcements, a player may have a max of five active dice of their color.

F. Grand Offering: Use in the Build phase. Grand Offerings gain players one Glory token of their Clan color (unlocked).

Winning

If at any point in time a player reaches seven Glory tokens (regardless of what colors they are, and whether or not they are locked) that player immediately wins the game. All other bears must shamefully retreat to their Villages' ruins.

FAQ

• Captain's Training - 5's and 6's are now free agents on offense/defense, meaning they can be paired with any other die or sets of multiples. For example, you can now put two 2's, one 5, and two 6's all on the same space in the Barracks or Battleground.
• Grin and Bear It - To complete this Trial, you must place five dice in your Battleground (mercenaries still count) but it does not matter if any of the raids are successful.
• Sentry Tokens & The Barracks - There are two spaces for dice in your Barracks in the Village. It doesn't matter which space you put your dice - in either space they are defending you from ALL attacks that round. Having two slots means you can put at least two dice on defense, even if you didn't roll doubles. Likewise, it does not matter which spaces you put your Sentry token(s) - each one provides 1 value of defense, in addition to any dice placed.