Brew Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• Player Setup
• Objective
• Round Overview
• Player Turns
  • Placing a Die
• Dice Placement Rules
• Placing in Forests
  • Gathering Ingredients
  • Training Creatures
• Forest Seasons
• Placing in the Village
• Brewing a Potion
  • Energy Berries
  • Reserving Potions
• Drinking a Potion
• End of Round
• Controlling Forests
• Claiming Forests
  • Unclaimed Forests
  • Element Dice & Control
• Check for Game End
• Setting Up the Next Round
• Element Dice Powers
• Potions
• Creatures
• Creature Limit & Releasing Creatures
  • Releasing Creatures to Forests
• Final Scoring
• Winning the Game
  • Tiebreaker
• Additional Rules
  • Forcing Dice
  • Scorching Forests
  • Stacking Dice
  • Character Powers
• Character Reference
• Creature Reference
  • Summer Creatures
  • Spring Creatures
  • Winter Creatures
  • Fall Creatures
• Credits

Components

• 1 Village board
• 1 First player marker
• 4 Character boards
• 16 Forage dice (4 per player)
• 8 Element dice (2 per player)
• 20 Forest cards
• 36 Creature cards
• 32 Potion cards
• 4 Reference cards
• 96 Ingredient tokens
  • 24 Herbs
  • 24 Shrooms
  • 24 Crystals
  • 24 Energy Berries
• 38 VP tokens (1s and 3s)
• 10 Scorch tokens

Game Setup

1. Village Board: Place the Village board in the middle of the play area, with the Day side faceup.

2. Forest Deck: Go through the Forest cards and remove any that do not match your player count (check the icon in the bottom center of each card). Shuffle the deck and place it face-down near the game board.

3. Forest Row: Reveal Forest cards from the top of the deck and place them in a faceup row. The number of cards is based on player count:

   Players	Forests
   2 players	3 Forests
   3 players	4 Forests
   4 players	5 Forests

4. Potion Market: Shuffle all Potion cards and place them in a facedown pile next to the game board. Reveal the first 4 cards from the deck and place them faceup to create the Potion market.

5. Supply Piles: Place all ingredient tokens, scorch tokens, and VP tokens in separate piles near the game board.

6. Creature Piles: Divide the Creature cards into 4 piles based on season (Winter / Spring / Summer / Autumn). Shuffle each pile separately and place them faceup next to the game board (so that whenever a card is taken, the next one is revealed).

Note: Ingredient tokens and VP tokens are intended to be unlimited. If you run out of tokens during the game, use a suitable substitute.

Player Setup

7a. Characters: Each player chooses or is randomly dealt a Character board and places it on the table in front of them.

7b. Character Powers: Collectively decide whether you will all use the special powers on your Character boards. If you choose to use powers, all players turn their Character boards to the Character power side. If you choose not to use powers, all players use the side without a power. (If this is your first game, we recommend playing without Character powers.)

8. Player Pieces: Each player takes the following:

   a. 4 Forage dice matching their Character's color

   b. 2 white Element dice

   c. 1 Energy Berry

   d. 1 reference card

9. First Player: The last player to brew a cup of tea or coffee takes the first player marker.

Objective

In Brew, you and your friends will place dice strategically to gather Potion ingredients, gain control of Forests, and train helpful Creatures with magical powers. The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins!

Round Overview

The game is played over 4 rounds. At the start of each round, all players roll all 6 dice in their dice pool (4 colored Forage dice and 2 white Element dice).

Next, players take turns in clockwise order, starting with the player who has the first player marker. Players continue taking turns until everyone has run out of dice.

At the end of the round, players claim Forests that they control, and then perform cleanup steps to start the next round.

DON'T REROLL YOUR DICE! Once you've rolled your dice at the start of a round, they are "locked in" until the end of that round. Do not reroll them until the start of the next round (unless you use a power to reroll).

Player Turns

Each turn is made up of 3 steps:

• You must place 1 die from your dice pool.
• You may brew 1 Potion from the market.
• You may drink 1 Potion from your hand.

You may take these steps in any order. For example, you may choose to brew a Potion, drink it, and then place a die.

Placing a Die

To place a die, choose any 1 die from your dice pool, and place it on a legal space on the Village board or a Forest card.

Placing dice in Forests lets you gather ingredients for Potions and train Creatures with helpful powers. Your dice also help you control Forests, so you can claim them at the end of the round.

Placing dice in the Village lets you take special actions that help you or hinder your opponents. The top 2 Village spaces are the only spaces in the game that cannot be blocked, so you can always place dice there if you have nowhere else to use them.

Dice Placement Rules

When you place a die, you must obey the following rules:

• A Forage die (leaf / stone / branch) can be placed on a space with the matching Forage symbol. (A die with a branch can be placed on a Forest space with a branch.)

• An Element die (Water / Wind / Fire) can be placed on a space with ANY Forage symbol, or it can be placed on a Village space with the matching Element symbol. (A Water die could be placed on a space with a stone, leaf, or branch… or it could be placed on the Water space in the Village.)

• Once there is a die on a space, that space is blocked. You may not place another die there (unless a power lets you do so).

• The top 2 spaces on the Village board are an exception to the previous rules. Any die (showing any symbol) can be placed on either of these spaces, and they can never be blocked (you may place a die there even if others are already present).

USING ELEMENT POWERS: When you use an Element die to gather or train from a Forest space, you may ALSO use the die's Element power (see "Element Dice Powers" below).

Placing in Forests

Each Forest space has an ingredient (Herb / Shroom / Crystal) or Creature icon on it.

Gathering Ingredients

When you place any die on an ingredient space, you gather that ingredient. Take 1 matching token from the supply and add it to your personal stock.

Training Creatures

When you place any die on a Creature space, you may train a Creature. Choose any of the 4 faceup Creatures on top of the piles and place it faceup next to your Character board, on the "Trained" side. (Creatures are discussed in detail in the Creature Reference.)

Forest Seasons

The enchanted Forests of our world experience different seasons at the same time. Each Forest card has 1 or more season types. Some powers can only be used in Forests with specific seasons, and Creatures you train score more VP at the end of the game if you are able to pair them with a Forest of the matching season (see "Releasing Creatures").

If a Forest has multiple seasons, then the entire Forest (and all spaces in it) count as both seasons.

Placing in the Village

When you place on a Village space, you get to use the special action printed there.

If a Village space has an Element symbol, you may only place a die with the matching Element there. Only 1 die can be placed on each Element space each round (unless a special power lets you break this rule).

Any die can be placed on either of the 2 "Any die" spaces at the top of the board. These spaces cannot be blocked, and all players can always place dice there.

The two "Any die" spaces are:

• Gather 1 of any ingredient
• Train any Creature

The Element spaces on the Day side are:

• Wind: Gather 1 Shroom + reveal & reserve 1 Potion
• Fire: Remove (all) Element dice from all Forests
• Water: Gather 1 of each ingredient (Crystal + Shroom + Herb)

DAY AND NIGHT: The Village board has Daytime special actions on one side and Nighttime special actions on the other. At the end of each round, the board flips to the opposite side, and the available special actions change (see "End of Round").

Brewing a Potion

Brewing Potions helps you earn VP and gain helpful one-time use powers.

Each turn you may brew 1 Potion, either before or after placing your die. First, choose a Potion from the market (or one that you have reserved; see below) and pay the ingredient cost shown in the top left corner. Return all tokens you pay to the supply.

Add the Potion to your hand. Then reveal a new Potion from the deck and add it to the market to replace the one you brewed.

YOUR HAND: Once you've brewed a Potion, you keep it in your hand, where it is hidden from other players until you decide to drink it. There is no limit to the number of Potions you can have in your hand at any time. Potions in your hand at the end of the game still score full VP.

Energy Berries

Energy Berries are a special "wild" ingredient that you can spend as any other ingredient. If you are spending Berries to brew a Potion, you may spend any number as any type of ingredient. (Berries can also be used to activate Character powers; see "Character Powers".)

When you gather your choice of ingredient (for example on the "Any die" Village space), you may not choose an Energy Berry.

Reserving Potions

Some Village spaces allow you to reveal and reserve a Potion. When you do this, first reveal the top Potion on the deck. Then, choose either the Potion you revealed or a Potion from the market to reserve. If you choose a Potion from the market, add the Potion you revealed to the market to replace it. (Do not reveal a second Potion from the deck.)

Place your reserved Potion faceup near your Character board. Once you have reserved a Potion, only you may brew it. Brewing a reserved Potion costs the same ingredients as brewing from the market.

There is no limit to the number of Potions you may have reserved at one time. Until you brew them, reserved Potions may not be drunk, and are worth no VP.

NO MORE POTIONS: In the rare event that the Potion deck is empty and a new card must be revealed, all players return all Potions they have drank and take VP tokens equal to their value. Shuffle the returned Potions into a new Potions deck.

Drinking a Potion

Once you've brewed a Potion, you can drink it to use its power.

Each turn you may drink 1 Potion from your hand, either before or after placing your die. Reveal the Potion from your hand, resolve its power, and then tuck it facedown behind your Character board.

Each Potion you brew can only be drunk once during the game. Potions you've drunk score full VP at the end of the game.

(See "Potions" for detail on each Potion's power.)

NO MORE DICE: You may only brew or drink Potions if you have at least 1 die left to place. Once you are out of dice, your entire turn is skipped for the rest of the round.

TIP: It's possible for some players to take more than 6 turns in a round, if they use powers that return placed dice to their dice pool.

End of Round

If you have no dice left in your dice pool at the start of your turn, your turn is skipped. Once your turn has been skipped, you may take no further turns for the rest of the round. (This means you may not brew or drink Potions if you have no dice to place.)

Once all players have run out of dice, the round is over.

1. Claim Forests: Each player claims all Forests they control (see next section). Unclaimed Forests are discarded.

2. Use Creature Powers: Players who've trained Creatures with "end of round" powers may use them now (see Creature Reference).

3. Check for Game End: If the Forest deck is empty, the game is over. If not, set up the next round.

4. Set Up Next Round:

   a. Take back dice: All players take back their 4 Forage dice and any 2 Element dice.

   b. Flip the Village board: Flip the Village board to the opposite side.

   c. Reveal new Forests: Deal a new row of Forest cards.

5. Pass first player: Pass the first player marker clockwise.

Controlling Forests

If you control a Forest at the end of a round, you get to claim it and score its VP at the end of the game.

You control a Forest if BOTH of the following are true:

A. You have more Forage dice in the Forest than each other player individually; AND

B. You have more Forage dice in the Forest than the total number of Element dice there.

Examples:

• Lello has 2 dice in this Forest, which is more than Lyric (1 dice) and more than Myla (1 die). Lello controls this Forest.
• If 2 players are tied for the most dice in a Forest, neither of them controls it. Lello and Myla each have 1 die in this Forest, so it is not controlled by either player.
• Lello is the only player with a die in this Forest. However, since there are 2 Element dice there, he does not control it.
• If the leading player is tied with the number of Element dice, they do not control the Forest. Though Lello has more dice than Lyric, he still does not control this Forest.

Claiming Forests

At the end of each round, players get to claim all Forests they currently control. Place each Forest you claim faceup near your Character board.

Unclaimed Forests

When Forests are claimed, each Forest that no one controls (because there are no dice there, or because players are tied) is discarded from the row. Place discarded Forests in a faceup pile to the left of the deck (do not return them to the deck).

TIP: Forests will be unclaimed if no one has Forage dice there, if there is a tie for the most dice there, or if the leading player does not have enough dice to beat the Elements there.

Element Dice & Control

Once you place an Element die, it no longer belongs to you. When determining whether you control a Forest, you only count Forage dice of your color. All Element dice – even ones that you placed – count against you!

Check for Game End

If the Forest deck is empty and you are not able to deal a new row of Forests, you've reached the end of the 4th round and the game is over. Proceed to final scoring.

Setting Up the Next Round

To set up a new round, each player must take back their 4 colored Forage dice, and any 2 Element dice. (Since all Element dice are the same, it does not matter which ones you take.)

Next, the Village board is flipped over (if it is Day, it becomes Night; if it is Night, it becomes Day).

Next, refill the Forest row with the correct number of cards for your player count. (Make sure you've discarded any unclaimed Forest cards left over from the previous round and deal an entirely fresh row.)

Lastly, pass the first player marker to the next player in clockwise order. They become the first player for the new round.

Element Dice Powers

When you place an Element die in a Forest, in addition to gathering or training there, you may use the die's special Element power.

NOTE: Element powers may not be used in the Village.

Water: If you use this die to gather from an ingredient space in a Forest, gather +2 of that ingredient.

Fire: You may place this die on top of another placed die in a Forest (either a Forage die or an Element die) and gather or train from that space as if it was empty. Any die that is covered by this die no longer counts towards control of the Forest (see "Controlling Forests" and "Stacking Dice").

Wind: You may place this die on a Forest space where you previously placed one of your own Forage dice in order to return the Forage die to your dice pool, then gather or train from that space normally. Returning a die to your pool allows you to take an additional turn later in the round (see "Return a Die").

Potions

On your turn, you can drink a Potion that you've brewed to manipulate your own dice and other players' dice. Each Potion has one of the following effects:

• CHANGE a die: Rotate one of the dice in your dice pool to a different face of your choice.

• REROLL dice: Choose any number of dice in your dice pool and reroll them.

• PLACE an extra die: Choose any die from your dice pool and place it normally, following the dice placement rules. Note that because you have 1 fewer die in your pool, you will have 1 fewer turn this round.

• MOVE a Forage die: Move any placed Forage die to a different empty space. The symbol on the die you move does not need to match the space you move it to. Do not gather from the space or trigger any "when you place a die" powers.

• SWAP matching Forage dice: Choose any 2 placed Forage dice with the same symbol and swap their positions. Do not gather from either space or trigger any "when you place a die" powers.

• REMOVE an Element die/any die: Remove any placed Element die/a placed die of any type and set it aside. It may not be placed again (by anyone) until the start of the next round.

• RETURN a Forage die: Remove one of your own placed Forage dice and return it to your dice pool. It is now available for you to place again on a future turn. Note that because you have 1 extra die in your pool, you will have 1 extra turn this round.

"ANY PLACED DIE": Some powers allow you to manipulate any placed die. This includes dice belonging to any player (including yourself) that have been placed in a Forest (of any season type), in the Village, or on Creatures that provide extra die spaces.

Creatures

Creatures you've trained provide ongoing powers that you can use to gather more ingredients, control Forests, or hinder opponents. Once you've trained a Creature, you may use its power at any time (as long as you meet the condition to trigger it).

(See the Creature Reference for details on each Creature's power.)

Creature Limit & Releasing Creatures

You may never have more than 3 trained Creatures at a time.

If you train a new Creature, but you are already at your limit of 3, you must release a Creature of your choice by moving it to the "Released" side of your Character board. (You may choose to immediately release the Creature you just trained, rather than one of your 3 current creatures.)

Once a Creature has been released, you can no longer use its special power, but you will still score VP for it at the end of the game. You may never return released Creatures to the "Trained" side.

Any Creatures you don't release during the game may be released and scored at the end of the game (see "Final Scoring").

Releasing Creatures to Forests

Creatures will be happier if you can release them into Forests that match their season type. For example, a Spring Creature prefers to live in a Spring Forest.

Once you've released a Creature, you may at any time move it to a Forest you've claimed that has the same season type and does not already have another Creature living there. Forests with 2 types can accept a Creature of either type, but each Forest can only accept 1 Creature.

When you move a Creature to a Forest, flip it facedown to reveal the "3VP" on the back of the card. Creatures in Forests are worth 3VP at the end of the game (instead of 1VP).

Final Scoring

At the end of the game, all players add up the following to determine their final scores:

• Brewed Potions: Reveal all Potions in your hand and your "drunk Potions" pile. Score the VP printed on them. (Do not score any VP for reserved Potions you did not brew.)

• Claimed Forests: Score the VP printed on all Forests you claimed.

• Released Creatures: Release all your trained Creatures (you may move them to matching Forests if able). Score 3VP for each Creature that is in a Forest, and 1VP for each Creature that is not in a Forest.

• VP tokens: Score all VP tokens you have collected during the game.

• Leftover Ingredients: Score 1VP for every 3 leftover ingredient tokens (including Energy Berries).

Winning the Game

The player with the highest final score is the winner.

Tiebreaker

If there is a tie, the tied player with the most leftover ingredients (including Energy Berries) is the winner. If there is still a tie, the tied players share victory!

Additional Rules

Forcing Dice

When trying to gain control of a Forest, you may find that the only Forage dice you have left do not match any of the empty spaces there. In this case, you may want to force a die into a space it does not match.

To force a die, spend an ingredient that matches the icon on the space (or spend 1 Energy Berry). You may then place a Forage die with any symbol there. Do not gather or train from the space when you do this. Forcing a die still counts as "placing" a die for the purpose of triggering powers.

You can always choose to force a die if you have the correct ingredient or an Energy Berry. You do not need to use a power to do so.

FORCING ONTO CREATURE SPACES: You can only force a die onto a Creature space by spending an Energy Berry (since there is no matching ingredient).

Scorching Forests

Some powers let you scorch empty Forest spaces, which prevents anyone from placing dice there. This can be used to hinder your opponents and protect your own control of a Forest.

When you scorch a space, place a scorch token from the supply on top of the Forage symbol there. You may only scorch empty spaces, never spaces that already have dice on them.

Once a space has been scorched, it no longer exists. No one may place any die there by any means. When determining control of a Forest, scorched spaces are treated as empty spaces.

TIP: Unlike Element dice, scorch tokens do not count against your control of a Forest.

Stacking Dice

Some powers let you place a die on top of a placed die (such as the Fire Element power). This can create stacks of 2 or more dice on a single space.

When any number of dice are stacked on a space, only the top die counts towards controlling the Forest. Dice that have been covered by other dice are not counted. However, dice that have been covered can still be moved, swapped, removed, or returned.

There is no limit to the number of dice that can be stacked on a single space.

(Lyric has 2 dice on this card, but there is a Fire die covering one of them, so he can only count 1 of them towards controlling the Forest. This means he is tied, so he does not control the Forest.)

Character Powers

If you are playing with Character powers, each player can use their unique Character power to take special actions and break the rules of the game.

All Character powers cost Energy Berries to use. Energy Berries spent to use a Character power are returned to the supply.

Unless otherwise stated, Character powers can be used any number of times each round.

Character Reference

Lello — When placing a Forage die in a Forest: You may spend 1 Berry to place on top of any die there. Do not gather from the space.

• You may place on top of other Forage dice, or Element dice.
• You do not gather ingredients or train Creatures when you use this power. However, this still counts as placing a die for triggering other powers.
• See additional rules on stacking dice.

Myla — When claiming Forests: Once per round, you may spend 2 Berries to claim a Forest where you are tied for control.

• You may use this power on one Forest each round.
• You may use this power if you are tied with other players, or tied with Element dice.
• You may not use end of round Creature powers until after Forests have been claimed.

Lyric — When you place on any ingredient space: You may spend 1 Berry to treat it as a Creature space instead. You may have up to 4 trained Creatures.

• You may use this power on any type of ingredient space.
• You do not gain the ingredient when you use this power.
• If you train a 5th Creature, you must release a Creature (as normal).

Wren — When brewing a Potion: The first Berry you spend counts as 2 ingredients of any type.

• You may choose 2 different ingredients.
• Each Berry you spend on a Potion after the first counts as only 1 ingredient of your choice (as normal).

Creature Reference

Note: When you gain VP from a Creature, take VP tokens from the supply.

Summer Creatures

When you place in a Fall Forest: Scorch any empty Forest space.

• Use this power when you place any die on any space in a Forest with the indicated season.
• The space you scorch can be in any Forest.

When you place in the Village: Scorch any empty Forest space.

• Use this power when you place any die on any space in the Village (including the "Any die" spaces).
• The space you scorch can be in any Forest.

On your turn: You may change any Element in your dice pool to Wind.

• You may use this any number of times on your turn.

Place any Element here: Move any placed Forage die to any empty Forest space.

• You may move a die belonging to any player (including yourself).
• You may use a power to remove a die from this space, but it does not count as a Forest space.
• If this Creature is released while a die is on it, the die is set aside until the end of the round.

Spring Creatures

At the end of each round: Gather 1 Berry per active Summer Creature.

• Use this power after claiming Forests at the end of the round.
• Count Creatures you've trained, but haven't released.
• If you have multiple end of round powers, you may use them in any order.

When you place on a Creature space: You may gather 1 Berry instead.

• Use this power on any Creature space, including Village spaces.
• Choose to either train a Creature or gather an Energy Berry (not both).

The first time you Scorch a space on your turn: Gain 1 Berry.

• Can only be used once per turn. If you scorch multiple spaces, only gain 1 Berry.

When you gather 1 or more Shroom: Exchange 1 gathered for 1 Berry.

• Use this power when you gather the indicated ingredient from any space (Forests, Village, or Creatures).
• If the space offers a choice of ingredient, you may choose the indicated ingredient and use this power.
• You may only exchange 1 ingredient per die placement (for example, placing a Water die on a Shroom will give you 1 Berry and 2 Shrooms).

Place any Element here: Gather 2 Berry.

• You may use a power to remove a die from this space, but it does not count as a Forest space.
• If this Creature is released while a die is on it, the die is set aside until the end of the round.

Winter Creatures

When you claim a Fall Forest: Gain 2VP.

• Use this power when you claim a Forest of the indicated type.

When you brew a Potion: Gain 1VP.

• Use this power when you brew any Potion from the market, or a reserved Potion.

When you train a Creature: Gain 1VP.

• Use this power when you train any Creature from the Creature piles.

At the end of each round: You may trade 1 Berry for 2VP, or 2 Berry for 5VP.

• You may trade a max of 2 Berry each round.
• If you have multiple end of round powers, you may use them in any order.

At the end of each round: You may trade 2 matching ingredients for 2VP, or 3 for 5VP.

• All ingredients must be the same type. You may use Berry as ingredients of your choice.
• You may trade a max of 3 ingredients each round.
• If you have multiple end of round powers, you may use them in any order.

Fall Creatures

When you gather from a Summer Forest: Gather +1 of the ingredient shown.

• Use this power when you place any die on an ingredient space in a Forest with the indicated type.

When you place in the Village: Gather +1 ingredient of your choice.

• Use this power when you place any die on any space in the Village (including the "Any die" spaces).
• You may not choose Berry.

Place any Forage die here: Gather 3 Herb.

• You may place a Forage die with any symbol to use this power.
• Dice may be moved, swapped, removed, or returned from this space using powers, but it does not count as a Forest space.
• If this Creature is released while a die is on it, the die is set aside until the end of the round.

Place any Element here: Gather 1 of each ingredient.

• You may use a power to remove a die from this space, but it does not count as a Forest space.
• If this Creature is released while a die is on it, the die is set aside until the end of the round.

Credits

Game Design: Stevo Torres

Art: Jake Morrison, Andrew Thompson

Development: Jeff Fraser

Preliminary Development: Jonathan Gilmour

Graphic Design: Stevo Torres

Rules Editing: Jeff Fraser

Special Thanks: Nicole Cutler, Brian Lewis, Danni Loe, Sara Perry, Christian Torres

Playtesters: Toronto Board Game Design Crew, Stephanie Adams, Tim Adams, Wilma Bainbridge, Lupita Cabral, Adam Dittmer, Isaac Gifford, Jeremy Gunsett, Nathan Gura, Andrew Hiener, Carol Johnson, Terence Lui, Stephanie Metcalfe, Aaron Moore, Pierce Oeflein, Eric Ponvelle, Austin Smith, Mendy Torres, Bogdan Tudose, Dana Werpny

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