Covenant
Covenant Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 game board
- 4 clan boards (1 per player) — The memory and the day to day of the dwarf clans.
- 1 Era marker
- 1 bag
- 32 dwarves (8 per player, 4 with 1/2 strength and 4 with 3/4 strength) — The workers available to each clan, who activate the actions of the tools (see page 8).
- 36 enemy pieces
- 60 resource counters (15 of each type: iron, emeralds, gold, and mythrall)
- 30 inlaid jewels (15 of each type) — These make actions stronger once they have been inlaid into tools (see page 11).
- 30 support pieces (20 +1 pieces and 10 +2 pieces) — These increase a dwarf's strength a single time (see page 8).
- 28 King's coins — These grant rewards when obtained and in each Council Phase (see page 13).
- 40 markers (10 per player) — To mark GP; Court, Prestige, and Mining on the Tracks; as well as Monumental Constructions.
- 8 storage tiles (2 per player) — These are unlocked during the game to allow the storage of more resources.
- 27 relics — Objects that can be used before or after a turn to obtain a one-time reward. Having several different relics can generate points at the end of the game (see page 16).
- 8 double-key tiles (2 per player) — During the Council Phase, you can hold a number of enemy pieces in your dungeons equal to or less than the number of keys you have (see page 20).
- 3 enemy dice
- 1 starting player marker
- 24 tools (5 of each type + 4 books) — New tools can be forged that are more powerful than those you start with (see page 9).
- 24 hall tiles — These are revealed as you explore the mountain.
- 24 rubble tiles — These provide resources when the Dig action is performed (see page 17).
- 36 tradition tiles — Every time the requirement is fulfilled, these tiles generate a reward (see page 36).
- 10 starting tiles — These show the resources obtained by the players at the start of the game (see page 5).
- 12 objective tiles (6 of each type) — These show goals that generate points at the end of the game (see page 40).
- 18 project tiles (6 of each type) — These grant points at the end of the Council Phase (see page 38).
- 4 clan shields (1 per player) — These identify each player's color, and if they go over 100 GP they are turned over to show they have more than 100.
- 4 player aids (1 per player) — Here you will find the details of all the game icons and helpful reminders.
- 60 carts (15 per player) — These are used to show the shipments made using the Transport action (see page 20).
- 56 buildings (14 of each color) — Basic buildings: 4 houses, 4 workshops. Monumental Constructions: 3 pillars and 3 gates.
- A Council of the Elders board — Solo play (see page 30).
- 12 Council of the Elders tool cards, split into 4 of each type — Solo play (see page 30). (pickaxe, axe, compass, and cart).
- 3 difficulty tiles — Solo play (see page 30).
- A Council of the Elders die — Solo play (see page 30).
Player Setup
- Give a player aid to each player at random. One of these has the starting player symbol inside. Whoever gets this player aid takes the Starting Player marker.
- The clan boards are then handed out at random.
- Each player takes a shield in the color of the clan they have chosen and places it in the shield space on their clan board with the +100 side down. Then each player takes 2 storage tiles and places them on the appropriate spaces on their clan board, with the locked side up.
- Each player takes the wooden pieces of their own color:
- 8 dwarves – Leave the 3/4 strength dwarves next to your clan board. Place all the others with their strength 1 facing up in your tavern.
- 15 carts – Leave them next to your clan board.
- 10 markers – Place 1 at the start of each Track on the board, except for the Glory Points Track, where the marker is placed on space 5. The extra markers are kept next to your clan board.
- 4 houses, 4 workshops, 3 pillars, and 3 gates. Place your pillars and gates in the spaces indicated on the game board. A house and a workshop are placed in the appropriate spaces in the tools area of your clan board. Place 2 houses and 2 workshops on the forge area as shown in the picture.
- 2 Double-key tiles are placed in the appropriate spaces in your tool area.
- Along one side of the board, turn over as many starting, tradition, objective I, and objective II tiles as there are players. Starting with whoever is seated to the right of the Starting Player and going counterclockwise, each player chooses 1 tile in turn, until all players have 1 tile of each type: 1 starting, 1 tradition, 1 objective I, and 1 objective II tile.
The resources shown on your starting tile are placed in the storage spaces on your clan board. The support pieces go to your tavern. The objective tiles are placed face down in the designated space and the tradition tile placed face up in its space. Finally, move your markers forward on all the corresponding Tracks as indicated, obtaining any benefits shown in each space you reach. Once this is done, return the starting tiles and the leftover tiles back to the box.
Game Setup
- Place the game board on the table. Which side is up depends on whether you are playing a 1- or 2-player game, or a 3- or 4-player game. If you are playing in solitaire mode (1 player), check the specific setup rules on page 30. If there are 3 people playing, use the cart pieces of the color you are not using to cover the resource spaces to the right of the King's Throne, with the 2 pillars and 2 gates (these carts are not counted in the Throne score at the end of the game).
- Place the enemy pieces in the bag and set it to one side for now.
- Mix up the tradition tiles. Turn over 4 of them randomly and place them in the designated spaces. Leave the rest of them in 2 face-down stacks near to the board.
- Place the Era marker on the first space of the Era Track.
- Split up the project tiles based on the symbol shown on the back and mix them well, then place 1 of each type randomly in their spaces on the board, face up. Put the extra tiles back in the box.
- Mix up the rubble tiles. Randomly select 5 to turn over and place them in the designated spaces. Leave the rest in 2 face-down stacks near the board.
- Roll the 3 enemy dice and place them in the appropriate spaces.
- Mix up the hall tiles. Place 4 of them face down in the Halls of the Mountain spaces marked with the hall icon and turn them over to reveal them. Cover the rest of the Halls of the Mountain spaces with facedown hall tiles. If there are only 1 or 2 players, you will have 5 tiles of this type left over, which should be put back in the box.
- On the face-up hall tiles, randomly place as many enemy pieces, drawn from the bag, as there are skulls printed on each tile.
- Mix up the relic tiles. Turn over 4 of them randomly and place them in the designated spaces. Leave the rest in 2 face-down stacks near the board.
- Mix up the tool tiles. Randomly turn over 4 of them and place them in the designated spaces. Leave the rest in 2 face-down stacks near the board.
- Mix up the King's Coin tiles. Randomly turn over 4 of them and place them in the designated spaces. Leave the rest in 2 face-down stacks near the board.
- Separate the inlaid jewel tiles by type and mix them separately. Turn 3 of each type over and place them in the designated spaces. Leave the rest in 2 face down stacks near the board.
- Leave a common reserve next to the board for the various resource counters (iron, emeralds, gold, and mythrall) along with the support pieces.
Game board overview
The game board contains: the Glory Points (GP) Track, the Court Track, the Traditions, the Monumental Construction: PILLAR spaces, the Council, the Project Tiles, the Forges, the Halls of the Mountain, the King's Throne, the Prestige Track, the Enemy Area, the Mining Track, the Mining area (Rubble Tiles), the Monumental Construction: GATE spaces, the Relic Tiles, the King's Coins, and the Jewels.
The Dwarves and Their Tools
On the next few pages, we will delve into the details of the actions and how to play Covenant, but there are 2 component types that are worth explaining right away since they are used throughout the entire game: The tools and the dwarves (workers) determine which actions can be performed and with how much strength. During the game, you can strengthen the dwarves of your clan, forge new tools for them, and improve those tools with inlaid jewels.
Dwarves
Each player starts the game with 4 dwarves of strength 1 in their tavern, who can be improved during the game to increase that strength characteristic. The strength of a dwarf indicates the power they have for performing actions when assigned to a tool during their clan's turn.
A dwarf who has a strength of 3 who is assigned to a Transport action may carry up to 3 resources.
Support
Each time a player assigns their dwarf to a tool, they may spend 1 single support piece to temporarily increase that dwarf's strength. There are supports that provide +1 and those that provide +2.
The "gets a support piece" icon means that the player can get a +1 support piece from the supply or swap 1 of their +1 support pieces for a +2 support piece.
The player decides to spend a +1 support piece for their dwarf with a strength of 3 so that he can Transport 4 resources instead of 3.
Strengthen a Dwarf
When this icon appears, the acting player may strengthen 1 of the dwarves of their clan, except for the dwarf that is in use during the current turn. Doing so permanently increases the dwarf's strength by 1. To strengthen a dwarf with a strength of 1 or 3, all you have to do is flip over the piece to show the other side; and if it is a dwarf with a strength of 2, you must switch the piece for one in your reserve, placing it so that the strength-3 side is up. Dwarves cannot be strengthened beyond 4, but they can still receive support for their actions.
Tools
Each player starts the game with the 4 starting tools printed on their clan board, 1 of each different type:
- PICK — DIG. This allows you to perform the Dig action (see page 17).
- AXE — SKIRMISH. This allows you to perform the Skirmish action (see page 18).
- COMPASS — BUILD. This allows you to perform the Build action (see page 22).
- CART — TRANSPORT. This allows you to perform the Transport action (see page 20).
During the game, players can go to the Forges in order to get new, more powerful tools, including the fifth type: the book.
BOOK — READ. This allows you to perform the Read action, which can be used as if it were any of the previous actions of your choice.
Each tool has 4 different elements:
- An action icon, which will be covered with the dwarf assigned to this tool (see page 14).
- Cost of forging this tool (see page 10).
- Illustration.
- Space for an inlay (see page 11).
Forges
When players obtain the benefits of the following icons, they will be able to forge tools and inlay jewels:
Forge a Tool
This allows you to obtain 1 tool from amongst those available on the game board by following these steps:
- Discard 1 iron plus the resource indicated for the cost of the selected tool (2 total resources) from your storage.
- Place the forged tool in any empty space in one of the columns on your clan board, below one of the printed tools. There are 4 columns, which are marked with runes. A maximum of 2 tools can be placed in each of these columns.
- Immediately obtain the reward printed in the space occupied by the tool you just placed:
- Strengthen a dwarf and place the house and workshop that is in that space in your forge.
- Obtain 2 support tokens and place the house and workshop that is in that space in your forge.
- Obtain the double-key tile and place it above your dungeon. Move 2 spaces forward on the Prestige Track.
- Obtain the double-key tile and place it above your dungeon. Move 2 enemies to an adjacent hall or halls, or move just 1 enemy 2 times. Reveal 1 of your 2 locked storage tiles so you gain 2 additional storage spaces.
- Move forward 2 spaces on the Court Track and deliver 1 resource to the King's Throne according to the normal rules for transporting resources (see page 20).
- Move forward 2 spaces on the Mining Track.
- Inlay 1 jewel by paying the normal costs.
- Discard 1 iron and obtain a relic in accordance with your position on the Mining Track. Reveal 1 of your 2 locked storage tiles so you gain 2 additional storage spaces.
Example: Blue has placed 2 tools in a column, so they cannot place any more tools in this column.
The forge of your clan's board is where you will place your available buildings ready to be built.
Inlay a Jewel
This allows you to add 1 of the jewel inlays available on the game board to 1 of your tools by following these steps:
- Discard the resource shown on the board next to the inlay you want and then immediately gain the following GP reward:
- SILVER INLAYS — Immediately grant 3 GP.
- GOLD INLAYS — Immediately grant 2 GP.
- Place the inlaid jewel on top of any tool on your clan board that has an available space matching the chosen color: silver inlays must be on silver spaces and gold inlays must be on gold spaces.
- Replace the jewel you just took with another one of the same color. Place it on the space you just vacated without moving the other jewels forward.
To inlay one of these jewels, you must discard 1 gold. You immediately gain 2 GP if you choose the gold inlay.
Important Concepts
When an icon has a red number to its side, this means that the indicated number of the element represented must be spent. If the number is black, the player obtains that icon the number of times indicated.
Examples: a Glory Point icon with a red 2 means "Spend 2 GP"; a Court icon with a black 2 means "Move forward 2 spaces on the Court Track".
The effects of each of the game icons are explained on the player aids so players can check how each icon works any time they like.
Resources and Storage
In the game, we have 4 kinds of resources: iron, emerald, gold, and mythrall (plus a wild symbol).
Every time a player gets a resource, they must store it in a space on their clan board. The base number of spaces for all clans is 4 spaces that can store 1 resource each. When a new tool is forged and placed in either of the 2 spaces on your board with the "unlock storage" symbol, it unlocks 1 of the 2 storage tiles, which is removed so you get 2 new spaces to store resources in. If you obtain a resource but there is no space to store it, you may discard resources currently stored in order to make room for the new resource.
Court, Prestige, and Mining Tracks
There are 3 Tracks that measure different aspects of the game:
- COURT TRACK — This allows you to obtain the Crown's favor, represented by the King's Coins.
- PRESTIGE TRACK — This allows you to strengthen your clan's dwarves and obtain tradition tiles.
- MINING TRACK — This allows you to find powerful relics by digging into the mountain.
When a player moves forward on one of these Tracks, they advance their marker along the Track, obtaining any benefits shown in each space they reach.
Blue gets 2 Prestige, so they move their marker 2 spaces on that Track. They reach a space with a strengthen benefit, which they immediately apply to one of the dwarves in their tavern.
Achievements
As you move forward on the Court, Prestige, and Mining Tracks, your marker will reach spaces showing the achievement icon, which represent achievements. The further you go, the more achievements your clan will accomplish. Each Track can contribute up to a maximum of 4 achievements. So, you can reach a maximum of 12 achievements for your clan if you advance far enough on all 3 Tracks. You can gain Glory Points at the end of the game for the goals on your clan board based on these achievements (see page 27).
King's Coins
The dwarven king grants privileges to the clans that make the greatest effort to win back the ancestral kingdom.
Obtain a King's Coin
Choose 1 of the coins available on the game board (some of them have a cost in GP which must be paid when selected) and place it in a space available on your clan board. By doing so, you obtain the benefit shown on the space you just placed the coin in (not the one shown on the coin).
If there is no empty space left (when you have 6 coins on your board), you may place the new coin by discarding one of those that you already have and obtain the benefit from that space again.
Blue has earned a King's Coin. They choose the Coin that makes them lose 2 GP, so they move their GP marker back 2 spaces. Then, they place the coin in the empty space on their board which allows them to immediately obtain a relic tile.
King's Coins Activate During the Council
During the Council Phase (see page 26), the King's Coins on your clan board grant the benefits shown in the icons each one bears. A coin obtained during the Council does not grant the benefit printed on it during that phase, just the benefit for the space you place it in.
How to Play
The game is played over the span of 3 Eras. Each Era includes 4 clan turns per player, which are carried out one at a time starting with the Starting Player and going clockwise around the table, and then ends in a Council Phase (see page 26), which all clans resolve at the same time. Once an Era is completed, the next one begins.
The game comes to an end after the Council of the third Era.
Clan Turns
When it is their turn, each player plays their clan turn individually. During their turn, the player must take 1 of the dwarves available in the tavern on their clan board and assign them to one of the tools they have available to carry out actions. This step is mandatory so long as there are dwarves in the tavern, they will have to be assigned to any one available tool (that is not taken up by another dwarf). Each turn is played by following these steps:
The player has the option of using a relic now — see page 16.
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The player chooses 1 of the dwarf pieces they have in their clan board's tavern (an "available dwarf") and assigns them to 1 of the tools they have with no dwarf on it (an "available tool"). The player places the dwarf on the upper-left space of the tool so that they cover the action icon (pick, axe, compass, cart, or book).
Blue chooses the dwarf with 2 strength and assigns them to an axe they have available, placing them on top of the upper-left space to cover the axe icon.
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Optionally, and before carrying out the action, the player may spend 1 support piece to temporarily increase the dwarf's strength until the end of the turn under way. The support piece can have a +1 or +2 value. The support piece is left next to the dwarf as a reminder to the rest of the players of the temporary increase in strength, and is then discarded and put in the general reserve at the end of the turn.
Blue places a +2 strength support piece next to the dwarf assigned to the axe. So, the dwarf who normally has 2 strength shall have a strength of 4 during this turn.
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Use the tool. Each tool can grant up to 2 kinds of benefits, each of which must be completely applied before moving onto the next, in whichever order the player prefers. The benefits that each tool can grant are as follows:
- ACTION. Each tool allows the player to take 1 of the 4 game actions (Dig, Skirmish, Build, or Transport) using the strength of the dwarf assigned to it (see page 16).
- INLAY. A jewel inlaid in a tool generates an additional effect that does not depend on the strength of the dwarf. If the chosen tool's action is used to inlay a jewel in that tool, it can be used in the turn currently underway (see more on inlaid jewels on page 11).
Blue assigns a dwarf with a strength of 2 along with a +2 support to an axe tool that has an inlay, so they can perform, in the order they prefer, a Skirmish action with a strength of 4 and the effect of the inlay.
If, on another turn, Blue assigns a dwarf to a pick that has no inlay, and inlays that pick using the tool's action, then they can activate the effect of the just-added inlaid jewel.
Optionally, if the player did not use a relic at the beginning of their turn, they can use one now (so long as it was not obtained in the current turn) — see page 16.
Once these steps have been completed, discard any support piece used from the clan board. Then, slide the tiles on the game board and refill the empty spaces with new tiles from the pile as needed. Play then passes to the next player, who will carry out the turn for their clan. The players continue taking clan turns until they have no more dwarves in their taverns. At that time, the Council Phase begins. Once the third Council is completed, the game is over.
Replacing Tiles on the Game Board
Any empty spaces left after tiles have been taken from the game board must be refilled at the end of each clan turn. To do so, move all the tiles to fill up the gaps that were created, following the arrows, and then turn over and place new tiles in all the empty spaces. An exception to this are the tool and jewel tiles, which are not moved when replacing them (there are no arrows in those areas of the board).
At the end of Blue's turn, there are 2 empty spaces in the Mining area, so all the tiles are moved to the right to fill the gaps, leaving 2 spaces that are filled with tiles from the reserve stack.
Relics
During the game, players can obtain relic tiles, representing powerful artifacts that can only be used one time each, forged by the ancient dwarves who inhabited the mountain in antiquity.
Optionally, but only before assigning a dwarf to a tool or after performing all the actions of your turn (i.e., at the very end of the turn), you may use 1 of your relics. To use a relic, turn it 90° to show that it has been used but so that it remains visible to all players for the rest of the game. Each relic can only be used once in the entire game and only 1 relic can be used per turn. Also, it is impossible to use a relic in the same turn in which it was obtained.
Each relic shows a different illustration depending on what type it is (1) and the benefit they grant (2) (see player aid). A number (3) indicates the number of relics of this type that there are in the game.
At the end of the game, relics grant points depending on the number of different types you have accumulated and the tools you have forged in the column matching that type (see page 28).
The relic-chest icon shows that the player gets 1 relic tile that is in the same space or behind where their marker is located on the Mining Track.
Blue can use 1 of the 2 relics they have before or after assigning a dwarf to a tool. If they do so, they must turn the relic 90° to show it has been used and leave it there, in sight, for the rest of the game.
Basic Actions
Each of the tools allows the player to perform an action when a dwarf is assigned to that tool. The power of that action depends on the strength of the dwarf and the support token that accompanies the action, if any.
The player will perform the action provided by the tool to which they assigned the dwarf and obtain the effect of the tool's inlaid jewel, if any. These effects can be applied in whatever order the player chooses.
Here we will look at how the 4 basic actions of the game work: Dig, Skirmish, Transport, and Build, as well as the Read action, which is a kind of wildcard.
Read
The Great Book of the Beard is a record of all the discoveries, endeavors undertaken, pacts, contracts, and grievances of the clan throughout its long history.
This is a generic action that allows the player to perform any basic action they choose (Dig, Skirmish, Build, or Transport) using the strength of the assigned dwarf.
Dig
It is both exciting and terrorizing to open new tunnels into the mountain. There is always a rush of joy and pride when you come upon the halls of your ancestors, but you never know what might be lurking in them today.
The strength of the dwarf assigned to this tool indicates the number of rubble tiles you can remove from the Mining area (see page 7) of the game board, which immediately grants you the resources shown on each of them. As indicated on the board, 2 strength points must be used in order to take away the first rubble tile.
Once the resources have been obtained, the chosen tiles are discarded. The resources received must be stored as explained on page 12: Resources and Storage.
Blue assigns a dwarf with a strength of 3 to a pick. They choose 3 rubble tiles that give 1 iron, 1 iron, and 1 gold. They store these resources and discard the 3 rubble tiles.
When the rubble tiles are discarded, you receive an additional reward:
- If you discarded 1 or 2 rubble tiles, you are rewarded with 1 move forward on the Mining Track.
- If you discarded 3 or 4 rubble tiles, you are rewarded with 2 moves forward on the Mining Track.
- If you discarded 5 rubble tiles, you are rewarded with 3 moves forward on the Mining Track.
Once the rubble tile rewards have been issued, the following steps are followed to turn over a single hall tile (regardless of the number of rubble tiles discarded):
- Choose a hall tile that is face down (showing a reward) and is next to a tile that has already been revealed (and is face up).
- Receive the reward indicated on the chosen tile.
- Turn over the tile and place as many enemy pieces on top of it as there are skulls shown on the tile, selecting the enemies randomly from the bag.
Blue discarded 3 rubble tiles, so they move forward 2 spaces on the Mining Track and must turn over 1 hall tile. They would like to choose one that gives them a King's Coin as a reward, but that tile is not next to any tile that has already been flipped over. So, instead, they choose a tile that grants 1 move forward on the Mining Track and 1 move forward on the Prestige Track. After receiving the reward, they turn over the tile and place 1 enemy on top of it, since it has 1 skull on it.
Districts and the Presence of Clans in Them
As you open up routes through the Halls of the Mountain, you will find that there are 3 different colors. Each group of adjacent hall tiles of the same color make up a district. There can be districts made up of a single tile or several tiles together. Combined with the presence of the clans in them, these districts affect the final score of the game for players who forge tools in the column that scores the districts (see page 29).
In this group of revealed halls, as we can see, 4 different districts have been formed, so far.
Skirmish
The four nefarious powers have released their minions to spread their poison through our mountain. No dwarf shall rest easy until this evil influence has been eradicated.
The strength of the dwarf assigned to this tool indicates the number of enemies that they can defeat in any of the Halls of the Mountain. The mountain has been overtaken and devastated by 3 different types of enemies, and each of them requires a different amount of strength to defeat. You may split up the dwarf's total strength to defeat several of the enemies present in different halls using a single Skirmish action:
- GOBLINS (cost 1 strength) — Small and mischievous, but that doesn't make them any less proud. Their great numbers make them a dangerous adversary.
- ORCS (cost 2 strength) — Strong, hardy, and indefatigable.
- TROLLS (cost 3 strength) — Formidable masses whose skin is hard as stone. They are the most terrible of the dwarves' rivals.
Blue assigns a dwarf with a strength of 3 to an axe tool and adds +1 support. This allows them to defeat 4 goblins, or to defeat 2 orcs, or to defeat 1 orc and 2 goblins, or to defeat 1 troll and 1 goblin.
After defeating the enemies, you advance on the Prestige Track and receive a reward based on the enemies who were defeated.
- GOBLINS — For every 2 goblins defeated, move forward 1 space on the Prestige Track.
- ORCS — For each orc defeated, move forward 1 space on the Prestige Track.
- TROLLS — For each troll defeated, move forward 2 spaces on the Prestige Track.
Blue defeats a troll (using 3 strength) and a goblin (using the 1 strength left over), so they move forward 2 spaces on the Prestige Track for the troll. If they had defeated a second goblin, they would have obtained another move forward for a pair of goblins, but they did not have enough strength. After defeating the enemies, Blue receives the rewards on the dice.
The reward is shown on the top side of the die corresponding to the type of enemy that was defeated. This reward is only obtained once for each type of enemy defeated per Skirmish, regardless of how many of that type of enemy were taken out. These rewards are received in whatever order you prefer.
Once the reward has been received, the die is rolled, and the new reward will be used the next time someone defeats an enemy of that type. If you decide not to receive a reward, for whatever reason, then the die is not rolled.
Finally, place all of the defeated enemies in the dungeon space of your clan board (see Enemies and Dungeons, below).
Blue receives the reward on the gray die because they defeated at least 1 troll and the reward on the green die because they defeated at least 1 goblin. Since they did not defeat any orcs, they do not receive the reward for the dark green die. For each reward received, they roll the dice they got it from. They end the Skirmish action by placing the defeated enemies in their dungeons.
Enemies and Dungeons
The enemies located in a clan's dungeons grant them GP in the Council Phase.
The number of enemies that a clan can keep in its dungeons during the Council Phase — and subsequently, the number of points it can score — is determined by the number of keys the clan has.
By default, all clans can hold 2 enemies of any types in their dungeons. Additionally, they can hold 1 enemy of any type for each key they have. More keys can be obtained by forging tools and placing them in the spaces that will give you keys.
The double-key tile grants you two keys.
Moving Enemies
Some circumstances in the game may allow you to move enemies to an adjacent visible hall. No enemy can be moved to a face-down hall tile. There cannot be more than 3 enemies in a single hall at any time.
Transport
The restoration of the grand monuments built by the earliest dwarves is no simple task. You must always have the correct resources for the specific task at hand, and transporting them without accident is more complicated than it may seem at first glance.
The strength of the dwarf assigned to this tool indicates the number of resources that can be transported from your clan board to a single Monumental Construction site on the game board.
Players can restore the robust pillars and giant gates that hold up the heart of the mountain. These are special buildings that require a great amount of material. So, before being able to build them (with the Build action), a player must bring all the indicated resources to the site in order to forge the piece in question: a pillar or a gate.
When you perform this action to transport the corresponding resources from your clan board, you receive Glory Points. When the delivery is completed, the Monumental Construction piece is granted, along with a reward, by completing the following steps:
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Choose 1 of the 6 Monumental Construction sites on the game board. There are 3 pillars and 3 gates per clan. Each site shows the maximum number of resources that each clan can deliver there (1, 2, or 3 resources). It is not possible to choose a site for which your clan limit has already been reached. When performing the Transport action, you can only deliver resources to a single site. It is impossible to split the delivery between multiple sites.
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The strength of the dwarf determines the number of resources that can be moved from storage to the site. These resources must match required resources that have not yet been delivered to the chosen site. It is not possible to deliver more resources than those indicated for the construction. But, if the dwarf has leftover strength, they can deliver to the King's Throne Room (more on this later). Cover the spaces that show the resources you delivered with cart pieces of your color. After delivering, you receive the following reward for each resource delivered:
- Iron or emerald delivered — 1 GP.
- Gold or mythrall delivered — 2 GP.
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Once you have delivered the maximum number of resources, you will have as many carts of your color as are needed at the chosen site. You then take the Monumental Construction piece from that site and place it on your clan board.
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Finally, place a marker of your color in an empty space at the top of the monument for that site. This shows that you have completed the deliveries for that site and that you can no longer carry out Transport actions there. You then obtain the reward indicated in the occupied space, which may be:
- Move forward on the Court Track
- Gain support pieces
To build this pillar, exactly 3 resources must be delivered. Blue already has a cart of their color at this site, since they delivered a resource there last turn. So, they can choose this site and deliver up to 2 more resources, since they have not yet transported the 3 resources required.
Blue chooses the pillar where they already have 1 cart of their color, for which 3 resources are needed for completion. They can still deliver 2 more resources there. The action has a strength of 3. That means that, once they have transported the 2 missing resources (since they cannot transport resources to another Monumental Construction site with the same action), they can deliver 1 resource to the King's Throne. Blue discards 1 mythrall and 1 iron, since there are spaces available that show those resources. They cover those spaces (for iron and for mythrall) with blue cart pieces and receive 3 GP in total (1 GP for the iron and 2 GP for the mythrall).
Blue completed this Monumental Construction by reaching the limit of 3 resources required for the pillar. So, they take the blue pillar piece and place it in the forge on their clan board and cover the space that grants 2 moves forward on the Court Track with a blue marker (a reward that they get immediately). Now, blue has the pillar piece available, which they can Build in a later turn.
The Throne of Thorjal, the Dwarf King
King Thorjal is building a grand throne, and the clans can collaborate in its construction.
Building the King's Throne follows the same rules as the Transport action, meaning that players can discard required resources for the Throne Room and put carts of their color in the matching spaces there in order to obtain GP based on which resources were delivered. Materials can be transported to the King's Throne in two different ways:
- When performing a Transport action to a Monumental Construction site (where you have not yet reached the limit), if your dwarf has an excess of strength after all the deliveries allowed by that site have been fulfilled, you may use that excess strength to deliver that many resources to the King's Throne.
- The other way to Transport resources to the Throne is through the "deliver to the Throne" reward. You may deliver as many resources as there are carts indicated on the icon (in this case, up to 2 resources). This reward does not allow you to deliver resources to Monumental Construction sites.
Blue assigns a dwarf with a strength of 4 to a cart tool. They choose a gate where 2 more resources must still be delivered. Once they are delivered, they still have 2 strength left, so they can make 2 deliveries to the King's Throne. They may not deliver only 1 single resource to the site and then 3 resources to the King's Throne, nor can they deliver 4 resources directly to the Throne, since the completion of the chosen Monumental Construction has priority.
If all of the spaces of the King's Throne have been filled with carts, no more resources can be sent there. At the end of the game, the clans with the most carts in the Throne Room will receive GP (see page 27).
Build
Very few creatures in this world can compete with the dwarves in the field of architectural design. Our architects, engineers, and craftsmen are indubitably the most skillful in existence.
The strength of the dwarf assigned to this tool indicates the type of building that can be built by the clan that turn. There are 4 types of buildings:
- HOUSES — Welcoming homes where the dwarves rest and dwell.
- WORKSHOPS — The clanking anvil and steel reverberates inside, where dwarves forge powerful tools and magic gems.
- GATES — These massive doors separate the different regions of the dwarven city, and are decorated with the symbols and stems of the clans who dwell behind them.
- PILLARS — Impressive columns that sustain the weight of the mountain, and upon which runes are carved that tell the history of the dwarves.
When you perform the Build action, you must choose 1 option from the following list. Each option has a minimum amount of strength that is required in order to choose that option. In addition, you may only build items that are present in the forge area of your clan board. If you choose an option that requires less strength than you have available, the unused strength is lost. If the option allows you to build more than 1 building, you may construct them in any order you choose.
| Strength required | Buildings |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 house |
| 2 | 1 workshop, or 1 gate, or 1 pillar |
| 3 | 1 house and 1 workshop, or 1 house and 1 gate, or 1 house and 1 pillar |
| 4 | 1 workshop and 1 gate, or 1 workshop and 1 pillar |
| 5 | 1 gate and 1 pillar |
| 6 | 2 buildings of any type |
The generic building icon means: build a house, a workshop, a pillar, or a gate.
Blue assigns a dwarf with a strength of 4 to a compass tool, allowing them to build a workshop and, also, a pillar or a gate. However, they decide to build a house and a workshop, an action that requires only 3 strength. So, the final strength point is simply lost.
When a building is put up, place the corresponding piece from your clan board on one of the visible (face up) tiles in the Halls of the Mountain, regardless of whether or not there are enemies present there. Once a building has been placed, you cannot change it to another type or move it. Each building type is placed in a different way:
Basic Buildings: Houses and Workshops
These basic buildings can be placed directly on face-up hall tiles if there is space available. Each tile can hold either 1 or 2 buildings (it is not possible to place a building if there is no available space). Each player may have 1 single basic building on each hall tile.
Each player begins with 2 houses and 2 workshops in the forge area of their clan boards. They can add additional houses and workshops to their forge by forging tools that go in the spaces that unlock them.
This hall has space for up to 2 basic buildings (houses or workshops).
Monumental Constructions: Pillars and Gates
Players do not begin the game with any of these Monumental Constructions on their clan boards. They can only be acquired through the Transport action. When built, Monumental Constructions are placed where the hall tiles come in contact with one another:
- PILLARS. These are built in a spot where the points of 3 different, face-up halls come into contact (it is not possible to place them at the point of a hall that is face down), and must always have more than 1 tile side of separation from all other pillars.
- GATES. These are built along the sides that connect 2 adjacent face-up halls, so long as there is not already any other gate on either of those halls.
At the end of the game, players get points for the presence of their buildings in the various districts of the Halls of the Mountain. Each building provides clan presence in each of the halls it is in contact with (see page 18). During the Council Phase, buildings can grant points based on the active project tiles (see page 26).
Benefits of Buildings
After placing a building, you immediately obtain a benefit which depends on the type of building placed and the type of resource vein that is present in the hall where that building now stands. Each hall is rich in one kind of resource, and each type of building exploits these resources in different ways:
When building a HOUSE on a vein of — you get:
| Emerald vein | Gold vein | Mythrall vein |
|---|---|---|
| 1 iron or 1 emerald | 1 gold | 1 mythrall |
When building a WORKSHOP on a vein of — you can forge objects (see page 10):
| Emerald vein | Gold vein | Mythrall vein |
|---|---|---|
| Forge a tool | Inlay a jewel | Forge a tool and inlay a jewel |
When building a GATE on a vein of — you gain Glory Points for each vein in the halls the gate touches:
| Emerald vein | Gold vein | Mythrall vein |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GP | 2 GP | 3 GP |
When building a PILLAR on a vein of — you get to move forward 1 space on a Track for each vein in the halls that the pillar touches:
| Emerald vein | Gold vein | Mythrall vein |
|---|---|---|
| Mining Track | Prestige Track | Court Track |
When placing a gate that touches halls with veins of emerald and of gold, you gain 3 total GP.
When placing a pillar that touches 2 halls that have emerald veins and 1 that has a mythrall vein, you move forward 2 spaces on the Mining Track and 1 on the Court Track.
Council Phase
The great leaders of the different clans meet with the king around the fire to inform him of their progress, sing songs of their deeds, and plan their future endeavors.
If the Starting Player has already assigned all 4 dwarves to tools at the start of their turn, the Council Phase begins. All players must have empty taverns at this point.
- At the beginning of the Council, the Starting Player moves the Era marker forward 1 space and all players carry out the following steps in order:
- At the same time, all players return their 4 dwarves that are assigned to tools back to their respective taverns without modifying their current strength. They are now available again.
- In turn order, each player receives all the benefits printed on the King's Coins (see page 13) they have on their clan board. Once the coin benefits have been issued, they then receive the rewards for their tradition tiles (see page 36) whose activation requirements have been met during this Council (as indicated alongside the fire icon: tiles 6, 12, 16, 17, 19, 21, and 36). Note: The benefit granted by the space where a King's Coin was placed is only obtained when the coin is placed there, not during the Council. If a player obtains a King's Coin during this phase, they do get the reward from the space that coin is placed in, but they do not receive the reward printed on it during that Council.
- At the same time, the players check how many enemies they can keep in their dungeons. Each key they have allows them to keep 1 enemy piece of any type in their dungeons. Players must return all enemies they are unable to hold back to the bag. These fiends escape and once again hide within the mountain!
- At the same time, the players gain GP for the enemies they hold in their dungeons, specifically: 1 GP for every 2 goblins, for each orc, or for each troll.
- In the same order as for turns, the players gain GP according to the project tile (see page 38) that is just to the left of the Era marker and on all the tiles before it.
Blue has 4 keys and a total of 6 enemies in their dungeons. They put 2 enemies of their choice back into the bag.
At the end of the second Council, the players score their progress according to what is shown on the first and the second project tiles.
Finally, if the Era marker has not yet reached the last space, the Starting Player starts the next Era with their clan turn.
If the Era marker has reached the last space, the game is over and the final scoring is carried out (see page 27).
Final Scoring
The game ends when the Era marker reaches the last space, after the completion of the third Council. When this happens, Glory Points are awarded for the following:
The King's Throne
6, 3, and 1 GP are granted for being, respectively, the player with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most carts at the King's Throne. If several players tie, the one with the most carts in the highest spaces wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most carts in the next highest level wins, and so forth until the tie is broken. If the tie is not broken at any level, then both players receive the full points for the disputed placing. You must have at least 1 cart here to score these points.
Blue and Red have 3 carts at the Throne. Yellow has 2 and Purple has none. Blue and Red have 1 cart each in the upper level (spaces with Mythrall), so they check the next level (spaces with gold). Blue has 2 carts and red has 1 there. So Blue gets 6 GP, Red receives 3 GP, and Yellow gets 1 GP.
Objectives
Each player checks the number of achievements they have reached. If they have reached at least 4 achievements, they can turn over and show 1 objective tile of their choice. If they have reached 8 or more, they can turn over 2 tiles. Players score all the objective tiles that they turn over. You can see the details of these tiles on page 40.
Achievements
Players gain GP depending on the number of achievements they have reached on all of the Tracks:
| Achievements | GP |
|---|---|
| 9 | 2 |
| 10 | 4 |
| 11 | 6 |
| 12 | 8 |
Enemies in the Mountain
Each player loses 2 GP for each hall tile where they have a presence (at least 1 building of their color) where there is at least 1 enemy. Take into account that a pillar touches 3 halls, meaning up to 6 GP could be lost if there is at least 1 enemy in each of those halls. In the case of gates, which touch 2 halls, the maximum loss would be 4 GP.
Blue has a presence in 3 halls with at least 1 enemy piece. So, they lose 6 GP. Yellow also has a presence in 3 halls with enemies, so they also lose 6 GP.
Tools
Each column on a player's clan board in which new tools have been forged enables a bonus at the end of the game. A maximum of 2 tools can be in each column; the starting tools printed on the clan board are not taken into account for this bonus. The bonuses for the tool columns are described below:
- Relics column. For each different type of relic you have, whether it was used or not, you gain as many GP as the number of forged tools in this column (a maximum of 2 GP for each different relic). Different relics are those that show a different illustration. There are 6 different relic types (see page 16).
- Enemies column. Each enemy (of any type) held in your clan's dungeons grants you as many GP as the number of forged tools in this column (a maximum of 2 GP per enemy).
- Districts column. Each district (see page 18) in which you have a presence (at least 1 building) grants you as many GP as the number of forged tools in this column (a maximum of 2 GP per district in which you have presence). Keep in mind that a pillar can create a presence within 3 different districts and a gate within 2 different districts.
- Monumental Constructions column. Each Monumental Construction (a pillar or gate) that is on your clan board or that you have built in the Halls of the Mountain grants you as many GP as the number of forged tools in this column (a maximum of 2 GP per pillar / gate).
Blue has 4 relics, 3 of them are different. They forged 1 tool in the relics column, so they gain 3 x 1 = 3 GP.
Blue has 4 enemies in their dungeons. They forged 2 tools in the enemies column, so they gain 4 x 2 = 8 GP.
Blue has a presence in 6 different districts: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. They forged 2 tools in the districts column, so they gain 6 x 2 = 12 GP.
Blue has 1 gate on their clan board and has built 2 pillars in the Halls of the Mountain. They forged 2 tools in the Monumental Constructions column, so they gain 3 x 2 = 6 GP.
Supports and Extra Resources
You gain 1 GP for every 3 combined units of support and any resource.
Blue ends the game with a +2 strength support, another +1 strength support, and 4 resources (iron, gold, and 2 mythrall). In total, they have 7 extra units, so they gain 2 GP.
After adding these scores up, whoever has the most GP wins the game! If there is a tie, whoever completed the most achievements is the winner. If there is still a tie, then the shared victory is toasted with two horns of dwarven beer.
Solitaire
The Council of Elder Dwarves is not known for its docility. This group of old dwarves gets its hands dirty. You cannot permit the banners of your clan to be flogged by the whip of dishonor and indifference!
Solitaire Game Setup
Set up a 2-player game as you would normally. Set up your board as normal, except for one detail: Reveal 2 starting, 2 tradition, 2 objective I, and 2 objective II tiles. Choose 1 tile of each type and return the others to the box. Set up the Council of Elders as follows:
- Set the Council of Elders board to one side.
- Place the difficulty tile of your choice in place. This adjusts the number of GP the Council of Elders gets at the end of the game. For your first game, it is recommended you use the normal difficulty (see page 34).
- Take the Council of Elders tool cards and divide them by the 4 types, making 4 stacks. Then, with the cards face down, shuffle each deck separately and randomly draw 1 pick, 1 axe, 1 compass, and 1 cart, so you have a deck with 4 different tools. Shuffle that deck and place it to the left of the Council of Elders board. These are the starting tools for the Council of Elders, and you may never look at what is in that deck. We will call this the "Available Tools" deck.
- Mix up the remaining cards face down (3 cards of each type) forming a deck. Shuffle this deck and then leave it, rotated 90°, on the top part of the Council of Elders board. These are the tools that the Council of Elders can forge over the course of the game, and you may never look at what is in this deck either. We will call this the "Forge of the Council of Elders" deck. When the Council of Elders forges a tool, it will be drawn from this deck (See Rewards of the Council of Elders, page 33).
- Choose any color for the Council of Elders and place:
- All of the houses and workshops in the spaces for them on their board.
- The pillars and gates in the Monumental Construction site spaces on the game board (beside those belonging to you).
- A marker in space 5 for their GP, and a marker in the starting space of each of the 3 Tracks.
- All of their remaining carts and markers to the side of the board. These will be used to transport materials to the Monumental Construction sites and the King's Throne.
- Put all of their dwarf pieces back in the box. The Council of Elders plays without them.
- Finally, take the Starting Player marker; you will be in charge of triggering the Council Phases.
Solitaire: How to Play
The game is played according to the normal rules except for the modifications below.
Special Considerations on the Decisions of the Council of Elders
On the board, dice values are shown next to some tile types, the 6 Monumental Construction sites, and the 5 rows of the Halls of the Mountain. These values determine the choices that the Council of Elders will make during their turn when acting in these areas. Thus, when you see the word "choose" (or other synonyms or derivations) it indicates that the Council of Elders must roll their die:
- When the Council of Elders must choose a rubble tile, tradition tile, inlay, or King's Coin: The Council of Elders rolls the die and takes the tile that is in the space indicated by the die roll.
- When the Council of Elders must choose a Monumental Construction site: The Council of Elders rolls the die until it rolls a site where no carts of its color have yet been placed.
- When the Council of Elders must choose a row in the Halls of the Mountain: Sometimes, the Council of Elders must choose a row in the Halls of the Mountain in which to place a building, turn over and reveal a hall, or defeat enemies. To do so, it rolls the die and chooses the row that has the same result as the die roll.
The Council of Elders' Turn
When it is the Council of Elders' turn, you must handle it in the following manner:
- Turn over the first Available Tool it has on the left side of the board. Place this card face up on the right side of the Elders' board. This is called the "Discarded Tools" stack. If the Council of Elders does not have any Available Tools, shuffle all of the Discarded Tools to create a new deck that is placed to the left of the Elders' board.
- Then, perform the actions shown on the revealed tool by strictly following the 4 steps shown, in order from the top to the bottom (see Actions of the Tools, below).
- The Council of Elders concludes its turn.
Actions of the Tools
During its turn, the Council of Elders activates actions using the tool card that was revealed. It is useful to understand that all tools of the same type perform the same 3 identical actions, and then after those 3 actions, the reward the card provides varies. This means that there are always 4 total steps to take for each tool.
Here the actions of each tool are described, along with the reward that follows those actions.
Pick – Dig
- First, roll the die as many times as needed until 2 different rubble tiles have been chosen from among those on the game board. These are discarded. Remember that the Council of Elders does not obtain resources.
- After that, the Elders move 2 spaces forward on the Mining Track. The Council of Elders also receives a relic (see Rewards of the Council of Elders, below).
- Then, it chooses a row in the Halls of the Mountain and flips over the face-down hall tile farthest to the left in that row. If all the halls in that row have been flipped over already, the Council of Elders chooses a different row. Once the tile is chosen, its reward is given, the hall is revealed, and the indicated number of enemies are placed on that hall.
- Finally, the Council of Elders receives a Reward (see Rewards of the Council of Elders, below).
Axe – Skirmish
- First, the Council of Elders chooses a row in the Halls of the Mountain in which it can fulfill one of the following requirements, as listed in order of preference: at least 1 troll, or at least 1 orc and 1 goblin, or at least 2 goblins.
- Starting with the hall farthest to the left in that row, the Council of Elders will defeat 1 troll; if there is no troll, it will defeat the first orc and the first goblin there; and if there are no orcs, it will defeat the first 2 goblins there. The defeated enemies are placed in the dungeons on its board.
- If there is no row in the Halls of the Mountains with a troll, an orc and a goblin, or 2 goblins, the Council of Elders gains 4 GP instead.
- Then, the Council of Elders gets the rewards corresponding to the defeated enemies. Remember that it never receives resources (see Rewards of the Council of Elders, below).
- Finally, it gets a Reward (see Rewards of the Council of Elders, below).
Cart – Transport
- First, the Council of the Elders chooses a Monumental Construction site to which it has not yet delivered resources.
- After choosing the site, it covers as many spaces as the total deliveries it needs for that site (which will be 1, 2, or 3) with carts. Its priority is to cover the spaces with mythrall, then gold, then emeralds, and finally iron. It places 1 cart in each space and gets the usual GP for delivering resources. Remember that the Council of Elders does not get resources and so it does not need to discard them to complete Monumental Constructions.
- The Council of Elders then receives the pillar or gate that it just completed and places it on its board, then places its clan marker in the farthest left space of the Monumental Construction site, thereby gaining moves forward on the Court Track.
- Finally, it gets a Reward (see Rewards of the Council of Elders, below).
Compass – Build
- First, the Council of Elders determines what building, out of those available on its board, it is going to build. The priority criteria has the building of a pillar in first place. If that is not available, it will build a gate. If that is not available, it will build a workshop. If that is not available, it will build a house. If there are no buildings on its board, the Council of Elders gains 5 GP instead.
- Then, it must choose which hall it will build the selected building in. Depending on which building is being placed, there are different ways to proceed:
- IF IT IS A PILLAR: Roll the die to choose 1 of the 6 halls shown on the diagram on the Council's board. If that hall has not yet been flipped over and revealed, the Council of Elders must roll again. Once a visible hall has been chosen, place the pillar at the first point (moving clockwise) that connects to 2 other revealed halls and where there is no other pillar. That way, the pillar will be placed in contact with 3 visible halls (as usual). This pillar can be built next to another pillar (ignore the minimum distance rule).
- IF IT IS A GATE: Roll the die to choose 1 of the 6 halls shown on the diagram on the Council's board. If that hall has not yet been flipped over and revealed, the Council of Elders must roll again. Once a visible hall has been chosen, place the gate on the first side (moving clockwise) that connects to another revealed hall and where there is no other gate. That way, the gate will be placed in contact with 2 visible halls (as usual). This gate can touch a hall that is in contact with another gate.
- IF IT IS A WORKSHOP OR A HOUSE: It chooses a row of the Halls of the Mountain in which there is a hall with at least 1 space available for the house or a workshop (as usual). Then, it places the house or workshop in the first hall from the left where there is an available space. The Council of Elders can have 2 basic buildings (house or workshop) in the same hall.
- Then, it receives the rewards corresponding to the building just constructed and the mineral veins in the connected halls, in accordance with the normal rules:
- It moves forward on the Tracks, if it places a pillar.
- It gains GP, if it places a gate.
- It forges a tool and/or inlay if it places a workshop.
- It does not receive anything if it places a house.
- For more details, see Rewards of the Council of Elders, below.
- Finally, it gets a Reward (see Rewards of the Council of Elders, below).
Rewards of the Council of Elders
During its turn, the Council of Elders receives rewards according to the normal game rules. For example, if it turns over a tile and reveals a hall, it will get the reward shown on the other side. If it defeats an enemy, it moves forward on the Prestige Track and receives the reward shown on the die. Likewise, when it moves forward on a Track and reaches a specific space or places a building and receives the bonuses for the mineral veins, it receives the reward.
Here below are the specific steps to take depending on the reward received:
- When obtaining a resource of any type: The Council of Elders gets nothing.
- When obtaining moves forward on any Track: It moves forward the number of spaces on the indicated Track. If it reaches spaces that grant any kind of tile or strength, it receives them as explained below.
- When obtaining a move forward on any Track of its choice: It moves forward 1 space on each of the 3 Tracks.
- When obtaining a support or strengthening a dwarf: It instead gains 1 GP.
- When forging a tool: It takes the first card from the Forge of the Council of Elders stack (the upper part of its board) and puts it on the bottom of the Available Tools stack (on the left of its board). If there are no Available Tools, it places the forged tool there anyway, creating an Available Tools stack with a single card. If there are no more tools left in its forge, it does not do anything.
- When obtaining any kind of tradition tile, King's Coin, or inlay: The Council of Elders chooses it using the die. It ignores any possible loss of GP indicated in the space revealed for any King's Coin or tradition tile obtained, as well as the GP that is granted by the jewels when they are inlaid. After that, it places the tile it got in the storage area on its board (see Storage of the Council of Elders).
- When obtaining a relic tile: It gets the first relic tile, starting from the top, that is of a type that you (the player) have not yet obtained. If all available relics are of a type that you already possess, the Council of Elders gets the one that is highest up.
- When obtaining deliveries to the King's Throne: It covers as many delivery spaces as the reward allows it to with carts, with the priority being to cover mythrall, then gold, then emeralds, and finally iron. The Council of Elders places a cart in each space and gets the usual GP for delivering resources. Remember that the Council of Elders does not obtain resources and so it does not need to discard them to build the King's Throne.
- When it must remove an Orc or Goblin piece: It chooses a row in the Halls of the Mountain where there is at least 1 orc. If there are no orcs, it chooses a row with at least 1 goblin. Starting with the hall farthest to the left in the selected row, it defeats the first orc/goblin it encounters. After which it gets the usual rewards for defeating enemies. In the odd case that there are no enemies in any hall, then the Council of Elders does nothing.
- When it must place a house or workshop: It behaves just as specified for the Compass action, but placing exactly 1 house or 1 workshop (depending on what the reward indicates). As usual, it receives the reward for the mineral vein based on the placement of the building.
Storage of the Council of Elders
As the game progresses, the Council of Elders will gain tradition tiles, inlays, relics, and King's Coins. By placing them in their storage, at the end of the game, the Council of Elders will gain GP for the number of tiles it has (regardless of what kind they are) based on the difficulty level of the game being played.
Solitaire Council Phase
In this phase, the Council of Elders gains GP for the following:
- 1 GP for each pair of goblins, for each orc, and for each troll in its dungeons. The Council of Elders has infinite keys, so it never discards enemy pieces in this phase.
- 1 / 1 / 2 GP for each building it has in the Halls of the Mountain, respectively, in the 1st / 2nd / 3rd Council Phase.
Solitaire Final Scoring
The Council gains GP at the end of the game depending on the difficulty level. The marker on its board determines this score:
- 1 GP (normal) / 1 GP (difficult) / 2 GP (expert) for each tradition tile, inlay, and/or King's Coin that it has in storage.
- 1 GP (normal) / 2 GP (difficult) / 2 GP (expert) for each achievement reached on the 3 Tracks and for each tool tile that it has available or in its discard pile. The tools in the upper part of its board are not counted.
- GP for its carts at the King's Throne, in accordance with the normal game rules: 6 GP if it is the one with the most carts, 3 GP if you have more than the Council of Elders, or no GP if it has placed no carts at the King's Throne. In case of a tie, follow the usual rules.
Tiles
Inlays
Dwarves can forge jewels that are inlaid into their tools. Each tool can have a single inlay of the corresponding color assigned to it. The effects of inlays are always optional and are used during the clan turn, before or after performing the tool action. The specific effects that the inlays can have are described below:
- Raise the strength of the dwarf assigned to this tool by +1 until the end of the turn.
- Defeat 1 goblin, thereby getting the benefit of the green die, and place it in the dungeons of your clan board.
- Defeat 1 orc or 1 goblin, thereby getting the benefit of the green die or the dark green die (depending on which enemy is defeated), and place it in the dungeons of your clan board. Additionally, if you defeat 1 orc, move forward 1 space on the Prestige Track.
- Deliver 1 resource to a Monumental Construction site according to the Transport action rules (see page 20).
- Build 1 available house following the normal Build action rules (see page 23).
- Inlay 1 jewel according to the normal rules (see page 11).
Traditions
Dwarven culture worships the millennia-old traditions of their ancestors' customs, and the clans strive to honor those who came before them.
These tiles grant powerful bonuses that activate every time you fulfill the indicated requirement.
OBTAIN A TRADITION TILE. Choose 1 of the tradition tiles available on the game board (some of them have a cost in GP you must pay) and place it in the space on your clan board. From that moment on, you receive the bonus (shown on the right) every time you fulfill the requirement (shown on the left).
The specifics of the tradition tiles are listed below. Check the number of the tile to see the bonus and requirements:
1, 2, 3, 4. These 4 traditions work the same, but each applies to a different tool. When you assign a dwarf to a pick / cart / axe / compass, they get an additional +1 strength for the basic action of that tool. This bonus is not activated if the dwarf is assigned to a book tool.
5. When you Transport iron or emeralds, you gain 2 GP (instead of 1 GP) for each iron or emerald delivered.
6. During the Council Phase, when scoring enemies in your dungeons after checking how many keys you have, you gain 2 GP for each group made up of 1 goblin, 1 orc, and 1 troll that you have in your dungeons.
7. When you reveal a hall tile, you gain 1 / 2 / 2 GP the mineral vein discovered is, respectively, emerald / gold / mythrall.
8. When you reveal a hall tile, you move forward 1 space on the Mining / Prestige / Court Track if the mineral vein discovered is, respectively, emerald / gold / mythrall.
9. When you inlay a jewel, immediately carry out the action shown on the inlay if it is silver or gain 1 GP if the inlay is gold. This is in addition to the GP that are normally given by the action.
10. Each time you receive the benefit shown on any of the 3 dice, you may choose the benefit shown on any of its sides instead. Then, roll the dice as usual.
11. Your dwarves only need 2 strength (instead of 3) to defeat troll enemies.
12. In each Council Phase, you may carry out a delivery to the King's Throne in accordance with the normal rules.
13. Each time you forge a tool, move forward 1 space on 1 of the 3 Tracks, your choice.
14. Each time you obtain a relic, you may choose whichever one you prefer no matter your position on the Mining Track.
15. Each time you reach an achievement on any of the 3 Tracks, you get 1 support.
16. In each Council Phase, you gain 1 GP for each pillar and each gate you have built in the Halls of the Mountain or which is on your clan board.
17. In each Council Phase, you get the benefit shown on any 1 of the visible King's Coins on the game board of your choice (ignore the GP shown on the position the coin is in). The chosen coin remains on the board.
18. Each time you obtain a gate or pillar piece (when all of your deliveries for the Monumental Construction site in question are completed), you get 1 support and move forward 1 space on the Court Track.
19. In each Council Phase, you gain 1 GP for each relic you hold, whether or not it has been used.
20. When you activate a relic (at the start or end of your turn), it is still used up, but instead of performing the action indicated on it, you may perform the action on any one of the relics visible on the game board. The relic on the board remains in its place and is not used up.
21. In each Council Phase, you gain 1 GP for every 2 buildings of any type that you have built in the Halls of the Mountain. The GP granted are rounded down if needed.
22. During the final scoring of the game, you have 2 extra achievements. These achievements do not activate the bonuses on tradition tiles 15 and 23.
23. Each time you reach an achievement on any of the 3 Tracks, you gain 1 GP.
24. From this moment on, you have an additional key and an additional storage space. This key and storage space grant GP via the objective tiles that, respectively, score for keys or storage spaces.
25. When building houses or workshops, you may place them in a hall where you already have a house or workshop if there is space for another building there.
26. During the final scoring of the game, you lose 1 GP (instead of 2 GP) for each hall where you have a presence (with at least 1 building) and there is at least 1 enemy.
27. You get a support each time you build a workshop in the Halls of the Mountain.
28. You ignore any GP costs when you receive King's Coins and tradition tiles.
29. When you build a house in the Halls of the Mountain, 1 enemy of your choice can be removed from that hall and placed in your dungeons. The usual benefits granted for defeating enemies are not awarded (no moves forward on the Prestige Track, no benefits shown on the die of the enemy's color).
30. During the final scoring of the game, this tile counts as a relic of whatever type you do not have. This means it can even be a seventh different relic type. This relic grants GP in accordance with tradition tile number 19.
31. Each key allows you to hold 2 goblins in your dungeons during the Council Phase (instead of only 1 per key).
32. You may build pillars within 1 tile side of separation from another pillar.
33. You may build gates even if there is another player's gate in one of the halls where it is to be located.
34. When you build a pillar, you may move any 1 enemy in the Halls of the Mountain 2 halls or any 2 enemies 1 hall each (there can be a maximum of 3 enemies in each hall).
35. When you build a gate, you may strengthen 1 of your dwarves, following the normal rules.
36. During each Council Phase, you gain 1 GP and may move any 1 enemy to an adjacent hall (there can be a maximum of 3 enemies in each hall).
Projects
At the end of each Council Phase, each player receives the GP indicated on the project tile next to the Era marker as well as all those before it (see Council Phase, page 26).
Each project tile shows a construction requirement. For each building that you have in the Halls of the Mountain that meets this requirement, you receive the indicated GP.
Houses and Workshops Located in Halls: Color and Veins
Six tiles of this type, each granting GP for houses and/or workshops standing in halls of a given color or with a given mineral vein, at the GP value shown on the tile.
This tile grants 1 GP for each workshop located in halls with mythrall veins. Blue has 2 workshops in those halls, so they gain 2 GP.
This tile grants 2 GP for each house located in yellow halls. Blue has 3 houses in those halls, so they gain 6 GP.
Gates and Pillars Located in Halls: Color and Veins
Obtain the benefits granted by all the Halls they touch.
Six tiles of this type, each granting GP for gates and/or pillars touching halls of a given color or with a given mineral vein, at the GP value shown on the tile.
This tile grants 2 GP to each pillar located in halls with mythrall veins. Blue has 1 pillar in 2 halls with mythrall veins, and another pillar in a hall with a mythrall vein, so they gain 6 GP.
This tile grants 2 GP for each gate located in black halls and 1 GP for those in blue halls. Blue has 2 gates, one is on 2 black halls and the other is on a yellow hall and a blue hall, so they gain 5 GP.
Special Projects
- Choose 1 of your gates: You gain 1 GP for each hall that makes up the districts in contact with that gate.
- Choose 1 of your pillars: You gain 1 GP for each hall that makes up the districts in contact with that pillar.
- You gain 2 GP for each different type of building that you have built in the Halls of the Mountain.
- You gain 1 GP for each hall where you have a presence with at least 1 building and in which there are no enemy pieces.
- Choose 1 of your pillars: You gain 1 GP for each house and each workshop belonging to any player that is in the 3 halls in contact with the chosen pillar.
- Each of your workshops grants you 1 GP for each house that any player has in a hall that is adjacent to the one that workshop is in. Any house in the same hall as the workshop does not count.
Blue has a gate that is touching a yellow district made up of 3 halls and a blue district made up of 4 halls. They gain 7 GP.
Blue has a pillar that is touching a yellow district made up of 1 hall, a blue district made up of 3 halls, and a black district made up of 4 halls. They gain 8 GP.
Blue has built 3 houses, 4 workshops, 2 pillars, and 2 gates. They gain 8 GP for having built 4 types of buildings.
Blue has a presence in 6 halls, 2 of them have at least 1 enemy piece in them. They gain 4 GP for the 4 halls without any enemies.
Blue has a pillar that touches 3 halls with 2 houses and 4 workshops in total. They gain 6 GP.
Blue has 3 workshops. The first has 4 houses in adjacent halls. The second has 2 houses in adjacent halls. The third has 3 houses in adjacent halls. They gain 9 GP.
Objectives
The clan elders mandate directives that must be fulfilled in order to pay homage to our ancestors.
At the start of the game, each player receives 2 objective tiles that can grant GP for different reasons at the end of the game. These tiles are kept hidden until the end of the game, but players can look at the ones they have on their own clan board at any time.
In order to reveal one of their objective tiles, the player must have reached a minimum of 4 achievements in any combination on the 3 Tracks (Court, Prestige, and Mining). In order to show the second, the player must have accumulated a minimum of 8 achievements.
- You gain 1 GP for each tool that you have, including the 4 starting tools.
- You gain 2 GP for each inlay you have in your tools.
- You gain 2 GP for each pillar or gate piece that you have acquired (whether built or not).
- You gain 1 GP for each building that you have built in the Halls of the Mountain.
- You gain 3 GP for each pillar that you have built in the Halls of the Mountain.
- You gain 3 GP for each gate that you have built in the Halls of the Mountain.
- You gain 2 GP for each King's Coin that you have.
- You gain 2 GP for each tradition tile that you have, including the starting one.
- You gain 1 GP for each strength point you have among all your dwarves combined.
- You gain 2 GP for each key you have in your dungeons, including the 2 starting ones and the 1 that may appear on tradition tile number 24.
- You gain 1 GP for each storage space that you have available, including the 4 starting ones (whether used or not) and the storage space provided by tradition tile number 24.
- You gain 2 GP for each different type of relic that you have (whether used or not).
Blue has fulfilled 2 achievements on the Prestige Track, 1 on the Mining Track, and another on the Court Track. With these 4 achievements they are able to reveal 1 of their 2 objective tiles.
Credits
- AUTHOR: Germán P. Millán
- ILLUSTRATIONS: Enrique Fernández
- EDITOR: David Esbrí
- RENDERS 3D: David González
- ENGLISH TEXTS: Andrew Campbell and William Niebling
- GRAPHIC DESIGN & LAYOUT: Diego San Martín and Meeple Foundry
DEVIR CONTENIDOS S.L. — Via Augusta 153, Entl. 4, 08021 · Barcelona — www.devirgames.com
Author's Acknowledgments
This long development would not have been possible without the patience, dedication, and advice of Juan Ruiz de la Fuente, Juan Milla, Aida Hernández, Samuel Joany, Alfonso Hernández Haro, Antonio Gámiz, and David J. Iglesias. Also, to J. R. R. Tolkien for creating a fascinating and inspiring universe, and to the entire Devir team for making this project possible.