DruidenWalzer Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Material
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • A. The Druid Waltz
  • B. The Druid's Leap
  • C. Withdrawing a Forest Spirit
• An Example
• Six Cult Signs on a Tree
• Tree Entirely Without Forest Spirit Cards
• End of the Game
• Playing with Handicap
• A Few Background Notes on Celtic Druidism

Game Material

8 tree tiles ("trees")

• 4 trees of the Sun Cult (daylight, with blue border)
• 4 trees of the Moon Cult (moonlight, with blue border)

2 cult boards (1x Sun Cult, 1x Moon Cult)

6 druids (in 3 colors, 2 figures each)

1 Bann Ring

60 "Forest Spirit" cards

• 30 Sun Cult cards
• 30 Moon Cult cards

40 cult signs

• 20x Sun Cult
• 20x Moon Cult

Setup

• Each player chooses a cult - Sun or Moon.
• Each player receives (the one for their Sun Cult, the other for their Moon Cult):
  • their 4 trees
  • their cult board
  • their 30 "Forest Spirit" cards
  • their 20 cult signs
  • 3 druids (one of each color)
• The playing field is set up as follows: Each player lays out their 4 trees in front of themselves with the blue border facing up. At the foot of the trees are the druid signs (1, 2, 3, or 4). To the right of this row, each player also lays out their own cult board.
• From their Forest Spirit cards, each player looks for any one card with the value "1" and places it face up on their cult board on the right.
• Each player shuffles their remaining 29 Forest Spirit cards face down. Each forms 4 face-down stacks of 5 cards each. The stacks are placed below one's own trees. Then the top card of each stack is turned face up.
• The remaining Forest Spirit cards form one's own draw stack, which is placed face down to the left of the row of trees.
• Each player then places their druids on their own trees: one druid of any color per tree (one tree remains without a druid), the Moon player first.
• The Bann Ring is placed in the middle, between the two rows of trees.

Gameplay

• Players alternate turns, with the Moon player beginning.
• Whoever is on turn must each time decide on one of the three possible actions:
  • A) The Druid Waltz
  • B) The Druid's Leap
  • C) Withdrawing a Forest Spirit

The latter two possibilities are quickly carried out, the first involves the essential element of the game. Nevertheless, all three are equally valid alternatives, of which only one may be carried out!

A. The Druid Waltz

The player whose turn it is triggers a Druid Waltz by choosing one of their hand cards and laying it face up below one of their own trees (regardless of whether it has a druid or not) - onto the stack lying there. If no stack remains there, they simply start a new one with this card.

• When laying cards onto a stack, make sure that the values of the face-up cards lying underneath must not be visible.

The Druid Waltz thus triggered consists of three actions! See also the example on page 6.

1. Placing the Bann Ring

The Bann Ring is taken from the middle and moves to the tree at which the Forest Spirit card was laid out: if there is a druid at this tree, the ring is slipped over the figure. If there is no druid at this tree, the ring is simply placed on the tree.

2. Starting the Druid Waltz

The Forest Spirit card just laid out determines which other forest spirits are thereby made to dance (moved), in which direction, and how far (by how many tiles further).

• All Forest Spirit cards that have the same value as the card laid out are moved. This applies to cards on one's own side as well as on the opposing side.
• The card laid out itself, and cards of the same value on the cult boards, are not moved.
• The direction of movement is determined by the oval arrow system - all Forest Spirit cards that are moved must be moved in this direction.
  • Moving clockwise (to the left)
  • Moving counterclockwise (to the right)
• The distance by which the Forest Spirit cards are moved is determined by the tree at which the triggering card was laid out. Each symbol depicted on it means one step. That is, all affected Forest Spirit cards are moved by one, two, three, or four steps. A "step" is equivalent to the movement from one tree to the next - the cult boards count here too.
• The order in which the Forest Spirit cards are moved depends on the direction of movement. If the cards wander clockwise, the next card to the left with the same value is moved first, then the next card to the left, and so on. If the movement is counterclockwise, the next card to the right with the same value is moved first, then the next card to the right, and so on.
• If a moved card lands at a tree, it is placed there face up - on top of the stack. If a card is lying face up on top there, one that also must be moved, it must be pushed one piece down the stack so that the moving is not forgotten (as soon as it is that card's turn).
• If a moved Forest Spirit card lands on a cult board, it is likewise placed face up on top there (however, it is thereby out of the game for the time being).
• Once all affected Forest Spirit cards have been moved, this action is complete. If a stack now has a face-down card on top, each such face-down card must be turned face up.
• If a card stack at a tree is used up, the space simply remains empty for now. But beware - see the chapter "Tree Entirely Without Forest Spirit Cards".

Brief info: Since cards can wander around the playing field, cards of the opposing cult can of course end up on your side. Naturally, you may then also play these cards, and their values count for your druids when it comes to the "Measuring of Strength."

3. Measuring the Strength

After the dance of the forest spirits, the measuring of strength follows! In each case, the druids of the same color face off against each other.

• The druid held captive by the Bann Ring does not take part, so their same-colored counterpart also gets a rest. Naturally, trees without druids likewise do not take part in the measuring of strength.
• The order of the measuring of strength is free to choose. The player whose turn it is chooses a druid color.
• Then the values of the two Forest Spirit cards lying at the two trees (with the druids of the chosen color) are compared.
• The druid wins whose forest spirit shows the higher value. As a sign of the defeat, the winner places one of their cult signs on the tree of the defeated druid.
  • Brief info: As soon as a tree bears six opposing cult signs, the tree tile is turned over - it is out of the game. And whoever has two turned-over tree tiles on their side ends the game.
• The victorious Forest Spirit card must be placed on one's own cult board.
• If both forest spirits have the same value, nothing happens.
• Once all same-colored druid pairs have measured their strength, this action ends. The Bann Ring is then placed back in the middle.

With that, one "Druid Waltz" is complete. The game continues with the next player. They again have the choice between actions A, B, or C.

B. The Druid's Leap

Brief info: This can be necessary, for example, to protect a druid (i.e., the druid) from the "measuring of strength" before it happens.

The player whose turn it is takes one of their druids and moves it to their own empty tree (the tree that had no druid). With that, their turn is over.

C. Withdrawing a Forest Spirit

Brief info: With this, you can, for example, remove a weak Forest Spirit card (with a low value) from play.

The player whose turn it is chooses one of their Forest Spirit cards. This can either be one of their hand cards or one of the cards lying face up below the trees. For the face-up cards, it does not matter whether they are cards of one's own or the opposing cult. The chosen card is placed face up on their cult board (right side). With that, their turn is over.

In general:

• When you take a face-up card from a stack: If a face-down card lies underneath after taking it, this card must be turned face up immediately.
• When you play a hand card: Once a player has played one of their Forest Spirit cards, they may not draw a new card. Only once all three of their Forest Spirit cards have been played may they draw three new cards from the face-down draw stack. If the stack is used up, the player takes the cards lying on their cult board, shuffles them, and lays them face down as the new draw stack.

An Example

1. The player of the Sun Cult lays the Forest Spirit card with the "5" at their tree on the right.
2. Now the druid on this tree, the one with the ring, is banned.
3. Since the card bears an arrow pointing left, the other 5s must be moved - to the left. The tree shows 4 symbols, so all "5" cards are moved four steps to the left: The "5" card on the Moon's cult board stays in its place. The next "5" card (on the opponent's side) wanders onto the Sun Cult's cult board. The next "5" card wanders from the Moon Cult's side to the Sun Cult's side.

The subsequent measuring of strength:

Orange against Orange: The Sun druid has a forest spirit with the value "5", the Moon druid one with the value "3". The Sun druid wins and places one of their cult signs on the tree of the defeated druid.

The player of the Sun Cult must place their victorious "5" Forest Spirit (at the orange-colored druid) on their cult board.

Lilac against Lilac: No measuring of strength because of the Bann Ring.

Black against Black: Both druids have a forest spirit with the value "3". Nothing happens.

Six Cult Signs on a Tree

As soon as a tree bears six opposing cult signs, the opponent has conquered it:

• The druid is moved to the still-free tree.
• The six cult signs are returned to the opponent.
• The tree tile is turned over (to the side with the red border).
• All Forest Spirit cards lying at this tree are discarded onto their owner's cult board.
• From now on, this tree no longer counts for the "Druid Waltz" - it is skipped.
• The player who now has only 3 trees left may no longer carry out the "Druid's Leap" action.

Tree Entirely Without Forest Spirit Cards

Danger threatens when a player's own tree no longer has a Forest Spirit card lying at it:

• If it is a player's turn and no Forest Spirit card lies at one (or more) of their trees, they must act.
• The player must try, by playing a card, to ensure that at the end of this "Druid Waltz" there are Forest Spirit cards lying at this tree (or these trees) again.
• If the player fails to do so, the tree tile is turned over regardless of how many cult signs are lying on it. According to the normal rule, the druid from this tree must be moved (if there is one), the cult signs are returned, and so on.

End of the Game

As soon as a player has had to turn over two of their tree tiles, the game ends immediately and they have lost. The opponent's cult has prevailed.

Playing with Handicap

If another game is to be played right after, the winner must get by with one fewer Forest Spirit: they sort out a Forest Spirit card with the value "2" and put it back in the box. If the same player wins that game too, they must now sort out a card with the value "3".

This balancing rule can also be applied when an experienced player takes on a beginner. Depending on the difference in strength, the weaker player discards a "1", the stronger a "2" or "3".

A Few Background Notes on Celtic Druidism

• Around 230 BC, Celtic druidism split into two camps: one camp paid homage to the sunrise, while the other was devoted to the moonlight.
• For the Druid Waltz, the four trees were naturally chosen to symbolize the solstices and the equinoxes among the Celts:

March 21: The Oak June 24: The Birch September 23: The Olive Tree December 22: The Beech

• The number "3" was considered a significant symbolic number among the Celts. That is why exactly three of the four trees are always occupied by druids.
• Regardless of whether forest spirits belong to the Sun or Moon Cult, they are always good spirits.