Dungeons & Dragons: Edge of the Realms Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Game Flow
  • 1. Draw up to 4 map cards
  • 2. Play a map card
  • 3. Use the landmark action
  • 4. Check the mission card
  • 5. Pass the hand to the left
• End of the Game
• Turn Summary
• Mission Card Explanations
• Zone Card Explanations

Components

• Map cards
• Starting cards (one per player)
• Mission cards
• Zone cards
• Reference cards
• Cartographer card
• City tiles (6 of each terrain type: forest, field, mountain, water)
• Terrain tiles (10 of each terrain type)
• Mission tokens
• Exploration cubes
• Adventurer pawns (one per player)
• Scoring pad

Setup

1. Place all city tiles in the centre of the table, arranged in rows of the same type. Sort each row by ascending value. In a 2-player game, return to the box the city tiles marked with the 2-player icon. In a 3-player game, return the city tiles marked with the 3-player icon. In a 4-player game, return the city tiles marked with the 4-player icon.

2. Place all terrain tiles in a supply pile near the city tiles.

3. Place all exploration cubes in a supply pile near the city tiles.

4. Each player takes one starting card at random and places it face up in front of them, oriented so the campfire space is correctly placed.

5. Each player takes one adventurer pawn and places it on the campfire space of their starting card.

6. Shuffle all map cards together and place them face down in the centre of the table as a pile. Each player draws 3 map cards to form their hand.

7. Choose one player at random to take the cartographer card and add it to their hand. The only function of this card is to break ties in some situations.

8. The players together choose 1 mission card to use. Place it in the centre of the table and place the mission tokens beneath it. In a 2-player game, return to the box the mission tokens marked with the 2-player icon. In a 3-player game, return to the box the mission tokens marked with the 3-player icon.

9. The players together choose 1 zone card to use. Place it in the centre of the table. This card determines how the zones of your map are scored at the end of the game.

Note: for your first game, use the mission card "Cross-Country Tour" and the zone card "Large Areas".

The source also prints a 2-player setup diagram (page 3) that illustrates steps 1–9 above; its layout was not transcribed beyond the written steps.

Game Flow

The game is played over 15 turns. In each turn all players act simultaneously. Each turn follows these steps in the order given:

1. Each player draws map cards from the pile until they have 4 map cards in hand.
2. Each player chooses 1 map card to play on their map.
3. Each player may choose to use the landmark action of the card they just played.
4. Check whether any player has completed the mission card.
5. Players pass their hand of cards (including the cartographer card, if held) to the player on their left.

1. Draw up to 4 map cards

Each player draws map cards from the pile until they have 4 in hand.

Important: if you already have 4 map cards in hand, you do not draw a new card. You may never have more than 4 cards in hand. The cartographer card, if you hold it, does not count toward your hand limit.

2. Play a map card

Each player chooses 1 map card from their hand and places it face down on the table in front of them. When all players have done this, everyone reveals their chosen card face up and places it in the next free position of their map. A player's map is a 4x4 grid of map cards played face up in front of them during the game. Over the 15 turns of the game, map cards are played in the order shown in the following diagram:

Diagram (source page 5), map play order, rows top to bottom:

Starting card	1	2	3
7	6	5	4
8	9	10	11
15	14	13	12

Map cards may be rotated and played in any orientation. Map cards are always placed so that their edges line up completely with the adjacent cards. The played map card does not need to match the terrain of the adjacent cards in any way.

Remember, players play map cards simultaneously. This means you may not look at what your opponents are doing during this step until you have placed your own card. Once a card is placed, it may not be rotated or moved.

Playing a set-aside card: Instead of playing a map card from your hand, you may choose to play a card that you set aside with the portal action on an earlier turn. You must still place a card from your hand face up on the table when the other players do, but instead of playing it to your map, you return it to your hand. Then choose 1 of the cards you previously set aside and play it on your map, following the normal placement rules. (See page 9 for more details.)

3. Use the landmark action

Each player may now use the landmark action shown on the map card they just played:

INN:

Move your adventurer up to 5 spaces across your map. You may only move orthogonally, not diagonally. Terrain tiles count as one space. City tiles count as 4 spaces, in a 2x2 grid, as shown on the tile. You may pass through the same space several times in one turn.

If you enter a landmark space or a city tile, immediately place an exploration cube from the supply on it. Each landmark space or city tile may hold only 1 exploration cube. If the exploration cubes run out, use anything else as a substitute.

WIZARD'S TOWER:

Take a terrain tile of your choice from the supply and place it on any space on any map card on your map. That space is now considered to be the terrain shown on the terrain tile.

You may not place a terrain tile on the space your adventurer pawn occupies, on a landmark space, or on top of another terrain tile or city tile.

Breaking ties: If several players take the wizard's tower action during the same turn, they carry out their actions clockwise, starting with the player who holds the cartographer card. Normally this makes no difference until few terrain tiles remain.

QUARRY:

Take a city tile from the centre of the table and place it on your map, covering a 2x2 area of adjacent spaces of the same terrain type as the city tile you chose. This area may span several map cards and may include terrain tiles. Take the city tile of the highest value you can. If you place your city tile on top of any terrain tile, return that terrain tile to the supply before placing the city tile. You may not place a city tile on the space your adventurer pawn occupies.

Breaking ties: If several players take the quarry action during the same turn, they carry out their actions clockwise, starting with the player who holds the cartographer card.

PORTAL:

You may choose either 1 map card from your hand or draw 1 card from the pile. Leave this card face up on the table, set apart from your map. You may play this card on your map on a later turn.

Important: if you already have 3 map cards set aside, you may not take this action.

4. Check the mission card

If any player has met the requirements of the mission card, they take the mission token with the highest value remaining. At the end of the game they score the points shown on the token. Each player may hold only 1 mission token.

Breaking ties: If several players complete the mission during the same turn, they take their mission tokens clockwise, starting with the player who holds the cartographer card.

5. Pass the hand to the left

Each player passes their hand to the player on their left. The cartographer card is passed in the same way. The hand you receive will be your hand for the next turn, which begins now.

End of the Game

When turn 15 is complete, the game ends. Players now total their scores on a scoring pad sheet, as follows:

• Record the points shown on your mission token, if you have one.
• Record 2 points for each exploration cube on your map.
• Record the points shown on each city tile on your map.
• Record the points for the zones of your map for each terrain type, according to the zone card.

The player with the most points is the winner.

In a tie, the player with the mission token of the highest value wins.

Turn Summary

1. Each player draws map cards from the pile until they have 4 map cards in hand.
2. Each player chooses 1 map card to play on their map.
3. Each player may choose to use the landmark action of the card they just played.
4. Check whether any player has completed the mission card.
5. Players pass their hand of cards (including the cartographer card, if held) to the player on their left.

Mission Card Explanations

Cross-Country Tour: You must have an exploration cube on at least 1 landmark space in each of the 4 rows of map cards on your map.

Prepare the Ritual: You must have an exploration cube on at least 1 inn space, 1 wizard's tower space, 1 quarry space and 1 portal space.

Wizard's Apprentice: You must have an exploration cube on at least 4 wizard's tower spaces.

Search the Land: You must have an exploration cube on at least 7 landmark spaces of any type.

Connect the Portals: You must have an exploration cube on at least 3 portal spaces.

Discover Strongholds: You must have an exploration cube on at least 4 landmark spaces (of any type). Each of these landmark spaces must be orthogonally adjacent to at least 1 city tile (of any type).

Places of Power: You must have an exploration cube on 6 landmark spaces (of any type) that form 3 pairs of 2 orthogonally adjacent landmark spaces.

Merchant's Bodyguard: You must have an exploration cube on at least 1 forest city tile, 1 field city tile, 1 mountain city tile and 1 water city tile.

Find Metropolises: You must have an exploration cube on 4 city tiles (of any type) that form 2 pairs of 2 orthogonally adjacent city tiles.

Sweep the Borders: You must have an exploration cube on at least 3 city tiles (of any type) that touch the left or right edge of your map. That is, the city tiles must be on the leftmost edge of column 1 of your map, or on the rightmost edge of column 4 of your map.

Zone Card Explanations

Large Areas: For each of the 4 terrain types, find the largest area on your map of orthogonally connected spaces of that terrain. Score 1 point per space in that area. An area must have at least 10 spaces to score any points. An area can score a maximum of 30 points.

Many Areas: For each of the 4 terrain types, find areas on your map of at least 6 orthogonally connected spaces of that terrain. Score 5 points for each of these areas.