Ex Libris Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components & Setup
  • Town Board Reminders
• Game Overview
  • The Basics
  • The Six Categories
• Book Card Anatomy
• Shelving Cards
• Alphabetical Order
• Shelf Stability
• Prominent Works
• Banned Books
• Categorical Variety
• Library Focus
• Round Overview
• I: The Preparation Phase
• II: The Placement Phase
  • A) Placing on a Location Tile
    • Location Tile Anatomy
  • B) Placing on Your Library Tile
    • Library Tile Anatomy
• III: The Resolution Phase
• IV: The Cleanup Phase
• Final Round & Scoring
  • A1 — Alphabetical Order Check
  • A2 — Categorical Tally
  • B1 — Survey Shelf Stability Bonuses
  • B2 — Bestow Prominent Works Awards
  • B3 — Assign Banned Books Penalties
  • B4 — Assess Categorical Variety Bonuses
  • B5 — Reveal & Score Library Focuses
  • = Total Individual "Section B" Scores
  • Tiebreakers
  • Scoring Example
• Location Glossary
  • 1 — Diviner's Hut
  • 2 — Ye Olde Book Swap (Deal 3)
  • 3 — Auction House (Deal 3)
  • 4 — Donation Centre
  • 5 — Community Centre (Deal 4)
  • 6 — Wishing Well
  • 7 — Gambling Den
  • 8 — Librarians Lodge
  • 9 — Book Collector (Deal 1)
  • 10 — Book Seller (Deal 4)
  • 11 — Garbage Dump
  • 12 — Local Drafthouse
  • 13 — Mystery Shack (Deal 4, face down)
  • 14 — Rummage Sale (Deal 3)
  • 15 — Assistants Guild
  • 16 — Tax Collector
  • 17 — Yard Sale
  • 18 — Shelfmasons Guild
• Timing Conflicts & How to Resolve Them
  • 1st: The Effect of a Location Tile
  • 2nd: The Ability of a Previously Placed Special Assistant
• Library & Special Assistant Glossary
  • The Caverns of Comprehension — The Goblin Sneak
  • The Clockwork Atheneum — The Automaton
  • The Crypt of Accursed Knowledge — The Mummy
  • The Dungeon of Deep Thought — The Gelatinous Cube
  • The Forest Repository — The Sasquatch
  • The Garden of Education — The Bookworm
  • The Haunted House of Learning — The Ghost
  • The Igloo of Information — The Snowman
  • The Junkyard of Enlightenment — The Trash Golem
  • The Literary Laboratory — The Wizard
  • The Swamp of Scholarship — The Witch
  • The Volcanic Biblioteca — The Fire Imp
• Variants
  • Beginner Game
  • Friendlier Game
  • Longer Game
• Solo Mode
  • Solo Mode Setup
  • Solo Round Overview
    • I: The Preparation Phase (Solo)
    • II: The Placement Phase (Solo)
    • III: The Resolution Phase (Solo)
    • IV: The Cleanup Phase (Solo)
  • Solo Game End & Scoring
    • A1 — Alphabetical Order Check
    • A2 — Categorical Tally
    • B1 — Survey Shelf Stability Bonus
    • B2 — Bestow Prominent Works Award
    • B3 — Assign Banned Books Penalties
    • B4 — Assess Categorical Variety Bonuses
    • B5 — Reveal & Score Library Focuses
    • = Total Individual "Section B" Scores
• Credits

Components & Setup

1. Place the town board in the center of the table with the Official Library Inspection Form nearby (not shown).

2. Find the location tile labeled Diviner's Hut and place it face up below the town board. Then shuffle the remaining 17 location tiles and place them in a face-down stack next to the town board.

3. Give the first player token to the player who most recently acquired a book.

4. Shuffle the 12 library tiles and deal out two per player. In reverse order from the first player, each player chooses a library tile, then discards a library tile from the game.

   Note: For a beginner game, give each player a single library tile. The basic libraries are printed on the back. (See the Variants section for more details on the beginner game.)

5. Each player takes the one of the 12 special assistants that matches their library and two standard assistants (shaped like gnomes) in the color of their choice. (There will be a standard assistant of each color left over — these are used in beginner and solo games only.)

   Note: For a beginner game, each player takes three standard assistants in the color of their choice.

6. Shuffle the six category cards and place one face up on the Prominent Works space of the town board, then one face up on the Banned Books space of the town board.

7. Deal one of the remaining category cards face down to each player. This will be their library's focus. Keep your own category card secret by sliding the card underneath the righthand side of your library tile. (You may check your category card at any time.) Return any remaining category cards to the box.

8. Shuffle the 152 book cards thoroughly, then deal six to each player. This will be their starting hand. Place the remaining book cards in two roughly equal stacks near the board in reach of all players. These will be the deck.

Town Board Reminders

The town board displays the following scoring reminders:

• Alphabetical Order: At the end of the game, any card in a player's bookshelf that does not follow the card before it in alphabetical order is flipped to its reverse side. Books on flipped cards are not counted toward final scoring.
• Shelf Stability: Each player earns 1 point per card in their bookshelf that is in their largest stable group of cards. (1x)
• Prominent Works: The player with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most books of this category in their bookshelf at the end of the game will earn: 1st — 15, 2nd — 9, 3rd — 4.
• Banned Books: At the end of the game, each player loses 1 point for every book of this category in their bookshelf. (−1)
• Categorical Variety: Each player earns 3 points for every book in their bookshelf of the category which they have the least of (not counting the banned category). (3x)
• Library Focus: Each player earns 2 points for every book in their bookshelf of the category that matches their library's focus. (2x)

Game Overview

Ex Libris is played over a series of rounds in which players will take turns sending assistants to acquire books for their bookshelves. You will attempt to make sure that your books are in alphabetical order, on stable shelves, with more prominent works than your opponents, as few banned books as possible, a well-rounded variety of categories, and as many of your library's focus as you can manage.

The Basics

There's a lot to juggle if you want to become Grand Librarian, but don't worry, you can handle it! First, let's talk about books.

The 510 unique books in the game are spread across 152 cards and divided into six categories.

The Six Categories

• Corrupted Codices
• Fantastical Fictions
• Historic Volumes
• Monster Manuals
• Reference Texts
• Spells & Potions

Note: The six categories are equally represented in the deck of book cards, with each category appearing 85 times.

Book Card Anatomy

The top portion of each book card provides you with four bits of important information:

1. Letter - This tells you the first letter of the titles of every book on the card.
2. Numerical Order - This tells you the order the card falls in among all the cards that share the same letter.
3. Letter Quantity - The second number in the info banner reminds you how many book cards in total share the same letter.
4. Category Icons - Every card displays two to four category icons, which correspond to the book types.

Designer Note: All the vital info you'll need to play the game resides in the top portion of the card so that you can easily organize your hand of cards. You COULD play the entire game completely ignoring the fancy book illustrations and titles, but you'll be missing out on some pretty great wordplay. Alternatively, if you hate puns, spoofs, jokes, and humor in general, feel free to focus solely on the top portion.

Shelving Cards

In order to add books to your bookshelf, you will be shelving cards, which can be achieved in various ways described later in this rulebook. Regardless of the source, you must always follow these two basic rules when shelving a card:

1. A new book card MUST be shelved orthogonally adjacent to a previously shelved card. Diagonally is not allowed.
2. Your bookshelf may NEVER be more than THREE horizontal rows tall.

Example: A new card added to the bookshelf above may only be shelved in the spaces indicated in green. The spaces indicated in red are not allowed because: (1) This space would extend the bookshelf to be four horizontal rows tall. (2) This space is not orthogonally adjacent to a previously shelved card.

Note: At the end of the game, only cards in your bookshelf will count toward your final score — cards left in your hand won't gain you anything. Shelve them while you can!

Alphabetical Order

Visitors to your library will need to be able to find the books they are looking for easily. With this in mind, the Mayor requires that all the books in your shelf are in order alphabetically, and has instructed the Official Inspector to remove any books that are out of order.

During the inspection at the end of the game, starting with the leftmost book card in the top row of your bookshelf and moving left to right, top to bottom, any card whose letter does not follow the previous card's letter and numerical order will be flipped face down to show an empty shelf section. Therefore, the category icons will no longer count toward your final score.

Example: At first glance, the three cards above (M 8/8, M 3/8, N 3/3) may look to be in order, but the numerical order of the M cards (8 and 3) is incorrect. At the end of the game, the center card would be flipped face down.

Note: Prior to inspection, you may choose to voluntarily flip any card in your bookshelf in order to achieve a more favorable result.

Example: Imagine you prefer not to lose the category icons on the center card from the previous example (for reasons that will be explained shortly). You could instead voluntarily flip the card on the left, leaving the remaining cards in the correct order.

Shelf Stability

The Mayor is, understandably, concerned with the safety of the town's citizens when visiting your library, so the Official Inspector will also be surveying the stability of your bookshelf.

You will earn a bonus at the end of the game for the largest rectangular group of cards in your bookshelf that includes cards on your bottom row. Every card in that rectangular group will earn you 1 point. A rectangle must be at least two cards tall and two cards wide to qualify.

Example: The bookshelves shown above would score the following shelf stability bonuses at the end of the game:

1. 9 points - not bad!
2. 8 points - halflings appreciate short shelves!
3. 0 points - no rectangle can be drawn that includes cards on the bottom row!
4. 12 points!

Note: Flipped cards still count toward your shelf stability bonus, so shelving a book card out of order may occasionally be in your best interest.

Prominent Works

The town's citizens enjoy a wide variety of books, but one category in each game is determined to be their overall favorite. The card that was dealt to the Prominent Works space on the town board represents this popular category.

The players who have the most books that match the Prominent Works category at the end of the game will receive awards. First place earns 15 points, second place earns 9 points, and third place earns 4 points.

Example: At the end of a game where Reference Texts are the Prominent Works category, Jacob has 8, Jamie has 10, Reena has 9, and Alap has 7. Jamie has the most and will earn 15 points. Reena has the second most, earning 9 points. Jacob has the third most, earning 4 points. Alap has the least and receives no reward.

Note: 15 points is a lot, but be careful not to ignore other scoring areas in the pursuit of the most Prominent Works.

Banned Books

The Mayor and Village Council have, for whatever reason, identified one category of books that they find particularly dangerous. The card that was dealt to the Banned Books space on the town board represents this forbidden category.

The Official Inspector will penalize you at the end of the game for having Banned Books in your bookshelf. Every book of this category will cause you to LOSE 1 point.

Example: At the end of a game where Monster Manuals are the Banned Books, Alex realizes he didn't pay enough attention and has an unlucky total of 13 Monster Manuals in his bookshelf. He loses 13 points and vows to pay more attention next time.

Note: Losing points is nothing to be happy about, but there will likely be times when taking a card with a Banned Book will earn you more points than you will lose.

Categorical Variety

The Mayor wants to cater to the town's diverse population, and will require the Grand Librarian to have collected a broad spectrum of books. It's in your best interest to make sure your bookshelf isn't lacking in the five non-banned categories.

When the game ends, you earn 3 points for every book in your bookshelf of the category which you have the least of. Banned Books are not considered when assessing Categorical Variety.

Example: At the end of a game, Ruth has 5 Fantastical Fictions books, 9 Historic Volumes books, 7 Monster Manuals books, 6 Reference Texts books, and 6 Spells & Potions books. She earns 3 points for each of her Fantastical Fictions books (15 points total), since it is the category she has the least of. Corrupted Codices were the Banned Books category and weren't considered.

Note: Ignoring a category is the easiest way to lose a game of Ex Libris. So if you want to lose, we recommend doing so!

Library Focus

The Mayor and Village Council have outlined pretty clearly what they do and don't want in the bookshelf of the potential Grand Librarian, so how are you to stand out from the crowd? The answer is your library's focus — your collection's wow factor that you'll keep hidden from your opponents the entire game. By shelving books that match your library's focus, you may be able to display a specialization no one else has!

At the end of the game, you will reveal your category card and earn 2 points for every book in your bookshelf that matches that category, which is your library's focus.

Example: At the end of a game, Chris reveals his library's focus to be Monster Manuals. He had been taking and shelving them at every opportunity and has 14 Monster Manuals books total in his bookshelf. He earns 2 points for each, which adds up to a sizable 28 points.

Note: Be careful not to be too obvious about which category is your library's focus, or your opponents may figure it out and attempt to keep you from collecting those books.

Round Overview

Each round of Ex Libris consists of four phases, which are always carried out in the following order:

• I: The Preparation Phase
• II: The Placement Phase
• III: The Resolution Phase
• IV: The Cleanup Phase

I: The Preparation Phase

At the beginning of each round, the first player reveals location tiles from the stack and places them face up below the town board until there is one tile per player. (During the first round of the game, the Diviner's Hut location will already be present, so you will deal one less than usual.)

Next, check to see if any of the face-up locations have preparation instructions in their upper right corner — these will tell you a specific number of cards to deal onto the card area on the right side of the tile. Follow these instructions, and if more than one card is dealt onto the tile, splay them vertically so that the vital information of each card can be seen.

II: The Placement Phase

Starting with the first player and going clockwise, players take turns placing one assistant at a time. On your turn, place one of your available assistants on an unoccupied space:

• A) On a location tile (on or below the town board) - or -
• B) On your library tile

Note: You may place either a standard assistant or your special assistant. For the most part, they function identically, and any game text that refers to an "assistant" applies to both types. Your special assistant has an ability that is keyed to its token. Typically, it is activated when they are placed, though not always. The abilities of all special assistants are explained fully in the Library & Special Assistant Glossary.

A) Placing on a Location Tile

If the location your assistant visits has an Instant Effect, you will activate it immediately, following the effect summary text on the tile. If the location has a Delayed Effect, you will activate it in the second half of the round, during the Resolution Phase. The effects of all locations are explained fully in the Location Glossary.

Location Tile Anatomy

The following information can be found on location tiles (Preparation Instructions, Card Area, and Solo Compatibility sections are not present on all location tiles):

1. Number - This is used in the second half of the round.
2. Name & Effect Type - Either an Instant Effect (green banner) or a Delayed Effect (red banner).
3. Preparation Instructions - This tells you how to prepare the tile at the beginning of a round.
4. Card Area - Deal cards here during Preparation Phase.
5. Assistant Spaces - 1-4 spaces assistants can visit.
6. Effect Summary Text - What the effect does.
7. Solo Compatibility - If this icon is present, the location may be used in a solo game.

Note: Some location tiles have assistant spaces that are unavailable when playing with fewer than four players. You may not place an assistant on a space marked with a number that is higher than the number of players.

B) Placing on Your Library Tile

Your library tile has three home action spaces with Instant Effects, which may only be visited by your assistants. When you place an assistant on a home action space, you may either:

1. Draw one card from the deck - or -
2. Shelve one card from your hand

Library Tile Anatomy

The following information can be found on library tiles (Solo Compatibility section is not present on all location tiles):

1. Reference Bookmark - This tells you the quantity of each letter across the entire book card deck.
2. Name - What the library is called.
3. Library Focus - Your category card is tucked under this reminder image.
4. Assistant Spaces - 3 spaces your assistants can visit.
5. Solo Compatibility - If this icon is present, the library may be used in a solo game.
6. Home Action Summary - The home action options.
7. Special Assistant Summary - A summary of your special assistant's ability.

III: The Resolution Phase

When players have no more assistants to place, the Resolution Phase begins. During this phase you will resolve all locations in numerical order, beginning with the Diviner's Hut. To resolve a location, follow these steps:

1. If the location has a Delayed Effect, activate it now by following the effect summary text on the tile.
2. Discard any cards that remain on the location.
3. Return all assistants on the location to their players.

IV: The Cleanup Phase

After all locations have been resolved, check to see which of the tiles below the town board is first in numerical order, then move it onto the bottom half of the town board, in the section labeled Permanent Locations. It will be available each subsequent round until the end of the game. (At the end of the first round, the Diviner's Hut will be the first in numerical order and thus will always be available.)

Note: Permanent locations do not count toward the number of location tiles dealt below the town board at the start of each Preparation Phase. In this way, every round will have one more available location tile than the previous round.

Next, place the remaining location tiles from this round aside, face up in a discard pile. If the location stack is ever depleted, shuffle all discarded locations to create a new face-down stack.

Lastly, remove any remaining assistants from their home spaces, then check to see if one or more players have the required number of shelved cards in their bookshelf to trigger the Final Round. This number varies based on player count:

2 Players	3 Players	4 Players
16 cards	14 cards	12 cards

If the Final Round has not been triggered, begin a new round with the Preparation Phase.

Final Round & Scoring

If the Final Round has been triggered, begin a new round as normal, but this will be the last round of the game. After the Resolution Phase, the player with the best handwriting is appointed the Mayor's Official Inspector, taking Official Library Inspection Form B-7c and following each step on the form to calculate scores:

Note: Remember that, prior to inspection, you may choose to voluntarily flip any card in your bookshelf in order to achieve a more favorable result.

A1 — Alphabetical Order Check

Each player checks the bookshelf of the opponent to their right. Starting with the leftmost card in their top row and moving right across each row, flip any card that does not alphabetically and numerically follow the card before it.

A2 — Categorical Tally

Next, the Official Inspector will call out each of the six categories, one at a time. After a category is called out, each player counts the number of books in their bookshelf that match the category and announces their total. The Official Inspector records these totals.

B1 — Survey Shelf Stability Bonuses

Each player counts the largest rectangular group of cards in their bookshelf that includes cards on their bottom row. Every card in that rectangular group earns them 1 point. A rectangle must be at least two cards tall and two cards wide to qualify.

B2 — Bestow Prominent Works Awards

The Official Inspector circles the row in the categorical tally section that matches the category card dealt to the Prominent Works space on the town board. The player with first place in this row is awarded 15 points, second place is awarded 9 points, and third place is awarded 4 points. In the case of a tie between two or more players, add the award for the tied place to the next lowest place (if any) and divide the total as evenly as possible, rounding up.

B3 — Assign Banned Books Penalties

The Official Inspector draws a zig-zag line around the row in the categorical tally section that matches the category card dealt to the Banned Books space on the town board. Assign each player a -1 point penalty for every banned book in their bookshelf.

B4 — Assess Categorical Variety Bonuses

The Official Inspector finds the category each player has the fewest books of (ignoring Banned Books) and multiplies that number by 3 points to determine their variety bonus.

B5 — Reveal & Score Library Focuses

Each player now reveals their category card, scoring 2 points for every book in their bookshelf matching their library's focus.

= Total Individual "Section B" Scores

Finally, one player at a time, the Official Inspector adds up all the figures in section B. The player with the highest score wins!

Tiebreakers

In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most books in their bookshelf wins. If still tied, the tied player with the fewest cards in their hand wins. If the tie persists, the tied player with the fewest Banned Books in their library wins. If the tie still persists, the first tied player to finish reading a book is the winner.

Scoring Example

Example: At the end of a four-player game, Eric emerges victorious with a whopping score of 55 points! His keys to success were an extremely stable shelf, getting second place in Prominent Works, an even variety of categories, and an impressive library focus.

Location Glossary

1 — Diviner's Hut

Tile text: Draw 1 card for every assistant you have placed. Take the 1st Player token.

Instant Effect - First, draw one card for every assistant you have placed this round, including this one. Next, take the first player token from the player who currently has it. If you already have the first player token, keep it.

Note: The Ghost may not visit the Diviner's Hut.

2 — Ye Olde Book Swap (Deal 3)

Tile text: Trade 1 card from your hand with 1 card from this location. The newly acquired card may be shelved.

Instant Effect - Trade one card from your hand with one card from Ye Olde Book Swap's card area. You may shelve the newly acquired card.

Note: Visiting Ye Olde Book Swap has no effect if you have no cards in your hand, or if there are no cards in Ye Olde Book Swap's card area.

3 — Auction House (Deal 3)

Tile text: When placing, choose a bid space. Return outbid assistants to their player. During resolution, the highest bidder must discard a number of cards equal to their bid to take and/or shelve the 3 auctioned cards.

When placing an assistant at the Auction House, choose one of the four bid spaces. If an assistant is already present, even if one of your own, you must choose a bid space that is a higher number, if able (a bid of four cannot be outbid). Return the lower-bidding assistant to their player — it may be placed again on a subsequent turn this round.

Delayed Effect - Discard a number of cards from your hand equal to your bid space to take the three cards from the Auction House's card area. You may shelve any/all of them.

Note: If you are unable to discard the required number of cards, you receive nothing from the Auction House. The Auction House has no effect if there are no cards in the Auction House's card area.

4 — Donation Centre

Tile text: Discard 1 or more cards, then shelve up to 2 cards from your hand. (Second assistant space is 3+ players.)

Instant Effect - Discard one or more cards from your hand and/or library, then shelve up to two cards from your hand.

5 — Community Centre (Deal 4)

Tile text: Take 1 card from this location, then give 1 of the remaining cards to an opponent. Both cards may be shelved.

Instant Effect - First, take one card from the Community Centre's card area. Next, if any cards remain in the card area, give one to any opponent. Any cards you acquired from the Community Centre may be shelved.

Note: Visiting the Community Centre has no effect if there are no cards in the Community Centre's card area.

6 — Wishing Well

Tile text: Discard X cards, then draw X+1. You may shelve 1 of the newly acquired cards. (Second assistant space is 4+ players.)

Instant Effect - Discard any number of cards from your hand (including zero), then draw one more than the number you discarded. You may shelve one of the cards drawn.

7 — Gambling Den

Tile text: Starting with the active player and going clockwise, all players name 1 unique category for each of their assistants below. Reveal 4 cards from the deck. The player whose category has the most matching books takes all matching cards, may shelve 1 per player below, and discards the rest. (Third assistant space is 3+ players, fourth is 4+ players.)

Instant Effect - Starting with the active player and moving clockwise, each player with an assistant at the Gambling Den names a different category. The active player reveals four cards from the deck. The player whose named category has the most matching books amongst the revealed cards wins and takes all the revealed cards with matching books. Discard any remaining revealed cards. The winner may shelve one of the cards they took for every player with an assistant at the Gambling Den.

Note: In the case of a tie between the active player and any other players, the active player wins. If the active player is not part of the tie, the winner is the player closest to the active player, in counter-clockwise order.

Example: Anita places an assistant at the Gambling Den, where Scott and Sara already have one assistant each. Anita names Fantastical Fictions, Scott names Spells & Potions, and Sara names Corrupted Codices.

Anita reveals 4 cards from the deck. There are 4 Fantastical Fictions, 5 Spells & Potions, and 3 Corrupted Codices. Scott wins, and takes all the revealed cards with Spells & Potions books, discarding the rest. He may shelve 3 of the cards he took, since there are 3 players with assistants at the Gambling Den.

If there had been 1 less Spells & Potions book, Anita (the active player) would have won the tie.

8 — Librarians Lodge

Tile text: You may perform the following actions once each in any order: A) Move one of your previously placed assistants from a location to one of your home action spaces & activate it. B) Swap 1 card from your library with any card in your hand, another card in your library, or to any allowed position in your library.

Instant Effect - You may perform the following actions once each, in whatever order you choose:

• A) Move one of your previously placed assistants from a location's assistant space to one of your library tile's home action spaces and take a home action.
• B) Swap one card from your bookshelf with any card in your hand -or- swap one card from your bookshelf with another card from your bookshelf -or- remove one card from your bookshelf, then shelve it again.

9 — Book Collector (Deal 1)

Tile text: Discard any number of cards from your hand and/or library. For every 2 books discarded that match 1 of the Book Collector's categories, draw 1 card from the deck. You may shelve up to 2 of the cards drawn.

Instant Effect - Discard any number of cards from your hand and/or bookshelf. Count the number of category icons on the discarded cards that match a category icon on the card in the Book Collector's card area. Draw cards equal to half that number, rounded down. You may shelve up to two of the cards drawn.

10 — Book Seller (Deal 4)

Tile text: Take 1 card from this location. You may shelve it. (Third assistant space is 3+ players, fourth is 4+ players.)

Instant Effect - Take one card from the Book Seller's card area. You may shelve it.

Note: Visiting the Book Seller has no effect if there are no cards in the Book Seller's card area.

11 — Garbage Dump

Tile text: Name a category, then search the discard pile. Take any 1 card containing a book of the named category. You may shelve it.

Delayed Effect - Name a category, then search the discard pile. Take any one card containing a book of the named category. If no cards are present in the discard pile that contain a book of the named category, you receive nothing. If you took a card, you may shelve it.

Note: Visiting the Garbage Dump has no effect if there are no cards in the discard pile.

12 — Local Drafthouse

Tile text: The player on space 1 below reveals 2 cards from the deck for every assistant at this location. In the order below, each player takes 1 card until none remain. Any/all drafted cards may be shelved. (Third assistant space is 3+ players, fourth is 4+ players.)

Delayed Effect - The player whose assistant was placed on the first space of the Local Drafthouse reveals two cards from the deck for every assistant present at the Local Drafthouse. The player whose assistant was placed on the first space takes one of the revealed cards, followed by the player whose assistant was placed on the second space, and so on, repeating the process until all the revealed cards have been taken. Any/all of the cards taken may be shelved.

13 — Mystery Shack (Deal 4, face down)

Tile text: Name a category, then peek at all the mystery cards. Reveal and take any/all cards matching that category. Return the remaining cards face down. You may shelve 1 of the newly acquired cards. (Third assistant space is 3+ players.)

Instant Effect - Name a category, then look at all the face-down cards on the Mystery Shack's card area, without revealing them to your opponents. Reveal and take any/all cards containing at least one book matching your named category. Return the remaining cards face down. You may shelve one of the cards newly acquired.

Note: Visiting the Mystery Shack has no effect if there are no cards in the Mystery Shack's card area.

14 — Rummage Sale (Deal 3)

Tile text: Take 1 card from this location. Take 1 additional card if another assistant is present. All newly acquired cards may be shelved.

Instant Effect - Take one of the cards from the Rummage Sale's card area. Take one additional card if another assistant, including one of your own, is present. All cards taken from the Rummage Sale may be shelved.

Note: Visiting the Rummage Sale has no effect if there are no cards in the Rummage Sale's card area.

15 — Assistants Guild

Tile text: Move one of your previously placed assistants from a home action space to a space occupied by an opponent's assistant. Return their assistant. If the location's effect is instant, activate it.

Instant Effect - Move one of your previously placed assistants from one of your library tile's home action spaces to a location's assistant space that is occupied by an opposing assistant. Return the opposing assistant to that opponent — it may be placed again on a subsequent turn this round. If the location's effect is an Instant Effect, activate it.

Note: Visiting the Assistants Guild has no effect if you do not have an assistant on one of your library tile's home action spaces.

16 — Tax Collector

Tile text: In turn order, each opponent must discard 1 card to this location. You may discard X cards to take X cards from this location. You may shelve any/all of the newly acquired cards. (Third assistant space is 3+ players.)

Instant Effect - First, in turn order, each opponent must discard one card from their hand or library face up to the Tax Collector's card area. Next, you may discard any number of cards from your hand or library to take the same number of cards from the Tax Collector's card area. Lastly, you may shelve any/all of the cards taken from the Tax Collector's card area.

17 — Yard Sale

Tile text: Reveal any number of cards from your hand. In turn order, each opponent may take or shelve 1 of your revealed cards or pass. Continue until all revealed cards are gone or all opponents have passed. For each of your revealed cards taken or shelved by an opponent, draw 2 cards then shelve any 1 card from your hand.

Instant Effect - Reveal any number of cards from your hand. In turn order, each opponent may take or shelve one of your revealed cards or pass. Repeat the process in the same order until all your revealed cards are gone or all of your opponents have passed. For each of your revealed cards taken or shelved by an opponent, draw two cards from the deck, then shelve any one card from your hand.

Note: Visiting the Yard Sale has no effect if you have no cards in your hand.

18 — Shelfmasons Guild

Tile text: Shift any number of adjacent cards in a single row of your library any number of spaces in one direction. (Second assistant space is 3+ players.)

Instant Effect - Shift any number of adjacent cards in a single row of your bookshelf any number of spaces in one direction, ensuring that you do not split your bookshelf into two separate groups at any point in the process.

Timing Conflicts & How to Resolve Them

If a timing conflict arises between the effects of locations and/or the abilities of one or more special assistants, the below order of operations should be followed to determine which takes priority:

1st: The Effect of a Location Tile

Example: The effect of the Assistants Guild would allow an assistant to visit an occupied assistant space at the same location as the Snowman, including the Snowman's space.

2nd: The Ability of a Previously Placed Special Assistant

Example 1: If the Goblin Sneak visits the same location as the Gelatinous Cube, the Gelatinous Cube's ability triggers first, then the Goblin Sneak's.

Example 2: The Ghost cannot visit the same assistant space as the Snowman, because the Snowman's ability takes precedence.

Note: When a conflict arises between more than two special assistants, the assistant that has been at the location longest takes priority, then second longest, and so on.

Library & Special Assistant Glossary

The Caverns of Comprehension — The Goblin Sneak

Tile text: When visiting a location, may attempt to pickpocket each opponent present. Pickpocketed cards may be shelved.

The Goblin Sneak: When the Goblin Sneak visits the same location as one or more opponents, prior to activating any effects, you may attempt to pickpocket. Choose an opponent present at the location and name a category. That opponent must give you a card containing a book of that category, if able, or show you a hand containing none. Repeat this process for each opponent present at that location. Any cards acquired this way may be shelved.

The Clockwork Atheneum — The Automaton

Tile text: Gains a free home action for every friendly assistant present on the same tile.

The Automaton: When the Automaton visits a location or your library, prior to activating any effects, you may perform one home action for each of your other assistants already present at the location.

The Crypt of Accursed Knowledge — The Mummy

Tile text: May entomb cards when shelving. Entombed cards are worth 2 points each at the end of the game.

The Mummy: When the Mummy shelves a card, you may entomb the card by placing it either directly on top of, or directly underneath, a previously shelved card in your bookshelf. The bottom card of the stack is flipped face down and its icons no longer count during scoring. You may never have more than one card under each card in your bookshelf. At the end of the game, entombed cards in your bookshelf are worth 2 points each. Add the total to your shelf stability bonus.

Note: If the top card of an entombed stack is discarded for any reason, the card remaining underneath is no longer considered entombed, but stays flipped face down.

The Dungeon of Deep Thought — The Gelatinous Cube

Tile text: When an opponent visits the Cube's location, they must either give you 1 random card -or- allow you to perform both home actions.

The Gelatinous Cube: If an opposing assistant visits the same location as the Gelatinous Cube, prior to activating any effects or abilities, they must either:

• A) Give you a random card from their hand -or-
• B) Allow you to perform both home actions

The Forest Repository — The Sasquatch

Tile text: May not visit the same location as an opponent. If an opponent visits the Sasquatch's location, you may retrieve it to place again on a later turn.

The Sasquatch: The Sasquatch may only visit locations where opposing assistants are not present. If an opposing assistant visits the same location as the Sasquatch, before they activate any effects or abilities, you may choose to retrieve the Sasquatch — it may be placed again on a subsequent turn this round.

The Garden of Education — The Bookworm

Tile text: Performs both home actions. May discard 1 card to repeat.

The Bookworm: When the Bookworm visits a home action space, you may perform both home actions. Afterward, you may discard a card from your hand or bookshelf to repeat the process once.

The Haunted House of Learning — The Ghost

Tile text: May not visit the Diviner's Hut. May share spaces with opposing assistants at instant locations & draws 1 card when it does.

The Ghost: The Ghost may not visit the Diviner's Hut. (The Diviner has warded her hut from uninvited spirits.)

You may place the Ghost on assistant spaces that are occupied by opposing assistants at locations with instant effects; the two assistants share the space. When you do so, prior to activating any effects or abilities, draw one card from the deck. Afterward, activate the location's effect. You may not use this ability on locations with delayed effects.

The Igloo of Information — The Snowman

Tile text: Other assistants may not visit the same location as the Snowman.

The Snowman: As long as the Snowman is on an assistant space at a location with an instant effect, no more assistants may visit the location.

The Junkyard of Enlightenment — The Trash Golem

Tile text: May take and/or shelve 1 card that would be discarded from each location as it resolves.

The Trash Golem: If the Trash Golem is present at a location during step 2 of the Resolution Phase, you may choose one card that would be discarded from each location as it resolves and either take it or shelve it. Continue this process until the Trash Golem's location itself is resolved and its token returns to you.

The Literary Laboratory — The Wizard

Tile text: May shift a group of adjacent cards any direction by one space prior to shelving a card.

The Wizard: When the Wizard shelves a card, you may shift a group of any number of adjacent cards in your bookshelf one space in any direction to create one or more empty spaces, then shelve the new card in a newly created empty space. Your bookshelf may disconnect temporarily, so long as it follows all shelving rules after the new card is added.

The Swamp of Scholarship — The Witch

Tile text: When acquiring a banned book, reveal the top card of the deck. You may take it instead.

The Witch: Any time the Witch acquires a card containing at least one Banned Book, reveal the top card of the deck. You may take either the original card or the revealed card, then discard whichever card you did not take.

The Volcanic Biblioteca — The Fire Imp

Tile text: May discard 1 card from a location to perform 1 home action -or- discard ALL cards to perform 2 home actions.

The Fire Imp: When the Fire Imp visits a location with one or more cards in its card area, prior to activating any effects, you may either:

• A) Discard one card from the location's card area to perform one home action -or-
• B) Discard ALL cards from the location's card area to perform two home actions

Note: If a location tile has only one card in its card area, you may only choose option A above.

Variants

Below are a few ways to vary the gameplay of Ex Libris to suit your play styles and preferences.

Beginner Game

If you'd like to play with younger players (or with players who are less familiar with modern board games), during setup, give each player three standard assistants and a basic library tile.

In addition, consider removing the following location tiles: the Auction House, the Gambling Den, the Librarians Lodge, the Book Collector, the Assistants Guild, and the Yard Sale.

Friendlier Game

If you'd like to play a nicer game with less direct conflict, prior to setup, remove the following location tiles: the Auction House, the Gambling Den, the Assistants Guild, and the Tax Collector. Additionally, remove the following library tiles: the Caverns of Comprehension, the Dungeon of Deep Thought, the Igloo of Information, and the Volcanic Biblioteca.

Longer Game

If you'd like a longer game, simply increase the required number of shelved cards a player must have in their bookshelf to trigger the Final Round:

2 Players	3 Players	4 Players
19 cards	17 cards	15 cards

Solo Mode

The solo mode is played over a series of five rounds played similarly to the multiplayer game, with a few key differences. Rather than competing against rival book collectors, you'll be attempting to have your librarian license approved. To do so, you'll need to exceed the score of the public library, which is represented by the entire discard pile.

Solo Mode Setup

1. Place the town board in the center of the table with the Official Librarian License Application S-42a nearby.

2. Gather the 10 location tiles with the solo compatible icon underneath the number. Leave the 8 incompatible location tiles in the box; they are not used in solo games. Shuffle the solo compatible location tiles, then deal 6 onto the bottom section of the town board (they will overhang slightly). Place the remaining 4 tiles in a face-down stack nearby.

3. Gather the 7 library tiles with the solo compatible icon to the right of the assistant spaces. Leave the 5 incompatible library tiles in the box; they are not used in solo games. Shuffle the solo compatible library tiles, then draw 2. Choose 1 of these 2, then return all others to the box.

4. Take the special assistant that matches your library and three standard assistants in the color of your choice.

5. Shuffle the category cards and place 1 face up on the Prominent Works space on the town board and 1 face up on the Banned Books space. Additionally, deal 1 face down to the Public Library Focus space of the Official Librarian License Application S-42a without looking at it.

6. Deal 1 of the remaining category cards to yourself for your library's focus. Place the 2 remaining category cards face down on the top space of the Official Librarian License Application S-42a without looking at them.

7. Shuffle the book cards thoroughly, then draw 6 to form your starting hand. Place the remaining book cards in two roughly equal stacks near the board. These will be the deck.

Solo Round Overview

The solo mode consists of the same four phases as the multiplayer game, but with slight adjustments to each:

• I: The Preparation Phase
• II: The Placement Phase
• III: The Resolution Phase
• IV: The Cleanup Phase

I: The Preparation Phase (Solo)

Unlike the multiplayer game, new location tiles are not revealed during the Preparation Phase. Instead you will discard a number of book cards from the deck each round.

The number you must discard is determined by the difficulty level you choose to play. We recommend starting with the beginner level until you are familiar with the differences in gameplay.

Difficulty Level	Number of Cards Discarded Each Round
Beginner	1
Easy	2
Challenging	3
Difficult	4
Very Difficult	5
Nigh Impossible	6
Impossible	7

You may examine book cards as they are discarded, but you may not look through the discard pile otherwise. Only the top card of the discard pile should be visible.

Next, follow the preparation instructions on each of the face-up location tiles in the same way as the multiplayer game.

Note: At the beginning of the 2nd and 4th rounds, prior to discarding book cards, reveal one of the category cards from the top space of the Official Librarian License Application S-42a, then return it to the box. This will help you narrow down what the public library's focus might be.

II: The Placement Phase (Solo)

The Placement Phase works in the same way as the multiplayer game, except only one of your assistants may be present on a location tile at any given time.

III: The Resolution Phase (Solo)

When you have placed all four of your assistants, carry out the steps of the Resolution Phase in the same way as the multiplayer game.

IV: The Cleanup Phase (Solo)

After all locations have been resolved, you must now choose two location tiles to eliminate from the game. Return the eliminated tiles to the box, then draw a new location tile from the face-down stack to add to the town board. Thus each round will be played with one less location:

1st Round	2nd Round	3rd Round	4th Round	5th Round
6 locations	5 locations	4 locations	3 locations	2 locations

At the end of the fifth round, when all the location tiles have been eliminated, the solo game ends. Cross your fingers and continue to Game End & Scoring.

Solo Game End & Scoring

First, you must discard all cards remaining in your hand. Next, spread the discard pile out into several columns so that you can see and easily count all the category icons on each card. You will now use the Official Librarian License Application S-42a to calculate your score.

Note: Remember, the public library is represented by the entire discard pile. Spread all the cards in the discard pile out in such a way that you can see all the category icons.

A1 — Alphabetical Order Check

Check your bookshelf for alphabetical order as normal. The public library does not check for alphabetical order. (The public expects it to be a mess.)

A2 — Categorical Tally

Next, for each category, record the total number of matching individual books in both your bookshelf and the public library.

B1 — Survey Shelf Stability Bonus

Survey your shelf stability as normal. The public library does not survey shelf stability. (Years of neglect have resulted in piles of books everywhere in lieu of shelves.)

B2 — Bestow Prominent Works Award

Circle the row in the categorical tally section that matches the category card dealt to the Prominent Works space on the town board. If you have the higher number in this row, you are awarded 15 points. If the public library has the higher number in this row, they are awarded the 15 points instead. There is no second place award in the solo game. The public library wins all ties.

B3 — Assign Banned Books Penalties

Draw a zig-zag line around the row in the categorical tally section that matches the category card dealt to the Banned Books space on the town board. Assign yourself a -1 point penalty for every banned book in your bookshelf, then do the same for the public library.

B4 — Assess Categorical Variety Bonuses

Find the category you have the fewest books of, ignoring Banned Books, and multiply that number of books by 3 points to determine your variety bonus. Do the same for the public library.

B5 — Reveal & Score Library Focuses

Score 2 points for every book in your bookshelf matching your library's focus, then reveal the public library's focus and do the same for the public library.

= Total Individual "Section B" Scores

Finally, add up all the figures in section B. If your score exceeds the public library's score, you win! If there is a tie, or if your score does not exceed the public library's score, you lose.

Example: For Scooter's first solo game, he thought he'd skip the beginner level and try "easy" difficulty. Though he got a great shelf stability bonus and fed the public library lots of Banned Books, he neglected his own variety bonus and just missed the Prominent Works award by 4 Monster Manuals. No librarian license this time, but now he knows how to improve his chances the next time he plays!

Credits

Game Design: Adam P. McIver Producer: Scott Gaeta Illustration: Jacqui Davis Graphic Design: Adam P. McIver & Anita Osburn Proofreading: Dustin Schwartz

Renegade Game Studios: President & Publisher: Scott Gaeta Controller: Robyn Gaeta Director of Sales & Marketing: Sara Erickson Creative Director: Anita Osburn Customer Service: Jenni Kingma

Special Thanks — The game designer would like to thank: God, for the blessings and opportunities I don't come anywhere close to deserving. My wife, #1 playtester, and all-around best friend Kerry, for the boundless support, endless encouragement, and for occasionally letting me win a game here and there. My good friends J. Alex Kevern and Christopher Bryan, for the invaluable feedback, constant inspiration, and good times.

Thanks to everyone on Twitter and IRL who suggested book titles. Thanks to Adam Buckingham, Anthony Racano, Donald Shults, Dustin Schwartz, Gil Hova, Matt Morgan, Sean McCoy, and T.C. Petty III for suggesting good book titles. Thanks to all the playtesters, Scott and Sara for giving me the opportunity, and most of all to everyone who wanted a game about books!

For additional information or support, please visit us online: www.renegadegames.com

©Copyright 2017 Renegade Game Studios