Fire & Stone (2022)
Fire & Stone Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
General Components
(Both sides of the tiles are shown.)
Board: 1 game board.
Tiles: 24 animal tiles, 24 bags, 63 discovery tiles —
- 24x region I: 12 gathering tiles (3 each), 3 forests, 4 huts, 3 fires, 2 secret stash
- 25x region II: 12 gathering tiles (3 each), 4 forests, 5 huts, 3 fires, 1 cave
- 14x region III: 8 gathering tiles (2 each), 1 forest, 3 huts, 2 fires
Wood: 30 food tokens (if depleted, please use suitable replacements).
Cards: 17 inventions, 24 caves, 4 player aids, 1 end-of-game card, 5 tasks, 14 victory point (VP) cards (4x 1 VP, 4x 2 VP, 4x 3 VP, 2x 4 VP), 4 starting inventions (only for the variant! Leave these in the box if playing the regular game).
Player components in black, blue, red and yellow
Board: 4 tribe mats (1 each).
Cards: 4 placement cards (1 each for the task).
Wood: 12 scouts (3 each), 80 huts (20 each).
Tiles: 8 start gathering tiles (2 each), 4 marking stones (1 each for some cave cards).
Game Setup
- Place the game board in the middle of the table. The map on the board is separated into 3 regions (I Africa and Europe, II Asia and III America). The number is displayed next to the region. Each region consists of several areas.
- Sort the discovery tiles according to their backsides (I, II, and III) and shuffle the tiles for each region into separate, face-down stacks. Place a tile face-down on each area with a food icon that corresponds to the region. Do skip areas with a fire icon.
- Shuffle the animal tiles face-down. Create 8 face-down stacks with 3 tiles each and place them on the animal spaces at the bottom of the game board.
- Shuffle the cave cards face-down and draw 1 at random. Place it face-down (without looking at it) on the cave card space on the game board. Return the remaining cave cards to the box. They are not needed in this game. For your first game, use a card with a boar in the upper left.
- Shuffle the invention cards and place them as a face-down deck next to the game board. Reveal the top 3 cards and place them next to the deck as the display. Leave the starting inventions in the box.
- Sort the Victory Point (VP) cards according to their value. Form the deck of VP cards from lowest to highest, with the I at the bottom and the IIII on top. Do not shuffle. Place the deck next to the invention deck.
- Place the food tokens, the bag tiles and the game end card next to the game board within reach.
- Choose your player color and take 1 tribe mat, 1 placement card, 20 huts, 1 marking stone, 2 start gathering tiles and 3 scouts of that color. Place the tribe mat and the placement card next to each other in front of you. Place scouts on the game board: 1 scout on the hut track showing scouts. 1 scout on space 0 of the VP track. 1 scout on the starting space in the south of Africa (region I) showing scouts. Take a player aid.
- Shuffle the task cards face-down. Take 1 each and look at it. Keep it secret from the others by placing it face-down on your placement card next to your tribe mat. Place your marking stone on the placement card.
- Take the 2 start gathering tiles in your color and place them on the 2 lowest spaces of your gathering stores on your tribe mat. There is a small change in this setup for a game with 2 or 3 players. Check the box "A game with 2 or 3 players" below.
- Determine the starting player at random.
The tribe mat
This is the space for your gained animal tiles. Place them face-down.
These columns are your 2 gathering stores (a light and a dark one). You can place 2 different types of gathering tiles here (1 type per column).
This is your food supply. You can store exactly 1 food per bag, i.e. 2 at the beginning of the game. In the course of the game you can receive bag tiles that increase the size of your food supply. You place them from the bottom to the top of the opening.
A game with 2 or 3 players
In a game with 2 players, you play without start gathering tiles. Return them to the box.
In a game with 3 players, start with only 1 of the 2 start gathering tiles. Choose whether you all use the tile with the sun or moon symbol on the back. The tiles with the other symbol are not needed. Return them to the box.
Gameplay
Beginning with the starting player and continuing clockwise around the table, each player takes a turn. On your turn, perform the following steps in the order shown below with each of your scouts. If you have 2 scouts, completely perform all steps with 1 scout before completing the steps with your 2nd scout. After that, your turn is over.
1. Move
Move your scout up to 2 areas away. Areas must be adjacent to one another. Each movement is called a step. You may not start and end the movement on the same area. Several scouts, even of different tribes, may occupy the same area. You may not move your scout to the second region (II) until the third hut tile is revealed. You may not enter the third region (III) until the ninth hut tile is revealed. More about this under The hut track.
Note: The white arrows are sea routes. You may only use them if you have the invention Ship building and its effect is not covered.
Example: Since the 3rd hut tile was revealed, you may move your scout to region II.
Example: A settlement is an area with 1 or more huts.
2. Action
The action you can take after the end of your movement depends on whether the area is empty, shows a fire, contains a settlement, or if there is a face-up or face-down discovery tile on the area:
a) If you end your movement in an area with a face-down discovery tile, reveal the tile. If it has a discovery effect, you must perform it now. After that, you may perform the action of the tile. b) If you end your movement in an area with a face-up discovery tile, imprinted fire, or settlement, you may perform the action of the tile or imprinted fire or hut. You never perform the discovery effect on a face-up tile. c) If you end your movement on an area that only displays a food icon (i.e. there is no discovery tile, hut, or fire printed on it), you may gain 1 food as an action, provided you have free space in your food supply.
Gaining Food
The bags on your tribe mat form your food supply. You may only gain food if you can place it in a free bag. If you do not have a free bag, discard the food you would have gained.
Example: Red gains 3 food. But since Red has only 2 free bags left, Red takes only 2 food and the 3rd is discarded.
Tiles per region
There are different types of discovery tiles, each with its own action. You can find the amount of fire and hut tiles in each region on the game board next to the regions. You can see how many forest tiles are in each region by the number of animal piles for the regions at the bottom of the game board.
Example: Region I contains 4 hut, 3 fire and 3 forest tiles.
The discovery effects and actions in detail
Forest
Discovery effect: Take 1 of the animal stacks of the corresponding region from the bottom of the game board and place it face-down on the newly revealed forest.
Action: Take the animal tiles from that area, look and choose 1 of them. Place the chosen tile face-down on the animal tile space on your tribe mat. Return the other animal tiles back face-down to the forest area. If you end your movement on an area with a forest tile, but there are no more animal tiles on the area, you get nothing (not even food). So the choice of animal tokens gets smaller and smaller. However, leave the forest tile after you have taken the last animal tile, because the forest tiles are important for one of the tasks at the end of the game.
Example: Red reveals a forest tile. As a discovery, Red places 1 pile of 3 animal tiles in the area. Red then chooses 1 of these animal tiles and places it face-down on their own tribe mat. Finally, Red places the remaining animal tiles face-down back on the forest area.
Fire (tile)
Discovery effect (applies only for newly revealed fire tiles): Gain 1 VP (on the VP track).
Action (applies for all fires): Prepare any number of your animal tiles in any order over the fire. To do this, reveal the animal tiles you want to use from your tribe mat, take the reward shown (food and/or bag), and place the tiles face up in the discard pile. Food that you cannot place in your food supply is discarded.
Example: (1) Blue reveals a fire tile. (2) As a discovery effect, Blue immediately gains 1 VP. (3) Now Blue may prepare any number of animal tiles on the fire as an action. Blue decides to use only 1 of the 2 animal tiles and receives 1 bag and 3 food.
Gathering tile
Discovery effect: None.
Action: Decide whether to a) take or b) leave the gathering tile:
a) If you take the gathering tile, place it on the lowest free space of one of the two gathering stores on your tribe mat. Only tiles of the same type may be placed in the same gathering store. If you already have tiles of other types in both gathering stores, empty 1 of them first. To do this, place all of the tiles in the gathering store face-up in the discard pile next to the game board. Then place the new tile in the empty gathering store.
Card icon: If you cover the card icon with the new gathering tile, gain 1 invention card or 1 VP card (see Taking invention and VP cards). If you have placed the gathering tile on the last empty space of a gathering store, first take a card and then place all gathering tiles from this full gathering store face-up on the discard pile next to the game board.
b) If you leave the gathering tile on the area, you get 2 food. (Remember: food that you cannot place in your food supply is discarded.)
Example: Blue decides to take the mushroom gathering tile. Since both gathering stores already contain tiles with other types, Blue must first remove the tiles from one of the stores. Blue removes the apples and places the mushroom on the bottom space of the gathering store.
Hut tile
Discovery effect: You must immediately build 1 hut from your supply on this area for free. Place the hut on the food icon of the area.
Then place the hut tile on the space of the hut track with the lowest free number. Some spaces on the hut track have special meaning (see The hut track). You must then immediately move your scout to a fire (tile) in the same region. You may not also perform the fire's action afterwards.
Action: None.
Example: (1) Blue reveals a hut tile. As a discovery effect, Blue immediately places 1 of their own huts on the area for free. (2) Blue then places the hut token on the lowest free space of the hut track. Since this is the third space, from now on everyone may move their scouts into region II as well. (3) Blue must then place the scout in a fire area in the same region. Blue may not perform any action with this scout at the fire.
Settlement (area with 1 or more huts)
Discovery effect: None.
Action: Build 1 hut on this area for food. For the food cost, check how many huts are already on the area. Pay 1 food for each hut that is on the area before you build the hut. Then place 1 of your huts there. The second hut on an area thus costs 1 food, the third 2 food, and so on. When determining the cost, it does not matter whose huts are already on the area. All huts count, even your own. After you have built a hut, you must move your scout to a fire (tile) in the same region. You may not also perform the fire's action afterwards.
Example: As an action, Red builds a new hut. Since there are already 2 huts on the area, the new hut costs Red 2 food. Then Red must place the scout on a fire area in the same region.
Secret stash
Discovery effect: Take 1 bag and 1 food. Remove the tile from the game board.
Action: None.
Cave
(easier / more difficult, shown on the cave icon)
Discovery effect: Immediately reveal the cave card on the game board. Then immediately perform the discovery effect of the cave card (upper right), if available. The rules of the cave card come into effect immediately in addition to the normal rules. The rules for each cave are on the card and are complemented in the appendix if necessary.
There are different types of rules changes – one-time effects, a permanent additional action on the area of the cave tile, or a rule change for region II or all regions of the game board.
Depending on which cave card is in play and when you reveal the cave tile, the cave will have a stronger or weaker effect on the game.
Action: Take the corresponding action of the cave card, if possible.
Example: (1) Blue moves to the cave area and takes the action of the Garden of Eden cave card. (2) As this action, Blue builds the third hut on the area, but instead of paying the cost of 2 food, they must take 2 food from the cave card and immediately place it in their own food supply. If Blue did not have enough space for the food, Blue would not be allowed to build the hut. Then Blue must still place the scout to a fire (tile) in region II.
Sample cave card — Garden of Eden: Place 10 food on this card. The cave area becomes a settlement area with the following rules changes: When building a hut on the cave area, you take the cost in food from the area instead of paying. Important: You can only build if you can take the complete food cost (you have enough empty bags). If there is no more food on this card, you cannot build anymore in the cave area.
Taking invention and VP cards
If you cover a card icon with a gathering tile, gain 1 card. You have the choice between an invention card from the display or the top VP card.
Taking an invention
When you take an invention, place it face-up next to your tribe mat, or next to an invention you have already taken. Then fill up the display by revealing a new invention from the invention pile. If the invention pile is empty, no card is added to the display. You may have as many inventions as you like, but each one only exactly once, even if the effect of the invention is already covered (see Taking a VP Card). Inventions give you a permanent effect that affects obtaining food, your movement, hut building, or gathering. You can always use all the visible effects of your inventions on your turn. Inventions related to food also give you an instant effect. You get this effect once when you take the card. The exact effects of the inventions can be found in the appendix.
The inventions: the icon on an invention indicates what the invention relates to (for example, food). You get its instant effect once and immediately when you take the card. Its ongoing effect can be used always on your turn.
Taking a VP card
When you take the top VP card, you must place it on the lower part of one of your inventions, covering the card's effect. You may not use this effect from now on. If you do not have an invention whose lower part is not yet covered, you may not take a VP card. If the pile of VP cards is empty, you cannot take a VP card. VP cards give you VP at the end of the game, depending on how many lines are on them.
Example: Red gains a card and decides to take a VP card. Red places the VP card on the effect of farming. Red is now not allowed to use this effect any longer. At the end of the game, Red receives 3 VP for the VP card.
Example: (1) Red takes the gathering tile apple and places it in the left gathering store. The card icon is covered, thus Red may gain a card. (2) Red decides to take the invention Clay Pots, since Red already has the Transport Sled card. The Clay Pots card immediately gains Red 2 food. (3) Afterwards, Red clears all the apple gathering tiles, since the gathering store is full, and fills up the invention display.
The hut track
Newly discovered hut tiles are placed on the hut track. When a certain number of hut tiles has been discovered, the following effects take place:
- 3rd hut tile: You all may now move scouts to region II.
- 5th hut tile: All gain their second scout (see The second scout below for details).
- 9th hut tile: You all may now move scouts to region III.
- 11th hut tile: The end of game is triggered (see End of game and Scoring below for details).
The second scout
When you place the 5th hut tile on the hut track, first you and then everyone else in turn places their second scout. Place the scout to a fire (tile) in the region where your first scout is located. You may perform the movement and action of their area with both scouts in succession on your turns from now on. Whoever discovered the 5th hut tile may immediately perform a move and an action with their second scout.
End of game and Scoring
Game end
The game end is triggered when the 11th hut tile is placed on the hut track. If you triggered the game end, finish your turn as usual. Then take the end-of-game card and place it in front of you with the lit fire side (A) facing up. Afterwards, your opponents have 2 more turns, while you have 1 more turn.
As a reminder, at the beginning of your next turn, flip the end-of-game card to the side with the extinguished fire (B). Then, if it would be your turn again, the game is over.
Special case: In the rare case that one of you builds all of your huts, the end of the game is triggered, following the usual steps.
Scoring
Count your points. Add the following points to the points accumulated on the VP track during the game:
- VP as indicated on your VP cards (each line = 1 VP).
- 1 VP for each of your huts on the game board.
- 1 VP for each relative majority of own huts in a settlement. A majority exists when you have more huts in an area than any one of your opponents. In the case of a split majority, that is, when several of you have the same number of huts in a settlement, no one gets the VP.
- VP for your task card.
The player with the most VP in total wins the game.
Example: Blue gains 3 VP for their own huts and 1 VP for the majority of huts. Red and Black both gain 2 points for their own huts.
Example: Red has the task card "1 VP for each majority next to a lake." For area 1, Red gains 2 VP for huts and 1 VP each for the majority and the task card - thus totaling 4 VP. For area 2, Red receives 2 VP for huts, but no VP for the majority or the task card, since Red does not have the relative majority of huts in this area.
Variant: Starting inventions
When setting up the game, don't return the starting inventions to the box, but randomly lay out as many as the number of players. Whoever is last in the round (i.e., sits to the right of the starting player) chooses one of them first. Then everyone else chooses a card counterclockwise. (The starting player takes last.) Place the card next to your tribe mat. You now all have your own invention at the beginning, which is different from the invention of the others. Treat them as normal inventions.