Gem Forge Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Objective
• Setup
• Turn Structure
• Actions
  • 1. Take a Gem
  • 2. Set a Gem
  • 3. Discard a Gem
  • 4. Take an Action Card
  • 5. Play an Action Card
• End of the Game
• Action Card Effects
  • Play on Your Own Turn
  • Play on Any Player's Turn

Components

• 1 foldable 3D board
• 34 action cards
• 4 player markers
• 40 gems (10 each of 4 colors: red, green, yellow, and light blue)
• 4 cart tiles
• 36 ornament tiles (17 tiles with a brown background and 19 tiles with a light blue background)

Note: the components may differ from those pictured.

Note: the rulebook is printed in small type. An adult may be needed to read the rules.

Objective

Complete ornament orders by setting gems into ornaments, to become the most prosperous jeweler.

Setup

The example below shows setup for a game with 3 players.

1. Place the 3D board in the center of the table. Note: before playing, gently bend the board in the opposite direction so that it lies flat on the table.
2. Each player takes a player marker and places it on the zero space of the victory point track on the board.
3. Each player takes a cart tile of the same color as their marker and places it in front of them.
4. Players carefully roll the gems down the chute one at a time, in random order, from the top of the slope onto the 3D board. This is the mine. The entrance to the mine is at the very bottom of the chute, next to the opening in the structure. Note: if at any point during the game gems get stuck on the chute, gently tap the mountain or carefully push the gems through with a finger.
5. Randomly choose the first player. Starting with the first player, each player takes 1 gem from the mine entrance and places it into one of the free slots on their cart.
6. Shuffle the action cards and deal 1 card face down to each player. Players always keep their action cards hidden from their opponents. Place the remaining cards face down on the table as a draw pile.
7. Shuffle the ornament tiles. Deal 5 tiles to each player. Each player chooses 3 of them and places them face up on the table in front of them, and discards the other 2. Place 4 more tiles face up in a row in the center of the table. This is the market. Place the remaining tiles nearby face down as a draw pile.

Turn Structure

Players take turns, starting with the first player. Turns pass clockwise.

On your turn, you must perform 2 actions (the actions may be the same or different) in any order:

1. TAKE A GEM
2. SET A GEM
3. DISCARD A GEM
4. TAKE AN ACTION CARD
5. PLAY AN ACTION CARD

Important: each action must be carried out fully and immediately. A player may not begin the next action until they have finished the previous one.

Actions

1. Take a Gem

Take the gem that is at the very bottom of the chute, at the mine entrance.

No matter how many gems you take from the mine, its riches never run out.

Immediately place the gem you took into your cart. The cart has room for exactly 3 gems. You may not hold more gems than fit in your cart. If all of the slots in your cart are full, you cannot take another gem, even with an action card.

Notes:

• Even if you perform this action twice in a row, you must take the gems one at a time.
• If you accidentally take two gems instead of one, send the second gem back down from the top of the chute.

2. Set a Gem

Take a gem from your cart and place it into a special hole on one of the ornament tiles in front of you. You must set gems of the colors shown on the tile into the ornament. You may set gems into an ornament in any order.

Some ornaments accept gems of any color (on the tiles these are marked as rainbow), but all gems in such an ornament must be of one color.

Completing an ornament. When you have finished working on an ornament, the order is complete! At any time during your turn you may send that tile to the discard pile to receive the number of victory points shown on it.

• If a completed ornament uses gems of different colors (tiles with a brown background), the player must discard that ornament tile and receive its victory points before the end of their turn.
• If a completed ornament is made of gems of one color (tiles with a light blue background), it may be part of a set. Completing sets is more profitable! A player may keep the completed ornament and try to complete another ornament with gems of the same color, to receive additional victory points (if any are shown). Such ornaments may be kept for as long as you like.

Example: Andrei completed an ornament with a brown background, so he must discard it and receive 3 victory points before the end of his turn.

Example: Andrei made a bracelet using two red gems. He could discard the tile at once and receive 2 victory points, but he decides to keep the ornament and try to complete a set. On his next turn he completes a ring (also with a red gem). He discards both tiles and receives 5 victory points (2 points for each ornament and 1 additional victory point for the set).

Important: you may finish an ornament during another player's turn thanks to the effect of a matching action card. However, you can discard the tile and receive its points only when your own turn comes around again!

Discarding a completed ornament. When you discard a completed ornament, move your marker along the victory point track by the number of spaces shown on the tile. The gems used to set that ornament are returned to the mine (sent down one at a time from the top of the chute).

If, when moving along the track, a player's marker lands on or passes a special space (5, 10 or 15), every player whose marker is "behind" that special space (closer to the start of the track than it) receives 1 action card as a bonus.

Example: Andrei finished an ornament and sent the tile to the discard pile. He receives the victory points shown on it (3) and moves his marker that many spaces along the track. On the way he crosses the special space (5). Anya, as a trailing player, takes one action card from the draw pile. Pasha's marker is already standing on the special space that Andrei crossed, so he does not receive an action card.

Replacing the ornament tile. After discarding an ornament tile, the player takes a new ornament tile from the market to replace it. A tile the player takes from the market is immediately replaced with a new tile from the draw pile.

Notes:

• Taking an ornament tile from the market to replace a discarded one does not count as a separate action.
• If the draw pile of ornament tiles runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile.

If a player does not like any of the tiles on the market, they may discard as many tiles from the market as they plan to take, and replace them with new tiles from the draw pile.

Example: Pasha completed an ornament and must take one tile from the market to replace the discarded tile. He does not like the choice on the market, so he discards one tile and replaces it with a new tile from the draw pile. Pasha takes the tile he has just revealed, places it in front of him, and then refills the market.

Remember: a player must always have exactly 3 ornament tiles in front of them, no more and no fewer!

3. Discard a Gem

Choose a gem you no longer need from your cart and return it to the mine (send it down from the top of the chute).

4. Take an Action Card

Take the top card from the draw pile of action cards.

A player may hold no more than 4 action cards in hand. If a player must take cards that would exceed this limit, they take the cards and then must discard the excess.

Note: if the draw pile of action cards runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile.

5. Play an Action Card

A player may spend an action to play an action card. Some cards are played on any player's turn and do not require spending an action.

Notes:

• Action cards that are played on an opponent's turn must be resolved immediately after the corresponding action.
• When one of the players plays a card that cancels the effect of the card just played, both played cards go to the discard pile, and the action of the player whose turn it is counts as wasted. However, that player may immediately play their own "Cancel the effect of the card just played" card without spending an action; in this way they cancel the cancellation, and the effect of the original card takes effect.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as one player reaches 20 points. That player is declared the winner!

Action Card Effects

Each card's effect is shown on the card. The number next to each card (×2, ×4 or ×6) is the number of copies of that card in the deck. The victory point symbol on the cards is a shield with a star.

Play on Your Own Turn

These cards are played on your turn, as one of your actions.

• Swap ornaments (without gems) with another player or with the market. You may immediately set a gem into a new ornament without spending an action. ×2.
• Swap 1 gem from your cart for 1 gem from another player's cart. ×2.
• Take a gem from another player's unfinished ornament into your cart. That player receives 1 victory point. ×2.
• Take 3 action cards. ×2.
• Discard up to 3 gems from one cart of your choice (including your own). That player receives 1 victory point. ×4.
• Take 1, 2 or 3 first gems from the mine entrance: discard one (send it down from the top of the chute), and you may place the others into your cart (or discard them). ×6.
• Take up to 2 gems from another player's cart into your cart. That player receives 1 victory point. ×2.
• Set up to 2 gems from your cart into ornaments. ×2.

Play on Any Player's Turn

These cards are marked with the lightning bolt symbol. They are played on any player's turn and do not require spending an action.

• Cancel the effect of the card just played. ×4.
• If another player takes a gem (performs "Take a Gem"), do the same. ×4.
• If another player sets a gem (performs "Set a Gem"), do the same. ×4.