Gems of Iridescia
Gems of Iridescia Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Credits
- Game Design: Roberto Panetta
- Illustration: Sarah "Freedz" Conlon
- Logo Design: Michael Dashow
- Graphic Design: Roberto Panetta & Ammon Anderson
Playtesters: Juan Agudelo, Laura Allan, James Baker, Linda Baldwin, Cernan Bayan, Meredith Bedard, Marie-Eve Lebouthillier, Nicholas Devan, Catherine Drayer, Candice Dugas, Shauna Ehm, Jill Elder, Eric Fontaine, Gwen Gervais, Alex Gill, Jonathan Gilmour-Long, Andrew Grynczuk, Candice Harris, Vanessa Harvey, Brenda Huitt Ziegler, Mathieu Jacob, Andrew Kirk, Zack Kuntz, Josh L'Huillier, Will Little, Whitney Loraine, Grant Lyon, Jim Mann, Mae Morrison, Joshua Murphy, Judy Mann, David McKenzie, Olga Novinkova, Henry Panetta, Owen Panetta, PJ Parent, Sacha Plura, John-Carlo Ricciardi, Gavin Rook, Heather Rose, Rebecca Ruch, Donna Russell, Christian Savoie, Daniel Seward, Ariane Sicard-Ladouceur, Ian Small, Gabriel Speiller, James Spencer, Sam Stockton.
Thank you to everyone that has followed the development of Gems of Iridescia and supported me along this journey. Special thanks to my wife Meredith and our two sons, Henry and Owen for supporting me, inspiring me, and believing in me. —Peace & Love, Roberto Panetta
Components
Shared components
- 1 Iridia Stone
- Royalty Scoring Tokens: Banner, Scepter, and Throne
- 16 Amethyst gems, 16 Citrine gems, 16 Emerald gems, 16 Sapphire gems
- 1 Game Board
- 58 Terrain Tiles (13 Desert, 13 Canyon, 13 Forest, 13 Ruins, 6 Castle)
- 32 1-Gold Tokens, 16 3-Gold Tokens
- 4 Stone Dice
- 4 Gem Market Dice
- 36 Merchant Item Cards
- 24 Relic Cards
- 15 Secret Objective Cards
Player components (per player)
- 1 Player Board
- 1 Explorer Token
- 1 Scoring Marker
- 8 Mining Dice total in the box (2 for each Explorer)
- 4 Player Aid Cards
Solo components
- 16 Rhom Solo Cards
- 6 Barricade Tokens
Game Setup
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Game Board — Place the Game Board in the center of the table with the standard day side facing up.
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Gems and Coins — Place the Gem tokens, Iridia Stone and Coin tokens near the board to create the supply.
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Terrain Tiles — Shuffle the hexagonal tiles by terrain type and place them gem side down on the board in the following order: Desert (bottom two rows), Canyon, Forest, Ruins and Castle.
In a 2-player or solo expedition, remove one tile of each gem type from each region, except for the Castle row. Place the remaining tiles as normal, leaving the leftmost and rightmost hexagon empty on each row.
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Merchant Deck — Shuffle the Item cards which make up the Merchant deck. Place the deck near the board. Draw five cards and place them face up to create the Market.
In a 2-player or solo expedition, remove the Swapping Stones (x3) and Clever Catapult (x3) cards.
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Relic Cards — Shuffle the Relic deck. Place it face down above the board. Draw five Relic cards and place them in a row above the board. This creates the Relics Row.
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Gem Market Dice — Set the four gem colored Gem Market dice to two and place them on top of each matching-colored gem on the gem value spots on the game board.
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Stone Dice — Place the four gray Stone dice below the Gem Market dice.
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Royalty Tokens — Place the three Royalty tokens and Iridia Stone near the board. If playing with three players, remove the Scepter token. If playing with two players, remove the Throne and Banner tokens.
Shuffle the Secret Objective cards. Deal two cards to each player. Players may look at their objectives. Once their Explorer token reaches the Forest region, they will discard one of the two cards (see Secret Objectives).
Player Setup
Give each player:
- 1 Player Board
- 1 Explorer token
- 2 Mining dice
- 1 Scoring marker
- 5 Coins
Optional. If playing with four players, give the 4th player a "Clever Catapult" item card from the Merchant deck. This is to make up for the fact that they may not be able to reveal any tiles on their first turn.
Key Concepts
Gems and the Gem Market
There are four types of gems in the game: Amethyst (purple), Citrine (yellow), Emerald (green), and Sapphire (blue).
Each gem is tied to a six-sided die of the matching color. For example: if the purple die shows 2 pips, then Amethyst gems are worth 2 coins each.
These dice are found on the right side of the board and referred to as the Gem Market. These values are affected by players' actions and are in constant flux throughout the game. As dice values change, they will eventually reach a value of six. When it is a six and needs to increase, the market crashes for that gem type, and it goes down to a one. Item cards such as the Jolty Jackhammer and Dazzling Dynamite, which allow you to modify dice, can change a gem market value die from a six to a one, or vice-versa.
Gameplay
Goal of the Game
As explorers returning to Iridescia you'll be searching for gems to restore ancient relics in a race to find the lost Iridia Stone and ascend to the throne. Collecting the right combination of gems will allow you to restore relics and gain you Royalty points. Royalty points can also be found on tiles you reveal, gained through set collection bonuses and by completing your secret objective. Additionally, there are extra Royalty points available to those who finish quicker than their opponents.
The game ends once every player has collected a tile from the final row of the board, referred to as the "Castle Row". The explorer who collects the most Royalty points will be crowned the new ruler of Iridescia.
Whenever a player gains Royalty points, they must move their scoring token up the Royalty track by the corresponding number of points.
Turn Overview
The player wearing the most gems starts first. Turns will continue in clockwise order.
On your turn you will perform up to two main actions followed by up to four optional actions, then perform end of turn actions.
Main Actions
- Reveal Tiles* — some Item cards must be played prior to revealing tiles. This is indicated on those Item cards in the top right corner by a green flag icon.
- Move Explorer
Optional Actions
- 3a. Mine Gems (Cost: 1 Coin)
- 3b. Purchase Item Cards
- 3c. Play Item Card(s)
- 3d. Sell Gems
Optional actions can be done in any order. You can only Purchase Item Cards and Sell Gems once per turn, so plan these actions wisely!
End of Turn 4. Restore Relics (optional) 5. Collect hexagonal Tile 6. Adjust Market Die
Main Actions
You've arrived in Iridescia via an airship, landing near the bottom row of the board. You are considered adjacent to every tile in that row.
On your first turn, reveal up to two tiles in the first row; these do not need to be adjacent to each other. If there are no tiles left to reveal, you may place your worker on any revealed tile in that row during the Move Explorer action. After revealing tiles, place your Explorer onto a revealed tile following the Move Explorer instructions and complete your turn as normal.
On subsequent turns, you will reveal tiles following the instructions below.
1 — Reveal Tiles
Reveal up to two tiles adjacent to the current location of your Explorer. The tiles must be ahead of your Explorer, or to the side, never behind.
As players compete for spaces, it is possible that there will be no available tiles for you to reveal on your turn. In this case proceed to the Move Explorer action.
Example: A tile behind the Explorer cannot be revealed because it is considered to be behind the Explorer. If one adjacent tile has already been revealed, up to two of the other remaining adjacent tiles may be revealed.
2 — Move Explorer
Move your Explorer onto a revealed tile adjacent to your Explorer's current location.
Movement rules:
- Your Explorer can only move to the side or forward, never backwards.
- Your Explorer can move onto a revealed tile, even if you are not the player that revealed it.
If there are no adjacent tiles for your Explorer to move onto, you must discard a tile from your victory pile (see 5 — Collect the Tile). Then, place your Explorer on the closest empty hexagon adjacent to their current location and take your turn as normal, starting with the Reveal Tile action. If multiple empty hexagons are equally distant, you may choose which one to use. The discarded tile is returned to the game box.
Once you've moved your Explorer onto a tile, immediately collect:
- The gem pictured on the tile from the supply, and
- Any bonus indicated on that tile.
All collected gems must be placed in an available cargo space on your player board. You can hold a maximum of seven gems at any time. If ever you gain more gems than you can fit into your seven cargo spaces, you must immediately give away gems to other players (prior to completing any other action) until you only have seven. This can be the gem(s) you just acquired, or from your cargo space. You cannot decide to not take a gem that you acquired. In the extremely rare case that all players have full cargo space, the excess gems can be returned to the supply instead of given to another player.
In each region, there is one rainbow tile. If your Explorer moves onto a rainbow tile, you choose which gem type you collect and mine on that tile. You can only choose one type. When this tile is removed, it does not affect the Gem Market value dice (see 6 — Adjust Gem Market).
Tile Bonuses
There can be one of three bonuses on a tile:
Coins — Immediately gain the number of coins indicated on the tile from the supply.
Royalty Points — Immediately move your scoring marker up the scoring track by the number of Royalty points indicated on the tile.
Stone Dice* — *The Stone dice are used during the optional Mine Gems action. Read the Mine Gems action first and then come back to this tile bonus.
Take one Stone die from the Stone die supply on the board. If there are no available Stone dice on the board, you cannot gain one. This die can be used immediately or kept for use on a future turn. Once activated, it remains active as long as you are on the chosen tile. At the end of your turn, when you collect the tile, return the Stone die to the supply. A player can have multiple Stone dice (up to 4) and keep them until they decide to use them.
Example: Jane moves onto a tile with a Stone die bonus on it. She immediately gains a Stone die. Since the value of Sapphire is currently one, she decides to save the Stone die for a more difficult roll.
On her next turn, she moves onto a tile with a Stone die bonus. Since the current value of Sapphire is five, she decides to use her Stone die. She rolls her two Mining dice and her Stone die. She rolls a four, four and five. Since she has one die that successfully matched or was higher than the Sapphire die, she gains a Sapphire gem!
Jane spends a coin to roll again. Since she is still on the tile where she activated the Stone die, she keeps the Stone die in her dice pool and rolls all three dice again. She rolls five, five, six! Amazing! She gains two more Sapphire gems. Jane is satisfied with her turn. She collects the tile, adjusts the Gem Market value for Sapphire and returns the Stone die to the supply.
Optional Actions
3a — Mine Gems
Spend one coin to roll your Mining dice. You must roll equal to or greater than the current market value of the gem indicated on your current tile.
Each die resolves independently and is either a success or a failure. You can continue to spend one coin per attempt. On each attempt you may roll all your dice and collect one gem per success.
Example: The current value of Emerald is three. Jane rolls her two dice and rolls a two and a four. The two is a failure, but the four is a success! Jane gains one Emerald gem.
The Kito are rhino-like creatures known for their brute strength, which provides them with a natural ability to mine gems the good-old-fashioned way using pickaxes and conventional tools. After a hard day's work, they love visiting Söökla's Cantina in the Kito Bazaar for a refreshing pint!
3b — Purchase an Item Card (once per turn)
Choose an item card from the market and pay the cost indicated in the bottom left corner of the card and get that item card. You may only purchase one item card per turn.
Immediately draw a card from the Merchant Deck to refill the market. If the Merchant Deck is ever empty, you may shuffle all the discarded Item cards to replenish the deck.
There is no limit to the amount of Item cards in your hand, however, you can never have any duplicate item cards in your hand.
Market Refresh — If there are three identical Item cards or two identical pairs in the market row, shuffle all market, discard, and Merchant Deck cards, then draw five new Item cards.
3c — Play Item Card(s)
Resolve the action indicated on the card you are playing. All Item cards are single use and must be discarded after they are used. Cards can only be used on your turn. A card may be played on the same turn it is acquired. There is no limit to how many Item cards one player can own, however you cannot own multiple of the same card.
The Clever Catapult and Swapping Stones item cards must be played at the beginning of your turn prior to revealing any tiles. They are the only cards in the Gems of Iridescia base game which can and must be played prior to the Reveal and Move actions. This will also be indicated by a green flag icon on the item card.
Further details about each item card can be found in the Rumi's Catalog section of this handbook.
Meet Rumi the traveling merchant. Rumi comes from the Troove clan and is the hardest working Iridescian around. She's constantly working on crafting Iridescia's finest goods. Whenever you're looking to buy an item, Rumi's traveling caravan will come to you! Sometimes she may also be spotted selling her goods at the bustling Kito Bazaar in the Vikko province, located in the Desert region.
3d — Sell Gems (once per turn)
Sell gems of one type for their current market value. Gain coins equal to the current market value of the gem, per gem that you sell. You can sell as many gems of one type as you have. Sold gems go back to the supply.
You can only sell gems once per turn. Selling gems does not affect the gem market dice.
Example: Jane would like to sell some Emerald gems. The Emerald gem market value die is currently at 2. She decides to sell them to gain four coins (2 + 2). She then spends a coin to mine more Emerald from the tile her Explorer is currently on. She would like to sell more Emerald but will need to wait until her next turn since she has already sold gems this turn.
End of Turn
4 — Restore Relics
Trade in the required gems as indicated on the relic card you are restoring from the relic row. These gems are returned to the supply.
Collect the relic card and move your Royalty point marker up the Royalty point track according to the value indicated on the bottom right corner of the relic card you are restoring. Keep the card in your victory pile for end of game set collection and secret objective bonuses. Immediately replace the relic card in the relic card row.
If you have the gems to do so, you can restore another relic, including the one just revealed.
Restoring Relics must always be performed during the end of turn. It cannot be done prior to revealing tiles, moving your Explorer or any other optional actions.
Example: Jack decides to restore the Sapphire Spyglass. He returns two Sapphire gems and one Citrine gem to the supply and collects the Sapphire Spyglass card from the relic row. He immediately moves his scoring marker up five points on the Royalty point track.
Anatomy of a Relic — Each relic card shows its name, the gems required to restore it (with one lead gem highlighted), and the Royalty points it is worth.
Relic Card Types — Four types of Relic cards exist: Jewelry, Tech, Lore, and Iridia. Earn bonuses for three of a kind or one of each (Jewelry, Tech, Lore). Iridia Relics are wild, usable as any type for bonuses and objectives (see End of Game Scoring). There are 8 Jewelry relics, 6 Tech relics, 6 Lore relics, and 4 Iridia relics.
5 — Collect the Tile
Once you are done performing actions on this tile, collect the tile and leave your Explorer on the vacant hexagonal space where the tile was. The tile should go into a personal pile, called your victory pile, which will be used for end of game scoring.
6 — Adjust Gem Market
Increase the gem market value die matching the gem of the tile you just collected by one. Each time a tile is removed, the value of that gem goes up. When the value increases past six, change the die value to a one. The market crashes for that gem type.
When a rainbow tile is removed, the gem market is not affected, regardless of the gem taken by the player.
End of Game
In the Castle Row, there is one tile that contains the lost Iridia Stone. This tile provides the lucky explorer that moves onto it the Iridia Stone token and ten Royalty points. This tile is treated like a rainbow tile, both for mining and set collection.
Once you have collected a tile in the Castle Row, collect your player token and the highest value Royalty token available. Immediately move your scoring marker up the Royalty point track by the value indicated on the Royalty token.
You will no longer take regular turns. Instead, each time it would be your turn, remove any tile from the game board that is not in the Castle Row and discard it. This will prevent your opponents from staying behind too long and potentially cost them tiles from their victory pile.
Once all players have collected a tile in the Castle Row, the game ends and players proceed to end of game scoring.
End of Game Scoring
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Gain one Royalty point for every two gems remaining in your cargo hold. The gems do not need to match.
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Check your restored relic cards for any set collection bonuses:
- A combination of one Jewelry, one Tech and one Lore relic gains you five points.
- Three Jewelry relics gains you five points.
- A combination of three Tech relics gains you seven points.
- A combination of three Lore relics gains you nine points.
Each relic card can only be used to complete one set. Relics with an Iridia Stone are wild and can be used as Jewelry, Tech, or Lore.
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Check the terrain tiles in your victory pile for any set collection bonuses. Sets of tiles are based only on the gem type. The terrain type does not affect scoring. A tile with a rainbow on it can count as any gem type.
- Three of the same gem type gains you three points.
- Five of the same gem type gains you seven points.
- Seven of the same gem type gains you twelve points.
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Check your Secret Objective. If you have completed it, you gain the Royalty points indicated on the card (see Secret Objectives).
The player with the most Royalty points is the winner and the new leader of Iridescia!
Tie? Let's break it! In the event of a tie, the tie breakers are:
- The player found the Iridia Stone.
- The player with the Throne Royalty point token.
- The player with the Scepter Royalty point token.
- The player with the Banner Royalty point token.
Secret Objectives
At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt two Secret Objective cards. Once their Explorer token moves onto a tile in the Forest region or beyond, they must immediately discard one of these cards. This is indicated by an icon on the game board. The discarded objective card may be returned to the game box.
Satisfying Secret Objectives
- If an objective requires you to restore the most relics of a certain gem type, it refers to the lead gem, which is displayed in the title of the relic card and indicated in the small square box on the right side of the card. The back of each relic card also indicates the lead gem.
- Iridia relics can be used as wild to satisfy both gem type objectives and relic type objectives.
- For gem type, an Iridia relic can count as Amethyst, Citrine, Emerald, or Sapphire.
- For relic type, an Iridia relic can count as Jewelry, Tech, or Lore.
- If you use an Iridia item for a set collection bonus and to satisfy a secret objective, it must be used for the same relic type in both cases.
- If you are tied with another player for the most of a relic type or gem type, you are still considered to have the most and satisfy the requirement.
- Rainbow terrain tiles may count as any gem type. Each rainbow tile can only be used to satisfy one set.
Anatomy of a Secret Objective — Each card shows the secret objective's name, a description of what must be achieved, and the Royalty points scored at the end of the game if completed.
Solo Expedition — The Rhom Deck
Solo Expedition Overview
When playing the game solo, you'll be playing against the Rhom deck. Set up the game as normal for two players, following the standard Game Setup instructions with the following changes:
- Place the six Barricade tokens near the board to create a supply.
- Shuffle the Rhom Deck and keep it near the Rhom player board with enough room to have a revealed card pile.
- Do not give the Rhom any Coins. The Rhom does not use them.
- Remove the three Clever Catapult cards and the three Swapping Stones cards from the Merchant Deck; they will not be used when playing solo.
- Place six Item cards in a row, or in a manner where it is easy to identify them from one to six.
- The Rhom does not get any Secret Objective Cards.
We recommend using the Rhom as your opponent, but feel free to change it out for another explorer if you prefer. For this tutorial, we will refer to the automated player as the Rhom. The Rhom always plays first.
On the first turn, roll the two Rhom Mining dice. The two numbers will decide which two tiles the Rhom reveals in the first row. Count the tiles in the first row starting from the left and reveal the tiles matching the numbers on the dice.
Example: Jack rolled the Rhom Mining dice and rolled a one and a four. He reveals the 1st tile from the left in the first row and the 4th tile from the left in the first row.
Next, we need to decide on which of the two revealed tiles the Rhom Explorer token will move onto. The Rhom always moves onto the tile containing the gem that is most in demand in the relic row which is not already in their cargo hold.
The Rhom never moves onto a Rainbow tile unless it is the only choice. However, they do move onto the Iridia Stone tile if they can.
Example: There are currently five of one gem type in the relic row and three of another, so the Rhom Explorer token will go onto the tile with the gem in higher demand and immediately gain that gem. If ever the demand is equal for the available revealed gems, the direction that the robot weathervane is pointing to on the back of the card on top of the Rhom deck is the tie breaker.
Subsequent Turns
At the beginning of the Rhom's turn, draw a card face up from the Rhom deck. On the card there will be four hexes numbered one through four. These numbers indicate the priority order in which the Rhom reveals tiles. The Rhom always reveals two tiles if possible.
Example: Examining the tiles adjacent to the Rhom Explorer, if the first-priority tile can be revealed, it is. If the second-priority tile is already revealed, the Rhom reveals the third-priority tile instead. The Rhom moves to the tile showing the gem which is in highest demand in the relic row. If there is a 2x icon on the card, the Rhom gains two gems of that type.
When gaining bonuses from tiles, the Rhom always gains points with the following rules:
- Coins — The Rhom gains the number of points equal to the coin value indicated on the tile.
- Royalty Points — The Rhom gains the number of Royalty points indicated on the tile.
- Stone Dice — Take one Stone die from the Stone die supply on the board and roll it. The Rhom gains Royalty points equal to the die roll. Return the Stone die to the supply.
Too Many Gems — If ever the Rhom gains more gems than they can hold, they gain points equal to the current value of the excess gems.
If the excess gems they are acquiring are a type they do not already have in their cargo hold, they prioritize gaining the new type. They replace gems from their cargo hold which they have the most of with this new type and gain points equal to the current gem value of the gems they discarded.
Example: The Rhom already has a full cargo hold of seven gems. They just gained a gem of a type they just moved onto. They currently do not have any of that type, so they choose to discard a different type instead and keep the new gem. The current value of the discarded type is 2, so they gain 4 Royalty points.
Rhom Card Icons
Rhom cards can have one of four icons on them:
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2x — The Rhom immediately gains two gems from the tile they move onto instead of one.
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3x — The Rhom immediately gains three gems from the tile they move onto instead of one.
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Merchant Icon — Roll one of the Rhom Mining dice. Take the value and count cards in the Market Row from left to right. The Rhom gains that item card. The Rhom does not use Item cards. Instead, they gain Royalty points equal to the cost of the card they gained. They still get a gem matching the tile they moved onto as normal.
Example: The Rhom rolls a three. Since the Epic Elixir is the 3rd card from the left, the Rhom removes the card from the market row and moves their scoring marker up six points on the Royalty point track.
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Barricade Icon — Roll one of the Rhom Mining dice. Take that value to count spaces on the row above your Explorer token either from the left or right board edge depending on the direction the weathervane is pointing to on the back of the card on top of the Rhom deck. Place a barricade token on that space. If the space is occupied, use the weathervane to place the barricade on the next available tile in that direction. This tile is now blocked and cannot be revealed or moved onto. Barricade tokens cannot be placed in the Castle Row. If a barricade action is required when your explorer is on the row below the castle row, ignore the barricade action. A barricade token can never be removed.
Restoring Relics — The Rhom immediately restores any relics available in the Relics row as soon as they have the required gems. They immediately gain the Royalty points and move their scoring marker up the Royalty point track. If they can restore more than one relic, they favor the higher value one.
The Decision Weathervanes — When the Rhom needs to decide between two things that are considered equal, it always chooses the leftmost or rightmost option depending on which direction the robot weathervane is facing on the top of the Rhom deck.
End of Game — Once both you and the Rhom have collected a tile from the Castle Row, proceed to End of Game scoring. If the Rhom finishes before you, you may play all your remaining turns uninterrupted. The Rhom does not remove tiles like a player would.
Rumi's Catalog of Items
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Cauldron of Fortune (x3) — Trade two gems in your cargo hold for one gem of your choice from the supply. The gems you trade in can be any combination and do not need to be the same type.
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Marvelous Mine Cart (x3) — Gain 2x gems when mining this turn (active for the entire turn). Do not double the initial gem gained from stepping on the tile. Must be declared prior to rolling your Mining dice.
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Jolty Jackhammer (x3) — Modify any die by +/-1. This can be either a die that you've rolled during a mining attempt or one of the Gem Market dice. Dice values can change from six to one and vice-versa.
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Epic Elixir (x3) — Take an additional turn. Declare its use before the next player starts their turn. Upon playing, start a full turn sequence. You cannot purchase another Epic Elixir card on a turn started by using one.
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Lucky Libation (x3) — Re-roll any of your dice or roll up to 4 Gem Market dice. You may re-roll any of your dice, including Stone dice, once. — OR — You may roll any number of Gem Market dice once.
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Axe of Awesomeness (x3) — Split one gem in your cargo hold into two gems of that same type.
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Wishing Well (x3) — Roll your mining dice. Gain one gem with a market value equal to or lower than one of your dice. This is not a mining action and cannot be combined with the Marvelous Mine Cart or Prosperous Pickaxe.
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Dazzling Dynamite (x3) — Modify any die by up to +/-2. This can be either a die that you've rolled during a mining attempt or one of the Gem Market dice. Dice values can change from six to one and vice-versa.
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Swapping Stones (x3) — Swap location with any player. After swapping location, play a turn as normal starting with Step one (Reveal Tiles). Must be played at the beginning of your turn, prior to revealing tiles.
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Regal Reference Book (x3) — Choose a card from the Relics deck or the row of Relics and reserve it. Place the chosen Relic near your player board, then place the Regal Reference Book card on top of it. Only you may restore this Relic. Although reserved, it must still be restored to earn points. There is no penalty for leaving it unrestored. If you removed a card from the Relics row, replace it immediately.
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Prosperous Pickaxe (x3) — For every gem gained from mining this turn, gain a gem from a revealed adjacent tile. You still need to spend a coin per mining attempt when using this item. You must pick the same adjacent tile for each attempt, which limits you to gaining two gem types. Must be declared prior to rolling your Mining dice.
Pro Tips
- Gem values all start at two, it's a good idea to mine tiles early and often—before the values rise and mining becomes more difficult.
- It's often better to wait until the beginning of your next turn to sell gems, as their value will most likely increase.
- Don't underestimate the value of the Jolty Jackhammer or Dazzling Dynamite. Since the dice wrap around from one to six and vice versa, these Item cards can really help you gain more gems or sell gems for a higher value.
- The name of the game is "Gems" of Iridescia. Focus on acquiring as many gems as you can hold. Gems offer the most flexibility, as they can be used to restore relics or sold for gold coins.
- Coins have no value at the end of the game unless you have a secret objective that requires them. Towards the end of the game, prioritize gaining gems over coins.
- The Prosperous Pickaxe and the Epic Elixir are the two most valuable items in the game. If an opportunity to acquire either arises, seize it!
- In a three- or four-player game, the board becomes crowded and competitive. Try to maintain distance from other Explorers.
- Moving to the side instead of forward may allow you to accumulate more gems and restore more relics. However, letting your opponents get far ahead can cost you Royalty points. Try to find a balance depending on how aggressively your opponents are playing.
Variants
Add an Automated Player — An alternative way to create a more competitive board in a 2-player game is to add an automated player using the Rhom deck. See the Solo Expedition rules to learn how to use the Rhom deck.
Common Mistakes
- Selling gems does not affect the gem market values.
- The gem value increases at the end of each turn when the player collects a tile, even if they did not mine. The only time it will not increase is when a rainbow tile is collected.
Relic Reference Guide
Each relic card lists the gems required to restore it and the Royalty points it is worth. Lead gem is the gem type named in the card's title.
Jewelry (x8)
| Relic | Lead Gem | Gems Required | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amethyst Ring | Amethyst | 2 Amethyst, 1 Citrine | 5 |
| Emerald Jewelry Box | Emerald | 1 Emerald, 1 Citrine, 1 Amethyst | 6 |
| Citrine Amulet | Citrine | 2 Citrine, 1 Sapphire | 5 |
| Sapphire Pendant | Sapphire | 1 Sapphire, 1 Emerald, 1 Amethyst | 6 |
| Emerald Brooch | Emerald | 2 Emerald, 1 Sapphire | 5 |
| Citrine Earrings | Citrine | 1 Citrine, 1 Emerald, 1 Sapphire | 6 |
| Sapphire Chatelaine | Sapphire | 2 Sapphire, 1 Amethyst | 5 |
| Amethyst Bracelet | Amethyst | 1 Amethyst, 1 Citrine, 1 Sapphire | 6 |
Tech (x6)
| Relic | Lead Gem | Gems Required | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citrine Miner's Hat | Citrine | 2 Citrine, 1 Emerald | 5 |
| Amethyst Compass | Amethyst | 2 Amethyst, 1 Sapphire | 5 |
| Sapphire Droid | Sapphire | 2 Sapphire, 2 Citrine | 7 |
| Emerald Goggles | Emerald | 2 Emerald, 1 Amethyst | 5 |
| Amethyst Power Core | Amethyst | 2 Amethyst, 2 Emerald | 7 |
| Sapphire Spyglass | Sapphire | 2 Sapphire, 1 Citrine | 5 |
Lore (x6)
| Relic | Lead Gem | Gems Required | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amethyst Vase | Amethyst | 1 Amethyst, 1 Citrine, 1 Emerald | 6 |
| Emerald Lantern | Emerald | 1 Emerald, 1 Amethyst, 1 Citrine | 6 |
| Citrine Plate | Citrine | 1 Citrine, 1 Amethyst, 1 Sapphire | 6 |
| Citrine Talisman | Citrine | 2 Citrine, 1 Amethyst, 1 Sapphire | 9 |
| Sapphire Sun Dial | Sapphire | 2 Sapphire, 1 Emerald | 5 |
| Emerald Tablet | Emerald | 2 Emerald, 1 Amethyst, 1 Sapphire | 9 |
Iridia (x4, wild — usable as Jewelry, Tech, or Lore)
| Relic | Gems Required | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Iridia Chalice | 1 Amethyst, 1 Citrine, 1 Emerald, 1 Sapphire | 10 |
| Iridia Crown | 1 Amethyst, 1 Citrine, 1 Emerald, 1 Sapphire | 10 |
| Iridia Tiara | 1 Amethyst, 1 Citrine, 1 Emerald, 1 Sapphire | 10 |
| The Book of Iridescia | 1 Amethyst, 1 Citrine, 1 Emerald, 1 Sapphire | 10 |
Terms
- Cargo Hold — The cargo hold is located on the bottom half of your player board. It contains seven slots, each holding one gem. You can never have more than seven gems.
- Explorer — The Explorer is your player token depicting a character from your clan. These are often referred to as meeple tokens in other games.
- Mining Dice — Each player has a pair of mining dice matching their player color. These dice are used when spending a coin on mining attempts.
- Region — The map of Iridescia is divided into five regions. From bottom to top, these are the Desert, Canyon, Forest, Ruins, and Castle. Each region contains 13 tiles, except the Castle region, which contains six tiles. Each region has an equal distribution of gem types plus one rainbow tile. The Castle row also includes a tile containing the Iridia Stone.
- Stone Dice — A set of four gray marbled dice located below the Gem Market on the Gems of Iridescia board.
- Victory Pile — A collection of all the hexagonal terrain tiles and Relic cards you have collected throughout the game. These are used for end-of-game scoring and set collection bonuses.
Icons
- Jewelry / Tech / Lore — badges printed on relic cards indicating relic type.
- Iridia — treated as wild for set collection bonuses.
- Green Flag — Indicates a card must be used at the beginning of a turn.
- Coin — Gain the number of coins indicated on the icon.
- Hex with an equal sign — hex tiles with matching gem types on them.
- Royalty points icon — Royalty points gained immediately.
- End of game scoring icon — Only add these points to your Royalty point total during final scoring.
- Stone Die icon — Indicates you gain one Stone die from the supply and add it to your dice pool.
- Secret Objective discard icon — Discard one of your Secret Objective cards.
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