I C E
I C E Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Game Board in 4 parts
- 5 Guild boards: Alchemists, Navigators, Icewalkers, Incandescents, CryoArchitects
- 1 Activation token
- 5 Points markers
- 153 tiles:
- 58 Snow tiles: 1 Encampment tile, 11 Clear tiles, 12 Tunnel tiles, 12 Nunatak tiles, 12 Rift tiles; Reserve tiles: 10 Snowflake tiles
- 37 Surface Artifact tiles
- 27 Intermediate Artifact tiles
- 19 Deep Artifact tiles
- 12 Edifice tiles
- 1 First Player token
- 35 "1" RP tokens
- 20 "5" RP tokens
- 5 Planning tokens
- 1 Scorebook
- 74 cards:
- 6 Logbook cards
- 11 Decree cards
- 50 Request cards
- 7 Game Aid cards
- 50 Archaeologists
- 5 Camps
- 5 Expedition Leaders
- 1 Wurm pawn
- 5 Boreal Smilodon pawns
- 1 Discard cloth bag
- 5 Exploration Aids
- 1 Expedition booklet
- 1 Edifice booklet
Overview and Purpose of the Game
You each play an Expedition Leader representing a Guild. As you gradually remove the tiles from the board, you reveal the mysteries that I C E contains: objects, animals, Artifacts, and Edifices.
Remember, the Guild that comes back with the greatest discoveries gets to claim glory and fame, and wins the game!
Setup
Some Navigators brought back during their adventures the description of strange constructions and objects that could be the work of the Ancients. This marked the beginning of the great expeditions aboard their majestic ice sailing ships. These expeditions take place annually, during the seven days of summer, with the phase of solstice where temperatures can reach an exceptional 4°C.
First steps: Follow the Arrival (First Steps) card for your first game and the Arrival card for subsequent games.
Game Board & Tiles
Shuffle the Edifice, Deep Artifact, Intermediate Artifact, Surface Artifact, and Snow tiles into separate piles.
Authors' note: At the end of a game of I C E, remember to shuffle the tiles again while putting them away, so you don't have to do it at the beginning of the next game.
If an Edifice tile was revealed in the last game, it represents the Edifice that the last expedition discovered. Its effect is activated during this game (see p. 16).
First steps: For at least your first game, you will not play with the effect of an Edifice tile.
A. After assembling the 4 parts of the game board, first place the 12 Edifice tiles face (illustration side) down in the lowest layer of the board. These tiles make up the deepest level of I C E.
B. Then place the 19 Deep Artifact tiles, face down, on the next layer.
C. Then place the 27 Intermediate Artifact tiles, face down, on the next layer.
D. Then place the 37 Surface Artifact tiles, face down, on the next layer.
E. Finally, place the 48 Snow tiles, face down, on the top layer. This forms the surface of the game.
Setup of the Shared Elements
F. Place 1 Archaeologist on each Tunnel tile.
G. Place 1 Camp and 1 Archaeologist on the Encampment tile.
H. Form a pool for the players to use with the following items: remaining Archaeologists, Camps, Smilodons, Planning tokens, 1 RP & 5 RP tokens and Snowflake tiles.
I. Place the Discard bag next to the game board, where players will place the discarded tiles during the game.
J. Shuffle the Decree cards, and place 3 face up, next to the Game board. Set the rest of the Decree cards aside as they won't be needed.
First steps: For your first game play with the 3 First Step Decree cards (see p.25).
K. Shuffle the Request cards and form a deck. You will form a discard pile next to the deck with the unsaved Request cards.
L. Shuffle the 6 Logbook cards to form the Logbook deck.
First steps: Form the deck by sorting the cards in ascending order, so that the card numbered 1 is the top card of the deck.
Guild Boards
Each Guild board shows:
- The name of the Guild and its illustration
- A starting number of Renown Points
- A track of Exploration Points (EP) with a Points marker
- The special ability of the Guild
- Spaces to deposit the Artifacts discovered during the game
- The free area next to your board where you send artifacts to The City
Setup for every player
M. Choose a Guild board and place it in front of you. If a player chooses the Incandescent Guild they also start with the Incandescent Activation token.
N. Take the corresponding Expedition Leader.
O. Take the corresponding colored Points marker and place it on space 5 of the Exploration Point track on your board.
P. Take the starting Renown Points tokens for your Guild.
Q. Shuffle the Request cards and deal 4 to each player, who discards 2 and keeps 2 face down. These Request cards are personal and will be validated at the end of the game only by the player who holds them.
First steps: For your first game, just deal 2 Request cards to each player.
First steps: Each player takes an Exploration Aid, summarizing the game phases, the different actions and the effects of Artifacts.
R. The player who has touched ice most recently takes the First Player token.
Booklet Legend
Throughout the booklet we will use the following terms:
- Exploration Points (EP), allow actions to be carried out. They correspond to the action points of the players.
- Renown Points (RP), correspond to the victory points of the players.
- Explorers, corresponding to Expedition Leaders and Archaeologists.
Finally you will find these colored rules notes:
Folk-lore: Immersion in the world of I C E.
First Steps: For use in your first games.
Exploration Code: Important rule points.
Example: Details of games played.
Authors' Note: Strategy points and tips.
Flow of a Game
Days & Phases
A game is played over a maximum of 7 Days, and each Day comprises of 2 game phases:
A. The Preparation phase — The players all do this phase simultaneously.
B. The Exploration phase — Composed of several rounds where each player takes their turn. During this second phase, each player has a reserve of EP that they must spend to perform actions during each round. Several rounds are carried out until the players have finished their Day.
A. Preparation Phase
1. EP reset
All players reset their EP on their Guild boards: 5 EP, plus any bonus points via a Planning token they might have (discard this token if applicable – see Planning tokens, p. 8).
Points 2 and 3 are not performed on the first Day, go directly to the Exploration phase.
2. Artifacts reloading
All players flip over any face down Artifacts on their Guild board face up. If a player has any Prismatic Artifacts placed on their Guild Board they may move them to any Slots (see Artifact Tiles, p. 12).
3. New Event
The player to the left of the first player of the previous Day takes the First Player Token. The new first player then reveals the first card of the Logbook deck and applies its effects. Then move to the Exploration phase.
The depletion of the Logbook deck is an endgame condition (see Endgame, p. 15).
B. Exploration Phase
1. Implementation of actions
Clockwise, on their turn, each player performs actions by spending EP, and moving the marker on their EP track down 1 space for each EP spent. A player must spend 1 to 2 EP from their reserve each turn.
Example of a game turn during the Exploration phase:
A. Jan spends 2 EP on Moving and Excavating, he has 1 EP left in his reserve.
B. Chris spends his last 2 EP on Excavating. He has no more EP left in his reserve, so his Day is over. He may send up to 3 Artifacts to the City.
C. Fauve spends 1 EP on Planning. She has 2 EP left, so she decides not to spend them and ends her turn.
D. Daniele spends her last EP to Call a new Archaeologist. Her Day ends and she can send up to 3 Artifacts to the City.
It is then Jan's turn and then Fauve's, who each have EP in their reserves.
2. End of Day
When a player has exhausted their exploration point reserve, and after performing any free actions (see p. 11, Playing Effects or Abilities), their Day is over. They will not be able to play any more actions that Day.
At this point, they may Send to the City up to 3 Artifacts that are on their Guild board.
Send to the City Rule: When players send an Artifact to the City, they place it face down, in the City area next to its Guild board. They gain 1 RP if it is an Anima 1 Artifact and 2 RP if it is an Anima 2 Artifact (see Artifact Tiles, p. 12).
RP earned during the game are represented by the 1 RP and 5 RP tokens.
Note from the authors: Beware, Artifacts remaining on the Guild board at the end of the game will be discarded and will not earn any RP for the players when scoring.
Once all players have completed their Day move on to the Preparation phase for the next Day.
Actions
Here is the list of actions you can perform during the Exploration phase of your turn.
Build a Camp
Cost: 1 EP
Place a new Camp from the reserve and your Expedition Leader on an uncovered tile (no other tile should be overlapping it).
Archaeologists and Camps have no color, they are common to all players.
Call
Cost: 1 EP
Place an Explorer on a Camp:
Place 1 Archaeologist from the reserve on a tile with a Camp.
or
Move your Expedition Leader from a tile or from your reserve to a tile with a Camp.
Archaeologists do not accompany the Expedition Leader during the Call action. (see Move action)
Plan
Cost: 1 EP
Collect a Planning token. This token must be spent to increase your reserve by 1 EP during the Preparation phase of the next Day.
Players can't have more than one Planning token and they can't spend a token on the Day it is collected.
Overwork
Cost: 1 RP
You may spend 3 EP this turn (instead of the usual 1-2 EP).
The action Overwork has a cost in RP and not in EP. This action does not earn EP, you still have to spend them from your reserve.
Move
Cost: 1 EP / tile
Move your Expedition Leader to an adjacent tile (see Adjacency Rule). When an Expedition Leader moves, they can move with them, for free, 1-3 Archaeologists, but only if those Archaeologists reside on the same tile as their Expedition Leader.
You cannot move the Archaeologists without your Expedition Leader.
You cannot cross a Rift (see p. 20) with your Expedition Leader.
The edges of the game board are considered as tiles, and you can walk among them. The only exception are the edges on the surface layer.
Adjacency Rule:
A tile is considered adjacent to another if:
- Two tiles are touching each other along one side and are on the same ice layer.
- On a higher or lower level, one tile partially overlaps another tile. They are not considered adjacent if only the vertices are touching.
Example of a Move: Jan Moves his Expedition Leader to join 2 Archaeologists on the adjacent tile. He then Moves his Expedition Leader to another tile and brings the 2 Archaeologists with him. These actions cost him 2 EP in total.
Excavate
Cost: 3 EP
Remove the tile on which your Expedition Leader is located. You can Excavate a fully uncovered tile or a partially covered tile if there is only one tile on it.
A. Remove the tile
First, adjust the base cost of 3 EP by following the Excavating cost rule, to determine whether you can perform this action.
- You cannot Excavate a tile covered by 2 or more tiles.
- You cannot Excavate a tile covered by a tile that is itself partially covered by another tile.
Authors' note: Even after spending 2 EP on their turn, a player can still continue to make any action which costs 0 EP: Excavate with 3 or more Explorers or play Snow tiles.
Excavating Cost Rule:
-
Modification of the base cost:
- Tiles containing a camp and Nunatak tiles cost 4 EP.
- Tiles partially covered by exactly one other tile cost 4 EP.
-
Cost reduction through the presence of Explorers:
- Every Explorer present decreases the cost by 1 EP.
- Explorers are: Your Expedition Leader (and any opposing Leaders, if present) and the Archaeologists.
-
Pay the remaining cost in EP:
- If it's 0 EP, the excavation is free.
- Otherwise pay the modified EP cost.
B. Move the Explorers
Move the Explorers that were present on the removed tile to the three tiles underneath according to the Placement Rule.
Placement Rule: After the top tile has been excavated, Explorers should be placed as evenly as possible among the tiles underneath.
The edges of the game board are considered as tiles.
In some cases, there may already be Explorers on lower tiles from previous excavations. These must be taken into consideration when placing your other Explorers.
After placing the Explorers, if a Camp was present on the removed tile, place it on any of the tiles below. It cannot be placed on a tile that already has a Camp on it, nor on the edge of the board.
C. Take the tile
If the removed tile is a Snow tile, secretly take it in your hand. If it is an Artifact tile, place it face up (illustration side) on your Guild board of the corresponding Artifact slot.
Example of an excavation: Fauve has managed to gather 2 more Archaeologists with her Expedition Leader on a partially covered Artifact tile. She Excavates this tile, which normally costs 4 EPs, but since there are 3 Explorers on the tile, this action only costs her 1 EP. She then discards the tile that partially covers the Artifact tile, and places the Artifact tile she excavated on her Guild board. Then she distributes the 3 Explorers as evenly as possible over the 3 revealed tiles underneath.
Collapse Rule: As soon as a tile has only one adjacent tile at the same level, it collapses and is placed in the discard bag. All game pieces on a collapsed tile are returned to their respective reserves, or to the players concerned. A tile adjacent to the edge of the board collapses only when it has no more adjacent tiles at the same level.
Consult the Register
Cost: 1 EP
Draw 3 Request cards, choose one and discard the remaining 2 cards.
Each Request card not validated during the end scoring phase will cause you to lose 2 RP.
Resend
Cost: 1 EP
Go directly to step 2 of your Exploration phase. Send up to 4 Artifacts to the City, instead of 3, and end your Day.
Playing Effects or Abilities
Cost: 1 EP
- At any time during your turn, you may play a Snow tile for free from your hand and apply its effect (including a tile you have just Excavated). The played tiles are then placed in the discard bag (see p. 20).
- Once you have unlocked the effect of an Artifact Type, you can trigger it for free once a Day (see p. 13).
- Each Guild has a unique ability, some of which can be used as actions (see p. 18).
Artifacts
Artifacts appear as vestiges of the Ancients that have survived time. Some of these objects are still intact and sometimes still usable! Their functioning is still mysterious, and they are used in an empirical way by the inhabitants of the City, who can neither reproduce them nor maintain them permanently. Thus, Artifacts are considered by the majority as objects with magical powers, sources of prestige and progress but also of dangers...
Presentation of the Artifacts
Artifact tiles are placed on 3 different levels, recognizable by their increasing degrees of darkening color depending on the depth of the burial: Surface, Intermediate, and Deep Artifacts.
On the back (face down) of an Artifact tile you can see, through the ice, the pictogram corresponding to its Type: Surface, Intermediate, Deep.
On the front (face up) of an Artifact tile is the illustration, and below the illustration is the Shape, Type, and Anima of the Artifact.
There are 5 different Types of Artifacts: Achievement, Exalted, Harmony, Obliteration, Philosophical.
There is an additional Artifact category, the Prismatic Artifact, which acts as a wild card.
When a player finds an Artifact tile, they place it on the corresponding Artifact Slot of their Guild board. Players may hold more than one Artifact of a given Type in their corresponding slot.
The Anima of an Artifact represents its power. Each Artifact can be found under two different powers: Anima 1, Anima 2.
Additionally, each Artifact Type has 3 different Shapes: Shape 1, Shape 2, Shape 3. These Shapes are used in some of the Request and Decree cards.
During the game, Artifacts from the Guild boards may be sent to the City. Once they're in the City, they can be used to validate Request cards and to earn RP via Decree cards at the end of the game.
When you send an Artifact to the City, immediately gain 1 RP if it is an Anima 1 Artifact and gain 2 RP if it is an Anima 2 Artifact (see Send to the City Rule, p. 7).
Effects of the 5 Artifact Types
As soon as a slot contains Artifacts totalling 2 or more Anima, you may trigger the associated effect as a Free action.
Artifact effects can only be triggered once per Day per Type, and only if they are still on your Guild board. Artifacts sent to the City do not grant you their effects.
When you trigger an Artifact's effect, turn over the top Artifact tile in the corresponding slot face down (icon side up). This indicates that this Artifact Type's effect has now been used, and cannot be used again that Day. Any further Artifacts of this Type that you might Excavate during this Day are placed face down (icon side up).
Obliteration Artifacts — Discard a fully uncovered tile adjacent to the tile where your Expedition Leader is located. Place it in the discard bag. Any game elements on it are returned to the reserve, or to the players concerned.
Achievement Artifacts — Add 1 EP to your Exploration Track.
Philosophical Artifacts — Collect a tile at the moment it is being discarded from the board during your turn. It can be a Snow or Artifact tile. This allows you to take a collapsed tile, or a discarded tile from the board via an Artifact or Snow tile ability.
Exalted Artifacts — Pay 1 EP to move one Archaeologist from each adjacent tile onto your Expedition Leader's tile.
Harmony Artifacts — After excavating and allocating the Archaeologists, take one Archaeologist from the reserve and place it on your Expedition Leader's tile.
Prismatic Artifacts — They can count as any Type of Artifact and thus be placed on any Artifact Slot on your Guild Board.
During the Preparation phase only, you may move each of your Prismatic Artifacts to a new Artifact slot.
At the end of the game, when all players score their RP, you must choose what the final Type of Artifact each Prismatic Artifact will be for the Request and Decree scoring.
Beware, Prismatic Artefacts have no Shape.
Renown Points & Cards
The City is governed by the Council of Elders. The council makes frequent requests to the various Guilds to meet the needs of the City. What is at stake is nothing less than the preservation of the Guild's place in the Council, and the fame that comes with it. On this will depend the resources and privileges that will be granted to the Guild.
Renown Points
Renown Points (RP) determine your Guild's fame and therefore your final score at the end of the game.
When Renown Points are earned during the game, you gain them in the form of 1 RP or 5 RP tokens, and place them next to your Guild board.
Cards
Logbook Cards — These cards are revealed during the Preparation phase at the start of each new Day of the game. Each card triggers either a one-time event or an active effect for the duration of the current Day. Do not reveal a Logbook card at the beginning of the first Day.
Request Cards — These cards are personal. Each player starts with 2 cards and can obtain more Request cards during the game via the Consult the Register action. They need to be validated at the end of the game by paying their cost in Artifacts. Details of these costs are in the appendix (See p. 26).
Decree Cards — These cards are public. They allow players to earn RP based on the Artifacts they send to the City during the game. 3 Decree cards are revealed at the start of the game, next to the Game board. Unlike Request cards, Decree cards do not have a cost, but conditions. They can therefore be validated several times.
Endgame
Conditions
The final chapter in your expedition begins as soon as one of these two conditions is met:
-
When an Edifice tile is fully uncovered, it is immediately turned face up (it does not need to be excavated). The player who uncovered it gains 2 RP, and then all players, including the one who just revealed the Edifice can play a final turn, and then the game ends. The final score is then tallied.
After your game, you will be able to see the new variant associated with the Edifice in the Edifice booklet.
OR
- During the Preparation phase, the last Logbook card is revealed. Players then complete one last Day, and the game ends. The final score is then tallied.
Scoring
First steps: follow the Return to the City card's Game Aid.
Discard any remaining Artifacts on your Guild board. Turn the Artifacts sent to the City during the game face up. Choose the final Type that each of your Prismatic Artifacts take.
Then count the points of each player by following these steps:
1. Accounting for Decrees
Add up the RP brought back by your Artifacts via the 3 revealed Decrees.
If you meet the condition of a Decree more than once, you gain its RP each time.
2. Validation of Requests
Each player validates the Requests they are able to pay for. To validate a Request, players must pay for it with the Artifacts they sent to the City during the game. The same Artifact cannot pay the cost of several Requests.
Add up the RP reported by your Artifacts via validated Requests.
Each Request can be validated only once.
Unvalidated Requests cause you to lose 2 RP per Request.
3. Renown Points token
Add up the RP earned by your RP tokens during the game.
The player with the highest RP score wins the game. In case of a tie, the players share the victory.
Example of scoring: Thanks to the Decrees and the Artifacts she sent to the City during the game, Daniele has 17 RP (4 + 6 + 7).
Her Artifacts allow her to validate 3 Requests out of 4. She subtracts 2 RP from this total for the Request she could not validate. Daniele thus totals 14 additional RP (7 + 4 + 5 -2).
To this we add the number of RP tokens she obtained during the game: 8 RP.
Daniele thus totals a score of 39 RPs. She could have optimized the validation of these Requests further. Can you find out how?
You are now ready for your first expedition to the Valley of the Elders!
Variants
The last archaeological expeditions have brought to light enigmatic giant structures: the great works, also called Edifices. These imposing constructions, unalterable and majestic, still question the exploration teams.
Edifices
In I C E, your games have an impact on each other. The Valley of the Elders holds many secrets to be discovered... Each expedition may bring a new Edifice, and thus a new variant, with which you are free to play in the next game.
The Edifices Booklet will allow you to periodically discover the functions of each of these 12 Edifices.
Authors' note: You can choose your Edifice randomly or play with multiple Edifices. At your own risk!
Draft of the Starting Requests
Deal each player 4 Request cards. Each player selects one and then gives the remaining cards to the player on their left. Then, select a second card and discard the remaining 2 cards.
2-player Mode
Rule adjustment
- With 2 players, the Move action allows you to Move from 1 to 2 tiles for 1 EP. However, you can only use this action once per turn.
Solo Mode
The solo mode is a race against the clock. You have 10 Days to complete the following 3 objectives:
- Artifact: Send a minimum of 19 Artifacts to the City.
- Request: Validate a minimum of 7 Request cards.
- Edifice: Fully uncover an Edifice tile.
Rule adjustment
- You can no longer use the Plan action.
- When the deck of Logbook cards is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
Cooperative Mode
In this game mode, players must have fully uncovered an Edifice tile and have achieved certain objectives within a limited time:
- At 2 or 3 players:
- Discover an Edifice in 5 Days maximum
- Have sent 10 Artifacts to the City per player
- Have validated 25 points in Requests per player
- At 4 players:
- Discover an Edifice in 4 Days maximum
- Have sent 9 Artifacts to the City per player
- Have validated 20 points in Requests per player
- At 5 players:
- Discover an Edifice in 4 Days maximum
- Have sent 8 Artifacts to the City per player
- Have validated 20 points in Requests per player
Rule adjustment
- When using the Call action to call Archeologists it costs 2 EP (instead of 1) to perform.
In the 2-player cooperative mode, play with both the Rules of the 2-player mode and the cooperative mode.
In the solo or cooperative mode, a player can discard one of these 3 Snow tiles at any time to gain 1 EP + 1 RP: Boreal Smilodon, Charisma Stone, Whistle of Storms.
While solo and cooperative modes are objective-based, take note of your collective RP in the end. When playing these modes again, try and beat your previous RP score!
Come and compare your best score and find the latest updates on the variants here: https://thiswayeditions.com/variants
Guild Boards
Each inhabitant of the City belongs to a Guild representing a trade. A complex and unequal hierarchy is established within the City. Around the Hearth of the City, close to the heat, reigns the elite with highly guarded micro-gardens. Then, in a concentric way, different social classes follow one another, the most modest being relegated to the periphery.
Each Guild has a starting RP number and a unique ability. This ability can only be used during your turn.
First steps: For your first game, do not take into account these abilities or starting RP.
The CryoArchitects (1 RP)
Once per turn you may excavate a tile containing a Camp as if there were an extra Archaeologist with you. After excavating, place the camp on any of the tiles underneath as normal.
Please note that camps still modify the cost of an excavation requiring an additional EP.
The Incandescents (3 RP)
Once per Day, during your turn, if your Expedition Leader is on an Artifact tile, you may place your Activation token on the corresponding Artifact Slot on your Guild board.
You gain the effect of that Artifact Type for that Day.
Flip your Activation token to the gray side when you use the effect of this Artifact. The Incandescents are the only Guild that can trigger the effect of the same Artifact Type twice in one Day: with their ability and their Guild board's Artifacts.
Remove your activation token at the end of each Day.
If your Expedition Leader is on a Prismatic Artifact tile, you can't use your ability.
The Navigators (2 RP)
Once per turn, 1 to 3 Archaeologists may follow your Expedition Leader when you move via:
- the Call action
- the Build a camp action
- The use of a Snow tile
The Icewalkers (0 RP)
Once per turn, when you Excavate, place your Expedition Leader without restriction on one of the 3 tiles underneath, after placing all Archaeologist and other's Expedition Leader according to the Placement Rule.
The Alchemists (2 RP)
Once per Day, you can randomly retrieve up to 3 tiles from the discard bag, choose one and put the other 2 tiles back into the bag.
If you choose a Snow tile, put it in your hand. If you choose an Artifact, place it on your Guild board.
Snow Tiles
The known world is an immense glacier: the Ice Sheet. This sheet of ice covering the earth sometimes reaches thousands of meters thick. This infinite plain is swept by powerful winds: the katabatic winds blowing up to 350 km/h! Rare rocky reliefs, a respite for the ice sailboats, punctuate this inhospitable desert: the nunataks.
The game board contains 48 Snow tiles. The Reserve contains 10 additional Snow tiles, the Snowflake tiles.
Once excavated, these Snow tiles form the players' hands. Players can play them for free during their turn.
You cannot have more than 4 Snow tiles in your hand, beyond that discard any Snow tiles you may get.
Back (landscape)
When they are on the board, the Snow tiles illustrate the surface of the frozen world of I C E. There are 5 types of landscape:
Encampment — Place a Camp and an Archaeologist on this tile, during setup.
Tunnel — Place an Archaeologist on this tile, during setup.
Rift — These tiles have a rift illustration on two sides, Explorers cannot cross these two sides. Effects of Snow tiles, Guild abilities, and Artifact effects are no exception to this rule.
Nunatak — These tiles cost 1 extra EP to Excavate.
Clear — No special effect.
Front (illustration & effect)
There are 12 different fronts, divided into 3 types:
Animal Tiles
White Spiders — Move all Archaeologists from one tile to an adjacent tile.
Polar Termite Swarm — Excavate a Snow tile for free if your Expedition Leader is on it. You may Excavate a tile that is partially covered by one other tile.
Ice Manta Ray — Move your Expedition Leader to any tile on the board for free. Archaeologists on the same tile do not move with your Expedition Leader.
Boreal Smilodon — Place the Smilodon pawn on a tile. At the beginning of your next turn, return this pawn to the reserve.
A tile with a Smilodon is Inaccessible:
- This tile cannot be Excavated (it can still Collapse).
- Explorers can't move onto this tile.
- Explorers that should be placed on this tile are returned to the reserve instead.
Expedition Tiles
Ice Sailboat — Place 1 Archaeologist from the reserve on the tile of your Expedition Leader and 1 more Archaeologist on the tile of another Expedition Leader. Gain 1 RP.
Abseiling Rope — When you excavate, ignore the Placement Rule: distribute the Explorers on the tiles below as you see fit. This tile can be used immediately for the excavation that reveals it.
Wreck — Gain 1 EP and 1 RP. Then choose another player, who in turn gains 1 EP. If this player has already finished their Day, they will start their next Day with 1 additional EP instead.
Expedition Survivors — When you excavate, take 2 additional Archaeologists from the reserve. These survivors join the other Explorers that you are placing on the tiles underneath, following the Placement Rule. The edges of the game board are considered as tiles. This tile can be used immediately for the excavation that reveals it.
Elders tiles
Talisman (of an Artifact Type) — Excavate a tile of the corresponding Artifact Type for free, if your Expedition Leader is on it. You may Excavate a tile that is partially covered by one other tile. You cannot Excavate a Prismatic Artifact with a Talisman.
Charisma Stone — Spend 1 RP to play the Charisma Stone. During this turn, you may control any Expedition Leader as your own: the Archaeologists may follow this one and you may Excavate and recover any excavated tiles. Any actions taken using this Leader are depleted as normal from your EP reserve.
Explosive Rune — Discard, secretly, any fully uncovered tile from the board. Any game elements on it are returned to the reserve, or to the players concerned. You cannot discard a tile with a Camp.
Whistle of Storms — Place a Snowflake tile on any location on the board. The tile must be placed directly on top of 3 tiles (or along the board edge), without any gaps underneath, and must touch at least two other tiles on the same level. Any Explorers that may be on tiles entirely covered are moved to tiles adjacent to their location as evenly as possible. You cannot cover a tile with a Camp or a Smilodon.
Artifact Tiles
The Artifact tiles are divided into 5 Basic Types and one Prismatic Type as follows: Harmony, Exalted, Achievement, Philosophical, Obliteration, and Prismatic.
Surface Artifacts level — 37 tiles: 30 "Anima 1", and 7 "Anima 1" Prismatics. Each of the 5 Basic Types has 3 Shapes at x2 copies each ("Anima 1"); the Prismatic tile appears x7.
Intermediate Artifacts level — 27 tiles: 15 "Anima 1", 10 "Anima 2", and 2 "Anima 1" Prismatics. Each of the 5 Basic Types has 3 Shapes at x1 copy each ("Anima 1" for Harmony/Exalted/Achievement/Philosophical/Obliteration shown); the Prismatic tile appears x2.
Deep Artifacts level — 19 tiles: 15 "Anima 2" and 4 "Anima 2" Prismatics. Each of the 5 Basic Types has 3 Shapes at x1 copy each ("Anima 2"); the Prismatic tile appears x4.
Logbook Cards
These cards represent the events the Explorers go through during the expedition. Reveal a Logbook card at the beginning of each Day, except the first Day.
Backup — Each player places an Archaeologist from the reserve on the tile where their Expedition Leader is located. Place the Archaeologists starting with the first player in a clockwise direction. If the supply is depleted, no Archaeologists can be placed.
Prismatic Study — Place an Archeologist from the reserve on each Prismatic Artifact tile. If there is not enough Archaeologists in the reserve, the first player chooses the Prismatic Artifact tiles on which to place the Archaeologists, until the supply is exhausted.
Cataclysm — Each player, starting with the first, discards, if possible, a fully revealed tile that has no Expedition Leader on it from the board. A tile with a Smilodon on it is Inaccessible (see Boreal Smilodon p. 20). If there are multiple tiles that count for having the most Explorers, put a Smildon on each, if possible. (The current 1st player chooses where if not enough).
Smilodon — Place a Smilodon pawn on the tile with the most Archaeologists and Expedition leaders. Remove it at the end of the day. You cannot discard an Edifice tile.
Traces of the Last Expedition — Each player draws a Snowflake tile from the Reserve. The deck is drawn clockwise starting with the first player. If the Snowflake tile pool is empty, take a tile at random from the discard bag.
Cooperation — At the beginning of each player's first turn, they may swap the position of their Expedition Leader with any Archaeologist on the board. If your Expedition Leader is not on the board, take the place of an Archaeologist, who is then returned to the reserve.
Decree Cards
These cards provide strategic direction for players to score RP in the endgame. Reveal 3 Decree cards at the beginning of the game.
First Steps: For your first game, reveal the 3 "First Steps" Decree cards. Those cards have a white symbol at the bottom.
- Each Anima 1 Artifact yields 1 RP.
- Each Prismatic Artifact yields 2 RP.
- Each Anima 2 Artifact yields 2 RP.
- Each validated Request card yields 2 RP.
- Each Artifact of the corresponding Type yields 1 RP per Anima. Prismatic Artifacts do not score points via these Decrees.
- Each unique Artifact with a different Type and Shape yields 1 RP. Same Types can score as long as they are different Shapes. Different Anima is not considered for this Decree. Prismatic Artifacts do not score points via this Decree.
Example of scoring: three Artifacts of different Type but the same Shape, plus a pair of Artifacts of the same Type and Shape (which does not score) = 4 RP.
- Each duo of 2 different Shapes of the same Type of Artifact yields 2 RP.
- Each trio of 3 different Shapes of the same Type of Artifact yields 4 RP.
Example of scoring: a duo of different Shapes yields 2 RP, a trio of different Shapes yields 4 RP, and a duo of matching Shapes yields 0 RP, for a total of 6 RP.
Request Cards
These personal cards represent the City's Requests and must be validated by the players at the end of the game.
There are 50 Request cards, 42 of which are different. There are 7 different types, see examples below.
- Cost: 1 Achievement Artifact, 1 Exalted Artifact, and 1 Harmony Artifact. Gain: 7 RP.
- Cost: 2 Anima from any Prismatic Artifacts. They can come from 1 or 2 Artifacts. Gain: 5 RP.
- Cost: 3 Anima which must come from Obliteration and/or Philosophical Artifacts. These Anima can come from 2 or 3 Artifacts. Gain: 5 RP.
- Cost: 3 Anima of any Artifact Type. They may come from several different Types, and they can come from 2 or 3 Artifacts. Gain: 4 RP.
- Cost: 1 Harmony Artifact and 1 Philosophical Artifact. Gain: 4 RP.
- Cost: 1, 2, or 3 Achievement Artifacts, each of different Shapes. Its gain will depend on the number of different Shapes. Gain: 1, 4, or 8 RP.
- Cost: 3 Anima from any Obliteration Artifacts. They can come from 2 or 3 Artifacts. Gain: 6 RP.
List of Requests
The full deck of 50 Request cards (42 different designs) spans these costs and RP values (see the Request Cards page for the general rules on each type):
- Ten cards costing 1 Artifact each of 3 different Types (one card for each 3-Type combination of the 5 Types), each granting 7 RP.
- Ten cards costing 1 Artifact each of 2 different Types (one card for each 2-Type combination of the 5 Types), each granting 4 RP.
- Five "different Shapes of one Artifact Type" cards (one per Type: Achievement, Exalted, Harmony, Obliteration, Philosophical), printed twice each (10 cards total), each granting 1, 4, or 8 RP depending on how many different Shapes are paid (1, 2, or 3).
- Ten cards costing 3 Anima that must come from one of two specified Types (one card per 2-Type combination of the 5 Types), each granting 5 RP.
- Five cards costing 3 Anima that must come from a single specified Type (one per Type), each granting 6 RP.
- Three copies of a card costing 3 Anima of any Artifact Type, granting 4 RP.
- Two copies of a card costing 2 Anima from any Prismatic Artifacts, granting 5 RP.
Glossary
Action (p. 8): performed during a player's Exploration phase, it can be paid for (via EP or RP) or free.
Adjacency Rule (p. 9): tile is considered adjacent to another if: It is on the same level and has one of its sides touching another tile; or it is on a higher or a lower level that covers, or is covered, partially by a tile.
Adjacent tile (p. 9): see the Adjacency Rule.
Anima (p. 12): defines the power of an Artifact.
Archaeologist: small meeple representing a neutral resource shared by all players.
Artifact (p. 12, 22): tile with a Type, a Shape, and an Anima power. After excavating them, you place them on your Guild board. At the end of the Day, players may send them to the City.
Artifact Shape (p. 12): Artifact of a given Type can have 3 different Shapes, except for Prismatic Artifacts. These Shapes are used for certain Request and Decree cards.
Artifact Slot: each Guild board has 5 hexagonal locations. Each is associated with a given Type of Artifact.
Artifact Type (p. 12): Artifacts are defined by whether they belong to one of the 5 Types: Achievement, Exalted, Harmony, Philosophical, and Obliteration. Each Type is represented by a specific icon at the bottom of the Artifact tile.
Boreal Smilodon (p. 20, 24): a tile with a Smilodon is Inaccessible. (See Inaccessible tile).
Build a Camp (p. 8): action allowing a player to place a Camp and their Expedition Leader on an uncovered tile.
Call (p. 8): action allowing the placement of an Explorer on a Camp.
(The) City: area where players can send their Artifacts at the end of a Day. (See Send to the City).
Collapse (p. 11): corresponds to the fact that a tile is discarded if it is only connected to one or no other tiles. (See Collapse Rule).
Collapse Rule (p. 11): as soon as a tile has only one adjacent tile on the same level, it collapses and the tile is discarded. If there were any game elements on the collapsed tile, return them to their respective reserves.
Consult the Register (p. 11): action allowing a player to draw 3 Request cards, choose 1 card to keep and then discard the other 2.
Day (p. 6): Days segment the game, they are divided into 2 phases of play: Preparation phase and Exploration phase.
Decree (p. 14, 25): public card that allows you to win RP during the endgame.
Discard a card: place the card on the corresponding discard pile.
Discard a tile: remove a tile from the board, or from your hands, by placing it directly into the discard bag. Players must return all the items on the tile to their respective reserves.
Edifices (p. 15): the deepest tiles on the board, they define variations of the game. Revealing an Edifice tile is an endgame trigger.
EP (p. 6, 7): Known as Exploration Points they correspond to a player's action points for the round. They allow each player to perform a series of actions during the Exploration phase of each Day.
Excavate (p. 10): action allowing to take a tile, on which your Expedition Leader is placed, that is uncovered or covered by a single tile. Place the tile into your hand or Artifact area depending on the type of tile. Each Explorer on the tile reduces the EP cost to Excavate by 1.
Excavation cost Rules (p. 10): The cost of an excavation is modified as follows:
- Each Explorer reduces the cost by 1 EP.
- If the excavated tile is partially covered by another tile, the action costs 1 additional EP and the tile that covered it collapses: it is discarded.
- Tiles containing a Camp and/or Nunatak tiles (see p. 20) cost 1 additional EP to Excavate.
- The Excavation action can never be more than 4 EP.
Expedition Leader: colored meeple attached to a Guild and symbolizing a player.
Exploration Phase (p. 7): specific to each player, it corresponds to the second phase of a Day and includes 2 steps. First, players perform actions by spending 1 to 2 EP. When a player has no more EP they can send up to 3 Artifacts to the City, then their Day is over.
Explorers: term for both Archaeologists and Expedition Leaders.
Guild Board (p. 5, 18): player's board on which they track EP, and displays their starting RP, unique ability, and Slots for each Artifact Type.
Inaccessible tile (p. 20):
- This tile cannot be excavated (it can still Collapse).
- Explorers can't move onto this tile.
- Explorers that should be placed on this tile are returned to the reserve instead.
Logbook (p. 6, 24): card to be turned over at the beginning of each Day, except the first, indicating an event to be completed.
Move (p. 9): action allowing to move your Expedition Leader to an adjacent tile. Up to 3 Archaeologists may follow them.
Nunatak (p. 20): Snow tiles requiring 1 additional EP to be excavated.
Overwork (p. 8): action allowing to spend an extra EP (3, instead of 1-2) on a player's turn. This action costs 1 RP.
Placement Rule (p. 10): when a tile is Excavated, Explorers should be placed as evenly as possible among the tiles revealed underneath.
Plan (p. 8): action allowing to get a Planning token to obtain 1 more EP for the next Day.
Player's Turn (p. 7): takes place during a player's Exploration phase and consists of spending 1 to 2 EP (3 EP when using the 'Overwork' action) to perform one or more actions.
Preparation Phase (p. 6): common to all players, it corresponds to the first phase of a Day and consists of 3 steps.
Prismatics (p. 13): Artifacts that act as wildcards and can replace any Artifact Type.
Resend (p. 11): action allowing to send an additional Artifact to the City. This action ends your Day.
Request (p. 14, 26): personal card to be validated during the endgame, using the Artifacts sent to the City during the game.
RP (p. 14): known as Renown Points, they correspond to the player's victory points.
Send to the City Rule (p. 7): When a player sends an Artifact to the City, they place it face down in the City area, next to their Guild board. They gain 1 RP if it is an Anima 1 Artifact or 2 RP if it is an Anima 2 Artifact.
Snowflake tiles (p. 20): Snow tiles from the reserve used occasionally during a game.
Snow tiles (p. 20): surface tiles of the game. They form the hand of the players once removed from the board. They can then be played during your turn.
Uncovered tile: tile with no other tile above it that is covering it partially or fully.
FAQ
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Does a tile with a Nunatak and a Camp on it cost me 5 EP to Excavate? No, the excavating base cost can never be more than 4 EP, even with multiple modifiers.
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What is the maximum number of Artifacts I can send to the City area per Day? Normally 3, but you can send up to 4 Artifacts to the City with the Resend action.
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What is the maximum number of EP I can start with in a Day? The reserve of EP can be increased during the Day, but cannot exceed 7 EP.
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Is it possible to place a Camp on a tile that already has one? No it is not possible. If after excavating a tile with a Camp, you cannot place it on a valid tile, put it back in the reserve.
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What happens if there are no more Archaeologists in the reserve? You cannot use the Call an Archaeologist action.
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I want to perform the action Consult the Register but there are no more Request cards in the deck. Shuffle the cards from the discard pile and form a new Request deck.
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I need to take a RP token but there are no more available, what should I do? RP tokens are the only inexhaustible elements of the game. If the supply of RP tokens is empty, use a substitute.
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Can I benefit from the effects of Artifacts sent to the City? No. Artifacts sent to the City are no longer present on the Guild boards, thus no longer count towards unlocking an Artifact effect.
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I need to draw a Snowflake tile but the tile pool is empty, how do I do that? If the Snowflake tile reserve is empty, take a random tile from the discard bag. If you draw an Artifact put it back and draw another tile.
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Can I use a Storm Whistle tile to place a tile on top of the tiles on the first level? You cannot place tiles above the Snow level.
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Can I validate a Request card with 3 Animas with my two 2 Anima Artifacts? You can validate Request cards with more Anima than you need.
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In Cooperative Mode, does fully revealing an Edifice tile still end the game? Yes! But if you do so before completing the objectives for your player count, you will lose the game! So be careful this doesn't happen before that.
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Some graphic elements on the tiles or cards seem to not be used in the game... There is a Legacy component in I C E, represented by the variants brought by the Edifice tiles. These graphic elements will be used by some Edifices.
This Way! Links & Community
Find us on thiswayeditions.com!
- Keep up to date with the latest news from This Way!
- Meet the team and learn about upcoming games and expansions.
- Download the rules in different languages.
- Request missing game pieces.
Find us also with @thiswayice on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
For the gamers, join the geek community of the Board Game Geek website.
Join the community on Facebook and Discord!
Ask all your questions about the rules, give your opinion on the game, or share your best score.
Get a front row seat to the next 'This Way!' project. The creators share their thoughts and solicit the community on game design aspects.
Come and play the digital version of I C E, on Tabletop Simulator on the Steam platform.
Credits & Acknowledgements
Authors: Hugo Freyermuth and Samson F. Perret
Art Direction and Illustrations: Léonard Dupond
Graphic Design: Alexis Vanmeerbeeck
Proofreading Rules: Pauline Lelievre, Anton Kawasaki, Stefen Gueguen, Florent Reymond-Gaudry, François Alligier, Kyle Lukacoivc
Translation: Torsten Sammet, Jurgen Degryse, Bruce Fletcher
Manufacturing: Panda Game Manufacturing
Insert Design: Matt Healey
Kickstarter Video: Noémi Gruner, Antoine Delabarre, Hadrien Kobylarz
Playtesting: The players who gave us numerous feedback notes on Tabletop Simulator!
Campaign: This game was created thanks to the contribution of 3937 backers during the first Kickstarter campaign in May 2021. I C E can be found on the Kickstarter site in the "Games" projects.
Thanks to Basara, Druss, Mustang mvp, and Nixx for their support and valuable feedback.
Thanks to Tyler Lipchen from Panda Games for his efficiency and availability.
Thanks to Nicolas Smeers from Azao Games for his support on the making of the prototypes.
Thanks to Romain Libersa for his graphics work on the Artifacts icons and his advice.
Thanks to Collin Spanberger for his help and input on the gaming community.
Thanks to Anton Kawasaki for his enthusiasm and investment in the 'This Way!' website.
Finally, for their unconditional support and patience during these 3 years, Faustine and Noémi, and for having given us the taste for games and the crazy desire to create them, Chris and Da, a big thank you!
© 2022 This Way! www.thiswayeditions.com
Iconography
Actions: Build a Camp, Call, Move, Consult the Register, Excavate, Plan, Overwork, Resend.
Artifacts: Achievement, Exalted, Harmony, Obliteration, Philosophical, Prismatic, Any Type, Anima Power, Shape 1, Shape 2, Shape 3.
Others: Exploration Points (EP), Renown Points (RP), Archaeologist, Expedition Leader, Explorers, Camp, Smilodon, Send to the City.
Game Elements: Tile.
Cards: Validated Request Card.