Isle Tiles Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Goal of the Game
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • 1. Fulfil a Task Card
  • 2. Place a Landscape Tile
  • 3. Place Animal Markers
  • 4. Draw a Landscape Tile
• End of the Game
• Overview of the Task Cards
  • Weites Land (Wide Land)
  • Vielfalt (Variety)
  • Hochplateau (High Plateau)
  • Fern der Küste (Far From the Coast)
  • Klippe (Cliff)
  • Im Zentrum (In the Centre)
  • Tiefes Tal (Deep Valley)
  • Terrassenlandschaft (Terraced Landscape)
  • Bergtiere (Mountain Animals)
  • Archipel (Archipelago)
  • Monokultur (Monoculture)

Game Components

• 50 landscape tiles (landscape types: Lava, Desert, Ice, Swamp, Forest)
• 24 animal markers (4 animal species, each with the values 1–6)
• 4 board parts, each with 15 water spaces
• 20 task cards
• 1 score pad
• 1 rulebook

Goal of the Game

In Isle Tiles you cleverly place landscape tiles to secure the most valuable areas with your animals, fulfil tasks, and score the most points at the end of the game.

Setup

1. For your first game, lay out the board parts as shown in the setup illustration. Use the numbers on one side of the board parts for orientation. Then skip the rest of step 1. In later games, distribute the board parts as evenly as possible among all players. The youngest player places their board part in the middle of the table. Then, in turn order, each player attaches one board part. A newly placed board part must border at least one previously placed board part with at least one side.
2. Each player chooses an animal species and takes the corresponding animal markers with the values 1–6.
3. Place the landscape tiles face down next to the board.
4. Draw 2 random landscape tiles and put them aside unseen. They are not needed in this game.
5. Shuffle the task cards and draw 4 random cards. For your first game we recommend task cards 1–4. Lay them out next to the board. Put the other task cards aside; they are not needed in this game.
6. Each player secretly draws 1 landscape tile and takes it in hand.

Now you can begin!

For the first game, task cards 1–4 are: Weites Land (Wide Land), Vielfalt (Variety), Hochplateau (High Plateau), Fern der Küste (Far From the Coast).

Gameplay

You play clockwise. The player who most recently petted an animal starts. On your turn you carry out the following 4 steps:

1. Fulfil a task card
2. Place a landscape tile
3. Place animal markers
4. Draw a landscape tile

Then the next player clockwise takes a turn.

1. Fulfil a Task Card

If at the start of your turn you have met the requirements of a task, you may take the corresponding card. You can fulfil a maximum of 1 task each turn. If you could fulfil several tasks, you must choose one. Place the fulfilled task card in front of you. The card can no longer be taken from you. Each fulfilled task is worth 3 points at the end of the game.

Note: All task cards are explained in detail at the end of this rulebook (from p. 6).

2. Place a Landscape Tile

A landscape tile always consists of 2 spaces. Most tiles show 2 of the 5 different landscape types: Ice, Swamp, Lava, Desert, Forest.

Example: this landscape tile consists of 2 spaces: 1 Ice space and 1 Swamp space.

Some tiles show 2 spaces of the same landscape. They are still 2 separate spaces. Example: this landscape tile consists of 2 spaces: 1 Forest space and a 2nd Forest space.

Forming an area. A single space is an area. Adjacent spaces with an identical landscape type form a larger area. Differences in height between the spaces do not matter.

You have 2 options for placing your landscape tile:

A. You place your tile directly on the board. It must always lie on the grid and may not extend beyond it.

B. You place your tile on previously placed landscape tiles, which lets you build upward. A tile can only ever be placed on 2 spaces that are at the same height. You may not place it on spaces on which an animal marker lies (regardless of whether it is your own or another player's).

Note: The tile may be placed exactly on top of a single tile directly beneath it, or cover spaces of 2 landscape tiles. You may cover any landscape types.

3. Place Animal Markers

You may place 0, 1 or 2 of your animal markers on the tile you just placed. You may place a maximum of 1 marker on each space of the tile.

You may place animal markers that are still in front of you (that is, not yet on the board). You may also move animal markers that are already on the board onto the tile you just placed.

Afterwards you check whether animal markers of another player are in the areas:

A. If only your animal markers are in the area: the area belongs to you.

B. If one or more animal markers of another player are also in this area, you compare the total value of your animals. Add the values of all your animal markers in this area and compare them with the value of all animal markers of the other player in this area.

• The player with the lower value must remove all their animal markers from the area and place them in front of themselves again.
• In case of a tie, both of you must remove all your animal markers from the area and put them in front of you. The area then belongs to nobody.

At the end of a turn, each area can therefore only contain animal markers of one player. That player also owns the area.

Example:

1. Nicola places a tile consisting of a Forest space and an Ice space.
2. She places her wolf with the value 6 on one of the Forest spaces.
3. Lars has his flamingo with the value 2 and his flamingo with the value 3 in the same Forest area. Since their added value of 5 is lower than 6, Lars must remove both of his flamingo figures from the board and place them in front of himself again.

4. Draw a Landscape Tile

Draw a landscape tile from the supply. You may look at it, but keep it secret from the other players. Then it is the next player's turn clockwise.

End of the Game

When a player has drawn the last tile, the last round begins. Carry out steps 1–3 (fulfil a task card, place a landscape tile, place animal markers) as usual. Afterwards count your points before the next player takes their turn.

To do so, go through the individual landscape types on the score pad one after another. Each space of your areas earns you points. Each space is worth as many points as it is high. On the lowest level a space is worth 1 point; on the 4th level, however, 4 points. If you have no area of a landscape type, you get no points for that landscape type.

Note: To score an area, you must own it. You do not need an animal marker on every space of the area. After your scoring, leave your animal markers on their spaces.

Note down 3 points for each of your fulfilled tasks. Add up your points. Note down your points directly after you have taken your last turn, not only at the end of the game.

Then the next player clockwise takes their last turn. As soon as everyone has finished their last turn and counted their points, the game ends.

The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the player who fulfilled more tasks wins. If there is still a tie, the player who sits earlier in turn order wins.

Overview of the Task Cards

An area consists of one or more spaces of the same landscape type that are adjacent to each other. The cards state what you must own at minimum to fulfil them. You may also own more. Each task is worth 3 points.

Weites Land (Wide Land)

Gebiet mit 5+ Feldern (Area with 5+ spaces)

At the start of your turn, own an area of at least 5 spaces.

The area must consist of at least 5 spaces of one landscape type, but there may also be more spaces. If you have 2 areas next to each other that are 2 and 3 spaces large, you have not fulfilled the card. It must be one area of one landscape type.

Vielfalt (Variety)

Je 1 Gebiet jeder Art (Lava, Eis, Sumpf, Wald, Wüste) (1 area of each type: Lava, Ice, Swamp, Forest, Desert)

At the start of your turn, own an area of each type.

There are 5 landscape types. You must own at least 1 area of each of these types. You may also own more areas.

Hochplateau (High Plateau)

Gebiet mit 3+ Feldern auf gleicher Höhe (min. Höhe 2) (Area with 3+ spaces at the same height, min. height 2)

At the start of your turn, own an area with at least 3 spaces at the same height, at least at height 2.

There must be at least 3 spaces at the same height, from height 2 upward. The spaces do not have to be next to each other, but must be part of the same area. The area may extend over several heights and may contain spaces at height 1.

Fern der Küste (Far From the Coast)

Gebiet, das nicht an Wasser angrenzt (Area that does not border water)

At the start of your turn, own an area that does not border water.

Every space directly adjacent to a water space counts as bordering water. The height of the space does not matter. The edge of the board is not water.

Klippe (Cliff)

Feld der Höhe 3+, das an Wasser angrenzt (Space of height 3+ that borders water)

At the start of your turn, own an area with a space of height 3 or higher directly at the water.

The area needs a space that is at least at height 3. This space must border water directly.

Im Zentrum (In the Centre)

Gebiet, das an 4+ Gebiete angrenzt (Area that borders 4+ areas)

At the start of your turn, own an area that borders at least 4 areas.

The adjacent areas do not all have to be of different landscape types. An adjacent area can consist of only one space. It does not matter whether you, another player or nobody owns an adjacent area.

Tiefes Tal (Deep Valley)

Gebiet mit 2 Feldern, die aneinandergrenzen, mit Höhenunterschied 3+ (Area with 2 adjacent spaces with a height difference of 3+)

At the start of your turn, own an area with 2 adjacent spaces with a height difference of at least 3 heights.

You need an area that consists of at least 2 spaces. If a space of the area is, for example, at height 4, an adjacent space of this area must be at height 1 or at least height 7. Which height the remaining spaces of this area have, or which areas border it, does not matter.

Terrassenlandschaft (Terraced Landscape)

Gebiet mit 3+ unterschiedlichen Höhen (Area with 3+ different heights)

At the start of your turn, own an area with at least 3 different heights.

Check whether your area extends over 3 heights, for example heights 1, 2 and 3. The area may also have larger height differences, for example extending over heights 1, 3 and 5.

Bergtiere (Mountain Animals)

Gebiet mit 3+ Tiermarkern auf unterschiedlichen Höhen (Area with 3+ animal markers at different heights)

At the start of your turn, own an area with at least 3 animal markers, each at different heights.

In the area, at least 3 of your animal markers must be at at least 3 different heights, for example at heights 1, 2 and 3. Of course the animal markers can also be at other heights, such as 2, 4 and 5; the heights do not have to be consecutive.

Archipel (Archipelago)

4+ Gebiete (4+ areas)

At the start of your turn, own at least 4 areas.

You need at least 4 separate areas. You may also own more. They may be areas of the same type. An area may also consist of only 1 space.

Monokultur (Monoculture)

Gebiet, das an 2+ Gebiete gleicher Art angrenzt (Area that borders 2+ areas of the same type)

At the start of your turn, own an area that borders at least 2 areas of the same type.

An adjacent area can consist of only 1 space. It does not matter whether you, another player or nobody owns an adjacent area.

Zwillings-Gebiete (Twin Areas)

2 gleich große Gebiete mit je 3+ Feldern (2 equally large areas with 3+ spaces each)

At the start of your turn, own 2 equally large areas that are both at least 3 spaces large.

Own 2 areas that consist of an equal number of spaces. These areas must be at least 3 spaces large. The areas need not have the same shape or the same landscape type.

Bergspitze (Mountain Peak)

Tiermarker auf Höhe 4+ (Animal marker at height 4+)

At the start of your turn, own a space with an animal marker at height 4 or higher.

The area in which this animal marker is placed can also contain spaces of lower height and further animal markers of yours.

Entferntes Land (Distant Land)

2 Gebiete gleicher Art, die 5+ Felder voneinander entfernt sind (2 areas of the same type that are 5+ spaces apart)

At the start of your turn, own 2 areas of the same type that are at least 5 spaces apart.

Own 2 areas of the same landscape type. There must be 4 free spaces between the two areas. For the distance, count the smallest possible number of spaces. The spaces in between can contain sea, other areas and also animal markers. Only spaces of the board count, not "gaps".

Groß und Klein (Large and Small)

2 Gebiete gleicher Art: das größte und das kleinste (2 areas of the same type: the largest and the smallest)

At the start of your turn, own 2 areas of one landscape type: the largest and the smallest.

You need 2 separate areas of the same landscape type. Compared with all other areas of this landscape type, they must be the largest and the smallest area. A tie is not sufficient.

Lieber allein (Rather Alone)

Gebiet, das nicht an Gebiete von anderen Personen angrenzt (Area that does not border areas of other players)

At the start of your turn, own an area that does not border an area of another player.

Your area may border an area that nobody owns or that you own.

Vorbestimmtes Gebiet (Predetermined Area)

Gebiet einer hier liegenden Art mit 3+ Feldern (Area of a type lying here with 3+ spaces)

At the start of your turn, own an area of a type lying here with at least size 3.

At the start of the game, lay one of the two landscape tiles set aside during setup on this card. You need an area of at least 3 spaces of one of the two landscape types shown. If you lay a tile on this card that shows the same landscape type twice, you have only one landscape type with which you can fulfil this card.

(At the start of the game, lay one of the landscape tiles set aside during setup on this card.)

Kleine Tiere (Small Animals)

Gebiet mit den Tiermarkern 1, 2 und 3 (Area with animal markers 1, 2 and 3)

At the start of your turn, own an area in which your 3 lowest animal markers are placed.

In the area, your animal markers with the values 1, 2 and 3 must be placed. The animal markers do not have to be placed adjacent to each other. Further animal markers of yours may also be in the area.

2 Ebenen (2 Levels)

2 Felder unterschiedlicher Art, die aneinandergrenzen, mit Höhenunterschied 3+ (2 adjacent spaces of different types with height difference 3+)

At the start of your turn, own 2 adjacent spaces of different types that have a height difference of at least 3.

You need 2 separate areas that border each other. The adjacent spaces need a height difference of at least 3. If, for example, a space of one area is at height 4, the adjacent space of the other area must be at height 1 or at least height 7.

Lange Route (Long Route)

4+ Tiermarker in gerader Linie (4+ animal markers in a straight line)

At the start of your turn, own 4 spaces with animal markers in a straight line. They do not have to be in the same area and do not have to be placed directly adjacent.

The 4 animal markers must form a straight line. The animal markers do not have to be placed in the same area. The animal markers do not have to be placed directly adjacent to one another. The spaces between the markers can include areas of other players and their animal markers. "Gaps" in the board, that is, spaces on which no board part lies, do not interrupt the straight line.