La Viña Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Summary and Objective
• Components
• Setup
  • Number of Players
  • Setting Up the Board
• Prestige
• Gameplay
  • Turn Order
  • Playing a Turn
  • Reaching the Exit
  • Tools
  • End of Round
  • New Round
• End of Game
• Credits

Game Summary and Objective

On their turns, each player will move their grape picker along the renque (the row between the vines). They will watch the grape cards to collect them and add them to one of their baskets. Leaving the vineyard at the end of the row, the grape picker will be able to deliver the grapes from their baskets to the wineries, provided they meet the requirements set by the wineries, in order to obtain the indicated reward. As soon as a player makes their last delivery, the end of the game is triggered. The rest of the players finish the current round until they have left the vineyard for the last time. Prestige is then tallied up. Whoever has gained the most prestige is the winner.

Components

The game consists of:

• 1 modular board. It is made up of spaces, and each space has two slots, one on the space's front and one further back.
• 72 grape cards, in 4 varieties, plus grapeless cards. Each grape card shows a grape variety and a grape value; a card may also show a tool. A card showing an empty vine has no grapes on it at all.
  • Grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
• 10 starting basket cards and 6 basket cards, each showing the basket's capacity (how many grape cards it can hold) and its basket value (its price in prestige).
• 5 grape-picker cards and 7 grape pickers (pawns in 5 colors). Each grape-picker card shows a portrait, a color, and a belt for placing tools.
• 16 winery cards, each showing the requested variety, an entry value, and a delivery space with its reward (either a fixed reward or a multiplier).
• 1 winegrowers' co-operative card, with delivery spaces and rewards for 2-3, and reward multipliers of x0.5.
• 30 barrel tokens.
• 8 wildcard grape tokens.
• 12 tool tokens: 4 corkscrews, 4 boots and 4 shears.
• 67 prestige tokens.
• 7 figures.

Setup

Below you will find a table for the number of players. Consult the table to make sure you are playing with the correct quantity of pieces.

Number of Players

Depending on the number of players, you must set out some of the game's elements differently:

	2 players	3 players	4 players	5 players
Grape-picker figures	2	1	1	1
Renque spaces	5	4	5	6
Winery cards	5 + coop.	6 + coop.	7 + coop.	8 + coop.
Medium and large basket cards	1	2	3	3
Tool tokens of each type	1	2	3	3
Barrel tokens	7	6	6	5

Notes for playing with two players: Each player receives a single grape-picker card and two grape-picker pawns of the same color, which are placed alternately at the entrance at the start of the game. On each turn, each player moves only one of their pawns. Each player has 7 barrels (they can make 7 deliveries). The first player (the one whose grape pickers are in the 1st and 3rd position at the entrance) starts with 1 quality seal, and the second player with 3. The starting basket cards do not change: 2 for each player, shared between their two grape pickers.

Setting Up the Board

1. Set up the board in the center of the table with the number of spaces that corresponds to the number of players. This board represents the central row of the vineyard (the renque), with the entrance at one end and the exit at the other. The renque is divided into a series of spaces with two slots each, so that only two grape pickers fit into each space (one further ahead than the other), one in each slot.
2. Take the grape cards and shuffle them. Randomly place 2 grape cards face up on each side of every space in the renque, one on top of the other but sliding the bottom card so that its grape variety and value are visible, but not any tool it might have. Note that face-down cards cannot be looked at until a grape picker takes the card on top of them during play. Set the leftover cards aside in a face-down deck, with a space for discards next to it.
3. Each player takes their grape-picker card and places their grape-picker pawns of their color in the entrance area. The starting player is chosen at random and plays first; for now, they occupy the rearmost position in the row of grape pickers (the one furthest from the entrance). The player to their left places their grape picker facing the first one, and so on clockwise, until all players have placed their grape pickers in the entrance area, one facing the other. In the example, red is the first player.
4. Each player is given their starting basket cards (marked with a star): a small basket with capacity for 2 grape cards and a medium basket with a capacity of 3 cards, which each player leaves on the table in their play area. The rest of the starting basket cards are returned to the box. Players may have a maximum of two baskets in their play area.
5. Also deal out as many barrel tokens as correspond to the number of players, plus a number of prestige tokens that depends on turn order: 1 quality seal (value 1) to the first player, 2 to the second, 3 to the third, and so on.
6. In the exit area, place a wildcard grape token, the winegrowers' co-operative card (on the side matching the number of players), as many randomly-chosen winery cards as correspond to the number of players (maximum 2 with the same requested variety; return any extra to the box), as many basket cards as correspond to the number of players, as many tool tokens as correspond to the number of players, and the rest of the prestige tokens as the bank. Everything is now ready to begin.

Prestige

Prestige is the measure by which the success of the grape pickers is judged. It is a concept that covers both the economic side (prestige is used to buy better baskets during the game) and the material side (the reward from wineries when delivering grapes). Grape pickers will accumulate quality seals (value 1), labels (value 5), bottles (value 10) and diplomas (value 50).

At any point during the game, players may exchange their prestige tokens for others of higher value from the general reserve, for the corresponding value. That is, 10 seals can be exchanged for 1 bottle, or 10 labels for 1 diploma.

During the game, players will earn rewards from the wineries in different values, and grape pickers will make up the total prestige point value using whichever combination of tokens is most convenient for them. For example, if a reward of 27 must be received, it can be obtained with 2 bottles, 2 quality seals and 1 label.

Gameplay

The game is played over a number of rounds. Rounds end as soon as all grape pickers have left the renque. During a round, players take their turns advancing their grape pickers and collecting grape cards. As soon as a grape picker reaches the exit of the vineyard, that player does not play again until the following round.

Turn Order

The player whose grape picker is furthest back in the row of pawns always plays the next turn. It is possible that, if other players have moved ahead several spaces, the same player may play several turns in a row.

Playing a Turn

On their turn, a player must advance their grape picker 1 or more spaces, and may even reach the exit area in a single move from any position on the renque. In that case, they may make deliveries to the wineries, thereby ending their turn and getting ready to play the following round (see Reaching the Exit, below).

Note that each space has two slots, but the grape picker can only ever occupy one of the two. Even if the space the grape picker is on has another free slot, the grape picker must advance to a further space with free slots. There can never be more than 2 grape pickers on a space at the same time.

Before or after moving, the grape picker may take one of the free grape cards on either side of the space they are on. A free grape card is one with no other grape card covering it.

The player may discard the card they have just taken, or place it in one of their baskets, respecting its maximum capacity. They may mix different grape varieties in the same basket, but this may affect the deliveries they make at the wineries later (see below).

If the card they took has a tool on it, they take the corresponding tool token from the general reserve and place it on their grape-picker card. Each player may have a maximum of 2 tools at the same time. If they take a third, they must return one of the three to the general reserve.

Some cards show empty vines with no grapes on them; these cards are discarded immediately after collecting any tools they might have had.

At any point during their turn, a player may tip the entire contents of one of their baskets into another basket, as long as doing so does not exceed the destination basket's maximum capacity (if it would exceed the capacity, the action cannot be performed). Another option is to tip it into the discard pile (discarding all the cards from the basket).

Reaching the Exit

As soon as a grape picker's movement takes it to the exit area of the renque, that player performs the following steps:

• If they are the first to exit, they take the wildcard grape token. It can be used this round or in a later round, adding it to any delivery as one more grape of whichever variety is preferred. There is no limit to the number of wildcard grape tokens that can be held or delivered, and they do not take up space in the baskets (since they are kept on the grape-picker card).
• They may make one or two grape deliveries, handing over the contents of their baskets to collect what the wineries are offering. Each delivery is resolved separately from the other, at the same winery or at different wineries. A complete basket is delivered per delivery; baskets cannot be combined for a single delivery, nor can only part of the cards they contain be delivered.
  • Each winery has a minimum entry value that must be met with the grape cards delivered (or by adding wildcard grape tokens, at a rate of 1 point per token). The variety of the grapes must match the variety requested by the winery. The requested variety indicates what types of grapes each winery accepts. Some wineries ask for a single type of grape to make a single-varietal wine, while others call for different grapes for their blend (coupage). Where they want a blend, they will always require one predominant grape variety; in this case, note that at least half of the entry value must be satisfied with grape cards of that variety.
  • After resolving the delivery, place the grape cards in the discard pile.
  • Example: a winery with an entry value of "7+ PINOT NOIR" has an entry value of 7 or more, whose requested variety must be satisfied only with Pinot Noir cards.
  • Example: a winery with an entry value of "7+ GARNACHA >" has an entry value of 7 or more, and its requested blend can be satisfied with any type of grape card but at least two different types, as long as the value of the Garnacha cards is equal to or greater than the sum of the value of the rest of the grape cards. For example, the delivery could consist of Garnacha cards worth 4, plus 2 Pinot Noir and 1 Chardonnay.
  • The winegrowers' co-operative is a special kind of winery that accepts all grape varieties, in any variety and quantity. The co-operative always offers a reward of x0.5 (see below).
  • You may always deliver more than what is requested; that is, if a winery asks for "8+ Garnacha," it means that cards adding up to 8 or more grapes can be delivered, but only Garnacha.
  • For each delivery, the player places one of their barrel tokens on the winery's next free delivery space and obtains the indicated reward. This may be a fixed reward (10 prestige points, for example), or a multiplier ("x1", "x2" or "x0.5"). If a delivery space shows a multiplier, the player obtains an amount of prestige equal to the value of the grapes delivered multiplied by the multiplier's number (rounding down).
  • Example: if we deliver a basket containing cards adding up to 15 grapes to the winegrowers' co-operative, we cover one of the "x0.5" delivery spaces with a barrel token and obtain 7 prestige points. No player is required to declare how much prestige they have accumulated.
  • When the winery's last delivery space is covered, the grape picker also takes any prestige tokens sitting on the winery card.
• They may upgrade one or more baskets. In this case, the player hands over an empty basket they no longer need, paying only the difference with the price of the new one. Baskets handed over are removed from the game. Remember that players may only have two baskets in their play area.

After leaving the renque and deciding whether to make any deliveries to the wineries, the grape picker has finished their turn and will not play any more turns this round until all grape pickers have exited.

Grape pickers line up in the entrance area in the order in which they exit. The first to exit will be the first to play in the following round, so they are placed furthest from the entrance, leaving room in front for the other grape pickers to line up.

Tools

During their turn, the grape picker may use the tools they have next to their grape-picker card to put their effects into play, returning the used tool tokens to the general reserve:

• Corkscrew. The grape picker may take any card from the space they currently occupy, regardless of whether the card is free or not.
• Shears. The grape picker may take two cards in succession from the space they are on (they must move either before or after taking the cards as normal). When taking the first card, the full sequence is carried out before taking the second: that is, take the card, place the indicated tool token (if any) on the grape-picker card, and place the card in one of the baskets or discard it.
• Boots. The grape picker may take a card from a space on the renque before the one they are on (closer to the entrance area). Using the boots does not exempt the grape picker from the mandatory forward movement of each turn.

Grape pickers may use two different tools at the same time on their turn, combining their effects:

• Boots + shears: The grape picker may take 2 cards from a previous space.
• Boots + corkscrew: The grape picker may take 1 card from a previous space, regardless of whether the card is free or not.
• Corkscrew + shears: The grape picker may take 2 cards from the space they are on, the first of which may be free or not.

End of Round

When all grape pickers have left the renque, the round ends and a new round begins.

New Round

Players keep any unused tools and wildcard grape tokens on their grape-picker cards, as well as the grapes in their baskets.

The vineyard's cards are replenished: cards are drawn from the deck, one at a time, and the vineyard is refilled until there are again 2 cards on the right and left of each space. If a card remained in a space, the new card is placed on top of it. If the deck runs out, the discard pile (the delivered cards) is shuffled to create a new deck.

A quality seal is added to every winery that has at least one delivery space remaining, except the winegrowers' co-operative.

A wildcard grape token is placed in the exit area.

End of Game

As soon as a player makes a delivery using their last barrel token, the end of the game is triggered. The rest of the players keep playing until all grape pickers have left the vineyard.

The value of each player's prestige tokens is counted. The player with the highest total prestige is the winner. In the event of a tie, the winner is the grape picker who left the renque earliest in the last round.

Credits

• Author: José Ramón Palacios
• Illustrator: Joan Guardiet
• Graphic design: Bascu
• Proofreading: Jaume Muñoz
• Editing: David Esbrí

The author would like to thank everyone who playtested this game and helped make it a reality: Marián, Lara, Adita, Chomin, Juan, Tomás, Mariel, Eva, Esperanza; Gabi, Juan, Pau, Héctor, Pepe, Víctor, Javi, César; Paco, Sergio, Jose Ignacio, Miguel; Aventum: Dani, Celso, Jeferson, Patricia, Josue, Rafa, Blanca, Chito; Ludo: Beatriz, Jose Antonio.

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