Lair Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
• Overview
• Scoring
• Starting a Round
• On Your Turn
  • Move Boss
  • Move Henchmen
  • Retire
• Building for Victory (Points)
• Ending a Round
• End of Game
• Directives
  • Build a Room
  • Upgrade a Room
  • Occupy a Room
  • Steal a Room
  • Transfer
  • Excavate
  • Exchange Crates
  • Dismiss
  • Waste Productivity
  • Gain Favor
  • Select a Room
  • Reveal a Room
  • Destroy a Room
• Crates
• Two Players

Goal

You are one of Mr. White's lieutenants, charged with constructing an underground HQ on a remote volcanic island.

Gain Victory Points (VPs) by adding new levels and rooms to the lair. You must strategically build rooms in locations that will give you the most VPs. Activate room abilities to gain more VPs or hinder other players. The first player to reach the end of the Score Track (at the bottom of the Elevator Shaft) wins.

Overview

Lair is a worker placement game with two types of workers - the Boss and Henchmen. You move them to various locations to gather resources, build rooms, and meddle with other players' plans.

The game is played over several rounds, until a player reaches the end of the Score Track. You start the round by selecting your turn order and bonuses. Each player then takes their turn in the new turn order. On your turn, use 1 Work Token to move one of your workers, and potentially activate the room that they moved into. The round ends once all players have passed (Retired). The rounds continue until the end of the game.

Scoring

You score VPs when you build rooms (Build a Room, page 12). Certain room abilities may give you VPs as well (Directives, page 11).

The central elevator shaft is also the Score Track that is used to record your VPs. Move your Score Token down the Score Track as you gain VPs.

If there is already another player's Score Token in a slot, stack yours on top. You both have the same score.

The Score Track is revealed as you excavate new levels. If you gain more VPs than there are currently slots in the Score Track, place your token in the last Score Track slot that is revealed. The track will need to be extended before you can gain more VPs. You may not go past the end of the track.

The Score Track is extended by performing an Excavation (page 14). This is usually done just before building a room since this is also when you will be gaining VPs.

Room Directives are actions that your Boss can perform.

Example (Score Track): Blue is in the lead, but they cannot get more VPs until someone Excavates.

See Building for Victory (page 8).

Starting a Round

Starting with the left most player in the Retire Track on the Heliport, place your Planning Token into one of the available slots in the Planning Track (underneath the blimp).

Placing the Planning Token determines two things:

• Your turn order for the rest of the round
• Your Bonus (indicated by the Directive Symbols below each slot)

TIP: You will need to balance between having your turn sooner (i.e. further left on the Planning Track), or getting the resources that you need.

When you place your Planning Token into a Planning Slot, you gain the resources as indicated by the Directive Symbols below the slot.

You do not lose what you have (i.e. Rooms, Build Points, and Work Tokens) at the end of the round.

Take the Bonus (Rooms, Build Points, Work Tokens) you receive.

There are 3 different Bonus Directive Symbols:

• Room Card symbol: Take a Room Card from the Room Pool and place it face up in front of you. Room Cards are used to build rooms and gain VPs.
• Build Point symbol: Increase your Build Points by moving the purple Build Points Token down by one slot on your Player Card. Build Points are spent when building rooms. You may have 5 max.
• Work Token symbol: Take a Work Token from the Construction Yard (if available) and place it into your Inbox. Each Work Token allows you to move 1 worker on your turn.

The game round starts when all players have placed their Planning Tokens.

Take all Work Tokens from your Inbox and place them next to your Player Card. This is your Active Supply.

On Your Turn

The turn order is determined by the left-to-right order of the Planning Tokens in the Planning Track. On your turn, make one worker movement. Use 1 Work Token from your Active Supply (not the Inbox) to move one worker.

Any Work Tokens you gain during the game round go into your Inbox (not into your Active Supply). This is super important!

You have 2 types of workers. The Henchmen may be moved into a room to claim it, provided that there are no other Henchmen in it. The Boss can be moved into a room that contains a Henchmen (including other players' Henchmen) to activate the room.

A location with the Room Symbol can be activated without Henchmen being present.

Move Boss

Spend 1 Work Token to move your Boss into a manned room (i.e. a room that has a Henchmen) to activate its ability (Directive). The room must have a Henchmen. It can be another player's Henchmen.

The Henchmen in the room can be your Henchmen or another player's Henchmen.

If it is your Henchmen, discard the Work Token to the Construction Yard.

If it is someone else's Henchmen, give the Work Token to that person. Your Work Token goes onto the Inbox on their Player Card and will be available next round.

You must move your Boss to a room to activate the room's Directive; you cannot activate the same room consecutively.

A room may contain more than 1 Boss, but only 1 Henchmen.

The above-ground Excavation Site and Construction Yard are permanently manned (i.e. they do not require Henchmen). You may simply move your Boss there.

Move Henchmen

Spend 1 Work Token to move a Henchmen into a room that does not already contain a Henchmen. The Work Token goes to the Construction Yard. The room is now manned, and becomes your room. Others will have to give you Work Tokens to use your room's ability!

Example: Red would spend 1 Work Token to activate this room. In this case, Red would get 1 Build Point. Since the room is manned by Blue's Henchmen, Blue will receive this Work Token.

Retire

You may Retire by moving your Planning Token into the Retirement Track (on the Heliport), to the right of any other Planning Token that may already be present. You do not need to spend a Work Token to Retire.

If all other players have Retired, you must also Retire, but you may take one last turn (moving a worker) before doing so.

If all players have placed their Planning Tokens into the Retirement Track, the round is over.

The player who Retires first has first choice of turn order and bonuses next round.

Building for Victory (Points)

You gain the most VP from building rooms. You need a Room Card and enough Build Points to satisfy its construction cost.

Use your Boss to activate the Build a Room Directive on the Construction Yard. There are other rooms that also have the Build a Room Directive (page 12).

Add the room you are building to any available location in the lair; the lair may have up to 2 rooms either side of the elevator. You score VPs immediately after building a room - the base score (indicated in the top-left of the card) plus 1 additional VP for each Room Type Symbol on the new room card, unless that symbol exists elsewhere on the level.

The little question mark symbol next to the base score is to remind you that you may potentially score 1 VP for each Room Symbol on the card.

Since an Occupy a Room Directive usually follows the Build a Room Directive, you may claim this new room by placing your Henchmen there, without spending an extra Work Token.

You receive the base score, plus 1 additional VP for each Room Type Symbol on the new room, unless that symbol exists elsewhere on the level.

Example: If you build Command Center here, you will score the base score of 3 VP (in the star symbol), plus 1 additional VP for introducing 1 new room symbol (the symbol) to the level. You will gain 4 VP in total.

However, you (Red) may only score 2 VPs (unless you Excavate and extend the Score Track first.)

Ending a Round

Discard any unclaimed Room Cards from the pool, forming a discard pile if necessary.

Draw new cards from the Room Deck and place them face up to replenish the Room Pool. The number of cards in the pool is 2 more than the number of players. If there are not enough cards in the Room Deck, shuffle the discarded Room Cards to form a new Room Deck.

Do not include Site A and Site B cards into the Room Deck.

End of Game

The game ends immediately when a player's Score Token reaches the Core at the end of the Score Track. You may not go past the Core. You lose any extra VP. You win the game immediately.

TIP: Timing is everything for winning. Hold onto Crates that give you VP or double actions for the final push.

The game also ends if there are no more empty locations in the lair to build new rooms. In this case, the round continues until everyone has Retired. The player with the most VP wins.

If Score Tokens are stacked, the player that is farthest to the left in the Retirement Track (the player who Retired first) is the winner. Unused Work Tokens are worthless.

Example: Green is 1 VP away from the end of the Score Track. Green activates the Missile Silo, which gives them 1 VP. They reach the end of the Score Track, immediately winning the game.

Directives

Use Directives to get new room cards, acquire resources, gain VPs, and meddle with others' plans.

Directive symbols that are on the bottom-left of the card are mandatory. The symbols on the bottom-right are optional.

Directive symbols may be found in several places in the game. They are activated as follows:

• Bonus Directives - Activate when you place your Planning Token.
• Build Directives - Activate when you build the room. Gives you VPs and extra goodies.
• Room Directives - Activate when you move your Boss into a manned room.
• Crate Directives - Activate when you use the Crate (by discarding it).

TIP: See the back of Setup for explanation of the parts of a Room Card.

Build a Room

Build one new room. Place one of your Room Cards in an empty location on an excavated level. The lair may have up to 2 rooms on each side of the elevator.

In a 2 player game, you may not build on the Core (i.e. bottom-most) level.

You need to spend Build Points equal to the Build Cost of the room. Update the Build Meter on your Player Card.

You get the VPs (indicated below the Build Cost) immediately after building. Update your Score Track accordingly (Scoring, page 3).

There are many ways to skin a cat, or build a room. The easiest to use is the Construction Yard. But, there are other ways that are more efficient.

Upgrade a Room

Replace an existing room. Place one of your Room Cards in place of any existing lair room that has a lower Build Cost (including value-zero rooms and destroyed rooms). Discard the old room.

You spend 1 less build point than the specified Build Cost. You score the build as usual.

Any workers (e.g. Henchmen, Boss) in the existing room are removed.

Symbols on the old room are not considered for scoring. Thus, you may score the same symbols again if they exist in the new room.

Occupy a Room

Move any one of your Henchmen into a room that doesn't already have a Henchmen. This room is now manned.

This Directive usually comes after a Build Room Directive. It allows you to optionally claim a room that you just built.

Steal a Room

Select a Room Card from another player's pool and build it. You pay the Build Cost and get the rewards. The other player also gets half the VPs that you scored rounded down. For example, if you scored 5 VPs for stealing a room, the player you stole from would also score 2 VPs.

Transfer

Move this Henchmen and your Boss into another lair room to activate the ability of that room. Any Henchmen in the target room is Dismissed.

Excavate

Flip the next elevator card (or The Core Card) to the red Score Track side.

3 or 2 Players: When a new level is revealed, take 1 or 2 Room Cards respectively from the top of the Room Deck, and place on either side of the Elevator, face up on the destroyed side.

Exchange Crates

Take 1 random Crate from another player, and give one of your choice in return.

Dismiss

Dismiss 1 Henchmen belonging to any player. That player gets 1 Work Token from the Construction Yard.

Waste Productivity

All players must discard 1 Work Token from their Active Supply. Those in the Inbox are safe.

Gain Favor

Gain the number of VPs indicated. Move your Score Token down the Score Track.

If it has a plus symbol, you may get additional VPs based on other conditions. See how you can score additional VPs based on the location where a room is built (page 8).

Select a Room

Select a room card from the Room Pool. Room cards are not secret and should be placed face up in front of you.

If there are no more cards in the Room Pool, you do not get a card. The Room Pool only gets refreshed at the end of the round.

Reveal a Room

Take a room from the Room Deck and place it face up in the Room Pool. If there are no more rooms in the Room Deck, shuffle the discarded room cards to create a new Room Deck.

Destroy a Room

Flip over an un-destroyed lair room card to the destroyed side. Any workers in the room are Dismissed. The destroyed room will stay here until you replace it using the Upgrade Room Directive.

Gain a Work Token

Take 1 Work Token from the pool if available. It goes to your Inbox.

Gain a Build Point

Gain 1 Build Point. Update the Build Meter on your Player Card. You may have a maximum of 5.

Lose a Resource

Lose 1 Work Token (from your Active Supply - not your Inbox). Lose 1 Build Point.

Gain a Crate Token

Take 1 Crate Token from the Excavation Site, if available. Keep it secret. See Crate Tokens (page 18).

"I now need to attend to more important matters, such as perfecting my diabolical laugh for my televised broadcast."

Crates

You may get a Crate Token from certain Directives (e.g. Excavation Site). Take a random tile from the Crate Pool in the Excavation Site (if available).

If the Excavation Site is empty, recreate the Crate Pool from the discarded Crate Tokens.

At any point on your turn (including the turn when you acquired it), you may use the ability on the Crate Token by discarding the token.

The token has different bonuses - keep it secret.

Crate Token	Effect	Quantity
Double-action	Perform 2 successive worker movements (and subsequent actions) using just 1 Work Token.	x4
Build Point	Gain 1 Build Point.	x3
VP (1 or 2)	Gain (1 or 2) VP. Use on your turn. Cannot go past the end of the Score Track.	1 VP x2, 2 VP x1
Move to first	Move your token to the first position. Use when you Retire.	x2

Two Players

At the start of each round, the first player places a purple cube into one of the slots in the Planning Track, in addition to their own Planning Token. This slot is not available for the second player for this round.

The purple cube is removed from the Planning Track at the end of the round.

The Excavate Directive is slightly different for 2 (and 3) players as well. See Excavate on (page 14).

The first player has a stronger advantage in a 2 player game because they can block an additional slot.

"What good is the perfect plan, if you can't share it with someone!"