Lanterns Dice: Lights in the Sky
Lanterns Dice: Lights in the Sky Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Pad of Scoresheets (100)
- 3 Emperor Cards
- 48 Fireworks Tiles (8 shapes x 6 tiles each: Small, Medium, Large)
- 4 Lantern Dice
- 1 Dice Tray
Scoresheet Details
- A — This section is the lake. It is made up of square pools, each of which is divided into 2 triangular lantern areas.
- B — This section is where you track the turns you take. The number of turns you take depends on the number of players, and on each turn the active player receives a bonus.
- C — This is where you track the gifts you earn and spend. You shade the center circle when you earn a gift, and you cross that circle out when you later spend it. You each start the game with 1 gift.
- D — This is where you tally your final score. (See Scoring below for details.)
Setup
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Give each player a different scoresheet and a pencil.
There are 4 different versions of the scoresheet, indicated by a letter (A, B, C, or D) in the top right corner. Each player should have a different version.
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Choose 4 of the 8 shapes of fireworks tiles to be in play for this game.
- For your first game, we recommend the following 4 shapes: the small P-shape, the medium 2x2 square, the medium 1+3 offset shape, and the large 1+2+2 offset shape shown in the rulebook diagram.
- For future games, we recommend randomly selecting 1 small shape, 2 medium shapes, and 1 large shape.
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For each of the chosen shapes, place all 6 tiles into a stack, arranged in descending order of value. (You will have 4 stacks in play, 1 for each of the chosen shapes.)
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Place the 3 emperor cards off to the side of the play area, within view of all the players.
- For your first game, we recommend placing each card with side A face up.
- For future games, we recommend randomly selecting which side is face up for each card.
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Each game has a set number of turns, based on the number of players. Each player should prepare their scoresheet for the number of players in the game:
- 2 Players: 10 Turns Each — Cross out the turn bonuses 7–8 under 3 players.
- 3 Players: 8 Turns Each — Cross out the turn bonuses 7–10 under 2 players.
- 4 Players: 6 Turns Each — Cross out the turn bonuses 7–8 under 3 players and 7–10 under 2 players.
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The player whose version of the scoresheet is earliest in the alphabet (A before B, etc.) is the start player. Give that player the lantern dice and the dice tray.
Gameplay
The start player begins the game as the active player, and play proceeds clockwise. The active player takes these steps on their turn, with some steps involving all players:
- Roll Dice, Orient Tray
- Shade Lantern Areas
- A. Shade an Area Matching Die (all players)
- B. Shade Your Turn Bonus Area
- Perform 1 Emperor Action (all players)
- Launch 1 Fireworks Display
Step 1 — Roll Dice, Orient Tray (Active Player)
On your turn, roll the 4 lantern dice into the tray. (You might need to lightly shake the tray to get the dice to land in place.)
After you roll, you may spend 1 gift to reroll all 4 dice. (You may do this multiple times on a single turn, provided you have the gifts to do so.)
You then choose how to orient the dice tray. Each player should face a single die, and you (as the active player) rotate the tray to determine which player faces which die.
After the tray has been oriented, players may complete the relevant steps below simultaneously. For example, you do not need to wait for all players to complete step 2 before you proceed to step 3.
Step 2a — Shade an Area Matching Die (All Players)
Each player may shade a lantern area on their scoresheet matching the color of the die they are facing. (This represents lanterns of that color being placed into the lake.)
Example A: John rolls the dice and orients the tray so that he faces a red die. He shades a red lantern area of his choice. (Sarah shades a blue area; Chris, an orange area.)
Features & Shading Bonuses
In the lake, you will find 3 types of features: pavilions, platforms, and boats.
Pavilions
Yellow circles in the lake represent pavilions. Any time you shade an area containing a pavilion, you earn 1 gift from the emperor.
Remember, you track when you earn a gift in the "Gifts" section of your scoresheet, by shading the small center circle of a gift.
Example B: Beth shades a blue area containing a pavilion. She earns 1 gift, which she marks on her scoresheet.
Platforms
Gray squares in the lake represent platforms. Each platform is in the center of a pool, spanning 2 lantern areas. Any time you shade the second of these 2 areas (so that the entire pool is shaded), you may then shade 1 additional area of your choice in an adjacent pool.
Example C: Sarah shades this purple area; the entire pool containing a platform is now shaded. As a bonus, she can choose to shade 1 of the 8 outlined lantern areas around it.
Boats
Boats are only relevant for final scoring. You are allowed to shade an area containing a boat, but you can only score points for a boat if you leave its pool unshaded. (See Scoring below for details.)
Step 2b — Shade Your Turn Bonus Area (Active Player)
On your turn, you may shade 1 lantern area matching the color shown for this turn in the "Turn Bonuses" section of your scoresheet. (Mark off the area in the "Turn Bonuses" section to indicate that you have taken the bonus for that turn.)
Example D: On Jason's first turn, after he shades an area matching the color of his die, he shades a red area matching the red area shown next to the number 1 on his scoresheet.
Remember, the shading bonuses for pavilions and platforms described above apply any time you shade an area.
Step 3 — Perform 1 Emperor Action (All Players)
Each player may spend gift(s) to perform an action on the face-up side of 1 emperor card. Mark off the number of gift(s) shown at the top of the card and then perform the associated action.
Each player may only perform 1 emperor action on each turn. That action may be the same as or different from the actions performed by other players on the same turn.
Remember, the shading bonuses for pavilions and platforms described above apply any time you shade an area.
Step 4 — Launch 1 Fireworks Display (Active Player)
At the end of your turn, you may launch 1 fireworks display. To do so, you must have completely shaded pools matching the size and shape of an available fireworks tile. Take the tile from the stack and place it on your scoresheet, on top of those shaded pools.
You are allowed to rotate and/or flip a fireworks tile, as needed, so that it will fit on top of your shaded pools.
End of the Game
Players take their turns, rolling dice, shading lantern areas, performing emperor actions, and launching fireworks, until all players have marked off the last turn bonus on their scoresheet and completed their set number of turns.
After the last player has completed their last full turn, players may each launch 1 fireworks display, in turn order. (Players do not roll dice, shade lantern areas, or perform emperor actions in this final phase.)
Scoring
Players add up the total honor points they earned, using the scoring area in the bottom right section of the scoresheet. There are 3 components to your final score.
1. Fireworks Displays
The emperor wants fireworks to light up the sky!
Add up the honor point values printed on the fireworks tiles you launched and placed on your scoresheet.
2. 2nd Largest Group of Completed Pools
The emperor does not want all the lanterns grouped together in the lake. He requests two large groups of pools.
Each completed pool (i.e., a pool with both areas shaded) is in a contiguous group with other completed pools that are adjacent to it. Ignore your largest group of completed pools. Score 1 honor point for each completed pool in your second largest group of completed pools.
- If you have 2 groups tied for your largest group, you will ignore 1 and score the other.
- Your fireworks tiles will cover completed pools. Those pools count as completed pools in groups.
- Incomplete pools (i.e., pools with only 1 of the areas shaded) do not belong in a group and therefore do not contribute to scoring.
3. Surrounded Boats
The emperor wants to leave room for his honored guests to view the lanterns from his boats.
Score 4 honor points for each pool containing a boat that meets the following conditions:
- The pool with the boat is completely unshaded.
- The 4 pools adjacent to it are completely shaded.
Your fireworks tiles will cover completed pools. Those pools count as completed pools for surrounding boats.
Add up your honor points from these 3 components to get your final score. The player with the most honor points wins! In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most honor points from fireworks tiles is the winner. In a further tie, the tied players enjoy their shared victory.
Scoring Example
Jason's scoresheet, named "Jason," shows the following:
- A — Jason launched 4 fireworks tiles: 5 + 4 + 3 + 3 = 15 points
- B — His largest group (top right, outlined in black) has 12 completed pools in it. His second largest group (bottom left, outlined in white) has 10 completed pools: 10 points
- C — He has 2 boats in pools that are completely unshaded and surrounded on all 4 sides with completed pools: 2 surrounded boats × 4 points each = 8 points
- D — Jason adds up his final score: 15 + 10 + 8 = 33 points!
Credits
- Game Design — Chris Bryan
- Artwork — Beth Sobel
- Graphic Design — Jason D. Kingsley, John Shulters
- Development — Randy Hoyt, Charles Wright, John Shulters, Sarah Graybill
- Rulebook Editing — Dustin Schwartz
- Original Lanterns Design — Christopher Chung
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