Legend Raiders
Legend Raiders Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 Headquarters board
- 4 double-sided Character boards, each showing a Favorite Tool
- 4 player markers
- 36 Tool tokens (9 each of 4 types: Compass, Map, Shovel, and Rope)
- 4 double-sided Torch tokens (LIT/UNLIT)
- 28 Discovery tiles (5 x 4 Relics + 8 Places)
- 1 wooden die
- 1 fabric bag
- 1 First Player marker
- 28 Expedition cards (58x88mm)
- This rulebook
Setup
- Place the Headquarters board in the center of the table.
- Each player receives a Character board and places it in front of them, on the preferred side (this choice does not affect the game rules).
- Each player takes a Torch token and places it on their board with the LIT side up, showing a lit Torch.
- Place all of the player markers on the 0 space of the scoring track.
- Shuffle all of the Discovery tiles in a face down pile. Reveal the top 4 and place them on the dedicated spaces of the Headquarters board. Leave the others nearby so only the back of the top one is visible.
- Put all the Tool tokens in the bag, then randomly draw 8 Tools and place them in order on the Headquarters board, 2 below each Discovery tile, from left to right. In this way, each Discovery will be randomly associated with 2 Tools. Leave the bag with the other tokens nearby.
- Shuffle the Expedition cards and place the deck face down on the table. Reveal the top 4 and place them face up near the Headquarters board.
- Randomly determine the starting player, who receives the First Player token. The game will proceed clockwise.
- Keep the die at hand (if you want to play the diceless variant, see the Diceless Variant section).
A Round of Play
Finally, here we are at the long-awaited moment! The exploration can begin. Try to be faster than the others, but also collect as many Lost Coins as possible!
A round is made up of individual turns for all players. Each player's turn is composed of the following 2 phases:
- Roll the die and immediately apply its effect.
- Take an action. You can choose between:
- 2.a: Prepare for Expeditions - Collect Discovery tiles and Tools to complete them!
- 2.b: Go on an Expedition, which is composed of 2 steps:
- 2b.I - Take 1 Expedition card.
- 2b.II - Use your Tools to complete Discovery tiles (optional).
1. Roll the Die
The life of an explorer is always full of surprises: sometimes valuable tools or Lost Coins can be found hidden in unexpected places. Other times, a sudden gust of wind can leave you in the dark!
At the beginning of your turn, you must roll the special die and apply its effect. Effects can be:
Draw 1 Tool token from the bag for free. Place it in the Backpack area of your Character board. If there are already 6 Tools in the Backpack, you must immediately decide which one to put back in the bag (it can be the one you just drew).
Every player (including you) flips their Torch token: the ones which show the UNLIT side are flipped to LIT, and the ones which are LIT are flipped to UNLIT. The Torch token can show the LIT or UNLIT side. When it's LIT, it is a "wild" Tool that can be used by turning it to the UNLIT side — see the Use Your Tools to Complete Discovery Tiles section.
Score 1 extra Victory Point for each Discovery you complete this turn (it counts as a Coin on your board). See II: Use Your Tools to Complete Discovery Tiles.
IMPORTANT: If you forget to roll the die, you must flip your Torch to the UNLIT side if it's LIT. If it is already UNLIT, nothing happens. In both cases, once you have started Step 2, you cannot roll the die anymore this turn.
2. Take an Action
It's time to take action! Collect equipment, choose your destinations, and most importantly, make amazing discoveries to write your name in history!
After applying the effect of the die, you must choose only one of the two possible actions: Prepare for Expeditions or Go on an Expedition.
2.a: Prepare for Expeditions
History is full of adventurers who departed with enthusiasm but failed miserably. Prove that you are a true explorer and be fully equipped before you leave!
Take from the Headquarters board all the pieces in a single column (1 Discovery tile and the 2 Tools below it) and put all of them on your Character board.
Then refill the Headquarters board by taking the top Discovery tile from the stack and 2 random Tools from the bag and placing them in the spaces that you just emptied.
On your board, there are 3 spaces for Discoveries (top left) and 6 spaces in the Backpack for Tools (bottom right).
You cannot hold more than 3 Discoveries and 6 Tools at a time. If you take more, you must immediately discard some of them of your choice (including the ones you just took). Discarded Tools are returned to the bag.
Example 1: Florence Ovaraby chooses column III and takes the Necronomicon tile and 2 Shovels.
2.b: Go on an Expedition
Your backpack is full of tools, the destinations are known. Everything is ready for departure! Hurry up and discover legendary treasures and explore mythical places!
This action is divided into 2 steps:
I: Take 1 Expedition card;
II: Use your Tools to complete Discovery tiles (optional).
I: Take 1 Expedition Card
Even a simple amateur may be lucky enough to make a great discovery once in a lifetime, but to be the best you have to repeat yourself!
Will you be able to carry out our difficult missions?
Take 1 of the 4 Expedition cards that are face up near the Headquarters board (a new one is immediately revealed) or the top one from the face-down deck.
Place it face down near your personal board. At the end of the game, you will reveal them and score points accordingly (see End Game Scoring). You can look at your cards at any time.
PLEASE NOTE: You must take a card even if you do not intend to complete any Discoveries during Step II. This means that you can decide to choose this action even if you don't have any tiles on your board. This can be useful in the last round of the game, or you can decide to invest a whole turn mid-game just to take a card you really like before someone else takes it!
II: Use Your Tools to Complete Discovery Tiles
The expedition has begun! Glory awaits you! Use the tools at your disposal, especially the ones you know how to use best.
After you take an Expedition card, you can complete up to 3 Discovery tiles on your Character board, as follows:
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Return all the Tools required by the Discovery tile to the bag and place the tile face down in an empty space at the bottom of your personal board.
IMPORTANT: If your Torch is LIT, you may use it as any 1 Tool of your choice, then flip it to the UNLIT side. In essence, a LIT Torch is a "wild" Tool.
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After moving the Discovery tile, you immediately score 1 point for each Coin symbol visible on your board. Additionally, each character has their own Favorite Tool shown under their name on their Character board. You score 1 additional point for each Favorite Tool token you used to complete the Discovery (using your Torch to simulate your Favorite does NOT give you the extra point).
After calculating the total, advance your player token on the scoring track accordingly.
IMPORTANT: if you rolled the Coin symbol on the die during Step 1, it counts as an additional Coin on your board, so it awards 1 more point to each Discovery completed this turn (see Part 3).
Example 2: a. Montana John completes the Olympus tile by using 3 of his Tools. b. He places the Olympus tile face down on his board and scores 6 points: 5 for the Coins showing on his board, plus 1 because he used 1 Rope, which is his Favorite Tool.
PLEASE NOTE: Places require an extra Tool to discover, but they have a Coin on their back, so they immediately award an extra point for each Discovery, starting with themselves, until the end of the game.
Example 3: Here, Joe Manjee gets 2 extra points for using 2 Maps to discover El Dorado.
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If there are other Discoveries on your personal board, and you have the Tools to complete them, you can do so in the same turn. Simply restart from Part 1 of Step II.
PLEASE NOTE: You will probably score at least 1 point more than your previous Discovery, since there should be at least 1 more Coin symbol visible on your board (unless you just covered the Coin on the sixth space).
Example 4: a. When discovering Mjöllnir, Montana John scores 6 points according to the symbols on his board. b. He doesn't score the extra point because he used his Torch for the Rope.
End of the Game
And here we are at the showdown! Your efforts have been rewarded by incredible discoveries, but it's time to evaluate the progress of the missions we assigned to you… And find out which of you will be remembered as the greatest explorer in history!
When a player completes their 6th Discovery, the game ends at the end of the current round (i.e., keep playing until the player to the right of the First Player finishes their turn, so that everybody plays the same number of turns).
IMPORTANT: It is possible to complete up to 8 total Discoveries, if you complete more than 1 in the last round. In this case, put the additional tiles to the side of your Character board and, if they have Coins on the back, count them normally for the calculation of your score.
End Game Scoring
At the end of the game, all players reveal their Expedition cards and score points accordingly. There are 3 kinds of cards:
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Mission card: This requires a specific combination of completed Discoveries. If you completed those Discoveries during the game, score the indicated points. The order in which they are shown on the card is not important.
IMPORTANT: A completed Discovery can be counted towards any number of Mission cards.
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Discovery card: This counts as a completed Discovery on your board and can be used to fulfill Mission cards.
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Die card: Unlike other Expedition cards, you can use Die cards during the game to change the result of the die roll. When it is your turn, after rolling the die, you may discard a Die card you hold from the game and change the result to whatever you wish.
If you don't use a Die card and keep it instead, it's worth 1 Victory Point at the end of the game.
Example 5: Lana Soft rolled the die and got the face that would make her Torch UNLIT. She discards her Die card and changes the die to the face showing a Coin. Her Torch remains LIT and every Discovery she completes this turn is worth 1 more point!
Example 6: In this situation, Joe Manjee scores 10 points for the Missions he has accomplished.
The player with the highest score is the winner. In case of a tie, the winner is the last one to play.
Diceless Variant (For Players Who Hate Luck)
Often, behind a great discovery there is a certain amount of luck. But for those of you who want to be totally in control of their fate, here are the rules for playing without the die. Remember, though: if you lose it will be your fault!
- The die is never used in this variant. Skip Step 1 of your turn.
- When performing action 2.b: Go on an Expedition, you may take a Die card, if available. You may decide to discard it and shuffle it back into the deck at any time during your turn (also immediately) to activate 1 of the following effects of your choice:
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Draw 2 random Tool tokens from the bag. Place them in the Backpack on your Character board. If there are already 5 or 6 Tools in your Backpack, you must immediately decide which one(s) to discard (including the Tools you just drew).
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If your Torch is UNLIT, flip it to LIT (this doesn't affect the other players).
PLEASE NOTE: This is the only way to turn your Torch back on! If you don't use a Die card, you can use your Torch only once for the entire game. Choose the best moment carefully!
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Score 1 extra Victory Point for each Discovery you complete this turn (it counts as a symbol on your board). See II: Use Your Tools to Complete Discovery Tiles.
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- If you don't use the Die card and keep it, it's worth 1 Victory Point at the end of the game.
All other rules are unchanged.
Explorers' Wall of Fame
Our best personalities deserve a place of honor on our bulletin board! They come from different parts of the world and have different approaches to action: cartographers prefer the study of ancient maps, archaeologists slip courageously into the most dangerous ravines, explorers orient themselves in any situation, and adventurers are able to dig for hours under the scorching sun without ever getting tired.
Each of the names we used for the Characters is inspired (very freely!) by one of the characters who stimulated the popular imagination, from real people to protagonists of famous films or even video games.
Have fun finding the inspirations and follow us on social networks to read their biographies and… their game hints!
The explorers pictured on the Wall of Fame are: Lamar Croft, Lin Diana Jones, Lawrence Ovaraby, Lana Soft, Montana John, Florence Ovaraby, June Manjill, and Joe Manjee.
Quick List of Possible Discoveries
Publisher's Note: To create the Discovery tiles, we took inspiration from famous legends, sometimes taking the liberty of reworking them to combine evocative names with exciting images. Here's what we got inspired by!
Adam: Crystal skulls are common in fantasy archeology. Here we imagined it was that of Adam, the first man.
Aegis: The shield of Athena with the head of Medusa embedded in it. It is mentioned in the Iliad. It is capable of petrifying one's enemies.
Agartha: A legendary kingdom located in the center of the Earth. The King of the World lives here.
Agua de vida: The fountain of youth mentioned in countless legends.
Alexandria: The lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.
Atlantis: The kingdom of Atlantis, mentioned by Plato. It sank into the ocean, according to legend.
Babel/Babylon: The tower of Babel, mentioned in the Bible, was destroyed by God himself. It was located in the ancient city of Babylon. We decided to dedicate one tile to the tower and one to the city.
Clavicola Salomonis: An anonymous grimoire from the Seventeenth Century, it is one of the most famous books on demonology, also known as the Lemegeton.
Draconite: An authentic dragon egg!
Eden: The forbidden fruit, which cost Adam and Eve their expulsion from the earthly paradise.
El Dorado: A legendary place full of gold and riches, long sought after, especially in South America.
Excalibur: The sword of King Arthur, received from the Lady of the Lake, not to be confused with the one extracted from the rock.
Grand Grimoire: This is a grimoire of black magic hypothetically written in 1522. It is one of the most widespread and well-written esoteric books.
Horus: In Ancient Egypt, the Eye of Horus was a symbol of protection, prosperity, and good health, and therefore often used in amulets.
Lancea Longini: This is the spear with which Jesus was pierced in the side after being crucified, mentioned in the Gospel of John.
Lapis Philosophorum: The Philosopher's Stone, capable of healing any disease, conferring eternal youth and omniscience, and turning all metals into gold.
Mater: The Mother Goddess is a primordial female divinity, found in various forms in many civilizations and populations around the world starting from prehistoric times.
Mjöllnir: The hammer of Thor, god of thunder and lightning in Norse mythology.
Necronomicon: In the works of H.P. Lovecraft, it is the evil book par excellence. Among other things, it contains the rituals for summoning the Great Old Ones.
Olympus: Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and was considered the home of the Gods in classical mythology.
Oracula Sibyllina: A collection of books containing various prophecies about future events. They are cataloged among the apocrypha of the Old Testament.
Pandora: In Greek mythology, Pandora's box contained all evils, which poured into the world when Pandora herself opened it.
Poseidon: The trident of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
Prophetica: We invented this book, based on the many prophetic texts written throughout history. It's very precious because it contains prophecies that really come true!
Shangri-La: A heavenly place, where there is no hatred and evil, described in the novel Lost Horizon by James Hilton and then sought after by many adventurers.
Uroboros: The snake or dragon that bites its own tail is a very ancient symbol, present among many peoples and in different eras. It represents the power that devours and regenerates itself.
Wen-dae-ke: A sacred mask used by the Native American tribes of the Great Lakes area, where our game Wendake is set. A little quirk of ours.
A Turn in Brief
Phase 1: Roll the Die — And immediately apply its effect.
- Draw 1 Tool from the bag (return any excess to the bag).
- All players (including you) flip their Torch token.
- Score 1 extra Victory Point for each Discovery you complete this turn.
PLEASE NOTE: If you forget to roll the die, you must flip your Torch to the UNLIT side.
Phase 2: Take an Action — You can choose between:
- 2.a Prepare for Expeditions. Take 1 Discovery tile and the 2 Tools below it (return any excess to the bag).
- 2.b Go on an Expedition. Perform both of these 2 steps:
- Take 1 Expedition card (one of the 4 face up cards or the top of the deck).
- If you want, use your Tools to complete up to 3 Discoveries. Score 1 point for each Lost Coin on your board or on the die +1 for each Favorite Tool token you used.
Special Thanks
Dario and Francesco would like to thank their families for their patience and support.
Post Scriptum thanks all the playtesters of the game, in particular those of the Ludoteca Galliatese gaming club.
Credits
- Authors: Francesco Testini, Dario Massarenti
- Illustrations: Mateusz Mizak
- Graphic design: Sara Gioria
- Development and project supervision: Mario Sacchi, Marco Garavaglia
- English language revision: William Niebling
Published in 2022 by Post Scriptum (postscriptum-games.it).