Leylines Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
  • Components
• Game Setup
  • Lay out the Boards
  • Prepare the Cards
  • Resource Cubes, Coins and Round Marker
  • Player Characters
• Playing the Game
• Day Phase
  • 1. Plan Actions
  • 2. Movement
  • 3. Resources
  • Quickness
• Player Board
• 4. Hubs
  • Hubs: Buying Items
  • Hubs: Contract Auctions
    • Compensation
• 5. Markets & Contracts
  • Multiple Contract Bonus
• End of Day
• Night Phase
• End of Game
• Optional Variant Rules
• Forest Friend Cards
• Item Cards

Game Overview

2-6 Players, 60-90 Min., Ages 10+

Components

• 1 First Player Marker
• 96 Resource Cubes (16 of each color)
• 36 Dice
• 133 Gold Coins (48 Ones, 40 Threes, 24 Fives, 21 Tens)
• 1 Round Marker
• 6 Player Boards
• 1 Resource Cube Bag
• 1 Main Game Board
• 6 Market Tokens
• 42 Contract Cards
• 28 Forest Friend Cards
• 18 Starting Contracts (Morning, Afternoon, Evening - 6 of each type)
• 30 Night Cards
• 36 Item Cards
• 6 Character Standees (includes plastic bases)

Game Setup

Lay out the Boards

• A. Unfold the Game Board and place it on the table.
• B. Shuffle and randomly place each Market Token in the spaces of the Game Board.

Prepare the Cards

• C. Separate the Item Cards by type and place each set face-up near the Game Board in reach of all players. You only need as many of each Item as there are players in the game. Return the rest to the game box.
• D. Shuffle the 42 Contract Cards and place the deck face down near the Game Board. Deal the top 4 cards face-up in a row to the side of the deck.
• E. Shuffle the Forest Friend Cards and place them face-down near the Contracts. Deal the top 2 cards face-up next to the deck.
• F. Shuffle the Night Cards and place face-down near the Game Board.

Resource Cubes, Coins and Round Marker

• G. Randomly draw Resource Cubes from the bag and place 3 on each space of the Game Board that shows a LETTER. Additionally, draw and place 1 Resource Cube on each of the four Hub Spaces. Place the bag containing the remaining cubes near the Game Board.
• H. Place Gold Coins near the Game Board in reach of all players.
• I. Place the Round Marker on the space marked "1" on the Game Board.

Player Characters

• J. Each player selects a Character and takes the matching Player Board, Character Standee, 5 Dice and 10 Gold and places them in their player area.
• K. Separate the Starting Contract Cards by the 3 different back types (Morning, Afternoon, Evening) and shuffle each deck separately. Deal each player 1 Starting Contract from each deck. Return any leftover cards to the game box. All players' Contracts should remain face-up near their Player Board.
• L. Place dice equal to the number of players near the Items and return leftover dice to the game box.
• M. The last person to spend time in a forest becomes the Starting Player. Give them the First Player Token.

Playing the Game

Leylines plays over 4 rounds. Each round players will use dice to move around the forest, collect resources, buy items to help them on their quest, bid on new contracts and fulfill contracts to earn Gold. At the end of the game, the player with the most Gold will win!

Each round has 2 phases:

• Day: In the Day Phase players will take their turns performing actions until they have used up their dice.
• Night: In the Night Phase the forest will be replenished with new resources.

In the first round of the game each player should place their Character Standee on a Market matching one of the Markets on their Starting Contract Cards and start their movement from this location.

Day Phase

At the start of the Day Phase every player will roll all of their available dice and place them next to their board. Players may spend 1 Gold to re-roll any number of their dice once, before the round begins, if they wish.

Example: It's the start of a new Day Phase. Kim rolls all of their dice and places them near their player board. These are the dice they have available to choose from this round.

1. Plan Actions

Starting with the first player, each player will use 1 die to move by placing it in a Movement slot of their player board (see page 6). This is a basic action that must be taken if the player is able (as long as you have at least 1 open movement slot on your board and an unused die).

2. Movement

The player then moves their standee on the game board UP TO the number of spaces allowed by the selected die's number. Spaces on the board are any space containing a circle, not just the LETTER spaces (see page 6)! Players may occupy a space with any other number of players!

3. Resources

When a player ends their movement on a space containing at least 1 Resource, they may pick up 1 Resource for free and place it on their player board in a Resource Slot.

After a player places their die in a Movement slot and takes any of their other action(s) (see additional pages for available actions), play passes to the next player in clockwise order.

Quickness

You have 2 QUICKNESS slots on your board (see page 6). These have 2 possible uses, movement or resource collecting.

If a player wishes to move more spaces than a single die will allow, and they have extra dice to spend, they may place a die in one of these spaces to add its value to their movement.

The second use is to collect more resources! You may place any unused die on one of the Quickness slots to pick up ALL of the resources in either the space where you start your turn and/or the space where you end your movement. This can be performed at the start of your turn and where you end your movement, but each is a separate Quickness action.

Note: You can only pick up resources in your starting position if you use a Quickness slot and you can never pick up cubes from spaces you move through.

Player Board

• Movement Slots: Place a die on this slot to move your player standee. The number of spaces moved must be less than or equal to the value of the dice placed on this slot. Collect ONE resource cube on the space your player standee ends on, if available.
• Quickness Slots: Use these slots to add another die worth of movement or pick up all resources in a location (see page 5).
• Resource Slots: When you pick up a resource, place it in one of these slots.

IMPORTANT! Players may only carry up to 6 Resources on their Player Board (as shown by the marked spaces). If collecting a Resource pushes you over this limit you must discard Resources onto your current space until you are back down to your limit.

Example: Shailyn places a die showing 5 in the first Movement slot but wishes to move 8 spaces this turn. They place an additional die showing 3 in a Quickness slot to increase their movement value this turn to 8.

Shailyn moves into the space marked "H". They picked up 1 Yellow Resource. If they wish, they may place another die in the remaining Quickness slot to pick up all of the remaining resources in this space. Then they end their turn.

4. Hubs

There are 4 Hubs within the forest that players may visit in their travels. These Hubs serve two purposes to travelers stopping by:

• Buy Items: Players may buy ITEMS when stopping here to aid them in their quest. (Optional)
• Contract Auction: Visiting a Hub starts an auction for a new Contract. (Mandatory)

IMPORTANT! If there is a Resource cube, or cubes, in a Hub space, you pick up the Resource first, following the rules for Resources on pages 5 and 6.

Hubs: Buying Items

A player may OPTIONALLY purchase up to 2 Item Cards when their movement ends on a Hub.

To purchase an Item, the player must spend Resources from their Player Board equal to the quantity and color shown on the Item card's top left corner. This Item becomes instantly available for use, even to help buy a second Item in the same turn! Items give additional Gold at the end of the game based on how many a player collects during the game.

IMPORTANT! A player may only carry 1 of each Item type but may carry all 6 Items. Items give ongoing benefits and are not discarded after they are used.

Example: Kim stops at a Hub. They currently have 2 purple and 1 blue resource in their Resource slots. They decide to purchase the Tablet and Companion Item. Kim returns their spent Resources to the Resource bag. They then place the Items next to their Player Board. An Auction will now start (see next page).

Hubs: Contract Auctions

Once a player has chosen to purchase Items (or not), they start a MANDATORY Auction.

IMPORTANT! Before selecting a Contract, the active player may pay 1 Gold to clear the available Contracts and deal 4 new cards face-up. Shuffle the cleared Contract Cards and place them on the bottom of the Contract Deck.

The active player selects a face-up Contract to put up for Auction. Starting with the player to the left of the active player, a single round of bidding takes place. The active player does NOT place a bid!

Bids have no minimum or maximum, but each player must either:

• Start the bid by saying a price they are willing to pay for the Contract.
• Increase the bid from the previous player's bid (by at least +1).
• Pass and not place a bid.

When the bid returns to the active player they may:

• MATCH. They pay the matched amount and take the Contract to their player area (face-up).
• PASS. The high bidder pays the amount and takes the Contract.

Replace the taken Contract with a new one from the deck.

NOTE FOR A TWO PLAYER GAME: When bidding on a Contract Auction, the non-active player may place a second bid if the active player matches their first bid. The active player may still match or pass. The non-active player may not place a third bid.

Compensation

The player who DID NOT receive the Contract, either the active player OR high bidder, MAY optionally select 1 of the 2 face-up Forest Friend Cards from the display.

The player must first place 1 Gold on the Forest Friend Card they did not choose. This happens even if that Forest Friend already has Gold on it from a previous auction. A Forest Friend cannot be selected if the player does not have 1 Gold to place.

If the player selects a Forest Friend Card that has Gold on it, the player also receives the Gold along with the card.

IMPORTANT! When a Forest Friend Card is taken, reveal a new card to replace it. If the deck ever runs out, shuffle any discarded Forest Friends to form a new deck. If there are no cards in the discard pile, then the Forest has run out of friends at this time and the card is not replaced.

Example: After Kim purchased their items, the mandatory Contract Auction is triggered. They select the Alchemist Contract, worth 5 gold, and put it up for Auction. Thomas is to Shailyn's left, and begins the bidding with 2 Gold. Continuing around the table, Shailyn is next. They choose to pass. Next is Carl, who outbids Thomas by 1 Gold, declaring 3 Gold. All able players have bid. Now it is back to Kim, who has enough Gold to match the high bid of 3. However, Kim is interested in an available Forest Friend Card more than the Contract chosen for the Auction. So, instead of matching, they pass. Carl pays the 3 Gold and takes the Contract Card. A new Contract is then revealed. Kim takes the Forest Friend Card after placing 1 coin on the card they did not choose. A new card is then revealed.

5. Markets & Contracts

Markets are where players turn in Resources to complete one or more of their current Contracts.

A player may only enter a Market when they are ready to complete 1 or more Contracts there. They will gain additional Gold when completing multiple Contracts at once. There is no limit to the number of Contracts a player can turn in as long as they have enough Resources for each.

When completing Contracts return the Resources listed on the card to the bag and collect the Gold from the supply. Completed Contracts are placed face-down in your player area.

For each Contract you complete, draw 1 Night Card and place this face-up next to the Night Card deck. These cards will be used in the Night Phase, but feel free to look at them now in order to gain additional information for the next round!

Note: A single Resource cannot be used to fulfill multiple Contracts, a Resource can only be used once.

Note: A player does not have to complete all the Contracts currently in their player area when entering a Market.

Multiple Contract Bonus

If you are completing 2 Contracts at one time collect an additional 4 Gold.

If you are completing 3 or more Contracts at one time collect an additional 9 Gold.

Example: Carl has enough Resources to complete the card they won during the Auction earlier as well as another Contract they received at the start of the game. They place a 4 die on their Player Board and move to the Alchemy Market. Carl returns their Resources to the bag and collects the amount of Gold listed on the top of each completed Contract. Carl also completed 2 Contracts at one time, so they gain an additional 4 Gold. Then they flip the completed Contracts face-down near their player area. They then reveal two Night Cards, one for each completed Contract, placing them next to the Night deck.

Reminder: After a player completes their one movement plus collecting any resources, and possibly uses a Hub or Market, play passes to the next player clockwise.

End of Day

Players take turns using dice to move and complete actions until everyone has used up their dice.

Players may finish the current round at different times depending on how they use their dice. If, in the rare event, a player has any unused dice at the end of the round and cannot use them in any way, they gain 1 GOLD for each unused die. After all players have used up their dice, proceed to the Night Phase.

Night Phase

The Night Phase is where the forest replenishes its Resources. Complete the following steps in order:

In the rare event that the Resource bag runs out of Resources, follow the numbered order on this page, placing as many Resources as possible until they run out. Discard any remaining Night Cards after all Resources have been placed.

1. For each Night Card that was placed face-up during the round, take 3 cubes from the bag for each LETTER on the card and place them on the board in the space shown on the card, then discard the card. There is no limit to the number of resources a space can hold! Some Night Cards show 2 Letters, and both of these spaces will be filled with new cubes. Each card shows the background of the region of the forest where the Letter space is located. This can make it easier to find the space!
2. Draw an additional number of Night Cards equal to the current round and place 2 cubes in each of these spaces, then discard these cards.
3. Place 1 Resource Cube in any remaining Letter Space that is currently empty.
4. After all Night Cards are resolved and discarded place 1 cube in each of the Hub spaces, even if it already has a cube.
5. All players flip over any Item Cards they used during the round, they are available to use again.
6. Pass the First Player Marker to the next player in clockwise order.
7. Advance the Round Marker to the next spot on the game board.

End of Game

After the 4th round the game ends, it's time to see how you did! Additional Gold is awarded as follows:

• A. Incomplete Contracts: Players gain 1 Gold for each Resource remaining on their player board that can be assigned to one of their Incomplete Contracts.
• B. Remaining Resources: After assigning Resources to Incomplete Contracts, any remaining Resources are exchanged for Gold at a 3-to-1 conversion rate (3 Resources for 1 Gold).
• C. Items: Players receive Gold for the number of Items they collected during the game according to the following:
  • 1-2 Items: 1 Gold
  • 3-4 Items: 3 Gold
  • 5 Items: 6 Gold
  • 6 Items: 9 Gold

The player with the most GOLD wins! In the event of a tie the player with most completed Contracts in their player area is the winner. If still tied, the player with the most leftover resources wins. If they players are still tied, thy share the victory!

Optional Variant Rules

• Converting Resources 2-to-1: Players may use 2 Resources of 1 color as 1 Resource of another color when completing Contracts.
• Starting Accountants: Each player starts with 1 Accountant Forest Friend Card matching their Player Color at the beginning of the game.

Forest Friend Cards

Forest Friends are creatures that want to help the player who DID NOT receive the Contract during an Auction. This is either the active player OR high bidder of the Auction. They offer powerful one-time or ongoing effects during your quest. Each card describes what the friend does and a more in depth explanation is found below.

• Negotiator: Discard when completing Contracts. Gain 2 additional Gold for each contract completed this turn.
• Exchange: Discard to use up to 3 Resources as if they were any other Resource color.
• Helpful Critter: Allows a player to hold 1 additional resource. This card is not discarded or flipped and should remain face-up in the player area.
• Secret Route: Discard at any time during your turn to move your character to any space on the board, including Markets.
• Appraiser: This card is immediately used and discarded when taken. Gain 1 Gold for every Contract you have previously completed.
• Special Delivery: Discard at any time to draw 4 random Resources from the bag.
• Shadow Market: Discard at any time during your turn along with up to 6 Resource Cubes. Gain 1 Gold for each Resource cube discarded.
• Pathfinder: Discard at any time during your turn to move freely up to 4 spaces. This is a FREE move, not your regular move for the turn. You may also collect up to 3 Resources for free in the final space. A Quickness slot can be used to collect additional resources.
• Accountants: Each accountant grants an ongoing bonus of Gold when completing contracts that require a specific color. These Helpers are not discarded or flipped and should remain face-up in the player's area.

Item Cards

Items are wondrous tools or creatures that assist players on their quest after they are purchased from a Hub. They provide benefits that are either always active or can be used once per round after the item is acquired. Each card gives a helpful description of the Item and a more in depth explanation is found below.

• Lantern: This grants a player an additional QUICKNESS slot to use. It is available as soon as the player receives it.
• Harp: The player takes 1 die from the reserve and rolls it right away. Roll the die immediately. It can be used this round! The player has +1 die for the remainder of the game.
• Companion: Allows a player to collect 2 Resources from any space on the board once per round. If this pushes you over your limit, you must drop the excess in the space you are currently occupying NOT the space you collected from. Flip this card over when used as it may only be played once per round.
• Tablet: Allows a player to start an auction without being on a HUB once per round. This does not allow a player to purchase an Item. Flip this card over when used as it may only be played once per round.
• Potion: Allows a player to use one Resource of any color as a Resource of another color. Flip this card over when used as it may only be played once per round.
• Satchel: This grants a player four additional resource slots to use. It is available as soon as the player receives it.