Life in Reterra
Life in Reterra Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
Create a cosy, thriving community! Place land tiles with diverse terrain, then build on them and attract inhabitants. Collect relics to guide your inhabitants and teach them about our past. Earn the most points to win!
Contents
- 104 Land Tiles
- 93 Building Tiles
- 15 Double-Sided Building Cards
- 30 Junk/Relic Tokens
- 32 Wooden Inhabitant Pawns
- Score Pad
- 5 Storage Trays
- Set-Up Board
The First Time You Play
- Open the tray with the illustration on the lid and remove the building cards. Sort them into the three building sets below.
Set 1: Essentials
- School (2 points): Worth 2 additional points if you have more visible relics than both your neighbours.
- Garden (2 points): Worth 3 additional points if placed on a terrain segment of exactly 7 continuous spaces.
- Farm (4 points): Every time you place a building, place a junk token on a relic in 1 of your neighbours' communities.
- Infirmary (4 points): At the end of every turn, place 1 inhabitant on this building or any other building on the same segment of continuous terrain as this building.
- Public Square (value varies): Worth 1 point per space of your largest segment of continuous terrain.
Set 2: Commerce
- Restaurant (value varies): Worth 2 points for each restaurant on the same segment of continuous terrain.
- Fishing Hole (2 points): Worth 3 additional points if next to at least 2 water spaces.
- Inn (2 points): At the end of each turn, place 1 inhabitant on any space next to this building.
- Workshop (0 points): Every time you place a land tile with no relics, place 1 relic token on any space on that land tile.
- Market (value varies): Worth 1 point for each visible relic in your community.
Set 3: Leisure
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Junk Catapult (2 points): When placed, place a junk token on a relic in both of your neighbours' communities.
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Observatory (2 points): Worth an additional 2 points if placed on any spaces at the border of your community.
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Sports Field (2 points): At the end of every turn, place a relic token next to any inhabitant.
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Hot Springs (0 points): Every time you place a land tile with 1 or more water spaces, place a relic token on any space on that land tile.
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Amphitheatre (value varies): Worth 3 points for each different type of visible relic in your community.
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Pop the building tiles and junk/relic tokens from their sheets.
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Sort the building tiles into their starter building sets based on the matching images on the building cards above. Place each set of tiles in its building set storage tray: the numbers on the lids match the numbers of the sets, so Set 1 goes in tray 1, Set 2 in tray 2 and Set 3 in tray 3.
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Place the building cards on top of the building tiles in their respective trays.
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Place the junk/relic tokens in the tray with the inhabitant pawns and score pad.
Set-Up
The player most likely to thrive in an apocalypse goes first, and play moves to the left.
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Unfold the set-up board and place it in the centre of your play space.
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Choose your building set. Each building set tray contains one set. Put the other building set trays back in the box.
For your first game, use Set 1: Essentials.
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Place each building card in the space at the bottom of the board with the gear icons that match the icons in the top-right of the card. These tell you the power of the building tiles you'll place in your community, and they stay on the board as you play. Each side has a different power, so make sure the side with the power you'd like to use for each building is face-up! You can't change which side you're using later.
For your first game, use the purple side of the building cards.
Points the corresponding building tile is worth. The segment of gear spaces required to place this building in your community. Power of the building when placed in your community.
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Fill the spaces above each building card with the card's corresponding building tiles.
Make sure everyone takes a look at the buildings' powers! If you're playing with fewer than 4 players, you won't use all the building tiles – only fill as many spaces as the board tells you, based on the numbers next to the spaces. Put any extra tiles back in their storage tray.
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If the building powers you're using involve junk or relics, place the junk/relic tokens in piles next to the set-up board. If not, keep them in their storage tray.
For your first game, you'll only use the junk side of the tokens. When you're ready to try the other sets, you'll use the relic side!
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Place the inhabitant pawns next to the set-up board.
You won't use the score pad until the game ends, but keep it handy to reference as you play!
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Find the 4 land tiles with the LIFE IN RETERRA logo on them. These are the starter land tiles – the first piece of your communities! Place 1 random tile face-up in front of each player and put away any extras.
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Shuffle the rest of the land tiles and give 3 to each player. These are your secret land tiles, and you only get these 3 for the whole game. You may look at them, but keep them secret!
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Place 5 random land tiles in a row next to the set-up board, face-up. Stack the remaining land tiles beside them face-down.
Let's Play
Take turns adding land, buildings and inhabitants to your community. A community is complete when it makes a square of 4 land tiles by 4 land tiles (16 total tiles).
On Your Turn
1. Place a land tile.
Choose 1 land tile from the land tile row OR from your secret land tiles and add it to your community. On your first turn, you must place it next to your starter land tile.
Land tiles are made of 4 terrain spaces, and may have icons on them.
The tile must align with the full edge of another land tile. Terrain spaces don't have to match up, but it'll help you later if they do. You may rotate the tile to any orientation. Icons might be upside down – that's fine!
Energy sources: Some land tiles have an energy source on them. The only terrain found on these is water. You may place them like you would any other land tile, and they're worth points – but only if surrounded by other land tiles (other energy sources count too) when the game ends. (See ENERGY SOURCES.)
If there are 2 or more energy sources in the land tile row, you may choose to discard them to the bottom of the land tile stacks and replace them with 2 new land tiles.
2. Place a building or inhabitant.
If you placed a land tile with gears on it, you may choose to place 1 building OR 1 inhabitant on that land tile. Choose carefully: you can't move inhabitants or buildings once they've been placed! You don't have to place anything if you don't want to.
Placing a building: Each space the building covers must have a gear on it. Each space the building covers must be the same type of terrain. At least 1 of the gears must be on the land tile you placed during this turn. Buildings may overlap across land tiles.
Placing an inhabitant: You may place an inhabitant only on a gear, and only on the land tile you placed during this turn. Some building powers let you place more inhabitants, on spaces without gears or on building tiles. That's different from the action of placing an inhabitant on a gear – it happens next, when you use your buildings' powers.
3. Use your buildings' powers.
If you have buildings in your community with a power you can use now, use them! Building powers kick in on the next turn after you place them, unless their building card says otherwise. If your building's power involves your neighbours, that means it relates only to the players sitting directly to your left and/or right.
4. Refill the land tile row.
If you took a tile from the land tile row, replace it with a tile from the top of the land tile stacks. Remember, you only get 3 secret land tiles – if you used a secret tile this turn, don't replace it.
The End of the Game
Take turns until each player has built their community of 4x4 land tiles. Use the score pad and the scoring reference to count your points (see the scoring example below). The player with the most points wins!
That's all you need to start playing! Keep this guide handy as reference. Come back to this section as needed.
On Your Turn, Don't Forget...
- Place 1 land tile.
- If that land tile has a gear, you may place 1 building or 1 inhabitant.
- Use building powers if you can.
- Refill the land tile row if needed.
Here's an example of what your community may look like when it's finished! A finished community is a square of 4 land tiles by 4 land tiles.
The Buildings
You'll use these to make your community thrive and earn points!
Start with the purple side of the building cards found in Set 1: Essentials for your first game. Then, move on to Set 2: Commerce or flip to the orange side of the Set 1 cards for your next game. Once you get the hang of things, you can create your own building sets!
Building Tiles
- Use these to build your community! You'll put them on the set-up board to start, then place them in your community as you play.
- If you're playing with fewer than 4 players, you won't use all the tiles in a building set. The spaces on the set-up board tell you how many you need, depending on the number of players.
Building Cards
- Building cards tell you the power and value of their corresponding building tile.
- Each side of the card has a unique power, but both sides use the same building tiles.
- These cards stay on the bottom of the set-up board while you play, as reference.
A building card shows: the points the corresponding building tile is worth, the power of the building when placed in your community, and the segment of gear spaces required to place this building in your community.
Building Sets
- The trays with numbers on the lids each hold a starter building set.
- A building set consists of 5 building cards and the corresponding building tiles.
- You can mix and match any combination of buildings and powers from different trays when you set up a game. You don't have to use the same colour for each building card!
Building sets must contain: 2 types of 2-space buildings, 2 types of 3-space buildings, and 1 type of 4-space building.
Things You Find On Land Tiles
Land Tiles
A good home starts with a good foundation.
These tiles are the land in your community. Each tile is made up of 4 terrain spaces.
Terrain Spaces
Variety is the spice of life – maybe not too much, though.
The terrain space types are: Forest, Desert, Asphalt, Grass and Water. All of the above spaces are terrain spaces. They make up land tiles.
Continuous segments of terrain are unbroken chunks of the same type of terrain space. You can earn points for more than one segment, but segments of 14+ spaces are still only worth 3 points.
Segment of 7+ continuous spaces of the same terrain: 3 points
Gear Icons
Gear up for new buildings and new friends!
These appear on land tiles. You may place buildings or inhabitants on them.
No point value.
Relic Icons
The relic icon types are: Mysterious Box, The Histories, Gizmo and Go Tube.
The white icons found on land tiles are relics. These are for your inhabitants to learn from, trade or perhaps just daydream about.
If another player has placed a junk token on a relic in your community, it isn't worth anything, and you can't remove the junk.
1 point each. If covered: 0 points.
Energy Sources
Energise your community!
Energy sources appear on a few land tiles. Since there is water on these, they can be part of a water terrain segment. Energy sources count as part of water terrain segments.
Surrounded by land tiles (other energy sources count too): 8 points. Not surrounded by land tiles: 0 points.
Things You Place On Land Tiles
Building Tiles
Make what once was into what will be.
Use these to build your community! They must be placed on the gear icons found on land tiles.
Buildings have different powers and point values, depending on which side of the corresponding building card you're using (see Building Cards, above).
Some buildings' powers involve your neighbours – those are the players directly to your left and/or right.
You may have more than 1 of the same building in your community, and you'll score them individually based on what the building card says.
Check the corresponding building card for the point value of a building.
Inhabitant Pawns
Hey there, little buddy!
These are the people who live in your community. They earn you points!
Inhabitants must be placed on gear icons, unless you have a building with a power that says otherwise. You can't place anything on top of these.
1 point each.
Relic Tokens
Socky
These tokens work just like relic icons. You'll use relic tokens only when a building power calls for it.
They're double-sided: junk is on the other side.
If another player has placed a junk token on a relic token in your community, it isn't worth anything and you can't remove the junk.
1 point each. If covered: 0 points.
Junk Tokens
One community's trash is another community's… nope, still trash.
You'll play these tokens against other players only when a building power calls for it. They're found on the other side of relic tokens.
If there's junk on a relic in your community, you won't get points for it.
Junk subtracts points from your score, and you can't place anything on top of it or remove it, sorry. You can't place these on buildings or inhabitants.
-1 point each.
P.S. Here Are Some Tips
Scoring Example
An example finished community scored as follows:
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Terrain segment (of 7+ spaces, 3 points): 4 terrain segments | 12 |
| Energy sources (only if surrounded by other land tiles, 8 points): 1 surrounded energy source | 8 |
| Relics (icons & tokens, 1 point): 9 visible relics | 9 |
| Inhabitants (1 point): 4 inhabitants | 4 |
| Buildings (see building cards, values vary): 3 buildings | 10 |
| Junk (-1 point): 2 junk | -2 |
| Total | 41 |
Placing Things Next to Buildings/Inhabitants
Some buildings have powers that allow you to place inhabitants, relics or junk on the spaces directly next to them, next to buildings in your neighbours' communities, or next to inhabitants: this means all the empty spaces surrounding the building/inhabitant that don't already have a building, token or inhabitant on them – including energy sources!
Junk
- You can't place anything on top of junk, and you can't remove it.
- You can't place junk on top of buildings or inhabitants.
Community Borders
The purple side of the observatory card involves the borders of your community. This means it is worth more if built on any spaces at the very edges of your community.
'Stacking' Building Powers
- Some buildings have powers you use each turn (starting on the next turn after you place it). If you have more than 1 of the same building, their powers 'stack'.
- For example: if you have 2 sports fields, you'll place 2 relic tokens each turn.
Tiebreaker
In the case of a tie, the player with more buildings wins!
Curated Building Sets
Looking for a particular kind of game? Not sure where to start making your perfect set? Try these!
Unfriendly Neighbours Set
For players who want to mess with their neighbours.
- Junk Catapult (3 points): When placed, place a junk token on any space next to a building in both of your neighbours' communities.
- Restaurant (2 points): Worth 2 additional points if you have more restaurants in your community than both your neighbours.
- Farm (4 points): Every time you place a building, place a junk token on a relic in 1 of your neighbours' communities.
- Workshop (4 points): Every time a neighbour places a land tile with 1 or more relics, place 1 relic token on any space next to this building.
- Public Square (value varies): Worth 1 point per space of your largest segment of continuous terrain.
Peace and Quiet Set
For players who want a more peaceful, solitary game.
- Garden (2 points): Worth 3 additional points if placed on a terrain segment of exactly 7 continuous spaces.
- Observatory (2 points): Worth an additional 2 points if placed on any spaces at the border of your community.
- Inn (2 points): At the end of each turn, place 1 inhabitant on any space next to this building.
- Sports Field (2 points): At the end of every turn, place a relic token next to any inhabitant.
- Market (value varies): Worth 2 points for each building in your community, including this one.
Popularity Contest Set
For players who love to gather inhabitants.
- Restaurant (value varies): Worth 2 points for each restaurant on the same segment of continuous terrain.
- Fishing Hole (2 points): Worth 3 additional points if next to at least 2 water spaces.
- Inn (2 points): Every time you place a building, place 1 inhabitant on that building.
- Hot Springs (0 points): At the end of every turn, place 1 inhabitant on any water space.
- Public Square (5 points): Your inhabitants are each worth 1 additional point.
Rewarding Hoarding Set
For players who want a community full of relics.
- School (2 points): Worth 2 additional points if you have more visible relics than both your neighbours.
- Observatory (4 points): Worth 0 points if there are any other buildings on the same segment of continuous terrain as this building.
- Workshop (0 points): Every time you place a land tile with no relics, place 1 relic token on any space on that land tile.
- Hot Springs (0 points): Every time you place a land tile with 1 or more water spaces, place a relic token on any space on that land tile.
- Amphitheatre (value varies): Worth 3 points for each different type of visible relic in your community.