Magnum Sal Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Game Elements
• Game Preparation
• Sequence of Play
• Actions
  • Placing or Moving a Miner in the Mine
  • Salt Extraction
    • Transporting Salt
  • Miner Fatigue
  • Rest
  • Placing a Miner as an Assistant in a Building
  • Visiting a Building
    • Inn
    • Workshop
    • Pump House
    • Market
    • Town Square
    • Castle
• Tools
  • Rope
  • Pickaxe
  • Bucket
  • Cart
  • Food
  • Commercial Privilege
  • Royal Privilege
• End of Phase
• Game End
• 3-player Game
• 2-player Game
• "Mapped Mine" Variant
• Acknowledgements

Object of the Game

Each player takes the role of a foreman - the manager of a mining team. During the game, players will try to extract salt most efficiently from the mine, sell their "white gold" at the market, and above all complete the king's salt orders. The player who earns the most money from extracting salt receives the title of Royal Steward and wins the game.

Game Elements

• 1 board showing the town of Wieliczka,
• 1 long mine shaft,
• 24 royal order tokens (8 each for Phases I, II and III),
• 18 mine chamber tiles (8 for level I, 6 for level II, and 4 for level III),
• 21 tool cards,
• money chips (in cents; "grosz" in Polish): (5 x 50 cents, 5 x 20 cents, 10 x 5 cents, 10 x 3 cents, 15 x 1 cent),
• starting player marker,
• wooden cubes:
  • 20 brown (barrels of the cheapest salt, appearing on levels I and II of the mine)
  • 15 green (average value salt, appearing on all three levels of the mine)
  • 15 white (the purest and most valuable salt, appearing deep - on levels II and III of the mine)
  • 25 blue (water in the mine which makes it harder to extract salt)
• 10 miners in each of 4 player colors,
• 2 markers (wooden cylinders) for use in the inn and the castle.

Game Preparation

Put the board in the center of the table. Put the mine shaft below the board. Sort and shuffle the three types of mine chamber tiles and place them face-down beside the mine shaft as shown in the picture.

Each player receives 4 miners of one color (in the 2-player game, each player starts with 5 miners) and 1 cube of brown salt. The remaining miners, money and salt and water cubes should be placed near the board so that everyone can reach them. These pieces are a bank from which the players will collect resources during play.

Put salt cubes on the market: 2 brown cubes on the spaces numbered 5 and 4 in the first column from the left and 1 green cube on the space numbered 6 in the second column from the left.

Choose one of the players. This player receives the starting player marker and 10 cents. The remaining players will receive more money. The person sitting to the left of the starting player receives 12 cents, the next receives 14 cents, and the next receives 16 cents.

Players' money, salt, and tools are public! At any time you can check how much each player owns.

The following steps should be performed at the start of each phase of the game:

1. Put the shuffled stack of 8 royal orders (with the appropriate phase number on their back) face down in the castle. Turn some of them face up in the castle: 3 orders for 2 or 3 players, 4 orders for 4 players. Put a wooden cylinder on the royal order track in the "0" space.
2. Put another wooden cylinder in the inn on the appropriate space (with an icon showing the number of players). The 1st space from the left is for 4 players, the 3rd space from the left is for 3 players, and the 5th space from the left is for 2 players.
3. Remove 7 cards from the shuffled 21 tool cards and put them face down on the board in the workshop. These are the tools for the next phase. Put three of them face up in the workshop in the spaces marked with symbols 3, 4 and 5 cents.

Note: The basic rules describe the game for 4 players. The differences in the rules for 2 and 3 players are described in the instructions in parentheses and summarized at the end of the rules.

Sequence of Play

The game is divided into three phases showing consecutive weeks of work in the mine. Each phase consists of a series of consecutive rounds. The player who has the starting player marker begins. Play continues clockwise. In the first round of each phase, players perform only one action, and in every later round of the phase, they perform exactly two actions.

A player can perform the same action twice in one turn, but can never visit the same building twice in one turn!

All of the players' miners waiting in the line to the castle move one space closer to the castle at the start of a player's turn (before performing player actions).

Actions

A player's action can be:

• placing or moving a miner in the mine,
• extracting salt from a mine chamber,
• placing a miner as an assistant in a building,
• visiting a building,
• pass.

A player can pass both actions, doing no other actions in their turn, and let their miners rest.

Placing or Moving a Miner in the Mine

As an action, a player can place or move a miner into a shaft section or chamber. When placing or moving a miner, he cannot be placed or moved into a space which is not connected to the shaft entrance by a chain of miners.

When you place or move miners, the "chain rule" must be followed: between every miner anywhere in the mine and the shaft entrance there can be no empty space (with no miner), as shown in the examples below. It does not matter which players own the miners in the "chain", and whether they are rested or tired (see Miner fatigue).

Example No. 1 - In the figure above, all orange miners may be moved, because they are at the end of a chain, or because they are in the same space with a miner of another color. Moving the orange miner who is in the shaft with another (black, in this case) miner would not cause that space to become empty.

Example No. 2 - The following picture shows an orange miner illegally placed on the second level. He is not connected by a chain of miners to the shaft entrance.

It is legal to place or move miners into shaft sections and chambers already occupied by other miners, regardless of who owns them. A miner placed in the mine may come from a player's stock, a building (see Assistants), or may be moved from another space in the mine (if his removal does not break the "chain rule"). A miner moved in the mine comes or may be moved from another space in the mine (if his removal does not break the "chain rule"). Miners can never be taken from the line in the castle (see Building Descriptions).

The first time a miner enters an unrevealed chamber its tile is turned face up for the rest of the game. Immediately put salt and water cubes on a revealed tile as shown in the picture.

Note: The "chain rule" can be broken in one specific case - a miner can be moved from a chamber if that chamber and all further chambers in its corridor are revealed and have no more salt to extract.

Example No. 3 - The purple miner can be moved because in his chamber and all further chambers in this corridor no more salt cubes remain.

Salt Extraction

As an action, a player can extract salt cubes from one mine chamber. The strength of the player's miners in a chamber determines how much salt (of any color) can be extracted. The strength of a group of miners in a chamber is the number of the player's miners in the chamber minus the number of water cubes in the chamber. To extract the salt, the player must also be able to bring it to the surface.

A player doesn't have to use all their miners in a given chamber to extract salt. Those miners not used to extract salt (including extra miners needed due to water) will not be tired after the extraction.

Transporting Salt

The extracted salt cubes must be elevated to the surface. It is not allowed to move salt only to another chamber or shaft section; the extracted salt must be transported immediately to the surface in one action. Salt is first moved horizontally to the shaft, then up the shaft to the surface. When moving cubes through spaces where there are miners of the current player, the player doesn't need to pay for moving the salt. For each cube moved, a cent must be paid for each space (chamber or shaft section) along the way to the surface where the player does not have their own miners. This money is paid to the owners of the miners in such spaces. If a space has miners of more than one player, the player moving the salt may choose which player to pay. If more than one salt cube is being moved, the payment may be divided among the players who have miners in the space.

After salt is elevated to the surface, put it in front of the player. Water cubes remain in their chambers. A player who cannot pay to transport salt cannot extract it.

Example No. 4 - The orange player wants to extract salt cubes from the chamber with two orange miners. There is no water in it, so the strength is 2 (2 - 0 = 2). So 2 cubes of salt can be extracted. To transport the salt, 4 cents must be paid to the black player (2 for the chamber and 2 for the mine shaft where only black has miners).

Example No. 5 - The purple player wants to extract salt from the chamber where there are four purple miners. The chamber has one water cube of water, so the strength is 3 (4 - 1 = 3). So 3 cubes of salt can be extracted. To elevate the salt, 3 cents must be paid, since one of the shaft sections on the way to the surface has no purple miners. This shaft section has an orange miner and a black miner. The purple player decides not to help the black player, who happens to be winning at the moment, and so pays 3 cents to the orange player.

Miner Fatigue

Miners who have just extracted salt (including extra miners needed due to water) are tired. The miners in the chamber which was just mined should be laid on their side. Tired miners cannot be moved or placed as assistants in a building. They can not be used to extract salt. The only activity in which they may participate, is transporting salt to the surface.

Rest

A player may choose to pass both actions of their turn to let the miners rest. Doing this means all tired miners in the mine are rested and stand up again. On the next turn, these miners will again be able to extract salt, be moved, and be placed as assistants in buildings.

Placing a Miner as an Assistant in a Building

As an action, a player can send one of their miners as an assistant to a building (such buildings have a miner symbol). This miner can come from the player's resource pool, another building, or the mine (if that won't break the "chain rule"). The owner of this miner earns a cent from the bank right after the building is visited by any player (even by the assistant's owner). Each building can have only one assistant.

Until the owner takes him from the building (or the current phase is completed), another miner can not be placed as an assistant in this building.

Visiting a Building

As an action, a player can visit one of the buildings in the city and perform its action.

Note: A player can never visit the same building twice in a single player turn. So it is not legal to use both actions in a turn to recruit 2 miners in the inn, or to place 2 miners in line in the castle.

A visiting player first performs the building action (including paying if necessary) and only then does the building assistant's owner earn 1 cent. This means that a player who visits a building which has their own assistant must have already had the money to pay for the building action.

Building actions are mandatory, you must perform the action if you visit the building. If you would not be able to perform a building's action (e.g. due to not being able to pay), then you cannot visit the building.

Inn

The inn has miners looking for work. However, each successive miner wants a higher payment than the previous one. At the beginning of each phase of the game set the inn marker to the appropriate number of miners in the inn: 7 for 4 players, 5 for 3 players, or 3 for 2 players. When visiting the inn, a player may hire a single miner. To do this, a player pays the amount written beside the space where the marker is currently located, and takes a miner of their color from the bank. After hiring the miner, move the marker one space to the right on the inn track. The next miner's cost is the amount beside the marker's new space on the inn track. Hired miners work for the player until the end of the game.

Assistant: The inn has no room for an assistant.

Workshop

The workshop sells tools to help in the mine. There are always three tools for sale, costing 3, 4 and 5 cents. When visiting the workshop, a player must buy one of the three tools, paying the cost to the bank. After buying a tool, the more expensive tools are moved to the left, and the rightmost (most expensive) space is filled with a new tool drawn from this phase's pile of tools. The purchased tool is placed face up in front of its owner. If the stock of tools in a given phase has been depleted then it's not possible to buy more tools in that phase.

Assistant: After the workshop is visited by anyone, the player who owns the building's assistant earns 1 cent from the bank.

Pump House

When visiting the pump house, a player must remove at least one water cube from a mine chamber that has at least one of that player's miners. The first water cube is removed for free. Optionally a second cube can be removed for a cost of 2 cents. Every additional cube removed costs 1 cent more than the previous: the third costs 3 cents, the fourth costs 4 cents, etc. These cubes must all be removed from the same chamber, and they are returned to the bank.

Assistant: After the pump house is visited by anyone, the player who owns the building's assistant earns 1 cent from the bank (regardless of the amount of pumped water).

Example No. 6 - The black player wants to extract salt from the chamber where there are 3 black miners. There is a lot of valuable salt (2 green cubes and 1 white). Unfortunately, this chamber is full of water, making it difficult for miners to work. So the player decides to remove the water. As the first action, the black player visits the pump house and removes 3 water cubes from the chamber, paying 5 cents (0 cents for the first cube, 2 cents for the second, and 3 cents for the third water cube). Then the orange player, who had sent one of his miners as an assistant to the pump house, receives 1 cent from the bank. For the second action, the black player can now extract all 3 blocks of salt from the chamber.

Market

When visiting the market, a player performs 1 or 2 transactions. A transaction is the sale or purchase of 1 salt cube. During one market visit, a player can not perform two transactions on the same salt cube, i.e. buying and then selling the same cube.

Selling: A cube is sold for the highest visible rate for that type of salt, which doesn't yet have a salt cube on it. The sold cube is placed on this space in the market, and the player gets the appropriate amount of money from the bank. A salt cube cannot be sold if all the market spaces for its type are already full.

Buying: A player buys the cheapest piece of the chosen salt type (in the highest occupied space of its column). The player pays the indicated purchase price to the bank, and then moves the cube to their own resources. You can not buy a salt cube if it does not exist in the market.

Assistant: After the market is used by anyone, the player who owns the building's assistant earns 1 cent from the bank (regardless of the number and type of transactions done by the visiting player).

Example No. 7 - The purple player wants to complete the royal order for 3 brown salt cubes in the next round. However, he has only 2 brown cubes, and he knows that he will not manage to extract another one from the mine soon. He decides to visit the market and buy the missing salt. The player visits the market and performs two transactions. First, the player sells a green salt cube for 5 cents. Then this earned money is used for the second transaction, to buy a brown salt cube for 3 cents.

Town Square

Foremen and miners meet here to play cards or dice, sometimes even winning a little money. A player who visits the town square takes 1 cent from the bank.

Assistant: The town square has no space for an assistant.

Castle

In the castle, players can complete royal orders and earn money for extracted salt. To visit the castle, the player adds his miner to the castle queue (in the rightmost circle). It is possible that several players have miners in the same queue space. At the start of the player's next turn (without using an action - this is done automatically) the miner moves to the leftmost circle, and at the start of the following turn the miner must deliver salt to complete one of the current royal orders in the castle.

To complete the order, a player returns its indicated set of salt cubes to the bank and receives the indicated payment from the bank. The completed order token is placed in front of the player, and the marker on the royal order track is advanced to the next space.

If the player does not have enough salt of appropriate types to complete any current order, the player must pay 3 cents or 1 salt cube of any type to the bank. If a player is unable to complete an order and has no money and no salt, there is no additional penalty. If the player has 1 or 2 cents and no salt, the player must pay as much money as possible. If the player has 1 or 2 cents and has salt, the player must give the salt cube to the bank.

Whether or not the player completed an order, the miner returns to the player's resources and can be used normally this turn. Immediately after an order is completed, draw a new order from the stack for the current phase and put it on the just freed order space, advance the marker on the royal order track, and then check how many orders for this phase have been completed. If this was the 5th completed order (or 4th in the case of two players) for this phase, then the phase will end after the turn of the last player in this round.

It may happen that a player can complete two orders at the beginning of his turn (his two miners emerged from the queue at the same time, thanks to the Royal Privilege: see Tools). Then after the first order is completed, a new order immediately appears in to replace it. The second miner can complete this new order if the player has the appropriate salt.

Assistant: The assistant's owner earns one cent from the bank for each order completed by any player. The assistant's owner does not receive money when a miner is added to the queue! The assistant's owner does not receive money if the miner cannot complete a order!

Tools

Tools can be used in a player's turn, independent of a player action, or as part of a player action. When a tool is used, it is turned face down to indicate that it cannot be used again during this phase. There is no limit to the number of tools which can be used in one turn.

Rope

Rope is used as part of the action of placing or moving a miner. A rope lets a player place or move an additional miner in the mine. Rope does not let a player assign miners as assistants in the buildings! The player can use several ropes within a single action.

Pickaxe

A pickaxe is used as part of the action of extracting salt. A pickaxe adds 1 to the strength of a group of miners during a single action of salt extraction.

Bucket

A bucket is used outside of a normal player action during a player's turn. A bucket lets a player move one water cube from a chamber with at least one of the player's miners to an adjacent chamber. Water cannot be moved into or out of the mine shaft. Water can be moved into a chamber which has not yet been revealed.

Cart

A cart is used as part of the action of extracting salt. A cart lets a player transport any number of salt cubes through a single chamber or shaft section where the player has no miners without having to pay another player in that space, or through 2 such adjacent spaces without having to pay other players in those 2 spaces. If on the way to the surface there are several spaces in which the player would have to pay for transporting salt, but no 2 of them are adjacent, then the player can choose only a single space not to pay. (I.e. the cart works for 1 or 2 neighboring chambers and/or shaft sections.)

Food

Food is used outside of a normal player action during a player's turn. Food lets 1 or 2 tired miners (who are lying down) stand up again. The 2 tired miners who stand up can be in different chambers.

Commercial Privilege

Commercial privilege is used as part of the action of visiting the market. Commercial privilege lets a player enjoy all of the following privileges during both market transactions:

• buy salt for 1 cent less,
• sell salt for 1 cent more,
• sell salt, even if all its spaces are occupied (in which case it is sold at the lowest price in the market for this type of salt, and the sold salt goes to the bank).

Royal Privilege

Royal privilege is used as part of the action of visiting the castle. Royal privilege lets a player put his miner immediately into the leftmost circle of the castle queue. Thus at the beginning of their next turn, the player will be able to fulfill a castle order.

End of Phase

When the 5th order is completed (or the 4th order in the 2-player game), this will be the last round of the phase. The player to the right of the player with the starting player marker will have the last turn of the round. After that player finishes their turn, the phase ends. If the 5th order was done by the last player of the round, the phase ends immediately after their turn.

All miners leave the mine, all assistants leave the buildings, and they all return to their owner's resources. Remove uncompleted orders for this phase, and reveal new orders for the next phase. Move the marker for completed orders back to the "0" space. Tools that were not sold in this phase are removed from the game. Make a face down deck with the next 7 tools, shuffle them and then deal 3 tools face up to the workshop. Move the inn marker to the appropriate space, as described in the section "Game Preparation." This means that the inn has new miners available for hire. Tools used by players in the just completed phase are turned face up. Players will be able to use them again. The player with the starting player marker passes it to the player to the left.

If, at the end of the phase, there is no brown salt in the market, then add 1 brown cube to the 5 cent space in the first column. If, at the end of the phase, there is no green salt in the market, then add 1 green cube to the 6 cent space in the second column. Missing white salt is not added to the market in this fashion.

Game End

At the end of the third phase, the value of each player's enterprise is calculated. Each unsold salt cube of any type is worth 3 cents. Add this to players' money earned during the game. Players also earn money from their tools as shown on the workshop table. The richest player wins.

In the case of a tie, the tying player who has completed the most royal orders wins. If it is still a tie, the tying player with the fewest miners wins. If there is still a tie, the tying player with the fewest tools wins.

Tools	1-2	3-4	5-6	7-8	9+
Cents	2	6	10	14	20

3-player Game

The 3-player game has the following rule differences:

• the castle always has 3 face up orders,
• the inn always has 5 miners available for hire in each phase.

2-player Game

The 2-player game has the following rule differences:

• at the beginning of the game, each player receives five miners,
• the castle always has 3 face up orders,
• the inn always has 3 miners available for hire in each phase,
• each phase of the game ends after the completion of the fourth order.

"Mapped Mine" Variant

Not all players enjoy uncertainty when sending miners into the mine. If you want to play with less luck, use this variant.

At the beginning of the game sort and shuffle the mine chamber tiles for each level. Deal all the tiles face up. Don't put salt or water cubes on them yet. Put the appropriate salt and water cubes on a chamber only after the first miner reaches it. After all salt has been extracted from a chamber, mark the chamber as used by turning it face down (leaving all miners and water cubes on it).

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all those who contributed to the creation of this game. In particular, we thank members of the Monsoon Group - for carrying out many tests and many valuable comments. We especially thank: Jan Bażyński, Robert Buciak, Marcin Gliński, Witold Janik, Ola Kobyłecka, Karol Madaj, Jacek Nowak, Łukasz Pogoda, Maciej Sorokin and Krzysztof Wierzbicki.

We also thank the other game and rule testers, including Jarosławow Czaja, Daniel Danzer, Grzegorz Kobiela, Grzegorz Majewski, Marek Pańczyk and Paweł Stefański.

Special thanks to our wives - Alicja Miłuńska and Agnieszka Krupińska - for their continued support, their testing with us, and the hours of great enjoyment we four always have playing together.

English translation by Anna Skudlarska and Russ Williams. German translation by Britta Stöckmann, Marcin Szrama and Grzegorz Kobiela.