Migration Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Book I: A Story of Generations
  • Overview
  • Rules and Exceptions
  • Setup
  • Basics
    • Expansion
    • Migration
  • Continuation of Play
  • End of Game
  • Abilities
    • Bass
    • Oak
    • Rats
    • Sparrow
    • Fly
  • Many Players
• Book II: A Saga of Conflict
  • Forest Pieces
    • Wolf
    • Skunk
    • Poison Oak
  • Desert Pieces
    • Jackal
    • Lizard
    • Cactus
  • Terrain Modifiers
    • Lake
    • Mountain
    • Deep Woods

Book I: A Story of Generations

The following rules concern the first Book of Migration, including rules for the Bass, Rats, Oak, Fly and Sparrow. Once you are comfortable with these rules and Explorers, you may read the document for Book II: A Saga of Conflict in order to add new Explorers at your speed of understanding.

Overview

In Migration, players take on the role of vast numbers of migratory Explorers, establishing Towns (game pieces) over generations by playing them in hexagonal spaces of land. Each Town is established or treated uniquely according to its type. Some Towns give you more options or powers, while others interfere with your opponents. When all the territory is filled up, leaving no way to establish more Towns, players count the points they earned from their Towns. Towns are typically one point each. The player with the most points wins.

Explorer: A game piece that represents a character and resides in your hand. Explorers are secret information.

Town: A game piece that is on the board, face-up. Towns earn you points at the end of the game and often have other effects as they come into play or while they are in play.

Rules and Exceptions

Below are all the normal rules. These rules apply to every Explorer unless it specifically says otherwise. Exceptions always take priority over rules.

Setup

Island Plate: A series of seven contiguous hexagons that connect to form the play area for a game of Migration. There is one Island Plate that is composed of one shape of 4 hexagons and one shape of 3. This pair counts as one Island Plate. Either half of that Island Plate may be placed as an island separate from the rest.

Region: One land hexagon is called a Region.

1. Randomly select a player who has not yet been the Founder during this play session.
2. The Founder chooses one Island Plate for each player and arranges them so that they are connected.
3. That player then puts a Fertile Region terrain modifier on each Interior Region. An Interior Region is surrounded on all 6 sides by other land Regions.
4. Each player selects a color and secretly chooses 12 Explorers of their color. Players should make sure they have a Bass in their list. Players may look at the map before they choose their Explorers. Players conceal their choices for the duration of the game.
5. The Founder then chooses which other player goes first. Play follows in a clockwise direction.

Fertile Region: Towns established on a Fertile Region are worth an extra point at the end of the game.

Basics

Players take turns by choosing an Explorer in their hand and playing it on the board as a Town coming from the Pioneer Spirit of their color. Some Towns affect the area around them or have abilities that are triggered by certain events. It is valuable to keep these pieces in mind during play. See the Abilities section for more details on these special powers.

The Pioneer Spirit is a special marker that each player possesses. It moves around during play according to where you've most recently established a Town. Players may typically establish a Town only coming from their Pioneer Spirit.

When a player establishes a Town, that player moves his or her Pioneer Spirit to the new Town to end their turn.

At the beginning of the game, you don't have a Pioneer Spirit on the board, so you have to establish a Town that doesn't need one. In Book I, the only Explorer who can do this is the Bass (see the abilities section for details). To establish your Bass as a Town, place it on any Coastal Region. Then, because you have established a new Town, place your Pioneer Spirit on that Bass. Now that you have a Pioneer Spirit on the map, you can establish any Town you want on your next turn.

You may establish a Town either by Expansion or Migration.

Pioneer Spirit: This marker represents your peoples' drive to go out and explore. You need a Pioneer Spirit in order to establish a Town. When you establish a Town, move your Pioneer Spirit to your new Town.

Coastal Region: A Region that touches the exterior edges of the map. Never an Interior Region. Coastal Regions can never have the Fertile terrain modifier.

Expansion

When you establish a Town by Expansion, place one of your Explorers in a Frontier Region that is adjacent to your Pioneer Spirit. That piece is now a Town. Then move your Pioneer Spirit to that Town.

Migration

Establishing a Town by Migration allows you to set a new piece farther away from your Pioneer Spirit. Although it is expensive, it is often an excellent option.

When you establish a Town by Migration, place one of your Explorers on a Frontier Region that is on a straight line coming from your Pioneer Spirit. This line can go over Wasteland, but can not go over Towns (see the Sparrow for an exception).

After you place your Explorer there, it is a Town. Then, select one of your Explorers from your hand for each Region between your Pioneer Spirit and your new Town. Place those pieces face-down in those Regions.

These pieces are now Wasteland. They represent waste, effort, loss of resources, and the creatures who died of dysentery on their perilous journey. You must pay one piece of Wasteland even for Regions that are already Wasteland.

Last, Move your Pioneer Spirit to the new Town.

All Explorers can establish a Town with Expansion or Migration.

Frontier Region: A Region that has no Towns or Wasteland on it.

Wasteland: A piece that has been placed on the board face-down. Wasteland belongs to no one. It is not considered a Town. It does not grant points at the end of the game. Players may not typically establish Towns on Wasteland. No player may peek at the identity of a Wasteland piece once it is in play.

Continuation of Play

Players continue taking turns by Expanding or Migrating until the no player has a legal move, typically due to the board filling up.

If you ever lose your Pioneer Spirit, certain Explorers have abilities that might help you regain it. If you ever can't make a legal move for any reason or you choose not to, remove your Pioneer Spirit from the board.

End of Game

When no players can make legal moves, count the number of Towns each player has established (Wasteland does not count). Each player typically gets 1 point for each established Town. Players gain 1 additional point for each occupied Fertile Region. The player with the most points wins.

Before attempting to include Explorer abilities into their Migration game, some players might prefer to play a game using only the above rules. This ensures that players understand what is meant by the Pioneer Spirit, Expansion, Migration and scoring. Once players understand those ideas, they can add the abilities below.

Abilities

In Migration, all the Explorers have unique abilities that equip them to handle a variety of common scenarios. Unlike in chess and similar games, there is no hierarchy of power. You will often find yourself in situations where you wish you had each piece.

Bass

The Bass may establish a Town on any Coastal Region without needing a Pioneer Spirit.

Whenever you play the Bass, simply choose any Frontier Coastal Region and play him there. He still gains your Pioneer Spirit after you establish his Town as normal. Because he does not require a Pioneer Spirit, he is the only piece you can play on your first turn (unless you are using the Explorers from Book II). This can also help you if you ever lose your Pioneer Spirit.

Oak

At the beginning of your turn, you may move your Pioneer Spirit from anywhere to your Oak Town.

After using this ability, you can take your normal turn, moving out from the Oak Town. If you lose your Pioneer Spirit, you can use this ability to regain it. It is wise to play an Oak early in order to give yourself more options late in the game.

Rats

Rats are worth two points at the end of the game.

Rats win games. Establish Towns with as many Rats as you can, and force your opponent into positions where he or she cannot establish Towns with Rats.

Sparrow

The Sparrow may Migrate over Towns.

When the sparrow Migrates over a Town, the piece the player discards as a Wasteland (see "Migration") covers that Town, taking it out of play. If that Town had a Pioneer Spirit on it, remove that Spirit. Players should be very careful not to become a victim of their opponent's Sparrow! The Sparrow represents the best way to control your opponents' options in Book I. Remember that all Explorers may Migrate, but only the Sparrow may Migrate over Towns. If you Migrate over your own Town you must cover it.

Fly

The Fly may establish Towns on Wasteland.

This ability allows the Fly to pick up the spaces left over from rapid Migration or fierce battle. Often, the points picked up by the fly make the difference between victory and defeat. Of course, he can still establish Towns normally as well.

Many Players

When playing with 3 or 4 players, remember to include one Island Plate for each player during the setup phase. Play a number of games equal to the number of players and keep track of the score each round. After each round, choose a new Founder (see Setup) who has not yet been the Founder. At the end of the series, each player will have been the Founder exactly once. The player with the highest total score at the end of those games is the winner. Feel free to count insults, seek vengeance, and gang up on the leader. The game can handle a kingmaker attempt and underdogs often come up victorious.

Book II: A Saga of Conflict

Book II follows the same rules as Book I, but introduces a few new pieces and ways to play.

The pieces explained in this part of the manual are advanced compared to those in Book I. You are encouraged to play Book I a few times before you attempt to include the Explorers and rules of Book II into your play.

You may want to introduce the new pieces slowly so that you are used to their subtle effects on the game.

Multiple Explorers or Cards may have abilities that take effect at a particular time (like the beginning or end of a turn). If two effects would ever occur at the same time, the active player decides which to resolve first.

Forest Pieces

Forest creatures are fierce and territorial. They mark their grounds and guard them jealously. With the Forest set, carve out a generous plot of land and punish those who encroach on your property while aggressively invading and cornering your opponent's area. Watch your opponents crash into each other as they avoid your persistent threats.

Forest Region: A Region with a Forest symbol on it.

Wolf

You may establish the Wolf on any Frontier Forest Region without needing a Pioneer Spirit. If you end your turn with two of your Wolves adjacent to one enemy Town, flip that Town to its Wasteland side.

Compared to the Bass, the Wolf offers fewer starting positions, but can serve a persistent role later in the game. Use the wolf to claim territory and dare your opponents to approach. When a Wolf flips an enemy Town, that Town loses its Pioneer Spirit.

Skunk

As long as the Skunk has your Pioneer Spirit, opponents may not establish Towns adjacent to that Skunk.

Unlike the other Forest Creatures, the Skunk provides only a temporary effect, but that effect is powerful indeed. The Skunk can outright claim an area, leaving an opponent without any moves, turning an opponent around, or simply getting that extra Region you wanted at the right time.

Poison Oak

At the end of each of your turns, remove all enemy Pioneer Spirits that are adjacent to your Poison Oak.

The Poison Oak is a flexible piece that can be used to assault your enemies, sometimes grabbing multiple Pioneer Spirits and forcing those players to look elsewhere. It can also lock down an area for a long time, causing your opponents to compete with each other over what's left.

Desert Pieces

Creatures in the Desert thrive despite a scarcity of resources. Where other creatures might starve, wither or die of thirst, a creature in the Desert can glean the necessary nutrients from their scant surroundings. This set excels in playing, encouraging and benefiting from Wasteland, while punishing enemy Towns for banding together.

Jackal

The Jackal is worth one point plus one extra point for each adjacent Wasteland.

This piece seems simple, but can be challenging to use correctly. Maximize its use when you have a sizable area to yourself. You can Migrate and fill up the board with Wasteland, often netting you 3+ points in a turn. However, this Explorer is hard-countered by enemy Flies, so your positioning is critically important.

Lizard

After you move your Pioneer Spirit to your Lizard Town, you may Expand or Migrate again this turn. If you do, flip that Lizard Town immediately after.

The Lizard doesn't appear much in the spotlight and it is rarely face-up at the end of a game. However, he allows you to gain valuable angles of movement for delivering your disruptive and controlling Explorers.

As usual with Migrating and Expanding, move your Pioneer Spirit to the new Town.

Cactus

After you establish a Cactus Town, place your Pioneer Spirit on the Town where you started your turn. All Towns adjacent to a Cactus are worth one less point.

The Cactus is tremendously powerful, but also causes great danger to the user and is a high-priority target. Employ him with caution. If you use your Lizard or a Lake to establish a Cactus Town, return the Pioneer Spirit to the Town where you first started the turn. A Town can never be worth less than 0 points.

Terrain Modifiers

In addition to the extra Explorers included in Book II, you will also find extra Terrain Modifiers. When the Founder is creating the map on which to play, he or she may choose to place any of these Terrain Modifiers on any Frontier Region.

Fertile Regions must first be played on all Interior Regions and may not be played on any Coastal Regions. Then, the Founder may choose to place other Terrain Modifiers on the remaining Regions. In some cases, there won't be enough Fertile Regions to cover the number of Interior Regions. In that case, the Founder chooses which to cover. If a Terrain Modifier covers a Forest, that Region is no longer a Forest. Typically, a Region keeps its Terrain Modifier even if it has a Town or Wasteland on it.

Lake

At the beginning of your turn, If your Pioneer Spirit is adjacent to a Lake Region, you may move your Pioneer Spirit to that Lake Region. Then take your turn as normal.

Players may not establish a Town on a Lake. If a player leaves Wasteland on a Lake, that Region is no longer considered a Lake.

Mountain

No Town considers a Town on a Mountain Region to be adjacent.

Notice that this prevents a Town on a Mountain Region from being affected by any other Town whose rules include the word "adjacent."

Deep Woods

Explorers may not Migrate over Deep Woods. However, players may establish Towns in the Deep Woods. Deep Woods count as Forest Regions.

Explorers may still not Migrate over Deep Woods even when Deep Woods is covered.

Desert

Towns established on the Desert are worth 1 less point.

A Town can not be reduced to less than 0 points.

The Founder may place a Desert Region in the ocean adjacent to the land. If the Founder does, he or she may place new Fertile Regions on newly created Interior Regions.

Oasis

Except on the first turn, any player may establish any Town on a Frontier Oasis Region without needing a Pioneer Spirit.

Some Terrain Modifiers have a border that is visible while the Region is covered. These Terrain Modifiers still affect the Region even while covered.

Terrain Modifiers like the Lake, Oasis, and Forest (not Deep Woods) cease to affect play once they are covered.

Alternative Play Styles

Migration is a game that was designed to be flexible, intuitive and creative. As such, it is able to be played in a variety of ways. Below is a collection of game variants that have been designed to expand the experiences that Migration can offer. These have been made available through the generous enthusiasm of Migration's Kickstarter supporters.

Draft Variant

This game mode is a dynamic way of selecting your team of Explorers that allows you to interfere with your opponents choices and puts you in new, dangerous scenarios for you to figure out.

1. For any number of players, take two sets of Explorers (60 total, color does not matter), shuffle them and set them facedown in random groups of five. If you are playing with 2 players, remove 6 piles. If you are playing with 3 players, remove 3 piles. If you are playing with 4 players remove no piles.
2. I Split You Choose: A randomly selected player chooses one group of five and looks at its contents. He or she then secretly Splits the group into two piles of any size and offers them to the player on their right. That player then secretly Chooses one pile to have access to and gives the other pile to the Splitting player.
3. The Choosing player then Splits another group and offers them to the player on their right, as above. After one round of offering to the right, players offer to the left. For the third and last round, players offer to the right again. When drafting with 2 players, direction doesn't matter.
4. Players write down the pieces in their final group then choose a color. Players may compose their team using only the drafted Explorers and only up to their drafted quantities. Players may have drafted a different number of Explorers. This is part of the game.
5. All players add one Bass to their list automatically.

Oaths Variant

While playing under the Oaths Variant, all players always have exactly 2 of their Explorers revealed.

When establishing Towns, players may only choose from their revealed Explorers.

When placing Wasteland, players may choose from any of their Explorers as normal.

At the end of each player's turn, that player may reveal or conceal any number of Explorers until exactly 2 are revealed.

Random Ban

The Random Ban rule set is a variant for players who like varied play but dislike the incongruity of Age Cards (see below) or enjoy adapting to new play environments.

In order to start a Random Ban game, take one representative of each Explorer type (any color will do), turn them facedown, and shuffle them. Randomly select three Explorers and turn them faceup. Players then construct their decks, but no player may use Explorers of the revealed types.

For example, if Wolf, Fly and Oak are revealed, players will choose their groups of 12 Explorers as normal, but no player will include Wolves, Flies or Oaks. Banning Explorers like this will dynamically weaken and strengthen the remaining Explorers. Success in the Random Ban variant comes from the ability to reassess the tactical environment in order to maximize performance.

In the above example, Jackals are strengthened by the absence of Flies, Poison Oak and Sparrow are strengthened by the absence of Oak, and it will be harder to defend your territory without Wolves. Players who predict these phenomena and others correctly will be more successful.

If both the Wolf and the Bass are ever banned, set the second of those banned Explorers aside, unbanned, and ban another Explorer. This rule is to ensure that there is always an Explorer available who does not require a Pioneer Spirit in order to establish itself.

Age Cards

Age cards are a versatile tool that can be used to enhance games of Migration. These cards modify one or two rules as long as they are in effect. Simply read the active Age Card to know what rules have been changed. Age Cards can be used to modify a regular game or a any limited game. There are a few blank Age Cards included in the box. These are meant to inspire your own creativity. It is possible to play with Age Cards in one of three ways: Scenario, Era, and Agenda.

Scenario

Playing a Scenario is the most accessible way to play with Age Cards. Simply draw an Age Card at random and place it down on the table. For the duration of this game, the rules are changed according to the chosen card. For example, if Age of Nostalgia is drawn, players have a new way to consider their Pioneer Spirit for the remainder of the game.

Alternate: Intentionally select an Age Card and ban several pieces in order to create a particular strategic atmosphere.

Era

Shuffle the Age Card deck and place them face-down. Turn one card over and place it on top of the deck, revealed. At the beginning or end of any player's turn, that player may Enact the revealed Age Card by setting it to the side of the deck, bringing its rule into play and revealing the next Age Card from the top of the deck. Whenever an Age Card is Enacted, it immediately replaces the previous Age Card. A new Age Card can not be Enacted until the player who Enacted the previous Age has finished another turn. Therefore, each Age Card must spend at least one round enacted.

Agenda

Before choosing their group of 12 Explorers for the current game, deal each player one Age Card. At the beginning or end of each player's turn, that player may choose to Enact his or her Age Card. If an Age Card is in play, a new Age Card can not be Enacted until the player who Enacted the previous Age Card has finished another turn. Therefore, each Age Card must spend at least one round enacted.

Age Card List

Age of Exploration: For each Region on which a player would place Wasteland while Migrating, that player chooses whether or not to place Wasteland.

Age of Wandering: At the beginning of each player's turn, that player must move one of their Towns one space to an adjacent Frontier Region.

Age of Cooperation: The first time a player establishes a Town each turn, that player may then establish a new Town on top of it.

Age of Treaties: Players may not establish Towns by Migrating.

Age of Nostalgia: At the end of each player's turn, that player must remove their Pioneer Spirit. They may then place their Pioneer Spirit on any of their Towns that it did not occupy during any part of this turn.

Age of Restlessness: Players may not establish Towns by Expansion.

Age of Famine: At the end of each player's turn, that player must place one Wasteland on a Frontier or Wasteland Region adjacent to their Pioneer Spirit if possible.

Age of Aggression: At the end of each player's turn, that player chooses an enemy Town adjacent to their Pioneer Spirit. They then move that Town up to one space to a Frontier Region adjacent to the chosen Town.

Age of Strife: Instead of Migrating or Expanding, players may choose one enemy Town that is adjacent to their Pioneer Spirit (they may only choose Towns without a Pioneer Spirit). That player then removes their own Pioneer Spirit and covers the chosen enemy Town with Wasteland.