Nemeton
Nemeton Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
Earn as many reputation points as possible by discovering sacred sites, brewing potions, earning the trust of animals and by bringing the forest back to life. But time is of the essence and the exploration has just begun…
Content
- 4 Player boards
- 1 Common board (the Spring board, made of the two facing rows of goals)
- 40 Forest tiles (double-sided: Moon side and Day side)
- 4 Starter Forest tiles (Moon side without an ogham)
- 6 Oak special tiles
- 4 Spring special tiles
- 4 Nemeton special tiles
- 14 3D elements: 6 Oak, 4 Megalith, 4 Spring
- 8 Triskell tokens
- 75 Plants: 15 each of 5 colors — Nightshade (purple), Hypericum (yellow), Mistletoe (red), Hawthorn (green), Periwinkle (blue)
- 38 Animal tiles with a dark gray background (used during the game)
- 24 Potion cards
- 4 Bulga bags (1 per player)
- 4 figurines (1 per player color)
- 4 sets of 2 Special movement tokens (Change direction and Move on one more tile), 1 set per player
- 80 markers: 20 per player color
- 1 Owl tile with a light background
- 1 cloth bag
Set Up
Starter Forest
Assemble the 2 Forest boards however you wish and place them at the center of the table. Then, place an Oak on the Clearing spot without the Plant symbol.
The Goal Board
It is placed away from the starter forest.
Potion Cards
Shuffle the 24 cards while keeping them face down: reveal 3 cards on the left of the board, 2 others above it, and place the pile on the top right-hand corner.
Take 3 purple plants and 2 plants of each of the other colors, place a plant randomly on each of the goal spots. These are the 11 goals of the board.
Special Tiles
Oak (x6), Spring (x4), Nemeton (x4). Shuffle them and make a pile for each of them face down near the board.
Animal Tiles
Fill the bag with the 38 Animal tiles with the dark gray background. Randomly pick and place 7 of them on each of the spots at the bottom of the board.
Triskell Tokens
Place the 8 Triskell tokens face down near the special tiles.
3D Elements
Oak (x6), Megalith (x4), Spring (x4). Place the remaining 14 3D elements near the special tiles.
Plants
Create a stack apart from the central game area, with the 64 remaining Plants.
Each Player Gets
- A board.
- 1 Owl tile with a light background set on the corresponding spot on the board.
- 2 Special movement tokens.
- 1 figurine of the same color of the corresponding board.
- 20 markers of the same color of the corresponding board.
Forming the Forest Pile
The players then each make a Forest pile with their tiles.
They first get 8 Forest tiles with the same ogham. Those 8 tiles are shuffled with the Moon side facing up and stacked up randomly.
Then, on top of the pile, each player adds starter tiles (those that do not have any oghams on their Moon side):
- When there are 3 or 4 players, each player adds 2 tiles.
- When there are 2 players, each of them adds 3 tiles.
Important: when there are 2-3 players, do not use the 2 starting tiles that show the warning symbol on the Day side.
- When there are 3 or 4 players, add 2 starter tiles so that the pile has 10 tiles.
- When there are 2 players, add a third tile. The pile has 11 rather than 10 tiles.
Once the final pile is ready, it must not be shuffled. The unused tiles (when there are 2 to 3 players) must be put back in the box.
Game Turn
A game of Nemeton is played in:
- 10 turns with 3 to 4 players,
- 11 turns with 2 players.
Each player's turn is made up of 4 phases: Night, Dawn, Day, Dusk.
Each player plays the 4 phases one after the other.
Night
When night comes, the divine powers of the moon awakens the flora that many thought were extinct…
1. Take the tile at the top of your pile without looking at its Day side, place it with the Moon side up, next to one or more tiles that form the forest.
Important: it is forbidden to place a tile in a way that would create a "hole" in the forest.
Note 1: it is allowed to check the order of the tiles in your pile, so long as you do not check the Day side.
Note 2: the exploration zone of the forest is limited to the table. A tile cannot be placed if it does not fit entirely on it. The other elements (boards, cards etc) can be moved as the forest expands.
2. The moon shines on certain parts of the forest and sometimes it causes Plants to appear.
The Moon tile shines in each of the six possible directions. In each direction, it shines on all the tiles in a straight line up to the first tile of the same terrain type as indicated under the moon (tile included): River, Clearing, Earth, or Quarry.
On each of the tiles on which the moon shines, place as many Plants as indicated IF the tile is entirely empty (no Druids or Plants). When a tile has the "?" symbol, place a Plant of your choosing.
If there are no tiles matching the terrain of the Moon tile, then no flowers can bloom in that direction.
Note: in the very rare event where there wouldn't be enough pawns to finalize the blooming, the active player completes it with Plants of their own choosing.
Example: Moon and Blooming
It is now Finegas' turn. On top of his stack he has a Moon tile that shines up to the rivers.
He cannot place it where it would form a hole in the middle of the forest. He decides to place it near his figurine, meaning it is now adjacent to 3 tiles:
- There are no River tiles along one line. The Moon cannot start any blooming there.
- Along a second line, the moon has no effect on the first Clearing tile since it is not empty (a Druid is there); the moon blooms Mistletoe and Hawthorn on the first River tile. Nothing appears on the second River tile since the moon only shines up to the first tile of the same type (here, the River).
- Along a third line, the moon does not make anything grow on the first Quarry tile since there are no Plant symbols there; one Nightshade plant appears on the second Earth tile, nothing appears on the last River tile since a Plant is already there.
- Along a fourth line, the moonlight does not reach the River tile because of the hole in between.
Choose wisely when shining the light on a path with your moon tile to grow rare plants. Keep an eye on where your opponents are so that they may not benefit from those flowers blooming! The tile that you place can also make a sacred place appear. It may be wise, in some situations, to not place it too far away from your Druid!
Dawn
The time of promises has begun. The promises of a land of hope and discoveries…
1. Turn the Moon tile on its Day side.
2. If one of the Oak, Spring, or Nemeton symbols are on it: Immediately place a Special tile that matches the symbol. Note: ignore the symbol if there are no more Special tiles of that type.
The Special tile is always placed next to at least two tiles, including the Moon tile that was just placed and turned over.
Note 1: if, in very rare cases, the rule for placement (2) cannot be followed, place the Special tile next to only one tile.
Note 2: ignore the warning symbol on a tile; it is only used during the initial setup.
3. Once placed, turn the Special tile over and place the elements indicated on its back on top of it:
- When turned over, an Oak tile has: place on it 1 Oak.
- When turned over, a Spring tile has: place on it 1 Megalith and 1 Triskell face up.
- When turned over, a Nemeton tile has: place on it 1 Spring and 1 Triskell face up.
(Note: the back of the Special tile determines which element is actually placed — an Oak Special tile produces an Oak 3D piece, a Nemeton Special tile produces a Megalith and a face-up Triskell, and a Spring Special tile produces a Spring 3D piece and a face-up Triskell, per the printed backs.)
Example: Special Tiles
Belisama has placed and turned a tile over. It has a Megalith symbol on it, meaning she takes a Nemeton tile and puts it on one of two valid places. She then turns the tile over and puts a Megalith and face-up Triskell token on it.
Day
Desperate times call for great Druids…
Important: during the first turn, the players will place their Druids on the Moon tiles they have placed and then turned over. This is the starting point for each player in the forest.
During the Day phase each Druid has to move over one or more tiles and, if they choose, execute the action on the tile they reach.
Basic Movements
During their turn, a player moves the Druid 1 or 2 tiles, always in a straight line!
Note: each of the two starting boards are made of 4 tiles.
Special Movements
- Move on one more tile (always in a straight line). Turn the corresponding token onto its deactivated side. This Special movement can be reactivated during step 4 (of "After each movement on a tile a Druid can").
- Change direction. Important: this alters movement but does not count as an additional movement. Flip the token onto its deactivated side. Changing direction does not mean turning around. However, it is possible to combine it with moving on one more tile. This Special movement can be reactivated during step 4.
- Fly to an Oak. By eating Nightshade (and putting it back in the stack), the Druid can morph into a bird and fly to one of the Oak trees in the forest. Flying counts as a free additional movement. However, Nightshade is a dangerous plant and a Druid can only use it once per turn. Flying is performed before or after a Druid moves. After the Druid lands on an Oak they can still move to any tile next to them.
Example: Movements
During the first movement, Finegas gathers two Plants, including one Nightshade. He then eats it to fly to an Oak tree and decides to use its power to reserve a Potion. On his second movement he meets the Druid Filidh and asks to exchange Plants. He then turns the additional movement over to move to a Nemeton where he brews a Potion next to the common board as well as a Potion he had reserved. He places a marker at the foot of the Megalith since it is the first time he has performed an action in this Nemeton. He decides not to take the Triskell but instead reactivates the additional movement tile. He uses it immediately, by also turning over the changing direction tile to do a last movement to the Spring. There, he tames Animals but does not place any markers since he already placed some there during his last turn. This time he takes the Triskell.
Nightshade can help you escape a tricky situation by making you fly away! Try gathering Nightshade as fast as you can, and if possible, always have one on you during the entirety of the game.
It is sometimes better not to take the Triskell in order to reactivate one of your special movement tiles. Even though the two points given for each Triskell are important, it may be more interesting for you to optimize your next movements.
After Each Movement on a Tile a Druid Can:
1. Ask another Druid for help. If your Druid reaches a tile where one or more Druids already stand, you can get a Plant of your own choosing from one of them in trade against one of your Plants, that you will choose as well! However, it is impossible to ask a Druid on his board for the Plant in the Bulga surrounded by thorns.
2. Perform an action on the reached tile. There are 4 possibilities:
- Collect all the Plants on a single tile.
- Benefit from one of the two powers of the Oak if this tree is present on the tile.
- Brew a Potion if a Megalith is present on the tile.
- Earn the trust of the Animals if a Spring is present on the tile.
3. If a Druid brewed a Potion or tamed Animals, they place one of their markers on the tile. If one of them is already placed on the tile, the player does not place another one.
4. If, and only if a Druid brewed a Potion or tamed Animals, they can either:
- Pick the Triskell, if it is still present on the tile where the action was performed.
- Or reactivate one of their two Special movement tokens.
Tile Actions
Plant Tile
The player picks all the Plants on the tile and keeps them in their Bulga, where only one Plant fits in each.
If their Bulgas are full, the player can decide to switch the contents of some with the Plants on the tile.
The player can protect the Plant against the exchange action of another Druid by placing it in a Bulga closed by thorns. To this end, they can reorganize the contents of their Bulgas as they wish but only during their turn.
To lift the curse on the forest, Druids brew potions with Hypericum that ward against evil eye and light bringers, with Periwinkle that turns invisible things visible, they also use Mistletoe for fertility and immortality and Hawthorn, to help create balance and protect against new predators.
Oak Tile
Whether the Druid reaches the tile by flying or by walking, the player benefits from one of two powers of the Oak tree. Either:
- Exchange 2 Plants of their choosing against 1 Plant in the stack.
- Or reserve one of the Potion cards among the 3 visible Potion cards on the left of the board that they will then place face down in front of them. More than one Potion card can be reserved.
Important: each reserved but not brewed Potion will lose the player 2 reputation points at the end of the game.
Nemeton Tile
A Druid can brew 1 Potion among the 3 visible Potions on the left of the board and/or 1 previously reserved Potion.
For each brewed Potion, the player puts the Plants on the card in the stack and places the card face up on the side of their own board.
Phases 3 and 4 (of "After each movement on a tile a Druid can") are then performed.
Spring Tile
The Druids meet Animals here, the last guardians of the forest, in order to regain their trust.
To do this, the Druids must pay tribute to the two Animals at points A or B of the common board. You cannot take only 1 Animal or mix the different groups of Animals.
The player places the Plants on the two Animal tiles back in the stack and puts them on their board, dark side showing.
It is possible to pile up many Animal tiles of the same type on one's board.
Phases 3 and 4 are then performed.
The empty spots will only be filled during the Dusk phase.
These animals will be your best allies! Earning their trust during the early game turns will allow you to use their powers to optimize your strategy!
The Animal Spirits
Once per turn, a Druid can summon the spirit of an Animal, whenever they choose. They turn the tile over on their board (if they possess at least one other tile of this Animal, they place it underneath) and use its powers.
Important: Each Animal tile can only be used once per game. Used or not, it counts at the end of the game.
The Owl
This Animal can influence the moon. During the Night phase, shine up to a different terrain type from that depicted on the played Moon tile.
The Snake
Just as a snake changes its skin, the Druid using its power can shift the type of Plant on their board (they switch it with a Plant in the stack).
The Stag
Symbol of bounty, the stag offers the Druids more choices. While at a Nemeton they can brew one of the five Potions visible around the board or, while at a Spring, they can take three Animals on the superior line (C) by paying the corresponding tributes.
The Boar
It knows the forest and its nose allows it to find new Plants. With its power, place an additional Plant on any of the tiles of the forest, even if the tile is occupied by a Druid or by one or more Plants.
Information: you must however accept whatever the tile produces. For example, you cannot put Nightshade on a tile that only produces Hypericum.
The Salmon
From a Clearing, Quarry or Earth, the Salmon allows the Druid to swim to another Clearing, Quarry or Earth tile by crossing through a River tile for free and coming out on either side.
If one or more River tiles are connected (without necessarily being aligned) you can cross through them all in the same movement.
Important: the Salmon's power is not an additional movement. It only allows the player to cover a greater distance in one movement by using rivers.
Example: The Salmon
For his first movement, Finegas summons the power of the Salmon to swim in the river. He decides to get out of the river at the Nemeton tile to go to the Quarry tile and gathers Mistletoe. He then performs his second movement (in a straight line) towards the Clearing tile and gathers Mistletoe again, as well as Hawthorn.
The white arrows show all of the possible exits the Druid has out of the river.
Information: as long as the Druid is in salmon form, he cannot gather any Plants, nor perform any actions. He has to get out of the river to become a Druid again and act normally.
Dusk
The previous day's good deeds.
1. Complete the common board.
- Potions: Move the cards to fill in gaps toward the reserve pile and fill up the empty spaces with Potions from the deck.
- Animals: move the tiles from the upper line to the bottom. Depending on the area that needs filling up, slide the tiles by following the arrows. Then fill the upper line with tiles taken from the bag. Information: if the bottom row is completely empty, the player chooses the order in which they slide the tiles and completes the last bottom spot by taking a tile from the bag.
2. Complete a goal.
The player checks if they have completed a goal that helps the forest. If they are the first to complete this goal, they get the Plant given as reward. Information: if their Bulgas are full, they can exchange it with a Plant on their board. The remaining Plant can now be collected by the next player to complete this goal.
Whether they are the first to complete this goal or not, the player places a marker on this goal. Information: always check that the markers allow the players to see the goals.
Important:
- A player can only complete one goal per turn, even if they have met the conditions to complete more. They will have to wait until their next turn to complete another goal.
- One goal can be completed by many players, but one player cannot complete a goal more than once.
- The goals can be completed in any order.
The Goals (by level, from left to right)
Level 1:
- Brew 2 Potions of equal value.
- Have 2 different Triskells.
- Have 5 different Plants in their Bulgas at Dusk.
- Have a complete series of Animals.
Level 2:
- Brew 3 Potions of different value.
- Have 3 identical Animals.
- Have markers on 2 Nemetons and 2 Springs.
Level 3:
- Have 5 identical Plants in their Bulgas at Dusk.
- Have 2 complete series of Animals.
Level 4:
- Brew 4 Potions of different values.
- Have markers on 3 Nemetons and 3 Springs.
End of Game
Each player places their Plants and Animal tiles next to their board and then turns it over. They then place their Druid (or one of the markers) on the 0 square.
Each player then adds up their Reputation Points (RP):
- 2 RP per Triskell,
- 3 to 10 RP per brewed Potion,
- -2 RP per reserved Potion that was not brewed,
- 1 to 4 RP per completed Goal,
- 1 to 9 RP per different series of Animals.
Example: Belisama brewed 2 Potions worth 10 and 7 (= 17 RP) but still has one unbrewed Potion in front of her (-2 RP). She has 3 Triskells (=6 RP) and completed 1 goal on each level of the board (1+2+3+4 = 10 RP). She has a complete series of 5 different Animals (=9 RP), and a second series of 3 different Animals (= 4RP). Her final score is 44 RP.
In case of a tie, the player with the most Plants is the winner. If there is still a tie, explore the forest once again…