Norsewind Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Decks of Cards (73 cards)
• General Setup
• Player Setup
• Overview
  • Anatomy of a Building (e.g. inn)
  • Anatomy of a Castle
• Playing the Game
• A) Acquire a Building
  • 1. Choose and Place a Card
  • 2. Gain Income
  • 3. Take a Citizen Figure or Upgrade Disc
  • 4. Replenish the Market
  • The Kingdom Tiles
• B) Acquire a Castle
  • 1. Choose and Place a Card
  • 2. Gain Income
  • 3. Take a Citizen Figure
• The End of the Game
• Variants
• Scoring Example
• Solo Game
  • Setup
  • Playing the Game
  • The End of the Game (Solo Game)
  • Levels and Rewards

Components

Decks of Cards (73 cards)

Backs:

• 1+-player deck (35 cards)
• 3+-player deck (14 cards)
• 4-player deck (14 cards)
• Starting Deck (5 cards)
• Reserve Deck (5 cards)

Fronts — Buildings: Farm, Blacksmith, Inn, Ship, Church. Castle: 1 castle card type.

• 16 Kingdom Cards (4 per player)
• 40 Kingdom Tiles: 20 green (5 per player), 20 red (5 per player)
• 1 Castle Tile
• 1 Viking Ship Tile
• 1 Score Pad
• 4 Viking Cards (only used in solo games)
• 64 Citizen Figures: 16 neutral (white), 12 purple, 12 red, 12 yellow, 12 blue
• 24 Upgrade Discs (front: prestige; back: shield)
• 33 Coins: 19 of value 1, 14 of value 5
• 1 Game Board

General Setup

For the solo rules, use the normal rules plus the modifications on the Solo Game section of this rulebook.

1. Place the game board in the middle of the table and the castle tile next to it.

2. Make several stacks of upgrade discs outside the shield/prestige space of the game board. Make 4 citizen supplies by placing colored citizen figures outside the citizen spaces of the game board — one random color in each supply (purple, yellow, blue, red):

   • 2-player game: 8 figures in each supply
   • 3-player game: 10 figures in each supply
   • 4-player game: 12 figures in each supply

   Place 4 neutral citizen figures (white) per player on the castle tile. Return any unused citizen figures to the box.

3. Shuffle the decks corresponding to player count and place them as one facedown draw deck in the middle of the game board:

   • 2-player game: Use the 1+-player deck
   • 3-player game: Use the 1+-player deck and the 3+-player deck
   • 4-player game: Use the 1+-player deck, the 3+-player deck, and the 4-player deck

   Return any unused decks to the box. Note: Shuffle all applicable cards together, regardless of the symbols on their backs.

4. Reveal 1 card from the draw deck in each slot of the game board. These cards and the 5 supplies are called the market.

   Exception: Place any castle cards that are revealed in a separate display near the castle tile. This is the castle display. Continue to reveal cards from the draw deck until you have 5 buildings in the market.

5. Shuffle the reserve deck and place it face down on one side of the table. This deck is only used towards the end of the game.

6. Place all coins in a general supply.

The score pad is kept in the box for now (it is only used during final scoring).

Player Setup

1. Choose player colors. Each player takes the set of kingdom cards in their player color and places them in ascending row number order in a column in their play area. Return any unused kingdom cards to the box.

2. The oldest player draws 2 random green and 2 random red kingdom tiles in their player color, placing one randomly on each of their kingdom cards, face up. The other players copy this setup exactly using their kingdom tiles. Return all unused kingdom tiles to the box.

3. Shuffle the starting deck and deal one random card to each player. Each player places the card face up to the right of their kingdom card with a matching row number and gains the start coins on this card. Return unused starting cards to the box.

   On each starting card, there is an additional number in the top-left corner. The player with the lowest number is the starting player and takes the Viking ship tile.

Overview

Each row in your play area represents a kingdom. Over the course of the game, you will place up to 4 building cards to the right of each kingdom card, and up to 1 castle card to its left. When you place a building card you earn income for a building type in your other kingdoms and can place citizen figures and upgrade discs to modify the kingdoms' score potential. Some buildings grant high income, while others provide other benefits. The coins you earn can buy castles, which grant you prestige to earn points.

The end of the game is triggered after the draw deck is exhausted. You will score 1 point for each remaining coin you have. Then, you will lose 7 points for each of your kingdoms with more Viking helmets than shields. Score each of your remaining kingdoms by multiplying its prestige by its number of citizens. The player with the most points wins.

Anatomy of a Building (e.g. inn)

• Viking helmet value — printed on the card.
• Cost of the card (only inns have a cost).
• Building type (e.g. inn).
• Preprinted citizens.
• Citizen spaces (for citizen figures).

Anatomy of a Castle

• Shield value.
• Shield space (for a shield upgrade disc granting an additional value).
• Cost of the card.
• Prestige value.
• Prestige space (for a prestige upgrade disc granting an additional value).

Playing the Game

Players take turns in clockwise order, beginning with the starting player.

On your turn, you must perform either of the two following actions:

A) Acquire a Building

OR

B) Acquire a Castle

A) Acquire a Building

1. Choose and Place a Card

Choose 1 of the 5 cards in the market and place it to the right of any of your kingdom cards or previously placed buildings, adhering to the following restrictions:

• No kingdom may have more than 4 buildings.
• To acquire an Inn, you must pay its cost.
• Buildings placed in kingdoms with a red kingdom tile must adhere to that tile's placement restriction (if any, see THE KINGDOM TILES below).
• Gain bonus from any green kingdom tile in this kingdom (if any, see THE KINGDOM TILES below).

Rare case: If all cards in the market have a cost you cannot afford, discard all 5 cards in the market, and reveal 5 new cards from the deck to form a new market. Shuffle the discarded cards back into the deck.

Example: Lucy chose an inn from the market. The inn costs 2 coins, which she pays to the general supply. The placement restriction for her East Anglia kingdom is 2 building cards, but since she currently has only one building there, she may place the inn.

2. Gain Income

When gaining income, take coins from the general supply. Coins are not limited, so if the general supply is exhausted, use any other item as a substitute. You gain income from the following:

• If you placed a ship during step 1, immediately take coins equal to the coin value on the ship card.
• Gain income for each building in your other kingdoms that matches the type displayed on the kingdom card in the row where you placed your card during step 1 (regardless of the building type you placed).

Income values:

• 2 coins for each farm in other kingdoms
• 1 coin for each inn in other kingdoms
• 2 coins for each ship in other kingdoms
• 1 coin for each blacksmith in other kingdoms

Example: After Lucy has placed the inn in East Anglia, she gains income. This kingdom card grants 2 coins for each ship in other kingdoms. Since Lucy has 3 ships, she gains a total of 6 coins.

3. Take a Citizen Figure or Upgrade Disc

Take a citizen figure or upgrade disc from either supply adjacent to the card you chose during step 1, and place the figure/disc on a matching space on any of your cards or tiles in any kingdom, including the card you just placed, adhering to the following rules:

• Figures/discs must be placed on spaces matching their type (color for citizen figures and shield/prestige for discs).
• You must pay 2 coins for an upgrade disc placed as prestige (front).
• You cannot take a figure/disc if you are unable to place it or if the respective supply is empty.
• Gain the bonus for the green kingdom tile where the figure is placed (if any, see THE KINGDOM TILES below).

Example: Lucy took the card from the space between the blue citizen figures and the upgrade discs, so she can choose either of them. If she chooses a blue citizen, she must place it on a blue citizen space. If she chooses an upgrade disc, she must place it on a shield space (for free) OR on a prestige space for 2 coins.

4. Replenish the Market

Reveal 1 card from the draw deck to replenish the empty space in the market.

Exception: If the card is a castle, place it in the castle display and reveal a new card. Continue revealing cards until a building is revealed.

The castle display can hold an unlimited number of cards.

If you need to reveal a card but the draw deck is exhausted, the end of the game is triggered (see The End of the Game below).

The Kingdom Tiles

Green Tiles — Each green tile comes with 2 Viking helmets.

• This tile provides 1 preprinted citizen and 1 citizen space of a specific color for this kingdom (each player has a unique color on this space).
• Immediately gain 5 coins after building your 4th building in this kingdom.
• Gain 1 coin each time you place a citizen figure in this kingdom.
• This tile provides a 1-valued prestige space for this kingdom (it costs 2 coins to place an upgrade disc here, as normal).
• This tile provides a 4-valued shield space for this kingdom, and it costs 1 coin to place an upgrade disc here.

Red Tiles — Each red tile comes with 1 Viking helmet.

• All buildings in this kingdom must be of different types (farm, blacksmith, ship, inn, church).
• You may have a maximum of 2 buildings (instead of 4) in this kingdom, including any starting card.
• You must pay 1 coin to build buildings with ≥ 3 Viking helmets in this kingdom. If you cannot pay, you cannot build the card in this kingdom.
• To build a castle in this kingdom, the castle must cost at least 7 coins.
• At the end of the game, this kingdom only scores for different colored citizen figures (max one for each of neutral, blue, red, purple, yellow), in addition to preprinted citizens.

B) Acquire a Castle

1. Choose and Place a Card

Choose 1 card from the castle display, and place it to the left of any of your kingdom cards, adhering to the following rules:

• You must pay its cost.
• If there is already a castle in the kingdom, it is replaced by the new castle and returned to the castle display.
• Upgrade discs from a replaced castle may be placed on empty shield/prestige spaces on the new castle for free (they can be flipped to accommodate either space type). Any upgrade discs which are not reused are returned to the supply.
• A castle placed in a kingdom with a red kingdom tile must adhere to that tile's placement restrictions (if any, see THE KINGDOM TILES above).

Example: Lucy pays 7 coins for this castle and places it to the left of her Mercia kingdom card. She gains 1 coin for each inn in her other kingdoms.

Example: On a later turn, Lucy pays 8 coins for a castle and chooses to replace the castle at Northumbria. The upgrade disc is reused as shield upgrade on the new castle.

2. Gain Income

Gain income for each building in your other kingdoms that matches the type displayed on the kingdom card in the row where you placed your castle during step 1 (see Gain Income under Acquire a Building above).

3. Take a Citizen Figure

If you placed a castle in a kingdom that did not already have one, take a neutral (white) citizen figure from the supply and place it on any empty citizen space in your kingdoms (neutral citizen figures are wild and regarded as any color). If you have no empty citizen spaces, you do not gain the figure.

Note: Do not reveal a new card from the draw deck (since the market has no empty spaces).

Example: Lucy places a neutral citizen figure on a yellow citizen space.

The End of the Game

The end of the game is triggered when a player cannot reveal a card from the draw deck after they have acquired a building (since the draw deck is exhausted). Play continues until all players have had the same number of turns. From now on, replenish the market with the top card from the reserve deck.

When the game is over, tally each player's score in a column of the score pad as follows:

• 1 point for each remaining coin.
• For each kingdom whose total shield value is less than its total Viking helmet value, score -7 points.
• For each kingdom whose total shield value is equal to or exceeds its total Viking helmet value, score points equal to the total prestige value multiplied by the number of citizens (preprinted citizens and citizen figures).

Note: It is theoretically possible to get a positive score (or zero) for a kingdom without a castle, since some starting cards, kingdom tiles, and churches provide shields and prestige.

Example: Lucy has 7 shields (5 preprinted +2 for the upgrade disc) and 6 Viking helmets in East Anglia, so the kingdom scores as follows: 2 prestige (on the castle) multiplied by 4 citizens (3 preprinted and 1 citizen figure) = 8 points. Note that she has no citizen figure on the blue citizen space.

The player with the highest total score wins. In case of a tie, the tied player with most remaining coins wins. If there is still a tie, the victory is shared.

Variants

After a few plays, consider trying one or both of the following variants:

• During PLAYER SETUP, place your starting card in the kingdom of your choice, adhering to any restrictions on the corresponding kingdom tile.
• During PLAYER SETUP, the oldest player draws 4 random kingdom tiles of their player color to determine the starting kingdoms (instead of 2 green and 2 red kingdom tiles). The other players must copy this setup exactly, as normal.

Scoring Example

A full worked example of Lucy's final score, kingdom by kingdom:

• 3 remaining coins = 3 points.
• Northumbria: 12 shields (5 preprinted +2 upgrade disc on the castle, +4 shield upgrade disc on the kingdom tile, plus base values) equal 12 Viking helmets, so the kingdom scores. 4 prestige (with a +1 prestige upgrade disc on the church card) multiplied by 3 citizens = 12 points.
• East Anglia: 7 shields exceed 6 Viking helmets, so the kingdom scores. 2 prestige multiplied by 4 citizens = 8 points.
• Mercia: 11 shields are less than 15 Viking helmets, so the kingdom does not score prestige and citizens at all — it scores -7 points.
• Wessex: 12 shields (with a prestige upgrade disc on the kingdom tile, as well as one on the castle) exceed 10 Viking helmets, so the kingdom scores. 4 prestige multiplied by 12 citizens = 48 points.

Lucy's final score = 64 points.

Solo Game

You compete with an automated opponent, called the Vikings. Your goal is to score more points than the Vikings, and the more you exceed their score, the greater the reward. Follow the standard rules, with the modifications described below.

Setup

• Step 2. Place 4 colored citizen figures in each citizen supply and 4 neutral citizen figures on the castle tile.
• Step 3. Shuffle the 1+-player deck and place it as a facedown draw deck in the middle of the game board. Return the 3+-player deck and the 4-player deck to the box.
• Step 4. If you reveal castle cards, place them from left to right in the castle display. There may be a maximum of 4 cards in the castle display. Each time a 5th castle card is revealed, discard the leftmost castle card and slide the other cards to the left, placing the new card in the rightmost place.
• New step 4b. Place the Viking ship tile above a random card in the market.
• New step. Place the Viking cards in ascending order (vertically according to their row number) in a separate play area, called the Viking display. For the beginner level (level 1, see the table below), place the Viking cards with the green-striped sails face up. Note: The Vikings do not get a starting card and therefore no starting coins.

Playing the Game

You start the game by taking a turn, which is executed in the exact same way as in the standard game, with the following exception:

• When you replenish the market, there may be a maximum limit of 4 cards in the castle display (see Setup above).

The Vikings only take a turn after each turn you choose action A (Acquire a Building). Thus, if you choose action B (Acquire a Castle), you take another turn immediately.

When it is the Vikings' turn, execute the following steps in the order shown:

1. Move the Viking ship tile clockwise a number of cards equal to the Viking helmet value of the card you revealed in the market at the end of your turn (including 0 if there were no helmets on the card). The card below the position of the Viking ship tile becomes the active card.
2. Place the active card in the Viking display to the right of the corresponding Viking card and previously placed cards in this kingdom. If the active card is a church, place it in the topmost kingdom with the fewest cards (there is no corresponding Viking card for churches). Note: Kingdoms in the Viking display have no card limit and may have more than 4 cards.
3. Replenish the market following the standard rules. Note: Remember, there may be a maximum of 4 cards in the castle display (see Setup above).

Example: The card you revealed in the market after you acquired a building has 2 helmets. Move the Viking ship tile 2 cards clockwise. Place the active card (inn) in Mercia (with the inn icon). Then, replenish the market with a new card from the deck.

Important: The Vikings do not spend any coins or gain any income after placing cards, only during final scoring, see below.

The End of the Game (Solo Game)

The game ends in the exact same way as in a standard game (as if the Vikings were a human player).

Your score follows the standard rules.

The Vikings' score is tallied as follows:

• For each of the 4 kingdoms, count the number of helmets on all building cards as well as the Viking card itself. If this exceeds the number of shields in your corresponding kingdom, the Vikings score.
• For each kingdom the Vikings score, they gain points equal to the coin value on its Viking card multiplied by the number of building cards in that kingdom (including churches).
• Compare your total score with the total score for all of the kingdoms the Vikings scored. If you score more than the Vikings, you win.

Example: Since the Vikings have 1 more helmet than your shields in the Northumbria region, they score this kingdom. This kingdom grants 6 points for each card for a total of 18 (6 x 3) points for the Vikings.

Levels and Rewards

The reward you receive depends on the difference between your score and the Vikings' score (e.g. bronze = 1–8 points more than the Vikings).

If you win level 1, write a checkmark below the corresponding reward (bronze/silver/gold/platinum) in row 1 of the table.

After you have achieved platinum (at least 25 points more than the Vikings), you may try level 2 (using the mix of green and red kingdom tiles and Viking cards indicated in the table below).

After you have achieved platinum on level 2, challenge yourself with level 3, and so on.

If you eventually achieve platinum on level 7, you may call yourself "The King of all Kings"!

Level	Kingdom tiles	Viking cards	Bronze (+1–8)	Silver (+9–16)	Gold (+17–24)	Platinum (+≥25)
1	2 green + 2 red	4 green
2	2 green + 2 red	3 green + 1 red
3	2 green + 2 red	2 green + 2 red
4	1 green + 3 red	2 green + 2 red
5	1 green + 3 red	1 green + 3 red
6	4 red	1 green + 3 red
7	4 red	4 red