Pandoria
Pandoria Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 5 realm tableaus
- 2 starting double tiles
- 48 double tiles
- 8 single tiles
- Game board
- 8 castles (2 each in 4 colors)
- 10 custom cards (2 for each Realm)
- 44 common cards
- Starting player tile
- 13 monuments
- 4 point tiles
- 16 markers (4 each of wood, crystal, gold, points)
- 24 figures (6 in each color)
- 4 leaders (1 in each color)
- Game rules
In the game with 2 players, each player needs all 6 figures. With 3 players, only 5 figures per player are used, and with 4 players, only 4 figures per player.
On the tableau, the spaces for the 3 resources (crystals, gold and wood) are labeled 0 to 10. Place the 3 corresponding markers on the starting spaces shown for each resource. These differ for each realm.
All players start with 0 points. Place each player's crown marker on the 0 space of the score track.
The Game Board
The game board shows the fertile plain of Pandoria, which is gradually discovered and settled by the players during the game.
The ships in the lakes can be occupied by using a specific spell, and players can connect to the terrain already printed on the board with their tiles.
The plain is surrounded by an imposing mountain range, but there are some paths that make their way through the mountains. In addition, the board provides space for the card market, the monument stack and the scoring track.
The Leader
A player's leader counts as 2 normal figures when scoring (→ see 7.2. Scoring). The leader is always the last figure to be placed, when there are no other figures left in that player's reserve.
Preparation
Place the game board in the middle of the table.
Shuffle the 5 realm tableaus and deal one to each player. Decide which version of the game to play: side "A" for the beginner game or side "B" for the complete game. Following are the rules for the complete game. For the changes in the beginner game → see 12.
Shuffle all 54 cards (custom and common) and place in a face-down deck on the corresponding space on the board. Then draw the top 4 cards and place face-up next to the deck in the card market.
Each player draws 4 cards from the deck for their starting hands, keeping them hidden from opponents.
Each player chooses a color and takes their leader, figures, markers and two castles in that color.
Randomly place the two starting double tiles on the 4 marked spaces of the game board.
Mix the other double tiles and place in face-down stacks. Each player draws one and keeps it secret from the other players. With 4 players, draw and place 4 tiles back into the box unseen. With 3 players, remove 8 tiles and with 2 players, remove 12 tiles.
Mix the 8 single tiles and place in a face-down stack. Note: They only come into the game by using a specific spell!
Place the monuments in a face-up stack on the designated space on the board. Place them in ascending order, with the value 3 monuments on the bottom followed by values 4, 5, and value 6 monuments on top. With 2 players, remove 2 monuments of value 4, 5 and 6 from the game. With 3 players, remove 1.
Place the point tiles next to the board.
Place unused components back in the box.
The youngest player takes the starting player marker and begins the game.
Gameplay
Players take turns in clockwise order. On your turn, you perform the following actions in this order:
- You must place a double tile or a castle → remove figures if in a closed region
- You may place or remove one figure
- You may play a card as a spell or a building or erect a monument
- Score regions and buy a card
- Draw a double tile
6.1. You Must Place a Double Tile or a Castle
Place the double tile from your hand or one of your two castle tiles on the game board so that it is adjacent to at least one side of another tile.
Note: once a tile has connected to at least one of the pre-printed terrain spaces on the board, you may also place tiles adjacent to one side of that space.
You must place the entire tile on unoccupied tile spaces (not over another tile, lake, exit path or pre-printed resource space). If a region has been closed, remove all figures from within that region and return them to the corresponding players' reserves (→ see 7.1. Closing a Region).
Exceptions: Figures remain on castles and ships, even after they have been completely surrounded.
6.2. You May Place or Remove One Figure
You may place one of your figures onto one of the two spaces of the double tile (or the castle) you just placed. Your leader may only be placed if you have no other figures in your reserve.
Or, you may remove one of your figures from the board and return it to your reserve.
Note: you may also choose to do neither of these two actions.
Each space on the board may be occupied by only one figure. Figures may only be placed in regions that are not closed.
6.3. You May Play a Card as a Spell or a Building or Erect a Monument
6.3.1. When you play a card from your hand as a spell, you pay the spell cost on the card in crystals and move your crystal marker accordingly.
Slide the card halfway under the top right edge of the tableau so that the last played spell is always visible, and use its one-time effect immediately.
6.3.2. When you play a card from your hand as a building, you pay the building cost on the card in wood and move your wood marker accordingly.
Slide the card halfway under one of the 5 building slots on your tableau so that the building is visible. Then the building takes effect for as long as you keep it.
If all 5 building slots of the tableau are occupied by buildings or if you no longer wish to use a building, you may build over a previous building. In this case, you only need to pay the difference between the cost of the new building and the cost of the building you are building over, with a minimum cost of 1 wood.
Place the new building card over the old one, and its effects replaces that of the one that was overbuilt.
Note: if the "Carpenter" is overbuilt, the wood discount may not be used for the new building.
You may never have two identical buildings visible on your tableau at the same time. The large and small buildings (Saw Mill, Tower, Treasury) are considered two different buildings, however.
6.3.3. To erect a monument, you must build over another building on your tableau.
Take the top monument tile and cover one of your buildings with it. You pay 8 wood minus the cost of the building you covered (minimum cost of 1 wood). Then score the points shown on the monument.
Note: if the "Carpenter" is overbuilt, the wood discount may not be used for the monument.
A monument may never be overbuilt.
6.4. Score Regions and Buy a Card
If you closed one or more regions, these will be scored (→ see 7.1. Closing a Region).
After scoring, you—and only you—may buy one of the face-up cards in the market by paying the cost of the card in gold and moving your gold marker accordingly.
Then draw another card from the deck to refill the card market back to 4 cards.
6.5. Draw a Double Tile
Finally, if you played a double tile, draw a new double tile from the stack and keep it in your hand.
If you played a castle tile instead, then you do not draw an additional double tile.
Closing a Region + Scoring
7.1. Closing a Region
One or more adjacent spaces of the same terrain are known as a region.
If a region has been completely enclosed by other terrain, lakes or the edge of the fertile plain, it is considered "closed" and scored.
All figures from within that region were already removed after the tile or castle was placed.
7.2. Scoring
When a region has been closed and one or more figures are on spaces directly adjacent to that region, it is scored. All players with figures adjacent to the region will score for that region, whether it is their turn or not!
Each player involved in scoring the region adds the number of resources from all the spaces in the closed region and multiplies this by the number of figures they have on spaces directly adjacent to that region.
Remember that leaders count as 2 figures!
Scoring example: The area with the 3 crystals is scored. Player Red gets 9 crystals (3 crystals x 3 figures — the leader counts as 2 figures!) and blue gets 3 crystals.
A spell by the current player and each player's buildings may influence how many resources each of them scores. Depending on the type of terrain that has been closed, players will receive wood (forest), crystal (mountains), gold (hills) or points (city).
If the resources you receive push your total over 10, you receive 1 point for every 3 resources (rounded down) over 10. The corresponding resource marker remains at 10.
Only the player who closes the region and triggers the scoring, whether he has received resources or not, may buy a card from the market.
Scoring example: Player Red owns the large and small tower. He receives 9 crystals for his 3 figures (3 x 3 — the leader counts as 2 figures!), 4 more crystals for his large tower (2 x 2) and 2 crystals for the small tower (2 x 1) for a total of 15 crystals.
He already had 2 crystals, which would bring his total to 17 crystals. He moves his crystal marker to the "10" space and he scores 2 points for the remaining 7 crystals (one point for every 3 crystals). The last surplus crystal is lost.
Regions with an Exit Path
If a region is connected to an exit path of the same terrain, this region is never closed and therefore never scored.
This also means that all figures in this area are never removed, unless a player uses an action or spell to remove them.
End of Game
The game ends at the end of a round, during which a player can no longer draw a double tile because there are no more available.
The player to the right of the starting player will take the last turn of the game.
Final Score + Winner
In Pandoria, most of the points are scored during the game.
At the end of the game, however, players receive 1 point for each hand card, and the remaining resources are converted into points: for every 3 resources (rounded down) of each type, the player receives 1 point.
If a player still has a building showing that gives him a better exchange rate (Vault, Lumberyard, Repository), that will be used instead.
If there is a tie, the number of the tied players' remaining resources determines the winner.
Realms
In the advanced game, the realms (side "B") have unique abilities and each player starts with 4 random hand cards.
Humans
You start with 5 crystals, 4 gold and 5 wood.
Special ability: you may place your leader at any time, not only as your last figure.
Dwarves
You start with 2 crystals, 10 gold and 5 wood.
Special ability: you always have a hand of 2 double tiles to choose from instead of only one.
Elves
You start with 8 crystals, 3 gold and 4 wood.
Special ability: at the end of your turn, you may move one of your figures (but not the leader) on the board up to 2 spaces to an unoccupied space that is not part of a closed region. You may not move through or end your movement on foreign castles or any lakes. You may, however, move through a space that is occupied or part of a closed region.
Mages
You start with 9 crystals, 2 gold and 2 wood.
Special ability: you may buy one card every turn, regardless of whether or not a region was scored.
Halflings
You start with 4 crystals, 3 gold and 7 wood.
Special ability: After building a building or a monument, you may also play a spell.
Beginner's Game
Use side "A" of the realm tableau. In this version, players do not have unique abilities and each starts the game with a specific building.
Separate the custom cards from the common cards and give each player the two custom cards corresponding to their realm. Shuffle all remaining custom cards together with the 44 common cards for the market deck. Each player draws 2 additional cards from the deck to add to their hands.
Each player slides the custom card with the "A" on it as their starting building halfway under one of the 5 building spaces of their tableau. Players have 3 cards remaining as their starting hands.
Humans start with 5 crystals, 5 gold and 5 wood. Custom Cards: Master Builder / Bank (A), Acquire / Statue.
Dwarves start with 2 crystals, 8 gold and 5 wood. Custom Cards: Conjure / Carpenter (A), Terrain / Lumberyard.
Elves start with 6 crystals, 3 gold and 4 wood. Custom Cards: Muster / Small Saw Mill (A), Adopt / Store.
Mages start with 7 crystals, 2 gold and 2 wood. Custom cards: Teleport / Large Tower (A), Enchanted Castle / Shrine.
Halflings start with 5 crystals, 3 gold and 6 wood. Custom Cards: Construct / Small Treasury (A), Clone / Large Treasury.
Partnership Game Variant
With 4 players, Pandoria can also be played as a partnership game.
The game is played the same, except the partners sit opposite each other and their points are recorded as a team using both of their crown tokens stacked.
It is, however forbidden to give verbal tips or nonverbal signals to your partner, or to exchange information about tiles, intentions and cards!
Credits
Translation: Jeffrey D. Allers
Corrections: Patrick Korner
© Irongames 2018