Reviving Kathmandu
Reviving Kathmandu Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
Blue cards (x60), red cards (x50), reference cards (x6), mission cards (x10), point markers (6x4), coins (6x5), player boards (x6), playmat (x1), 1st player marker (x1), pouch (x1), dice for solo mode (x1), rulebook (x1).
The Monuments
There are 4 types of Monuments. Each type requires a different number of sections, and therefore a different number of cards to complete.
Each Monument section exists in 5 colors: blue, white, red, green, and yellow. There are also wild cards (dark gray with a colorful background), which may be used as any 1 color.
Note: once you decide on a color for a wild card—for instance, to meet an objective—it counts as that color for the rest of the game.
How many cards are in the decks?
There is 1 wild card (in the blue deck) for each section.
- For up to 4 players: 2 copies of each colored section (1 in the blue deck, 1 in the red deck)
- For 5-6 players: 3 copies of each colored section (2 in the blue deck, 1 in the red deck)
Did you know? The colors of the game were inspired by the colors of traditional prayer flags in Nepal. These colors represent the 5 elements: sky (blue), air (white), fire (red), water (green), and earth (yellow). Prayer flags carry mantras that fly across the Kathmandu Valley.
The 4 Monument types:
- Buddha (1 card)
- Shrine (2 sections)
- Stupa (3 sections)
- Pagoda (4 sections)
Rules for the Base Game
Get ready to bid, collect, and build!
Setup
- Place the playmat in the middle of the table.
- Give each player the following:
- 1 player board and its 5 matching coins
- 3 matching point markers
- 1 Mission card
- Players set up their boards as shown below.
- Shuffle the red deck and place it face-down on the playmat.
- Prepare the blue deck. For 2-4 players, first remove the 28 cards with a diamond symbol on the back of the card. Return them to the box. For 5-6 players, use all the cards. Shuffle the deck and place it face-down on the playmat.
- Give the first-player marker to the player who most recently built something.
Note: The following rules are for 3-6 players. If playing with exactly 2 players, use these rules, but with the changes described in the 2-Player Game section.
How to Play
Play starts with the first player, then continues clockwise.
Rounds & Phases
The game is played over 8 rounds. Each round has 3 phases: Bid, Collect, and Build.
Playing a Round
Round setup: At the start of the round, deal cards from the blue deck face-up onto the central spaces of the playmat. (For up to 4 players, use the group of 4 dark pink spaces. For 5-6 players, use all 6 spaces.) This area is called the "Market."
Bid. Collect. Build
Players work through these 3 phases, in this order. Each phase is explained in greater detail later in this rulebook. But, generally, players will:
Bid. Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, each player must place 1 coin of their choice face-down onto one of the bid spots on the playmat. (For more on bidding, see "Bidding Phase" below.)
Collect. Players flip their coins and determine who won each card. Then each player collects 2 cards total to their hands—taking from the Market and/or the red deck. (For more on how to determine winners of a bid, see "Collecting Phase" below.)
Build. Simultaneously, players may use as many cards as they want from their hands to build Monuments, then score points for any Monuments they complete. (For more on Building, see "Building Phase" below.)
After a player finishes Building, they must check how many cards they have. If they have more than 3 cards in their hand, they must discard until they have only 3. Place discarded cards face-up along the West side of the playmat, so all players can see them.
At the end of the round, pass the first-player marker clockwise.
When Players Only Have 1 Coin Left
The game has 8 rounds. After every 4 rounds, each player will only have 1 coin left. This happens twice during the game.
The first time this happens, finish the round—but before you pass the first-player marker, do the following:
-
Spend your leftover coin. Starting with the highest coin and continuing to the next-highest coin (or, in a tie, to the tied player who is closest clockwise from the first player), players may do ONE of the following:
- Convert your coin to points: Increase your points with the value of this coin,
OR
- Buy 1 discarded card: Collect any 1 discarded card from the West side of the playmat. Immediately add that card to one of your Monuments. (You may build other cards from your hand at the same time.)
As soon as you spend your coin, place it face-up in the last slot of your player board.
-
After all players are finished, they remove all their coins from their boards. Then pass the first-player marker and start a new round.
The second time this happens, it triggers the end of the game. Players spend their leftover coins, then continue to game-end scoring. (See "Game-End Scoring" below.)
How Each Phase Works
Bidding Phase
Bid spots on the playmat show where players can place coins. A player may choose any available spot to place their bid (max 1 coin per bid spot).
Each bid spot targets 2 cards:
In a game with up to 4 players: Each bid spot targets 2 cards within the same row or column.
In the example, Joe's red coin is targeting cards 1 and 3.
In a game with 5-6 players: Each bid spot targets 2 cards within the same row or column, but there are 2 special spots (marked with a diamond symbol), which target the 2 cards adjacent to them.
In this example, Sean's yellow coin is targeting cards 1 and 2. Amy's green coin is targeting cards 4 and 6.
Collecting Phase
Determine the winner for each card using this order:
- The only bidder
- Highest bidder
- If tied, the player whose coin is closest to the card
- If still tied, the player whose coin is on the long edge of the card
When you win a card, you must take it. (Generally, it is easiest if the player with the highest coin takes cards first.)
Each player must Collect 2 cards per round. If you don't win 2 cards, draw additional ones from the red deck until you have taken exactly 2 cards. When you are done taking cards, retrieve your coin. Return it to your board face-up to mark it as spent—you may not use it again during this half of the game.
After the Collect phase, if any cards remain in the Market, place them under the red deck.
Did you know? The symbols on the coins were inspired by Nepalese culture:
Prayer wheel (yellow): a wheel with a string of spiritual words (mantras). Spinning the wheel activates the power of the mantra.
Singing bowl (white): a bowl used in spiritual or religious settings to invoke meditation or relaxation through sound and vibration.
Mandala (purple): a symbol representing different aspects of the universe, and the principle of life.
Buddha eyes (red): also known as Wisdom Eyes, they are painted on stupas and shrines in Nepal. These eyes look out in the four directions to symbolize the all-seeing nature of a Buddha.
Vajra (green): a weapon, symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force).
Ritual bell (blue): usually held in the right hand, it represents wisdom. Its sound is believed to attract deities and dispel negative forces.
Example: 4-player game
Amy targeted cards 2 and 4. Sean targeted cards 4 and 3. Joe targeted cards 4 and 2. Sara targeted cards 1 and 2.
- Since Amy, Sean and Joe have the highest bids, they go first.
- There is a 3-way tie for card 4. Joe is closest to card 4, and is on the long edge of the card, so he wins this card.
- Since Amy is closest to card 2, she wins that card.
- Being the only bidder, Sean takes card 3.
- Sara bid for cards 1 and 2. Since card 2 is already taken, she takes card 1.
- Since each player won 1 card, they all draw 1 additional card from the red deck.
Building Phase
How to build
To start a Shrine, Stupa or Pagoda, slide a card with a bottom section under the top edge of your player board (or nearby, if you run out of space under your player board). Buddhas can be built instantly—simply place them to the right of your player board.
To add to a Monument, slide an appropriate card under the previous one, revealing the section that continues the Monument.
Once a Monument has all its required sections, it is "complete." Buddhas are considered complete immediately after they are built.
When you complete a Monument, immediately score points for completing it. (See "When You Complete a Monument, Score It!" below.)
Example: Amy tucks 1 card under her player board to start a Stupa (A). Then she tucks another card from her hand underneath the first card to build the second section of the Stupa (B).
Restrictions
- There is no limit to how many Monuments a player can start building.
- Players must always Build a Monument from the bottom to the top. (For example, you may not add the top section of a Stupa until you have added the bottom section and the center section.)
- A building section may ONLY be used to build the Monument type shown on the upper-left banner of the card. (For example, you may not add a Pagoda section to a Shrine.)
- Once a card is Built, it cannot be switched, rotated, discarded, or taken back into a player's hand (unless playing with "Advanced Gameplay" rules, see below).
Missions
Players may complete various objectives for bonus points. Each Mission contains 4 objectives—to complete a Buddha, a Shrine, a Stupa, and/or a Pagoda with sections matching the color(s) shown on the Mission. Monument sections shown in dark blue must match other dark blue sections within the same Monument. Sections shown in gray may be any color.
Example: For the Mission shown here, Amy must complete (A) a Buddha that is either red or blue, (B) a Shrine with a top that is either green or white, (C) a Stupa with a center and top section of the same color, and (D) a Pagoda with a matching bottom and second section.
Meeting Objectives
To meet an objective, you must complete a Monument that matches the color requirements shown on the Mission. You may only score each of the 4 objectives once.
Example: Amy has completed a Stupa with matching center and top sections (both green) (A). She will score 3 points for her Stupa objective at the end of the game (B).
When You Complete a Monument, Score It!
Once you complete a Monument, immediately score points on your player board:
-
Score the points shown on the topmost card of the Monument.
-
Score color bonuses (if any) for your completed Monument:
For Shrines, Stupas and Pagodas: Count the number of like-colored sections within the complete Monument, and score 2 / 4 / 8 points for every 2 / 3 / 4 sections of the same color.
Score color bonuses (if any) for Buddhas: Score 1 point for each new color you build.
Game-End Scoring
At the end of the game, do the following:
- Discard. Take all cards left in your hands and place them on the red deck. (They are not worth any points.)
- Score points for the topmost card of any incomplete Monuments.
- Score bonuses for completed objectives. (See Missions above.)
Winning
The player with the most points becomes the most well-respected architect, and therefore wins the game!
Game Variations
2-Player Game
For a 2-player game, first read "Rules for the Base Game" above. Then apply the following changes:
Rounds & Phases
In a 2-player game, there are still 8 rounds. However, players place 2 bids per turn (instead of 1) and will be down to 1 coin after every 2 rounds (instead of after every 4). The 4th time players are down to 1 coin each, it triggers the end of the game.
Bid Phase
In the Bid phase, each player bids twice (instead of once).
- The first player places 1 bid.
- The second player places 2 bids.
- The first player places 1 more bid.
Collect Phase
Each player collects 4 cards (instead of 2) based on their winning bids. If you don't win 4 cards, draw additional cards from the red deck until you have collected exactly 4 this round.
Build Phase
Same as the base game.
Scoring
Same as the base game.
End of a Round
Pass the first-player marker every second round (not every round).
Game End
Same as the base game.
Did you know? Shrine: A dedicated place to worship gods and goddesses. Many Buddhists have a small shrine area in their home where they can meditate.
Playing with Teams
You may play Reviving Kathmandu in teams, if you can divide into teams with equal numbers of players. (For example, in a 6-player game, you may play 3 vs. 3, or 2 vs. 2 vs. 2). Team-based games include these changes:
Setup
Sit so that teammates do not sit next to each other.
During the Game
Teammates may NOT discuss their moves or show each other their hands.
Any teammate MAY:
- Start building a Monument in another teammate's play area.
- Add a section to a teammate's Monument.
- Reconstruct a teammate's Monument(s), if playing with the "Advanced Gameplay" rules (see below).
Scoring
Players score their points individually. Then teammates add together their final scores. The team with the most points wins.
Advanced Gameplay
Once you learn the base game of Reviving Kathmandu, explore these other ways to play. Choose any of these options to use together or one at a time:
Open & Mixed Bidding
Place coins face-up instead of face-down. Alternatively, place bids face-up for the first half of the game, then face-down during the second half of the game.
Bid Manipulation
After the final player places their bid (but before bids are revealed), in reverse turn order, each player, excluding the final player, may EITHER:
Jump: move their coin to a different available bid spot,
OR
Swap: retrieve their coin and replace it with one of their unspent coins.
Once all 4 bids are placed, in reverse turn order, each player may manipulate 1 of their 2 coins.
Reconstruction
During the Build phase, a player may discard any card from one of their Monuments (even if it's complete). If they do, they must immediately replace it with a new card from their hand. (Remember to adjust your score accordingly.)
Solo
After the earthquake, you are a qualified architect in Kathmandu, and the city needs your help to restore sacred Monuments. You'll work to build Monuments in 2 of the famous Durbar Squares (royal squares) in the Kathmandu Valley. But the debris of the aftershocks will make it challenging! Are you ready to take on this task?
For a solo game, first read "Rules for the Base Game" above. Then apply the following changes:
Setup
- In this game, you will only use the blue deck. Leave the red deck in the box. The space on the playmat for the red deck will serve as your discard area instead.
- Shuffle all cards in the blue deck. Place the deck onto its space on the playmat.
- Place the purple player board and the purple coins in front of you.
- In this game, you will use two different player boards (Durbar Squares). Randomly choose 1 more player board. Return all other boards to the box.
- Put the remaining 25 coins into the drawstring pouch and shake it to mix the coins. These will be "debris" preventing you from accessing certain building materials (cards) during the game.
- Place 1 blue, 1 white, 1 red, 1 green, and 1 yellow point marker onto the scoring section of both player boards, in slots 1-5.
- Take the dice from the box and place it within reach.
- Choose 2 Mission cards.* Make sure their color conditions do not overlap. (E.g., you don't want both Missions to show a yellow Buddha. Each building objective should be unique from those on the other Mission card.) Assign 1 Mission to each Durbar Square.
If you have the Senior Architects Expansion, you may replace these 2 Mission cards with 2 Advanced Mission cards.
Game Objective
Your goal is to complete both Durbar Squares—each with 5 unique, solid-color Monuments—and to meet all your Mission objectives. Specifically, at the end of a game, you will check that:
- You have met all 4 objectives on each Mission card.
- Every Monument is a solid color (i.e., all its sections are the same color, or wilds).
- Each Durbar Square has 5 complete Monuments—the 4 on its Mission card, and 1 more of your choice.
- Each Durbar Square must have one Monument in each color.
- Each Durbar Square must have unique Monuments (e.g., there may not be a red Shrine in both city squares).
If you meet all these criteria, you win the game. But if you cannot accomplish this before the blue deck runs out, you lose.
How to Play
Before you begin, choose your level of expertise (see "Levels of Expertise" below). This will determine which type of building you'll build as your fifth Monument in each Durbar Square. For your first few games, try Easy, Medium, or Hard. Once you've played a few times, try the Extreme mode.
To play the game, work through the following 6 phases until you win or lose. The phases are:
- Market opens
- Debris appears
- Bid
- Collect
- Build
- Clear the Market
Each phase is described in detail below.
Phases
1. Market opens
Deal 4 cards onto the 4 central spaces of the playmat.
2. Debris appears
Kathmandu is shaken by aftershocks, and the increasing debris makes the construction difficult.
Roll the dice to determine what side of the Market (North / South / East / West) is hit by aftershock. Each bid spot on that side of the city square will accumulate 1 debris, unless there is a purple coin on the spot—in which case, you should just retrieve the coin. (This is the only way to get your purple coins back in this game mode.)
Example:
- Emily rolls the dice. It shows "N." Therefore, the north side of the Market will receive debris.
- Emily draws debris from the bag, one at a time: a. The first piece of debris goes to the first bid spot. b. There is a purple coin on the second spot, so she gets this coin back and does not add any debris. c. She draws 1 more debris from the bag and places it on the third bid spot.
Notes about debris:
- The value of the coins used as debris doesn't matter in this game mode. When placing them, put them face-down.
- In future rounds, if debris falls onto a spot that already has debris, stack the debris on top of one another, in the same order they appeared.
3. Bid
Place a purple coin, value-side up, onto any bid spot. You may place your coin on top of debris, but not on a bid spot that already has a purple coin. If there is debris on the bid spot you want, the value of your coin must exceed the quantity of debris there. (E.g., if there are 2 debris stacked on top of each other, you must place a coin with a value of at least 3 to bid on that spot).
Note: If at the beginning of the Bid Phase you don't have any coins left to bid, repeat the Debris Phase until debris falls on one of your coins in play and makes it available to you.
Remember: your bid will always target 2 cards. In the first round, bid spots will target cards as they do in the 2-4 player game. From the second round onward, your Storage area will also have 2 cards, so from this point your bids will target cards as they do in the 5-6 player game. (See "Bidding Phase" above.)
4. Collect
Take the 2 cards you targeted. Add them to your hand, just as in the base game rules, but do not remove your coin from the bid spot.
5. Build
You may build Monuments the same way you do in the base game, but all Monuments must be a solid color. (Wilds are allowed.) When you complete a Monument:
- Take all the debris of that Monument's color from the playmat and return that debris to the bag. You may remove debris from within a stack—just return the other debris and/or coin(s) to the bid spot in the same order they were placed. (This is the only way to remove debris from the playmat in this game mode.)
- Take a point marker of the same color as your completed Monument. Place it onto the Mission card, above the Monument type you just completed.
Note: If a Monument is made entirely of wilds, choose which color you want to count it as.
At any time before a Monument is complete, you may discard ALL the cards in that Monument. (This can be useful if you mistakenly build 2 identical Monuments.)
Once you finish building, discard your hand down to 3, just as in the base game.
6. Clear the Market
- If there are any cards in the storage area, discard them.
- Choose 2 cards from the Market and move them to storage.
- Discard all cards remaining in the Market.
Did you know? Stupa: A commemorative monument with sacred relics. The Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu keeps an eye out in every direction.
Levels of Expertise
At the start of the game, you may choose your difficulty level, or try to accomplish the Ultimate Architect Challenge.
1. Easy
Your fifth Monument in each Durbar Square should be a Buddha (1 card each).
2. Medium
Your fifth Monuments must use a total of at least 4 cards. (E.g., Use 2 cards to build a Shrine in one Durbar Square, and 2 cards to build one in the other, or build a 3-card Stupa in one Durbar Square and a 1-card Buddha in the other.)
3. Hard
Use a total of at least 6 cards to complete your fifth Monuments. (E.g., a 4-card Pagoda in one Durbar Square and a 2-card Shrine in the other, or two 3-card Stupas.)
Note: If you choose one of the difficulty levels above, you may adjust your level at any time during the game. (E.g., you may aim to achieve the "Hard" level, but you will still win if you only achieve the "Easy" level.)
4. Extreme
Ultimate Architect Challenge
Your fifth Monument in each Durbar Square must be a Pagoda (4 cards). In this mode, you also have a special power—at any time, you may discard 2 cards from your hand to retrieve 1 card from the discard pile.
Did you know? Pagoda: Also called temples, Pagodas are the most prominent features of Nepalese architecture. Their original purpose was to house relics and sacred writings.
Senior Architects Expansion (2-6 Players)
The Senior Architects Expansion takes the gameplay of Reviving Kathmandu to the next level with special abilities, Public Goals, and Advanced Missions.
Note: The Senior Architects Expansion requires the base game of Reviving Kathmandu. During setup, you will assign an Architect card for each player, and reveal Public Goals. You may also choose to replace Mission cards from the base game with new, Advanced Mission cards. The Advanced Mission cards are also compatible with the solo mode.
Game Contents
6 Architect cards (orange), 10 Public Goal cards (white), 10 Advanced Mission cards (teal).
Setup
Setup for the Senior Architects Expansion is the same as the base game, with the following changes:
- Give each player their regular items (see "Setup" above), plus the following:
- 1 random Architect card (if players wish to choose, the starting player should choose last). They should place this face-up near their player board.
- 1 random Advanced Mission card.
- Randomly deal a number of Public Goal cards equal to the number of players, minus 1. (e.g., in a 3-player game, use 2 Public Goals) Place the Goals face-up in a line above the North side of the playmat. Place the extra point markers (1 for each player) near these Goals. Return any unused markers to the box.
How to Play
Advanced Missions
Advanced Missions give more points to players, but are harder to complete than those in the base game. If you play with the Advanced Missions, return the regular Mission cards to the game box.
Public Goals
Each Public Goal is a set of 2-3 common objectives, available to every player. The first player(s) to complete all the objectives on a Public Goal card immediately receive(s) the bonus points.
Note about Public Goals:
- Each player may only complete 1 Public Goal per game.
- If a Monument section is marked as light gray, it can be any color. Dark blue parts need to be of the same color within the same building.
- Once you complete a Public Goal, immediately score points for it. Then flip over the card and place your point marker on top of the card to mark the Goal as completed.
- If 2 players complete the same Goal within the same round, they may both score points for that Goal. (And both players should put their point marker on the card.)
- Once a Public Goal is marked as completed, other players may no longer get bonus points for meeting that Goal.
Meet the Architects
Each Architect has a special ability, shown on their card.
- Liliana: When you need to draw exactly 2 cards from the red deck, draw 3 instead. Keep 2. Return the other one to the bottom of the red deck. (Use for 4+ players)
- Charles: When you need to draw exactly 1 card from the red deck, draw 2 instead. Keep 1. Return the other one to the bottom of the red deck.
- Liu: Immediately before you spend your leftover coin, you may draw 1 red card into your hand, then discard 1.
- Sophie: Immediately before you spend your leftover coin, you may search the discarded cards, take 1 into your hand, then discard 1.
- Walter: Your hand limit is 4 throughout the game. (Suggestion: great for beginners)
- Sara: Your final bid is worth +1. (Use for 3+ players)
Mini Expansion & Promo Packs
Bhairav Mini Expansion
Includes
5 different colors of holofoil Bhairav cards.
Setup
Place all 5 Bhairav cards face-up along the East side of the playmat.
How to Acquire a Bhairav
As a player spends their leftover coin, they may choose to buy 1 Bhairav card.
- Each Bhairav card costs 3. If a player spends a coin with a value of 4 to buy a Bhairav, they collect the Bhairav card and still score 1 on their player board.
- If you buy a Bhairav card, place it next to your player board.
- A player may only buy 1 Bhairav card per game.
Bhairav Scoring
At the end of the game, your Bhairav card gives you a color bonus: For your completed Monuments, count the number of building sections that match your Bhairav. Then score that many points. (E.g., if you have the blue Bhairav, and you have completed a blue Shrine and a Pagoda with 1 blue section, you score 3 points.)
Note: Wild cards do not count toward Bhairav bonuses.
Did you know? Kaal Bhairav is believed to be a physical form of Lord Shiva, who is worshiped for courage and happiness. He helps his worshipers achieve their goals, and his followers often find themselves at the right time and place for incredible opportunities. Lord Bhairav is easily pleased with simple offerings, (like your leftover coins)!
Buddha Promo Pack
Includes
5 different colors of holofoil Buddha cards.
Setup
Remove 1 Buddha card of each color from the blue deck and replace them with the 5 holofoil Buddha cards.
How to Use
The holofoil Buddhas work the same way as the original Buddha cards, but when you collect a holofoil Buddha card, you must play it immediately, and it is worth points equal to the number of holofoil Buddhas already built in this game by any player. (E.g., the first holofoil Buddha built is worth 1 point, and the 5th holofoil Buddha built is worth 5 points.)
Did you know? Buddha: A symbol of peace, happiness, harmony, and self-realization. The tallest Buddha statue in Nepal is The Amitābha (67 feet).
Rainbow Promo Pack
Includes
10 double-sided wild cards (with rainbow backgrounds).
Setup
Simply shuffle these cards into the red deck.
Note: Normally, the red deck contains no wild cards.
How to Use
The Rainbow cards give players more flexibility in completing their Monuments. These wild cards work the same way as the normal wild cards. The only difference is that both sections of each card are the same (like all cards in the red deck).