Rockwell
Rockwell Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Goal of the Game
- Components
- Setup
- The Process of a Game Turn
- Phase I: Insurance, Drilling and Extraction, Mineshafts
- Phase II: Sale and Purchase of Resources
- Phase III: Industrial Improvements
- Achievement Tiles
- End of the Turn
- End of the Game
- Version for Three Players
- Version for Two Players
- Credits
Goal of the Game
Acquire more prestige (symbol = star) than your opponents by the end of the game. The prestige is acquired through Production and Delivery tiles, as well as in the final scoring, which will award prestige points for different majorities.
The number of turns in the game is not fixed. Two different endgame triggers can cause the final scoring (see below).
Components
- 32 Subterrain tiles;
- 4 large encircling tiles depicting four mine entrance spaces;
- 1 circular tile: the center of the Earth;
- 160 Resource cubes (zinc, copper, silver, and gold) — 40 small and 20 large*;
- 36 Achievement tiles;
- 3 Subcontractor dice;
- 109 tiles representing banknotes in denominations of $100, $500, $1,000, and $5,000*;
- 3 reversible gameboards for phases I, II, and III;
- 48 Extraction cards;
- 28 Delivery tiles;
- 39 Insurance tiles*;
- 14 Safety tiles (8 for four players, and 6 for two or three players);
- 3 Bribery tiles;
- 1 Drilling Round pawn;
- 10 plastic storage bags;
- 1 rulebook.
* There is never a shortage of resources, money, or insurance. Should you run out of one of these types of component, just use whatever proxy components you have handy.
Components for each player, in four colors
- 4 power 1 & 2 Drill Crew pawns;
- 4 power 3 & 4 Drill Crew pawns;
- 2 Vice President pawns;
- 3 Mineshaft tiles;
- 2 cubes (Management and Control);
- 1 reversible company board;
- 1 player screen.
Setup
The setup and the rules described below relate to a four-player game. For the changes to be made for a game with only two or three players, please see the end of these rules.
Subterrain tiles and Drill Crew pawns
Separate the Subterrain tiles by stratum (A through D), shuffle them, and arrange them around the center of the Earth. Two tiles requiring the same power cannot be adjacent (the power is the number repeated on both edges of the tile). Encircle the modular board with the four large encircling tiles to form a circle.
Each player places a power 1 Drill Crew pawn on each mine entrance.
Phase gameboards and Extraction cards
Place the Phase gameboards according to their numbers (I, II, and III).
Note: The Phase Boards must be placed the right sign face-up, depending on the number of players.
Separate the Extraction cards according to their number, shuffle them, and place them near the circular board in eight distinct piles.
Board I: Control Center
Place the Bribery tiles and Subcontractor dice on Board I. Place the Drilling Round pawn near the drilling track. Mix and randomly place the Management cubes; do the same for the Control cubes.
Board II: Stock Exchange
No components should be placed here.
Board III: Workshop
Sort the Delivery tiles by type, and stack them in ascending order by cost (the lowest cost goes on top). Place each pile on the corresponding space on Board III.
Resource cubes
There are four types of resources: zinc (blue), copper (brown), silver (gray), and gold (yellow). Separate the cubes by color to form the general supply. A large cube is equivalent to five small ones.
Each player receives 3 zinc, 2 copper, and 1 silver. This is your initial stock, which you keep secret until the end of the game. Each player also receives $3,000; you can also keep your money secret.
Company board
Each player receives a company board and all the accessories of the same color. Turn the company board to the appropriate side, depending on the number of players. Company boards must remain visible to all players at all times.
Place the two Safety tiles (the side without a price face-up) on the bottom-right to cover the pre-printed hardhat. Place a 3 & 4 pawn on the first space of Mobility improvement (it will serve as a marker here; later you will likely swap it for a 1 & 2 pawn, which will become the new marker here). Stack the three Mineshaft tiles in ascending order by price (the lowest price goes on top) on the Mineshaft improvement.
Achievement tiles
Sort the Achievement tiles by type in descending order (the one with the most prestige points goes on top).
The game begins
The game begins with an auction.
The Process of a Game Turn
Auction
Each player hides as many Resource cubes and/or as much money as he likes in his hand. Then, all players simultaneously reveal their bid: Calculate each bid according to the banknotes and the values of the resources according to the stock market, then rearrange the Management cubes according to the order of the bids, highest to lowest.
In the case of a tie between two or more bids, retain the current order of these players relative to one another.
All bids are then sent to the general supply and/or the bank.
Place Vice Presidents
Respecting the order of the Management cubes, each player places one Vice President at a time on any available location on the phase boards. Players will choose locations according to the strategy that they adopt.
Important: Under no circumstances may a player place both his Vice Presidents on the same board!
Phase I: Insurance, Drilling and Extraction, Mineshafts
This is the main phase of the game, during which the players move their drill crews, and extract resources. The board is divided into four strata (A through D), each more difficult to drill than the previous. Each stratum consists of eight Subterrain tiles that form a complete ring, and together they surround the circular tile that represents the center of the Earth.
A Subterrain tile has information on both sides. On one side, the letter (A through D) of the stratum appears, as well as the total drilling power required to drill the tile. The back remains unknown to players until extraction is completed, which is to say, until the Subterrain tile is revealed.
In this example, the tile in question is part of Stratum B, and requires a combination of drill crews whose total power must be at least 5.
Important: Unlike Phases II and III, all players have the opportunity to participate in every step of Phase I; placing a Vice President is not essential but it does grant an advantage.
Phase I is conducted in four steps. Move the Drilling Round pawn to the right as each step is completed.
1. Insurance
Players have the option to transform as many Resource cubes as they want to into Insurance tiles (1 Resource cube = 1 Insurance tile), which they hide behind their screens. Insurance tiles are used to compensate for losses caused by the Danger symbol that appears on certain Extraction cards. In effect, it makes it so the danger degrades cubes from one type to a less-valuable type, rather than making you lose them altogether.
2. Drilling Order
Rearrange the Control cubes according to the current sequence of Vice Presidents on Board I. The player whose Vice President is leftmost moves his Control cube all the way to the left – shifting the others to the right – and so on.
In the following example, after placing the Vice Presidents, a purple Vice President occupies slot 2, while a green Vice President occupies slot 3. The top depicts the sequence of Control cubes before they are rearranged. The bottom depicts the sequence after the rearrangement. Because White and Red had no Vice Presidents on Board I, their Control cubes were simply shifted to the right.
3. Drilling Round
Move the Drilling Round pawn to the first space of the drilling track.
The player leftmost in the order of the Control cubes selects any of his four crews: This one becomes the active crew. It can move to any adjacent Subterrain tile (regardless of whether the tile has been revealed), including the center of the Earth; or you can leave it where it is, which still counts as its move. At the end of the movement, if he has access to a Bribery or Subcontracting advantage (see below), he can use this advantage with his active crew.
Clarification: In their first move of the game, each crew has access to the two Subterrain tiles adjacent to him.
Extraction
As soon as a Subterrain tile is occupied by one or more crews – friends and/or competitors – whose total power is greater than or equal to the number shown on the ends of the tile, the round is interrupted, and an extraction is triggered immediately. The tile is revealed, and all the crews, Subcontractor dice, and any Mineshaft tile go back onto it.
Next, draw an Extraction card from the pile corresponding to the revealed tile. Take precisely the number of cubes shown on the back of the card from the general supply. Without actually giving them to the players yet, divide the cubes evenly by the number of players involved in the extraction, which is to say, all those who had at least one crew on the tile (do not consider the mineshaft that may be there), regardless of their power.
Clarification: Statistically, the deeper one digs, the better the chance to find a lot of valuable resources. However, in each stratum, it is possible that some extractions won't have much yield.
Because the Resource cubes can't always be evenly distributed, the remainder is granted to a player who is said to have "priority". This priority player is determined by the following criteria (if one criterion can't be met, proceed to the next; otherwise, ignore those that follow it):
- The player who owns a mineshaft on the Subterrain tile;
- If there is no mineshaft, the player with the most power there (the total of his crews on the tile, including any Subcontractor dice associated with them);
- In the case of equal power levels, the one whose movement triggered the extraction (this is always the active player), regardless of whether he is one of the dominant players.
Here are several examples of distributing Resource cubes, following the drilling of a Stratum C Subterrain tile, for which the total power required is 7:
(The Extraction card shows 3 copper, 5 silver, and 4 gold.) Two players have crews on the tile (Green power 3 and Red power 4). Each player gets 1 copper, 2 silver, and 2 gold. Thanks to his superior power, Red gets priority, so he receives the remainder, consisting of 1 copper and 1 silver.
Now, instead, three players' crews and a mineshaft are on the tile (Red power 2, Green power 4, Purple power 2, and a white mineshaft). Thanks to his mineshaft, White is guaranteed to get priority; Red, Purple, and Green each receive 1 copper, 1 silver, and 1 gold, while Black receives the 2 silver and 1 gold that were left over. Note: As is the case here, a player who has nothing but a mineshaft on a tile is entitled only to the remainder, not a share of the booty!
This time three players' crews (Green power 2, Red power 2, and Purple power 1) and a subcontractor (power 1) hired by Purple are on the tile. Before the arrival of White, there is a three-way tie in terms of power. White moves his power 1 crew onto the tile and thus triggers drilling. Because there is no mineshaft and a tie among the dominant players, White receives the leftover cubes, because it was his arrival that triggered the drilling.
In this final example, only one crew is present (Green power 4). Green hires a subcontractor with power 3, costing $2,000, which provides the remaining drilling power required. Because Green is alone on the tile, there is no remainder; all the Resource cubes go to his supply.
After distributing the Resource cubes, each player involved transfers his booty to his personal supply behind his screen. The player who triggered the extraction (the active player) keeps the Extraction card near him, regardless of whether he was the priority player. Then the next player – in the order of the Control cubes – takes a turn, and so on. When all players have had the opportunity to play once, move the Drilling Round pawn to the next space of the drilling track, and repeat this process for the next three rounds.
Bribery Advantage
A player who has placed a Vice President on slots 1 or 2 of Board I can, at the end of his movement, move an opponent's crew to the tile occupied by his active crew. The destination Subterrain tile must not be revealed yet. You can only bribe an opponent's crew that is on a tile adjacent to your active crew. You can't bribe one of your own crews; you also can't bribe a crew that is not currently in play (i.e. located on one of the mine entrance spaces); nor can you bribe a crew into center of the Earth.
When you use a Bribery advantage, remove one of the tiles from Board I; when all tiles have been removed, this advantage becomes unavailable until the next turn.
Important: A player can only bribe once per drilling round.
If you bribe a crew that is already associated with a subcontractor, you can not modify the power, and must yourself pay the hiring fee to the bank (see below). You cannot separate an opponent's drill crew from its subcontractor.
Here are a couple of examples of the Bribery advantage used to drill a Stratum A Subterrain tile, for which the total power required is 3:
(The Extraction card shows 7 zinc and 4 copper.) A green power 1 crew is already on the tile. Green designates it as the active crew, then – without moving – he uses a Bribery advantage to bring in an adjacent red crew that is already associated with a subcontractor. Green can neither abandon the subcontractor nor alter its power; in addition, he must pay the $1,000 fee himself. The required power of 3 is attained, and the tile is revealed. Because Red is dominant, he will receive the remainder.
Another example: A green power 1 crew is already present. It's Red's turn: He moves his power 1 crew onto the tile and bribes a purple power 1 crew that was on an adjacent tile. It's a three-way tie, but Red (the active player) triggered the extraction. Red gets to claim the leftover cubes.
Subcontracting Advantage
A player who has placed a Vice President on slots 3 or 4 of Board I can, at the end of his movement, hire a subcontractor; that is to say, place a Subcontractor die beside his active crew, in order to temporarily increase its power. The player immediately pays the hiring fee, which is $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, or $2,500 to set it to the desired power (from 1 to 4). It is therefore necessary to place the die such that it indicates the power for which the Subcontractor was paid.
Important: A player can only hire one subcontractor per drilling round, and there can be only one subcontractor associated with a single crew.
If you want to move one of your crews which is already associated with a subcontractor, you choose whether to take it along or abandon it. If you take it along, you must again pay the hiring fee (which means you can also change the power of the die, if you wish); if you abandon the Subcontractor, place the die back on Board I.
Important: A Subcontractor's power may never exceed the stratum where it is employed (for example, a Subcontractor played on – or moved to – a Subterrain tile in Stratum C can not be power 4, because A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, and D = 4).
Danger Symbol on Extraction Cards
Certain Extraction cards depict a Danger symbol. It represents the difficulties (heat, equipment failure, etc.) facing drill crews. Each player sharing the resources (thus excluding those with only a mineshaft on the Subterrain tile) of an Extraction card marked with a Danger symbol must subtract from his share of the booty as many of the most valuable Resource cubes as his total drilling power on the tile (including any subcontractors).
For example, a player with a power 1 crew and a power 2 crew on the tile would be deprived of the three most valuable Resource cubes from his booty – returning them to the general supply.
However, there are two ways to guard against the dangers.
Firstly, players who have improved the safety of their drill crews on their company board – Safety improvement – automatically reduce their losses by one, three, or all Resource cubes (see below).
Secondly, before the drilling round, players had the option of transforming Resource cubes into Insurance tiles. When a Danger symbol appears, for each Resource cube lost because of the danger, the player may, instead, discard an Insurance tile (one Insurance tile discarded = one Resource cube preserved).
Of course, you should consider the effects of the Safety improvement before discarding Insurance tiles.
Continuing the previous example, instead of losing the three most valuable Resource cubes he just got, the player whose total drilling power is 3 could discard three Insurance tiles and gain his entire booty. He might instead decide to discard two Insurance tiles and sacrifice just the single most valuable Resource cube of his booty.
Clarification 1: A player never discards more Insurance tiles than the Resource cubes he received in the current distribution of booty.
Clarification 2: An Insurance tile or a Safety improvement reduces the number of Resource cubes lost but does not "protect" a cube of high value! To be precise, they merely reduce the intensity of the danger to the player, so if these protections don't preserve his entire booty, he still loses the most valuable cube(s). For example: Red has a power 2 crew; his booty is 1 gold and 1 silver. He has Safety of 1. He thus loses only one cube: the gold.
4. Active Mineshafts
When the last drilling round is complete, move the Drilling Round pawn to the active mineshafts space. An active mineshaft is a mineshaft on a Subterrain tile that has already been revealed after extraction. Players with one or more active mineshafts receive the resources listed on the backs of the tiles they occupy, and Phase I is then complete.
Phase II: Sale and Purchase of Resources
The market values are fixed: a zinc cube is worth $400, a copper cube is worth $600, a silver cube is worth $800, and a gold cube is worth $1,000.
Each player performs one action in turn, limited by the number of actions specified by the location of his Vice President on this board. Once a player has taken his last action, or if he renounces performing an action, his Vice President immediately returns to his company board.
However, the following two rules must be respected:
- You execute only one transaction at a time: sale or purchase (a sale or a purchase may involve several Resource cubes, but they must be the same type of resource!);
- It is forbidden to execute two transactions involving the same type of resource during the same phase II. For example: Buying and selling gold in the same turn is forbidden.
Tip: To remember that a player has purchased or sold a type of resource at the market during this phase, place a cube of the corresponding resource (taken from the general supply) next to his Vice President. At the end of the phase, all these cubes return to the general supply.
When you buy Resource cubes, take as many cubes of the same type as you want from the general supply, and pay the cost. Then hide all the cubes behind your screen. When you sell cubes, return them to the general supply and take what you're owed from the bank.
Phase III: Industrial Improvements
Each player performs one action in turn (and each time, he moves his Vice President down one space), limited by the number of actions specified by the location of his Vice President on this board. Once a player has taken his last action, or if he renounces performing an action, his Vice President immediately returns to his company board.
These actions are diverse: They permit increasing drilling power, improvement in three different sectors – construction of mineshafts, protection, and mobility – or procurement of Delivery tiles.
Here are each of the areas for improvement in detail:
Drilling Power
At the price of an action and the financial cost, you improve the power of one drill crew one notch. The following table shows all possible power improvements and their costs:
| Improvement | Cost |
|---|---|
| From power 1 to power 2 | $1,500 |
| From power 2 to power 3 | $2,500 |
| From power 3 to power 4 | $3,500 |
When you improve a drill crew from power 1 to power 2, turn over the pawn of your choice to its 2 side. If you improved a crew to power 3, exchange the 1 & 2 pawn of your choice for a 3 & 4 pawn from the supply.
Important: If improvement of a crew causes the total power required for a Subterrain tile to be attained, extraction is triggered immediately.
Safety Improvement
Because the revelation of a Danger symbol reduces a player's booty, you can use the Safety improvement to permanently and progressively enhance the resistance of your drill crews to such dangers. Once you invest in this sector, your losses due to revelation of a Danger symbol on each Extraction card will be reduced by one Resource cube ($1,500), by three Resource cubes ($2,000), and finally by all of the Resource cubes — in other words, no loss whatsoever ($2,500).
Place the Safety tile with the side face-up corresponding to the last improvement for which you paid.
Mineshaft Improvement
At the beginning of the game, players have no mineshafts in play.
The first advancement of the Mineshaft improvement allows you to build your first mine shaft ($1,500). Put it on an undrilled Subterrain tile you alone occupy, or on an undrilled tile that is adjacent to one of your crews and devoid of opponents' crews.
The next advancement allows you to build a second mineshaft ($2,000) according to the same rules, or on a Subterrain tile already revealed, or one that is occupied, or one that is adjacent to one of your drill crews.
The third advancement lets you build a third mineshaft ($2,500), and put it on absolutely any Subterrain tile in the game.
You are also allowed, at the cost of an action and the corresponding amount of money, to reuse an advancement you already attained in order to move a mineshaft already in the game.
A Subterrain tile can never be occupied by more than one mineshaft at a time.
Mobility Improvement
At the beginning of the game, a drill crew can only be moved to an adjacent tile or stay put. The Mobility improvement offers more options to a crew when it moves.
The first advancement ($1,500) allows you to move your crew to the second tile to the left or right while remaining on the same stratum (A, B, C, or D).
The second advancement ($2,000) allows you to end a movement "straddling" two tiles of the same stratum. Thus, this crew's power counts for both Subterrain tiles it overlaps. Moving from a tile to "straddling" both it and an adjacent tile costs one move. Once one of the two tiles is drilled, the "straddling" crew automatically moves onto it. You can also move a crew that is already "straddling", but it costs one move to move onto either tile it overlaps. Only one of your drill crews (and possible subcontractor) at a time can be "straddling" on the same border between the same two tiles.
Finally, the third advancement ($2,500) allows you to move a crew two movements in any combination of directions.
Clarification: Any newly acquired advancement includes those advancements previously acquired.
Delivery Tiles
You can also deliver Resource cubes for prestige points. Arranged in piles on Board III, each Delivery tile has a specific cost that appears on it (in the example opposite: 6 zinc cubes for 2 prestige points). You spend one action for each tile bought; then place it behind your screen.
Achievement Tiles
Over the course of the game, you will be honored for accomplishing certain achievements. These nine achievements appear on your company board; this is where you accumulate the Achievement tiles that you collect. Gaining these tiles is automatic, which is to say that as soon as you meet the criteria of an achievement, and prove it to your opponents, take the first Achievement tile from the corresponding pile and place it face-down on your company board. The tiles are:
Achievements granting 4–1 prestige points
- Have at least 8 zinc cubes and 8 copper cubes;
- Have at least 6 Extraction cards (= triggered six extractions);
- Have at least 10 silver cubes;
Achievements granting 5–2 prestige points
- At least 3 of your drill crews have attained power 2;
- Have at least 12 gold cubes;
- All your drill crews are at least as deep as Stratum C at the same time;
Achievements granting 6–3 prestige points
- Having at least 6 cubes of each resource type;
- At least 2 of your drill crews have attained power 4;
- At least 1 of your drill crews has reached the center of the Earth. It has completed its journey and is immediately stored in the box. If a Subcontractor die was associated with it, it is placed on Board I.
Important: An Achievement tile never costs money or Resource cubes. You can only accomplish the same achievement once per game. In the event that two or more players would achieve the same goal at the same time, the highest-value Achievement tile would be attributed in priority of the active player, and then the player whose Management cube is leftmost.
End of the Turn
The turn ends when the actions of all players who placed a Vice President on Board III are completed. Return all Bribery tiles and Subcontractor dice to Board I, and return the Drilling Round pawn to its original position. Finally, the players retrieve their Vice Presidents, and a new turn begins with an auction.
End of the Game
There are two conditions that can end the game:
- When the majority of players have reached the center of the Earth with at least one drill crew,
OR
- When a player has completed six or more of his nine achievements – including all of the last three that grant 6–3 prestige points.
In both cases, complete phases I, II, and III. This is followed by the allocation of bonus points: 3 prestige points are awarded to the player with the most zinc cubes in stock, 2 points for second, and 1 point for third. The same is done for each other resource, as well as money. If there is a tie, the tied players receive the same number of bonus points (the higher of the two; in the case of a tie for first place, the third player still receives just one prestige point). The fourth player never receives points.
The player who has accumulated the most prestige points wins. In the event of a tie, the tied player with the most Achievement tiles for his company wins. If still tied, the victory goes to the tied player with the most Resource cubes in stock. Any further ties remain ties.
Version for Three Players
Be sure to use the correct side of the Phase I, II, III boards, and the company boards.
Safety Improvement
Specific Safety tiles (indicating higher prices) must be used.
Mineshaft Improvement
Specific Mineshaft tiles (indicating higher prices) must be used.
Achievement Tiles
Use only the three tiles with the highest value of each type.
End of the Game
The end of the game occurs when two players have reached the center of the Earth with at least one drill crew, or when a player has accomplished six of his nine achievements – including all of the last three that grant 6–4 prestige points.
Then give 2 bonus points to the player who has the most zinc in stock, 1 point for second, and no points for third. The same is done with the rest of the resources, as well as money. Any tie is resolved the same way as for a 4-player game.
Version for Two Players
Al: An Invisible Player!
With only two players, there is one major difference: an invisible player named Al joins the game. Al has neither Vice Presidents nor a company board. In fact, Al has only drill crew pawns (in a color chosen by the players). These crews move according to certain automations, which, without making Al a formidable opponent, will annoy or aid the two "real" players in their quest for resources.
During the setup, place Al's four power 1 crews near those of the two "real" players.
Moving Al's Crews
The turn then proceeds as in a three- or four-player game; however, at the end of each drilling round – thus four times per turn – Al moves one of his crews (always at most one space, and never positioning it "straddling"). Determine which crew will be declared active, and moved, according to the following rules, in order:
- First and foremost, Al always moves a crew that has not yet come into play, or is on a Subterrain tile already revealed;
- If there are multiple eligible crews, the eligible crew with highest power is moved;
- If there are still multiple eligible crews, the eligible crew on the shallowest stratum – i.e. farthest from the center of the Earth – is moved;
- If there are still multiple eligible crews, the player first in Control order decides which of Al's crews moves, and to where it moves.
Al always moves his active crew (as was determined above) to the Subterrain tile whose extraction is more imminent, which is to say the Subterrain tile where the required power is closer to being attained. Again, in the case of a tie, the player first in Control order decides which crew Al moves and where it moves (the crew must be moved, it cannot remain in place).
Improvement of Al's Crews
At the end of each turn – i.e. after Phase III – the player whose Management cube is on the left chooses one of Al's drill crews, and increases its power one notch. Then a new turn starts.
Safety Improvement
Specific Safety tiles (indicating higher prices) must be used.
Mineshaft Improvement
Specific Mineshaft tiles (indicating higher prices) must be used.
Achievement Tiles
Only use the highest-value tile and the third. For example, the stack of "8 zinc and 8 brass" Achievement tiles will comprise the four-star tile and the two-star tile.
End of the Game
The end of the game occurs when both players have reached the center of the Earth with at least one drill crew, or when one player has accomplished six of his nine Achievements – including all of the last three that grant 6 or 4 prestige points.
Then give 2 bonus points to the player who has more zinc in stock, and no points for the other player. The same is done with the rest of the resources, as well as money. Any tie is resolved the same way as for a 4-player game.
Credits
Designer: Bruno Crépeault • Artist: Yuio • Layout: Marie Ooms • DTP: Marie Ooms & Didier Delhez • Publisher: Sit Down!, rue de Labie 39, 5310 Leuze, Belgium, www.sitdown.be • Translation: Claudia Thissen (German) & Nathan Morse (English) • © Sit Down! 2013. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of this game, in whole or in part, and on any support, physical or electronic, is strictly prohibited without the prior written authorisation of Sit Down! / Megalopole sprl. This game can only be used for private recreation. Manufactured in China.
Thanks
The designer thanks: Above all, I salute the continued commitment of the "Testing Team": Benoît Desrosiers, Vincent Crépeault, Vincent Montambault, and Bernard Boulanger; without these four guys, Rockwell would not exist! I also want to mention testers from Montreal: Norman, Alexandre, Luc, Andréanne, Yan, and gamers of the Randolph Pub Ludique. Also, a special nod to the people of the Festival Ludique International of Parthenay, its players and its organizers, and those who accompanied me there: Claude, Catherine, and Geneviève (and the guys of REEL!). To all those who played, commented, dissected the game back when it was still called Gaïa, and to those that I have mistakenly forgotten, a big thank you! To the ForgeNext team, Gaëtan and Martine (and Lawrence), thank you for stopping to discuss the prototype at FLIP 2010; a meeting that changed the course of my History. I want to thank all playtesters of the gaming world; thank you for investing those few hours that become so valuable for designers. Finally, thank you to my family, Geneviève, William, Robin, and Marianne for their understanding when I disappear into my creative bubble – or into the basement – to think, write, print, cut, assemble, correct… and start all over dozens and dozens of times! So play we all.
Sit Down! wishes to thank Tanguy Gréban, C-Drik, Benjamin, and François-Xavier Mélard, as well as all the players who have shared their impressions. Thank you to Claudia and Nathan for having worked with great urgency. Finally, thank you to the entire hyperactive Kickstarter community that we have had the great pleasure of discovering thanks to the Rockwell campaign. See you soon for new adventures!