SiliconVania Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Components
• Setup
• How to Play
• Refresh
• Bid Selection
  • Anatomy of a Silent Bid Card
  • Anatomy of a Specialist Card
  • Multi-purpose Specialist Cards
  • Silent Bid Card Abilities
• Building Tile Resolution
• Specialist Card Resolution
• Specialists as City Objective Cards
• Special Rules
  • Survival and Innovation
  • Perimeter Tiles
  • Vampires and Housing
  • Antiquities
  • Cats and Hounds
  • Exchanges
• Game End Scoring
  • Scoring Example
  • Scoring Conditions
  • City Objective Cards

Objective

The Vampire Council is looking to hire a new City Planner to turn Transylvania, the most legendary vampire town in the world, into the world's newest tech haven! You and your rivals are competing to land the job.

Create a diverse cityscape for vampire and animal life, provide plenty of blood banks for your citizens, secure contracts, and bring aboard the best specialists in the industry. The race is on to present to the Vampire Council the most organized plans to renovate Transylvania into Siliconvania!

Components

A. 5 City Planning boards B. 1 Council board C. 7 Antiquities tiles D. 7 Castle tiles E. 15 Council Contract tiles F. 6 Train tiles G. 35 Silent Bid cards H. 10 Track markers (2 each in five colors) I. 60 Vampire meeples J. 5 Cat meeples K. 5 Hound meeples L. Scorepad M. 70 Specialist cards N. 88 Building tiles

Setup

1. Place the Council board in the center of the play area.
2. Establish a supply of all Vampire meeples, Castle tiles, Council Contract tiles, Train tiles, Antiquities tiles, Hounds, and Cats next to the Council board. Set the Scorepad aside to be used during final scoring.
3. Each player chooses a player color and collects the appropriately colored City Planning board and Track markers. Place the City Planning board in a personal play area and the Track markers at the beginning of the Innovation and Survival Tracks on the Council board.
4. Construct the Building tiles deck and the Specialist card deck:
   • Each tile and card is either unmarked, or marked for 3+, 4+, or 5 players. Build these decks using only the components marked with numbers less than or equal to your player count (with unmarked components being used for all player counts), and return the rest to the box.
   • Shuffle the Building tile deck and place any number of facedown stacks beside the Council board.
   • Shuffle the Specialist deck and place it facedown beside the Council board.
5. Populate the Exchange Pool by drawing 4 tiles from any Building tile stack and laying them faceup next to the Council board.
6. Give each player a set of Silent Bid cards (numbered 1-7) and 2 Vampire meeples.
7. Deal 6 Specialist cards from the deck to each player. Keep your hand of Specialists and Silent Bid cards hidden from your opponents.

How to Play

Play proceeds over 8 rounds. Each round consists of the following steps:

• Refresh, where new Building tile lots and Specialist cards are added to the Council board.
• Bid Selection, where players secretly bid for a Building tile lot and a Specialist card.
• Building Tile Resolution, where players collect the two Building tiles earned from bidding and place them in their city.
• Specialist Card Resolution, where players resolve their Specialist card used to bid, acquire a new Specialist card to hand, and (in later rounds) add a Specialist to their City Objectives.

After all players have finished their Specialist Card Resolution step, play proceeds to a new round, beginning with a new Refresh step. If the previous round was round 8, proceed to Game End and Final Scoring.

Refresh

The Refresh Step populates Building tiles into Selection Pools along the bottom edge of the Council board (numbered 1-6) and Specialist cards into the Specialist Row along the top edge of the Council board (numbered 1-5).

At the beginning of each new round, take the following steps:

1. Populate the Building Selection Pools:
   • For 2 players, draw and add one Building tile from any of the Building tile stacks faceup to each of the first 4 Selection Pools.
   • For 3+ players draw two Building tiles per Selection Pool until you fill Selection Pools equal to 1 + the number of players.
2. Populate the Specialist Row:
   • Draw one Specialist card per player from the Specialist deck and place them faceup in the Specialist Row.

Bid Selection

The Bid Selection Step has each player simultaneously choosing a Silent Bid card and a Specialist card from hand to use as Bids. Each Silent Bid card is typically used only once per game, although there are a few opportunities to recover previously used cards.

The Silent Bid number (1-7) determines the order of choosing Building Tiles, while the Specialist card Rank Number determines the order of choosing a new Specialist card from the Specialist Row.

1. Each player secretly chooses one Silent Bid card and one Specialist card from hand and lays it facedown in front of them as their Bid.
2. Once all players have chosen their two Bid cards and placed them facedown, reveal all Bid cards simultaneously.

Anatomy of a Silent Bid Card

• Bid Number
• Ability

Anatomy of a Specialist Card

• Rank Number
• Bid Effect
• Scoring Pattern

Multi-purpose Specialist Cards

Specialist cards are played in two very distinct ways: as Bidding resources or as City Objectives. Specialist cards have 3 important features:

• Rank Number
• Bid Effect
• Scoring Pattern

When you use a Specialist as a Bidding resource, the Rank Number and Bid Effect are the features on the card that will be used. Alternatively, when you use a Specialist as a City Objective, the Scoring Pattern is the key feature (Bid Effect and Rank Number will not apply).

Rank Number is unique on each card, numbered from 1 (lowest) to 70 (highest). When making a Bid Selection, keep in mind that the higher the Rank Number, the better the chances of being higher in selection order for a new Specialist card, but the weaker the Bid Effect. The lower the Rank Number, the weaker odds at getting the exact Specialist you might want from the Bid, but the better the Bid Effect granted by your Bid card.

Scoring Patterns are the same among Specialist cards with the same name.

Silent Bid Card Abilities

Most Silent Bid cards have abilities.

• Cards 1 and 2 allow you to gain a Vampire meeple from the supply.
• Card 3 allows you to recover one Silent Bid card from your discard pile (you may choose to recover the number 3 card just played).
• Cards 6 and 7 require you to discard Vampires from your supply or treat your Bid as 0, so it usually makes sense to play these Bids if you have the required number of Vampires in your play area to pay the cost.

Building Tile Resolution

1. Determine the Building Tile Bid Order for the round by comparing the Silent Bid cards revealed by all players. The player with the highest card is first in order, then the player with the next highest card, and so forth.
   • If two or more players bid the same value, the Rank Numbers of the Specialist cards bid by the tied players are compared to break the tie, with the highest Rank Number winning. Remember, Specialist Rank Numbers are unique, so tied players will resolve in Rank Number order as further ties are not possible.
2. In Building Tile Bid Order, from highest to lowest, first resolve the effect on your Silent Bid card (if any) and then choose your Selection Pool.
   • In a 2-player game, the player that bids the highest card chooses two Selection Pools from the 4 available, and takes the tile in each pool. The other player then acquires the remaining two tiles. There are no leftover tiles in a 2-player game.
   • In a 3+ player game, the player that bids the highest card chooses one Selection Pool and acquires both of the tiles in that pool. A player cannot choose tiles from different pools. Then resolve other players in Building Tile Bid Order. After the last player makes their selection there will be one pool with two tiles remaining. These tiles will remain in play until being discarded at the end of the round.
3. When you acquire a tile that features a Bonus (as shown in the top left corner), you gain that Bonus immediately.
   • Vampire: Gain a Vampire meeple from the supply. See page 9.
   • Innovation: Advance on the Innovation track. See page 8.
   • Survival: Advance on the Survival track. See page 8.
   • Example of Step 3: The Metro Station immediately gives Dmitri two Vampire meeples. He adds them to his supply.
4. Place your newly acquired tiles in your City. You must choose empty slots in your 4x4 City Grid for each tile. There are very few opportunities to move tiles after they have been placed, so choose carefully.

Example of Step 2: This is a two-player game. Since both players are tied with their "4" Silent Bid card, it is the Rank Numbers of the Specialists that breaks the tie: Dmitri's Specialist of Rank 33 breaks the tie and he chooses two Building tiles first. Dmitri chooses the Metro Station and Neighborhood.

Specialist Card Resolution

1. Determine the order of Specialist Rank Number from highest to lowest to determine the new Specialist card selection order. As Rank Number is unique on cards, there will never be a tie in this step.
2. The player with the highest Rank Number on their Bid Specialist card resolves the Bid Effect on their card. Then that player selects a new Specialist card from the Specialist Row and adds it to their hand. The player with the second highest Rank Number next resolves their Specialist Bid Effect and selects a new Specialist card, and so forth.
   • Bid Effects most often provide Vampires and advancements on the Innovation or Survival Tracks. There are a handful of rarer abilities that provide Cat or Hound meeples to add to your Animal collection in the city, as well as some Tile Exchange or Antiquities Selection Abilities.
   • Example: Danielle played the "Noble" Specialist card during Bid Selection. The Rank of 66 was the highest, so Danielle had first choice of Specialists. She first gains 1 Survival Track step from the Bid Effect, then she chooses a card from the Specialist Row and adds it to her hand.
3. Discard the Specialist card you had bid with this round to your facedown Specialist discard pile. (Only you may look at the cards in your Specialist discard pile.)
4. During rounds 4-8 (when you have 4 or more specialist cards in your facedown Specialist Discard pile at this step), add a Specialist card from your hand to your City Objectives faceup next to your City Planning board. You may choose the card you just selected this turn from the Specialist Row. When you choose to use a Specialist card as a City Objective, you ignore its Bid Effect and Rank Number.
   • Example: It is round 7 and after choosing a Specialist from the Specialist Row, Danielle places any card from her hand as a City Objective. This turn she places the card she just acquired.

Specialists as City Objective Cards

Each player should announce the card they add to their City Objectives so that all players know what Specialists each other player is focused on. It is useful to know which players share City Objectives, as those players will often be competing for the same tile types and Resources.

A maximum of three copies of the same City Objective can score up to 12 VP at the end of the game based on the build conditions it specifies, which utilize the 16 tiles in your city, plus Castles, Trains, Antiquities, and Housed meeples.

City Objective selection in the mid-game rounds is done in anticipation of how you might build by game end, as your city will only be partially built. You will have more cards in hand during these mid-game rounds to choose from. As the game progresses to the final rounds, your city fills out and becomes easier to anticipate for City Objectives, but your card choices become much more slim. Plan carefully!

Special Rules

Survival and Innovation

Survival and Innovation are represented on the two Tracks on the Council board. This track is shared: Your Innovation will move along in one direction while your Survival moves along in the opposite direction.

• Innovation moves clockwise.
• Survival moves counter-clockwise.

You will move these Trackers whenever a game effect instructs you to (for example, from a Specialist's ability, or when you draft a tile with the appropriate Bonus icon). When you move your Tracker, you gain any bonuses shown on the spaces that you land on or pass by. These bonuses can include:

• Recover a Silent Bid card: Choose a Silent Bid card from your discard pile and put it in your hand.
• Gain a Castle: Take any Castle tile from the supply and add it to your city as a Perimeter tile. See Perimeter tiles below.
• Gain a Train: Take a Train tile from the supply and add it to your city as a Perimeter tile.
• Gain a Council Contract: Take a Council Contract tile from the supply and place it beside your City Objectives. Each contract is worth 2 VP. At the end of the game you gain a bonus 5 VP if you have collected 3 or more contracts.
  • You can gain Contracts by reaching the end of the Tracks or from certain Specialist effects, but you also gain one Contract when your two Trackers land on the same space (or pass by one another).
• Relocate Tiles: Either swap the locations of two of your Building tiles, or move up to 2 of your Building and/or Perimeter tiles to unoccupied locations.
• Swap a City Objective: Choose one Specialist card in your City Objectives, and one Specialist card that is either in your hand or in your discard pile. Swap those Specialist cards' positions. This can allow you to pivot to maximize your scoring in the late game!
• Upgrade your Castle: Flip your Castle on your city perimeter over to its upgraded side.

Note: When a tracker reaches the end of its track, further advancements are ignored.

Perimeter Tiles

When you acquire a Castle tile or Train tile, you place that Perimeter tile adjacent to a Building tile space in your city along the top or left edge, aligning that tile with the row or column. Only one Perimeter tile may be adjacent to each row and column.

Perimeter tiles contribute their type and icons to that row or column for City Objectives and End Game Scoring.

• Castle: Castles are placed with the Scorpion icon facedown and they count as one building tile of the type indicated by its color. Some castles have immediate bonuses or Coffins. Upgraded castles all contribute a special type of Animal, the Scorpion.
• Train: Does NOT have a color. Contributes Blood to its tile grouping and Coffins to its row or column. There is no difference between the two sides of the Train tile, place the side you prefer faceup.

Vampires and Housing

Certain Building tiles, as well as Trains and Antiquities tiles, feature Coffin icons. During final scoring, you'll gain 1VP for each Vampire meeple that is fitted to its own Housing slot.

Each coffin can only house one meeple of any type. You do not need to house your Vampires into Coffins until final scoring, but you may lay the components out as you like during play. If you place a Vampire on a Neighborhood during play, you may remove it or move it later if you wish.

Unhoused Vampires are not worth any VP at the end of the game. Likewise, an unoccupied Coffin scores no VP. NOTE: If you run out of Vampire meeples, a subsittute can be used.

Antiquities

Antiquities are special tiles that can be acquired only from certain rarer Specialist Bid Effects. When a Specialist allows you to take an Antiquity tile, you choose and acquire a tile from the supply.

Upon acquisition, you must place that Antiquity on a Building tile in your city that does not already feature an Antiquity. This tile will modify the Building the following ways. Unless otherwise stated, Antiquities never reduce the effects of the Building tile they are placed on.

• Goblet: Adds two Blood to the Building. This connects the Building tile to your cluster of tiles featuring Blood for end game scoring.
• Scepter: Gain a Survival and an Innovation (immediately). This effect also adds the Survival and Innovation icons to the Building for City Objectives.
• Collar: This tile must cover 2 Coffins on the Building, removing those housing opportunities from Vampires. Then it counts as an Animal of any type the player does not have in their city during final scoring.
• Bangle: Adds 3 Coffins to the Building. This creates 3 new housing opportunities on the tile for Vampires.
• Tiara: Flip this Building tile over facedown. This tile is worth 4VP during final scoring. This facedown Building tile is considered blank and will not contribute to any City Objectives during end game scoring.

Cats and Hounds

Cats and Hounds can be acquired only from certain rarer Specialist cards. Cats and Hounds are represented by their meeples, and count as unique Animals during final scoring.

Unlike other Animals which are associated with Building tiles, an Antiquity or an upgraded Castle, Cats and Hounds live with people and therefore need homes! You must house your Cat or Hound in coffins in order to score them. An Unhoused Cat or Hound does not count during final scoring.

Remember, each coffin can only hold one meeple of any type.

As with Vampires, cats and hounds do not need to be placed in their final locations until final scoring.

Exchanges

Certain Specialist Bid Effects will allow you to exchange a Building tile. To perform this exchange, move a tile from your city into the Exchange Pool and then take and place a tile from the Exchange Pool into your city. You may place this new tile in any available space in your city, including the space that you just removed a tile from. You also gain the Bonus from the new tile, if any.

Game End Scoring

At the end of the 8th round the Specialist deck will be empty, indicating that the game is over and final scoring begins. Every player will have a full 16 tile city and 5 City Objectives (one each from rounds 4-8). To conduct final scoring, record the following on the Scorepad:

• Tile Diversity: Score 5 VP if your city features all 7 different Building types (remember a Castle tile also contributes its type). There is no score for having fewer than 7 different types.
• Housed Vampires: Place your Vampire meeples onto tiles with empty coffins and gain 1 VP for each Housed Vampire in your city.
• Animals: Count the total number of different Animals that appear in your city. Gain 1/3/6/9/12/16/20/25 VP for 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8+ different Animals. Animals can include:
  • The six Animal types that appear on Building tiles.
  • A Housed Cat and/or Hound meeple.
  • A Scorpion found on an upgraded Castle tile.
  • A Wild Animal found on one of the Antiquities.
• Blood: Choose a single cluster of orthogonally adjacent Building and/or Perimeter tiles that all feature one or more Blood icons. Gain 1 VP for each Blood appearing on those tiles (in this example, 11 VP will be gained). See example on the right.
• Council Contracts: Score 2 VP for each Contract. Gain a bonus 5 VP if you have acquired 3 or more Contracts.
• City Objectives: Score 0-12 VP for each City Objective Specialist card. You may only score 3 of the same type of City Objective and each card will score the same VP. The 4th or 5th copy of a City Objective will always score 0.

The player with the most VP wins. In the event of a tie, the tied player with the most Housed Vampires wins. If a tie still persists, the tied players share the victory.

Scoring Example

The scoring example on page 11 shows a finished 4x4 city and a scoring table:

Category	VP
Different Building Types: Every tile type present	5
Different Animals: 7 different animals present (5 printed on tiles, one Hound meeple and one Scorpion printed on Castle)	20
Housed Vampires: 11 Vampire meeples housed (including 2 on Train)	11
Blood: 11 Blood Drops (including 2 on Train)	11
Council Contracts: 2 Council Contracts worth 2 each	4
City Objectives: 3 Mausoleums adjacent to Blood Bank, making the Noble worth 9 (9x2=18); 5 Parks adjacent to housed Vampires, making the Groundskeeper worth 10 (10x2=20); 5 tiles featuring Survival adjacent to a Survival Tile, making the Doctor worth 10	48
Total	99

Scoring Conditions

For all City Objectives the following clarifications apply:

• Adjacency refers to tiles above, below, left, or right of a tile. A diagonal tile is not adjacent.
• Housed Cat or Hound meeples do not qualify as Housed Vampire meeples for the Groundskeeper or Sales Rep.
• Train tiles do not have a type and do not qualify as tiles of a different type for the Resident or Engineer.
• Each individual tile, row or column will only score once per City Objective card. Multiple copies of the same City Objective will count each tile, row or column again. Multiple copies of the same City Objective will always score the same value.

City Objective Cards

• Groundskeeper: 2 VP per Park Building tile or Park Castle tile that is adjacent to a Building tile, Castle tile or Train tile that contains at least one Housed Vampire meeple.
• Doctor: 2 VP per Building tile or Castle tile of any type that features a Survival icon that is adjacent to another Building tile or Castle tile of any type also featuring a Survival icon. While each tile will only score once, a single tile can satisfy adjacency for multiple tiles.
• Techie: 2 VP per Building tile or Castle tile of any type that features an Innovation icon that is not adjacent to another Building tile or Castle tile of any type also featuring an Innovation icon.
• Resident: 3 VP per Neighborhood Building tile that is adjacent to at least 3 other Building or Castle tiles that are all of different types. The Resident Castle tile can never have 3 adjacent tile types on the perimeter and therefore does not qualify.
• Engineer: 3 VP per vertical column on your player board that features at least 4 different Building or Castle tile types and one of those tiles is a Metro Building tile or Metro Castle tile.
• Sales Rep: 3 VP per horizontal row on your player board that contains at least 3 Housed Vampires and contains a Mall Building tile or Mall Castle tile.
• Noble: 3 VP per Mausoleum Building tile or Mausoleum Castle tile that is adjacent to at least one Blood Bank Building tile or Blood Bank Castle tile.