Stroganov
Stroganov Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Credits
GAME DESIGN: Andreas Steding • ARTWORK: Maciej Janik • PROJECT MANAGER: Rudy Seuntjens GAME DEVELOPMENT: Seb Van Deun • ART DIRECTION & RULEBOOK DESIGN: Rafaël Theunis INSERT DESIGN: Meeplemaker • EDITOR: Amanda Erven • PROOFREADERS: Ori Avtalion, Dave Moser, Christine Gijbels QUALITY CONTROL: Eefje Gielis • LOGISTICS: Wim Goossens
The author would like to thank Christwart Conrad and all the fellow players in the Göttingen gaming group, who are always so patiently testing the various versions of his prototypes.
If there is any issue with this product, please contact the vendor where you purchased this game, or contact our customer service at gamebrewer.com/customer-service
Components
- 1 Game Board
- 1 Starting Tile
- 26 Landscape Tiles (8x Forest, 7x Steppe, 6x Swamp, 5x Mountains)
- 6 Setup Furs
- 76 Furs (14x Sable — value 2, 13x Rabbit — value 3, 12x Fox — value 4, 11x Wolverine — value 5, 10x Elk — value 6, 9x Lynx — value 7, 7x Bear — value 8)
- 1 Season Marker
- 1 Bag
- 40 Horses (16x Value 1, 24x Value 3)
- 20 Banner Tokens
- 20 Coins
- 5 Village Tiles
- 16 Yurt Tiles (8x "A", 8x "Б")
- 20 Song Tiles (10x "A", 10x "Б")
- 16 Tiger Tiles
- 37 Tsar's Wish Cards (9x "S", 14x "A", 14x "Б")
- 18 Automa (Solo) Cards
- 1 Double-Sided Solo Board
- 4 Double-Sided Player Boards*
- 4 Cossack Meeples*
- 4 Story Tokens*
- 4 Trophy Tokens*
- 4 Victory Point Tokens*
- 20 Outposts*
*in the 4 player colors
Setup
1 Lay out the game board in the middle of the table. Place the starting tile in its indicated spot.
2 Shuffle the 5 starting landscape tiles (marked with an "S") and place them faceup on the first 5 spaces to the right of the starting tile. Shuffle the remaining landscape tiles and place 7 more faceup in the spaces to the right of the starting landscape tiles. This creates a row of 12 landscape tiles. The remaining landscape tiles are placed facedown to the side of the board as a draw pile.
3 Shuffle the 6 setup furs, and randomly draw 1 to place faceup on the trade action space (3a). The remaining 5 setup furs are laid faceup, one in each of the regions on the board, on the indicated space. They are placed from lowest to highest value going from left to right. These 5 region furs denote the advanced action cost of each region (see page 8).
Alternative setup: Experienced players can place the 6 setup furs in a random order, but it is not recommended for the first few games.
4 Put the 76 fur tiles into the bag and mix thoroughly. For each of the 12 landscape tiles, draw fur tiles randomly from the bag and place one faceup in each indicated spot. If playing with fewer than 4 players, leave the spots marked with "4" empty. Arrange the tiles in order, with the lowest value fur at the top. On the rightmost (12th) landscape tile, place a tiger tile beside the highest value fur tile.
5 Draw 6 furs from the bag and place them faceup in the market.
6 Shuffle the 5 village tiles and place one faceup in each of the 5 regions of the game board, on the indicated space.
7 Separate the "A" and "Б" yurt tiles. Shuffle each stack and place one "A" tile faceup on the corresponding field in each of the 5 regions of the game board. Put the remaining "A" yurt tiles on top of the "Б" yurt tiles and store on the appropriate storage space of the game board.
8 Each player chooses their player color and takes the corresponding Cossack. Randomly determine the starting player, and place their Cossack on the right side of the starting tile. Randomly determine the second player, placing their Cossack to the left of the start player. Repeat for all players to create a random player order.
Note: When the rulebook refers to the player order, always check the order in which the Cossacks are positioned on the landscape tiles; the one further into Siberia (the one to the right) is considered ahead in the player order.
9 Place each player's victory point token at the start of the victory point track.
10 Place each player's story token at the start of the story track.
11 Separate the "A" & "Б" song tiles, shuffle each deck, and place a number of "A" song tiles equal to the number of players faceup on the indicated spaces. Put the remaining "A" song tiles on top of the "Б" song tiles and store on the appropriate storage space on the game board.
12 Each player takes a player board and places their trophy token above their trophy track. Player boards are double sided. We recommend playing with side "a" for your first few plays. Side "b" offers asymmetrical powers for each player board, and can be used to add variety to your game play.
13 Players receive horses based on the player order.
| 1st player | 2nd player | 3rd player | 4th player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 horses | 4 horses | 5 horses | 6 horses |
14 Each player takes 1 outpost in their color and 1 coin.
15 Separate the "S", "A", and "Б" Tsar's Wish cards, shuffle each deck, and set the "S" cards aside for the moment. Place one "A" Tsar's Wish card faceup in each of the 5 regions of the game board. Put the remaining "A" Tsar's Wish cards on top of the "Б" Tsar's Wish cards and store on the appropriate storage space on the game board.
16 Reveal a number of "S" Tsar's Wish cards equal to the number of players plus 1. Example: in a 3-player game, reveal 4 cards. On each card, place one randomly drawn fur tile, faceup. In reverse player order, each player chooses 1 of the Tsar's Wish cards. They take the card into their hand and the fur tile into their personal supply, next to their player board. Put the remaining fur tile back in the bag, and return the remaining card as well as any unused "S" Tsar's Wish cards to the box.
17 Place the season marker on the first space of the year track.
18 Place 12/17/20 banner tokens for the number of players (2/3/4) next to the game board as a general supply.
19 Place the remaining horses, outposts, and coins in the general supply. Place the remaining tiger tiles on the appropriate storage space of the game board. Horses and coins are not considered limited; in the unlikely event they run out, use any suitable replacement.
3-player setup: Place an outpost of the unused player color in each region of the game board, on the spaces marked "3-".
2-player setup: Place an outpost of one of the unused player colors in each region of the game board, on the spaces marked "3-". Then place an outpost of the remaining unused player color on the spaces of the two leftmost regions marked "2".
Game Overview
Each of the four rounds of the game represents one year. Each of these years consists of four turns representing the seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. In the Spring, Summer, and Autumn turns, you will advance across the varied landscapes of Siberia, hunting furs, visiting villages and yurts, establishing outposts, fulfilling the Tsar's wishes, and gathering stories of your epic adventures. During the Winter season of each year, you will return home to the starting tile, receive income, weave your stories into song, and reset for the following year. At the end of the 4th year, end game scoring takes place, and the player with the most Victory Points (VP) wins.
Gameplay
During Spring, Summer, and Autumn, you will perform the following three steps, in order, when you are the active player:
- Move
- May Perform 1 Basic Action
- May Perform 1 or 2 Main Actions (either of which can be basic or advanced)
During Winter, all players receive income, turn stories into song, and return their Cossacks to the starting tile to simultaneously perform upkeep.
Spring, Summer, or Autumn
Determine the active player. The active player is the one whose Cossack is furthest to the right, and has not yet had a turn this season. When the active player's turn is finished, the next active player is determined, and play proceeds until all players have taken a turn. If more than one Cossack is on the same tile, the Cossack furthest to the right is considered first in player order. If you move to a tile after another player, always put your Cossack to the left of any Cossacks already present, meaning you will move later in a future season.
Note: It can be helpful, when each player finishes their turn, to lay their Cossack on its side to keep track of which players have already taken a turn this season.
1. Move
As the active player you must move your Cossack one or two steps (one or two landscape tiles) further right, deeper into Siberia. You may move additional steps by paying horses: 1, 3, or 6 horses allow you to move 1, 2, or 3 additional steps respectively.
There may be gaps in the landscape tiles later in the game. These gaps do not count and are skipped when moving your Cossack.
When your Cossack reaches the landscape tile furthest to the right, it may not move any further.
Note: In the rare case that you can't move your Cossack, because you've already reached the last available landscape tile, simply skip the movement step.
2. Perform 1 Basic Action
As the active player you may now perform 1 basic action. There are 5 basic actions:
a. Take a Coin
Take 1 coin from the general supply.
b. Take Horses
Take 4 horses from the general supply. The white horse tokens count as 1 horse, and the burgundy tokens count as 3 horses. They can be exchanged as necessary.
c. Move
Move your Cossack one or two landscape tiles either to the right or the left. You may not pay horses to move extra spaces.
d. Hunt
Take a fur from the landscape tile that your Cossack meeple is on.
Taking the lowest numerical value tile is free. If you want a fur with a higher value, you can pay 1 horse for every fur with a lower value that you wish to skip.
You may also hunt 1 additional fur by paying 1 coin to the supply. Follow all normal hunting rules, paying horses to skip fur tiles if desired.
Example: Vladimir has his Cossack on a tile containing 4 fur tiles, of values 2, 2, 3, and 8. He first decides to pay 2 horses to skip the two value 2 furs, to take the value 3. He then decides to spend a coin to hunt for 1 additional fur, and with the value 3 fur gone, he pays another 2 horses to take the value 8 fur.
Tiger Tiles
A tiger tile is considered to be the highest value fur, and can be taken following the normal fur hunting rules. Tiger tiles are worth 2 VP at the end of the game, or they can be used during the game as a wild (any value) fur tile.
e. Trade
Discard a fur from your supply having the same value as the trade action setup fur, returning the discarded fur to the bag. Then you may choose 2 of the following bonuses:
- Take a coin
- Advance your story token 2 spaces on the story track
- Move your Cossack one or two landscape tiles to the right or left
- Take 3 horses
You may take the same bonus twice. If you choose the movement bonus, you may not pay horses to move further.
Furs and Coins
Furs are always kept faceup in your personal supply as open information.
Furs have exact values. Two value 3 furs will not substitute if a value 6 fur is required, nor can a value 8 fur substitute if a value 7 fur is required. However, when paying a fur, you may set the fur to any value by paying 1 coin in addition to the fur.
Fur discards always go back in the bag.
3. Perform 1 or 2 Main Actions (either of which can be basic or advanced)
As the active player you may now perform one main action for free, and you may perform a second main action for the fur cost. A main action can be one of the basic actions as listed in step 2, or it can be an advanced action.
Note: Advanced actions can only be performed in the region where your Cossack is located or in a region where you have built an outpost. There are some exceptions to this on cards or tiles (see appendix).
To perform a second basic action, you must pay one fur of any value.
To perform a second advanced action, you must pay a fur with the same value as the region fur in the location of your Cossack or outpost where you will perform the action.
Reminder: You may pay a coin to assign any value to a fur.
There are 5 advanced actions:
a. Visit a Village
Each region has one of the 5 village tiles. If you choose to visit a village, you receive the benefits on the tile. The village tile remains on that location to be used again throughout the game.
Village Tile Benefits
-
Take 1 banner token and 4 horses. Banner tokens permanently increase your horse income at the end of the year.
-
Take 1 banner token and 1 outpost. The outpost is taken from the general supply into your personal supply. It is not built at this time.
-
Gain 1 story point and take 1 coin. For the story point, move your story token one space to the right.
-
Take a fur from the market. Then refill the market with a fur from the bag.
-
Receive 1 trophy. This means that you may:
-
Move your trophy token 1 space down on the trophy track of your player board. The space you are moving to depicts the value fur you must pay to advance. If you cannot, or choose not to pay the fur, do not move your token.
-
Receive a reward. You may then choose any reward at or above your position on the trophy track. You may receive a reward even if you did not move your trophy token.
-
Trophy Rewards
- Take 3 horses. Always available, even if you have not yet moved your trophy token during the game.
- Gain 2 story points.
- Visit a village. You may choose any village on the board. However, you may not choose the village tile with the trophy symbol.
- Gain 1 VP.
- Draw 2 furs from the bag. Take 1 into your personal supply and return the other to the bag. Take 2 horses.
- Take a fur from the market, then refill the market with a fur from the bag. Gain two story points.
- Use a yurt. You may choose any yurt on the board. However, you may not choose a yurt tile with the trophy symbol.
- Take any 2 different rewards from the choices above.
For more info on the "b" sides of each player board, see page 11.
b. Use a Yurt
Each region has 1 yurt tile. If you choose to use a yurt, take the tile, receive the benefits, and then discard the tile. In Winter, new yurt tiles will be added to the board. Yurt tiles are limited. It is possible to have empty spaces when filling up, as "Б" tiles are not used until round 3.
Individual yurt tiles are explained further in the appendix.
c. Take a Tsar's Wish Card
Take a Tsar's Wish card into your hand. You may hold any number of wishes in your hand. In Winter, new cards will be added to the board.
d. Build an Outpost
Take an outpost from your personal supply and place it on the board on the leftmost available space in the same region as your Cossack. Pay the appropriate number of horses (0, 1, or 2) as depicted on the space where you place your outpost.
You are only allowed to have 1 of your outposts per region.
Example: Mavra decides to build an outpost in the region where her Cossack is currently located. Since the first two places are already occupied by two of her opponents' outposts, she has to pay 2 horses to place her outpost. From now on, she will be able to perform advanced actions in this region even if her Cossack isn't present there.
e. Claim a Landscape Tile
A landscape tile costs 2 furs plus one additional fur for each fur or tiger tile still on the tile. All furs paid must be the same value as the region fur. Once you've paid the cost, take the tile and all the tile's furs and tiger tiles into your personal supply.
The landscape tile is placed faceup to the right of your player board. You immediately receive the reward indicated on the landscape tile. This can be VP, coins, horses, furs from the bag, and/or furs from the market.
At the end of the game you will receive VP for any collected sets of 3 or 4 different landscape tiles.
Note: All Cossacks that were on the landscape tile are left standing in the gap.
Example: Feodor uses a yurt for his first main action. He also wishes to claim a steppe landscape tile in a region where he previously built an outpost. So to perform this second advanced action he pays a value 6 fur as indicated by that region's setup fur. The tile costs two value 6 furs, plus two more value 6 furs, one for each of the fur tiles remaining on the tile, for a grand total of five value 6 furs. He only has four value 6 furs, so pays a coin to change his value 2 fur to meet the requirement, and takes the tile. He places the landscape tile to the right of his player board, adds the furs from the tile to his personal supply. He receives 2 story points (from acquiring the value 8 fur), 3 VP, 1 fur tile drawn from the bag, and a coin.
Auxiliary Actions
Auxiliary actions may be taken by the active player at any point, and as many times as they want, during their turn, even during Winter.
Buying Furs
Pay 5 horses to the general supply and take 1 fur from the market, or 2 furs from the bag, choosing one and returning the other. If you take a fur from the market, immediately draw one from the bag to replace it.
Trading Furs
Pay 1 horse to the general supply and 1 fur to the bag to take a lower value fur from the market than the one you used for payment, or you can return 2 furs of any value to the bag and take a single fur of any value from the market, immediately draw one from the bag to replace it.
Fulfill a Tsar's Wish
To fulfill a Tsar's Wish card from your hand, you must possess a certain number of a particular value fur, as depicted on the card. The red-framed furs on the card indicate how many of those furs you must return to the bag (1 or 2).
In this example, you must possess three value 6 furs, and return one to the bag to fulfill this wish.
The other required furs are not spent, but stay in your personal supply. As always, you may pay a coin to assign any value to a fur. If you do this for one or more of the furs that will remain in your supply, the value change is only for the duration of this action. Tiger tiles can be used as a wild, but are spent like a coin; return them to the supply, even if used for a fur that would normally have remained in your personal supply.
Score any immediate VP, then slide the card under the top right of your player board, leaving its ongoing effect visible. Some cards have recurring effects specific to a season, as indicated by an icon. A few cards are immediate one-time use only. They should be kept facedown in your personal supply after use.
Individual Tsar's Wish cards are explained further in the appendix.
The Tsar's Wishes
Some Tsar's Wish cards will allow you to perform additional advanced actions during a specific season. If you have fulfilled such a card and it is currently the correct season, you may perform the additional advanced action at any point during your turn. You may do this even if the card was fulfilled this turn.
Drawing a Fur From the Bag
Whenever an effect allows you to draw a fur from the bag, you always draw 2 furs, choose one to keep, and return the other one back in the bag.
Bear Furs
At any point you acquire a value 8 fur, you immediately gain 2 story points (including during setup).
Reaching the End of the Story Track
If you actively move onto (or virtually beyond) step 12, the last step of the story track, you can immediately, but only once per turn, gain the reward(s) on a song tile (see 2. Storytelling below). Choose the tile, spend the story points, take the reward(s); however, the song tile remains on the board. Any excess story points accumulated beyond step 12 are lost.
Spring, Summer, and Autumn Season End
Once all players have taken a turn, the current season is finished. Advance the season marker to the next season, and proceed with play.
Note: Stand all Cossacks up if using that helpful reminder.
Winter
After every Autumn season, Winter arrives. Your Cossacks will return home and reset for the next year, following these steps in this order:
1. Income
You receive 2 horses plus 1 additional horse for every banner token you own. Fulfilled Tsar's Wish cards may provide you with additional income. This can be horses, story points, coins, furs, or even an additional advanced action that you can take immediately, anywhere on the board.
2. Storytelling
You have collected stories worth turning into song during the long days of Winter! The more points you have collected for your story the better the song you can write, and the greater your reward.
First, the player who is furthest into Siberia receives 2 story points. Then, the player who is second furthest receives 1 story point. If anyone reaches the end of the story track, immediately gain the rewards as normal before resuming the storytelling step.
Then, in player order, starting with the player who traveled the furthest into Siberia and proceeding from right to left, each player may select a song tile. If you choose a song tile, you must spend the story points indicated by the red number. Immediately receive the reward(s), and then discard the tile.
Note: If this is the 4th year of the game, proceed to end game scoring.
3. Administration
In years 1-3, you'll need to reset the board for the upcoming year.
Return the Cossacks to the starting tile, maintaining the current player order.
Move the landscape tiles from right to left as necessary to close any gaps, and then add new landscape tiles to the end of the row, filling the board back up to 12 tiles. Draw furs and place them on these new tiles as in the setup.
Note: Do not add furs to the old landscape tiles. If there are not enough furs in the bag to completely fill the new tiles, spread the furs over the new tiles as evenly as possible, by putting one or two fewer furs on each, rather than filling one tile and leaving another blank. If the rightmost landscape tile is new, place a tiger tile on it as in the setup.
Discard all furs from the market, mixing them back into the bag, and then draw 6 new furs to fill the market back up.
Note: For the following 3 steps, please make sure to only use "A" tiles & cards in year 1 and 2, and "Б" tiles & cards in rounds 3 & 4. At the end of year 2, remove ALL tiles and cards marked with "A".
Discard all unclaimed song tiles. Reveal as many new song tiles as there are players. The story tokens remain in place.
Move the yurt tiles from right to left as necessary to close any gaps, and add new yurt tiles to the empty spaces, left to right. In some rare cases, there may be empty spots left as you refill. Village tiles remain in place throughout the game.
Move the Tsar's Wish cards from right to left as necessary to close any gaps, and add new Tsar's Wish cards to any vacant spaces.
Advance the season marker to Spring to begin a new year.
Game End
At the end of 4 years, after the income and storytelling steps of the Winter season, the game ends.
All players add their end game Victory Points (VP) to their in-game VP, in this order:
- Tsar's Wish cards – Score end-game VP (silver shields) depicted on the "Б" cards for fulfilling specific requirements. See the appendix for reference.
- Landscape Tile Sets – Each set of 3 or 4 different landscape tiles from forest, steppe, swamp, and mountain scores 3 or 6 VP respectively.
- Tiger Tiles – Each unused tiger tile in your personal supply scores 2 VP.
- Trophy Track – Score points on the trophy track based on the shield number your trophy token has reached or just passed.
- Built Outposts – For 1/2/3/4/5 built outposts you score 1/3/6/10/15 VP.
- Unbuilt Outposts – Score 1 VP for each outpost in your personal supply.
- Coins – Score 1 VP for every 2 Coins in your personal supply, rounded down.
- Horses and Furs – Convert every 5 horses in your personal supply into one fur (the value is irrelevant). Then score 1 VP for every 2 furs in your personal supply, rounded down.
- Story Track – Score 1 VP for every 4 remaining story points you have, rounded down.
The player with the most VP wins, and brings great honor to the name Stroganov. If there is a tie, the player whose Cossack has traveled furthest (to the right) into Siberia wins.
Asymmetrical Player Boards
If you wish to add some variety to your game of Stroganov, use the "b" side of each player board during setup. It is highly recommended for all players to use the "b" side at the same time. It is possible to mix use of the "a" and "b" sides, but it will be a bigger challenge for those playing side "a".
Special rule change for when playing with the "b" sides: when your story token reaches the "12" spot, you may advance one step on your trophy track by spending a number of story points equal to the value of the next fur space below your trophy token. For example: if the next step of your trophy track requires you to pay a value 5 fur, you move back your story token 5 steps and advance your trophy token 1 step. You do not pay the fur as usual, but do receive the associated bonus.
Here are the special abilities of each "b" side:
- The blue player board offers a shorter trophy track, making it easier to advance.
- The red player board makes it easier to progress on the trophy track, track as every other step does not require a fur to advance the trophy token.
- The green player board offers more coins to its owner as they progress on the trophy track.
- The yellow player board increases the value of end-game VP. That player will score 2/5/9/14 VP at the end of the game based on the position of their trophy token.
Historical Note
In the late 16th century, the Stroganovs, a merchant family rich from salt mining in Solvychegodsk, were granted lands along the Kama and Chusovaya rivers, by Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible). Russia did not own the land, but the Tsar's idea was to entice the family, with the promise of tax privileges, to use the land and to grow rich on the fur trade, thus bringing the claimed land under Stroganov (Russian) control. Seizing the opportunity, the Stroganovs employed Russian Cossacks, and their horses, to help. It is in this initial expansion on the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains, at the edge of what we now know as Siberia, that the game is set. Hunting across vast landscapes, fueled by a greedy desire to earn the favor of the Tsar, makes a competitive atmosphere for a strategic game. But history is never so isolated.
This greed drove the Russian expansion ever eastward, and by the mid-17th century, Russia had extended its control out to the Pacific Ocean, and by the mid-18th century had slowly appropriated the Indigenous lands in Siberia. Many small tribes were destroyed by smallpox and violent occupation. Today over 180 different Indigenous people groups remain in Russia, 40 are officially recognized as such. After years of exploitation and colonization, they still struggle to claim their land, natural resources, and fishing rights.
We invite you to continue to learn more about Siberia and the Indigenous people who live there.
Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, Smithsonian: Timelines of History, and IWGIA (International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs)
Solo Mode
In this solo mode, you will have to try to beat Ivan, a fearsome trapper who knows Siberia like the back of his hand. You will need to keep pace with Ivan as he mercilessly progresses on the victory point track …
Setup
Follow the setup rules for a 2-player game, with the following changes:
- Ivan is the start player at the beginning of the game.
- Place Ivan's player board (side "a") next to the game board.
- Reveal 2 "S" Tsar's Wish cards and place 1 fur on each card. First you choose one card and fur, then the other card and fur go to Ivan. Ivan keeps the fur in his personal supply, but for the card, Ivan simply gains 1 VP and then discards it.
- Shuffle the 18 automa cards, randomly return 5 to the box, and place the remaining cards, in a deck, with the movement icons faceup.
Alternative setup: Ivan can focus on specific strategies. Choose a letter from a to f, remove all 5 of those cards from the deck, and in the remaining 13 cards you will be left with a focused set of actions.
Example: remove all 5 "c" cards and in the remaining 13 cards, Ivan will have more Outpost and Tsar's Wish actions.
- a: Outposts & Trophies
- b: Outposts & Landscape Tiles
- c: Outposts & Tsar's Wishes
- d: Trophies & Landscape Tiles
- e: Trophies & Tsar's Wishes
- f: Landscape Tiles & Tsar's Wishes
As in a 2-player game, you and Ivan take turns.
Ivan's turn
- Flip an Automa Card Faceup
- Move
- Basic Action – hunt or take a coin
- Main Action – claim a landscape tile or visit a village
- Additional Action – determined by the automa card, performed as far into Siberia as possible
Here are the 5 steps of Ivan's turn explained in more detail:
1 On Ivan's turn, first flip the top card of the automa deck and place it faceup to the right of the automa deck. The card now on the top of the automa deck will determine Ivan's movement. The card now faceup next to the deck will determine Ivan's action(s) this turn.
2 Move Ivan's Cossack the number of steps as shown on the card on top of the automa deck.
3 For Ivan's basic action, he will choose to hunt if there is at least one fur available on the landscape tile with his Cossack. Ivan will take the fur(s) with the lowest or the highest value(s), as depicted on the faceup automa card. Remember, a tiger tile, when present, is considered the highest value fur and will give Ivan 2 VP at the end of the game, if it's still in his supply.
If the landscape tile is empty, Ivan gets a coin for every fur he was supposed to hunt, 1-2, depending on the card.
4 For Ivan's first main action he will first choose to buy the landscape tile his Cossack is on. Ivan will only buy a tile if it is empty. To buy the tile, as per the usual rules, he has to pay 2 furs that match that region's setup fur. Once he has paid the cost, he takes the tile into his supply, gaining any applicable rewards.
If Ivan does not have the matching furs (or wilds) to buy the landscape tile, Ivan visits the village in the region his Cossack is in.
Special rules for Ivan
A few special rules apply:
- Ivan will be able to gain and spend things as normal, except Ivan never needs to pay horses. All actions, steps, or bonuses that require horses are free for Ivan. Whenever Ivan has collected 5 horses, he immediately exchanges them into 1 VP.
- When Ivan takes a fur from the bag, he draws one and adds it to his supply.
- Gaining a value 8 fur gives Ivan 2 steps on the story track, as normal, but a value 8 fur also counts as a wild fur for Ivan.
- A coin can be used as a wild fur for Ivan.
- Whenever Ivan has to pay a specific value fur that he doesn't have, he must, if possible, and in this order choose to:
- Spend a value 8 fur, or
- Spend a coin, or
- Spend a tiger tile.
- When Ivan takes a fur from the market, the faceup automa card in front of him will determine if he takes the lowest or highest value fur (pictured here: the lowest value).
- When Ivan gains an extra action as a bonus, he does not take it, but instead gains 3 VP.
Example: Ivan's automa cards indicate whether to take 1 or 2 furs. One arrow pointing at the top of the fur column indicates Ivan takes the single lowest value fur. Two arrows there indicates you take the 2 lowest value furs. When the arrow(s) point at the bottom of the fur column it indicates the highest value available fur tile. This includes Tiger Tiles.
5 For Ivan's additional action, he will perform the action depicted on the faceup card next to the automa deck. Unlike regular players, Ivan only has to pay a region fur cost for an additional action if the action does not require furs to activate (Take a Tsar's Wish, Build an Outpost, and Use a Yurt). He does not have to pay any value fur for the additional actions that do (Receive 1 Trophy or Claim a Landscape Tile). If the location of the action is relevant, Ivan will wish to do it as far into Siberia as possible. Determine Ivan's rightmost position, be it with his Cossack or an outpost, and check to see if the action is possible there and if Ivan can pay the required matching fur(s). If both conditions are met, he pays the fur(s) and performs the action. If the action is not possible, or he lacks the correct fur(s), check Ivan's second rightmost region, and so on, until he is able to meet the requirements to perform the additional action, or until it is determined it is not possible in any region, in which case Ivan does not perform a second action and his turn is over. If the location is not relevant, perform the action to the best of Ivan's abilities, or if not possible, his turn is over.
Here are the details of each of the additional actions:
Take a Tsar's Wish
Whenever Ivan takes a Tsar's Wish card, it's immediately scored. If it's an "A" card, only score the immediate VP and return the card to the box. If it's a "Б" card, score the immediate VP and place the card next to Ivan's player board for further end game scoring.
Build an Outpost
Ivan builds an outpost per the usual rules. If Ivan already has an outpost in his Cossack's region, or if there is no empty space, or if Ivan doesn't have an outpost in his supply, or if Ivan can't pay the matching region fur, he instead takes an outpost into his supply, if available.
Use a Yurt
Ivan gains the bonus of the yurt tile.
Receive 1 Trophy
Ivan pays the fur depicted on the trophy track to move his trophy token down 1 space. When Ivan gains a step on his trophy track, he gains 1 immediate VP as depicted on his track. Ivan also gains the reward if he is unable to move down the track.
Claim a Landscape Tile
When claiming a landscape tile as an additional action Ivan will claim the tile even if there are furs present. He must have the 2 matching region furs, as normal, but also any more additional matching region furs if there are other fur tiles still present on the tile. If able to purchase a tile, Ivan takes it, and its furs, into his supply and gains any applicable rewards.
Example: Ivan's Cossack is his furthest right presence, but the landscape tile he is on contains 3 furs, making it too expensive to buy. His next rightmost presence is his outpost in the 2nd region, but he does not have any value 4 furs, and only one coin and one value 8 fur (both wild for Ivan).
He does have another outpost in the 1st region. This landscape tile has one fur. He has to pay three value 2 furs to be able to buy this landscape tile, which he can. He pays one value 2 fur, his value 8 fur, and a coin to buy the landscape tile. He then takes the landscape tile and fur into his personal supply and also gains the reward on the tile.
Winter (Solo)
During winter, Ivan gains a song tile if possible. Whoever's Cossack progressed furthest into Siberia, gets to choose first.
Ivan will take the most expensive song tile that he can pay for with story track steps. If more than one have the same cost, he will take the rightmost tile.
Note: As would any player, if Ivan reaches the rightmost space on the story track, he can immediately gain the reward on a song tile. Ivan chooses the most expensive song tile, spends the story points indicated by the red number, takes the corresponding reward(s), and the song tile remains on the board.
End Game Scoring (Solo)
Score Ivan's points as you would for a normal player.
Added Difficulty
If you want Ivan to be an even more challenging opponent, these are a few additional rules that you can apply for Ivan:
- Whenever Ivan doesn't have the right fur to fully perform his additional action, he gains 1 coin instead.
- Whenever Ivan gains a fur with the same value as the fur on the trade action space, he gains one coin instead.
- Use "b" side of the solo board, that represents Katyusha. Her trophy track gives her bigger VP bonuses when she moves down the track.
Appendix
Tsar's Wish Cards
S1: Whenever you move your Cossack (in any direction), you may move an additional step for free.
S2: During Winter, you receive 3 horses.
S3: During Winter, you receive 1 coin.
S4: During Winter, you receive 2 story points.
S5: During Winter, you receive 2 horses for each of your built outposts.
S6: During Winter, you receive 2 horses per landscape tile you possess.
S7: When you move your trophy token, you may take a reward from 1 step further down the track than your trophy token. If you are on space 7, this means you can take any 2 different rewards as shown on space 8. Cannot be combined with A4.
S8: When performing a hunting action you may hunt from the landscape tile your Cossack is on, or 1 tile to the right or left, ignore any gaps.
S9: When paying a fur to perform a second advanced action, you may pay any value fur instead of the usual setup fur requirement in the region of your Cossack or outposts.
A1: Whenever you move your Cossack (in any direction), you may move an additional step for free.
A2: During Winter, you receive 3 horses.
A3: When you fulfill a Tsar's Wish, you may possess one fewer than the required number of furs. This does not apply when the fulfilment requires you to possess and pay the same number of furs.
A4: When you move your trophy token, you may take a reward from 1 step further down the track than your trophy token. If you are on space 7, this means you can take any 2 different rewards as shown on space 8. Cannot be combined with S7.
A5: During Winter, you may draw a fur from the bag, drawing 2, keeping 1 and returning the other as usual.
A6: Whenever you perform an advanced action where your Cossack is, you may also choose to do it on either of the two spaces to the left of your Cossack, ignore any gaps.
A7: During Winter, you receive 2 story points.
A8: When hunting, you do not need to pay horses to skip lower value fur tiles.
A9: During Winter, you may perform an advanced action, for free, anywhere on the board.
A10: Immediately take 1 tiger tile into your personal supply. This is a one-time use, but keep the card in your supply as it is considered a fulfilled Tsar's Wish card for end game scoring purposes.
A11: During Spring, you may take an extra advanced action, for free, in the region of your Cossack or outposts.
A12: During Summer, you may take an extra advanced action, for free, in the region of your Cossack or outposts.
A13: During Autumn, you may take an extra advanced action, for free, in the region of your Cossack or outposts.
A14: Hunting a second time does not cost you a coin.
Б1: Receive 2 VP during end game scoring.
Б2: Receive 3 VP during end game scoring.
Б3: Receive 4 VP during end game scoring.
Б4: During end game scoring, score 1 VP for each unused tiger tile in your personal supply.
Б5: During end game scoring, score 1 VP for each of your built outposts.
Б6: During end game scoring, score VP equal to your current VP divided by 4 (rounded down). Score this card before your other Tsar's Wishes.
Б7: During end game scoring, score 1 VP for each coin in your personal supply.
Б8: During end game scoring, score 3 VP for each mountain landscape tile in your personal supply.
Б9: During end game scoring, score 3 VP for each swamp landscape tile in your personal supply.
Б10: During end game scoring, score 3 VP for each steppe landscape tile in your personal supply.
Б11: During end game scoring, score 3 VP for each forest landscape tile in your personal supply.
Б12: During end game scoring, score 1 VP for each landscape tile in your personal supply.
Б13: During end game scoring, score 1 VP for each fulfilled Tsar's Wish card in your personal supply, including this one.
Б14: During end game scoring, score 1 VP for each banner token in your personal supply.
Yurt Tiles
- Gain one story point. Draw a fur tile from the bag twice: draw two tiles, keep one and return the other; then draw two more tiles, again keeping one and returning the other.
- Gain one story point. Take 2 fur tiles from the market. After taking each fur, draw a new fur tile from the bag to refill the market.
Song Tiles
- A: Perform an advanced action anywhere on the board. You do not need to pay the matching region fur.
- Б: Get 2 in-game VP and visit a village anywhere on the board. You do not need to pay the matching region fur.
- Б: Get 1 in-game VP and perform an advanced action for free anywhere on the board. You do not need to pay the matching region fur.
- Б: Immediately build an outpost anywhere on the board, taking it from the general supply rather than your personal supply. You do not need to pay any horses.
- Б: You may immediately fulfill a Tsar's Wish card by paying the required number of furs, but you do not need to possess the extra furs normally required by the card.
Icons
- Generic fur. Represents a fur tile, value not specified.
- Tiger tile. Spent tiger tiles are returned to the general supply.
- A market fur tile. When a fur is taken from the market, it is always replaced immediately with a fur from the bag.
- A bag fur tile. When performing this action always draw 2 and keep 1, returning the other to the bag.
- A basic action.
- An advanced action. Advanced actions can be performed in the region where you have your Cossack or an outpost.
- An advanced action that can be carried out anywhere on the board.
- In-game victory points. They may also earn you extra end game VP from a Tsar's Wish.
- End game victory points.
- Hunting action.
- Move your Cossack 1-2 steps to the right or left.
- An outpost. When shown as an action it means to take 1 from the general supply and add it to your personal supply.
- A banner token.
- 1 horse.
- 3 horses.
- 1 coin.
- A generic landscape tile. Represents a landscape tile, content not specified.
- Forest landscape tile.
- Steppe landscape tile.
- Swamp landscape tile.
- Mountain landscape tile.
- 1 story point.
- Red value indicates the amount of story points required to be spent to take a song tile. If you cannot spend the required points you may not select that song tile.
- Receive 1 trophy.
- Trophy track reward.
- A fulfilled Tsar's Wish card.
- Spring, Summer, Autumn Seasons. When on a card it indicates the season that card is active.
- Winter Season. When on a card it indicates a bonus you may take during the Winter seasons.
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