Tír na nÓg: Blessings & Burdens Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Module 1: New Geas Cards
  • Components
  • Setup
  • How to Play
• Module 2: Blessed Realms
  • Components
  • Setup
  • How to Play
  • Solo Mode
• Module 3: The Lore of Places
  • Components
  • Setup
  • How to Play
    • Gaining a Mormaer
    • Using a Mormaer
  • Solo Mode
• Module 4: Triquetra
  • Components
  • Setup
  • How to Play
    • Gaining Triquetra Tokens
    • The Goals
    • Spending Triquetra Tokens to Gain Blessings
    • Additional Rules for Bridges
  • Solo Mode
• Module 5: Followers of The Morrigan
  • Components
  • Setup
  • How to Play
  • Scoring Key (as printed on the example Geas cards)

Overview

Tír na nÓg: Blessings & Burdens is a modular expansion to the base game of Tír na nÓg. Each of the five modules may be used independently, or in combination with any or all of the other modules. The rules for each module describe changes to setup, new rules of play, and new scoring rules. Solo rules are included for the solo-compatible modules.

Components

• 30 double-sided Geas cards, 6 each in 5 colors
• 1 double-sided Blessed Realms Board
• 4 Region Score Trackers
• 4 Mormaer Tiles
• 4 Archways, 1 in each Region color
• 16 Triquetra tokens
• 4 Triquetra Goal Cards
• 5 Bridges

Module 1: New Geas Cards

This module adds six new Geas cards to the game, two for each row of your Saga. You may mix and match Geas cards from the base game and the expansion, as long as every player uses the same Geas cards. If you'd like to play with asymmetric Geas cards, where each player has a different set in play, consult Module 5: Followers of The Morrigan later in these rules.

Components

30 double-sided Geas cards, 6 each in 5 colors.

Setup

No changes to setup. When playing solo, do not use the Tuatha De Danann Arrive in Ireland Geas card. It is marked as not available for solo play.

How to Play

No changes to gameplay.

Module 2: Blessed Realms

In this module, the cards you discard each turn will impact the number of points each region is worth in endgame region scoring. Will you discard cards of one color to increase the value of the region? Or save them to add to your Saga and increase the size of your region?

Components

• 1 double-sided Blessed Realms Board
• 4 Region Score Trackers

Setup

Complete the steps below, then continue to set up the game as described in the base game.

1. Leave the Regions of Tír na nÓg card in the box, you will not need it for this game.
2. Place the Blessed Realms Board in play on the 1-3 players or 4-5 players side.
3. Randomize the 4 Region Score Trackers and place one each on the first four steps of the track of the Blessed Realms Board.
4. Complete the setup steps for the base game, or any other modules you wish to use.

Board key, 1-3 players side (as printed on the board): the track is marked in steps 1-2, 3-5 and 6-8, and four grey scoring circles are labelled 5/1 VP, 6/2 VP, 9/4 VP and 11/5 VP. The printed values 20, 15, 5 and 10 on the board art are not explained in the rules text.

How to Play

In the Cleanup Phase, you will select and discard a card as usual. All players simultaneously select a card to discard and place it facedown on their discard piles. In turn order, going clockwise, reveal your discarded card and move the Region Score Tracker of the same color forward on the Blessed Realms board. Move the tracker forward as follows:

Card Rank	Tracker Movement
0-2	1 space
3-6	2 spaces
7+	3 spaces

Trackers cannot occupy the same space. Skip over spaces with other trackers and only count open spaces when moving the tracker.

In the Scoring: Regions of Tír na nÓg phase, place the Region Score Tracker that is furthest along the track on the highest-value scoring circle (gray circle) on the Blessed Realms board. Repeat for each remaining Region Score Tracker until they are all assigned to a scoring circle. Then, determine which players have the largest, second-largest, and third-largest regions of each color, and assign first-, second-, and third-place victory points to each player. In games with 1-3 players, do not award points for third place. All the other rules for scoring are unchanged.

Solo Mode

In solo mode, Balor does not discard any cards. At the end of each round, find the color Balor has the most of. If tied, choose one of the tied colors. Move that color's Region Score Tracker forward two spaces. Next, discard a card from your hand and move a Region Score tracker forward like normal. At the end of the game, score as normal.

Module 3: The Lore of Places

Become a Mormaer, a regional ruler, and gain special once-per-round powers when you have the largest region of a color in your Saga.

Components

• 4 Mormaer Tiles
• 4 Archways, one in each Region color

Setup

1. Put the 4 Mormaer tiles in play faceup.
2. Randomly slot each Mormaer tile into an Archway.
3. Leave space for each player's personal discard pile.
4. For 3-5 players, choose one of the configurations below for the Otherworld. Use the same configuration in every round when resetting the Otherworld. These configurations use fewer cards than the base game, so players will have fewer options when performing the Echtra Quest.
5. Complete the setup steps for the base game, or any other modules you wish to use.

Otherworld configurations for 3-5 players (choose one for each player count)

Each player count has two printed layouts, shown as "OR" alternatives. Choose either one.

3 players, option A:

  ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■

3 players, option B:

■ ■ ■ ■
■     ■
■ ■ ■ ■

4 players, option A:

  ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■

4 players, option B:

■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■   ■   ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■

5 players, option A:

  ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■

5 players, option B:

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■   ■ ■   ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

How to Play

Gaining a Mormaer

In the Saga Phase, when you create a color region of 3+ cards that is larger than any other player's region of that color, take the Archway of the matching color, with its Mormaer tile, from the play area or from the player who previously controlled them, and place them in front of you, upright and ready for use.

In the Cleanup Phase, you will select and discard a card as usual, but you will discard it into your own personal discard pile, not the public discard pile. Only round-end cards you select to discard go to your personal discard piles. All other cards, such as cards left in the Otherworld, or cards discarded through card effects, still go to the public discard pile.

Using a Mormaer

Once per round you may use a Mormaer power you've earned by turning the Archway sideways. You may use one or more Mormaers in a turn, and you may use a Mormaer on the same turn you claimed it. The four Mormaer powers are:

1. In the Saga Phase swap a card from your hand with the top card of any discard pile, personal or public.
2. In the Saga Phase swap a card from your hand with any card from your discard pile or the public discard pile.
3. In the Saga Phase change the color of a card in your Saga that is the same color as this Archway. In other words, if the Archway was blue, you may change any blue card in your Saga to another color. Use a color change token to mark this change.
4. In the Journey Phase you may play two storytellers in one turn.

In the Cleanup Phase, turn all Archways upright and ready for use in the next round.

Solo Mode

In solo mode, when Balor discards cards to check for Ailms, the cards go to his personal discard pile, not the public one. All of Balor's cards count as part of a region. During the Cleanup phase Balor earns 1VP for each Mormaer power he has earned. Track tallies on the score pad for this.

Module 4: Triquetra

When you honor the unity of all things, you will be rewarded with up to three blessings. Be the first to finish a Triquetra goal and receive a blessing. Every player who achieves the same goal in the same round will be blessed. The blessings give you the power to change the rank of a card, to swap a card in your Saga with a card from your hand, or to lay a Bridge, a new component that can connect cards diagonally, or span across a card entirely.

Components

• 16 Triquetra tokens
• 4 Goal Cards
• 5 Bridges

Setup

1. Randomly select three Goal Cards to put in play, and return the fourth to the box.
2. Add a single Triquetra token to each Goal Card. Put the Triquetra tokens in a general supply in case multiple players finish a goal in the same round.
3. For 3-5 players, choose one of the configurations below for the Otherworld. Use the same configuration in every round when resetting the Otherworld. These configurations use fewer cards than the base game, so players will have fewer options when performing the Echtra Quest.
4. Give each player a Bridge.
5. Complete the setup steps for the base game, or any other modules you wish to use.

Otherworld configurations for 3-5 players (the same layouts as Module 3; choose one for each player count)

3 players, option A:

  ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■

3 players, option B:

■ ■ ■ ■
■     ■
■ ■ ■ ■

4 players, option A:

  ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■

4 players, option B:

■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■   ■   ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■

5 players, option A:

  ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■

5 players, option B:

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
■   ■ ■   ■
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

How to Play

Gaining Triquetra Tokens

Saga Phase: The first player to accomplish a Goal shown on a Goal card takes the Triquetra token from it and adds it to their supply. If any other player finishes the same goal during the same Saga phase, they collect a Triquetra token from the general supply.

The Goals

Goals are completed the first time you achieve the condition on the card:

• Create a row of 5 Encounter cards in your Saga.
• Complete the first two columns of your Saga.
• Have cards of all four colors in your Saga.
• Have cards with the values 3, 4, 5, and 6 in your Saga (you may have cards with other values in your Saga too).

Cleanup Phase: Flip over any Goal that has no Triquetra tokens remaining on it to show that it is out of play.

Spending Triquetra Tokens to Gain Blessings

Saga Phase: On your turn, spend one Triquetra from your supply and immediately perform one of the three blessings below:

• Change the value of an Encounter Card in your Saga that does not have an Ailm to any number from 1-8.
• Place a Bridge from your supply to connect two Encounter Cards diagonally, horizontally, or vertically. When laid horizontally or vertically, the bridge will span across one entire card or empty space. Bridges make the connected cards adjacent for determining the size of a region only, including the Lore of Places module, if in play. They do not make cards adjacent for card effects. You may only have one bridge in your Saga.
• Exchange a card in your Saga with a card in your hand. This does not count as playing the card, and "When Played" effects on the card entering your Saga are ignored.

You may spend a Triquetra token the same turn you earn it. However, you may only spend one Triquetra per round. Do not save all your Triquetra tokens for round 5, since you can only use one that round! Unspent Triquetra tokens have no value at the end of the game.

Additional Rules for Bridges

• You may place a bridge over a gap in your Saga. The bridge has no effect on the gap, and the gap will fill in according to the normal rules for playing cards in your Saga. If a gap develops under a bridge, the bridge is unaffected.
• If one of the cards at either end of bridge is moved, discard the bridge back to your supply.
• If you previously built a bridge and then discarded it, you may build the bridge again in any legal location by spending another Triquetra token.

Solo Mode

In solo mode, do not use a general supply of Triquetra tokens. For each goal, only one Triquetra token will be awarded to either you or Balor. Balor will collect a Triquetra token from the Goal card of your choice at the end of rounds 2, 3, and 4, if there are any available.

Module 5: Followers of The Morrigan

Draft and play with a unique set of Geas cards. We knew you were going to try it anyway, so here are some rules to make it work. This module is for 2+ players only.

Components

One full set of 18 Geas cards in a single color.

Setup

1. Take a complete set of Geas cards in one color, including the twelve Geas cards from the base game and the six from this expansion.
2. Sort the Geas cards into Top, Middle, and Bottom decks, as indicated on the cards.
3. Randomly select Geas cards from each deck, picking 3/4/5/6 cards from each deck for games with 2/3/4/5 players.
4. Shuffle the selected cards and deal them into a grid of 3x3/3x4/3x5/3x6 for games with 2/3/4/5 players.
5. Do not deal an Otherworld grid of Encounter Cards yet.
6. Complete the setup steps for the base game, or any other modules you wish to use.

The printed setup step 5 carries a stray asterisk with no matching note in the source; it is omitted here.

How to Play

The Followers of The Morrigan module features a round of drafting of Geas cards that plays almost exactly like a regular round of Tír na nÓg. After determining the start player, play a Storyteller, in turn order, between two Geas Cards. Then, in reverse turn order, select a Geas Card next to your storyteller, return the Storyteller to your supply, and add the Geas Card to your Saga. The following additional rules apply:

1. You must select exactly one Top, Middle, and Bottom Geas Card.
2. If, on your turn, you are not adjacent to any valid Geas cards, your Storyteller is Lost, and will select a valid Geas Card during the Echtra Quest phase, as usual.

After all players have finished selecting Geas cards, add up the Solo Scores/Followers of The Morrigan score on each of your three Geas cards. If your total is less than 55, gain a Triquetra token from the supply. You may use this token during the game, following the rules above, Module 4: Triquetra.

After drafting Geas cards, return the undrafted Geas cards to the box. Each player can take their drafted Geas cards and swap them for those in their player color, and then return the drafted Geas cards to the box.

Pass the first player token to the left, and begin the first round of play as normal, starting by dealing Encounter Cards into the Otherworld grid as described in the base game rules, or the rules of any other module in play that use an alternate Otherworld setup.

Scoring Key (as printed on the example Geas cards)

The Followers of The Morrigan scoring is explained on two example Geas cards printed in the rulebook.

Bottom row card, "Tuatha Dé Danann Arrive in Ireland"

Each card in this row can score up to 4VP:

• 1VP if the card's value does not match any cards in your left neighbor's BOTTOM row.
• 1VP if the card's value does not match any card in your right neighbor's BOTTOM row.
• 1VP if the card's color does not match any cards in your left neighbor's BOTTOM row.
• 1VP if the card's color does not match any card in your right neighbor's BOTTOM row.

Your right and left neighbor are the same opponent in a 2-player game, but each card can still score up to 4VP.

The card is marked "Do not use for solo" and "Followers of Morrigan: 10".

Top row card, "SADB"

Score each card here that is not adjacent to any card of the same color. The example's top row shows the values 8, 3, 4, 7 and 2, with the printed annotation "8+3 = 11 VP".

The card is marked "Solo score: 30".