The Treasure of Montecristo Island

The Treasure of Montecristo Island Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

1 Game Board
1 D6 Die
1 D8 Resource Die
1 D8 Compass Die
6 Double-Sided Adventurer Tiles
24 Sliders
7 Figures (6 Adventurers and 1 Thief)
30 Evening Fate Cards
6 Reference Tiles
5 Satchel Tiles
6 Axe Tiles
6 Spear Tiles
4 Well Disks
4 Altar / Fire Tokens
2 Gear Tokens
1 Treasure Coin
25 Wood Resource Cubes (Orange)
25 Stone Resource Cubes (Grey)
25 Coal Resource Cubes (Red)
25 Rope Resource Cubes (Yellow)
25 Food Resource Cubes (Green)
25 Water Resource Cubes (Light Blue)

Objective

The objective of The Treasure of Montecristo Island is to survive together as a team long enough to find the treasure, avoid the Thief, and escape the island.

Winning and Losing the Game

The game is over when all living players return to their ship in the northwest with the treasure OR the Thief escapes to their ship in the southeast with the treasure.

Setup

Each player blindly selects an Adventurer Figure (red, blue, yellow, green, orange, or pink), then receives the corresponding Adventurer Tile and Inventory Tile. Note: The Muscle starts with an axe and the Crew stars with a spear.
Adventurer Figures are set at the starting location: the ship in the Cala Maestra Cove on the northwest side of the map. Set the Thief (white figure) at the ship on the southeast side of the map.
Evening Fate Cards are shuffled and placed face down in their designated spot on the board.
Each player sets all Adventurer stats (health, food, and water) on their tile to full. Special instructions, or starting bonuses unique to your Adventurer, are listed at the bottom of your inventory card.
All players roll the D6 die to determine who goes first. Whoever rolls the highest goes first, continuing clockwise around the board.

Order of Game Play

MORNING — Use Action Points. All players, clockwise.
AFTERNOON — The Thief moves 4 spaces.
DUSK — Mealtime. Decrease 1 food and 1 water.
EVENING — Draw Evening Fate Card.

Adventurer, Inventory, Reference and Evening Fate Cards

Adventurer Tiles: All Adventurers start with full stats — Food Meter and Water Meter at 5, and Health Meter at 8. Increase Health Meter +1 with 1 food cube AND 1 water cube OR reducing -1 food and -1 water collectively on your Adventurer Tile. The Health Meter goes down one point during mealtime if your Food OR Water Meter reads zero.

Health Meter Reads 0: If your Health Meter drops to zero, your Adventurer becomes incapacitated and must be revived. See page 17 if your Adventurer becomes incapacitated. Keep in mind, each incapacitated character results in a 20 point reduction in the team's final score.

Inventory Tiles: Special instructions unique to your Adventurer are listed at the bottom of your inventory card.

Reference Tile: Each player receives a reference tile listing game play order, options for utilizing Action Points, crafting & aid costs, and resource gathering rules via the D6 die.

Evening Fate Cards: After dusk, an Evening Fate Card is drawn. This card may have a positive or negative effect on all players or an individual player. Each card has rules about how it goes into effect and cards apply to all players, including those in chapels and monasteries.

Map Quadrants: Some Evening Fate Cards require a Compass die roll. Map quadrants are designated by texture on the map.

Resources: Resources are limited on the island. There are 25 cubes of each resource — plan as a team accordingly.

Game Rules

1. Action Points (A.P.)

The number of starting Action Points assigned to your Adventurer is listed on your Adventurer Tile. Action Points are determined at the start of each turn, and begin to decrease as a player's health decreases. Players are not required to use all Action Points per turn, but these points may be used to:

MOVE (1 space = 1 Action Point). Players can not pass through a space occupied by the Thief without triggering a fight, with the exception of the Captain.
ROLL FOR RESOURCE
GIVE / TRADE RESOURCE(S) OR TOOL(S)
CRAFT
DROP AND/OR PICK UP RESOURCE(S) AT THE MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY
TAKE A FERRY
HEAL HEALTH METER +1 (MINUS 1 FOOD AND 1 WATER)

NOTE: If a player has the Axe in their inventory, they gain double wood, stone, or coal if the roll is successful.

In true co-op spirit, players should work together and offer ideas. Each player ultimately has the final decision on their turn.

2. Food and Water

Food and water are instantly granted to a player when crossing or landing on a green food or blue water space (indicated with a triangle icon) — NO NEED TO ROLL FOR THESE RESOURCES. Once food or water has been gathered, a player may increase the water or food slider on their adventurer tile, or they may take a cube and add it to their inventory. Once a player has gathered food or water from a space they may not go back for more, and players may not attempt a resource roll in order to gain more food or water.

Tip for acquiring food and water faster: Once a player has crafted a spear they gather two food at each green food space. Once a player has crafted a well, all players benefit and gather two water when crossing over or stopping on a blue water space with a well.

Each player's Food and Water Meters go down by one point at dusk during mealtime. If a player has food or water cubes in their inventory, they may use them to restore some of their hunger or thirst. This is not an action and you don't need to use Action Points when dealing with food and water.

1 cube of food or 1 cube of water restores 1 point on a player's stat bar. If a player starts their turn on a food or water space, they receive that resource instantly at the beginning of their turn. For example: If you start your turn on a water space, at the start of your turn you can either take a blue water cube and place it in your inventory, or you can increase your Water Meter by one point. If your Water Meter is full and you have space in your inventory, take a blue water cube.

3. Resource Gathering

Players gather resources in order to craft objects. Once players have gathered the right amount of resources, they may craft a satchel, spear, axe, well, altar, or fire. A player may gather multiple resources per turn (until they run out of Action Points), but may only gather resources from a particular space, once per turn — no repeat attempts.

Resource Roll with D6 Die

ROLLS 1: Player takes 1 point damage to Health Meter.
ROLLS 2-4: Player gets 1 resource.
ROLLS 5-6: Player gets 2 resources.

NOTE: If a player has the Axe in their inventory, they gain double wood, stone, or coal if the roll is successful.

For example: If a player rolls a 1 and fails at acquiring a resource, they must wait until their next turn to attempt to gather that resource again. The player may continue to use the remainder of their Action Points elsewhere.

4. Giving Resources & Resource Management

When a player occupies the same spot as another player, they may give a resource or resources to the other player by spending 1 Action Point. The Captain however, has the special ability to also take resources from another player while on the same space. The Captain may only take resources on their turn.

Whenever a player earns more resources than they can store, all resource management must be completed before leaving the space they are on. Any additional resources must be spent or discarded. For example: A player rolls for the final resource they need to build an axe. The resources they earn are more than they can carry in their inventory. If they spend the resources for the axe before leaving that space then they do not need to discard any resources. If they are out of Action Points however and are unable to spend them on that turn, the excess resources must be discarded. If you are full and gain more resources, you must decide what from your inventory to discard.

In true co-op spirit, players should work together and offer ideas. Each player ultimately has the final decision on their turn.

5. The Thief

At dusk, after all players have completed their turns and taken their midday meal, the Thief takes its turn.

The Thief has 4 Action Points and moves directly to the closest player possibly inflicting physical damage and stealing resources. See pages 16-17 for complete Thief Attack rules.

Thief Attack

ROLLS 1-3: Player takes 1 point damage to Health Meter.
ROLLS 4-6: Player takes no damage.

6. Dusk

At dusk, each player eats a meal and must reduce their food and water by 1. You may choose to supplement with food and/or water from your inventory. If a player's Food OR Water Meter reads zero, that player's Health Meter is reduced by one point during mealtime.

7. Evening Fate Cards

After dusk, an Evening Fate Card is drawn. This card may have a positive or negative effect on the players or an individual player. Each card has rules about how it goes into effect. When using the Compass die, each quadrant is defined by texture on the map. If you run out of cards, simply reshuffle the deck.

8. Altars and Fires

In order to find the location of the treasure, players must craft four altars. Once an altar is crafted, players must light the fire, which is represented by flipping over the altar token. Once all 4 fires are lit at the same time, the location of the treasure is revealed!

NOTE: You may light a fire instantly if you add 2 wood and 1 coal to the cost of building an altar. Normally lighting a fire costs 3 wood and 3 coal.

Revealing the Location of the Treasure

Roll the Compass Die to reveal the quadrant of the treasure.
Roll Resource Die to reveal the location.

If the quadrant in question does not have the resource rolled, roll again until a resource is in the quadrant you are searching. Place the coin on the location of the treasure. To retrieve the treasure, one player needs to reach the location that has been revealed. Picking up the treasure takes one Action Point.

9. The Treasure

Congratulations! Your team lit the four fires of the Holy Order and revealed the location of the Treasure of Montecristo Island! Your quest is not yet over. Once revealed, the Thief is also aware of the treasure's location.

10. Fighting for the Treasure

At this point, the Thief's only goal is to get the treasure to their ship. When the Thief crosses paths with another player a fight immediately takes place. See page 17 for fight rules. It is now a race between the Adventurers and the Thief to see who can get the treasure back to their ship with all players on-board. No player left behind. Once this happens, the game is over and the team's score is tallied. See page 19.

11. End Game

For players to fully achieve victory, all players and the treasure must end on your team's ship, at the starting location. The Thief achieves victory if it can get the treasure on its ship.

Once the treasure has made it on a ship, it can not be removed, only stolen by the Thief. Players on the ship must remain on the ship, and are subject to morning meals (-1 food and -1 water) until the game ends. Plan accordingly.

12. Score

Once all players are back on the ship with the treasure, the game is over and your final score may be tallied. See Page 19.

13. House Rules

We don't know your life. Write your house rules here:

Resources

Resources are limited on the island. There are 25 cubes of each resource — plan as a team accordingly.

Wood
Stone
Coal
Rope
Food
Water

Crafting & Aid Costs / Stats

Characters may only carry one satchel, spear, and axe at a time.

Satchel: Expands the available inventory space. The Scout is the only character NOT able to craft a satchel. Crafting Cost: 2 wood, 3 rope.

Spear: Useful for gathering food. A player with a Spear in their inventory is granted double food. Crafting Cost: 3 wood, 1 stone, 1 rope.

Axe: Useful for gathering wood, stone, and coal. A player with an Axe in their inventory gains double wood, stone, or coal if the resource roll is successful. Crafting Cost: 3 wood, 2 stone, 1 rope.

Well: Built at any existing water space. Players collect +2 water when traveling over or landing on a well. A well is a permanent addition to the board — only 4 may be crafted. Crafting Cost: 1 wood, 3 stone, 2 rope.

Altar: Built only at chapels and monasteries. Crafting Cost: 4 wood, 2 coal.

Instant Fire (add to altar cost): 2 wood, 1 coal.

Fire: Lighting the Fire Cost: 3 wood, 3 coal.

Ferry Ride: Take a ferry ride to an adjacent chapel or monastery. Cost: 3 Resources of your choosing.

Mill at the Grotto of St. Mamiliano: Take your chances rolling for resources. Players roll the Resource die and D6 die. If a player rolls a 1 or 2, they get 2 points health damage. Roll of 3-4 receive 2 of the resource. Roll 5-6 receive 4 of the resource. Like other resource spaces, the Mill may only be attempted once per turn. Note: The axe does not benefit a player at the Mill.

Mountain Hideaway: In the very center of the map is a resource hideaway. Players may leave resources here for other players to retrieve. The Mountain Hideaway may only hold a total of 6 resources at any given time. The full act of leaving and/or picking up resources costs 1 Action Point. All resources in the hideaway are hidden from the Thief, however a player is not safe from the Thief when at this location.

Trading Resources

At chapels and monasteries players may trade resources at a rate of 3:1. The Anthropologist, as a character perk, may trade resources at a rate of 2:1. For example: You may trade a water, a rope, and a stone cube for a single coal cube. When trading resources at a chapel or monastery, each trade costs one Action Point.

Chapels & Monasteries

If you finish your turn at a chapel or monastery, you receive either 1 food and 1 water, OR 1 health. While at a chapel or monastery, you have the option to pay 3 resources (of your choosing) to take a ferry ride to an adjacent chapel or monastery. For example: If you are at the monastery in the north, you may ferry to the chapel in the west or the monastery in the east. Ferry rides do not cut through land — we're certain you understand why.

Once the Treasure has been revealed, monasteries and chapels are closed and no longer offer health/food and water bonuses. However, players may still move though the space and take a ferry.

Map locations: Monastery of St. Mamiliano (North); Chapel of Santa Maria (South); Monastery of Cala Scirocco (East); Chapel of Cala Maestra (West).

The Thief

The Thief — White Figure — Action Points: 4

The Thief starts at the ship in the southeast and comes in the afternoon to steal and possibly inflict physical damage. After all players have taken a turn, the Thief makes its move in the direction of the nearest player.

The Thief has 4 Action Points and must move directly to the closest player. If it is equal distance to more than one player, the players roll and whomever rolls the lowest is the Thief's target. If there are two viable paths for the Thief to the closest player, roll the D6 die to determine the path taken. 1—3 and the Thief takes the right path, 4—6 and the Thief goes left.

If the Thief catches a player, that player rolls the Resource die to determine what resource the Thief steals in its entirety. All resources stolen by the Thief are returned to the resource pool. The player then rolls the D6 die to determine if there is health damage.

ROLLS 1-3: Player takes 1 point damage to Health Meter.
ROLLS 4-6: Player takes no damage.

During the Thief's turn, if they catch a player and engage in a fight, regardless of the outcome of that fight, the Thief's turn is over.

Players, with the exception of the Captain, can not pass through a space occupied by the Thief without triggering a fight. If on a player's turn they cross the path of the Thief, a fight is instantly triggered. If the player wins, they may continue with the remainder of their Action Points and the Thief is stunned for 1 turn. If the Thief is successful, the player must roll to see what resources are stolen and if they take damage before continuing to use their Action Points.

Once the Treasure Is Revealed

Once revealed, the Thief also becomes aware of the treasure's location. At this point, the Thief will only go after the treasure. If the Thief catches up to the player with the treasure, the Thief and the player engage in a fight, but now the stakes are higher. The player and the Thief (represented by the player to the right) roll the D6 die, whoever rolls highest wins the fight. The winner keeps or steals the treasure. The loser of the fight is stunned for 1 turn and loses 1 health.

Once the Treasure has been revealed, the Thief will only engage in combat with the player that is in possession of it. During this period of the game, the Thief will ignore other players in an attempt to get to the treasure. Players still engage with the Thief when coming into contact regardless if the treasure has been revealed.

The treasure may be traded between players just like any other resource. Giving the treasure to another player costs 1 Action Point.

Once the treasure has made it on a ship, it cannot be removed by the Adventurers, only stolen by the Thief. Players on the ship must remain on the ship, and are subject to morning meals (-1 food and -1 water) until the game ends. Plan accordingly.

If the players manage to get the treasure on their ship, but not all teammates are aboard, the Thief will attempt to steal the treasure by way of a fight. If there are more than 1 players on the ship, the Thief must fight each one in order to steal the treasure. For example: If there are 3 players on the ship with the treasure, the Thief must engage in three fights, only if it defeats all three players may the Thief steal the treasure off the ship.

If the Thief steals the treasure, they will move toward their ship in the southeast on their next turn.

At any point while carrying the treasure if the Thief is on or passes through a space occupied by an Adventurer, a fight occurs immediately. The loser of the fight is stunned for 1 turn. If an Adventurer is stunned, they also lose 1 health.

For players to fully achieve victory, all players and the treasure must end on your team's ship, at the starting location. The Thief achieves victory if it can get the treasure on its ship. Once the game is over, follow the instructions on page 19 to tally your team score.

If Your Adventurer Becomes Incapacitated

If a character becomes incapacitated and needs to be revived, their Adventurer must crawl to the nearest chapel or monastery, moving one Action Point per turn. All his/her resource cubes, spear, and/or axe are dropped at that space indicated by a Gear Token.

All meter stats remain at zero, and cannot drop below zero. Another player may come pick up the incapacitated character (one Action Point to pick up) and can carry the character to a chapel or monastery. Action Points are reduced in half (round up) while carrying a character — however, the Muscle's Action Points remain the same.

Once at a chapel or monastery, the incapacitated character must rest for two turns — ignoring mealtimes. After two full turns the character may leave the chapel or monastery with 3 food, 3 water, and full health.

Players may pass over the Gear Token and collect dropped items (only one spear or axe per player). Picking up an item or items costs one Action Point. If the Thief happens to cross over the dropped items, all items are returned to the resource pool.

Adventurers

Character biographies are flavour text and are not reproduced here.

Captain — Blue Adventurer Figure — Starting Action Points: 6. The Captain has the unique ability to pass through the space inhabited by the Thief without instigating a fight, and may also use an Action Point to give or take resources or items from another player.

Raj Patel (Origin: India)
Ruth Augustin (Origin: Haiti)

Crew — Yellow Adventurer Figure — Starting Action Points: 6. The Crew never leaves the ship unprepared, so starts the game with a spear.

Edith Jones (Origin: Sydney)
Edwin Rodríguez (Origin: Guatemala)

Scout — Orange Adventurer Figure — Starting Action Points: 8. The Scout is quick on their feet. They are granted additional Action Points but are unable to carry as many materials or build a satchel.

Jin Park (Origin: Korea)
Johanna Jensen (Origin: Norway)

Muscle — Red Adventurer Figure — Starting Action Points: 5. While not as fast as the rest, the Muscle is very strong and can carry additional materials. Muscle starts the game with an axe.

Valerie Lima (Origin: Philippines)
Viktor Surkov (Origin: Russia)

Anthropologist — Green Adventurer Figure — Starting Action Points: 6. The Anthropologist is good at negotiation. While visiting one of the chapels or monasteries, the Anthropologist gets a better exchange rate of 2:1, versus the 3:1 standard rate.

Dr. Aden Okafor (Origin: Namibia)
Dr. Amal Faheem (Origin: Iraq)

Stowaway — Pink Adventurer Figure — Starting Action Points: 6. The Stowaway is sneaky; once per turn they can take a ferry ride from a chapel or monastery to an adjacent a chapel or monastery for free.

Daisy Pérez (Origin: Brazil)
Digby Walters (Origin: England)

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you a team of... Charlatans, Explorers, Trailblazers or Swashbucklers?

Charlatans: Your team pretends to have more knowledge and skill than it possesses.
Explorers: Your team proficiently travels to places about which very little is known.
Trailblazers: Your team is a group of pioneers.
Swashbucklers: Your team is a group of swaggering treasure hunters.

Q: Do I roll for food and water? A: No. Please don't. You automatically receive food and water as you cross over the green food and blue water spaces.

Q: May I carry more than one axe? A: No. Each player may only have 1 axe, 1 spear, and 1 satchel. Except for the Scout: they cannot make a satchel.

Q: May I give another player my axe or spear? A: Yes. Giving a resource or tool costs one Action Point. The Captain may also take an axe or spear on their turn with the consent of the other player.

Q: May I drop my axe or spear at the Mountain Hideaway? A: No, only resource cubes can be left at the Hideaway.

Q: What happens if you run out of resources in the resource pool? A: Resources are limited on the island. There are 25 cubes of each resource so plan as a team accordingly.

Q: I'm incapacitated, do I still roll for Evening Fate Cards like "Flu" or "Diarrhea" that affect one player with the lowest roll? A: No.

Q: Are there different levels of game play difficulty? A: Yes.

MEDIUM: Play rules as described.
HARD: Raise the stakes by considering an incapacitated adventurer dead. A dead adventurer can no longer play and contribute to the teams' final score.
EASY: Keep your Action Points the same throughout the game, when your Health Meter decreases continue to play at the starting number of Action Points.
EXTREME: If you want the game to be extremely challenging, consider an incapacitated adventurer dead, and roll for food and water resources the same way you roll for all other island resources.

Q: May I play as the Thief? A: Yes, but not in this base game. The expansion pack called "The Treasure of Montecristo Island: The Thief and the Purple Sapphire" allows players to play as the Thief.

Q: May I play as more than one Adventurer? A: Sure. Why not?

How to Determine Your Team's Score & Rank

Tally all living Adventurer meter stats (Food, Water, and Health). Give double points for Health Meter stats. Note: Items in inventory do not count toward your score, plan accordingly.

Add 10 points if the treasure makes it on your ship.
Add 3 points for each fire that remains lit at the end of the game.
Minus 15 points if the Thief was able to get the treasure on its ship.
Minus 20 points for each Adventurer who becomes incapacitated.

Score Ranges by Difficulty and Number of Players

Players	Charlatans	Explorers	Trailblazers	Swashbucklers
2 Player	0 - 30	31 - 46	47 - 62	63 - 74
3 Player	0 - 40	41 - 62	63 - 84	85 - 100
4 Player	0 - 50	51 - 78	79 - 106	107 - 126
5 Player	0 - 65	66 - 97	98 - 129	130 - 152
6 Player	0 - 80	81 - 116	117 - 151	152 - 178

The Expedition Log on pages 20 and 21 is a blank score-recording form and is not reproduced here.