Twittens Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Main Components
  • Solo Play Components
  • Detours Components
• Setup
• Objective
• Preparing the First Season
• Playing a Turn
  • Choose and Add a Twitten Tile
  • Placing Twitten Tiles
  • Reveal Completed Bimble Cards
  • Bimble Cards
  • Examples of Completed Bimbles
• Gaining Extra Bimble Cards
• Time for Tea?
• Going Home for Tea
  • Going Home for Tea in a 3 or 4 Player Game
• Scoring a Season
• Twitten Tiles
  • The Twitten Path
  • Twittens and Adjacency
  • Features
  • Streetlights
  • Wildlife
  • Amenities
  • Transport Links
  • Placing Transport Links
• Scoring Example
• Preparing the Next Season
• Ending the Game
• Elements and Quantities

Components

Main Components

• 64 Twitten tiles
• Scorepad
• 4 Reference cards
• Start Player token
• 4 Time for Tea tokens
• 108 Bimble cards (4 decks of 27 cards for spring, summer, autumn & winter)

First time out the box: Find the 4 Twitten tiles and 8 Bimble cards with the icon in the lower right-hand corner and keep them separate for now. These are used in the Lollies and Lanes Detour.

Solo Play Components

• Bimbler's almanac
• 12 Wanderer cards
• 3 Wildlife tokens

Detours Components

Detours add new features to your game. I recommend playing a few times before adding Detours.

• 4 Detour cards
• 48 Byway cards, 12 for each season (Byways Detour)
• The Frost Wagon (Lollies and Lanes Detour)
• 16 Amenity tokens (Passages of Time Detour)

Setup

This shows the setup for a 2-4 player game, without any Detours included. If you want to include any Detours, you'll find the setup and rules for them in the Detours rulebook. The setup and rules for playing solo can be found in the solo rulebook.

1. (i) Shuffle the Twitten deck, then place it face down on a suitable surface.
2. (ii) You each take a Time for Tea token and a page from the scorepad. Place the Time for Tea token in front of you with the day side displayed, as shown above.
3. (iii) Separately shuffle each of the 4 Bimble decks, then place them face down near the Twitten deck in seasonal order: spring, summer, autumn then winter.
4. (iv) Give the Start Player token to the player who most recently bimbled through any sort of alleyway. They will be the starting player for the first season (spring).

Objective

Twittens is played over 4 seasons, starting with spring. During each season, you take turns adding a tile to your own Twitten. After adding a tile, you may decide to Go Home for Tea. However, if you exceed your house limit of 7, you must Go Home for Tea. When you've all Gone Home for Tea, you each score points for the elements in your Twitten and all your completed Bimble cards. At the end of the last season, you each add up your scores for all 4 seasons. The player with the highest total score is the winner.

Preparing the First Season

Draw 2 tiles from the top of the Twitten deck. Place them face up next to the deck, as shown. These 2 tiles form the base of 2 stacks, which will have tiles added to and taken from them each turn. You can never examine the contents of stacks.

You each draw 3 tiles from the top of the Twitten deck and 3 cards from the top of the spring Bimble deck. You can examine them freely, but keep their contents hidden from other players.

You each keep 1 of the Twitten tiles you drew, placing it face down in front of you. This tile is your Favourite Place for this season. Tiles not kept are shuffled back into the Twitten deck.

You each keep either 2 or 3 of the Bimble cards you drew (i.e. you can choose to keep all 3 cards you drew, but you must keep at least 2). Cards not kept are shuffled back into the spring Bimble deck. Bimble cards are your personal objectives for this season. They are explained on page 9.

You're now ready to play.

Playing a Turn

Your turn comprises 3 steps, in this order:

1. (i) Choose and add a Twitten tile.
2. (ii) Reveal completed Bimble cards.
3. (iii) Time for tea?

Choose and Add a Twitten Tile

You must do 1 (and only 1) of the following:

• Choose 1 Twitten tile from the top of either stack. If this leaves the stack empty (i.e. no more Twitten tiles in that stack), immediately refill the stack by drawing the top tile in the Twitten deck and placing it face up on the empty stack. (Remember, you cannot examine the contents of stacks.)
• Draw 2 tiles from the top of the Twitten deck. Choose 1, and place the other face up on the top of either stack (of your choice).
• Choose your Favourite Place tile (you can do this only once per season).

Add the tile you chose to your Twitten, face up, and in any orientation (see next page). Each player adds tiles to their own Twitten. Twitten tiles and their elements are explained in more detail on pages 15-20.

Example 1: Jesse chooses the top tile from the left-hand stack. If doing this had left the stack empty, they would then draw another tile from the top of the deck to refill it, but it hasn't.

Example 2: Sian draws 2 tiles from the top of the Twitten deck and chooses 1. The other is added to the top of either stack, face up.

Example 3: Bethan chooses her favourite place tile.

Placing Twitten Tiles

(i) When you add your first Twitten tile, place it face up on the table in front of you in any orientation. This tile forms the start of your Twitten.

(ii) After that, all Twitten tiles you add must be orthogonally adjacent to at least 1 other tile in your Twitten and connected by their Twitten path (see example on page 8).

(iii) A tile cannot cannot [sic: printed as "cannot cannot"] be placed where it results in any part of your Twitten path joining with grass, a road or a railway line as a result (see examples on page 8).

In the left-hand example on page 8, adding your tile as shown results in the path on a connected tile joining with grass. This is not a permitted move.

The Twitten path always breaks adjacency between its elements. So in the example, the house and tree on the same side of the Twitten path are adjacent. The house and the tree on either side of the Twitten path are not adjacent.

(iv) If you are ever unable to add tiles to your Twitten, you must Go Home for Tea (see page 11). Place the tiles you drew on top of either stack(s) or the discard pile.

Reveal Completed Bimble Cards

If you've met or exceeded any of your Bimble cards' requirements, place them face up on the table in front of you to show they have been completed.

You can complete as many Bimble cards on your turn as you are able. You can use the same element in your Twitten to complete more than 1 Bimble card on your turn.

See the next page for examples of completed Bimble cards.

Bimble Cards

Bimble: walk or travel at a leisurely pace.

Bimble cards are your personal objectives. At the end of each season, you score points for the Bimble cards you completed, but you lose points for the ones you didn't. You start each season with either 2 or 3 Bimble cards.

Anatomy of a Bimble card:

• (i) The Bimble card's title.
• (ii) These are the elements the Bimble card requires you to have, anywhere in your Twitten. When you meet or exceed this requirement, place the Bimble card face up on the table in front of you. It is complete.
• (iii) Flavour text to describe your bimbling.
• (iv) How many points this Bimble card scores you when you complete it, or loses you if you don't complete it.

Bimble cards with this symbol (chain link) require you to have these elements orthogonally adjacent to each other, anywhere in your Twitten. Roads, railways and the Twitten path always break adjacency.

Bimble cards with this symbol (map pin) require you to have these elements able to reach each other, anywhere in your Twitten, without crossing a road, railway or Twitten path in the process.

Examples of Completed Bimbles

Example 1: Bethan adds a tile to her Twitten. She now has a substation that can reach 3 houses without crossing a path, road or railway in the process. Bethan has completed The Powerhouse Bimble card.

Example 2: Ben adds a tile to his Twitten. There are now 3 houses in his Twitten that are adjacent to trees (this includes the 2 houses that are both adjacent to the same tree). The house and the tree marked with a red cross are not adjacent as the Twitten path breaks adjacency. Ben has completed the Aspen Avenue Bimble card.

Example 3: Jesse adds a tile to their Twitten. They now have 6 streetlights and 8 trees in their Twitten. Jesse has completed the Dog Walk Trail Bimble card by exceeding its requirement (which is 6 streetlights and 6 trees, anywhere in their Twitten).

Gaining Extra Bimble Cards

When you add a school to your Twitten, draw 2 Bimble cards. You may keep 1 of these cards. Return the cards you choose not to keep to the bottom of the Bimble deck (no points are lost for the cards you don't keep). You can complete this new Bimble card straight away if you're able. Remember, you lose points for incomplete Bimble cards at the end of the season.

Time for Tea?

You now choose if you want to Go Home for Tea or remain in play. First, check to see if any of the following conditions apply, in this order:

• (i) If you have more houses in your Twitten than your house limit allows (your limit is 7, or 8 if you have any substations), you have reached the street you live on. You must Go Home for Tea.
• (ii) If you were unable to add a tile to your Twitten, you have got yourself lost. You must Go Home for Tea.
• (iii) If there are no more tiles in the Twitten deck, it's too dark to keep going. Everyone must Go Home for Tea.
• (iv) If you have fewer than 5 tiles in your Twitten, you have not explored far enough yet. You cannot Go Home for Tea. You must remain in play.

If none of these apply, you choose to either remain in play or Go Home for Tea.

When you Go Home for Tea, flip your Time for Tea token so the night time side is displayed. The next page describes what happens when you Go Home for Tea. Your turn then ends, and play continues clockwise to the next player who is still in play (i.e. the next player who hasn't Gone Home for Tea). You don't take any more turns this season.

When you remain in play, your turn ends and play continues clockwise to the next player who is still in play.

Going Home for Tea

When the first player Goes Home for Tea this season, merge the tiles in both stacks together, then put these tiles face up next to the Twitten deck. It now acts as a discard pile. For the rest of this season, it's no longer possible to choose tiles from a stack. On their turn, remaining players must choose 1 (and only 1) of the following options:

• (i) Draw 2 tiles from the top of the Twitten deck. Choose 1 to add to their Twitten, then discard the other by adding it to the top of the discard pile, as shown to the right.
• (ii) Choose to add their Favourite Place tile to their Twitten, if they still have it.

Going Home for Tea in a 3 or 4 Player Game

• 3 players: When the second player has Gone Home for Tea, the remaining player takes their turn as above, except if they draw from the top of the Twitten deck, they can only draw the top 1 tile, which they must add to their Twitten.
• 4 players: When the third player has Gone Home for Tea, the remaining player takes 1 last turn as above. Again, if they draw from the top of the Twitten deck, they can only draw the top 1 tile. After this final turn, they must Go Home for Tea.

When everyone has Gone Home for Tea, the season ends and scoring begins (see next page).

Scoring a Season

Scoring occurs at the end of each season. Score each element on your score sheet for this season as follows (an example of scoring a season can be found on page 21).

• Houses: You score 1 point for each house in your Twitten, unless you exceeded your house limit, in which case you don't score any points for your houses (your house limit is 7, or 8 if you have 1 or more substations).
• Trees: You score 1 point for each tree in your largest continuous orthogonal arrangement of trees. Trees either side of a road, a railway or a Twitten path don't count as being continuous. See page 16 for an example of scoring trees.
• Streetlights: If you have an equal number of streetlights and tiles in your Twitten, you score 1 point for each streetlight. Otherwise, you don't score any points for your streetlights. See page 17 for an example of scoring streetlights.
• Roads: You score 5 points for each road at any end of your Twitten. You don't score points for roads anywhere else in your Twitten. See page 19 for an example of scoring roads.
• Stations: You score 3 points for each wildlife (birds, foxes and newts) that can be reached by a station without crossing a road, a railway or a Twitten path in the process. If wildlife can be reached by more than 1 station, you score points for each station that can reach it. See page 19 for an example of scoring stations.
• Allotments: You score 3 points for each tree that is orthogonally adjacent to an allotment. If a tree is adjacent to more than 1 allotment, it scores 3 points for each allotment it is adjacent to. See page 18 for an example of scoring allotments.
• Playgrounds: You score 3 points for each house that is orthogonally adjacent to a playground. If a house is adjacent to more than 1 playground, it scores 3 points for each playground it is adjacent to.

When scoring allotments or playgrounds, you don't score any points for trees or houses that are on the other side of a road, railway or Twitten path. These elements always break adjacency.

• Bimble cards: You score the points shown on each Bimble card you completed (5 in the example on page 14). For each Bimble card you didn't complete, you lose the points shown.

On the Bimble space on your score sheet, you'll see a minus sign and an equal sign. Write your completed Bimble total to the left of the minus sign, and your incomplete Bimble penalty to the right. The total is the result of the two numbers (e.g. 11 - 6 = 5).

If this is the last season, the game ends (see page 23). Otherwise, prepare the next season as shown on page 22.

Twitten Tiles

Each Twitten tile comprises the following elements: the Twitten path, features, wildlife, amenities and transport links. These elements are explained in detail on the following pages.

The Twitten Path

The Twitten path runs along each tile. When you add tiles to your Twitten, they must be added via their Twitten path. A tile cannot be added where it results in the Twitten path on any tile in your Twitten meeting with grass, a road or a railway line. All tiles can be added to your Twitten, in any orientation, so long as this rule is observed. The scoring example on page 21 shows a correctly constructed Twitten, as do the examples on the following pages.

Example: The house and tree on the same side of the Twitten path are adjacent. The house and the tree on opposite sides of the Twitten path are not adjacent.

Twitten path shapes shown on the page: straight, bend, cul-de-sac, and junctions.

Twittens and Adjacency

Remember, the Twitten path breaks adjacency, so elements on one side of it are not adjacent to elements on the other.

Elements placed diagonally to one another are not considered adjacent. Only orthogonal adjacency counts (so adjacent in the 4 cardinal directions: up, down, left and right). This is the case with all elements in the game.

Features

• Houses: Each house is worth 1 point. However, if you exceed your house limit, each house is worth 0. At the start of each season, your house limit is 7, although this can be increased to 8 by adding substations to your Twitten (see page 18).
• Trees: Your largest continuous arrangement of trees will score you 1 point for each tree it contains. If two or more arrangements are equally largest, you score for only one of those arrangements. You don't score points for any other trees in your Twitten.

Example: The largest continuous arrangement contains 8 trees, so scores you 8 points. The tree marked with a red cross isn't part of this arrangement as it's not orthogonally adjacent. The trees inside the red boxes aren't part of this arrangement as they're on the other side of the Twitten path, which breaks adjacency.

• Scrub and dewponds: Scrub and dewponds don't score you points on their own. However, they're often required to complete Bimble cards. Scrub and dewponds can be home to wildlife (birds, newts and foxes). When this is the case, both elements are counted (e.g. scrub and fox: see next page).

Streetlights

Some Twitten tiles feature streetlights. If you have an equal number of streetlights and Twitten tiles at the end of the season, each streetlight scores you 1 point. Otherwise, you don't score any points for streetlights.

Example: There are 6 streetlights and 6 tiles in this Twitten, so you score 6 points.

Wildlife

Wildlife in your Twitten comprises birds, foxes and newts. Wildlife elements are worth points when they can be reached by a station (see page 19).

Note: Scrub and dewponds that are home to wildlife count as both elements (e.g. a dewpond that is home to a bird counts as both a dewpond and a bird). So if you have a Bimble card that requires 3 dewponds in your Twitten, dewponds that are home to birds or newts will count towards that requirement, as well as any Bimble cards requiring birds or newts.

Amenities

• Allotments: You score 3 points for each tree that is orthogonally adjacent to an allotment (see example below). Trees that are adjacent to more than 1 allotment score 3 points for each allotment they are adjacent to.

Example: This allotment scores you 9 points (3 for each orthogonally adjacent tree). Remember, the Twitten path breaks adjacency, so the tree inside the red box is not considered adjacent.

• Playgrounds: You score 3 points for each house that is orthogonally adjacent to a playground. Houses that are adjacent to more than 1 playground score 3 points for each playground they are adjacent to.
• Substations: When a substation is added to your Twitten, your house limit increases to 8. Note that adding subsequent substations doesn't increase this limit further (so even if you have 2 substations, your house limit is still 8).
• Schools: Each time a school is added to your Twitten, draw 2 cards from the top of the current season's Bimble deck. You may keep 1 of them. Return the cards you don't keep to the bottom of the deck. No points are lost for the returned cards.

Transport Links

• Roads: Each road at an end of your Twitten is worth 5 points. Roads placed anywhere else in your Twitten score 0 points. Roads break adjacency between elements and prevent elements on either side being able to reach each other.

Example 1: This road is placed at the end of your Twitten, so it scores 5 points. Example 2: This road isn't at the end of your Twitten, so it scores no points.

• Railways: Railways break adjacency between elements and prevent elements on either side being able to reach each other. The station (shown to the left) scores you 3 points for each wildlife (bird, fox and newt) it can reach without crossing a road, railway or path in the process.

If wildlife can be reached by more than 1 station, you score for each station that can reach it.

Example: The station can reach the highlighted area. It is worth 6 points because it can reach 2 wildlife: the bird and the fox. It can't reach the birds marked with a red cross as they can't be reached without crossing either the Twitten path or the railway.

Placing Transport Links

(i) Tiles containing transport links must be placed so the Twitten path joins with those on all adjacent tiles, in the usual way.

(ii) You cannot join 2 tiles via their common transport link (so you can't join 2 roads together). Tiles must always be joined by the Twitten path.

(iii) You cannot place a tile where its transport link joins with the edge of another Twitten tile, unless it's joining with a common transport link. In the right-hand example, this counts as 2 separate roads for scoring purposes.

Scoring Example

(The printed example shows the score sheet and text below. Where the printed text and the score sheet disagree, the score sheet figures are used; the discrepancy is noted in-line.)

• (i) Annie has 8 houses in her Twitten (she has a substation, which increases her house limit from 7 to 8). She scores 8.

• (ii) Her largest arrangement of adjacent trees consists of 5 trees. She scores 5 (1 per tree in this arrangement).

• (iii) Annie has 9 streetlights and 12 tiles, so she scores nothing for her streetlights.

• (iv) There's 1 road at the end of Annie's Twitten, scoring her 5 points.

• (v) The station can reach 4 wildlife, scoring her 12 points.

• (vi) Annie has a playground with 2 adjacent houses. She scores 6 (3 per adjacent house).

• (vii) She has an allotment with 2 adjacent trees. She scores 6 (3 per adjacent tree).

• (viii) Annie has completed 2 of her 3 Bimble cards (Old Oak Row, scoring 5, and The School Pond, scoring 8). She failed to complete Blossom Wynd, so she loses 5 points. Her total score for her Bimble cards is 8 (13 minus 5).

  Editor's note: the printed text says "her total score for her Bimble cards is 7 (12 minus 5)". The score sheet in the same example shows "13 - 5 = 8", and 13 - 5 = 8 is the arithmetic that matches the completed cards (5 + 8) and the season total of 50. The score sheet figure is used here.

Blossom Wynd (the card she failed): "Scrub adjacent to 2 trees." Old Oak Row: "10 trees." The School Pond: "A school that can reach 2 dewponds."

Annie's final score for this season is 50.

Season total (score sheet): Houses 8, Trees 5, Streetlights 0, Roads 5, Stations 12, Playgrounds 6, Allotments 6, Bimble 8, for a total of 50.

Preparing the Next Season

(i) You each return all of your Bimble cards (complete and incomplete) to their deck, which can then be returned to the box. Unused Favourite Place tiles are returned to the Twitten deck.

(ii) Return all the tiles from your Twittens to the Twitten deck, along with all the tiles from the discard pile. Shuffle the Twitten deck thoroughly. Then draw 2 tiles from the top of the Twitten deck. Place them face up next to the deck to create 2 stacks as before.

(iii) You each draw 3 tiles from the top of the Twitten deck and 3 cards from the top of the next season's Bimble deck (e.g. if you just finished spring, you each draw 3 cards from the summer Bimble deck). You can examine them freely, but keep their contents hidden from other players as before.

You each keep 1 of the Twitten tiles you drew, placing it face down in front of you. This is your Favourite Place for the season you're about to play. Tiles not kept are shuffled back into the Twitten deck.

You each keep either 2 or 3 of the Bimble cards you drew (i.e. you can choose to keep all 3 cards you drew, but you must keep at least 2). Cards not kept are shuffled back into the Bimble deck.

(iv) Pass the Start Player token to the player who scored the fewest points this season (if it's a tie, pass the Start Player token to the tied player closest to the current starting player, going clockwise round the table).

(v) You each flip your Time for Tea token so the day side is displayed.

You're now ready to begin the next season.

Ending the Game

You each add up your scores for all 4 seasons to calculate your grand total. The player with the highest grand total wins the game. If it's a tie, the player who had the highest total score for houses across all 4 seasons is the winner. If it's still a tie, compare the highest total scores for trees, streetlights and so on, in order, until you have a winner.

Once you've played Twittens a few times, try adding some of the Detours to your game. You'll find the rules for them in the Detours rulebook.

Elements and Quantities

Reference page listing the game's elements and their quantities.

Features

• House: x68
  • Tiles with no houses: x14
  • Tiles with 1 house: x24
  • Tiles with 2 houses: x22
• Tree: x68
• Streetlight: x60
  • Tiles with no streetlights: x20
  • Tiles with 1 streetlight: x20
  • Tiles with 2 streetlights: x20
• Scrub: x36
• Dewpond: x20

Amenities

• Allotment: x4
• Playground: x4
• Substation: x4
• School: x4
• Ice Cream Van: x4 (from Lollies and Lanes Detour)

Wildlife

• Fox: x10
• Bird: x10
• Newt: x10

Paths

• Straight: x20
• Bend: x16
• Cul-de-sac: x4
• Junctions: x12

Transport

• Road: x4
• Railway: x4
• Station: x4