Vaalbara
Vaalbara Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
At the end of the 9th round, the player with the most Victory Points wins the game.
Components
- 51 Land cards
- 60 Character cards (5 x 12)
- 75 Victory Point tokens (value 1, 5, 10 and 25)
Land Cards
There are 51 Land cards of 6 different types. Throughout the game, players explore Lands to expand their Realm. Each Land type has its own way to reward the players. The Land cards' backs depict the Omens. Each card back is different.
Each Land card shows: its Type, its Reward, and the Player count for setup (e.g. 3+).
Character Cards
There are 12 different character cards. Each player starts the game with one copy of each card. Character cards determine the turn order based on their initiative value, and trigger effects, as well.
Each Character card shows: its Initiative, its Name, and its Effect.
The Clan Omens
Omens may be good, or bad. How your Clan's Omens rank compared to the others changes each round. The card on the top of the Lands deck depicts the Clans' Omens for the round. During the game, you will use them to resolve ties when determining the turn order.
The Omens are shown in a row on the card back, ranked from Best (left) to Worst (right).
Setup
A. Sort the Land cards by the number of players indicated and keep only the cards with a number less than or equal to the number of players. Put the other cards back in the box, they will not be used during the game.
EXAMPLE: for a 2-player game, keep the 2+ cards, and return the 3+ and 4+ cards to the box.
B. Each player chooses a clan and the corresponding 12-card Clan deck.
C. Give 2 Victory Point tokens to each player to place them in their Realm (the area of the table in front of them). Place the remaining tokens in the center of the table.
D. Each player shuffles their Clan deck, placing it face down in their Realm, and draws 5 cards as their starting hand.
E. Shuffle the Land cards and place the deck face down on the table to create the LAND DECK. Draw cards face up to create 2 Land rows below the Land deck. Each Land row must contain as many Lands as there are players. The Land row furthest from the Land deck is considered the first.
Game Sequence
The game is played over 9 rounds and ends when all players have 9 Land cards in their Realm. Each round is divided into 3 Phases: ASSIGNMENT, RESOLUTION and END OF ROUND.
Assignment
Each player simultaneously selects a character card from their hand and places it face down in their Realm. When all players have selected a character card, reveal them.
Resolution
The turn order for that phase is determined by the initiative value of the revealed cards. The player who played the lowest initiative value plays first, and other players proceed in ascending initiative order. Resolve ties using the clans' Omens. The clan that ranks the highest plays first.
During their turn, each player must perform the two following actions in this order:
1. CHARACTER ACTION: You must apply the effect of the character card you played this round (even if it is not beneficial to you). Then, discard it face up next to your Clan deck, making sure that all the Character cards you played so far are visible to the other players.
2. LAND ACTION: Select a Land card from the first Land row and add it to your Realm. Immediately gain the corresponding Reward. You must keep your victory points face down until the end of the game.
NOTE: Do not fill the first Land row's empty slots before the end of the round. The later you play in the turn order, the fewer choices you have when it is your turn to add a Land to your Realm.
End of Round
When all players have performed their two actions, slide the second Land row down to replace the first Land row. Draw Lands from the Land deck to create a new second Land row. Then, each player draws cards from their Clan deck until they have 5 cards in hand, or their Clan deck is empty.
Example: Round 2
Players simultaneously reveal their selected Character cards: YELLOW plays initiative 10 (Crafter), RED plays initiative 12 (Farmer), BLUE plays initiative 3 (Hunter), PURPLE plays initiative 3 (Hunter).
BLUE and PURPLE are tied. The Clans' Omens give the initiative to BLUE.
So, the turn order for the round is: BLUE > PURPLE > YELLOW > RED
- BLUE — CHARACTER: The Hunter's effect applies, Blue gains 3 Victory Points, because Blue is the first player. LAND: Blue takes the Meadow and gains 2 Victory Points (1 for this Meadow and 1 for Meadow owned by Red).
- PURPLE — CHARACTER: The Hunter's effect does not apply, because Blue is a neighbor who played before Purple. LAND: Purple takes the Field and gains 4 Victory Points (2 for each Field in their Realm).
- YELLOW — CHARACTER: The Crafter's effect does not apply, because Yellow plays before red, who is a neighbor. LAND: Yellow adds the River to their Realm and gains 12 Victory Points (6 multiplied by 2 Rivers in their Realm).
- RED — CHARACTER: The Farmer will double the Land reward this round. LAND: Red has to pick the last card, the Field. They gain 4 Victory Points (2 multiplied by 2 because of the Farmer).
End of the Game
The game ends when all players have 9 Land cards in their Realm. Players reveal their Victory Point tokens, and gain an additional 5 Victory Point bonus if their Realm contains 5 different Land types, or 10 if their Realm contains 6 different Land types. The player with the most Victory Points wins the game. In case of a tie, the tied player who ranks the highest in the Clan's Omens is the winner.
EXAMPLE: When the game ends, Marie has 57 Victory Points, 3 Fields, 2 Meadows, 2 Forests, 1 Village, and 1 River in her Realm. Because she has 5 different Land types, she gains an additional 5 Victory Point bonus. Total: 57 + 5 = 62 Victory Points
Land Cards
MEADOW — Gain 1 Victory Point per Meadow in your Realm and your neighbors' Realms, including this one.
FIELD — Gain 2 Victory Points per Field in your Realm, including this one.
FOREST — Gain a number of Victory Points as indicated on the Forest card (ranging from 3 to 6).
VILLAGE — Gain 2 Victory Points per different Land type in your Realm, including this Village.
MOUNTAIN — Gain 10 Victory Points if this is the 2nd Mountain in your Realm. Gain 20 additional Victory Points if this is the 4th Mountain in your Realm.
RIVER — Gain a reward equal to the initiative value of the character you played this round (max. 6) multiplied by the number of Rivers in your Realm, including this one.
Character Cards
1 • FIGHTER All players with a Fighter in hand may reveal her to gain 1 Victory Point. To gain 1 Victory Point, players must show their Fighter to the other players.
2 • BARD Another player of your choice gains 2 Victory Points. You cannot count other players' Victory Points. If you ask them, they can refuse to tell, tell the truth, or even lie about it.
3 • HUNTER If you play before your neighbors this round, gain 3 Victory Points. In case of a tie, only the player that ranks the highest in the Clans' Omens gains 3 Victory Points.
4 • ORACLE Gain 2 Victory Points for each of your neighbors who played an odd initiative value. In a 2-player game, you have only one neighbor and gain either 2 Victory Points, or 0.
5 • CARPENTER Gain 3 Victory Points per Forest in your Realm. You must apply the effect before selecting a Land. So if you select a Forest during the same turn as you play the Carpenter, it does not count when applying the Carpenter's effect.
6 • FALCONER Steal 2 Victory Points from the player who played before you this round. If you play first, gain 0 Victory Points.
7 • TRACKER Swap a Land from the first or second Land row with the top card from the Land deck. The new card is placed face up, and the previous card is placed face down on the top of the Lands deck. This effect changes the Omens for the rest of the round.
8 • MIDWIFE Take a character back from your Discard Pile to your hand. You cannot take the Midwife back into your hand
9 • RIDER Swap a Land from the first Land row with a Land from the second Land row. You can select 2 Lands of the same type to effectively nullify the effect.
10 • CRAFTER If you play after your neighbors this round, gain 5 Victory Points. In case of a tie, only the player that ranks the lowest in the Clans' Omens gains 5 Victory Points.
11 • PIONEER Swap a Land from your Realm with the bottom card from the Land deck. Gain the reward for this Land.
12 • FARMER Double the reward for the Land you add to your Realm this round.