14ers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Game Overview
• Round Overview
• Components
• Setup
  • Shared Setup
  • Player Setup
• Your Starting Cards
  • Hiker Card
  • Counter Cards
• Climb Cards
• Gameplay
  • 1. Reveal a New Climb Card
  • 2. Gain a Revealed Climb Card
  • 3. Tuck the Gained Climb Card
• Using a Guide
• Accolades
• Game End and Scoring
  • Scoring Example
• Game Variants
  • Backcountry Mode Options
  • Advanced Hiker Sides
  • Weather
• Solo Variant
• Setup Reference

Goal of the Game

Your goal is to hike the best collection of 14ers, proving you're the top Climber! At the end of the game, you will count up your points from every Climb card. Whoever has the most points ★ wins!

Game Overview

Each game of 14ers lasts 9 rounds. Each player takes 1 turn per round.

On your turn, you will tuck a Climb card under your Hiker card. Each player repeats this for 9 rounds, then scores their tableau.

Round Overview

In each game of 14ers, you will play exactly nine rounds where each player takes one turn in order.

Player turns consist of the following 3 steps in order:

Step 1: Reveal a New Climb Card.

Step 2: Meet Requirements for a Climb.

Step 3: Tuck Climb Card to Gain Abilities or Points ★.

Components

63 two-sided cards, consisting of:

• 39 unique Climb cards:
  • 8x Class I
  • 14x Class II
  • 10x Class III
  • 7x Class IV
• Hiker cards:
  • 2x Hiker A/B
  • 2x Hiker C/D
• 4x Reference cards
• 4x Horizontal Counter cards
• 4x Vertical Counter cards
• 4x unique Accolade cards
• 4x Weather Forecast cards (Backcountry Mode)

Setup

Shared Setup

Randomly select the following number of cards for the Climb deck:

	Class I	Class II	Class III	Class IV
1 or 2 Players	5	6	6	4
3 Players	6	9	9	6
4 Players (all cards)	8	14	10	7

Combine all Class groups facedown in order from highest (IV) at bottom to lowest (I) at top.

Place these in a central location:

1. The facedown Climb deck.
2. Reveal the first three Climb cards from the Climb deck by turning them face up near the deck.
3. Randomly select one Accolade card and determine which half will be used for end game scoring.

Player Setup

Determine player order. Choose first player randomly or select the last person to hike above treeline; order goes clockwise from there and remains the same throughout the game.

Give each player:

1. Hiker card according to player order. Use the Basic side (A or C) for your first game!
2. Reference card.
3. Horizontal and Vertical Counter cards.

Assign Hiker cards as follows: A/B Hiker(s) are given to player(s) first in round order. C/D Hiker(s) are given to the last.

	A/B	C/D
2 Players	1	1
3 Players	1	2
4 Players	2	2

Your Starting Cards

Hiker Card

• Attributes: Endurance (boot icon) and Technique (^ icon), help you gain a Climb card by fulfilling the Climb requirement. Utility (pack) can be used as Endurance or Technique.
• Gear: Gear helps you gain Utility and other benefits.
• Training: Training increases your attributes.
• Capstones: Score fixed amounts of points ★.
• Plans: Plans score variable amounts of points ★.

Counter Cards

You have two Counter cards that can overlap to track your in-game abilities. These two Counter cards indicate 2 Technique and 1 Endurance. The backs of these cards may also be used to track Utility and count your score.

Climb Cards

• Corner reference: Along with Class (I, II, III, IV), Climb cards have Characteristics: Alt route (car icon), Hazard (triangle icon), and Photo (camera icon).
• Capstones: Fixed amount of points ★.
• Gear: Gain Utility and variable bonuses.
• Training: Increases your hikers' attributes (Technique, Utility, Endurance).
• Plans: Score variable amounts of points ★ based upon your tableau.
• Climb Requirements: Attributes needed to gain Climb card.
• Characteristics:
  • Alt route: see page 17.
  • Hazard: see page 10.
  • Photo: see page 14.

Gameplay

In each game of 14ers, you will play exactly nine rounds where each player takes one turn in order.

1. Reveal a New Climb Card

Your turn starts with 3 face-up Climb cards; draw the top card of the Climb deck and add it face-up anywhere in the row.

2. Gain a Revealed Climb Card

Each Climb has required Endurance, Technique, and sometimes a Hazard you must meet. Hazard is a third requirement to gain that Climb.

Example: This player has the option to gain Torrey's or Grays Peak because their attributes meet or exceed the Climb requirement on both cards. They cannot gain Pikes Peak because they do not have 3 Endurance. They are unable to gain Mt. of the Holy Cross because they need another Endurance and it has a Hazard requirement they cannot meet.

3. Tuck the Gained Climb Card

Choose one side ability from the gained Climb card and tuck it under your Hiker, showing only that side. This ability becomes part of your tableau and gives you the listed benefit.

Climb cards become the side they are tucked under: this Hiker has 2 Gear, 3 Training, and 2 Plans.

Gear

1. Gives one Utility per side with no tucked Climbs. This gives +1 Utility due to having no tucked Capstones.
2. Gives +2 Utility towards Class IV Climbs, meaning they may only use those +2 Utility to gain a Class IV Climb.

Training

1. +1 Endurance.
2. +1 Endurance per Climb tucked as Gear. This gives +2 Endurance.
3. +1 Technique per Class III Climb tucked under this Hiker. Checking the corners, we can see 3 Class III, so it is +3 Technique.

This Hiker starts at 1 Endurance and 2 Technique, which brings them to 3 Endurance, 5 Technique, and 1 Utility to gain any new Climbs. They have +2 Utility to gain a Class IV Climb.

Scoring happens at the end of the game; Plans apply then, but the Corners may be used by other abilities. There's no limit to how many Climbs you can tuck per side. All abilities are always active; order does not matter.

Using a Guide

If a Climb's requirement is not attainable then you may hire a Guide (or multiple) to help.

To hire a Guide, select any tucked Climb card and remove it from your tableau. Place this removed Climb card into your discard pile in your play area to ignore one of the following:

• All Endurance and Technique requirements
• Hazard requirement
• Weather limitation (see page 17)

Guides are not in your tableau. Cards in your tableau may refer to Guides and give you specific benefits. You may hire a Guide even if it's unnecessary to gain a Climb. Discarded cards with a Photo ability score one point ★. Any changes to your Attributes and abilities after discarding a Climb only take effect next turn.

Accolades

During setup, randomly choose an Accolade as a scoring goal. There are Basic and Advanced options on each Accolade card; select only 1 per game.

Cover the other (see example above). Guides do not count towards Accolade scoring.

Accolades are scored first in endgame scoring. Determine who won by counting the listed category for all players. Whoever best meets the category, scores 4 ★.

• If 2 players tie, they each score 2 ★.
• If 3-4 players tie, they all score 1 ★.

Game End and Scoring

After nine rounds, the game ends and you count your score:

1. Determine winner(s) of Accolade.
2. Calculate Points ★ from your Plans using all visible icons in your tableau.
3. Sum up Points ★ from your Capstones.
4. Add 1 Point ★ for each hired Guide with a Photo.
5. Total all these Points ★. The player with the most Points ★ wins!

Guides do not count for Plans unless the Plan refers to them. If players tie, whoever has the least points from Capstones wins. If still tied, they share the victory.

Scoring Example

1. Only tucked cards count towards the Accolade. This player has 3 Class I and Class II cards. Their opponent has 3 also (not shown), so they both receive 2 ★.
2. Two Plans gain ★ for any Climb cards in the tableau. Using Corner References and location, each Plan gains:
   • a. 3 cards with a Hazard icon gain 3 ★.
   • b. There are no tucked Gear Climbs, so this gains 2 ★.
3. The two Capstones = 10 ★.
4. This player hired 2 Guides, but only one of them has a Photo, so it scores 1 ★.

This player's total is 2+3+2+10+1=18 ★!

Game Variants

Backcountry Mode Options

After a few games, you should try these additions for a more variable and challenging experience.

Advanced Hiker Sides

The B and D sides of your Hiker cards present unique opportunities for familiar players. You may use a mix of Basic or Advanced Hikers and still follow the normal player order.

*Hiker D can never tuck Climbs as Capstones; hiring a Guide does not change this.

Weather

Setup: Place the July and August Forecast cards where all players can see them, with August below July. Put an unused Accolade card at the top of July. Each round, slide the Accolade card down to reveal the current Weather directly below it.

The July forecast lists: 1 Clear Skies, 2 Clear Skies, 3 Fog, 4 Rain, 5 Mud, Temperate. The August forecast lists: 6 Blizzard, 7 Sleet, 8 Heat, 9 Snow, Temperate.

During play: Weather affects all players each round. July covers Rounds 1-5; August covers Rounds 6-9.

Weather may do one of the following each round:

• Increase Attribute costs for Climbs.
• Block you from adding new Climbs to one tableau side.*
• Have no effect (Clear Skies).
• If "Fog" is the Weather, reveal a Climb at the end of your turn, not the start, limiting you to 3 revealed Climb options that round.

*You may always still use abilities from all previously tucked Climbs.

Alternate Route abilities on a Climb and some Gear may allow you to mitigate Weather.

Solo Variant

Set up as if playing a two-player game, but do not include an Accolade. You may use any Backcountry Mode options desired. Your opponent is a simulated Hiker named Gerry who takes automated turns each round.

You begin each round playing as Hiker A or B. Gerry will go second, using Hiker C.

The main Solo Variant change is how Climbs are revealed.

Your Turn: Play normally for all nine rounds. When revealing a new Climb, place it to the far left of the revealed Climbs. After choosing your Climb, slide the others to the right.

Gerry's Turn: Reveal a new Climb. Gerry takes the rightmost one, ignoring all Weather and Climb requirements. Tuck the Climb under his Hiker based on its icon:

• Class I = Training
• Class II = Plans
• Class III & Class IV = Capstones

Gerry counts as a rival for abilities, but never hires Guides.

End of Game: Score your tableau and Gerry's. If your score is higher, you win!

Setup Reference

Shared Setup:

• The facedown Climb deck (A).
• A faceup Accolade card, with the unused side covered (B).
• July and August Forecast cards, aligned vertically (C), if using Backcountry Mode.

Player Setup:

• 1 Hiker card (D).
• 1 Reference card (E).
• 2 Counter cards (F).

	Class I	Class II	Class III	Class IV	Hiker Cards (Leftmost 1st)
1 or 2 Players	5	6	6	4	1 A/B and 1 C/D
3 Players	6	9	9	6	1 A/B and 2 C/D
4 Players (use all cards)	8	14	10	7	2 A/B and 2 C/D