Bivouac Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Game Components
• Game Board Setup
• Player Board Setup
• Card Explanation
• Gameplay
  • Beginning the Game
  • Playing a Round
  • Phase 1 - Worker Placement
  • Phase 2 - Worker Retrieval and Scoring
  • Misfortune Cards
  • Phase 3 - Worker Payment and Round Advancement
• Ending the Game
• Retreat Center Expansion
  • Additional Setup
  • Misfortune Cards (Expansion)
  • Staff Cards
  • Additional Gameplay

Game Overview

• The object of the game is to earn the most victory points by acquiring and utilizing various cards.
• Some cards require workers in order to receive the money and/or victory points they generate.
• Workers must be paid at the end of each round: 1 money per worker.
• Bivouac is played over 13 rounds, represented by the months of the year.

Game Components

• 1 Game Board
• 4 Player Boards
• 40 Workers
• 80 Money Tokens
• 20 Resources
• 12 Player Tokens
• 1 First Player Token
• 1 Round Marker
• Activity Cards
• Amenity Cards
• Misfortune Cards
• Donor Gift Cards
• Staff cards (Retreat Center Expansion)

Activity Cards. Activities are purchased with resources and are used to generate money and/or victory points (VPs). Some can only be used during certain months of the year.

Amenity Cards. Amenities are also purchased with resources and grant the owner a unique ability.

Misfortune Cards. Misfortune cards cause negative effects and will be drawn as players gain victory points.

Donor Gift Cards. Donor Gifts can be acquired when a player gains at least one donor level. They provide various in-game and end-game bonuses. There are 3 levels.

Game Board Setup

The printed setup page labels the following components; the order of steps is not printed in this booklet.

• Activity Cards and Amenity Cards (All Activity Cards, All Amenity Cards): 2 of each for 3-4 players, 1 of each for 2 players.
• Round Marker: It's important to note that the game begins and ends in December.
• Extra Money and Resources: 5 of each for the Resources.
• Extra Workers: 5 of each.
• Misfortune Cards: Shuffled.
• Donor Gifts: Separated by level and shuffled. Donor Gifts 1-3, Donor Gifts 4-6, and Donor Gifts 7-10.
• Randomly assign one of the following activities to each player: Dodgeball, Low Ropes, Snowshoes, Bouldering Wall, Archery, or Disc Golf. Return the remaining cards to their location next to the game board.

Player Board Setup

The printed player board setup page labels the following on each player board:

• VP Marker on the VP track, and Extra VP Marker, which is used after a player earns 50 VP. Marker is placed on the appropriate icon in the board's center.
• Donor Level Marker on the donor level track.
• Starting Money (8).
• Randomly Assigned Activity (Dodgeball, Low Ropes, Snowshoes, Bouldering Wall, Archery, or Disc Golf).
• Starting Amenity Card (Lodge). Extras are returned to the box.

Card Explanation

• Some cards, like Disc Golf, do not require any workers.
• Seasons may become important for certain cards and can be determined by this key: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
• Usable Months are shown along the top of the card as a strip of the months of the year.
• Bonus Month: when a card is used during its bonus month, the player earns 2 extra victory points.
• Money Generated and Victory Points Generated are shown on the card, with the Workers Needed icon in the middle.
• The Cost Needed to Purchase is shown at the bottom of the card.
• Amenity cards may be used in every month of the year and the cost is also at the bottom of the card.

Gameplay

Beginning the Game

Use "house rules" to decide who goes first (i.e. youngest player; rock, paper, scissors; phone app; etc.). Turn continues clockwise.

Playing a Round

Each round is split into 3 Phases: Worker Placement, Worker Retrieval, and Worker Payment.

Phase 1 - Worker Placement

• Before placing workers, any activities next to a player's board that are not usable during the current month are placed face-down to avoid confusion.
• Players take turns placing one worker at a time on an available location on the game board or on a card next to their player board.
• In a two-player game, only one of the rectangles at each type of location on the game board may be occupied, excluding the bank. (i.e. only one of the locations at the wood resource may be occupied). Not available in 2 player game.
• A player may choose to occupy a location that they cannot take advantage of, effectively blocking other players.

Card Placement Options. A player may choose to place one of their workers on a card next to their player board. Placing a worker in one of these locations allows the card to generate its reward(s) for that round. Some cards will generate their rewards without requiring any workers (i.e. Disc Golf).

Game Board Placement Options.

• Activities: Players may purchase one activity per worker present during Phase 2. A player may never purchase two of the same activity.
• Starting Player: A player may occupy this location to become the starting player for the next round.
• Amenities: Players may purchase one amenity per worker present during Phase 2. A player may never purchase two of the same amenity.
• Bank: Players receive 2 money per worker present during Phase 2. (Max of 3 workers per player.)
• Resources: Players gain one of the indicated resources per worker present during Phase 2. If no resources remain, none may be taken (no "ghost" resources).
• Donor Gift: Players may draw a card from a donor gift pile during Phase 2. A player's donor level must be in the range of the pile they are drawing from.
• Donor Level: Players may increase the donor level on their player board by one during Phase 2.
• Hiring: Players may place an available worker from the hiring pool on the other spot to bring back during Phase 2.

Phase 2 - Worker Retrieval and Scoring

• Starting with the first player, all workers are returned to them in whatever order they desire, performing the task of each location.
• Upon purchasing an Activity or Amenity, it is placed face down next to a player's board until the beginning of the next round.
• Donor gifts are collected immediately, if possible, and the cards remain face-up next to a player's board for the duration of the game. If a donor gift provides a resource that is not available, a coin from the bank may be used as a placeholder.
• As a player retrieves workers from the cards next to their player board, they collect the money and/or victory points associated with them. They also collect rewards for usable Activities or Amenities that require no workers. Don't forget to check for bonus months.
• Once a player earns 50 victory points, a player token is added to the center of their player board to track scoring.

Misfortune Cards

• If, after a player has added all their victory points, they have crossed or landed on a yellow space on their victory point track, they must draw a Misfortune card from the Game Board and place it face up in front of them. If they have passed multiple yellow spaces, multiple cards are drawn.
• If a Misfortune card can be resolved immediately, the action is completed and the card is discarded. If not, it is placed face-up in front of the player's board it affects until the end of the next round.
• Misfortune cards are never drawn for backward movement.
• In the event that there are no more Misfortune cards to draw, all discarded Misfortunes are reshuffled to form a new draw pile.

Phase 3 - Worker Payment and Round Advancement

• After all workers have returned, all players must pay 1 money per worker to the bank. Players receive a discount based on their donor level. Take the number of workers and subtract the donor level.
  • Example: Player A has 6 workers and a donor level of 3. Player A only has to pay 3 money.
• If a player is unable to pay for all their workers at the end of a round, they must pay the debt with resources. If debt still remains, they must pay with victory points. Note: A player may never have less than 0 victory points.
• If a player occupied the Starting Player location, they advance the round marker to the next month and begin Phase 1. Otherwise, the current starting player advances the round marker and turn order remains the same.

Ending the Game

• The game ends after Phase 3 of Round 13 (December).
• Additional victory points are added as follows:
  • 1 VP for each resource left.
  • 1 VP for every 2 money left.
• Game-end bonuses for Amenity and/or Donor Gift cards are added.
• Misfortune card spaces may be disregarded during game-end scoring.
• The player with the most victory points is the winner. In the event of a tie, the player with the most owned Activities is the winner.

Retreat Center Expansion

This expansion offers a few optional elements for more experienced players. All original rules remain the same.

New Cards (identifiable by their yellow border):

• New Misfortune Cards: 8 new Misfortune Cards have been added.
• Activity Upgrades: Activity Upgrades allow players to make their owned activities better.
• New Donor Gifts: Extra donor gifts provide staff members and activity upgrades for free. When acquiring a staff member, reveal an extra staff card. (The printed page labels this set as Donor Gift Level 4-6.)
• Staff Member Cards provide a variety of in-game and end-game bonuses.

Pony Rides and Stables are added to the Activity and Amenity options as well.

Additional Setup

• Each player is randomly assigned one of the 4 starting staff cards; remaining starting cards are placed back in the box.
• All other staff cards are shuffled and placed above the game board face down. Three cards are then revealed and placed next to the stack face up.
• Activity upgrades are shuffled and three are dealt to each player. If a player has the Activities Director, they receive two additional upgrades. Remaining upgrade cards are placed back in the box.

Misfortune Cards (Expansion)

• Misfortune cards may include a Staff Symbol. This symbol corresponds with certain staff cards, negating the misfortune's effects.
• Some activities contain a Thrill Symbol. This symbol corresponds with the High Adventure Specialist staff card.

Staff Cards

• Staff Cards may be purchased (or obtained for free) to provide unique abilities.

Additional Gameplay

• During a hire in Phase 2, a player may choose to acquire one of the 3 revealed staff cards. If so, the player pays the indicated cost (some are free) and reveals a new staff card from the top of the deck to replace it. The acquired ability will go into effect immediately and will remain for the rest of the game. These cards provide rewards during Phase 2 scoring.
• During Phase 3, a player may choose to upgrade an activity using one of the upgrade cards in their hand. To do so, they must pay the cost. The new card is placed face-up on top of the card it upgrades.

Source note: the expansion's page 10 summary of the activity upgrade card reads "upgrade an activity from your hand during Phase 3 without paying the cost," while the Additional Gameplay text on page 11 says the player must pay the cost. Both are transcribed as printed; the booklet does not resolve the conflict.