Charon Inc. Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Goal of the Game
• The Game Board
• Set Up
• Playing the Game
  • 1) Staking Claims
  • 2) Claiming Gems
  • 3) Adjusting the Turn Order
  • 4) Building Cards
  • 5) Resetting for the Next Round
• Ending the Game

Components

1 Game Board 35 Plastic Flags—7 for each player in 5 colors (burgundy red, white, deep blue, gold and teal) 106 Gems (Mineral Resources): 6 clear; and 20 each in blue, yellow, green, purple & black 1 Round Track Marker (a large, clear gem) 55 Building Cards—numbered 2-12 (5 of each number) 1 Cloth Bag 1 Rule Book

Goal of the Game

The goal of Charon, Inc. is to score the most Victory Points after four rounds of play. Victory Points are indicated on the Building Cards, which are "built" by expending mineral resources (referred to as "gems" going forward) that are accumulated in each round.

The Game Board

The game board shows 20 zones of Charon that are staked and claimed in each round by the players. Each of these zones has one, two or three dark "mining holes" where gems are placed each round. These zones are separated by lines and circles. The circles are where the players place their flags, which are used to stake claims. For 5 players, use all 20 zones; for 4 players, do not use the 2 yellow zones; for 3 players, do not use the 2 yellow and 2 pink zones; and for 2 players, do not use the 2 yellow, 2 pink and 2 blue zones. The board also contains 5 "action" areas that the players contend for each round, which include Stolen Intelligence, Rare Mineral Find, Synchrotron, Engineering Advance, and Underground Warehouse. Above this area is the Player Order track, used to identify turn order, which changes during each round. Below this area is a Round track—indicating Rounds 1 through 4.

Set Up

Each player takes all 7 flags of one color and puts one in each of the 5 action areas, and one in front of himself to indicate his player color. The turn order for the first round is determined randomly, and the remaining 7th flags for each player are placed on the Turn Order track. The gems are placed near the game board in same-color piles—this becomes the supply. Put the 6 clear (wild) gems on the action area labeled "Rare Mineral Find". Put a given number of each of the 5 colored gems (not the clear gems) into the cloth bag, depending upon the number of players: for 5 players--5 of each gem; for 3 and 4 players--4 of each gem; and for 2 players--3 of each gem. If there are gems left in the bag from previous rounds, leave them in the bag.

Once all the appropriate gems are in the bag, draw and place one gem in each of the zones of Charon (20 in a 5 player game; 18 with 4 players; 16 with 3; and 14 with 2 players). Then, using gems from the supply, not from the bag, fill in the remaining "mining holes" in each of the zones with gems of the same color as the initial one placed in each zone. Zones will then have one, two or three gems of the same color in them (see the Set Up illustration).

Next, remove all five #12 building cards from the deck, then shuffle the deck thoroughly and deal 2 random cards, face down, to start a discard pile near the supply piles of gems. Put the five removed #12 cards face down on this discard pile as well. Then deal 3 cards to each player in the first round; and 2 to each player in each of the remaining three rounds.

Each round, players combine the new cards dealt to them with those already in their hand; then they choose one card from their "new" hand and place it face down in a row with the other players' chosen cards. When all players have placed a card face down, flip them all face up to reveal a "common" building row which is available to all players to build from later in this round.

You are now ready to play Charon, Inc.

Playing the Game

The game is made up of four rounds and each round has five phases. As many as five different actions may be triggered during each round (explained below during the phase in which they activate). The five phases are:

1. Staking Claims;
2. Claiming Gems;
3. Adjusting the Turn Order;
4. Building Cards;
5. Resetting for the Next Round

1) Staking Claims

Following the Turn Order track, each player moves one flag from an action area to the board. The player chooses where to place a flag from three possibilities:

(a) an empty crossroads (touching 4 zones); (b) an empty road (touching 2 zones); and (c) directly in the middle of one empty zone (thus touching only 1 zone).

Placement of flags (one flag at a time) continues in Turn Order until all players have placed 4 of their 5 flags on the board.

One flag of each player will remain on an action area after the staking of 4 flags each has concluded. In a 2 or 3 player game, the action indicated by that area is triggered if there is only ONE flag remaining on that action (the action is not triggered if two or more flags remain on that action). In a 4 or 5 player game, if there are ONE or TWO flags remaining on an action, then that action is triggered (it is not triggered if more than two flags remain on that action).

Stolen Intelligence The "Stolen Intelligence" action is triggered first (in reverse turn order if two players remain on this action in a 4 or 5 player game). A player with a flag on Stolen Intelligence may move/reposition one of his flags, already on the board, to another legal position on the board—but with one restriction. You may NOT move your flag to a position which influences any zone containing three gems, i.e. you may move/reposition your flag to any legal position which influences zones containing either one or two gems only.

2) Claiming Gems

Each zone with a gem is now checked to see who has the greatest influence on that zone by virtue of the flags they have staked. Each flag that is touching a zone is worth ONE influence point. The player with the most influence points in a zone collects ALL of the gems from that zone. In case of a tie for influence points, the player who has a flag directly in the middle of the zone wins. Otherwise, if a player has more flags on the road(s) (i.e. touching just 2 zones), he wins. Finally, if there is a complete tie, the gems in that zone are not awarded—and the resources stay in that zone for the next round. This process is followed for all of the zones on the board, and all gems are dispersed to the players (except where ties have occurred).

Example:

A) Nobody Wins because no flags were staked, gem stays B) White Wins 2 to 1 C) Nobody Wins - complete tie, gems stay D) Blue Wins - blue's road position breaks 1-1 tie E) White Wins 3 to 2 to 1 F) Gold Wins - road position breaks 2-2 tie with white G) Gold Wins - middle position breaks 3 way tie H) Red Wins - middle position breaks 2-2 tie with blue I) Gold Wins 2 to 1 to 1

Rare Mineral Find The action "Rare Mineral Find" is now triggered and a clear (wild) gem is awarded to the remaining player(s) in this action area.

Engineering Advance The action of "Engineering Advance" is also now triggered. The player(s) who wins this action may look through the discard pile and then he may either take one of the cards from the discard pile, OR one card from the "common row" of Building Cards. The player immediately puts this card into his hand and may build this card when it is his turn to build cards.

In this and all instances where more than one player may take a triggered action, the reverse order of the Turn Order track determines the order of play.

3) Adjusting the Turn Order

Each player counts the total number of gems they now have (those left from last turn plus those acquired on the present turn, including clear ones). The player with the most gems IMMEDIATELY becomes the new first player, the second most becomes the new second player, etc. Re-adjust the flags on the Turn Order track accordingly. If there is a tie, the turn order amongst the tied players is not modified.

4) Building Cards

In turn order, players use the gems they have accumulated to "build" cards from their hands and from the "common" discard row (more information below). To build a card, a player spends the gems he has accumulated as shown on the cards in their hand or in the common row. A clear gem counts as any gem the player wants/needs it to be.

Players may trade 3 gems of any color(s) for 1 gem of their choice.

(Note: the winner(s) of the Underground Warehouse action may trade at a 2 for 1 rate.) Players may make as many gem trades as they are able to.

Synchrotron The effect of the "Synchrotron" action is now triggered. A player(s) who won this action may trade in ANY number of their gems of any one color for the same number of gems of any one other color.

NOTE: A player cannot build the same type of building (i.e. the same building number) more than once in the game (e.g. you cannot build two #7 buildings). If you are dealt a card (or two) at the beginning of a round which you have already built, you may immediately shuffle and draw one (or two if you have received two cards which duplicate previous builds) new cards from the discard pile and return the duplicate card(s) to the discard pile.

You may build as many cards from your hand as you are able to and/or want to. You may also build one and only one card from the "common" row of Building Cards.

Cards built are clearly shown face up in front of the player once built. Gems used are returned to the supply piles.

5) Resetting for the Next Round

Players cannot retain more than 2 gems in their personal supply to be used in the next round. Extras are returned to the supply piles.

Underground Warehouse However, the effect of the Underground Warehouse is now triggered and the affected player(s) may retain up to and including 6 gems in their personal supply (note that earlier, in the pre-building phase, the possessor of this action may also trade gems at a 2:1 rate vs. the normal 3:1 rate).

The clear gem DOES count toward the number (2 or 6) of gems retained.

There is no limit to the number of cards that a player may retain in his hand.

All cards from the common row not built in this past turn are turned upside down and stacked in the discard pile.

Each player draws two new cards, adds them to his hand, then discards one card from his hand into the new "common" building row, available to all players.

One flag of each player is put into each action area. The gems are "re-seeded" in the mining holes as they were at the beginning of the game. Unclaimed gems remain on the board from the previous round.

This round is over and the game continues in the sequence above.

Ending the Game

The game ends at the end of four rounds. The points indicated on the Building Cards in front of each player are added and the player with the highest total is the winner. In the event of a tie, the highest Building Card(s) wins, (e.g. 12-11-10 wins vs. 12-11-9).