Dreadful Meadows Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Aim of the Game
• Meet the Confectioners
• Deluxe Edition Components
• Setup the Game
• The Value of Candy
• How to Play
  • 1. Purchase Patches
  • 2. Place a Sugar Sprite
  • 3. Purchase a Harvester
  • 4. Retrieve Sugar Sprites
  • 5. Concoction Cards
• End of the Game
• Sour Solo Mode
  • Setup
  • Gameplay
  • Sour Confectioner Abilities
  • Scoring
• Top Tips for Your Candy Biz
• Clarifying Confectioner Abilities
• Credits

Aim of the Game

The aim of Dreadful Meadows is to become the season's most successful Confectioner by having the most Victory Points (VP) when the game ends. You earn Victory Points by placing your Harvesters strategically on your Patches, by completing Concoction Cards, and from any Candy you have left over.

During the game you enlist your Sugar Sprites to grow creepy Candy. Candy is your main resource for purchasing new Patches, buying Harvesters, and completing Concoction Cards. Retrieving your Sugar Sprites triggers powerful Bonuses for your Meadow.

The final round is triggered when any one of the following happens: only 1 Harvester remains available, the Patch Bag is emptied, or all Concoction Cards have been drawn from the draw pile.

Meet the Confectioners

Each player chooses one of five Confectioners to represent them as this season's Sweetest Supplier. A Confectioner's coloured frame is not tied to any one Patch type, so pick based on the ability and playstyle you enjoy — every Confectioner is viable in its own way. New players are encouraged to try each one out in Sour Solo Mode to learn them quickly.

Jack — A shrewd pumpkin-headed dealer who left the Sinister Seed Market behind to settle his patch in Dreadful Meadows. Jack's Ability: Ignore all Market costs when purchasing Patches.

Nina — The matriarchal Countess of the Meadow, famed for the quality control behind her best-selling Treacle Teeth. Nina's Ability: Gain the corresponding Sugar Sprite Bonus of the first Patch you place after purchasing.

Igor — An eccentric inventor whose contraptions, the ribbon reapers and combine crunchers, eventually became the Horrid Harvesters. Igor's Ability: Generate Candy on Patches where you place Sugar Sprites and on Patches containing Harvesters that are activated.

Luna — Once a humble taffy-twister, revealed to be heiress of the Phantomallow family fortune. Luna's Ability: Treat Patches as any chosen type when retrieving Sugar Sprites.

Leaf — The tireless Candy Tree Custodian who tends the Meadow's orchards and brews his own Kombucha on the side. Leaf was added to the game as part of the Kickstarter Deluxe Edition. Leaf's Ability: You may place Sprites onto Patches containing other Sprites.

Deluxe Edition Components

• 1 Market board, with 5 spaces (each worth $4, $3, $2, $1, $0 from left to right) that hold the Patches available for purchase
• 1 Patch Bag ("Sinister Seeds")
• Patches: 8 Dreadful Tree ($5), 12 Pumpkin Pops ($4), 16 Treacle Teeth ($3), 20 Phantomallows ($2), 24 Gummy Globs ($1)
• Wooden "Candy" pieces in 5 colours, one matching each Patch type (quantities are approximate)
• 5 double-sided Confectioner boards (standard side plus a "Sour" side used for Sour Solo Mode)
• 13 Harvesters
• 15 Sugar Sprites (3 of each of the 5 Confectioner colours)
• 36 Concoction Cards
• 4 Sugar Sprite Bonus reference cards
• 1 Score Pad
• 1 Winner's Pin

Setup the Game

1. Place the Market in the middle of the play area, within reach of all players.

2. Place all the Candy on its corresponding spaces on the Market.

3. Deal each player 1 random 3VP, 1 random 6VP, and 1 random 9VP Concoction Card. Shuffle the remaining Concoction Cards into a face-down draw pile near the Market.

4. Place the required number of Harvesters near the Market, based on player count:

   • 4 players — use all 13 Harvesters.
   • 3 players — use 10 Harvesters (return 3 to the box).
   • 1–2 players — use 7 Harvesters (return 6 to the box).

5. If playing with fewer than 4 players, remove the indicated Patches (shown by dots on the Patch backs) and return them to the box:

   • 3 players — remove all Patches marked with 4 dots.
   • 1–2 players — remove all Patches marked with 3 dots and 4 dots.

   By type, this means: Dreadful Tree — remove 2 for 3 players, 4 for 2 players/Solo Mode. Pumpkin Pops — remove 3 for 3 players, 6 for 2 players/Solo Mode. Treacle Teeth — remove 4 for 3 players, 8 for 2 players/Solo Mode. Phantomallows — remove 5 for 3 players, 10 for 2 players/Solo Mode. Gummy Globs — remove 6 for 3 players, 12 for 2 players/Solo Mode.

6. The player who most recently ate candy becomes the first player. Give each player 1 Dreadful Tree Patch and 1 Dreadful Tree Candy, plus a starting Patch and matching Candy based on clockwise turn order from the first player:

   • Player 1 — 1 Gummy Globs Patch and 1 Gummy Globs Candy.
   • Player 2 — 1 Phantomallows Patch and 1 Phantomallows Candy.
   • Player 3 — 1 Treacle Teeth Patch and 1 Treacle Teeth Candy.
   • Player 4 — 1 Pumpkin Pops Patch and 1 Pumpkin Pops Candy.

   Each player places their 2 starting Patches in front of them, adjacent to each other, to begin their Meadow. Once placed, Patches can never be moved. Place each starting Candy on its matching Patch.

7. Place all remaining Patches into the Patch Bag and mix well. Randomly draw 4 Patches from the Bag and place 1 face-up on each space of the Market.

8. Give each player 1 Confectioner (chosen or randomly dealt) and the 3 Sugar Sprites of the matching colour.

The Value of Candy

Candy generates on your Patches throughout the game. Each Patch's Candy value is printed on the Patch — for example, Gummy Globs (green) are worth $1 and Phantomallows (blue) are worth $2. Each Patch type only ever generates its own matching Candy.

How to Play

Starting with the first player, turns pass clockwise. On each turn, a player must choose 1 of 4 possible actions. In addition to their chosen action, a player may also freely move Candy from their Meadow onto any number of their Concoction Cards at any point during their turn.

The 4 actions to choose from are:

• Purchase Patches
• Place a Sugar Sprite
• Purchase a Harvester
• Retrieve Sugar Sprites

Filling Concoction Cards can be done at any time during your turn, alongside your chosen action.

1. Purchase Patches

Purchase new Patches by spending Candy from your Meadow. The cost of a Patch is the sum of its own printed value plus the value of the Market space it currently occupies (the 4 Market spaces are worth $3, $2, $1 and $0, from left to right).

There is no change given if you overspend, but you may buy multiple Patches in a single transaction. After purchasing, place the new Patches into your Meadow one at a time, each adjacent to at least 1 existing Patch (this can include a Patch placed earlier the same turn). Patches do not need to be adjacent to Patches of the same type, though it is often useful. Once placed, a Patch can never be moved.

After all purchased Patches have been placed, refill the Market: slide the remaining Patches as far right as possible, then fill the empty spaces from right to left with new Patches drawn from the Bag.

2. Place a Sugar Sprite

Place a Sugar Sprite onto a Patch in your Meadow that contains no other components (no Harvester, Sugar Sprite, or Candy). You may discard Candy to the Market before placing a Sugar Sprite if needed to clear a Patch.

A placed Sugar Sprite generates 1 Candy on every adjacent Patch that does not already contain any other components. This new Candy can be moved immediately onto your Concoction Cards, or left in place for a later turn to spend on Harvesters or Patches.

Patches are adjacent when they share 1 of their 4 edges — corners do not count.

3. Purchase a Harvester

Purchase a Harvester to work in your Meadow. Harvesters help generate extra Candy as the game progresses, and they score Victory Points at game end.

A Harvester can only be placed on a Patch that is surrounded on all 4 sides by other Patches (of any type). The cost to purchase it is the sum of the values of those 4 surrounding Patches, paid by returning Candy from anywhere in your Meadow (including from the Patch where the Harvester will go) back to the Market.

Restrictions when placing a Harvester:

• If the target Patch currently holds a Sugar Sprite, you may retrieve it, but you do not gain its Sugar Sprite Bonus.
• A Harvester cannot be placed on a Dreadful Tree Patch.
• Each Patch can only ever hold a single Harvester.
• Once placed, a Harvester can never be moved.

Harvest more Candy. When a Sugar Sprite is placed on a Patch adjacent to a Harvester, every Patch adjacent to that Harvester which contains no other components generates Candy. A Harvester will also trigger any Harvester adjacent to it to generate Candy on its own adjacent Patches in the same way — so several connected Harvesters can produce a large amount of fresh Candy from a single Sugar Sprite placement.

Rake in those Victory Points. Each Harvester scores Victory Points equal to the value of the Patch it sits on. Every Patch without a Harvester scores 1 Victory Point for each Harvester within its Cluster. A Cluster is a chain of adjacently connected Patches of a single type. Dreadful Tree Patches are wild: they can belong to multiple Clusters at once, scoring 1 Victory Point for every Harvester in each of those Clusters, and they can also be used to connect Patches of the same type together.

4. Retrieve Sugar Sprites

Choosing this action lets you return any number of your Sugar Sprites from your Meadow to your Confectioner board. Retrieving a Sugar Sprite triggers a Bonus based on the type of Patch it is retrieved from. When retrieving several Sugar Sprites at once, resolve each Bonus fully before moving to the next.

The Sugar Sprite Bonus for each Patch type:

• Gummy Globs ($1): Gain 1 Candy of your choice from the Market and place it immediately onto a Concoction Card.
• Phantomallows ($2): Place 2 matching Candy onto this Patch. (This is the only way a Patch can end up holding more than 1 Candy piece at a time.)
• Treacle Teeth ($3): Draw a random Patch from the Bag and place it into your Meadow as normal.
• Pumpkin Pops ($4): Place a Sugar Sprite onto a different Patch, generating Candy as normal.
• Dreadful Tree ($5): Draw 1 Concoction Card from the draw pile and place it face-up in front of you.

5. Concoction Cards

Each completed Concoction Card is worth 3, 6, or 9 Victory Points. You may move Candy onto your Concoction Cards at any point during your turn. Once Candy has been moved onto a Concoction Card, it cannot be spent or returned to your Meadow — it stays there until the Concoction is completed.

Dreadful Tree Candy is wild and can substitute for any Candy a Concoction Card requires. A Concoction is completed once all of its required Candy has been placed on it. Once completed, return all the Candy on it to the Market and turn the card face-down; it is scored at the end of the game.

End of the Game

The final round is triggered when any of the following occurs: only 1 Harvester remains available, the Patch Bag is emptied, or all Concoction Cards have been drawn from the draw pile. The current player finishes their turn, then every other player takes one final turn.

Players then total their Victory Points:

• Completed Concoction Cards are worth 3, 6, or 9 VP each.
• Each Harvester scores VP equal to the value of the Patch it occupies.
• Each Patch without a Harvester scores 1 VP for each Harvester within its Cluster.
• Every $5 of remaining Candy in a player's Meadow (not on Concoction Cards) is worth 1 VP.

The player with the most Victory Points wins. If tied, the tied player with the highest value of leftover Candy in their Meadow wins. If still tied, the tied player with the most Patches in their Meadow wins. If still tied, the tied players share the victory.

Cluster scoring reminder: each Patch without a Harvester scores 1 Victory Point for each Harvester within its Cluster — a chain of adjacently connected Patches of a single type. Dreadful Tree Patches are wild and can belong to multiple Clusters at once, scoring 1 Victory Point for every Harvester in each Cluster they join, and can connect Patches of the same type together.

Sour Solo Mode

Setup

Set up the game as you would for 2 players, with the following changes:

• Do not deal your opponent any Concoction Cards.
• Do not give your opponent any Patches or Candy.
• You are the first player.
• Select a Confectioner for your opponent and flip it to its "Sour" side.
• Return your opponent's Sugar Sprites to the box.

Gameplay

Your turns work exactly as in the standard game, with the added restrictions from your opponent's Sour side. After each of your turns, your opponent takes a turn, doing one of the following two things:

1. If they begin their turn holding 4 Patches of a single type in their supply, they return all 4 of them to the box, along with 1 available Harvester.
2. If they do not hold 4 Patches of a single type, they instead gain 1 Patch. Turn over the top Concoction Card from the draw pile and resolve an effect based on its printed Victory Point value:
   • 3VP: Draw 1 random Patch from the Bag.
   • 6VP: Take the left-most Patch from the Market.
   • 9VP: Take the right-most Patch from the Market.

Whenever your opponent takes Patches, place them face-up alongside their Confectioner board, keeping them in stacks of matching type rather than a connected Meadow. Dreadful Tree Patches are not wild for your opponent — they need 4 of them to give up a Harvester.

Sour Confectioner Abilities

• Jack: You may never purchase more than 1 Patch per turn.
• Nina: Nina immediately takes an extra turn after you or Nina purchase a Harvester.
• Igor: Generate 1 fewer Candy of your choice when placing Sugar Sprites.
• Luna: Ignore one Sugar Sprite Bonus when retrieving Sugar Sprites.
• Leaf: Dreadful Tree Candy cannot be used for Concoctions. Unfulfilled Concoctions score negative points.

Scoring

If your opponent triggers the end of the game, you take 1 final turn. If you trigger the end of the game yourself, the game ends immediately. Score your Meadow as you would in the standard game. You win if you score 40 VP or higher.

You also earn an award based on your final score:

• 40–49 VP — Bronze Award
• 50–59 VP — Silver Award
• 60+ VP — Gold Award

For an extra challenge, try to earn a Gold Award against each Sour Confectioner in turn, using every standard Confectioner across a series of games, and record your results on the Sour Solo Mode Goals tracker.

Top Tips for Your Candy Biz

• You can only place 1 Sugar Sprite at a time, but you may retrieve up to all 3 of your Sugar Sprites at once.
• Dreadful Tree Candy pieces are the most valuable and count as wild when used on Concoction Cards.
• You cannot place a Harvester on a Dreadful Tree Patch.
• The Patch where you place a Harvester must be surrounded by Patches on all 4 sides.
• You do not generate Candy on Patches that already contain Candy, Sugar Sprites, or Harvesters, unless your Confectioner's ability says otherwise.
• Jack's ability can look the most powerful at first glance, but every Confectioner rewards a different approach — try them all.

Clarifying Confectioner Abilities

• Jack — Pay the price shown on the Patch itself; you do not also pay the cost printed on the Market space beneath it.
• Luna — Use the Sugar Sprite Bonus reference card to activate any Bonus when retrieving your Sugar Sprites; you are not restricted to the Bonus matching the Patch type the Sugar Sprite is actually retrieved from.
• Nina — Her ability only applies to the first Patch purchased from the Market that round; Patches gained from a Sugar Sprite Bonus do not trigger it.
• Igor — Only the Sugar Sprite placed that turn generates Candy on its Patch; adjacent Sugar Sprites placed on earlier turns do not generate Candy again.
• Leaf — Up to 3 Sugar Sprites may occupy the same Patch. When you retrieve multiple Sugar Sprites from the same Patch, you may claim 1 Bonus per Sugar Sprite retrieved.

Credits

Game Design: Lukus Adam Character Illustration: Claire Tobin Team Arkus: Shem Phillips (Everything Game), Paul Tobin (Everything Creative), Nicola Harrison (Everything Product)

Dreadful Meadows was made by the team at Arkus Games, based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This transcription follows the Kickstarter Deluxe Edition rulebook (PDF, English), distributed by Arkus Games via their Kickstarter campaign's Google Drive folder; a later Retail Edition rulebook is also listed as an official file on the game's BoardGameGeek page.