Dream Runners Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Components
• Setup
• Game Overview
  • Playing the Game
• I) Creating a Dream
• II) Resolving Compositions
  • Rewards
  • Special Effects
  • Special Cells
  • Special Cases
  • Example
• III) Making Improvements
• IV) Preparing for the Next Round
• End of the Game
• Example of a Full Round
  • I) Creating a Dream
  • II) Resolving Compositions
  • III) Making Improvements
  • IV) Preparing for the Next Round

Goal of the Game

Assemble your segments quickly and cleverly to create a composition that best matches the dream tile in the middle of the table. Collect as many star fragments as possible, banish nightmares, and above all don't waste any time!

The player who has the most dream points after 8 rounds wins.

Components

• 1 sand timer
• 24 dream tiles:
  • 6 level-1 tiles
  • 6 level-2 tiles
  • 6 level-3 tiles
  • 6 level-4 tiles
• 8 scoring tokens (2 per player)
• 18 chest tokens
• 60 coin tokens
• 64 star fragment tokens:
  • 16 blue fragments
  • 16 white fragments
  • 16 orange fragments
  • 16 green fragments
• 20 key tokens
• 4 serenity boards (1 per player)
• 1 main board
• 40 segment tiles:
  • 24 neutral segment tiles (6 of each shape)
  • 4 initial segment tiles per player

Setup

Form a dream pile in the middle of the table as follows: Choose 2 dream 4 tiles at random and put them face down. Then choose 2 dream 3 tiles at random and put them face down on top of the two dream 4 tiles. Do the same with 2 dream 2 tiles, which you put on top of the dream 3 tiles, and then with 2 dream 1 tiles, which you put on top of the dream 2 tiles. Put the rest of the tiles back in the box. Put the pile in the middle of the table so that all players can see it easily. Put the main board nearby.

Note: When you are first learning the game, before setting up, put aside all the tiles that have a star at the bottom. When playing with experienced players, use both the tiles with and without stars.

Each player chooses a color, takes the corresponding serenity board, and puts it in front of them. Each player then puts one of the 2 scoring tokens in their color on the start of the star track on the main board and the other on their serenity track. Each player also takes the 4 segments in their color and 2 coin tokens, and puts them in front of them.

Form 4 piles of 6 segments face down (one pile for each shape) and put them near the main board. Turn the segment on top of each pile face up.

Sort the chest tokens by type and put them into 3 face-down piles, one for each type. Put the key tokens, star fragments and coins in a reserve near the main board.

Put the dream tile from the top of the pile face down in the middle of the table and put the sand timer next to it.

Game Overview

You encounter a new dream tile each round. You must fit your segments together so they best match the contents of the dream tile to collect rewards (using the collect effect) and banish nightmares (using the banish effect).

Collecting star fragments and banishing nightmares let you advance on the star track and keep your serenity to earn the most dream points at the end of the game. At the end of every round, you can spend coins to obtain new segments or earn serenity points.

Playing the Game

Each round is played in phases as follows:

1. Creating a Dream
2. Resolving Compositions
3. Making Improvements
4. Preparing for the Next Round

I) Creating a Dream

For the first round, the player who dreams the most turns the dream tile in the middle of the table face up. This is the dream that all the players will experience during the round. During this phase, all players play simultaneously and in real time. All players must use their segments to form squares of 3 cells by 3 cells, or shapes close to that (see "Resolve Compositions", pg. 7) to match the dream as best they can.

As soon as a player is happy with how they have arranged their segments, that player takes the sand timer, puts it on the space provided for it on their serenity board, turns it over, and announces that they have done so. That player can no longer change their composition. That player immediately takes a coin and becomes the "first dreamer" for the round. The other players must complete their compositions. When the sand timer runs out, the phase is over and none of the players can change their compositions anymore.

Note: Players do not need to use all their segments during this phase.

II) Resolving Compositions

Each player applies the following effects in the order of their choice:

• Dream Coherence: For each cell in your composition that is missing from a 3-cell by 3-cell square AND for each cell outside a 3-cell by 3-cell square, you lose 1 serenity point.
• Banishing: For each nightmare cell on which you did not apply the banish effect, you lose as many serenity points as indicated on the cell.
• Collecting: For each reward cell on which you applied the collect effect, you receive all of the rewards on that cell. Each reward cell can contain one or more of the following elements: star fragments, keys, coins, serenity points, and chests.

Serenity Track: When you do not banish nightmares or when your dream is incoherent, you lose serenity points and move your scoring token down that track. The more you move down that track, the fewer dream points you will earn at the end of the game. In addition, if you reach the last space at the bottom of the track, you wake up and immediately lose the game!

Rewards

• Star Fragments: Take the corresponding fragment token from the reserve (with the fragment, you choose the color). As soon as you have 4 fragments of different colors, discard them and move your scoring token up one space on the star track.
• Serenity: Gain 1 serenity point.
• Key: Take one key from the reserve. Keys are used to open chests (see "Special Cells", pg. 8).
• Coin: Take 1 coin from the reserve. You can spend coins to gain serenity or acquire new segments (see "Making Improvements", pg. 9).

Special Effects

• This effect works like the collect effect, but when you apply this effect on a reward cell, you gain double what you would normally gain!
• Apply the collect effect AND the banish effect on this cell.

Special Cells

• Octopus: If this nightmare is not banished, lose as many serenity points as there are collect symbols in your composition.
• Bat: If this nightmare is not banished and you have not played all your segments this round, put one of your unplayed segments back in the box.
• Spider: If this nightmare is not banished, lose 1 serenity point. If you apply the collect effect on this cell, you receive the corresponding fragment. If you apply the banish/collect effect on this cell, you receive the fragment without losing serenity points!
• Chest: If you apply the collect effect and have enough keys, you open the chest. Turn over the top chest token in the corresponding pile, discard the necessary keys and receive the contents. (Only one chest is turned over per round, and every player who opens that chest during the round receives its contents.)
• Converging Dreams: Players who applied the collect effect on this cell share its contents. Prepare the contents of the cell, then each of those players in turn takes one of those elements (rotating clockwise from the first dreamer). Keep going around until all the elements have been taken.

Note: In the case of multiple resolutions, each player may resolve them in the order that is the most advantageous to them.

Special Cases

• The x2 effect does not change the amount of serenity points lost when it is played on a nightmare cell.
• The x2 effect counts as a single collect symbol on the octopus cell.
• If you apply the x2 effect to a chest cell, you must open the chest a second time if possible by discarding the corresponding keys again to double the reward obtained.
• If you apply the x2 effect on a fragment cell, choose a fragment color and receive 2 fragments in that color.
• If you apply the x2 effect on a converging dreams cell, take part in the sharing of the rewards normally. Then, after the rewards have been distributed, double your rewards by taking the same ones again from the reserve.

Example

1. There is one missing cell and one extra cell, so the player loses 2 serenity points.
2. One of the nightmares was not banished, so the player loses 2 serenity points.
3. The player receives a key token and two blue fragments thanks to the collect effects and the x2 effect.

III) Making Improvements

During this phase, you may spend coins to acquire new segments and gain serenity.

Each player, starting with the first dreamer and continuing clockwise, can spend 4 coins to acquire one of the four visible segments (maximum 1 segment per player per round). Afterwards, turn over the next segment in the pile.

Certain segments have dream points and coins depicted on them. When you buy a segment with a depiction of coins on it, you immediately get as many coins as indicated. At the end of the game, the dream points depicted on the segments in your possession are added to your score.

Gaining 1 serenity point costs 3 coins. You may do this as often as you like.

IV) Preparing for the Next Round

Put the dream tile from the round in the box, then put the dream tile from the top of the pile face down in its place. If a chest token has been revealed, put it back in the box. The first dreamer puts the sand timer next to the dream tile. When all the players are ready, the first dreamer turns over the dream tile and a new round begins.

End of the Game

After 8 rounds, the game ends. Each player adds up the dream points matching their positions on the star track and on their serenity track, plus the dream points shown on the segments in their possession. The player with the most dream points wins. If players are tied, the victory goes to the player with the most coins.

Example of a Full Round

At the start of the 3rd round, Alice has this: a key, two green segments, a blue segment, and an orange segment.

I) Creating a Dream

Bob, who was the first dreamer during the last round has just turned over the dream tile for the current round. The players create their compositions, and Alice finishes hers first. She takes the sand timer, turns it over and puts it on her board and receives 1 coin. The other players finish their compositions.

II) Resolving Compositions

Alice applies the collecting, banishing, and dream coherence phases in the order of her choice.

• Collecting: Alice decides to apply the various collect effects in the order below.

1. Alice receives 1 key.
2. Alice receives 4 coins (thanks to the x2 collect effect).
3. Alice opens the chest. This chest requires 2 keys to open, so Alice discards her 2 keys. She turns over the chest token and gets its contents: 1 fragment in the color of her choice (she chooses a blue fragment), and 4 coins. Alice now has 9 coins, 2 green fragments, 1 orange fragment, 1 blue fragment, and 1 white fragment. (She doesn't have any keys left.) Since she has at least one fragment of each type, she discards 4 different fragments and moves up one space on the star track.

• Dream Coherence: There are 2 cells in her composition that do not fit a 3-cell by 3-cell square, so Alice loses 2 serenity points.
• Banishing: Alice did not banish the nightmare in the lower right, which causes her to lose 2 serenity points.

The other players also resolve their own compositions.

III) Making Improvements

Each player, starting with Alice, has the option of buying a segment. Alice, who is the first dreamer, chooses to buy a segment for 4 coins, which earns her 1 coin. Then the other players have the option of buying segments in turn. Finally, Alice decides to spend her 6 remaining coins to get 2 serenity points.

IV) Preparing for the Next Round

Alice puts the dream tile and chest token back in the box. She puts the sand timer back in the middle of the table, waits until the other players are ready, and then turns over the new dream tile for the next round.