Ezra and Nehemiah Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Aim of the Game
• Components
• Main Board Setup
• Player Board Setup
  • Levite Setup
  • Gatekeeper Setup
  • White Worker Setup (1-2 players)
  • Component Limits
  • Hand Limit
• Gameplay Overview
  • Work Days
• Playing Character Cards
• Main Actions
• Main Action: Temple and Altar
  • Placing Levites
  • Using Red Banners to Place Resources
  • Using Levites to Gain Red Banners
  • Placing Resources in the Temple
  • Filling the Temple
  • Filling Temple Sectors
  • Placing Resources on the Altar
• Main Action: Rubble, Walls, and Gates
  • Clearing Rubble
  • Neutral Walls and Gates
  • Walls and Gates
  • Scoring Walls and Gates
  • Connecting Walls and Gates
• Main Action: Torah and Tenting Around the City
  • Teaching the Torah
  • Row Bonus
  • Scoring Scribes
  • White Workers (1-2 Players)
  • Tenting Around the City
• Auxiliary Actions
  • Trade
  • Turn Over a Development Tile
• Traders and Elders
• Blessings
  • Column Bonuses
• End of Turn
• Prepare for Sabbath
  • Farmers and Labourers
  • Prophets' Judgment
• Sabbath
  • Feeding Workers
  • Tucking Character Cards
  • Scoring Tucked Character Cards
• After Sabbath
• End Game Scoring
  • Scoring Victory Points
• Solo Mode: Setup
• Solo Mode: General Rules
• Solo Mode: Opponent Turns
• Solo Mode: Scheme Cards
  • Solo Mode Actions: Temple
  • Solo Mode Actions: Rubble, Walls, and Gates
  • Solo Mode Actions: Torah
• Solo Mode: Prepare for Sabbath
• Solo Mode: Sabbath
• Solo Mode: After Sabbath
• Solo Mode: End Game Scoring
• Development Tiles
• Scroll Tile Effects
  • Gold Scroll Tiles
  • Wood Scroll Tiles
  • Stone Scroll Tiles
• Character Cards - Sabbath Scoring

Aim of the Game

The aim of Ezra and Nehemiah is to be the player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the game's end. Points are gained primarily by building the temple, rebuilding the city walls and gates, and by teaching the Torah to the returning exiles. Players may also seek to develop their land, travel to settlements outside the city walls, or stoke the altar's fire to keep it burning day and night. The prophets, Haggai and Zechariah will be doing their part to keep the people focused on what is most important.

Over 3 weeks (rounds), players will be using their hand of cards, workers, and resources to do their part in rebuilding the great city of Jerusalem. After 6 days of work, there will be a Sabbath day of rest. Food will be needed, and the week's work will be reflected upon. The game will end after the 3rd Sabbath has been completed.

Note from the designers: while these historical events actually took place over multiple decades, the game has been condensed down to a 3 week period to highlight the importance of the working week and Sabbath in both ancient and modern Jewish culture.

Components

• 66 Workers (2 white + 16 in each player colour)
• 4 Tents (1 in each player colour)
• 4 VP Markers (1 in each player colour)
• 4 Altar Markers (1 in each player colour)
• 12 Blessing Markers (4 in each colour)
• 2 Prophets (Zechariah, Haggai)
• 104 Resources (30 Stone, 24 Cinders, 20 Gold, 30 Wood)
• 33 Scroll Tiles (8 Gold, 22 Wood, 3 Stone)
• 1 Shofar (First Player Marker)
• 1 Rubble Bag
• 40 Coins (worth 1 Silver), 10 Pouches (worth 5 Silver)
• 40 Bread (worth 1 Food), 10 Baskets (worth 5 Food)
• 20 Development Tiles (4 Guards, 4 Labourers, 4 Farmers, 4 Traders, 4 Elders)
• 40 Character Cards (10 in each player colour)
• 3 Hero Cards (Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah)
• 1 Setup Card
• 2 Altar Cards
• 48 Wall Cards (12 in each player colour)
• 6 Gate Cards
• 6 Neutral Wall Cards
• 10 Focus Cards (Solo mode)
• 6 Scheme Cards (Solo mode)
• 1 Solo Board, 1 Temple Mount, 1 Main Board, 4 Player Boards, 4 Player Aids, 1 Solo Player Aid

Players may freely exchange 5 Coins and 1 Pouch to create change as needed. Likewise, they may freely exchange 5 Bread and 1 Basket as needed.

Main Board Setup

To set up the main area of the game, follow these steps:

1. Place the Main Board in the centre of the table.

2. Place all 6 Gate Cards alongside the Main Board, with the sides showing an outline of a Worker, faceup. If playing with fewer than 4 players, carry out these additional steps:

   • 1-2 Players: Turn over the Muster Gate and East Gate, and place them onto the corresponding spaces of the Main Board. Place 2 Silver on each Gate Card still alongside the Main Board. Cover the 6 centre-most Wall spaces along the top of the Main Board with Neutral Wall Cards. These are the spaces adjacent to and between the Muster Gate and East Gate, and the 1 Wall space to the left of these.
   • 3 Players: Place 1 Silver on each Gate Card alongside the Main Board. Cover the 3 Wall spaces between the Muster Gate and East Gate with Neutral Wall Cards.

3. Place 10 of each Resource (Gold, Stone, Wood, and Cinders) alongside the Main Board to form the Main Supply. Place all Silver and Food Tokens there as well.

4. Place the remaining 64 Resources into the Rubble Bag. Draw out Resources randomly, placing a number of them onto each Wall and Gate space of the Main Board equal to the number of these icons shown. Any left over Resources still in the Rubble Bag should be placed in the Main Supply. The Rubble Bag can be returned to the box.

5. Separate the Scroll Tiles by their backs. Randomly place 1 Gold Scroll Tile faceup on each space of the highest row of the Main Board. Randomly place 1 Wood Scroll Tile faceup on each space of both middle rows (9 Scroll Tiles in total). Randomly place 1 Stone Scroll Tile on each space of the lowest row. Return all other Scroll Tiles to the box.

6. Place a number of Food in stacks to the far right of the Scroll rows:

   • 4VP row = 3 Food
   • 3VP row = 2 Food
   • 2VP row = 1 Food
   • 1VP row = 0 Food

7. If playing with fewer than 4 players, place the Temple Mount over the Temple area of the Main Board, with the correct side faceup for the player count.

8. Use either side of 1 of the 2 Altar Cards (random or selected). Place the chosen side faceup on the space below the Altar. Return the other Altar Card to the box. Place the Prophets on the numbered spaces of the Altar Track, as specified by the numbers in the highest positions of the red flags extending over the chosen Altar Card.

9. Place the 3 Hero Cards alongside the Main Board.

10. Randomly determine a first player. Give them the Shofar.

Player Board Setup

To set up each player area, follow these steps:

1. Give each player 1 Player Board, 1 Player Aid, and 1 random Development Tile of each type. Development Tiles are slotted into their designated spaces of Player Boards (undeveloped side faceup), as shown.

2. Give each player the following components in their chosen colour:

   • 16 Workers - 6 in their Supply, and the rest in the Main Supply.
   • 1 Tent - placed on the top-centre space of the Map, near the bottom-right of the Main Board.
   • 1 Altar Marker - placed on the 0 space of the Altar Track on the Main Board. These should be stacked in descending player order (the player holding the Shofar will have their Altar Marker on top).
   • 1 VP Marker - placed on the 10VP space of the Score Track on the Main Board (their stacking order does not matter).
   • 10 Character Cards - shuffled and placed facedown by their Player Board, and drawing 4 to hand.
   • 12 Wall Cards - shuffled and placed facedown by their Player Board.

3. Place the Resources specified on the bottom-left of each player's Guards Tile onto 2 of its available spaces. These Resources should be taken from the Main Supply. Each player also gains 5 Silver and 3 Food from the Main Supply.

4. Give each player 1 of each Blessing Marker. These are placed on the 0 spaces of their corresponding Tracks.

Levite Setup

From the Main Supply, place 1 Worker of each players' colour in the designated space at the bottom of the Levite Track. This is near the bottom-left of the Main Board. During the game these Workers are referred to as "Levites". Each player may have up to 6 Levites, placing them from bottom to top in their designated column.

Gatekeeper Setup

From the Main Supply, each player must place 1 Worker of their colour on a chosen corner Gate of the Main Board (Old Gate, Sheep Gate, Horse Gate, and Fountain Gate). This choice is made in reverse turn order, starting with the player seated to the right of the player holding the Shofar, and continuing counter-clockwise around the table. During the game these Workers are referred to as "Gatekeepers".

• 1-2 Players: Each player will place 2 Gatekeepers. Each player should place their first Gatekeeper before either of them places their second.
• 3 Players: 1 corner Gate will remain empty. This is a neutral Gate. Players may place 1 of the White Workers here if they wish, but it is not necessary.

White Worker Setup (1-2 players)

In games with 1-2 players, place 1 White Worker on each of the 2 outer Scrolls of the bottom row. How these are used during play is explained in detail in the Torah section.

Component Limits

All Resources, Silver, and Food are considered to be unlimited. If they run out, use a suitable replacement as needed. Workers are limited. Players may never have more than the 16 in their colour.

Hand Limit

During Setup each player drew 4 Character Cards to hand. Each turn they will play a Character Card, carry out actions, then draw a new Character Card. Players should always have 4 Character Cards in hand between turns, unless they do not have enough Cards remaining in their Draw Pile to do so.

Gameplay Overview

Ezra and Nehemiah is played over 3 Rounds. Each Round is structured around a week of 7 days:

• The first 6 days of each week are for work. On each of these days, all players will take a single turn, proceeding clockwise from the player holding the Shofar.
• The seventh day is a day of rest, known as the Sabbath. On this day, players will be required to face the Prophets' Judgment, and feed their Workers. They will also be scoring Victory Points based on where they have focused their efforts during the first 6 days of the week.

The game will end after the third Sabbath has been completed.

Work Days

Starting with the player holding the Shofar, and proceeding clockwise around the table, each player will take a single turn per day. Players will keep taking turns in clockwise order until all players have taken 6 turns each.

On each turn, players will do the following steps in order:

1. Play 1 Character Card from their hand to their Player Board.
2. Take 1 of the 3 Main Actions.
3. Draw 1 Character Card from their draw pile to their hand, if possible.

In addition to this, players may also do the following at any point during their turn:

• Take 1 Auxiliary Action.
• Use 1 Trader.
• Use 1 Elder.

Playing Character Cards

Players must play 1 Character Card from their hand to 1 of the 3 piles on their Player Board each turn. The following rules must be followed when playing Character Cards:

• Players must play a Character Card before taking their Main Action.
• Character Cards can be played to any 1 of the 3 piles.
• Each pile can only have 2 Character Cards.

For the first 3 turns, it is recommended to always place on an empty pile. There is often no benefit for covering a previously placed Character Card earlier than needed.

For the last 3 turns, players will be placing a Character Card on top of a previously placed Character Card. This completely covers that Card, hiding all its icons and relevant information. Players may, however, freely look at their covered Character Cards at any time.

Each Character Card has the following features:

• Banners: Each Character Card has 3 Banners, representing their various attributes. On each turn, players may use all visible Banners on their Player Board for taking Main Actions.
• Sabbath Scoring and Name: Each Character Card has its own scoring condition that will activate during each Sabbath, if it has been tucked.
• Gate Name & Trade: Each Character Card has an available Trade. Players may use an Auxiliary Action to Trade using their Character Card only on the turn it was played.

There is a lot to consider when playing a Character Card. Its Banners won't just be useful on the turn they are played - they could remain visible for a number of turns. The Trade could help a player gain the Resources they needed to complete an action this turn, or on a later turn. The Sabbath scoring is also a consideration.

Main Actions

On each turn, players must take 1 of the 3 Main Actions. Each Main Action is associated with a specific Banner colour:

• Red Banners are for working on the Temple and keeping the Altar burning.
• Grey Banners are for clearing rubble and for constructing the city Walls and Gates.
• Blue Banners are for teaching the Torah and travelling to those camped in Tents outside the City Walls.

While each Main Action has its own rules, there are some rules that are common across them all:

• Carrying out Main Actions will always require Banners of a single colour.
• After selecting which of the 3 Main Actions they will take, players add up all Banners on their Player Board to see how much they have to work with. Some Banners have numbers printed to show their values. If there is no number, the Banner's value is 1.
• It is possible that certain effects will increase how many Banners a player has while taking their Main Action. This is permitted. Players should consider Banners as a currency that they may spend on their turn. If they gain more while taking a Main Action, they simply have more to spend as they continue to carry out their turn.
• Players may use fewer Banners than they have available. Unused Banners are simply wasted.

When taking Main Actions, players should count their Banners in all the following areas:

• Visible Character Cards on their Player Board (do not count covered Character Cards).
• Tucked Character Cards and Hero Cards (only the top Banner - any others should be hidden anyway).
• Any Traders or Elders used this turn to provide additional Banners.
• Any abilities on relevant Scroll Tiles.

Important! The 3 Banners shown on the Player Aid do not count when taking Main Actions. They are there purely as a rules reference.

Main Action: Temple and Altar

When taking this Main Action, players may choose to place 1 Levite either before or after completing their Main Action (never during!). They may also choose not to place a Levite. Each Levite they have may either be used to place 1 Resource in the Temple or on the Altar, or to provide 1 additional Red Banner this turn.

Placing Levites

To place a Levite, players must have an available Worker in their Supply. Each player has their own column on the Main Board for adding Levites to. Levites must always be placed from bottom to top. The cost to add a Levite is shown to the left of the next empty row in the column of each players' colour. After paying this Food cost, they must place a Worker into the empty space. Doing so will immediately gain them the reward shown to the right of that space. Once a player has placed their 6th Levite, they can no longer place any more.

For example, the cost for the Teal or Red Player to place a Levite would be 2 Food, and would gain them 1 Cinders. The cost for the Purple Player would be 3 Food, and would gain them 1 Stone. The cost for the Yellow Player would be 5 Food, and would gain them a "wild" Blessing and 2VP.

Using Red Banners to Place Resources

Each Levite a player has may be used to place 1 Resource in the Temple or on the Altar.

The Banner requirement for placing Resources into the Temple is shown down the side of the Temple. This is always 1-5 Red Banners.

The Banner requirement for placing Resources on the Altar is shown above the illustration of the Altar. This is always 1 or 3 Red Banners.

Using Levites to Gain Red Banners

Each Levite a player has may be used to provide 1 additional Red Banner this turn. Players may do this multiple times, but in doing so, those Levites may no longer be used to place Resources. For example, if a player has 3 Levites, 2 of them could be used to gain 2 more Red Banners. This would leave them with only 1 unused Levite - meaning that they could only place 1 Resource this turn, either in the Temple, or on the Altar.

Placing Resources in the Temple

When placing Resources in the Temple, players must always place into the left-most empty column of the chosen row. Players may place multiple Resources in the same, or different rows, granted they have the available Red Banners and Levites to do so. Immediately after placing each Resource, they will gain Victory Points and often some other reward, as shown to the right of the row where they placed their Resource.

Placing Stone or Wood earns 1VP, whereas Gold earns 2VP. Players cannot place Cinders in the Temple.

• 5 Banner row: Gain 1 Worker.
• 4 Banner row: Gain 1 Tent movement around the Map of the City.
• 3 Banner row: Gain 1 Food.
• 2 Banner row: Gain 1 Silver.
• 1 Banner row: No reward.

Filling the Temple

Once the Temple has been filled, players may no longer place any Resources there.

Filling Temple Sectors

Along the bottom of the Temple are icons depicting what happens when a Temple Sector is completely filled. The Temple is broken up into 3 Sectors, each with a different shade of colour, and surrounded by a thin border. Filled Sectors should be resolved immediately after the last Resource has been placed there.

• The first effect is: The player who placed the final Resource in the Sector, gains 2 Food.
• The second effect is: The player with the most Levites gains 2VP. If tied, the tied player furthest ahead on the Altar Track gains 2VP.
• The third effect is: The player with the least Levites loses 1VP. If tied, the tied player furthest behind on the Altar Track loses 1VP. This effect is ignored in games with 1-2 players.
• The final effect is: Each player gains 1 Silver per Levite that they have.

Placing Resources on the Altar

When placing Resources on the Altar, players can only use Wood or Cinders. Players may place multiple Resources of the same, or different type, granted they have the available Red Banners and Levites in order to do so. Immediately after placing each Resource, they will move 1-2 spaces on the Altar Track. Resources placed on the Altar may be returned immediately to the Main Supply, or kept there temporarily if players prefer that thematically.

• Placing each Wood requires 3 Red Banners, and allows players to move 2 spaces on the Altar Track.
• Placing each Cinders requires 1 Red Banner, and allows players to move just 1 space on the Altar Track.

Golden Tie-Break Rule: Players' relative positions on the Altar Track determine tie-breaks for all aspects of the game, including final scoring. If more than 1 Altar Marker is on the same space, lower Markers are considered to be ahead of those on top.

Aside from the tie-break, and gaining immediate rewards, players may also have other motivations for moving on the Altar Track. If players would gain movement while at the end of the Altar Track, they do not move their Marker, but instead gain 1 Silver for each movement they would have gained.

When moving on the Altar Track, players gain all rewards shown below each space they move onto (or move past). If moving onto a space containing another player's Altar Marker, players should place theirs on top.

Main Action: Rubble, Walls, and Gates

When taking this Main Action, players must select a single Wall or Gate space around the edge of the Main Board. If there is any rubble (Resources) present, it must first be cleared. Once a Wall or Gate space has been cleared of rubble, it may then be built. It is possible for players to do both in the same turn.

Important Rule: You can never focus on more than 1 Wall or Gate space per turn when taking this Main Action.

Clearing Rubble

This requires 1 or more Grey Banners, depending on the type of Resources being removed. Players may clear as little, or as much as they like from their chosen space, granted they have the available Grey Banners to do so.

• Each Cinders requires 1 Grey Banner to be cleared.
• Each Stone or Wood requires 2 Grey Banners to be cleared.
• Each Gold requires 3 Grey Banners to be cleared.

Players collect all cleared rubble, and add it to their Supply as Resources. It is immediately available for use - it may even be used to help build the Wall or Gate where they just cleared rubble from in the same turn.

If clearing the last piece of rubble from a Wall space, players gain a Blessing of the indicated colour. Players may clear less rubble than there is present, but this will not provide them with a Blessing. Clearing rubble from Gates does not provide a Blessing.

Neutral Walls and Gates

If playing with fewer than 4 players, the top section of the Main Board will have some Walls or Gates already built during Setup. Players cannot interact with these spaces in any way. With 3 players, building the Muster Gate or East Gate does not form connections to the Neutral Walls adjacent to them.

Walls and Gates

While Walls and Gates are different in their own ways, building either of them follows a lot of the same rules. To build a Wall or Gate, players must have the required Grey Banners and Resources shown on the chosen space of the Main Board. If they had just cleared rubble, those Resources are immediately available - the Grey Banners they just spent, however, cannot be reused to build the Wall or Gate.

• The Wall pictured in the rulebook requires 4 Grey Banners and 3 Stone.
• All Gates require 3 Grey Banners, 1 Wood, and 2 Stone.

Building Walls: After following the rules above, players building a Wall must draw 3 Wall Cards from the top of their Draw Pile. They must place 1 of these Wall Cards over the Wall Space, resolving any immediate effects shown in the centre of the Wall Card (they don't gain a Blessing for covering the Wall space - this is only when clearing rubble). They then place 1 of the remaining 2 Wall Cards facedown on top of their Wall Card Draw Pile, and the other facedown on the bottom. In the rare case that a player has fewer than 3 Wall Cards left in their Draw Pile, they simply just draw from what is available.

Building Gates: After following the rules above, players building a Gate move the associated Gate Card from alongside the Main Board, and place it over the Gate Space. If there was any Silver on the Gate Card, they immediately add it to their Supply. They must then place 1 Worker from their Supply onto the outlined space of the Wall Card, and gain the printed immediate reward on that space. This Worker is now a Gatekeeper, and will remain here for the rest of the game. If a player has no available Workers in their Supply, they cannot build a Gate. Players only gain the rewards shown on Gate Cards when connections are made.

Discounts When Building: When building Walls and Gates, players may use 3 Grey Banners or 1 Gold to pay 1 fewer Stone or Wood. They may do either of these any number of times per turn, granted they have the available Grey Banners or Gold.

Scoring Walls and Gates

All Wall and Gate Cards show Victory Points in their bottom-left corner. These are only scored at the end of the game.

Connecting Walls and Gates

After building a Wall or Gate, a connection may have been made between a Wall and Gate. This will result in some rewards for all players involved. These rewards are shown across the top of each Gate, including those in the corners of the Main Board. These rewards are gained when either a Wall is built next to a previously built Gate, or when a Gate is built next to a previously built Wall (which comes first does not matter).

If a player built both the Wall and Gate, they only gain the reward once, not twice. If a Gate was built between 2 previously built Walls, this effect would be resolved twice. In this way, each Gate may be involved in a connection with a Wall twice per game.

Main Action: Torah and Tenting Around the City

When taking this Main Action, players may teach the Torah by placing 1 Scribe on a chosen Scroll Tile, move their Tent around the Map of the City, or do both (in either order). Teaching the Torah grants players new abilities for the rest of the game or bonus scoring for the end game.

Teaching the Torah

To teach the Torah, players must place a Worker from their Supply onto a Scroll Tile, paying any required Silver or Gold. Once placed, this Worker is known as a Scribe, and will remain here for the rest of the game. Each Scroll Tile can only hold a single Scribe. At the beginning of the game, Scribes may only be placed on Scroll Tiles in the bottom row. Once a Scribe has been placed in the lower rows, it grants access for all players to the 2 adjacent Scroll Tiles above it. Note that Scribes do not grant access to horizontally adjacent Scroll Tiles. The cost to place a Scribe is printed to the left of the row where it sits:

• Top row requires 7 Blue Banners and 2 Gold.
• Second row requires 6 Blue Banners and 1 Gold.
• Third row requires 5 Blue Banners and 3 Silver.
• Bottom row requires 3 Blue Banners and 2 Silver.

In addition to this cost, players must also pay 1 Silver for each Scribe of another player that they branch off from to reach their desired Scroll Tile. This must be paid to the owner of each Scribe. Players pay nothing to branch off from their own Scribes. If they have the choice of 2 players to branch off from, they choose which player to pay.

Row Bonus

The first player to place a Scribe in 1 of the top 3 rows immediately gains all of the Food that was placed to the right end of the row during Setup.

Scoring Scribes

At the end of the game, each Scribe will score Victory Points based on its row. This is shown on the right end of each row. Scroll Tiles in the top row also allow players to score points for specific conditions (this is in addition to the 4VP that Scribes earn from the row).

White Workers (1-2 Players)

If playing with fewer than 3 players, 2 White Workers are placed on the bottom row during Setup. Players may branch off from White Workers, but must spend 1 Silver to the Main Supply to do so. Players may also place their own Scribes on Scroll Tiles where White Workers are present. There is no extra cost for this. Any time players do this, move the White Worker to the next Scroll Tile above it, always staying as close to the outside edge of the rows as possible (the left White Worker will always move up the left edge). If a White Worker is moved to the top row, it is returned to the box. White Workers do not affect the Row Bonus.

Tenting Around the City

To move their Tents around the City, players require a number of Blue Banners, and sometimes 1 Cinders, Stone, or Wood (if moving 3-4 spaces). These costs are printed above the Map of the City. This will allow them to move their Tent 1-4 spaces in a clockwise direction. Players gain each reward that they cross over. There is no blocking - each space may contain any number of Tents.

Players must do all their movements as a single action (they couldn't use 2 Blue Banners to move 1 space, then another 2 to move another space later in the same turn). They also can't combine the movement options to move further (they couldn't use 12 Blue Banners and 1 Cinders to move 5 spaces).

The rewards available include Blessings, Silver, Gold, Food, Workers, movement on the Altar Track, and Victory Points.

Remember! Players can use this Main Action to place 1 Scribe (only 1), move their Tent, or do both (in either order). Moving a Tent first can often provide the Worker or Resources needed to place a Scribe.

The icons in the middle of the Map are a special rule: Any time players would gain a Worker or Blessing, but are unable to, they instead move their Tent 1 space.

Auxiliary Actions

In addition to their Main Action, players may also choose to take a single Auxiliary Action. This may be performed at any point during their turn, including before playing their chosen Character Card (usually after, if Trading). Players may use their Auxiliary Action to either Trade, or turn over a Development Tile.

Trade

When choosing to Trade, players may use 1 of the Trade options on the Character Card they played this turn. There are 2 types of Trades: those that turn Silver into Resources, and those that turn Resources into Silver.

• Trades that require a Gatekeeper require 1 Silver to first be paid directly to the owner of the indicated Gate. Ownership of Gates is shown by a player having their Gatekeeper on the built Gate. If the Gate has not been built yet, this Silver must instead be placed on the Gate Card alongside the Main Board. If the player making the Trade owns the Gate, they do not pay this cost. If the Gate is neutral (the Muster Gate and East Gate with 1-2 players), the Silver for the Gatekeeper must be paid to the Main Supply. After paying the Gatekeeper, players may then take 1 of the 2 Trade options (top or bottom). Any additional Silver from a Trade is paid to the Main Supply.
• Trades that do not require a Gatekeeper allow players to spend any number of Resources shown on the left, to gain the indicated amount of Silver on the right. There is no limit to how many times these Trades may be used per turn.

Turn Over a Development Tile

When choosing to turn over a Development Tile, players must spend the indicated number of Resources on the top left of the Development Tile to the Main Supply. After doing so, they gain the reward shown on the green bar, then turn over the Development Tile to its other side. Each Development Tile that has been turned over is worth 2VP at the game's end.

If there are any Workers already placed as Traders or Elders when their Development Tiles are turned over, those Workers do not move. Also, those previously placed Workers do not gain any benefits retroactively when a Development Tile is turned over.

Guards Tiles Restriction: Guards Tiles have a limited number of spaces for storing Resources between turns. If at the end of any turn (including other players' turns and the Sabbath), players have more Resources than they can store, they must return any excess to the Main Supply. It is the player's choice which of their Resources they return. Note that it is permitted for players to exceed this limit during each turn. The storage limit is only imposed between turns. Once a Guards Tile has been turned over, this storage limit is removed.

Traders and Elders

In addition to their Main Action, players may also choose to use 1 Trader and/or 1 Elder. They may never use more than 1 of each per turn. To use a Trader or Elder, players must place 1 Worker from their Supply onto 1 of the available spaces on their Player Board. There are 4 Trader spaces and 4 Elder spaces, each with their corresponding effects printed to the right on the associated Development Tile. Once placed, Traders and Elders remain there until the end of the Round (unless retrieved through some game effect). Each Trader and Elder space may only contain a single Worker. After each Sabbath, all Traders and Elders return to players' Supplies ready to be used as any Worker type again in the next Round.

• Traders provide players with another way of gaining Silver, Food, and Resources. When turned over, each Trader Tile also has a new effect available, specific to that Development Tile.
• Elders provide players with a way of gaining extra Banners on their turns. Each Elder Tile is unique, often with a specific colour focus. Elders can also help players gain a few extra Cinders, Food, and Silver.

Blessings

There are many ways that players may gain Blessings throughout the game. Any time players gain a specific Blessing, they must move that Blessing Marker 1 space to the right on their Player Board. If they gain a "wild" Blessing, they may choose which Blessing Marker to move.

Column Bonuses

When a player has a full set of Blessings (1 of each), they gain the column bonus above their left-most Blessing. Notice that all 3 Blessings do not need to be in the same column at the same time in order to gain a column bonus.

Any time players would gain a Blessing, but are unable to, they instead move their Tent 1 space.

End of Turn

After they have completed their turn, players must draw 1 Character Card from their Draw Pile, if possible. Only in the last Round will they potentially not have any Character Cards left to draw. In this case, they simply do not draw. Until this point, players will generally always have 4 Character Cards in hand at the beginning of each turn.

Prepare for Sabbath

After all players have taken 6 turns, the 6 days of work come to a close. Before heading into the Sabbath day of rest, some preparation needs to take place.

Players should resolve this phase simultaneously. They may use Farmers and Labourers, and must resolve the Prophets' Judgment. Players may also have other effects that activate during this step. They may resolve each of these elements in any order they choose.

If there are any timing disputes between players, they should resolve their turns in order, starting with the player holding the Shofar, and proceeding clockwise around the table.

Farmers and Labourers

If players have any Workers still in their Supply, they must assign them as Farmers or Labourers. Thematically, players should imagine that these Workers were doing this work all week.

Farmers and Labourers immediately produce their printed Resources, Food, Silver, and any other items. Each Labourer always has the choice of 2 options. Players may assign as many Farmers and Labourers as they wish, using the Workers they have available.

Prophets' Judgment

During this step, players must resolve an effect shown on the Altar Card. Which effect they resolve is determined by the current Round, and where their Altar Marker is in relation to the Prophets, Zechariah and Haggai.

For example, during Round 1: A player behind Zechariah loses 1 Food. A player between Zechariah and Haggai gains 1 Food. A player ahead of Haggai gains 2 Food.

The Prophets will move after each Sabbath. Players will need to keep advancing on the Altar Track in order to gain the more favourable effects.

Most effects on Altar Cards should be familiar from other areas of the game (gaining Food, Resources, VP, etc). The following icons may require more explanation:

• Lose Food: This forces players to lose the indicated number of Food. For each Food they cannot lose, players must instead lose 2VP.
• Retrieve Worker: This allows players to retrieve 1 Trader or Elder from their Player Board. Since this is resolved during the Prepare for Sabbath phase, they must immediately assign this Worker as a Farmer or Labourer.
• Turn Over Tile: This allows players to turn over any 1 Development Tile without paying its cost, but still gaining its benefits.

Sabbath

During each Sabbath, players will act simultaneously. They must feed all their Workers (excluding Levites), tuck 1-2 played Character Cards, then score all their tucked Character Cards. Any Character Cards players have in hand are carried over into the next Round.

Feeding Workers

Players must pay 1 Food for each of their Workers, excluding Levites, and those still in the Main Supply. This includes all Gatekeepers, Scribes, Traders, Elders, Farmers, and Labourers. There should not be any Workers still unassigned in players' Supplies at this point. An easy way to calculate this number is 16, minus the number of Levites, and Workers still in the Main Supply.

For each Worker they cannot afford to feed, players must lose 2VP immediately. While unlikely, it is possible for players to drop below 0VP.

Players do not need to feed the Levites because historically they received a portion of the food offered by the people to the Temple: "The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands" - Deuteronomy 14:28-29 (paraphrased).

Tucking Character Cards

From the 6 Character Cards on their Player Board (not from their hand!), players must tuck 1-2 of them beneath their Player Aid. This is 1 Character Card in Rounds 1 and 3, and 2 Character Cards in Round 2. There is a reminder of this above the Altar Track. Tucking Character Cards is a big decision. Players should consider the following:

• They will score the condition at the top of a tucked Character Card on this Sabbath, and on all future Sabbaths.
• They will gain the top Banner of a tucked Character Card permanently for all future Main Actions.
• They will lose access to the Trade printed on the bottom of the tucked Character Card.

Scoring Tucked Character Cards

Once players have tucked the required number of Character Cards for the Sabbath, they then score all their tucked Character Cards.

After Sabbath

In Rounds 1 and 2, the steps below must be carried out before beginning the next Round. In Round 3, move straight into end game scoring.

1. Move the Prophets along the Altar Track to their positions for the next Round.
2. The player holding the Shofar passes it to the next player in clockwise order. They will be the starting player for the next Round.
3. Players retrieve all their Workers from their Player Boards, adding them back to their Supplies. This includes Traders, Elders, Farmers, and Labourers. Workers are never returned to the Main Supply.
4. The player whose Altar Marker is furthest to the right gains 1 Worker from the Main Supply. Remember, if more than 1 Altar Marker is on the same space, the Marker below is considered to be ahead.
5. All players shuffle the remaining Character Cards on their Player Board (those that were not tucked) to form a new Draw Pile. If this was Round 2, players should also draw 1 Character Card to hand, as they will only have 3 Cards in hand at this point.

The Altar Leader gains a new Worker after the Sabbath in Rounds 1 and 2. For Round 3, the Altar Leader will gain 3VP during end game scoring.

End Game Scoring

Once all players have completed the 3rd and final Sabbath, end game scoring takes place.

The first step is for all players to turn their remaining Gold, Stone, Wood, Cinders, and Food into Silver. Players don't necessarily need to do this physically, but should know the Silver values of each component:

• Gold = 3 Silver
• Stone / Wood / Food = 2 Silver
• Cinders = 1 Silver

Players then score additional Victory Points on the Score Track of the Main Board for the following:

• 1VP per 5 Silver
• 2VP per Development Tile (as printed on each Tile)
• 3VP if they are the Altar Leader
• All VP printed on their Walls and Gates
• All VP from Scribes (based on the VP value of their row)
• All VP from Scroll Tiles in the top row (based on their unique scoring conditions)

The player with the highest final score is the winner! In the case of a tie, the player whose Altar Marker is furthest to the right on the Altar Track is the winner. Remember, if more than 1 Altar Marker is on the same space, the Marker below is considered to be ahead.

Scoring Victory Points

There are 2 different Victory Point icons in the game. The Silver icon depicts VP that should be scored immediately, whereas the Gold icon depicts VP that should only be scored at the end of the game.

It is possible for players to score above 99VP. In this case, they should continue moving their VP Markers around the Score Track, while noting that they have 100VP more than where their VP Marker rests.

Solo Mode: Setup

Follow the multiplayer setup steps, giving the Shofar to your opponent. Set up your player area as normal. For your opponent, follow these steps:

1. Give them the Solo Board, placing the Solo Player Aid alongside it. The Solo Board is double-sided. Use the side showing 1 star on the brown banner. For future games, if you want a more challenging opponent, you may try using the other side.

2. Shuffle the Focus Cards and place them facedown on the space showing the Lion on the Solo Board. Shuffle the Scheme Cards and place them facedown on the space showing the Lamb.

3. Give your opponent the following components in a chosen colour:

   • The number of Workers shown in the space to the right of the Focus Cards. Place all their remaining Workers in the Main Supply.
   • 1 Tent - placed on the top-centre space of the Map, near the bottom-right of the Main Board.
   • 1 VP Marker - placed on the 10VP space of the Score Track on the Main Board.
   • 1 Altar Marker - placed on the 0 space of the Altar Track on the Main Board. Because they have the Shofar, their Altar Marker should be placed on top of yours.
   • 12 Wall Cards - shuffled and placed facedown by the Solo Board.

4. A number of Silver and Gold as shown in the space to the right of the Focus Cards.

5. 1 of each Blessing Marker, placed on the 0 spaces of their corresponding Tracks.

Your opponent starts with 1 Levite. Place your 2 Gatekeepers on any of the 4 corner Gates. Place a Worker of your opponent's colour from the Main Supply onto each of the other 2 corner Gates. Remember to use the White Workers.

Solo Mode: General Rules

All the rules from the multiplayer game still apply for you. Your opponent, however, has their own rules for how they focus and take actions.

• Your opponent does not collect Stone, Wood, or Cinders. If they were to gain these (such as from clearing rubble), they return them to the Main Supply, gaining 1 Gold for each.
• Your opponent does not collect Food. If they were to gain any (such as from finishing a Temple Sector), they return them to the Main Supply, gaining 1 Silver for each.
• Your opponent does not need to feed their Workers during each Sabbath.
• Any time you are required to pay Silver to your opponent, you must pay from your Supply to their Supply. This includes branching off from their Scribes, and when using their Gates. When your opponent branches off from your Scribes, you gain Silver from the Main Supply. When your opponent uses your Gates, they must pay you from their Supply.
• Your opponent gains all rewards from clearing rubble, building Walls and Gates, and making Gate connections, just as you would.
• Any time your opponent gains a "wild" Blessing, move their left-most Blessing Marker 1 space to the right. If there is more than 1 option, move their highest Blessing Marker (Orange beats Purple and Red. Purple beats Red).
• Your opponent moves their Tent using the standard rules, gaining all rewards they cross over. If they were to gain 2 Food, they instead gain 2 Silver.
• The icons in the middle of the Map still apply: Any time they would gain a Worker or Blessing, but are unable to, they instead move their Tent 1 space. In addition, they also move their Tent 1 space instead of retrieving an Elder or Trader if instructed to.
• Your opponent moves along the Altar Track following all the standard rules. If they were to gain Food, they instead gain Silver. They will compete to be the Altar Leader to gain Workers and VP.

Solo Mode: Opponent Turns

You will alternate turns between you and your opponent throughout each Round. Your turns function entirely the same. Your opponent will take their turns using their Focus and Scheme Cards, as outlined below.

On each of their turns, follow these steps:

1. Turn over a Focus Card from the top of the Draw Pile, placing it on the space to the right (covering any previously revealed Focus Cards). The top of each Focus Card lists a specific Gate, along with a graphic reference of that Gate's position on the Main Board. The black box with a white arrow helps determine which Gates, Walls, and Scroll Tiles they might target.

2. Make 1 Trade or move their Tent. The bottom section of each Focus Card lists 2 Trade options. They will always try to spend as much Silver from their Supply as possible. These Trades follow all the same rules as player Trades. If they are unable to make a Trade, move their Tent 1 space instead, gaining rewards as usual.

3. Turn over a Scheme Card from the top of the Draw Pile, placing it on the space to the left (covering any previously revealed Scheme Cards). Each Scheme Card is divided into 3 rows, with each row providing a single action. They will always take just 1 of these actions, and this will always be the top-most possible action.

4. Resolve the top-most possible action on the Scheme Card. To the left of the arrow on each action shows what they need to take the action (if any). To the right of each arrow shows the action they will take. If they cannot meet all the requirements for taking an action, they move down to the next possible action on their Scheme Card.

Solo Mode: Scheme Cards

There are only 6 Scheme Cards. Your opponent will use all 6 during each Round. Their actions cover: building the Temple (requires 2+ Workers and 2+ Gold), gaining Workers or Gold, clearing rubble from Wall spaces, moving on the Altar Track and gaining Workers, clearing rubble and building Gates or Walls (requires Gold), and placing Scribes on the highest or lowest possible Scroll Tiles.

Important! The requirements on the left are what they need, not what they spend. The actions themselves dictate what they must spend.

Solo Mode Actions: Temple

When building the Temple, your opponent must pay 2 Gold to place 1 Levite if possible. If they already have 6 Levites, they ignore this first step. When placing a Levite, they ignore the Food cost, but still gain the row reward (gaining Gold instead of Stone, Wood, or Cinders). Their final Levite will give them 3VP and move their Tent 1 space (instead of retrieving an Elder or Trader).

Then, for each Levite they have, they will either (in the following order): place 1 Gold from their Supply into the Temple, spend 1 Silver to gain 1 Gold, or move 1 space on the Altar Track. Resolve each Levite 1 at a time, as 1 Levite may provide a Gold or Silver for the next Levite to use.

When placing Gold, always place in the left-most incomplete column, filling the lower spaces before those above. They gain 2VP for each Gold placed in the Temple, as well as all rewards from the rows where they place Gold. If they were to gain Food, they instead gain Silver. Be sure to resolve filled Temple Sectors immediately.

Solo Mode Actions: Rubble, Walls, and Gates

When clearing rubble, your opponent collects any Gold, adding it to their Supply. They return any collected Stone, Wood, and Cinders to the Main Supply, gaining 1 Gold for each. Clearing Wall spaces also gains them the indicated Blessing. They will only clear a Gate space if they are also building that Gate.

If they are building a Gate or Wall, they must first pay 3 Gold to the Main Supply (ignoring the costs printed on the Main Board). They may use any Gold they just gained from clearing rubble. If they are building a Gate, they must place 1 of their Workers. They gain all rewards on Walls and from connections just as you would. When building Walls, your opponent will always focus on spaces containing rubble before those without. Your opponent always builds the top Wall Card from their Draw Pile.

Which Gate or Wall space your opponent will target is determined by the Focus Card they revealed earlier on their turn. They will first target the listed Gate. If that Gate has already been built, or if they are not building a Gate, they will move either clockwise or counter-clockwise around the Main Board, stopping at the first legal space. Which direction they move is indicated by the black box with a white arrow.

Edge Case Rules: If all Gates have been built, and they are instructed to build a Gate, they will instead resolve the next action on their Scheme Card. If they are instructed to build a Wall, and no spaces have rubble, they will only build a Wall if they have 3 Gold available to spend.

Solo Mode Actions: Torah

When teaching the Torah, your opponent will be instructed to place a Scribe on either the highest or lowest possible Scroll Tile. They ignore the printed row costs on the Main Board. Instead, they always pay 1-4 Gold. How much Gold they must spend is equal to the VP value of the row, minus 1 Gold per completely filled row below where they are placing their Scribe. Rows are considered to be "filled" only when all its Scroll Tiles are occupied by non-White Workers.

Note that it is possible for them not to have enough Gold to take this action. If this were true, move on to the next action on their Scheme Card. If they cannot afford the highest, but can afford a lower Scroll Tile, they will pay to place their Scribe on a lower Scroll Tile.

When targeting either the highest or lowest Scroll Tile, there may only be 1 option. In that case, place their Scribe on that Scroll Tile. If there are multiple options, use the Focus Card to decide. The black box with a white arrow will always be in 1 of the 4 columns on their Focus Card, indicating which option they take.

Your opponent ignores all icons on Scroll Tiles, including any immediate VP icons. They still collect Hero Cards, resolving their immediate effects. Hero Cards provide no ongoing benefits for your opponent. If your opponent is the first to place a Scribe in the higher rows, remove the Food that was placed to the right during Setup. Give your opponent 1 Silver for each Food removed this way.

Solo Mode: Prepare for Sabbath

During this step, your opponent only needs to resolve the Prophets' Judgment using their own conditions shown in the top-left corner of the Solo Board.

Solo Mode: Sabbath

How your opponent resolves each Sabbath is shown with icons across the middle of the Solo Board, and in text form on the Solo Player Aid. This varies based on which side of the Solo Board is being used. The steps are as follows:

1. They gain 1 Silver (Side B = 2 Silver) per Worker still in their Supply.
2. They gain VP equal to the row value of their highest Scroll Tile.
3. They gain 1VP per Gatekeeper, Scribe or Levite, of whichever type they have the most (Side B = 1VP for each of all types). For example, if they had 3 Gatekeepers, 2 Scribes, and 4 Levites, side A would score 4VP for their Levites. Side B would score 9VP for all 3 types.
4. They gain VP equal to the value of their right-most Blessing, and 1VP for each golden space on the Altar Track they have reached or passed.

As mentioned previously, your opponent does not need to feed their Workers.

Solo Mode: After Sabbath

In Rounds 1 and 2, shuffle all 10 Focus Cards and all 6 Scheme Cards back into their respective Draw Piles. Note that the Prophets still move, and the Shofar still gets passed between you and your opponent. If your opponent was the Altar Leader, they still gain 1 Worker from the Main Supply.

Solo Mode: End Game Scoring

Your opponent scores just as you would, with 2 exceptions: They do not score Development Tiles (as they have none); and they do not score any printed scoring conditions on Scroll Tiles.

You win if you score higher than your opponent! If tied, you win only if you were the Altar Leader.

Development Tiles

• Guards Tiles: The fronts vary in their Resource Limits, starting Resources and Silver cost to turn over. They always reward 1 Tent movement when turned over. Once turned over, Guards Tiles allow players to retrieve 1 Trader or Elder when preparing for each Sabbath (which they must then assign as a Farmer or Labourer). Turning over Guards Tiles also removes their Resource limitation.
• Labourers Tiles: The fronts only vary in the reward they provide for being turned over. The backs are all the same - providing better Resource production than on the front sides, including a way to gain Gold.
• Farmers Tiles: Both the fronts and backs have a lot of variation. Some can also provide Resources or Silver. Once turned over, all Farmers Tiles provide 1-2 Food when preparing for each Sabbath. Some Farmers Tiles have an ongoing ability on both sides (e.g. always spend 2 Silver as 1 Food at any point during the game).
• Traders Tiles: The fronts are all identical. Turning these over immediately gives players 1 Worker from the Main Supply. Once turned over, Traders Tiles gain 2 additional rows. The first is always to gain 1 Gold. The second is unique to each Traders Tile. This includes a "wild" Blessing, 1 Altar Track movement and 1 Cinders, 3 Banners (acts like an Elder, but can be used alongside an Elder still), and 1 Tent movement.
• Elders Tiles: Both the fronts and backs have some variation. They will generally favour 1 of the 3 Main Actions or provide additional Resources. Turning over an Elders Tile allows players to immediately retrieve 1 Trader or Elder. Once turned over, a new row is added, providing "wild" Banners.

Scroll Tile Effects

Gold Scroll Tiles

• Rather than scoring 1VP per 5 Silver at the game's end, score 1VP per 3 Silver.
• Gain 1VP per complete set of 3 different Blessings at the game's end.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Gain 1VP per every 3 Workers you have on the Main Board at the game's end.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Gain 1VP per every 3 Gates and/or Walls you have built at the game's end.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Gain 1VP per Temple row that has been filled at the game's end.
• Gain 1VP per Scribe you have in the bottom 3 rows at the game's end.
• Gain 2VP per Scribe you have in the top row at the game's end (including the Scribe on this Scroll Tile).
• At the end of the game, score the Character Card you hold in hand as if you were scoring it during the Sabbath.

Wood Scroll Tiles

• You do not need to feed your Farmers and Labourers during each Sabbath.
• You do not need to feed your Traders and Gatekeepers during each Sabbath.
• Lose 1VP Immediately. You do not need to feed your Scribes during each Sabbath.
• Any time you would move your Tent 2+ spaces in a single turn or while preparing for Sabbath, move it 1 more space.
• Gain 1 Worker, and 1 Stone, Wood, or Cinders when preparing for each Sabbath.
• Move 3 spaces on the Altar Track when preparing for each Sabbath (before or after resolving the Prophets' Judgment).
• Move your Tent 2 spaces when preparing for each Sabbath.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Gain 1 Silver per Levite when preparing for each Sabbath.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Gain 2 Silver and perform 1 Auxiliary Action when preparing for each Sabbath. If Trading, you may use any 1 visible Trade on your Player Board.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Always pay 2 fewer Food when placing Levites.
• Gain any 1 Blessing when placing Scribes on future turns.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Gain any 1 Blessing and 1 Food when placing Gatekeepers.
• Pay 1 fewer Stone when building Gates and Walls.
• After building a Wall, immediately gain the printed benefit of any 1 adjacent Wall.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Gain 1 Food and 1 Silver when moving onto the golden spaces of the Altar Track.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. Gain 2 additional Banners and 1 Silver when placing Elders.
• Immediately after placing and resolving a Trader, you may pay 1 Silver to resolve them a second time.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. You may have any number of Character Cards per pile. Your hand size is +1.
• Gain 1VP Immediately. When Trading, you may use any 1 of the visible Trades on your Player Board.
• Pay 2 fewer Silver when choosing the bottom Trade on a Character Card (the more expensive option).
• Gain 1VP Immediately. After Trading, you may gain 1 Silver or pay to turn over a Development Tile.
• Gain 1 Gold after turning over each Development Tile.

+1 Hand Size: The player with this tile should always have 5 Character Cards in hand between turns unless they do not have enough Cards remaining in their Draw Pile to do so.

Stone Scroll Tiles

Take the corresponding Hero Card. Gain the indicated rewards on the Card, then tuck it beneath your Player Aid so that only the top section is visible.

Hero Card Rewards: In Round 1, gain only the left-most reward (1 Cinders for Ezra). In Round 2, gain both the left-most and centre rewards. In Round 3, gain all 3 rewards.

Character Cards - Sabbath Scoring

Each Character Card has its own Sabbath scoring condition, activated only when tucked. Examples include:

• Gain 1VP per golden space of the Altar Track that you have reached or passed.
• Gain 1VP per Orange Blessing you have.
• Gain 1VP + 1VP per Development Tile that you have turned over.
• Gain 1VP + 1VP per Scribe you have.
• Gain 1VP per Purple Blessing you have.
• Gain 1VP per Levite you have.
• Gain 1VP + 1VP per Gatekeeper you have.
• Gain 1VP per Red Blessing you have.
• Gain 1VP per Wall you have built.
• Gain VP equal to the row value of your 2 highest Scroll Tiles. If you only have 1 Scribe on a Scroll Tile, it only scores once.