Forest of Tataraba Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Purpose of the Game
• Game Contents
• Game Preparations
  • (1) Game board
  • (2) Placing Evergreens
  • (3) Tokens (Sen, building material, Foot marker)
  • (4) Beech pieces
  • (5) Player piece
  • (6) Shift cards
  • Deciding who plays first
  • Reveal shift card
  • Placing your first Tatara
• Game Flow
• Each Player’s Turn
  • 1. Moving
  • 2. Carry out 2 actions
    • I. Planting
    • II. Logging
    • III. Gain Foot markers
    • Special Action: Build a Tatara / Eidai Tatara (1 each per game)
• Round Completion Procedure
  • 1. Reveal shift cards
  • 2. Forest growth and shift
  • 3. Change starting player
• End of the Game and Declaring the Winner
• Quick Reference: When Your Turn Comes
  • 1. Move your Player piece
  • 2. Choose and carry out an action
  • After all players finish their turn

Purpose of the Game

The player is the chief of a Tatara iron making tribe. The purpose of the game is to build an Eidai Tatara for your tribe. The first player to collect all necessary resources and build a covered forge wins the game.

A wide variety of trees grow in the forest, some suited for producing iron and some for construction. Plant the trees according to your purposes and collect the kind of wood you need.

• Trees suited for iron production: Red Pine.
• Trees suited for construction: Cedar.

However, be careful, as if the forest is not treated carefully, it could be disrupted and its plant life could shift. Different plant life means different trees. Be sure to only log as much as you need and preserve the balance of the forest.

Tips in brown-framed text are gameplay tips. Players who have already played multiple times may skip them.

Game Contents

• Game board x6 (numbered 1 to 6)
• Iron money:
  • 1 Sen x16 (round pieces)
  • 5 Sen x8 (square pieces)
• Building material: One piece x16, Five pieces x8
• Foot marker x16
• Player piece x4, 1 of each color
• Red Pine piece x16, 4 of each color
• Oak piece x16, 4 of each color
• Cedar piece x16, 4 of each color
• Tatara piece x8, 2 of each color
• Eidai Tatara piece x4, 1 of each color
• Evergreen piece x18
• Beech piece x18
• Shift cards x13 (2 each of 1 to 6 cards, 1 zero card)
• Starting player marker (incomplete forge) x1

Game Preparations

(1) Game board

Prepare game boards according to the number of people playing:

• 2 people: 3 boards (boards 1 to 3)
• 3 people: 5 boards (boards 1 to 5)
• 4 people: 6 boards (boards 1 to 6)

Lay out boards so that each board is connected to at least 1 board. “Connected” means that 1 side of the board is completely adjoined with another board. Boards adjoined at points or edges are not considered to be “connected.”

Tip: Try laying out game boards like the picture on your first play. Once you are more experienced, then you can try different arrangements.

(2) Placing Evergreens

Place 1 Evergreen piece standing upright on each tile marked with an Evergreen. These marks indicate where to place Evergreen pieces at the start of the game. After an Evergreen piece is removed from a tile, treat the tile the same as any other tile.

Evergreens are the native trees in this region. Logging and planting trees will gradually change the flora of the forest.

Pieces standing upright represent adult trees. These are fully grown trees. Pieces on their side represent young trees. They will eventually grow to become adult trees. These are common rules among all trees.

(3) Tokens (Sen, building material, Foot marker)

Stack and place them in a place accessible to all players. There is no limit to how much money and building material 1 player can hold. However, foot markers are limited to 4 per player.

(4) Beech pieces

Beech pieces are not used at the start of the game. Stack and place them in an accessible place.

(5) Player piece

Each player chooses 1 of the 4 colors and collects all pieces of that color. They also receive 1 foot marker.

(6) Shift cards

Prepare shift cards according to the number of players:

• 2 players: 2 each of cards 1 to 3 and one zero card, total 7 cards
• 3 players: 2 each of cards 1 to 5 and one zero card, total 11 cards
• 4 players: 2 each of cards 1 to 6 and one zero card, total 13 cards

Note: the printed rulebook reads "one 1 zero card" in the 2-player and 3-player lines; the stated totals (7, 11) and the Game Contents line (1 zero card) confirm it is a single zero card.

Shuffle the cards well and stack them face-down. The remaining cards are not used in the game. Return them to the box.

Deciding who plays first

Initially, you need to decide which player goes first. Pick the person who most recently visited a forest… or use any other method to choose the starting player. The chosen player receives the starting player marker.

Reveal shift card

Before starting the game, reveal shift cards equal to the number of players.

This reveal defines in which areas tree will grow well and in which areas they won’t. The board corresponding to the number is where planting/growing trees will be more difficult. If you wish to grow trees more quickly, plant them somewhere else. The reveal is also useful for deciding where you put your first Tatara.

Placing your first Tatara

In clockwise order from the starting player, each player places their first Tatara on open tiles. Each player places their Player piece on those tiles as well.

Game Flow

The game proceeds with each player taking turns in clockwise order, beginning with the starting player. After all players have ended their turns (when the player to the right of the starting player ends their turn) the round is over.

A round consists of the following procedures:

1. Each player’s turn
   • I. Moving
   • II. Carry out 2 actions
2. Round completion process
   • I. Reveal shift cards
   • II. Forest growth and shift
   • III. Change starting player

Each Player’s Turn

1. Moving

Move your Player piece up to 2 spaces. You must move your Player piece at least 1 space at the beginning of your turn.

Movement rules

• You can move onto or through tiles on which your Tatara pieces are placed.
• You cannot move onto or through tiles on which other players’ Tatara pieces are placed.
• You can move through tiles on which other Player pieces are placed, but you cannot move onto them.
• You can move through tiles with adult trees on them (no matter what kind of tree) but you cannot move onto them. When moving through a tile with an adult tree, count that tile as 2 instead of 1.
• You can move onto or through tiles with young trees on them. When moving through a tile with a young tree, count that tile as 1 like any other tile. If you move to a tile with a young tree, that tree may later become an adult tree due to progress in the game. In such a case, move onto a different tile during your next turn. You are not automatically moved out of the tile.
• You cannot return to the tile you were just at.
• By using a Foot marker, you can move 1 extra tile. You can use up to 4 Foot markers per turn. You can use them at any time during your movement actions. Used Foot markers are depleted and returned to the box.

If you ever get stuck on a tile surrounded by other player’s Tatara pieces, you are allowed as an exception to move through them to an open tile as if you were moving 1 tile.

If you get stuck surrounded by adult trees, you don’t have to move. However, if you still can move by using a Foot marker, then you must do so.

2. Carry out 2 actions

After moving, carry out 2 actions. There are 3 kinds of actions, and you can use them in any order or combination. There are also once-per-game special actions that you can use after your 2 normal actions as a 3rd action.

Tip (first game): In your first game, it is recommended to plant at least 1 tree on your first turn.

I. Planting

Choose 1 of your Red Pine pieces or Cedar pieces and place it on a tile adjacent to the tile your Player piece is on.

• When you plant a tree, place it on its side to indicate that it is a young tree yet to grow.
• You can only plant trees on tiles with nothing on them.
• Cedar takes time to grow. When planting a Cedar, place the Cedar piece on its side with the “1” face-up.
• Planted trees grow at the end of the round. Check “Forest growth and shift” for details.

II. Logging

Log 1 adult tree on a tile adjacent to the tile your Player piece is on. However, Beeches cannot be logged.

There is no cost required for logging Evergreens or adult trees of your player color. When logging trees of other players’ colors, you need to pay the corresponding player 1 Sen before you log the tree. If you cannot pay, you cannot log the tree.

After logging a tree, you must immediately decide whether to use it to produce iron and money or to use it as building material. The player then receives money or building material according to the kind of tree.

Lumber process chart

The chart runs from Bare forest to Planted forest: Evergreen (bare forest), Red Pine (early-stage forest), Oak (mid-stage forest), Beech (late-stage forest), Cedar (planted forest). For each tree, the chart gives the yield when logged:

• Evergreen: Produce iron: 1 Sen, or Building material: 1. Notes: trees placed at the beginning of the game (numbers do not increase during the game).
• Red Pine: Produce iron: 2 Sen. Notes: can be planted by players.
• Oak: Produce iron: 1 Sen.
• Beech: No yield. Notes: cannot be logged (obstacles).
• Cedar: Produce iron: 1 Sen, or Building material: 3. Notes: can be planted by players.

"Or" means the player chooses one of the two options.

After logging a tree, carry out the following procedures according to what kind of tree it was:

• Evergreen: Remove the logged Evergreen from the game. That tile is now open and can used to plant trees or build Tataras.
• Red Pine and Oak: Lay logged Red Pines and Oaks on their side. These trees return to young trees when logged. If shift or growth occurs on the tile, these trees grow into adult trees once again.
• Cedar: Lay logged Cedars on their side with the “1” facing up. If shift or growth occurs on the tile, the tree grows into an adult tree once again.

III. Gain Foot markers

Receive 1 Foot marker. You can use them from your next turn. You can hold up to 4 Foot markers at once. You cannot receive a 5th Foot marker. If you choose to carry out this action when you already have 4 Foot markers, you will not receive a Foot marker (and thus will be skipping your action).

Special Action: Build a Tatara / Eidai Tatara (1 each per game)

A player can carry out these actions once per game (once for building a Tatara and once for building an Eidai Tatara) in addition to their 2 actions during their turn.

Building a Tatara

• Pay 2 Sen and 2 building materials to build an additional Tatara. Return the money and building material to the field.
• Place your Tatara piece on a tile with nothing on it. That tile does not need to be adjacent to the tile your Player piece is on.
• If you build a Tatara, from the next turn you can carry out 3 actions per turn.

Building an Eidai Tatara

• Pay 2 Sen and 2 building materials to build an additional Tatara. Return the money and building material to the field.
• Place your Tatara piece on a tile with nothing on it. That tile does not need to be adjacent to the tile your Player piece is on.
• If you build a Tatara, from the next turn you can carry out 3 actions per turn.

Note (source inconsistency, not resolved here): the "Building an Eidai Tatara" paragraph above is printed with the same cost and wording as the Tatara paragraph (2 Sen and 2 building materials). The summary on the last page ("When your turn comes…") gives the Eidai Tatara cost as Sen x10 and building material x10, and says building one ends the game. The paragraph is transcribed as printed; the figures conflict and should be checked against the printed rulebook before relying on them.

Round Completion Procedure

1. Reveal shift cards

Reveal shift cards equal to the number of players. Reveal the cards one by one from the top of the Shift card deck.

Lay out the revealed Shift cards face-up. Always keep shift cards revealed throughout the game in a visible place so all players can keep track of them.

If the shift card stack runs out of cards, shuffle the shift cards revealed prior to this turn into a new deck.

Grow and shift trees on boards with the same numbers as the revealed shift cards.

2. Forest growth and shift

[Growth]

Young trees grow. When forest growth occurs, stand up all young trees on the board with the same number as the revealed shift card and turn them into adult trees.

However, Cedar takes more time than other trees to grow. If the piece is on its “1” side, flip it over to “2.” If it’s already on its “2” side, stand the piece up and grow it into an adult tree.

[Shift]

Adult trees each shift. Red Pine shift into Oak of the same color while Oak and Cedar shift into Beech. Remove all tree pieces that shifted into other trees from the game. Lay the new tree pieces on their side as young trees (on the same tiles as the former trees).

[Trees that don’t grow or shift]

Evergreen (trees placed at the beginning of the game) do not grow or shift. Beeches do not shift but do grow.

[When revealed shift cards have the same number]

2 or more shift cards with the same number can sometimes be revealed at once. In that case, process forest growth and shift on that same board 2 times in a row.

Example: A young Red Pine on a board undergoing 2 growth and shift processes will be replaced by young Oak.

3. Change starting player

The role of the starting player is passed on clockwise to the next player (the player on the left). That player starts the next round.

End of the Game and Declaring the Winner

[Building an Eidai Tatara]

When 1 player builds an Eidai Tatara, end the game after the round is over. Even if another player has already built an Eidai Tatara, players can build their own Eidai Tatara (if they have fulfilled other conditions) within the same round before the game ends.

[Beech runs out]

When placing a Beech, if there are no more new Beech pieces to place, the game ends immediately.

If only 1 player has built an Eidai Tatara at the end of the game, that player is the winner.

If there are multiple players who built Eidai Tataras, or the game ended by Beeches running out, the players (who built Eidai Tataras, or all players if Beeches have run out) compare the amount of money they have left, and the player with the most money wins. If there is no player who can be declared as the winner, compare the amount of building materials among the same players, and the player with the most building material wins. If there is still no winner, the tied players can share their victory.

Quick Reference: When Your Turn Comes

The last page of the rulebook restates the turn sequence as a summary. It is transcribed here for players who want it at a glance.

1. Move your Player piece

First, you must move your Player piece 1 or 2 tiles. You cannot choose to stay in the same tile.

• You cannot move to tiles with other Player pieces or their Tatara pieces.
• You cannot move onto tiles with grown trees (you can move through them as if you were moving through 2 tiles).

2. Choose and carry out an action

Choose and carry out 2 actions. You may carry out the same action twice. Once you build an additional Tatara, you will be able to choose and carry out 3 actions per turn for the remainder of the game.

• I. Planting: Plant a Red Pine or Cedar (lay it on its side; Cedar with the “1” face up) on an open tile adjacent to your Player piece.
• II. Logging: Cut down 1 tree on a tile adjacent to your Player piece. Choose whether to use the tree to produce iron or as building material. You must pay 1 Sen to the owner when logging another player’s tree.
• III. Gain a Foot marker: Receive 1 Foot marker. If you already have 4 Foot markers, then choosing this action will be the same as skipping your action.
• Special action: Building a Tatara / Eidai Tatara (on any open tile)
  • Tatara: Sen x2, Building material x2. Result: 3 actions per turn.
  • Eidai Tatara: Sen x10, Building material x10. Result: End the game.

After logging:

• Evergreen: remove the Evergreen.
• Red Pine: return it to a young tree (lay it on its side).
• Oak: return it to a young tree (lay it on its side).
• Cedar: return it to a young tree (“1” face-up).

The lumber chart on the last page gives the same yields as the Lumber process chart above.

After all players finish their turn

Reveal shift cards. Tree growth and shift occurs on the boards with the same numbers as the shift cards. Trees on the corresponding boards grow and shift.

The printed “Flora shift” diagram shows: Red Pine (young tree) → Red Pine (adult tree) → Oak (young tree) → Oak (adult tree) → Beech (young tree) → Beech (adult tree). Cedar (young tree 1) → Cedar (young tree 2) → Cedar (adult tree). Adult trees return to young trees when logged.

The player to the left of the round’s starting player begins the next round. When a player builds an Eidai Tatara, that round becomes the last round of the game.