Fortify
Fortify Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Intro
The game is played in Part 1: Build Your Fort and Part 2: Throw Balloons.
Simultaneous Steps: each Part has (4) Steps. Start & end each Step at the same time as your opponent.
Race to Victory: Hit your opponent's Base (3) times (see page 12). To win, do this in fewer Rounds than your opponent! Tie Breaker: Have the most Kid Cards face-up in your Fort!
Components
- (1) Game Board: a fence divides the (2) Bases. Each Base has: a Captain, a Target, (3) Buckets, and a Wall of Boxes.
- (60) Fort Cards: each has a Wall of Boxes, in (4) colors.
- (36) Kid Cards:
- (12) Builders, in (4) colors.
- (16) Throwers, in (4) colors.
- (8) Medics, in (4) colors.
- (8) Balloon Dice:
- (4) black and (4) white.
- Each die has (4) Balloons, (1) Block, and (1) Wild Balloon.
- (2) Bonus Dice:
- (1) Cousin Die: (2) Blocks.
- (1) Jerk Die: (2) Wild Balloons.
- (2) Meeples: Cousin Meeple and Jerk Meeple.
- (6) Hit Tokens.
Game Set Up
Step 1: Form Your Play Area
- 1.1: Center the Game Board on the table. The Base closer to you is yours.
- 1.2: Clear space for your Play Area, about (1) foot around you & the Game Board.
Step 2: Form Your Reserve
- 2.1: Select a set of (4) Balloon Dice of the same color. These will be yours for the whole game.
- 2.2: Place all your Balloon Dice in your Reserve.
Step 3: Form the Supply
- 3.1: Form separate piles for each type of card: shuffle together all cards of a given type, and place each pile in the Supply.
- Fort Cards: face-down.
- Throwers: face-up.
- Builders: face-up.
- Medics: face-up.
- 3.2: Place all remaining components in the Supply: Hit Tokens, Meeples, and Bonus Dice.
Table Diagram
Shows a fully set-up game: (the diagram marks (1) the Game Board, (2) the Reserves, and (3) the Supply).
Terms:
- Play Area: where you place Fort Cards & roll Dice.
- Your Fort: all boxes in your Play Area, on your Base & Fort Cards.
- Reserve: where you keep your unused Dice & disconnected Fort Cards.
- Supply: where you keep components that don't belong to anyone.
- Discard Pile: where both players place their "hit" Fort Cards.
Part I: Build Your Fort
Step 1: Prep Your Fort Cards
- Draw 4 new Fort Cards and stack them in a face-down pile in your hand, as well as:
-
- 1 Fort Card per face-up Builder that's fully enclosed (see page 8) in your Fort (max 2 extra).
-
- Any Fort Cards that were disconnected from your Fort last Round (see page 13).
-
!! If there weren't enough cards to supply both players, activate "Mom's Calling Mode" (see page 14).
Step 2: Prep the Cousin Meeple
- Center the Cousin Meeple on the Fence.
Step 3: Build Your Fort ...in Real Time!
- Quickly place your Fort Cards (see page 7) from your hand onto your Play Area.
- Hurry and grab the Cousin Meeple before your opponent!
- Whoever gets the Cousin Meeple first gets to add the Cousin Die to their dice total this Round.
Step 4: Recruit Kid Cards
- Place your choice of Kid Cards, one at a time, in each of your Clear Enclosures (see page 8).
Part II: Throw Balloons
Step 1: Prep Your Dice
- Players always get 1 Balloon Die for their Base Captain and can also get:
-
- 1 Balloon Die for each Thrower Kid that's fully enclosed (see page 8) in their Fort (max 3 extra).
-
- 1 Cousin Die if you are the player with the Cousin Meeple this Round.
-
!! In "Mom's Calling Mode" (see page 14), Throwers don't need to be fully enclosed to contribute dice.
Step 2: Prep the Jerk Meeple
- Center the Jerk Meeple on the Fence.
Step 3: Roll & Place Dice ...in Real Time!
- When both players are ready, they roll dice and race to place those dice on their targets.
- You can re-roll your dice multiple times, but you must place at least one die before re-rolling all remaining dice.
- Whenever a player is done placing dice, they can scoop up the Jerk Meeple. Once both players are finished placing dice, this person throws the Jerk Die and places it.
Step 4: Clean-Up & Check for Winner
- Discard HIT Fort Cards, flip over HIT Kid Cards, and place HIT Tokens on Base HITS.
- Enclosed Medics now get to recover 1 HIT Kid Card before the next Round begins.
- The first player to land 3 unblocked HITS on their opponents' Base WINS!
Place Fort Cards
Build up your Fort so you can recruit Kids!
Step 1: Reveal a Fort Card
- Reveal the top Fort Card from your hand.
Step 2: Place It, Skip It, or Stop
PLACE that Fort Card:
- A - within your Play Area, completely on your side of the Fence.
- B - connect at least (1) wall of boxes to (1) wall of boxes (box > < box).
- C - it's ok to leave "dead-end" walls.
- D - you may (& should) connect boxes of different colors.
- E - the boxes in your Base can connect to boxes of any color.
- F - don't stack or overlap cards.
- G - each placement is final once you let go of the card.
SKIP that Fort Card:
- Cycle that card to the bottom of your pile, then repeat "Step 1: Reveal a Fort Card."
STOP early, so you can grab the Cousin Meeple:
- Discard all Fort Cards that you didn't place.
Step 3: Repeat Steps 1 & 2
- Repeat Steps 1 & 2 until there are no Fort Cards left in your hand.
- REMEMBER: after you finish Step 3, hurry & try to grab the Cousin Meeple!
Recruit Kids
Recruit Kids to your Fort to help you win the water balloon fight!
Step 1: Check for Enclosures
- ENCLOSURES are spaces in your Play Area that are fully-enclosed by a continuous wall of boxes on all edges & corners.
- Enclosures may be any size & shape.
- Enclosures may fit multiple Kid Cards.
- FILLED: Enclosures that are already filled with Kid Cards (face-up or down).
- CLEAR: Enclosures that are NOT already filled with Kid Cards.
- FULLY-ENCLOSED: Spaces with no gaps in its surrounding walls.
Step 2: Place Kid Cards
- Place Kid Cards, face-up, into each of your fully enclosed, clear Enclosures.
- Draw & place (1) Kid Card at a time.
- Draw from the top of any Kid Card pile, so long as that Kid Card can fit in a clear enclosure.
Kid Card Abilities
- Builders: let you draw more Fort Cards.
- Throwers: let you roll more Dice.
- Medics: let you recover other Kid Cards.
Roll & Place Dice
Throw BALLOONS at your opponent's Fort & BLOCK your Fort from incoming Balloons!
Step 1: Roll Dice (all in your hand)
Step 2: Place Dice (that you rolled)
- Place at least (1) die on top of a card or Base.
- Place (1) die at a time.
- You may place multiple dice on a single card or Base.
- Once you let go of a die, you can't move it anywhere else.
Place each die according to what you rolled:
- BALLOONS (blue / green / yellow / red): place in your opponent's Play Area on a matching-colored Kid Card or Fort Card.
- WILD BALLOONS (target symbol): place in your opponent's Play Area on any card or on the target of their Base.
- BLOCKS (hammer symbol): place in YOUR Play Area, on any card or on the target of YOUR Base, whether or not there's already a balloon on it.
Step 3: Repeat keep placing & re-rolling dice until you:
- RUN OUT of Dice to place,
- RUN OUT of places to put your Dice, or
- STOP EARLY so you can grab the Jerk Meeple.
Step 4: The Jerk after you are done placing your dice:
- Immediately try to grab the Jerk Meeple.
- After both players have placed their dice, the person who grabbed the Jerk Meeple throws the Jerk Die and places it... what a Jerk!
Example
You & your opponent roll & place dice at the same time!
The example shows two Play Areas, "YOU" and "THEM". Blocks go in your Fort; Balloons go in their Fort.
- EX. STEP 1: You roll all the dice in your hand. Result: blue + green + yellow.
- They place a Wild Balloon on the target of your Base! Oh no!
- EX. STEP 2: You place the Blue Balloon on their Blue Fort Card.
- EX. STEP 3: You re-roll your (2) remaining dice. Result: Block + Red Balloon.
- You place the Block in your Base to protect it.
- You place the Red Balloon on their Red Thrower Kid.
- EX. STEP 4: You don't have any dice left, so you rush to grab the Jerk Meeple!
- But they grabbed the Jerk Meeple first! Oh no!
- After both of you have placed all your dice, your opponent rolls the Jerk Die. Result: Wild Balloon. Your opponent places it on the target of your Base.
Resolve Dice
Resolve all dice in your Fort, following these steps:
- HIT Fort Cards are discarded.
- HIT Kid Cards are flipped over.
- HIT Base card gets +1 HIT token.
RULE: Return each die as you resolve it.
Step 1: Resolve Blocks
- Each Block removes 1 Balloon HIT from the target it was placed on.
- Remove each PAIR of Block + Balloon combos from your Play Area. A pair of Block + Balloon is a Blocked HIT.
- NOTE: Connected Fort Cards of the same color are removed together, see Resolve Color Chains (page 13).
- Return all Blocks remaining in your Play Area.
Step 2: Resolve "HIT" Fort Cards
- Your Fort Card is "HIT" if it has at least 1 matching balloon or Wild Balloon with no Blocks.
- Discard all HIT Fort Cards.
- RULE: Resolve Color Chains as you would an individual Fort Card (page 13).
- Place all disconnected Fort Cards (page 13) face-down in your Reserve.
- Never remove Kid Cards from your Play Area.
Step 3: Resolve "HIT" Kid Cards
- Your Kid Card is "HIT" if it has at least 1 matching balloon or Wild Balloon with no Blocks.
- Flip over all HIT Kid Cards to face-down.
- Never remove Kid Cards from your Play Area.
Step 4: Resolve "HIT" Bases
- Your Base is "HIT" if it has at least 1 Wild Balloon on it with no Blocks.
- Place 1 Hit Token on your Base.
- Place the Hit Token on the left-most, uncovered bucket.
- Your Base can only gain 1 new Hit Token per Round no matter how many Dice HITS it received that Round.
Step 5: Medic Kids Recover HIT Kids!
- Flip over Kid Cards (from face-down to face-up).
- Flip 1 Kid Card per face-up Medic that is fully enclosed in your Fort.
!! In "Mom's Calling Mode" (page 14), Medics don't need to be fully enclosed (page 8) to recover Kids.
Fort Concepts
Keep these in mind when building your Fort & rolling dice & resolving Dice.
"Color Chains"
COLOR CHAINS are box walls of the same color, connected between multiple Fort Cards.
RULE: Treat Color Chains like a single Fort Card.
- If a Fort Card in a Color Chain gets HIT, all Fort Cards in that Color Chain get HIT too! (page 12)
- If a Fort Card in a Color Chain has a Block on it, that Block can block a HIT from any Fort Card in that Color Chain (page 12).
"Weak Spots"
WEAK SPOTS are single Fort Cards that make up the only wall of boxes that connect other Fort Cards to the Base.
RULE: If a Weak Spot gets hit, move all of the disconnected Fort Cards to your Reserve.
"Disconnected"
DISCONNECTED refers to Fort Cards in a Play Area whose wall of boxes can't be traced back to its Base.
- Leave disconnected Kid Cards in place.
"Lawn Junk"
NOTE: Many Fort Cards have "Lawn Junk" on them. The "Lawn Junk" serves no purpose... but it can get in your way, so watch out!
Mom's Calling Mode
TRIGGER: If there weren't enough Fort Cards to supply both players (page 5).
Resolve "Mom's Calling Mode"
- IMMEDIATELY: Both players discard all Fort Cards that they drew this Round.
- DURING PART I: Both players completely skip Part 1 for the rest of the game, starting now!
- DURING PART II: You can always activate face-up Kid Cards in your Play Area, even if they're not Fully-Enclosed (page 8).
- (Diagram caption: "ok if not Enclosed.")
Round Summary
Part I: Build Your Fort
- Prep Your Fort Cards (page 5): Deal 4 face-down Fort Cards +1 card per enclosed Builder Kid in your Fort (max 2) and add in any disconnected Fort Cards from the previous Round.
- Prep Cousin Meeple (page 5): Place the Cousin Meeple in the center of the Game Board.
- Build Your Fort (page 7): When both players are ready, race to place cards one by one onto your Fort. Whenever a player is done placing cards, they can try to grab the Cousin Meeple.
- Recruit Kid Cards (page 8): Fill fully enclosed empty spaces with Kid Cards.
Part II: Throw Balloons
- Prep Your Dice (page 6): Players get one die for each Thrower Kid enclosed in their Fort plus one for your Base Captain (max 4). The player with the Cousin Meeple adds the Cousin Die to their dice total as well.
- Prep Jerk Meeple (page 6): Place the Jerk Meeple in the center of the Game Board.
- Roll & Place Dice (page 9): When both players are ready, they roll dice and race to place those dice on their targets. You can re-roll your dice, but you must place at least one die before re-rolling remaining dice. Whenever a player is done placing dice, they can scoop up the Jerk Meeple. Once both players are finished placing dice, this person throws the Jerk Die and places it.
- Clean Up & Check for Winner (page 6): Discard any HIT Fort Cards, flip over any HIT Kid Cards, and place HIT Tokens on Base HITS. Enclosed Medics now get to recover 1 HIT Kid Card before the next Round begins. The first player to land 3 unblocked HITS on their opponents' Base WINS!