Ka'an: Cities in the Sky

Ka'an: Cities in the Sky Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

6 pyramid board pieces
12 golem tokens (3 per player)
84 citizen cards
72 building cards
1 first player token
4 reference cards
34 harmony tokens
34 water tokens
34 cocoa tokens
34 corn tokens
36 stone tokens
8 multiplier tokens

Resources aren't limited by the components. If you run out of them, use an adequate substitute.

A resource placed on a multiplier token equals 3/5 resources of that type (the multiplier tokens are marked x3 and x5).

Setup

Assemble the pyramid (see the Components page) and place it on the table, visible to all players.
Shuffle the citizen deck and building deck separately. Deal 4 cards of each type to each player (8 in total). Place both decks within reach of all players.
Each player takes 3 golems in the same color, 1 reference card and 1 resource of each type (5 in total).
From their hand, each player places in front of them 3 cards face down as shown in the picture: 2 as foundations and 1 as a column. This is your city.
Form a general supply with all remaining resource tokens and the multiplier tokens.
Give the first player token to the player who has climbed a pyramid most recently (or give it randomly).

Tip: On your first games, choose these 3 cards randomly. Once you become familiar with the game, choose them yourself.

How to Play

Objective

Gain more harmony points (HP) than your opponents by constructing buildings, settling citizens and gaining harmony tokens.

Game Turn

Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player takes a turn. This continues until the end of the game is triggered.

On your turn, take 1 of the 6 actions. At the end of your turn, if you have 9 or more cards in your hand, discard down to 8.

Actions

1. Place 1 Golem

Place one of your available golems (one that isn't on the pyramid or the cenote) on an unoccupied space on level 1 of the pyramid and collect the resources indicated on that space.

2. Move 1 Golem

Place one of your available golems on the cenote (there can be any number of golems here). Then, move one of your golems already on the pyramid to any connected unoccupied space and collect the resources indicated on that space.

Example of Moving a Golem: Diego wants to move his golem on level 2. He places one of his available golems on the cenote to move his golem on the pyramid to any connected space (indicated by the arrows). When moving, he jumps the green golem and ends his movement on an unoccupied space connected to the green golem's space. Then he collects the resources from that space.

Jump 1 Golem

Each space may contain only 1 golem.
When placing or moving a golem, you may jump over a space occupied by any player's golem and collect the resources only on the space you stop at.
- Jumping when placing a golem: Your golem must end on an unoccupied level 2 space that is connected to an occupied space of level 1.
- Jumping when moving a golem: Your golem cannot end on the space it was before moving or to an unoccupied space it could reach without jumping.

3. Rest

You can only take this action when you have no available golems. Recover all of your golems from the pyramid and cenote.

Icons

Any Resource: This icon represents any resource between water, cocoa, corn, or stone.
Strength Level: This icon represents the cost or benefit of the building according to the level it was built on.
Draw Cards: For each card you have to draw, choose to draw it either from the citizen or building deck one by one. Note: Once a deck is empty, cards of that type can no longer be drawn.
Harmony Tokens: Each harmony token is worth 1 HP at the end of the game, but may be spent as any 1 resource (it's a wild resource) when paying for any cost. However, they don't count toward any scoring effect.

4. Settle 1 Citizen

Pay to the supply the cost of any citizen card from your hand and place it face up on your settled citizen pile. Then, you may resolve its ability.

Card layout: Cost (top left), Name, End of the Game HP (the harmony icon), Ability.

5. Construct 1 Building

Pay to the supply the cost of any building card from your hand and place it on an available foundation in your city.

Card layout: Cost (top left), Name, End of the Game HP (the harmony icon), Effect, Strength Level (the strength icons on the right).

Example of Constructing a Building: Josh chooses the Dawn Windmills from his hand, pays 4 stone and 3 cocoa to the supply and places it on one of his city's available foundations. Then, he gains 1 stone for his Yunara Quarry effect.

6. Place Foundations and Columns

Place up to 3 foundations and 1 column in any order. You must place at least 1 foundation or 1 column.

Foundation: Place, face down and horizontally, any 1 card from your hand on the base of your city or on 2 vertical cards (buildings and/or columns).
Column: Pay 2 stone to place, face down and vertically, any 1 card from your hand on an available foundation in your city.

Example of Placing Foundations and Columns: Willian chooses 3 cards from his hand. He places a card as a foundation (1). Then, he pays 2 stone and places another card as a column (2). Finally, he places another card as a foundation, on top of his Yunara Quarry building and the column he just built (3). He could place a third foundation, but decides not to do that since he wants to keep the remaining card from his hand.

Effects

The effects of the buildings are optional and their strength (Strength Level icon) depends on the city level you construct them on.

Level 3 or more
Level 2
Level 1

Construction effects: They apply to each subsequent construction.

Passive effects: Can only be used once per turn.

Scoring effects: At the end of the game, they give HP according to the level they are in.

Notes:

If you have to resolve multiple effects, resolve them in any order. Resolve each effect completely before resolving the next one.
If multiple players have to resolve effects out of their turns, resolve them in turn order, starting with the active player.

Example: On her turn, Alice settles a citizen that allows each of her opponents to draw 1 card. Sean activates his Wind Theater effect to draw 2 additional cards. Later, on that same turn, Alice activates her citizen's ability a second time (thanks to her building Garden of Offerings). Sean draws 1 card, but cannot use his Wind Theater effect again since he already used it on this turn.

End of the Game

The end of the game is triggered if at least one of the following conditions is met:

A. A player constructs their last building:

Players	Building that triggers the end
2	8th Building
3	7th Building
4	6th Building

B. A player draws the last card of any deck.

Note: Once a deck is depleted, cards of that type can no longer be drawn.

In any case, give the pyramid gem to whoever triggered the end of the game. Complete the current round so everyone takes the same number of turns and then proceed to final scoring.

Editor's note: the document calls this the "pyramid gem"; the Components list names the same green token as the first player token. "PA" in the Final Scoring section is printed as an abbreviation the document does not define; it is transcribed as printed.

Final Scoring

Each player gains:

The HP from their constructed buildings.
The HP from their settled citizens.
1 HP for each harmony token.
1 PA to the player with the pyramid gem.

The player with the most HP wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most harmony tokens wins. If the tie persists, victory is shared.

Scoring Buildings for Leftover Resources: Harmony tokens don't count toward buildings that score for remaining resources such as Celestial Observatory.

Card Guide

Citizen Cards

Constellation Poet: You must play the other citizen in the turn you play this card in. Otherwise, you lose this benefit.
Dawn Ambassadress: You may recover the golem from the pyramid or the cenote.
Dawn Speaker: You may activate any "when resting" effects.
Guardian of the Echo: When combining this ability with the Garden of Offerings building, you may activate the same opponent citizen or another one.
Horizon Monk: You may jump.
Mind Jester: Only the player who plays this citizen and moves an opponent's golem is who collects from the space.
Wandering Philosopher: Opponents gain the harmony token from the supply.

Building Cards

Garden of Offerings:
- Resolve the citizen's ability completely, then pay the Strength Level icon and you may activate it a second time.
- If the citizen's ability has a cost, you must pay the cost again if you activate it a second time.
- The Constellation Poet cannot be activated twice since, when activating it, you cover it by playing another citizen on top of it. However, you may activate this new citizen's ability twice.
Great Market of the Dawn: You choose which resources to substitute from the original cost.
Librarian of the Whispers and Wandering Merchants House: The golem can be yours or an opponent's.
Sunrise Barns: This effect is activated when gaining 1 or more corn by any means.

The Card Guide page also shows a QR code pointing to the most recent Card Guide; that online resource is not reproduced here.

Notes

Quick Guide

On your turn, take 1 action:

Place 1 Golem: On level 1 of the pyramid or on level 2 by jumping over any golem. Collect that space's resources.
Move 1 Golem: Place a golem on the cenote. Then, move one of your golems already on the pyramid. Collect that space's resources.
Rest: Recover all of your golems from the pyramid and cenote.
Settle 1 Citizen: Pay a citizen's cost and place it face up on your settled citizen pile. Then, you may resolve its ability.
Construct 1 Building: Pay a building's cost and place it on an available foundation in your city.
Place Foundations and Columns: Place up to 3 foundations and 1 column in any order. You must place at least 1 foundation or 1 column.

Compact Pyramid

If the table is small or visibility is difficult, you may place only the first piece of the pyramid in the center of the table as shown, without assembling the whole pyramid.