Last Lantern Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
• Base Game Components
• Setup
• How to Play
  • I. Voices in the Fog: Choosing Tree Tiles and Familiars
  • II. Journeying: Placing Tree Tiles
  • II. Journeying (cont.): Activating Abilities
  • III. Lanterns: Drawing Fireflies
  • IV. Path Astray: Placing Abandoned Tiles
• Game End and Victory Condition
• Challenges
  • Challenge Components
  • I. Glow-shrooms
  • II. Blossoms
  • III. Eerie Lights
  • IV. Moving Branches
  • V. Frozen Lake
  • VI. Basilisk
• Gameflow (Summary)

Goal

Over a series of rounds, players cooperate—with limited communication—to each simultaneously choose one set of a Tree tile and a Familiar. The tile is placed on the path before you, moving you closer to your goal of positioning the last lantern and winning the game; whereas Familiars activate powerful abilities to assist you. But if one player ventures too far ahead or falls too far behind or if there are too many gaps in your path, you all risk traveling down the Path Astray and encountering Fireflies with their fires extinguished, leading to defeat.

Watch your fellow adventurers of the canopy as closely as you watch your own step, and don't be overcome by the fog before placing the Last Lantern.

Base Game Components

To avoid minor spoilers, punchboards 1–4 contain the tiles and tokens needed for the base game. For a list of the challenge components, including those on punchboard 5, recommended after winning the base game, see Challenges.

• 1 Canopy game board
• 2 Cover boards
• 2 Cloth bags (large for Tree tiles; small for Fireflies)
• 48 Tree tiles
• 12 Ability tiles
• 4 Character tokens
• 48 Fireflies (24 black; 24 yellow). Other colors used in "Challenges"
• 16 Familiars (4 Rabbits; 4 Snails; 4 Owls; 4 Wolves)
• 4 Character wheels

Setup

1. Set up the Canopy game board: a. Place the Cover board based on the number of players. b. Place the 12 Familiars (4 Rabbits, 4 Snails, and 4 Owls) on their respective locations. In a 4p game, place all 16 (including the 4 Wolves). c. Place 1 yellow Firefly per player on the four lanterns. The example in the rulebook is for a 3p game. In a 4p game, place 1 per player on the first three lanterns.
2. Each player chooses a character and takes the corresponding Character token and Character wheel. Each player then chooses one of the paths and places their token where indicated. This designates which path they will place Tree tiles.
3. The first (top path) player takes 1 Rabbit; second 1 Snail; third 1 Owl; fourth 1 Wolf.
4. Place the 48 Tree tiles into the larger cloth bag and place it within reach.
5. Place 4 black and 4 yellow Fireflies into the smaller cloth bag and place it within reach. The remaining Fireflies form the supply.
6. Place the 12 Ability tiles within reach.

How to Play

Last Lantern is played over a series of rounds, each of which consists of four phases:

I. Voices in the Fog: Choosing Tree Tiles and Familiars II. Journeying: Placing Tree Tiles and Activating Abilities III. Lanterns: Drawing Fireflies IV. Path Astray: Placing Abandoned Tiles

I. Voices in the Fog: Choosing Tree Tiles and Familiars

Unseen voices ring out through the pervasive fog. Some cry out for help; others offer aid.

DRAW: Randomly draw 3 Tree tiles in a 2p or 3p game and place 1 tile next to the Rabbit, Snail, and Owl Familiar locations, leaving the Wolf location empty. In a 4p game, randomly draw and place 4 tiles, with the fourth being placed next to the Wolf location.

CHOOSE: Each player, without communicating, simultaneously uses their Character wheel to choose one Familiar location. In a 2p or 3p game, players may not choose the Wolf.

REVEAL: Once ready, the Character wheels are revealed. Each player then takes the Tree tile and one Familiar from the location that they have chosen.

• If two or more players make the same choice, they discuss and decide who takes the tile and who takes the Familiar (they may be split between players, or one player may take both with the other[s] taking neither).
• If any locations are not chosen, the Familiar is not taken, and the Tree tile is considered abandoned and remains. The abandoned tile is later used in the "Path Astray" phase. In a 2p game, there is always at least one abandoned Tree tile.
• If there are no Familiars remaining at the location a player has chosen, they may instead take a Familiar of that location from another player (they must agree). Familiars may not otherwise be given or traded freely between players.

Example (the Familiar icons in the captions are not reproduced here): Milo, Coco and Howard each choose a location. Milo and Coco both choose the same location. They decide that Milo takes the Tree tile and that Coco takes the Familiar.

When Exactly Can't We Communicate? Players may discuss as much as they like throughout Last Lantern. The only exception is the "Voices in the Fog" phase. Players may discuss before the Tree tiles are drawn; however, from the moment any player starts drawing until the Character wheels are revealed, there is no communicating.

As a general rule, if any forms of hinting feel like they are against the spirit of the game, then they likely are.

II. Journeying: Placing Tree Tiles

Step by disoriented step we journey forth, with only the few now dimming lights providing a sense of direction.

Each player places their Tree tile on their character path, which consists of three columns and one or two shared grey columns moving towards the purple goal line, according to the following rules:

1. Players may place tiles in any order.
2. The first tile must be placed orthogonally (edge) adjacent to any space without borders. Tiles may not cover spaces without borders.
3. Later tiles must be placed adjacent to previous tiles, including any placed this round by another player.
4. Any of the two players may place tiles on the shared column connecting their two paths; however, the tile may not extend past the shared column into another player's path.
5. Tiles may be placed on previously placed Fireflies (see the "Lanterns" phase). Any covered Fireflies, regardless of color, are returned to the supply.

II. Journeying (cont.): Activating Abilities

The animals of the canopy, likewise affected by the fog, lend their paw—or foot or wing or even shell.

Players may use their Familiars to activate abilities only during this phase. One player may activate more than one ability, and all abilities may be activated in any order. Reminder that Familiars may not be given or traded freely between players.

Here, "use" means returning them to their respective locations. They can then be taken and used again later.

Use 1 Rabbit, 1 Snail, and 1 Owl to activate one of three abilities:

1. BACK ON TRACK: Take the last placed abandoned Tree tile furthest along the Path Astray track and return it to the bag (see the "Path Astray" phase). Later abandoned tiles are placed on the track starting from where this tile was removed.
   • May not be used to remove an abandoned tile to be later placed on the track this round.
2. LIGHTING THE WAY: Draw 5 Fireflies from the bag and return them to the supply. Then add 5 yellow Fireflies into the bag.
   • If there are less than 5 Fireflies in the bag, return as many as possible and add 5 yellow as normal. If there are less than 5 yellow Fireflies in the supply, add as many as possible.
3. THROUGH THE FOG: Choose and give 1 Ability tile to any one player, including yourself. That player places the tile on their character path adjacent to previous tiles. It may extend through shared columns.
   • If the tile covers previously placed Fireflies (see the "Lanterns" phase), return them to the supply as normal.

In a 4p game, use 2 Wolves to activate a fourth ability:

4. Guiding Hand: Take 1 Rabbit, Snail, or Owl from its respective location and give it to any one player, including yourself.
   • If there are no remaining Familiars at the location, instead take the Familiar from another player (they must agree) and give it.

When Exactly Can We Use Abilities? From the moment after the Character wheels are revealed until all players are satisfied and begin checking if a player crossed a lantern in the "Lanterns" phase, abilities may be used.

III. Lanterns: Drawing Fireflies

The fog is so powerful that life itself seems to be dimming—even the fireflies are starting to lose their fire.

Each player checks if the Tree (or Ability) tile that they placed crossed a lantern on their character path. For each player who crossed said lantern for their first time, do the following in any player order:

• Here "cross" means placing a Tree or Ability tile that crosses a yellow line into a yellow-shaded space.
• Players may cross different lanterns on the same round.
• If a player crossed by placing a tile on a shared space, the "neighboring player" did not cross the lantern via this tile, as it was not placed by them.

ADD: Add 1 yellow Firefly from the lantern (placed during "Setup") into the bag.

DRAW: One by one, draw 1 Firefly for each space—including shared spaces—not covered by a tile between the lantern and the Character token on their character path, and place it on the space. Each space can only hold 1 Firefly; that is, if a space already has a Firefly, do not draw and place a second.

Example: Milo (top) did not cross a lantern. Howard (middle) crossed a lantern. She adds 1 yellow Firefly into the bag. Howard draws 1 Firefly for each empty space (3) on her character path, including the one space shared with Coco (bottom). Coco (bottom) crossed a lantern. She adds 1 yellow Firefly. Coco draws 1 Firefly for each empty space (1). Note that the other Fireflies were placed on an earlier round.

In the rare case the bag is empty when drawing, place 1 black Firefly from the supply on empty spaces.

LOSS CONDITION: If at any moment, there is a total of 4 black Fireflies on the character paths, the game is lost. Reminder that abilities may not be used after the first Firefly is drawn.

IV. Path Astray: Placing Abandoned Tiles

Without any light to guide us, it is all too easy to lose our way on the path astray.

If any Tree tiles were not chosen in the "Voices in the Fog" phase, they are abandoned. Place any abandoned tiles on the Path Astray track. Then add the 1 or 2 black Fireflies indicated by the icon into the bag.

LOSS CONDITION: If an eighth abandoned Tree tile is placed on the Path Astray track, the game is lost. Reminder that abilities may not be used in this phase.

Game End and Victory Condition

The Last Lantern slots into place, dispelling—for now—the fog, but the source of its strength continues to elude us.

Play continues until one player (or more) crosses the purple goal line with a Tree tile (or an Ability tile).

Each player finishes placing their tiles. Instead of moving to the "Lanterns" phase, the game ends. Any player, one by one, draws 1 Firefly for each space—including shared spaces—not covered by a tile on all character paths. Reminder that abilities may not be used after the first Firefly is drawn. Also, any abandoned tiles are not placed on the Path Astray track.

If there are a total of 3 or fewer black Fireflies on the character paths, the game is won!

Game End: Defeat (example). Milo (top) crossed the purple goal line, and Howard (middle) and Coco (bottom) finished placing their tiles. Milo draws 1 Firefly for each empty space (6). There are now 4 black Fireflies, and the game is thus lost.

Game End: Victory (example). Milo (top) crossed the purple goal line, and Howard (middle) and Coco (bottom) finished placing their tiles. Before any Fireflies are drawn, Howard activates "Through the Fog" and places an Ability tile. Milo then draws 1 Firefly for each empty space (4). There are less than 4 black Fireflies. The game is thus won.

Challenges

These six challenges add new levels of difficulty, testing you on how well you understand the game and one another. The number of lanterns indicates the difficulty, and unless specified (namely "Frozen Lake" and "Basilisk"), the challenges can be mixed and matched with each other, creating a variety of experiences. Can you overcome the Basilisk with an additional four challenges?

Challenge Components

Punchboard 5 contains the tiles needed for the six challenges. "Blossoms" does not use any additional challenge components.

• 6 Mushroom tiles ("Glow-shrooms")
• 1 Frozen Lake board ("Frozen Lake")
• 6 Fireflies ("Eerie Lights"; 2 orange; 2 blue; 2 purple)
• 5 Serpent tiles ("Moving Branches")
• 1 Basilisk board ("Basilisk")

I. Glow-shrooms

Even the fauna has their own means to fend off the fog.

Additional Setup: 1. Place the 6 Mushroom tiles along with the 48 Tree tiles into the larger cloth bag.

Additional Rules: In the "Path Astray" phase, if an abandoned Tree tile with glow-shrooms, including the 6 added Mushroom tiles, is placed on the Path Astray track, add 1 additional black Firefly into the bag in addition to any other game effects.

II. Blossoms

The flowers, dazzling like fireflies, help light the way.

Additional Setup: None.

Additional Rules: Note the extra loss condition.

LOSS CONDITION: At Game End, each player must have at least three flowers of your designated type (one of the four flower icons found on the Character wheel) on your character path, including shared grey columns. If any player does not, the game is lost. Some Ability tiles have flowers on them which count towards this condition.

III. Eerie Lights

The fog—perhaps a miasma—alters the life it touches.

Additional Setup: 1. Place the 2 orange, 2 blue, and 2 purple Fireflies into the bag.

Additional Rules: If an orange, blue, or purple Firefly is drawn, place it as normal and then immediately resolve its effect. Note the extra loss condition.

• ORANGE: If possible, each player returns 1 Rabbit, Snail, or Owl of their choice to its respective location. In a 4p game, players do not need to use the "Guiding Hand" ability to resolve this effect.
• BLUE: Players may not activate abilities in the next "Journeying" phase.
• PURPLE: Draw 1 Tree tile from the bag and place it on the Path Astray track (or Frozen Lake or Basilisk board).

LOSS CONDITION: At Game End, if any 1 orange, blue, or purple Firefly is drawn from the bag, the game is lost.

IV. Moving Branches

A trick of the fog or did that branch just move?

Additional Setup: 1. Place a random Serpent tile on each serpent icon on the character paths by matching the icon on the tiles with that on the Canopy game board. The direction of the icon should be the same.

Additional Rules: In the "Lanterns" phase before checking if a player crossed a lantern, for any Tree tiles placed orthogonally (edge) adjacent to a space of a Serpent tile, draw a Firefly and place it on said space. Each space can only hold 1 Firefly. After all Fireflies have been placed, if a Serpent tile is orthogonally surrounded, it flips over and remains in the same place. The Fireflies, regardless of color, are returned to the supply. Then add the number of yellow Fireflies indicated by the tile into the bag. Note the change in the loss condition.

Example: After they placed their Tree tiles and activated abilities, Milo (top) drew and placed 1 black Firefly; Howard (middle) placed 1 black Firefly; and Coco (bottom) did not place any, as the two were placed previously. After all Fireflies were placed, the 2 Serpent tiles are flipped over, and the 2 black and 2 yellow Fireflies are returned to the supply. Finally, 2 yellow Fireflies, one for each tile as indicated, are added into the bag. They then proceed to check if anyone crossed a lantern.

LOSS CONDITION: If at any moment, there is a total of 6 (not 4) black Fireflies on the character paths, the game is lost.

V. Frozen Lake

If the fog wasn't dangerous enough.... Incompatible with Basilisk.

Additional Setup: 1. Place the Frozen Lake board next to the Canopy game board.

Additional Rules: In the "Path Astray" phase, the Path Astray track is not used; instead, place any abandoned Tree tiles on the Frozen Lake board. The first tile may be placed anywhere. Later tiles must be placed adjacent to previous tiles. When a tile is placed on a space with 1 or 2 black Firefly icons, add them into the bag. Note the change in the loss condition.

LOSS CONDITION: If an abandoned Tree tile cannot be placed on the Frozen Lake board, the game is lost. The ability "Back on Track" may be used only in the "Journeying" phase to remove any 1 tile as normal.

VI. Basilisk

The source. Let us restore balance to the canopy. Incompatible with Frozen Lake.

Additional Setup: 1. Place the Basilisk board along the purple goal line. In a 4p game, place the board along the fourth lantern.

Additional Rules: In the "Path Astray" phase, the Path Astray track is not used; instead, place any abandoned Tree tiles on the Basilisk board. The first tile may be placed anywhere. Later tiles must be placed adjacent to previous tiles. When a tile is placed on a space with 1 or 2 black Firefly icons, add them into the bag.

The game ends when one occurs:

1. A player crosses the goal line with a Tree or Ability tile. The tile may cover spaces on the Basilisk board.
2. A player cannot place their tile, which is then removed from the game.
3. An abandoned Tree tile crosses the goal line. The tile may cover spaces on the character paths.
4. An abandoned tile cannot be placed, which is then removed from the game.

Each player finishes placing their tile. One by one, draw 1 Firefly for each space not covered by a tile on all character paths and on the Basilisk board, including any uncovered spaces with black Firefly icons. Note the change in the loss condition.

Example: Milo (top) cannot place his Tree tile. Howard (middle) and Coco (bottom) cross the goal line, with Howard's tile covering a space with 1 black Firefly icon on the Basilisk board, which is added to the bag. After activating abilities, they drew and placed 4 black and 7 yellow Fireflies.

LOSS CONDITION: If at any moment, there is a total of 6 (not 4) black Fireflies on the character paths and Basilisk board, the game has been lost.

Gameflow (Summary)

I. Voices in the Fog

• Draw three Tree tiles (four tiles for 4p).
• Simultaneously choose Familiar location: Rabbit, Snail, or Owl (or Wolf for 4p). No communication.
• Take the Tree tile and one Familiar. Tree tiles not chosen are abandoned.

II. Journeying

• Place Tree tiles adjacent to previous tiles. Covered Fireflies are returned to supply. Abilities may be used.
• Use 1 Rabbit, Snail, and Owl to activate one ability:
  • Back on Track: Return 1 abandoned Tree tile into bag.
  • Lighting the Way: Draw 5 Fireflies and return them to supply; add 5 yellow Fireflies into bag.
  • Through the Fog: Place 1 Ability tile.
• Use 2 Wolves to activate (4p): Guiding Hand: Give 1 Rabbit, Snail, or Owl to a player.

III. Lanterns

• Players crossing a lantern their first time: add 1 yellow Firefly from board into bag; draw and place 1 Firefly on uncovered spaces.
• Game is lost if 4 black Fireflies are on paths.

IV. Path Astray

• Place abandoned Tree tiles on Path Astray track. Add 1 or 2 black Fireflies into bag.
• Game is lost if an eighth abandoned tile is placed.

Game End

• A player crosses the goal line: place Tree tiles and use abilities; draw and place 1 Firefly on all uncovered spaces.
• Game is lost if 4 black Fireflies are on paths.