Livingstone Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Object of the Game
• Set Up
• Game Play
• Actions
• Donations for the Benefit of the Queen
• Scoring
• End of the Game
• Variation for Two Players
• Card Explanations

Contents

• Gameboard
• 75 Coins (41 x 1 pound, 16 x 3 pounds, 13 x 5 pounds and 5 x 10 pounds)
• 1 Steamboat
• 27 Action Cards
• 1 Bag
• 55 Tents in five colors (11 Tents per color)
• 5 Treasure Chests
• 60 Stones (30 Rocks - 29 black and 1 white, and 30 Gems - 15 transparent, 10 blue and 5 red)
• 10 Dice
• 6 Reference Cards
• 5 Scoring Markers
• Instructions

Object of the Game

Players travel in a steamboat on the Zambezi to the Victoria Falls. They earn victory points while exploring the country and finding gems. The player with the most victory points wins the game.

Set Up

Each player receives all Tents and the Treasure Chest of a chosen color, as well as 3 Coins with the value of 1 pound each. All 60 Stones (30 Gems, 29 black Rocks, 1 white Rock) are put into the bag. Two dice per player are needed in the game. The remaining dice are put back into the box. Place the Scoring Markers on the 0 space of the scoring track on the Gameboard. Shuffle the Action Cards, and place them on the table, face down. This forms the Draw Pile. Place the Steamboat on the first water space on the left side of the Gameboard.

Game Play

Randomly decide who goes first. Play will progress clockwise. The starting player rolls all dice. After rolling, the dice should be sorted in numerical order (see illustration 1). Then, the starting player chooses one die and immediately executes an action (see Actions). After completion of the action, that die remains in front of the player for the moment. The next player then chooses one die from the dice that remain and executes an action, and so on.

Illustration 1 — example for a first roll of the dice in a game of 4 players.

When all players have taken a die, they may choose another one (again beginning with the starting player) on the following condition: The number of the second die must be higher than the number of the first die that the player chose.

This procedure is repeated until either there are no dice left or no player is able to take one of the remaining dice. It is probable that at the end of a round, players will have taken different numbers of dice and therefore, number of actions. Once there are no more dice, the round is over, and the column that has the Steamboat is scored (see Scoring). The Steamboat then moves one space forward.

Illustration 2 — Example: Sally (A) begins the round by rolling all dice, takes a die showing a 1, and executes the action. Matt (B) chooses the 6 right away and executes the action. Tom (C) also takes a 1. Now, Sally chooses the 5. Since there is no higher die for Matt it is Tom's turn. He chooses the 2. Since Sally is not able to take a higher die either, Tom may now take the 3 as well.

Actions

After taking a die, the player immediately executes exactly one of the four following actions (highlighted in different colors):

Draw an Action Card: The player may draw exactly one Action Card from the Draw Pile, regardless of the number shown on the chosen die. Players may collect any number of Action Cards in their hand and can play any number of Action Cards at once on their own turn (see Card Explanations, below, for detailed rules for each card). Note: If a player draws the "Mine Collapse" card, it must be shown to all players and executed immediately. Then, a new card is drawn as a substitute. Afterwards, the "Mine Collapse" card is shuffled with all cards in the discard pile as well as the remaining Draw Pile to form a new Draw Pile.

Take Coins: A player may choose to take Coins in the same value of pounds as the number shown on the chosen die. (For example, if a die showing "4" is chosen, the player may choose to receive Coins with a total value of 4 pounds.) Players may change their Coins at any time and in any way. They can, for example, always exchange a Coin with the value 5 for five Coins with the value 1.

Dig in the Mine: A player may choose to reach into the bag with the Stones without looking into it and take a quantity of Stones equal to the number that is shown on the chosen die. (For example, if a die showing "3" is chosen, the player may take three Stones out of the bag.)

At any time during their turn, a player may sell the Gems for their value. Simply exchange the Gem(s) for their value in Coins using the value chart below. The player may also save them to score victory points or sell them later for extra Coins, using the Action Card, titled "Market." The base values of the different Stones are:

• Black Rock, White Rock = no value
• Transparent Gem = 1 pound
• Blue Gem = 3 pounds
• Red Gem = 5 pounds

The sold Gems and all black Rocks are set aside. If the white Rock is drawn out of the bag, all Stones that are already set aside and all the Stones that the player has drawn out of the bag on that turn are put back into the bag. By collecting Gems, players take the risk that someone could draw the "Mine Collapse" card so that all players' already collected Gems become worthless, since they are put back into the bag.

At the end of the game, each Gem that is not sold scores 1 victory point. Rocks do not score any victory points.

Place a Tent: A player may choose to place a Tent on the Gameboard. The Tent must be placed in the column above the Steamboat and on the building site space corresponding to the number on the chosen die. (For example, if a die showing "1" is chosen, the Tent must be placed in the space next to the crown numbered "1" and directly above the Steamboat.)

Note: The most common way to earn victory points is to place Tents.

The Steamboat marks the column in which players may currently place a Tent (the column above the Steamboat highlighted in grey in illustration 3). The rows are numbered consecutively by crowns on the left side. Thus, any building site is located on the intersection point of the Steamboat and the number of the die.

Illustration 3 — the highlighted column above the Steamboat.

If a player chooses to place a Tent, they have to pay expedition costs. They are noted on the boat spaces on the bank of the river and increase as the game progresses. In illustration 4, a player must pay 2 pounds for placing a Tent. In the following round, a Tent would cost 3 pounds. If a player wants to place a Tent on a space on which there are already other Tents, that player must pay an additional 1 pound to each of the involved players, even if a card was used to place a free Tent. It is possible that during the same round, a player may place several Tents in one column if they have taken several dice.

Illustration 4 — a player must pay 2 pounds for placing a Tent.

Donations for the Benefit of the Queen

At any time during their turn, players may put any number of Coins into their Treasure Chests without losing a die action. Players must inform the other players about it, but they do not have to disclose the exact amount of money. The donated Coins remain in the Treasure Chest until the end of the game and cannot be taken out again.

NOTE: At the end of the game, the player who has donated the least money is out of the game and cannot win!

Scoring

At the end of each round, when all the dice have been taken or when no more dice can be chosen, scoring takes place. Only the column that has the Steamboat may be scored. For each player's Tent that was placed in this column, that player receives the points indicated on the left side next to the row. If there are several Tents on the same building site, all involved players each receive the full score. Players then record their score by moving their scoring marker the appropriate number of spaces along the scoring track on the Gameboard.

After scoring is completed for the round, the Steamboat moves 1 space forward, and the next round begins. The next player in clockwise order rolls all of the dice, chooses one of them, and the next round begins.

End of the Game

After scoring the last column, the game ends and final scoring begins. First, all 6 Tent rows are counted. This time, only the player with the most Tents in a row receives points indicated on the left side next to the row. In the case of a tie, all points are divided evenly between the tied players and rounded down, if necessary. The available points are indicated in the grey Tent symbols on the right (see illustration 5).

Illustration 5 — Example: In row 2, Sally (red) has three Tents. Matt (blue) and Tom (yellow) have two Tents each. Sally receives 10 victory points for having the most Tents in the row. If Sally had placed one Tent less in this row, all three players would have received 3 victory points each.

Then, players receive 1 victory point for each Gem that has not been sold. Finally, players may also now play their Action Cards that bring in victory points.

After the final scoring, all players empty out their Treasure Chests and count the money that they have donated. The player whose Treasure Chest contains the least money is out of the game. If there are several players with the least money in their Treasure Chest, they are all eliminated. The player with the most victory points (among those who still remain) wins the game. In the case of a tie, these players count their donated money and the one who has donated most wins. If there is still a tie, the player who placed the most Tents during the game wins.

Variation for Two Players

In the two-player game, please use the following rules changes and adjustments:

Game play:

• Only four dice are rolled each round.
• If a player has used all of their Tents, they must from then on only move a Tent from a space on the Gameboard instead of placing a new one. Players must still pay the costs for setting up the Tent, as explained above. All victory points that were gained by placing the Tent originally are kept, and new victory points will be won by moving the Tent.
• The rest of the game is played as stated above.

Scoring:

• At the end of the game, after points have been allotted for the majorities in the rows, the donations are verified in a different way. The player with the highest score rolls all four dice and determines the total amount. If a player has donated less than the total sum, they are out of the game. Because of this, it is possible for both players to lose the game.

Card Explanations

• Free Tent (die still required): The player does not need to pay for setting up a Tent, but a die is still needed in order to use this card as an action. The Tent must be placed on the space indicated by the die in the column with the Steamboat.
• Ignore Die Number for Tent Placement: The player can ignore the die number when setting up a Tent, but payment is still needed. The Tent may be placed into any space of the column marked by the Steamboat. The die is needed for this action.
• Free Tent in a Scored Row: The player may place an additional Tent free of charge in a row in which a Tent has been scored by the player in a previous column. For this no die is required, and this does not count as a regular action. This Tent does not score victory points for the round, but will be counted in its row in the final scoring.
• Move Steamboat Back: The Steamboat is moved back one column. Players now may only place Tents in this column. At the end of the round, players only score this column, including Tents that may have been scored the last time the Steamboat was here. For the next round, it moves forward one space and any Tents placed in this column before the Steamboat was moved are scored at the end of that round.
• Take 4 Pounds: The player may take 4 pounds from the general supply of Coins.
• Take Two Dice: While choosing a die on their turn, the player may take two dice, one after another. The number on the second die must be higher than that on the first die. The two actions must be executed one after another.
• Victory Point Cards (values 2, 3, 4): The player receives the amount of victory points indicated on the card and moves their Scoring Marker on the scoring track accordingly.
• Market: The player may sell any Gems they have saved and receives the following:
  • Transparent = 1 pound + 1 victory point
  • Blue = 2 pounds + 2 victory points
  • Red = 3 pounds + 3 victory points
• Dig Three Stones: The player may take three Stones out of the mine (the bag).
• Mine Collapse! Each player IMMEDIATELY loses all saved Gems. All Stones are put back into the bag. Then, the player may draw a new card as a substitute. This card affects saved Gems only, not Gems sold to the Market or Rocks that have been set aside.
• Combined Tent Cards: A player may use both of these cards together to place a Tent free of charge, on any space in the column marked by the Steamboat. This action requires the use of a die.