Northgard: Uncharted Horizons
Northgard: Uncharted Horizons Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 5 Clan boards (Dragon, Kraken, Lynx, Ox, Squirrel)
- 15 Clan cards (1 initial card and 2 upgrade cards for each of the 5 clans)
- 2 Achievement cards
- 8 Development cards (2 Early Development and 6 Advanced Development). The components list prints "Développement cards".
- 5 Regular Map tiles (including 1 starting tile)
- 4 Environment tiles
- 11 Clan tokens
- 5 Warchief miniatures and their upgraded cards: Surtr (Dragon warchief), Kàra (Kraken warchief), Mielikki (Lynx warchief), Torfin (Ox warchief), and the Squirrel warchief. The components list prints "Torfin" under the Squirrel warchief. This is a printed error in the preview; the Squirrel warchief is named Andhrimnir in the clan section ("The New Clans") and that is the name used in these rules.
- 5 Beach tiles
- 4 Central tiles
- 8 Creature miniatures and their cards (2 Giant Boars, 2 Myrkálfars, 2 Kobolds, 2 Rock Golems; beige and brown)
- 20 Raid cards
- 13 Alternative victory condition cards (8 Wealth and 5 Map control cards)
- 50 Validation tokens (9 tokens marked 1 and 1 token marked 5 per player)
- 15 Event cards. The Event module section later in the preview prints "20 Event cards"; both figures are transcribed as printed.
- 15 Multiple resource wooden tokens (5 food, 5 wood, 5 lore)
- Solo mode: 17 Automa cards (including 2 reference cards) and 2 Automa Leader miniatures. The Solo module section prints "15 Automa cards"; both figures are transcribed as printed.
The New Clans
New clans have formed, their warchiefs eager for glory and domination.
Squirrel Clan
Under the leadership of warchief Andhrimnir, the Squirrel clan generally enjoy tasty food and a playful existence. Some, including their allies, consider them more often mischievous than helpful. In the end, no one really knows whether they're trustworthy friends or true scoundrels. However, there is widespread agreement in affirming their culinary skills are second to none.
Clan power: During the Winter Phase: After paying costs, if the Squirrel clan has at least 1 food in reserve, they gain 1 additional food. If it has at least 1 wood, they gain +1 wood. Choose only one of the two options.
Andhrimnir, Squirrel warchief
As bold in the kitchen as he is on the battlefield, Andhrimnir effectively motivates his troops to gather food and turn it into brute force on the battlefield.
Warchief Power: Before Step 1 of a defensive combat involving Andhrimnir, he gains +1 food.
Kraken Clan
The Kraken clan are intimately familiar with the dangers of the sea. They revere the vast expanse of water, respecting its brutal power, honoring its instinctive knowledge and harnessing its powers when it deigns to grant them.
Clan power: The Kraken clan has access to special power, the two High Tide Tokens (see below for their effects). During the Action phase, before playing a Kraken clan card, they can place a High Tide token in one territory they control.
The High Tide Tokens
- During step 4 of a combat in a territory containing a High Tide token, the Kraken adds 1 skull to their die roll. The printed icon on the token and in this line is a skull; it is transcribed as printed.
- There can be only one High Tide token per territory.
Note: The Kraken must return the High Tide token to their reserve as soon as they leave the territory containing it, in the event of a lost combat or movement.
Kàra, Kraken warchief
Storm Bearer and Guardian of Marine Wrath, Kàra trains like the gods to become an accomplished Valkyrie.
Warchief Power: In a combat involving Kàra in an open territory, she adds +1 skull to her die roll.
Dragon Clan
Of all the clans, the Dragon clan is certainly the most enigmatic. Adhering to ancient customs and adopting singular traditions, they resort to sacrifices and slavery to achieve their ends, arousing the suspicion of other clans.
Clan power: the Dragon clan has access to a special site, the Sacrificial Pyre (see below for its effects).
After each combat, take the enemy casualties (regular units, marked with the skull icon) and place them on the Sacrificial Pyre, they are now ready to be sacrificed.
During Harvest phase, the Dragon clan must either sacrifice a unit present on their Sacrificial Pyre, or place one of their units deployed on the map to the Sacrificial Pyre in order to continue their Harvest phase. If they do so, they collect an additional 1 food or 1 wood from one of the territories they control.
If they cannot sacrifice or place a unit on the Pyre, they cannot harvest this year.
The Sacrificial Pyre
Setup: Place the Sacrificial pyre near the player and place an own unit on the Sacrificial Pyre.
The Sacrificial Pyre can hold up to 2 units. Sacrificed units are returned to their respective owner's reserve.
Note: Only casualties during combat are taken in this way, unless stated on the card itself. Enemy casualties that cannot be placed on the Sacrificial Pyre return to their owner's reserve.
Surtr, Dragon warchief
Fearsome and tyrannical, Surtr has seized control of the Dragon clan through violence. An emissary of evil, he appeared from the flames of Muspell and will continue to spread his dark influence over the lands of Asgard.
Warchief Power: During step 4 of a combat, if Surtr has not rolled any skull, he gains 1 skull; if he has not rolled any axe, he gains 1 axe.
Lynx Clan (WIP in preview)
Under the leadership of Mielikki, the ruler of the creatures, the Lynx Clan maintains an extraordinary bond with nature. Proud hunters, they mastered the art of archery and unique hunting techniques, ensuring the prosperity of their people. The clan welcomed Brundr and Kaelinn, graceful lynxes, when they were just newborns. Today, these felines are the keen eyes of the clan's esteemed leader and a formidable force on the battlefield.
Clan Power: The Lynx clan has access to a special unit, the Brundr et Kaelinn token (see below for its effects). Whenever Lynx clan plays a clan card, they may move the Brundr and Kaelin token, along with any of their units from the same territory to a neutral or friendly territory, before or after resolving the clan card.
The Brundr and Kealinn Token
- Whenever the Lynx clan recruits (including during setup), they can place Brundr and Kealinn as they would place any regular unit.
- It is a special unit that behaves like a regular unit with 1 axe in combat.
- During the Winter phase, Brundr and Kaelinn do not count towards the total number of units on the board when calculating resource requirements.
The preview spells this unit's name in several ways (Kaelinn, Kealinn, Kaelin, and "et" for "and" in the clan power). Each spelling is transcribed as printed.
Mielikki, Lynx warchief
In her youth, Mielikki was a fierce hunter, known as the Beastmaster. Today, she reigns over the Northgard fauna, experiencing the world through the piercing eyes of Brundr and Kaelinn.
Clan Power: If you have at least one card bearing the lightning-bolt symbol in your active area this year, Mielikki gains an additional axe when she fights.
Note: After the Pass phase, the active area is void.
Ox Clan
Under the leadership of Torfin, an ancient leader who returned to guide his descendants, the Ox Clan is distinguished by its formidable power and respect for its ancestors. Although their nature is slow and ponderous, once launched onto the battlefield, they can crush anyone who stands in their way.
Clan power: The OX clan has access to special powers, the seven Ancestral Equipment tokens (see below for their effects).
- When Ox clan performs an Explore action, they place the top Ancestral Equipment token from the stack face-up on each small building space revealed (even in a neutral or enemy territory) on the explored tile.
- During the Action phase, before playing an Ox Clan card, Ox can take an Ancestral Equipment token from one territory they control and place it in their reserve.
- During step 1 of a combat, Ox clan can use one of the face up Ancestral Equipment tokens from their reserve (maximum 1 token per combat), then flip it face down.
- At the beginning of the next year, Ox clan flips all Ancestral Equipment tokens they have in reserve from face down to face up.
The 7 Ancestral Equipment Tokens
Setup: Place the 7 Ancestral Equipment tokens in a face-down pile in ascending order with 1 on top near the Ox clan board.
Ancestral Equipment tokens prevent the construction of buildings and remain in place even if the territory is conquered by another player.
Effects of Ancestral Equipment tokens (to use during the various steps of combat):
- Step 2: +1 axe bonus if you spent at least 1 food for combat bonus.
- Step 1: +1 axe bonus.
- Step 4: After knowing the result of your die, roll it again and keep the result.
- Step 1: +2 axe bonus.
- Step 2: For each food discarded, add +2 axe (instead of +1 axe).
- Step 6: Add +1 skull to the enemy.
- Step 6: Ignore one of your casualties.
Torfin, Ox warchief
An imposing, unpredictable figure endowed with unparalleled strength and an arsenal of ancestral equipment designed to enhance his already devastating attacks, Torfin is perceived by those who have yet to meet him as a character straight out of fairy tales and legends.
Warchief Power: When Torfin fights, he may use one additional Ancestral Equipment token.
Module: Creatures
Components
8 creatures, their cards and miniatures:
- 2 Myrkálfar (beige, brown)
- 2 Rock Golem (beige, brown)
- 2 Kobolds (beige, brown)
- 2 Giant boar (beige, brown)
Setup
To use the creatures in this expansion, add their cards to the Creature module in the base game.
Reminder: Shuffle all the creature cards with a combat value of six or less, then place 1 more card than the total number of players in a face down pile (Example, for 3 players place 4 cards).
Shuffle the remaining creature cards to form another pile and place it under the first pile, creating one single creature draw pile.
Creature Powers
Myrkálfar: Creature power: A Myrkálfar moves twice, but the second move cannot be a return to the starting point. When it moves into the second territory, its owner must pay 1 wood or otherwise lose 2 gold.
Kobolds: Kobolds can be excellent trading partners, but also a source of trouble when they take valuable land. Creature power: A territory containing a Kobold does not generate Fame during the Harvest phase, including from buildings. However, once per Harvest phase, the player controlling the territory can exchange 1 food for 1 wood, or vice versa.
Rock Golem: Rock Golems are powerful creatures that can burn their enemies with molten lava. Creature power: When spawning or moving, a Rock Golem attacks only if there are buildings in the territory. During combat, both player and Rock Golem add +1 axe for each skull rolled. If the Rock Golem rolls a skull/axe, it always chooses skull.
Giant Boar: A fearsome beast of magical nature capable of healing its own wounds. Guardian of the forests. Creature power: When spawning or moving into a territory with Wood (including from buildings), a Giant Boar attacks. When attacking, add 1 skull to the Boar's die. If the defender wins, increase their reward by +2 gold.
Module: Environment
New lands are revealed, offering never-before-seen wonders to explore and journeys to follow.
In this expansion you'll find new regular and environment tiles to shuffle with the general map pile at the beginning of the game. Also, you'll find new central tiles with a powerful, game-long effect to replace the original central tile.
Components
- 4 regular tiles
- 4 environment tiles: Kobold Camp, Thor's Wrath, Naströnd, Vedrfolnir
- 4 Central tiles: Yggdrasil, Great lake, Wyvern's den, Volcano
- 1 Starting tile for 5 players
Regular Map Tiles
Setup: 4 regular tiles. You can shuffle them into the main pile of Map tiles when setting up.
Environment Tiles
Setup: 4 new Environment tiles which you can shuffle into the main pile of Map tiles at the end of the set-up.
Note: we recommend limiting the number of Environment tiles to 12 per game. If you're also using the Wilderness expansion, we suggest you choose (or randomly draw) tiles from both expansions, ensuring not to exceed 12 Environment tiles.
Each Environment tile has its own rule and an effect that is triggered during certain phases specified in the rules below.
Note: all these tiles can be used in a standard game of Northgard: Uncharted Lands.
Kobold Camp
Phase: Harvest
Kobolds sometimes make excellent business partners, but can also become a source of complications when they covet precious territories...
During the Harvest phase, players can, once for each territory they control adjacent to the Kobold Camp, exchange 1 food or 1 wood for 1 food or 1 wood or 1 gold.
Thor's Wrath
Phase: Actions (Combats)
An ancient site brimming with power.
In all combats on any territory, the player controlling the territory containing Thor's Wrath gains +1 axe.
Naströnd (WIP in preview)
Phase: Actions (Explore)
The thick thorns form an impenetrable wall, defying all but the most reckless individuals. Yet they are not just an obstacle; they can also be harvested to provide wood.
When a player reveals the Naströnd tile, place 2 wood on it. The first player that owns a territory adjacent to Naströnd collects those 2 wood.
Note: Naströnd tile is impassable.
Vedrfolnir
Phase: Harvest
Vedrfolnir is a giant bird-like creature that can be found wounded in this territory. Heal her and she will reward you.
Just before the Harvest phase, the player controlling the territory containing Vedrfolnir may add a Map tile (drawn from the top of the pile), adjacent to any open territory on the table.
Note: This effect is not an Explore action and does not trigger the Explore effects of clans or Development cards.
Central Tiles
Setup Step F: Choose a central tile (standard or one of the expansion central tiles) and place it in the middle of the table. This tile replaces the standard starting tile. If you're playing with 5 players, add the special 5-player tile (see image). Return the remaining central tiles to the box.
Note: You can either choose your central tile, or draw at random when setting up the game.
The 5-player tile setup is pictured in the printed rulebook and is not described in text here.
Great Lake
Phase: Harvest
A haven of peace and plenitude, the Great Lake offers its guardians its benevolent resources.
Great Lake has an Impassable frontier, no units may be placed inside.
During each Harvest phase, the player with the most units in adjacent territories receives +2 food. In the event of a tie, each player receives +1 food.
Yggdrasil
Phase: Harvest
Cosmic tree from pagan theogony, symbolizing the universal spirit of the Divine that permeates all the substance of the cosmos.
During each Harvest phase, the player controlling the Yggdrasil territory (center of the tile) receives +5 gold.
Volcano
Phase: Start of the Year
Both terrifying and marvelous, the volcano's eruption could bring about Ragnarök.
At the Start of the year Phase, the player currently first in turn order chooses a target player first (they can also choose themself) and then rolls a dice.
- For each axe rolled the target player gains +1 gold.
- For each skull rolled the target player must choose one of their units from the map and place into their reserve.
Note: If the skull/axe face is rolled, the target player receives +1 gold AND must remove one of their units from a territory they control.
Wyvern's Den
Phase: Creature / Harvest
Warning! This tile is playable only with the Creatures' module and the wyvern miniature.
The Wyvern is the most fearsome of the ancient creatures that roam the lands of Northgard, terrifying all who dare come too close to her lair.
At the start of year 3, place the Wyvern on the Wyvern's Den tile and add its card to the Creature line.
During each Harvest phase, as soon as the Wyvern is defeated in its Den, the player who controls the Wyvern's Den receives +2 gold each year.
Note 1: Wyvern has the same rules as the Wilderness expansion.
Note 2: Use the Wyvern's Den tile from this expansion as a central tile instead of the one from the Wilderness expansion.
Module: Sea
Always on the lookout for new adventures, Viking warriors set sail to conquer new lands and bring back treasures of war.
Components
- 5 Beach tiles
- 20 Raid cards
Setup
Changes from original setup:
- Step E. Shuffle the Raid Cards and stack them face down to create the Raid pile.
- Step L. After placing the first tile, leave an empty tile-sized space and place the Beach tile.
See pictures at the end of the rulebook for the 2-5 players setup. (The 2-5 player layouts are diagrams in the printed rulebook: each player's first map tile and the empty tile-sized space are shown as pictures and are not described in text here.)
Beach Tile Anatomy
The Beach tile contains a territory with a printed building on it: the Port.
The Port has several functions:
- It allows units to move from one territory containing a Port to another territory containing a Port with a [Move x2] (or more) action. Note: additional moves are ignored.
- During combat, the controlling player gains +2 axe to their defense roll.
- It allows the controlling player to launch a Raid, see below.
- As soon as a player conquers a territory containing a Port, it is immediately available for use.
The Beach tile anatomy diagram labels: small building slot, Port, slot for Raid units, slot for a Raid card.
Raid Cards
Raid cards show various benefits players can earn. They depend on the number of units players want to send to Raid and the number of years units have spent away from their Port.
Raid card anatomy (printed example card, "Heroic Homestead"): Title; number of years spent raiding (1 YEAR or 2 YEARS); number of units raiding; benefits you can choose for a 1-year Raid, and benefits you can choose for a 2-years Raid (only available with 2 units).
- 1-year Raid: 1 wood / 1 food, OR place 1 small building for free in an available space on a territory you control.
- 2-years Raid (only available with 2 units): 2 wood and 2 gold (printed side by side on the example, with no separator between them), OR place 1 large building for free in an available space on a territory you control.
Raid cards can only be activated by a player controlling a territory containing a Port and only one Raid can be launched at a time per Port they control. A Port cannot therefore launch several Raids simultaneously.
Raids Rules
Phase: Actions (End)
When all players have completed their Actions phase and before moving on to the Harvest phase (or before the Creature phase if you're playing with the creature module), players who control at least one Port will be able to do as follows for each Port they control, in turn order.
If the Port already contains a Raid card: Its controlling player chooses between:
- Complete the current Raid: They collect the benefits or perform the action proposed by the Raid card corresponding to the number of units placed in the slot of the Beach tile.
- Note: Some proposed actions have to be performed during the Harvest Phase or the Beginning of the following year Phase. The player holds the Raid card in front of them until the action has been completed, then it is discarded it to the bottom of the Raid deck.
- Units involved in the Raid return to the Port territory.
- For the 2-year Raids, 1 unit returns to its owner's reserve instead of returning to the Port territory.
- Note: for 1-year Raids, the units involved must return to port territory.
- Discard the Raid card at the bottom of the Raid deck.
- Continue the Raid for a second year (not possible for Raids with only 1 unit engaged): Move both units to the year 2 spots on the right of the Raid card on the Beach tile.
If the Port does not contain a Raid card:
- For each Port, their controller draws 2 Raid cards, chooses one and discards the other to the bottom of the Raid deck.
- The chosen card is then placed face-up on the Beach tile.
- Then, place 1 or 2 units present in the Port territory on the left-hand slots of the Beach tile.
Note:
- A player can complete a Raid and start a new one in the same turn. They may use any units present on the Port territory, including those returning from a Raid that has just ended.
- Units on the Beach tile's Raid slots cannot be used to move from one Port to another.
- Units engaged in Raids always count towards Winter costs.
- If a player loses control of the Port territory, they remove their Raiding units (place in reserve). The player now controlling the Port territory may keep the Raid Card or replace it (in their Raid phase). If not kept, they discard the Raid Card to the bottom of the Raid deck.
Module: Events
The world of Northgard is full of uncertainty. Warriors face the dangers of nature while celebrating the joys of great victories.
Components
- 20 Event cards. (The components list on the first pages prints "15 Event cards"; both figures are transcribed as printed.)
Setup
After step L of the standard setup, shuffle the Event cards and form a face-up draw pile including a number of cards equal to the number of years being played, minus 1.
Example: For a 7-year game, make up a draw pile of 6 Event cards.
During Phase 5 End of year after step C (Move the year token), take the first card from the top of the Event deck and place it next to the turn track. This Event will apply to the following year.
Note 1: No Event applies to the first year of the game.
Note 2: With the Event deck face-up, you can prepare for the next Event to apply in the following year.
Event Card Anatomy
The printed anatomy shows: Title, Activation phase, Effect, Artwork. The example card is "Blizzard", activation phase "4. Winter", with the effect: Players pay 1 additional food and 1 additional wood on top of normal Winter costs.
Module: Alternative Victory Conditions
The world of Northgard is in constant flux; the means to conquering and reigning over these hostile lands are constantly evolving. This module introduces alternative victory conditions.
Components
- 13 alternative victory conditions cards of 2 different types:
- 5 Map Control cards
- 8 Wealth cards
- 50 Validation tokens (9 tokens marked 1 and 1 token marked 5 per player)
Setup
Separate and shuffle the 2 card types.
Draw 1 Map Control card and 2 Wealth cards and place them face-up on the table.
If a Victory Condition card does not match the modules being played for this game, discard it and draw another.
Some cards with the [Validation] icon require validation tokens to count victory conditions during play. When one of these cards is drawn, distribute the tokens to the players in their respective colors.
During the game, as soon as a Player validates one or more objectives on a [Validation] card, they place one or more tokens next to it.
Note: The validation tokens count can only progress and never regress during the game.
End of the Game Changes
When playing with this module, it is no longer possible to win the game by controlling at least three closed territories with at least one large building in each, unless the "Built territories" card is drawn.
Before starting the game with the Victory Conditions module, choose a game mode:
- Thane mode: If a player validates at least one Map Control card and one of the two Wealth cards, the game ends immediately.
- Jarl mode: If a player validates all three Victory Condition cards, the game ends immediately.
If no player has validated the alternative victory conditions of the chosen game mode by the end of the last year played, the player with the most gold wins the game.
Rules
At each Phase 5 END OF YEAR, it is assessed whether all Victory Conditions cards have been fulfilled by one or more players, depending on the chosen mode of play.
Victory Conditions, including validation cards, must be all fulfilled in the same year.
Note: Regardless if a condition is lost and gained again (exemple: Map control), it is important that all required winning conditions to be fulfilled in order to win.
In both modes, in the event of a tie, the tied player with the most Victory Conditions wins, and if the tie remains, the player with the most gold is declared the winner.
Note: To play with the 2 vs 2 game mode combined with the Alternative Win Condition module, Draw 1 Map Control + 3 Wealth cards visible on the table instead of 2. A team wins if each card is fulfilled by at least one player from the same team.
Module: Solo
Components
- 15 Automa cards. (The components list on the first pages prints "17 Automa cards (including 2 reference cards)"; both figures are transcribed as printed.)
- 14 units of an unchosen color of your choice
- 2 Automa Leaders (Leader 1 is white and Leader 2 is black)
Setup
At the start of the game against Automa, player chooses the level of difficulty and the win condition they wish to play:
| Level | Win condition |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Win with 4 closed territories containing 1 Large Building each, or [value not printed in preview] gold points after 7 years. |
| Level 2 | Win on [value not printed in preview] gold points after 7 years. |
| Level 3 | Win on [value not printed in preview] gold points after 7 years with the Creature Module. |
| Level 4 | Win on [value not printed in preview] gold points after 7 years with the Creature Module and Automa draws an additional card at the start of each year. |
The point values for Levels 1 to 4 are blank in the preview's layout, the same in the alternate copies of the file. They are left as "[value not printed in preview]" and are not filled in from memory.
You can continue to increase the difficulty level indefinitely. In this case, for each additional level from the 5th, the Automa clan draws 1 additional card at the beginning of each year.
Perform the usual setup for a 2 players game with the following modifications:
- Step D: Remove the Enemy Secrets and Ancestral Curse Development cards from the Development deck.
- Step H: Choose a Clan to play. Automa is neutral with no Clan Power.
- Step I: Shuffle the Automa cards into a deck and place it face-down next to the year Track.
- Step J: The player always starts with the first player counter.
- Step L:
- The player draws 3 Map tiles and places one to the left of the base game center tile.
- Automa clan places the first Map tile from the pile and places it, without rotating it, to the right of the center tile. If this tile contains no resources, draw another, but only once.
- Automa places Leader 1 and two of his units on that territory in the following order of priority of: most resources, most food, most wood, most building spots, on open territories, or furthest away from the player's units.
- The player places a second Map tile, as in the standard setup.
- Automa places a Map tile above its starting tile (or under if the player has already taken that spot). If this tile does not contain a resource, draw another one, but only once.
- Automa places Leader 2 and two of his units on that territory, respecting the placement priorities as in point 3 above and the standard setup rules.
Compatible Modules
- Creatures Module: Creatures consider Automa's units, Leaders and territories, to be neutral. When moving, if only neutral territories are adjacent, Creatures always move towards a player-controlled territory. If several territories are tied, use the Creature movement priority list.
- Event Module: Shuffle Event cards according to the usual rules during setup, after step L. Negative events do not affect Automa.
- Warchiefs: Automa Leaders become Warchiefs with +2 axe during step 1 of a combat.
Gameplay
The game turn follows the same sequence as a standard 2-player game.
On their turn, the Automa reveals the first card from the Actions deck and applies the first possible action from top to bottom, according to the conditions of play and the priorities of the selected action.
Automa's Rules
Automa have their own Automa cards to carry out their Actions.
Beginning of the year Phase: Automa draws face down 4 cards from the Automa deck and adds:
-
- 1 card per Forge in the territories they control
-
- 1 card per lore present in their reserve, which are then discarded.
-
- A number of cards equal to the difference between the number of large buildings the player controls compared to the Automa.
Form a face-down deck with the cards drawn by the Automa, which will be called the Actions deck for the purposes of rules. If the Automa deck is empty and Automa needs to draw, shuffle the discard pile to form a new Automa deck.
Action Card Playability Conditions
Each Automa card has 2 conditional actions. Check the conditions to play Action 1, then Action 2 if the first is not possible. If neither action is possible, discard the card and draw a new one from the Action pile.
The maximum number of Automa cards that can be played during a year is limited to those drawn during the Start of year phase. therefore Automa plays only one Action on each card, and never performs the Actions Wait, Remove or Upgrade a card.
Playing Priorities
Each Automa card has several priorities for resolution. These priorities are cumulative, meaning if several territories satisfy the first priority, these territories must be resolved by following the next priority from left to right, and so on.
Note: If after applying all priorities there are still tied territories then the player must decide which of the tied territories is chosen.
- Flash: If the Automa card has this icon, Automa plays the first possible action of this card and immediately draws from current Action deck and plays a new Actions card.
- Pass: If the last card drawn this Year by Automa has this icon at its top right, and the player has not yet passed his turn, Automa passes without playing the actions on this card. Automa immediately draws a Development or Achievement card according to the conditions illustrated at the bottom of this card (see chapter "Priority for drawing Development/Achievement cards" below). The cards are kept separately and they just serve at the end of the game for Fame points.
- Exception: If the last card was played due to a previous Flash card then the last card is still played.
The Automa card anatomy diagram labels: Flash, Pass, Condition for Action 1 ("If 1 unit or an Automa leader is present in its reserve"), Action 1 ("Recruit 1 leader or 1 unit"), Priorities for Action 1, Condition for Action 2 ("If Automa leader 2 can move", shown with a move x2 icon), Action 2 ("Reinforcements to Leader 2 from", then "Move 1 with Leader 2 to"), Priorities for Action 2, and Priorities for drawing Development/Achievement Cards.
Two different Conditions may appear:
- Automa has at least 2 units in one of its controlled territories OR
- The Leader 1 or Leader 2 can move.
Two different Actions can appear on these cards:
- MOVE 1 (x1): Automa moves exactly 1 unit to friendly or neutral territory according to the playing priority (see specific box). OR
- MOVE 2 (x2):
- The first move is optional: Automa will Reinforce one of the Leaders by moving half the units (rounded up) from an adjacent territory to the Leaders' territory, following the Playing Priorities (see box).
- Note: territories containing a single unit cannot provide Reinforcement.
- Note: A leader may take units from the other Leader's territory but won't take the other Leader in this first move.
- The second move is mandatory: Automa moves a Leader to an adjacent territory as given by the priorities indicated on the card. The following possibilities may occur:
- To one of the player's territories: Automa moves, along with the Leader, as many of their units as possible from the same territory, without outnumbering the defender by more than 2 units.
- Note: At least 1 unit must remain in the departure territory.
- Example: if the player has 3 units in the territory under attack, the Automa moves with a maximum of 5 units, including the Leader.
- To a Neutral territory: They move half the available units (rounded up) present in the Leader's territory to an adjacent neutral territory according to Playing Priorities.
- To a Friendly territory: They move all units except one (which is left behind), to a Friendly territory according to the game Priorities.
- Note: A Leader does not move with another Leader, and never moves alone into an enemy territory.
- To one of the player's territories: Automa moves, along with the Leader, as many of their units as possible from the same territory, without outnumbering the defender by more than 2 units.
- The first move is optional: Automa will Reinforce one of the Leaders by moving half the units (rounded up) from an adjacent territory to the Leaders' territory, following the Playing Priorities (see box).
Automa Actions
RECRUIT
Condition: Automa has Leaders or units in their reserve.
Action: Automa recruits the number of units specified on the card, prioritizing Leader 1, then Leader 2, before recruiting units. Units are placed according to game priorities (see Playing conditions and Automa priority cards box).
BUILD ACTION
Condition: Automa has building spaces available in their territories AND 1 wood for small buildings or 3 wood for large buildings in their reserve.
Action: Automa builds a small or large building which they place in one of their territories according to game priorities (see Playing conditions and Automa priority cards box).
EXPLORE ACTION
Condition: Automa controls at least one open territory.
Action: Automa performs the Explore action in 3 steps:
- First, they identify the location where the new Map tile will be placed on the board according to the first "Explore on" playing priority on the Action card.
- Then, they draw the first Map tile from the pile and place it, face-up, without rotating it, on the previously identified location.
- Finally, they rotate the tile until the second "Rotate the tile" playing priority has been resolved.
Note: if the tile cannot be placed following the legal rules, place the tile back at the bottom of the pile, then draw a new tile and repeat the placement.
Upon territory closure, both players gain Fame points as in the standard game.
MOVE ACTION
To move, the Automa needs to follow these conditions:
- Automa will never move the last unit from a territory.
- A unit must always remain in a territory after any move.
- Automa ignore Rough borders.
- A Leader can't move if he is alone and if he doesn't get any reinforcement from a neighboring territory.
Combat Rules
Reminder: If you decide to play with the Warchiefs expansion, Automa Leaders become Warchiefs and have +2 axe each during step 1 of combat.
Combat follows the same phases as the basic game, with the following exceptions:
Step 3: Food bonus (WIP in preview)
The Automa discards, if possible, enough food to have maximum 2 more combat points than the total the player could get from discarding all his food. If Automa does not have enough food to overtake the player, they must discard all their food to increase their own total.
Reminder: The number of food is limited to 1 food per unit involved in combat.
Example:
Starting situation: The Automa (attacker) has a Leader + 5 units and 3 food in reserve. The player (defender) has 2 units, 1 Fortress and 5 food in reserve.
During the 2nd mandatory move Action: Automa moves 2 more units than the player in the target territory (Leader + 3 units = 4 units) because the defender has only 2 units.
During Step 3 of the combat (Food bonus), Automa can see that the player:
- Gains +2 axe from the two defending units,
- Gains +2 axe thanks to his Fortress,
- Can discard a maximum of 2 food (one for each defending unit), so another +2 axe. This makes a total of 6 axe in combat.
Automa must have a maximum advantage of +2 axe, so they need a total of 8 combat points. Ideally, Automa would like to discard 4 food to reach their maximum, but they only have 3 food.
In this case, Automa discards all their food, bringing their total to 7 combat points (3 food + 4 units = 7 combat points).
- The player (defender) then decides how much food to discard.
Step 4: Roll the dice
If the skull/axe rolled, Automa chooses the axe if this allows them to win the Combat. Otherwise, they choose skull.
Step 6: Apply casualties
First remove the Automa's units before removing their Leader.
Step 7: Loser retreats
The Automa can retreat to a single adjacent territory towards the combat territory according to the following order of priority:
- Most Building Points
- Most Resources
- Largest territory size
- Friendly or neutral adjacent closed territory.
Note: Automa can retreat across rough borders.
Priority for Drawing Development/Achievement Cards
The Automa must choose a Development or Achievement card according to the playing priorities indicated by the Action card from left to right, under the following conditions:
- The player has already passed, leaving Automa to take the remaining card.
- The player has not yet passed and Automa's last Action card contains the Pass icon. The Automa immediately takes (without playing the actions on the Action card) the Development/Achievement card according to the Priorities shown at the bottom of the Action card.
- The player has not yet passed and Automa has no Action cards left in their Actions deck. Therefore, Automa reveals the first card of the Automa pile and chooses a Development/Achievement card according to the Priorities indicated by it. The revealed Action card is then discarded.
The chosen Development/Achievement card is placed next to the Automa play area and does not form part of the Automa pile or Action deck. Its Fame Value will be counted at the end of the game.
At the end of the last year of the game, instead of following the priorities, Automa always chooses the Achievement card that gives them the most gold at the time of selection.
Note: In case of tie, take the one that gives more points to the player, and if tied again, follow the priorities.
Harvest
Player and Automa harvest as per normal rules. Automa only makes resource exchanges if it has 6 or more wood. In this case, it will make a single exchange of 3 wood to 1 stone. If it has 6 or more food, it will make a single exchange of 3 food to 1 stone.
Winter
The player must pay Winter costs as per normal rules. Automa does not pay Winter costs and therefore it will never take Unrest cards.
End of the Year
Place all the Automa played cards during this Year into a discard pile. The sudden winning condition applies only for Level 1. All other Levels are played through 7 Years.
Adjustments to Clan Upgrade Cards
The following clan upgrade cards must be adjusted to be played with the solo module:
Snake clan:
- Stolen Lore card: Copy the effect of the first Action of an Automa card just played during this Year that is still in active area (Move with Warchief is a simple Move 2).
- Rapacious Exploitation card: Choose either to steal 2 food from Automa's resources or you discard its top card from the Action deck.
Playing Conditions and Automa Priority Cards
The printed key lists the following priority symbols, with the example map (territories A to G, with rough borders) shown in the printed rulebook.
Priority icons (territory selection):
- The number of Territories between Automa's Units and the player's Units. This distance is calculated by adding up the minimum number of moves a player must perform to reach an Automa-controlled territory. Rough borders, which require 2 moves to cross, must be taken into account in this calculation.
- Example: The distance from the Automa's E territory to the player's G territory is 4, due to the rough border between E and B territories.
- Territory with the most or least units.
- Territory with the most or least Training Camps.
- Open territories.
- Closed territories: Territories already Closed or for the Explore Action, rotate the selected tile until a territory is closed.
- The territory with the most or least resources.
- Territory with the most building points (add up the points from buildings in territory with small buildings worth 1 point and large buildings worth 3 points).
- The largest or smallest territory: The number of Map tiles making up a territory.
- An Automa Leader is present in that territory.
- Territories adjacent to an Automa Leader.
- Territory with no Automa Leader.
- Territory with the most or least openings. Indicates the number of map tiles you can place around an open territory.
- Territory with the most or least building spaces. Indicates the number of building spaces of any size available in a territory.
- The territory with the most or least Food production. Indicates the amount of food produced in a territory, including from food silos.
- The territory with the most or least Wood production. Indicates the amount of wood produced in a given territory, including from woodcutters' huts.
- The least clockwise rotations to fit the tile placement rule. Rotate the Map tile clockwise until all playing priorities have been met.
Priority of Automa Development/Achievement Card choices: Automa takes the card that fulfills the following Playing Priorities:
- Move card
- Draw card
- Recruit card
- Explore card
- Special card
- 1: The left card
- 2: The right card