Pearladöra
Pearladöra Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Content of the Box
64 Diver tiles - 4 Backup tokens - 7 Power tokens - 42 Pearls - 35 Pontoon sticks - 4 screens - 1 game board - 1 rulebook - 6 zip bags
Playtime: 30 minutes. Age: 10+. Players: 2-4.
Setting Up the Game
- Place the game board in the middle of your table.
- Each player chooses a group (Fishermen, Foragers, Children or Elders).
- Each player takes the screen and the tiles of its group according to the chart underneath.
| Number of players | Number of Divers per player | 1 pt | 2 pts | 3 pts | 4 pts | 5 pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 4 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
- Each player hides their Divers behind their screen.
- Divide 40 Pearls into 8 clusters: 1 of 3, 2 of 4, 2 of 5, 2 of 6 and 1 of 7. Place them randomly on the 8 spots of the board showing a Pearl Farm.
- Place the 35 Pontoons next to the board.
The youngest player plays first.
Game Actions
Players alternate turns in a clockwise order. On their turn, a player can do one of the following actions:
- place 1 Diver
- place 2 Pontoons
Place a Diver
The player can place one of their Divers face down (so the value is hidden) on an empty space of their choice (the diver can't be placed on a Pearl Farm or on another Diver).
We recommend that players remember the numeric values of the Divers they place. However, for an easier game, players can agree in advance whether peeking at placed divers during play is allowed.
Place 2 Pontoons
The player can place up to 2 Pontoons, each on any unoccupied line between two spaces. They don't need to be next to each other. No Pontoons can be placed on the outside line of the board.
Restriction: It is forbidden to place a Pontoon if it creates a territory smaller than 4 spaces.
Clarifications:
- Players are allowed to place 1 Pontoon instead of 2.
- There can be territories with multiple Farms, and territories with no Pearl Farm.
End of the Game
When the players have no Divers left, they can still place Pontoons, and vice versa: if there is no Pontoon left, they can still place Divers.
When a player can't play anymore, that player is done until the end of the game. Once everyone is done, the game is over.
Victory Condition
The player with the most Pearls wins the game.
To calculate each player's pearls, flip all the placed Divers face up. The placed Pontoons divide the board into territories. In each territory, the player who has the highest total value of Divers wins all of the Pearls in that territory.
If multiple players tie for the highest total value, they share the Pearls equally, discarding the remainder.
Each player must keep their pearls clustered together by territory, in case the game ends in a tie.
In Case of a Final Tie
The players involved compare their clusters of Pearls from the highest to the lowest.
Example: At the end of the game A and B are tied. If the biggest cluster won by A in a territory is bigger than the biggest cluster won by B in a territory, then player A wins. If A and B are tied for the biggest cluster, they compare their second-biggest cluster, then the third, and so on until there is a clear winner.
Another example: At the end of the game, A, B, and C are tied. If A and B are tied for the biggest stack, which is bigger than C's, C cannot win the game. Then A and B compare their second-biggest cluster, then third, and so on until the winner is clear.
4-Player Games
- The players facing each other form a team and play together. They can talk, but can't show their Diver tiles to each other, nor can they indicate a strategy to follow.
- Evaluate each territory by each team's total Diver value.
- The Pearls are gathered for the team.
Advanced Rules
Setting Up the Game
The setup is the same as before except for the following points:
- The groups are chosen randomly.
- Each player also takes their Power tokens: 2 tokens for the Foragers, Elders and Fishermen, 1 token for the Children. They remain visible in front of the players' screens.
- Each player takes the Backup token of their group and places it behind their screen.
Game Actions
Players alternate turns in a clockwise order. On their turn, a player can do one of the following actions:
- Place 1 Diver
- Place 2 Pontoons
- Place a Backup token on one of their Divers already present on the board
- Play one of their Power tokens, then do one of the 3 actions above
Restrictions:
- The Powers are always played first (before placing a Diver, Pontoons or a Backup).
- Players can only use one Power token during their turn.
Power Tokens
Elders — Look at the value of any Diver: The player can use one of their Power tokens to secretly look at an opponent's Diver already present on the game board (the player can instead look at one of their own Divers). Once the Power is played, the token is discarded. In a 4-player game, you can not use the Elders' Power to look at the value of your partner's Divers.
Children — Place an extra Diver: By using this Power token, the player places one extra Diver face up (number showing), on an empty space of the game board. Once the Power is played, the token is discarded.
Fishermen — Place an extra Pontoon: By using this Power token, the player places one extra Pontoon on an unoccupied line. Once the Power is played, the token is discarded.
Foragers — Offer a flower necklace: If a Forager is present in a territory, they can use one of their Power tokens to coax an opponent's Diver placed in the same territory. They place the Power token on the opponent's Diver tile. As a result, the value of this Diver will be reduced by one during territory evaluation.
Players can't use the necklace if the territory in which the Forager is present is "full" (i.e. all the spaces are occupied by Divers and/or Pearl Farms).
The same Forager can use two necklaces on the same Diver or on two different Divers, but not during the same turn.
If no territory has been created yet, a Forager can use their Power on any Diver placed on the board.
Reminder: Powers are played in addition to the player's turn, and have to be played before the main action, remember: Play Power token first, then play rest of turn (placing Pontoons, or Diver, or Backup).
Backup Tokens
A Backup token can be placed on one of the active player's Divers already present on the board. As a result, it grants an extra point to this Diver during the territory evaluation.
- The Backup token can only be placed in a territory that is full (all the spaces are occupied by Divers and/or Pearl Farms).
- There can only be one Backup token per territory.
- A Backup token can be placed atop a Forager's Power token.
- In a 4-player game, a Backup token cannot be placed on a Diver belonging to your partner.
- In case of a tie in a territory, the tied player who has a Backup token in the territory wins the Pearls.
The end of the game and the victory conditions are the same as previously explained. At the end of the game, be sure to add points to or subtract points from the values of your Divers if there are Backup tokens or Forager's Power tokens placed on them.
Credits
Designer: Christwart Conrad
Illustrator: Mehdi Merrouche
Project manager: Grégory Oliver
Graphic design: Jeanne Hervé-Maley
Perladöra TM - © La Boite de jeu 2022