Pier 18
Pier 18 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Details
2-3 players. Ages 10+. 10-20 minutes. Contains 18 Pier Cards.
Set Up
- Each player takes 3 cards.
- Choose one card to be your PLAN. This will end your Pier and provide you with a goal. You will score additional points if you can achieve your goal.
- Choose one card to be your FOUNDATION. This will start your Pier.
- Shuffle the remaining card back into the deck.
The player that last saw the sea is the starting player.
Gameplay
Each round you will draft a new card to add to your Pier, extending from the FOUNDATION towards the PLAN.
- Draw cards equal to the number of players plus 1 and lay them face up.
- The starting player chooses one card and places it onto their FOUNDATION to extend it.
- Repeat for each player around the table clockwise.
- The next round will be started by the player to the left of the previous starting player.
- After all players have taken a card, there will be one card remaining. This card is a Patron and is used in the Patron Phase.
When placing a card onto your Pier:
- Do not fully overlap the previous card.
- Always leave at least one section of the previous card on show.
- You may choose not to overlap any space.
Patron Phase
Each round, a Patron is awarded to one player. To do this, look at the symbol, or symbols present on the top left of the Patron card. Patrons are worth 1 point at the end of the game.
Players total up their current score for just the characters shown on the symbol. The player with the highest score attracts the patron to their pier. Flip the card over and place it next to your pier.
If there is a tie, the player with the earliest date on their most recently collected card wins the Patron.
Scoring
- Flower Sellers (sun symbol): 1 point for each OTHER symbol in a Group next to the Flower Seller. Multiple Flower Sellers may contribute to a group but only 1 of them will score.
- Poets (feather symbol): 1 point for every 2 Poets anywhere on your Pier, rounded down.
- Lovers (heart symbol): 2 points per Lover without any other characters within 2 spaces. The two spaces above and below the Lovers should be empty.
- Fishers (anchor symbol): 1 point for each Fisher on the side of your Pier that contains the most Fishers.
End Game
The game ends when there are not enough cards for another round. Place your PLAN card now to end your Pier and total your points. The most points wins!
- Score all visible symbols on your Pier.
- Add 1 point for each Patron claimed.
- Add any bonus points for achieving goals.
If there is a tie, the player with the most symbols on their Pier wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the earliest date on their PLAN card wins.
FAQ
What counts as a Group for Flower Sellers? A group refers to multiple characters that are adjacent to each other with no spaces between them. Groups are only considered vertically, and characters either side of the Pier do not count as being within the same group. A Flower Seller with two characters below them and one above would score 3 points. Only 1 Flower Seller can score in each group — a group with two Flower Sellers and two other characters would score 3 points.
Does the Ocean count as an empty space for scoring Lovers? Lovers score if there aren't any characters within 2 spaces of them. The spaces at either end of your Pier (the ocean and the land below your Foundation card) both count as empty.
Do characters on the opposite sides of the Pier stop Lovers from scoring? Characters on either side of the Pier do not interact with each other. A character on the left of the Pier will not prevent a Lover on the right of the Pier from scoring.
In what order do players place their PLAN card at the end of the game? Players play their final PLAN card simultaneously.
Why do some cards have two goals on them? These cards have different goals depending on whether you are playing with 2 or 3 players. The number of dots next to the goal tells you which goal you should be looking at for your game.