Santa's Workshop
Santa's Workshop Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
Note: The material cubes and assembly tokens are not meant to be limited to what is included in the box. Should you run out during play, use a substitute.
- 1 game board
- 5 player mats
- 20 elves (4 of each color)
- 5 scoring discs (1 of each color)
- 5 double-sided 100/200 score modifier tokens
- 1 Santa figure
- 1 Zelf figure
- 1 Christmas tree (first player marker)
- 175 material cubes
- 35 fabric (purple)
- 35 wood (brown)
- 35 metal (gray)
- 35 plastic (white)
- 35 coal (black)
- 64 gift cards
- 32 holiday surprise cards
- 40 cookie tokens
- 30 assembly tokens
- 48 training tokens (12 of each type)
- 6 cover tokens
Goal of the Game
Players compete to collect the most Christmas cookies by the end of nine days. Cookies are chiefly earned by building gifts and tending the reindeer.
Game Setup
- The players choose a starting player, using any method they prefer. The chosen player takes the Christmas tree (i.e., first player marker) to denote this.
- Place the game board in the center of the play area, within easy reach of all players, and all 175 material cubes, 40 cookie tokens, 30 assembly tokens, and 48 training tokens to the side of the game board.
- On the game board, place the Santa figure on the December 16 calendar page of the day track and the Zelf figure at Donner's stall in the Reindeer Stable.
- Place cover tokens over any action spaces that will not be used in this game, according to the player count (i.e., in a 3-player game, place cover tokens over any action spaces marked as "5").
- Each player takes a player mat in the color of their choice, as well as the matching elves, scoring disc, and score modifier token. Each player places their elves on their player mat, near the corresponding illustrations, and their scoring disc on the "0" space of the cookie track.
- 2- or 3-player game: each player will use all 4 elves
- 4- or 5-player game: each player will use only 3 elves of their choice
- The starting player adds 2 coal to their coal cart; the next player clockwise takes 3 coal, the next player 4 coal, and so on until all players have their starting allotment of coal. (In a 5-player game, the fifth player has the option of starting with 6 coal or having any 1 elf start with any 1 training token instead.)
- Shuffle the deck of 64 gift cards and deal 3 to each player. Deal 6 more gift cards face up in the Mailroom and then place the gift deck, face down, on its location in the Mailroom.
- Each player must keep 1 of the gift cards they were dealt, but may keep 2 or 3. The players place the gift cards that they choose to keep face up above their player mats, returning any that were not chosen face down to the bottom of the gift deck.
Players are now ready to begin bringing joy to children around the world – those that are not on the naughty list, that is!
Closer Look: The Game Board
The game board has four primary elements:
- the day track, which marks the progress of the game;
- the cookie track, where players use their scoring discs to keep track of the number of cookies they have scored;
- Santa's sleigh, which is where assembled gifts end up; and
- various action locations in and around Santa's Workshop, where players will assign their elves each day in order to build gifts and take other actions.
Each action location on the board has a number of action spaces indicating where elves may be assigned. The number of players affects which action spaces are available; any action spaces that were blocked off by cover tokens during setup are not available during the game.
Special Rule for 2-Player Games
In a 2-player game, only one action space is available in each of the three shops – fabric, wood, and metal. However, both action spaces in each of those shops remain uncovered, as the first player in each shop may choose which action space to use. While an elf is assigned to one of the action spaces in these shops, no elf may be assigned to the other action space.
Closer Look: The Gift Cards
The gift cards represent the letters to Santa from children all over the world. Each gift card has an illustration, material requirements, assembly icons, potential total cookies, and the scoring chart.
Material Requirements
The material requirements are represented by colored cubes in the middle of the card. The number of cubes is the total number of materials required. Each cube has a color (or colors) to indicate which materials may be used to fill that material requirement. Purple represents fabric, gray represents metal, and brown represents wood. A material requirement that is split diagonally, with one half white, indicates that plastic may be used instead of the primary material.
A player may later replace any plastic with the appropriate higher-grade material, so long as the gift has not been fully assembled; however, they must remove all assembly tokens on the gift to do so (i.e., the gift must be disassembled in order to replace any materials).
Assembly Icons
The amount of assembly needed to completely assemble a gift is represented by the number of assembly icons. The gift requires that many assembly tokens, which players acquire in the Assembly Hall.
Scoring Chart
The maximum number of cookies that can be scored for a gift is shown in the upper right corner of the card (in a star outline). This is what the player will score if they assemble the gift without using plastic for any of the material requirements.
If a player used plastic for any of the material requirements, they look at the chart along the right side of the card to determine how many cookies they will score for that gift. For each plastic used in the material requirements, the cookies scored drops by one level on the scoring chart.
Closer Look: The Player Mats
Each player has a mat where they store their coal and tracks their elves' training. In addition, the player uses their mat to track improvements to their coal cart, mining tools, and the reindeer harnesses.
Players keep gifts that are not yet fully assembled face up above the mat, while assembled gifts are kept in a stack to the right of the mat. Each player may only have up to five unassembled gifts at any one time.
Elf Training
The mat has an illustration of each of a player's elves; this is where the player tracks each elf's training. An elf may be trained in materials (fabric, wood, or metal) and/or in assembly. When using the Classroom, a player takes an available training token from the Classroom and places it on the scroll of that specific elf. An elf may be trained in a maximum of two subjects and cannot train in the same subject twice.
Coal Cart
The lower right side of the mat shows the player's coal cart. The cart has an initial capacity of six coal. There are two material requirements, which indicate extra capacity that can be added to the cart. When using the Wood Shop, a player may add wood to these boxes. For each wood, the coal cart can store three extra coal (up to a maximum capacity of 12 coal).
Mining Tools
The mining tools are shown to the upper left of the coal cart, with two material requirements. When using the Metal Shop, a player may add metal to these boxes. Once the mining tools are improved with two metal in this way, the player takes two extra coal whenever they assign an elf to the Coal Mine.
Reindeer Harness
To the upper right of the coal cart is a reindeer harness, with two material requirements. When using the Fabric Shop, a player may add fabric to these boxes. Once the harness is improved with two fabric in this way, the player immediately scores four cookies.
Gameplay Sequence
Santa's Workshop is played over 9 rounds, or "days," with each day consisting of 3 phases, carried out in order: 1) the "Start of Day" phase, 2) the "Workday Actions" phase, and 3) the "End of Day" phase. At the end of Day 9, players will carry out end-of-game scoring, and then a winner will be determined.
Start of Day
Before play begins each day, add one cookie token to each reindeer stall, even if there are already cookie tokens there. (Make change using the value-3 cookie tokens, as needed.) Then add training tokens in the Classroom so that there is exactly one training token for each subject (fabric, wood, metal, and assembly).
Workday Actions
Beginning with the player holding the start player marker and proceeding to the left, players take turns assigning one of their elves to an unoccupied action space, and immediately resolving the action of that action space. This will continue until all players have assigned all of their elves.
End of Day
In this phase, players retrieve all of their elves and return them to their player mats. Return the Zelf figure to the Reindeer Stable. During this phase on Day 3, Day 6, and Day 9, award cookie bonuses as part of Santa's inspection (see Santa's Inspection). Lastly, advance the Santa figure one space on the day track.
Action Locations
The game board consists mainly of action locations, where players assign elves in order to take the corresponding actions. Descriptions of each action location are below.
Note: A player must be able to carry out an action at least partially in order to assign an elf to that action space, and may not assign an elf solely to block other players.
Mailroom
Some say that the busiest location at the North Pole is the Mailroom; every year it is flooded with letters from children all over the world.
Players assign elves to the Mailroom to retrieve the letters children have sent to Santa with their wishlists. There are two different action spaces available in the Mailroom:
- A player assigning an elf to the left action space takes up to three gift cards. They may take these from among the six face-up cards and/or from the top of the gift deck.
- A player assigning an elf to the right action space sweeps the six face-up gift cards to the bottom of the gift deck, and draws six new cards from the top of the deck, placing them face up. They then take up to two gift cards from the face-up display and/or the top of the deck.
While resolving the action of either action space, the player replaces face-up gift cards from the gift deck immediately as each card is taken. Each card that is taken is placed face up above that player's player mat. If the gift deck runs out, shuffle the cards on Santa's sleigh to create a new gift deck.
Important: Each player may only have up to five unassembled gifts at any one time. If you cannot draw the full number of cards when placing an elf in the Mailroom due to this restriction, draw only enough cards to reach the limit of five. (You can never go above the limit of five and then discard down.)
Example A: Needing more gifts for her elves to work on, but not seeing any that she wants in the Mailroom's face-up display, Becky assigns an elf to the right action space in the Mailroom. She sweeps all six face-up gift cards to the bottom of the gift deck, then replaces them from the top of the deck. Since she has elves trained in woodworking, she decides to take the Croquet Set card, and immediately replaces it with another card from the top of the deck. For her second gift card, she draws from the top of the deck.
Classroom
An elf never really retires, but may move on to other jobs at the North Pole, such as snowflake design or tree decorating. Some elves stay near the workshop in the Classroom, eager to pass on their knowledge.
A player assigning an elf to the Classroom takes any one of the training tokens that are remaining there. The player immediately places the token on the scroll for that specific elf on the player mat. During future turns, that elf will benefit from the training received. Training is available for materials (granting two extra materials when using the Fabric, Wood, or Metal Shops) or assembly (granting one extra assembly token when using the Assembly Hall).
Fabric, Wood, and Metal Shops
The whir of sewing machines, the buzz of bandsaws, the crackle of welding equipment – these sounds are the heartbeat of Santa's Workshop. Using coal to fire furnaces for their steam-powered tools, the elves work in these shops to lovingly craft pieces for the children's gifts.
In order to reduce the amount of coal used in the shops, Santa has recently updated some of the machines to more efficient models. Although these machines require less coal to power them, they do not produce quite as much material. As a result, there are two action spaces in each shop: one which requires one coal to produce two materials, and the other which requires three coal but produces three materials.
A player assigning an elf to one of these shops must spend the number of coal indicated at the action space used. They then take the number of materials listed. If that elf is trained in the corresponding subject, the player takes two extra materials, regardless of which space is used.
A player taking materials must distribute them immediately to material requirements on their gift cards and/or improvements on their player mat. Any excess materials that cannot be distributed to gift cards or improvements must be discarded to the supply. Once the player ends their turn, they may not move these materials to other gift cards or to their player mat.
Example B: Liam wants to complete the Electric Train, which needs just 2 metal. On a previous turn, he had trained one of his elves, Reginald Van Pippington, in metal working, so he assigns that elf to the Metal Shop on the action space that requires 3 coal for 3 metal. In this case, since the elf was trained, Liam turns in 3 coal to the supply and takes 5 metal. Liam places 2 of the metal on the Electric Train card, filling all the material requirements. Liam has another gift, the Skateboard, that needs 1 metal, so he places 1 metal on that gift. On a previous turn, Liam had placed 1 metal on his player mat, in the mining tools area – he now places 1 more metal there to complete that improvement, which will be available to him for the remainder of the game. That leaves Liam with 1 metal remaining, but nowhere to place it, so he discards it back to the supply.
Plastics Lab
With the booming population of children worldwide, Santa has recently installed modern plastic molding machinery into which the elves can feed their blueprints. Although gifts made with plastic may not be quite as nice, this allows the potential to make gifts for more children. Concerned about using even more coal, Santa installed a small geothermal system to power this machinery.
No coal is required when a player assigns an elf to the Plastics Lab. That player takes up to seven plastic and distributes them across their gift cards on any material requirements that are eligible for plastic.
Assembly Hall
Hammering nails, installing screws and bolts, polishing, painting, smoothing fabric – the Assembly Hall is where the individual pieces transform into a wonderful gift. The elves then carefully wrap each assembled gift, readying it for Santa's sleigh.
A player assigning an elf to the Assembly Hall takes assembly tokens to add to eligible gifts. Some workbenches have been equipped with the latest in battery-powered screwdrivers and wrenches; a player takes two assembly tokens when placing an elf in one of those action spaces. All other action spaces in the Assembly Hall produce only one assembly token each.
A player assigning an elf who has been trained in assembly takes one extra assembly token, no matter which action space is used.
Players may not add assembly tokens to a gift until the player has filled all of its material requirements. The player may distribute assembly tokens across multiple gifts that are eligible for assembly. The player must return any excess assembly tokens to the supply.
When a player adds the last required assembly token to a gift, the player immediately scores that gift, moving their scoring disc along the cookie track. Then, they place the assembled gift face down in a stack to the right of their mat. Assembled gifts do not count against the limit of five unassembled gifts.
Example C: Caitlin needs 1 assembly token to finish the Model Rocket, and 1 assembly token to finish the Teddy Bear. On a previous turn, she had trained Sprinkles the elf in assembly, and she assigns Sprinkles to the Assembly Hall, on an action space that produces 2 assembly tokens. Since Sprinkles was trained, Caitlin takes 3 assembly tokens. She places 1 on the Model Rocket and 1 on the Teddy Bear, completing both gifts. Caitlin has no other gifts eligible for assembly, so she returns the remaining assembly token to the supply.
Example D: Since Caitlin just finished assembling both the Model Rocket and Teddy Bear, she immediately scores both gifts. The Teddy Bear was assembled using all fabric and wood (i.e., no plastic), so Caitlin scores the full 16 cookies. However, on the Model Rocket she used 2 plastic to fill material requirements, so she only scores 10 cookies for that gift. She adds both cards to her stack of assembled gifts to the right of her player mat.
Lax Safety Protocols - Special Rule for Day 9
On the last day before the big delivery, there is a rush to assemble gifts and Santa relaxes his safety protocols a bit. On this day only, a second elf may be assigned to an action space already occupied by one elf in the Assembly Hall. (Make sure to follow the rules for which spaces are available according to the number of players.) However, a player only takes one assembly token when assigning the second elf to an action space, regardless of any training the elf may have.
Reindeer Stable
Among the herd of reindeer inhabiting the North Pole, a select few are able to draw energy from the auroras, infusing them with magical abilities. This mainly provides them with the ability to take flight, enabling Santa's select team to pull his sleigh around the world. However, some reindeer are able to use their magic in other ways, which may be of assistance to elves.
The chief caretaker of the reindeer is Zelf, who left the workshop years ago to take this position. Zelf enjoys his job, but sometimes he misses the hustle and bustle of the workshop and crafting parts for the gifts.
There are plenty of gifts to be assembled, but the players must also feed and groom the reindeer who pull Santa's sleigh. When a player assigns an elf to the Reindeer Stable, they select a reindeer to tend. The player may only select a reindeer that still has cookie tokens in its stall.
The player assigning the elf immediately scores cookies equal to the number of cookie tokens that were in that reindeer's stall, then returns those cookie tokens to the supply. The player also earns a bonus, depending on which reindeer they tended. The reindeer and their bonuses are described below:
Note: A player can assign an elf to the Reindeer Stable even if they cannot benefit from a reindeer's bonus, because they are still scoring cookies.
1. Blitzen — A natural tinkerer, Blitzen loves to figure out how things work. She sometimes wishes that she could be in the workshop assembling gifts for the children.
A player assigning an elf to tend Blitzen takes one assembly token, which they may immediately add to any gift eligible for assembly.
2. Comet — The charismatic leader of the reindeer team, Comet sets a rigorous standard for the rest of the reindeer. Focused on making the reindeer the best team possible, Comet has not developed any magical powers beyond flight. However, her work ethic and attention to detail are sure to rub off on any elf and give him a head start on the next day.
A player assigning an elf to tend Comet takes the Christmas tree (first player marker) and thus will be the first player to assign elves on the following day.
3. Cupid — Cupid loves his job helping pull Santa's sleigh. Nothing brings him more happiness than imagining the wonder on children's faces as they open their gifts. Cupid wants as many children as possible to experience that joy.
A player assigning an elf to tend Cupid may take a gift card from the Mailroom, either from the face-up display or from the top of the deck.
4. Dancer — When not training with the rest of the team, Dancer enjoys walking in the North Pole's forests. During the annual flight around the world, he particularly enjoys seeing trees that are unable to grow back home.
A player assigning an elf to tend Dancer takes one wood, which they may immediately add to a gift or use to improve their coal cart.
5. Dasher — The most stylish of the reindeer, Dasher's harness and blankets are often made of the nicest material. He is often heard to exclaim "There are more colors than red and green!"
A player assigning an elf to tend Dasher takes one fabric, which they may immediately add to a gift or use to improve their reindeer harness.
6. Donner — Having discovered his ability to fly at an unusually young age, Donner is the newest member of the reindeer team. Full of energy, Donner often gets into mischief and requires nearly undivided attention from Zelf.
A player assigning an elf to tend Donner frees up Zelf for the day. In gratitude, Zelf will craft materials for that player. The player takes Zelf and places him near their player mat. The player may assign Zelf on any subsequent turn that day. Zelf is a jack-of-all-trades and produces one extra material in the Fabric, Wood, or Metal Shops. A player may only assign Zelf to one of those three locations. Whether they assign Zelf or not, the player returns Zelf to the Reindeer Stable at the end of the day.
Example E: Keith assigns an elf to the Reindeer Stable. In Donner's stall, 3 cookies have accumulated, so Keith decides to tend to Donner, scoring those 3 cookies and returning the cookie tokens to the supply. Then, he takes the Zelf figure. On a later turn in the same round, Keith assigns Zelf to the Wood Shop, taking 1 extra wood when he does so.
7. Prancer — The strongest of the reindeer, Prancer is relied on to anchor the team. Positioned nearest the sleigh, he provides that extra burst on takeoff. Prancer has been on the team the longest, and Santa relies on him to be a steady influence for the rest of the team.
A player assigning an elf to tend Prancer takes one metal, which they may immediately add to a gift or use to improve their mining tools.
8. Vixen — From a young age, Vixen longed to be part of Santa's team. However, it seems that she was not destined to use the magic of the auroras. Eager to help, she volunteered to haul coal carts at the mine. During a cave-in, she was finally able to tap into the magic, flying several elves to safety. Shortly thereafter she was assigned to the sleigh team.
A player assigning an elf to tend Vixen adds two coal to their coal cart.
Note: Neither improved mining tools nor elf training bonuses affect the bonuses received at the Reindeer Stable.
Coal Mine
If the sounds of activity in the Workshop are its heartbeat, then its lifeblood is the coal used to power the tools. Unfortunately, there are children on the naughty list to whom Santa also has to bring a "present"…
There is no limit to the number of elves that can work at the Coal Mine, which makes it different from all other action locations. A player assigning an elf to the Coal Mine adds four coal to their coal cart. (If the player has improved their mining tools, they add six coal instead.) Any coal beyond their coal cart's current capacity must be returned to the supply.
Example F: Brian assigns an elf to the Coal Mine. Since he had previously improved his mining tools, he takes 6 coal. However, he only has capacity to store 5 of those coal in his coal cart, so he returns 1 coal to the supply. Tom also assigns an elf to the Coal Mine, but since he has not fully improved his mining tools (i.e., he only has placed 1 of the 2 required metal) he only takes 4 coal from the Coal Mine.
Santa's Inspection
At the end of Day 3, Day 6, and Day 9, Santa conducts an inspection of the Workshop (this in indicated on the day track by the sleigh icon) and awards bonus cookies to the hardest-working elf teams:
The player with the most assembled gifts immediately scores two cookies per gift. If multiple players are tied for most assembled gifts, each scores this bonus.
The player with the second-most assembled gifts immediately scores one cookie per gift. If multiple players are tied for second-most assembled gifts, each scores this bonus.
After these bonuses are awarded, all players – even those who did not score bonus cookies – place their assembled gifts on Santa's sleigh (on the game board).
Example G: It is the end of Day 6, and time for Santa's second inspection. Each player counts the number of assembled gifts they have. Susan has 4 assembled gifts, Ben and Elise each have 3, and Phil only has 1. Susan scores 8 cookies, Ben and Elise each score 3 cookies, and Phil does not score any cookies. All 11 assembled gifts are then placed on Santa's sleigh.
End of the Game
The game is over at the end of Day 9, after the last inspection. However, there is one final scoring that takes place at that time.
Final Scoring
Players score partial credit for their unassembled gifts, scoring one cookie for each fabric, wood, metal, and assembly token on an unassembled gift. (Players do not score any cookies for plastic left on unassembled gifts.)
Santa needs coal to deliver to naughty children, so each player turns in their remaining coal, scoring one cookie for every two coal (rounded down).
Tiebreakers
If the score is tied after all scoring has been completed, the tied player who turned in the most coal at the end of the game is the winner. If there is a further tie, the tied player who has the most training tokens on their player mat is the winner. If there is a further tie, the tied players rejoice in their shared victory — Santa will be taking a lot of elves on vacation with him this year!
Holiday Surprise Variant
Players can use the holiday surprise cards to add an element of chance to the game. The cards are a mix of events that can impact players positively or negatively.
To use these, shuffle all 32 holiday surprise cards during setup. Then, deal nine cards at random into a face-down deck on the game board, just below the front door of the workshop and return the remaining cards to the box without looking at them. At the start of each day, prior to placing cookies in the Reindeer Stable, turn over the top card of the holiday surprise deck; that card's effect will be active for the entire day. At the end of the day, discard it.
Some holiday surprise cards introduce global effects, while others provide new action spaces where elves can be assigned.
- Aurora Australis – The magical bonuses from the reindeer are not available today. Players may still assign elves to the Reindeer Stable and tend the reindeer to score cookies, however.
- Aurora Borealis – When assigning an elf to the Reindeer Stable today, a player earns double the magical bonus for the reindeer that they tend. This doubles the bonus, but not the cookie tokens in that reindeer's stall. However, in the cases of Comet and Donner, whose bonuses cannot be doubled, a player will score an extra two cookies instead.
- Bad Lighting – Assigning an elf to the Assembly Hall today produces one less assembly token. (Bonuses for elves trained in assembly still apply.)
- Cave-In – Assigning an elf to the Coal Mine produces two less coal today. (Bonuses for improved mining tools still apply.)
- Chilly Classroom – Assigning an elf to the Classroom costs one coal today.
- Damp Furnace (x3) – Assigning an elf to the indicated shop costs one extra coal today. (There is a "Damp Furnace" card for each of the Fabric, Wood, and Metal Shops.)
- Dental Appointment – At the start of the day (before any actions are taken), each player must choose one of their elves who will be unavailable today, and assign the elf to this card.
- Extra Seat (x4) – The indicated location has an extra action space today. To use the extra seat, a player assigns an elf to this card. (There is an "Extra Seat" card for each of the Fabric, Wood, and Metal Shops, as well as for the Assembly Hall.)
- Hungry Reindeer – Add one extra cookie token in each stall of the Reindeer Stable today.
- Jammed Machine – Each player may only add plastic to one gift today.
- Mrs. Claus' Bakery – One player may assign an elf to this card to claim it, placing it near their player mat. On any subsequent day, that player may discard this card to ignore the effects of any other holiday surprise card that has the bakery symbol, for one elf's assignment (i.e., not for the entire day). If this card is claimed but not discarded by the end of the game, that player scores four extra cookies.
- Naughty List Update – One player may assign an elf here today and immediately turn in up to six coal, scoring two cookies per coal.
- Nice Epidemic – The second action space in the Mailroom does not cause gift cards to be swept to the bottom of the gift deck. Today, it acts just like the other action space — a player assigning an elf there may take up to three gift cards.
- Normal Day (x6) – There are no unusual events happening on this day.
Credits
Game Design: Keith Ferguson
Illustration / Graphic Design: Lance T. Miller
Rulebook Editing: Dustin Schwartz
Special Thanks and Designer Acknowledgements: First and foremost, I would like to thank my family – my children Liam and Caitlin for being my inspiration, and my wife Becky for her patience and support.
Many thanks also to everyone who helped playtest and provide feedback, including Susan, Phil, Ben, and Elise Bailey; Sheila Derdyn; Al, Barbara, Cathy, and Craig Ferguson; Nick Ferris; Peter Gousis; Brian, Monica, Andy, and Ethan Greer; Grant Greffey; Alex Herndon; Aaron Honsowetz; Carson Lee; Randy Meyers; Paul and Kathy Owen; Aaron Pieper; Helen Rhoades; Paul Rice; Ben Rosset; Mike Rusanowsky; Austin Smokowicz; Dave and Marti Snyder; Tom and Kelly Snyder; and Glen and Isaac Weeks.
Special thanks to Geoff Engelstein for his advice and feedback. Finally, thank you to Darrell Louder and the rest of the staff at the Unpub organization for providing a wonderful venue for aspiring designers.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please write to us at:
Rio Grande Games PO Box 1033, Placitas, NM 87043, USA [email protected] www.riograndegames.com
© 2017 Rio Grande Games