Save the Meeples Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Content Assembly
• Content
• Set-up
  • Set-up for 2 and 3 Players
  • Set up accordingly to the desired duration of the game
  • First Meeple team
• End of the Game
  • By the Invasion of the Humans in the Forest
  • By the Meeples Escape into Space
  • Final scoring
• Game Turn
  • Repair a Meeple
  • Place a Group of Meeples on a Train
  • Place a Group of Meeples on a Built Rocket
  • Send a Train to its Location
  • Bring Back a Train
  • Check Your Warehouse
• Representation of the Locations
• Actions of the Locations
  • Side I and II of the Locations
• The Mine
  • Dig, Melt, Cut
  • Extract Petroleum
• The Tavern
  • Recruit a New Meeple
  • Wash the Dishes
• The Forge
  • Launch a Rocket
  • Repair a Meeple
  • Work
• The Forest
  • Build a New Rocket
  • Fight the Humans
  • Be Careful: the Big Humans
• Mood Tickets
  • List of Bonus Actions
• Action Icons Summary

Goal of the Game

Lead your Meeples, take trains to different locations which will allow you to recruit more Meeples, heal the wounded ones, gain resources, build rockets, launch them and fight Humans.

But be careful, the Meeples' gratitude depends on the game's outcome. If the Human Invasion occurs before the Meeples' escape to space, those who best supported the war effort will be rewarded. In the opposite case, those who contributed more to the escape will be rewarded.

Choose your side wisely!

Note: Because Gender Equality also comes through language, the rules are written so as to not discriminate any gender, so a player is referred to as a "Meeple team".

Content Assembly

In Save the Meeples, you have to put together and fold some items by yourself: the kirigamis of the locations, the rockets and the wagons. Set-up sheets and videos are available.

• Set-up Videos: https://bluecocker.com/jeux/SaveTheMeeples/montage/STM_video_montage.mp4
• Set-up sheets: https://bluecocker.com/jeux/SaveTheMeeples/montage/STM_fiche_montage.pdf

Content

• 8 Railway Tracks (4 starts and 4 ends)
• 4 Locations: Tavern, Forge, Mine and Forest (1 board and 1 kirigami for each location)
• 4 Locomotives
• 4 Wagons to set up (6 parts)
• 6 Rockets to set up (2 small, 2 medium and 2 big) (6 to 8 parts)
• 24 Rocket tiles (6 cockpits, 12 cabins, 6 engines)
• 1 Space building site tile
• 27 Humans standees (15 small and 12 big)
• 27 Clear plastic Bases
• 64 Victory tokens (VT with different values: 1, 2, 3 and 5)
• 58 Mood tickets ("happy" or "unhappy")
• 40 Meeples (10 for each Meeple team)
• 20 Cylindrical wooden Petroleum Tokens (12 small ones worth 1, 8 big valued 2)
• 20 Round wooden Gold Tokens (12 small ones worth 1, 8 big valued 2)
• 20 Wooden sticks as Wood Tokens (12 small ones worth 1, 8 big valued 2)
• 20 Plastic gems as Metal Tokens (12 small ones worth 1, 8 big valued 2)
• 4 Village boards (1 for each Meeple team)
• 4 Flag Tokens (1 for each Meeple team)
• 1 Countdown token
• 1 Wounded token
• 1 "Mine Resources" tile (front 3 teams of Meeples, back 2 teams of Meeples)
• 1 "Forest actions" tile (front 3 teams of Meeples, back 2 teams of Meeples)
• 1 "Setup and end of the game" tile (front quick game, back regular game)

Note: the word "resources" designates either petroleum, gold, wood or metal. The big resources (worth 2) count as 2 one-resource tokens worth 1. Victory points are kept face down.

Set-up

The set-up depends on how many teams of Meeples are playing. The reference set-up is a Quick Game with 4 Meeple teams.

All locations besides the Forest are double-sided: those actions are just slightly different, there is no difficulty level, they allow you to diversify the different games. Choose the front or the back according to your tastes.

Set-up elements (as labelled on the set-up diagram):

• A. Locations (kirigami + action board)
• B. 4 Meeples of each Meeple team on the Tavern
• C. For each Meeple team: 1 Village Board + 1 player aid tile + 1 flag + 6 Meeples + 1 Wood + 1 Metal + 1 Petroleum + 3 Golds
• D. Railway tracks
• E. Locomotives + wagons
• F. Resources stock (Gold, Wood, Metal, Petroleum)
• G. Meeples Planet
• H. Victory points stock
• I. 1 big built rocket
• J. Mood tickets stock
• K. "Set-up and end of the game" tile
• L. Unbuilt rockets tiles stock (cost and victory points visible): 1 stack of cockpits, 1 stack of cabins, 1 stack of engines
• M. Space building site tile
• N. Countdown token on the forge
• O. Built rockets stock
• P. Humans stock + Wounded Token

Set-up for 2 and 3 Players

For 2 or 3 Meeple teams, you must:

• adapt the number of small humans initially present in the forest
• adapt the size of the initially built rocket

This is indicated on the "Set-up and end of the game" tile.

Moreover, you have to place:

• a luggage tile on each wagon according to the number of Meeple teams
• the "Mine resources" tile on the mine side I
• the "Forest actions" tile on the forest.

Those tiles are identified by a symbol according to the number of Meeple teams.

Set up accordingly to the desired duration of the game

• A quick game (about 40'), recommended for the first times.
• A regular game (about 1h) to fully enjoy the game and all its strategies.

The changes of set-up are indicated on the "Set-up and End of Game" tile.

First Meeple team

The first Meeple team to start is the winner of a game of Meeple-Card-Dice (the rules of Meeple-Card-Dice are available on demand but they actually look a lot like the Rock-Paper-Scissors game).

End of the Game

Save the Meeples is a game that can end in 2 different ways:

By the Invasion of the Humans in the Forest

This ending occurs when a certain number of Humans is reached in the forest (no matter what size they are) at the end of a Meeple team's turn (once every action is resolved). The number of Humans needed is 9 for a quick game and 12 for a regular game. The game also ends by Invasion if there is no Human left in the Human Stock while one needs to be added in the forest.

By the Meeples Escape into Space

This ending occurs when a certain number of rockets (full or not, even empty, no matter what size they are) have been launched into space at the end of a Meeple team's turn (once every action is resolved). The number of launched rockets needed is 2 for a quick game and 3 for a regular game.

In both cases, the game ends immediately after the end of the turn of the active Meeple team and Victory Points are counted.

Final scoring

Add the Victory Points gained during the game to those gained by the end of the game. Be careful, depending on the ending of the game (Invasion or Escape), the end of game points will not be the same:

• If it is an INVASION, captured Humans in the village prison of a Meeple team will earn you 2 Victory Points each. But Meeples sent on the Meeple Planet won't earn you any point.
• If it is an ESCAPE, each Meeple from a Meeple team sent on the Meeples Planet will earn you 3 Victory Points each. But the captured Humans in the village prison won't earn you any point.

The Meeple team with the most Victory Points wins the game. In case of a tie, the Meeple team with the most recruited Meeples wins. If there is still a tie, have a game of Meeple-Card-Dice.

Game Turn

When it is your turn:

1. Repair one of your Meeples if needed.
2. Choose one action amongst the following:
   • Place a group of Meeples on a train
   • Place a group of Meeples on a built rocket
   • Send a train
   • Bring back a train
3. Check if you have reached your 10-resources limit and dispose of the surplus if necessary.

Repair a Meeple

After some actions on different locations, your meeples may get wounded. They will then come back tipped over to your Infirmary. In your village, move forward ONE Meeple ONE square on the repair track that goes from the infirmary to the village square. A meeple arriving on the village square can be used immediately.

Place a Group of Meeples on a Train

Take 1, 2 or 3 Meeples from your village square and place them on a train.

These Meeples have to be placed on a train that is departing: it is impossible to place Meeples on a train that has already reached any location.

The group of Meeples have to be placed at the back of the train as much as possible: each Meeple is placed on the last available seat from the back of the train to its front.

Be careful: it is not possible to place more than 3 consecutive Meeples from a same team of Meeples.

For example: if there is 3 consecutive Meeples of the green Meeple team on a train, one other Meeple team would have had to place at least 1 of its Meeples in order for the green Meeple team to place a new quantity of green Meeples.

It is however possible to complete a group of Meeples of 1 or 2 Meeples until 3 Meeples during a later action.

Place a Group of Meeples on a Built Rocket

Take 1 or 2 Meeples from your village square and place them onto 1 built rocket.

Cockpits and Engines can only contain 1 Meeple and each cabin can contain 2. Capacity is indicated by bunks. According to its size, a rocket can contain 4, 6 or 8 Meeples.

You have to keep at least 2 Meeples in the game! It is forbidden to send your last 2 Meeples on a rocket.

Send a Train to its Location

To the Mine, the Forge, the Tavern or the Forest.

Place your flag on the locomotive and bring the train to its destination by following the railway tracks.

Be careful: you can perform this action only if you have at least 1 Meeple of your team on the train you want to send.

Once the train is sent, whatever its destination, add 1 Human into the forest (starting with the small ones).

Then, starting with the groups from the front rows until the last ones on the back rows, every Meeple team assigns its Meeples to an action. Then, get your flag back.

Note: The flag may seem useless, but the Meeples assignments can take time, it is very useful to remember whose turn it is afterwards!

It is completely forbidden to divide the Meeples of a single group on the train: they will all perform the one and same action. You can however perform different actions on one location if you have several groups of meeples on the train.

Reminder: if the maximum Human quota is reached for the Invasion, the game ends at the end of the turn of the active Meeple Team.

Bring Back a Train

Bring back a train from its destination to its starting point and take a Mood Ticket of your choosing ("happy" or "unhappy").

All the Meeples assigned to the location's action come back to their team village.

If they were wounded during the action, they come back tipped over to the infirmary. Otherwise, they come back to the village square and thus are immediately available.

Check Your Warehouse

At the end of a Meeple team's turn, there must not be more than 10 resources in the concerned village's warehouse.

Small resources worth 1 occupy one space, big resources worth 2 occupy two spaces. If there are more than 10, choose the surplus resources and place them into the resources stock.

Note: it is absolutely allowed to have more than 10 resources during the other Meeple teams' turn. It is only at the end of your active turn that you check your stock.

Representation of the Locations

There are 2 types of actions, represented by Meeples either in a circle or a square:

• Circled actions can only receive one group of Meeples. Moreover, the group has to have at least as many Meeples as drawn. For example an action with one Meeple drawn can only receive one group composed of 1, 2 or 3 Meeples. An action with three Meeples drawn can however receive only one group of 3 Meeples.
• Squared actions can receive an unlimited number of groups of Meeples whatever their size. Those groups of Meeples may come from different Meeple teams or not.

Actions of the Locations

The effect of the actions is indicated by an eventual condition, one or several arrows and a result. If the arrow is unique, the result is applied once no matter how many Meeples perform the action. If there are multiple arrows, the result is applied for each Meeple performing the action by fulfilling the condition each time.

Every location has one common action: Hanging out. A group of Meeples, whatever its size, earns you 1 Mood Ticket of your choosing ("happy" or "unhappy").

Side I and II of the Locations

For some locations, the action tile has a front and a back, both representing different actions. Those actions are just slightly different, there is no difficulty level, they allow you to diversify the different games. Choose the front or the back according to your tastes.

The Mine

Reminder: At the end of a Meeple team's turn, and only at ITS end, this team's warehouse must only contain a maximum of 10 resources.

Dig, Melt, Cut

Side I: Place each Meeple performing the action over 2 available resources (where there is no Meeple) and take them from the stock to place them into your village warehouse. The Meeples are placed vertically or horizontally but never diagonally. The Meeples do not have to be adjacent to one another. If a Meeple can only be placed on one resource, the Meeple team in question only gets this unique resource.

Side II: Place the Meeple performing the action over 2 available resources (where there is no Meeple) and adjacent to another Meeple (except if it is the first Meeple to be placed: you place it wherever you want over 2 resources). Take the resources from the stock and place them into your village warehouse. If a Meeple can only be placed on one resource, the Meeple team in question only gets this unique resource.

Extract Petroleum

Sides I and II: For each Meeple performing the action, pay 1 Gold from your warehouse by putting it back into the stock and gain 1 Petroleum from the stock that you place into your warehouse. You do not have to buy as many barrels of Petroleum as you have Meeples. You can buy 1 Petroleum.

The Tavern

Recruit a New Meeple

Side I: Pay the amount of Gold needed (1, 2 or 3 according to the action) by taking it from your warehouse and putting it back into the stock. Take 1 Meeple from your team near a Tavern barrel and place it with your Meeples that are performing the action. Earn also 1 victory point.

This new Meeple will only be available when the train comes back, exactly like the others.

Side II: For the action that needs a minimum of one Meeple, pay 3 Golds by taking them from your warehouse and putting them back into the stock. Take 1 Meeple from your team near a Tavern barrel and place it with your Meeples that are performing the action. Earn also 1 victory point.

For the action that needs 3 Meeples, take 1 Meeple from your team near a Tavern barrel and place it with your Meeples that are performing the action. Earn also 1 victory point. This Meeple is wounded and will go to your village's infirmary once the train comes back.

Wash the Dishes

Sides I and II: No matter how many Meeples perform the action, take 1 Gold and either 1 Wood or 1 Metal and place them into your warehouse.

The Forge

Launch a Rocket

If there is no built rocket, this action is impossible.

Side I: Pay the amount of Petroleum needed (1, 2 or 3 according to the action) by taking it from your warehouse and putting it back into the stock. Move forward the Countdown 1, 2 or 3 steps according to the action. Earn the indicated number of victory points.

Side II: For each Meeple present in the group performing the action, pay 1 Petroleum by taking it from your warehouse and putting it back into the stock, move forward the countdown 1 step and earn 1 victory point.

If the countdown reaches "GO", the rest of the steps forward doesn't count, but the Petroleum must be spent and the victory points earned.

Launching of a rocket: If the countdown reaches "GO", a built rocket of your choosing takes off. This rocket can be empty, full or half full of Meeples. Place the Meeples from the sent rocket onto the planet and place the rocket back into the stock. Place the countdown back on 3.

Reminder: If the quota of rockets needed for the Escape is reached, the game ends at the end of the active Meeple team's turn.

Repair a Meeple

Side I: For each Meeple performing the action, pay 1 Wood by taking it from your warehouse and putting it back into the stock, move forward 1 of your Meeple 2 squares on the repair track of your village or 2 Meeples 1 square each. Moreover, every other Meeple team can pay you 1 Gold to move forward once one of their Meeples on their village repair track.

Side II: For each Meeple performing the action, pay the number of Wood needed (3, 2 or 1 according to the action) by taking it from your warehouse and putting it back into the stock, and move forward one of your Meeples on the repair track of your village the number of squares indicated. These squares can be distributed amongst several Meeples to repair.

Work

Sides I and II: No matter how many Meeples perform the action, take 2 Golds and put them into your warehouse.

The Forest

Build a New Rocket

If one or two building sites are empty, you can start a new one. To do so, take the first cockpit and engine tiles from their stack and take 1, 2 or 3 cabin tiles to initiate a new building site. Thus, you choose the size of the rocket to build. There cannot be more than 2 building sites at the same time.

According to the chosen action, you can build a part of a new rocket. You can build the cockpit with actions that need a minimum of one Meeple, a cabin with actions that need a minimum of 2 Meeples and the engine with actions that need a minimum of 3 Meeples.

Pay the building cost specified on the chosen tile from one of the two building sites by taking it from your warehouse and putting it back into the stock. Then flip the tile on its built side (without the cost or victory points) and earn the number of victory points indicated.

If a rocket is completely built, place the tiles below their respective stacks, and place a built rocket of the corresponding size at the center of the board.

As there can only be 2 different building sites, there are only 2 launch sites for the built rockets. So, if a launch site is completed as the 2 launch sites are occupied by built rockets, the building site is left aside as it is. As soon as one of the rockets is launched, the site is done (tiles are discarded and a new rocket is built).

Fight the Humans

For each Meeple performing this action, take 1 Human from the Forest and place it into your village prison. Earn also a victory point as well as 1 Gold from the stock and place it into your warehouse.

Your Meeples, wounded by the attack, will thus go to the infirmary when the train comes back. In order to remember, place them tipped over, on the action.

Be Careful: the Big Humans

At the beginning of the game, only small Humans arrive in the Forest from the stock. When there is no small Humans left, big Humans start to appear. They do not earn more points and count as only one Human each to initiate the Invasion, but they are harder to trap: you need 2 Meeples to capture 1 big Human.

If there are big and small Humans in the Forest, trap the ones of your choosing. If a big Human is attacked by only one Meeple, place the Wounded Token on the Human's head. Consequently, the next group of Meeples attacking this Human will only need one Meeple to capture it.

Mood Tickets

Once during its turn, at any given moment, a Meeple team may spend its Mood Tickets to perform a bonus action in addition to its turn's action.

Reminder: you can get Mood Tickets by doing the "hanging out" action at a location or by bringing back a train. To perform the bonus action, spend the amount of Mood Tickets needed by putting them back into the stock.

List of Bonus Actions

• For 2 "Happy" tickets, move forward the countdown one step without paying Petroleum but also without getting any victory points.
• For 3 "Happy" tickets, completely repair one of your wounded Meeples. Take one of your Meeples from the infirmary and place it onto your village square. It is thus immediately available.
• For 4 "Happy" tickets, take 2 different resources from the stock and place them in your warehouse.
• For 5 "Happy" tickets, take 1 Meeple from your team in the tavern and place it onto your village square. It is thus immediately available.
• For 2 "Unhappy" tickets, move a group of Meeples of your team on a train towards the front rows of this train. Be careful: those seats must be available and the Meeples have to stay together.
• For 2 "Unhappy" tickets, take 1 Human from the stock and place it into your village prison.
• For 3 "Unhappy" tickets, take 1 Human from the stock and place it into the Forest. Note: Use a small Human, if there is no more small Humans left, use a big Human. Reminder: if the Humans quota for the Invasion is reached, or if there is no Human left in the stock when one must be added into the Forest, the game ends at the end of the active Meeple team's turn.
• For 4 "Unhappy" tickets, you can send a train to another destination instead of its actual destination. Place the train next to its new destination and proceed as if it were a normal train arrival. Remember then to add 1 Human into the Forest. So, if 2 trains are on the same location, the "bringing back the train" action brings back both trains, and gives 2 Mood Tickets.

Action Icons Summary

• Get a Meeple, or for each Meeple in that group
• The Meeple is wounded during the action
• Move forward a Meeple 1 square on the village repair track
• Move the countdown one step forward
• During the action, pay or get resources
• Capture a Human from the Forest by placing it into your village prison
• During an action, get a Mood Ticket