Thru the Appalachian Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Map Anatomy
• Goal of the Game
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • 1. Roll Dice
  • 2. Resolve Time & Check for Extreme Weather
    • 2A. Time
    • 2B. Extreme Weather
    • 2C. Consume Water
  • 3. Select 2 Dice
    • Leisure
    • Movement
    • Rest
    • Water Resupply
    • Journal Entry
  • 4. Exert Yourself (Optional)
• End Game
• Scoring
• Victory Conditions
• Solo Variant
  • Additional Solo Setup
  • Solo Victory Conditions
• Advanced Variant

Overview

Thru the Appalachian is a roll & write game about thru-hiking the United States' most famous trail. It can be a difficult but life-changing journey. How will you write your story?

Components

• 6 Dice
• 5 Dry-Erase Markers
• 5 Dry-Erase Maps
• 16 Objective Cards

Map Anatomy

The dry-erase map is labelled with the following features:

1. Completion Bonus
2. Weather Effects
3. Calendar
4. Water Supply
5. End Game Scoring
6. Action Reference
7. Section Points
8. Trail & Shelters
9. Photographs
10. Energy & Exhaustion
11. Journal
12. Stamp Passport
13. Weather Modifiers

Goal of the Game

Players will compete to have the most enjoyable trek on the Appalachian Trail, gaining victory points by completing sections, taking photos, logging journal entries, and collecting stamps.

Setup

1. Give each player 1 Dry-Erase Map and 1 Dry-Erase Marker.
2. Give the 6 Dice to the player who most recently took the longest hike.
3. Each player should secretly decide which route they will take and circle their starting shelter.
   • Northbound — Georgia to Maine
   • Southbound — Maine to Georgia

Gameplay

Thru the Appalaichian is played over 16+ rounds, each consisting of 4 phases.

(The printed rulebook spells the title "Appalaichian" on this page; the spelling is kept as printed.)

1. Roll Dice

Roll all 6 dice: the white die, the two orange dice, the green die, the blue die, and the black die.

2. Resolve Time & Check for Extreme Weather

The black die represents both time and weather.

2A. Time

Refer to the value of the black die:

• 1-4: Cross off 1 week on the calendar.
• 5-6: Cross off 2 weeks on the calendar.

Crossing off the last week in October triggers the game's final round.

2B. Extreme Weather

The extreme weather you could face each round is based on the following three factors:

a) The value of the black die. b) The current month's weather trend. c) Your hiker's current location (the weather modifier).

Example: The result of the black die this round is a 4. Since the current month is March, snow will occur if a 1-3 was rolled. However, since your hiker is currently located in Maine, which has a +1 snow modifier, this increases the range at which snow will occur to 1-4. In this example, you must apply the snow effect this round.

Monthly weather trends (as printed on the calendar; each month has 4 weeks):

Month	Weather trend	Range
March	Snow	1-3
April	Snow	1-2
May	Rain	1-2
June	Rain	1-3
July	Heat	5-6
August	Heat	4-6
September	Snow	1-2
October	Snow	1-3

Weather modifiers are printed on the map at each location (map item 13). A location's modifier is added to the range for that weather. For example, Maine has a +1 snow modifier.

Weather effects (as printed on the map, by weather icon; the first column is Energy, the second is Water):

Weather	Energy	Water
Snow	−2
Rain	−1	+1
Heat		−1

2C. Consume Water

For each week that was crossed off during step 2A, consume 1 from your water supply.

Note: You might consume more or less water depending on the weather effects.

If your water supply ever reaches 0, you become exhausted. Cross off one space on the exhaustion track and reset your water supply back to 6 by erasing all previously crossed spaces.

The water supply track is numbered 6 to 1.

3. Select 2 Dice

In secret, each player will select 2 dice to complete 2 actions on their dry erase map.

Note: Each die may only be used once per round.

The map's Action Reference shows which die is used for which action:

• White die: Leisure (take a photograph, or receive a stamp).
• Orange die: Movement.
• Green die: Rest.
• Blue die: Water Resupply.
• Any unused die: Journal Entry.
• Black die: Used for time and weather only (step 2); it is not used for an action.

Leisure

The white die can be used to perform 1 of the following actions.

1. Take a Photograph Along the Trail. Write the value of the white die into the photograph. Each section (2 connected shelters) of the trail contains one photograph that is available to be taken from any dot within that section.

   Note: The photograph may be retaken on a later turn, but only if you are still located on a dot within that section of the trail. Erase the previous die value written and write in the value of the newly selected die.

2. Receive a Stamp at a Shelter. Cross off the stamp icon corresponding to your current shelter location and circle the top leftmost stamp icon in your passport.

   Note: Each shelter can provide at most one stamp.

Movement

Select an orange die and advance forward a number of spaces (dots & shelters) equal to the die's value minus any exhaustion modifiers.

For each space moved, consume 1 energy.

Note: You might consume additional energy depending on the weather effects.

If your energy track ever reaches 0, you become exhausted. Cross off one space on the exhaustion track and reset your energy track back to 15 by erasing all previously crossed spaces.

The exhaustion track is printed with modifiers: −1 beneath the space numbered 3 and −2 beneath the space numbered 1, followed by a flag.

If you reach the final shelter on your route, announce this to your opponents. Any players who reach the final shelter will receive a completion bonus. Refer to scoring on page 5 for more details.

Note: When you have reached the final shelter, complete the round as usual and then immediately proceed to scoring your personal map.

Rest

Recover energy equal to the value of the green die by erasing previously crossed off spaces on your energy track.

If at a shelter, the value of the die is doubled.

Water Resupply

Increase your water supply equal to the value of the blue die by erasing previously crossed off spaces on your water supply.

If at a shelter, the value of the die increases by 1.

Journal Entry

Select any unused die, cross off an entry of the corresponding color in your journal.

The journal is a grid with one column for each die color (white, orange, green, blue, and black) and three rows.

4. Exert Yourself (Optional)

Consume 2 energy and select an unused die to perform an additional action. The Rest (green die) action CANNOT be used during this phase.

End Game

The game continues as such until the final week of October has been crossed off OR until all players have reached the final shelter. At this point, players finish this final round and proceed to scoring.

Scoring

Tally up your victory point total using the following steps:

1. Add together all points for completed sections (connected shelters).
2. The first person (or persons if there is a tie) to complete the entire trail receives a 15 point completion bonus. Each player to complete the trail thereafter receives a 10 point bonus.
3. Add up the points from all your photographs.
4. Receive points for Journal entries as follows:
   • For each completed column, receive 5 points.
   • For each completed row, receive 10 points.
5. Receive points based off the number of circled stamps.
6. Receive (gold VP) or subtract (red VP) based on your exhaustion track.

Note: If you should ever reach the final spot on the exhaustion track (0), you are too exhausted to continue and you are eliminated immediately from the game.

Victory Conditions

The player with the most victory points is the winner of the game.

In case of a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Solo Variant

In the solo variant, there are 2 additional steps in the setup and the victory conditions are different, otherwise it is exactly the same as the multiplayer rules.

Additional Solo Setup

In addition to the standard setup outlined on page 2 and prior to choosing your route, do the following:

1. Decide the difficulty: ★ Normal or ★★ Hard.
2. Shuffle the solo objective deck and randomly choose 1 solo objective card corresponding to the selected difficulty.

Solo Victory Conditions

The solo variant has 2 victory conditions that must be met:

1. Complete the trail (reach the final shelter on your route).
2. Complete the objective card.

Failure to do either will result in defeat.

Note: For added difficulty, you may choose to take and complete 2 objective cards.

Advanced Variant

During setup (prior to choosing your route), shuffle the multiplayer objective deck and randomly reveal 3 objective cards so they are visible to all players.

The player(s) who completes each objective receives 7 additional points during scoring. If multiple players complete/tie for an objective, all players receive the reward.