Tsuro: Phoenix Rising Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Objective
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • 1) Create Your Path
  • 2) Travel Your Path
  • 3) Prepare For Your Next Turn
• Rising From The Ashes
• Ending the Game
• Winds of Change - Advanced Game
• Credits

Components

• 4 Game trays, which connect to form the game board
• 36 double-sided Path tiles
  • 16 Center tiles and 20 Edge tiles
• 1 Phoenix tile
• 1 Dragon - First Player marker
• 8 Phoenix pawns
• 8 Life tokens
• 7 Lantern markers
  • 3 Orange, 2 Blue, and 2 Yellow
• 50 Star tokens
• 1 Rulebook

Objective

Guide your Phoenix along its path through the night sky, racing to reach Lanterns in order to earn Star tokens. The winner is the first player to collect seven Star tokens – or is the last Phoenix remaining in the sky!

Setup

Assemble the game board: Lay the 4 game trays on the table, tile-grate up, so they form a 6x6 playing grid. Be sure to connect each tray to the others by pressing together the tabs and slots found along their inside edges.

Place the Star tokens in a pile near the assembled game board.

Each player chooses a Phoenix pawn and sets it next to one space (square) along the outside edge of the board; only 1 pawn may stand next to each space. Each player also receives one Life token and places it in front of them.

Separate the Path tiles into two stacks by type – Center and Edge – and shuffle each stack. Set the stack of Edge tiles near the board and place the Phoenix tile on top of this stack.

• Center tiles have gold stars.
• Edge tiles have no gold stars.

Randomly lay each of the 16 Center tiles - with the cloud-frame side up - into the center 4x4 grid of the board, leaving the outside spaces of the board empty.

Place a Lantern marker on the seven Center tiles that show a Glowing Lantern icon, matching the marker color to the Lantern color. Do not place Lantern markers on Center tiles with Dimmed Lantern icons.

A Center tile shows a Glowing Lantern with its cloud-frame up; the same tile shows a Dimmed Lantern with its cloud-frame down.

IMPORTANT: Starting positions MUST be selected BEFORE the Center tiles are placed.

Deal each player two Path tiles from the top of the Edge tile stack, then place the Phoenix tile back on top of the stack.

The youngest player receives the Dragon - First Player marker and goes first.

Gameplay

Tsuro: Phoenix Rising takes place over a series of rounds. In every round, each player receives one turn, starting with the First Player and continuing clockwise. A new round begins when play returns to the First Player.

On your turn, you will 1) Create Your Path, 2) Travel Your Path, and 3) Prepare For Next Turn. Below are these steps in detail.

1) Create Your Path

During this step, you must extend the path in front of your Phoenix pawn. This is accomplished in one of two ways: either by adding a new tile when the space in front of your pawn is empty, or by rotating/flipping the tile directly in front of your pawn.

ADDING A NEW TILE: Choose one of the two Path tiles in your hand and place it into the empty space in front of your Phoenix pawn. The new tile can be placed with either side up and in any orientation you choose, but it must extend your pawn's path. Discard the tile you do not use to the bottom of the Edge tile stack. NOTE: When initially moving onto the board, you may choose any one of the path options offered on the face of the tile you select.

A tile shows four paths uninterrupted: A to A, B to B, and so on. Once created, Phoenix pawns can only travel their own path and cannot veer upon intersecting paths. The four partial blue stars on the tile's edge identify the end of an existing path, and at times the beginning of a new path.

FLIPPING/ROTATING AN EXISTING TILE: If your Phoenix pawn is facing an existing tile, you must flip and/or rotate this tile - in whichever orientation you choose - to extend your path. NOTE: If one or more players have pawns on the tile you are flipping/rotating, the owner of each pawn picks it up, waits until you have finished manipulating the tile, then returns their pawn to its original position on the edge of the tile, even if there is no longer a path there. The starting point replacing the path is indicated by a partial blue star.

Example 1: Nicki (the red player) is moving into an existing tile. She flips and rotates the tile to extend her path. Ashley (the yellow player) maintains her position, even without a path beneath her pawn.

If a Lantern marker is on the tile being manipulated, pick it up and then replace it once you have chosen the new orientation of the tile.

2) Travel Your Path

Once your path has been extended, move your Phoenix pawn along the path until you reach a dead end where the path no longer continues. Your pawn may travel across several tiles during movement. Paths often cross other paths; look closely to ensure you continue on your current path.

IMPORTANT: If your pawn is following a path on a diagonal, you must always move to the next diagonal tile, not an orthogonally adjacent tile.

During movement, a pawn may be forced to leave the board; this occurs in three ways:

1. If your pawn's path leads it off the edge of the board.
2. If two pawns collide on the same path.
3. If a pawn enters a path that forms an endless loop.

When a pawn leaves the board, it is placed in front of its owner and they complete their turn as usual. The pawn may be able to return to the game on its owner's next turn by using a Life token. (See Rising From The Ashes)

CREATING STARS: Each time a Phoenix pawn passes through a tile containing a Lantern marker, a Star is created! When this occurs, immediately place a Star token next to the Lantern marker on the tile you passed through. NOTE: You do not create a Star if your pawn simply ends its movement on a tile with a Lantern marker; the pawn must leave a tile to create a Star. If you move through a tile containing a Star created earlier in your turn, do not place another Star; each tile can only hold one Star.

SCORING STARS: Once you have finished moving your pawn to the end of its path, if you have created any Stars, you must move the Lantern markers and score the Stars, in order from the first tile you passed through to the last.

For each tile with a Star on it, move that tile's Lantern marker to a different tile showing a Lantern icon of the same shape and color. The tile to which you move a Lantern marker cannot contain your Phoenix pawn, a Star token, or another Lantern marker.

Example 2A: Ashley moves along the top row ending her move at the far right. She places Stars for the Blue and Orange lanterns, but not for the Yellow lantern, as she did not pass through that tile upon completing her turn.

Example 2B: Ashley removes the Blue and Orange lanterns in that order and replaces them on other Blue and Orange lantern tiles.

After you have moved all the relevant Lantern markers to new tiles, remove all Star tokens from the board and place them in front of you. You have now scored these Stars.

Example 2C: Ashley removes the Stars and adds them to her score.

IMPORTANT: If your pawn leaves the board for any reason while traveling your path, you still place Stars, move Lanterns and collect Star tokens, even if you no longer possess your Life token.

Watch the how to play video at www.calliopegames.com/tsuro-p-r

OTHER PLAYERS MOVE: During your turn, you may have added or manipulated a tile that extended another player's path. If so, after you have completed your movement and scored Stars, then in turn order, beginning with the player to your left and continuing clockwise, all players whose pawns face newly extended paths now move their pawns until they reach a dead end or leave the board. These players also place Star tokens, move Lanterns and score their Stars as usual.

Once a player scores seven or more Stars, the game will end at the conclusion of the current round. (See Ending the Game)

3) Prepare For Your Next Turn

Anytime your Phoenix pawn ends its movement heading into a space with no tile (whether it is your turn or you moved during another player's turn), draw the first two tiles from the top of the Edge tile stack, just below the Phoenix tile.

At the start of your next turn, you will place one of these tiles as detailed in the Adding a New Tile section. If the empty space becomes filled by another player before your turn, simply discard your tiles to the bottom of the Edge tile stack, even if the path you follow leads to another empty space.

If your Phoenix pawn ends its movement facing a space containing a tile, you do not draw tiles.

About the Phoenix tile: This tile is used for two purposes. First, it prevents players from seeing upcoming Edge tiles. Second, if the Edge tile stack is ever depleted, the Phoenix tile becomes a "marker" to identify the first player who will receive Edge tiles once they become available.

If you ever need to draw Edge tiles but there are not enough on the stack, draw the remaining Edge tile, if there is one, and pick up the Phoenix tile. While holding the Phoenix tile, you will collect the other players' discarded Edge tiles until you have two in hand, then return the Phoenix tile.

In the rare instance that the player holding the Phoenix tile needs to play a tile but the draw pile is still empty, this player must exchange the Phoenix tile for any Edge tiles with the first player to their left that possesses them. NOTE: There are exactly 20 Edge tiles in the game and 20 spaces to play them; therefore, the last player to place an Edge tile will only draw and place one tile.

Rising From The Ashes

Phoenixes possess the unique ability to burst into flames and Rise From The Ashes. Each player in the game has one chance to Rise From The Ashes and re-enter the game board by using their Life token. This occurs on the turn following the one during which the pawn was removed from the board.

IMPORTANT: You may voluntarily remove your Phoenix pawn from the board at the start of your turn before extending your path. If you have tiles in your hand when you do so, discard them to the bottom of the Edge tile stack.

To Rise From The Ashes, you must possess your Life token AND there must be at least one empty space with no tile remaining on the board. If your pawn is off the board, and you do not possess your Life token, or if there are no open spaces remaining, you are eliminated from the game!

To Rise From The Ashes, at the beginning of your turn:

1. Discard your Life token to the box. It is removed from the game.
2. Place your Phoenix pawn next to an empty space on the outside edge of the board.
3. Draw the top two Edge tiles from beneath the Phoenix tile. Choose one to play as your path and discard the other to the bottom of the Edge tile stack, just as you did on the first move of the game. Move along your path and score Stars as usual.

IMPORTANT: A player that Rises From The Ashes keeps all previously scored Star tokens.

TIP: Deciding to remove your pawn from the board and use your Life token can be the key to victory. Be a brave Phoenix and use your astounding powers of immolation wisely!

Ending the Game

The game ends when either of the following two situations occurs:

1. The end game is triggered after a player scores seven or more Star tokens, creating a new constellation. This can happen during their turn or during another player's turn. In either case, players complete the current round and the game ends. NOTE: This means that the player to the right of the First Player will always take the final turn.

   After the game ends, the player with the most Star tokens is the winner! If there is a tie for most Star tokens, then the tied player who still possesses their Life token wins. If more than one tied player still possesses their Life token - or if no tied player possesses their Life token - then all tied players share in the victory!

   IMPORTANT: For a player to be eligible to win, they must either be on the board or possess the ability to Rise From The Ashes on their next turn.

2. Alternatively, if only one Phoenix pawn remains on the board, and no other player has the ability to Rise From The Ashes, the remaining player immediately wins the game – regardless of how many Star tokens the other players have collected!

Winds of Change - Advanced Game

Once you're familiar with the standard rules to Tsuro: Phoenix Rising, you may be ready to take on a greater challenge. In the Winds of Change advanced game, players influence tiles all around the board when they score Stars. They can also use Phoenix movement in tactical ways to affect their path and the paths of others!

An important concept to remember in Winds of Change is that the Lanterns printed on the tiles have two distinct states: Glowing and Dimmed. The Lanterns on the left of each pairing show the Glowing Lantern icons, on the right the Dimmed Lantern icons.

Follow all rules of the standard game, with the following changes/additions:

1. When moving a Lantern marker to another tile with the same shape and color of lantern, the destination tile is flipped to its Glowing side (do not flip the tile if the icon is already Glowing).

   When you score the Star token, you must then flip the tile with the Star to its Dimmed side (do not flip the tile if the icon is already Dimmed).

   Example 3A: Ashley moves along the top row ending her move at the far right. She places Stars for the Blue and Orange lanterns.

   Example 3B: The destination blue lantern tile is Glowing and remains as is when the Blue Lantern marker is placed; however, the destination orange lantern tile is Dimmed and Ashley must flip it to its Glowing side before placing the Orange Lantern marker there.

   Example 3C: As Ashley removes the Stars in the order in which they were placed, she flips the tiles to their Dimmed side.

   You may choose which direction to flip a tile (left to right or top to bottom), but it cannot be rotated once flipped. Flipping the tiles in this way may lead to other players having to follow new paths. At the conclusion of your turn, as in the Standard rules, they do so in turn order.

2. A Phoenix pawn is not removed from the board if it enters an endless loop. Instead, the owner of the pawn follows the full looped path, scoring Stars as usual. When the pawn is about to move back onto the tile on which the first Star token was placed, this tile is flipped according to the Glowing/Dimmed Lantern rules above. In most instances, this will break up the endless loop. If not, the pawn continues along the path and each tile with a Star token on it is flipped as it is encountered, until the loop is broken.

   After all Star tokens are removed from the appropriate tiles in the loop, if the loop remains intact - or if there are no Lanterns in the loop - then you may choose to flip any tile within the looped path until it is broken.

   Winning conditions are identical to the standard version of the game.

Credits

Original Game Design: Tom McMurchie

Game Design: Ray Wehrs, Chris Leder, Zach Weisman & Ken Franklin

Illustration and Graphic Design: Andy Hepworth

3D Modeling: Viktor Saghy (pawns and lanterns), Robert Oswald (game trays)

Editing: Matt Forrest

Project Manager: Ray Wehrs

Playtesters: Dawne Weisman, Sandy Parsons, Tiffany O'Brien, Kevin Rodgers

Special Thanks: Calliope Games would like to offer this special thanks to Tom McMurchie for his long term dedication to the Tsuro brand. His original game designs are the backbone to the brand and have withstood the test of time.

Also, these thanks are extended to our good friend Robert Oswald for his attention to detail, and his undying devotion to Calliope Games.

Last, but not least, to all of our Kickstarter backers for making Tsuro: Phoenix Rising a reality.

©2019 Compound Fun, Inc. Calliope Games, Tsuro, and Tsuro: Phoenix Rising are all Trademarks of Compound Fun, Inc. Tile Tray Patent #9,937,413