Yellowstone Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Contents
• Set Up
• How to Play
  • On Your Turn
• Conflict
• Actions
  • Move and Defeat a Conflict
  • Collaboration Is the Key to Winning
  • Move to a Space and Use Its Ability
  • Move and Use Your Dutton Character's Ability
• End of Your Turn and Winning the Game
• Additional Rules
  • Running Out of Skill Cards
  • Bunkhouse Cards
  • Adjusting Difficulty Levels

Object

Take turns gathering resources and moving between the seven spaces on the Yellowstone Valley gameboard to defeat Conflicts as they appear. To be successful you'll have to be smart about managing your hand, using your abilities, and helping your teammates.

Work together and survive through the entire Conflict deck and the ranch will be safe. If the Conflicts reach the Dutton House, everything will be lost.

Contents

• A: 6 Dutton cards
• B: 6 Dutton pawns
• C: 6 Bunkhouse cards
• D: 30 Skill cards
• E: 1 Escalation card
• F: 1 Escalation die
• G: 20 Conflict cards
• H: 2 Conflict dice
• I: 1 Gameboard
• J: 3 Player reference cards
• BONUS collectable sticker
• Game Instructions

Set Up

1. Place the gameboard in the middle of the group so it is easily visible.
2. Shuffle the Skill and Conflict decks separately. Place each face down near the gameboard. Place the red Escalation card face-down on the bottom of the Skill deck.
3. Place the two Conflict dice on the table where everyone can see them. Set the red Escalation die aside – it will be used later in the game.
4. Randomly select three Bunkhouse cards. Place them face-up above the gameboard and place the remaining cards back in the box. If it is your first time playing, we recommend using the Colby, Teeter, and the Train Station cards.
5. Each player selects a Dutton character card and its pawn (shown on the card). If it is your first time playing, we recommend choosing John, Rip, or Jamie. If playing with 2 players, then try playing with John and Rip for your first experience.
6. Each player places their pawn on the center space on the gameboard – the Dutton House.
7. Each player draws a starting hand of Skill cards based on the number of players:
   • 2 players: 4 cards
   • 3 players: 3 cards
   • 4-5 players: 2 cards
8. Draw and place a Conflict card face-up on the easternmost and westernmost spaces on the gameboard (Stream and Pasture).
9. Randomly choose a player to go first.

Now you're ready to ride!

How to Play

The game is played in turns. On each turn one player will make moves and perform actions. However, all other players will participate on each turn by sharing cards and discussing tactics to defeat Conflicts and win the game.

On Your Turn

Perform the following three steps in this order:

1. Draw two Skill cards. Add them to your hand. There are three types of Skill cards: Wits, Grits, and Luck. Each card has its own value.

2. Roll the Conflict dice. For each "East" or "West" icon rolled, draw a Conflict card, and place it face-up on the first open space that is closest to the indicated edge of the gameboard. For example, if a W & E are rolled, one Conflict card is placed on the first open space closest to the West edge and one on the first open space closest to the East edge. For each Yellowstone icon rolled, draw a Skill card into your hand. If a blank is rolled it has no effect.

3. Perform up to two Actions. Choose two actions from the following list. Actions can be done in any order and the same action can be performed more than once.

   • Move and defeat a Conflict
   • Move to a space and use its ability
   • Move and use your Character's ability

   If your pawn is already on your desired space, you do not have to move to perform an action.

Conflict

Conflict cards will accumulate on the gameboard throughout the game. They will be placed on spaces moving closer and closer to the Dutton House space. If every space leading up to the Dutton House space is full when placing from that direction, then any new Conflicts are placed directly on the Dutton House space.

The Dutton House space can hold any number of Conflict cards. Players can defeat them in any order. But if there are any Conflicts remaining on the Dutton House space at the end of a turn, the players lose the game, and lose the land.

Note: If a third Conflict is placed on the Dutton House during your turn, you may do three actions on this turn instead of two (see step 3).

Actions

Move and Defeat a Conflict

You may place your pawn on any gameboard space with a Conflict card.

To defeat a Conflict, you must play enough Skill cards to meet or exceed each of the values shown on the bottom of the Conflict card. There are three types of symbols: Wits, Grits, and Luck.

You may play multiple Skill cards with the same symbol to combine their value. Once you have played enough cards to defeat the Conflict, place the Conflict and Skill cards in discard piles next to their respective decks.

If, when attempting to defeat a Conflict, you are unable to defeat it, simply undo that action. All players take back any cards they played, and then you may do a new action.

Printed example (text captions only): one group of Skill cards is labelled "(total of 7)" and another "(total of 8)", shown being played against a Conflict card that lists values of 7 and 7 on the Dutton family's symbols.

Collaboration Is the Key to Winning

When defeating a Conflict, other players can help you by contributing Skill cards from their hands. The number of players determines how many Skill cards each other player may contribute:

• 2-3 players: up to 2 Skill cards each
• 4-5 players: 1 Skill card each

Throughout the game players may – and should – always openly discuss the cards in their hands, and best tactics to use all abilities on current and future turns.

Move to a Space and Use Its Ability

You may place your pawn on a space on the gameboard and perform the ability printed on the space. If the space is covered by a Conflict card, then you may not use the space's ability.

Move and Use Your Dutton Character's Ability

You may place your pawn on any space and then use the ability shown on your Dutton card.

End of Your Turn and Winning the Game

After completing your actions check to see if the game is over. If the Conflict deck is empty the game ends. Now, check for victory:

• If the Dutton House space does not have any Conflict cards on it, all players WIN the game!
• If the Dutton House space has one or more Conflicts on it, all players LOSE the game.

If the Conflict deck is not empty, the next player, moving clockwise, takes their turn.

Additional Rules

Running Out of Skill Cards

The last card in the Skill deck is the Escalation card. When you draw this card, add the red Escalation die to the game as a third Conflict die. Use all three dice every time you roll.

Return the Escalation card into the box, shuffle the discarded Skill cards to form a new draw pile, and then continue drawing cards as before.

If you run out of Skill cards again, simply reshuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile and continue playing.

Bunkhouse Cards

There are three Bunkhouse cards to play in each game. These cards have a one-time special ability that always helps the Dutton family out of a bind.

Bunkhouse cards are used when you place your pawn on the Bunkhouse space on the gameboard. With the ability printed on that space, you choose a face-up Bunkhouse card to play. Once the card is played, it is flipped over and no longer available for the remainder of the game.

If the Bunkhouse space is covered by a Conflict card, then you may not use the ability printed on that space.

Adjusting Difficulty Levels

If you find the game too easy, increase the difficulty by playing the game with only two Bunkhouse cards.

If you find the game too challenging, decrease the difficulty by removing the Escalation card and dice as well as skipping step 8 of set up where you place the two starting Conflict cards.