Ziggurat
Ziggurat Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Starting Contents
- 1 game board with 6 different levels that form the ziggurat
- 12 heroes
- 4 hero cards
- 12 fire spirit tokens
- 38 starting cards
- 1 current player token
- 1 storybook
- 1 rulebook
Overview
Ziggurat is a legacy game, meaning some of the results of each chapter carry forward to future chapters. If you have not played a legacy game, read on, because this game is different from most board games you have played.
The story of the ziggurat takes place over 6 chapters. Each time you play, you will make permanent changes to your version of the game. You will add new rules, new materials, new pieces to the board and so on. Many of the things you will find are hidden at the start of the game. Do not open any materials (other than the starting materials) until you are told.
If you win a chapter, you go to the next chapter. If you lose, play that chapter again until you win.
Ziggurat is a cooperative game. Players must work together to complete the game's goal before they lose the game.
The Storybook
The storybook will guide you through each chapter and will introduce new rules, new components, new cards, and other surprises. You will open the top panel at the start of each new chapter and the bottom panel after you win that chapter.
Object
Each chapter has a different objective. In your first game, each hero must safely climb to the top of the ziggurat. Objectives for chapters 2 through 6 will be revealed when you start each chapter.
The Board
There are six levels to the game board — the town level and five levels of the ziggurat. The town has some abandoned buildings that you can ignore for now.
Chutes and ladders connect the levels. Heroes and fire spirits move from one level to another by climbing ladders or falling down chutes. (Heroes and fire spirits never go down ladders or up chutes.) If a fire spirit ever falls into a pit, it is out of play. If a hero falls into a pit, everyone loses the game!
Empty Spaces
As you play, some new rules will mention "empty spaces."
- Empty spaces do not have a hero, token or figure on them.
- The bottoms of the ladders, the tops of the chutes, spawn spaces and pits are NOT empty spaces.
- Every other space is considered empty.
Honorifics
Each chapter will include four honorifics — stickers that go on a hero's card when that hero is the first to meet its goal. For example, in Chapter 1, there is an honorific called "The Swift" which is awarded to "The first hero to reach the summit." Any honorifics that aren't earned in a chapter can be gained in a future chapter! Keep them handy. It's OK if some heroes don't get an honorific in a chapter or if someone gets more than one — they're just for fun.
Cards
Each card can show:
- Card Actions — You may have more than one action to complete.
- Icon — Indicates a special rule OR item type.
- Chapter Number — The chapter that this card first appears in.
In future chapters you will discover items. Each hero card has an Items area to place them for safe keeping.
Setup
Adding New Rule Stickers
When you start a new chapter, you will add new rule stickers to the rulebook under Setup, How to Play, or both. You will be told to either:
- FOLLOW the rule when you add it, which means do it right then, or
- READ the rule, which means you should be aware of it, but it may not happen until later in the game.
Each rule sticker is marked with a rule letter and the chapter of the storybook in which it appears.
-
Open the top panel of the chapter in the storybook.
NOTE: For your very first game, make sure you've read all the rules before you open the storybook.
Read the story behind the top panel and follow any instructions. Most chapters will tell you to take stickers from the panel and put them into the rulebook (or other places). There may be other surprises.
-
Do not open the panel at the bottom of the page! You'll open that when you win the game for that chapter.
-
Rule Sticker A will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 2.
Rule Sticker B will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 6.
Build the ziggurat. Assemble the ziggurat, lining up the sides so that the green moss with vines is on the same side of each level.
-
Choose a hero. Each player chooses a hero and puts them on the home space in front of them. The color of your home doesn't matter. Put the extra heroes back into the game box. Each player takes a hero card for their hero.
Note: If playing a two-player game, start on the opposite sides of the board.
-
Spawn 4 fire spirit tokens. Place one fire spirit token of each color on the matching illustration on the board. You will have two fire spirit tokens of each color left over. Put them to the side of the board for use later in the game.
-
Deal 1 card to each player. Shuffle the cards and deal one card face up to each player. Place the remaining cards next to the board, face down, to form a draw pile.
Note: If playing a 2-player game, remove the three cards with the two-player symbol, located in the bottom left corner, first.
-
Rule Sticker C will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 3.
-
Rule Sticker D will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 5.
-
Rule Sticker E will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 2.
-
Rule Sticker F will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 3.
-
Rule Sticker G will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 4.
-
Rule Sticker H will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 6.
-
Introduce yourself. Each player should tell the others their hero's name and any honorifics that their hero has earned.
-
Give the current player token to the starting player. Each chapter will tell you who is the starting player. This player will take the first turn.
How to Play
The storybook will tell you who goes first. Players take turns in clockwise order. Each turn has 3 steps:
- Play your card. Move any heroes and then any fire spirits shown on your card.
- Discard your card. Put your card in the discard pile.
- Draw a new card. Take the top card from the draw pile. Place it face up in front of you so everyone can see it and plan ahead! After drawing a card, pass the current player token to the player on your left. It is now their turn.
NOTE: If a player doesn't have a card to play on their turn, everyone loses!
Playing Your Card
If your card instructs you to move YOUR hero, choose a direction and move the number of spaces shown on the card. You must move the exact amount. If a card says to move ALL heroes, the current player decides in which order to move the heroes. If you are moving another hero on your turn, let the person controlling the hero decide where their hero goes. And if you can't see the other side of the ziggurat, ask for help!
As you move to your final space, ignore any ladders, chutes, pits, other heroes and anything else that you move through (they will not affect you). DO NOT, however, ignore the fire spirits.
After moving any heroes, move or spawn fire spirits as shown on the card. Fire spirits, like heroes, move the full amount shown on the card.
When a fire spirit spawns, place a new fire spirit token on the space matching its color.
Rule Sticker I will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 4.
If You Are on the Summit
Help others! If your hero is on the summit of the ziggurat, you now can help the other heroes on your turn. Continue to draw and play cards. When you play cards that tell you to move YOUR hero, move another player's hero instead (ask permission first).
Items
In future chapters, you'll discover items that can be collected by landing on a space. Items can be used before any individual hero or fire spirit moves, even if it's not your turn!
Fire Spirits Singe!
When moving, if a hero lands on or passes through a fire spirit (or a fire spirit passes through or lands on a hero), the fire spirit burns the hero and everyone loses! That hero takes a singed sticker and places it on their hero's sticker.
Singed stickers show that a hero got a little bit toasty. These stickers themselves have no effect on game play but are a fun way to remember who got charred by a fire spirit.
Rule Sticker J will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 3.
Rule Sticker K will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 5.
Rule Sticker L will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 6.
Example: Your hero (purple) must move 3 spaces. You move to the right because there are fire spirits in the other direction and you can't move through them. You move 3 spaces, ignoring the pit and ladder on the way. After you move your hero, you move each of the pink fire spirits 3 spaces in either direction. You could move them to the right (and into the pit) or to the left, to the corner, skipping over the chute along the way.
Features
Use the following chart to resolve the space where a hero or fire spirit lands or spawns. In some later chapters, it may be possible for a hero or fire spirit to be on a space that has more than one feature. In those cases, read the following list from top to bottom, resolving the first entry you find.
In the rare case that a hero ends up in an infinite loop, move them to their home space. (They get really tired from all that running around and need to take a rest.)
After moving, if a HERO is on...
- A pit: everyone loses! If a hero ever falls down a pit, everyone loses. (Tip: go the other way.)
- A chute: fall down! Immediately move the hero to the space at the bottom of the chute.
- Rule Sticker N will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 2.
- Rule Sticker O will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 4.
- Rule Sticker P will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 4.
- A ladder: climb up! Immediately move the hero to the space on top of the ladder. Heroes never climb down ladders.
- A hero: give a push! Heroes cannot share spaces. Move the hero already in this space to an adjacent space in either direction (you choose). Then follow the directions on the new space for the hero.
- The summit: help others! If a hero reaches the summit, they'll be able to help other heroes on future turns (see "If You Are on the Summit" above).
- Rule Sticker Q will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 2.
After moving or spawning, if a FIRE SPIRIT is on...
- A pit: it falls in! The fire spirit drops into the pit and is out of play for the rest of the game.
- Rule Sticker M will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 5.
- A chute: it falls down! Immediately move the fire spirit to the space at the bottom of the chute.
- A ladder: climb up! Immediately move the fire spirit to the space on top of the ladder. Fire spirits never climb down ladders.
- A fire spirit: stack them! Fire spirits can share spaces. Stack the fire spirits on top of each other. There is no limit to the number of fire spirits that can be on a space.
- The summit: everyone loses! If a fire spirit enters the top of the ziggurat, it blocks your ability to get to the summit and everyone loses!
- Rule Sticker R will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 6.
Chapter End
Each chapter has a different win condition, as explained in the storybook. (In Chapter 1, for example, players win if all heroes make it to the summit of the ziggurat!)
At the end of the game:
- Open the ziggurat and remove its levels.
- Rule Sticker S will go here — this rule will be introduced in Chapter 2.
- Remove any pieces and parts in the ziggurat (such as fire spirits dropped into pits).
- Discard all your cards and return everything back into the game box.
- If you won: Open the bottom panel for your chapter in the storybook. It will have the conclusion to the chapter and may contain new components and new instructions.
- If you lost: Don't fret — you can try again! To play your next game, remember to follow all the Setup instructions (starting above). If you lost, you can skip step 1 (since you are trying the same chapter again).
If You Lose the Same Chapter Twice
Open the Hidden Lore package and follow the instructions inside.
Replaying the Story
After you've completed the entire storybook, you can replay any chapter that you like by re-reading the storybook up to that chapter. Set up the game as usual, but only include cards and components that match the chapter numbers up to the chapter you'd like to play. (For example, if you'd like to replay Chapter 3, include cards for chapters 1 through 3.) Ignore any instructions that tell you to put stickers on things.
Hall of Honor
Use this sheet to record your games and track your progress! If you play more campaigns, you can copy this page.
Track, for each game played: the date, the chapter, the heroes who played, and whether you won or lost.
How many games did it take you to win the campaign?
- 6 — Master: Your persistence and ingenuity have clearly paid off.
- 7-8 — Adept: Despite a setback, you showed true courage in the end.
- 9-11 — Novice: The most memorable adventures have setbacks as well as successes.
- 12+ — Apprentice: Heroes all start somewhere. Keep at it!