robinson_crusoe.rst

Robinson Crusoe

This gives an overview of the game meant as a reminder and a quick look-up. Follow the setup in the official rules.

Time:	60-120 min
# Players:	1-4
Style:	cooperative survival game

Table of Contents:

• Important glossary
• Important general rules
• Round (6 phases)
  • event phase
  • morale phase
  • production phase
  • action phase (main phase)
  • weather phase
  • night phase
• Actions
• Scoring/Game End
• Difficulty adjustment

Important glossary

Token

cardboard discs

Marker

wooden black, white and blue discs

white markers can substitute black markers

Pawns

mark action taken by a character or Friday

mark action supported by a neutral pawn or the dog

Discard

mystery cards are put on the discard pile

inventions are shuffled back in the invention deck

other cards and discovery tokens are removed from the game

resources, tokens and markers are returned to the stock

Keep this card

card is placed next to the board

Closest source

the closest source to the camp is on the island tile containing the camp (exhausted sources are not considered)

if there are none, on an adjacent tile etc.

Island space

an empty, unexplored island hex (not the incomplete ones which are not used in the game)

Island tile

an island hex placed on an island space when exploring

Important general rules

Information

no information in the game is secret

Precedence

cards > scenario sheet > rules

if there are multiple options to resolve an effect, the players decide

Scenario sheet

lists the number of rounds along with the weather dice used in each round

describes the effect triggering when a totem symbol appears

lists the meaning of the special discovery tokens

defines the effect that must be applied when an event card with a book symbol is drawn

shows additional available inventions

Characters

have 2 action pawns (can be reduced to 1 but not 0)

special abilities can be used any time but each only once per round (mark with black marker)

wound markers crossing morale arrows reduce group morale by 1, morale is not increased through healing a wound

special wound tokens mark special wounds (multiple tokens on the same spot possible) that cannot be removed through simple healing

special invention can be built only by the characters but others can assist, if successful the characters earns two determination tokens

special inventions are treated like normal items once built

Action dice

unsuccessful actions award two determination tokens

when drawing an adventure card, the top part is resolved

build (brown): 4/6 character suffers 1 wound, 2/6 action is unsuccessful, 3/6 adventure card is drawn

gather (grey): 1/6 character suffers 1 wound, 1/6 action is unsuccessful, 3/6 adventure card is drawn

explore (green): 3/6 character suffers 1 wound, 1/6 action is unsuccessful, 5/6 adventure card is drawn

Weather/animal dice

white: 2x 2 rain clouds, 2x 1 snow cloud, 2x 2 snow clouds

orange: 3x 1 rain cloud, 2x 2 rain clouds, 1x 1 snow cloud

red: 1x food loss, 2x palisade loss, 1x beast, 2x nothing

Shelter

protection from wounds during the night

a shelter cannot be lost once built (cover the shelter action space with a black marker), it moves with the camp

roof and palisade cannot exist without a shelter

roof - protection against weather

palisade - protection against weather (storm) and wild animals

natural shelters work like shelters but the camp token is not flipped and the whole roof and palisade is lost when moving camp

built shelters loose half their roof and palisade rounded up when moving camp

Moving camp

reduce roof and palisade levels

remove the shortcut token from the board and flip the item invention side up

additional wood or food tokens are moved along with the camp or discarded if the same type is already on the new tile (flip accompanying items, discard accompanying treasure cards)

a forced camp move is handled the same as a voluntary one

if the camp is forced to move to an inaccessible island tile, it does not move and each player suffers 1 wound

Token/markers

only one token/marker of each kind can be placed on a single area of the board, additional ones are not placed

tokens not placed do not have any effect

markers not placed cause characters to suffer 1 wound (unfulfilled demand)

note: multiple special wound tokens can be placed in the same space

Mystery cards

include traps, creatures and treasures

when drawing, if only a subset of these is to be resolved, put aside the others

if only a certain number of a given type is to be resolved, put all exceeding this number aside

when resolving traps/creatures, do so immediately (though cards to help can be played first if available), afterwards discard them

players have to draw cards until they draw the first valid type, afterwards if there are still cards that can be resolved, they may stop or continue drawing

once finished, all cards put aside (not discarded or in future resources) are shuffled into the mystery deck again

if empty, the mystery discard pile is shuffled to form a new deck

Combat

1. compare strength (weapon level plus temporary weapon level) with enemy combat strength, suffer 1 wound for each missing strength
2. reduce the weapon level, if not possible suffer wounds due to unfulfilled demand
3. food and fur go in future resources space
4. palisade level is reduced, if not possible but required suffer 1 wound per missing level
5. apply additional effects mentioned on the card
6. discard the card (unless stated otherwise)

if only strength is given (e.g. dice roll), only do the first step

temporary weapon level +x improvements only apply for one combat (they do not change the weapon level, only count as plus x)

temporary weapon level improvements can be applied after revealing a combat card but count as being applied before the actual combat

temporary weapon level improvements can be used to meet requirements or resolve temporary situations

Neutral action pawns

neutral pawns can be used for their specific purpose only and only as support for a resolving character

must not be used during the planning phase

gained from item: can be used every round

gained from discovery token: can be used once

gained from cards: check what the card sais

Unfulfillable demands

characters suffer 1 wound FOR EACH resource or level they cannot pay/loose/reduce a level or do not have (like weapon level) when required

- first player: in combat triggered by event cards, if missing determination tokens to pay low morale

- player taking an action: in action phase

- all characters: in all other cases

having no food in night phase does not count as unfufilled demands (but applies 2 wounds anyway)

requirements must be met if possible, you cannot choose to be wounded (exception: discovery tokens or starting equipment do not need to be traded in)

the only exception is the morale track (nothing happens if at its highest/lowest) or if the card states "if possible"

when forced to make a decision, choices with unfulfillable requirements cannot be taken

Resources/Items etc.

two spaces

• available resources: all resources gained before or after the action phase go in here
• future resources: all resources gained during the action phase go here and are unavailable until moved to the available resources after the action phase
• the latter also applies to treasures, discovery tokens, built inventions (items)

implicit space

• assigned resources: all resources assigned in planning go to the corresponding action space with the character pawn and are not available any more

resources, starting equipment, items and special card effects can be used by any character

determination tokens can only be used by the character who owns them

weapon level and items can be used by any number of characters as soon as available (they are not assigned usually)

if an item needs to be assigned, it can be used any number of times by the character to which it is assigned in the current round

resources can be spend only once (they are assigned)

resources from one source can be gathered only once per round

item effects can be used at any time, including during the event phase, while resoving an action or at the start of the game

starting equipment can be used twice at the same time

flipping items:

- effects may require items to be flipped back to their invention side (character items go back to the character sheet), this cannot happen with scenario items

- they become unavailable, i.e. have to be built again

- has no effect on items requiring them in order to be built

- positive effects need to be reversed if possible (e.g. food must be discarded)

Discovery tokens

can be traded (discarded for its effect) at any time with some exceptions

candles

provide a one-time use brown action pawn for building

goat

can be discarded for food and fur if the weapon level is at least 1 -> available resources

cannot be used while resolving actions in the action phase

healing herbs

if the pot is available, build medicine -> available or future resource space (depends on when it is traded)

herbs

if the pot is available, increase morale by 1

large leaves

ignore 1 rain cloud in the weather phase

old machete

increase the weapon level by 1

poison

if the pot is available, increase the weapon level by 2

treasure

first player draws a treasure from the mystery deck -> available or future resource space (depends on when it is traded)

thorny bushes

if the shelter has been build, increase palisade level by 1

tobacco

increase morale by 1

vegetables

in night phase: if the pot is available, heal 2 wounds on 1 character or 1 wound on 2 characters

Effect/adventure tokens

all tokens in action spaces or on card decks are discarded after being triggered for the first time

all other tokens remain until the game ends unless removed by a card effect

tokens placed during an action phase take effect only after this action phase

reroll

the next successful die roll must be rerolled, only then discard

greater danger

if on hunt: increases beast strength by 1 for the next hunt, then discard

if on an island tile/space: weapon level needs to be > 1 for performing actions there (also applies to camp), not discarded

time-consuming action

if on action space: must be assigned an additional action pawn when taken, discard after resolving

if on island tile/space: ALL actions taken there require an additional action pawn (also applies to camp), not discarded

additional wood

if on build action space: next build action requires additional wood, if successful discard, else effect applies again

if on shelter/roof/palisade or weapons: build action costs one additional wood EVERY TIME (unless no wood is used but fur), not discarded

if on island tile: if the wood source is not exhausted, get an additional wood when producing or gathering the respective source, not discarded

additional food

if in night phase action space: each character must eat 1 more food or suffer 1 wound, then discard

if on island tile: if the food source is not exhausted, get an additional food when producing or gathering the respective source, not discarded

adventure tokens

the next time this action is taken an adventure card must be drawn and the top part resolved, then discard

do not draw an additional card for a rolled "?"

scenario-specific markers

explained on scenario

Inaccessible island tiles

flipped face-down, all tokens and markers discarded

count as unexplored but cannot be explored or moved to, no action can be performed there, no tokens or markers can be placed there

inaccessible tiles can split the island

Round (6 phases)

event phase

SKIPPED IN FIRST ROUND

first player: reveal and resolve card(s) until event card is drawn (1-x)

- if adventury or mystery card: read and apply bottom part of the card, discard, draw

- if event card:

1. place corresponding adventure token or apply book symbol effect
2. apply event effect
3. put the card in the Threat space, move all others to the left
4. resolve Threat effect if any card is pushed off the board this way

combat triggered by event cards must be handled by first player alone (otherwise same as hunt)

resource gained are -> available resources

morale phase

first player: based on morale marker, may gain or loose determination tokens or choose to heal INSTEAD (rightmost space)

production phase

gain 1 resource for each source depicted on the current camp tile plus tokens/markers -> available resources

action phase (main phase)

planning stage

players discuss what to do and place their action pawns accordingly (all available character pawns must be placed, extra/neutral pawns are optional)

only one character resolves an action (only that character suffers consequences - positive or negative), others can support

requirements/resources for actions must be fulfilled/available or cannot be taken (no dependencies can exist between resolve actions)

multiple pawns on one action can be placed by multiple or one character

actions can be taken multiple times (unless stated otherwise)

some actions require support (e.g. hunting)

pawns are placed on the action displayed on the board or on the thing/invention to build or the resource to gather or the island space to explore

to support an action, stack pawns, to take the action multiple times, put them next to each other

the resolving character's pawn is on top of a stack

place required resources with pawns

resolving actions (once the players have placed all pawns)

actions on which at least one pawn was placed during planning are resolved given by the order on the board (see actions)

if the same action is resolved multiple times, the order is determined by the players

all planned actions must be resolved

build, gather, explore are automatically successful with two pawns, else roll the corresponding dice

pawns and resources are removed after resolving the action (to mark it resolved)

changes due to action resolutions apply after the current action phase (have no effect for the current resolution), except:

- the camp token is flipped immediately when building a shelter

- determination token gain/loss is applied immediately

- resources etc. are discarded immediately when lost and can be so only from the available resources space (not those assigned to actions)

- wounds and morale loss apply immediately

- changes to roof/palisade/weapon level apply immediately

resources, treasures, discovery tokens, built inventions gained during an action -> future resources space

end of action phase

move all resources and discovery tokens from future resource space -> available resource space

fallen tree or nourishing larvae discovery tokens must be traded in immediately

apply effects of inventions, flip them to their item side and place them with the other items/inventions (also character special inventions)

apply effects of treasures, if permanent or future effect, place them next to the board for use by all players

weather phase

1. roll weather dice if applicable
2. weather token effects are always applied, even if no dice are rolled
3. resolve weather effects
   • discard 1 wood for each snow cloud
   • compare the number of all clouds (rain and snow) with the roof level, discard 1 food and 1 wood for each missing roof level
4. resolve animal effects
   • either discard 1 food or decrease palisade level by 1 or combat a strength 3 beast (compare with weapon level)
   • temporary weapon level increase can be applied
   • hungry animals die is only rolled once (even if required by multiple sources)
5. resolve storm
   • reduce palisade level by 1
6. discard all weather tokens

night phase

healing is possible at any time during this phase (and unless resting or stated otherwise only during this phase)

1. each character must eat (discard 1 food) or suffers 2 wounds (players decide who eats if there is not enough food)
2. choose to move your camp to an adjacent tile (can be done even if all characters are outside camp)
3. if there is no shelter: each character suffers 1 wound
4. all perishable food that cannot be stored is discarded
5. all markers on the characters's special abilities are removed
6. move the round marker and pass the first player token clockwise

if outside camp:

all mystery cards, discovery tokens and resources GAINED BY THE ACTION forcing the character to stay out of camp go to that character's sheet (can only be used by that character)

other actions are not affected unless they also require spending the night outside camp (in which case you can choose the tile)

food for eating must be on character sheet or the character suffers 2 wounds

the character suffers 1 wound for sleeping under an open sky if there is no shelter on the tile on which the action was triggered

weather is ignored by this character

at the start of the round (end of night phase), return to camp and all resources etc. on your character sheet are moved to -> available resources

Actions

threat

resolve a threat (lower part of an event card), discard the event card

wreckage cards can be used only once (lower or upper part)

hunt

fight a beast for food/fur

can be done once for every beast in the hunting deck (must have at least 1)

requires two pawns

combat is always successful but it can hurt a lot

build (camp action)

build/improve shelter, roof, palisade, weapons or turn inventions into items

if unsuccessful, resources are returned to the available resources space (determination tokens are returned to the character), else discarded

wood and fur cannot be combined to build a shelter/roof/palisade

roof and palisade can only be built if there is a shelter (natural or built)

roof, palisade and weapon levels can exceed the maximum shown on the board, use additional markers as indication

all except a character's special invention can be build by any character

inventions on the scenario board are marked with a black marker instead to indicate they have been build

gather

gather resources from non-camp tiles

1 source per gather action

required action pawns increase by 1 for each island tile between the camp and the tile gathered from, starting with 1 pawn for tiles adjacent to the camp (also applies to securing success)

sources can only be harvested once per round (resources from a source gained through shortcut cannot be gathered again)

even if production was skipped, camp tile sources cannot be gathered

gathering is only allowed from tiles that can be reached without crossing island spaces with no tile on them

explore

place island tiles on unexplored spaces

exploring is only allowed in spaces adjacent to at least 1 explored tile (i.e. without crossing island spaces with no tile on them)

exploring special locations on island tiles is done exactly like exploring island spaces in this location is

if exploring is successful, add an island tile, the following may apply:

1. new terrain type: cover its requirement on all inventions with a black marker (terrain types can be unexplored, i.e. covered by a black marker, in this case, reverse)
2. beast symbol: add a card from the beast to the hunting deck (unseen), shuffle the hunting deck
3. totem symbol: trigger the x's totem scenario effect (x = number of totems discovered)
4. draw discovery tokens if applicable

arrange camp (camp action)

gain 2 determination token and 1 group morale (in a 4-player game this is mutually exclusive)

rest (camp action)

character heals 1 normal wound per pawn

hammock and bed cannot be combined

Scoring/Game End

Loose

any character's health drops to the skull (the character dies)

the last round ends and the scenario goal is not achieved

the camp/shelter is located on a tile that becomes inaccessible

Win

the scenario goal is achieved

Difficulty adjustment

easier game

add the dog

add Friday

draw more starting equipment

use fewer event cards with the book and more with adventure symbols (or vice versa in the first scenario)

harder game

draw fewer starting equipment

use more event cards with the book and less with adventure symbols (or vice versa in the first scenario)