Instructions Terra Mystica

Objective of the Game

In Terra Mystica, players aim to dominate the board with their chosen faction by cultivating territories and constructing buildings. The winner is the player with the most victory points at the end of the game, earned through expansion, city-building, advancing in cult tracks, and more.

Game Materials

• Game Board: Consists of various terrain spaces where players place their buildings.
• Player Boards: Each player receives a board specific to their faction, displaying unique abilities and cost structures.
• Buildings: Dwellings, Trading houses, Strongholds, Temples, and Sanctuaries.
• Tiles and Tokens: Power tokens, shovels, priests, workers, coins.
• Bonus and Favor tiles: Rewards for specific actions.

Setup

1. Each player selects or randomly receives a faction with its player board.
2. Each player takes the corresponding buildings and tokens for their faction.
3. Shuffle and lay out the bonus tiles, prepare the cult tracks.
4. Distribute power tokens and other initial resources according to the faction board.
5. Players take turns placing their initial buildings on the game board.

Game Play

The game is played over six rounds, each comprising the following phases:

1. End-of-Round Bonuses: Players receive rewards for actions completed in the last round.
2. Income Phase: Each player collects resources based on the buildings on their board.
3. Action Phase: Players take turns executing one action per turn until all pass. Possible actions include:
4. Terraforming and Building: Convert a terrain space into the faction’s home terrain and construct a building on it.
5. Upgrading Buildings: Upgrade dwellings to trading houses and further.
6. Advancing on the Cult Track: Move a priest on the cult track for additional points.
7. Power Actions: Use accumulated power for special actions.
8. Round Cleanup: Checking round-specific bonuses that can yield points.

Winning the Game

Victory points are scored throughout the game for various activities, such as constructing larger structures, advancing on the cult track, and at the end of the game for the largest cities and cult advances.

Additional strategic considerations include: - Building Placement Strategy: Constructing buildings close to others can save costs. - Resource Optimization: Effectively managing workers, coins, and power is crucial. - Balanced Progression: Balancing culture and city development can yield significant victory points.

Terra Mystica is renowned for its strategic depth and variability due to different faction abilities.