Contents
Welcome to the Blue Moon City Game!
Are you ready to embark on an exciting adventure? Well, look no further because Blue Moon City is the game for you! In this mystical world, you and your fellow players will compete to restore the crumbling city to its former glory.
The goal of the game is simple: be the player who contributes the most to the reconstruction efforts. To achieve this, you’ll need to navigate the city’s intricate network of districts, gather resources, and enlist the help of powerful creatures.
But wait, how exactly do you play the game? Let me break it down for you:
Setup
Before we begin, let’s get everything ready. Each player starts with a character card and a player board. The city tiles are shuffled, and the central board is set up with five tiles face-up. The special cards, resource tokens, and dragon scales are placed within reach.
Gameplay
The game is played in turns, with each player taking a series of actions. On your turn, you can do up to three of the following actions:
- Recover: Place your character card on a district tile to collect resources from that tile.
- Build: Spend resources to build buildings in the city.
- Move: Move your character card to a different district tile.
- Summon: Spend resources to summon powerful creatures to aid you in your quest.
- Restore: Use dragon scales to contribute to the reconstruction of the central temple.
At the end of your turn, you may draw a special card and replenish the city tiles. The game continues clockwise, with each player taking their turn until one player has reached a specific number of contributions based on the number of players.
Scoring
Throughout the game, you’ll earn victory points for your contributions to the city. The more you build, restore, and summon, the more points you’ll receive. At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points is declared the winner.
To keep things interesting, each player also has a special ability that can be used once per turn. These abilities can give you an edge over your opponents and help you strategize your moves.
So, now that you know the rules, are you ready to dive into the enchanting world of Blue Moon City? Grab your friends, set up the board, and let the adventure begin!
Welcome to Blue Moon City, where the task at hand is the complete transformation and restoration of this magnificent city, along with its revered Obelisk. Your role is vital in this daunting but exciting endeavor as you navigate through the ever-changing modular tile board, harnessing the collective power of the eight peoples of Blue Moon to reconstruct the city’s impressive buildings.
As you contribute to the rebuilding efforts, the buildings gradually take shape, and when a building reaches completion, each player who participated in its reconstruction is duly rewarded for their valuable input and dedication. What’s even more intriguing is that by making your contributions in the presence of the mighty Dragons, you stand to receive a special token of their immense gratitude.
These tokens come in various forms, including cards, golden dragon scales, and crystals. The cards you acquire can aid you in making further contributions towards the construction, while the golden scales have the added benefit of being exchangeable for additional crystals, further enhancing your progress.
Hey there! Let’s talk about these cool crystals, shall we? So, these crystals are super important because they’re what you need to make Offerings to the Obelisk. And guess what? The player who makes the most Offerings is the winner. Pretty exciting, right?
What’s in the box?
- 20 Building tiles with double-sided designs
- 4 Expansion Building tiles with double-sided designs
- 80 People Cards for various characters
- 4 Player miniatures to represent each player
- 1 Courtyard tile with a double-sided design
- 40 Player markers for tracking progress
- 45 Crystal tokens for special actions
- 3 Dragon figures to add excitement
- 12 Golden scale tokens for bonuses
- 3 Counter Bases for stability
- 1 Obelisk with a double-sided design
The Basics
Building Tiles
In this game, the city of Blue Moon is portrayed by a collection of Building tiles. These tiles display two distinct stages: the ruins of a demolished building and its reconstructed form.
The Ruins side of each Building tile features the image of the destroyed structure, Contribution Spaces, Majority Bonus, Construction Bonus, and Neighborhood Bonus.
Rubble Image: Picture of a building in ruins.
Contribution Spaces: Each tile of the building has spaces with a color and a number. These spaces indicate how many contributions are needed to rebuild the building.
The color represents the type of card required for contribution, and the number indicates the total value of cards that need to be discarded.
Majority Bonus: The Majority Bonus is what you get as a result of being the top contributor to the reconstruction of a building. It’s like a special prize that goes to the person who puts in the most effort.
Bonuses for Construction: Construction Bonus shows the rewards for everyone who helps with the Reconstruction. This includes the player who gets the Majority Bonus.
Neighborhood Bonus: You know that feeling when you work together with your neighbors on a project and everyone benefits? That’s exactly what the Neighborhood Bonus is all about! It’s like an extra reward that you get when you and your fellow players contribute to rebuilding an adjacent Building tile. But here’s the catch: this bonus is only active when the tile is flipped over to its Reconstructed side. So, while the rubble side is faceup, the bonus remains inactive.
Imagine this: you and your friends have just finished reconstructing a Building. The moment you flip that tile over, something magical happens. Suddenly, the Neighborhood Bonus is revealed, showing you the additional rewards that you and your team will enjoy. It’s like unlocking a hidden treasure!
Getting to Know the People Cards
Welcome to Blue Moon, where the vibrant community comes alive with the help of People cards. These special cards showcase the diverse population of our city, each with a value from 1 to 3. The value of the card represents the level of support and involvement you provide in the quest to rebuild our beloved Buildings.
When you hold a People card with a value of 1 or 2, you gain access to unique powers that can be harnessed during your turn. These powers offer exciting opportunities to strategize and make impactful moves. However, People cards with a value of 3 do not possess any special powers.
Getting Started
First, let’s set up the game board. Find the Courtyard tile and place it in the middle of the table. You’ll know it’s the right one because it’s the only tile with colored sides.
When it’s time to start, you and I must place the 4 Starting tiles next to the Courtyard, just like this: ()
Next, I’ll shuffle the rest of the Building tiles and add them randomly with their Rubble side faceup to complete our city’s layout. Take a look at the illustration to see how it’s done.
Are you ready to set up your own city? Let me walk you through the process! First, let’s talk about the different building tiles you’ll be using. The Courtyard will be at the center of your city, so make sure to place it there. As for the other tiles, we want to add some excitement and variety, so let’s randomly place them around the Courtyard. Don’t forget to include the 4 Starting tiles as well!
Now, here’s an important point to keep in mind. Some of the buildings you’ll come across belong to the Expansion Building tiles. These are not used in the base game, so if you prefer to stick to the basic setup, simply return them to the box.
Alright, here’s what you need to do:
1. Take the 3 Dragon miniatures and attach the 3 Counter Bases to them. After that, place the dragons next to the city.
2. Grab the Obelisk and put it next to the city. Make sure to use the side that matches the number of players you have (it’s printed on the Obelisk).
3. Take the Crystal tokens and put them on one side of the Obelisk.
4. Get the Golden Scale tokens ready. The number of tokens you’ll use depends on how many players there are:
- If there are 2 players, use 7 Golden Scales.
- If there are 3 players, use 10 Golden Scales.
- If there are 4 players, use 12 Golden Scales.
Any leftover Golden Scales can stay in the game box.
5. It’s time to choose your color! Each player should pick a color and place their Player Miniature on the Courtyard tile. Also, grab the 10 Player Markers that match your color and put them in front of you. If you’re playing with 2 or 3 players, leave the extra Miniatures and Markers in the box.
In the game, we start by shuffling the People cards. Each player is then dealt 8 cards, and the remaining deck is placed face-down next to the city.
How to Play
First, we randomly choose a player to go first. The game takes turns, starting with the first player and moving clockwise. On your turn, you go through the following phases in order:
- Movement Phase
- Contribution Phase
- Reset
- Pass Turn
Movement Phase
You have the option to move your miniature piece up to 2 spaces in a straight line along adjacent building tiles. Diagonal movement is not allowed.
Moving is not mandatory.
During your Movement Phase, you can also discard any number of cards from your hand to utilize their powers.
Example: I’m currently at Hospice, but I don’t have any Red cards to give. Fortunately, I have a few Brown cards in my hand, and I notice that the City Residence tile requires Brown cards.
Since I can’t move diagonally, I decide to move one tile up and one tile to the left. This will use up my two movement points for the turn, so I’m done with the Movement Phase.
Contribution Phase
I have two options during the Contribution Phase:
1. I can contribute to the reconstruction of the Building I ended my movement on. If I chose not to move, I can contribute to the reconstruction of the Building I’m currently on.
2. Alternatively, if I end my movement on the Courtyard, I can make an offering to the Obelisk.
Contributing is not mandatory.
In order to help restore a building, you need to get rid of some cards that add up to 1 or more in value from your hand. The cards you discard need to match the color of the space you’re contributing to. Once you meet the requirements of the Contribution Space, you can put one of your Player Markers on it. This shows that you’ve made a contribution, and no one else can use that space.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that there are a limited number of Player Markers. If you don’t have any available, you won’t be able to make a Contribution.
Imagine this: I just moved two spaces from the Hospice to the City Residence. It feels good to be here and have the opportunity to contribute to its reconstruction. I noticed that the City Residence has three brown Contribution Spaces available: 4, 3, and 2.
So, I decided to discard two brown cards with a total value of 3. This allowed me to place my marker on the ‘3’ space. Pretty cool, right? Now, the next player who ends their movement on the City Residence will only have two options for Contribution Spaces: 2 or 4.
By the way, you can contribute to a Building tile as many times as you want on your turn. However, each contribution is considered its own separate action. This means you can’t use the same cards or any leftover value from a previous contribution for another one. So make sure to plan your contributions wisely!
When it’s time for me to contribute, I have the option to discard any number of cards from my hand to use their powers. It’s a strategic decision that can help me make a big impact. However, I need to keep in mind that once I play a card, I can’t use it for another contribution, unless its special power is directly related to my contributions.
Example: I just finished my mission at the Earth Temple. There are three Contribution Spaces available in red: 5, 4, and 3. I have a total value of 8 red cards in my hand (3, 2, 2, 1).
Now, I have two different combinations that can fulfill two different spaces: 5 (3 + 2) and 3 (2 + 1). This means I can choose to make two contributions to rebuild the Fire Temple.
To do this, I will discard the four red cards from my hand and place two Markers on the corresponding spaces on the Building tile.
Reset Phase
First, I can choose to discard up to two People cards from my hand and place them in the faceup discard pile.
Then, I need to draw two cards more than the number of cards I discarded. For example, if I decide not to discard any cards, I will draw two cards from the deck.
If the deck runs out during the game, we need to reshuffle the discarded cards to make a new deck. The cards we discard in this phase don’t count towards our contribution or activate their special powers.
You mustn’t skip the Reset phase.
Pass Turn
Now it’s time to give the turn to the player on your left.
Example: After helping out at the university, I look at my hand of cards. I realize that I don’t need the two red cards at the moment, so I decide to get rid of them.
In exchange, I draw four new cards from the deck, which is two more than the number I discarded (2 + 2).
Earning Points from Buildings
When the final space of a building is filled with a marker, it means that the reconstruction is finished. At this point, all players who contributed to the construction of that building will receive different bonuses:
The Majority Bonus: When it comes to scoring Buildings, the player with the most markers gets a special reward known as the Majority Bonus. If two or more players have an equal number of markers, the player who placed their leftmost marker first will be the one to receive the bonus.
Construction Bonus: Hey there! Did you know that when you have at least 1 marker on a scoring Building, you get a special treat called the Construction Bonus? It’s pretty cool because even if you already received the Majority Bonus, you still get this extra reward!
Neighborhood Bonus: If you have markers on a scoring Building, you get the Neighborhood Bonus from each reconstructed Building that is next to it. You only get the Neighborhood Bonus once for each reconstructed Building, even if you have multiple markers on the scoring Building.
After you score a Building, you take back your markers from that Building. Then, you flip the Building tile over to its reconstructed side. If there are any Miniatures or Dragons on the tile, they go back to the tile after it is flipped.
Available Bonuses
The bonuses you can get are Golden Scale tokens, Crystal tokens, and People cards. When you receive Golden Scale tokens or Crystal tokens, place them in front of you. Keep the Crystals facedown so that only you can see their values.
Whenever you get cards, don’t peek at them right away. Keep them facedown in front of you and only add them to your hand after your turn.
Golden Scales & Dragons
If you’re able to gather enough Golden Scales, you can trade them for Crystals. There are two ways to obtain Golden Scale tokens:
- Rebuild a Building
- Contribute to a Building while a Dragon is present
Dragons
Did you know that dragons are the ancient protectors of Blue Moon? They have their own special power that allows them to move around the city. Pretty cool, right?
Here’s something interesting: every time someone makes a contribution to the Building tile where a dragon is located, they get a Golden Scale as a token of the dragon’s appreciation. It’s like a little reward for helping out!
Now, here’s the thing: if you make more than one contribution during your turn, you’ll only get the Golden Scale(s) for your first contribution. So make sure to choose carefully!
Now, let’s talk about scoring those Golden Scales.
When the last Golden Scale token is taken from the pool, it’s time to score. Even if there aren’t any Golden Scales left in the pool, any scales you gained but couldn’t collect still count towards your total for scoring. So every scale matters!
When the game is over, whoever has collected the most Golden Scale tokens will receive 6 Crystals. If there is a tie for the highest number of tokens, the tied players will each score 3 Crystals. Afterward, all players who have at least 3 Golden Scales will gain 3 Crystals as well. Those players must return their Golden Scales to the pool. If a player has fewer than 3 Golden Scales, they won’t receive any Crystals, but they can still keep their Golden Scales.
Now let’s talk about Crystals and the Obelisk.
Before the Dark Age, the Courtyard was the heart of the city, where everything revolved around. At its center stood a grand Obelisk, and atop it, rested the Holy Crystal of Psi. In order to fully restore Blue Moon City, we must find and reconstruct the shattered Holy Crystal of Psi, which was damaged during the war of succession.
Crystals play a crucial role in the game.
Throughout the game, I collect Crystals to rebuild the magnificent Obelisk in Blue Moon City. The Crystals I earn are kept secret from other players, adding an element of mystery to the game.
Now, let me tell you something important: unlike the limited supply of Golden Scales and Player Markers, the Crystals are unlimited. So, if we run out of Crystals in the pool, we just have to keep counting the points they represent.
The Obelisk is a central element in the game. It has dedicated spaces where Crystals can be offered. In a 2-player game, there are 11 spaces available, numbered from 7 to 12. For games with 3 or more players, there are 13 spaces to fill. The spaces are filled from the bottom up, and each player uses their respective Player Markers to keep track of their offerings. Remember, if you don’t have a marker available, you cannot make an Offering.
Now, let’s talk about offering Crystals to the Obelisk. Instead of using cards, we contribute to the reconstruction by offering Crystals. It’s an exciting twist that adds a unique aspect to the game.
When it’s time to make an Offering, you need to head to the Courtyard and make sure you have enough Crystals. Look at the Obelisk and find the next available space. It will show you how many Crystals you need to offer, starting with the lowest value and going up.
But here’s the catch. If you make an Offering while a Dragon is present, you won’t get any Golden Scale tokens. Keep in mind that you can’t make multiple Offerings in one turn, unless you have a card with a Special Power that allows it.
Example: So, I’m Laura, and I’m moving to the Courtyard from the Royal Palace. My plan is to make an Offering to the Obelisk, but first, I need to figure out which spaces are available for me to do that.
Looks like all the ‘7’ spaces are taken, as well as both of the ‘8’ spaces. However, the ‘9’ spaces are wide open! So, what I’m gonna do is spend 9 Crystals and put one of my markers on a ‘9’ space.
End of the Game
You know what? I win the game as soon as I make a specific number of Offerings to the Obelisk. Here’s the breakdown:
- If it’s a 2-player game: I need to make 6 offerings, and I’m the winner!
- If it’s a 3-player game: I need to make 5 offerings. That’s my ticket to victory!
- If we’re playing with 4 players: I need to make 4 offerings, and boom, I win!
But, you know what? If all the Building tiles in the city are rebuilt and none of us players have enough Crystals to make the required number of Offerings, we just keep playing until every player has made as many Offerings as they possibly can. Fair enough, right?
In this game, the winner is determined by the player who has made the most Offerings to the Obelisk. But what happens in the case of a tie? Well, in that situation, the player who has the most remaining Crystals will be declared the winner. However, if even the number of Crystals is tied, then the victory is shared among the tied players. It’s a fair way to ensure that everyone’s efforts are acknowledged.
Now, it’s important to keep in mind that there is a unique scenario that can occur. If all players run out of Player Markers because they have placed them all on unfinished Buildings and the Obelisk, and none of them have made enough Offerings to win the game, then the game ends right away in a draw. This means that nobody wins or loses. It’s a rare occurrence, but it adds an element of uncertainty and excitement to the game.