Nagaraja Game Rules

Hey there! Let’s dive into the thrilling world of Nagaraja and explore the rules of this exciting game.

But hold on a moment, what’s Nagaraja all about? Well, it’s a game that takes you on a mysterious adventure through the ancient ruins of Nagaraja. You’ll encounter powerful artifacts, cunning traps, and intriguing characters, all while unraveling the secrets of this forgotten world.

Now, let’s talk about the rules. When you start a game, you’ll find yourself in one of the eighteen playing areas. Each area is filled with different tiles that represent the artifacts, traps, and curses you’ll come across. Your goal is to strategically explore the area and collect valuable treasures to gain the most points.

To explore an area, you’ll draw tiles from a bag and place them on your own personal board. But be careful! Some tiles may bring great fortune, while others may unleash dangerous curses upon you. It’s a risky endeavor, but the treasures are definitely worth it!

As you uncover tiles, you’ll start creating paths on your board. These paths will lead you to more artifacts, but they can also attract the attention of powerful and mythical creatures, like the double-headed serpent, Nagaraja. If you successfully navigate these encounters, you’ll be rewarded with even greater treasures.

Now, let’s talk about scoring. At the end of the game, you’ll gain points based on the treasures you’ve collected, the artifacts in your possession, and the strength of your path. The player with the most points wins the game and becomes the ultimate explorer of Nagaraja.

So, there you have it! The rules of Nagaraja are as captivating as the game itself. Get ready to embark on an adventure filled with mystery, strategy, and a touch of risk. Will you be able to seize the treasures of Nagaraja and emerge victorious? It’s time to find out!

In Nagaraja, I get to move around my very own temple. It’s a cool game with room tiles in the center and hiding places around the edges. These hiding places hold sacred and cursed relics that are worth victory points. I place them face-down randomly around the temple. Check out these relics:

– 6 sacred relics worth 3 to 5 victory points

– 3 cursed relics worth 6 victory points

Take a look at the Fate Sticks:


Each round, a new room tile is up for grabs. The competition gets intense as we throw the Fate sticks to see who gets to claim it. It’s an exciting game with lots of surprises!

So here’s the deal: if I have more fate points on my sticks than anyone else, I win the room tile. And let me tell you, that’s a big deal. I get to place that tile in my temple, which is pretty awesome if you ask me.

When you play this game, your main goal is to create paths that lead to your relics, so you can flip them over and earn victory points. It’s a game about strategy and planning, where each move counts.

The first player to reach 25 victory points is declared the winner. But be careful, because if you reveal all three cursed relics, you automatically lose the game. It’s a delicate balance between taking risks and playing it safe.

Meet the Nagas

In this game, nothing is guaranteed. It’s a constant challenge that keeps you on your toes.

Each round, you get to use the Nagas shown on your fate sticks. These Nagas give you special abilities and let you play cards that can shape your destiny. It’s up to you to make the most of these opportunities and ensure your success.

What You’ll Need

Getting Started

1. First, choose a temple – either gray or yellow. Place it in front of you with the three blue entrances facing you.

2. Next, take the nine relics that match the color of your temple. Randomly place them face-down around your temple, but make sure they are not on the entrances.

3. Now, grab a player aid to help you throughout the game.

4. Shuffle the 17 room tiles and create a draw pile with them. Place the trap card next to the room tiles.

5. Shuffle the 12 amulets and create a separate draw pile with them. Lay out the 36 fate sticks between you and your opponent.

6. Shuffle the 48 cards and create a draw pile with them.

7. Lay out the 36 fate sticks between you and your opponent.

8. Finally, shuffle the 48 cards and create a separate draw pile with them.

So, let’s get started with the game!

First things first, we need to determine who will go first in the first round. To do this, each player will throw 2 brown fate sticks. The player with the highest total of fate points showing on their sticks will become the guide and collect the scroll. If there’s a tie, don’t worry, we’ll just keep throwing the sticks until we have a winner.

Now that we have our guide, it’s time to deal 5 cards to each player. Everyone should have a fair hand to begin with.

Next, let’s reveal the top room tile in the pile. This is the tile that players will be competing to win in the first round. If the tile happens to have a special location on it, we’ll place an amulet face-down on top.

And there you have it! We are now ready to start exploring our temples and searching for those ancient relics. Good luck!

Fate Sticks

Now, let me quickly explain the different types of fate sticks we have. There are three types, and they are all four-sided. Don’t worry, the player aid will show you the symbols that can appear on each type. Just remember, each fate stick can have two symbols on it. Simple enough, right?

When you play the game Nagaraja, every little thing matters. Take a close look at these two objects: and . They might not seem like much, but they hold a lot of power.

First off, each symbol you collect adds a destiny point to your total. And these destiny points determine who wins the current room tile. So, don’t underestimate the importance of picking up as many of these as you can!

Now, let’s talk about the . These are Nagas, and they have a special ability. With a Naga in your hand, you can activate the effect of any card you still have. This can be a game-changer, so make sure to keep an eye out for these powerful creatures!

Remember, in the world of Nagaraja, even the smallest things can make a big difference. So, keep these symbols in mind as you play, and use them to your advantage. Good luck!



When it comes to choosing sticks to throw in the game, you need to remember that bigger sticks have more fate points but fewer Nagas, while smaller sticks have more Nagas and fewer fate points.

To achieve your desired result, it’s important to choose the right sticks wisely. Here are some guidelines:

• If you want to win the room tile, you should throw more brown sticks with higher fate points.
• If you’re hoping to activate the effects on certain cards, you should choose more green sticks with higher Nagas.

Cards

In the game, there are 48 cards that can be used in two different ways. The way you use the cards depends on when you play them during a round:

• At the start of the round, you can select a card, either alone or with other cards of the same symbol, and throw the fate sticks shown at the top of the card.
• When I’m playing a round, I can use a Naga to activate a card that’s still in my hand. This allows me to apply the effect shown at the bottom of the card. By activating these effects, I can have an impact on different parts of the game, like room tiles, cards, fate sticks, and relics.

It’s important to remember that I can never use both functions of a card simultaneously! Before deciding whether to use a card to select sticks or activate an effect, there are four things I should take into account:



Note: Look at the symbols at the top of the card to see where the effect applies.

Let’s Play

We play this game in rounds. It stops right away if any of the “end of game” conditions are met (go to page 5 to learn more). Each round, a room tile becomes available, and we all compete to win it by playing cards and throwing fate sticks. We follow these 4 steps for each round.

Step 1: Let’s Choose the Fate

First, we need to use cards to pick which fate sticks we will throw.



In the game, I consult my hand, and I choose any number of cards with the same symbol. It doesn’t matter what color the arrows are around the symbol. Once I’ve made my selection, I place the cards face-down on the table. Then, it’s your turn to do the same. Just like me, you have to choose at least one card.

Once both players have chosen their cards, we reveal them at the same time. Each of us collects the fate sticks that are shown on our played cards. Then, we both throw our sticks at the same time. Keep in mind that if a stick doesn’t show a clear result, we have to throw it again.



Example: Once I’ve chosen a card from my hand, my opponent will do the same, selecting two cards of the same type. We’ll then reveal our cards simultaneously.

My card allows me to throw three white sticks, while my opponent’s cards allow her to throw three brown sticks, one white stick, and one green stick.

We’ll both throw our sticks at the same time and see what happens. In the end, I get 5 fate points and 1 Naga, while my opponent gets 11 fate points and 1 Naga.

Step 2: Let the Battle Begin

Now it’s time to use our Nagas to activate the effects of our remaining cards and determine who will win the current room tile.



• Sticks can have a Naga on one side. When we play, we take turns using a Naga. When you use a Naga, you discard the stick with the Naga symbol and activate the effect of a card in your hand. Put the activated card face up in front of you and do what it says. Then the other player can use a Naga. We keep going like this until we both pass, and the Confrontation ends. Remember, we can’t look at the discard pile!
• The player with the most fate points wins the room tile. If we tie, the guide wins. We discard all the cards we played in steps 1 and 2. If only one player has Nagas, they can use them one after the other. If neither of us has Nagas, we skip this step and add up our fate points right away.



So here’s the deal, my friend: I start things off by activating a card in my hand using a Naga. This card I have, it’s pretty sneaky because it forces you to throw away 2 of those brown sticks. Tough luck for you, huh?

Meanwhile, you decide not to use your Naga. So when the dust settles and the confrontation is over, I end up with a grand total of 5 fate points, while you’re sitting pretty at 4.

Guess what? I win the room tile for this round, and all those cards we played are history now.

Step 3: Time to Explore

Check it out – these spots could be new rooms in our temples.

When you place a room tile in your temple, your main goal is to earn victory points by creating pathways that lead you to your precious relics.

Now here’s the thing: the player who won the room tile gets to decide where it goes in their temple. They can position it however they want, but it’s gotta be touching one of the three entrances. Gotta keep things fair, right?

When you play the game, you’ll start by placing room tiles on the game board. You must place each tile adjacent to at least one temple entrance or orthogonally adjacent to any other room tile that is already on the board.

The goal is to form a path connecting any of your temple entrances to either an amulet or a relic. Both of these items have special effects.

• If you connect a temple entrance to an amulet, you can collect it and place it in front of you. This allows you to peek at the amulet and play it at any time during the game.
• If you connect a temple entrance to a relic, you immediately flip it face-up and score the victory points indicated on the relic. However, if the path between the relic and the entrance is broken at any point, the relic is flipped face-down again. Face-down relics do not score any points.

So, as you place your room tiles, you have to strategically consider the paths you’re creating and the potential rewards they lead to. Remember that the layout of your tiles is crucial, and you must make clever decisions to maximize your chances of obtaining valuable amulets and relics.



Example: So, guess what? I just won a room tile! Now, I have to figure out where to put it in my temple. And let me tell you, depending on how I place it, the paths in my temple will lead to different places. I’m considering two options:

In one option, the path connects the entrance to the leftmost relic, and that would reveal it. But here’s the thing, there would be no path leading to the amulet, so it would stay hidden.



In this game, I go on a journey to find an amulet. The path I walk on takes me to the amulet, but there is no path to the relic, so it remains hidden.

Step 4: Something New

Now it’s time for a change. I have to choose a new guide and we also get new cards to play with.

• The person who didn’t win the last room tile becomes the new guide. They get to draw 3 cards and keep 2 of them. The last card goes to their opponent. If there are no more cards left, we shuffle the ones we already used to make a new pile to draw from.
• After that, the new guide shows us the next room tile and the game continues.

For example: Marion, who didn’t win the room tile, is now the new guide for the next round and she gets the scroll. She draws 3 cards, keeps 2, and gives the last card to Elodie. Then, she flips a new room tile to start the next round.

The Game’s Conclusion

The victory points shown on the visible relics and collected amulets are added together to determine your total victory points. The game ends right away in the following cases:



Imagine this: you’re playing a game, the stakes are high, and victory seems within your grasp. Suddenly, you make a fatal mistake – you reveal your third cursed relic. And just like that, the game is over for you. It doesn’t matter how many victory points you’ve accumulated; one wrong move can cost you everything.



So here’s the deal: if I can get to 25 points without showing off all three of my cursed relics, I snatch the victory. That’s it. Game over. Boom.

But hold on, hold on. If we end up in a tie, things get a little trickier. The champ, in that case, is the one who managed to place their ninth tile. Yeah, it’s all about that strategic move.