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Wayfinders Game Rules
Hey there! So you’re interested in learning the game rules for Wayfinders? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Let me guide you through the exciting world of Wayfinders and show you how to play this thrilling game.
First things first, let’s talk about the goal of Wayfinders. The objective is simple: you want to become the greatest navigator in the world! You’ll do this by exploring uncharted islands, constructing airships, and fulfilling contracts. It’s all about adventure and strategy!
To start the game, each player will receive an airship card and some coins. The airship card represents your own personal ship that you’ll use to explore the islands. You’ll also have a handy player mat that shows you all the actions you can take during your turn.
The game is played over four rounds, with each round consisting of three phases – the Flight phase, the Build phase, and the Contract phase. Let’s take a closer look at each phase:
During the Flight phase, you’ll be able to move your airship around the board, discovering new islands and collecting resources. You can also visit islands already discovered by yourself or other players to gain additional benefits. The more islands you explore, the more opportunities you’ll have to make strategic decisions.
Next comes the Build phase. Here, you’ll have the chance to construct buildings on the islands you’ve discovered. These buildings can provide you with valuable resources or special abilities that will give you an edge over your opponents. Your goal is to create a network of interconnected islands, enhancing your exploration capabilities.
Finally, in the Contract phase, you’ll have the opportunity to fulfill contracts. Contracts are objectives that require you to collect specific resources and deliver them to certain islands. By successfully completing contracts, you’ll earn victory points and move closer to becoming the ultimate navigator!
At the end of the game, victory points are tallied, and the player with the most points is declared the winner. But remember, being a skilled navigator is not just about collecting resources and fulfilling contracts – it’s also about making wise decisions and outmaneuvering your opponents!
So there you have it – a brief overview of the Wayfinders game rules. I hope this introduction has piqued your curiosity and you’re ready to dive into the exciting world of exploration and adventure. Get ready to set sail, explore uncharted lands, and become the greatest navigator of all time. Enjoy the journey!
Engines purring, goggles down—I’m about to take off on a seaplane! Welcome to the exciting world of Wayfinders, where explorers like me are always searching for new routes in the sky.
When you’re up in the air, you’ll need to think quickly and make sure your planes are equipped with the right tools to ensure a safe journey. But don’t worry, you can make things easier by building hangars on different islands and stocking them up.
If you plan carefully and stay focused, you’ll discover the hidden treasures of each island. Get ready for an adventure that will have you soaring through the clouds!
Components
- 1 Home Island tile
- 45 island tiles
- 60 resource tokens
- Hangar Board
- Airplanes
- 20 worker meeples
- 40 Airstrip cubes
- 1 resource bag
- 4 player aids
Setup
- Take Player Pieces: Alright, I want you to choose a color that you like, pretty simple right? Once you have, grab yourself an airplane, 5 workers, and 10 airstrip cubes in that color. Get ready to take off!
- Place Home Island: Now, let’s set up the playing area. Put the Home Island tile right in the middle. This is where we’ll start our adventure.
- Place Island Tiles: Time to create the other islands we’ll explore. First, divide the tiles into three groups based on their colored backs. Mix each group separately, and then place the following tiles face-down: 9 red-backed Resource Effect islands, 8 blue-backed Scoring Effect islands, and yellow-backed Permanent Effect islands. Exciting, right?
Okay, here’s what you need to do. Take these tiles and mix them up. After that, put them down on the table in a 5×5 grid, with the Home Island right in the middle. Make sure all the tiles are facing the same way as the Home Island. Any extra tiles can go back in the game box.
The Goal
In Wayfinders, my mission is to gather supplies and travel to various islands to construct Airstrips. It’s a thrilling adventure that requires careful planning and strategic decision-making.
Once the game reaches its conclusion, you’ll tally up the points for each island where you’ve built an Airstrip. Some islands offer special Scoring Effects, which can give you an advantage. The player with the highest score at the end of the game emerges as the victor.
But how exactly does the game work? Let me explain.
First, I gather resources. These resources are crucial for constructing Airstrips on the islands. As a player, it’s my job to gather these resources wisely and efficiently.
Next, I take flight to different islands. Each island offers its own unique challenges and opportunities. It’s important to choose the right island to visit based on my strategy and the resources I’ve collected.
Once I reach an island, I carefully plan and construct an Airstrip. This involves making thoughtful choices and considering how my decisions will impact my overall score.
Throughout the game, I need to keep an eye out for islands that provide special Scoring Effects. These effects can boost my score and give me an edge over my opponents.
As the game progresses, I continue to gather resources, explore new islands, and construct more Airstrips. Each decision I make requires careful consideration and can affect the final outcome of the game.
In the end, the player who has accumulated the most points from their Airstrips and utilized the unique Scoring Effects of certain islands emerges as the victor.
Are you ready to embark on this exciting journey in Wayfinders? If so, gather your resources, chart your course, and let the adventure begin!
When it’s my turn to play, I get the chance to make a move. The game goes in a circle, starting with the first player and then going clockwise.
Here are the options I can choose from:
- I can put one of my workers at a Hangar.
- I can bring back all my workers from the Hangars.
A. Action: Placing a Worker
If I choose to place a worker, I can pick any open spot at one of the Hangars on the Hangar Board.
Each Hangar can have up to three of my workers. If there are already three of my workers at a Hangar, I can’t put another one there. But I can place as many workers as I want at Hangars, as long as there aren’t already three of my workers there.
If I’ve already placed all five of my workers on the board, I can’t take this action. In that case, I have to bring my workers back.
Once I’ve placed a worker, my turn is over.
Example: It’s my turn now, and I decide to place a worker at Hangar #2. I’ll put it below the two other workers already there, one of mine and one belonging to my opponent. Okay, my turn is done.
B. Action: Returning Workers
When it’s time to return workers, here’s what you need to do:
- Get your resources and bring back your workers.
- Move your Airplane and build Airstrips.
- Discard any extra resources until you only have 3 left.
- Refill the Hangar Board.
Step 1: Get Resources and Bring Back Workers
First, you collect 1 resource for each worker you have in each Hangar. Keep in mind, you have to collect the resources in order, from the top of the column to the bottom. The order you placed your workers doesn’t matter!
Now, let’s bring all of your workers back from the Hangar Board. You don’t have to leave any workers behind if you don’t want to.
When you do this, you won’t get any resources, but you can still do the other things you need to do, like moving your Airplane.
Let’s dive right into the action!
So, I decided to bring my workers back from the Hangar Board. Here’s the setup: I had 1 worker at Hangar #1, 1 worker at Hangar #3, and 2 workers at Hangar #4.
My first move was to take the top resource from Hangar #1. I know my worker there is “behind” my opponent’s worker, but I decided to go for it anyway. Then, I grabbed the top resource from Hangar #3. Finally, I took the top 2 resources from Hangar #4.
With all 4 workers in tow, I was ready to move on to the next step of my action.
Step 2: Time to Move the Airplane and Build Airstrips
When I get my workers back, I can use my resources to move my Airplane and build Airstrips. It’s really cool because I get to decide what to do next!
When I spend my resources, I can spend 2 of the same resource instead of just 1. That means I have more options and can be really strategic.
Moving my Airplane
- If I want to go to an island tile that already has an Airstrip (it can be mine or someone else’s), I don’t have to pay anything. It’s totally free!
- But if I want to go to an island tile that doesn’t have any Airstrips, it will cost me 1 resource that matches the color of the island. Don’t worry, I can get the resources I spent back later!
Here’s the deal: I really want to reach this awesome Tropical Island that’s a few islands away from where my Airplane currently is.
The good news is that the first island I need to pass through already has someone else’s Airstrip, so I don’t have to pay anything to move through it.
But here’s the catch: to move into the Ice Island right next to it, I have to give up 1 blue propeller. And if I want to get to the Tropical Island itself, I need to fork over 1 green parachute.
How to Build an Airstrip:
- If I want to build an Airstrip on one of the islands, I have to pay the resource cost shown in the bottom center of the island tile. Once I’ve done that, I can place one of my Airstrip cubes in the next available slot, starting with the space labeled 1 and moving down.
- Here’s the thing, though: I can only have 1 Airstrip on each island. And just so you know, this rule applies to every player; we can’t “block off” islands from each other.
If you’re the first one to build an Airstrip on an island, you get your spent resources back. But if someone has already built an Airstrip there, the player who built the first one gets the resources instead. Certain islands also provide special effects when you place Airstrips on them, which you can learn more about in the “Island Effects” section.
So, here’s what happened. Once I moved my Airplane, I wanted to spice things up a bit on the Tropical Island. I decided to go for an Airstrip, but since no one else had one there, I got to keep my tire, propeller, and headphones. Nice, right? Anyway, I placed my cube on the “#1” spot on the island.
Now, here’s the cool part. The island immediately rewarded me with 2 random resources from the bag. Score! I drew those right away. Oh, and guess what? I’ll get an extra 4 points at the end of the game for building that Airstrip. I’m feeling pretty good about that move.
Step 3: Let’s Keep Our Resources in Check
Okay, so after all the excitement of moving my Airplane and building Airstrips, it’s time to take a breather and go through my resources. If I have more than 3 left, I’ve got to give the extra ones back to the resource bag. Gotta keep a tidy workspace, you know?
But wait! This is the only time I have to discard down to 3 resources. No need to stress about it during other players’ turns or when I place a worker. Phew!
Step 4: Restock the Hangars
If there are any resources left in the Hangars that you collected from, put them on top of the column. Then, refill all of the Hangars with resources from the bag.
Remember to do this after you finish your action because any resources you discard must go back in the bag before refilling the Hangar Board.
End of the Game
When you have 2 or fewer Airstrips left to place on the board (meaning you have already placed 8 or more), the final round of the game begins.
You will complete the final round of turns, starting with the last player in the turn order. To determine the turn order, look at the Home Island and the order of the airstrips placed there during setup.
In this game, you earn points by having Airstrips on different islands. Each island has a specific value, which you can see at the top left of the tile. The value represents how many points that island is worth.
But that’s not all! You also get points for the resources you have left and the workers on your Hangar Board. Each resource is worth 1 point, and each worker is worth 1 point as well.
If there’s a tie between players, the one with the most Airstrips wins. And if there’s still a tie, then it’s a shared victory.
Island Effects
When you put an Airstrip on an island, something special can happen. You might get a Resource Effect (red-backed tiles), a Scoring Effect (blue-backed tiles), or a Permanent Effect (yellow-backed tiles). These effects give you more points at the end of the game.
What happens when I build an Airstrip?
When you build an Airstrip, something exciting happens! You get to draw resources from the bag immediately. It’s like opening a treasure chest, filled with all sorts of goodies just waiting to be used! And the best part? You can spend these resources right away! No waiting around or saving up for later. You have the power to use them as soon as they’re in your hands.
Scoring Effects
Did you know that each island with a Scoring Effect has a different point value? These points are counted at the end of the game.
You get points based on the tile for each of your Airstrips on islands of the same color as the tile. Even the Home Island counts, and it doesn’t have a color!
You also get points based on the tile for each of your Airstrips on islands that cost at least 3 resources or at least 4 resources. Remember, this is at the end of the game!
You will receive points equal to the value shown on the tile for each different color island where you have at least one Airstrip at the end of the game. The Home Island should not be counted.
You will receive points equal to the value shown on the tile for each Airstrip you have on an island where another player also has an Airstrip at the end of the game.
You will receive points equal to the value shown on the tile for each separate group of islands where you have at least one Airstrip at the end of the game. Two groups of islands are considered “separate” if none of the islands in one group are adjacent to any island in the other group.
I’ll earn points equal to the values listed on the tile for each of my Airstrips on an island in the same column as this one (including this island) when the game ends.
I’ll earn points equal to the values listed on the tile for each of my Airstrips on an island in the same row as this one (including this island) when the game ends.
I’ll earn points equal to the values listed on the tile for each of my Airstrips on an island that surrounds this island (adjacent either diagonally or orthogonally) when the game ends. This doesn’t include this island.
You earn the number of points indicated on the tile for each of your Airstrips on an island that is at least 3 spaces away from the Home Island (counting up, down, left, or right) at the end of the game. 
You earn the number of points indicated on the tile for each distinct 2×2 square area where you have Airstrips on each island at the end of the game. Remember, each island can only be part of one square.
Permanent Effects
When you place an Airstrip here, you gain this effect for the rest of the game.
When you discard a card during the “return workers” action, you can keep an additional resource.
You can move your airplane freely through islands of this color.
You can use resources of this type as any resource.
Game Variants
Advanced Setup
If you’re an experienced player, you might want to mix things up by changing the numbers of different types of islands in the game.
You can add more blue or yellow islands, pick islands randomly, or create your own layouts. Don’t forget to share your favorite layouts with us!