Vrienden

Basics

Your dice are citizens or workers, depending on where they are. When in the Citizenry (the square area with the stick-figure), they are citizens. They become "workers" when placed in the "cup", the cup-like area to the left of the citizens reserve. As workers, you will be able to make them do stuff.

They come in various colors, white being the basic one. Each has various faces, which corresponds to actions. Their color is also important. The dice will also be used to represent production.

Warning: the BGA version is coded to play fast. It will do a lot of actions automatically when they do not require choices. So you might be surprised the first times...

The 5 phases

The black strip at the top represents the 5 phases, each being an action. Each player will (secretly) choose and activate ONE phase. The other phases will not be played (except with 2PL, where a third will be randomly determined). So with 3PL, only three phases will be played.

You start by rolling all you *Worker* dice (those in the cup). They are automatically assigned to the phase matching the face rolled. To activate a phase, click on a die and on the phase. That die will be placed on that phase. The action on the die does NOT have to match!

Note: everyone has a free Dictate ability. First, choose your phase. Then click on a die you don't need, and click Dictate. This will allow you to move any one other die to any column (presumably the one you activated...) Dice with a wild face (*) can be reassigned freely.

Perform actions

Next, phases happen in order. Dice you have under each chosen phase (and the die on the black strip) will be used to perform that phase's action(s) and sent back to Citizenry. Any dice under phases not chosen, or unused ones, go back into your cup, automatically.

End of turn: manage and recruit citizens

All used dice were sent back to your citizenry. During this phase you can reactivate them as worker by paying 1$ per die. This is the only use of your money, so you rarely need to keep money. If you spend all your money, you get 1 money at the end of the round.

You can also freely retrieve any dice that are stuck on developments or worlds, to reassign them later.

Game setup

Each player receives a random double tile with a special ability, and a random starter tile next to it. Then you receive two tiles from the shared supply, to form your unbuilt tile stacks. Each tile has two faces: a development or a world. For the first two tiles, one must be a world, the other a development, and you choose which is which.

You also start with 5 white dice.

Game end

When anyone has 12 tiles built, or if all VP chips are used up.

Watch out!

If you happen to have the Alien Archeology starting tile/ability, ($4 instead of $2 when stocking using a yellow die,) note that the first die used in the Explore phase will always be a yellow die, if possible, regardless of the die you select. Be sure to stock first to get the $4, then scout afterward.

Die Side Summary

Strategy Tips

Strategy Tips