Miners and Makers: Settlement

## **Miners & Makers: Settlement**

by Gary Boyd

1-4 Playeres

20-60 minutes

In Miners and Makers (M&Ms) you take on the role of new colonies on a previously uninhabited island. Gather resources, use tools, advance technology, and settle the island to win. But do it quickly, because you may not be the only one trying to settle this new land.

### **Starting Tiles**

* 1 Player: 11 map tiles and 10 tech tiles
* 2 Players: 13 map tiles and 12 tech tiles
* 3 Players: 16 map tiles and 14 tech tiles
* 4 Players: 21 map tiles and 15 tech tiles

### **The Map**

Place one random tile face up to start. Players take an equal number of map tiles. Starting with the first player, each player places a tile face up in a new location adjoining at least 1 other location. Tiles may adjoin half or all of another tile. After their first tile, players may add new locations or play tiles on top of other tiles to create stacks. Locations may have up to 3 tiles in a stack. Players place their last tile face down in a new location adjoining at least 1 other tile. This is their starting settlement. Alternatively, players may decide upon a map configuration amongst themselves.

***If a tile is removed from the board during the game, 4 resources are placed on the tile below. In order to remove a single tile stack, the tile can only be take if it isn't a settlement, and it wouldn't break the island into separate pieces.***

### **Setup**

1. Select a color—except gray—and take the meeple and 2 matching cube. Choose a first player.
2. Randomize tiles and Make the Map (see above) in the center of the table. Place the scoring track.
3. Place meeples on starting settlements, 1 cube in the center of the tile, and 1 at the bottom of the scoring track. Place the two turn track cards (orange & green) with the grey meeple on the first turn.
4. Place 4 cubes on each starting location except for starting settlements.
5. Shuffle cards. Deal 5 to facedown to each player and 1 face up into their Stash. Draw three cards and place them in a display, place the deck to the left of the display, and one card in the discard.
6. Place tech tiles into a face down stack above the discard. Flip 4 tiles face up from the stack in a row to the right of of the stack. Return remaining tiles to the box.

**The Game Round** ===
Starting with the first player, each player take a turn placing up to 3 stacks of cards in front of them. One stack is used for scoring, one stack for actions, and one for resources. You may play up to 3 cards in each stack, each round. The total number of cards you may play is 6.

If you use a Tech Tile, flip it facedown. If you have no cards or tech left, you must pass the turn. A player may pass the turn at any point after resolving all card effects.

All resources gained during the turn are placed in front of you and all cards gained in your hand. All cards taken from the deck and tiles from the tech stack are immediately replaced. When a tech tile is taken place the tile face down in your tree. Immediately replace it with the top tile of the stack and the resource that was on top of the stack.

Once players have taken their turns, discard the action and resource stacks. Cards score only in increments of 10, any remaining points or unused cards in a point stack are discarded. Score points for each card you played into the scoring stack. If a player end a round with at least 3 settlements, 3 tech tiles, and 60 points, go to end game scoring.  If you have more than 6 resources in your pool or 6 cards in your hand, discard until you have 7. Draw back up to 5 cards.

Tip: In game scoring is only about 1/2 to 1/3 of overall scoring. Don't rush to 60 and up losing because you didn't increase tech tiers and settlements.

**Cards** ===
Cards may be played for points, as actions or as resources. The border of a card is the type of resource it may be played as. The tool icon shows what type of tool action is used when playing the card face up. If a card is played face up it is worth points equal to the pips on the bottom of the card at the end of the round.

#### **Movement and Elevation**

Moving from 1 Location to another takes 1 move. Moving up costs +1 move for each tile you climb. Moving down has no extra cost. If an action allows you to climb, it allows you to move from your current tile to an adjoining tile.

**Settlement and Construction** ====
You start with 1 settlement. To start new settlements, use the staff tool action on an empty location and have a resource cube of your color. If you construct on a settlement by placing resources on it, it is a constructed settlement unless there is only the center cube left on it.

#### **Tech Levels and the Tech Tree**

The tech level for an action is the total of all cards with that action icon used face up in the action stack, plus any face up tiles with the same icon multiplied by the tier. Map tiles are always tech tier 1. Tiles used to take an action are flipped face down, placing the top card of deck face down into the action. stack. Tiles are scored at the end of the game and cannot be used as resources or for points during a round.

When you gain a tech tile, place it facedown on the first tier. If you have more than 2 of the same tool on your tree or more than 7 tools total, remove the lowest tier duplicate tile and return it to the bottom of the Tech stack. 1 of the remaining tiles with the same icon moves up tiers equal to the tier of the tile discarded ignoring the requirememnts for support from below.

### **Resource Stack**

Resources consist of resource cubes and cards played as resources. Only resource cubes may be used to settle or construct. All resources may be used to pay costs. Resource cubes spent go to the box.

### **Point Stack**

The point stack is counted in increments of 10. Points leftover at the end of a round do not carry forward.

### **Action Stack**

Cards played to the action stack may be played face up or face down.

#### **Basic Actions**

Players may always take a basic action by playing a card face down on the action stack. The basic actions are not effected by tech bonus.

* Move 1 or use 2 actions to climb 1.
* Take a resource from the board or bag.
* Spend 1 resource of the matching color to take a card from the display.
* Use 1 resource to construct while on a settlement.
* Use a tech tile to take that tech tool action.
* Pass the turn.

#### **Tool Actions**

The numbers of an action corresponds to the number of pips in the tool icon. Tech is affected by all face up tool cards, face up tiles in the tech tree, and actions used from the map. No resource cost can be less than 0. Unless, otherwise specified, tech value bonuses apply to all actions which can use them.

1. Water - Move, swim, or climb. Then, transfer 1 resource to or from any of your constructed settlements. Water tech increases the number or resources you may transfer.
2. Rock - In any order, move or climb 1, take 1 from the current location, and 1 from the current location or the bag. Rock Tech increases the number of resources taken.
3. Wood - In any order, take a combination of move and resources the bag or spend 1 resource to take the top of the discard pile. Wood tech increases the value or color count of a resource.
4. Brick - Either, look at the top card of the deck, and spend 1 resource to take 2 cards. Or construct on a settlement using any number of resource cubes. Brick tech increases the number of cards taken.
5. Gear - Use the tool action of your current location or spend 5 resources of a single color to take a tile from the display or the current empty location. Gear tech increases hand limit.
6. Staff - Spend 1 resource to play up to 2 additional cards to any stacks or spend 6 resources of any color to settle the current empty location. Staff tech increases total number of cards playable.

*Note: Wood tech allows any 1 resource to count as either multiple resources or 1 resources of many colors. This doesn't count towards cards played. Brick tech resource costs correspond with cards taken, rounding costs up (brick tech level 2 lets a player take 3 cards for 2 resources, brick tech level 4 for 2). Gear tech actions on the board cannot result in additional actions. They may still be used to gain tech and increase tech value. Gear tool actions used to take other actions only increase tech value for that action.*

### **End Game Scoring**

1. The player who was first to meet the end game condition takes 12 points.
2. Take 1 point for each card in hand and 1 for every 2 resources in your pool.
3. The player with the highest cumulative tech tier takes 9 points and the one with the most settlements takes 5 points. Ties split as evenly as possible in reverse turn order starting with the last player.
4. Tech Tiles are scored by multiplying the top tier in your tech tree by the number of tiles in your tech tree.
5. For each settlement take 3 points.
6. Collect cubes from all constructed settlements. Take 1 point per cube, then use each cube to score in both (no wilds):
	1. Take 15 points for each set of 6 cubes in each of the 6 colors.
	2. Take 1-2-5-8-13 points for each set of up to 5 of the same color.

### **Solo Variant**

When setting up for a single-player game, ensure that there are only 7 locations including your starting settlement. Choose a color for the AI player. Ignoring your starting settlement, assign the numbers 1 through 6 to the remaining locations. Take the two turn tracker cards and the grey meeple. You will mark turns first on the green turn tracker, then on the yellow. All tiles and resources taken are put aside for end game scoring. If given a choice, always take the player's color resource cubes first, otherwise the player may decide.

At the end of each round roll two die. First, draw a card and score points equal the number on the card. Next assign one to be the first die. If it corresponds to an already existing settlement, take the top tile from the stack of tech tiles. If it corresponds to an empty tile make a settlement. The opponent does not have to have a cube of its color. Take one from the bag or the box. If the first die corresponds with a map tile that has resources, check the second die. If the value on the white die is greater than the number of resources, take resources from the bag equal to the value. Otherwise, take resources from the board and draw an additional card for points for the opponent.

The opponent can end the game before the end of the 8th round if it meets normal end conditions. If it does, the player loses. Otherwise, if the player ends the game or they reach the end of the 8th round, there is end game scoring. The opponent takes 1 point for each resource collected, 7 points for each tile, and 15 points for each settlement. For a more difficult game, start the opponent at 10 points.