2021 Puesto n.º 2513 en BGG

Mandala Stones

2–4 jugadores 30 min A partir de 10 años 1.8/5 de complejidad 6.1/10 de valoración

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In Mandala Stones, you use artists to collect colorful stones in towers that you then score. To set up the game, randomly place the 96 stones — 24 each in four colors and 48 each in two patterns — on the main board in stacks of four. Place the four artist pillars in their starting locations among these stone stacks. On a turn, you either pick stones or score stones. To pick, move an artist to a new location, then collect all stones adjacent to this artist that (1) bear the same pattern as that artist and (2) are not adjacent to another artist. Choose one of these stones to be first in a tower, then stack the other collected stones on top of this foundation one in clockwise order, then place this tower on an empty space on your player board. To score, choose to remove either (1) a color that appears on the top stones of at least two towers on your player board or (2) any number of top stones on your player board. In the latter case, you score 1 point for each removed stone. In the former case, you score points for each removed stone depending on the scoring condition for that space on your player board, which might be based on the height of that stone in a tower or the number of colors in that tower or the height of all towers on your board. Place all removed stones on the shared central mandala, building from the inside out and possibly scoring points depending on the spaces that you cover. If a player can neither pick nor score OR if a stone placed on the central mandala covers the game-ending space based on the number of players in the game, complete the round so that everyone has the same number of turns. Each player can then score one of two secret objective cards in their hand, then the player with the most points wins.

Qué sensaciones ofrece

Layering Set Collection End Game Bonuses Pattern Building Variable Set-up Abstract Strategy Art

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Preparación

1. Place the main board in the center of the table within reach of all players. 2. Place all 96 Stones into the cotton bag. Draw Stones one at a time and place 4 onto each space marked with the stack symbol on the main board, forming stacks. 3. Place one random Artist onto each of the four designated circle spaces on the main board. 4. Place the Mandala board next to the main board. It starts empty and will be filled with Stones as the game progresses. 5. Give each player a reference card, a player board, and a scoring marker. Place each scoring marker on the starting space of the Victory Point track on the player board. 6. Shuffle all Objective cards face-down and deal 2 to each player. Players may look at their own Objective cards at any time but must keep them hidden from opponents. 7. Randomly select a starting player. Play proceeds clockwise.

Flujo del turno

On your turn you must perform exactly one of two actions: PICK or SCORE. PICK: Move one Artist to a different empty circle space on the main board. Collect all eligible Stones from the tops of the four adjacent stacks (those not adjacent to another Artist AND whose color matches the Artist's pattern). You must be able to take at least one Stone. Choose which eligible Stone to take first, then proceed clockwise collecting all eligible Stones into a tower (first chosen Stone on bottom). Place the completed tower on any empty space on your player board. You may not rearrange the Stones. SCORE: Choose either 'Score a color' or 'Score any top Stones'. - Score a color: Pick a color shared by the top Stones of at least 2 towers on your player board. Score ALL towers topped by that color from left to right, applying each tower's printed rule. Then remove all those top Stones and place them on the Mandala board starting from the nearest unoccupied center space, proceeding clockwise outward. - Score any top Stones: Choose any number of Stones from the tops of your towers. Score 1 VP per Stone selected, then remove and place them on the Mandala board following the same placement rules. In both scoring options, covering certain spaces on the Mandala board grants immediate bonus VP. Covering a space with the end-game hand symbol (matching the player count) triggers the end-game condition.

Puntuación y victoria

The player with the most Victory Points at game end wins. Points are earned during the game by scoring towers (via the SCORE action), landing on VP spaces on the Mandala board, and scoring an Objective card at game end. In case of a tie, the player earliest in turn order wins. Fuentes de puntuación: Scoring towers using the 'Score a color' action (applying each tower's printed rule), Scoring top Stones with 'Score any top Stones' action (1 VP per Stone), Landing on VP bonus spaces on the Mandala board when placing scored Stones, Scoring one Objective card at game end if its condition is met

Fuente: Rulebook

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Turn structure

On your turn, choose exactly one action: PICK or SCORE.

Each turn, a player must perform exactly one of two actions: PICK or SCORE. No other actions are available. If the player cannot legally perform PICK (because their player board has no empty spaces), they must SCORE. If a player cannot legally perform either action, the game ends immediately.

Turn structure

Move one Artist to any different empty circle space on the main board.

When taking the PICK action, first choose one of the four Artists and move it to any empty circle space on the main board. The Artist must move to a different position from where it currently is. The circle spaces are the designated positions shown on the main board.

Restriction

Only take Stones that are not adjacent to another Artist AND match the moved Artist's pattern.

After moving an Artist, you may take Stones from the top of the four stacks adjacent to that Artist's new position. A Stone is eligible only if: (1) its stack is not adjacent to any other Artist (artist adjacency blocks collection), AND (2) the Stone's color matches the pattern of the Artist you selected. Both conditions must be satisfied for a Stone to be taken.

Restriction

You must be able to take at least one Stone when performing PICK.

When choosing the PICK action, you must move the Artist to a position where at least one eligible Stone can be collected. If no valid move exists that allows taking any Stone, you must SCORE instead. If you are also unable to SCORE, the game ends immediately.

Turn structure

Choose which eligible Stone to take first; then take all others clockwise, forming a tower.

Once you have identified all eligible Stones, choose which Stone to take first. Then, starting with that Stone and proceeding clockwise around the Artist, take each eligible Stone in order, placing them on top of each other to form a tower. The first Stone chosen goes on the bottom of the tower. You may not skip any eligible Stones — you must take all of them.

Restriction

You may not rearrange the order of Stones within a tower.

After forming a tower from collected Stones, the order of Stones is fixed. You cannot rearrange the Stones within the tower at any time, either while building it or after placing it on your player board.

Turn structure

Place the newly formed tower on any empty space on your player board.

After forming the tower of collected Stones, place it on any empty space on your player board. Each space on the player board has a printed tower-scoring rule associated with it, which will apply when that tower is scored.

Restriction

If your player board has no empty spaces, you cannot take the PICK action.

If all spaces on your player board are occupied by towers, you are not allowed to perform the PICK action. You must SCORE instead.

Informe estratégico

Timing the SCORE action

The tall-pyramid tower rule (1/2/4/6 VP) rewards waiting until your tower has 4 Stones before scoring, but a full player board forces you to SCORE. Plan tower placements so you don't fill your board prematurely and are forced to score tall-pyramid towers at suboptimal heights.

Maximizing the height-variety rule

The height-variety rule scores 1 VP per distinct height across all towers on your board, including empty spaces (height 0). Just before scoring this tower, aim to have towers of as many different heights as possible. Because towers are scored left to right, earlier-scored towers will have their top Stone removed, changing heights — factor this in when planning your board state.

Color consolidation for powerful SCORE turns

The 'Score any top Stones' action scores only 1 VP per Stone. By strategically using it to clear unwanted top Stones, you can consolidate a single color across multiple tower tops. A subsequent 'Score a color' turn can then fire off multiple powerful tower rules simultaneously for significantly more VP.

Artist positioning to block opponents

Because a stack adjacent to any Artist (not just yours) is blocked from collection, you can deliberately position your Artist adjacent to stacks your opponents want, preventing them from taking those Stones on their next PICK.

Mandala board VP spaces

Since you choose the order in which you place scored Stones on the Mandala board, you can arrange your placement to land more valuable Stones (or simply more Stones) on bonus VP spaces. Plan your scoring turns to cover multiple bonus spaces when possible.

Stone collection order affects tower composition

The order of Stones in a tower is locked once formed. Because tower rules depend on height and color diversity, carefully choose which eligible Stone you pick first (and thus place at the bottom). The color-diversity tower rule rewards towers with 4 different colors, so diversifying tower composition when possible is advantageous.

Objective card alignment

Objective cards are secret scoring conditions evaluated at game end. Build your player board state with both Objective cards in mind from the start, since you only score one. Prioritize the condition that is easier to achieve while also synergizing with your overall scoring strategy.

Preguntas frecuentes y casos límite

When scoring the height-variety tower rule (score 1 VP per different height), does the order in which towers are scored matter?

Yes. Towers must be scored left to right. The height-variety rule counts all towers currently on the board at the moment it is evaluated. Since towers to the left are scored (and their top Stone removed, reducing height) before the height-variety space is reached, those updated heights are what get counted. Score earlier towers first, then evaluate the height-variety tower.

Does an empty space on the player board count as a 'height' for the height-variety tower rule?

Yes. 'Zero' (an empty space) is explicitly listed as a valid height for the height-variety rule. If you have at least one empty space on your player board when this rule is evaluated, height 0 is counted as one of the distinct heights.

Can I choose to score only some of the towers topped with the selected color, leaving others?

No. When you choose to score a color, you must score ALL towers on your player board whose top Stone matches the selected color. You cannot selectively score a subset of them.

Can I use 'Score any top Stones' to score just one Stone, or to score Stones of different colors?

Yes. 'Score any top Stones' lets you select any number of Stones (including just one) from the tops of your towers, regardless of color or pattern. Each Stone scores 1 VP. This is distinct from 'Score a color', which requires at least 2 towers sharing a top color and applies specific tower rules.

If a stack is adjacent to a different Artist than the one I'm moving, can I still take that Stone?

No. You may only take Stones from stacks that are NOT adjacent to any other Artist (other than the one you just moved). Even if the Stone matches your Artist's pattern, if its stack is adjacent to another Artist, it is blocked and cannot be collected.

If I'm placing multiple Stones on the Mandala board and one will land on a VP space, can I choose which Stone covers it to maximize bonus?

Yes. The rules state you may place the Stones in any order when filling the Mandala board. You can therefore choose which Stone (if it matters for any reason) covers the VP bonus space. The Stones must still be placed starting from the nearest unoccupied center space and proceeding clockwise outward.

What happens if all spaces on my player board are filled and it's my turn?

You cannot take the PICK action. You must SCORE. If you are also unable to SCORE (e.g., no towers share a color on top and you have no Stones to take), the game ends immediately.

At game end, do I score both of my Objective cards?

No. Each player reveals both Objective cards but selects only one to score. If the condition on the chosen card is met on your player board, you score the indicated VP.

The Mandala board has spaces with 1 hand, 2 hands, 3 hands, and 4 hands. In a 3-player game, which space triggers the end?

Only the space showing exactly 3 hands (matching the player count) triggers the end-game. Spaces showing 1 or 2 hands are treated as blank spaces with no special effect in a 3-player game.