Merchants Cove: The Entertainer Crossover Pack — Rules Manual

COMPONENTS
• 1 Entertainer Instrument card
• 26 Entertainer cards
From Bardwood Grove or Spirits of the Grove
• 1 Bardwood Grove player board
• 4 Coin tokens
• 3 Soundstone tokens
• 1 Bard meeple
In a Single Player color
• 1 Volume tracker
• 1 Song tracker
• 6 Badge tokens
• 4 Rune tokens

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SETUP
1. Place a Bardwood Grove player board in front of you.
2. Place your Volume tracker on the “0” space of the Volume track.
3. Place your Song tracker on your player board, above your Tempo Wheel.
4. Place 6 Badges into the 6 rightmost Badge track spaces.
5. Place 1 Coin into each Rune bonus space around your Tempo wheel, then stack 1 Rune onto each coin.
6. Shuffle these 14 cards together and place them face-down onto the deck space on your player board.
7. Place these 4 Creature cards in a stack on Dragon Island on the main board.
8. Place these 4 Improv cards in a stack near the Town Square on the main board.
9. Place these 4 Skill cards in a stack near the Bazaar pier on the main board.
10. Place the Instrument card onto the window space of your player board (the side with Corruption is considered the front).
11. Place your Bard meeple near your player board.
12. Set your Tempo wheel so that the Rune on it is in the top-right quadrant.
13. Draw 2 Skill cards from your deck.
• If you draw a Creature card, immediately place it into one of the two Boast positions at the top-left of your board.
• If you draw an Improv card, immediately place it into your Song tableau.
• In either case, continue to draw until you have 2 Skill cards.

Skill Cards Improv Card Creature Card

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Boast Area
Volume Track
Badge Track Song Tableau
Deck Space
Tempo Wheel
Discard Pile
Improv Cards
Creature Cards
Skill Cards
Song Token
Rune (1/4)
Wheel Rune
Movement
Improv cards are immediately placed into your Song Tableau when drawn.
Effects given by Improv cards are available to use during a Singing Step.
Faction icons shown on the top of each Skill card can be used during a Singing Step with no additional cost.
Faction icons shown below the Volume Cost can only be used during a Singing Step after you have spent the amount of Volume indicated above.
Volume Cost.
Creature cards are immediately placed into the Boast area to the top-left of your player board when drawn.
When you take the Boast action from your Instrument card, gain the printed effects of all Creature cards in your Boast area, in any order, then move them all to the bottom of your Discard Pile.
Instrument Card

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GAMEPLAY
Each turn you take during the Production Phase will occur over 3 steps, starting with the
Composition Step.
Composition Step
1. Play 1 Skill card from your hand to your Song tableau, continuing from the right side of your
player board.
2. Place the other Skill card into your discard pile.
• Immediately rotate your Tempo Wheel a number of quadrants clockwise equal to the number
of Hourglass icons on this card.
• You may take 1 Corruption card to rotate your Tempo Wheel by 1 extra space, or 1 fewer space
(as long as you rotate at least 1 space).
▶ A reminder of this ability is shown on the front of your Instrument card.
• Advance your marker on the Volume track and/or gain Corruption as shown on the bottom of
the discarded card
3. If your Tempo Wheel completes a full rotation, flip your Instrument card over (you will perform a
Singing step this turn). A full rotation means that the Rune on your Tempo wheel crosses the Song
Token at the top of your player board while rotating.
Singing Step*
*This step only occurs if your Tempo Wheel has made a full rotation past your Singing token during the previous Composition
step. Otherwise, skip this phase and move directly to the Downtime step.
Unlike many other merchants, you can Sing and earn Gold during the Production phase. You will
additionally gain a free Singing step at the beginning of each Market phase. This is called your
Swan Song, and will be described in more detail later.
1. Flip your Instrument card to its back side.
2. Place your Bard meeple onto any of the 9 possible locations, further broken into 4 categories:
Piers, Town Square, Faction Halls, Dragon Island. Each of these is described in detail below.
3. Check the position of the Rune on your Tempo Wheel. Whatever Movement value is shown
represents the number of other locations you may move to and perform at this turn.
4. At each location you Perform, you may spend any number of Resources and/or Faction icons to
gain the locations benefits.
5. After you are satisfied with your actions in a location, if able, you can move your Bard meeple to
another location and perform actions there.
6. You can spend each icon on cards in your Song Tableau once. You may combine icons for
increased effect, but may not split icons from the same source across multiple locations.
Downtime Step
1. Resolve the clock by advancing your Time tracker on the Clock a number of spaces equal to the
number of Hourglass icons on the top card of your discard pile, which will be the card you discarded
this turn during your Composition step.
2. If you had a Singing step this turn, discard all non-Instrument cards from your Song tableau into
your Discard pile. Then flip your Instrument card over to its front side.
3. Draw cards from your deck until you have Skill cards equal to your hand size.
a. If you draw a Creature, Fan, or Improv card, immediately place them into their designated
spaces*, and continue to draw until you have Skill cards equal to your hand size.
b. If you need to draw a card but your deck is empty, immediately shuffle all cards in your discard
pile together, turn them face-down, place them back onto your player board, and continue drawing.
ADDITIONAL RULES
Designated Card Spaces
All non-Skill cards you draw during your Downtime are immediately played to their designated
area, and you continue drawing until you have a number of Skill Cards equal to your hand size.
Improv cards are immediately added into your song tableau.
Creature cards are placed into your Boast area. When you Boast, you may activate the effect of
all cards here, then discard them. You can have any number of cards in your Boast area.
CONCEPTS
Faction Icons
Faction Icons are given by the cards in your Song Tableau, and are normally used as score
multipliers based on the number of matching Adventurer meeples at your location. You may
combine Faction icons from multiple cards and sources.
Paladin Faction Icon
You may spend this Faction Icon as any one color of Faction Icon (you cannot split it into
multiple colors of icon).
Splitting Faction Icons
When spending Faction Icons worth 2, 3, or 4, they must all be spent at the same time - they cannot
be saved to be spent elsewhere.
Boast
This effect is shown on your Instrument card during each Singing Step. You may spend 3
Volume to gain this effect. When you Boast, activate the effect printed at the bottom of all
Creature cards in your Boasting area in any order. Then discard them all to the bottom of your
discard pile.
Coin
Gain Gold equal to the number of coins shown.
Soundstone
This icon represents a Soundstone token. When you gain this icon, take a matching token into
your supply. You may spend these tokens during a Singing Step to gain 3 Faction Icons of the
same color (as shown on your Instrument card). These are intentionally component limited.
Gaining New Cards
New cards are always placed face-down on top of your deck.
Hand Size
This is the maximum number of Skill cards you can hold in your hand. Your hand size is
always equal to the number of revealed Melody icons on your Badge track. Your hand size
will increase as badges are removed from your player board. During each Downtime phase, you will
draw cards until you are at your Hand Size.
Volume
When you gain or lose Volume, adjust your Volume Tracker by the indicated amount (max. 6).
Volume is spent to activate the bottom half of some Skill Cards, as well as to activate your
Instrument.
Market Phase - Swan Song
When the Market Phase begins, before any player makes a sale, you may trigger another song
regardless of your Tempo Wheel position, following all rules in the Singing section above. If you
decide to take a Swan Song, after you are done, discard all cards from your Song tableau into
your Discard pile. Then flip your Instrument card over to its front side.

player board During each Downtime phase you will draw cards until you are at your Hand Size Volume When you gain or lose Volume adjust your Volume Tracker by the indicated amount max 6 Volume is spent to activate the bottom half of some Skill Cards as well as to activate your Instrument Market Phase Swan Song When the Market Phase begins before any player makes a sale you may trigger another song regardless of your Tempo Wheel position following all rules in the Singing section above If you decide to take a Swan Song after you are done discard all cards from your Song tableau into your Discard pile Then flip your Instrument card over to its front side

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Faction Halls
There are 4 Faction Hall Locations: Warrior Hall, Bard Hall, Wizard Hall, and the Noble Hall.
Performing at a Faction Hall allows you to later perform at Dragon Island, affecting Adventurers matching the Faction Hall. You can only perform at each Faction Hall once during the game. You cannot perform at a Faction Hall containing one of your Runes. Additionally, you cannot perform at the Rogues Lair (too risky) or the Paladin Faction Hall (fun is banned). When performing at a Faction Hall:
1. Spend Faction Icons matching the chosen Faction Hall, and totaling more than the number of Adventurers present there.
2. Place one of your Runes from your Tempo Wheel into this Faction Hall.
3. This increases the cost to buy cards, but it also entitles you to sing to the matching color of Customer from Dragon Island.

Dragon Island
There is 1 Dragon Island Location.
You cannot perform at this location unless you have at least 1 Rune placed into a Faction Hall.
1. Select a side of Serpents Bay (either side of Dragon Island) to sing to; you will be singing to all Adventurers on each undocked boat on the chosen side of Dragon Island.
2. Select a Faction Hall.
3. Spend Faction icons equal to the selected Faction Hall, then multiply the number of Adventurers in the selected Faction Hall by the number of matching-colored Adventurers on the selected side of Dragon Island, and immediately gain that much Gold.
4. You may repeat steps 2 & 3, provided you select a legal Faction Hall you have not already selected this turn.
5. If you earned at least 1 Gold during this Performance, take 1 Creature card (for free) from Dragon Island and place it face-up into your Boasting area.

PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS

Piers
There are 3 Pier Locations, one for each Pier.
1. Use a number of Faction icons from your Song tableau, then multiply the amount spent by the number of matching-colored Adventurers on the same pier as your Bard figure, and immediately gain that much Gold.
2. You may purchase 1 new Skill or Improv card each time you perform on the Piers. The price to purchase the card is equal to 1, plus 1 for each revealed Coin (around your Tempo Wheel) or Blue Gem (on your Badge track) revealed on your player board. Decrease your Gold tracker an equivalent number of spaces to the cost.
3. Purchased cards are placed face-down on top of your deck.

Town Square
There is 1 Town Square Location.
Performing in the Town Square allows you to place Badges from your player board onto Townsfolk. Instead of staff, these Townsfolk will act as fans of the Entertainer, providing Sponsorship during and at the end of the game. The first two Badges you place will increase your Hand Size. The last four Badges you place will reveal a . Each of these revealed icons increases the Cost to purchase cards on their respective Pier by 1.
Use Faction icons to gain a new fan.
1. Select a Townsfolk card in the Townsquare.
2. The number of Faction icons you must spend is equal to 1, plus the number of fans you already have (Townsfolk anywhere with your badge on them).
• You may spend any color or combination of Faction icons to take this action.
3. Place the leftmost Badge from your Badge track onto the selected Townsfolk card.
• This Townsfolk is considered to be a fan of yours, and you will score their Faction Icons at the end of the game, regardless of where that Townsfolk is located.
Recruiting Fans: If another player Recruits a Townsfolk with one of your Badges, both you and that player gain immediate Faction Sponsorship from their Faction Icons.
Discarding Fans: If a Townsfolk with one of your Badges on it would be discarded due to an effect, or during Cleanup, instead place them near your player board, and gain immediate Faction Sponsorship from their Faction Icons.

Piers
Town Square
Faction Halls
Dragon Island

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SINGING STEP EXAMPLE
During your Composition Step, your Tempo Wheel Rune rotated past the Singing Token, indicating you will perform a Singing Step this turn.
1. You turn your Instrument card over, and move the Singing Token to it as a reminder.
2. You place your Bard figure into the Red Faction Hall.
• 2a. You spend the 2 Warrior icons from the second card in your Song tableau in order to place a Rune into the Warrior Faction Hall.
- This will allow you to sing at Dragon Island later.
• 2b. Based on the position of your Rune Wheel, you can move and perform at 2 more locations.
3. You move to the Town Square to perform.
• You spend two Noble icons from the furthest right card in your Song Tableau in order to place a Badge onto a Townsfolk.
• Since it’s your second Badge you’ve placed this game, it requires 2 icons.
• Your hand size is now 4, allowing you to draw to 4 Skill cards during the Downtime step.
4. You move to Dragon Island to perform.
• You designate the right-hand side of the bay.
• You spend 3 Volume to unlock the lower part of your rightmost card, granting you 2 Warrior Faction icons.
• You spend the Soundstone token in your supply for 3 more Wild faction symbols, (you select Warriors).
• You also use the leftmost card in your Song Tableau, which grants you 1 Wild faction symbol for each Skill card in your song (3), which you convert into Warrior icons.
• You now have 8 Warrior Symbols that you spend singing to the 4 total Warrior meeples on the Boats at sea, on the right-side of Dragon Island.
• You immediately gain 32 Gold (8x4), and take a creature card of choice from the Island, placing it face-up into your Boasting area.
5. You have no more places to move to, but you have 3 Volume and decide to Boast.
• You gain the Soundstone and 1 Corruption card into your supply.
• You discard the creature to the bottom of your discard pile.
6. You retrieve your Bard figure from the board, returning it to in front of you, and continue to the Downtime step.
3.3.
5.5.
1.1.
2a.2a.
2b.2b.
2.2.
4.4.
6.6.

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