Rurik: Stone & Blade — Rules Manual

x1
x2
x3
x2
x311 Goods
Increase the supply
for each type of good.
3 Leader Miniatures and Cards
See p. 3 for more details.
Rurik: Stone & Blade is a modular expansion for Rurik: Dawn of Kiev and requires a copy of the base game to play.
The expansion is divided into core content and three modules. It is recommended to integrate the core content
into all future plays of the game. You can add an individual module or any combination of modules.
▶ Core Content: More gameplay variety with minimal rules overhead.
▶ Module A - Epic Structures: Build structures to cement your legacy.
▶ Module B - Warfare: Capture opposing troops and hold them for ransom.
▶ Module C - Rebel Factions: Suppress the growing rebel opposition.
Overview
Tavern
Stable
16 Structures
There are two new structure types,
with two of each type per player color.
12 Trade Boon Tokens
Three per player color. Reward
players for collecting more goods.
6 Warfare Reward Tokens
Provide extra incentives for
players to attack opponents.
16 Victory Point Tokens
Used to track victory points
earned in various ways.
4 Deed Cards
New deeds reward ruling
specific sets of regions or
building new structures.
Back
Front
Player
count
Starting
bonus
15 Inheritance Cards
Inheritances are dual
purpose cards. They
provide different starting
bonuses for each player. In
the Rebel Factions module,
they also dictate where the
rebel faction takes actions.
Module
icon
Region
One solo reference card and
three solo leader cards.
4 Solo Cards4 Reference Cards
COMPONENTS
4 Rebel Reward Tokens
Provide the same rewards added by
the new rebel miniatures, for players
using the Rebel Rewards Variant.
4 Rebel Miniatures
Provide uncertainty over what
rewards are available during a game.
Core Content
The core content offers more gameplay variety and changes
how players evaluate their options. Play as new leaders, build
new structures, and gain new benefits from warfare and
trade. Who will make the best use of their inheritance?
7 Intrigue Cards
Intrigue cards introduce new
effects, requiring players to
adjust their strategy as they play.
The throne of Kievan Rus is finally within your grasp — if you can rise above your
sibling rivals! Build epic structures, capture your enemies for ransom, and deal
with rebel opposition. Will you seize your destiny or fade into obscurity?
NOTE: This expansion rulebook
assumes that you are familiar
with the base game. If the rules for
the base game and the expansion
ever appear to be in conflict, the
expansion rules take precedence.
NOTE: All printed components (i.e., cards and punchboard
pieces) are marked with a module icon to help identify them.
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SETUP
Follow the setup for the base game, with these changes:
A. Give each player two coins (instead of three).
B. Add the four new rebel miniatures to those from the base game.
C. Shuffle the four new deed cards, marked with the core content icon,
into the deed deck.
D. Before placing troop miniatures, shuffle the inheritance cards and deal
three to each player, face down. Make sure to use the cards marked for
the current player count. Each player selects two of these cards to keep
and returns the other to the game box.
E. Each player places two troops on the game board (instead of three).
F. After all players have placed their leader miniatures, in clockwise
order, beginning with the first player, players each reveal their selected
inheritance cards and gain the starting bonuses shown. Return all
inheritance cards to the game box.
G. Each player takes three trade boon tokens in their color and places one
below each of the three central boat columns on their household mat
(wood, fish, honey).
H. Each player takes two stables and two taverns in their color.
I. Select five warfare reward tokens at random. Place them face up next
to the claim board, with one token next to every space on the right side
of the warfare track. Return the remaining token to the game box.
J. Place the victory point tokens off to the side.
K. Choose whether to play with intrigue cards. If you do, shuffle
the intrigue cards and place three cards face up in a row, above
the strategy board. Return the others to the game box.
Gleb
Once per round, when you attack in
Gleb’s region with no casualty, gain
two movement points to use with
any of your troops located in his
region (including Gleb).
Sviatoslav
Before you spend any build points on your
turn, you may move Sviatoslav to an adjacent
region with a rebel or spend one coin to move
Sviatoslav to any adjacent region.
After you move Sviatoslav, you can build in any
region; you are not required to build in his region.
Theofana
Once per round, when you
tax in Theofana’s region,
you may move her to an
adjacent region or gain one
coin from the supply. If you
use this ability, you cannot
tax again this turn.
NEW LEADERS
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INHERITANCE CARDS
You can gain various starting bonuses from inheritance cards: troops, coins, goods, structures, schemes (top of deck), and deeds (top of deck). Some inheritance cards have a coin cost, which requires you to spend one coin in order to gain the bonus. When you gain a structure or troop from an inheritance card, you must place it in the region listed on the card OR spend one coin to place it in any region. If you do not want the bonus from an inheritance card (or cannot pay its coin cost), you may forfeit it instead to gain two coins from the supply.

Example A: Yoma has the Rostov and Kiev inheritance cards. For the Rostov inheritance, he spends one coin and may either place a stronghold in Rostov or spend another coin to place it in any region. He places the stronghold in Rostov because he has only one coin left and does not want to forfeit the Kiev inheritance. For the Kiev inheritance, he spends one coin, places a troop in Kiev, and draws the top card of the deed deck.

TRADE BOON TOKENS
When you completely fill a boat column that has a trade boon token below it, gain the trade boon token and place it on your dock. When accomplishing deeds or converting goods, you may spend one trade boon token from your dock in place of one good. You may spend multiple trade boon tokens at once. Return trade boon tokens to the game box when spent.

Example B: Emily collects honey and places it on her boat, which completely fills the honey column. She gains the trade boon token and places it on her dock. Later in the game, Emily has two taverns built but does not have any honey, so she spends the trade boon token, instead of one honey, to accomplish the Mead Brewery deed.

STABLE AND TAVERN
There are two new types of structures that you can build: stables and taverns. Each region may still contain no more than three structures total, including no more than one structure of each type (no matter who builds them).
▶ Stable: When you build a stable, gain three movement points to use with any of your troops located in the region where you built the stable.
▶ Tavern: When you build a tavern, gain coins from the supply equal to the number of structures located in the region where you built the tavern (including the tavern itself). If you have not played a scheme card yet this turn, you may play the top card from the scheme discard pile and return it to the game box.

WARFARE REWARD TOKENS
When you advance your warfare marker to a space on the warfare track that has a warfare reward token next to it (i.e., after every second attack), gain the reward shown on that token. The reward then remains available to the other players.

INTRIGUE CARDS
Intrigue cards are a completely optional part of the core content. They introduce a new effect each round, but only one intrigue card will be active at a time. At the start of rounds 2–4, the leftmost intrigue card activates. Some effects are immediate, while others are ongoing and will remain in effect until the end of the round. At the end of rounds 2–4, flip the active intrigue card face down to signify that its effect no longer applies.

NOTE: You may combine the intrigue cards from this expansion with the 11 cards from the Kickstarter edition of the base game.

Prior to his death, Vladimir the Great arranged for his lands and possessions to be divided among his many children, in a fashion typical to dynastic succession in Kievan Rus. The Grand Prince hoped that this transfer of assets would keep all his children content. However, the generous inheritance given to each child was clearly not enough for many of them, who took matters into their own hands to gain more at the expense of their siblings.
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COMPONENTS
Epic Structures
1 Agenda Card
New agenda promotes an alternate strategy.
13 Epic Structures and 11 Epic Structure Cards
Epic structures introduce ongoing effects and new ways to score victory points.
This module introduces many additional structures for players to build. Will you be the first to construct these epic structures and unlock their powerful effects?
SETUP
Follow the setup for the base game, with these changes:
▶ Shuffle the Renowned agenda card into the agenda deck.
Shuffle the epic structure cards and reveal a number of them equal to the number of players plus one (e.g., five cards in a four-player game). Place these cards face up next to the game board. Return the others to the game box.
▶ Place the matching epic structures below the revealed epic structure cards. Return the others to the game box.
GAMEPLAY
You can build epic structures to gain rewards and unlock effects. Epic structures do not belong to any player. Their effects, once unlocked, apply to all players.
Epic structures count toward the three structure limit in a region.
On your turn, you may build one of the available epic structures. To do so, you must spend build points as normal in a region you occupy (i.e., where you have one or more troops). In addition, you must meet the listed restriction. Place the epic structure in the region where you have chosen to build it. Then gain the reward shown.
When you build an epic structure, its unique effect is unlocked. Some epic structures have ongoing effects, and some epic structures have game-end effects.
EPIC STRUCTURE CARD REFERENCE
NOTE: Read the text out loud on each epic structure card used so all players can hear.
Example C: Stan has two build points. He spends them to build the Capital Port in Volyn, where he does not rule. Volyn is a region that produces fish, which meets the restriction. Stan gains any one good from the supply (he chooses fur) as a reward for building the Capital Port. The ongoing effect of the Capital Port is now unlocked.
Module
icon
Reward
Effect
Restriction
Border Fort
Restriction: Must be built on the border between two regions.
Effect: On your turn, you may move one troop from one of these two regions to the other without spending any movement points. The Border Fort is not in either region and does not count toward the three structure limit in either region.
More than one structure can occupy the same border between two regions, including both Border Forts. You may not use the Border Fort to move into the region with the City Gate.
Reward: Draw one scheme card.
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Capital Port
Restriction: Must be built in a region that produces fish.
Effect: When you tax in the region with the Capital Port, you may exchange
any one good for any other good from the supply.
If the good that you collect from taxing in this region fills a central boat column, you
gain the trade boon token before you trigger the ongoing effect of the Capital Port.
Catacombs
Restriction: (none)
Effect: After the Catacombs has been built, players may not build any
additional structures in the region with the Catacombs.
Cathedral
Restriction: Must be built during rounds 1–3 and replace your church.
Effect: At the end of the game, the player who rules the region with the
Cathedral gains one victory point token.
You must build the Cathedral in the same region from which you removed your church.
City Gate
Restriction: Must be built in a central green region.
Effect: When you move a troop into the region with the City Gate, you must
spend one additional movement point.
Agatha cannot use her ability while moving into the region with the City Gate.
Library
Restriction: Must have accomplished one or more deeds.
Effect: When the Library is built, reveal three deeds and place them on this
card. Once per round, when you move your leader into the region with the
Library, you may exchange one of your deeds for any deed on this card.
Logging Camp
Restriction: Must be built in a region that produces wood.
Effect: At the end of the game, the player(s) with the most wood gain(s) one
victory point token.
Palace
Restriction: Must be built in a region occupied by multiple players.
Effect: At the end of each round, if your leader occupies the region with the
Palace, draw the top card of the deed deck.
Reward: Gain any one good.
Reward: Gain two coins.
Reward: Gain one victory point token.
Reward: Gain two tax points.
Reward: Choose one deed card.
Reward: Gain one wood and two coins.
Reward: Gain one victory point token.
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Siege Tower
Restriction: Must be built on the border between two regions.
Effect: On your turn, you may attack with a troop in one of these two regions as if it were in the other region. The Siege Tower is not in either region and does not count toward the three structure limit in either region.
More than one structure can occupy the same border between two regions, including both Siege Towers. If you suffer a casualty during this attack, the troops you remove must be from the region where the attack occurred and may include the troop who used the Siege Tower.
Reward: Gain one attack point.

Town Wall
Restriction: Must be built in a region with two other structures.
Effect: When you attack an opponent in the region with the Town Wall, you must reveal one additional scheme card when you check for a casualty.
Reward: Gain one victory point token.

Veche
Restriction: Must place a troop from your supply on this card.
Effect: Once per round, when you move a troop into the region with the Veche, you may place a troop from your supply on this card. If you do, draw a scheme card. At the end of the game, the player(s) with the most troops on this card gain(s) one victory point token.
Reward: Draw one scheme card. The Veche has its origin in town meetings and councils across Kievan Rus, which were convened by ringing a bell in the town square. As these councils solidified, the bell became a symbol of the power of Novgorod as a republic, lasting well into the 17th century.

Warfare
This module introduces additional incentives and opportunities for players to attack each other. Instead of just defeating troops in battle, now you can capture troops for ransom! Choose when to attack wisely, as there are now additional casualties in the scheme deck.

COMPONENTS
5 Scheme Cards
New schemes are valuable but provide increased risk when attacking.
Multiplayer Solo mode
5 Conversion Tokens
One for solo mode and one new type for multiplayer, with one for each player.
Module icon
Reward
Space for leader
Spaces for troops or rebels
4 Dungeon Mats
Players hold captured troops in their dungeon until they are released for rewards.
1 Agenda Card
New agenda promotes an alternate strategy.
4 Deed Cards
New deeds synergize with an attack strategy.
= captured troop
= leader

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SETUP
Follow the setup for the base game, with these changes:
▶ Shuffle the new agenda, deed, and scheme cards, marked with the warfare module icon, into their respective decks.
▶ Give each player a dungeon mat. (They are all identical.)
▶ Give each player one new conversion token for multiplayer to place above the dock on their household mat.

CAPTURING TROOPS
Immediately after resolving an attack, you may attempt to capture the attacked troop (opponent or rebel).
You may only attempt a capture if you revealed at least one scheme card during the attack and did not suffer a casualty.
If you would normally reveal zero scheme cards during an attack (e.g., attacking a rebel or using Boris’s ability), you may voluntarily reveal one scheme card to check for a casualty in order to be eligible for a capture attempt.
Before you attempt a capture, resolve the rest of the attack. If you attacked an opponent, advance your warfare marker. If you attacked a rebel, gain the reward (and, when applicable, use Sviatopolk’s ability to replace the rebel with one of your troops).
When you attempt a capture, reveal one card from either scheme deck and check for a casualty, which will determine the outcome of the capture attempt. Then discard the revealed scheme card.
▶ If you reveal a scheme card with a casualty icon, the capture attempt fails. Remove the attacked troop from that region as normal and suffer the casualty (or double casualty).
▶ If you reveal a scheme card with no casualty icon, the capture attempt succeeds! Place the attacked troop on your dungeon mat.

RELEASING TROOPS
At the start of the Claim Phase (i.e., before Step A), you must release captured troops from your dungeon mat. When you release captured troops, gain the reward shown.
Upon release, return captured leaders and troops to their owners, and place captured rebels next to your household mat.
You release captured leaders by themselves, but you only release troops and rebels in groups of two (i.e., two troops, two rebels, or one troop and one rebel). If you have a single captured troop or rebel on your dungeon mat, they remain there until the next Claim Phase.

NOTE: You may not attempt a capture if you are out of room on your dungeon mat, which has a limit of five troops (one leader and four other troops).

| Captured Troops | Release? | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| one leader | Yes | 2 victory point tokens |
| two troops and/or rebels | Yes | 2 victory point tokens |
| one troop or rebel | No | N/A |

Example D: Emily attacks a rebel. Normally she would not check for a casualty, but she wants to capture the rebel, so she chooses to reveal one scheme card (1). There is no casualty icon, so she does not suffer a casualty. Now she attempts a capture by revealing one more scheme card (2). Again, there is no casualty icon, so the capture attempt succeeds! Emily places the captured rebel on her dungeon mat.

It was a common practice in medieval warfare to take captives, especially of nobility. The most famous captive from the timeline of this game was Sudislav. Yaroslav the Wise captured and imprisoned his younger brother to secure his rule over Kievan Rus. Sudislav outlived all his brothers and was later released after Yaroslav’s death.
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CONVERSION TOKENS
The new conversion token functions like the
conversion tokens from the base game. When
you use it, flip it face down and perform the
listed conversion. You may still use no more
than one conversion token per turn.
DOUBLE CASUALTY ICONS
If you reveal a scheme card with a double casualty icon when you check for a casualty,
remove two of your troops from that region (if possible). If you only have one troop in that
region, remove just that one troop instead.
Spend one defeated rebel
and two coins to gain
one attack point.
This module changes how players interact with the rebels and
introduces a common goal that players will race to accomplish
first. Will you defeat the rebel faction for personal accolades
or will you leave your siblings to deal with the nuisance?
Double
casualty icon
Reward
Defeat condition
Icons to remind
of effect
Effect text
Difficulty
level
(1 VP = Easy,
2 VP = Hard)
Module icon
Front
3 Rebel Faction Cards
One rebel faction will oppose players each game.
Each rebel faction introduces an ongoing effect
that hinders players in regions with rebels until
they are defeated.
1 Rebel Den
Identifies the first region where a new
rebel might be mustered each round.
NOTE: Captured rebels on your dungeon mat still count as defeated rebels.
COMPONENTS
Rebel Factions
SETUP
Follow the setup for the base game, with these changes:
▶ Shuffle the rebel faction cards and select one at random. Choose the side of the card with the desired
difficulty level: easy (one victory point) or hard (two victory points). Place this card next to the game board,
with that side face up. Return the others to the game box.
▶ Shuffle the inheritance cards into a face-down deck. Make sure to use the cards marked for the current
player count, including all cards chosen by players for their starting bonuses (as part of core content setup).
Place this deck next to the selected rebel faction card. Return all unused cards to the game box.
▶ Reveal the top card of the inheritance deck and place the rebel den in the region listed on that card.
GAMEPLAY
The rebel faction musters one rebel per round and has an ongoing effect that hinders players in all regions with
rebels. When one player meets the defeat condition of the rebel faction, they may defeat it to gain a reward.
Once defeated, the rebel faction no longer musters rebels and its effect no longer applies.
At the start of the Claim Phase (i.e., before Step A), if the rebel faction has not been defeated, they muster one
random rebel miniature as follows:
▶ If there are no rebels in the region with the rebel den, place the rebel in that region.
▶ If there are any rebels in the region with the rebel den, reveal the top card of the inheritance deck and place
the rebel in the region listed on that card.
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On your turn, you may defeat the rebel faction if you meet the defeat condition. If you do, gain the reward shown: one victory point token (easy) or two victory point tokens (hard). Return the rebel faction card to the game box but leave the rebel den in play.
The rebel den counts toward the three structure limit in a region, so only two other structures can be built in the region with the rebel den.
REBEL FACTION CARD REFERENCE
Armed Uprising
When attacking a rebel, you must check for a casualty (as if attacking an opponent). However, do not advance your warfare marker.
Pagan Unrest
When building a church in a region with any rebels, you may not target a rebel.
Peasant Mutiny
When taxing in a region with any rebels, you must spend one additional tax point. Prior to the conversion of Kievan Rus to Christianity, the people followed a plethora of pagan traditions and gods, including a large emphasis on water and forest spirits. Shamans, like volkhvs, proclaimed prophetic powers and held significant social and religious power among the people. Volkhvs led several notable uprisings in response to natural calamities that occurred during the 11th century in Suzdal, Novgorod, and other regions, as an attempt to revive discarded religious beliefs from the past.
Difficulty | Reward | Defeat Condition
---|---|---
Easy | one victory point token | Have four different goods and two defeated rebels.
Hard | two victory point tokens | Have five different goods and two defeated rebels.
Difficulty | Reward | Defeat Condition
---|---|---
Easy | one victory point token | Have two churches and two defeated rebels.
Hard | two victory point tokens | Have three churches and three defeated rebels.
Difficulty | Reward | Defeat Condition
---|---|---
Easy | one victory point token | Have four defeated rebels.
Hard | two victory point tokens | Have five defeated rebels.
Local warlords are supplying weapons and organizing rebels to fight back with ferocity.
Not everyone is happy about the recent conversion to Christianity. Many are openly defying this new religion in favor of the old Slavic gods.
The rural populace has grown resentful of the continual requests for tribute from multiple princes and has vowed to refuse payment.
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© 2021 PieceKeeper Games LLC. All Rights Reserved. For more information, visit: www.piecekeepergames.com
PieceKeeper Games would like to thank all who gave feedback and playtested Stone & Blade, including Emily Dennison,
Dan Cunningham, Alton Kim, Beth Shimmyo, Cort Johnson, Harrison Dunn, Josh Markham, Randy Griffiths, Tim Borgstrom,
Travis Stowers, and our 2,968 backers!
Stanislav Kordonskiy would like to thank those who helped during the design and development of the Rurik base game and the Stone
& Blade expansion: Holden Kim, Patrick Lindsay, Paul McManus, Ryan Metzler, Jeremy Howard, and everyone else who contributed
their time and ideas to this project. Special thank you to my family and my wife Rachel for enabling me to continue my design work.
Solo Mode Design: John Brieger
Editing: Dustin Schwartz
Publishing: Kirk Dennison
Graphic Design & Art Direction: Yoma
3D Models: Heriberto Valle Martinez
Plastic Trays: Dan Cunningham
Credits
Game Design: Stanislav Kordonskiy
Development: Kirk Dennison
Illustrations: Yaroslav Radetskyi

If I want to spend multiple attack points against an
opponent in a single region, how does the timing of
my potential casualty for each attack work?
You resolve each attack point separately, one at a
time. So after the first attack point, you check for
a casualty. If you still have at least one troop in the
region, you may spend the second attack point in
that region.

Can I move goods from my dock to my boat between
the “Advance on Claim Tracks” and “Earn Income”
steps of the Claim Phase?
No. Effectively, steps A–F of the Claim Phase occur at
the same time and therefore there is no opportunity
to move goods. The steps are merely there for ease of
game flow.

What happens if I run out of troops on the game
board?
In this rare scenario, you muster your leader and
one troop in any region before you resolve your next
advisor or before the next Strategy Phase, whichever
happens first.

What happens if there are no more cards in the
deed deck?
If the deed deck is depleted, take the deed cards
from the discard pile and shuffle them to form a
new deed deck.

Can I remove my leader to accomplish a deed (such
as Retire Veterans)?
Yes. You may remove your leader to meet the troop
removal requirement of a deed card but only if they
are your last troop in the region.

Base Game FAQs

Do I rule a region with my stronghold if no troops or
rebels occupy the region?
Yes.

Can I take actions in a region where I have one or
more structures but no troops?
No. You must have one or more troops in a region to
take an action there.

Some parts of the rulebook mention “occupy”
and some parts mention “rule.” Why does this
distinction matter?
You can muster, attack, build, and tax in regions that
you occupy (i.e., where you have one or more troops).
You rule a region where you have more troops than
any other player. Rule matters for the rule track,
how many build/tax points are necessary to take
the corresponding action in that region, and when
resolving attacks against a player.

Can I combine bonus tax points with other tax
points? (same question for build points)
Yes. If you take a bonus action that gives you tax or
build points, you can combine them with tax or
build points from your main action and/or other
bonus actions.

What happens if I build a church in a region with no
opposing troop and no rebel?
You simply place the church in the region and nothing
else happens. You only place a troop in the region if
you first remove an opposing troop or rebel.

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v 1.30
Victorious
Have the most victory
point tokens.
Renowned
Rule the most regions
with epic structures.
Reward: one attack point
Casualty: (none)
Reward: two tax points
OR two muster points
Casualty: two troops
Reward: advance your
warfare marker one
space and two movement
points
Casualty: one troop
Reward: one build point
OR one attack point
Casualty: two troops
Reward: one movement
point and one muster
point (in any order)
Casualty: two troops
Mead Brewery
Cost: Have taverns in
two regions and
spend one honey.
Reward: one tax point
Peace Treaty
Cost: Release one
captured troop, remove
one of your troops, and
spend two coins.
Reward: two tax points
Distant Rule
Cost: Rule Pereyaslavl,
Polotsk, and Rostov.
Reward: Advance your
warfare marker one space.
Horse Breeder
Cost: Have stables in
two regions and
spend one wood.
Reward: one muster point
Deadly Plot
Cost: Attack
an opponent in a region
with their leader and
discard one scheme card.
Reward: one build point
Besiege Citadel
Cost: Attack
an opponent in a region
with their stronghold
and spend two coins.
Reward: Advance your
warfare marker one space.
Conquest
Cost: Attack any
opponents three times
in one turn.
Reward: two movement
points
Create Republic
Cost: Rule Novgorod,
Chernigov, and Volyn.
Reward: one tax point
NOTE: In the base game, 10 of 27 scheme cards (37%) have a casualty icon. With the Warfare module included, 14 of 32 scheme cards
(44%) have a casualty icon. Plan your attacks more carefully or just enjoy the greater rewards that come with the higher risk!
Scheme card reference
Agenda card reference
Deed card reference

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