Game Objective: Build Your Village, Conquer the Eternal King!

Welcome to Charterstone, a Legacy game where your decisions have permanent consequences! Your objective in each game is simple, yet challenging: accumulate the most Victory Points (VP). But make no mistake, the Eternal King is watching your Village, and you'll need to build, develop, and send resources to the Eternal City to earn his favor.

Prepare to make lasting changes to the board and cards, discovering new elements with each game. You'll start with restricted access, but as you progress, more of the world of Charterstone will be revealed. With each game, the player with the most VPs gets closer to becoming the King's favorite!

Preparation (Setup): Setting Up Your Village for Glory

Before diving into building your Village, follow these steps to set up the game. Remember, do not open anything unless instructed! Charterstone is full of surprises.

Campaign Setup (First Time)

1. Open the Index box, remove the wrappers from all card decks, and place them back in the box. DO NOT look at the contents of the cards and DO NOT shuffle them. They must remain in numerical order.
2. Read the Chronicles. Don't worry about knowing all the rules, but having someone who understands the basic concepts will greatly help in the first game.
3. Check ludofy.com for errata.

General & Personal Stock (Before Each Game)

1. GENERAL STOCK:
   • Place 36 coins, 72 resource tokens in the general stock.
   • Place 5 random advance cards, face up, on the advance board. Extra cards form a face-down deck.
2. OBJECTIVE BOARD: Reveal 3 random objective cards.
3. PROGRESS MARKER: Place it on the progress track space that corresponds to the number of players (e.g., 2P for 2 players).
4. GUIDE: In Game 1, there is no Guide.
5. FIRST PLAYER: Roll the Charterstone (a special die) until it shows an active player.
6. PERSONAL STOCK: Each player receives:
   • Their character card.
   • Their built building card.
   • 2 workers.
   • 12 influence tokens.
   • Place your VP marker on the 0 VP mark.
   • For Game 1, each player starts with $4.

Tip on Influence Tokens: You only have 12 tokens per game! Use them wisely, as they are limited and static (cannot be moved after being placed). If you run out, you'll have to advance the progress marker at the start of your turn.

The Game Turn: Building, Exploring, and Scoring

On your turn, you have a crucial choice: either you place a worker to perform an action, or you retrieve all your workers to prepare for more actions.

Possible Actions on Your Turn

On your turn, you must choose one of these two actions:

1. Place a Worker:
   • Choose a building on the board and place one of your workers from your personal stock on it.
   • Occupied Buildings: If the building is already occupied by another worker (yours or an opponent's), return/take that worker to their player.
   • Cost: Pay the cost indicated in the bottom left of the building, from your personal stock to the general stock. If you cannot pay, you cannot use the building.
   • Benefit: You can gain all or part of the benefits indicated in the top right of the building. Coins and resources are finite, so take what you can!
2. Retrieve Workers:
   • Collect all your workers that are on the board back to your personal stock. You do not perform any building actions this turn.

The Commons: Essential Buildings for Your Village

In the center of the Village, you'll find The Commons, pre-built buildings that are vital for your progress:

• ZEPPELIN: Pay 3 influence tokens and 4 specific resources to build a building on your property/title.
• CHARTERSTONE: Pay $4 and 2 influence tokens to open a box on one of your built building cards. Opening boxes reveals new components and rules!
• TRIBUNE: Place 1 influence token on an objective card you have completed to score 5 VP.
• TREASURY: Pay 1 any resource to gain $1.
• MARKET: Pay 1 any resource and $1 to gain 1 advance card from the board (face down or face up).

Managing Advance Cards

Advance cards are a type of card you will gain and use during the game. They include built building cards and assistant cards.

• Gaining Cards: Some buildings provide a specific type of card. Choose from the face-up cards on the advance board.
• Replenish: After gaining a card, replenish the space with a card from the top of the advance deck.
• Personal Stock: Keep all your cards face up.
• Discard Pile: Create a discard pile. When the advance deck is empty or new cards are unlocked, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.

Scoring Objectives and Gaining Reputation

• Objective Cards: Use the Tribune (or buildings with the objective icon) to score completed objectives. It costs 1 influence token on the objective card and you gain the indicated VPs (5 VPs at the Tribune), plus advance the progress marker. Each player can score each objective once per game.
• Quota Track: The Cloud Harbor (or buildings with the quota icon) allows you to sell goods to the general stock, gaining VPs and, sometimes, reputation. Place 1 influence token on the chosen space on the track.
• Reputation Track: Gain reputation through the Quota Track, Progress Track, and certain buildings. Place 1 influence token on the track. The first token goes on the player count space, the next ones on the open spaces near the ocean.

End of Game and Scoring: The Judgment of the Eternal King

The game ends when the progress marker advances to the end game space. After that, the round is finished (ensuring all players have the same number of turns), and then final scoring happens.

How the Game Ends

The progress marker is the game timer. It advances 1 space whenever:

• A building is built.
• A box is opened.
• An objective is scored.
• A player starts their turn with 0 influence tokens.

When the progress marker reaches the end game space, the game ends after the current round.

Final Scoring

The goal is to have the most Victory Points (VP). In addition to VPs gained during the game, the Reputation Track grants additional VPs at the end:

• The player(s) with the most tokens on the Reputation Track gain(s) 10 VP.
• The next player(s) with the most tokens gain(s) 7 VP.
• The player(s) with the most tokens after that gain(s) 4 VP (must have at least 1 token).

Tips for Winning: Strategies for Success in Charterstone

To excel in Charterstone, it takes more than just luck. Here are some tips to get you started on the right foot:

1. Manage Your Influence Wisely: Your 12 influence tokens are your most limited resource. Think carefully before spending them, as running out accelerates the game and limits your actions. Prioritize actions that bring lasting benefits or help you regain influence.
2. Take Advantage of The Commons Early On: In Game 1, The Commons are your best friends. Use the Market to acquire advance cards, the Treasury to gain coins, and the Tribune to score objectives. Don't hesitate to use the Charterstone to open boxes and unlock new content, as this can give you a significant advantage.
3. Keep an Eye on the Progress Marker: The progress marker is not just a timer, but also a source of bonuses. Moving the marker to spaces with reputation or income icons can be very advantageous. If you notice an opponent is about to run out of influence, this could be an opportunity to plan your last actions before the game ends.