How to Play K2: Lhotse

Objective of the Game

K2: Lhotse is an expansion for the game K2, challenging your team of climbers to ascend Lhotse, the fourth highest peak on Earth. Lhotse is part of the Everest massif, known as the "Southern Peak" in Tibetan. The game features two scenarios: The South Face, which presents a very steep and dangerous approach, and South Col Race, which offers an easier, safer path. The ultimate goal is to earn the most victory points by successfully climbing the mountain.

Preparation (Setup)

SCENARIO 1: THE SOUTH FACE

Game preparation for The South Face is the same as in the base game K2, with the following changes:

1. Place the Lhotse board with the South Face side up.
2. Use the Lhotse weather tiles instead of the base game weather tiles. Deal 2 weather tiles face down to each player. Each player chooses one tile to keep and discards the other face down to the box.
3. For 2–4 players, draw 4, 3, or 2 additional weather tiles from the remaining ones, respectively, to have a total of 6 weather tiles in the game. For 5 players, draw 1 random tile from the 5 discarded tiles, resulting in 6 weather tiles in total.
4. Shuffle the 6 selected weather tiles and place them near the board as in the base game.
5. Each player chooses a color and takes all components in that color from the base game: a deck of cards, 2 pairs of climber pawns, a pair of tents, a player board, and two acclimatization markers.
6. Each player also takes a pair of fixed rope tokens from the Lhotse expansion.
7. Each player places one of their climbers on each of the two starting spaces.

SCENARIO 2: SOUTH COL RACE

Game preparation for South Col Race is the same as in the base game K2, with the following changes:

1. Place the Lhotse board with the South Col side up.
2. Choose either the set of winter or summer weather tiles from the base game K2. Shuffle the 6 tiles face down and randomly discard 1 without revealing it, leaving a deck of 5 tiles. The remaining weather rules are the same as in the base game K2. Alternatively, you can draw 5 tiles from the Lhotse expansion and treat the entire board as the central section (“C”).
3. Each player chooses a color and takes all components in that color from the base game K2: a deck of cards, 2 pairs of climber pawns, a pair of tents, a player board, and 2 acclimatization markers. Players in this variant have tents, but not fixed ropes.
4. Each player discards 3 cards into the box: one each of acclimatization cards with values 2, 1, and 0. More experienced players can agree to secretly choose which 3 cards to discard, then simultaneously reveal them. Each player will have a deck of only 15 cards in the game.

Fluxo do Jogo

SCENARIO 1: THE SOUTH FACE

The game is played according to all the rules of K2, with the following changes:

• Weather influence: K2: Lhotse introduces new weather tiles that distinguish different weather in the 3 sections of the map: the western (“W”), central (“C”), and eastern (“E”) sections of the South Face. The weather in each section varies depending on altitude. The weather tiles have 3 values, one for each section.
• Landslide: A landslide is a new effect appearing on weather tiles. It is resolved in the acclimatization phase, after modifying all climbers’ acclimatization. Each climber in a landslide section loses 2 additional acclimatization points, even climbers in tents. Each climber and each tent in the landslide slides 1 space down, along printed map connections (not along fixed ropes). Apply the landslide effect starting from the lowest affected spaces, then resolving successively higher spaces. If a piece could slide down to 2 possible lower spaces, it must slide to a space in the same section. If there are still 2 eligible lower spaces (i.e., in the same section), the piece’s owner decides where the piece goes. When sliding down, ignore the normal maximum number of climbers on a space.

SCENARIO 2: SOUTH COL RACE

The sequence of play is the same as in the base game K2.

Ações e Como Jogar

Fixed Rope Tokens (SCENARIO 1: THE SOUTH FACE only)

During the action phase, a player with an active climber above 6000 meters may place a pair of fixed rope tokens, which links the climber’s space with another space. Each player has only 1 pair of fixed rope tokens in their color. Once placed, fixed rope cannot be moved.

Two spaces which each have a fixed rope token of the same color are considered connected. A climber moving from one space to the other pays the cost of the space being entered as usual. Players can use fixed ropes placed by other players.

The climber must spend 1 movement point to place the pair of fixed rope tokens. This movement point is spent as usual as part of the climber’s movement, and 1 of the tokens must be placed on the space which the climber occupies, similar to pitching a tent. Connections between fixed rope tokens don’t count as printed board connections. Fixed ropes can cross other fixed ropes. More than 1 fixed rope token can be placed on the same space.

To connect 2 spaces by fixed rope, the spaces must meet these requirements:

• The difference in the 2 spaces’ victory point values must be at most 1.
• The spaces must be on 2 different adjacent paths. A path is a series of spaces connected with ropes in the same color. Two paths are adjacent if there is no other path between them. The fixed rope connection cannot cross a printed board connection or space, but the fixed rope does not have to be visualized as a straight line; it can curve as needed.
• Both spaces must be above 6000 meters.

Fixed rope tokens should be placed to indicate which space is higher. A space with a higher victory point value (in the flag) is always higher, and its token’s arrow should point down. The lower value space should have its token’s arrow pointing up. If both spaces have the same victory point value, then both fixed rope tokens should point sideways at each other. This matters when moving with a rope card which has 2 values (up and down). If you move from a higher space to a lower space, then you use the larger value for downward movement, as usual. If you move sideways (between spaces at the same altitude), then this is treated as upward movement.

Fim de Jogo e Pontuação

SCENARIO 1: THE SOUTH FACE

The game ends after the last day of the sixth weather tile. The player with the most victory points wins.

In case of a tie, the tie is broken by whichever player first reached the top of Lhotse (the middle peak). If no tying player reached the peak, then the tie remains a tie.

SCENARIO 2: SOUTH COL RACE

The game ends after the last day of the fifth weather tile. Each player gains additional victory points based on the cards they discarded during setup. Each player sums the acclimatization points on their 3 discarded cards. Each 2 discarded acclimatization points give 1 additional victory point.

The player with the most victory points wins.

In case of a tie, the tie is broken by whichever player first reached the summit. If no tying player reached the summit, then the tie remains a tie.

SOLO GAME

The solo rules are the same as in the base game K2. The player compares their score with the table below to determine their victory level:

• CLIMB ON BROAD PEAK HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINEER: 20 VP
• ALPINIST: 16–17 VP
• HIKER: 11–15 VP
• SAILOR: < 11 VP

Dicas para Vencer

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.