Game Objective: Dominate the Post-Apocalyptic Radlands Desert!

Welcome, survivors! In Radlands, the world as we know it is gone, and now you and your opponent fight for supremacy in a relentless desert. Your objective is simple, yet challenging: destroy all three of your opponent's bases before they destroy yours!

In this post-apocalyptic scenario, water is the most valuable resource. You will use it to recruit people, who will protect your bases and offer vital abilities, and to activate powerful events that can turn the tide of the game. All cards in your hand are versatile: they can be played on the table or "junked" for quick effects. Wisely managing your cards and your water is the key to victory!

Setup: Setting Up Your Desert Camp

Let's set up the table and prepare your play area for battle!

General Setup (Center of the Table)

1. Both players sit on opposite sides of the table, facing each other.
2. Base Deck: Shuffle the base deck (containing 34 base cards, 2 Water Silo cards, 2 Raiders cards, and 2 help cards) and place it in the center of the table.
3. Extra Water Tokens: Place the 6 extra water tokens (black) in the center of the table, accessible to both players.
4. Draw Deck: Shuffle the draw deck (containing 46 people cards and 20 event cards) and place it in the center, leaving a space next to it for the discard pile.

Play Area Setup (Individual)

Each player follows these steps to set up their area:

1. Base Selection:
   • For the first experience: One player receives the Garage, Magnetic Cannon, and Depot bases. The other player receives Reactor, Cannon, and Victory Totem.
   • For future games: Draw 6 cards from the base deck.
2. Base Placement: Place 3 of your chosen bases face down in a row in your play area. Leave space for 2 cards in front of each base – this is where you will play your people later. When both have selected, flip your bases face up. Unselected bases and the base deck return to the box.
3. Water Silo and Raiders Cards: Take one Water Silo card and one Raiders card and place them face up in your play area.
4. Starting Water Tokens: Take 3 water tokens (white) and place them in your play area.
5. Help Card: Take one help card.
6. Starting Hand: Draw a number of cards from the draw deck equal to the total sum of the numbers shown in the black rectangles on your bases.

Determining the Starting Player

To decide who starts, flip a water token. If it lands with the water side (with the droplet icon) facing up, you are the starting player. Otherwise, your opponent starts.

The Game Turn: Surviving in the Desert

The game proceeds in turns, starting with the first player, until one player destroys all of the opponent's bases. Each turn is divided into three phases:

1. Event Phase

• Check your event queue. If you have an event in the foremost space (the space ), resolve its effect and discard it.
• Then, advance all other events in your queue 1 space (towards the opponent, i.e., to the left).

2. Replenish Phase

• Draw one card from the draw deck.
• Collect your 3 water tokens to use this turn. Remember: unused water does not carry over to the next turn, so you always start the Action phase with 3 water tokens.
• First Turn Exception: If you are the starting player, collect only 1 water (instead of 3) on your first turn. In all subsequent turns, including your opponent's first turn, players collect 3 water.

3. Action Phase

In this phase, you can perform the following actions, in any order and as many times as you wish, as long as you have water and cards for it:

• Play Card (Person):
  • Play a person card from your hand in front of any of your bases (even if it is destroyed).
  • Spend water tokens equal to the person's cost (top left corner of the card) and place them on the card.
  • On the turn it is played, the person is unready.
  • If there is already a person in the same column (a base and the people in front of it), you can place the new person in front of or behind the existing person. A column can have a maximum of 2 people.
  • Tip: Place your most valuable people behind to keep them protected!
• Play Card (Event):
  • Play an event card from your hand to your event queue.
  • Position the event in the space corresponding to the numbered bomb icon ( , or ) at the top of its effect box.
  • Spend water tokens equal to the event's cost and place them on the card.
  • If the desired space is already occupied, you must place the new event in the first available space behind it (up to space ). If all spaces are full, you cannot play it.
  • Note: An event with a bomb icon is not placed in the queue. Resolve its effect immediately and discard it with the water.
• Draw Card:
  • Spend 2 water and draw one card from the draw deck.
• Junk Card:
  • Discard a card from your hand and receive the junk effect (icon in the top left corner of the card).
  • Note: When junking the Water Silo, it returns to your play area instead of being discarded.
• Take Water Silo:
  • Spend 1 water to take your Water Silo into your hand.
  • The Water Silo can be junked to gain an extra water.
  • Tip: All unspent water is lost. If you have 1 water left that won't be useful, consider taking the Water Silo. If you have 2 left, consider drawing a card.
• Use Ability:
  • Use the ability of one of your bases or ready people in any column.
  • Ready: A face-up base is always ready, unless you have used one of its abilities this turn. A person is ready if it was not played or restored this turn, if one of its abilities was not used this turn, and if it is not damaged.
  • Spend water equal to the ability's cost (black box at the bottom of the card) and place it on the card.
  • Resolve the ability's text and icons.
  • After using an ability, the card becomes unready. If the ability costs 0, mark it with an unready token.

Action Cleanup: When you finish your actions, return all water tokens and extra water to their respective areas.

Important Icons: Understanding Damage and Effects

• Destroy: Removes the specified card(s). People are discarded. Destroyed bases are flipped to their destroyed side. Destroyed punks return to the top of the draw deck.
• Damage: Rotates a card horizontally. If damaged again, it is destroyed. A damaged person becomes unready. A damaged punk is destroyed. The target of damage must be an unprotected opponent's card, unless otherwise specified.
• Restore: You can rotate one of your damaged cards vertically. If it's a person, mark it as unready.
• Wound: Same as damage, but only applies to people.
• Draw: Draw a card from the draw deck.
• Recruit Punk: Place the top card of the draw deck into play, face down, in any of your columns. It is a person without abilities.
• Extra Water: Gain 1 extra water token (black) to use this turn. Return them at the end of the turn.
• Raid: Play or advance your Raiders event card. If not in the queue, place it in space . If already in the queue, advance it 1 space. If already in space , resolve it (your opponent chooses a base to be damaged, and Raiders returns to your play area).

End of Game and Scoring: Victory in the Desert

You win immediately when all of your opponent's bases are destroyed. There is no final scoring; it's a race to annihilation!

What if the Deck Runs Out? If the draw deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck. If the deck runs out again, the game ends in a draw.

Tips for Winning: Survival Strategies

1. Protect Your Bases and Key People: Remember that unprotected cards are easy targets. Use the column rule to place less important people in front of more valuable ones, protecting them from direct damage. Your bases are your most precious asset, so keep them safe!
2. Manage Your Water Wisely: Water is a finite resource and does not accumulate. Plan your actions for each turn, ensuring you use your 3 water tokens efficiently. Don't hesitate to use the Water Silo or the Draw Card action if you have water left over and no other useful play.
3. Take Advantage of Junk Effects: Not every card needs to be played. Junk effects can be crucial for gaining extra water, recruiting punks, or dealing quick damage. Evaluate whether the junk effect is more beneficial at the moment than playing the card on the table.

Now you are ready to dive into the arid and strategic world of Radlands! May your bases remain intact and your enemies fall before your cunning!