SKYLANDS

OBJECTIVE OF SKYLANDS: The objective of Skylands is to be the player with the most Victory Points when the game comes to an end. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 4 Players 

MATERIALS: 1 Scoring Pad, 60 Inhabitants, 1 Supply Board, 24 Victory Point Markers, 4 Player Markers, 4 Player Tokens, 4 Starting Islands, Action Boards, 32 Special Islands, 4 Player Boards, 88 Islands, and Instructions 

TYPE OF GAME: Tile Placement Board Game 

AUDIENCE: Ages 8 and Up 

OVERVIEW OF SKYLANDS 

The world of Skylands has fallen to pieces, and it is up to the players to put it back together. Each player will create their own world, using the inhabitants to rebuild as they go. The bigger, the better! By harnessing the energy from the crystals, mountains, and woods, the players will be able to dive into this world of adventure. 

SETUP 

The supply board is the first board placed in the middle of the players, with the four action boards placed around it. All of the inhabitants are placed on the supply board, divided by their color. If there are less than four players, some islands have to be removed. The Victory Points are placed beside the board.  

Islands are made up of adjacent tiles that are the same type. The display of special islands needs to be assembled and sorted. Four tiles from each type need to be drawn and placed beside the board. Any open edges mean that the island is not complete.  

Players will then collect a player marker and token in the color of their choice. Their marker should be placed on its active side. They will then choose a player board, collecting a starter island tile, and three island tiles from supply, one of which they must discard. Once all of the players’ names are marked on the score pad, the game is ready to begin. 

GAMEPLAY 

A starter player is randomly chosen. During a round of gameplay, the turns will rotate in a clockwise fashion. When a player begins their turn, they move their player token to one of the other three action boards. During the initial round, the player will place their play token on any action board they choose.  

All players will perform the current players chosen action, continuing clockwise around the group. The current player will receive a bonus, whereas the other players do not. Once all players have completed the action, the next player may choose an action. When all players have completed choosing an action, the round comes to an end. 

There are many actions the players can choose from. They may choose to discover islands, deploy inhabitants, create new islands, or convert energy. When a player chooses to discover islands, they will reveal a number of tiles equal to the number of players add one. Each player will then collect an island and add it to their own board, depending on tile rules. Tiles can be placed in any empty space on the player’s board, but the edges of tiles have to match in order for them to be adjacent to one another.  

If a player chooses to deploy inhabitants, they must choose a complete island that is not inhabited. They will place one inhabitant of their color on each space of that island. The current player to choose the action is able to place inhabitants on two islands. If the players decide to create new islands, they are able to do so by choosing a special island tile. All players must pay in inhabitants to do this, except the current player.  

The final action is the ability to convert energy. This is completed by choosing a completed crystal island. There must be one inhabitant on the island, at least. The player will move the inhabitants on the crystal island to the city island, gaining one Victory Point for each inhabitant moved. Gameplay continues in this manner, with the players choosing actions, until the game comes to an end. 

END OF GAME 

The game comes to an end if at least one player does not have any empty spaces on their board, or the supply of Victory Points is emptied. The players will tally their Victory Points. The players lose two points for every empty space they have on their board. They earn a point for every pair of inhabitants and each space on their completed islands. The player with the most points, wins the game! 

Ellie Phillips
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