Deep within the uncharted wilderness of the forgotten island of Arnak, a group of intrepid explorers embarked on a perilous journey. Armed with their wits, courage, and a desire for lost treasures and ancient secrets, they ventured forth into the heart of the jungle.
As they delved deeper into the verdant labyrinth, they uncovered mysterious temples, their once-majestic structures shrouded in the mists of time. Each step brought them closer to the forgotten past, as they deciphered cryptic inscriptions, unlocked the power of long-lost artifacts, and confronted the guardians that protected the island’s hidden treasures.
With their trusty companions by their side, they faced not only the challenges of the wild but also the enigmatic allure of the island’s secrets. Together, they forged their paths through the Lost Ruins of Arnak, where adventure and discovery beckoned with every twist and turn.
The island’s untold stories and the promise of untold riches awaited those who dared to explore its forgotten depths, making their expedition a thrilling and unforgettable adventure.
What’s included in Lost Ruins of Arnak
- Game Board: The central board where players explore the island and conduct various actions.
- Expedition Cards: A deck of cards representing the items, artifacts, and skills that players can acquire during their adventures.
- Artifact Cards: A separate deck of cards that includes powerful and unique artifacts that players can discover.
- Resource Cards: Cards that represent resources like food, gold, and compasses, which are essential for various actions in the game.
- Item Tiles: Cardboard tiles representing equipment and resources that players can collect during their expeditions.
- Worker Tokens: Tokens representing your workers that you’ll place on the board to take actions.
- Player Tokens: Tokens or markers to keep track of player scores, resources, and progress.
- Marker Cubes: Small colored cubes used for various purposes such as tracking resources, progress, and actions.
- Gems: Colored gems used as currency and for other in-game purposes.
- Site Tiles: Cardboard tiles that make up the board, representing various locations and obstacles on the island.
- Research Track: A track on the board to keep track of your research progress.
- Playing Cards: Cards used for various actions and abilities during the game.
- Rulebook: The instruction manual explaining how to play the game.
How to play Lost Ruins of Arnak
Lost Ruins of Arnak is a hybrid game that combines deck-building and worker placement mechanics with exploration and adventure themes. The goal of the game is to explore the island of Arnak, discover lost temples, acquire valuable artifacts, defeat guardians, and earn the most points by the end of the game.
Setup
- Game Board: Place the game board in the center of the table. The board depicts the island of Arnak, with various locations to explore.
- Player Boards: Each player takes a player board, placing it in front of them. The player board represents their personal resources, items, and expedition track.
- Starting Resources: Give each player 5 compasses and 5 gold coins. Place one worker on the “1” space of the expedition track.
- Card Decks: Shuffle the Item cards and Artifact cards separately, then place them face down near the board. Reveal the top 4 cards of each deck and place them face-up in the respective market spaces.
- Guardian Cards: Shuffle the Guardian cards and place them face down, revealing the top 2 cards and placing them in the designated Guardian spaces on the board.
- Research Track: Place the research track tokens on their respective starting positions.
- Exploration Tokens: Shuffle the exploration tokens and randomly place one token face down on each of the unexplored site spaces on the board.
- Threat Tokens: Randomly draw and place one threat token face down on each of the Guardian spaces.
- Player Resources: Each player draws 5 Basic Item cards and 1 Special Item card. These cards form their starting deck. Shuffle your deck and draw 5 cards to form your starting hand.
Gameplay
Lost Ruins of Arnak is played over a series of rounds, each consisting of several phases:
- Prepare for Round:
- Check if the guardian threat track is full. If it is, reveal the Guardian cards, resolve their effects, and refill the guardian threat track.
- Reveal the top card of the artifact deck and place it on the artifact space of the board.
- Players draw 5 cards from their deck to form their starting hand.
- Action Phase: Players take turns performing actions until both players pass consecutively.
- Worker Placement: Spend workers to place them on locations on the board. Each location offers various actions.
- Exploration: Explore uncharted sites by spending compasses and defeating threats. This grants you resources, advancements, and sometimes artifact cards.
- Research: Spend tablets and gold to advance on the research track, gaining powerful abilities.
- Camp: Spend resources to acquire items, artifacts, or reserve cards, which can be bought later.
- Trek: Spend resources to venture to remote locations, where you can defeat guardians, explore sites, and acquire valuable rewards.
- Cleanup Phase: After both players have passed, proceed with the cleanup phase:
- Discard cards from your hand, resources, and workers that you didn’t use.
- Return workers from the board to your supply.
- Check for end-of-round effects on cards and items.
- End of Round: Move the round marker forward one space. If it reaches the end of the track, the game ends.
- End of Game: The game can end in several ways:
- If the round marker reaches the end of the track, finish the current round and proceed to final scoring.
- If a player advances their marker to the “30” space on the expedition track, they trigger the game end.
Scoring: Calculate your final score by considering the following:
- Points from discovered temples.
- Points from artifacts, items, and research track advancements.
- Points from defeating guardians.
- Points from unused compasses and tablets.
- Negative points for unresolved threats.
The player with the most points wins.
For the official rules, see the link below:
Strategies to help you win the game
- Balanced Approach: Strive for a balanced approach to your strategy. While specializing in one area can be effective, diversifying your actions can provide flexibility and resilience. Aim to explore, research, and gather resources while keeping your options open.
- Efficient Exploration: Exploring the uncharted sites is essential for collecting resources, gaining advancements, and acquiring valuable artifacts. However, prioritize sites that align with your current goals and have high rewards. Defeating guardians can be a great way to earn extra resources and advancement cards.
- Guardian Defeating: Be prepared to engage and defeat guardians when you have the necessary resources and cards. Defeating guardians not only provides valuable resources but also unlocks new, potentially game-changing abilities.
- Deck Management: Pay attention to your deck. Remove weaker basic cards from your deck when possible by spending tablets to “learn” better cards. A streamlined deck increases the chance of drawing useful cards during your turns.
- Resource Gathering: Gather resources efficiently. Keep an eye on your resource needs and plan your actions accordingly. Don’t hoard too many resources that you might not use; instead, invest in advancements, artifacts, and items.
- Research Wisely: The research track offers powerful abilities that can greatly benefit your exploration and overall strategy. Prioritize advancing on this track when appropriate, but don’t neglect other aspects of the game.
- Items and Artifacts: Items and artifacts can provide valuable abilities and resources. Acquire items that complement your strategy and focus on artifacts that offer ongoing benefits or score you points. The Satchel artifact is particularly useful for storing resources.
- Trekking with Purpose: When trekking to remote locations, have a clear objective in mind. Defeating guardians or uncovering specific sites can lead to more rewarding outcomes. Don’t trek aimlessly; plan your moves strategically.
- Camp Actions: The camp action can be used to acquire items, reserve cards, or artifacts. Evaluate the options carefully and choose the one that best aligns with your current needs and long-term strategy.
- Threat Management: Keep an eye on the guardian threat track. When it fills up, guardians are revealed, and their effects can be harsh. Consider defeating guardians to reduce the threat and unlock more valuable sites.
- Compasses and Tablets: Compasses are vital for exploring sites, while tablets are essential for advancing on the research track. Balance your use of these resources based on your immediate objectives.
- Reserved Cards: Reserving cards can be a useful tactic. Reserved cards are available for purchase later and can provide valuable resources or abilities. However, be mindful of the cost and timing of reserving cards.
- Final Scoring: Pay attention to the scoring possibilities during the final phase of the game. Some items, artifacts, and advancements provide points based on specific conditions, so make sure to maximize your scoring potential.
- Adapt to Your Opponent: Be flexible and adapt your strategy based on your opponent’s actions and progress. If they are focusing heavily on one aspect of the game, consider countering their strategy or exploring other opportunities.