Nidavellir

Base setup: Each player takes a Kingdom board and five starting coins, then receives a gem at random based on player count: gems 4–5 for two players, 3–5 for three, 2–5 for four, and 1–5 for five. At two or three players, remove the specified 7, 9, and 11 coins from the Royal Treasure; at five players, add Dwarf cards marked for five players to both Age decks. The game has two Ages, each lasting four turns at two or three players and three turns at four or five players.

At the start of a turn, refill the three taverns from the current Age deck. Each player simultaneously places three coins face down, one at each tavern, and puts their other two coins in the pouch. A two-player game still deals three Dwarf cards to each tavern; the two players choose one each in bid order and discard the third. At three to five players, each tavern normally receives one card per player. Bid coins are not spent: after all taverns resolve, players collect them for the next turn.

Resolve taverns in this fixed order: Laughing Goblin, Dancing Dragon, then Shining Horse. Reveal only the coin at the tavern being resolved. The highest value chooses first; if values tie, the player with the higher-value gem chooses first. After each tavern’s selections, tied bidders exchange gems according to the number of players tied. These exchanges affect ties at later taverns that same turn, but do not change the order already established at the tavern just resolved. Gem 6 cannot be traded.

Recruiting Dwarves and Heroes: Place each Dwarf in its class column with rank symbols visible; ranks are not simply card count, since special cards can provide more than one. One rank in every class forms a complete line. When every class reaches the number of recruited Heroes plus one, immediately choose an available Hero. Class Heroes enter their class column; neutral Heroes enter the Command Zone unless specified otherwise. Resolve any rank-removing or rearranging Hero effect before checking eligibility for the next Hero.

Coin Building with a zero coin: When a player bids with a zero coin, reveal the two coins in their pouch and add their values. Discard the higher-valued coin and take a Royal Treasure coin equal to the sum, placing it face down in the pouch. The zero coin stays at its tavern as a bid. If no exact value is available, take the first available higher coin; only if no higher value remains may the player take the closest available lower coin. A zero-value coin cannot itself be transformed.

Royal Offering cards can also upgrade a coin. When chosen, add the printed value to one coin on the player’s board or in the pouch, discard the old coin, and take the replacement from the Royal Treasure. Put the replacement in the same location, face up if it was in a resolved or currently resolving tavern and face down if it was in the pouch or an unresolved tavern. Coin changes do not retroactively alter a revealed bid or its tie result. A tie still receives its gem exchange after that tavern resolves.

Age end and Distinctions: When the Age 1 deck is exhausted, compare the number of ranks in each class column. Do not use total Bravery Points or card count instead of rank count. Only a strict majority earns that class’s Distinction; tied players receive none. Rewards may include a coin, special gem, Blacksmith card, or a choice from Age 2, so apply the specific reward shown. Then shuffle and begin Age 2. The game ends when the Age 2 deck is exhausted and final Bravery Values are calculated.

Five class scores: Warriors score their printed Bravery Points; the player with the most Warrior ranks adds their highest-valued coin, and if rank leaders tie, each adds their own highest coin. Hunters score the number of Hunter ranks squared. Miners score the sum of their Bravery Points multiplied by the number of Miner ranks. Blacksmiths score by rank: the first rank adds three, the second four, the third five, and each later rank adds one more; Explorers add their printed Bravery Points. Add neutral Heroes in the Command Zone and all owned coin values. A player with gem 6 adds three to the value of their coins. The highest final Bravery Value wins; a tie is shared.

Keep the separate tie rules straight: tavern bid ties use gems, while Distinctions use a strict majority of class ranks. Gem values do not break a Distinction tie. A coin used for the Warrior bonus still counts once in the player’s total coin value; do not subtract it from the final total. Hero abilities and card text can change a particular player’s army, so use the rulebook’s class formula together with the text on the cards actually recruited.