Wayfarers of the South Tigris

Objective and victory: Explore and map Land, Water, and Space, upgrade the Caravan, complete Inspiration goals, and compete for majorities in three Guilds. Score from map markers, Space cards, goals, Comets, Caravan tiles, and Guild control. The end is triggered when a player reaches one of the five final spaces at the far-right end of the Journal Track; after that player finishes the turn, everyone gets one final turn.

Setup: Set out the Main Board and five card displays, revealing four cards in each display. Each player takes a player board, Caravan, Journal marker, Influence, yellow and blue workers, and five dice; roll three dice and keep two in reserve. Starting Silver, Provisions, and other resources vary by turn order. The base game supports 1–4 players and includes a solo AI setup. Turns proceed clockwise.

Main turn choice: On a turn, choose exactly one main option: place one die, place one worker, or Rest. A die or worker may permit several printed actions, which can be resolved in an allowed order; optional actions may be skipped. Do not treat the main choice as limiting the turn to one small effect, since a single placement can enable multiple rewards or actions.

Dice placement: Place a die in an unoccupied Caravan space or on an eligible acquired card. The die face and assets already on the Caravan determine which spaces and effects are available; some require a Camel, Telescope, or Ship. Resolve action costs and linked effects in any order allowed by the rules. Each turn, one Yellow Influence may adjust a die by up to two without wrapping from 6 back to 1.

Worker placement: Place a worker on an eligible face-up card around the Main Board, never on your own player board or acquired panorama cards. Space cards cannot receive workers. The card’s row and the worker’s color determine the legal action; Green workers can use Townsfolk, Land, Water or Inspiration spaces, Yellow can use Land or Inspiration, and Blue can use Water or Inspiration, subject to each card’s available colored spaces. Resolve at least part of the printed action. A worker placed this turn cannot be retrieved during that same turn.

Influence and the Journal: Spend Influence to claim cards, Guild positions, or meet Journal Track requirements. If an opponent uses a card bearing another player’s Influence, they must pay that player one Silver or one Provision. Journal advances require the printed tags or Influence and grant the listed rewards. Each of the five final Journal spaces can be occupied by only one player, and reaching one triggers the endgame sequence.

Resting and dice recovery: Rest is the third main option. Rest abilities activate only if you have zero or one die remaining in your supply; with two or more dice they do not activate. Return dice from the Panorama to your supply and roll those returned dice; you may also reroll dice still in supply, then resolve available Rest abilities. Rest is a main turn choice rather than an extra action, so consider both the dice refresh and the lost placement opportunity.

Regional development: Use dice and workers to acquire, place, and use cards in the Land, Water, and Space systems. Caravan upgrades add assets or spaces that unlock later dice actions. Influence contests cards and Guild positions, while Silver and Provisions pay action costs or card interactions. Cards can provide tags, actions, or scoring effects; before placement, check the required resource, icon, and available space.

Guild and other scoring: At game end, score Land and Water tags, Space cards, completed Inspiration goals, Comet cards and Comet-marker majorities, and Caravan upgrade tiles. Each Guild majority is worth 3 VP; a tied Guild majority earns no Guild points. Ties in total VP are broken in order by Black, Yellow, and Blue Influence. If those are still tied, the players share the win.

End timing and solo: When a player reaches one of the five far-right Journal spaces, finish that turn, then give every player—including the trigger player—one final turn before scoring. For solo, use the AI side of the player board and the six Scheme Cards. The AI follows card priorities to move markers, gain resources, and take actions; it is a competitive opponent simulation included in the base rulebook. Tides of Trade is a separate expansion.