Illumination

About this board game

Illumination is a two-player game of Mad Medieval Monks, illuminated manuscripts, and competitive tile placement, with games lasting about 60 minutes. Players compete to become the new head of the Scriptorium by filling three Books with elaborate religious artwork.

Each turn, choose and place one full row or column of tiles from your Player mat. Thoughtful placement can earn Coins, which let you perform special actions or purchase Scriptorium cards. Placing tiles beside others of a matching color also generates Ritual tokens, which can score points at Ritual stations in the Monastery when occupied by the Abbot.

As the Books fill, opposing factions clash. Angels battle Demons, Knights face Dragons, Monks contend with Rabbits, and Dogs struggle with Squirrels. A conflict is resolved once it is bounded on all sides. The player with more tiles in the confrontation wins the Bounded Battle, while the losing side’s tiles are flipped facedown and the winner places a Marker on the matching Battle card.

• Build illuminations across three Books.
• Collect Coins for special actions and Scriptorium cards.
• Gather Ritual tokens through matching-color placement.
• Compete across four opposing faction matchups.

When the game ends, players score Rituals recorded on the Monastery mat, along with one point for each of their faceup Illumination tiles in every Book. Additional points come from placing more Markers on Battle cards and from defeated factions matching a player’s Crusade card.

With reverent and irreverent artistic themes set against one another, Illumination turns manuscript creation into a tense contest of positioning, conflict, and scoring. The player with the most points becomes master of the Scriptorium.