Skymines

2022

Skymines Board Game - Navigate through strategic planning and market investments in a unique card programming game, reviving the collapsed mining network.

150
minutes

1 - 4
player(s)

12+

Medium Heavy

About the game

Welcome to the world of Skymines, a thrilling board game that takes you on an adventurous journey through floating islands, mysterious mines, and hidden treasures. This game is a unique blend of strategy, resource management, and exploration that promises an exciting gaming experience.

The theme of Skymines is set in an alternate reality where islands float in the sky, and precious minerals can be found in sky-high mines. Players are adventurers, tasked with the mission of exploring these islands, mining resources, and accumulating wealth. The player with the most wealth at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

‘Skymines’ is a thrilling board game designed for strategy enthusiasts. This game has several components that interact with each other to create a unique gaming experience. Let’s discuss each of these elements in detail:

1. Game Board:

The game board is a representation of the sky, where players can move and explore. It is divided into multiple squares, or ‘sectors’, each with different colors representing various types of terrain. The interaction of players with the game board is a vital part of the game as strategic movement across the board can influence the outcome.

2. Player Tokens:

Each player has a token which represents them on the game board. The token’s position on the board represents the player’s current location. Players move their tokens to explore different sectors of the board.

3. Skymines Cards:

These cards are integral to the game. Players draw Skymines cards to discover new sectors, encounter events, or find resources. Some cards contain skymines, which players can collect to earn points.

4. Resource Tokens:

Resource tokens represent the various resources that players can collect throughout the game. These resources can be spent to perform different actions such as building structures or advancing in technology.

5. Dice:

The game includes dice which are used to determine the outcome of certain events. For example, when a player enters a new sector, they roll the dice to determine what they encounter.

6. Technology Cards:

These cards represent technological advancements that players can develop. Each technology provides a unique benefit, such as the ability to move more quickly across the board or to protect from certain events.

7. Structure Tokens:

Structure tokens represent buildings that players can construct on the game board. Each structure provides a specific benefit, such as providing additional resources or offering protection from certain events.

The interaction of these components creates a dynamic game experience where players must strategically navigate the board, manage resources, and develop technologies in order to collect skymines and earn points.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Skymines is a strategic board game that requires careful planning and resource management. The following guide will walk you through how to set up the game, including explaining player roles, board placement, initial resources, and random elements.

Player Roles:

Miners: The primary role of each player is that of a miner. Miners are responsible for extracting valuable resources from their skymines. They make strategic moves to maximize their resource extraction and hinder their opponents.
Traders: Apart from mining, players also have the role of traders. As traders, players can exchange resources with other players to help boost their own resource pool or to block others from obtaining vital resources.

Board Placement:

Place the game board at the center of the play area. The board represents the sky filled with floating islands where resources can be mined.
Each player chooses a home base located at the corners of the board. This is the starting point for each player’s mining operations.
Shuffle the Skymines cards and deal a random card to each player. Each card represents a unique island on the board that the player can use for mining.

Initial Resources:

Each player begins the game with a set number of resource units. The exact number can vary based on the number of players, but typically each player starts with ten resource units.
These resources are used to build mining structures, purchase equipment, and trade with other players.
Each player also starts with a Miner piece that they can move around the board to different islands.

Random Elements:

The Skymines cards add a random element to the game. These cards determine which islands players can mine, adding an element of unpredictability to the game.
Resource cards are another random element. When a player decides to mine an island, they draw a resource card to determine what kind of resources they find. This could be a boon or a bust, depending on what the player needs at the time.

Now that everything is set up, you’re ready to start mining! Remember, strategic planning and smart resource management are key to winning Skymines.

Game flow Round and round we go

The game of ‘Skymines’ is a strategic, turn-based game that pits players against each other in a race to mine and collect the most valuable resources from floating islands in the sky. The game is divided into rounds, and each round is further divided into phases. During each phase, players will perform specific actions.

Game Setup:

The game begins with the setup. Each player is given a mining ship token, a score marker, and a set of resource cards. The skymines (game tiles) are shuffled and arranged in a grid to form the game board.

Round Structure:

Each round in ‘Skymines’ is divided into three phases:

Exploration Phase
Mining Phase
Collection Phase

Exploration Phase:

In the Exploration Phase, players have the opportunity to scout out new skymines. Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player may move their mining ship token to any adjacent skymine tile on the game board. They can also choose to stay on their current tile.

Mining Phase:

The Mining Phase is where players attempt to extract resources from the skymines. Each skymine tile has a resource value, and players can attempt to mine that resource by playing a resource card from their hand that matches the value on the tile. If the player does not have a matching card, they can play multiple cards that add up to the required value. The player then places a mining marker on the tile to indicate that they have mined it.

Collection Phase:

In the Collection Phase, players collect the resources they have mined. Each player removes their mining marker from the game board and collects resource tokens equal to the value of the skymine tile they mined. These tokens are added to their score marker. The player with the highest total score at the end of the game wins.

After the Collection Phase, the round ends. The game continues with a new round, starting again with the Exploration Phase, until all skymine tiles have been mined. At that point, the game ends and scores are tallied to determine the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Skymines is an engaging board game where players try to extract valuable resources from a floating island by deploying their miners and managing resources. During each player’s turn in ‘Skymines’, they can take a series of actions. The order of these actions and the strategy behind each choice can greatly affect the gameplay.

1. Deploy Miners: The first action a player can take is to deploy their miners onto the field. This is done by selecting one of their unused miners and placing it on any unoccupied spot on the board.

Strategic Choice: The placement of miners is a critical decision. Players should aim to place their miners on tiles that contain resources they need while considering the potential risk from the unstable areas of the sky island.

2. Extract Resources: After deploying their miners, players can then choose to extract resources from the tiles where their miners are located.

Strategic Choice: Players need to balance their need for resources with the stability of the island. Extracting resources from unstable areas could lead to penalties in later turns.

3. Trade Resources: Players can also choose to trade resources with the bank or with other players.

Strategic Choice: Trading can be an effective way to get the resources you need faster. However, players should be careful not to give away too many resources or trade for resources that they do not need.

4. Build Structures: Using the resources they’ve gathered, players can choose to build structures such as outposts and fortresses. These structures provide various benefits such as increasing resource production or protecting miners.

Strategic Choice: Players should consider the benefits of each structure and build those that best fit their current strategy and resource availability.

5. Use Special Abilities: Each player has a set of special abilities that they can use during their turn. These abilities can greatly alter the state of the game and can turn the tide in favor of the player using them.

Strategic Choice: Special abilities are powerful tools that can give players a significant advantage. However, they should be used wisely as they can only be used once per game.

6. End Turn: After a player has taken all of their actions, they end their turn. It is then the next player’s turn.

Strategic Choice: Players should try to leave the board in a state that is beneficial for them and disadvantageous for their opponents. This requires thinking ahead and planning strategies several turns in advance.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Skymines is an engaging board game that requires strategic planning and a bit of luck. The game ends under two circumstances:

The first victory condition is when any player successfully collects a predetermined number of Skymines. The exact number is typically agreed upon before the start of the game. Once a player reaches this number, they must declare the end of the game at the start of their next turn before any other actions are taken.
The second victory condition is when all the Skymines on the game board have been collected. At this point, the game ends immediately, regardless of the number of Skymines each player has collected.

Prior to final scoring, players must perform a series of actions:

Each player calculates the total value of their collected Skymines. This sum is their preliminary score.
Players must then subtract the total value of any penalty tokens they have received during the game from their preliminary score. Penalty tokens are usually given for actions such as landing on an opponent’s claimed territory or failing to fulfill a challenge.
Finally, players add any bonus points they may have earned throughout the game to their score. Bonus points can be earned from special cards or game events.

The player with the highest score after these calculations is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, the player with the most collected Skymines wins. If there’s still a tie, the player with the fewest penalty tokens wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Skymines is a strategic board game where players compete to collect the most points through mining, trading, and battling in the skies. Points in Skymines are awarded in various ways, which we will discuss in detail below:

The primary methods of scoring in Skymines are:

Mining: Players are awarded points for each sky mine they control at the end of the game. The points awarded per mine vary depending on the type of mine:
- Gold Mine: 5 points
- Silver Mine: 3 points
- Copper Mine: 1 point
Trading: Players can trade mined resources for points at the market. The number of points received depends on the current market value of the resources. This value changes throughout the game.
Battling: Players earn points for each battle they win. The number of points won depends on the strength of the defeated opponent:
- Defeating a player with higher points: 3 points
- Defeating a player with equal points: 2 points
- Defeating a player with lower points: 1 point

At the end of the game, the player with the most points is declared the winner. However, if two or more players have the same number of points, the following tie-breaking rules are applied:

The player who controls more mines is the winner.
If the number of mines is also the same, the player who won more battles is the winner.
If the number of won battles is also the same, the player who has more resources left is the winner.
If there is still a tie, all tied players share the victory.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

The board game ‘Skymines’ has a unique set of rules and an array of special exceptions and clarifications. Understanding these will allow for a more strategic and enjoyable gameplay experience.

1. The Floating Mine Exception:

One of the rare rules in ‘Skymines’ involves the floating mine. Typically, when a player’s airship lands on a sky mine, their turn ends immediately. However, if a player lands on a floating mine, they may choose to move it to any other open space on the board instead of ending their turn. This exception creates an additional layer of strategy as players can use floating mines to block opponents or protect valuable resources.

2. The Sky Port Rule:

Normally, players can only repair their airship at their home base. But there is an exception to this rule. If a player lands on a Sky Port, they can repair their airship, but at twice the regular cost. While this may sound disadvantageous, it can actually be a lifesaver when a player is far from their home base and in desperate need of repairs.

3. The Storm Cloud Clarification:

There’s often confusion around the Storm Cloud tile. When a player lands on this tile, they are immediately moved to a random open space on the board. Some players assume that if they land on another special tile after being moved by the Storm Cloud, that tile’s effects are triggered. This is not the case – after being moved by the Storm Cloud, no additional tile effects are activated.

4. The Sky Pirate Exception:

When a player encounters a Sky Pirate, they usually lose half their collected resources. However, if a player has the ‘Pirate’s Oath’ card, they can avoid this penalty. The player must reveal the ‘Pirate’s Oath’ card from their hand to use this exception.

5. The ‘One More Turn’ Rule:

Finally, there’s the ‘One More Turn’ rule. After a player has reached the required victory points to win the game, each other player gets one more turn. This allows all players an equal number of turns and can sometimes result in a dramatic come-from-behind victory.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

The board game ‘Skymines’ is a thrilling competition of strategy and foresight. Here, we provide some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize your gameplay.

Advanced Strategies

1. Prioritize Resource Allocation: In ‘Skymines’, it’s essential to allocate your resources wisely. This may mean sacrificing immediate gains for long-term benefits.

2. Expansion Strategy: Expand your territory as quickly as possible. This will give you more options for mining, but beware of overexpansion, which can leave your base vulnerable.

Beginner Tips

1. Understand the Game Mechanics: Before you start playing, take some time to understand the rules and the different ways to score points.

2. Start Small: As a beginner, it’s better to start with a small, manageable base. This will make it easier to defend and maintain.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overmining: While it may be tempting to mine as much as possible, overmining can deplete your resources quickly and leave you vulnerable.

2. Ignoring Defense: It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of expansion and mining, but don’t neglect your defense. An unprotected base is an easy target for opponents.

Optimizing Gameplay

1. Balanced Strategy: The best way to optimize your gameplay in ‘Skymines’ is to have a balanced strategy. This means investing in both your offense and defense, and knowing when to mine and when to expand.

2. Learn from Others: Watching others play can also be a great way to learn new strategies and tactics. Try to watch experienced players and understand their moves.