Terra Mystica

2012

Master the art of terraforming in Terra Mystica, a strategic board game where 14 different groups vie for dominance. Expand your area, progress in religious cults, and utilise your special abilities for victory.

150
minutes

2 - 5
player(s)

12+

Medium Heavy

About the game

Terra Mystica is a strategic board game that transports players to a fantastical world of magic and mystery. The game’s setting is comprised of seven different types of landscapes: forests, mountains, swamps, deserts, plains, lakes, and wastelands, each inhabited by unique factions with their own specific abilities and goals.

The core mechanics of Terra Mystica revolve around territorial control, resource management, and strategic planning. Each player chooses a faction, with the objective of expanding their reach across the land and transforming the terrain into a type suitable for their faction. The more territory a player controls, the more resources they can generate, which can be used to build structures, upgrade them, or perform special actions.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Terra Mystica is a complex and immersive board game that requires careful strategy and planning. The game consists of several components, each of which plays a critical role in the overall gameplay. Here is a detailed description of each component:

1. Game Board:

The game board is a large, colorful map that represents the world of Terra Mystica. It is divided into various types of terrains, each representing a different landscape. Players will transform these terrains into habitable spaces for their factions, build structures, and expand their territories across the board.

2. Faction Boards:

There are 14 different faction boards, each representing a different race in the game. Each board provides a unique set of abilities, structures, and advancement opportunities that are specific to that faction. Players will choose a faction at the beginning of the game and use their board to track their resources and progress.

3. Wooden Structures:

Each faction has a set of wooden structures that includes dwellings, trading houses, temples, a stronghold, and a sanctuary. These structures can be built on the game board to expand a player’s territory and generate resources. The type and number of structures a player can build are dictated by their faction board.

4. Workers, Priests, and Coins:

These are the three main resources in the game. Workers are used to perform various actions such as building structures and upgrading them. Priests are used to advance in the religious track and gain special abilities, while coins are used to pay for various actions and structures.

5. Power Tokens:

Power tokens are used to track a player’s magical power, which can be spent to perform special actions. Each player has a set of power tokens which they can accumulate and spend throughout the game.

6. Bridges:

Bridges are used to connect territories across rivers, allowing players to expand their territories without being limited by the game board’s geography.

7. Action Tokens:

Action tokens represent the various actions a player can take during their turn. These actions include building structures, upgrading structures, sending priests to the temples, and transforming terrains.

8. Favor Tiles:

Favor tiles are bonuses that players can earn by sending priests to the temples. Each favor tile provides a unique bonus that can be used to gain an advantage in the game.

9. Round Scoring Tiles:

Round scoring tiles dictate the specific actions or achievements that will score bonus points during each round of the game.

10. Bonus Cards:

Bonus cards provide players with extra rewards or abilities that they can use during their turn. These cards can be acquired through various means during the game.

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

Terra Mystica is a strategy board game with a magical theme. The following is a detailed guide on how to set up the game:

1. Setup the Game Board: Place the game board in the middle of the table where it’s accessible to all players. The game board is double-sided, make sure the correct side is up based on the number of players (4-5 players on one side, 2-3 players on the other).

2. Choose Factions: Each player chooses a faction. There are 14 different factions in Terra Mystica, each with unique abilities and starting resources. The faction boards should be placed in front of each player.

3. Setup Player Pieces: Each player takes all the game pieces of their chosen faction’s color. These include: 8 dwellings, 4 trading posts, 3 temples, 1 sanctuary, 7 priests, 7 bridges, and 1 stronghold. The pieces should be arranged on the faction board as indicated.

4. Set Initial Resources: Based on the faction chosen, each player receives their initial resources. These consist of workers, coins, and power tokens, and are indicated on the faction board.

5. Set Power Bowls: Each player places their power tokens in the three power bowls on their faction board. The distribution of power tokens is also indicated on the faction board.

6. Set Starting Positions: Starting with the first player and continuing in clockwise order, each player places a dwelling from their faction board onto a space on the game board that matches their faction’s home terrain. The first dwelling determines a player’s starting position.

7. Randomize Bonus Cards: Shuffle the 9 bonus cards and randomly draw as many as the number of players plus three. Place these face-up next to the game board.

8. Randomize Round Scoring Tiles: Shuffle the 6 round scoring tiles and place them face-up in the round spaces on the game board.

9. Setup the Cult Board: Place the 4 cult tracks next to the game board. Each player places one priest on the zero space of each track.

10. Determine First Player: The player who most recently dug in the dirt is the starting player and gets the starting player token.

Now, the game is set up and ready to begin.

Game flow Round and round we go

Terra Mystica is a strategy board game where players strive to develop their factions in their quest to dominate the map. The game is structured into six rounds, each of which is divided into three phases: Income phase, Action phase, and Clean Up phase.

Income Phase: This is the first phase of each round. In this phase, players receive resources from the buildings they’ve built on the game board. These resources can be workers, coins, power, priests, or bridges, depending on the building type.

Dwelling: Provides 1 worker.
Trading House: Provides 2 coins and 1 power (optional).
Temple and Sanctuary: Provides 1 priest.
Stronghold: Provides a special ability.

Action Phase: This is the main phase of the game where players take turns to perform actions. A player can take one action per turn. The actions include:

Terraforming and Building: Players can change the terrain type of a hex on the board to their home terrain and then build a dwelling there.
Advance in a Cult: Players can spend priests to advance in one of the four cult tracks: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.
Upgrade a Building: Players can upgrade their buildings to provide different or increased resources during the income phase.
Send a Priest to the Order of a Cult: Players can send a priest to one of the four cults to gain a one-time bonus.
Use a Power Action: Players can spend power to perform a special action.
Pass: If a player cannot or does not want to perform any more actions, they can pass. The player then chooses a new Bonus Card for the next round.

Clean Up Phase: This is the last phase of each round. During this phase, the following steps are performed:

Scoring: Players earn victory points based on the round scoring tile and their positions in the cults.
Cult Bonuses: The player leading in each of the cult tracks receives a bonus.
Prepare for the Next Round: The round marker is moved to the next round. All power actions are refreshed and can be used again in the next round.

The game ends after the sixth round’s Clean Up phase. The player with the most victory points is declared the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In the strategic board game Terra Mystica, each player’s turn is brimming with potential actions and choices that can significantly affect gameplay. These actions can range from simple to complex, depending on the current state of the game, the player’s strategy, and the selected faction’s unique abilities.

The primary action a player can take on their turn is to Transform and Build on a Terrain. This action allows a player to convert a type of terrain into their home terrain and then build a dwelling on it. The type of dwelling a player can build, and the cost to transform the terrain, depends on the player’s faction.

Example: The Dwarves can transform any type of terrain into Mountain terrain and then build a dwelling on it for just 1 worker and 1 coin. This action is a fundamental step towards expanding their territory.

Another action a player can take is to Advance on the Cult Track. There are four cult tracks in the game, representing the four elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. Advancing on these tracks can provide players with numerous benefits, such as power points and end-game victory points.

Players can also Upgrade their Structures. This can involve upgrading a dwelling to a trading house, or a trading house to a stronghold or temple. Each upgrade provides a specific advantage, such as additional income or special abilities.

A player’s turn also involves strategic choices, such as Power Actions and Special Actions. Power Actions can include gaining workers, coins, or power points, while Special Actions offer unique abilities that can only be used once per round.

Finally, players can choose to Pass, effectively ending their actions for the current round. The player who passes first becomes the starting player for the next round and also gets to choose a new round bonus tile.

Each of these actions and strategic choices can significantly influence a player’s overall strategy and progression in the game. Therefore, understanding how each action works and how it can be used to one’s advantage is crucial for success in Terra Mystica.

Transform and Build:
- Costs depend on player’s faction
- Expands the player’s territory
Advance on the Cult Track:
- Provides power points and victory points
Upgrade Structures:
- Provides additional income and abilities
Power Actions:
- Involves gaining workers, coins, or power
Special Actions:
- Offers unique, one-time abilities
Pass:
- Ends player’s actions for the round
- First to pass becomes next round’s starting player and chooses a new bonus tile

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

The game of ‘Terra Mystica’ ends at the conclusion of the sixth round, which is marked on the game board. For all the rounds, players take turns in order according to the turn order track until each player has passed. After the sixth round, the game is over, and final scoring takes place.

Before final scoring, players need to complete the following actions:

Key and Power Action Cleanup: Players should ensure that all of their structures are in the correct places on the board and that all of their key and power actions are properly accounted for. This is important as it impacts the final scoring.
Resource Check: Players should count up their remaining resources (workers, coins, priests, and power) to ensure they are properly calculated for the final scoring.

The victory conditions for ‘Terra Mystica’ are as follows:

Area Scoring: Players score points for the largest connected area of structures on the game board. The player with the largest structure scores 18 points, the second largest scores 12 points, and the third scores 6 points. If players have equal areas, the player who passed first scores the higher points.
Cult Track Scoring: Players score points for their positions on the four cult tracks. For each of the Fire, Water, Earth, and Air tracks, the player with the highest position scores 8 points, the second highest scores 4 points, and the third scores 2 points. If players are tied on a cult track, the tied player who is earlier in the turn order scores the higher points.
Remaining Resources: Players score points for their remaining resources. Each player gets 1 point for every 3 workers, 2 coins, 1 priest, and 1 power in their supply.

After all the scoring is completed, the player with the most victory points is declared the winner. If there is a tie, the player with the most leftover resources (workers, coins, priests, and power) is the winner. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Terra Mystica is a complex and strategic board game that offers numerous ways for players to score points. Understanding the scoring system is crucial for developing a winning strategy. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

1. Building Structures:

Each time you build a structure, you gain points. The amount varies depending on the structure. Dwellings provide 1 point, Trading Houses 2 points, Temples and Strongholds 3 points, and a Sanctuary 5 points.

2. Upgrading Structures:

Upgrading a structure also gives points. Upgrading a Dwelling to a Trading House gives 2 points, a Trading House to a Temple or Stronghold gives 3 points, and a Trading House to a Sanctuary gives 5 points.

3. Power Actions:

Some power actions also award points. The specific amount is indicated on the power action space.

4. Cult Tracks:

At the end of the game, players gain points based on their position on each of the four Cult tracks. The player with the highest position on a track gains 8 points, second highest 4 points, third highest 2 points, and fourth highest 0 points. In the case of a tie, all tied players receive points for the highest position they tied for.

5. Towns:

Each Town a player has at the end of the game is worth 5 points.

6. End of Round Scoring:

At the end of each of the six game rounds, players score points based on the scoring tile for that round.

7. End of Game Scoring:

At the end of the game, in addition to cult track points and town points, each player scores 1 point for every 3 coins they have.

Tie-breaking:

If there is a tie at the end of the game, the player with the most leftover resources (workers + power + coins) is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player who went later in the initial turn order wins.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Terra Mystica is a strategy board game with a variety of unique rules and exceptions that help to create its complex and engaging gameplay. Below are some of the more unusual or important aspects to be aware of:

1. Faction-Specific Abilities: Each faction in Terra Mystica has unique abilities that can alter the rules of the game. For example, the Dwarves can tunnel under adjacent spaces, the Darklings can sacrifice power to gain workers, and the Mermaids can treat rivers as if they were direct adjacency. These abilities can have a significant impact on strategy, so it’s important to understand each faction’s capabilities.

2. Power Actions: Power actions are unique in that once they are used, they cannot be used again until the next round. This includes actions that are taken using the power bowls. Additionally, the power discarded to take a power action is permanently removed from the game.

3. Cult Track Bonuses: At the end of the game, players receive victory points based on their position in the four cult tracks. However, during the scoring phase of each round, only the Fire and Water cults provide bonuses. This is a common point of confusion amongst new players.

4. Building Adjacency: When a player builds a structure, it must be built adjacent to one of their existing structures. However, there are exceptions to this rule. The Dwarves and Fakirs factions can bypass this rule using their faction-specific abilities, and the Bridge Building power action also allows a player to build across rivers.

5. Scoring Tiles: Scoring tiles are chosen at the start of the game and offer players additional ways to score victory points each round. It’s important to note that these scoring opportunities only apply during the round in which the scoring tile is active.

6. Sanctuary and Stronghold Rules: Sanctuaries and strongholds provide powerful benefits, but each player can only have one of each. Additionally, they require a specific sequence of upgrades to build.

7. Spade Conversion: Different terrains require different amounts of spades to transform into a player’s home terrain. The conversion rate is not always 1:1, and players should refer to the game board or rule book for clarification.

8. End of Game Scoring: At the end of the game, in addition to scoring for the cult tracks, players also score for the largest connected area of buildings on the game board. Understanding the scoring rules can significantly impact a player’s strategy throughout the game.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Terra Mystica is an engaging board game with complex strategies and mechanics. Understanding these can be a daunting task for beginners but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here are a few tips, strategies, and common mistakes to avoid that can help boost your gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Plan Ahead: Terra Mystica is a game of strategy and forethought. Plan your moves several turns ahead, taking into consideration the specific abilities of your faction, the available resources, and the potential actions of your opponents.
Utilize Faction Abilities: Each faction in Terra Mystica has unique abilities. Understanding these abilities and using them to your advantage is key to winning the game.
Optimize Resource Allocation: Be mindful of your resources. Spending too many resources early on can leave you at a disadvantage in the later stages of the game.

Beginner Tips:

Start Small: As a beginner, it’s a good idea to start with a smaller, simpler faction. This will allow you to learn the basic mechanics of the game without getting overwhelmed.
Learn from Others: Watching experienced players can provide valuable insights into effective strategies. There are many online forums and video tutorials that can be beneficial.
Practice: The best way to get better at Terra Mystica is to play often. This will help you understand the game mechanics and develop effective strategies.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Underusing Power Actions: In Terra Mystica, power actions can give you a significant advantage. Neglecting these actions is a common mistake among beginners.
Ignoring Opponents: It’s essential to keep an eye on your opponents’ moves and strategies. Ignoring them can lead to missed opportunities for blocking their plans or taking advantage of their mistakes.
Mismanagement of Resources: Managing your resources wisely is crucial. Spending too many resources on unimportant things can put you at a disadvantage.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Mind the Scoring Tiles: Pay attention to the scoring tiles for each round and adapt your strategy accordingly. This can give you a significant point boost.
Balance Expansion and Development: It’s crucial to find a balance between expanding your territory and developing your existing structures. Both are important for gaining points and resources.
Use Power Wisely: Power is a valuable resource. Use it wisely and avoid spending it on actions that don’t contribute to your overall strategy.