Silver Isle Rules Draft [LONG]

[jdroscha@...]

Hey all,

   As usual, I welcome any and all questions and suggestions on 
this rules draft.  If some wording is ugly, please feel free to 
suggest alternative verbage.
   For those of you that playtested this, the biggest change is that 
the mine discovery does not take an action.  Also, I've tried to 
clarify the status of nulls in fights and ships in losing fights.

Game On,
James

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SILVER ISLE (v0.1b)
for the piecepack
4 players
90 minutes
Copyright 2001 by James Kyle


COMPONENTS
	All parts of one piecepack are needed.  Additionally, up to 24 
stackable tokens are needed to represent mined silver; pennies 
or bingo chips work well.

SUMMARY
	Each player represents a nation of Europe seeking wealth from 
a newly discovered island during the age of colonial expansion:
Suns   = England
Moons  = Pirate Confederation
Crowns = Spain
Arms   = France
	After forming the isle, players move colonist crews (coins) 
across the isle on foot, or around the coast by sea in a ship 
(pawn).  Crews exploring new land on foot claim new property for 
their port (null tile), may establish a mine (die), and fight enemy 
colonists.  After a mine is established, crews may mine the site 
and transport silver (tokens) to their colony or their ship.  The 
ship may trasport silver and/or crews around the coast of the isle 
and to Europe (off board).

GAME END AND WINNING
	The game ends when all four silver mines are depleted and all 
silver is in Europe.  The player who trasported the most silver to 
Europe wins.  Ties are broken according to the following criteria, 
in order:
1) most land tiles controlled
2) most colonist crews on isle (including ship, if not in Europe)
3) highest total of crew values on isle
4) highest single crew value on isle

SETUP
	Remove all four null tiles and set them aside.  Shuffle all 
remaining tiles face-down.  Place one of the tiles face-down in 
the middle of the table and put one pawn on each edge of the 
tile; this creates an association between each of the isle's 
coasts with a color (for example: red=north, black=south, 
green=west, blue=east).  Take turns picking a tile and adding it 
to the isle in the following manner:
	Turn the tile over to check its color and value.  Add the tile, 
face-down, to the isle's coast that matches the color of the new 
tile by placing it in the row or column that contains a number of 
tiles equal to the new tile's value (for example, the 3 of suns 
would go on the north end of the column containing three tiles).  
If there is no row or column with a number of tiles matching the 
new tile's value, subtract 1 from the value and try again, 
repeating as needed until you find a proper placement.  If there 
is more than one row that matches, choose the one closest to 
the starting tile (with the pawns on it).  If there is still a tie, choose 
at will.  If there is no suitable row or column (for example, if you 
draw the ace of crowns and all rows have 2 or more tiles in 
them), discard the tile from the game.
	Once all the tiles have been placed or discarded in this way, the 
isle is complete.  Give one null tile, die, pawn, and six coins, all 
of matching color, to each player.  Roll to see who will be the first 
player.  Starting with the first player, place your null tile (your port) 
face-up along the coast closest to your side of the table.  In other 
words, slide your port tile from your side of the table (assuming 
each player sits at a different side of the table) up against the 
coast of the isle closest to you so that it aligns with any of the 
"columns" of tiles that make up the isle.  Each port must have at 
least one corner exposed at which ships may dock (see MOVING 
A SHIP ALONG THE COAST).  Leave a small gap between your 
port tile and the isle to denote your control of your port tile.

CONTROLLING TILES
	As play progresses, the isle will be divided into areas controlled 
by various players, as well as uncontrolled areas.  The borders 
between areas are demarkated by a small gap.  To add a tile to 
one of your controlled areas, slide the tile so that it abutts your 
closest controlled tiles, leaving a slight gap between the newly 
acquired tile and any tiles surrounding it that you do not currently 
control.
	At the start of the game, players control only their respective 
ports, so the null tiles should be set off from the rest of the isle 
by slight gaps.  Although crews at your port can be attacked, and 
silver may be taken from it, you can never lose control of your 
port.

AREAS OF PLAY
	The primary field of play in Silver Isle is the isle created during 
setup.  Each player also maintains resources "in Europe" which 
can be thought of as each player's hand.  Your ship (pawn), your 
colonist crews (coins), and your mine (die) all begin the game in 
Europe (with nothing loaded on the ship).  The silver tokens 
begin the game in a pile off to the side.
	When your crews or ship are destroyed in combat, they do not 
leave the game permanently.  Remove the crews or ship from 
the board, and return them to Europe.  These may be brought 
back onto the board through normal play (loading crews onto the 
ship and moving the ship from Europe to your port).

TURN SEQUENCE
	Starting with the first player, take turns until all silver has been 
transported to Europe.  On your turn, first check to make sure you 
can feed all of your colonists (see Starvation below).  Then, 
perform any two actions from the following choices (you may 
perform the same action twice in a turn):
a) Move one of your colonist crews.
b) Move your ship along the coast.
c) Move your ship from Europe to your port.
d) Move your ship from your port to Europe.
e) Load silver/colonists onto your ship.
f) Unload silver/colonists from your ship.
h) Mine silver.
i) Claim unprotected silver.
j) Attack an enemy crew.
k) Attack an enemy ship or port.

STARVATION
	Each turn, before taking any actions, you must check for 
starvation of your colonist crews.  For each crew within a 
controlled area of the isle, you must have at least one tile within 
the area.  (Note: the crews do NOT need to be distributed one 
per tile.)  If an area you control contains more crews than tiles, 
you must eliminate the extra crews (your choice).  The value of 
the crews is not significant for starvation purposes.

MOVING A COLONIST CREW
	Each of your coins represents a crew of colonists.  Crews travel 
suit-side up, so that their values remain hidden until involved in 
an attack.  To move a crew, simply move the coin from its current 
space to any empty adjacent or diagonal space.  (Moving one 
space costs one action.)
	If your crew moves onto an uncontrolled tile, you immediately 
gain control of the tile.  If you have not yet discovered your mine, 
you may discover your mine in this tile.
	If your crew moves onto a tile controlled by another player, but 
that player does not currently have a crew on the tile, you 
immediately gain control of the tile.  Also, if that player has not yet 
discovered their mine, you may discover their mine in this tile.  
(See DISCOVERING MINES)
	If your crew moves onto a tile controlled by another player and 
that player has one or more crews on the tile, your crew must 
immediately attack all of the opponent's crews simultaneously 
(i.e., the enemy crews fight together with their values combined).  
This attack does not count as a separate action.  If you win the 
fight, you gain control of the tile.  If the fight is a push, your 
opponent retains control of the tile.
	A crew may not move into a space occupied by another crew.  A 
crew may not move into a space occupied by a mine.  A crew 
may not move into an enemy port.  Any number of crews may 
occupy their home port.

MOVING A SHIP ALONG THE COAST
	Ships travel around the isle from tile corner to tile corner.  To 
show a ship's position, place the pawn (with any crews and 
silver it is carrying stacked beneath it) on the table next to the 
corner of a tile that is entirely surrounded by "water" (i.e., the tile's 
corner does not touch any other tiles).  Only tile corners 
surrounded by water are elligible for ship movement.
	To move a ship along the coast, move the pawn (and any crews 
and/or silver stacked beneath it) from its current tile corner to any 
other elligible tile corner that is within the ship's sight.  In other 
words, if you were to draw an imaginary line between the ship's 
current location and its destination, that line must not cross over 
any part of the isle.  If such a line would only touch an interim tile 
corner, or if the line runs along tile edges, the move is legal (and 
only takes one action).
	Any number of ships may be in a single location.  Ships at the 
same location may attack each other.
	If a ship is docked at a port (i.e., an elligible corner of a null tile), 
it may attack or be attacked by crews at the port.

MOVING A SHIP FROM EUROPE TO PORT
	A ship must arrive at the isle from Europe by docking at its home 
port.
	To move a ship from Europe to your port, move the pawn (and 
any crews and/or silver stacked beneath it) from the area of the 
table in front of you to any corner of your port that is surrounded 
by "water".

MOVING A SHIP FROM PORT TO EUROPE
	A ship must depart for Europe from its home port.
	To move a ship to Europe, move the pawn (and any crews 
and/or silver stacked beneath it) from the port to an area of the 
table in front of you.  Arriving in Europe does NOT automatically 
unload the contents of the ship.  Each item must be moved onto 
or off of the ship by spending actions (see LOAD 
SILVER/COLONISTS ONTO A SHIP and UNLOAD 
SILVER/COLONISTS FROM A SHIP).

LOAD SILVER/COLONISTS ONTO A SHIP
	To load one of your colonist crews or a silver token onto a ship, 
the crew or token must occupy the space closest to the ship.  
Remove the crew or silver from the space and place it beneath 
the pawn, stacking it with any other crew and silver there.  A crew 
carrying a silver token must be loaded separately from the silver.
	Ships may carry any number of crew and silver tokens.

UNLOAD SILVER/COLONISTS FROM A SHIP
	To unload a crew or silver token from your ship, remove the crew 
or silver token from the stack beneath the ship and place it on 
the closest space.

MINING SILVER
	To extract silver from a mine, you must control the tile the mine 
is on, and you must have a colonist crew in a space next to the 
mine (adjacent or diagonal).  The mine need not be your own 
color.  Decrease the value shown on the die by one and place a 
silver token onto the crew.  Each crew can carry only one silver 
token.
	When the last silver token is extracted from a mine, leave the die 
null-side up in its space.

CLAIMING UNPROTECTED SILVER
	If a silver token is not being carried by a crew and is not on a 
ship, it is considered unprotected (even if it is at a port).  Any 
crew or ship that is next to the silver (adjacent or diagonal) may 
pick up the silver token as an action.  A crew can carry only one 
silver token.

ATTACKING AN ENEMY CREW
	To attack an enemy crew that is next to one of your crews, 
declare which of your crews is attacking which enemy crew.  
Turn over the crews and compare the values.
	If the value of your crew is higher, the attack is successful.  
Remove the enemy crew.  Your crew, however, will suffer 
damage equal to the enemy crew's value.  If you have any crews 
left in Europe, you must immediately replace your damaged crew 
with another crew from Europe with a value no greater than your 
attacking crew's original value minus the enemy crew's value.  If 
the enemy crew was carrying a silver token, and if your crew was 
not, place the silver token onto your crew.
	If the value of your crew is lower, your attack is not successful.  
Remove your crew.  The enemy crew must suffer damage equal 
to your crew's value, as described above.  If your crew was 
carrying a silver token and the enemy crew was not, place the 
silver token on the enemy crew.
	If the value of your crew matches the enemy crew's value, 
remove both crews and leave any silver they were carrying in 
their respective spaces.
	If a null-value crew is ever involved in a fight, it will be eliminated 
whether it is on the winning or losing side.

ATTACKING AN ENEMY SHIP OR PORT
	A ship may only make an attack if it has one or more colonist 
crews stacked beneath it.  A ship may attack any other ship 
sharing its location.  A ship may also attack a port at which it is 
docked.  A ship may also attack a colonist crew that is in the 
space closest to the ship's location.
	A port may only make an attack if it has one or more colonist 
crews on it.  A port may attack any ship docked at the port.  A port 
may also attack any crew that is next to it (adjacent or diagonal).
	When a ship or port is involved in a fight, the result is 
determined as described above (see ATTACKING AN ENEMY 
CREW) with the exception that the values of all the crews in the 
ship or port are added together before comparison with the 
opponent's crew value(s).  When applying damage to a stack of 
crews, you may choose which units to eliminate, but only one 
may be devalued by replacement from a crew from Europe.
	When a ship loses a fight, it is destroyed (sent back to Europe).  
The pawn is immediately made availabe as a new ship in 
Europe (it does not cost an action to rebuild the ship).

DISCOVERING A MINE
	Discovering a mine is not a random process.  The following 
conditions must be met to place a mine:
1) You must be gaining control of a tile.  If the tile is uncontrolled, 
you may discover your own mine.  If the tile is controlled by 
another player, you may discover that player's mine.
2) The tile must not already contain a mine (whether or not the 
mine is still producing silver).
3) The mine must not already have been placed.
	Place the mine in any unoccupied space of the tile.  The value 
shown on the die will be the number of silver tokens the mine 
will produce throughout the game.  Determine the mine's value 
by counting the smallest number of moves a crew would need to 
move on foot from the mine's space to the port of matching color.

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