Overview

Boonlake is an engine-building strategy game where players develop an abandoned lakeside region by exploring landscapes, settling, breeding cattle, building production sites, and sailing along a river. Players choose actions from a shared action board of sliding strips, which also determines ship movement. The game plays over 2 rounds, each ending when a player’s ship reaches the river’s end. Victory points come from settlements, projects, cattle, inhabitants, and scoring tiles.

Components

• 1 Gameboard (with river, victory-point track, coin/card tracks)
• 1 Action board with 7 action strips
• 165 Project cards
• 4 Double-layer player boards
• Per player: 10 inhabitants, 6 houses, 4 settlements, 5 cattle, 2 boats, 1 ship, 4 production sites, 4 scoring markers, 1 100-/200-marker, 3 player markers
• 42 Building tiles (including 10 starting tiles, 7 cattle pastures)
• 16 Scoring tiles, 36 Levers, 14 Vases
• 62 Coins (1s, 5s, 20s)
• 10 Solo tiles, 4 Region markers, Starting player token

Setup

1. Place gameboard and action board. Shuffle action strips randomly onto the action board.
2. Place building tiles based on player count (1-2P: 6 tiles, 3P: 8 tiles, 4P: 10 tiles).
3. Stack gray building tiles as facedown mound. Place cattle pastures nearby.
4. Place region markers. Deal 6 project cards to each player.
5. Each player takes scoring tiles (2; keep 1 on gameboard, return other).
6. Each player takes colored pieces: 6 houses, 4 settlements, 5 cattle on player board recesses; 3 inhabitants on ranch, 2 in recesses, 5 in supply.
7. Ship on river: 1st space (1-2P) or 3rd space (3-4P). Boats on canal (wood area).
8. Player markers on VP track (0), coin track (2), card track (2).
9. Starting player gets 6 coins; next gets 7; others get 8.
10. Each player places 1 level-1 production site on their board.

Turn Structure

Played over 2 rounds. A round ends when any player’s ship reaches the last river space.

Each turn has 3 phases:

Phase A: Choose 1 Action

Select an action strip from the action board and place it at the bottom. If selecting from the bottom rows, lose VP as indicated.

The action strip has three sections:

1. Card play (left): Play a project card of the matching type (day/sunset/night) by paying its cost, OR discard a card for 2 coins (3 coins with Builder), OR skip.
2. Active player effects (middle, left of arrow): Execute effects left to right. May omit some.
3. All player effect (right of arrow): All players (including active) may use this effect.

Phase B: Advance Ship

Move your ship along the river up to the number of steps shown on the uncovered space (minimum 1 step). Collect the bonus of the landing space.

• Harbors hold unlimited ships; other spaces hold only 1.
• Skip occupied non-harbor spaces (don’t count toward movement).
• Ship only moves downstream (never backwards).
• First player to cross a lock triggers interim scoring for all.

Phase C: Push Action Strips Together

Slide remaining strips up to close the gap on the action board.

Actions

The 7 action strips provide different combinations of effects:

Core Effects

Explore: Reveal a gray building tile and place it on an adjacent empty gameboard space. Receive the space’s reward (coins, cards, inhabitants, or production site).

Settle: Place a house on a building tile, then optionally upgrade to a settlement. Requires inhabitants from your ranch.

Cattle-breeding: Place cattle on cattle pastures. Cattle score VP during interim scoring.

Hire: Take inhabitants from supply to your ranch.

Modernize: Build or upgrade production sites on your player board.

Build: Place buildings (houses/settlements) with specific bonuses.

Sail: Additional ship movement or boat manipulation.

Resources

Production sites produce resources virtually (stone, iron, loam, wood). Resources are not spent when used — you just need to have them available.

Boats on your canal provide 1 resource each based on their position. Moving boats downstream is free; upstream costs 2 coins.

Project Cards

Cards cost coins, vases, and/or resources. Played cards provide immediate effects, end-game scoring, or permanent abilities. Cards come in three types: day, sunset, night.

Special Projects (Scoring Tiles)

Instead of playing a card, pay coins + resources for a scoring tile project. Gain VP, 2 inhabitants, and advance on an income track. Your chosen scoring tile awards double VP.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Interim Scoring (4 times during the game)

Triggered when: (1) first player crosses a lock, and (2) a player’s ship reaches the final space.

Scoring criteria are determined by the 4 scoring tiles on the gameboard. Each tile scores differently based on game state (cattle, settlements, inhabitants, etc.).

Final Scoring

After the 4th interim scoring:

• VP from played project cards with end-game effects
• VP from remaining resources, coins, and other bonuses
• VP from board position and presence

Winner: Most VP. Use 100/200 markers for tracking overflow.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Lever effects: Certain actions grant levers that provide one-time bonuses during the game.
• Tier bonuses: Removing pieces from player board recesses may unlock inhabitants or other bonuses.
• Resource availability: Resources from production sites and boats are always “available” — they’re not consumed, just shown.
• Upstream boat movement: Costs 2 coins per boat. Downstream is free.
• VP can go below 0: Track it with the marker.
• Wooden pieces are limited: If depleted, you cannot gain more.
• Houses removed from game: Can be reused if you need to place one and have none on your board.
• Parallel play: Most actions allow simultaneous resolution. Settle and Cattle-breeding require clockwise order.
• Starting player: Last person to travel to a place with <100 inhabitants.

Player Reference

Turn Sequence:

1. Phase A: Choose action strip, play/discard card, execute effects
2. Phase B: Move ship (min 1 step), collect river bonus
3. Phase C: Push strips together

River Bonuses: | Symbol | Reward | |——–|——–| | Coins | Take X coins | | Cards | Draw X cards | | Inhabitants | Take X inhabitants to ranch | | Vase/Production | Take 1 vase or build 1 production site | | Vase | Take 1 vase | | VP | Gain X victory points |

Starting Resources: 6-8 coins (by turn order), 2 on coin track, 2 on card track, 1 level-1 production site, 2 wood (from boats)

Game Length: 2 rounds, each ending when a ship reaches the river’s end. 4 interim scorings total.