Menara

Overview

Menara is a cooperative dexterity game in which 1-4 players work together to reconstruct an ancient temple tower. Players take turns drawing construction plan cards that dictate how to place or move columns and temple floors. The temple must reach a target height (measured in levels) by game’s end. Unfulfilled construction plans increase the required height. Players win together if the temple meets the level requirement; they lose if it collapses or falls short.

Components

• 76 columns: 30 yellow, 20 red, 8 white, 6 blue, 12 black
• 1 cloth bag
• 18 temple floors (double-sided, each with 3-6 colored column bases; one light side, one dark side)
• 35 construction plan cards: 9 blue glyphs (easy), 12 yellow glyphs (medium), 14 red glyphs (hard)
• 5 level cards (backs and fronts without a glyph)
• 1 camp (cardboard holder for 6 columns)

Setup

1. Put all columns into the cloth bag. Randomly draw 6 columns and place them in the camp.
2. Sort construction plan cards by glyph color (blue, yellow, red). Shuffle each color separately to form three draw piles.
3. Stack all 18 temple floors randomly to form the quarry.
4. Take the top 3 temple floors from the quarry and place them in the center of the table touching at two points (but not overlapping). These form the temple base. Choose light or dark side freely.
5. Each player draws columns from the bag based on difficulty and player count:

Difficulty	1 Player	2 Players	3 Players	4 Players
Easy	9	7	6	5
Medium	8	6	5	4
Hard	7	5	4	3

1. Lay out level cards in a row to set the target number of levels:
   • Easy: 3 level cards
   • Medium: 4 level cards
   • Hard: 5 level cards

Turn Structure

On your turn, perform these steps in order:

1. Exchange columns with the camp (optional) – Swap any number of your columns with equal number from the camp.
2. Reveal a construction plan card – Draw from any of the three piles (blue/yellow/red).
3. Build – Execute the construction plan card.
4. Replenish columns – Draw from the bag to replace however many columns you placed this turn.

Actions

Construction Plan Card Types

1. Place columns (free): Place 1-4 columns on matching color bases anywhere in the tower.
2. Place columns (same floor): Place 2-3 columns on matching bases on a single temple floor.
3. Move columns: Take 1-3 columns from the tower and move each to a higher level, placing on matching empty bases. Already-moved columns cannot be moved again on the same turn.
4. Fill a floor: Place enough columns on one temple floor to occupy all remaining bases. This always triggers placement of a new temple floor.
5. Move a temple floor: Move a built-in temple floor (with its columns) one or more levels up or down. If columns fall, the card is unfulfilled.

Column Placement Rules

• Each column must be placed on a color-matching base and should not protrude beyond the base outline.
• Columns can be placed simultaneously.
• Columns may be placed on empty bases that have already been overbuilt by a temple floor above (shove carefully between floors).

Placing a New Temple Floor

Whenever a column fills the last free base on a temple floor, immediately interrupt the current card and place a new temple floor:

1. Take the top temple floor from the quarry.
2. Either build it on top of columns (cover at least 3 columns for stability) or extend the temple base (must touch existing base at 2+ points).
3. The construction plan card’s rim indicates which side faces up: orange-brown rim = free choice; light rim = light side up; dark rim = dark side up.
4. If you extend the temple base (rather than building upward), add the construction plan card face down to the level cards at end of turn, increasing the required levels by 1.

Unfulfilled Cards

If you cannot completely fulfill a construction plan card, it becomes an additional level card (added face down to the row). This increases the target height by 1 level. When this happens, you may exchange the entire camp (draw 6 new columns, return old ones to bag). Your turn ends immediately. Do not undo any placements made during the failed attempt; simply right any fallen columns.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when any of these occur:

• The temple collapses (any floors fall or columns cannot be righted in place)
• A player cannot replenish columns to full count at end of turn
• The last construction plan card is used
• The last temple floor is placed

Win condition: The temple has a number of levels equal to or greater than the number of level cards laid out. The temple base does not count as a level. Only temple floors resting on columns count as levels. One level can consist of multiple temple floors at the same height.

Loss: The temple does not have enough levels, or it has collapsed.

Note: The game does not end early just because the temple currently meets the height requirement – it must still meet it when a proper end condition is triggered.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Temple floors placed as base extensions do NOT count as levels; only floors on columns count.
• A single level can consist of multiple temple floors if they sit at the same height on columns.
• If columns fall during a move/place attempt and cannot be put back exactly where they were, the game ends (potential loss).
• The game is cooperative: players should discuss strategy and plan turns together openly.
• When multiple temple floors need to be placed in a single turn (filling multiple floors), each triggers immediately before continuing the card.

Player Reference

Turn sequence: 1. Exchange with camp (optional) -> 2. Draw construction plan card -> 3. Build per card -> 4. Replenish columns from bag

Card difficulty: Blue (easy) < Yellow (medium) < Red (hard)

Unfulfilled card: Becomes a level card (increases target height by 1); exchange entire camp; turn ends

New floor trigger: Filling the last base on any floor -> immediately place new floor from quarry

Win: Temple levels >= level cards when game ends

Loss: Temple collapsed or too few levels