Realm of the Jade Goddess

Overview

Realm of the Jade Goddess (Im Reich der Jadegottin) is a tile-laying exploration game for 2-4 players designed by Klaus Teuber, published by Kosmos in 2007. Players take the roles of explorers in a jungle searching for artifacts from a mysterious “lost city.” By exploring terrain, placing archaeologists, and discovering ancient ruins, players compete to collect the most valuable artifacts and gold. The game features a board that expands as players explore, with tile placement creating the map of the jungle.

Components

• 1 Game board (11 tiles wide and deep) with pre-placed central row and column
• Terrain tiles (jungle, ruins, paths)
• Archaeologist meeples (multiple per player)
• Jeep tokens (1 per player)
• Gold pieces
• Artifact tiles (types A, B, C, D in “good” and “cursed” variants)
• Lost City tiles

Setup

1. Place the central row and column of tiles on the board (these start fully explored).
2. Each player places their jeep on the center space of the board.
3. Distribute starting gold and archaeologists to each player.
4. Shuffle the terrain tiles face-down as a draw pool.
5. Determine the starting player.

Turn Structure

On each turn, a player performs these steps in order:

1. Move Jeep (optional): Move your jeep along paths on the board:
   • Movement along white lines is free (unlimited).
   • Movement along brown lines stops your movement.
   • Only one jeep may occupy any non-central tile.
2. Explore: If your jeep is adjacent to unexplored terrain, draw and place a tile:
   • Tile colors of connecting lines must match between adjacent tiles.
   • If a drawn tile cannot be placed, add it to your reserve for future use.
3. Place Archaeologists: Place archaeologists on the newly explored or adjacent tiles:
   • 1 archaeologist: free
   • 2 archaeologists (double): costs 1 gold
   • 3 archaeologists (triple): costs 2 gold

Actions

• Move: Navigate your jeep along explored paths.
• Explore: Draw and place new terrain tiles adjacent to your jeep.
• Place Archaeologists: Station archaeologists on tiles to claim influence.
• Discover Lost City: When a Lost City tile is placed and completed, all players with archaeologists in the city score.
• Use Reserve Tiles: Play previously un-placeable tiles from your reserve instead of drawing.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Lost City Scoring

When a Lost City is completed:

• Each player with at least one archaeologist receives gold equal to the gold coin symbols in the city.
• The player with the most archaeologists receives artifact tiles equal to the artifact head symbols.
• The player with the second-most receives half the artifacts (rounded up).
• This continues until all players with archaeologists have received artifacts.

Final Scoring

• Each artifact tile = 1 victory point
• A complete set of artifacts (A, B, C, D) of all “good” types = 5 bonus points
• A complete set with any “cursed” artifacts = 3 bonus points
• Winner: The player with the most victory points wins.
• Tiebreaker: Number of artifact tiles, then number of gold pieces.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Tile Placement Matching: Connecting line colors must match. If a tile cannot legally be placed, it goes to the player’s reserve.
• Reserve Tiles: On future turns, a player may use a reserve tile instead of drawing from the pool.
• Jeep Exclusivity: Only one jeep per non-central tile. Players may need to plan routes to avoid being blocked.
• Archaeologist Costs: Placing multiple archaeologists on one turn costs gold; managing gold reserves is important.
• Cursed vs. Good Artifacts: Cursed artifacts reduce the set bonus from 5 to 3 points but still count toward completing a set.

Player Reference

Action	Cost
Move Jeep (white line)	Free
Move Jeep (brown line)	Stops movement
Place 1 Archaeologist	Free
Place 2 Archaeologists	1 gold
Place 3 Archaeologists	2 gold

Set Bonus: A-B-C-D all good = 5 pts; mixed = 3 pts

Win: Most victory points from artifacts + set bonuses