Overview

Ritual is a cooperative tile placement game in which players take on the roles of shamans working together to perform a ritual by silently exchanging runes and collaboratively creating a scroll. Players must coordinate without verbal communication, placing tiles to build a shared pattern while managing the flow of mystical runes between them.

Components

• Rune tiles in various symbols and colors
• Shaman player cards
• Scroll board or play area
• Ritual objective cards
• Reference cards

Setup

1. Each player takes a shaman card and starting rune tiles.
2. Place the scroll board or designate the central play area.
3. Draw a ritual objective card that defines the target pattern or goal.
4. Distribute starting runes among players according to player count rules.

Turn Structure

On each turn, the active player:

1. Give or Take Runes: Silently offer or request rune tiles from other players. Communication about which runes are needed must be done through the game’s restricted communication rules (no verbal discussion of specific tiles).
2. Place a Tile: Place one rune tile onto the scroll, extending the shared pattern. The tile must follow placement rules (adjacency, symbol matching, etc.).
3. Draw (if applicable): Draw a new rune tile from the supply if available.
4. Play passes to the next player clockwise.

Actions

Tile Placement: Place a rune tile adjacent to existing tiles on the scroll. Placement must follow pattern rules specified by the ritual objective.

Rune Exchange: Give one or more rune tiles to another player, or take rune tiles that another player offers. This exchange is the primary cooperative mechanism, as players must deduce what others need.

Silent Communication: Players may not verbally discuss which specific runes they hold or need. They may use limited signals or gestures as defined by the game rules.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Win: All players win together if the ritual is completed – the scroll pattern matches the objective card’s requirements before the rune supply runs out or a time/turn limit is reached.

Lose: All players lose if the scroll cannot be completed (impossible placement, rune supply exhausted, or time limit exceeded).

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Communication restrictions are the core challenge; breaking communication rules invalidates the game.
• Some ritual objectives may have specific rune combinations that must appear in certain positions.
• If a player cannot legally place a tile on their turn, they may pass, but consecutive passes by all players may trigger a loss condition.
• Rune tiles placed incorrectly cannot be moved once placed.

Player Reference

Turn: Exchange runes (silently) > Place tile on scroll > Draw new rune.

Win condition: Complete the scroll pattern matching the ritual objective.

Key rule: No verbal communication about specific tiles held.