Terra Mystica

Overview

Terra Mystica is a strategy game where 2-5 players lead one of 14 unique fantasy factions competing to terraform terrain and build civilizations on a shared map. Players transform terrain hexes to their home type, construct structures, advance on cult tracks, and found towns. The faction with the most victory points after six rounds wins. Each faction has unique abilities, preferred terrain, and asymmetric starting positions.

Components

1 Game board with hexagonal landscape
1 Cult board with 4 cult tracks
7 Double-sided faction boards
56 Terrain tiles
Structures per faction: 8 Dwellings, 4 Trading Houses, 1 Stronghold, 3 Temples, 1 Sanctuary
7 Priests and scoring markers per faction
Workers, Coins (1/2/5 denominations), Power tokens (in 3 bowls)
12 Bridges, Favor tiles, Town tiles, Bonus cards, Scoring tiles
Action tokens, Starting player marker

Setup

Place the game board and cult board centrally.
Each player selects a faction and takes its faction board with all structures placed in their starting positions.
Place 6 scoring tiles (one per round) face-up.
Shuffle and distribute bonus cards (players + 3 extras).
Place favor tiles and town tiles face-up.
Players place initial dwellings on the map per faction setup rules.
Distribute starting resources per faction board.
Place power tokens: 5 in Bowl I, 7 in Bowl II, 0 in Bowl III.

Turn Structure

The game lasts 6 rounds, each with 3 phases:

Phase I: Income

Collect resources based on visible symbols on your faction board:

Workers from uncovered dwelling spaces
Coins from uncovered trading house spaces
Priests from uncovered temple spaces
Power from trading houses and strongholds
Additional income from bonus cards and favor tiles

Phase II: Actions

Starting with the first player, each player takes one action per turn. Continue clockwise until all players pass. Eight actions are available:

Phase III: Cult Bonuses and Cleanup

Award cult bonuses from the current scoring tile. Remove action tokens. Place 1 coin on each unclaimed bonus card. Flip scoring tile face-down.

Actions

1. Transform and Build

Convert terrain to your home type using spades (cost depends on distance on transformation cycle). Then optionally build a dwelling (costs 1 worker + 2 coins, varies by faction). Spades must be used immediately; cannot be saved.

2. Advance Shipping

Expand your range across rivers by 1 level. Costs 1 priest + 4 coins. Awards victory points per scoring tile.

3. Lower Exchange Rate (Spade Cost)

Reduce the number of workers needed per spade by 1. Costs 2 workers + 5 coins + 1 priest. Awards 6 VP.

4. Upgrade Structures

Upgrade in this order: Dwelling -> Trading House -> Stronghold or Temple -> Sanctuary. Each upgrade has specific resource costs and unlocks new income/abilities.

5. Send Priest to Cult Track

Place a priest on a cult track to advance 1-3 spaces (depending on available slots). Advancing past the 3rd, 5th, 7th, or 10th space triggers power gains for all players with structures on the cult board.

6. Power Actions

Spend power from Bowl III to take one of the shared board actions (limited to once per round each). Actions include gaining resources, spades, or other benefits.

7. Special Actions

Use faction-specific or card-granted one-time actions (marked with action tokens).

8. Pass

Stop taking actions for the round. Return your bonus card and choose a new one.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

During the Game

Scoring tile bonuses each round (VP for specific actions like building, terraforming, founding towns, etc.)
Town founding (discussed below)
Advancing shipping and exchange rates

End-Game Scoring

Cult Track Scoring (per cult):

1st place: 8 VP
2nd place: 4 VP
3rd place: 2 VP

Area Scoring (largest connected group of structures):

1st place: 18 VP
2nd place: 12 VP
3rd place: 6 VP

Resources: 1 VP per 3 remaining coins.

Highest total VP wins. Ties = shared victory.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Power System: Power tokens cycle through 3 bowls: Bowl I -> Bowl II -> Bowl III. Spend from Bowl III; tokens return to Bowl I. To move tokens from Bowl I to II, gain power normally. You can sacrifice power from Bowl II (remove tokens permanently) to move equal tokens to Bowl III.
Gaining Power from Opponents: When an opponent builds or upgrades adjacent to your structures, you may gain power equal to the new structure’s power value. Cost: lose 1 VP per power gained minus 1 (gaining 1 power = free; gaining 2 = lose 1 VP; gaining 3 = lose 2 VP).
Town Founding: A town forms automatically when 4+ directly adjacent structures of one color have a combined power value of 7+. Choose a town tile (grants VP, bonuses, and a key for the 10th cult track space). Only 3 structures needed if one is a Sanctuary.
Adjacency: Direct adjacency = sharing a hex edge or connected by a bridge. Indirect adjacency = separated by rivers within shipping range.
Faction Abilities: Each of the 14 factions has unique special powers (e.g., Giants always pay 2 spades for any transformation; Halflings gain extra spades after building the stronghold; Darklings exchange priests for spades; Engineers have cheaper dwellings).
Favor Tiles: Selected when upgrading to temples. Cannot duplicate tiles already owned. Provide ongoing bonuses and cult track advancement.
Bridges: Can be built to connect non-adjacent structures across rivers, counting as direct adjacency.
Priest Limit: Each player has 7 priests total; once sent to the cult track, they cannot be recovered.
Bonus Cards: Must be exchanged when passing. Cannot immediately retake the card just returned.

Player Reference

Action	Cost	Benefit
Transform + Build	Spades + 1W + 2C	Convert terrain, place dwelling
Advance Shipping	1 Priest + 4C	+1 shipping range
Lower Spade Cost	2W + 5C + 1 Priest	-1 worker per spade, +6 VP
Upgrade Structure	Varies	Better income, abilities
Send Priest to Cult	1 Priest	Advance 1-3 cult spaces
Power Action	Power from Bowl III	Various board actions
Special Action	Varies	Faction/card abilities
Pass	None	Take new bonus card

Power Cycle: Bowl I -> Bowl II -> Bowl III (spend) -> Bowl I