Gem-Hunt was my entry to the aug 2010 GDS. I have recieved some comments and questions I would like to discuss further.

First of all I have learned something about Markdown syntax. I was not completely happy how my GDS entry appeared (I did not know it needs to be a paragraph (double enter) between text and lists). So here is how I intended it to be:

Gem-Hunt

by joni

Four collectors set out to gather valuable gems, without knowing witch of the gems that are of any value. They race each other to gather the stones, but also to be the first to define the value.

Components

• 1 game board
• 72 gems (12 gems x 6 colours)
• 21 draw card-tokens
• 60 coins (different values)
• 48 point cards (8 cards x 6 colours)
• 20 neutral roads (white)

The 4 players (red, blue, green and yellow) each have:

• 3 lawyers (classic pawn)
• 3 transporters (flat-top cylinder)
• 20 roads

The board

Each intersection made by the black lines is called a location. Some of these are empty (no symbol), the rest is:

• Home-locations (red, blue, green and yellow), 1 for each player.
• Pickup-locations (grey or dark grey).
• Draw card-locations (cyan ring).
• Income-locations (golden, numbered).

Units move from location to location by using roads.

Setup

• Place 6 gems (1 of each colour) in each of the 4 Gem-mines.
• Randomly place the remaining 48 gems in the 48 Gem-pits (1 in each pit).
• Place a Draw card-token on each of the Draw card-locations.
• Place a coin (value 1) on each of the Income-locations marked 0 and 1.
• Shuffle the Point-cards and place them face down next to the game board.

Turn order

1: Build and buy

You may:

• Remove one road (cost: 1 coin).
  • The road must be on the end of a chain (of your own colour).
  • You may only remove your own road.
• Build as many roads as you like (cost: 1 coin per road)
  • Your roads must connect to your existing roads.
  • If your road leads to an Income-location with a coin, then collect that coin.
  • If you have built all 20 roads of your colour you may build neutral roads.
• Buy a transporter (cost: 4 coins) or a lawyer (cost: 5 coins).
  • Your Home-location must be unoccupied, place the new unit there.

2: Actions

Each unit takes 1 action (or they may “pass” and do nothing). They must move by roads but may use all roads (neutral and opponents roads included). No units may occupy the same location.

Lawyers may do one of these actions:

• Move 1 location along the road.
  • If the lawyer reaches a Draw card-location with a token on it:
    • draw a card (if you have less than 5 cards),
    • remove the token (if you drew a card).
• Stay on a Draw card-location:
  • If you have 5 cards: discard one of them (face up in a discard-pile) and draw a new one.
  • If you have less than 5 cards: do nothing.
• Stay on an Income-location:
  • Gather the income as specified on the location (1-3 coins).
  • The lawyer must be connected by roads to your Home-location to collect the income.

Transporters may do one of these actions:

• Move 1-2 locations along the road (may pass another unit).
• Stay on a Pickup-location and pick up a gem from an adjacent Gem-pit.
  • In a Gem-mine you need to stay with a transporter on both Double pickup-locations next to that mine. These two transporters then pick up one gem each.
• Stay on the Home-location and deliver a gem.

3: Trade gems

• You may sell a gem to the market for 2 coins or buy a gem from the market for 3 coins.

4: Reveal a card

• See endgame rules.

First round

The youngest or most inexperienced player starts.

• Place the first road for free.
• Place the first lawyer for free.
• Move the lawyer 1 location.
• Place the first transporter for free.

The turn passes clockwise around the board.

Endgame – winning

Any player with 5 cards in his hand may start the endgame by revealing one of his cards.

• The top colour of that card (3 gem-symbols) sets the point-giving colour for that player.
• The same OR the complementary colour is the point-giving colour for the other players.
  • Complementary colours are red – green, blue – orange and purple – yellow.
• That player reveals one more card each turn, the game ends when his last card is revealed.
  • The other players keep their cards hidden.
• Transporters move double speed during the endgame (1-4 locations).
• Gems are worth 2 points and gem-symbols are worth 1 point.
• Each player adds up the points from their own gems and cards of the point-giving colour.
• There is 1 winner for each of the 2 colours.