ATTENTION: Although Lagoon s game play is polished, I freely admit this rulebook needs work. The order in which concepts and rules are presented are not the most intuitive, and the language needs to be improved for clarity as well. I am in the process of completely reflowing the rules to better match how I explain the game to someone in person. In the meantime, it is entirely possible to learn the game from these rules. Alternately, a how to play video will soon be added to the Game Overview section of the Kickstarter page, and that should be an easier way to learn until the rulebook has been fully revised and edited. Thank you! David ---- Welcome to Lagoon, a fantastical land where you lead a circle of druids on a quest to bend destiny. The landscape bristles with three divine energies. Your every action alters the balance of power among them, and thus the players collectively author Lagoon s destiny. One energy shall inherit Lagoon, and the player who best served it wins! The Story of Lagoon Lagoon is the first world that ever was. It is home to the first forests -- the deepest, most ancient, and magical in all of creation. Boundless spiritual energy flows through the land, and is the Source of all the world s magic. Infused with this energy, the eldest and most noble plants and animals awoke long ago. All energy was in harmony, until the rise of humanity divided the whole. The Source was broken, and now three energies vie for dominion of Lagoon. Elemeen is the energy of the spirit, Vowelon is the energy of the heart and Deonin is the energy of the mind. Although humans are the youngest beings on this ancient world, their druids will decide the fate of Lagoon. Druids are the seekers who walk the ancient paths, uncover the secrets of the land, and harness its magic to bend destiny. They invoke the power of Elemeen, Vowelon and Deonin to expand the dominion of their chosen allegiance, and magically unravel the hold of opposing energies on the land. Druids may shift their loyalties, but in the end only one energy will become the destiny of Lagoon. And the druids who forged that destiny shall have favor. Overview Players: 2-4. With 4 players, Lagoon is a team game (see 4 Player Rules section). Time: 60 minutes Introduction to Druids Eldrid and Normal Druids Each player controls a circle of druids represented by a set of 5 druid tokens in the same color. Each circle of druids has a single elder druid, called an Eldrid, and four regular druids. The icons representing these two types of druids are shown in the table below. 1
Eldrid Icon Regular Druid Icon Refreshed and Exhausted Druids Druid tokens have two different sides to represent whether they are refreshed or exhausted, as shown in the table below. A druid token with the refreshed side facing up is able to invoke an action, whereas a druid token with the exhausted side facing up cannot invoke any actions. Eldrid Token Druid Token Indicates Refreshed Side Able to invoke an action Exhausted Side Unable to invoke actions Invoke Icons Druids can invoke several standard actions as well as a few special actions provided by the magical sites of Lagoon (see Druid Actions section). These actions are always preceded by one of the two icons in the table below. The standard invoke icon defines an action that can be invoked by any druid. The Eldrid-only invoke icon defines a powerful action that only an Eldrid can invoke. Both icons show with an arrow that the refreshed druid token being used to invoke an action must be flipped over to its exhausted side as a cost of invoking the action. Invoke Icon Eldrid-Only Invoke Icon Exiled Druids Some game effects cause a druid to be exiled. An exiled druid is removed from play and returned to its owner s supply. It can be summoned back into play like any druid in a player s supply. Some effects require a refreshed druid to be exiled, but if the effect does not specify then either an exhausted or refreshed druid may be exiled. Introduction to Sites There are 24 double-sided site tiles. Each side represents a unique magical site in the world of Lagoon, for a total of 48. Sites Can Be Explored and Unraveled Druids can explore new sites and add them to the board. Druids can also draw on the power of one energy to remove another energy s site from the board. This is called unraveling. 2
These two concepts will be touched on lightly in this introduction and explained in greater depth in the Game Play section. Divine Energies Each site is aligned with one of three divine energies, as described in the table below. A site s energy alignment is indicated by its seed icon as well as the colored border around the perimeter of the site. Every site tile has a different energy on its two sides, with an even distribution of 16 sites in each energy. Energy Name Seed Icon Description Elemeen Vowelon Deonin The energy of the spirit: enlightenment The energy of the heart: emotion The energy of the mind: ego Energy Differences The site actions of each energy have a common thread and focus running through them. Elemeen actions refresh druids and allow them to be summoned in new ways. Vowelon actions provide many ways to move druids around the world. Deonin actions make it possible to alter the world itself by moving sites around and exploring sites in new ways. Each energy s actions are extremely powerful in different situations, and tactical play is all about combining the powers together in clever ways. Havens There are 9 haven sites in Lagoon, and they fulfill a special role in the game. Haven sites are labeled Haven in the horizontal site bar, which also has a green background to help distinguish havens from other sites. When a druid is summoned into play, it is placed on any haven on the board. Because they serve as safe havens for summoned druids, there must always be at least one haven site in play. Havens can be unraveled like any other site, but only if there is at least one other haven in play. If only one haven is on the board, it cannot be unraveled. Locked Sites A site is locked if its removal from the board would split the world into two or more noncontiguous regions. Locked sites cannot be unraveled. Occupied Sites Any site with at least one druid on it is considered occupied. You occupy a site if at least one of your druids is on the site. Moving Sites When effects move sites on the board, druids are moved with the sites they occupy. Passive Site Powers 3
Some sites offer passive powers to druids instead of actions that must be invoked. If a site s ability description does not begin with one of the two invoke icons, it offers a passive power. Passive powers are also identifiable by their square-shaped green icons, as explained in the table below. Passive Power Icon Description Power that may be used when specified by the ability text. Power that may be used only when the site is being explored. When the conditions of a passive site power are met, the power may be used. No cost is paid to use a passive power unless the ability text specifies one. Game Setup The recommended starting tiles for new players are Gruu s Refuge (1A), Elixona, Queen of Dreams (19B), and Gaea s Atlas (17B). Arrange these tiles on the table so each one is adjacent to the other two. Each player takes a reference card and a set of five druid tokens. Players put their Eldrid token and one of their regular druid tokens on the starting haven site (Gruu s Refuge, in this case). For a faster and simpler introductory game, it is recommended to remove and not play with the following three tiles (22, 23, 24): Karma Garden/Grizznant, Shimmering Heart/Jokulmas, Sylvant/Awakening Portal Shuffle the remaining site tiles and place them in the bag. If all players have played before and are comfortable mixing things up, you can make your own starting setup by choosing one tile of each energy. One of them must be a haven site, but only one haven site should be included in the starting setup. Game Play Player Turns Players take turns in clockwise order, starting with the player who most recently visited a forest. Each player turn has four steps: Begin, Refresh, Actions, End. Step One: Begin If you have any passive site powers that are usable at the beginning of your turn, you may use them now. If you use more than one, you may choose in which order to resolve them. Step Two: Refresh Choose up to 3 of your exhausted druids and refresh them. It is possible to have 4 or 5 refreshed druids at the end of this step. That could happen if you already had refreshed druids in play when your turn began, or if you used passive powers during the first two steps to refresh additional druids. Step Three: Actions You may now invoke actions with as many of your refreshed druids as you wish. Actions are invoked and resolved one at a time. Only refreshed druids may invoke actions, and a druid is 4
always exhausted as a cost for invoking an action. Passive site powers may also be used whenever specified by the ability text on those sites. Your action step ends either when you have no more refreshed druids, or when you choose to stop invoking actions. You may end this step with refreshed druids in play if you wish. Step Four: End At the end of your turn, you may use any end of turn passive powers. If you use more than one, you may choose in which order to resolve them. Druid Actions This section builds on the information explained in the earlier Introduction to Druids section. Basic Actions There are three basic actions always available to druids: : Move invoking druid 1 hex. : Summon 1 druid from your supply to any haven. The summoned druid enters play exhausted. : Explore a new site adjacent to the invoking druid s site. Gain 1 seed of the explored site s energy. You may move the invoking druid into the explored site. Use only once per turn. Exploring Sites There are two steps to exploring, and a third optional step that is only available when exploring with the basic explore action described above. Remember, you can only use the basic explore action once per turn. Step One: Draw 1 random site tile from the supply. Choose which side you want to put into play, and place the tile on the board in any open space adjacent to the exploring druid s site with your preferred side face up. Step Two: Gain 1 seed matching the energy of the explored site. Players often forget to collect this seed because they are focused on their next action. Gaining a seed from exploring is not optional, and seeds are extremely valuable, so players should help each other remember this rule. Step Three (optional): You may move the exploring druid into the explored site. This step is only available if you are invoking the basic explore action. Some site actions also allow exploring, but this third step is not allowed by the ability text of these tiles. Exploring Using a Site Action: Several Deonin sites offer a separate, unique explore action. When exploring using those site actions, the third step above is not available. That step is unique to the basic explore action. Although every action that allows exploring can only be used once per turn, it is possible to explore multiple times in a single turn if invoking different explore actions each time. Landlocked Druids: Note that a druid on a site with no adjacent open spaces is landlocked and cannot explore, unless it is invoking the explore action from the Roots of Creation site. 5
Unraveling Sites Although the lands of Lagoon are teeming with divine energy, the druids have learned how to break the bonds that tie a specific energy to a particular site. This process is called unraveling, and it is used to remove a site from play. A refreshed druid may unravel the site they occupy if certain conditions are met. First though, the power relationship between the three energies must be understood. The divine energies have a circular power dynamic like that in rock, paper, scissors. As shown in the diagram below, Elemeen overcomes Vowelon, Vowelon overcomes Deonin, and Deonin overcomes Elemeen. This power dynamic comes into play when unraveling sites, as a druid will be harnessing the power of one energy to overcome and unravel a site of another energy. The unraveling process is energy intensive. It requires 3 energy to unravel a rival site. According to the power dynamic described above, there is a different unravel action to unravel a site of each energy. Each unravel action has different energy requirements, as specified after the invoke icon: : Unravel invoking druid s site if it is. : Unravel invoking druid s site if it is. : Unravel invoking druid s site if it is. The three energy required to unravel a site is drawn from the land itself, or from divine seeds players have gained from exploring. Each site provides one energy that can be accessed by the druids who occupy it, whether the druids are refreshed or exhausted. Accessing energy from a site does not exhaust a druid. A site s energy may be accessed once each time a player unravels a site. Discarding a seed also provides one energy matching the discarded seed. For example, let s assume Aaron s druids occupy three Elemeen sites. Aaron then has access to three Elemeen energy:. Controlling multiple druids in the same site would still only provide a single energy. Now if Aaron also has a refreshed druid in a Vowelon site, he could consider using that druid to invoke the first unravel action above. If Aaron only occupied two Elemeen sites, he might still consider unraveling the Vowelon site if he has an Elemeen seed he is willing to discard to reach the required. Additionally, if Aaron s fifth druid occupied a second Vowelon site, he could unravel that site too if he still had access to three Elemeen energy after unraveling the first Vowelon site. A visual example of 6
unraveling is given in the next section. When a site is unraveled, the unraveling druid is returned to its owner s supply. Any other druids on the unraveled site are exhausted and then each of them is placed in the haven of the unraveling player s choice. That player may choose to place druids in different havens. Lastly, the active player removes the unraveled site from the board and keeps it until the end of game scoring. Unraveled sites must be left with their unraveled side face up. Accessing Site Magic Every site in Lagoon is enchanted with a unique magic power. If your druid occupies a site, it may invoke that site s action. But that s just the beginning, because your druids are spiritually linked and share their magic with each other. This means so long as you occupy a site, any of your druids may invoke its action. Let s look at how this works in practice. In the below example, Ivana is the purple player and has four druids in play. She has an exhausted druid on Mytreia s Wonder as well as two refreshed druids and a refreshed Eldrid on Oasis. Ivana wants to unravel Oasis this turn, a Vowelon site. To accomplish this, she must have access to three Elemeen energy and have a refreshed druid in Oasis to invoke the unravel action. There are several ways she can accomplish her goal. Let s explore two different scenarios. Scenario One: Ivana uses one of her druids in Oasis to invoke the basic move action, and moves that druid into Gruu s Refuge. Invoking the action exhausts the druid. Then Ivana does the same thing with her other druid in Oasis, also moving it into Gruu s Refuge. Now that Ivana occupies Gruu s Refuge, any of her refreshed druids can invoke its refresh 7
action. Ivana chooses for her Eldrid in Oasis to do so, and refreshes one of her druids in Gruu s Refuge. She then moves that refreshed druid into Kindred Stone by invoking a basic move action. Now Ivana has a druid in each of three different Elemeen sites, giving her access to the three Elemeen energy she needs to unravel Oasis. However, her Eldrid in Oasis is now exhausted and therefore can t invoke the unravel action. Fortunately, Ivana has planned for this. One of her druids occupies Mytreia s Wonder, which provides a passive power that allows her to refresh her Eldrid once per turn. She uses this power to refresh her Eldrid, and then the Eldrid can invoke the unravel action to unravel Oasis. Mission accomplished! Ivana returns her Eldrid to her supply because it unraveled a site. She also removes Oasis from the board, placing it in front of her. Oasis was a haven site, which can t be unraveled if it s the last one in play, but Gruu s Refuge is also a haven so this was a legal play. Scenario Two: Ivana uses one of her refreshed druids in Oasis to invoke a basic summon action. This will bring her last druid into play from her supply. It must enter play in a haven. There are two havens on the board, so Ivana can choose either. She places her summoned druid on Gruu s Refuge. She places it exhausted side up, as required by the summon action. Now Ivana uses her Eldrid in Oasis to invoke the action provided by Oasis. It allows her to move one of her other druids, so she chooses to move the newly summoned druid in Gruu s Refuge over into Kindred Stone. Then Ivana moves her refreshed druid occupying Oasis into Gruu s Refuge. This gives her the three Elemeen energy she needs. As in the previous scenario, Ivana uses the passive power of Mytreia s Wonder to refresh her Eldrid. Now she can use the Eldrid to unravel Oasis. Details to Remember * Exhausted druids occupying a site still give you access to that site s energy. Likewise, an exhausted druid still shares with your other druids the action or power of the site it occupies. * Some site actions include the text Use only once per turn. This means a player may only ever invoke that action a single time during their turn. Note that the basic explore action is also limited to use once per turn. * When you move a druid out of a site, you lose that site s power immediately unless you have another druid still in the site. Sometimes you will need to sequence your actions carefully around this fact. * Remember that actions with the Eldrid-only invoke icon can only be invoked by an Eldrid. A druid in a site with an Eldrid-only action still shares that action even though they cannot invoke it themselves. The End of the Game Game End The game ends at the end of the turn in which a player explores the last site from the bag. Lagoon s Destiny 8
The energy with the most sites in play at the end of the game becomes Lagoon s destiny. A tie between two energies is broken according to the circular power dynamic. Elemeen wins a tie with Vowelon, Vowelon wins a tie with Deonin, and Deonin wins a tie with Elemeen. In the unlikely event all three energies have the same number of sites in play, the energy with the most total seeds in all players supplies becomes Lagoon s destiny. Two-way ties are broken as before. Scoring Calculate each player s score using the table below. Seeds in your supply of the destiny energy are worth 1 point each, while seeds of the other two energies are worth 0. Sites you ve unraveled of the two non-destiny energies are worth 2 points each. Unraveled sites of the destiny energy are worth 0 points. Destiny Seeds Earned Sites Unraveled = 1 point / = 2 points = 1 point / = 2 points = 1 point / = 2 points Winning The player with the most points wins. Ties are broken as follows. Total the number of seeds each tied player has of the destiny energy and subtract how many sites of the destiny energy they unraveled. The higher total wins the tie. If players remain tied, they share victory! Scoring Example Colette and Hank just finished a game. The seeds and unraveled sites Colette and Hank have are listed below. The table shows how to score the game for each of the three possible destiny outcomes. Colette s seeds: Hank s seeds: Colette s unraveled sites: Hank s unraveled sites: Destiny C s Scored Seeds C s Scored Sites H s Scored Seeds H s Scored Sites Points C=10 H=4 C=4 H=13 C=7 H=7 If Deonin is the destiny, you can see that Colette and Hank are tied for points at 7 each. But 9
Colette wins the tie, because her Deonin karma (3 minus 2) is 1 and Hank s (1 minus 2) is -1. Notice how the points scored by Hank and Colette are highly dependent on which energy becomes the destiny of Lagoon. In many games, winning will come down to who succeeds at bending destiny in their chosen direction. 4 Player Rules When playing with 4 players, Lagoon is a team game with two players on each team. Each player should be seated between their opponents, so turns alternate from team to team. Each player uses their own set of druids. Teammates cannot control each others druids or share seeds. Nor can a player use site abilities of sites their druids do not occupy, even if their teammate s druids do. The only thing shared by teammates during the game is their joint strategy. At the end of the game, teammates combine seeds and unraveled sites for scoring purposes. Strategy Tips * Don t forget that seeds can be spent to help you unravel sites. As the end of the game draws near, the likelihood of some energies seeds scoring points for you drops. If you can, use those seeds to unravel sites or to power site actions that require seeds. * If the board is moving towards a state where any one energy is in very short supply, it can be destabilizing. It could become challenging to unravel using that energy, which benefits the energy it would unravel. This dynamic can be used to your advantage, but if it can t then you ll need to work against it. * If one energy appears to have the support of all players in becoming the destiny, the game becomes a race. Players jockey for the most points given that expected destiny. If you are ahead in the race, this is good for you. If you can t win the race though, don t let the game become one. * Aggressive unraveling of a leading energy in concert with steady exploration of a rival energy can sometimes flip the emerging destiny in a new direction more quickly than it may seem. * The point-based scoring system is slightly misleading. The conditional nature of the points makes controlling Lagoon s destiny the true heart of the game. * Different strategies may work better in 2 player and 3 player games. 10