In an age where exploration and archaeology meet action and adventure, you are the daring leader of an expedition to recover the valuable treasures of an infamous jungle temple. Outmaneuver your opponents, advance along the trail, and avoid bandits along the way to ensure you are the first to reach the loot.
The first player to reach the temple wins, so put on your hiking boots, grab your compass and machete, and set out for riches and thrilling adventure in Gold Raiders!
The Plan
In Gold Raiders, play is divided into two phases: the Night Phase and the Day Phase. Players will be dealt eight cards during the Night Phase which they will use to form stacks to help them progress during the day phase. But adventurers beware! Bandits lurk in the jungle and will chase you away from their plunder should you cross paths!
The Night Phase
During the Night Phase, players are dealt eight cards with which to build their stacks. They will take turns playing a card from their hand, either playing on top of an existing stack, forming a new stack to the right of any previous stacks, or into the discard pile to make use of the effect. Once every player's hand is empty, play moves to the Day Phase.
The Day Phase
Once in the Day Phase, the first player will choose one of their stacks to reveal, performing the actions in the stack. They may then choose to reveal another stack or choose to reveal no more stacks. Once that player is out of stacks to reveal or chooses to not reveal another stack, play passes to the next player until all players have chosen to stop revealing stacks. If any player has made it to the temple, they win and the game is over. If no one has made it to the temple, a new Night Phase begins and the First Player Marker moves to the player who is last on the trail.
The Stacks
There are 4 types of cards in Gold Raiders players will use to form their stacks during the Night Phase: Travel Cards, Bandits!, Steal!, and Recon. Travel cards are what will help players progress through the jungle and toward their destination. You don't want to run into any Bandits on your way, or you'll suffer a serious setback. The Recon cards can be discarded to help you plan ahead or used as a free card in your stack that won't interrupt any sequences. Finally, the Steal cards will allow you to take another player's stack and make it your own by forming a new stack with it or adding it to the top of one of your stack.
Sequencing
In order to move down the trail and toward the temple, you need to sequence travel cards correctly in your stacks. Playing a "1 Mile" card in a stack will move you one space forward on the trail. Following a "1 Mile" card with a "2 Mile" card in the same stack will let you move three spaces down the trail, and adding a "3 Mile" card after the "2 Mile" card will allow you to move an additional three spaces. Only placing them in an uninterrupted sequence will allow you to reap the benefits, though Recon cards do not count as interrupting Travel cards.
Beware the Bandits!
If you find a Bandits! card in your revealed stack, it doesn't matter what your other cards are. You're in for a bad time. Bandits will cancel out any of your plans to trek through the jungle and will chase you back two spaces to regroup.
Three of a Kind!
Placing three identical Travel cards sequentially in a stack will move you forward five spaces! Likewise, finding three Bandit cards sequentially in your stack will move you back six spaces instead of the normal two!
Make it to the Temple!
The first player to make it to the temple wins the fame, glory, and gold! Are you ready to venture out in search of gold? Gold Raiders awaits you!
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