Caverna:

Cave vs. Cave

Introduction
You are the leader of a Dwarven Tribe. You must mine the mountain, furnish caverns and collect Goods. The tribe with the
most shield points (VP) and gold at the end of the game is the winner!
Game End and Winning
The game ends after 8 rounds. Players count up the VP (shown on shields) in their play area, and the amount of Gold they
have. The player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie, the tied player with the single highest value room wins.
Setup (For 2P. For 1P changes, see Solo Game)
1. Unfold the Action Board and put it in the middle of the table, with the 2P side upmost (indicated by bull heads).
a. Grab the 12 Action Tiles and pull out the 4 Action Tiles with a dwarf on the back. Put them face up on the
un-numbered spaces on the Action Board (the order does not matter).
b. Shuffle the 8 numbered Action Tiles, and place each tile face down on one of the spaces numbered
2,2,2,3,3,3,3,4 on the Action Board, on a space matching its number.
2. Each player takes one of the 2 Cave Boards, unfolds it, and places it in front of them.
a. Each player takes one of each the 6 types of Goods indicators (Wood, Stone, Emmer (Wheat), Flax, Food
and Gold), and places it on the ‘1’ space of their Goods Track on their Cave Board.
i. Make sure the Gold Indicator has the ‘+10 side’ face down.
ii. Goods Limits: Each player is limited to a maximum of 9 of each type of Good, except for Gold where
the limit is 19 Gold (use +10 on back of Gold indicator to help indicate Gold over 9). If a player
receives Goods in excess of those limits, they are lost.
3. Take the 24 Room Tiles, and sort them by their backs into the two types: 6 with Light Grey backs, and 18 with
Dark Grey backs.
a. Put the 6 Light Grey Room Tiles face up in a display next to the Action Board. (These six room tiles are
always available at the start of a game).
b. Shuffle the 18 Dark Grey Room Tiles. Use them to cover the 9 empty cavern spaces on each player’s board,
placing them face-down. Do not place them on the space on each board with the crossed pickaxes.
4. Place the 1 Additional Cavern Tile, 4 Action Markers (I-IV), and 7 Walls near to the play area.
5. The smallest player is declared the Start Player and receives the Start Player Token (chicken).
NB: The action markers (I to IV) are provided as an aide memoir to stop you taking the same room action twice in one turn.
Course of Play
The game is played over 8 Rounds. Each round has three Phases: New Action, Action Phase, and End of Round.
Phase 1: New Action
Reveal the next Action Tile on the Action Tile (working from L -> R).
Phase 2: Action Phase
Beginning with the Start Player, and taking turns, each player chooses a face up Action Tile on the Action Board,
immediately does the Action of the tile they picked, and then pushes the tile to their side of the Action Board (to show it is
done). Each Action Tile can only be chosen once per round. NOTE: In Round 8 only, the Renovation Tile is introduced. A
player may only choose that Tile if they have strictly more Gold than the other player.
The available action types are as follows:
“AND” Where an action tile contains a number of action types separated by fine yellow (orange) lines
you may do as many different types of actions as you like, but each action only once.


“OR” Where an action tile contains two actions separated by a diagonal slash, you choose either/or, or
neither, but not both.

“+” = Gain the depicted goods.

“à” = Exchange Goods for other Goods. Spend the Goods on the left to get the Goods on the right.
If a tile shows a Goods indicator token with a “?” it means ‘Good of any type’. If there are multiple “?” with
≠it means “Goods of different types”.

 “+1 wall” = Build a Wall. Place a Wall from stock between any two adjacent cavern spaces on your

Cave Board. Walls are needed to Furnish a Cavern. The supply of Walls is limited to 7.
“1xWallà” = Raze a Wall. Remove a previously placed Wall from your Cave Board and return it to
supply. If you do, receive the depicted Goods. Removing a wall does not affect previously placed rooms,
i.e. if you furnish a cavern and then knock down a wall it required, you do not lose the furnished tile. You
cannot remove the outer Walls of your Cave (the ones drawn on the board).
“Pickaxe” = Excavate a Cavern. Remove an accessible, face down Room tile from your Cave Board,
turn it face up, and place it in the central room display. If you uncover a “+1 Food” icon on your Cave
Board by doing this, take the Food. You cannot remove face up Rooms on your board with this action,
and the action has no effect if you have no Room Tiles left to excavate.

Accessible Rooms – A room is accessible if there is a clear, orthogonal path to it from the Cave
Entrance, with no Walls or face-down Rooms in the way. The Undermining Action allows a player to
break this rule and excavate through a Wall, but you can never excavate through a face down room.
“Room Tile with Down Arrow” = Furnish a Cavern. Select a Room Tile from the central display. Pay
the Goods cost (shown in the wood banner), and place the tile on an empty cavern space on your Cave
board, according to the required Walls configuration (also shown on wood banner). Other than the
above requirements there are no restrictions on tile placement (you do not need a clear path to the Cave
Entrance like you do for Excavation). If you have no empty spaces left in your Cave, or you cannot meet
the Wall placement needs of the desired tile, this action has no effect.
• Wall Configuration:
o Walls shown in dark grey MUST be present.
o Walls shown in light grey mean may be a wall or may be not a wall.
o Walls not shown must not be present.
o You may rotate the tile to demonstrate you meet the configuration requirements, but
when you actually place it, rotate it so it faces you for ease for reading.
o The edges of your Cave also count as Walls!
o Existing Room tiles do not count as walls (not even when they are face down).
• Additional Cavern: The first player who completely fills their Cave Board with face-up Room
Tiles gets the Additional Cavern (there is only one). They place the tile either way up near
their Cave Board. The Additional Cavern arrives pre-excavated, and with 2 or 3 Walls
(depending on which side it is placed). You may add further Walls and Furnish as normal.
• There are two types of Room Tile: Orange or Blue. You always begin the game with the Orange
“Cave Entrance Tile” which counts towards your Orange Rooms. You must always have more
Orange Rooms than Blue Rooms (you cannot have equal or less). This means the first Room
Tile you buy MUST be Orange.
• Some Action Tiles have a cost that must be paid before Furnishing a Room. This is paid in
addition to the costs stated on the Room Tile that you chose to build.
o If a Room Furnishing Action has a cost of “ ” it means pay food equal to the number
of turns in that Round (2, 3, or 4).
“Up Arrow” with number over dash = Replenishing Goods – Raise the level of the depicted good equal
to the number indicated. This action will not make you lose goods if you have more than the indicated
level. If there are slashes between Goods, you must pick which type. This type of action is found on Room
Tiles only.

Anytime Actions – At any time, and as many times as you choose, you may exchange Emmer, Flax, and
Gold for Food at a rate of 1:1 (this action is depicted on your Cave Board). Note: Gold cannot be used as
a ‘wild’ Good. It can only be exchanged for Food at 1:1 as described above
When spending or gaining goods, remember to move the Goods indicator tokens on your board. Don’t forget the Goods Limits.
Phase 3: End of Round
The round ends after each player has taken the number of turns specified by the back of the Action Tile flipped this round
(i.e. 2 turns each in Rounds 1-3, 3 Turns each in Rounds 4-7, and 4 Turns each in Round 8. Slides the Actions Tiles selected
in this round back into their positions on the Action Tile track. Pass the starting player token to the other player.
Game End and Final Scoring
The game ends after 8 Rounds. Total the VP shown on Shields on Room Tiles in your Cave Board, and add the number of
Gold you have. Wood, Stone, Emmer, Flax and Food are worth 0 VP. The player with the highest total wins. In case of a tie,
the tied player with the highest valued Room Tile wins. If this also does not break the tie, the game ends in a draw.

Solo Game
Changes to Setup:
• Randomly remove 3 of the 6 Rooms with a Light Grey back from play.
• Shuffle the 18 dark grey backed Rooms and place 9 on your Cave, as normal. Form a face–down draw pile from the
remaining 9.
• Turn the Action Board to the 1P side.
• Remove the “Breach” Action Tile from play (therefore the game will only last 7 Rounds).
Changes in Play: Play as normal with the following exceptions:
• Each time you Excavate exactly one Tile on a turn, also turn the topmost Room Tile from the draw pile face up and
place it in the central display.
• Ignore the “More Gold than Opponent” condition on the “Renovation” Action Tile. You can use that tile regardless
of how much Gold you have.
Your goal is to get at least 50 VP. 60+ VPs is a remarkable score.
Appendix 1: Cavern Tile Effects
Room Effect VP
Starting Rooms
Food Corner If you have less than 3 Food, bring your Food to 3. If you have more than 3 food, no effect. 3
Parlor If you have 0 of any Good, bring that Good it to 1. Apply to all Goods. If you have 1 or more of that Good, 6
the quantity is unchanged.
Grindstone Convert 1 Emmer to 3 Food, or Convert 4 Emmer to 7 Food. 4
Shelf Choose one Good from Wood, Stone, Emmer or Flax. If you have 0, or 1 of that Good, bring that Good to 3
2. If all your Goods are at 2 or more, no effect.
Spinning Wheel Convert 1 Flax to 1 Gold, or Convert 3 Flax to 2 Gold. 4
Tunnel Increase Food by 2 and/or Increase Stone by 1 (to a maximum of 3 stone). 3
Excavate-able Rooms requiring activation
Bakehouse Convert 2 Emmer into 4 Food and 1 Gold, or Convert 3 Emmer into 4 Food and 2 Gold 6
Digging Cave Spend 1 Gold to Excavate 1 cavern space 8
Furniture Convert 2 Wood and 1 Flax into 3 Gold 5
Workshop
Gold Vein Gain 1 Stone and 1 Gold 9
Junction Room Convert 3 Goods each of different types to 2 Gold. Remember that both Gold and Food count as Goods. 6
Sacrificial Altar Convert 1 Wood and 1 Emmer and 1 Flax and 1 Food into 3 Gold 7
Secret Chamber Gain 3 Flax or Gain 1 Gold 8
Stall Convert 5 Emmer into 4 Gold, or 5 Flax into 4 Gold 6
State Room Gain 1 Flax and 1 Gold 12
Storeroom Gain 1 Emmer, 1 Flax and 1 Food 6
Treasury Convert 3 Gold into 4 Gold and 1 Food 10
Warehouse Convert 2 Food into 1 Wood and 1 Stone and 1 Emmer and 1 Flax 2
Weaving Room Convert 2 Flax into 2 Food and 2 Gold 5
Excavate-able Rooms with Anytime / Whenever powers
Dungeon Whenever you build a wall, you also receive 2 Gold 11
Equipment Room Whenever you take the “2” or “3” Action, you also get 1 Wood. 3
Prospecting Site Whenever you choose the “Undergrowth” Action Tile, you may also sell 1 Food for 1 Gold 5
Retting Room Whenever you get 1-3 Flax (for whatever reason), you also get 1 Food (i.e. once per action). 3
Wood Storeroom Whenever you take a “1” action, you also get 1 wood. 2

Appendix 2: Action Tile Effects
Action Effect
Cultivation Take 1 Room Action
and/or Gain 2 Emmer and 1 Flax.
Excavation Excavate 1 Cavern. Gain 1 Stone.
OR Spend 2 Food, Excavate 2 Caverns. Gain 1 Stone. The second cavern can be behind the first (i.e. it was not accessible
before excavation, but became accessible after the first cavern was excavated). Also: Some tiles, when excavated, reveal
Food. You cannot use Food revealed in this way to pay towards the cost of excavating 2 Caverns (since you must pay the
food before excavating).
Housework Pay 1 Food per number of turns you are taking this round. Furnish a Cavern.
and/or Pay 5 Food. Furnish a Cavern
Undergrowth Take 1 Room Action and/or Gain 2 Wood
Furnishing Gain 1 Food and/or Pay 1 Food per number of turns you are taking this round. Furnish a Cavern.
Masonry Take 1 Room Action and/or Gain 1 Wood or 1 stone, and/or Build 1 Wall. A player can build a wall the violates the
wall requirements of an already furnished cavern.
Undermining Take 2 Room Actions (each in a different room), or, Excavate a Cavern (even through a wall).
Breach Raze 1 Wall and Gain 2 Stone, 3 Food and 1 Gold.
Drift Mining Take 1 Room Action and/or Excavate a Cavern.
Expansion Excavate a Cavern and/or Pay 5 Food or 2 Gold to Furnish a Cavern.
Expedition Convert 5 Wood or 5 Stone into 4 Gold, or Take 3 Room Actions (each in a different room).
Renovation If you have strictly more Gold than your opponent, Build a Wall and/or Furnish a Cavern.