Village Pillage

A fast-paced game of luck and cunning for 2-5 players

by Tom Lang and Peter C. Hayward

It’s another beautiful day in the village!

Your farmers are hard-working and defenseless, your walls are strong and true, your raiders are
loveable underdogs, and your merchants are hiring the finest folk that turnips can buy.
Everything would be perfect if it wasn’t for those HORRIBLE OTHER VILLAGES!
Ugh, you hate them so much!

So you’ve got a plan to beat them, once and for all.

You’re going to become a KINGDOM. All you need is three royal relics, to prove your right to
rule. Those other villages will finally see who’s boss!

Unless... they beat you to it.

Components:
● 20 starting cards (marked with an egg)
● 20 market cards
● 5 double-sided bank cards
● 72 turnip tokens
● 15 relic tokens
● Rulebook

Objective:
Be the first village to collect 3 relics.

Setup:
1. Each player takes 1 of each of the starting cards (starting cards have an egg in the
corner)

( Farmer​, ​Wall​, Raider​, and Merchant​). This is the player’s hand.

2. Each player takes 2 turnips and a bank card.

2 player game:​ Use the side of the bank card labelled “Duel”.

3. Place 1 turnip beside your bank card - this is your ​Stockpile​.

4. Place 1 turnip in your ​bank​.
5. Put any unused bank and starting cards aside - they will not be used this game.
6. Place the relic and turnip tokens into the middle of the table, easily reachable by all
players. This is ​the Supply​.

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 7. Shuffle the market cards into a face-down deck, and then draw the top 4 cards, placing
them face-up in a row visible to all players. This is the ​Market​ – the cards available for
purchase during the game.
Playing the Game:
Each round consists of 3 phases: ​Plan, Resolve, Refresh​.

Plan phase:
3-6 player game:
Each turn, all players simultaneously choose 2 of the cards from their hands and place 1
face-down to their left and 1 face-down to their right. Each of these cards will interact with the
player on that side. Your 2 cards may be the same type, if you have them.

2 player game:
On your first turn: ​Place 2 cards from your hand face-down in front of you, one behind the
other. The card in front will interact with your opponent in the resolve phase, and the card
behind will interact next turn.

On all following turns: ​Place 1 card behind the card already on the table. It will interact next
turn. You may look at your own planned cards at any time.

Resolve phase:
Once everyone is ready, all cards are turned face up and resolved.

2 player game:
Only reveal and resolve the card closest to your opponent.

Cards resolve in the order shown on the Bank card. All cards of the same type resolve
simultaneously.

Each card only affects the opponent on the side it’s played.
Card effects are explained in full on page 4.

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 Cards can have different effects depending on the type of card your
opponent plays. When your card resolves, it uses the effect with the icon
matching your opponent’s card type.
For example, if you play this against a , you would STEAL 1 from
that opponent and BANK 1 of your turnips.

If you play it against a , , or , you would GAIN 1 and BANK 1.

Not all cards have all icons. If a card is missing an icon, it has no effect
when played against that card type.

For example, if you play this against a or , you would STEAL

4 from that opponent.
If you play it against a or , it has no effect.

Merchants​ are special. They have a different effect depending on

whether you can afford to buy a relic or not.

For example, if you play this ​when you ​can’t​ afford to buy a relic, you
must instead buy 1 card from the market.

If there is any confusion about card effects happening at the same time, check page 5.

Your Bank:
Your bank starts with 1 turnip, and further turnips can be moved here
with a BANK effect.

Turnips in your bank can be spent as normal but are usually safe from
STEALING.

Your bank can hold a maximum of 5 turnips.

(​4 turnips in a 2 player game​)

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Refresh phase:
After cards have been resolved, players pick up all their resolved cards and a new round
begins.
2 player game:​ Only pick up the card that resolved this turn. The other card moves forward
and will resolve next turn.

Game End:
As soon as a player collects 3 relics, that player wins and the game is over.

If multiple players buy their third relic at the same time, the winner is the player with the most
turnips remaining.

If multiple players have the same amount of turnips, the tied player with the most cards in hand
is the winner. If there is still a tie, everybody wins! The true kingdom was the times we shared.

Card Effects
GAIN:​ Take turnips from the common supply and add them to your stockpile. There is no limit to
the number of turnips a player can have in their stockpile.

BANK:​ Move turnips from your stockpile into your bank. Turnips in your bank can be spent as
normal, but are safe from ​stealing ​unless otherwise specified. Your bank cannot hold more than
5 turnips. (4 turnips in a 2 player game)

STEAL:​ Take turnips from your opponent and add them to your stockpile. Turnips cannot be
stolen from a bank unless otherwise specified. If the player does not have the full amount
available to steal, just take as many as you can.

EXHAUST:​ The exhausted card resolves, but cannot be played next turn. It is placed face-up
next to its owner’s bank instead of returning to their hand. Its owner may play their other cards
as normal. During the next turn’s ​Refresh​ phase, the exhausted card returns to its owner’s
hand, ready to be played again.

BUY RELIC:​ Buy your next relic. If your played card allows you to buy a relic, you ​must​ buy one
if possible. In a 3-6 player game, your first relic costs ​8 ​turnips, the second costs ​9 ​turnips,
the third costs ​10 ​turnips and wins you the game.

In a ​2 player game​, your first relic costs ​6 ​turnips, the second costs ​7 ​turnips,
the third costs ​8 ​turnips and wins you the game.

BUY CARD:​ Pay the number of turnips shown on your card to the supply, and take a card from
the market into your hand. As soon as a card is bought, draw a new card to replace it in the
market. If your played card allows you to buy a market card, you ​must​ buy if possible. If you
can’t afford to buy a new card, do nothing.

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There is no limit to the number of cards a player can have in their hand.

TIEBREAKERS:
When multiple players buy cards at once​, they are bought in order from the player with the
fewest turnips to the player with the most turnips. Break ties by flipping a coin.

Cards of the same type resolve simultaneously​, not one after another.
eg: Nicole has 1 turnip. Tania’s Raider steals from Nicole, while Nicole’s Raider steals from
Tom. Tania would only get 1 turnip; Tania can’t steal the turnips that Nicole just stole from Tom.

Between cards of the same type, ​GAIN goes before STEAL, which goes before BANK, which
goes before BUY.

If 2 players STEAL from the same player and there are not enough turnips to go around,
they split the turnips evenly. and any remainder goes to the player with the higher steal (if both
players have equal steal, flip a coin to determine who takes it). Cards which steal from the Bank
do so AFTER the split.

If a player plays 2 Merchants, they choose the order in which to resolve them.

OTHER NOTES:
● The turnip supply is unlimited. If you run out of turnips, use potatoes, carrots, or
whatever root vegetable you have lying around.
● If the deck and market run out, “BUY CARD” abilities have no effect. The game
otherwise continues as normal.
● If you’re an experienced pillager wanting a longer, more challenging game, try playing a
2 player game using the 3+ player bank cards.
● If you’re playing with more than 3 players, you’ll need your neighbors to keep an eye on
the players you don’t directly interact with. Negotiate alliances to bring down your
common enemies, then betray your new friends when they least expect it.

Visit villagepillage.com for a video tutorial.

CREDITS:
Design: ​Peter C. Hayward and Tom Lang
Art and Graphic Design: ​Tania Walker
Development Assistance: ​David Y. Stephenson, Daniel G. Stephenson
Special Thanks: ​Tom McLean, Darrell Louder, all our wonderful playtesters, the entire
Jellybean Games team, and everyone who supported us on Kickstarter.