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Crystallo Game Rules


Components

  • 45 cavern cards
  • 6 creature cards
  • 2 Black Dragon cards
  • 1 key card
  • 18 gems
  • Instructions

Object of the Game

The wicked Black Dragon has captured six magical creatures from all over the countryside, imprisoning them in his lair with his powerful crystal magic.

Your mission is to free these creatures, using the Black Dragon's own crystal magic against him. Should you succeed in freeing them all, you can then attempt to trap the Dragon in his own lair.

Collect treasures along the way to aid you in your quest, and you may emerge a wealthy champion!


Card Types and Terms



Overview of Play Phases

Phase 1: You'll explore the cavern by placing cavern cards, and attempt to free the trapped creatures by creating crystal sets. Some cavern cards will contain treasure, which can be collected for bonuses.

If you successfully complete the first phase by freeing all six creatures, you can then continue to Phase 2.

Phase 2: You'll attempt to trap the Black Dragon in his lair. Treasure can also be collected during this phase. At the end of this phase, the game ends and you'll calculate your score.


Setup

  1. Separate the 6 creature cards, 2 Black Dragon cards and the key card from the rest of the deck.

  2. Place the 6 creature cards face up in a row at the top of the play area, just close enough so you can still comfortably reach them. Place 3 gems on the orbs at the bottom of each creature card. Place the Black Dragon cards face down off to the side.

  3. Shuffle the remaining cards. Deal 9 of these cards into a separate pile and set it aside. (These are for trapping the Black Dragon, should you succeed with liberating the creatures).

    Place the remaining cavern cards face-down in a pile in front of you. This will be your draw pile. Keep your key card handy. You're ready to play!





Game Play

Draw a card from the draw pile and place it face-up in the center of the play area.

Draw another card and place it so that any one of the crystals lines up, horizontally or vertically, next to any one of the crystals on the first card.

The second card may be placed side-by-side or partially covering the card already in place, as shown in the 7 configurations below.



  • You must play the card either horizontally or vertically.

  • You may not place an orb; you must place one crystal next to another crystal.

  • Crystals do not need to be the same shape or color- this is explained further on page 5.

  • Once a card has been placed it cannot be moved.


Making Crystal Sets

To create a set, you will need to make a square with three crystals and one colored orb. The crystals may be combined in any of the four ways shown on your Key card and explained below:



  1. All crystals are the same color and all are the same shape
  2. All crystals are the same color and all are different shape
  3. All crystals are the same shape and all are different color
  4. All crystals are different shape and all are different color

In other words, for each trait (shape and color) all crystals must be all the same or all different.

Note: A crystal can be used to complete more than one set, creating a larger crystal cluster from the first set. So, in example 2 above, another double purple crystal could be played to complete an additional set with the red orb.


Treeing the Creatures

Once you have created a crystal set, note the color of the orb that completes the square created with your three crystals. That orb is now lit up. Remove a gem from the creature card of that color.

(E.g., if the orb that completes the square is red with a flame icon, remove one gem from the Firefox card).

Place that gem on the orb that completes the square. The orb on the creature card is now dark.



Congratulations! You've just released one of the creature's bonds! Once you have removed all three of a creature's bonds, you may move the card up to indicate that the creature has fled the cavern.

Continue in this way until you have freed all six creatures or run out of cards.


Collecting Treasures

There are 9 treasure cards among the cavern cards. These treasures may be collected by lighting up BOTH of the two orbs on the card.

The more treasure you collect, the better your final score will be. The treasures come in three types, and collecting all three treasures of one type grants a unique bonus:



If you collect all three riches treasures, add one additional treasure to your final score.



If you collect all three magic treasures, you may remove one gem from any creature OR add one gem to the Black Dragon during the Black Dragon phase. (See Trapping The Black Dragon)



If you collect all three battle treasures, you may draw one extra card during the Black Dragon phase.


Trapping the Black Dragon - Setup

If you have freed all of the creatures, you may now attempt to trap the Black Dragon in his own lair.

  1. If you have any cards left after freeing the creatures, add them to the stack of 9 you set aside earlier.

  2. Clear the play area, gathering the gems in a pile. Place any collected treasure cards to the side face up, and shuffle the remaining cavern cards. Place this deck to the side. Stack and set aside the creature cards.

  3. Turn the Black Dragon cards face up, and place them at the top of the play area, replacing the creature cards. Take your stack of 9+ reserved cards and turn them all face up in front of you.




Trapping the Black Dragon

  1. If you collected all 3 battle treasures, draw one card off the shuffled deck of cavern cards and add it to the face up cards in front of you. If you complete your battle treasure collection during this phase, you may draw the extra card then.

  2. Check to make sure that you have at least one of each color orb. If you are missing one (for example, you have no purple orbs) choose one of your face up cards to discard and draw from the cavern deck until you find one with an orb of the missing color. Add this card to your face up cards.

  3. Begin placing cards just as you did in the first round; only now when you create a crystal set, mark the orb with one gem of the appropriate color, and place another gem of that color on the Black Dragon card with the corresponding orb. Congratulations! You've begun to trap the dragon!

  4. Continue in this way until you either run out of cards or succeed in placing gems on all 6 orbs of the Black Dragon cards, thus successfully trapping the dragon.

    Remember, a complete magic treasure collection will allow you to place one gem on the dragon for free, if you haven't already used its power to remove a gem from one of the creatures in the previous phase.


Titles

  • If you have failed to free the creatures: you receive the title of COMMONER.

  • If you have freed all the creatures, but failed to trap the dragon: you have achieved the title of LIBERATOR.

  • If you have trapped the Black Dragon with no extra cards remaining: you have achieved the title of VANQUISHER.

  • If you have trapped the dragon with 1 card remaining: you have achieved the title of KNIGHT.

  • If you have trapped the dragon with 2 cards remaining: you have achieved the title of HERO.

  • If you have trapped the dragon with 3 or more cards remaining: You have achieved the title of CHAMPION.



  • If you collected 0-3 treasure during your quest, add the word IMPOVERISHED to your title.

  • If you collected 4-6 treasure during your quest, add the word PROSPEROUS to your title.

  • If you collected 7-9 treasure during your quest, add the word WEALTHY to your title.


Scoring Table

Find your title on the table below to get your final score.



Keep track of your scores as you continue to improve with practice, or challenge a friend to beat your high score!

Don't worry if your scores are on the low end at first. Some strategies won't be obvious right away, but will reveal themselves over repeated plays.


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Crystallo

Price: $19.99