Game Materials

• 76 columns
• 1 cloth bag
• 1 camp
• 18 temple floors
• 35 construction plan cards
• 5 level cards

Object of the Game

Reconstruct the temple together. To do so, you try to fulfill the instructions on each individual construction plan card whenever possible. Use the columns and temple floors wisely and place them very skillfully.

It is important that you consider the consequences of your own game turns. Only then can your fellow players also be instrumental in the success of the building project!

Mishaps, imprudence, and unfavorable construction plans always have the same dire consequence: You have to build your temple higher ... and higher ... and maybe higher than you would like to.

Setup

1. Before the first game, punch out all parts from the^ die-cut sheets and put the camp together.

   
   
   

2. Put the columns into the cloth bag, then randomly draw out six columns and place them in the camp.

   
   
   

3. Pile the 18 temple floors on top of one another in random order to form a quarry.

   
   
   

4. Take the 3 top temple floors and put them in the middle of the table so that they touch each other (but don't overlap) at two points .

   These three temple floors form the temple base. You may choose freely ' to plate the light or the dark side of a temple floor facing up.

   
   
   

5. Next to that, lay out the level cards in a row. The number of level cards you lay out determines how many levels the temple must have at the end of the game.

   
   
   

   The temple base does not count as a level.

The number of level cards you lay out determines the degree of difficulty of that particular game of Menara:

• For an easy game, start with 3 level cards.
• For a medium game, start with 4 level cards.
• For a difficult game, start with all 5 level cards.

Sort the construction plan cards. Shuffle each glyph color separately. Form three separate (draw) piles.

Now each player randomly draws a certain number of columns out of the bag and places them in front of him. The number of columns depends on the number of players and on the degree of difficulty at which you choose to play MENARA:

Game Play

The player who last entered the top floor of a building begins. After that, play proceeds in turn. On your turn, you carry out the following steps in this order:

1. You may exchange columns with the camp.
2. You reveal a construction plan card.
3. You build as specified by the revealed construction plan card.
4. You replenish your columns to their full number

Discuss the next steps with your fellow players. Build with foresight. Only together can you be strong.

1. Exchange Columns with the Camp

You may take as many columns from the camp as you like. In exchange, put the same number of your columns back into the camp.

2. Reveal a Construction Plan Card

You may choose freely from which of the three piles of construction plan cards you draw a card.

The pile with blue glyphs contains mostly easy-to-solve construction plan cards.

The pile with yellow glyphs consists of construction plan cards of medium difficulty.

The construction plan cards with red glyphs are mainly difficult.

Reveal the top card of the pile you have chosen.

Consider that the construction plan cards - from the blue to the yellow and then to the red glyphs - increase in difficulty and that you might not be able to solve them yet, especially at the beginning of the game.

Therefore, choose the pile carefully.

3. Build

Always put the columns on color-matching bases. There are five types of construction plan cards:

Place one, two, three, or four columns on matching bases of any temple floors in the tower.

Choose one temple floor of the tower. Place two or three columns on matching bases here.

Move columns. Take one, two or three columns out of the tower, move them to any higher level and place them on matching empty bases there. You may move freestanding or overbuilt columns.

A column already moved may not be moved again on the same turn.

Place as many columns on a single temple floor as necessary to occupy all bases on this floor. This construction plan card always triggers the placement of a new temple floor.

Move a (built-in) temple floor one or more levels (up or down). If the temple floor already has columns on it, you have to move these along with that floor. If, in doing so, the columns fall over, you have not fulfilled the construction plan card.

Each column is placed on a color-matching base. It should not protrude beyond the outline of this base. Columns can also be placed simultaneously. You may also place columns on empty bases that have already been overbuilt by a temple floor.

Shove the column carefully between the temple floors. Fulfilled construction plan cards are put on a discard pile.

You can't fulfill The construction plan card?

If you cannot completely fulfill a construction plan card, it becomes an additional level card. Add it face down to the row of level cards. This increases the number of levels that the temple has to consist of at the end of the game by one more level.

This also applies if you try to place a column and realize that you can't without causing the tower to collapse. (Put this column back into your supply).

Every time you add a construction plan card to the row of level cards, you may exchange the entire camp. First draw six new columns; then throw the previous columns back into the cloth bag. This ends your turn.

If you have placed or moved columns or temple floors during your failed attempt at fulfilling the construction plan card, these stay in place. Don't undo anything. If any columns have fallen over, set them up again in the same place.

Example: Up to now, your temple was supposed to eventually be three levels high. But since one of the construction plan cards could not be fulfilled, this card is added to the row of level cards. Your temple now has to be built one level higher.

Only temple floors that are sitting on columns are considered levels! The three temple floors of the temple base don't count as a level! One level can consist of several temple floors.

Example: The 3rd level consists of two temple floors. The 2nd level consists of three temple floors. The 1st level consists of three temple floors. The temple base consists of three temple floors

Place a new Temple Floor

Every time you place a column on the last free base of a temple floor, you immediately interrupt the execution of your construction plan card. You must place a new temple floor. This can happen several times during the same game turn. After that, you resume the execution of your construction plan card.

Take the top temple floor from the quarry. Have a close look at the current construction plan card:

If it has an orange-brown rim (with a light and a dark face), you may choose freely whether the light or the dark side of the temple floor is to be facing up.

If the construction plan card has a light rim (with two light faces), you have to turn the light side of the temple floor face up.

If it has a dark rim, use the dark side of the temple floor.

Now add the temple floor to the temple. You can build it on columns or extend the temple base.

• If you build it on columns, you should cover at least three free columns (for stability). You can freely choose the columns on which you place the temple floor.

• If you extend the temple base, the new temple floor has to touch the (previous) temple base at two points at least .

Attention

Even if you extend the temple base, the number of levels that the temple has to consist of at the end of the game increases by one more level. To indicate this, add your construction plan card face down to the row of level cards at the end of your turn.

If you still have to place columns after building a temple floor, you may place these also on newly built temple floors.

4. Replenish Columns

At the end of your turn, draw as many columns out of the cloth bag as you just placed.

The Temple Collapses

If any temple floors collapse, the game ends immediately. The game ends also if any columns fall over and then can't be put back on their previous place.

End of the Game

The game ends either if the temple collapses (see above) or:

• if a player can no longer replenish his columns to their full number at the end of his game turn.

• if you have made use of the last construction plan card.

• if you have placed the last temple floor (it doesn't have to be filled with columns any more).

Attention:

The game does not end unless one of the three above-mentioned conditions has been fulfilled - even if the height of your temple exceeds the number of laid-out level cards.

That means you haven't won yet even if your temple is high enough at the moment, since this might be quite different by the actual end of the game ...

You win together if your temple now is high enough: In other words, the number of levels is equal to or higher than the number of the laid-out level cards.

If the temple does not have the number of levels required at the end of the game, you lose. This even applies if the temple has not collapsed.

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