Components

• Double-sided board
• Damage tokens (red cubes
• 42 Map cards
• Active Player marker
• 20 Miniature bases
• 20 Crystal shards
• 20 Character miniatures
• 20 Character cards
• 30 Action cards
• 4 Faction card
• Rulebook

Setup

Each player should choose a faction and a color, taking the matching cards, miniatures, bases and crystal shards. Choose which map you want to play on. If this is your first game, we recommend the dungeon.

Once you've chosen your faction, clip the colored bases onto your miniatures. Put your character cards and faction card face up in front of you, and place each miniature on the corresponding character card.

Shuffle your action cards and place them face down as a personal action deck.

Positioning

Shuffle the map cards, and deal ten to each player. Each map card has a number which matches a space on the board. Choose one card for each character by placing it face down on that character card.

This is the space where that character will first appear. You may check these at any point, but must keep them secret from the other players until your characters are revealed.

Once everyone has assigned a map card to each character, pass the five remaining cards to the player on your right. Place your shards on the map spaces matching the cards you are given, then remove those cards from the game.

Once everyone has placed their shards, draw seven cards from your action deck to form a hand. The player whose shard is on the lowest-numbered space goes first, and takes the active player token.

Game Play

On your turn:

On most turns in a game of Wildlands, you will reveal one character, take as many card actions as you like, and then draw three cards. The player to your left will then begin their turn.

Each crystal shard you claim is worth one point, and each enemy character you knock out is also worth one point. The first player to collect five points wins.

Revealing Characters

If you have one or more characters still on their character cards at the start of your turn, you must reveal at least one.

To reveal a character, flip over its assigned map card, and place the miniature on the matching board space. Remove that map card from the game. You may reveal more characters at any point should you wish.

Card Play

On your turn you may play as many action cards from your hand as you like, one at a time (unless you're climbing to high ground or collecting a shard). Each action card has multiple ways it can be used. When playing the card, you select one option, and forgo the chance to use the others.

There are two types of symbols - character icons and action flags. Character icons (in the scales) indicate which characters you can use to move or collect shards, while flags indicate actions those characters can take instead of moving or collecting shards.

After you perform an action, leave a small pause to give other players the opportunity to play an interrupt card.

You can only take actions using characters who are on the board. If you wish to take an action using a character who is not yet on the board, you must reveal them first, then take the action.

Place your used action cards in a personal discard pile. If your deck ever runs out of action cards, shuffle up your discarded cards to form a new deck.

Default Actions

You can take these actions with a character whose icon is on a card, regardless of any action flag beside it. Remember that, by choosing to take a default or flag action, you are forgoing the chance to take any other action with that card.

Move

Movement is the default action of a card. If a character's icon is on an action card, you may always use the card to move that character. One card will move a character to an adjacent space.

There is no limit to the number of characters that can occupy a space, and other characters do not affect your movement. You can move between spaces separated by white lines; you cannot move through walls.

Climb

If a white line is marked with an arrow, that represents high ground, which you need to climb to access. To move a character in the direction of the arrow you must play two cards which allow movement for that character.

This additional cost only applies when moving in the direction of the arrow - moving downwards against the direction of the arrow only requires one card.

Claim Shards

You can only claim crystal shards of your own color. To claim one of your shards you must have a character in the same space as that token. You must then play three cards displaying that character's icon as a single action.

Alternatively, you may play three cards with icons matching one other character who is already knocked out. It must be three-of-a-kind - you cannot mix icons of the character collecting the crystal shard with those of knocked-out characters, nor can you mix the icons of different knocked-out characters.

When you claim a shard, place it in front of you as one point. You can claim a shard even if there is an enemy character in the same space.

Flag Actions

Flag actions are usually connected to a character icon. You can always use a character's flag action instead of a default action. Flags are grouped by color: melee (red), ranged (blue), defense (green), and maneuvers (yellow).

Each faction will have a mix of different possible actions, and no faction will have all of them. A breakdown of which action each character can take is on your faction card.

Open Actions

At the bottom of some cards are open actions, which are not associated with a particular character symbol. Any single revealed character may take that action, in defense or attack, instead of the other options on the card. This cannot be used to take a default action.

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  Melee

  Deal one damage to an enemy character in the same space. If there are multiple enemies from the same faction in the space, the player who controls them can choose which one is being targeted.

  If there are multiple enemy factions present, choose one faction to attack. When another player performs a melee or heavy melee attack against this character, you may take this action out of turn to prevent all damage from that attack.

  
  
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  Heavy Melee

  Deal two damage to an enemy character in the same space. If there are multiple enemies from the same faction in the space, the player who controls them can choose which one is being targeted.

  If there are multiple enemy factions present, choose one faction to attack. Unlike the normal melee action, this action cannot be used in defense.

  
  
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  Ranged Attack

  Deal one damage to an enemy character within line of sight. If there are multiple enemies in the same space, you get to choose which one is being targeted.

  
  
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  Heavy Ranged Attack

  Deal two damage to an enemy character within line of sight who is not more than two spaces away from the character taking this action.

  The two spaces are counted by line of sight - the line from the attacker's space to the defender's space cannot pass through more than one other space. If there are multiple enemies in the same space, the attacker gets to choose which one is being targeted.

  
  
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  Area Attack

  Choose a space adjacent to your character, or the space the character occupies.

  Deal one damage to every revealed character in that space, including characters you control. This is the only attack which can target high ground from lower ground.

  
  
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  Shield

  When another player performs a ranged, heavy ranged or area attack against this character, you may play this card out of turn to prevent all damage from that attack.

  If multiple characters are being hit with an area attack you must play a separate card for each character.

  You may also play this card immediately after an area attack you have made, to prevent your own character from taking damage. This action does not protect against melee attacks.

  
  
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  Cover

  When another player performs a ranged or heavy ranged attack against this character, you may play this card out of turn to prevent all damage from that attack.

  This can only be used if the defending character is in a space containing cover. This action does not protect against melee or area attacks.

  
  
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  Rally

  The rally symbol means you can move both the specified character and another of your characters, following the normal movement rules.

  The two characters must be in the same or adjacent spaces at the start of the action, but can move in completely opposite directions if you choose. You may choose to move just one of the characters.

  If you wish to use a rally symbol to climb with either character, you must play additional cards as per a normal climb movement.

  The rally counts as a card for both characters, so two valid rally cards, or one rally card and two cards which allow individual movement, would allow both characters to climb. This all counts as one action for the purpose of an interrupt.

  
  
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  Fly

  Move this character up to two spaces. You may ignore the movement rules relating to high ground when flying.

  
  

Wild Actions

Each faction's action deck has a number of special 'wild' action cards. All wild cards are identical, and each can be used to perform one of these three actions.

Wild Movement

This can be used as though it shows every character icon from your faction. As such, you may move any of your characters one space. This can be used to pay the additional cost for climbing.

You may play any number of wild movement symbols to contribute towards claiming a crystal shard. You may even claim shards with any character by playing three wild movement symbols.

Draw Two Cards

Immediately draw two action cards. If this would bring you above seven cards, you instead only draw one action card.

Interrupt

You may play this card out of turn immediately after another player takes an action, and declare an interrupt. The other player must finish their action (if they have not already done so), then you can play as many of your cards as you like, one at a time, as if it was your turn. You may choose to reveal characters at this point should you wish.

The interrupting player can also be interrupted! Once whichever player interrupted last is finished, play returns directly to the active player - any players who have previously interrupted do not get to play additional cards. You do not get to draw cards when you are finished with an interrupt.

You cannot interrupt immediately after a character has been revealed or a different interrupt has been played. You must always let that player take at least one other action. Remember that sometimes multiple cards can count as one action, such as when a character is climbing, or defends against an attack.

However, if another player declares the end of their turn, you may interrupt immediately, before they pass the active player marker and draw three cards. Once play returns, that player may choose to take further actions before once again declaring end of turn.

To make sure other players have a clear opportunity to interrupt, you should mentally count to three between each action. Never declare multiple actions at once.

This is particularly true if you enter a space containing an enemy character, or if someone defends against your attack. In these situations, it is often worth asking the other players if any player wishes to interrupt.

If multiple players wish to interrupt at the same time, the player closest in turn order to the active player interrupts first. Other players must then let that player take at least one other action before deciding whether to interrupt them.

Ending your Turn

Once you want to stop playing cards and revealing characters, you may declare that you are ending your turn. You will now draw three new cards from your action deck, regardless of how many cards you played this turn.

If this would bring your hand to more than seven cards, you instead only draw until you have seven, then stop. Pass the active player marker to the player on your left, who then begins their turn.

End of the Game

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