Rules

Messina 1347

Messina1347

→ Original Rules(pdf)

Game Rules

Contents

Game Overview
Components
Game Setup
Player Setup
Play Order
Round I Setup
Gameplay
Your turn
Actions
Registers
End of Round
Setup for Next Round
End of Game
Advanced Variant
Solo Variant
Game Setup Overview
Game Icons
Hints for Handling

Game Overview

Players take the role of noble families with landholdings in the countryside around Messina. They attempt to rescue people from the plague, putting infected people in quarantine and putting uninfected people to work on their estates. As the plague in Messina worsens, the players will build small independent communities, while attempting to control the plague with fire.

Players will also have the opportunity to defy the plague and return the rescued citizens to repopulate the city. At the end of the game, the player who did the most for Messina is the winner.

Components

Game Setup

The City of Messina: Messina is built of hexagonal neighborhood tiles. Separate the neighborhood hexes into three classes – A, B, and C.

Some of the A hexes are not intended to be used in all player counts. Sort through the A hexes and remove those that do not match the current number of players. Return them to the box.

This hex is for a 4-player game only. It should be removed in a 2- or 3-player game.

This hex is used in all player counts.

Form a stack of the appropriate A hexes. Add 1 B hex, chosen at random, and mix up the stack face down. Then deal out hexes face up in a random order to build the city of Messina. Also place the four harbor hexes and place them at four corners so they fit the shape of Messina (as shown below the text).

A three-player setup is illustrated on these pages. The layout depends on the number of players, as shown below.

Neighborhood Hex Tile Stack: The B and C hexes are used in all player counts. Mix up the stack of C hexes face down. Place the remaining B hex face down on top of the stack and place the stack where it will be easy to reach at the end of each round.

Tokens: Keep the fire tokens, major fire tokens, rat tokens, lumber tokens, and citizen tokens close at hand. You will need them frequently during the game. The supply of these tokens is not intended to be limited.

Plague Cubes: The plague cubes are limited by the number of players. Two players use 16 cubes. Three players use 18 cubes. Four players use all 24 cubes. Leave any excess cubes in the box.

Population Wheel: Keep the population wheel nearby, where at least one player can reach it. A rat icon and an arbitrary set of 3 colors should be visible in the window.

Other Tiles

The other tiles need to be separated into stacks and shuffled.

Docking Tiles are shuffled into a facedown stack. Whenever this stack is empty, reshuffle all the tiles to make a new stack.

Boat Tiles are sorted into stacks by number. Shuffle each stack then stack them in order with 1 on top. Place them by the scoreboard. In a 2-player game, first remove all boats with precious stones as cargo and use only 6 boat tiles.

Quarantine Cabin Improvement Tiles are separated randomly into 3 equal stacks. Place them on the scoreboard face down, then turn up the top tile in each stack.


Wagon Tiles are separated into five pairs. (Look at the numbers on the backs, not the point values on their faces.) Randomize each pair face down and make two stacks using wagons 1 to 5 in order. Flip the stacks over so that wagon 1 is on top, face up, and place the stacks on the scoreboard. In a 2-player game, one of the stacks is returned to the box and only one is used.

Workshop Tiles are sorted by era (I or II ) and by citizen type ( , , or ). Shuffle all six stacks. The I tiles are early-game workshops. Place these 3 stacks on the scoreboard face down, then turn up the top tile in each stack. The II tiles are late-game workshops. Set aside these 3 stacks face down.

Place the scoreboard next to Messina. The side shown here is used in a 3- or 4-player game. Use the other side for a 2−player game. Players will place their counters on the board, as explained here.

Place the round counter on space I of the round info table on the scoreboard.

The register priority tile is not needed in your first game. You can leave it in the box. For later games, you can use it to replace the first column of the round info table, thus altering that parameter of the game.

Player Setup

Each player chooses a color. Take the player board, the figures, the cubes, the counters, and the overseer tokens in your color. You also take a scroll board, which fits beside your player board as shown below.

Keep 3 of your figures near your board for now. You will send them to Messina on your first turn. Put 2 of your figures on the table in the token supply. You may be able to claim them during play.

Place your 3 cubes at the bottom of the three tracks on your scroll board, as shown.

Your player board uses 3 overseer tokens. Take the tokens in your color and place them on the corresponding starting spaces near the center of your board.
Use the a side of your player board and your scroll board.

Advanced Game Setup

Experienced players have the option of playing with asymmetric opportunities. In this variant, player boards are assigned randomly and all players use the b side. (The asymmetric side is brown, so it can be used with any player color.)

The scroll boards are also asymmetric. Take a randomly assigned scroll board and use its b side.

Play Order

Take one counter from each player and place them in a random order on the player order indicator on the scoreboard. Players will take turns in this order in round I.

On space I of each of the three register tracks, stack players' counters in the opposite order. (Position in a stack may be important when order is rearranged at the end of a round.)

On the scoring track, the first and third player start on space 0, with the third players counter on top. The second and fourth player start with 1 point (on space 1), with the fourth player’s counter on top. Finally, give 1 coin to the third and fourth players.

For space reasons the Yucata.de implementation has no points track. The order of players on the points track is however important because it can affect the player order in a round (see e.g. priority tile ). Therefore at Yucata.de this order is shown in the top left corner of the scoreboard, where the top color is of the player who is the farthest ahead on the points track: .

Round I Setup

You are now ready to add boats, plague cubes, and citizens to Messina.

A Boat Docks

In round I, 1 boat arrives:

  • Draw the top docking tile from its stack to determine which dock gets the boat.
  • Place the top boat tile in one of the dock’s spaces, face up.
  • Give that boat tile 1 plague cube.

Population Wheel

Now the plague spreads throughout the city.

  • Turn the window of the population wheel 1 space clockwise to reveal a new set of icons.
  • Add 1 plague cube to every hex with a rat matching the one shown. (There are 3 rat icons – left, right, and standing.)
  • For each of the three classes of citizens, add 1 citizen of that type to each hex that matches the color shown on the wheel.

In this case, a plague cube goes on each hex with a left-facing rat. Each orange hex gets 1 nun, each white hex gets 1 craftsman, and each blue hex gets 1 aristocrat. Red hexes get no citizens.

Gameplay
Gameplay

Messina is played in 6 rounds. Initially, every player has 3 lieutenant figures and will get 3 turns per round. Later in the game, some players may have more lieutenants and they will get more turns. The round ends when all players have used all their lieutenants.

Players take turns in the order shown on the scoreboard.

Your turn

On your turn, you perform these steps in order:

  1. Choose a hex and place one of your lieutenant figures on it.
  2. Rescue the citizen, if there is one, and take the citizen to your estate.
  3. Fight the plague.
  4. Either perform the action depicted on the hex, or repopulate the neighborhood.

Your turn

On your turn, you perform these steps in order:

  1. Choose a hex and place one of your lieutenant figures on it.
  2. Rescue the citizen, if there is one, and take the citizen to your estate.
  3. Fight the plague.
  4. Either perform the action depicted on the hex, or repopulate the neighborhood.

Your efforts to fight the plague may give you actions from the popularity register which you can use any time during step 4.

Also at any time during step 4, you may pay to advance on the city register or the church register. You may advance multiple times in one turn, if you wish. This may give you more actions to use during step 4.

Other Types of Turns: Two other types of turns – (a) sending a lieutenant to the docks or (b) recalling a lieutenant to your estate – are explained here.

1. Choosing a Hex

In round I: Simply take your lieutenant figure from your estate and stand it on a hex that does not yet have a figure on it. Your figure marks the hex where you will work this turn, and it blocks everyone (including you) from choosing that hex on later turns this round.

In Rounds II–VI: You already have lieutenants in Messina, on the hexes they occupied in the previous round. They begin the new round lying down to show they have not been used and are not blocking that hex.

When choosing a hex for a lying-down figure, you can choose the same hex or an adjacent hex for free. But to choose a hex farther away, you must pay 1 coin for each hex beyond the first. For example, moving 4 hexes away would cost 3 coins.

First movement is free. Second and further costs one coin for each hex.

You are not allowed to choose a hex marked by a standing-up figure – that hex has already been used this round.

Stand your lieutenant figure in your chosen hex to show that the lieutenant and the hex have been used. Each of your lieutenants will be used exactly once during the round, and no hex will be used more than once.

Additional lieutenants: You may acquire additional lieutenants from the city register track (which will be explained here). The new figure will start out on your estate. On your turn, you may use that lieutenant only if all your lieutenants in Messina have already been used this round.

Lieutenants coming from your estate are placed according the rules used in round I – you can choose any hex in Messina not occupied by a standing-up figure.

2. Rescuing a Citizen

If your chosen hex has a citizen token, you rescue that citizen (citizens). Add the token to your estate, depending on whether the hex has plague.

If the chosen hex has no plague cube, you place the citizen on one of the empty squares in the sector that matches your citizen’s class. (The top sector is for craftsmen, the left sector is for aristocrats, and the right sector is for nuns.) There are six squares in each sector; if none of these is empty, discard the citizen token.

If the chosen hex has a plague cube, your citizen must go to quarantine. Place the token in space I of any empty quarantine cabin. If all cabins already have a citizen (in space I or II) you must discard the new citizen. Every cabin line can hold exactly one citizen even if there is one of the two spaces free.

Red chooses a hex with a nun. The hex has no plague cube, so when Red rescues the nun, she must place the nun in an empty square in the gray sector of her estate. The chosen square will be important later, but it does nothing at this time.

By contrast, if there is a plague cube on the hex, then the nun cannot go to the gray sector and Red would have to put the nun in space I of an empty quarantine cabin.

Note: A citizen from a plagued neighborhood must go to quarantine even if you eliminate the plague in the next step of your turn.

3. Fighting Plague

Once the citizen is evacuated, you may be able to destroy the plague in that neighborhood.

If the chosen hex has a plague cube, you may pay 1 fire token to remove the plague cube. If it has multiple plague cubes you may remove as many as you like, paying 1 fire token for each.

In later rounds, the cost to remove a plague cube is 2 fire tokens, as shown on the round info table. In this case, for each plague cube removed, score 2 points.

After you spend fire tokens, if there are any plague cubes left on your chosen hex, gain 1 rat for each plague cube. (The plague cubes remain on the hex for later rounds.)

At the end of the game you will be penalized for your rat tokens. (See here).

For each plague cube you removed, advance 1 space on the popularity register. If this leads to one or more actions (see here) you may resolve them before, after, or during your hex action.

Fire Tokens

You start the game with no fire tokens, but you can acquire them during play. Initially, it costs 1 fire token for each plague cube you remove from your lieutenant’s hex. Later in the game, the cost rises to 2 fire tokens per cube.

You could also acquire a major fire token. When you use this to remove a plague cube from the hex, you have the option to remove a cube from an adjacent hex as well.

Special Cases:

  • You can use a major fire token as a regular fire token and ignore its ability to remove 1 adjacent cube.
  • The plague cube on a boat is not “adjacent” to any hex, dock, or other boat, so if you use a major fire token on a boat, you will not be able to remove an additional cube.
  • If 2 fire tokens are required to remove 1 plague cube, you need to spend 2 major fire tokens to have the option of removing an adjacent cube.

According to clarifications with the designer (#1, #2), Firetoken work like this:

Round
1-4
  • 1 can remove 1 on the active hex
  • 1 can either:
    • Remove 2 on the active hex or
    • Remove 1 on the active hex and 1 on an adjacent hex
5-6
  • 2 can remove 1 on the active hex (1 is not enough anymore)
  • 1 can remove 1 on the active hex
  • 2 can remove 1 on the active hex and 1 on an adjacent hex

4. Performing the Hex Action

Every hex has an action illustrated in the upper left corner. You perform that action as the last step of your turn.

Most hexes can be repopulated with citizens from your estate. If you choose to repopulate the hex, you do this instead of the illustrated action.

Also during this step of your turn, you may use any actions you received from the popularity register and you may also pay to advance on the other two registers, which could lead to even more actions. These register actions may be resolved in any order before, after, or even during your hex action.

The various actions will be explained on the following pages. The registers are explained here in detail.

Other Types of Turns

There are two other ways to use your lieutenant’s turn.

Recalling a Lieutenant

On your turn, instead of sending your lieutenant to a hex or a dock, you can recall it to your estate. Simply stand it beside your board and gain 1 coin. The lieutenant cannot be used again until the next round.

This is not a very efficient use of your lieutenant, but it gives you a way to deal with situations where all the nearby hexes are blocked and you cannot afford the cost of traveling to a farther hex.

Choosing a Boat

On your turn, you can send your lieutenant to choose a boat instead of a hex. The steps are similar to a regular turn:

  1. Choose a boat in Messina and move your lieutenant to its dock, according to the usual movement rules. (Count the dock as a separate hex adjacent to the harbor.)
  2. You may even go to a dock that has already been visited by another lieutenant this round.
  3. Fight the boat's plague cube, or gain 1 rat token if you choose not to fight it. (Either way, the plague cube is discarded.)
  4. Take the boat tile to your estate. Gain coins or score points, as indicated on the boat tile.

After taking the tile, if you now have an even number of boats, you may advance one of your overseers. Overseers are explained here.

Also during this step, you may buy advances on the city and church registers and use any register actions you have earned, in any order, as usual.

The goods on the boat tile will have an impact during final scoring. In the standard game, all types of goods will count the same. In the advanced variant, you are trying to collect goods of one type. (See here.)

The three types of goods are precious stones, spices and silk.

Docks versus Hexes

Docks are like hexes with these differences:

  • The dock does not get plague cubes; instead, each boat comes with its own plague cube.
  • The dock, like a harbor hex, does not get citizens.
  • A lieutenant at a dock does not block other lieutenants from using that dock. Instead, lieutenants are limited by the availability of the boats.

When moving a lieutenant, the dock counts as its own hex, adjacent only to its harbor hex. So every neighborhood adjacent to the harbor hex is 2 hexes away from the dock.

Actions

  • Gaining Tokens

    To gain tokens, simply take the indicated tokens.

  • Actions with Options

    A slash indicates that you choose between two options.

  • Advance on Register

    This action allows you to advance one space on either the city register or the church register.

  • Advance on Your Scroll Board

    Your scroll board has 3 tracks, each rewarding a different aspect of play. When you take this action, choose one of those tracks and move your marker up one space.

  • Advance an Overseer

    When you have an opportunity to advance an overseer, you may be able to gain benefits from some of the citizens on your estate.

    Certain advances on the church register allow you to upgrade an overseer. Flip the chosen overseer token over to its upgraded side. From now on, it can bring you an extra activation in its region when it advances.

  • Upgrade a Citizen

    This action allows you to upgrade any of your citizens. The token can be in a workshop, in one of the three sectors, or even in quarantine. Flip the token to the gold side.

  • Build

    This action gives you an opportunity to improve your estate (which will pay off at the end of the round). Alternatively, you can use it to build a wagon to help you repopulate Messina. The Build action has 3 options:

    1. Build a quarantine cabin improvement.

      Choose one of the available quarantine cabins. Pay the cost by returning the indicated tokens to the bank. Choose one of your quarantine cabins that has no improvement and place the tile on it. A citizen in that cabin will now be able to do work for you at the end of the round.

    2. Build a workshop.

      Choose an available workshop from the scoreboard. Pay the cost and place the workshop in one of the slots alongside your board.

    3. Build a wagon.

      Choose an available wagon from the scoreboard. Pay the cost of the wagon. If any points are depicted, score them immediately.

  • Repopulate Messina

    When it is time to perform the action depicted in your chosen hex, you may ignore that action and repopulate the hex instead. However, there are two restrictions:

    • You cannot repopulate a harbor hex or a dock.
    • You cannot repopulate a neighborhood that has already been repopulated.

  • Repopulation costs and requirements

    Each hex depicts a cost and the citizens required to repopulate it. Some neighborhoods also require one of your lieutenants. In this case you must use a lieutenant that is still available for use this round. Return the figure to the box.

    When you repopulate a neighborhood, cover the repopulation requirements with one of your repopulation tiles. For the remainder of the game, no one can take the Repopulate action there. Your reputation is now tied to this neighborhood, and what happens there will reflect well or poorly on you.

Actions

The hex you choose allows you to take one specific action. Some actions have simple consequences, such as gaining a fire token. Some actions lead to other actions, which offer many interesting opportunities to build your reputation.

Gaining Tokens

To perform these actions, simply take the indicated tokens. There is no limit to the number of tokens players may have.

Coins come in three denominations. Players can make change as needed at any time.

Actions with Options

A slash indicates that you choose between two options. In this case, the options are Build or gain a major fire token.

Advance on Register

This action allows you to advance one space on either the city register or the church register. You can also pay to advance on these registers at any time during the Action step of your turn, but the actions depicted here allow you to advance for free. The registers are explained in detail here.

Advance on Your Scroll Board

Your scroll board has 3 tracks, each rewarding a different aspect of play. When you take this action, choose one of those tracks and move your marker up one space. Your scroll board will be important during final scoring, so it is explained in detail here.

Advance an Overseer

Your estate is managed by 3 overseers – the 3 round tokens that start in the middle of the board. When you have an opportunity to advance an overseer, you may be able to gain benefits from some of the citizens on your estate. Each of the actions allows you to advance the matching overseer 1 space along its path.

This action allows you to advance 1 overseer of your choice.

When you advance an overseer with this action, you have the option to first skip over one step in the path.

Overseers's Path

The overseer advances along the indicated path. On the second advance, you must choose whether the overseer travels along the left branch or the right. (Choose wisely. There is no way to go back.) The chosen path leads around the edge of the board, then back toward the center along the border between two sectors. An overseer who has completed all six steps of the path cannot be advanced again.

It is possible for two overseer tokens to be on the same space.

Activating Citizens

Each space of the path allows you to activate a certain number of citizens in its vicinity when the overseer advances onto it. During one advance you cannot activate the same citizen twice.

Activate one immediately adjacent citizen. This space is connected to 2 squares in your estate. If there is a citizen token on either of those squares, you may take the action depicted above the citizen token. If there are citizens on both, you may choose either action (but not both).

The overseer can activate the nun to give you a fire token. If there were also a nun in the square with the Build action, you could choose that action instead.

Activate one citizen in this region. This space is adjacent to a region with 3 squares. Choose any citizen in that region and perform the action depicted above the token.

The overseer can activate either of these two nuns.

Activate one citizen in each region. This space points to two regions in two colors. Choose one citizen in each region and activate them both. You may activate them in either order. (If only one region has citizens, you activate only one citizen.)

The overseer can activate one nun and one craftsman. (It is not allowed to activate both nuns.)

Activate up to 3 citizens, anywhere in the three sectors of your estate. They can come from the same sector and even the same region, if you want. Your overseer ends in the center of your estate and cannot be advanced anymore.

Upgraded overseer

Certain advances on the church register allow you to upgrade an overseer. Flip the chosen overseer token over to its upgraded side. From now on, it can bring you an extra activation in its region when it advances. However, you still cannot activate the same citizen twice during one advance.

If both adjacent squares have citizens, the upgraded overseer activates them both. (But if only one has a citizen, you activate only that one.)

Activate up to 2 citizens in this region. If there is only one citizen, you can only activate that one.

Activate up to 2 citizens in the upgraded overseer’s matching adjacent region and 1 citizen in the other adjacent region. If there are fewer citizens in those regions, you can activate only the citizens available.

Activate up to 3 citizens, anywhere in the three sectors of your estate, just as a nonupgraded overseer does.

Upgrade a Citizen

This action allows you to upgrade any of your citizens. The token can be in a workshop, in one of the three sectors, or even in quarantine. Flip the token to the gold side. The citizen is now upgraded. This has the following effects:



If the citizen is in a workshop, it will produce 1 point during the Production phase of the round.

Some workshops require an upgraded citizen. (See here.) Others produce more if they are worked by an upgraded citizen.

Some neighborhoods require upgraded citizens when you Repopulate them. (See here.)

Build

This action gives you an opportunity to improve your estate (which will pay off at the end of the round). Alternatively, you can use it to build a wagon to help you repopulate Messina. The Build action has 3 options:

  1. Build a quarantine cabin improvement.
  2. Build a workshop.
  3. Build a wagon.

Tile Cycling: At the start of your Build action, you may cycle either all quarantine cabin improvements or all workshops. Pay 1 point or 1 token of any type. Move the top tile of each stack to the bottom and turn up a new tile. After this, you must choose one of the 3 options, unless there is no tile you can legally build.

Quarantine Cabin Improvements

Quarantine cabin improvements are available on the scoreboard. Choose one of those available, then turn up the next tile to make it available for later Build actions.

Pay the cost by returning the indicated tokens to the bank. (If you can’t pay the cost, you can’t take that improvement.) Choose one of your quarantine cabins that has no improvement and place the tile on it. A citizen in that cabin will now be able to do work for you at the end of the round. (See here.)

Workshops

Choose an available workshop from the scoreboard and turn up the tile below it.

Pay the cost and place the workshop in one of the slots alongside your board. (If you somehow manage to get more than 6 workshops, just keep them all in roughly the same place.) You may move a citizen of the appropriate type from its sector to the empty square of the workshop at any time. Sometimes you will do this immediately, but it is legal to wait until Production or until you need to make room in the sector for a rescued citizen.

(A citizen in quarantine cannot be moved to a workshop, nor can a citizen from another workshop.)

Each workshop will accept only one class of citizen. If the workshop requires an upgraded citizen, you may put a nonupgraded citizen there, but the workshop gives you no rewards until the citizen is upgraded.

Only an aristocrat may work here. He may be upgraded or not.

This cabin gives an immediate reward when it has an upgraded aristocrat. If you give it a nonupgraded aristocrat, it will give you the reward when the aristocrat is upgraded.

Early-Game Workshops: At the beginning of the game, the workshops you can build are the type that will produce at the end of every round. (See here.)

This workshop gives you nothing immediately, but it will give you 1 major fire token and 1 coin at the end of every round as long as it has an upgraded nun.

Late-Game Workshops: When you set up for round V, the workshops on the scoreboard are replaced with a new set. These can be constructed according to the same rules. However, when the citizen is placed in the workshop, you gain the indicated rewards immediately. This reward is received only once – a late-game workshop will not produce at the end of the round.

Flip the tile face down (but leave the citizen on top) to show its reward has been used.

This workshop gives you a onetime reward of 1 fire token and 3 points. You get the reward as soon as it has an upgraded or nonupgraded nun.

Wagons

Choose an available wagon from the scoreboard. In a 2-player game, only one is available. Two are available in games with 3 or 4 players.

Pay the cost of the wagon. If any points are depicted, score them immediately. Keep the wagon near your player board. You will be able to use it when you repopulate Messina.

Repopulate Messina

When it is time to perform the action depicted in your chosen hex, you may ignore that action and repopulate the hex instead. However, there are two restrictions:

  • You cannot repopulate a harbor hex or a dock.
  • You cannot repopulate a neighborhood that has already been repopulated.

To Repopulate your Lieutenant's Hex:
  1. Pay the depicted cost.
  2. Use one wagon. Flip it over to show it is used. Each wagon can be used only once per round.
  3. Return the required citizens – and possibly, required lieutenants – to the token supply.
  4. Place one of your repopulation tiles on the hex.
  5. If the hex has 1 or more disease cubes, gain 1 rat token.

If you have used all your repopulation tiles, you cannot repopulate anymore.

Repopulation costs and requirements

Each hex depicts a cost and the citizens required to repopulate it:

Repopulating this neighborhood costs 1 lumber. It requires 2 aristocrats.

Upgraded citizens can repopulate neighborhoods where regular citizens are depicted. But if an upgraded citizen is depicted, an upgraded citizen is required.

Repopulating this neighborhood costs 1 coin. It requires 1 nun – upgraded or not. It also requires 1 upgraded craftsman. (A regular craftsman is not sufficient.)

Some neighborhoods also require one of your lieutenants. In this case you must use a lieutenant that is still available for use this round (either an unused figure at your estate, or one that is still lying down on a hex). Return the figure to the box.

Repopulating this neighborhood costs 2 coins. It requires 2 nuns, and it requires you to give up one lieutenant you have not used this round.

Repopulation tiles

When you repopulate a neighborhood, cover the repopulation requirements with one of your repopulation tiles. For the remainder of the game, no one can take the Repopulate action there. Your reputation is now tied to this neighborhood, and what happens there will reflect well or poorly on you:

  • Whenever that hex is chosen by any player’s lieutenant (including yours), you immediately score 2 points (as depicted on the repopulation tile).
  • Whenever that hex gets a disease cube, you gain 1 rat.

Citizen Movement Summary

Citizens appear in Messina when you set up for the round. When you rescue them, they go to your estate – either to a quarantine cabin if they came from a plagued neighborhood, or directly to the appropriate sector if their neighborhood had no plague cubes.

Citizens in quarantine will stay there for two rounds – the round in which you rescued them, and the next round. Citizens in quarantine cannot be moved to workshops and they cannot repopulate Messina. When a citizen comes out of quarantine, you move the token to a square in the appropriate sector of your estate.

Once assigned to a square in its sector, a citizen token will remain there unless it is placed in a workshop or sent back to repopulate Messina. There is no way for a citizen to move to a different square in its sector.

A citizen can be moved from its sector to an appropriate workshop at any time, even during production. A citizen in a workshop can be sent to repopulate Messina, but it cannot be transferred back to its sector or to another workshop.

Registers

Three registers measure your reputation with the people, the city, and the church.

Your position on these registers determines play order and at the end of the game, it may give you points. Advancing on a register can often give you immediate benefits as well.

The only way to advance on the popularity register is to fight plague.

At any time during the Action step of your turn, you can pay to advance on the city register or church register. You may advance in this way as often as you like. The cost is one coin per lieutenant.

Certain actions may lead to a free advance on the city register or the church register.

Registers

Three registers in the center of the scoreboard measure your reputation with the people, the city, and the church.

Your position on these registers determines play order (see here) and at the end of the game, it may give you points (see here). Advancing on a register can often give you immediate benefits as well.

Advancing

The only way to advance on the popularity register is to fight plague, as explained here.

At any time during the Action step of your turn, you can pay to advance on the city register or church register. You may advance in this way as often as you like. The cost is one coin per lieutenant. Count the 3 lieutenants you start with plus any you acquired during play, including even lieutenants you returned to the box when you sent them to repopulate Messina.

For simplicity reasons, the Yucata.de implementation doesn't allow to advance this way at really any time during the Action step. For example this is not possible while handling a field benefit like e.g. advancing an overseer. This however does not restrict the advancement on the registers. It is still possible to advance at any meaningful time during the Action step.

Certain actions may lead to a free advance on the city register or the church register. You pay nothing for these.

Types of Actions

The popularity register offers actions similar to those you might get from city hexes. These can be used any time during the Action step of the turn in which you earned them.

The city register is the only way to get more of your lieutenants in play. When you advance to a space with a figure, take one of yours from the token supply and lay it beside your board. You may send it to Messina on a later turn this round, after all your lieutenants already in Messina have been used.

When you advance to this space in the city register, you may take any action depicted on any hex in Messina, even if the hex is blocked by a player’s figure (including yours). This includes harbor hexes, but not docks.

The church register can let you upgrade or advance your overseers on your estate, as explained here. This particular space allows you to choose one overseer, upgrade it if it is not already upgraded, and then advance it.

When you advance to a space like this on the church register, you may activate the indicated number of citizens on your estate. (This is like the action you get for your overseer, as described here.)

If an advance lands you on the same space as another player, put your counter on top of theirs. This may be a play-order tiebreaker at the end of the round.

At Yucata.de there is the following implementation: If a player's counter is on the last space of a register and the player would advance, then the counter will stay on the last space, but it will move to the top of the stack of counters if there are any counters of other players on this same space.

Advancing during production

If you get an advance on a register during production, move your counter immediately. However, if this advance leads to an action, you do not take the action until the Action step of your next turn. (And if this happens at the end of the final round, you will not take the action at all.)

Example Turn

Yellow wants to take a Build action. He decides to move the lieutenant shown above. Movement to the adjacent hex is free, but the additional move costs 1 coin. Note that Red’s figure is lying down and therefore is not blocking the hex. Yellow will stand his figure on the chosen hex, indicating that the hex may not be used again this round.

Yellow takes the citizen token from the chosen hex. Because the hex has a plague cube, the citizen needs to go to space I of an empty quarantine cabin.

Yellow can spend a fire token to destroy the plague cube on his hex. He chooses to spend a major fire token, which also allows him to destroy a cube on an adjacent hex.

Destroying 2 cubes allows him to advance twice on the popularity register. The first advance has no additional effect, but the second advance allows him to advance an overseer in the next step of his turn.

Yellow could build first and then advance an overseer, but he decides it’s better to advance an overseer first. The overseer shown above allows him to activate the craftsman that gives him 1 coin and 1 lumber. (He could have activated the other craftsman instead, but this one will help him build.)

Now Yellow spends that lumber token to improve the quarantine cabin where he put the craftsman. The craftsman will produce a fire token during Production at the end of the round. Yellow could end his turn now, but he sees an opportunity to get another lieutenant.

Yellow pays to advance on the city register. Because he currently has 3 lieutenants, the cost is 3 coins. The advance gives him a fourth lieutenant. Yellow lays the figure beside his estate. He will be able to use the figure later this round, once he has no more unused lieutenants in Messina. Yellow could advance on the city or church register again this turn, but now the cost is 4 coins because he has taken the fourth lieutenant.

End of Round

The round ends once all players have used all their lieutenants. Citizens in buildings may produce at the end of the round. After production, citizens advance through quarantine.

A citizen in a quarantine cabin will produce as shown on the improvement tile. If the cabin has no citizen or no improvement, it does not produce.

Each citizen in an early-game workshop (with the symbol) will produce as shown on the workshop. A workshop with no citizen will not produce. An upgraded citizen in a workshop will also produce 1 point. Some workshops have two levels of production, regular and upgraded.

Late-game workshops offer one-time benefits. They do not produce. However, an upgraded citizen in a late-game workshop will still produce 1 point.

At the end of the round, after all production has been resolved, advance all the citizens in quarantine.

End of Round

The round ends once all players have used all their lieutenants. Citizens in buildings may produce at the end of the round. After production, citizens advance through quarantine.

Production

Usually, players can all handle production simultaneously. But if order is important, produce in the play order shown on the scoreboard.

Quarantine cabins

A citizen in a quarantine cabin will produce as shown on the improvement tile. If the cabin has no citizen or no improvement, it does not produce.

The craftsman in the first cabin will produce 1 fire token and 1 point. The middle cabin has no citizen and will not produce. The aristocrat in the third cabin cannot produce because the cabin is not improved.

Workshops

Each citizen in an early-game workshop (with the symbol) will produce as shown on the workshop. A workshop with no citizen will not produce. An upgraded citizen in a workshop will also produce 1 point. Some workshops have two levels of production, regular and upgraded.

Because this nun is upgraded, she produces 2 fire tokens instead of 1. She will also produce 1 point.

Late-game workshops offer one-time benefits. They do not produce. However, an upgraded citizen in a late-game workshop will still produce 1 point.

This citizen produces 1 point because he is upgraded. The workshop's rewards were gained when it was built – it will not produce them now.

Quarantine

At the end of the round, after all production has been resolved, advance all the citizens in quarantine.

  • A token in the left quarantine space moves into the right space.
  • A token in the right quarantine space moves out of quarantine. Place the token on an empty square in the appropriate sector of your estate or in an empty workshop of the matching type.
Setup for Next Round

Advance the round counter to the next round.

Lay all lieutenant figures in Messina flat on their hexes to show that they have not been used yet in the new round.

Remove citizen tokens from hexes that have plague cubes.

Check the round info table to see which register has priority this round. Rearrange the counters on the play-order indicator according to who is ahead on that register.

Draw a docking tile from the stack and place a boat tile in one of the spaces at the indicated dock. Give the boat 1 plague cube.

If the round info table indicates two boats arrive, place a second boat (with a plague cube) at that same dock.

Add a new hex tile to Messina.

If it is now the beginning of round V, remove all workshop tiles from the scoreboard. Replace them with the late-game workshop tiles, which are set up in the same way.

Rotate the window of the population wheel one space clockwise. Then add plague cubes.

Add citizen tokens. You are now ready to play the next round. Play in the order shown on the play-order indicator.

Players who used wagons should flip them over to show they can be used again in the new round.

When a plague cube is added to a repopulated neighborhood, the player who repopulated it gets a rat token.

Setup for Next Round

Advance the round counter to the next round.

Lay all lieutenant figures in Messina flat on their hexes to show that they have not been used yet in the new round.

Remove citizen tokens from hexes that have plague cubes.

Check the round info table to see which register has priority this round. Rearrange the counters on the play-order indicator according to who is ahead on that register. If players are tied, the one ahead is the one who moved to that space most recently. (Their counter should be on top.)

In this round, priority is determined by who is ahead on the scoring track.

Draw a docking tile from the stack and place a boat tile in one of the spaces at the indicated dock. Give the boat 1 plague cube.

If the round info table indicates two boats arrive, place a second boat (with a plague cube) at that same dock.

  • After using the last docking tile in the stack, shuffle all 4 tiles together to make a new stack.
  • If all 3 spaces at a dock are full, place the boat in a space at the next dock, clockwise.

Add a new hex tile to Messina. The city has six spaces for new hexes. These spaces are illustrated here.

To find the correct space to fill, start at the harbor hex chosen in step V and go around the perimeter clockwise until you come to a space that has not been filled yet. Add the new hex tile there.

If it is now the beginning of round V, remove all workshop tiles from the scoreboard. Replace them with the late-game workshop tiles, which are set up in the same way.

Rotate the window of the population wheel one space clockwise. Then add plague cubes, as explained here.

In rounds marked with this icon, rotate the wheel one more space and add plague cubes again.

Plague cube limit: The supply of plague cubes is limited and depends on the number of players. It may happen that you cannot add cubes to all the hexes that are supposed to get them. In this case, you do not add any cubes at all. If you are supposed to add plague cubes twice, add them in two separate steps – it may be possible to add cubes in the first step even if there will not be enough left for the second step.

Add citizen tokens as explained here. You are now ready to play the next round. Play in the order shown on the play-order indicator.

By round VI, the plague has begun to abate. The neighborhoods of Messina get no new plague cubes and no new citizens in need of rescue. However, plague cubes continue to arrive on boats.

Don’t Forget: Players who used wagons should flip them over to show they can be used again in the new round.

When a plague cube is added to a repopulated neighborhood, the player who repopulated it gets a rat token.

End of Game

The game ends at the end of round VI, after players take their production from workshops and quarantine cabin improvements.

Rat Penalty:

  • For each rat token you acquired during the game, move back 1 space on the popularity register.
  • Lose points for your rat tokens.

Final Scoring:

  • After taking penalties for your rat tokens, evaluate your final position on each register. If there are points shown on your current space, score those points at this time.
  • On the popularity register, players also get points for being farther ahead. In a two-player game, the first player gets 5 points. In a three- or four-player game, the first player gets 10, second gets 7, third gets 3.
  • Score the points shown on each hex that you repopulated.
  • Score points for three aspects of your reputation. Your markers show how much each aspect is worth.
  • Count all the buildings you built. For each building, score the indicated number of points – but if you have more than 6 buildings, score only 6 of them.
  • Score the indicated number of points for each cargo of exotic goods that you took during the game.
  • For each of your repopulation tiles in Messina, score the indicated number of points.
  • Add up your remaining coins, fire tokens, major fire tokens, and lumber tokens. Divide by 3 and round down. Score that many points.

The player with the highest score has the best reputation in Messina and thus wins the game. Break ties in favor of the player who repopulated the most neighborhoods, then in favor of the one who repopulated the neighborhood worth the most points.

End of Game

The game ends at the end of round VI, after players take their production from workshops and quarantine cabin improvements.

Rat Penalty

During the game, players may have acquired rat tokens. These represent plague events that damage players’ reputations. Now it is time to pay the penalty.

For each rat token you acquired during the game, move back 1 space on the popularity register. If this moves you off the left end of the register, simply leave your counter on the starting space.

Lose points for your rat tokens according to this table:

For example, if you have 7 rat tokens, you lose 13 points. The maximum penalty is 21. If you somehow manage to lose more points than you have, you will go into Final Scoring with negative points.

Final Scoring

The following points are scored at the end of the game:

Points on Registers

After taking penalties for your rat tokens, evaluate your final position on each register. If there are points shown on your current space, score those points at this time.

On the popularity register, players also get points for being farther ahead. In a two-player game, the first player gets 5 points. In a three- or four-player game, the first player gets 10, second gets 7, third gets 3. Break ties in favor of the player with more fire tokens. For this tiebreaker only, count a major fire token as 2 fire tokens.

Repopulated Neighborhoods

Score the points shown on each hex that you repopulated. (Do not score the 2 points shown on your repopulation tile – you scored those points whenever a lieutenant visited the repopulated neighborhood.)

Scroll Board

During play, you had the opportunity to take scroll actions that advanced your markers on your scroll board. Now you will score points for three aspects of your reputation. Your markers show how much each aspect is worth. An example is here.

Count all the buildings you built. (Buildings are quarantine improvements and workshops, but not wagons.) For each building, score the indicated number of points – but if you have more than 6 buildings, score only 6 of them.

Score the indicated number of points for each cargo of exotic goods that you took during the game. The different types of exotic goods have a meaning only in the advanced variant. In the standard version of the game, this is the same as scoring points for each boat tile you took.

For each of your repopulation tiles in Messina, score the indicated number of points.

Remaining Tokens

Add up your remaining coins, fire tokens, major fire tokens, and lumber tokens. Divide by 3 and round down. Score that many points.

The Winner

The player with the highest score has the best reputation in Messina and thus wins the game. Break ties in favor of the player who repopulated the most neighborhoods, then in favor of the one who repopulated the neighborhood worth the most points.

Advanced Variant

The other sides of the player boards and scroll boards are used for asymmetric play.

Assign player colors randomly. Each player takes the board in that color and uses the b side. Mix up the scroll boards and assign them randomly. Each player uses the b side.

Gameplay follows the same rules, but your decisions will be different because your boards offer you different opportunities.

  • Each sector has one square that offers a generous reward that can be used only once per game. These squares are marked by the symbol in the corner.
  • When you activate a citizen in such a square, mark it with a solo game tile to remind you that you cannot use it again. The citizen remains there even though it cannot be activated again. However, the citizen can be sent to a workshop or to repopulate Messina, as usual.

In addition to the usual ways to score points, players compete to see who can repopulate the most neighborhoods. The player with the most gets 10 points, second most 7, third most 3. A player who repopulated no neighborhoods gets no points. In a 2-player game, first place is worth 7 points and there are no points for second.

The alternate scroll boards offer you several new ways to score points.

  • Choose 1 specific type of exotic goods (the one you have the most of). For each shipment you have of that type, score the indicated number of points.
  • Score the indicated number of points for each workshop you have, but if you have more than 5 workshops, score only 5 of them.
  • Score the indicated number of points for each lumber token you have at the end of the game, but if you have more than 6 lumber, score only 6 of them.
  • Score the indicated number of points for each cabin improvement you have.
  • Score the indicated number of points for each coin you have at the end of the game, but if you have more than 9, score only 9.

You can gain additional points for advancing on a particular register. On the right end of each register is a line marked by one bar and a line marked by a double bar.

  • The track on the scroll board offers you two levels of points. If you are past the register’s double bar, you get the greater number of points. If you are past the register’s single bar, but not past the double bar, you get the lesser number of points. If you are not past the single bar, you get no points.

On your estate, each overseer’s path ends with 2 hexagonal spaces, followed by a final advancement to the central space. This track gives you points for advancing to those final three spaces. If your overseer is on the first hexagonal space, you score the lowest number of points, and so on. Choose your two overseers who advanced the farthest and score these points for their advancements.

Advanced Variant

The other sides of the player boards and scroll boards are used for asymmetric play.

Setup

Assign player colors randomly. Each player takes the board in that color and uses the b side. (Quarantine cabins will be on the right.) Mix up the scroll boards and assign them randomly. Each player uses the b side.

Note: It is also possible to use the a player boards with b scroll boards, or vice versa, but these variants have not been playtested.

Gameplay

Gameplay follows the same rules, but your decisions will be different because your boards offer you different opportunities.

Each sector has one square that offers a generous reward that can be used only once per game. These squares are marked by the symbol in the corner.

When you activate a citizen in such a square, mark it with a solo game tile to remind you that you cannot use it again. (In solo games, mark it with a spare token.) The citizen remains there even though it cannot be activated again. However, the citizen can be sent to a workshop or to repopulate Messina, as usual.

Final Scoring

Additional points for repopulating

In addition to the usual ways to score points, players compete to see who can repopulate the most neighborhoods. The player with the most gets 10 points, second most 7, third most 3. A player who repopulated no neighborhoods gets no points. Break ties in favor of the player whose neighborhoods are worth more points (in step 2 of final scoring). If players are still tied, divide the points for all tied places evenly among them.

In a 2-player game, first place is worth 7 points and there are no points for second.

Scroll board tracks

The alternate scroll boards offer you several new ways to score points.

Choose 1 specific type of exotic goods (the one you have the most of). For each shipment you have of that type, score the indicated number of points.

Score the indicated number of points for each workshop you have, but if you have more than 5 workshops, score only 5 of them.

Score the indicated number of points for each lumber token you have at the end of the game, but if you have more than 6 lumber, score only 6 of them.

Score the indicated number of points for each cabin improvement you have. (No maximum is specified, but you have only 4 cabins, so you can’t have more than 4 improvements.)

Score the indicated number of points for each coin you have at the end of the game, but if you have more than 9, score only 9.

Note: If you are on the first level of the track, you score [½] point per coin. If you have an odd number of coins, round the resulting half-point down.

Register advancements

These tracks give you additional points for advancing on a particular register. On the right end of each register is a line marked by one bar and a line marked by a double bar.

The track on the scroll board offers you two levels of points. If you are past the register’s double bar, you get the greater number of points. If you are past the register’s single bar, but not past the double bar, you get the lesser number of points. If you are not past the single bar, you get no points.

Overseer advancements

On your estate, each overseer’s path ends with 2 hexagonal spaces, followed by a final advancement to the central space. This track gives you points for advancing to those final three spaces. If your overseer is on the first hexagonal space, you score the lowest number of points, and so on. Choose your two overseers who advanced the farthest and score these points for their advancements.

Register Priority Tile

This tile can be used even if you are not playing the advanced variant. It modifies the round info table, altering which register has priority in each round.

Solo Variant

Messina 1347 can also be played as a single-player game. It works with or without the Advanced Variant boards. You will play against one (virtual) opposing player.

Set up a 2-player game. The opponent will not use the city and church registers, so place only your counters on those two registers.

Your opponent uses

  • in Round I, II, III: 3 Lieutenants
  • in Round IV, V: 4 Lieutenants
  • in Round Round VI: 5 Lieutenants

Because your opponent’s lieutenants do not use the Messina movement rules, you may return them to the opponent’s board at the end of each round.

You start as the first player in rounds I, III, and V. The opponent goes first in rounds II, IV, and VI.

The opponent’s turns are similar to yours.

  1. CHOOSE A HEX. Reveal the top tile of the opponent’s stack. Place an unused opposing lieutenant on the indicated hex, if it is available. If the hex is not available, either because you have already taken it or because it is not yet in the game, keep drawing tiles until you find an available hex and put the lieutenant on it.
  2. RESCUE CITIZEN. Remove any citizen token from the hex and return it to the supply.
  3. FIGHT PLAGUE. If there are plague cubes on the hex, the opposing player removes 1 of them and advances 1 space on the popularity register.
  4. PERFORM ACTION. The opposing player ignores the action available on the hex. Instead it performs the action shown on the bottom of the tile:
    • Take a boat tile from the dock closest to the chosen hex. If multiple boats are closest, choose one of them randomly.
    • Take the available wagon.
    • Take a workshop of the indicated type.
    • Take all available quarantine improvements.

Score 5 points if you match or beat the opponent’s position on the popularity register. Otherwise, score your points as usual.

Scoring of repopulated hexes in solo game differs from the base game. If a player repopulates two hexes, he scores 3 points. For repopulating 3 hexes, he scores 7 points and if he manages to repopulate 4 hexes, he scores 10 points.

Solo Variant

Messina 1347 can also be played as a single-player game. It works with or without the Advanced Variant boards. You will play against one (virtual) opposing player who plays according to the rules explained below.

Setup

Choose colors for yourself and the opponent. Set up a 2-player game. The opponent will not use the city and church registers, so place only your counters on those two registers.

Shuffle the deck of opposing-player moves and keep it nearby.

Note: If you are using the b side of your player board, you will need some spare tokens to mark single-use squares on your estate.

Lieutenants

Your opponent uses this many lieutenants:

Because your opponent’s lieutenants do not use the Messina movement rules, you may return them to the opponent’s board at the end of each round.

Play Order

You start as the first player in rounds I, III, and V. The opponent goes first in rounds II, IV, and VI.

Opponent‘s Turns

The opponent’s turns are similar to yours.

  1. CHOOSE A HEX. Reveal the top tile of the opponent’s stack. Place an unused opposing lieutenant on the indicated hex, if it is available. If the hex is not available, either because you have already taken it or because it is not yet in the game, keep drawing tiles until you find an available hex and put the lieutenant on it. (Ignore the other, invalid moves for the remainder of the round.)
  2. RESCUE CITIZEN. Remove any citizen token from the hex and return it to the supply.
  3. FIGHT PLAGUE. If there are plague cubes on the hex, the opposing player removes 1 of them and advances 1 space on the popularity register.
  4. PERFORM ACTION. The opposing player ignores the action available on the hex. Instead it performs the action shown on the bottom of the tile:

    Take a boat tile from the dock closest to the chosen hex. If multiple boats are closest, choose one of them randomly.

    Take the available wagon.

    Take a workshop of the indicated type.

    Take all available quarantine improvements.

Final Scoring

Score 5 points if you match or beat the opponent’s position on the popularity register. Otherwise, score your points as usual.

Scoring of repopulated hexes in solo game differs from the base game. If a player repopulates two hexes, he scores 3 points. For repopulating 3 hexes, he scores 7 points and if he manages to repopulate 4 hexes, he scores 10 points.

A good score is 130 points, or 140 points if you are playing with the Advanced Variant.

Other Notes on Scoring (all player counts)

Scroll Board Example: Blue advanced three times on the central track of scroll board a. Each boat tile he took is worth 4 points. For example, if he has 4 boat tiles, he scores 16 points.

If you go over 50 points during final scoring, you can put one of your lieutenant figures (or some other token of your color) on this space to remind you.

Game Setup Overview

Rules Reminders
  • During setup, Messina is constructed from all the A hexes that match the number of players and 1 randomly selected B hex.
  • There is a limit to how many plague cubes can be in Messina, as shown in the illustration above. Leave the rest in the box.
  • If you do not have enough plague cubes to go into every space selected by the population wheel, do not put out any plague cubes at all.
  • You can use a lieutenant from your estate only if all of your lieutenants in Messina have already been used.
  • A lieutenant at a dock does not block other lieutenants from using that dock.
  • On your turn, each plague cube on your chosen hex will give you 1 rat token unless you manage to remove the cube when you fight plague.
  • A major fire token allows you to remove an additional plague cube on an adjacent hex.
  • Early-game workshops produce at the end of each round. Late-game workshops have an immediate reward instead.
  • An upgraded citizen in a workshop will produce 1 point at the end of the round regardless of whether it is an early-game or late-game workshop.
  • In rounds V and VI, the scoreboard should have the late-game workshops on it.
  • If a neighborhood requires a lieutenant to repopulate it, you give up a lieutenant that has not been used this round (and not the one who chose that neighborhood hex). It is returned to the box, but it continues to count as “your lieutenant” when you pay to advance on the city or church register.
  • The cost to advance on the city or church register is 1 coin per lieutenant; count the 3 you start with plus any you have taken from the supply.
  • If a plague cube is placed on a hex you repopulated, you gain 1 rat token.
  • When a lieutenant chooses a hex you repopulated, you gain 2 points.

Adding Hex Example: The docking tile adds a new boat at the lower left dock. The new hex goes in closest empty space clockwise.

Game Icons

Hints for handling

Hints for handling
  • You can activate the color blind help in the game options.
  • The game settings allow you to change the layout:
    • In the "Grid Layout" (default) all ui elements are visible at the same time, i.e. everthing is visible on one screen. This layout is suitable for a large screen.
    • In the "One Column Layout" the ui elements are displayed one below the other, which means you need to scroll. This layout is suitable for a small screen.
  • The game settings allow you to change the dynamic adjustment of the playerinfo frame size. The options are:
    • Automatic size adjustment (default). This helps to always display the ui elements as large as possible.
    • Fixed size. Advantage: You don't need to adjust the size of the ui areas during the game, e.g. after a player aquired his first workshop tile. If you have a very large screen then you might prefer this mode.
  • Improve contrast: In order to better concentrate on the relevant parts, the background image of the Messina tiles is shaded by default. However the game settings allow you to change this so that the original hex tiles are displayed (i.e. unshaded), if you prefer this.
  • Animations can be disabled via the game settings.

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