How to Play Everdell Farshore | Rules & Setup Guide

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Place the board and lighthouse

Put the game board and Lighthouse in the center of the table

Organize resources

Place Driftwood, Seaweed, Seastones, and Mushrooms on their designated spots on the Shoreline

Prepare tokens

Place Point tokens and Treasure tokens in separate piles near the board

Sort Map tiles by player count

Stack each Map type in ascending order with 2-point Maps on top

Set up Island tiles

Shuffle Island tiles face down, randomly select 1 per player, place face up on Island spots, return rest to box

Prepare Windrose tiles

Sort into A and B stacks, shuffle each face down, place on their spots, then reveal the top tile of each stack

Deal the Bay cards

Shuffle the main deck and place 8 cards face up in the Bay; stack any duplicates by name and refill empty spots

Position the deck

Place the face down deck on the left side of the Lighthouse; discard pile forms on the right side

Draw starting hands

First player draws 5 cards, second player 6 cards, third player 7 cards, fourth player 8 cards

Choose workers

Each player chooses a Worker type and takes 2 workers into their area, places 1 in a Ship at the starting location, and places 3 near the top of the board or on the Lighthouse

Distribute Anchor tokens

Give each player 3 Anchor tokens

Determine first player

The saltiest player goes first

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Choose one action

You must perform exactly one of three possible actions: Place a Worker, Play a Card, or Prepare for Season

Select a location

Place one worker on any unblocked space with a webbed foot symbol or on your own previously played Destination card

Shoreline locations

Gain the resources shown on the board; only 1 worker may occupy each location at a time

Island locations

Visit for more rewarding resources; only 1 worker at a time; may only visit while Island tile is face up

Docks location

Any number of workers allowed; discard up to 3 cards from hand, then gain 1 of any resource for each card discarded

Lookout location

Any number of workers allowed; discard any number of cards from hand, then draw up to your hand limit of 8 from deck or Bay

Destination cards

Place a worker on your own Red Destination card to activate its ability; maximum 1 worker per card

Dunes location

Claim a Map tile if you have the required card types in your city; take the top Map from its stack

Pay the cost

Pay the resources shown on the card, then place it face up in your city

Card sources

Play cards either from your hand or from the 8 face up cards in the Bay; refill the Bay after playing from it

Use Anchor tokens

Play a Critter card for free by placing an Anchor on any un-anchored Construction of matching color in your city

Follow card timing sequence

Use card playing ability, pay costs or use Anchor, place card in city, resolve card effect, resolve triggered effects, move Ship if applicable, refill Bay if needed

Respect city limit

You have 15 spaces in your city; you cannot play more cards unless stated otherwise

Hand limit

Maintain a strict hand limit of 8 cards; you may never draw beyond this limit

Unique vs Common cards

You may have multiple Common cards but only one copy of each Unique card

Production cards (Green)

Activate immediately when played, and when preparing for spring and autumn

Governance cards (Blue)

Activate as described, granting bonuses when playing cards or performing certain actions; do not trigger themselves when played

Traveler cards (Tan)

Activate only once, immediately when played

Destination cards (Red)

Place a worker to activate; do not activate when played

Prosperity cards (Purple)

Worth listed points plus bonus points based on city, Ship, Maps, or Treasures at game end

Match Windrose tiles

When you play a card matching one Windrose tile, move your Ship forward 1 space; if matching both tiles, move 2 spaces

Collect Treasure

When landing on or passing a Treasure Chest space, take 1 Treasure token from the supply

Use Treasure tokens

Spend Treasure as any 1 resource, or keep it for 2 points at game end

Track Ship position

Final Ship location determines end-game points; maximum position is 60 points

Trigger condition

You may only Prepare for Season if all your workers are deployed and you choose not to (or cannot) play a card

Retrieve workers

Return all your workers from the board to your supply

Gain new worker

Take 1 new worker from the next Season area

Spring bonus

Activate all Green Production cards in your city in any order

Summer bonus

Draw 2 cards from the Bay; refill empty spots after drawing both

Autumn bonus

Draw 2 cards from deck and/or Bay, and activate all Green Production cards in any order

Last player duties for Winds of Change

If you are the last player to prepare for any season, take the top Windrose tiles from both stacks and place them at the bottom, then reveal new tiles

Last player duties for High Tide

If you are the last player to prepare for summer, flip over 2 Island tiles of your choice; those Islands cannot be visited for the rest of the game

Winning

How to claim victory.

Game end trigger

When you have reached autumn and cannot (or choose not to) perform any more actions, you must pass

Passing is permanent

Once passed, you cannot be given cards or resources, your workers remain blocking locations, and you cannot re-enter play

Continue until all pass

Other players continue playing until everyone has passed

Calculate final score

Add together:

Determine winner

The player with the most points wins

Tiebreaker sequence

If tied, the player whose Ship moved furthest wins; if still tied, check most Maps, then most Treasures, then most leftover resources; if still tied, players share victory