KELTIS Rulebook

KELTIS
Way of Stones
by Reiner Knizia
Published by KOSMOS, 2008
For 2-4 players, age 10+
This translation (v.1) by Steve McKeogh
Idea and Aim

The players use numbered cards to move their figures as far as they can along the paths of
stone. On each path the players have to choose whether to play their cards in ascending or
descending value. At the end of the game the number of points you score will depend upon
how far your figures have advanced along the paths. You also need to collect Celtic wishing
stones that can be found along the way as these will give you extra points. But if you do not
collect enough of them, you will lose points. The winner is the player who has the most points
at the end of the game.
Contents
1 board
110 cards (two cards of each value 0 to10 in each of 5 colours)
20 figures (1 large figure and 4 small figures in each of the 4 player colours)
4 large clover leaves
4 score markers
25 path tiles: 9 wishing stones, 9 clover leaves, 7 number tiles (2 x 1; 3 x 2; 2 x 3)
Preparation
Before the first game carefully punch out all the tiles form the frames.
Each player takes the pieces of one colour: the 4 small figures, the 1 large figure, a score
marker and a large clover leaf. With less than four players, the unused pieces stay in the box.
Place the figures on the board, on the large stone (the starting space) at the beginning of the
stone paths.
Put the score markers beside space 1 of the score track.
So that everyone knows everybodys colour, each player lays his clover leaf in front of him.
Shuffle the 25 path tiles and place one, face-down, on each of the dark stones. Also place
one on each of the large stones at the end of each path. Then turn all of the tiles face up.
Shuffle the cards. Deal a starting hand of 8 cards to each player. The other cards are placed
as a face-down draw-pile next to the board.
Note: If there are only 2 players, take 30 cards from the deck and return them, facedown, to the box.
1
The Board
There are five different stone paths on the board. All the paths begin at the large starting
stone and each leads to an end stone of its colour. There are numbers alongside the paths
showing how many points a figure will score if it is in that row at the end of the game. Figures
in the first three rows (minus area) will lose points; from the fourth row onwards the points are
positive.
The final three rows are the goal area (row values: 6, 7 and 10). The game ends when a total
of five figures have reached the goal area of the board.
The arrangement of tiles on the dark stones is different every game, and so the stone paths
will always provide different opportunities. In the lower right corner of the board is a table
showing the points that will be scored for collecting wishing stones.
Around the edge of the board is a score track for recording points gained during the game
from the path-tiles that have numbers on them. Players receive most of their points from
scoring at the end of the game.
Playing the game

Whoever last visited Ireland starts the game. Failing that, the oldest player begins. Turns are
then taken in clockwise order. On your turn, you must play one card and then draw one card.
1. PLAY ONE CARD. You play one card from your hand, which can be done in either of two
ways:
a) You discard the card unused, placing it face-up alongside the board (best done next to one
of the two shorter sides). Make a separate discard pile for each of the five colours.
or
b) You lay the card face-up in front of you. If this is the first card placed in front of you for that
path, move one of your figures on to the first stone of that path (row value: -4). If you already
have cards for this path in front of you, lay the new card slightly below the last one, so that the
values of all the cards remain visible. You then advance your figure by one stone on the path.
Note: For each colour, you form one column of cards.
The cards can be laid out in one of two ways:
Either starting with a low value: Then each subsequent card of this colour that you lay out
must be of the same value or higher than the last card you laid out in this colour.
Example: You could place a 3, then another 3, then a 6, then a 7, then another 7, and so on.
Or you start with a high value: Then each subsequent card of this colour that you lay out
must be of the same value or lower than the last card you laid out in this colour.
Example: You could place a 9, then an 8, then another 8, then a 5, then a 3, and so on.
As soon as you lay out a card of a second value in a colour you commit yourself to laying out
all your cards of this colour in an ascending or descending order.
Note: Late in the game, if a player lays out a card for a path on which his figure has already
reached the end stone (row value: 10) he may instead advance any one of his other figures
by one stone.
2
The path tiles

The result of a figure moving on to a stone that has a path tile on it depends upon the type of
tile that is there:
Number tile: You advance your score marker the corresponding number of points on the
score track. The tile remains face-up where it is.
Clover leaf: You advance any one of your figures by one stone. This can also be the one that
you have just moved. The tile remains face-up where it is. If the figure you move lands on
another tile then the effects of that tile are also carried out, and so on.
Wishing stone: You take the tile and place it face-up in front of you.
2. DRAW ONE CARD. After discarding or laying out a card, you draw one new card in order
to again bring your hand back up to eight cards.
You may take either the top card of the face-down draw-pile or the top card from one of the
face-up discard piles next to the board.
It is then the next players turn and the game continues in this way.
End of the game

The game ends as soon as the fifth figure, in total, reaches the goal area (the final three
rows) regardless of which paths they are on. If the fifth figure lands on a tile in entering the
goal area, the action of this tile is not carried out.
It does not matter what colours the five figures are made up of.
The game also ends if the last card is drawn from the face-down draw-pile.
Scoring
Each figure on a path scores the points indicated alongside it. The large figure scores double
the points. The points are recorded on the score track. If a player scores over 50 points, his
score marker simply begins again at the 1 and 50 is added to the result.
If a figure is alongside a negative number, the player must move his score marker back that
number of points. If this applies to a large figure then the points lost are doubled. Figures still
on the starting space score nothing.
The players then score points for the number of wishing stones they have each collected, and
they move their score markers forward or backward according to the table.
Number
0
1
2
3
4
5 or more
Points
-4
-3
2
3
6
10
The winner is the player who has now scored the most points. If there is a tie then there is
more than one winner.
3

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KELTIS

Idea and Aim

Playing the game

The path tiles

End of the game

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