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English Translation
8 April 2012
Indigo    Rules for the German board game
Winding paths – surprising twists – simply magical!
For 2 to 4 players ages 8 and up

Author: Reiner Knizia
Graphic design: DE Ravensburger, KniffDesign (Game Guide) · Illustrations: Eckhard Freytag, Walter Pepperle
Editor: Philipp Sprick

Indigo is a deep blue hue, first obtained in ancient times from the Indian indigo plant. Its dark blue was considered by many cultures and religions as a symbol of infinity and immortality. As a color it has a calming effect on the human body and thus enables keeping a cool head, exactly what the players should try to do in this game as they try to gain the most precious jewels.

Components
1 game board
4 player screens (with player aide)
7 treasure tiles
54 path tiles
24 chips (6 per color)
24 glass gems:
      12 amber (yellow)
      10 emeralds (green)
      2 sapphires (blue)

Game Idea and Goal
In Indigo players try to collect the most valuable gemstones. They place path tiles which permit movement to gems at the exits at the edge of the playing area. These exits belong to them alone or are shared with another player. In the first case other players come up empty, but in the second the second player is also rewarded with a gem!

Setting Up the Game
Set out the game board. It shows hexagonal spaces, 7 of them highlighted in color. These are the treasure spaces. Place the 7 treasure tiles: the dark blue one is placed in the board center, the light blue on the edge, so that their arrows point toward the center.

Gems are placed on the treasure tiles. As shown in the illustration, the center tile receives a blue sapphire and five green emeralds. Each light blue tile receives a yellow amber. The other 12 gems are placed as a supply next to the board.

Path tiles each show 3 continuous paths, which are nevertheless separate from one another. Mix up the tiles face down and place them in several piles next to the game board.

Each player places a screen before themselves as well as 6 chips of the same color.

The chips will go onto the board. At the edges of the playing area are 6 sets of goals (orange-gold areas). Each has 6 entry points (arrows). Chips are placed on the circles of the 6 goals and so show who owns the corresponding goal. Depending on the number of players chips are placed at different positions on the board. (The player colors in the table are examples; unused chips are placed back into the box.)
2
players
1. 2 red 2. 2 turquoise 3. 2 red 4. 2 turquoise 5. 2 red 6. 2 turquoise
With two players there are no goals in common. The gems next to the game board are not needed.
3
players
1. 2 red 2. 1 red
1 turquoise
3. 2 white 4. 1 white
1 red
5. 2 turquoise 6. 1 turquoise
1 white
With three players each player has sole ownership of one goal. Each shares two others with an opponent.
Alternative setup for three-player game:
You can, as in the two-player game, also play with exclusively owned goals. In this case each player owns only two goals. Place the goals in clockwise order as follows: red, turquoise, white, red, turquoise, white.
4
players
1. 1 red
1 turquoise
2. 1 turquoise
1 white
3. 1 red
1 purple
4. 1 purple
1 turquoise
5. 1 white
1 red
6. 1 white
1 purple
With four players a player shares a goals with each opponent.

Now each player draws a path tile from one of the face-down piles and holds it so that only he can see the front. Now you're ready to start!

Course of Play
The youngest player begins. Then the game proceeds clockwise. The player whose turn it is places a path tile. Then a gem may get moved. Then he draws a new tile.

1. Placing Tiles
The player lays any of his path tiles on any vacant space. The panel can be completely free of or adjacent to any number of already occupied spaces (in the German rules see picture labeled Abb. 1).
Exception: It is not permitted to block two exits by placing a curve directly on both exits (see Abb. 2).

Moving Gems
When a gem is adjacent to a path on a just placed tile, it is now moved:

Treasure Tile
When a path tile is placed adjacent to a treasure tile marked with an arrow the player moves its gem in the direction of the arrow to the end of the adjacent path:
When adjacent to the treasure tile at the edge (see Abb. 3), he moves the yellow gem. When the path tile is adjacent to the treasure tile in the center (see Abb. 4) the gem moved is always a green emerald until only the blue sapphire remains. The latter will always be the last gem moved from this treasure tile (it moves just like all the others, by laying a path tile).

Path Tiles
When a placed tile extends a longer path for a gem (see Fig. 5), the player moves it all the way to the new end of this path (see Fig. 6). The gem must always follow the predetermined path. It may never make a sharp turn on a tile or move backwards. If more than one gem is adjacent to the newly-palaced tile, all of them are moved (see Abb. 7).

Note: If two gems meet on the same path they are removed from play (see Abb. 8)! A gem is never placed back on a treasure tile.

Gaining Gems
When a gem is moved to the edge of the playing area it is taken by the player who owns the goal (see Abb. 9). When the goal is owned by two players the second player also gets a gem (in the same color), taken from the supply (see Abb. 10).

To explain: When a goal is owned by two players, they share all 6 exits to this goal. Regardless of which of the six exits the gem uses, both players receive a gem. When a goal belongs to only one player, of course, only that gem is gained.

Gained gems are stored behind a player's screen.

2. Drawing Tiles
At the end of a turn the player draws a new path tile from one of the piles. Then it is the next player's turn.

End of the Game
As soon as there are no more gems on the game board, the game ends. All players score their gems:
Each blue sapphire: 3 points
Each green emerald: 2 points
Each yellow amber: 1 points
The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the tied player with more gems wins. If it is still tied, there are multiple winners.
Tips:
  • Of course you may play several rounds. Add up the points earned on each round.
  • For a more strategic game, each player receives at the start two path tiles. After placing one he draws another as usual. Thus he always chooses between two tiles to play. All of the other rules remain unchanged.
Designer and publisher thank all of the playtesters who have contributed to the development of Indigo, especially Iain Adams, Ross Inglis and Kevin Jacklin.

©2012 Ravensburger Spielverlag GmbH
Ravensburger Spielverlag
Postfach 2460 · D-88194 Ravensburg

Distr. CH: Carlit + Ravensburger AG
Grunstr. 9 · CH-5436 Würenlos

www.ravensburger.com


Translation created: 8 April 2012

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