Nucleum reference sheet

Overview

• 1–4 players, ~120–150 min, industrial-era Saxony theme [p.1 — Goal of the Game]
• Goal: earn the most VP by energizing Buildings, fulfilling Contracts, and hitting Milestones [p.8 — Goal of the Game]
• Core loop: play Action tiles to build, connect cities with railways, power Buildings with coal/Uranium [p.8 — Gameplay]
• No rounds — players take turns continuously until endgame triggers [p.8 — Gameplay]
• Each player has a unique Experiment (A/B/C/D) with distinct Technologies and Turbine effects [p.6 — Setup]
• Recharge to collect income, place a Milestone marker, and refill your tile pool [p.17 — Recharge]

Setup

1. Place main board (player-count side up); place side board adjacent [p.4 — Setup]
2. Place Coal Import Wagon tiles '-1 Thaler' side up; 3-player: leave one spot per area empty [p.4 — Setup]
3. Place Thaler, Uranium, Achievement tokens in general supply; VP Flag on '70' [p.4 — Setup]
4. Build Action tile market: 20 Base tiles + 10/15/25 random tiles (2/3/4p), split into 3 piles, reveal 5 to market [p.4 — Setup]
5. Distribute Contract tiles: 1 Initial each; 6/9/12 Silver, 10/12/16 Gold in stacks; 1 of each Purple face-up; 2 Silver + 2 Gold face-up in market [p.4 — Setup]
6. Shuffle 8 Milestone tiles; place 4 on Milestone track; place 3 Nucleum tokens near track [p.4 — Setup]
7. Map setup: place Power Plant standees, run 4 Setup card draws for Neutral Buildings and Rubble [p.4–5 — Setup]
8. Each player: player board, 4 Thaler, Income markers, Buildings, Turbines, Mines, 2 Workers in supply (16 in reserve), 3 Milestone markers on side board [p.6 — Player Board]
9. Starting from last player counterclockwise, each picks an Experiment; place 5 Starting Action tiles as tile pool [p.6 — Player Board]

Turn structure

On your turn, choose exactly one of:

A — Play an Action tile (to player board)

1. Place tile on leftmost free slot at top of player board
2. Resolve one or both actions (any order; either may be skipped)
3. Optionally fulfill one Contract (before, between, or after actions) [p.10 — Playing an Action Tile]

B — Place a Railway tile (to the map)

1. Pay 2 Thaler if placing on a red railway space
2. Place tile on any empty railway space adjacent to a city/railway; put your Worker on it
3. Resolve color-matched actions (yours first, then others clockwise)
4. If rail line completed: gain inauguration reward, then flip tiles face down [p.11 — Placing a Railway Tile]

C — Recharge

1. Gain income from tracks
2. Place a Milestone marker (may trigger King's Day Scoring)
3. Discard all Achievement tokens
4. Retrieve all tiles from top of player board [p.17 — Recharge]

Actions

Subsidize actions (on tiles, not via Special Directive): gain 2 Thaler or 1 Worker; advance Thaler/Worker/VP/any income marker; gain 1 Achievement token [p.17 — Subsidize Actions]

Scoring

Final Scoring — add all of the following:

• Milestones: each marker × (condition count × tier multiplier); markers on '0' = −3 VP each [p.20 — Scoring Milestones]
• Energized Buildings: VP shown on energized side; Praha Buildings score double [p.21 — Energized Buildings]
• Government Buildings: per energized Gov. Building, score printed VP × all Buildings of shown type in same network (energized or not, any player) [p.21 — Energized Buildings]
• Income track bonuses: 3/6/10 VP for markers on last 3 spaces of each track [p.21 — Scoring Income Track Bonuses]
• Leftover resources: 1 VP per 2 Uranium in Mines, per 2 Workers in supply, per 5 Thaler [p.21 — Scoring Leftover Resources]
• Ultimate Goal Technology (8th): score if condition met [p.20 — Scoring Ultimate Goal]
• Endgame conditions triggered: 3 VP each when first met [p.20 — Endgame Conditions]
• King's Day Scoring (during game): 1st-highest Milestone marker = 6 VP; 2nd-highest = 2 VP [p.19 — King's Day Scoring]

End of game

• Endgame triggers when 2 conditions are met (3 in a 2-player game) [p.20 — Endgame Conditions]
• 5 conditions: Action tile piles empty; Silver & Gold Contract piles both empty; all players recharged 3× (Milestone spaces empty); any player unlocks all 8 Technologies; any player reaches 70 VP [p.20 — Endgame Conditions]
• First player to meet a condition scores 3 VP and moves an Endgame Condition marker [p.20 — Endgame Conditions]
• After trigger: finish current round so all players have equal turns, then each player takes one more turn [p.20 — End of the Game]
• Optional final Milestone placement if you still have Achievement tokens (no income/effects triggered) [p.20 — Final Scoring]
• Most VP wins; ties share victory [p.21 — End of the Game]

Glossary

• Network: group of cities connected by completed rail lines where you have at least 1 railway, building, mine, or turbine; size = number of cities [p.9 — Elements of the Map]
• Completed rail line: a link with no empty railway spaces remaining [p.9 — Elements of the Map]
• Link: up to 3 connected railway spaces between cities [p.9 — Elements of the Map]
• Nucleum: token placed on a power plant enabling Uranium use during Energize; 1 Uranium usable by default [p.16 — Energize]
• Tile pool: your personal collection of Action tiles available to play (not yet placed on board or player board top) [p.10 — Playing an Action Tile]
• Color match: an action on a placed Railway tile whose edge color matches an adjacent city or tile, triggering that action [p.11 — Placing a Railway Tile]
• Inauguration reward: VP income advancement gained by all Workers on a rail line when it is completed (2+ spaces only) [p.12 — Placing a Railway Tile]
• King's Day Scoring: mid-game scoring (6 VP / 2 VP) triggered when a Milestone space on the side board becomes empty [p.19 — King's Day Scoring]
• Achievement tokens: collected during play; spent/discarded on Recharge to place Milestone markers [p.18 — Placing a Milestone Marker]
• Special Directive tile: Starting Action tile (black background); play 1 of 5 main actions at −1 Thaler; cannot be placed as railway [p.10 — Playing an Action Tile]
• Government Building: level-IV Urban Building; scores VP for all Buildings of a shown type in your network [p.21 — Energized Buildings]
• Long-distance rail: fixed rail connecting coal production areas to border cities; not owned by players, cannot form networks [p.10 — Elements of the Map]

FAQ

• Q: Can you skip actions on a played tile? — A: Yes, any action can be skipped; nothing is mandatory [p.10 — Playing an Action Tile]
• Q: When can you fulfill a Contract on a turn? — A: Before, between, or after your actions — once per turn, only when playing a tile to your player board (or with Technology D7 when placing a railway) [p.10 — Playing an Action Tile]
• Q: Can you use other players' rail lines to transport resources? — A: Yes, any completed rail line may be used for transport; you pay 1 Thaler per Turbine used that belongs to another player [p.16 — Energize]
• Q: What if your Worker reserve is empty when you must gain a Worker? — A: Gain 1 Thaler instead [p.8 — Gaining Resources]
• Q: Can you place a Railway tile outside your network? — A: Yes; placing a Railway tile is how you extend or start a new network [p.11 — Placing a Railway Tile]
• Q: What happens if an Income marker is already on the last space and you gain more income? — A: Gain 1 VP for each advancement you cannot take [p.8 — Gaining Resources]
• Q: Do Purple Contracts get replaced after being fulfilled? — A: No; Purple Contracts are never replaced [p.10 — Playing an Action Tile]