Tapestry rules: how to play and how to score

Tapestry quick rules

The goal

Everyone writes the story of their civilization. You advance on four tracks, exploration, science, technology and military, improve your income, build your capital city and use your civilization’s abilities. Victory points are scored throughout the game, on the VP track.

Your turn

On your turn, either advance one space on a track or take an income turn, which begins a new era. Everyone takes exactly five income turns, the first one to start the game. The number of advance turns varies: everyone changes eras at their own pace.

Advancing on a track

Each track has twelve spaces in four tiers. Pay the resource cost (coin, worker, food, culture) printed under the tier you’re moving into, advance one space and gain its benefit, which is mandatory; any bonus is optional and costs extra. The first player to advance into tier II, III or IV of a track gains its landmark and places it in their capital city.

The four tracks

Exploration places territory tiles on the map: one point per side that lines up with the neighboring terrain, then the tile’s benefit; at the end, space. Science has you roll the science die to advance for free on the track it shows. Technology has you invent tech cards. Military has you conquer.

Tech cards

An invented card goes in the bottom row, to the right of your capital city mat, with no immediate effect. Each upgrade moves it up one row: the circle benefit in the middle, the square benefit at the top. To reach the top row, you or a neighbor must meet the card’s prerequisite. You upgrade one card on each income turn from the second on.

Conquering

Place an outpost on a territory adjacent to yours, then roll the two conquer dice and keep one result. A territory holding two items can’t be conquered. Taking an opponent’s territory topples their outpost, unless they discard a trap card: they keep the territory and yours falls instead.

The income turn

Four steps: your civilization (from the second income turn on); a tapestry card from your hand on the leftmost blank space of your income mat, with extra resources if you’re first among your neighbors in that era; one upgrade and the points of every exposed VP icon; and finally the exposed income. Your first income turn only gives income.

The capital city

Each market, house, farm or armory you gain comes from the left of its row on your income mat, revealing better income, then goes into your capital city, like landmarks. A completed three-by-three district gives any one resource; each complete row and column scores one point every time your capital city is scored.

Achievements

Three achievements: complete a track, topple two opponent outposts, conquer the middle island. The first time you earn one, place a token on the highest free VP space under it and score those points. Nobody earns the same achievement twice.

End of the game

Your game ends when you finish your fifth income turn, which gives no tapestry card and no income. When everyone has finished, the most points wins; on a tie, the player with the tallest landmark in their capital city wins.

Beginner pitfalls

Forgetting that benefits are mandatory and bonuses optional; activating the same space twice in one turn; going over eight of one resource; skipping a tech card in the first era; neglecting your income, when a building taken early pays off on every income turn after.

Playing solo

Solo, you face the Automa and the Shadow Empire, which take their turn together and choose their tracks with two decision cards. The Shadow Empire never scores: it competes with you for landmarks. You win if you finish with more points than the Automa; there are six difficulty levels.

With Plans & Ploys

Everyone picks a landmark card with a personal goal: meet it by the end of your turn and gain its landmark. The expansion adds civilizations, tapestry cards, space tiles and cards that cancel a trap.

With Arts & Architecture

A fifth track, the arts track, has you create masterpieces, whose benefits come back at the start of every income turn, and place inspiration tiles that upgrade an income row. The expansion also brings advanced capital city mats and landmark cards.

With Fantasies & Futures

Some tapestry cards have a charm that gives a bonus depending on the card placed next to it. Others reserve a building, a card or a tile at the edge of your income mat, for your fifth income turn, just before the upgrade.

How to score Tapestry

Victory points

Your space on the VP track once your fifth income turn is over, hundreds included: everything is scored during the game. Solo, also enter the Automa’s points in its column.

Tallest landmark

Tiebreaker only: if points are tied, check the tied player with the tallest landmark in their capital city; they win. The 2019 rulebook broke ties on the most resources remaining.

Worked example

Emma finishes her fifth income turn with one token on the 100 space of the VP track and the other on 87: she enters 187. Jake also has 187 points, but Emma has the tallest landmark in her capital city: she wins.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the hundreds: past 100, one token stays on 100 and a second one starts again from 0.
• Looking for categories to add up: everything has already been scored during the game, on the VP track.
• Scoring after your fifth income turn: only your civilization’s passive abilities still give points.
• Breaking ties on the most resources left: that was the 2019 rule; it’s now the tallest landmark.

How to set up Tapestry

Setup comes in four parts. Follow the first two; add the third with expansions, and finish with the last one solo.