Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar

To set up the game, first assemble the island board. Place the Vul-Kar figure on the highest point of the island, facing the helipad. Add the two bridges and the ladder to their designated spots. Position the seven trees with their roots pointing towards the volcano. Next, place six orange marbles into the large marked spaces and one red marble into the opening called the Scar. The Heart of Vul-Kar, the game's most valuable treasure, is placed in its marked spot next to the volcano. Take the Mau from the box and place it next to the board, then put the Lucky Penny inside it. Distribute treasure tokens face-up randomly on the marked spaces; any remaining tokens from expansions are added to the Mau. Place three red marbles on the Cataclysm Tracker. Each player chooses a pawn and its corresponding reference card, placing them in the helicopter, which starts next to the helipad. Shuffle the Snapshot cards and place them face-up next to the island. Shuffle the Souvenir cards and deal one to each player, placing the rest face-down next to the island. Shuffle the Action cards and deal two to each player, placing the rest face-down next to the island. Keep the die close to the island. The youngest player starts the game.

The objective of Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar is to accumulate the most points by the end of the game. Points are primarily earned by collecting various treasures, including sets of colored tokens, the Heart of Vul-Kar, the Lucky Penny, and snapshots. Players must strategically navigate the island, avoid hazards, and outmaneuver opponents to gather these valuable items and secure their escape.

Each player's turn consists of four phases, performed in this order. First, if your character was knocked down in a previous turn, you must stand it up. If on multiple spaces, choose one; if in a river or lava, place it at the end of that feature; if off the map, start from a chosen cave; if in a strange zone on the island, start from the nearest path. Second, play an action card from your hand. You must move the full number of spaces indicated on the card, but the action listed below the movement is optional. You can move in any direction but cannot backtrack. You cannot occupy the same space as another player; if you would, you jump over them, ignoring any spaces you skip. If you land on an unstable space (bridge or ladder), your movement immediately ends. If you enter a cave, roll the die and move to the cave with the matching number, without consuming a move. If the target cave is occupied, you stay put. If you pass over or land on a treasure token, snapshot, or the Heart of Vul-Kar, you may collect it. Snapshots can only be collected if you don't already have one of that color, if that type of snapshot still exists, and if no other player is on that space. Third, draw a new action card from the deck. Fourth, reset the board by returning all fallen pieces (excluding pawns) to their designated starting positions. Pawns are reset during the first phase of the next turn.

Points are calculated at the end of the game based on the treasures and snapshots collected. For each group of treasure tokens of the same color, you receive points based on the group size: 1 token = 1 point, 2 tokens = 3 points, 3 tokens = 6 points, 4 tokens = 10 points, and 5 or more tokens = 15 points. The Heart of Vul-Kar is worth 7 points. The Lucky Penny is worth 6 points. Each Snapshot card is worth 5 points, but only if the player is in the helicopter when the game ends. Any player can earn points, even if they haven't reached the helicopter, but snapshots only count if they are in the helicopter.

The game concludes when one of four conditions is met. The first condition is when a player collects three Snapshot cards of different colors. The second is when four red marbles are placed in the Scar. The third is when all players have successfully returned to the helicopter. The fourth condition is two turns after the first player has returned to the helicopter. The player with the highest total score from collected treasures and snapshots is declared the winner.