Heaven & Ale

To set up Heaven & Ale, first place the main game board in the center of the playing area. Create separate reserves for the purple scoring discs, money (ducats in coin and bill denominations), and resource tokens (marked with Roman numerals I and II). Distribute the resource tokens face-up onto their corresponding spaces on the main board, starting with level I tokens and then level II once level I is depleted. Next, create a reserve for the green shed tokens, which are reversible. Place monk tokens face-down in stacks of four on the central monk spaces of the main board, adjusting the number of level II monks based on player count (none for 2 players, four for 3 players, eight for 4 players). Place one small barrel token face-up on each barrel space, then place a matching large barrel token on top. Each player receives a player board, five privilege cards of their chosen color, their prior and brewmaster pawns, and one resource marker of each type, placed on the starting space of their player board. Finally, each player receives 25 ducats.

The primary objective in Heaven & Ale is to earn the most victory points by the end of the game. Players achieve this by efficiently managing their resources, strategically placing monks, and brewing various types of ale. Success hinges on optimizing resource production, fulfilling barrel objectives, and accumulating wealth, all of which contribute to your final score.

During your turn, you must move your prior pawn clockwise around the main board to an empty space, choosing how many spaces to move. You cannot move past the starting line. After moving, you perform the action corresponding to the space where your prior landed. Actions include obtaining resources from resource spaces (paying ducats based on the resource's fertility and whether the space is sunny or shady), acquiring monk tokens from monk spaces (paying ducats and placing the monk on your player board), or brewing ale by fulfilling barrel objectives. After performing an action, if you landed on a resource space, you may activate adjacent completed resource areas on your player board, gaining ducats and advancing your brewmaster pawn.

At the end of the game, victory points are calculated based on several factors. Players score points for their resource production levels, with higher levels yielding more points. Each completed barrel objective on your player board also grants victory points, with large barrels typically worth more than small ones. Additionally, players receive one victory point for every two ducats they possess at the end of the game. Privilege cards can also provide bonus points or special abilities that affect final scoring.

The game concludes after a set number of rounds, which varies depending on the number of players (3 rounds for 2 players, 4 rounds for 3 players, and 6 rounds for 4 players). The end of a round is triggered when the prior pawn crosses the starting line. After the final round, players proceed to the final scoring phase to determine the winner based on accumulated victory points.