Project L: Collector's Edition

To set up the game, first, shuffle all 32 white puzzle cards and place them face down in a stack in the center of the table. Next, select a number of black puzzle cards based on the player count (12 for 2 players, 14 for 3 players, 16 for 4 players), shuffle them, and place them face down next to the white stack. From each stack, flip the top four cards face up to form two rows of available puzzles. Create a general reserve with all 90 colored pieces, sorted by level. Each player receives a player aid card, one level 1 piece, and one level 2 piece. The player who draws the player aid card with the 'first player' marker starts the game; if it's not in play, determine the first player randomly or by drawing again.

The primary objective of Project L is to accumulate the highest number of victory points. Players achieve this by strategically selecting and completing puzzle cards using their colored pieces, aiming to fill all recessed areas on the puzzle cards. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game is declared the winner.

During your turn, you can perform up to three actions, and you may repeat the same action multiple times. The available actions are: 'Take a puzzle,' where you can pick any exposed puzzle card from the rows and replace it immediately; 'Take a level 1 piece,' allowing you to take a yellow level 1 piece from the general reserve; 'Upgrade a piece,' where you can upgrade one of your pieces to the next level or swap it for a different shape of the same level, returning the original piece to the general reserve and taking a new one; and 'Place a piece,' where you place a piece from your supply onto one of your puzzles, rotating or flipping it as needed. Additionally, once per turn, you can perform a 'Master Action,' which lets you place one piece on each of your puzzles simultaneously, provided you have all the necessary pieces in your supply at the start of the action.

Players earn victory points primarily by completing puzzle cards. Each completed puzzle card has a number in the top-left corner indicating the victory points it awards. At the end of the game, players sum up the points from all their completed puzzles. During the finishing phase, if players choose to complete puzzles using pieces from the general reserve, each piece used in this manner will deduct one point from their final score. The player with the highest total score after all calculations wins.

The game concludes when the stack of black puzzle cards is exhausted. The current round is finished, and then all players get one additional supplementary turn. Following this, a 'finishing phase' occurs, where each player has the option to complete any remaining puzzles in front of them by using pieces from the general reserve. However, for every piece taken from the general reserve during this phase, one victory point is deducted from the player's final score. After the finishing phase, all players calculate their final scores.