Rebirth

To set up, place the double-sided board in the center of the play area with the Scotland map side face up. Shuffle the mission deck (cards with the specific back) and set it face down on its designated space on the board. Each player collects a player aid, a clan board, two scoring achievement tiles (100 and 200 points), a scoring counter, and all tiles, castles, and cathedral pieces in their chosen color. For a 4-player game, each player removes three energy farm tiles, three food farm tiles, and one settlement tile of each size (2, 3, and 4 settlement symbols) from their personal supply, returning them to the box. All remaining tiles in each player's chosen color are flipped face down and mixed to form their personal supply. Each player then draws two tiles from their personal supply, looks at them secretly, and places them face down on their clan board. Each player finds their scoring achievement tile (the one without a value) and slides it into the slot of their clan board. Finally, each player moves their scoring counter to the zero space of the score track around the board's edge. The last player to have visited Scotland is chosen as the first player, or a player can be chosen randomly.

The objective of Rebirth is to earn the most points by the end of the game. Players achieve this by strategically placing tiles on the board to build energy and food farms, establish settlements, control castles and cathedrals, and complete private missions. The player with the highest total score at the end of the game is declared the winner.

A game of Rebirth is played over a series of turns, proceeding clockwise around the table. On your turn, you are the active player and perform three steps in order: placing a tile, scoring the tile, and drawing a new tile. To place a tile, you take the one tile you have in your hand and add it to an empty hexagon space on the board. Food farm tiles (showing a leaf symbol) can be placed in any empty food farm space or any blank space. Energy farm tiles (showing a lightning bolt symbol) can be placed in any empty energy farm space or any blank space. Settlement tiles (showing house symbols) can only be placed in empty settlement spaces. An exception allows placing a food farm tile in an empty energy farm space if no other valid spaces are available, and vice-versa for energy farm tiles. You do not have to place tiles adjacent to previously placed tiles.

After placing a tile, you score points based on its type and location. Food and energy farm tiles score one point for each tile of the same type and color in a contiguous cluster, including the newly placed tile. If you pass 100 or 200 points on the score track, you flip your scoring achievement tile to its 100 or 200 side, respectively, and continue scoring. Settlement tiles added to a harbor space (marked with a +1 icon) immediately score one point. Other settlement tiles only score when all spaces within their bordered group are filled. Small settlements (single space) score immediately. Medium (two spaces) and large (three spaces) settlements are scored by comparing influence (number of settlement icons on tiles) among players. The player with the most influence scores the higher value, and the player with the least scores the lower value (or nothing for large settlements). Ties are broken by the player who completed the settlement (last to place a tile), then by clockwise order. When placing a tile adjacent to a castle, the player with the most adjacent tiles gains control of the castle. If there's a tie, the player with the most adjacent food/energy farms wins. If still tied, the active player loses the tie. When placing a tile adjacent to a cathedral for the first time, you place one of your cathedral pieces on it and draw a private mission card.

The game ends when all players have placed all their tiles from their personal supply onto the board (excluding the two tiles placed on their clan board during setup). After all tiles are placed, final scoring occurs. First, for any incomplete settlements, players with tiles in those settlements score points equal to the settlement icons on their tiles. Next, each player earns five points for every castle piece they control on the board. Finally, each player reveals their private mission cards and scores the points shown at the top of each card if they have fulfilled the mission's requirements. If there's a tie for the most points, the player controlling Edinburgh Castle wins. If still tied, the player controlling Stirling Castle wins. For the Ireland board, the tied player controlling Blarney Castle wins. If still tied, the player or players occupying the most spaces adjacent to the Hill of Tara win. The player with the most points after all final scoring is complete wins the game.