Illumination is live (Marginalia battles)
Update: Illumination has launched on Kickstarter and the campaign will run for 14 days. This is a joint campaign with The Road to Canterbury, so you may pledge for either of the games or both.
Our preview post below was published on January 11.
Illumination is a 1-2 player tile laying game in which figures from illuminated manuscripts representing the forces of good fight against those of evil. It will launch on Kickstarter on January 14.
Three different boards will be placed at the center of the table, each one showing the layout of a book. You will also have your personal board with a number of tiles arranged in rows and columns. Tiles in row and column one on your player board can only be played on book one. Tiles in row and column two on your player board can only be played on book two, and so on for the third book. On your personal board there are also spaces where you can store money and ritual tokens. On a separate central board which shows the monastery, the abbot meeple will move to a different location each round, allowing you to gain different bonuses accordingly.
On each turn, you will choose a row or a column on your board and transfer the tiles onto the corresponding book. You can place them on any quill spot, and if the colour of the tile matches that of the quill, you earn the associated bonus (e.g. ritual tokens or coins). Sometimes, the placement of a tile will result in conflict: angels fight demons, knights fight dragons, monks fight rabbits, and dogs fight squirrels. If any of these opposing pairs occur upon placement, adjacent tiles will join the fight. The battle is resolved by majority, and ties remain unresolved.
Coins can be spent to move a tile to another book, and scriptorium cards let you manipulate the tiles to your advantage. Ritual tokens can be traded for points. Tiles placed on books score points too. The game ends when all books are closed, and the player with the most points is the winner. In the solo mode, the AI rolls a die to determine its chosen row and column.