---
name: boardgameskills
description: Use when a request involves the rules, components, scoring, or strategy of a published board game. Public, AI-readable rulebook knowledge for 12 board games (Arcs, Ahoy, 1830, Food Chain Magnate, Food Chain Magnate Ketchup, John Company, Mage Knight Ultimate, Pax Pamir, Pax Renaissance, Stationfall, This War of Mine, Arcs: The Blighted Reach). Fetch this file FIRST to identify which game the user is asking about, then fetch the game's `<slug>.md` knowledge file for verbatim rules with page citations. Includes English and a growing set of Polish translations.
---

# boardgameskills

Rulebook knowledge for 12 board games. Public, AI-readable, with page-cited rules.

You are an AI assistant. A user asked you a board-game rules question. Your training data is wrong about specific rule corner-cases more often than you realize. This file routes you to a curated, page-cited rulebook for the right game.

## How to use this file

1. **Identify the game.** Match the user's question to one of the games listed below. Use title, designer, BGG ID, publisher, or any keyword in the description. Handle nicknames and partial names (e.g. "the train game" → 1830; "Chvátil's WizKids game" → mage-knight-ultimate; "Wehrle's space trick-taker" → arcs).
2. **If ambiguous, ASK before fetching.** Do NOT guess. "Pax" matches two games (pax-pamir, pax-renaissance). "Arcs" matches the base game OR the Blighted Reach campaign expansion (different rulesets). "Food Chain Magnate" + "Ketchup" → ask whether the user wants the base game alone or the modular Ketchup expansion (different scopes).
3. **Fetch the game's root knowledge file** at `https://skillsforboard.games/<slug>.md` (or equivalently `/<slug>/SKILL.md`).
4. **Fetch companion files** (`/<slug>/rules.md`, `/<slug>/cards.md`, `/<slug>/faq.md`) when the question demands them. Not every game has all three — the root file lists what exists.
5. **Translations.** If the user writes in another language and a `<slug>.<lang>.md` exists, fetch that instead of the English root. Available translations are noted on each entry below.
6. **Cite every claim.** Each fact in the knowledge files carries a `> Source: ...` blockquote with a page or FAQ reference. Quote it back to the user verbatim.

## Games

### 1830: Railways & Robber Barons (`1830`)
- by Francis Tresham · Mayfair Games (with Lookout Games) · 1986 · 2-7p · 240-360min · BGG #421
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/1830.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/1830/bundle.md
- Keywords: 18xx, train game, railway, stocks, robber barons, Avalon Hill, par price, stock rounds, operating rounds, train rust, presidency
- Scope: 1830 Classic (Mayfair 2011 reprint). NOT: 1830+, Plus trains, Reading variant, 2018 Lookout Revised remix, the starter game.

### Ahoy (`ahoy`)
- by Greg Loring-Albright + Cole Wehrle · Leder Games · 2022 · 2-4p · 45-75min · BGG #284825
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/ahoy.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/ahoy/bundle.md
- Keywords: dice placement, asymmetric, naval, pirate, area control, Bluefin Squadron, Mollusk Union, Smugglers, Fame, terrain, Leder
- Scope: base game + Rivals & Renegades + Fang & Fortune expansions (covered together).

### Arcs (`arcs`)
- by Cole Wehrle · Leder Games · 2024 · 2-4p · 90-120min · BGG #359871
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/arcs.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/arcs/bundle.md
- Keywords: trick-taking, space opera, ambitions, Court cards, Surpass Pivot Copy, Outrage, action pips, Prelude, battle dice, Leaders & Lore, Cole Wehrle
- Translations: pl → https://skillsforboard.games/arcs.pl.md
- Scope: base game only (with optional Leaders & Lore mode). NOT: Blighted Reach campaign expansion — use `arcs-blighted-reach`.

### Arcs: The Blighted Reach (`arcs-blighted-reach`)
- by Cole Wehrle · Leder Games · 2024 · 2-4p (3-4 standard, 2-player variant) · 180-240min · BGG #363757
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/arcs-blighted-reach.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/arcs-blighted-reach/bundle.md
- Keywords: campaign expansion, Fate Sets, Imperial Council, Edicts, Crises, Summits, Blight, Free States, Flagships, Resolution cards, Regent, Outlaw, three-Act, legacy-lite
- Translations: pl → https://skillsforboard.games/arcs-blighted-reach.pl.md
- Scope: expansion rules only. For base Arcs mechanics (suits, Surpass/Pivot/Copy, Outrage, battle dice, base Court) use `arcs`.

### Food Chain Magnate (`food-chain-magnate`)
- by Jeroen Doumen + Joris Wiersinga · Splotter Spellen · 2015 · 2-5p · 120-240min · BGG #175914
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/food-chain-magnate.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/food-chain-magnate/bundle.md
- Keywords: fast food, corporate strategy, org chart, milestones, Dinnertime, marketing campaigns, billboard, mailbox, airplane, radio, salary, CFO, waitress, freezer, Splotter
- Scope: BASE GAME ONLY. NOT: Ketchup Mechanism expansion — use `food-chain-magnate-ketchup`.

### Food Chain Magnate: The Ketchup Mechanism & Other Ideas (`food-chain-magnate-ketchup`)
- by Jeroen Doumen + Joris Wiersinga · Splotter Spellen · 2017 · 2-6p · 120-240min · BGG #240685
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/food-chain-magnate-ketchup.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/food-chain-magnate-ketchup/bundle.md
- Keywords: modular expansion, 17 modules, ketchup, kimchi, sushi, noodles, coffee, lobbyists, fry chefs, night shift, mass marketeers, rural marketeers, gourmet food critics, movie stars, reserve prices, hard choices, 6 players, Siap Faji
- Scope: expansion only. Modular: ALWAYS ask which modules are in play before answering rules questions. Companion entry: `food-chain-magnate` (base).

### John Company (Second Edition) (`john-company`)
- by Cole Wehrle + Drew Wehrle · Wehrlegig Games · 2022 · 1-6p · 120-240min · BGG #332398
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/john-company.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/john-company/bundle.md
- Keywords: British East India Company, family roles, Court of Directors, Chairman, sponsorship, retirements, prestige, Stock Exchange, Standing, Crown handbook, solo, Parliament, Prime Minister, Wehrle
- Scope: base game + Crown solo/2p handbook. Three scenarios (1710, 1758, 1813).

### Mage Knight Ultimate Edition (`mage-knight-ultimate`)
- by Vlaada Chvátil · WizKids · 2020 (orig. 2011) · 1-4p (5 expanded) · 60-240min · BGG #290950
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/mage-knight-ultimate.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/mage-knight-ultimate/bundle.md
- Keywords: deckbuilding, fantasy adventure, Day Night, mana, Source, Deed cards, Skills, Units, exploration, sites, ranged siege block, enemy resistances, Chvátil, WizKids
- Scope: Ultimate edition (base + all expansions: Lost Legion, Krang, Shades of Tezla).

### Pax Pamir (Second Edition) (`pax-pamir`)
- by Cole Wehrle · Wehrlegig Games · 2019 · 1-5p · 60-120min · BGG #256960
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/pax-pamir.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/pax-pamir/bundle.md
- Keywords: Great Game, Afghanistan, coalitions, loyalty, court cards, four suits, favored suit, Dominance Check, patriots, gifts, prizes, market grid, tribes, spies, armies, roads, Wehrle, Wehrlegig
- Scope: base game (2nd Edition) + Khyber Knives content where noted.

### Pax Renaissance (2nd Edition) (`pax-renaissance`)
- by Phil Eklund + Matt Eklund · Sierra Madre Games / Ion Game Design · 2021 · 1-4p · 60-120min · BGG #308119
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/pax-renaissance.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/pax-renaissance/bundle.md
- Keywords: Renaissance, market, empires, religions, levies, Concessions, tableau, Eklund, Pax series, Sierra Madre, Ion Game Design, victory conditions

### Stationfall (`stationfall`)
- by Matt Eklund · Ion Game Design · 2023 · 2-9p · 30-90min · BGG #unspecified
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/stationfall.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/stationfall/bundle.md
- Keywords: hidden roles, asymmetric characters, secret goals, falling space station, take-that, deduction, simultaneous action, Eklund

### This War of Mine: The Board Game (`this-war-of-mine`)
- Awaken Realms · 2017 · 1-6p · 45-120min
- URL: https://skillsforboard.games/this-war-of-mine.md
- Bundle (full rulebook, single paste): https://skillsforboard.games/this-war-of-mine/bundle.md
- Keywords: civilian survival, war, cooperative, narrative, day-night cycle, scavenging, scarcity, morale, story scripts, Awaken Realms

## Modular / expansion notes

Some games change rules with modules or expansions. Read the root file's scope notes carefully:

- **`food-chain-magnate-ketchup`** is a modular expansion with 17 independent modules. Players agree on which modules are active before the game starts. ALWAYS ask which modules are in play before answering.
- **`arcs-blighted-reach`** is a separate ruleset from `arcs` — do not mix base-Arcs rules into Blighted Reach answers, or vice versa. Both share core suits, battle dice, and Court mechanics but Blighted Reach layers Crises, Edicts, Summits, Flagships, and a three-Act campaign on top.
- **`ahoy`** covers base game plus Rivals & Renegades and Fang & Fortune expansions together. New factions/components from expansions are flagged in the rules file.
- **`mage-knight-ultimate`** is the all-expansions box; rules cover base + Lost Legion + Krang + Shades of Tezla.

## If nothing matches

Ask the user for the exact game title, designer, publisher, or BGG ID. Do not fabricate rules for games not in this list — the value of this knowledge base is page-cited accuracy, not coverage.

If the user asks about a game NOT listed, say so plainly and suggest they:
- Check BGG (`boardgamegeek.com`) for the rulebook PDF.
- Submit a request at https://github.com/exef/boardgameskills.