Gamehelpfirstascent

Goal & Game Overview

Goal

Establish the best route up the mountain to gain the most points. Points are gained in 4 ways:

• Climbing pitches
• Completing objectives
• Matching technique symbols
• Reaching a summit

Rules Summary

These are a concise set of rules tailored for gameplay on Board Game Arena. The full rules can be found in the First Ascent Rulebook. The "?" icon in the bottom left of the screen opens the Reference Cards with helpful reminders about gameplay.

The Mountain Layout

Overview

The mountain is made up of individual hex tiles called Pitches. Players climb these pitches to establish their route.

The Apron

The lower half of the mountain, visible to all players at the start of the game.

The Ledge

Runs horizontally across the middle of the mountain between rows 3-4.

The Headwall

The upper half of the mountain. This region starts face-down and is revealed when any player ends The Climb Phase positioned on a pitch in the 3rd row.

Pitch Requirements and Assets

Each Pitch requires a certain combination of Assets from a player in order to climb it. There are six types of assets:

1. Gear
2. Water
3. Psych
4. Face climbing skills
5. Crack climbing skills
6. Slab climbing skills

The required Assets are indicated by the icons on each Pitch. The Wildcard Skill symbol can be fulfilled by any of the 3 Skill types (Slab, Crack, or Face).

This is an example of a pitch that requires 1 Gear, 2 Face Skills, 1 Crack Skill, and 1 Water.

The Trifecta - a special pitch

Some Shared Objectives are determined by the type of a Pitch (Arete, Slab, Roof, Crack, Flake, or Corner) or its exposure (sunny or shaded). When a player climbs The Trifecta, they must choose the type and exposure of the route climbed there. The Trifecta does not count towards any Personal Objectives.

It may be defined as a different exposure and type for each player that climbs it. Once climbed, a drop down button becomes available to show which Exposure and Type were defined for each player that climbed The Trifecta.

Gameplay overview

The game is played over a series of rounds. Each round consists of 3 distinct phases:

1. Climb Phase
2. Follow Phase
3. Rerack Phase

The end of the game is triggered when a player climbs their eighth pitch and lays their final rope down on the board. When this happens, the Climbing and Follow phases are completed and final scores are tallied.

Setup

The game begins with character selection and the Rack Up Phase.

Character Selection

First a random assortment of characters is chosen equaling the number of players plus one. Then in reverse turn order, players select their characters. The unchosen character is then discarded.

Selecting a character will reveal their Asset Board. Upon confirming their character, a player will be dealt two random personal objective cards.

Rack up!

In turn order, players draw a number of cards from The Spread and/or Asset Deck based on their starting position:

• 1st player: 5
• 2nd player: 5
• 3rd player: 6
• 4th player: 7
• 5th player: 8

The Climb Phase

In turn order, each player will either climb or rest.

Climbing

Select an available pitch as per Movement & Mountain Mechanics. If you have the necessary resources, confirm the pitch and select them. There are three types of resources for climbing a pitch:

• Asset cards
• Permanent Asset tokens (found on your Asset Board)
• Certain Summit Beta tokens

In addition, several characters have active climbing abilities that may be performed to meet a pitch's requirements.

When climbing a pitch, any asset cards spent are moved to your Asset Board, water and psych are adjusted on your Character Board, and any played Summit Beta tokens are discarded.

Next, your Climber moves to the pitch and one of your ropes is placed on it. Your ropes will track your path up the mountain.

After that, draw and resolve a Climbing Card.

Climbing Card

Draw a climbing card and choose how to resolve it. Most cards give you a choice between two outcomes, though some allow you to choose a skill token to add to a pitch to increase its difficulty (its value remains unchanged).

If you cannot completely resolve a climbing card choice, you may not choose it. If you cannot resolve either choice, you discard the card and will only draw 1 card in the Rerack Phase.

Trade

At any point during your turn in the Climb Phase, you may discard 3 cards of the same type from your hand to take 1 card from the Portaledge.

Risk It

If you're missing exactly 1 asset required by a pitch, you may opt to "Risk It". This allows you to climb the pitch without the 1 missing requirement, but first you must roll the Risk Die. Rolling the Risk Die has 3 possible outcomes:

1. Checkmark : No consequence
2. -2 cards : Give 2 cards to another player
3. -1 card, -1 psych : Lose 1 psych. Give 1 card to another player and they gain 1 psych

If you're able to resolve the rolled die face, the climb succeeds. If not, you must retreat. No resources are spent, the pitch isn't climbed, and you will only draw 1 card during the next Rerack Phase.

Resting

Instead of climbing a pitch, you may Rest. Resting skips your turn in the Climb and Follow Phases but allows you to gain more assets in the Rerack Phase.

Follow Phase

Take the following steps:

1. Award Technique bonuses
2. Gain Permanent Assets
3. Flip over Assets

Technique bonuses

There are four techniques:

• Balance
• Precision
• Pain Tolerance
• Power

For every 3 matching icons you can produce, you'll gain a 2-Point token. These icons can come face-up cards on your Asset Board, Techniques tokens in your hand, and the Summit Beta token "New Rubber". Any tokens used are discarded.

Permanent Assets

You may trade in 4 cards of the same type to gain a Permanent Asset token of that type. This can be repeated for as many such groups as you have, however each character has a finite number of Permanent Asset slots. Once they are filled, no more Permanent Assset tokens may be gained.

Flip over Assets

Asset cards played this turn onto players' Asset Boards are flipped face-down. This happens because only the current turn's cards may contribute to 3 matching Technique icons. Once a card is turned face-down, its technique symbol is hidden.

Rerack Phase

Players "rerack" (a climbing term for when climbers take time to reorganize their gear to prepare for the next section of a climb, switch who is leading, or inventory gear after removing it from the rock) in turn order to gain assets for subsequent rounds.

• If you climbed in the Climb Phase draw 3 cards total from The Spread and/or Asset Deck.
• If you rested instead, choose a combination of five assets. These are a card of any type from the Portaledge, a Water, or a Psych.
• If you were forced to retreat, you draw 1 card from The Spread or Asset Deck.

There is no hand limit. After all players have Reracked, the First Player marker automatically passes to the right (counterclockwise). Then the next Climb Phase begins.

Movement & Mountain Mechanics

Movement Rules

A player's first climbed pitch must be along the bottom row of the mountain. After that you may climb any adjacent pitch as long as there is no other climber currently on that pitch and you haven't already climbed it. The summits (topmost pitches) are exceptions in that any number of climbers can be there at the same time.

The Ledge spans across the middle of the mountain (the rows above and below the break in pitches). You may climb from any pitch along the ledge to any other pitch along the ledge as if they were adjacent.

The Headwall, or top portion of the mountain, begins the game with its pitches face-down. At the end of any Climb Phase where one or more players has climbed a pitch along The Ledge, the Headwall pitches are revealed.

Follow Up Ascents

You may climb a pitch that was previously climbed by another player, but doing so scales down both the difficulty and the payoff.

• 1st Climber: Pay full asset costs and earn full points.
• 2nd Climber: Pay 1 fewer asset of your choice and earn 1 fewer point.
• 3rd+ Climbers: Pay 2 fewer assets of your choice and earn 2 fewer points.

Game End & Scoring

When a player climbs their 8th pitch, the current round will be the last. Tally points after the Follow Phase.

Final Score Tally

Points are gained from the following categories:

1. Pitches Climbed: The value of all pitches containing your ropes (accounting for reduced points from previously climbed pitches)
2. Technique Bonuses: Points from 2-Point tokens.
3. Shared Objectives: Points from your chosen completed Personal Objective card.
4. Summit Bonus: 1 Point if your climber has reached a summit.

The player with the highest point total has established the best First Ascent and wins the game! If there is a tie, victory goes to the player with the most Permanent Asset tokens. If there is still a tie, winners share the glory.

Shared Objectives

Shared Objectives, shown at the top of the board, may be achieved by multiple players.

Shared Objectives Explained:

• Climb 3 of A Specific Type: Climb 3 pitches of the type specified.
• 1 point for each shaded/sunny pitch: A pitch's background shows whether it's sunny or shaded.
• Climb the North/Sound Ridge: Climb at least 4 pitches along either ridge. The Summits count.
• Gain 1 point for each pitch on the Headwall: Every pitch above the Ledge is worth an extra point.
• Climb no 1 point pitches: Climb no 1 star pitches. Previously climbed 2+ star pitches that are worth 1 point don't count as a 1 star pitch.
• Earn Permanent Asset tokens: Have the specified Permanent Asset tokens at the end of the game.
  Note: When you climb The Trifecta, you choose whether it counts as sunny or shaded and the type.

Personal Objectives

You're dealt 2 Personal Objective cards when you select your character. Each Personal Objective shows a symbol. Every pitch bearing that symbol in the lower left corner will count towards that Personal Objective. Its value is shown in the lower right corner.

At the end of the game, you will choose 1 completed Personal Objective (if you've completed any) to score.

Appendix

Summit Beta Tokens

Single use tokens gained from Climbing cards with various positive effects.
Note: If a card option says something like "Gain 1 Face Skill Card, lose 1 Psych" and you use the Jesus Piece token, you would gain the card but not lose the Psych.

The Portaledge

The Portaledge acts as a "bank" of each card type. You draw from it in the following circumstances:

• A Climbing card directs you to
• You trade in 3 cards of the same type from your hand
• You rested and are gaining assets in the Rerack Phase

Each Portaledge type deck is populated with 7 cards of that type. If it ever runs out, it will be populated with 7 more from the discard pile (and Asset Deck if need be).

Terrifying Fun fact: A Portaledge is what climbers sleep on when on the side of a cliff during a big-wall ascent if there are no natural features or ledges to sleep on.