⚙ Setup
Era 1 rules in play
- 3-worker crew: Cutter, Builder, Hauler (no Factor, no Floater yet)
- Ice States: Crystal 💎 and Standard ⬜ only (Aged not in Era 1)
- Yakhchāl grid: 4 wide × 3 deep — 12 cells. Pack bottom-up, deliver top-down.
- Customers: Imperial Palace, Monastery, Grand Merchant
- No channels — Hauler hand-carries ice from Yakhchāl to market
- No Cold Accumulation — Crystal available after 3 consecutive Freeze cards
- Summer decay: −1 state per round for all blocks (simplified)
- 8 Weather Cards total — era ends when deck exhausted
Starting Yakhchāls (both empty)
Cyrus — Persian Spring
↑ deliver from top row · pack into bottom row ↓
It is early winter. The Zayanderud River has frozen solid. Cyrus, a wealthy Persian merchant, has already invested in a quality yakhchāl — mud walls a metre thick, sealed with sarooj mortar. His rival Darius commands a harder-working crew. Both need ice for the Imperial Palace's summer banquets. The season won't last long.
Weather Card drawn
❄
Cold Night
−8°C
Standard ice forms. Wheel stays at Freeze.
✓ CUT available · No decay this round
Orders revealed & drafted
🏛 Imperial Palace
3 Crystal blocks · any time
10 VP
← Cyrus drafts this
🕌 Monastery
4 Standard blocks · 3 rounds
8 VP
← Darius drafts this
🏺 Grand Merchant
5 any blocks · 4 rounds
5 VP + £4
Not taken this round
Cyrus eyes the Palace order — 10VP is enormous. But it needs Crystal, and there's been only one night of frost. He'll need two more freezing nights before Crystal is possible. He takes the gamble anyway, betting on a long cold spell. Darius takes the safer Monastery order: 4 Standard blocks he can fill by round 3.
Crew deployment (simultaneous reveal)
Cyrus
🪚CutterPersian Spring (L2)
🏗BuilderYakhchāl
🚚HaulerIdle — no Crystal yet
Darius
🪚CutterMountain Stream (L1)
🏗BuilderYakhchāl
🚚HaulerIdle — only 0 blocks stored
Pipeline resolves
🪚
Cyrus CUT: L2 Pond + Normal Freeze → 4 Standard blocks harvested from Persian Spring
🪚
Darius CUT: L1 Pond + Normal Freeze → 3 Standard blocks harvested from Mountain Stream
🏗
Cyrus BUILD: Packs 4 Standard into bottom row of Yakhchāl (wall cells insulated, center cells exposed)
🏗
Darius BUILD: Packs 3 Standard into bottom row — Ledari ability packs optimally without Clay cost
🚚
Both Haulers idle. No deliveries this round.
Yakhchāls after Round 1
Cyrus
⬜ ×4 (2 wall-insulated)
End of Round 1
Cyrus
Active order
Palace (needs Crystal)
Darius
Active order
Monastery (needs 4 Std)
Weather Card drawn
❄
Cold Night
−10°C
Second consecutive freeze. Ice thickening.
✓ CUT available · No decay · Crystal still 1 night away
Orders revealed & drafted
🏛 Imperial Palace
Cyrus already holds this order
10 VP · waiting for Crystal
🕌 Monastery
Darius already holds this order
8 VP · needs 1 more block
🏺 Grand Merchant
5 any blocks · 4 rounds
5 VP + £4
Both pass — existing orders take priority
Both players hold their existing orders. Darius is one block away from completing the Monastery order — if he cuts 3 more today, he can fulfil it. Cyrus is still waiting for Crystal. Tonight is only the second consecutive freeze. One more night needed.
Crew deployment
Cyrus
🪚CutterPersian Spring (L2)
🏗BuilderYakhchāl
🚚HaulerIdle — still no Crystal
Darius
🪚CutterMountain Stream (L1)
🏗BuilderYakhchāl
🚚HaulerMonastery Market
Darius deploys Hauler this round. He has 3 Standard, cuts 3 more = 6 total. Delivers 4 to Monastery. ✓
Pipeline resolves
🪚
Cyrus CUT: L2 Pond → 4 more Standard blocks
🪚
Darius CUT: L1 Pond → 3 more Standard blocks (now has 6 total)
🏗
Cyrus BUILD: Packs 4 Standard into row 2 of Yakhchāl (now 8 blocks total)
🏗
Darius BUILD: Packs 3 Standard into row 2 (6 total)
🚚
Darius HAUL: Delivers 4 Standard from top row → Monastery FULFILLED! +8 VP, +£2
🚚
Cyrus HAUL: Idle. Still waiting for Crystal ice.
Darius moves smoothly and efficiently — the Ledari company's crew works in harmony. The monks receive four blocks of clean standard ice. Darius pockets 8 VP and £2. Cyrus watches from across the yard with envy, still sitting on eight undelivered blocks, waiting for the deep freeze that will turn them crystal-clear.
Yakhchāls after Round 2
Cyrus
⬜ ×8 — packed 2 rows deep
Darius
⬜ ×4 (2 delivered to Monastery)
End of Round 2
Cyrus
Risk
Palace expires if no Crystal soon
Darius
Active order
Looking for next order
Weather Card drawn
❄❄
Snap Freeze
−15°C
Third consecutive freeze. Ice 30cm deep. Crystal ice unlocks!
✓ CUT available — Crystal possible · No decay
Orders revealed & drafted
🏛 Imperial Palace
Cyrus holds this — Crystal now possible!
10 VP
🕌 Monastery
New Monastery order: 3 Standard blocks · 3 rounds
6 VP
← Darius drafts this
🏺 Grand Merchant
5 any blocks · 4 rounds
5 VP + £4
The ground cracks. Breath hangs in the air. The ice at Persian Spring is now 30cm deep — thick enough that Cyrus's horses can walk across it in calked shoes. The Crystal window has arrived. Cyrus's gamble was right all along. He needs to cut Crystal NOW and deliver it before the weather turns.
Crew deployment — the critical round
Cyrus — going all in
🪚CutterPersian Spring (L2 + Deep Freeze)
🏗BuilderYakhchāl — pack Crystal on top
🚚HaulerPalace Market — ready to deliver!
All 3 workers active. Cut Crystal → pack on top of Standard → Hauler delivers Crystal from top row to Palace.
Darius — playing steady
🪚CutterMountain Stream (L1)
🏗BuilderYakhchāl
🚚HaulerIdle — building stock for Monastery
Pipeline resolves
🪚
Cyrus CUT: L2 Pond + Deep Freeze + Pond Baron company = 4 Crystal blocks 💎 (Pond Baron always produces Crystal in deep freeze)
🪚
Darius CUT: L1 Pond + Deep Freeze = 3 Standard blocks (Mountain Stream is a lesser source, only Standard even in deep freeze)
🏗
Cyrus BUILD: Packs 4 Crystal into row 1 (top row) — sits above the 8 Standard already there. Crystal is now accessible from the top!
🏗
Darius BUILD: Packs 3 Standard into row 3 (now has 7 Standard total)
🚚
Cyrus HAUL: Takes 3 Crystal from top row → Imperial Palace FULFILLED! +10 VP, +£3 🎉
🚚
Cyrus Yakhchāl: 1 Crystal remaining on top, 8 Standard below
Three blocks of crystal-clear ice glide from the yakhchāl on wooden sledges, bound for the Imperial Palace. The chamberlain accepts them with a nod — not a word of thanks, of course. But Cyrus sees the 10 VP carved into his ledger. Two weeks of patience paid off in one round.
Yakhchāls after Round 3
Cyrus
💎 ×1 ⬜ ×8
3 Crystal delivered to Palace. 1 Crystal remaining on top.
Darius
⬜ ×7 — nearly full
End of Round 3
Cyrus
Ice stored
1 Crystal, 8 Std
Order
Looking for next order
Darius
Order
Monastery (3 Std needed)
Weather Card drawn
🌤
Warm Spell
+5°C
Winter ends. Wheel advances to Summer. Thaw begins.
✗ NO CUT this round or next · All blocks decay −1 state this round
Decay step (before orders)
💧
Summer decay: all ice in both Yakhchāls loses 1 state. Crystal → Standard. Standard stays Standard for now (Era 1: Standard has 2 Summer rounds before Puddle).
🧊
Cyrus: 1 Crystal → becomes Standard. Now has 9 Standard total.
🧊
Darius: 7 Standard (unchanged — no Crystal to decay). But clock is ticking: 2 Summer rounds before Puddle.
The thaw arrives overnight without warning. By dawn the ice surface is slick with meltwater. Cyrus's last remaining Crystal block loses its clarity — just Standard now. Both men have one goal: empty those yakhchāls before the summer sun turns everything to water.
Orders revealed & drafted — both draft, must deliver fast
🏺 Grand Merchant
4 any blocks · 2 rounds
5 VP + £4
← Cyrus drafts this
🕌 Monastery (Darius holds)
3 Standard blocks remaining
6 VP
🏺 Grand Merchant
5 any blocks · 2 rounds
5 VP + £4
Darius keeps Monastery, ignores this
Crew deployment — no cutting possible, all Haulers active
Cyrus
🪚CutterIdle — summer, no harvest
🏗BuilderIdle — nothing to pack
🚚HaulerGrand Merchant Market
Darius
🪚CutterIdle — summer
🏗BuilderIdle
🚚HaulerMonastery Market
Pipeline resolves
🚚
Cyrus HAUL: Delivers 4 Standard from top row to Grand Merchant → +5 VP, +£4
🚚
Darius HAUL: Delivers 3 Standard to Monastery → Monastery FULFILLED! +6 VP, +£2
Yakhchāls after Round 4
Cyrus — 5 Standard remain
⬜ ×5 — Summer round 1 of 2. Deliver next round or Puddle!
Darius — 4 Standard remain
⬜ ×4 — Summer round 1 of 2. Same risk.
End of Round 4
Cyrus
Ice stored
5 Std (1 round left!)
Darius
Ice stored
4 Std (1 round left!)
Weather Card drawn
☀
Hot Summer
+18°C
Peak summer heat. Second consecutive summer round.
✗ NO CUT · All Standard ice → Puddle at end of round if not delivered
Orders revealed & drafted — desperation mode
🏺 Grand Merchant
3 any blocks · THIS ROUND ONLY
4 VP + £3
← Cyrus must take any order
🏺 Grand Merchant
4 any blocks · THIS ROUND ONLY
5 VP + £4
← Darius takes this
🏛 Imperial Palace
3 Crystal · 3 rounds
10 VP
Nobody — no Crystal ice left
The summer orders are worse — merchants buy at summer prices, knowing sellers are desperate. Both players take what they can get. The Palace order sits unclaimed — nobody has Crystal ice anymore.
Crew deployment
Cyrus — deliver everything
🪚CutterIdle
🏗BuilderIdle
🚚HaulerGrand Merchant
Darius — same
🪚CutterIdle
🏗BuilderIdle
🚚HaulerGrand Merchant
Pipeline resolves
🚚
Cyrus HAUL: Delivers 3 Standard to Grand Merchant → +4 VP, +£3
🚚
Darius HAUL: Delivers 4 Standard to Grand Merchant → +5 VP, +£4
💧
End-of-round melt: All remaining Standard ice hits Summer Round 2 → Puddle. Cyrus loses 2 remaining blocks. Darius loses 0 (he delivered all 4).
The last sleds creak out of the yards. Everything that couldn't be sold becomes a puddle by noon. Cyrus watches two blocks dissolve in a stone trough — waste, pure waste. He should have sent the Hauler out an extra run.
Yakhchāls after Round 5 — both empty
Cyrus — 2 blocks lost to melt
Empty. 2 Standard lost to puddle — wasted.
Darius — perfectly cleared
Empty. Nothing wasted.
Summary of final three rounds
❄
Round 6 (Normal Freeze): Cyrus cuts 4 Standard, packs. Darius cuts 3 Standard, packs. Darius fulfils a Monastery order (3 Std) → +6 VP, +£2. Cyrus passes, building stock.
❄
Round 7 (Normal Freeze): Cyrus cuts 4 more (total 8), packs. Darius cuts 3 (total 3). Both Haulers active — Cyrus delivers 4 to Grand Merchant (5VP+£4). Darius delivers 3 to a new Monastery order (6VP+£2).
❄
Round 8 (Normal Freeze — final card): Era ends after this round. Cyrus delivers remaining 4 Standard to Grand Merchant (4VP+£3). Darius cuts and immediately delivers 3 Standard to Grand Merchant (3VP+£2). Era ends.
🏆
Final scoring: Remaining ice in Yakhchāls → 1VP per 3 blocks. Both Yakhchāls empty. No bonus.
The second winter is shorter but productive. Both men work with practiced efficiency now — they've learned each other's rhythms. The ponies know the route from Persian Spring to the merchant quarter without being guided. On the last night, as the final Weather Card is turned face-up, Darius stacks the last block on the cart and waves to his crew. Another season done.
🏆 Final Score — End of Era 1
Cyrus — Pond Baron
Ice lost to puddle
−0 VP (2 blocks wasted)
Darius — Ledari
Zero waste
+0 (nothing puddled)
What Era 1 taught
- The Crystal gamble paid off for Cyrus. Holding the Palace order through two Normal Freeze nights, then catching the Snap Freeze on Round 3, earned 10VP in one delivery — the highest-value single action in the era. Darius's safer Monastery strategy earned steadier points but never had a breakout moment.
- 2 wasted blocks cost Cyrus the victory. Cyrus won the era by 2VP — but lost 2 blocks to puddle in Round 5. If he'd delivered those, it would have been 24–22. A better Hauler deployment in Round 5 (deliver all 5 blocks instead of 3) would have won cleanly.
- The Yakhchāl grid creates real decisions. Cyrus's Crystal packed on top of Standard meant Crystal was immediately accessible — a lucky break. Had he packed Standard on top of Crystal (which can happen if you cut Standard after packing Crystal), he'd have to clear Standard first before reaching the Palace's required Crystal.
- Summer is the real deadline. Neither player knew exactly when summer would arrive. Darius was ready — small, nimble inventory. Cyrus overpacked and lost 2 blocks. The two-summer-round rule makes every stored block feel precarious.
Era 1 → Era 2: What unlocks
- The Floater joins the crew — channels open between lake and yakhchāl. Ice flows automatically when gates are open.
- The Factor joins — a supervisor who can double any stage's output and peek the Weather Cards.
- The full 4-season Weather deck replaces the simplified 3-position system.
- Cyrus's Heirloom (Era Champion with 24VP): his L2 Pond at Persian Spring starts pre-built next era — he doesn't need to re-establish it from scratch.
Cyrus wins Era 1 by a narrow margin. In the Chronicle Booklet, he records "24–22" and writes the Historical Event chosen by vote: "The Han Dynasty Ice Administration" — in Era 2, Sawmills produce +1 Sawdust per build, reflecting the ancient Chinese tradition of state-organised ice storage. The game is far from over.