Quinde Studio

Magic MountainReach for the Peak

Build the mountain. Master the climb.

  • 2–4 players
  • Ages 10+
  • 45–60 minutes
Build a mountainWatch how to play · 3 min

Read the rulebook

How to play

Build the mountain as you climb it. First on the Summit wins.

The whole game in 3 min, with voice-over and subtitles.

Setup

Setup at a glance

4
35Green bag
35Teal bag
35Blue bag
35White bag
123
5
Day40 cards, shuffled
Food50 cards, shuffled
Golden Tickets10 cards, shuffled
6Your areaBase Camp card: +4 Energy at the start of each turn+4
  1. Lay out the frames, any shape
  2. Summit on the highest frame
  3. START tiles on outer frames
  4. Fill the four bags
  5. Shuffle the three decks, lay out the gear
  6. Take your Base Camp, +4 a turn
  7. No gear yet: you buy it in play
  8. Roll two dice: highest starts

First game? Play the Short mountain, about 30 minutes.

Your turn

One round is one day

1A Day card: a sudden blizzardNew daysame weather for all

  1. 2 Refill energy

    Base Camp, +4+Provision +1Provision +2

    4 + 1 + 2 = 7

    Your cards refill you at the start of every turn: Base Camp plus provisions in play.

  2. 3 Act, any order

    • Buy terrain22 tilesonce
    • Buy gearprice1 pieceonce
    • Buy food2blind drawonce
    • Moveper tileas far as you can
    • Photograph1on a viewpoint
    • Trade0teams only, with your partner

  3. 4 End

    70

    Unused energy is lost.

    On the Summit? You win at once.

Example: Lena’s turn

Today’s Day card: moving on Elevations 1–2 costs 1 Energy less.

Entering a tile costsgreen 2teal 2blue 4white 8Summit 6 / 8 / 10

Start of turnBase Camp, +4Provision, +1= 5
Buy terrain−22 tiles
Snow, Elevation 1−12 − 1, Snow Boots
Snow, Elevation 1−12 − 1, Snow Boots
Clear, Elevation 2−12 − 1
Her cards refill her to 5 Energy at the start of her turn. Terrain costs 2. Each step costs 2, minus 1 for today’s weather. 0 left, and nothing carries over.

Moving

Each step costs the elevation you step onto

  1. START tileSTART
  2. Clear meadowElevation 12no gear needed
  3. SnowElevation 22Snow Boots
  4. SnowfieldElevation 34RopeSnow BootsTent
Rock tile

Rock needs Ice Axe and Rope. No Axe: no entry.

Lava tile

Lava can never be entered. Go around it.

Lena has 8 and owns Boots, Rope and Tent:

= 8, three steps this turn ✓

  • Elevation 1Green frame2
  • Elevation 2Teal frame2
  • Elevation 3Blue frame4
  • Elevation 4White frame8
  • SummitShort, Standard, Expedition6 / 8 / 10

  • Down costs the same. Entering Elevation 2 is 2, from above or below.

  • RopeSnow BootsTent

    Own every icon on the tile when you step on it.

  • Snow BootsTentBoat

    Water needs the Boat. On a shore, plus the land gear.

  • Lava: never. Go around it.

  • No blocking. Climbers share tiles.

  • Lose gear later? You stay where you are.

Viewpoints: photograph for a Golden Ticket

  1. A viewpoint tile, with the camera iconEnd your move on a viewpoint
  2. Own the Camera, pay 1
  3. A Golden TicketFirst photo: a Golden Ticket
    +3Already taken: 3 Energy

Winning

Free-for-AllFirst climber on the Summit wins.
Teams of twoBoth teammates on the Summit win.

Three Summit tiles: cost and gear are printed on each

  • Short Summit tileShort6Ice AxeRopeSnow Boots highest frame
  • Standard Summit tileStandard8Ice AxeRopeSnow BootsTent highest frame
  • Expedition Summit tileExpedition10Ice AxeRopeCramponsTentHelmet highest frame

The mountain closes

Lava may seal the Summit. If nobody can reach it, the most Golden Tickets wins.

Read the full rulebook

Read the rulebook

All 26 pages, as printed. Turn them here, or take the PDF with you.

Rulebook page 1
Rulebook page 2
Rulebook page 3
Rulebook page 4
Rulebook page 5
Rulebook page 6
Rulebook page 7
Rulebook page 8
Rulebook page 9
Rulebook page 10
Rulebook page 11
Rulebook page 12
Rulebook page 13
Rulebook page 14
Rulebook page 15
Rulebook page 16
Rulebook page 17
Rulebook page 18
Rulebook page 19
Rulebook page 20
Rulebook page 21
Rulebook page 22
Rulebook page 23
Rulebook page 24
Rulebook page 25
Rulebook page 26

Cover

Download the PDF

Four elevations, read at a glance

The colour of the frame under your feet tells you the elevation, the price of a step, and which bag feeds it. Every tile prints the icons of exactly the gear you need to enter it, so the board teaches the rules.

  1. Elevation 4

    White frame. Ice walls and ice fields. Crampons and Helmet country.

    8 Energy a step

    • Ice wallIce wall ×18
    • Ice fieldIce field ×9
    • WaterWater ×5
    • LavaLava ×3

  2. Elevation 3

    Blue frame. Snowfields, icy rock, ridges and deep water. The Tent comes out.

    4 Energy a step

    • SnowfieldSnowfield ×8
    • Icy rockIcy rock ×6
    • RidgeRidge ×5
    • Deep waterDeep water ×4
    • Snow shoreSnow shore ×3
    • Icy shoreIcy shore ×3
    • Snow patchSnow patch ×3
    • LavaLava ×3

  3. Elevation 2

    Teal frame. Snow, slopes and rock. Boots first, then Rope and Axe.

    2 Energy a step

    • SnowSnow ×11
    • Snow slopeSnow slope ×5
    • RockRock ×5
    • Clear groundClear ground ×4
    • WaterWater ×5
    • Snowy rockSnowy rock ×3
    • LavaLava ×2

  4. Elevation 1

    Green frame. Meadows, streams and the first snow. Most tiles need no gear at all.

    2 Energy a step

    • Clear meadowClear meadow ×12
    • Clear streamClear stream ×10
    • SnowSnow ×4
    • WaterWater ×7
    • LavaLava ×2

Golden Tickets wait at the viewpoints

Ten tiles carry a camera icon. End your move on one with the Camera, pay one energy, and you’re the first to photograph it: draw a Golden Ticket. Arrive later and the view still pays three energy, so a detour is always worth it.

Tickets are also insurance. Lava may be placed anywhere, even beside the Summit, and if it closes every route the climber holding the most Golden Tickets wins.

  • Golden Ticket, Helicopter Lift, single use: immediately move your climber to any tile of Elevation 2 or lower, ignoring movement costs and equipment requirements.
  • Golden Ticket, Master Negotiator, single use: force one trade, exchanging one of your equipment or food cards for any one card another player owns. They cannot refuse.
  • Golden Ticket, Summit Permit, permanent: your final step onto the Summit requires one less equipment item of your choice; you still need the Ice Axe and Rope.

Seven more in the deck: Sponsor’s Gift, Sherpa’s Blessing, Weather Charm, Cartographer’s Map, Hidden Energy Cache, Expedition Backpack, Guardian Spirit. One copy of each, and only the first photographer of a viewpoint draws one.

Read all ten tickets in the rulebook (PDF)

One round is one day on the mountain

Each player takes one full turn. The weather changes for everyone at once, so bad luck reads as weather, never as a personal grudge.

  1. Reveal the Day card

    Clear skies, a blizzard, a spring thaw. The card changes movement costs for the whole round.

  2. Refill your energy

    At the start of your turn, your cards refill you: 4 from your Base Camp, plus each provision in play. Nothing carries over.

  3. Spend it

    Buy terrain, gear or food, photograph a viewpoint and climb as far as your energy and gear allow. In a team game you may also trade with your partner.

  4. Pass to the left

    Unused energy is lost. The next climber faces the same sky.

Day card: “A gentle breeze carries the scent of the mountain’s beauty.” All movement costs 1 Energy less this round.
Day card: “A sudden blizzard limits visibility.” No movement this round, unless you are on Elevation 1–2.
Day card: “A helicopter drops fresh supplies at base camp.” Each player takes one free equipment card of their choice.

First you build an engine, then you climb

Everyone starts with a Base Camp worth 4 Energy every turn, and nothing else: no boots, no rope, no tent. The only way to grow is food. Rations give a burst this turn; provisions stay in front of you and pay out every turn for the rest of the game, up to three at a time.

A climber living on four energy takes one step at Elevation 1. With three provisions in play, they can reach ten or more, enough for two steps at Elevation 3 or one on the ice.

Where the energy goes

Energy spent by one climber across a whole game, on each of the three mountains.

Short46
Standard72
Expedition106
Show as a table
Energy spent onShortStandardExpedition
Movement122236
Food142028
Equipment81218
Terrain61014
Summit6810
Total4672106
Base Camp card: +4 Energy at the start of each turn. Every climber starts with one.
Food card, provision: a backpack of bananas. +1 Energy at the start of each turn.
Food card, provision: a backpack with chocolate. +3 Energy at the start of each turn.
Food card, ration: a bowl of trail mix. +5 Energy this turn.
The 3D-printed equipment pieces in white on a grey table: a tent, a crossed ice axe, a pair of snow boots, an inflatable boat, a helmet, a coiled rope and a pair of crampons.
The gear is 3D printed too: Tent, Ice Axe, Snow Boots, Boat, Helmet, Rope and Crampons.

Eight pieces of gear, one per turn

Climbers start with nothing and buy one piece per turn. The box holds four of every piece, one per player, so nothing can be bought out from under you, and each price sits below the income you’ll have when the mountain first asks for it. Rivals never hand over their rope; only a teammate will.

  • Snow Boots

    2 Energy

    Snow and mixed ground on Elevations 1 to 3. The item the mountain asks for most.

  • Camera

    2 Energy

    Optional. Photograph a viewpoint for a Golden Ticket.

  • Rope

    3 Energy

    Slopes, ice and ridges. Required for every Summit.

  • Ice Axe

    3 Energy

    Cuts steps in rock and hard ice. Often you can route around it.

  • Tent

    4 Energy

    Shelter from Elevation 3 upward.

  • Crampons

    5 Energy

    Ice at Elevation 4 and the Expedition Summit. They replace the Snow Boots on the ice.

  • Boat

    6 Energy

    Open water at any elevation. Never needed for a Summit.

  • Helmet

    6 Energy

    Elevation 4 and the Expedition Summit.

Three mountains in one box

The same fourteen frames build a quick family climb or a full expedition. Arrange them any way you like; there are no connection rules.

  • Short

    Short Summit tile: 6 Energy, needs Ice Axe, Rope, Snow Boots.

    The first climb. Teaches every rule in about 30 minutes with four pieces of gear.

    Highest frame
    Elevation 2
    Summit step
    6 Energy
    Gear to summit
    Ice AxeRopeSnow Boots

  • Standard

    Standard Summit tile: 8 Energy, needs Ice Axe, Rope, Snow Boots, Tent.

    The full game. Snowfields, ridges and the Tent come into play.

    Highest frame
    Elevation 3
    Summit step
    8 Energy
    Gear to summit
    Ice AxeRopeSnow BootsTent

  • Expedition

    Expedition Summit tile: 10 Energy, needs Ice Axe, Rope, Crampons, Tent, Helmet.

    The longest route, up to the white frames. Ice walls and the Helmet come into play.

    Highest frame
    Elevation 4
    Summit step
    10 Energy
    Gear to summit
    Ice AxeRopeCramponsTentHelmet

Pick a size, then build it. Every layout on this page uses only the frames in the box.

Shuffle a mountainDownload the rulebook

No printed board

Build your mountain

Every game, a new mountain. Lay out the frames, then fill them tile by tile as you climb.

The START tiles are placed so every seat gets the same climb to the Summit.

Ours
From playersNone yet. Be the first
Yours
Classic peak: a mountain of empty frames, green at the foot and the Summit on the highest frame.

Classic peak

A broad peak with a white spire. Wide below, narrow at the top.

14 of 14 frames · Expedition Summit

Fair for 4 players: every seat climbs 11 steps (2 green, 3 teal, 2 blue, 3 white), 42 Energy.

Draw a tile. It lands in a frame of its colour.

Already on the table

Magic Mountain is a working prototype. The frames and terrain are 3D printed, the cards are printed from the final art, and the game is in playtesting now.

A game in progress: green, grey and white hexagonal frames on a wooden table, partly filled with meadow, rock, snow and lava tiles, a START tile at the foot and a climber figure near the top.The table from above: half-built mountain, decks of Day, Food and Golden Ticket cards, 3D-printed gear tokens and red dice.Later in the same game: two climbers on the white frames near the Summit, Golden Tickets laid out beside the board.

Want to play it?

The prototype is in playtesting now. Groups of 2–4 players, ages 10 and up, help shape the final game.

Join a playtest

Thinking of publishing it?

The rulebook, component list and production notes are ready, and the prototype is on the table.

See the publisher notes

For publishers

Magic Mountain: Reach for the Peak: a family-weight expedition game with a physical board that grows on the table.

  • Table presence. Snow, rock, water and lava are sculpted in relief. Prototyped in 3D print, designed for injection moulding.
  • Self-explaining components. Colour-coded, numbered frames and gear icons on every tile. New players read the mountain instead of the rulebook.
  • A readable economy. Energy never accumulates, which gives every game a clear arc: build income, then climb.
  • A different board every game. The frames go down in any shape, with no connection rules, and the tiles are drawn blind. No two expeditions climb the same mountain.
  • Scalable. One set of frames plays as a 30-minute family climb or a full expedition.
  • Room to grow. New terrain sets, Day cards and themed mountains plug into the same frame system.
Email the designerDownload the rulebook (PDF)

In the box

Terrain tiles, sculpted in relief35 per elevation in 69 designs, 10 of them viewpoints140
Frame hexagons5 green, 4 teal, 3 blue, 2 white; 7 tiles each14
Summit and START tilesOne Summit per mountain length; START tiles in four player colours3 + 4
Draw bagsColour-matched to the frames4
Food cards18 provisions, 32 rations50
Day cardsWeather and events40
Golden TicketsOne of each10
Base Camp cardsOne per player: +4 Energy every turn4
Equipment pieces, 3D printedBoots, Crampons, Rope, Axe, Tent, Boat, Helmet, Camera; one of each per player8 × 4
Climbers, markers, dice4 + 10 + 2