How To Play: AuZtralia

Overview

If you ever wanted to build a sheep empire while fighting monsters, boy, AuZtralia is your game. After some chaos with my pals (someone tried to build a farm on a Cthulhu’s head), I put together this guide. Here you’ll find a quick outline of the game rules and, more importantly, the best strategies for crushing your friends and the Elder Gods at the same time.

What’s in the box

• 1 Game board
• 4 Player boards
• 80 Wooden cubes
• 36 Wooden discs
• 4 Victory point markers
• 4 Sanity markers
• 120 Resource tokens
• 71 Rail track tiles
• 60 Farm tiles
• 50 Revelation cards
• 69 Military unit tiles
• 30 Personality cards
• 25 Old One tiles
• 1 Airship marker
• 1 Time marker
• 4 Player aids
• 1 Rulebook

How To Play AuZtralia: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Pick your player color and grab your matching pieces, farms, and train.
2. Lay out the board and fill regions with resources, rails, and those creepy Old One tokens.
3. Deal out personality cards and reveal port locations.
4. Each player places their port and train on the coast, then takes a chunk of starting resources.
5. Shuffle the Event, Personality, and Revelation decks. Keep your fingers crossed—no tentacles, please.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, spend time to take actions like build railways, mine, farm, or recruit troops.
2. Draw cards or gather resources as the action allows.
3. Watch the time track—Cthulhu and friends don’t nap forever.
4. When the Old Ones awaken, take turns as normal, but now the baddies get turns too! Play passes clockwise, even if you’re losing your mind.
5. Fight battles by rolling dice and comparing results. Watch your sanity, those Old Ones bite hard.

Winning

1. Keep playing until all players run out of time or go mad from horror.
2. Count up your victory points for farms, resources, and defeated Old Ones.
3. Subtract points for any surviving Old Ones in your area. You DO NOT want them as neighbours.
4. If Cthulhu has more points than any player, everybody loses. Otherwise, the highest score wins!

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If your sanity drops to zero, you can no longer command troops. Meditate, buddy.
2. Some cards let you break rules or perform wild stunts. Always read the text before you do a victory dance.
3. Events can trigger chaotic effects for everyone—keep some tea nearby for comfort.
4. Old Ones can move and attack, forcing you to work together. Or not. Just don’t blame me if your mate betrays you for a sheep.

Now you know How To Play auztralia—grab some mates, avoid the Elder Gods, and try not to lose your sanity!

Best AuZtralia Strategies

How to Win AuZtralia: Mastering Resource Management

1. Plan Every Move

If you want to win, you can’t just build willy-nilly. Before you even lay your first rail, decide what you’ll need most. Think about your coal, gold, and food. You never want to run dry because that’s when the Old Ones laugh at you.

1. Count what you have every turn.
2. Make sure you can afford each action.

2. Balance Growth and Defense

Now, I’ve seen players who hoard gold, but then the monsters eat their sheep farm. So I always:

1. Spend wisely on both units and farms.
2. Upgrade my defenses if I get ahead on resources.

3. Trade When Needed

If you notice your coal vanishing faster than my dignity at karaoke, trade! Buying just what you need saves you from disaster.

1. Check the market every round.
2. Don’t be shy to sell extra resources.

Keep these tips in mind to boost your odds at winning AuZtralia. For more tips, check out my How To Play auztralia guide!

Smash the Old Ones: Combat Tactics for AuZtralia Victory

Choose Your Battles Wisely

Never waste troops on weak gains. Instead, pick fights that help your big plan. Keep an eye on the map and go for monsters with juicy rewards.

1. Scout targets before moving in
2. Focus on creatures closest to your rails

Use Allies Often

Allies can turn a hopeless fight into an easy win. Next, bring them along for boss battles, especially when you face the big, tentacled baddies.

1. Hire characters with combat boosts
2. Pair allies with your best units

Treat Ammo Like Gold

Nothing feels worse than running out of ammo in front of a Great Old One. Always check your supply before a battle. After all, fresh bullets keep your troops alive!

1. Stock up in towns regularly
2. Save powerful attacks for tough monsters

Mastering the Clock in AuZtralia

Plan Moves Ahead

When I play, I always look a few turns ahead. This keeps my actions sharp and quick. Use every tick on the time track wisely:

1. Anticipate enemy moves.
2. Sync operations for big payoffs.

Balance Risk and Speed

Sometimes you need to hustle, sometimes you need to chill. Finding the sweet spot can mean everything in AuZtralia.

1. Don’t rush into trouble just to save time.
2. Spend extra time if it means a stronger position.

React to Other Players

I always watch what Marie is doing—she’s sneaky. Keep an eye on your rivals’ clocks, and adapt fast:

1. Push your pace if rivals are close to a win.
2. Slow down and conserve if you’re ahead.

Mastering time helps you win the “How To Play auztralia” game, hands down!

Time to Conquer the Outback!

Well, that’s my take on winning AuZtralia after many late-night battles and a few snacks lost to the Cthulhu horde. If you manage your resources, pick fights smartly, and watch the clock, you’ll have a real shot, even if your sheep get eaten (it happens to the best of us). Study your foes, trust your mates, and remember, the real victory is bragging rights until next game night. Good luck, mate!

Want to know what we think of AuZtralia? Read our detailed review of AuZtralia here