How to Play Lost Ruins of Arnak: Actions, Research & Guardians
Lost Ruins of Arnak lasts five rounds. Players alternate taking one main action at a time until everyone passes. The same resources feed worker placement, deck improvement, exploration and the research track, so every action competes with several other uses.
Researched base-game guide. Checked September 20, 2026 against Czech Games Edition’s current base rules. Expedition Leaders, Missing Expedition and Surprise Shipment add content not assumed here.
Each round: draw, alternate actions, then reset
Use your small deck to build a hand for the round. Players alternate turns clockwise. On your turn, take one main action or pass. After you pass, you take no more turns that round, although other players continue until they also pass.
Dig at an existing site
Spend the travel icons required by an open site and place an available archaeologist there. Resolve the site’s printed reward. Occupied worker spaces can block access, so timing matters.
Discover a new site
Pay the exploration/travel cost for an undiscovered location, place your archaeologist, take the indicated idol and reveal the new site. Higher-level sites require more resources but provide stronger rewards. A Guardian appears at a newly discovered site as directed by the rules.
Overcome Guardians for points and a one-use boon
If you have an archaeologist at a site with a Guardian, pay that Guardian’s cost to overcome it. Keep the Guardian: it is worth 5 points at final scoring, and its boon can be used according to the tile. An undefeated Guardian can create Fear consequences when the archaeologist returns.
Buy Items and Artifacts
Items generally cost coins and improve the deck for future rounds. Artifacts generally cost compasses and produce a stronger immediate effect when acquired, then behave according to their card rules later. Newly acquired cards enter your deck through the acquisition procedure rather than simply replacing a card in hand.
Play cards for effects or travel
Cards can provide printed effects, travel icons or both. A card used for travel cannot simultaneously provide an unrelated main effect unless the rules/card permit it. Lightning-bolt effects are free actions and can be combined around your main action.
Research with notebook and magnifying glass
Pay the cost to move one of your research tokens upward. Your notebook may never move above your magnifying glass. Research spaces grant immediate rewards, assistant upgrades and temple access as shown on the track.
Final scoring after round five
Add research-track points, temple tiles, idols and empty idol-slot points, 5 points per defeated Guardian, printed points on Item and Artifact cards, then subtract Fear: −1 per Fear card and −2 per Fear tile. Highest score wins. The first tiebreak favors the player who reached the Lost Temple first.
Continue learning
Sources and scope
Checked September 20, 2026.