Ronda El 
Rule Question 1
How do I score water tiles/rivers, especially when there are branching or forking rivers with more than two ends?
Rulesplainer 1
To score rivers (water tiles), you look for the longest single string of consecutive blue tokens—the “best” river. A river is defined as a path of consecutive blue tokens connecting from one end to another, with no branches included in one string. If there are multiple potential rivers (due to branches or forks), you calculate the length of each possible end-to-end path and select the longest. Only the shortest direct path between two ends counts for each string; you do not score loops or backtrack to artificially increase the score. For any forking body, identify every unique end-to-end route and pick the one with the maximum number of tiles as your “best” river. Islands or extra tiles not on this “shortest path” don’t count toward your total. If rulebook examples show ambiguity, refer to the definitions: the river must be a single, unbranched path, and only the longest such line is scored.
How do I Score for water tiles in general and on this concrete example?
Rule Question 2
Do you get to choose any river to score, or are you limited in some way when multiple rivers are present?
Rulesplainer 2
When determining river scoring, you may only score your best (longest) river. If multiple rivers are present (i.e., several unconnected bodies of water), you can’t add their lengths together; instead, you choose the single longest one. Rivers that have joined together via branching or connecting do not count as separate; only your single, best river is eligible for points, excluding all others you control. This prevents scoring multiple rivers and ensures everyone simply finds their highest scoring water connection and uses that for their score.
How do I Score for water tiles in general and on this concrete example?
Rule Question 3
How do the rules treat forking or branched rivers, and what is the correct way to count them?
Rulesplainer 3
Forked rivers cannot be counted as one large river with multiple ends. Instead, each uninterrupted string of consecutive blue tokens is considered a separate river. For each fork or branch, trace the path from each possible end to others and count only the string that creates the longest line (the “best” river for scoring). Rules do not allow one river with three or more ends; any branch means the river splits into multiple scored possibilities, but you only pick one route (the longest path between two ends). This keeps scoring straightforward and consistent even with complex river layouts.
How do I Score for water tiles in general and on this concrete example?
Rule Question 4
Can lakes or bodies of water where tiles form a loop or circle be scored for more points than a direct path?
Rulesplainer 4
No, you cannot score more points for lakes or loops by backtracking or using unnecessary detours. The rules specify counting the number of river (blue) tokens along the shortest direct path between two ends of your chosen string. This prevents players from “looping” through the same set of tokens multiple times to accumulate points. Only the shortest possible unbranched path between two distinct ends of the river is counted for scoring.
How do I Score for water tiles in general and on this concrete example?
Rule Question 5
Does a river require at least two blue tiles to be scored and how are singleton tiles treated?
Rulesplainer 5
Yes, a river must be defined as a string of at least two consecutive blue tokens to count as a river for scoring. A single isolated blue token (not connected to another blue tile) cannot be scored as a river, since there is no path between two ends. When looking at a map or board with separated water tiles, count only those that form a continuous path of two or more tokens; ignore lone tiles for river scoring purposes.
How do I Score for water tiles in general and on this concrete example?
