From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Terra Mystica?

Capstone English base rules, 20-page publisher PDF

Whoever most recently dug a planting bed in their own garden goes first.

Read the publisher’s rulebook

Rule details

That player receives the Starting player token. After Income, they take the first Action, followed by the other players clockwise.

Initial Dwelling placement and Bonus-card selection have their own setup orders. They do not replace the token holder as the first player in the Action phase.

In later rounds, the first player to pass becomes the next round’s starting player.

If there’s a tie

The cited starting-player instruction does not specify a tie-break. We don’t infer one.

Source & edition

  • Terra Mystica — Capstone Games rulesCapstone Games · Setup — Starting player token; Choosing a Faction Board; first Structures and Bonus cards; Income; Action phase; Passing; faction reference · Checked 2026-09-23

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