A Familiar Find Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Overview
  • Arcane Card Types
• Ingredient Sets
• Gameplay
  • 1. Scavenge
  • 2. Check for Win or Loss
  • 3. Play Cards
  • 4. Refill Hand
• End of the Game
• Full Game
  • Familiar Abilities
• Locations
  • Tourism Variant
• Quick Start Rules
  • Setup
  • Gameplay

Components

• 84 Arcane Cards
• 10 Familiar Boards
• 13 Location Cards

Setup

The following instructions are for playing the game in family mode, designed for new or younger players. For the full game, which offers a more complex and strategic experience, use the Familiar Abilities and Locations rules found on page 7.

1. Form the Arcane deck by shuffling all of the Arcane cards for your player count. Cards showing '4' are used only in 4-player games, cards showing '3+' are used in 3- and 4-player games, and cards showing '2+' are used in all games. Place the deck in the center of the play area. Leave a space next to the deck for a central discard pile.

   The circles above a card's type indicate the number of cards of the same type that are in the Arcane deck. The clear circles are the number of cards in a 2-player game, the gray circles are the cards added for a 3-player game, and the filled-in circles are the cards added for a 4-player game.

2. Turn over cards from the top of the Arcane deck, one at a time, to create face-up piles of one card each and arrange them according to the number of players.

   • 2-player game: Three piles in the center of the play area.
   • 3- or 4-player game: One pile in the center of the play area and one pile between each of the players.

3. Each player selects a Familiar board and places it in front of them. Leave an area next to your board for your collection. All players should place their boards with the 'Family' side face up.

   Note: Cards in your collection are public information. Therefore, they should be organized in a way that allows all players to clearly see what cards you have.

4. The player who most recently petted an animal takes the first turn.

5. In clockwise order from whoever takes the first turn, each player draws four cards from the Arcane deck into their hand.

   Note: Keep your hand secret from other players at all times.

Overview

A Familiar Find takes place over a number of player turns until someone wins or until the Arcane deck becomes empty, preventing a player from drawing enough cards.

There are two ways in which you can win the game:

• Have three Astral Essence cards in your collection.
• Have one complete set of Ingredients in your collection.

There is one way to lose the game:

• Have three Abyss Essence cards in your collection.

In a 3- or 4-player game, you are eliminated if you lose, and play continues until either a single player remains or until one player wins. In a 2-player game, your opponent wins if you lose.

Arcane Card Types

• Astral Essence: A player wins the game by collecting three of these.
• Abyss Essence: A player loses the game by collecting three of these.
• Ingredient: Comes in five types: Dragon Scale, Enchanted Wood, Pink Lichen, Residuum, and Ruby Dust.
• Spell: These have an effect when collected. Spells are resolved at the end of Step 1 during the turn in which they are Scavenged. If you collected more than one Spell, you may choose to resolve them in any order. After a Spell is resolved, immediately place the Spell card in the central discard pile.

Ingredient Sets

Any of the following combinations is considered a complete set of Ingredients. For each combination, any Ingredient can be used.

• Two Ingredients each of four different types
• Three Ingredients each of three different types
• Four Ingredients each of two different types

Gameplay

Play starts with the first player and proceeds clockwise around the table. On your turn, complete the following steps in order:

1. Scavenge
2. Check for Win or Loss
3. Play Cards
4. Refill Hand

If a player has not won or lost the game in Step 2 or if the Arcane deck has not become empty, complete your turn, followed by the next player, and so on.

1. Scavenge

Collect one pile of cards and add all the cards from this pile into your collection.

• In a 2-player game, you may collect any of the three central piles.
• In a 3- or 4-player game, you may collect the pile in the center of the play area, or either of the piles between you and a neighboring player.

Reveal any cards that are face down. If you collected a Spell, resolve its effect now.

2. Check for Win or Loss

If you now have three Astral Essence cards in your collection, you have won the game.

If you now have three Abyss Essence cards in your collection, you have lost the game.

If you now have a complete set of Ingredients (see Ingredient Sets) in your collection, you have won the game.

It is possible for more than one of the above to be true at the same time. Checking is done in the order above, and the first criteria that is true takes effect and determines the result.

• 2-player game: If one player loses, the other player wins.
• 3-player game: If one player loses, they are eliminated, and the remaining two players continue as they would a 2-player game until one of them wins. Consolidate the eliminated player's piles on either side of them to form a single pile. Lay out the now three remaining piles into the center of the play area as you would in a 2-player game.
• 4-player game: If one player loses, they are eliminated. As a final action, they play their remaining cards as they would during the Play Cards step but do not refill their hand. The remaining three players continue as they would a 3-player game. When another player is eliminated, combine the piles on either side of them to form a single pile placed between the two remaining players.

3. Play Cards

You must play three cards from your hand, two face up and one face down (unless instructed otherwise by the effect of a Spell). To play a card, place it on top of a pile. Place the cards so that you can see all the available cards in each pile.

• In a 2-player game, cards are played into three piles in the center of the play area.
• In a 3- or 4-player game, cards are played into three piles, one in the center and one to each side of you, between you and your neighboring players.

Cards are drawn from the deck to your hand. Then the cards are played into piles and then scavenged into your collection. Cards are never directly played from a player's hand to their collection.

Two cards must be played face up. One card must be played face down. You may choose freely into which of the three piles you play each card. However, after you have finished playing cards, no pile can be empty. Therefore, you must play at least one card into any empty piles during Step 3 of your turn.

• In a 3-player game, there will be one pile of cards into which you cannot play, which will be between your two opponents.
• In a 4-player game, there will be two piles of cards into which you cannot play, one on either side of the player opposite you.

4. Refill Hand

Draw up to four cards. If you are unable to draw enough cards because the Arcane deck is empty, the game ends.

End of the Game

If, in Step 2 of any turn, you fulfilled a win condition, congratulations, you've won the game! If the Arcane deck ran out, then there is no clear winner, and a tie must be resolved. The remaining players must count the total number of Essence cards that they have in their collection. The tied player with the highest total number of Astral and Abyss Essences wins the game. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the most Ingredients wins the game. If there is still a tie, all tied players share the victory.

Full Game

Familiar Abilities

To play with the Familiar abilities, in Step 2 of setup, all players must place their Familiar boards opposite the Family side. All players must play using the same side of the Familiar boards.

Each Familiar has a unique power that you may use. If the effect of a Familiar power contradicts the normal rules, the effects of the Familiar card take precedence.

In a 3- or 4-player game, certain effects may allow you to collect cards from piles that you normally cannot collect from. If this results in any pile becoming empty, you must play at least one card into that pile. This prevents any pile from remaining empty, as stated in the normal rules. In a 3- or 4-player game, this may include piles into which you normally cannot play cards.

Locations

To play with the Location cards, after Step 2 of setup, perform the following additional step:

Shuffle the Location cards into their own deck and place one at random above the central pile. In a 2-player game, this means the middle of the three piles placed in the center of the play area.

Return any unused Locations to the game box.

Each Location has a unique effect that impacts the rules for the central pile. If the effect of a Location contradicts the normal rules, the effects of the Location card take precedence.

Tourism Variant

During setup, do not return unused Location cards to the game box. Instead, place them face down in a deck above the central Locations.

During Step 1 of gameplay, if you collect cards from the central Location, you may choose to change Locations by replacing the Location card with a new Location drawn from the top card of the Location deck. The replaced Location is moved into a discard pile next to the deck. If the Location deck ever becomes empty and you need to draw a card from it, shuffle the Location discard pile and place it face down to form a new Location deck.

Quick Start Rules

Setup

1. Shuffle the Arcane cards for your player count to form a face down deck.
2. Deal one card into a center pile and one card between each player to form the outside piles. In a 2-player game, deal one card into three piles between the two players.
3. Each player gets a Familiar board on the 'Family' side.
4. The player who most recently petted an animal takes the first turn.
5. Each player draws four cards.

Gameplay

The game starts with the first player and proceeds clockwise until one player wins the game.

On your turn:

1. Scavenge - Collect one of the card piles that you have access to into your collection.
2. Check for Win or Loss - If you have three Astral Essences or a complete set of Ingredients, you have won the game! If you have three Abyss Essences, you have lost the game and are eliminated.
3. Play Cards - Play two cards face up and one card face down. You may play cards into any piles you have access to, but no pile may be empty at the end of this step.
4. Refill Hand - Draw back up to four cards.