Altaria: Clash of Dimensions Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Preparation
• Goal of the Game
• Sequence of Play
  • 1) Determine Which Player Has Initiative
  • 2) Hero Actions
  • 3) Rotate Power Tokens
• Hero Skills Used During Action
  • Movement - Cost: 1 action point
  • Attack - Cost: 2 action points
  • Power Token - Cost: 1 action point
• Power Tokens
• Ranges and Distances
• Terrain Types
• Markers
  • Motivation
  • Exhaustion
  • Bleeding
  • Forced Movement
• Revival and Dead Heroes
  • Revival
  • Dead Heroes
• Rules for the Full Version of the Game
  • Event - Cost: 1 action point + crystal
  • Crystals
• Explanation of Components
  • Power Tokens of the Heroes
  • Event Cards

Game Components

• Board with 16 hexagonal Terrain tiles
• 20 Hero cards
• 20 Event cards
• 9 Terrain cards
• 60 Hero tokens (20 healthy, 20 injured, 20 dead), each with a ready and tired side, representing 10 heroes in their red and blue forms
• 43 hexagonal Power tokens (12 great, 31 regular): 4 for each hero + 3 support power tokens
• 3 Altars (double sided: red and blue)
• 34 Markers: revival, motivation, forced movement, bleeding, exhaustion, turn marker, Player initiative marker
• 6 Crystals (red and blue)
• This rulebook and 2 Player aid cards

Game Preparation

1. Place the game board between the players so that each player is near a red or blue portal. The player near the blue portal is called the blue player, and all blue units in the game are allied with the blue player. Similarly for the player near the red portal.
2. Each player draws a random terrain card. Players then place terrain tiles on their half of the board as shown on their drawn cards.
3. Place the turn marker on the first space of the turn track.
4. Each player draws 3 random hero cards and places them randomly in a row near their side of the board. (For the first game, we recommend that each player takes the 3 heroes Nasaya, Slurg and Morgath.)
5. Players place the healthy hero tokens (with ready <<colored>> sides up) of their 3 heroes on the left, center, and right spaces adjacent to their own portal in the same order as their hero card positions.
6. A randomly selected player receives the initiative marker.
7. Place other tokens and markers near the board.

Goal of the Game

If a player controls all three altars simultaneously, or enters the opponent's portal, then the player immediately wins.

Otherwise, after 7 game turns the game ends and the winner is the player who controls the most altars. If players control the same number of altars, then it is a tie.

Sequence of Play

The game consists of 7 turns; each turn is divided into 3 phases. In each phase the following steps happen in order:

1) Determine Which Player Has Initiative

Whichever player controls the most altars gets the initiative.

If both players control the same number of altars, then whichever player did not have initiative in the previous phase gets it now.

Neither player controls an altar, so they control the same number: 0.

Red controls 2 altars; blue controls only 1.

2) Hero Actions

The player with initiative decides who will be first to do an action. The first player chooses one of his ready heroes, performs an action with that hero, and then turns the hero token to its tired (uncolored) side. Then the other player proceeds in the same manner.

During a hero's action, the hero can use skills in any order, paying action points. Heroes receive action points when they start their action; the number of action points depends on the phase:

• A hero acting in the first phase receives 1 action point.
• A hero acting in the second phase receives 2 action points.
• A hero acting in the third phase receives 3 action points.

Unused action points are lost. Each hero acts once per turn.

The red player has 2 remaining ready heroes; he chooses one of them, does an action with it, and turns it over to its tired side.

3) Rotate Power Tokens

The player with initiative rotates all the power tokens on the board 60 degrees (one symbol) clockwise, one after the other in whatever order the player wishes, resolving any activations as they occur.

At the end of each turn, do the following:

1. Dead heroes become healthy, if they have at least 4 revival markers.
2. Move the turn marker to the next space. (At the end of turn 7, the game is over.)
3. Turn all heroes on the board to their ready sides.

The player discards 4 revival markers from his dead hero card and replaces the dead hero token with that hero's healthy token.

Hero Skills Used During Action

During a hero's action, each named skill can be used at most once.

Movement - Cost: 1 action point

The hero moves to an adjacent space.

Heroes may not enter impassable spaces. Spaces with Mountains, Lakes, and (non-dead) heroes are impassable. To enter a Jungle space, a hero must spend an extra action point or become exhausted.

Attack - Cost: 2 action points

The hero wounds one adjacent enemy hero.

A player's hero has 3 tokens: the one in play on the map shows whether the hero is currently healthy, injured, or dead. A healthy hero who receives a wound becomes injured (replace the token on the map). An injured hero who receives a wound becomes dead (replace the token on the map). A replaced hero token keeps the same side up (ready or tired).

Power Token - Cost: 1 action point

Put one of the hero's power tokens onto the board.

Every power token is placed with the owner's color face up. The power token effects are described on the hero's card. The range within which the hero can place his power token is shown next to an image of the power token.

Power tokens can be placed on empty grass or jungle spaces. A space is empty if it has no hero or power token. No more than 4 pieces with the same illustration may be on the board at the same time.

A hero using the power token skill may, instead of placing a new token, renew one of his existing power tokens which is within range for placing a new token. To renew the power token, turn its green symbol toward the blue player. If a hero is in the same space as a great power token, then it can not be renewed.

Power Tokens

The number of symbols on the edges of a power token show how many phases it will remain on the board. When a power token is first placed, its edge with the green symbol must be turned toward the blue player.

Each time a power token is rotated, it has less remaining time on the board. When a power token's last (brown) symbol is pointing at the blue player and the token should be rotated, it is removed from the board. (The token has made a "complete rotation", which may activate its power.)

At the end of each phase, all power tokens on the board are rotated 1 symbol clockwise.

There are two types of power tokens:

• Regular power token (smaller hexagon) - is removed from the board if a hero enters its space.
• Great power token (larger hexagon) - remains in play even if a hero enters its space. A great power token completely covers its space, canceling the underlying terrain of the space. (E.g. jungle is no longer jungle.)

Power tokens may have active and passive effects.

There are 3 symbols representing triggers which activate a token:

• After a complete rotation (circular arrow symbol)
• After a hero enters the token's space (boot symbol)
• After a complete rotation or after a hero enters the token's space (circular arrow with boot symbol)

If, while resolving a power token's activation, a second power token becomes activated, then interrupt the first token's resolution and fully resolve the second token's activation before resuming the first activation.

Ranges and Distances

Many skill descriptions concern spaces which are "within range". E.g. "X is within range 3 from Y" means that there is a path of 3 or fewer adjacent spaces from X to Y. However, some spaces block visibility. Such a space can be the start space or target space, but it can not be an intermediate point along a path. (NOTE: if a blocking space is directly between X and Y <<blocking the straight physical "line of sight">>, it is still possible that X is within range 3 from Y, by a non-straight path which "goes around" the blocking space!)

Many skill descriptions concern spaces which are "at distance", e.g. "X is at distance 3 from Y". This works similarly, except that the shortest path must be exactly that long.

Within range 4 from Fizzle.

At distance 2 from Fizzle.

Terrain Types

• Grass - The basic terrain type.
• Mountain - Blocks visibility. Impassable.
• Water - Impassable.
• Portal - Impassable for the portal's owner.
• Jungle - Blocks visibility. To enter a Jungle space, a hero must spend an extra action point or become exhausted (put an exhaustion marker on the hero's card). This does not apply to a hero moved into jungle not during that hero's action.
• Altar - When a (non-dead) hero is moved into or is in a space with an altar not already controlled by the hero's owner, the owner takes control of the altar, placing an altar token with that player's color visible. It remains under that player's control until an enemy hero enters the space, flipping the altar token to the opponent's color.

Markers

Heroes receive markers, e.g. by interacting with certain power tokens. These markers go onto hero cards.

If a hero receives a marker during his own action, the marker is placed on the hero's card immediately after the hero's action (so it does not affect the hero in their current action).

Motivation

Icon: motivation marker. When a hero starts its action, you must discard this hero's motivation marker to receive 1 more action point.

Exhaustion

Icon: exhaustion marker. When a hero starts its action, you must discard this hero's exhaustion marker and receive 1 less action point.

Bleeding

Icon: bleeding marker. An active hero can spend 2 action points to discard this marker. Otherwise at the end of the hero's action, the marker is discarded and the hero receives a wound (becoming injured or dead).

Forced Movement

Icon: forced movement marker. If a hero moves during its action, then discard this marker. Otherwise at the end of the hero's action, the marker is discarded and the hero is wounded (becoming injured or dead).

Revival and Dead Heroes

Revival

Icon: revival marker. A dead hero needs 4 revival markers at the end of a turn to return to health.

Dead Heroes

When a hero dies, remove all markers from the hero's card without applying their effects.

Effects of being dead:

• When a dead hero is selected for action, instead of action points place that many revival markers on the hero's card.
• A dead hero does not make a space impassable. If a hero enters a space with a dead hero, he must push the dead hero to an adjacent empty space (possibly the space from which the entering hero came). A dead hero does not take control of an altar in its space.
• A dead hero can not be the target of any skill or power token.

At the end of a turn all dead heroes with at least 4 revival markers are returned to health and lose their markers. (Replace their dead tokens with their healthy tokens.)

Fizzle enters a space with dead Tecton and pushes Tecton's body to an adjacent empty space with an altar.

Tecton takes control of the altar immediately when he is revived to health.

Rules for the Full Version of the Game

The rules given so far permit you to enjoy playing to learn the core concepts. When you feel ready for the full game with random events and crystals, read on!

During game preparation:

• place a random event card face up near the board,
• and place the event deck face up (i.e. the future event is visible) nearby.

The full game is enriched with the following rules:

During each game turn, the current event card is applied. Event cards have a column with three numbers on the left. These numbers are the number of action points heroes receive in the 3 different phases:

• phase 1: the top number,
• phase 2: the middle number,
• phase 3: the bottom number.

After advancing the turn marker, move the top (face up) card from the event deck onto the current event card (covering it). Note that the future event for the next turn is visible.

The current event card makes a new hero skill available during that turn.

Event - Cost: 1 action point + crystal

The hero uses the skill shown on the current event card.

Crystals

Each hero has the ability to store 1 crystal. A hero can gain a crystal by interacting with an allied token.

The necessary method of interaction to obtain the crystal depends on the type of symbols on the edges of the token:

• Approach - A hero receives a crystal when moved (for any reason) from a non-adjacent space to a space adjacent to the token.
• Distancing - A hero receives a crystal when moved (for any reason) from a space adjacent to the token to a non-adjacent space.
• Activation - When the token performs a complete rotation or when a hero enters its space (for any reason), all allied heroes adjacent to this token receive a crystal.
• Creation - If a hero adjacent to this allied token places a power token, then the hero receives a crystal.

Raggor moves onto the power token. Isabel is adjacent, so she gets a crystal.

Here Isabel and Raggor are both adjacent to the power token, so they both receive crystals after a complete rotation.

Isabel is adjacent to an allied creation token. She places a token and so receives a crystal.

Dead heroes can not receive crystals.

Crystals have the following features:

• A hero must use a crystal to use the skill of the current event.
• When a hero with a crystal dies, the crystal is replaced by a revival marker.
• After 7 game turns, crystals owned by a player's heroes are added to controlled altars to determine the winner.

The 7th game turn has ended, so players compare scores. Red has 2 altars + 1 crystals = 3. Blue has 1 altar + 2 crystals = 3. The players tie!

Explanation of Components

Power Tokens of the Heroes

In the text below, the trigger in brackets shows when the token's effect happens: a circular arrow means after a complete rotation, a boot means after a hero enters the token's space, and both symbols together mean either.

SLURG - Cancels any visibility blocking in the power token's space. [After a complete rotation] After disappearing, this power token pulls an adjacent hero onto its space. If several heroes are adjacent to the power token, then the player with initiative chooses one. [After a hero enters the token's space] The hero receives a "Forced movement" marker.

RAGGOR - [After a complete rotation or after a hero enters the token's space] This power token pulls every hero which is at distance 2 exactly 1 space toward the token, onto a passable space adjacent to it (if possible). If there are 2 adjacent passable spaces to which a hero could be pulled, then the player with initiative chooses the space. The player with initiative also decides in which order the heroes are pulled. The hero receives a "Forced movement" marker.

NASAYA - [After a hero enters the token's space] The hero moves to the closest jungle space, which can not be impassable. If there is more than 1 eligible space, then the player with initiative chooses. If all closest jungle spaces are impassable, then nothing happens (even if some farther jungle space is passable). (If this power token is on a jungle, then nothing happens.)

ISABEL - When a hero within range 2 from an allied Isabel's power token pays the appropriate cost to execute a skill, he may order the power token itself to carry out the skill's effect (instead of the active hero). (If ordered to move, the power token can only enter an empty grass or jungle space.) [After a hero enters the token's space] The hero receives a "Forced movement" marker.

TECTON - Blocks visibility, impassable. [After a complete rotation] All heroes adjacent to this power token receive a "Forced movement" marker.

MALOKAN - [After a complete rotation] Each adjacent hero is transported to the space on the opposite side of the power token. If a pair of heroes occupy opposite sides, then they simultaneously swap positions. The player with initiative decides the order of movement. [After a hero enters the token's space] The hero receives a "Bleeding" marker.

ILIATH - When a hero within range 2 from an allied Iliath's power token with a hero on it pays the appropriate cost to execute a skill, he may order the hero on the power token to carry out the skill's effect (instead of the active hero). Additionally, he may copy the power token skill of the hero on the power token (i.e. to place or renew an allied power token of that hero's type). [After a hero enters the token's space] The hero receives an "Exhaustion" marker.

VESHIR - Blocks visibility. [After a complete rotation or after a hero enters the token's space] When this token is activated, it trades places with an adjacent power token. If the adjacent (great) token and/or this token has hero on it, then that hero is also moved. If there is more than one adjacent power token, then the player with initiative chooses. (If the activation was due to complete rotation, then the token disappears after the swap.)

FIZZLE - [After a complete rotation or after a hero enters the token's space] All adjacent heroes are pushed 1 space directly away from the activated power token. The player with initiative chooses the order of the pushing. [After a hero enters the token's space] The hero receives a "Bleeding" marker.

MORGATH - [After a hero enters the token's space] The hero receives an "Exhaustion" marker.

Event Cards

1. Mimic - The active hero copies any adjacent power token, putting a new identical allied power token within range 2 from himself (unless all 4 are already in play). The new power token must have either the same facing as the copied token or else initial facing (green symbol toward blue player).

2. Swap - The active hero simultaneously trades places with an allied hero within range 2.

3. Trick - The active hero places a power token of the type of any adjacent hero, putting it allied side up within range 2 from himself.

4. Pressure - Choose an adjacent allied power token and either: (1) Destroy it and apply its "hero entry effect" on a chosen hero within range 2 from the power token, or (2) Move it 1 or 2 spaces. This skill can not move a great power token with a hero on it.

5. Maneuver - Move an adjacent power token to another space adjacent to the active hero. If the target space also has a power token, then they swap places. This skill can not move a great power token with a hero on it.

6. Prayer - Select an allied hero within range 2 from the active hero:

   • a healthy hero receives a "motivation" marker,
   • an injured hero is healed,
   • a dead hero receives 2 revival markers. (Unlike other skills, prayer can target a dead hero.)

7. Push - Destroy an allied power token adjacent to the active hero. This token can not have its green symbol toward the blue player. Move a hero who is adjacent to the active hero 1 space away (to a non-adjacent space).