Ascension: Darkness Unleashed
Ascension: Darkness Unleashed Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Ascension: Darkness Unleashed is designed to be played with 1-6 players with Ascension: Rise of Vigil. It can also be played on its own as a 1-2 player stand-alone game, or combined with previous Ascension sets to support up to 6 players.
This rulebook will only cover rules new to this expansion. For past Ascension rulebooks, visit www.AscensionGame.com/rules.
Contents
- 30 Beads:
- 15 Small 1 Honor clear tokens
- 15 Large 5 Honor red tokens
- 196 Cards:
- 2 Personal Starting Decks, each containing 8 Apprentices, 2 Militias and 1 Energy Shard
- 33 "Always available" cards:
- 1 Cultist
- 16 Mystics
- 16 Heavy Infantry
- 65 Center Deck cards
- 13 Double-sided Transform cards
- 50 Treasure cards
- 40 Energy Shards
- 10 Dark Energy Shards
- 26 Single-sided Transform cards
New in Darkness Unleashed
Dark Energy Shards
Dark Energy Shards are a new type of Treasure card introduced in Ascension: Darkness Unleashed. Dark Energy Shards represent the fragments from Erabus's crystal prison that absorbed bits of his power before he broke free. Dark Energy Shards work just like the Energy Shards in Ascension: Rise of Vigil, except they also have a Fate effect that allows each player to banish a card in their discard pile when they enter the center row.
Include all 10 Dark Energy Shards in your deck. Dark Energy Shards also count toward the total number of recommended Energy Shards you should include. Thus, if you're playing with Ascension: Rise of Vigil and Ascension: Darkness Unleashed, you should include a total of 40 Energy Shards and 10 Dark Energy Shards (based on the recommended numbers of 30 Energy Shards per large set and 20 per small set).
Important: Do not shuffle all the Energy Shards into the deck!
Transform Cards
Transform is a new mechanic introduced in Ascension: Darkness Unleashed. Cards that Transform represent beings and objects in the Ascension world undergoing dramatic changes. These begin as one card and change into a different card when certain conditions are met.
Most of the cards that Transform do so based on Energize triggers. If you would play a card with Transform after meeting its Energize threshold, you instead Transform the card into its new version and put that new card in your hand. You do not generate any of the effects of the original card, nor is that card considered played. The card remains in its Transformed state until the end of the game, when you should reset the card to its starting form.
Important: Multiple versions of each of the Transform cards are included in your copy of Ascension: Darkness Unleashed – one version with each of the different cards on two sides of the same card, and one version with individual copies of each card with the Ascension back. The two sided versions allow you to simply flip the card over when it Transforms, while the separate cards are available for players who choose to play without sleeves. Shuffle only one version of these cards into the center deck and set the others aside.
If you choose to play with the separate cards, set aside the original version when you Transform it. It is not considered to be in the Void. When counting your honor at the end of the game, add only the Honor value of the version of the card that was in your deck when the game ended.
Important: The single-sided Transformed Hero cards are never shuffled into the center deck. These cards can not be acquired through any means other than Transformation.
Example card pair — Honiskrot Tribesman / Honiskrot Chieftan:
Honiskrot Tribesman is a Lifebound Hero costing 2 Runes, worth 1 Honor. Its game text reads: "Energize 2: Transform this into Honiskrot Chieftan. (Ignore the rest of this card's effect.) Gain 1 Rune." Flavor text: "Do you smell that?" "Yes… There's more than prey to be hunted tonight."
Once Transformed, Honiskrot Chieftan is a Transformed Lifebound Hero worth 3 Honor. Its game text reads: "Gain 3 Runes." Flavor text: "Gather your forces—tonight, we come to the aid of Ogo."
F.A.Q.
Q: How do Transform cards work? If I play Honiskrot Tribesman after gaining two Energy, do I still gain one Rune before it transforms into Honiskrot Chieftan?
A: Transform cards do not generate the effect of their initial version on the turn they are Transformed. When you would play them, you instead Transform the card and put the new version in your hand. The initial version of the card is not considered played, and cannot be copied by effects like Ulu, Askara Prince.
Q: How does Replication Drone work? Do I get two Energy if I play it with Charging Chamber in play? Does it work while it's in my discard pile? If an opponent makes me destroy a Construct and I control Replication Drone, can I choose to destroy the additional Construct I'm considered to control?
A: No, no, and no. You are only considered to control an additional Mechana Construct for effects that count how many Constructs you control, and only while it is in play. Whenever an effect tells you to destroy a Construct, you must destroy an actual Construct.
Q: If I copy the effect of Valiant Ascetic, do I have to banish the card that copied it to defeat a Monster?
A: Yes. Part of the cost of Valiant Ascetic's effect is banishing the card, so if you copy the effect of the card, you must banish the copy card to defeat a Monster.
Q: How does Moken, the Huntmaster work with cards that look at its Honor value like Oras the Redeemer?
A: The printed Honor value of Moken, the Huntmaster is zero, so any effects that reference its Honor value use that number. Acquiring Moken, the Huntmaster after playing Oras would not grant any Honor.
Q: When do I choose to banish when a Dark Energy Shard enters the center row? Do I get to see what card flips on top of it first?
A: The Fate effect occurs when the Dark Energy Shard enters the center row and must be resolved before the game can proceed, so you won't see what card flips on top of it when you choose what to banish.
Q: How does Jakeb, Cobra King work? Does he double the honor I gained previously in the turn when I played him? Does he double the Honor he gives himself?
A: Jakeb, Cobra King causes you to gain twice as much Honor any time you would gain Honor in the turn after you play him. This does not affect the Honor he generates himself, or any Honor gained before you played him.
Q: Hedron Dredger says "Once per turn, if you control three or more Mechana Constructs, you may Energize a Construct you control." What does this mean? Can I use a Construct more than once per turn this way?
A: Energizing a Construct allows you to use the Energize abilities of that Construct even if you have not reached its Energize threshold that turn. It does not allow you to use the Energize ability a second time if you have already met the threshold from gaining energy.
Q: How do Transform cards work with Oras, the Redeemer? What about with Erabus, Son of Nyx?
A: When you put a Transformed card into your hand, it is not considered acquired, so you would not gain any honor from Oras. This includes Erabus, Son of Nyx, which would also not grant any Honor from Oras.
Q: Why is the Energize text on Arha Mentor in a different place than other Energize cards?
A: Effects on cards are processed in the order in which they appear on the card. If you Energize Arha Mentor, you draw a card before performing the remaining instructions in the card text.
Online Resources
Online F.A.Q. www.AscensionGame.com/FAQ
Find an Ascension Event Near You! www.AscensionGame.com/Events
Credits
Ascension Game Design: Justin Gary
Ascension: Darkness Unleashed Design & Development Team: Justin Gary, John Fiorillo, Gary Arant, Jeff Liu, Patrick Sullivan, Brian Kibler, Mark Herberholz, Ben Lundquist
Graphic Design Team: Ryan O'Connor, Anton Kagounkin Magdalina
Card Art: Eric Sabee
Creative Development Team: Justin Gary, John Fiorillo, Gary Arant, Brian Kibler, Eric Tice, Ryan O'Connor, Glenn Jones
Rulebook: Justin Gary, Brian Kibler, Ryan O'Connor, Gary Arant, Jeff Liu
Project Management Lead: Ian Estrin
© 2013 Stone Blade Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.