Ascension X: War of Shadows
Ascension X: War of Shadows Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
New in Ascension X: War of Shadows
Light & Dark Cards
One of the new features in Ascension X: War of Shadows are Light and Dark cards – whose powers grow stronger depending on whether the Light or Dark is better represented in the center row. A Light symbol (sun) on the upper right hand corner of a card represents that the card is a Light card, while a Dark symbol (moon) represents that the card is a Dark card.
If there are more Light cards in the center row than Dark cards, then it is Day. Day bonuses on cards will be active during this time.
If there are more Dark cards in the center row than Light cards, then it is Night. Night bonuses on cards will be active during this time.
If there are the same amount of Light cards and Dark cards in the center row, then it is neither Day nor Night. No Day or Night bonuses on cards will be active during this time.
Dual Cost Cards
Dual Cost cards are a new type of card in Ascension X: War of Shadows. Dual Cost cards require players to spend both Runes and Power to acquire them. Both the Rune and Power costs listed on Dual Cost cards need to be paid in order to acquire them.
Getting Started
In Ascension X: War of Shadows, players compete to harness the power of Light and Dark. Starting with a small group of loyal but untrained followers, you acquire mighty Heroes and powerful Constructs to aid you in your quest to defeat evil Monsters and achieve victory.
Each turn, you will play cards to gain resources. These resources will allow you to acquire new Heroes and Constructs for your deck and defeat Monsters to earn rewards. At the end of the game, the player with the most Honor from cards they have acquired and Monster rewards is the winner.
Contents
- 1 Game board
- 25 Clear 1-Honor tokens
- 25 Red 5-Honor tokens
- 96 Center deck cards
- 4 Personal 10-card starting decks (8 Apprentice & 2 Militia)
- 41 Always available cards: 1 Cultist, 20 Mystic & 20 Heavy Infantry
Setup
Ascension X: War of Shadows can be played with 2-4 players on its own and can support up to 6 players with additional expansions. Team and single-player variant rules can be found on page 14.
Each player has a white-bordered starting deck consisting of eight Apprentices and two Militias. Everyone shuffles their starting deck and draws five cards (leaving five cards in their deck).
Take the silver-bordered Heavy Infantry, Mystic and Cultist cards and set them to the side in reach of all players. These cards represent characters in your kingdom and are always available to be acquired or defeated on your turn.
Shuffle all of the black-bordered and Light and Dark cards together face down to form the center deck. From the center deck, flip six cards face up in a row between all players. This forms the center row. Place the center deck on one side of the center row, and reserve a space next to it for the void. When a Monster in the center row is defeated or any other card is banished, it goes to the void. (See "Game Layout" on Page 5).
Place 30 Honor tokens in the Honor pool for each player. Randomly determine which player goes first and proceed clockwise from there.
| Number of Players | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Honor Tokens | 60 Honor | 90 Honor | 120 Honor |
Game Layout
The play area is arranged as follows:
- Center Deck — placed at one end of the center row, with a reserved space next to it for the Void.
- Center Row — six face-up cards flipped from the center deck.
- Always Available Cards (Mystic, Heavy Infantry & Cultist) — set to the side in reach of all players.
- Honor Pool — the Honor tokens, placed within reach of all players.
- Personal Deck (10 cards: 8 Apprentice & 2 Militia) — each player's starting hand of 5 cards, and their starting deck of the remaining 5 cards.
Hero Cards
Heroes are the allies you acquire to aid you in your quest to protect the realm of New Vigil. You can play any number of Hero cards from your hand each turn. When you play a Hero from your hand, gain the effect listed on the card. It stays in front of you until the end of your turn, and then it goes to your discard pile.
Anatomy of a Hero card (example: Searing Askara, an Enlightened Hero):
- Name — the card's name, at the top left.
- Cost — number of Runes you must spend to acquire this card.
- Dark Icon — denotes that this is a Dark Card.
- Faction — there are four different factions: Enlightened, Lifebound, Mechana and Void.
- Effect — what the card does when played or in play. (Searing Askara: "Banish a card in the center row. Then you may acquire a card with cost 3 Runes or less without paying its cost.")
- Honor — how much Honor this card is worth.
- Flavor Text — flavor text has no game effect.
- Rarity & Set Icon — each dot represents a copy of the card in the center deck.
Construct Cards
Constructs are the many weapons, magical items, and fantastical devices you may acquire to use in your battles. Unlike Heroes, when you play a Construct, it stays in play and continues to help you turn after turn. However, they can also be destroyed by card effects (usually on Monster cards). When a Construct is destroyed, it is placed into your discard pile from play.
Anatomy of a Construct card (example: Watchtower Golem, a Mechana Construct):
- Name — the card's name, at the top left.
- Cost — number of Runes you must spend to acquire this card.
- Light Icon — denotes that this is a Light Card.
- Faction — there are four different factions: Enlightened, Lifebound, Mechana and Void.
- Effect — what the card does when played or in play. (Watchtower Golem: "Once per turn, if you play a Mechana Construct (including this one) or if it is Day, gain 2 Power.")
- Honor — how much Honor this card is worth.
- Flavor Text — flavor text has no game effect.
- Rarity & Set Icon — each dot represents a copy of the card in the center deck.
Monsters & Trophy Monsters
Monsters
Monsters represent the forces of evil that are trying to break through and destroy your world of Vigil. Whenever you defeat a Monster, banish it to the void and you get its reward immediately.
Defeating Monsters gives you rewards, including Honor, which is the victory condition of Ascension. When you earn Honor for defeating a Monster, simply collect the appropriate number of Honor tokens and place them in front of you.
Anatomy of a Monster card (example: Scavenger Ants):
- Name — the card's name, at the top left.
- Cost — amount of Power you must spend to defeat this card.
- Reward — what this Monster does when defeated. (Scavenger Ants: "Reward: Gain 4 Honor. Day: Gain 3 Runes.")
Trophy Monsters
Some Monsters have a special type of reward called a Trophy. When you defeat a Trophy Monster, you gain the Honor portion of its reward immediately, and then, instead of banishing the Monster, you place it in play face-up on the table in front of you.
While you control a Trophy Monster, you can use any abilities listed in the Trophy text. Most these are single use effects, such as banishing the Trophy Monster to draw a card. You can use a Trophy Monster the turn you defeat it, or save it for a future turn.
Some Trophy Monsters are Ongoing Trophies. Ongoing Trophies have an effect that continues as long as a player controls them.
Anatomy of a Trophy Monster card (example: Deceitful Ghoul):
- Reward — what this Monster does when defeated. (Deceitful Ghoul: "Reward: Gain 2 Honor.")
- Trophy — you can use this effect any time after it has been defeated. (Deceitful Ghoul: "Trophy: Banish this to banish a card in the center row.")
Gameplay
General Rules
At any time, if your personal deck is empty and you need to draw a card or reveal a card from the top of your deck, reshuffle your discard pile to replenish your deck. If the center deck runs out, reshuffle the void to replenish it.
Hero cards played during your turn go into the discard pile at the end of your turn. (In other words, don't reshuffle Hero cards you've played this turn if you need to reshuffle your discard pile in the middle of your turn.)
Cards you acquire during your turn are placed in your discard pile.
Whenever a card leaves the center row, replace it immediately from the center deck. This happens before anything else occurs. Any time a player is making a decision, the center row should be full.
Many cards will have text that contradicts these rules. If card text ever contradicts these rules, follow the card text instead.
Turn Breakdown
- Play cards from your hand to gain Runes, Power, and Honor. Acquire Heroes and Constructs, and put them in your discard pile for future turns. Defeat Monsters for rewards and Honor.
- Place played Hero cards and cards in your hand in your discard pile at the end of your turn.
- Draw five cards from your personal deck.
To play a Hero card from your hand, simply place the card face up in front of you, announce its effect, and follow the instructions on the card. Any choices required by the card must be made at that time and any conditionals must be met for additional effects, though any Runes or Power generated can be spent until the end of your turn. You do not have to pay any costs to play Heroes from your hand.
Example: Sunstreak Courier says, "Gain 1 Rune and 1 Power." When you play Sunstreak Courier, you gain the Rune and Power immediately, but you do not have to spend them immediately.
Constructs are played just like Heroes, except Constructs remain in play and can be used every turn. If a Construct has multiple abilities, each one may be used.
Example: Map of the Stars says, "Once per turn, gain 1 Rune and 1 Power." You may choose to gain 1 Rune and 1 Power at the beginning of your turn, and spend them as you choose during your turn.
Acquiring Heroes and Constructs
You need Runes to acquire Heroes and Constructs. Runes come from Heroes played from your hand or from Constructs you have in play. You may acquire any number of cards as long as you have enough Runes. To find out how many Runes you get from a card, look in the text box of the card. If a card provides Runes, there will be a Rune icon with a number.
Sunstreak Courier costs 1 Rune to acquire. As a Lifebound Hero reading "Gain 1 Rune and 1 Power," you gain 1 Rune and 1 Power playing it.
You may acquire any Hero or Construct in the center row as well as Mystics and Heavy Infantry, which are always available. When you acquire a card, place it in your discard pile and replace the card in the center row with the top card of the center deck.
Defeating Monsters
To defeat a Monster, a player must have enough Power (generated by cards with a Power icon in their text box — e.g., Heavy Infantry). The amount of Power a card generates is found in its game text box represented by the Power icon with a number.
The Defeat Cost of a Monster is listed in the upper-right corner of the card. This cost has a Power icon behind it.
When you defeat a Monster, you gain a Reward. Most rewards include Honor, and how much Honor you gain is equal to the number indicated on the Honor symbol. If the Monster has another effect as part of its reward, that effect occurs immediately after the card is replaced in the center row.
After defeating a Monster, place it in the void and replace it in the center row. You may defeat any number of Monsters as long as you have enough Power.
The Cultist is always available to defeat and is never banished to the void. There is no limit to how many times you can defeat the Cultist in one turn.
Cavern Creeper requires 1 Power to defeat. Heavy Infantry generates 2 Power.
Banishing Cards
Some cards allow you to banish cards in either the center row or your own deck. When a card tells you to banish from the center row, put the card into the void, then place the top card of the center deck into the center row. If a card instructs you to banish multiple cards from the center row, place all of those cards into the void, then put that many cards from the center deck into the center row.
When a card tells you to banish a card in your hand and/or your discard pile, you may put a card from that zone into the void. If a card allows you to banish a card in your hand, you may not banish a card that you've already played that turn, as that card is no longer in your hand. Banishing your weaker cards allows you to draw your more powerful cards more frequently, so make sure to banish your Apprentice and Militia cards whenever you get the opportunity.
Ending Your Turn
After you are done playing cards from your hand, acquiring Heroes and Constructs, and defeating Monsters, place any remaining cards in your hand and any Heroes played during your turn into your discard pile. You lose all unspent Runes and Power.
Draw five cards to replenish your hand. If you run out of cards in your deck and need to draw more, simply reshuffle your discard pile into your deck. When you end your turn, play passes clockwise around the table.
Game End
The game ends when a certain amount of Honor has been earned, based on the number of players.
| Number of Players | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Honor Tokens | 60 Honor | 90 Honor | 120 Honor |
Set this much Honor aside in Honor tokens before starting the game. When the final Honor token is earned, the game ends at the end of the current round (after the last player to start the game takes a turn). Thus, each player will play the same number of turns during the course of the game. Players can still gain Honor even when the set number of Honor tokens is gone. Use additional Honor tokens left over to track any Honor earned by players before the game ends.
Cards in each player's deck are also worth Honor, indicated by the number in the Honor symbol on the bottom left corner of the card. When the game is over, count the Honor from Heroes and Constructs (this includes your hand, deck, discard pile, and played Constructs), along with all Honor tokens acquired during the game. The player with the most total Honor is the winner!
If multiple players have the same number of Honor Points, the last player to start wins (i.e., the starting player loses all ties, the second player loses to third and fourth, etc.).
F.A.Q.
Q: When is Day/Night determined when defeating a Monster with a Day or Night reward? A: For Monster rewards, Day/Night is determined by the board with the Monster still in play, before it is defeated.
Q: When is Day/Night determined when acquiring Rescuebot 505? A: Like Monster rewards, Day/Night is determined by the board with Rescuebot 505 still in play, before it is acquired.
Q: Can Runes and Power be used interchangeably when using the Night effect of Luro, the Hunter? A: Yes, you can mix and match both Runes and Power to pay costs when using this effect.
Q: Can Power be used in addition to Runes when acquiring Vyrak, the First? A: Yes, You can use Power along with Runes when acquiring Vyrak, the First.
Q: Can Searing Askara effect be used on cards that also have Power costs? A: Yes. For example, Searing Askara can be used to acquire Isha, the Pursuer without paying its cost.
Q: How does Shade Viper's Trophy effect work? A: When you control Shade Viper as a Trophy, you can only use one of its effects when it is either Day or Night. If the board is split, you can't gain either effect of the Trophy.
Q: If Shade Converter is active, can I still benefit from Night effects if the board is in Night? A: Yes, Shade Converter's effect lets you gain the benefits of Day even when the board is not in Day. If the board is in Night, you can still gain Night effects.
Q: What happens to Riftwatch Outpost when it is destroyed by its own effect? A: Just like when any Construct is destroyed, Riftwatch Outpost will go to its controller's discard pile when destroyed.
Q: If I acquire Ta'hyr, the Sun without paying its cost because all center row cards are Light, does it go to my hand or discard pile? A: Ta'hyr, the Sun goes to your discard pile when acquired. Only cards acquired with Ta'hyr's effect go to your hand when it is Day.
Q: When a Hero has a Day or Night effect and a normal effect, do I get both when I play the card or just one? A: You get both. Day and Night effects are in addition to the normal effects of the card. For example, if you play Lunar Guardian when it is Night, you would gain 2 Runes and 2 Power.
Glossary
Banish: When a card is banished, it is placed in the void pile. Always Available cards and starting deck cards do not go to the void when banished. Starting deck cards are set aside outside the game and always available cards are put back in their appropriate Always Available zone when banished.
Constructs: Constructs are the many weapons, magical items, and fantastical devices you may acquire to use in your battles. After you play a Construct from your hand, you can gain an effect from it every turn it remains in play.
Dark Card: Any card with a Dark icon (moon) in its top right corner is a Dark Card.
Day: A game is considered to be in "Day" when there are more Light cards in the center row than Dark cards. During this time, Day effects will be active on cards.
Destroy: Destroy means to put into the discard pile from play and generally refers to Constructs.
Dual-Cost: Dual-Cost cards require players to spend both Runes and Power to acquire them. Both the Rune and Power costs listed on Dual-Cost cards need to be paid in order to acquire them.
Heroes: Heroes are the allies you can acquire to aid you in your quest to save the realm of New Vigil. When you play a Hero from your hand, you gain the effect listed on the card, and then it goes to your discard pile at the end of your turn.
Honor: Honor is the key to victory in Ascension. Whoever earns the most Honor wins the game.
Light Card: Any card with a Light icon (sun) in its top right corner is a Light Card.
Monsters: Monsters are the minions of Deofol that are trying to conquer New Vigil. Defeating Monsters gives you rewards, including Honor that wins you the game.
Night: A game is considered to be in "Night" when there are more Dark cards in the center row than Light cards. During this time, Night effects will be active on cards.
Ongoing: After a card with Ongoing is acquired or defeated, it remains in front of you and its effect is permanent unless banished.
Power: Power is one of the two main resources in the world of Ascension. Power is used to defeat Monsters and earn rewards.
Runes: Runes are one of the two main resources in the world of Ascension. Runes are used to acquire Heroes and Constructs so you can add them to your deck.
Trophy: Trophy is an additional reward on some Monsters. When you defeat a Monster with a Trophy effect, gain the Honor reward immediately and put it face-up in play in front of you. You may banish it for its effect immediately or save it for a future turn.
Unite: Cards with the Unite keyword have additional effects that occur if you play them in the same turn as other Heroes that share the same faction.
Gameplay Variants
Team Rules (4-6 Players in teams of 2)
- Set aside 30 Honor tokens per player.
- Teammates sit across from one other.
- Your teammate is not harmed by the rewards from any Monsters you defeat (e.g. if you kill a Hulking Crab, your teammate does not have to destroy a Construct they control).
- You may spend one additional Rune when you acquire a card to add that card to your teammate's deck instead of yours.
- At the end of the game, combine your Honor total with that of your teammate's to determine the winning team!
Solitaire Rules (1 Player)
- Set aside 50 Honor tokens.
- Lay out the center row as normal, but whenever a card leaves the center row, the replacement card always enters on the left-hand side and the remaining cards slide over to the right.
- You take the first turn of the game. At the end of each of your turns, the Cult is considered to acquire or defeat the two cards furthest to the right in the center row.
- All cards acquired by the Cult are set aside and only used to determine its Honor total at the end of the game.
- Any Monsters defeated by the cult go to the void, and the Cult receives any Honor from their reward. All other effects are ignored.
- Continue playing this way until the last Honor token is gone, then compare your score to the total Honor earned by the Cult. If you have more Honor, you win!
Credits
Ascension Game Engine Design: Justin Gary
Ascension X: War of Shadows Lead Design: Gary Arant
Design & Development Team: Justin Gary, John Fiorillo, Gary Arant, Ben Lundquist, Nick Fiorillo, Josh Wiitanen
Project Management Lead: Ian Estrin
Creative Direction & Graphic Design: Ryan O'Connor, Matthew Sturm
Card Art: Eric Sabee, Aaron Nakahara