Battle For Souls Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Set Up
• Victory Points
• Costs
• Turn Order
• Backtracking
• Gameplay
  • 1. Use one Archangel or Devil card
  • 2. Purchase a card by subtracting Holy or Unholy Points from a soul in play to pay its cost
  • 3. Play or manage your hand
• Hand Rewards
  • 4. Use one Intercession or Sin card ability
  • 5. Use one Holy or Unholy Relic ability
  • 6. Play a Reap card
  • 7. Draw
  • 8. End your turn
• The End Game and Scoring
• Team Play
• Solo Play
• Customizing Game Length
• Credits

Components

• 7 Archangel cards
• 7 Devil cards
• 28 Soul cards
• 10 Reap cards
• 45 Temptation cards
• 45 Virtue cards
• 20 Victory Point cards
• 14 Sin cards
• 14 Intercession cards
• 10 Holy Relic cards
• 10 Unholy Relic cards
• 3 Custom Dice
• 20 Marker cubes
• 4 Reference cards
• 1 Rulebook

Set Up

Each player should decide whether he/she will play the side of Heaven or the side of Hell. The player(s) on the side of Heaven will randomly select an Archangel, while the player(s) on the side of Hell will randomly select a Devil. These cards will stay in effect the whole game, as will any other Archangel or Devil cards revealed during the game. In a four player game, two players will play as a team on the side of Heaven, and two players will play as a team on the side of Hell. Three player games are not recommended.

Each side should then create a deck of 50 cards containing all 45 Virtue (Heaven) or Temptation (Hell) cards and 5 Reap cards (do NOT include Victory Point cards). This deck should be shuffled and placed face down on the table in front of the player(s). Each player should draw a starting hand of 5 cards from the top of his/her deck. Players' hands are kept secret throughout the game. In two player games, each player will have his/her own deck. In four player games, decks will be shared by each set of partners.

Create the following areas on the table by placing the cards listed, being sure to shuffle each stack before placement:

Player's Area (Hell)

1. Place the Devil cards face down in a stack. Turn one card face up.
2. Place the Victory Point Temptation cards face up in a stack.
3. Place the Sin cards face down in a stack.
4. Place the Unholy Relic cards face down in a stack.

Earth

1. Place the Soul cards face down in a stack.
2. Turn three Soul cards face up in a row.
3. Place a single die set to "1" in the middle box on the Soul card's scoring track (found on the left side of the card).

Player's Area (Heaven)

1. Place the Archangel cards face down in a stack. Turn one card face up.
2. Place the Victory Point Virtue cards face up in a stack.
3. Place the Intercession cards face down in a stack.
4. Place the Holy Relic cards face down in a stack.

Hell (play area): All cards used or gained by the side of darkness that are removed from play and have a victory point value are placed here. It has its own discard pile.

Purgatory: This is where players place reaped souls that have not earned the minimum amount of Holy or Unholy points to be claimed by Heaven or Hell. This area should be off to the side, but accessible to both sides.

The Void: This is an area where cards should go when they are permanently taken out of the game for any reason.

Heaven (play area): All cards used or gained by the side of light that are removed from play and have a victory point value are placed here. It has its own discard pile.

Victory Points

A card has a Victory Point value if it contains a number in a gold shield in the top right corner of the card. At the end of the game, these cards will be worth the following:

• Soul cards are worth 3 or 4 Victory Points each.
• Archangel and Devil cards are worth 3 Victory Points each.
• Holy/Unholy Relic cards are worth 2 Victory Points each.
• Victory Point cards are worth 1 Victory Point each.
• Some Sin and Intercession cards are worth 1 Victory Point each.
• Special and/or promotional cards may have different VP values, so always refer to the number shown on the card in the Victory Point shield.

Costs

The currencies used in Battle For Souls are Holy Points (HP) and Unholy Points (UP). Holy and Unholy Points are tracked on Soul cards in play using a die placed on the markers on the left hand side of each Soul card. The top square marker tracks Holy Points (HP). If the die is on the middle square marker, it indicates the soul is neutral, while the bottom square marker tracks Unholy Points (UP). You may only add HP to souls that are neutral or already have HP on them, and you may only add UP to souls that are neutral or already have UP on them.

Each Soul card shows a card title and a Victory Point value in the top corner. The top marker on the left edge is where the die is placed to track Holy Points; the middle marker is the neutral indicator, where the die goes for a neutral soul; the bottom marker is where the die is placed to track Unholy Points. A card set indicator and artwork information appear elsewhere on the card.

Note: Only one die should be used on any one Soul card as a soul must either be holy, neutral or unholy.

To use holy currency a soul must have 1 or more Holy Point(s) (HP). To use unholy currency a soul must have 1 or more Unholy Point(s) (UP). HP and UP can be used to buy Sin/Intercession and Holy/Unholy Relic cards. Intercession cards cost 2 HP and Sin cards cost 2 UP (or free with card combo). Holy Relic cards cost 3 HP and Unholy Relic cards cost 3 UP (or free with card combo).

Turn Order

In Battle For Souls, all steps of the turn order are optional except for step 3 and step 8, and the turn order must be followed. See the Backtracking section of this rulebook for rules on missed steps.

1. Use one revealed Archangel or Devil card that you have in play.
2. Purchase a card by subtracting Holy or Unholy Points from one soul in play.
3. Play a set of Virtue/Temptation cards (Sin/Intercession cards may be included but can only contribute their card color). See Hand Rewards. OR Discard any number of cards from your hand. OR Draw one new card to your hand. (Hand limit of 8 cards)
4. Use one Intercession or Sin card ability.
5. Use one Holy or Unholy Relic ability.
6. Play a Reap card.
7. Draw until you have five cards in your hand for the next turn.
8. End your turn.

See the Gameplay section of this rulebook for details on each of the turn order steps.

Backtracking

If you miss a step in the turn order, you are not allowed to backtrack without the formal permission of your opponent(s).

If you wish to backtrack to a missed step, you must do the following: make your opponent(s) aware that you have missed a step and that you wish to backtrack to complete the step. Make a case for why you should be allowed to backtrack.

When your plea is complete, your opponents shall approve or deny your request with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. In a four player game, you must receive thumbs up from both of your opponents to backtrack, or your request is denied. The approval or denial by your opponent(s) is final. Your only recourse is how you decide to treat your opponent(s) when a backtrack request comes your way.

If permission is granted, you must undo all steps you have taken back to the missed step one at a time, and your opponent(s) must approve each step along the way. If at any point during the backtracking there is any debate, permission can be revoked. In this case, redo any steps backtracked and continue with the turn order as normal.

Gameplay

Decide the starting player by having each player roll a die, with the highest roller going first. Play passes clockwise.

On your turn, follow the Turn Order detailed below:

1. Use one Archangel or Devil card

Each Archangel and Devil card has a colored border corresponding with one of the 7 colors in the game. This color represents a Heavenly Virtue or a Mortal Weakness. If there is a soul in play that has a Heavenly Virtue which matches that of an Archangel card you have in play AND the soul does not have any Unholy Points, you may add one Holy Point to that soul. Conversely, if there is a soul in play that has a Mortal Weakness which matches that of a Devil card you have in play AND the soul does not have any Holy Points, you may add one Unholy Point to that soul.

Although you can acquire multiple Archangel or Devil cards during a game, you are only allowed to use one of them during step 1 of the turn order. You may only use this ability on one soul in play each turn.

2. Purchase a card by subtracting Holy or Unholy Points from a soul in play to pay its cost

Once you or your team has Holy or Unholy Points on a soul in play, you may spend these points to gain a Sin/Intercession card or a Holy/Unholy Relic card. For each HP or UP spent, you must subtract a point on that soul card. The side of Heaven can only spend Holy Points and the side of Hell can only spend Unholy Points until the soul is neutral.

You may only purchase one card on your turn, and may only spend points from a single soul in play. Combining points from different souls is not allowed. So, for example, if you are on the side of Heaven and want to buy a Holy Relic card, there must be a soul in play that has at least three Holy Points to spend. Use the dice to track the points on each soul in play.

In addition to having numbers to track HP and UP on Soul cards, the dice included also have arrows that point to the next highest number. These arrows are included only to make finding numbers on the dice easier. Three sides of each die (4, 5 & 6) also have a skull and crossbones icon. The skull and crossbones icon indicates that a soul has sufficient HP or UP to be claimed by Heaven or Hell. See the Costs section of this rulebook for more information on tracking HP and UP.

Note: Any Sin, Intercession, Holy Relic or Unholy Relic card purchased or earned should be placed on the table face up so it is viewable by all players.

3. Play or manage your hand

During this step, players will play or manage cards from the Temptation deck (for the side of Hell) or the Virtue deck (for the side of Heaven). You must choose one of three actions during step 3, and only one:

1. Play cards for some benefit.
2. Discard any number of cards in your hand.
3. Draw one new card.

There is an 8 card hand limit. If you already hold 8 cards, you cannot choose to draw a card during this step; you must play cards or discard.

Below are the rewards you gain on the different types of hands played.

Hand Rewards

One Pair: Allows the player to take a Victory Point card. The Victory Point card earned must be placed in the player's discard pile.

Two Pair: Take a free Sin/Intercession card, immediately draw back up to a full hand (5 cards), and repeat step #3 immediately. (You may only play two pair ONCE per turn.)

Set of 3 different colors: Allows the player to add 1 HP/UP to a single soul with a Heavenly Virtue/Mortal Weakness that matches any one of the cards played.

Set of 4 different colors: Allows the player to add 2 HP/UP to a single soul with a Heavenly Virtue/Mortal Weakness that matches any one of the cards played.

Set of 5 different colors: Allows the player to add 3 HP/UP to a single soul with a Heavenly Virtue/Mortal Weakness that matches any one of the cards played.

3 of a kind: Allows the player to add 3 HP/UP to a single soul with a Heavenly Virtue/Mortal Weakness that matches the cards OR remove 1 HP/UP from any soul in play.

Full house (3 of a kind and 1 pair): Allows the player to gain a free Holy/Unholy Relic. In addition, the player may add 3 HP/UP to a single soul with a Heavenly Virtue/Mortal Weakness that matches one of the cards played OR remove 1 HP/UP from any soul in play.

4 of a kind: Allows the player to gain a free Holy/Unholy Relic. In addition, the player may add 4 HP/UP to a single soul with a Heavenly Virtue/Mortal Weakness that matches the cards OR remove 2 HP/UP from any soul in play.

5 of a kind: Allows the player to gain a free Holy/Unholy Relic card. In addition, the player may add 5 HP/UP to a single soul with a Heavenly Virtue/Mortal Weakness that matches the cards OR remove 3 HP/UP from any soul in play.

Note: You can still play a full house or better in order to receive the free Relic even if you cannot add or subtract points.

A multicolored Virtue or Temptation card is a "Wild" card. These cards can be played as any color you wish.

If you have earned or purchased a Sin/Intercession card with a Victory Point shield in the top right corner, you may use it as if it were a card in your hand of the same color as the card's border. Any Sin/Intercession card used in this way does not count toward your 8 card hand limit. Please note, that Sin/Intercession cards with Victory Points must be used on the current turn. When your turn ends they should be placed in Heaven or Hell for end of game scoring.

You may purchase AND earn a Sin/Intercession card on the same turn. However, you may only use ONE Sin/Intercession card with a VP shield during step 3, and you may only use ONE Sin/Intercession card of either type during step 4.

Note: If you choose to play cards, you may only play the cards required to receive the reward. So, for example, if you play a pair in order to receive a VP card reward, you may only play the 2 cards making up the pair. The rest of the cards remain in your hand for the next turn. If you do not want to play or can't play certain cards, but want to get rid of them (i.e.: Reap or VP cards) you must choose to discard them. Further, you may only claim one reward on a single play. (i.e. You cannot play a Full House and claim both a Pair and Three of a Kind reward. You would only receive the Full House reward.)

Assumption and Complete Corruption: If at any time, the side of Heaven earns Holy Points on a soul equal to or greater than 7, the soul is sainted and is taken straight to Heaven without the need for a Reap card. Additionally, the side of Heaven may then flip over another Archangel card (earning 3 VP). The new Archangel can now be used to influence future souls during step 1. The same is true for Hell, but reversed; if Hell earns 7 or more Unholy Points on a soul, the soul goes straight to Hell and a new Devil card is earned. Anytime a soul is earned in this way, replace the soul by flipping a new Soul card face up in its place.

Intercession cards with a colored border must be used on the same turn they are drawn. They may be used as a Virtue card of the same color during step #3 of the turn order. One of the bonus choice abilities may be used during the use Intercession step. For example, one bonus choice may allow adding 2 HP to a soul with a heavenly virtue of Charity or Kindness if it does not have any UP; the other bonus choice on the same card may allow subtracting up to 2 UP from a soul with a mortal weakness of Greed or Envy if it has 1 or more UP.

4. Use one Intercession or Sin card ability

A player can gain a Sin/Intercession card by paying 2 HP/UP in step 2 of the turn order, or can earn one in step 3 by playing two pair.

If you have purchased or won a Sin/Intercession card, you can use its special ability during step 4. These cards have text or bonus choices that explain the special ability.

If the Sin/Intercession card has a Victory Point shield, you must play the ability on the same turn in which you gained the card. If you cannot use it during step 3 or 4, you receive no benefit except for counting the Victory Points at the end of the game. If you have purchased or earned a Sin/Intercession card without a Victory Point shield, it stays on the table face up in front of you to use at any point in the game during step 4. If you have a Sin/Intercession card that can be used multiple times, place a marker cube on the card after each use to keep track of how many times the card has been used. Once a Sin/Intercession card that does not have a Victory Point shield is exhausted, it should be placed in the Void. Once a Sin/Intercession card that does have a Victory Point shield is exhausted, it should be placed in Heaven or Hell to be counted at the end of the game.

Sin/Intercession cards that have a Victory Point shield have two bonus choices, one of which can be used during step 4. For the side of Heaven, the first choice is to add two Holy Points to a soul in play. However, you can only use this ability on a soul that does not have any Unholy Points, and the soul chosen must have one of the Heavenly Virtues listed. (In the St. Francis of Assisi card example this would be Charity or Kindness.) Your second option is to subtract two Unholy Points from a soul in play. However, you can only use this on a soul that has Unholy Points, and the soul chosen must have one of the Mortal Weaknesses listed. (In the St. Francis example this would be Greed or Envy.) You can never subtract Holy or Unholy Points past neutral on any soul. The side of Hell works the same way, but you would be adding Unholy Points or subtracting Holy Points. If a card lets you add or subtract more HP or UP than you need or are available, you may still use the ability, but any extra points are "lost." You may only use one Sin/Intercession card ability per turn during step 4.

Note: Any Sin/Intercession card identified as an INSTANT does not have to be played during step 4, but instead can be played at any time. Once a player declares he/she is using an INSTANT card, that card MUST be resolved before any other action can take place, including the playing of another INSTANT card. If players want to play an INSTANT card at the same time, the player who declares they are using it first goes first. In the rare instance that players proclaim he/she is using an INSTANT at the same exact time, the player whose turn it is (current player) goes first. If the current player is not involved, the player closest to the left of the current player goes first.

Sin and Intercession cards without a VP shield or colored border can be kept to play at any time; their special ability text is printed on the card.

5. Use one Holy or Unholy Relic ability

Holy and Unholy Relic cards can be purchased by paying 3 HP/UP in step 2 of the turn order, or you can also earn one in step 3 if you play a full house or better. If you have purchased or earned a Relic card, you can use its special ability during this step. Each Relic card includes text that explains its special ability. If the text on a Relic card states that it can be used more than once, place a marker cube on the card each time its ability is used. Once exhausted, the Relic card should be placed in Heaven or Hell so its Victory Points can be counted at the end of the game. If a Relic card is destroyed, it should be placed in the Void where its Victory Points will not be counted at the end of the game.

Note: Any Holy or Unholy Relic card identified as an INSTANT does not have to be played during step 5, but instead can be played at any time. Further, playing an INSTANT card does NOT count toward the 1 Relic per turn limit. INSTANT cards are free to play and you can play as many as you have available.

6. Play a Reap card

During this step, you may play a Reap card if one or more of the following conditions is true:

a. At least one soul in play has at least four HP/UP. b. ALL souls in play are HOLY (no souls are neutral or unholy). c. ALL souls in play are UNHOLY (no souls are neutral or holy).

If none of these conditions are true, a Reap card cannot be played.

When a Reap card is played, all souls in play must be resolved in the following manner:

a. If the soul has 4 or more Holy Points, the soul goes to Heaven and will be scored for the side of Heaven at the end of the game. b. If the soul has 4 or more Unholy Points, the soul goes to Hell and will be scored for the side of Hell at the end of the game. c. If the soul does not have at least 4 Holy or 4 Unholy Points, it goes to Purgatory where it will score no points for either side at the end of the game.

Make sure the Purgatory discard pile is accessible to all players, as some special cards allow souls to be saved from Purgatory. After a Reap card is played and the souls in play are resolved, deal three new Soul cards face up and place a die, with the number "1" face up, on the middle box on the Soul card's scoring track. If there are not three souls remaining in the Soul deck, just turn the remaining soul(s) face up and continue play.

7. Draw

If you have fewer than five cards in your hand, draw back up until you have five. You cannot draw past 5 cards during this phase unless you use a Sin/Intercession or Relic that specifically allows you to do so. If there are not enough cards remaining in your deck, shuffle your discard pile, create a new draw pile, and continue drawing from this new pile until you have five cards.

Note: Virtue/Temptation, VP cards and Reap cards all count toward the number of cards in your hand.

8. End your turn

When finished, you should announce that you have completed your turn. Play then passes clockwise.

The End Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately after the last soul(s) in play have been reaped and resolved. The player/team that has earned the most Victory Points wins. Be sure to score all the Victory Point cards you have earned, including cards in Heaven/Hell, in your Virtue/Temptation deck, in your Virtue/Temptation discard pile, and any Archangel/Devil, Sin/Intercession and/or Relic cards you have in play when the game ends.

In Battle For Souls, there is no tiebreaker. A tie is a tie. If you must have a winner, play another game using only 3 souls.

Team Play

In the four player version of Battle For Souls, two players play as a team on the side of Heaven, and two players play as a team on the side of Hell. The game works the same as a standard two player game with partners drawing from the same decks, all of which should be set up the same way, but with the following exceptions to the rules:

1. You may discard a maximum of 4 cards if you choose to discard during step 3.

2. If you choose to discard during step 3, fan your discards face up on the table in front of you. Your partner can then choose to use up to two of your discards on his or her next turn (this includes Reap cards). Move any and all remaining discarded cards to the discard pile when your partner finishes his/her next turn.

   Note: Victory Point cards only count once at the end of the game, so there is no way for your partner to "use" them after you discard them.

3. When you gain a Sin/Intercession card with a colored border, it remains in play until the end of your partner's next turn, unless you use its special ability in step 4. The color of the card can be used as an additional Virtue/Temptation card by both you and your partner during step 3 of the turn order. However, once its special ability is used in step 4 of the turn order, the card must be discarded, and it cannot be used further. If not used by either teammate in the current round, the card must be discarded as normal.

4. Any Sin/Intercession cards without a colored border in play, and/or any Holy or Unholy Relics in play can be used by either team member regardless of who earned them. Uses should be tracked with cube markers as normal.

Note: Table talk is not permitted during team play! You may not indicate to your partner what cards you need to make a good hand or make any suggestions to your partner about what decision he or she should make.

Solo Play

Battle For Souls also allows for solitaire play. In this version of the game you can choose to play either the side of Heaven or the side of Hell. You should set up the side you choose just as you do in a standard game, as well as setting up the Soul cards as normal. Leave the cards for the side you did not select in the box. You are working to maximize the amount of Victory Points you can score before you run through the Virtue/Temptation deck one time.

In the solo version of the game you play the same way as the standard version with the following exceptions:

1. During step 3 you may not choose to draw a card. You must either play cards or discard cards.

2. After you draw the last card from your Virtue/Temptation deck, you can play one last turn (even if you could not draw to a full five card hand). The game then ends.

   If you earn 35 Victory Points or more, you win. If you earn fewer than 35 Victory Points, you lose.

Customizing Game Length

Each Soul card has an identifier of "A", "B", "C" or "D" on the bottom left hand side of the card. Use one of these complete sets for a short 15 to 20 minute game, use two sets for a 30 to 45 minute game, use three sets for a 60 to 90 minute game, and use all four sets for a 90 to 120 minute game. Each Soul card set consists of 7 cards, and we highly recommend either including or excluding all 7 in each set to ensure game balance. When all players are familiar with the rules of the game and the hand rewards, you will find that play time is shortened considerably.

Credits

Game Design and Development: Robert Burke

Rules Editing: Todd & Corrie Walden

Graphic Design: Christian Reuter & Luis Francisco

Acknowledgements: The quotation on the rulebook's inside front cover is from The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Robert Burke would like to thank C.S. Lewis, Robert Burke Sr., the Benedictine monks of Great St. Martin in Cologne Germany, and the great artists of history who have shown us the battle for souls through their work. These were the major inspirations for the game.

Play testers: Patricia Burke, Stephen Avery, Rolf Van Ishem, Chris Miller, Andy Singletary, Chris Hawkins, Steven Hall, Daniel Reed, Nathan Bivens, Brittany Williams, Ron Riggs, Christian Reuter, Greg Dickson, Serge Gagnon, Ryan Mitchell.

Backers: Robert Burke Games would like to thank the many Kickstarter backers who made this game possible. Without these fine souls, this game would not exist. Thank you!