Cthulhu Wars: Duel – Extinction Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Differences Between Cthulhu Wars and Cthulhu Wars: Duel
• Components
  • Faction: The Sleeper
  • Faction: The Wind-Rider
• Faction Boards and Spellbooks
  • The Sleeper
  • The Wind-Rider
• Introduction
• Setup
  • Placing the Components
  • Factions
  • Starting Zones
  • First Player
  • Round Summary (illustrated reminder)
• Basic Rules
  • Object of the Game
  • Game Phases
  • The Map
  • The Earth Is Not Flat
  • Figures and Faction Reserve
  • Dark Towers
  • Gates
• Special Abilities and Spellbooks
  • Sources of Special Abilities
  • Types of Special Abilities
  • The Target Chooses the Figure
  • Opening Spellbooks
  • Elder Signs
  • Faction Board
• Action Phase
  • Wither Marker
  • Four Kinds of Actions
    • Standard Actions
    • Unique Actions
    • Spellbook Conditions
    • Additional Actions
  • The Eight Standard Actions
    • 1. Hire a Cultist – cost: 1 Power (a figure is required).
    • 2. Summon a Monster – cost: depends on the type of monster (controlled Gates are required).
    • 3. Awaken a Great Old One – cost: depends on the Great Old One (there may be additional conditions).
    • 4. Create a Gate – cost: 3 Power (a Cultist is required).
• Gather Power Phase
  • Gaining Power
  • Minimum Power Rule
• Determine First Player Phase
• Doom Phase
  • Rituals of Annihilation
  • End of the World
  • Special Events and Abilities
  • Dark Towers Multiply
• Gaining Doom Points for Kills and Destructions
• Battle
  • "Before Battle" Abilities
  • Counting and Rolling Dice
  • Assigning Results and "After Battle" Abilities
  • Applying Battle Results
• Battle Examples
  • Example of a Simple Battle
  • Example of a Complex Battle
• Ending the Game and Victory
• The Omega Rule: The Last Question
• Tips for Players
  • Early Stage
  • Late Stage
  • Other Factions

Differences Between Cthulhu Wars and Cthulhu Wars: Duel

If you are familiar with the game Cthulhu Wars, you already know most of the rules in this book. However, Cthulhu Wars: Duel has important changes, and you may need to read this rulebook before your first game. Here is a short list of these changes:

• Wither marker: You need to read the rules for "Wither" that we introduced for the duel version of the game. In brief: these rules increase the cost of actions when one of the players has run out of Power.
• Doom Phase: You do not gain Doom points in the Doom Phase for your Gates, but the Ritual of Annihilation still brings as many points as the number of Gates you control. Also, the Ritual of Annihilation gives you Elder Signs equal to the number of your Great Old Ones.
• Doom points for "kills" and "destructions": When a "kill" result is assigned to a figure, or it is destroyed by the actions of the opponent, that opponent gains Doom points equal to the Power cost of that figure (this does not happen if you destroy your own figure).
• Extra Battle: When one of the players opens 6 Spellbooks, Extra Battle becomes available to BOTH players.
• Changed victory conditions: You do not need to open six Spellbooks to win the game.

Cthulhu Wars: Duel is designed for two players. In the rules you will notice references to other factions that are not in this box. Subsequent games in the Cthulhu Wars: Duel series will be fully compatible – that is, you will be able to use all other factions and maps from other versions.

Translator's terminology note: the Russian terms are rendered as follows. энергия = Power; очки судьбы / шкала судьбы / Фаза судьбы = Doom points / Doom track / Doom Phase; ритуал конца света = Ritual of Annihilation (the literal Russian is "ritual of the end of the world", and its marker and track are called the "end of the world" marker/track in the Russian edition); Знаки Древних = Elder Signs; гримуары = Spellbooks; врата = Gates; увядание = Wither; Аколиты = Acolytes. Names of faction abilities, monsters and zones are translated literally from the Russian.

Components

• Annihilation (end of the world) marker
• 12 Elder Signs
• Rulebook
• 10 six-sided dice
• 12 Gates
• 19 plastic bases
• 10 Dark Tower tokens
• Wither marker
• Game board

Faction: The Sleeper

• 6 Acolyte Cultists
• 2 Sorcerers
• 3 Serpent Men
• 4 Formless Spawn
• Tsathoggua (Great Old One)
• Faction token
• Power marker
• 6 Spellbooks and a faction board

Faction: The Wind-Rider

• 6 Acolyte Cultists
• 4 Windigo
• 4 Gnoph-Keh
• Rhan-Tegoth (Great Old One)
• Itaqua (Great Old One)
• Faction token
• Power marker
• "Ice Age" token
• 6 Spellbooks and a faction board

Faction Boards and Spellbooks

(Transcribed from the faction boards and Spellbook cards illustrated in the Components pages of the Russian edition. The board text is small in the printed rulebook; legibility notes are given where relevant.)

The Sleeper

Unique ability. Death from the Depths (Doom Phase): place the cheapest monster from your reserve in a zone where you have at least one figure.

Setup: 8 Power, 6 Acolytes and a controlled Gate in the zone with the symbol.

Figure (count)	Cost	Attack strength	Notes
Cultist: Acolyte (6)	1	0
Monster: Sorcerer (2)	1	0	Spellbook: "Chain of Events".
Monster: Serpent Man (3)	2	1	Spellbook: "Ancient Sorcery".
Monster: Formless Spawn (4)	3	?	Attack strength: roll 1 die for each Formless Spawn and Tsathoggua on the board (for example, if there are two Formless Spawn on the board, each rolls two dice, and if Tsathoggua is also there, then three).
Great Old One: Tsathoggua	8	?	See below.

How to awaken Tsathoggua: 1) You must have a Formless Spawn on the board. 2) Pay 8 Power. Place Tsathoggua in a zone where there is a Formless Spawn.

Tsathoggua's attack strength: equal to 2 or the current Power of your opponent, whichever is higher.

Lethargy (action: 0 Power): if Tsathoggua is on the board, do nothing. This counts as an action.

Spellbook conditions (six slots):

1. Instead of an action, spend 3 Power. Your opponent gains 1 Power.
2. Instead of an action, spend 3 Power. Your opponent gains 3 Power.
3. Instead of an action, spend 3 Power. Your opponent loses 1 Power.
4. Roll 6 or more dice in one battle.
5. Perform a Ritual of Annihilation.
6. Awaken Tsathoggua.

Spellbooks:

• Blasphemous Oblivion (action: 1 Power). Take one of your controlled Gates from the board and place it, together with the Cultist controlling it, on your faction board. This Gate and Cultist continue to bring Power and Doom points, but opponents' abilities do not affect them. As an action for 1 Power you may return the Gate and Cultist to any zone on the board that has no Gate. Only one Gate can be on your board.
• Sacrifice (before battle). If Tsathoggua is on the board, before a battle with you your opponent chooses ONE of the following options: 1) you gain an Elder Sign OR 2) all his "death" results against your figures are considered "pain" results.
• Capture a Monster (action: 1 Power). Tsathoggua can capture the opponent's monsters just as Cultists are captured. These monsters are also sacrificed, so that the Sleeper gains 1 Power in the Gather Power Phase.
• Burrows (constant). After finishing a "Move" action on which you spent 2 or more Power, gain 1 Power.
• Ancient Sorcery (action: 1 Power). Take a Serpent Man from the board and place him on the opponent's faction board. Now you have access to the unique ability of his faction until the end of the next Doom Phase. In the next Doom Phase gain 1 Power and place the Serpent Man in any zone. If a faction's unique ability applies to a specific Great Old One, it is considered to apply to Tsathoggua as well.
• Chain of Events (constant). If the opponent declares a battle in a zone where your Sorcerer is, before the battle begins you may take any action in that zone (pay for it as usual). After this action is completed, the battle proceeds by the normal rules (starting with "before battle" abilities and Spellbooks).

The Wind-Rider

Unique ability. Hibernation (action: 0 Power): gain 1 Power for each of the opponent's Great Old Ones in play. Thus you cannot gain more Power than you currently have. In this Action Phase you can no longer take actions (as if you had 0 Power). Add your current amount of Power to the amount gathered in the next Gather Power Phase. (Legibility note: the printed board text is small; this wording is as read from it.)

Setup: "After any faction, except The Key and the Gate, gain 8 Power" (as printed on the board); 6 Acolytes and a controlled Gate in one of the zones with the symbol.

Figure (count)	Cost	Attack strength	Notes
Cultist: Acolyte (6)	1	0	Spellbook: "Cannibalism".
Monster: Windigo (4)	1	1	Spellbooks: "Cannibalism" and "Howl".
Monster: Gnoph-Keh (4)	?	3	Summoning costs as much Power as the number of Gnoph-Kehs currently in your reserve (for example, if only 1 Gnoph-Keh is in your reserve, summoning him costs 1 Power). Spellbook: "Fury of the North".
Great Old One: Rhan-Tegoth	6	3	See below.
Great Old One: Itaqua	6	7	See below.

How to awaken Rhan-Tegoth: 1) Spend 6 Power. 2) Rhan-Tegoth appears in a zone with the Wind-Rider's symbol.

Eternal (after battle): if a "death" or "pain" result is assigned to Rhan-Tegoth, you may spend 1 Power to not apply it. Only 1 result per battle can be assigned to Rhan-Tegoth.

How to awaken Itaqua: 1) Rhan-Tegoth is awakened (he does not have to be in play). 2) In a zone with the Wind-Rider's symbol there must be a Gate (you are not required to control it). 3) Spend 6 Power and replace that Gate with Itaqua.

Itaqua's attack strength: equal to half the number of your opponent's Doom points (rounded up).

Wild Pack (constant): if Itaqua is in play, monsters and Horrors cannot capture your Cultists. However, this rule does not apply to Great Old Ones – Cultists are vulnerable to their actions.

Spellbook conditions (six slots):

1. Awaken Rhan-Tegoth.
2. In a zone with the Wind-Rider's symbol where you did not begin the game there is a Gate.
3. You are the first player.
4. Your opponent has opened 6 Spellbooks OR instead of an action spend 6 Power.
5. Open this Spellbook at any moment. Gain 1 Elder Sign if your opponent has opened 6 Spellbooks.
6. Awaken Itaqua.

Spellbooks:

• Arctic Winds (constant). If Itaqua moves with the "Move" action, you may move any of your figures from the same zone with him for free.
• Fury of the North (after battle). For each Gnoph-Keh to whom a "death" result was assigned in battle, the opponent must destroy one of his monsters or Cultists.
• Cannibalism (after battle). After all roll results have been assigned, if at least one opponent's figure has been killed, you may place a Windigo or an Acolyte Cultist from your reserve in the zone where the battle took place.
• Ice Age (action: 1 Power). Place the "Ice Age" token in any zone. Any action of the opponent that ends in the "Ice Age" zone costs 1 Power more.
• Howl (before battle). Before a battle, if a Windigo takes part in the battle, you may force the opponent to choose one figure and retreat it to an adjacent zone. This is not the application of a "pain" result – such a figure may retreat to a zone where there are your figures.
• Herald of the Outer Gods (constant). A Ritual of Annihilation costs you 5 Power regardless of the position of the marker on the Annihilation track.

Introduction

Cthulhu Wars: Duel is a game for two players about the rise of the Great Old Ones and the end of the world. Each player represents a Great Old One himself, his cosmic horrors and his cult. You will fight your opponent and his Great Old One. This game is based on the game Cthulhu Wars, which can be played by more than two players, but it is self-contained. We recommend reading these rules even if you have played the "big brother".

Setup

Placing the Components

1. Place the "Extinction Map" game board between the players. We usually lay it out so that the direction of the text is convenient for the owner of the game, but you can choose its placement yourselves.
2. Place the Annihilation marker on the first space of the Annihilation track (5).
3. Place the faction tokens of both players on space 0 of the Doom track.
4. Place the Wither marker on space 0 of the Wither track (the Doom track is also used as the Wither track).
5. Place the Gates and the dice so that both players can reach them.
6. Place the Elder Signs in an opaque bag and shuffle them. You can also simply lay them face down on the table and shuffle them.
7. A reminder of the game phases is on the back cover of this rulebook.

Factions

8. Each player must choose a faction. You can do this randomly if you wish. In case of disagreement, we allow the youngest player to choose first.
9. Each player takes the faction board, Spellbooks, figures and tokens of his color.
10. Each player places his Power marker on space 8 of the Power track on his board.

Starting Zones

11. On each player's faction board, the starting zone of his faction is indicated. Before the game, each player places a Gate and 6 Acolyte Cultists in the zone marked with the symbol of his faction. Place one of the Acolytes on the Gate; the other five are placed next to the Gate in the same zone.

(Map diagram: the setup illustration shows the numbered items above on the table and marks an "Alternative starting zone of the Wind-Rider".)

First Player

If Great Cthulhu participates in the game, his faction always goes first. If the Wind-Rider participates in the game, he cannot be the first player at the start of the game. If neither of these factions participates in the game, determine the first player in any way convenient for you.

Round Summary (illustrated reminder)

1. Action Phase
   • Gain Doom points every time your opponent loses figures because of your actions or effects.
   • Actions: If a player has Power, he takes 1 action. Add the Wither cost to each action.
     • 1 Power: hire a Cultist (a figure is needed)
     • ? Power: summon a monster (controlled Gates are needed)
     • ? Power: awaken a Great Old One
     • 3 Power: create a Gate (a Cultist is needed)
     • 1 Power: move (for each figure)
     • 1 Power: battle (a figure with attack strength of at least 1 is needed)
     • 1 Power: capture a Cultist
   • OR: If a player has no Power, he moves the Wither marker one space forward on the Wither track and ends his turn.
2. Gather Power Phase
   • Return the Wither marker to space 0 of the Wither track.
   • +1 Power for each Cultist
   • +2 Power for each controlled Gate
   • +1 Power for each liberated Gate
   • +? Power for special abilities
3. Determine First Player Phase
   • The player with the most Power becomes the first player.

Basic Rules

Object of the Game

At the end of the game, the player who has advanced furthest along the Doom track wins (see "Ending the Game and Victory" on p. 32).

Game Phases

A round of Cthulhu Wars: Duel consists of 4 phases:

1. Action Phase (p. 15)
2. Gather Power Phase (p. 23)
3. Determine First Player Phase (p. 24)
4. Doom Phase (p. 25)

The game begins with the Action Phase and continues in sequence through to the Doom Phase, after which a new Action Phase begins. This cycle continues until the game end condition is met. A game usually has 4-5 such cycles.

The Map

The "Extinction Map" represents planet Earth at the end of the Permian period, when the Flying Polyps descended from the dark skies and destroyed 99% of life on the planet, including the dinosaurs.

The game board is divided into zones. Each zone represents a part of the world and is either a land zone or a water zone. On the "Extinction Map" game board, the water zones are all zones that have the word "Ocean" in their name, for example the Mawson Ocean, the Tethys Ocean, etc.

As a rule, there is no difference between land zones and water zones. Any figure can freely move into water zones and perform actions in them. However, land and water may differ when applying certain abilities (for example "Y'ha-nthlei" and "Submerge"). On some game boards (including the "Extinction Map") the term "ocean" or "sea" is used instead of "water zone". For the game, the terms "sea", "ocean", "water zone" and "ocean zone" are fully equivalent.

The Earth Is Not Flat

The game board wraps around horizontally. Thus the Mawson Ocean is an adjacent zone to the Northern Ocean of Thalassa, and the Tethys Ocean is adjacent to the Southern Ocean of Thalassa.

This is marked on the game board. However, our planet is not a doughnut, so the northern and southern zones are not adjacent to each other. The Arctic and Antarctica, for example, have no shared borders. Both parts of each of the two oceans that are marked on both sides of the game board (the Mawson Ocean and the Tethys Ocean) are a single zone. Only one Gate can be located in the Mawson Ocean and one in the Tethys Ocean. Also, for example, from the eastern part of the Mawson Ocean you can move into any zone adjacent to its western part, and vice versa.

Figures and Faction Reserve

Each player has a reserve in which all Spellbooks and pieces (Cultist tokens, as well as the cardboard images of monsters and Great Old Ones inserted into plastic bases – in these rules we call them "figures") not yet put into play are kept. Place them next to your faction board.

Each faction has three kinds of figures: Cultists, monsters and Great Old Ones (some factions have a fourth kind – Horrors). The base box has only one kind of Cultist – Acolytes; each faction has 6 of them. Cultists are represented by cardboard tokens. Each faction has several kinds of monsters with different characteristics. Monster kinds do not repeat between factions. Each Great Old One is a unique creature, and each has his own name.

You are limited by the number of figures in your reserve. For example, you cannot have more than 6 Acolyte Cultists or more than 4 Deep Ones on the board if you play Great Cthulhu. During the game, if you have placed all your figures of a certain type on the board, you cannot summon any more of them until they return to your reserve.

A figure in the reserve is not considered a figure "in play", and vice versa. A figure can return to your reserve if it is killed or destroyed. Figures are destroyed as a result of actions, special abilities, or during battle.

Dark Towers

At the end of the first Doom Phase (after both players have had the opportunity to perform a Ritual of Annihilation), place one Dark Tower in each player's starting zone (regardless of whether this zone has a Dark Tower symbol). Any figures controlling Gates in those zones liberate the Gates (the figures themselves remain in the respective zones). After that, place the Dark Towers on those Gates. In the case of the Wind-Rider, a Dark Tower is placed only in the zone where he began the game; his second starting zone does not count.

In every subsequent Doom Phase (after both players have had the opportunity to perform a Ritual of Annihilation), the first player chooses two zones on the board that have a Dark Tower symbol and do not yet have a Dark Tower token. In those zones, Dark Tower tokens replace the figures controlling Gates (the figures themselves remain in the respective zones). If there is a Chaos Gate in the zone, first replace it with a regular Gate. If there is no Gate in the zone, simply place a Dark Tower token in it (Chaos Gates belong to the Demon Sultan faction, which is coming soon).

When Dark Tower tokens have been placed in all zones with Dark Tower symbols, Dark Tower tokens stop being placed. The remaining zones will stay safe.

If The Key and the Gate is in the game, Yog-Sothoth cannot be "covered" by a Dark Tower token, even if he is in a zone where a Dark Tower token appears.

Dark Tower effect. In the Gather Power Phase, all Gates occupied by Dark Towers are considered liberated. For example, if 4 Gates are occupied by Dark Towers, both players receive 4 Power each.

Once a tower is placed, it is permanent. It cannot be removed or moved. If someone creates a Gate in a zone that has a Dark Tower token, that token is immediately moved onto that Gate (the figure that created the Gate will not be able to occupy it).

You will notice that the Power from Gates occupied by Dark Towers strongly charges your faction.

(Illustration caption: "4 Gates occupied by Dark Towers".)

Gates

Each player begins the game with a controlled Gate (a Cultist Acolyte stands on it). There cannot be more than one Cultist on a Gate. Thus only one faction can control a given Gate. If there is no Cultist standing on a Gate, the Gate is considered free (liberated).

Monsters and Great Old Ones cannot control Gates and are never placed on them (with the exception of the Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath if she has opened the "Red Sign" Spellbook). During the game new Gates will be created, but there cannot be more than one Gate in one zone. Gates are exceptionally important: they bring Power and Doom points, which will allow you to win.

(Illustration captions: "Controlled Gate with the Cultist controlling it"; "Free Gate with no Cultist on it".)

Special Abilities and Spellbooks

Sources of Special Abilities

Each faction in Cthulhu Wars: Duel differs markedly from the others – mainly thanks to its unique special abilities. A faction gets special abilities from four sources:

1. The unique faction ability, shown at the top of the faction board and available from the very start of the game.
2. Spellbooks are unique for each faction and become available during the game when they are placed on the faction board.
3. Each Great Old One has a unique ability that is available when he is in play (shown in the lower left part of the faction board).
4. Each faction has unique monsters.

Types of Special Abilities

Each special ability belongs to a certain type: it is indicated in parentheses after the name and determines when the ability can be used. There are 5 such types:

1. Action: these abilities are used in the Action Phase.
2. Battle: these abilities work only during battle.
3. Gather Power Phase: these abilities are used in the Gather Power Phase.
4. Doom Phase: these abilities are used in the Doom Phase.
5. Constant: these abilities are always in effect.

You are not obliged to use special abilities unless their use is marked as mandatory in the text of the ability. This means that you have the right not to apply the effect of an ability, even if it is a constant ability. Abilities usually help your faction win, so using them is very advantageous, but in some cases (usually in battle) it may be useful to refrain from using them. We assume that an ability is used by default if you have not declared otherwise.

However, there are abilities that you are obliged to use. This is indicated directly in the text of the ability.

The Target Chooses the Figure

If a special ability targets an opponent's figure, the victim chooses which of his figures will be the target of that ability. There are rare exceptions; they are indicated in the text of the ability. If it is not specified who chooses the figure, it is chosen by the owner of the figure.

Opening Spellbooks

Spellbooks are opened much like achievements in video games. If you have fulfilled one of the conditions indicated on your faction board, you must choose one of the Spellbooks in your reserve and place it in the corresponding slot (this is mandatory). Spellbooks are not tied to slots: any Spellbook can occupy any slot.

You will not lose an opened Spellbook even if you stop meeting the condition indicated in the slot: once a Spellbook is opened, it stays on your board until the end of the game.

You can open several Spellbooks simultaneously if you fulfill several conditions at once. Some Spellbooks can also be opened simultaneously, but only in a specific way: in such cases the conditions are spelled out separately on the faction board (for example, for Great Cthulhu).

Important: If you fulfill the conditions for opening a Spellbook during a battle (for example, the Sleeper's Spellbook condition says he needs to roll 6 dice in one battle), you open the Spellbook only after the battle has ended (including after the application of "after battle" abilities). Thus you cannot use a Spellbook gained in battle until the battle is completely finished.

Example: The Wind-Rider has a requirement for opening a Spellbook: "be the first player". As soon as this requirement is fulfilled, the Wind-Rider chooses one of his Spellbooks and places it on his faction board in the corresponding slot. Even if on one of the following turns he is not the first player, the Spellbook remains on the faction board until the end of the game.

Tip: Each Spellbook seriously increases the power of your faction, and an important part of your strategy will be determining the sequence in which to open Spellbooks.

Elder Signs

Elder Signs symbolize the shackles that once restrained the Great Old Ones. In fact, it is the Elder Sign tokens that mark the breaking of these shackles. But for simplicity we use the term "Elder Sign" instead of "Elder Sign token".

Each time you gain an Elder Sign, take a token and place it face down in front of you, without showing it to other players. You may look at your Elder Signs at any time. Each Elder Sign has a number on it: 1, 2 or 3 – that is how many Doom points it will bring. Half of the Elder Signs in the game are worth 1 Doom point, a third are worth 2 Doom points, and the rest are worth 3 Doom points.

Although each Elder Sign indicates how many Doom points you will receive, you do not mark their receipt on the Doom track immediately. Instead, you can decide for yourself when you receive the Doom points for each Elder Sign. To do so, you must reveal one or more Elder Signs and then move your faction token along the Doom track by the corresponding number of spaces. You can do this at any moment: either in any of the four game phases, or by waiting until the very end of the game. Usually players do not reveal their Doom points until the end of the game, to keep their amount secret.

After revealing an Elder Sign, do not return it to the bag: this token will no longer be used in this game – put it back in the box.

It is very unlikely that players will take all the Elder Signs from the bag. If this does happen, and a player should receive an Elder Sign, then instead of a token he immediately receives one Doom point and moves his faction token one space along the Doom track.

Faction Board

Your faction board contains a lot of useful information.

1. Faction name.
2. Faction picture: a convenient place to keep the Cultists you have captured.
3. Power track: use the special marker to mark your current amount of Power.
4. Unique ability: each faction has its own unique ability, available from the very start of the game.
5. Starting setup information and faction symbol.
6. Information about Cultists and monsters: here are shown the silhouettes of your figures, their names, summoning cost and attack strength. Next to the name, a number indicates how many figures of that type you have available.
7. Information about the Great Old One: here is shown the silhouette of your Great Old One and his special ability; it also states in detail how to awaken him and how to determine his attack strength.
8. Spellbook conditions: in each of the six slots is the condition that must be fulfilled to open and place a Spellbook in it.

Action Phase

The Action Phase is the time when the Great Old Ones destroy the world and fight for supremacy. The main events of the game take place in the Action Phase. In this phase each player moves figures, uses abilities, enters battle and interacts in every way with the opponent.

The Action Phase begins with the first player's turn. He takes one action and passes the turn to the opponent, who also takes one action. After that the turn returns to the first player, who takes his second action, and so on.

To take any action, you must first spend a certain amount of Power. To do this, simply move your Power marker to the left by the required number of spaces, and then perform the action.

If you do not have enough Power to take some action, you cannot take it and must choose another action. You cannot take more than one action per turn, and you cannot decline to take an action if you still have Power left. You must choose an available action and spend the corresponding amount of Power on it. If you do not have enough Power for any action, your Power drops to 0 (exception: if you play the Wind-Rider, you may use "Hibernation").

Wither Marker

If you have run out of Power (or if you play the Wind-Rider and used "Hibernation") when your turn comes and it is time to take an action, move the Wither marker one space forward along the Wither track. After that the turn passes to the other player.

If on your turn the Wither marker is on space 1 or further along the Wither track, you must pay the Wither cost (equal to the position of the marker on the track) before you pay for and take an action. If after paying the Wither cost you have 0 Power left, or if you cannot pay it, your Power drops to 0 and your turn ends.

Example:

1. Yura has spent his last Power.
2. Roman still has 7 Power, and he moves a figure (6 remain).
3. Yura has no Power left, so he moves the Wither marker one space forward along the Wither track (the Wither cost becomes 1).
4. Roman pays 1 Power for Wither and then declares a battle for 1 Power (4 remain).
5. Yura moves the Wither marker to 2.
6. Roman pays 2 Power for Wither and hires a Cultist for 1 Power (1 remains).

If you have no Power when your turn comes to take an action, your turn is skipped. At zero Power you cannot take even those actions that cost 0 Power. However, if you have 0 Power but gain Power from an ability or Spellbook, you can again act on your turn by the normal rules (but taking into account paying the Wither cost).

The Action Phase continues as long as both players have Power and as long as the players can take actions. At the moment when both players run out of Power, the Wither marker returns to space 0 of the Wither track. The Action Phase ends there, and the game moves on to the Gather Power Phase.

Tip: Look at the Action Phase like chess – you have a huge choice, but you can take only one action at a time. After your action, your opponent moves.

If your opponent's Power runs out first, that is good for you: you are the only one who will continue to take actions. This means that you can do whatever you want to your opponent with no reply. However, keep Wither in mind – it can slow you down.

Four Kinds of Actions

In Cthulhu Wars: Duel there are actions of four kinds: standard, unique, Spellbook conditions and additional actions.

Standard Actions

These actions are available to all factions. On his turn a player may choose any of the eight standard actions described below.

Unique Actions

A unique action is available only to your faction. To perform some unique actions, certain requirements must be met. For example, Great Cthulhu cannot perform the "Submerge" action if Cthulhu himself is not in play. Also, you cannot choose unique actions if you cannot carry them out to the end. For example, the Yellow Sign cannot use "Zingaya" to destroy an opponent's Acolyte if it has no Undead in its reserve.

Spellbook Conditions

Such actions are described in the Spellbook slots on the faction boards. As a rule, the conditions for obtaining Spellbooks are not actions. Conditions that are considered actions begin with the words "Instead of an action" or "As an action". Spellbook conditions are paid for with Power only if this is explicitly stated in their text. Otherwise they cost 0 Power. A Spellbook condition is always a separate action, and you cannot combine it with another standard or unique action, even if their effects are similar.

For example, the Crawling Chaos faction has the Spellbook condition: "Instead of an action, spend 4 Power". If you spend 4 Power on a standard or unique action, you do not fulfill the Spellbook condition. To fulfill the condition and open the Spellbook, you must spend 4 Power on your turn as a separate action: apart from opening the Spellbook, nothing else happens as a result of this action. Since opened Spellbooks stay with you until the end of the game, each Spellbook condition can be fulfilled only once per game.

When your turn comes, you must take one action: a standard action, a unique action available to you, or a Spellbook condition. You cannot take all three – at most one action per turn!

Additional Actions

The fourth kind of actions is additional actions: they allow you to break the "one action" rule. Additional actions are special actions that you can perform in addition to your standard or unique action or Spellbook condition. Like standard actions, additional actions are available to all factions and all players. But, as with unique actions, additional actions may have conditions for their execution.

Tip: If you are unsure what to do on your turn, look at the requirements of your Spellbooks. You are unlikely to go wrong if you move closer to gaining a new Spellbook or try to make it so that you gain more Power in the Gather Power Phase.

Example: Tsathoggua may be vulnerable if he stays in a zone without proper protection – the opponent may kill him. This can be avoided by leaving a Sorcerer with him and using the "Chain of Events" Spellbook to move Tsathoggua out of that zone before battle. If you also have the "Burrows" Spellbook, you will be able to take the Sorcerer with you for just 1 Power. Of course, this will not work if you have no Power.

The Eight Standard Actions

1. Hire a Cultist – cost: 1 Power (a figure is required).

The "Hire a Cultist" action lets you place one Cultist from your reserve on the board. In the zone where you place the Cultist, there must be a figure of yours. It can be any figure – another Cultist, a monster or a Great Old One. If you currently have no figures on the table, you can place a Cultist in any zone. This will let you return to the game if all your figures were destroyed.

With one "Hire a Cultist" action you can hire only one Cultist. This also applies to Black Goat, whose "Cult of Fertility" works only on monsters.

2. Summon a Monster – cost: depends on the type of monster (controlled Gates are required).

The "Summon a Monster" action lets you place a monster from your reserve on the board. In the zone where you plan to summon the monster, there must be a Gate controlled by you. Pay the summoning cost (indicated on your faction board) and place the monster figure in the corresponding zone.

With one "Summon a Monster" action you can summon only one monster.

Some abilities allow you to place monsters on the board (for example the "Desecration" Spellbook of the Yellow Sign or "Degeneration" of Great Cthulhu). Such abilities are not the "Summon a Monster" action and do not require a Gate in the zone.

3. Awaken a Great Old One – cost: depends on the Great Old One (there may be additional conditions).

The "Awaken a Great Old One" action lets you bring your Great Old One into play. Great Old Ones are unique, as are the ways of awakening them. Your faction board lists the sequence of steps (at least two) that must be carried out to awaken. That is, in fact, the "Awaken a Great Old One" action.

With one "Awaken a Great Old One" action you can summon only one Great Old One. Almost all factions have only one Great Old One.

As soon as you bring your Great Old One into play, his special ability becomes available to you. If a Great Old One leaves the game, his special ability becomes unavailable until the player awakens the Great Old One again.

Tip: Given that your Great Old One can be "killed" (after which he can be awakened again), do not leave him without the protection of your other figures. Two exceptions: the King in Yellow and Cthulhu – re-awakening them is inexpensive.

4. Create a Gate – cost: 3 Power (a Cultist is required).

To create a Gate, your Cultist must be in the zone and there must be no Gate. Only one Gate can be in a zone, including the Mawson Ocean and Tethys Ocean zones. Spend 3 Power and place a Gate. You may immediately place your Cultist from that zone on it to show that you control it (technically this is the additional "Take Control of a Gate" action, described below).

With one "Create a Gate" action you can create only one Gate.

5. Move – cost: 1 Power for each figure moved.

To move figures from one zone to another, spend 1 Power for each figure you want to move. Move as many figures from their current zones to adjacent zones as you spent Power. It does not matter where a figure began its move and where it moves to: you can move figures from different zones into one or into different ones, or from one zone into different ones, and so on.

"Move" lets you move any number of figures with one action. However, each figure can move only once per "Move" action.

(Illustration: "The Wind-Rider moves 3 figures with one action, and this costs him 3 Power", with a picture captioned "Wind-Rider figures before the move".)

6. Battle – cost: 1 Power (a figure with attack strength above zero is required).

To enter battle with another faction, choose a zone in which you and that faction each have at least one figure. In battle each faction rolls a number of dice equal to the sum of the attack strengths of all its figures (indicated on the faction board) in that zone and applies the results rolled. To declare a battle, the total strength of your figures in that zone must be above 0. You may enter battle with an opponent whose strength is equal to 0.

You may fight only once in one zone with one "Battle" action. "Battle" has other rules, which we describe later.

Remember: Monsters with strength 0 are surprisingly useful. They can protect Cultists from being captured by other monsters, can themselves capture Cultists, and results in battle can be assigned to them, thereby saving more expensive figures.

7. Capture a Cultist – cost: 1 Power.

The "Capture a Cultist" action lets you remove enemy Cultists from the board and sacrifice them to your Great Old One in order to gain Power. A captured Cultist is considered destroyed and is not considered a "figure in play". Unlike destruction in battle or through unique abilities, when captured the Cultist does not return to his owner's reserve until the next Gather Power Phase (at that moment he will give the captor 1 Power). To mark that he is neither in play nor in his owner's reserve, place the Cultist you captured on your faction board.

To capture someone else's Cultist, you must have a monster or a Great Old One in the same zone as the Cultist. The Cultist must have no defender in that zone. In Cthulhu Wars: Duel there is its own hierarchy of defenders: Great Old Ones protect their Cultists from other Great Old Ones and monsters; monsters protect their Cultists from other monsters. Cultists themselves cannot capture Cultists. Important: even one monster protects a Cultist from capture, no matter how many monsters want to capture him.

With one "Capture a Cultist" action you can capture only one Cultist.

If more than one Cultist is in the zone where the capture takes place, the player whose Cultist is being captured chooses himself which Cultist will be captured (this way you can keep control of a Gate).

Important: Capturing Cultists is not tied to the strength of figures. A monster with strength 0 can capture Cultists whose strength is 1 or more. If a Cultist wanted to fight back, his owner would have had to declare a battle on the previous turn.

(Illustrated example, "Avoiding capture by monsters": Pavel has a Cultist on a Gate in the Kalahari. Sergei moves two Windigo and a Cultist into this zone. On his next turn Pavel summons a monster (a Sorcerer) to his Gate. This is enough to protect the Cultist from capture by Sergei's monsters.)

8. Pass – cost: all remaining Power.

If you have no actions left that you wanted or could perform, you can pass. In doing so you lose all your Power and your turn ends. If you later gain Power from any source, you will be able to take actions again on your turn.

Two Additional Actions

Additional actions differ from ordinary ones in that they can be performed in addition to the one action allowed per turn. An additional action can be performed before or after the "main" action. Thus one turn in the Action Phase can be represented in the following chronological order:

1. Pay the Wither cost.
2. Take one or more additional actions (may take none).
3. Take one action: standard, unique or Spellbook condition (there must be exactly one).
4. Take one or more additional actions (may take none).

Important: The Yellow Sign has two Spellbooks – "He Who Must Not Be Named" and "Screaming Dead" – whose text says: "...immediately after this you may take one more action". These Spellbooks allow you to take two (not "additional") actions in a row. You cannot take additional actions between the actions of these Spellbooks, because they say "immediately".

There are two kinds of additional actions that all players can take: "Take Control of / Liberate a Gate" and "Extra Battle".

Take Control of / Liberate a Gate – cost: 0 Power.

If you have a Cultist in a zone with a free Gate (that is, there is no Cultist on the Gate), this additional action lets you place your Cultist on the Gate and begin controlling it. Therefore, when you create a Gate, you can immediately place your Cultist on it and take control of it. Also, if you have a Cultist in a zone with a free Gate, you can on your turn place that Cultist on it regardless of what other actions you take.

In addition, with this additional action you can remove a Cultist from a Gate, liberating it (this Cultist is placed next to the Gate in the same zone). It is usually disadvantageous to leave a Gate, but if you plan to move a Cultist standing on a Gate to another zone, you must first liberate the Gate with an additional action and then take the "Move" action to move the Cultist to another zone.

This additional action is often used by Black Goat with the "Red Sign" Spellbook open. That faction can summon a Dark Young, then liberate the Gate with a Cultist and take control of it with the just-summoned Dark Young – all in one turn. Black Goat takes the "Summon a Monster" action and two additional actions: "Liberate a Gate" and "Take Control of a Gate".

You can take the "Take Control of / Liberate a Gate" action as many times as you like per turn, but it cannot be your only action on that turn. You must still take one action: a standard action, a unique action or a Spellbook condition.

Important: An additional action is performed only on your turn. You cannot occupy a free Gate with a Cultist if it is not your turn. If in a zone with a free Gate there are Cultists of both players, then whoever's turn comes first can occupy it.

Extra Battle – cost: 1 Power (6 opened Spellbooks for one of the players are required).

If either player has opened 6 Spellbooks on his board, the "Extra Battle" action becomes available to both players. Battle still costs 1 Power, but now you can enter battle any number of times before or after your action (standard, unique or Spellbook condition).

You can still take the "Battle" action as a standard action if that is all you want to do on your turn. "Extra Battle" is simply a special possibility that appears when one of the players has opened all 6 Spellbooks.

Since the "Battle" action can be taken as a standard or an additional one (when one of the players has all 6 Spellbooks open), you can first fight a battle and only afterwards decide whether this action was standard or additional (you can make this decision after the battle and then take one more standard or additional action).

There is an important restriction on extra battles: you still cannot enter battle more than once in one zone. Also, you cannot first take the standard "Battle" action in one zone and then fight an extra battle in the same zone. If as a result of a battle your figures retreated into another zone, you can take the "Extra Battle" action in the new zone, and so on. However, if they retreat back to the original zone, they cannot start a battle there because of the "one battle per zone" rule.

(Illustrated example: Sergei has 6 Spellbooks, and it is his turn. First he takes the "Move" action and moves several monsters into the zone where 2 of Yura's figures are. Now Sergei will have to fight with an additional monster. As soon as the action is finished, the players begin to resolve the battle, starting with "before battle" abilities. Yura has the "Chain of Events" Spellbook open. If Sergei declares an extra battle after moving into this zone, Yura can use "Chain of Events" right after one of Sergei's moves, in order to leave this zone or summon a monster. He chooses to summon a monster.)

Constant Special Abilities

Constant special abilities are not actions, but can trigger in the Action Phase. Since they are not actions, they cost no Power, and you can use them (at a certain time) even if you have no Power left. If you have no Power left, you skip your turn, but this rule applies only to actions – constant and other abilities can still trigger. For example, if the opponent declares a battle against you when you have no Power, you can still use the battle abilities of Spellbooks.

(Illustration captions: "Constant ability on a player's turn"; "Before Sergei's turn".)

Effects Between Actions

The text of some constant abilities says: "after any player's action..." or "at the end of any player's action...". You can use these special abilities as stated in their text – after another player has taken an action, but before the next action has begun. Such abilities can be used during the other player's turn.

If both players want to use such abilities at the same time, the active player takes his actions first.

Important: The Spellbooks "Screaming Dead" and "He Who Must Not Be Named", which let the Yellow Sign take two actions in a row, do not forbid using constant special abilities between those actions.

Gather Power Phase

The Action Phase ends when both players are left without Power. The Gather Power Phase begins – return the Wither marker to space 0 of the Wither track.

In the Gather Power Phase both players restore their Power and place their Power marker on the corresponding space of their Power track. All players do this simultaneously (if you are playing for the first time, we recommend going through this phase in turn).

Gaining Power

• Gain 1 Power for each of your Cultists in play.
• Gain 2 Power for each Gate you control.
• Gain 1 Power for each free Gate on the board (both players will gain 1 Power for it).
• Return all Cultists you have captured to their owner's reserve and gain 1 Power for each such Cultist. You cannot keep a Cultist for yourself; you must return him in the Gather Power Phase.
• Check your special abilities and Spellbooks that may give you Power in the Gather Power Phase.

Example: Egor controls Gates in two zones, and he has three Cultists in play. He has also captured one Cultist of the opponent. He gets 3 Power for his Cultists and 4 Power for the controlled Gates. On the board there is also a free Gate, and Egor gets 1 Power for it (as does his opponent). Egor must sacrifice the captured Cultist, which gives him 1 more Power. In addition, he plays Great Cthulhu and has the "Y'ha-nthlei" Spellbook open, and his opponent has a Gate in a water zone, so he gets 1 more Power. In total Egor gets 10 Power.

Figures that are not Cultists, that is, monsters and Great Old Ones (with rare exceptions), do not bring Power. Only Cultists give Power. Keep in mind that factions have additional ways to gain Power in the Gather Power Phase – this depends on the specific faction and may require opening a Spellbook.

The Power track has 20 spaces, but a player's maximum Power is not limited to them. If you have gained 21 or more Power, you can use any convenient method to count the excess. We recommend going along the track a second time. That is, if you have 23 Power, place the marker on the third space of the track; when the marker has to move to 0 (more precisely from 21 to 20), simply move it to the twentieth space.

Minimum Power Rule

At the end of the Gather Power Phase (after both players have gained Power and moved their markers on the Power tracks), check whether the minimum Power rule applies: if you have two (or more) times less Power than the other player, increase your Power so that it becomes equal to half of that player's Power (rounded up).

For example, after a very unsuccessful game, Roman has only 4 Power at the end of the Gather Power Phase. Fortunately for him, Yura has 11 Power, so Roman sets his Power marker on the sixth space of the Power track (half of 11, rounded up).

After that the Gather Power Phase ends and the players move on to the Determine First Player Phase.

Determine First Player Phase

The player with the most Power becomes the new first player. If both players have the same amount of Power, the player who went first in the previous turn decides which of them becomes the first player.

When the first player is determined, move on to the Doom Phase.

Tip: You will gain an advantage if you went last and became the first player, since you will have the opportunity to take two actions in a row. On the other hand, it is always useful to see what your opponent is planning in order to counter it. Therefore being the first player may not always be advantageous.

Doom Phase

When the game ends, the player with the most Doom points becomes the winner. As a rule, players gain Doom points in the Doom Phase. The game end condition can also be fulfilled in this phase. In the Doom Phase some special abilities can trigger, and each player will be able to decide whether he will perform a Ritual of Annihilation.

The first player must decide whether he will perform a Ritual of Annihilation, after which his opponent also makes this choice.

Rituals of Annihilation

Each player has the opportunity to perform only one ritual per Doom Phase. To perform a Ritual of Annihilation:

• Spend the amount of Power indicated by the Annihilation marker on the current space of the Annihilation track (usually from 5 to 10 Power).
• Advance the Annihilation marker one space forward along the Annihilation track (this usually increases the cost of performing the ritual further).
• Move your faction token one space for each Gate you control.
• Gain one Elder Sign for each Great Old One under your control in play (usually no more than one).

Example: Egor (the first player) controls Gates in three zones. He also has Rhan-Tegoth and Itaqua in play. As the first player, he is the first to choose whether to perform a Ritual of Annihilation. He decides to perform the ritual. The Annihilation marker stands on the space with the number 7, but since Egor has the "Herald of the Outer Gods" Spellbook open, he pays only 5 Power (and moves the Annihilation marker to the next space, "8"). After that Egor moves his faction token three spaces (for his Gates) and gets two Elder Signs for Rhan-Tegoth and Itaqua – his Great Old Ones.

End of the World

If the Annihilation marker is on the space "10" and one of the players performs a Ritual of Annihilation, the marker moves to the space "End of the World". In that case the game will end at the end of the current Doom Phase and the winner will be determined (see p. 32).

If the first player moves the Annihilation marker to "End of the World", his opponent can still perform a Ritual of Annihilation. The cost of this ritual will be 10 Power.

Special Events and Abilities

Some Spellbooks, special abilities and even Spellbook conditions trigger in the Doom Phase – as a rule, this happens when it is your turn to perform the Ritual of Annihilation, even if you do not intend to do so.

Among them are Black Goat's "Blood Sacrifice" Spellbook and two Spellbook conditions of Great Cthulhu. Some other events may also happen at this time.

If you can apply several ability effects or events, you choose in what order to apply them.

Example: The Sleeper has a Serpent Man on the opponent's faction board due to the property of the "Ancient Sorcery" Spellbook. The current cost of performing a Ritual of Annihilation is 8 Power, but the Sleeper has only 7 Power. He returns his Serpent Man to the board and gains 1 Power – now he has enough Power to perform the Ritual of Annihilation.

Once both players have made their decision about the Ritual of Annihilation and applied all the corresponding abilities, the game moves on to the Action Phase, thus continuing the cycle of phases.

Dark Towers Multiply

Remember that on the "Extinction Map" game board the first player always places Dark Towers at the end of the Doom Phase. Except, of course, for the first Doom Phase, when they are placed automatically, and cases when all zones with Dark Tower symbols already have Dark Tower tokens.

Gaining Doom Points for Kills and Destructions

When a figure is killed or destroyed by an effect or action of the opponent, that player gains Doom points equal to the Power cost of that figure. The player who lost his figure does not gain Doom points.

Here are some examples:

• Example 1: Black Goat destroys two Cultists to fulfill a Spellbook requirement. In this case her opponent does not gain Doom points.
• Example 2: A Shoggoth absorbs a Cultist for battle. His opponent does not gain Doom points for it.
• Example 3: The Yellow Sign uses the "Zingaya" Spellbook to turn one of the opponent's Acolytes into Undead. For this the Yellow Sign gains 1 Doom point.
• Example 4: Great Cthulhu degenerates one Acolyte into a Deep One. The opponent does not gain Doom points for it.
• Example 5: The Key and the Gate replaces one monster with another with the "Legion of the Chosen" Spellbook. The opponent does not gain Doom points.

Some figures may have different costs in Power. Killing or destroying them brings Doom points equal to their average cost (add up all their costs and divide by the number of options), regardless of whether the cost is changed at that moment or not. Always round up.

• Example 1: Cthulhu's cost in Power is 10/4 – thus killing him brings 7 Doom points.
• Example 2: Black Goat's figure costs can be reduced by 1 thanks to the "Thousand Young" Spellbook. Therefore killing Ghouls, who cost on average (1 + 0) : 2 = 0.5 Power, rounds up and gives the opponent 1 Doom point. The same applies to other Black Goat figures.
• Example 3: The Wind-Rider's Gnoph-Kehs have a cost of 4/3/2/1 Power, which averages 2.5 Power – thus killing a Gnoph-Keh brings 3 Doom points.

Figures that avoid death with abilities or Spellbooks also give Doom points, but only half of the amount due (rounded up).

• Example 1: Rhan-Tegoth uses the "Eternal" ability to avoid death. The opponent gets 3 Doom points for having "killed" him.
• Example 2: A Regenerating Star Spawn receives one "death" result and thereby avoids death. The opponent gets 2 Doom points for it (half of its cost of 3, rounded up).

You gain Doom points only once per figure per battle.

Example: Thanks to the "Messenger of the Outer Gods" Spellbook, Nyarlathotep avoids death. Normally this would bring his opponent 5 Doom points for the "kill". But, having remained the last figure in the zone, Nyarlathotep cannot retreat from the battle, because all adjacent zones contain opponent's figures. He is destroyed and the opponent gets 10 Doom points. At the same time the opponent does not get the 5 Doom points for his "virtual kill".

Battle

Battle is one of the most complicated events in Cthulhu Wars: Duel. A battle is started by one of the players in the Action Phase (see p. 18).

Battle takes place in one zone. The player who starts a battle in a zone must have at least one figure with attack strength greater than 0 in that zone. A battle can be started by using the additional action "Extra Battle" (if one of the players has all 6 Spellbooks open), but on a player's turn only one battle can be started in each zone.

All figures of both players in the zone where the battle begins must take part in it.

After the active player has paid the cost of the battle (1 Power), the following steps are carried out:

1. "Before battle" abilities.
2. Counting and rolling dice.
3. "After battle" abilities and assigning battle results.
4. Applying battle results.

"Before Battle" Abilities

(Card illustration: "Sacrifice (before battle). If Tsathoggua is on the board, before a battle with you your opponent chooses ONE of the following options: 1) you gain an Elder Sign OR 2) all his "death" results against your figures are considered "pain" results.")

Before the battle, players may use (or not use) faction and Spellbook "before battle" abilities. Unless the text of the ability states otherwise, a player has the right not to use "before battle" abilities.

Since such abilities are not actions, they do not require Power (unless the text states otherwise). Some abilities require specific figures to participate in the battle; others require specific figures to be in play (but not necessarily to participate in the battle).

The player who started the battle (the attacker) uses his "before battle" abilities first, in any order. Then the player who was attacked (the defender) uses his abilities in any order at his discretion.

This means that the effects of the attacker's abilities are applied before the defender chooses and applies his own abilities. If the attacker decided not to use some ability, he can no longer use it after the defender has chosen and applied his abilities.

Some "before battle" abilities destroy, kill or otherwise remove figures from the battle (this usually brings Doom points). In this case the removed figure does not take part in the battle (including for the other "before battle" abilities).

For example, if Cthulhu starts a battle, he can use his "Devourer" ability to destroy an opponent's figure. If the destroyed figure had an ability ("before battle", "after battle" or any other that could affect the result of the battle), it can no longer be used, since this figure no longer takes part in the battle. However, if this figure had already used an ability whose effect lasts for the whole battle, that effect remains.

Example: Crawling Chaos can start a battle and use the Flying Polyp's "Invisibility" ability to remove Great Cthulhu's Shoggoth from the battle. And even if Cthulhu eats the Flying Polyp, the Shoggoth remains invisible and will not take part in the battle. The Flying Polyp, of course, leaves the game (and gives Great Cthulhu 2 Doom points for its cost in Power).

If all figures of one faction were in some way removed from the game before the battle, there is no point in proceeding to the next step – the battle ends, and no other abilities can be used. For example, Great Cthulhu started a battle against Black Goat and used the "Devourer" ability against the opponent's only figure. Black Goat will not even have the chance to use the "Necrophagy" Spellbook, because the battle is already over.

Counting and Rolling Dice

After the effects of all "before battle" abilities have been applied by both sides, you need to count the number of dice and roll them. The attack strength of each figure (indicated on the faction board) shows how strong the figure is in battle. Some figures may have an attack strength less than one; the strength of others must be calculated (for example, the Yellow Sign's monsters and some Great Old Ones). Your faction's attack strength in battle is equal to the sum of the attack strengths of all your figures participating in it.

For example, you play the Sleeper, and in battle you have an Acolyte and two Serpent Men: your attack strength will be 0 + 2 + 2 = 4.

After counting, each player rolls a number of dice equal to the attack strength. This can be done simultaneously or in turn.

After the roll, each player counts the number of "6"s rolled – they mean the "death" result. After that "4"s and "5"s are counted – these are the "pain" result. Rolled "1", "2" and "3" are considered misses and are not counted in the result of the battle.

(Illustration: DEATH = 6, PAIN = 4 and 5, MISS = 1, 2 and 3.)

The text of some abilities says: "in battle" (rather than "before battle" or "after battle"). Such abilities are applied at the moment of rolling the dice. For example, the "Guide" Spellbook of The Key and the Gate faction gives the possibility to re-roll dice that did not show "death" or "pain" results.

Tip: "Before battle" abilities can change the number of dice rolled, so do not count the dice until you have resolved all the effects of such abilities.

Assigning Results and "After Battle" Abilities

After the results of each side's roll are counted, the players assign the opponent's results to their own figures. First you assign among your figures the "death" results ("6" on a die) rolled on the opponent's dice. "Deaths" are always assigned first. If more "deaths" were rolled than you have figures, the extras are not counted.

Example: In battle, Pavel's opponent rolled one "death" result. Pavel has two figures: an Acolyte and a Dark Young. Pavel decides to assign the "death" result to the Acolyte, since it is cheaper to replace.

(Illustration captions: "Pains"; "Retreat".)

When assigning "deaths", players may use abilities with the text "after battle". Usually such abilities add, subtract or otherwise modify the roll results or the order of assigning them. "After battle" abilities can also add a third kind of result: "destruction". If an ability adds a "destruction", it is applied simultaneously with the "death" results. As with "deaths", extra "destructions" are ignored.

Unlike "before battle" abilities, "after battle" abilities do not prevent the opponent's figure from using its "after battle" abilities, even if that figure is being killed, destroyed or otherwise removed from the game. In other words, both sides can always use all their "after battle" abilities in this step.

After all "deaths" and "destructions" are assigned, you need to assign the "pain" results ("4" and "5" on a die) among your figures. As with "deaths" and "destructions", extra "pain" results are ignored. All figures to which a "pain" result is assigned must retreat to an adjacent zone.

"After battle" abilities that act on "pain" results are applied exactly at this time, and not when assigning "deaths": for example, the Wind-Rider's "Eternal" ability. In turn, Crawling Chaos can use the "Harbinger" ability both when assigning "deaths" and when assigning "pains". And the Yellow Sign's "Possession" ability, for example, is applied when assigning "deaths", "destructions" and "pains". In any case, all "deaths" and "destructions" are assigned before "pains".

It is important to keep in mind: if an "after battle" ability has triggered (no matter when assigning which results), it is applied regardless of what happened to the figure that owns that ability – even if the figure was at the same time or later killed, destroyed, etc. In other words, "after battle" abilities are not retroactive and cannot prevent the effect of other "after battle" abilities.

Many "after battle" abilities trigger only if there is a "death" or "pain" result, but do not trigger on a "destruction". For example, the Wind-Rider's "Cannibalism" ability triggers only if an enemy figure is killed, not destroyed. The Sleeper's "Sacrifice" ability does not protect against "destructions", only against "death", and so on.

Applying Battle Results

After the battle results are assigned, they must be applied to the corresponding figures. "Destructions" and "deaths" remove figures from the board and return them to their owners' reserves. As with assigning, "death" and "destruction" results are applied before "pain" results. Both sides may remove killed and destroyed figures simultaneously.

After "deaths" and "destructions" are applied, "pains" must be applied. Figures to which "pains" were assigned retreat into adjacent zones. As with assigning results, you choose where your figures will retreat. They are not obliged to retreat to the same zone: if desired, they can be moved into different zones. This is not considered movement, and abilities connected with movement do not apply.

The player who started the battle (the attacker) first chooses where his figures retreat, after which it is the defender's turn.

Figures cannot retreat into zones where there are figures of the opponent (it does not matter whether your figures are there). If there are no adjacent zones to which your figures could retreat, choose one among them and destroy it. The other figures remain in the zone where the battle took place, as if "pains" had not been assigned.

Tip: If you are the attacker in a battle and receive several "pains", you can send your figures into adjacent zones when retreating and surround the enemy. If he has nowhere to retreat, one more of his figures will be destroyed!

Some "after battle" abilities act while applying results. For example, Crawling Chaos's "Madness" ability allows him, rather than the owner, to determine where each of the figures that took part in the battle retreats.

Battle Examples

Example of a Simple Battle

Pavel has only Rhan-Tegoth, and he starts a battle against Yura, who has 2 Serpent Men. Rhan-Tegoth rolls 3 dice, and the Serpent Men roll 2.

Since nobody has "before battle" abilities, the players roll the dice. Each player rolls 1 "death" result and 1 "pain" result. Pavel spends 1 Power to cancel 1 "death" result for Rhan-Tegoth. Yura's "extra" "pain" result is ignored, because only one result per battle can be assigned to Rhan-Tegoth. Yura assigns the "death" to one Serpent Man and the "pain" to the other – now he must retreat to an adjacent zone.

Example of a Complex Battle

Roman has a Formless Spawn, 2 Acolyte Cultists and Tsathoggua, and in the Kalahari he starts a battle against Zhenya, who has a Windigo, a Gnoph-Keh and an Acolyte Cultist. The Formless Spawn's strength equals the number of Formless Spawn + Tsathoggua. Since Roman has one more Formless Spawn in play, he will roll 3 dice for it. His Acolyte Cultist has strength 0. Zhenya currently has 2 Power, so Tsathoggua's strength is currently 2 – in the end Roman will roll 5 dice. Zhenya has 4 dice for the Windigo and Gnoph-Keh.

Before the battle, the Windigo uses "Howl" to drive one of Roman's figures out of the zone. Roman chooses a Cultist and moves him to an adjacent zone. Roman rolls 2 "pain" results and 1 "death" result on the dice. Zhenya rolls 1 "death" result. Roman assigns the "death" to his remaining Cultist, and Zhenya assigns the "death" to the Gnoph-Keh; his other two figures must retreat.

After the battle, Zhenya activates "Cannibalism" to place a new Windigo from his reserve in this zone, since a figure was killed. After that his "Fury of the North" Spellbook triggers, since a Gnoph-Keh was killed. Roman has to kill his Formless Spawn, which was the last monster in the zone. If he had led away the Formless Spawn rather than the Cultist before the battle, he could have saved it, but would have rolled fewer dice.

Ending the Game and Victory

There are two conditions for the end of the game: one of the players has reached space 30 on the Doom track, or the Annihilation marker has reached the "End of the World" mark.

When any faction reaches space 30 on the Doom track (or passes it), the game ends. Your faction token can be flipped to the "+30" side, which allows you to keep track of Doom points if you have more than 30 (after flipping the token, place it on space 1 of the Doom track).

Since Doom points are usually awarded in the Doom Phase, the game most often ends in that phase. If the game end condition is met in the Doom Phase, finish the phase to the end (including the possible performance of the Ritual of Annihilation by both players), and then determine the winner. If one of the players revealed his Elder Signs in the Action Phase and with their help reached or passed space 30 on the Doom track, then the game ends at the end of the current turn (even if it is now the other player's turn).

Example: Yura attacked Pavel. Both players have 25 points on the Doom track. Yura rolled only "pains" on the dice, and Pavel rolled 2 "death" results. Yura must assign them to his figures and chooses Acolytes for this, for which Pavel gets 2 Doom points. After that he reveals his Elder Signs and gets 4 more Doom points. In total Pavel has 31 Doom points. At the end of Yura's turn (if he can do something else) the game will end.

The game can also end in the Doom Phase if the Annihilation marker reaches the "End of the World" mark. If a player has not yet performed a Ritual of Annihilation, he can do so. In this case the game ends at the end of the current Doom Phase, even if neither player has reached space 30 on the Doom track.

Regardless of the reason the game ended, all players can reveal their Elder Signs before the winner is announced. Then the Doom points for the Elder Signs are counted. The player with the most Doom points is declared the winner.

If both players have the same number of Doom points, they share the victory!

The Omega Rule: The Last Question

We tried very hard to cover all possible rules questions and to make the game as close in spirit as possible to the works of Lovecraft. But we are only mortals and can make mistakes.

If you find conflicting rules in a Spellbook or some ability and cannot find the answer in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section (online or in another source), discuss with your opponent what to do. In case of disagreement, the owner of the game makes the decision.

Cthulhu Wars: Duel is a game created for you, and if you consider it necessary to add some "house" rules to it, we fully support this idea.

Tips for Players

The loss of Power from the Wither marker greatly affects the course of the game. Do not forget about this. When your opponent runs out of Power, from the position of the Wither marker you can calculate how many turns you will have.

Keeping your Great Old One alive is very important, since his death gives your opponent a huge advantage in Doom points. It is important to know, understand and use your Spellbooks. "Ghroth", for example, is one of the strongest tools in Black Goat's arsenal.

Choosing the moment to use your abilities is an important decision. The Yellow Sign's "Fanaticism" may not always be advantageous for him.

The game goes through two main stages: early and late.

Early Stage

In the first two Action Phases, players should try to open Spellbooks and set up a Power inflow, and also summon at least some army. The decision to awaken your Great Old One should be a considered one, since it leaves you vulnerable until the end of the Action Phase. It is often advantageous to awaken your Great Old One on the turn when the opponent has done so. Battle in the early stage does not guarantee the desired result and should be aimed rather at taking control of enemy Gates or fulfilling Spellbook conditions.

Late Stage

This stage begins as soon as you awaken your Great Old One and open at least three Spellbooks. You can continue opening the remaining Spellbooks, but you will also be able to afford to perform a Ritual of Annihilation from time to time. Remember that the earlier you perform rituals, the cheaper they cost you (and the more expensive they will be for your opponent). Use battle not only to gain Doom points but also to reduce the number of Gates controlled by the opponent, thereby weakening his rituals and reducing the amount of Power he receives.

Other Factions

Petersen Games and Fabrika Igr (the Russian publisher) also release other versions of Cthulhu Wars: Duel with new game boards and factions. You have surely seen references to them in the rules. If you have more than one version of the duel game, you can mix factions as you like.