Cthulhu Wars: Yuggoth Map Expansion Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup and Map Basics
• The Laboratory
  • Brain Cylinders
• The Slime Seas
  • Slime Molds
• The Green Pyramid
  • The Slopes of the Pyramid and Watcher Postern
  • The Watcher
  • The Watcher Awakens
  • The Watcher Decays
  • Action Phase—The Watcher Attacks
  • Controlling the Watcher
  • Extended Watcher Example

Components

• Yuggoth Map boards (2), printed on both sides
• 1 Loyalty Card (Slime Mold)
• Slime Token, Laboratory Token, Watcher Token, No Slime Token
• Watcher (figure)
• 6 Slime Molds
• 28 Brain Cylinders

Setup and Map Basics

Set up the Map the same way you would with the Cthulhu Wars Earth Map. Place the Watcher Token at 12 on the Doom Track, with the dark (asleep) side up.

If the Opener of the Way Faction is in play, it may NOT set up on any Area marked with the Yellow Sign's Chevron glyph (comprising the Laboratory, Slime Sea Overlook, and all of the Green Pyramid Areas). It may set up in any other unoccupied Area.

Ocean Area names all end in the word "Sea." Hence, the Nitrogen Sea, Polar Sea, etc. are Ocean Areas for every game purpose.

Note that the Slime Sea Overlook is a Land Area, despite the word sea appearing in the name.

The Laboratory

A player that Controls a Gate in the Laboratory Area can perform the Surgery Action. If Opener of the Way is in play, Yog-Sothoth can perform the Surgery Action when in the Laboratory Area, and if a different Faction Controls a normal Gate in the Laboratory at the same time, both Factions may perform Surgery.

Surgery (Action: Cost 1) If you Control the Laboratory Gate, Eliminate up to 4 of your Cultists in play and replace them with an equal number of Brain Cylinder tokens in your Faction's Color.

You must place them in the same Area(s) as the Cultists they replace - they can replace your Cultist on a Gate, immediately retaking Control of that Gate. You can also swap out Cultists that are not on the Map, but still in play (such as some of Cthulhu's Cultists which are Submerged, or Sleeper's Acolyte that is on a Cursed Slumbering Gate. (Those guys are just having really bad dreams).

Brain Cylinders

Brain Cylinders are a new type of Cultist. They cannot be Recruited normally. Nor can they be placed on the Map due to special abilities which place Units (such as Yellow Sign's Desecrate).

They cannot use the Move Action, but may perform any other game Action, in addition to all Cultist functions—i.e., they earn Power during Gather Power, Control and Create Gates, and permit the Recruitment of Cultists in their Area.

To Move a Brain Cylinder, one of your other Units must Move with them. Your Brain Cylinders accompany your other Unit(s) for free in a Move Action. A single Unit can carry multiple Cylinders.

You can also bring Brain Cylinders along using a movement like ability, so long as that ability allows you to bring other non-specific Units along. For example, you can relocate them with Submerge, but not Screaming Dead, Seek and Destroy, Necrophagy, or Shriek of the Byakhee because the latter four specify specific Units that can are moved. Something that modifies the Move Action, such as the Shantaks' Horror Steed ability, would allow it to bring any number of Brain Cylinders (in addition to an Acolyte or High Priest).

As Cultists, they benefit from any Spellbooks or abilities that affect Cultists (for example, Black Goat's Frenzy provides them with 1 Combat). They are NOT Acolytes, however, and so the ability must specify Cultist (or Unit) to affect a Brain Cylinder.

Brain Cylinders have 0 Combat like all Cultist, and their cost is 0 for all game purposes.

Brain Cylinders cannot be assigned Pain results in Battle. Because of this, they tend to be left behind in Areas as their owners are driven away in Battle. They are also immune to Pain-like retreats, such as Windwalker's Howl or Pains inflicted by Opener's Dread Curse. They can still be assigned Kills (remember, all Kills must be assigned before any Pains are, so Brain Cylinders cannot help you avoid Kills or Eliminations in Battle).

Important: In addition, Brain Cylinders by themselves do NOT prevent a Unit from being Pained into their Area in a Battle. Brain Cylinders by themselves cannot surround and therefore Eliminate an enemy Unit.

Capturing a Brain Cylinder is like Capturing any other Cultist and follows the same rules. However, when a Cylinder is Captured, you may choose instead to "Convert" it into a Cylinder of your own Faction Color, leaving it on the Map. Four Cylinders is a hard limit for each Faction, so if you already have four Brain Cylinders in play, and Capture a fifth, it cannot be Converted, but must be placed on your Faction card for Sacrifice in next Gather Power.

Note: A special bonus Laboratory token is included in this Expansion. This is not for the Yuggoth Map itself (as there is already a Laboratory Glyph on the Yuggoth Map). This is for players to experiment with in their own house rules, permitting them to access the Laboratory Area, the Surgery Action, and Brain Cylinders on other Cthulhu Wars Maps! We suggest a hard rule that no player may have a Start Area in the Laboratory's Area (including Opener of the Way).

Alternately, you may play a variant in which Yuggoth has 2 Areas in which you can perform the Surgery Action! If you use the token on Yuggoth, we suggest not putting it on the Slime Sea Overlook nor anywhere on the Green Pyramid.

This token is purely for player experimentation and Petersen Games has not extensively tested these variants to ensure game balance!

The Slime Seas

The Faction that Controls the Gate on the Slime Sea Overlook takes this Loyalty Card and is allowed to perform the new Call Slime Mold Action.

If Opener of the Way is in play, Yog-Sothoth may perform the Call Slime Mold Action by being in the Slime Sea Overlook. However, if there is also a normal Gate in the Overlook, and it is Controlled by a different Faction, then Yog-Sothoth CANNOT perform the Call Slime Mold Action. Only 1 Faction at a time may be able to perform the Call Slime Mold Action, and the normal Gate in the Overlook takes precedence over Yog-Sothoth.

Call Slime Mold (Action: Cost 0 or 1) If you Control the Gate on the Slime Sea Overlook, place a Slime Mold in any Slime Sea Area. If no Slimes are in play, this costs 0; if at least one Slime is in play, pay 1.

Slime Molds have a Combat of 2.

Slime Molds

Slimes are Monsters. They cannot be Summoned, however. They are placed on the Map via the Call Slime Mold Action, which can only be performed by the player who Controls a Gate in the Slime Sea Overlook.

They cannot use a Move Action to go to the Slime Sea Overlook (but may be Pained there, or arrive via other means such as Great Cthulhu's Submerge, or Shub-Niggurath's Avatar, so long as it is not a Move Action).

They have no inherent ability.

Slime Molds are Controlled by the Faction which Controls a Gate in the Slime Sea Overlook. If this Gate changes Control to another Faction, all Slime Molds in play change allegiance. If the Gate is Abandoned, the Slime Molds become neutral.

It is possible to declare Battle against neutral Slime Molds without affecting any other Faction. The Slime Molds do fight back—roll dice for them and mark losses normally. If a neutral Slime Mold is Pained (or Retreated) and Madness is not in effect, their attacker chooses where they are Pained to, following normal Pain rules. Neutral Slime Molds can also be affected by other abilities targeting a Monster (or Unit). For example, Tsathoggua may use Capture Monster on one, and Shub-Niggurath may Avatar with a neutral Slime Mold.

Special Note: Although you may not Summon Slime Molds (you may only "Call" them), Black Goat's Fertility Cult will allow it to Call as many Slime Molds as desired, and in conjunction with Summoning other Monsters. The Slime Molds must still appear in the Slime Sea, even when Fertility Cult is used in their creation, of course.

Two special bonus Slime Tokens are included in this Expansion. These cannot be used on the Yuggoth Map, or it would lead to confusion. Place each one in a separate Area on another Map expansion (or on the earth map). The "No Slimes Allowed" Area is where you can perform the Call Slime Mold Action if you control a Gate there. The other Area is where the Slimes must appear when Called. All the same rules for Slimes apply. These tokens are purely for player experimentation and Petersen Games has not extensively tested this variant to ensure game balance!

The Green Pyramid

The Slopes of the Pyramid and Watcher Postern

The Green Pyramid consists of 2-4 Areas, depending on the side of the Map you are using. All are specially marked. One mark in each Area is the die roll result on which the Watcher appears. The other mark is a symbol showing that Controlled Gates on the Pyramid earn 1 additional Power during Gather Power. Therefore, Controlled Gates on any Green Pyramid Area (including the Watcher Postern) produce 3 Power each Gather Power Phase instead of 2. (Yog-Sothoth produces 3 Power if he is in a Green Pyramid Area during Gather Power).

Abandoned Gates on the Green Pyramid still only produce 1 Power for all Factions.

The Watcher

The Watcher of the Green Pyramid is a hideous abnormality, a monstrous fellow to the Great Old Ones. It dwells in the abysses beneath the Green Pyramid. Activity on Yuggoth periodically brings forth the Watcher, to ravage and destroy.

Sidebar: +1 Power if you Control a Gate in this Area

The Watcher Awakens

After all players have had a chance to perform a Ritual of Annihilation (or not) during the Doom Phase, if there is a Controlled Gate in any Green Pyramid Area at the end of the Phase, roll 1 die. If the result equals the number printed on an Area with a Controlled Gate, the Watcher Awakens. Flip the Watcher token to the lit-up (Awakened) side, and place the figure on the Watcher Postern (regardless of which number was rolled).

Yog-Sothoth's presence in a Green Pyramid Area counts for Awakening the Watcher, even if a normal Gate is not Controlled in the same Area.

Also, if any player's Doom marker passes over the dark Watcher Token, flip it to the lighted (Awake) side. Thus, when a player first reaches or exceeds 12 Doom, the Watcher Awakens, if it is not already Awake. If a player's Doom reaches 12 during an Action Phase (due to turning in Elder Signs, for example), the Watcher won't Awaken until the following Doom Phase.

The Watcher Decays

If the Watcher is already Awake before the Doom Phase begins, roll 1 die and decrease the Watcher Token's position on the Doom Track by that many spaces. If it Decays to 0, remove it from the Map, it is Killed. In this way, the Watcher gradually dwindles and eventually vanishes, even if no players inflict Kills on it in Battle—though it may re-Awaken later!

Never Decay the Watcher on the Doom Phase in which he Awakens (and never re-Awaken the Watcher in the same Doom Phase it reaches 0).

Action Phase—The Watcher Attacks

If the Watcher is Awake at the start of the Action Phase, then it will Attack. This occurs before the First Player takes a turn.

The Watcher Attacks once per player. The First Player controls its first Attack, followed by the next player, and so forth, until each player had had a chance to control it once, or the Watcher has been destroyed.

Controlling the Watcher

On each Watcher Attack, the controlling player must Move the Watcher into an adjacent Area of his choice that contains Units of any player's Faction. If no adjacent Area contains a player's Units, the Watcher may be teleported to any Map Area that contains any player's Units. The Watcher may never remain in the same Area.

Immediately after Moving, the Watcher initiates a Battle with Combat dice equal to the Watcher Token's position (initially 12). It Battles EACH Faction in the Area separately and independently, in the order chosen by the controller. For example, if 2 Factions, including the controlling player's Units, are in the Area, the controller can choose to have himself attacked second, hoping the Watcher will have lost strength by the time it gets to him. If the Slime Molds are neutral, it does not attack them. All of these Battles in the same Area against each Faction count as a single Watcher Attack.

The defending Faction rolls normal Combat dice against the Watcher. Each Kill drops the Watcher Token down 1 point on the Doom Track. The Watcher is immune to all Pain.

The Watcher is a Great Old One. Additionally, while Spellbooks and abilities can be used in Battle against it, they can only affect your own Units. For example, you cannot use Windwalker's Howl to send the Watcher out of the Battle Area, nor does Demand Sacrifice have any effect on the Watcher's dice results.

The Watcher costs 0 Power, has no Spellbooks or Doom, and has no Power of its own, or any other normal feature of a Faction for all purposes such as calculating the Combat of Tsathoggua, Ithaqua, Nyarlathotep, etc. As a Great Old One, however, the Watcher can provide Nyarlathotep with 2 Elder Signs for scoring a Kill against it—it is immune to Pains, so Nyarlathotep must actually score a Kill (and no, multiple Kills against the Watcher do not provide Nyarlathotep with additional Elder Signs!).

Once the first Watcher Attack is complete, the second player takes control of the Watcher for the next Attack (which again, includes both a Move and a Battle). This continues until all players have controlled the Watcher once (or until it has been destroyed). At that point, the First Player takes his first normal turn. During the rest of the Action Phase any player may initiate a Battle against the Watcher. It will roll its Combat dice and ignore all Pains as normal.

When the Watcher's Token drops to 0 on the Doom track (even if it reaches 0 due to the Watcher Decay in the Doom Phase), it is removed from the board, and the Watcher Token is flipped back to the dark, sleeping side. It is then placed back at the 12 on the Doom track. It will re-Awaken if another player's Doom marker reaches 12, or via the die roll as normal.

Sidebar: Since the Watcher first Awakes on the Watcher Postern, and it must Move into an adjacent Area with Units, you might at first feel safe by having a Gate on the Watcher Postern itself. Be aware that the Watcher may simply return to the Postern on its very second Attack!

Extended Watcher Example

In a four-player game, Rich foolishly Created a Gate on the 1 and 2 Area of the Green Pyramid.

In the following Doom Phase, a 2 is rolled. The Watcher appears on the Watcher Postern.

Rich is the First Player, but he is also the only player with Units on the Green Pyramid, so he is forced to Move the Watcher into his own Area, where he has a Cultist, a Deep One, and Great Cthulhu. The Watcher now rolls 12 Combat dice. Rich rolls 7 Combat dice (Cthulhu's Devour ability is useless on The Watcher). Cthulhu gets 1 Kill, and lowers The Watcher to 11 (The Watcher ignores any Pains). The Watcher got 2 Kills and at least 1 Pain, so the Cultist and Deep One are Killed, and Cthulhu is Pained.

Angela, who is Crawling Chaos, uses Madness to Pain Cthulhu to an adjacent Area (The Twin Desolations) where Frank has his Yellow Sign Units. The First Watch Attack is over.

Now Angela (next player in turn order) Moves The Watcher to the Area (The Twin Desolations) whence Cthulhu was Pained, which also contains Frank's Yellow Sign Units. Angela, having a beef with Rich, decides that The Watcher will attack Cthulhu first. So, The Watcher rolls 11 dice against Cthulhu. Cthulhu gets 2 Kills, and the Watcher's Combat drops to 9. Cthulhu, sadly, is Killed.

Before The Watcher can be controlled by the next player, it has to Battle all the Factions in the Area it is in. So now it attacks Frank's Yellow Sign Units. He has Hastur, the King in Yellow, 3 Undead, a Byakhee, and 2 Acolytes, who roll a total of 11 dice (the Ritual of Annihilation track is at 7). The Watcher rolls 9 dice. Frank gets 2 Kills dropping The Watcher to 7. The Watcher gets a whopping 5 Kills and 3 Pains. Frank lets his 3 Undead and 2 Cultists be Killed (and he gains 1 Power, since he has the Passion Spellbook).

Angela, using Madness, Pains Hastur, the King in Yellow, and the Byakhee to the Methane Sea.

Frank is the next player in line. However, the only Area with Units adjacent to The Watcher is the Methane Sea where his own Yellow Sign Units were just Pained. Sadly, he now must Move The Watcher there and Battle. It now rolls 7 dice and gets 1 Kill and 2 Pains. Frank opts to lose his Byakhee and Angela Pains his Units right back to the Twin Desolations. At least he rolled 2 Kills with his Units, dropping the Watcher to 5.

It is now Chris's turn to Move The Watcher. Though he could Move the Watcher west, he is feeling devious and decides to Move The Watcher back to the Twin Desolations to attack Frank for the third time. This time, The Watcher rolls no Kills with his 5 dice, but it does Pain both Hastur and the King in Yellow. Frank scores a Kill, dropping The Watcher to 4.

Angela, sad that neither Hastur nor the King in Yellow were Killed by The Watcher, decides to split them up and Pain one to the Ammonia Sea and the other to the Nitrogen Sea, so they are vulnerable. All players have taken a turn Moving and Attacking with The Watcher. It now stays in the Twin Desolations where it last Moved. The players now begin the rest of the Action Phase, starting with Rich, who is the First Player.