Dark Blood Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Setup
  • Main Board Setup
  • Player Area Setup
  • Player Pouches
  • The Tree of the Damned
  • Objective Cards
  • Event Cards
  • Game Structure
  • Goal of the Game
  • Game End
• Upkeep Phase
  • Priority Tokens
  • Hex Wooden Discs
  • Resolving the Hex
  • Darkflow
  • Placing Peasants
• Placement Phase
  • Placing Cultists
  • The Church
• Resolve Phase
  • Priority Order
  • Majority Order
  • Location Cards
  • Unholy Favor
  • Gathering Resources
  • Corrupt
  • Monstrosity
  • The Inquisitor Module
  • Proselytize
  • Sacrifice
  • Spell
  • Incantation
  • Upgrading Rituals
• Passive Rituals
• Defile Phase
  • Bidding on Location
  • Defiled Location
• End of Game
  • Total Taint
• Co-op Mode
  • Co-op Mode Main Board Setup
  • Goal of the Game
  • Co-op Setup
  • Special Rules
  • Co-op Mode Phases
• Solo Mode
  • The Goal of The Game
  • Difficulty
  • Set Up
  • Special Rules

Game Components

• 1 x Board, custom shaped, 560 mm (folded 280 x 280 mm)
• 1 x Rulebook, book-shaped box with magnetic lock, 40 pages, 280 x 280 mm; inner box 285 x 285 x 147 mm
• 1 x Occult and Rituals Hard Cover Book, 60 pages, 280 x 280 mm
• 4 x Coffins, 72 x 39 x 20 mm
• 1 x Game Pouch, 140 x 140 mm
• 4 x Player Pouches, 65 x 65 mm
• 4 x Priority Tokens, 30 x 28.5 mm
• 40 x Ritual Tokens, 40 x 2 mm
• 4 x Crates, 36 x 63 x 20 mm
• 32 x Skull Miniatures, 10 mm
• 4 x Starting Points Tokens, 20 x 14 mm
• 4 x Ritual Books, triple layer, 500 x 280 mm
• 10 x Event Cards, 44 x 67 mm
• 8 x Location Cards, 44 x 67 mm
• 29 x Hex Wooden Discs, 38 x 3 mm
• 3 x Spellbook Tokens, 61 x 44.5 mm
• 5 x Defiled Tokens, 61 x 44.5 mm
• 3 x Cult Tokens, 61 x 44.5 mm
• 3 x Blood Tokens, 61 x 44.5 mm
• 3 x Unholy Favor Tokens, 30 x 30 mm
• 12 x Objective Cards, 44 x 67 mm
• 4 x Reference Sheets, 180 x 280 mm
• 20 x Graveyard Dirt, 13 x 18 mm
• 20 x Anvil Dust, 20 x 12 x 6 mm
• 20 x Powdered Bones, 20 x 6 mm
• 20 x Sulfur, 10 mm
• 4 x Position Tokens, 30 x 28.5 mm
• 4 x Bookmarks, 210 x 50 mm
• 32 x Transparent Sleeves, 44 x 67 mm, 200 microns
• 1 x Inquisitor Miniature, 64 mm
• 3 x Inquisitor Shield Hexes, 38 x 3 mm
• 8 x Peasant Miniatures, 32 mm
• 20 x Silver, 20 x 9 x 6 mm
• 40 x Blood, 10 mm
• 6 x Rope Nooses, 100 mm
• 1 x Tree of the Damned Miniature, 128 mm
• 1 x Lagneia Miniature, 64 mm
• 8 x Demonologist Miniatures, 32 mm
• 8 x Necromancer Miniatures, 32 mm
• 8 x Warlock Miniatures, 32 mm
• 8 x Doomsayer Miniatures, 32 mm
• 1 x Eschatos Miniature, 64 mm
• 1 x Thanatos Miniature, 64 mm
• 1 x Strigla Miniature, 64 mm

Setup

Main Board Setup

Place the board at the center of the table so all players can easily reach it.

1. Space for the three Spellbook Tokens.
2. Space for the three Blood Tokens.
3. Space for the 3 Cult Tokens.
4. Spaces for the 5 Defiled Tokens, on their Location as indicated by the printed Token printed in grayscale on the board.
5. Spaces for the Two-Peasant Hex Wooden Discs under each one of the first three Defiled Tokens. If playing with the Inquisitor Module place on top of them the three Shield Hex Wooden Discs of the Inquisitor, in the order indicated by the greyscale print on the board.
6. Printed Area for the Tree of the Damned. If you have the Tree of the Damned miniature, place it here.
7. Spaces for placing your Cultist when you want to increase your position in the Unholy Favor Order.
8. Space for one Sigil from each Cult. These spaces form the Unholy Favor.
9. Spaces for the 3 Unholy Favor Tokens.
10. Space for the area of a Location. Miniatures, such as Cultists, Peasants, and Monstrosities, are placed in or around this area.
11. Spaces for the Priority Tokens.
12. Spaces for the Location Cards. Shuffle the Location Cards into a deck and randomly place one, face up, in each Location.
13. Spaces for the Hex Wooden Discs to be placed.
14. Printed icon of the resource the Location produces.

Player Area Setup

Take your Cult's Ritual Book and open it in front of you. This is your Ritual Book.

1. Space to place your Player Pouch.
2. Space to place your coffin that contains your Sigils.
3. Space to place your crate that contains your Silver. You start the game with 1 Silver.
4. Space for your Monstrosity Ritual. Place your Monstrosity on top of it.
5. Space for your Active Cultists. You start with 4 Active Cultists. You can use only active Cultists.
6. Space for your Inactive Cultists. You start with 4 Inactive Cultists and can never have more than this number.
7. Spaces to place your Cultists when performing Rituals.
8. Spaces for the Rituals. Place each Ritual so that it matches the icon printed on your Ritual Book. Position each ritual from the side that does not have a black brush stroke behind the title.
9. Space for the resources used to upgrade an adjacent Ritual.
10. Space for the Resource Area where all gathered resources are placed. Consume these resources to activate Rituals that have a cost or use them to upgrade your Rituals.
11. Spaces for the four Passive Rituals. Place each Passive Ritual so it matches the icon printed on your Ritual Book. On top of each one, place the Hex Wooden Disc with your Cult's symbol.

Player Pouches

Each Cult has a Player Pouch on their Ritual Book where they secretly store the Blood accumulated from rituals, mainly through sacrificing Peasants. Although players can try to estimate the Blood received by others, they can never know the exact amount since the initial Blood each Cult starts with is kept secret. Here's how it works:

All Player Pouches look identical on the outside and are prepared as follows:

• One pouch contains 5 Blood and a Starting Points Token indicating 0 Taint (Victory Points).
• Another pouch contains 4 Blood and a Starting Points Token indicating 1 Taint (Victory Points).
• Another pouch contains 3 Blood and a Starting Points Token indicating 2 Taint (Victory Points).
• Another pouch contains 2 Blood and a Starting Points Token indicating 3 Taint (Victory Points).

Additionally, each Player Pouch receives one random Position Token, regardless of which one it is.

The four pouches are then shuffled and distributed randomly to each player. Each player secretly counts the Blood they start with, and their opponents cannot know this amount. Each player also keeps their Starting Points Token secret. This serves two purposes: it balances the different starting amounts of Blood and acts as hidden Victory Points, maintaining tension until the end of the game.

Players then take the Position Token from their pouch. This token, visible to everyone, indicates their Cult's position in the Unholy Favor Order. Players place one of their Sigils on the corresponding position on the Unholy Favor Order printed on the board. These tokens are kept as they also serve as Taint (Victory Points) at the end of the game, offsetting any disadvantage of starting in a lower position on the Unholy Favor Order.

Even in games with fewer players (two or three), it is best to assemble four player pouches and use only the required number, leaving one or two unused. This way, it remains harder for players to guess their opponents' hidden points and starting Blood amounts.

The Tree of the Damned

Please follow the steps in the photos to assemble the Tree of the Damned.

1. Take one end of the cord and turn it into a u-shape.
2. Make another u-shape right after the first one, making an S-shape.
3. Take the lower end of the S-shape and cross it under the first U-shape.
4. Loop the lower end around the first U-shape.
5. Keep looping for about 4-6 times.
6. Take the lower end and put it through the upper loop that has been created.
7. Hold the lower loop and pull the lower end to tighten.
8. Hangman's Knot created.
9. Put the Hangman's Knot around the Peasant's neck.
10. Tighten the knot.
11. Peasants can now hang from the Tree of the Damned.

You may detach the miniature's base when the Peasant is hanging.

Objective Cards

During Game Setup, shuffle and deal 2 Objective Cards to each player. Each player keeps one and discards the other face down. These cards outline secret goals to achieve by the game's end. If met, they earn Taint (Victory Points). After the fifth Round, all Objective cards are revealed and Taint is awarded. If players tie in meeting objectives, the one higher in the Unholy Favor Order wins.

For example, if a player ties with another player on having the largest or smaller Cult, then the player higher at the Unholy Favor is the winner in either case.

Event Cards

Optional Module

Event Cards are a special, optional module that can be added to the base game of Dark Blood. These cards introduce new rules and effects that add variety and unpredictability to gameplay. By incorporating Event Cards, players must adapt their strategies from Round to Round and game to game to make the most of their powerful effects.

A word of caution: Event cards can introduce an element of luck and unpredictability, which may affect the pure competitive nature of the game. Some effects may favor certain playstyles or situations, giving players a significant advantage. If you prefer gameplay with minimal luck, we suggest using Event Cards sparingly.

Starting from the second Round, you may draw a random Event Card during the Upkeep Phase and place it where all players can read it. The card's effect lasts for the Round in which it is drawn and should be discarded immediately after the Defile Phase. Depending on how much you want Event Cards to influence your game, you may choose to draw one at the start of every Round except the first, as long as it is clear to all players from the beginning of the game how many Event Cards will be drawn and at which turn. Keep in mind that the more Event Cards you choose to draw, the more variability you add to your game session.

Game Structure

Each game has five Rounds. Each Round has four Phases.

Upkeep Phase

During the Upkeep Phase, do these steps in order:

1. Randomly place the 4 Priority Tokens.
2. Randomly draw and place 2 Hex Wooden Discs in each Location from the Game Pouch.
3. Immediately resolve Hexes such as Cult Hexes, Peasant Hexes, or Inquisitor Shield Hexes.
4. Place any available Peasants.

Placement Phase

• During the Placement Phase, all players take Turns.
• The Turn order is based on the Unholy Favor Order.
• On their Turn, each player places some of their Cultists in any one available Location.

Resolve Phase

• Each Location is Resolved in Priority Token Order.
• In each Location, players take Turns in Majority Order.
• Assign one Cultist to an action and resolve that action.

Defile Phase

(Skip this step in Round 1)

• The Location with the most Sigils is being Defiled.
• All players secretly Bid Blood. Each Sigil in this Location counts as 2 Blood.
• The player with the highest Bid Defiles the Location.
• The players who lost the Bid get some Blood back.
• All Cult miniatures return to each Ritual Book.
• All Hex Wooden Discs are placed in the Game Pouch.
• All 4 Priority Tokens are removed from the Locations.

(If this is Round 5, also Defile the Location with Priority 5, the Church, immediately after a Cult Defiles the Location with Priority 4).

Goal of the Game

At the end of the game, the Cult with the most Taint (Victory Points) wins. You earn Taint from different Tokens gained during or at the end of the game. You can find details about Tokens and how to earn them on Page 31, Chapter "End of Game: Total Taint."

Most Taint comes from defiling Locations, which you do by winning a Bid when a Location is being Defiled. To win a Bid, add the hidden Blood you Bid and the Sigils you have in that Location.

You Gain Blood through the Sacrifice Ritual and increase your chances of corrupting Locations through the Corrupt Ritual. To perform actions like these, you need Cultists. The more Cultists you have, the more Rituals you can perform. Increase your Cultists with the Proselytize Ritual. Remember, your Rituals get stronger as you upgrade them, so allocate your Cultists to gather resources.

Game End

The game ends after the fifth Round, with the last two Locations being Defiled. The Church, with priority 5, is the last one to be Defiled. Once all Locations are Defiled, players are awarded any remaining Tokens and reveal their hidden objective cards and hidden Taint. They add up their Taint and compare the totals. The player with the highest Taint wins.

Upkeep Phase

Priority Tokens

At the beginning of each Upkeep Phase, randomly place the four Priority Tokens, which are numbered 1 through 4. Start by placing them face down, shuffling them, and then assigning them randomly to specific Locations. Each Location indicates where a Token should be placed. Once placed, reveal the Token and put it face up.

During the Resolve Phase, the order of resolving Locations follows the order of these Tokens. The Church is always resolved last because it has a permanent Priority Token 5 printed on the board, so you cannot place a Priority Order Token on the Church.

Hex Wooden Discs

Continuing the Upkeep Phase, randomly draw and place 2 Hex Wooden Discs in each Location from the Game Pouch. You first place on the left of the large circle and then on the right circle. Each Location produces two resources. For example, the Mine produces Anvil Dust and Silver. The type of resource each Location produces is indicated by a small circle with a Resource Icon.

The amount of these Resources available to players is determined by the Hex Wooden Discs placed in the large circle adjacent to the Resource Icon. These Hex Wooden Discs have numbers ranging from 1 to 4, indicating the quantity of resources available each Round.

The Game Pouch initially contains only Hex Wooden Discs with numbers on them. Later in the game, more Wooden Hexes will be added. When the first Location is Defiled, the Wooden Disc indicating two Peasants, which is located below the Token awarded to the Cult that Defiled this Location, is placed in the Game Pouch. If you are playing with the Inquisitor Module, one of the three Hex Wooden Discs indicating a cross will also be added to the Game Pouch. Additionally, during the game, Cults will use their Rituals to corrupt the land, placing their Hex Wooden Discs from their Ritual Books into the Game Pouch.

Triggering Hexes

Some effects require you to Trigger a Hex. This means that after drawing and selecting the Hex you want to Trigger, you resolve the effect associated with that Hex. A Cult's Hex places a Sigil, the Two-Peasant Hex places two Peasants, the Inquisitor's Shield Hex moves the Inquisitor, and the Numbered Hexes reward you with resources, of the type that the Location they were drawn from can produce, equal to the number printed on them. Then Return that Hex in the Game Pouch.

Resolving the Hex

Once all Hex Wooden Discs are placed on the board, then they are resolved as follows:

• Numbered Hex Wooden Discs: These remain on the board and indicate the amount of resources a Location will provide for this Round.
• Peasant Hex Wooden Disc: If a Hex Wooden Disc indicating two Peasants appears, immediately place two Peasant miniatures at this Location. If there aren't enough available Peasants, place as many as possible or none. Once resolved, return this Disc to the Game Pouch.
• Inquisitor Module: If playing with this module and the Inquisitor Shield Hex Wooden Disc appears, place the Inquisitor Miniature in this Location and return the Shield Hex Wooden Disc to the Game Pouch.
• Cult's Hex Wooden Disc: If a Cult's Hex Wooden Disc appears, the Cult places one of their Sigils in that Location, corrupting it. The Hex Wooden Disc is then returned to the Cult's Ritual Book at the right-most available position.
• After resolving these Discs, the spaces they occupied are now empty. Each of these spaces has a printed number 1, meaning the Location will still produce 1 Resource even without a Hex Wooden Disc there.

Darkflow

Eventually, each corrupted Location will become Defiled, indicated by flipping the Location Card face down. In Defiled Locations only numbered or Peasant Hex Wooden Discs can be placed. Special rules apply when placing the Inquisitor Shield Hex Wooden Disc or a Cult's Hex Wooden Disc in a Defiled Location:

• If you are about to place an Inquisitor Shield or Cult's Hex Wooden Disc in a Defiled Location, skip that Location.
• Place the Hex on the next Location according to the Priority Token order.
• If the next Location is also Defiled, continue to the next one until you find a Location that is not Defiled and has an available space for the Hex.
• After placing the Hex Wooden Disc, continue placing Hex Wooden Discs as usual in the originally intended Defiled Location.

The Church, with the printed Priority Token 5, is always the last Location to be Defiled. If the Church already has Hexes due to Darkflow and there is no space for an Inquisitor Shield or Cult's Hex, these Hexes are removed from the game. If a Cult's Hex is removed, the Cult does not place a Sigil but instead receives 1 Blood in their Player Pouch as compensation. This Cult is now more powerful with permanently more passive abilities available.

Placing Numbered Hex Wooden Disc

The Hex Wooden Disc with the number 2 is placed first. Since it is a numbered Disc, it can be placed normally in the Defiled Location.

Placing Non-Numbered Hex Wooden Disc

• When the Demonologist Hex appears, it cannot be placed in the Defiled Location.
• Instead, it is placed in the first available Location, which is the left large circle of the Location with Priority Token 3.

Continuing Placement

• After placing the Demonologist Hex, continue placing Hex Wooden Discs in the Location with Priority Token 2.
• The next Disc goes to the right circle of the Defiled Location (Priority Token 2), which is still empty.
• If this Disc is a number or Peasants, it will be placed there.
• If it is an Inquisitor Shield or Cultist Hex, it will Darkflow to the next Location, which is the right circle of the Location with Priority Token 3.

Placing Peasants

The last step of the Upkeep Phase involves placing any available Peasants represented by their miniatures. There are a total of eight Peasants available in the game, initially all placed on the board. Some may be removed due to Cultists sacrificing them, while others may be returned in previous steps due to the appearance of Hex Wooden Discs placing two Peasants in a Location.

The remaining Peasants are placed as follows: Starting from the Location with Priority Token 5 and going to 4, and so on, one Peasant Miniature is placed in each Location.

However, there is an exception for Peasants hanged at the Tree of the Damned. Peasants placed there, are discarded from the game, reducing the number of available Peasants to less than eight.

Example: All 8 Peasants are initially placed on the board. During a Round, four Peasants are sacrificed and are left by the board. In the next Round's Setup Phase, the Hex Wooden Disc with two Peasants appears in a Location. This Location receives two of the four available Peasants. In the last step of the Setup Phase, where you place Peasants, you have 2 available Peasants. The first will be placed on the Location with Priority Token 5 (always the Church), and the last one on the Location that will have Priority Token 4. If there were a third available Peasant, it would be placed on the Location with Priority Token 3, and so on.

Placement Phase

Placing Cultists

In the Placement Phase, players take Turns placing one or more of their Cultists in a Location. The order of Turns is determined by the Unholy Favor Order, with the player whose Sigil is in the higher position going first, followed by the next player, and so on.

The rules for placing Cultists are as follows:

• First Placement: If a Location has no Cultists, you can only place one Cultist there.
• Second Placement: If there is already one Cultist, you must place exactly two Cultists.
• Third Placement: If there are already two Cultists, you must place exactly three Cultists.
• No Location can have more than six Cultists in total.

These rules apply to all Cults, regardless of whose Cultists are already present. This means you can place more Cultists in a Location where you previously have placed Cultists, always following the above rules for placement. This means, if you have placed your first Cultist in a Location, you can place two more Cultists in your next Turn, effectively having three in that Location.

If a player has no Cultists to play, they skip their Turn, and the next player in line places their Cultists. This process continues until all players have no more Cultists to place.

Example: As an example let's say you're a Doomsayer aiming to collect Graveyard Dirt from the Cemetery. If a Demonologist is already present there, you must place two of your Doomsayer Cultists, gaining temporary Majority. However, the Necromancer, playing next, could place three Cultists and take the Majority. With six Cultists now in the Cemetery, no one else can place there. More on the importance of Majority can be found on Page 17.

The Church

Placing Cultists in the Church follows different rules.

During your Turn, you can only place one Cultist at this Location, regardless of how many Cultists are already present there.

There is no limit to how many Cultists can be placed in this Location. You can continue to place Cultists, exceeding the limit of 6 Cultists that all other Locations have.

Resolve Phase

Priority Order

In the Resolve Phase, all players assign an action to their Cultists. This is done at one Location at a time. The first Location is selected, all the Cultists at that Location are activated, and then you move on to the second Location and so on.

The resolution order is as follows:

• The first Location to be resolved is the one with Priority Token 1.
• Then the Location with Priority Token 2, and so on, in ascending order of priority.
• The last Location to be resolved is always the Church.

Removable Bases

The Peasants feature removable bases that can be taken off when they are hung on the Tree of the Damned.

Example: In this Round, the Ossuary happens to be the Location with priority order Token 1. This will be the first to be resolved. As it has no Cultists, you can continue with the Location that has the Priority Token 2.

Majority Order

In each Location, the Cultists activate in Majority order. This means that the first Cultist to be activated will be the one whose number of Cultists is the highest. The second Cultist to be activated will be the one whose number is second highest, and so on. Once a Cultist from each player is activated, then the second Cultist whose number of Cultists is the highest will be activated, and so on.

Example: In our example, in the cemetery, there are three Necromancers, two Doomsayers, and one Demonologist. The Necromancers have the majority, followed by the Doomsayers, and lastly the Demonologist. This means that the first Cultist to be activated is a Necromancer, then a Doomsayer, and lastly the Demonologist. After these activations, there are now 3 remaining Cultists: two Necromancers and one Doomsayer. The order continues, and the next Necromancer is activated, followed by the Doomsayer. Lastly, the last remaining Necromancer is activated.

In cases where an equal number of Cultists exist in a Location, the Cult that is higher on the Unholy Favor is considered to have Majority.

Example: Let's consider the Mine where initially the Doomsayer places one Cultist. Later, on their Turn, the Doomsayer places two more Cultists, totaling three Doomsayers in the Mine. When it is the Warlock's Turn, they place three Warlock Cultists, following the placement rules, resulting in a total of six Cultists in this Location, with 3 Doomsayers and 3 Warlocks. In this case, since the Doomsayers are higher on the Unholy Favor track, they are considered to have Majority in the Mine.

In some situations, the number of Cultists can change when they are activated because some might be taken out or Killed. However, this doesn't change the order in which they are activated based on the majority rule.

Example: Let's assume there are 3 Doomsayers and 3 Warlocks, the Doomsayer activates first, then a Warlock performs a Ritual to eliminate one of the remaining Doomsayers, leaving 1 Doomsayer and 2 Warlocks to be activated. Even though there are more Warlocks now, the next to be activated should still be the Doomsayer, following the initial majority order.

Importance of Majority

• Gather More Resources: If you have the Majority in a Location, your Cultist can gather the area's resources first. All Cultists can collect resources, but the first to gather will collect more.
• Use Peasants in that Location: Peasants are a rare "resource" for Cults, useful for Proselytizing or even Sacrificing. Activating your Cultist first lets you use a Peasant, denying them to other Cults.
• Perform Rituals on Other Cultists: Instead of gathering resources or interacting with Peasants, you can perform Rituals on other Cultists in the Location. This mechanic, "Take That," is a dark and ruthless feature of the game.

Location Cards

Location Card: Each Location has a special card offering an instant ability, available only to the Cult with the Majority there. This ability changes each game, as different cards are assigned during setup. Modularity enhances replayability.

One important reason for having the majority of Cultists in a Location is because of Location cards. These cards give an extra ability that only the Cult with the most members in that Location can use once per Round. This ability can only be used before the first Cultist in that Location is activated.

Unholy Favor

Not all Cults are equally favored by the dark powers they worship. Their vile deeds can raise their status in the eyes of these powers. Each Cult's status on the Unholy Favor track is shown by its Sigil on the track. During the Placement Phase, Cultists are placed according to their Cult's position on this track, known as the Unholy Favor Order.

Having a higher position on the Unholy Favor track gives a Cult a significant advantage, as it breaks all ties against Cults lower on the track. This advantage applies when determining the Majority Order, when calculating Taint (Victory Points) or in any situation where a tie needs to be resolved. If playing with the Inquisitor Module, the Cult at the bottom of the Unholy Favor track is considered the most unlucky and will have its symbol removed by the Inquisitor if they visit a Location with a Sigil.

Additionally, the order on the Unholy Favor track offers additional Taint (Victory Points) earned at the end of the game, with the highest Cult gaining 6 Taint, the second gaining 4 Taint, and the third gaining 2 Taint.

To ascend on the Unholy Favor track, you must make an offering to the dark powers. When activating a Cultist, you may move them to any one of the three unoccupied positions next to the Tree of the Damned. If all positions are occupied, you cannot increase your position on the Unholy Favor track this Round.

Example: The Doomsayer was initially leading in Unholy Favor, followed by the Demonologist in second, and the Necromancer in third. First, the Demonologist claimed the top position, pushing the Doomsayer down to second place. Then, the Necromancer ascended to second place, pushing the Doomsayer further down to third place.

There are three positions with specific requirements:

• Top Position: Sacrifice a Peasant and offer one Resource (Anvil Dust, Sulfur, Powdered Bones, or Graveyard Dirt).
• Middle Position: Sacrifice a Peasant and offer one Silver.
• Lower Position: Sacrifice a Peasant and offer one Blood.

To sacrifice a Peasant, the Location where your Cultist was activated must have a Peasant. Remove the Peasant from that Location and place them in the circle where the Tree of the Damned is illustrated. To offer a Resource, you must have it on your Ritual Book (in the Resource Area for materials, in your crate for Silver, or in your player pouch for Blood).

Peasants sacrificed at the Tree of the Damned remain there and do not respawn during the setup Phase, permanently reducing the number of available Peasants from eight each time a sacrifice is made.

If you possess the Tree of the Damned Miniature, you can physically hang the Peasant miniatures.

When you ascend the Unholy Favor track, swap your Sigil with the one above you, placing the previously higher Cult below you. You cannot move beyond the highest position on the track, but you may continue to make offerings to please the dark powers, denying your enemies potential positions and preventing them from lowering your rank.

Gathering Resources

Upgrading and performing Rituals require resources, making resource collection a crucial aspect not to be underestimated or neglected.

The Four Main Resources Are:

• Anvil Dust: Collected from the Mine.
• Sulfur: Collected from the Hell Pit.
• Powdered Bones: Collected from the Ossuary.
• Graveyard Dirt: Collected from the Cemetery.

Additionally, the Church allows you to collect any combination of resources. All these Locations also provide Silver, though it is not considered a resource.

While some Cultists view Peasants or their Blood as resources, these are not officially classified as such.

When activating a Cultist to collect a resource, you can only gather one of the two resources available at that Location. Move your Cultist from the Location area to the position atop one of the Hex Wooden Discs. You then collect the resource in the amount displayed on the Hex.

Example: If you activate your Warlock in the Cemetery and move them to the top of a Hex Wooden Disc marked with "2," you collect two Graveyard Dirt resources. Place the collected resources in the Resource Area of your Ritual Book, located in the center area on the right page of your Ritual Book.

Other Cultists, including your own, can attempt to gather more resources from the same area. If the Hex Wooden Disc is occupied, move your Cultist outside the Location area near the Hex Wooden Disc and gather only one resource. You can always gather one resource regardless of how many Cultists have gathered the same resource.

If no Hex Wooden Disc is present in a Location, the printed value on the board defaults to 1, meaning you can still gather the resource but will only gain one unit.

When performing Rituals or sacrificing Peasants for Unholy Favor at the Tree of the Damned, your Cultists are removed from the Location and are placed either on your Ritual Book or at the Tree of the Damned. However, when gathering resources, Cultists remain in the Location, making them valid targets for Cultists activated afterward since you can only target Cultists and Cults that share a Location with you.

Note: During your turn, you can trade any two resources for one resource as many times as you want.

Corrupt

The most important Ritual for all Cults and the only one same to all Cults is the Corrupt Ritual.

When activating your Cultists place them on your Ritual Book in one of the two positions adjacent to the Corrupt Ritual.

Example: The Necromancer activates their Cultist to perform the Ritual: Call of the Abyss. They take the leftmost Hex Wooden Disc from their Ritual Book and place it in the Game Pouch. This action reveals the Vampiric Revenge passive Ritual. The Necromancer reads both sides of the passive Ritual Token and decides which side to use.

By performing the Corrupt Ritual, you take one of the four Hex Wooden Discs with your Cult icon, from the leftmost position and place it inside the Game Pouch. This has three important effects:

• Corrupting Locations: In the next setup Phase, when you draw and place two Hex Wooden Discs in each Location from the Game Pouch, there is now a chance that your Hex will be drawn. If this happens, you will corrupt the land at that Location, allowing you to place your Sigil there and return the Hex to your Ritual Book.
• Revealing Passive Rituals: By placing a Hex in the Game Pouch, you reveal the Passive Ritual under your Hex. This passive ability is now available for you to use. The Token has two sides, and you can immediately read both sides and select the one that is most convenient for you. Place the Token with the chosen side face up. For the current Round, you cannot change the side of the Token. However, at the beginning of each Round, during the start of the setup Phase, you can look at both sides of your Passive Rituals and select which side will be face up.
• By upgrading your Corrupt Ritual, you may summon your Monstrosity as described below, under Monstrosity.

Hint: Corrupting the land will lead you to victory. Placing a Sigil counts as two Blood during the Defile Phase and helps you gain Taint (Victory Points) needed to win the game. Most importantly, the sooner you reveal your Passive Rituals, the more benefit you will derive from them. Start corrupting as much as you can from the first Round.

Monstrosity

Each Cult has a unique Monstrosity that can be summoned by performing an upgraded Corrupt Ritual. Here's how it works:

• When you perform an upgraded Corrupt Ritual, take your Monstrosity from the center of the left side of your Ritual Book and place it in the Location where your Cultist was activated.
• If you perform your Corrupt Ritual again, you may (or may not) move your Monstrosity to the new Location.
• Your Monstrosity remains on the board for the remainder of the Round and will be returned to your Ritual Book at the end of the Round, along with all of your Cultists.

When your Monstrosity is summoned, your Monstrosity Ritual is revealed. You can read both sides of this Ritual and decide which side will be face up. This remains until your Monstrosity is summoned again.

Hint: Your Monstrosity Ritual is very powerful and should be used as often as possible. In most cases, it is worth upgrading the Corrupt Ritual as soon as possible to gain the most of your Monstrosity.

Example: Doomsayer Cultists summon their Monstrosity in the Hell Pit.

The Inquisitor Module

We recommend you don't use this module until you are very familiar with the game. The Inquisitor Module adds more difficulty by "restricting" Locations and increases the randomness for those who want extra fun and surprises in the game.

The Inquisitor Module includes three Hex Wooden Discs called Inquisitor Shields. These are placed under the Two-Peasant Hex Wooden Discs on the board, and the order doesn't matter.

When a Location is Defiled, the first Two-Peasant Hex Wooden Discs and the Inquisitor Shield are placed in the Game Pouch.

If the Inquisitor Shield is drawn from the Pouch into a Location and Resolved, move the Inquisitor Miniature to that Location.

The Inquisitor has two functions:

1. When the Inquisitor moves to a Location, it immediately destroys one Sigil there. Choose the Sigil of the Cult that is lower on the Unholy Favor track. The Sigil is returned to the owner's Ritual Book. If multiple Shields are drawn in different or the same Location, the Inquisitor repeats this action for each Shield.
2. The Inquisitor will kill the last Cultist in each Location after they perform their Action. For example, if there are six Cultists in a Location, the sixth Cultist is returned to the Cult's Ritual Book in the Inactive Cultist Area, as long as there is free space after having gathered resources or performed a Ritual.

Using the Inquisitor Module makes Unholy Favor more important. Cults will not only strive to be higher on the track but also try not to be last. Additionally, it introduces a "vile heroic" element to the game, where Cultists may sometimes sacrifice themselves to the Inquisitor to gain an important resource or perform a crucial Ritual in a key Location.

Proselytize

Each Cult has a unique method of bolstering its ranks, primarily by converting Peasants into Cultists.

When activating one of your Cultists in a Location, move them to your Ritual Book in one of the two positions adjacent to the Proselytize Ritual.

Then you perform the Proselytize Ritual and gain a Cultist. This means you move a Cultist from one of the lower four positions on the left side of your Ritual Book to one of the upper positions. This Cultist will be available in the next Round.

Example: A new Warlock is gained and will be available at the next Round.

Hint: Proselytizing is crucial as it allows you to perform more actions in the following Round than your opponents. Additionally, at the end of the game, having the largest Cult will grant you more Taint (Victory Points).

Proselytize Rituals

• Demonologist:
  • Consume one of your Silver and remove a Peasant from your Location to gain a Cultist.
  • Remove a Peasant from your Location to gain a Cultist.
• Warlock:
  • Remove a Peasant from your Location to gain a Cultist.
  • Remove up to two Peasants from your Location to gain up to two Cultists.
• Necromancer:
  • Consume one of your Silver and one of your Powdered Bones to gain a Cultist.
  • Consume one of your Silver to gain a Cultist.
• Doomsayer:
  • Consume the resource produced in this Location in the amount indicated by the Hex and remove a Peasant from your Location to gain a Cultist.
  • Consume exactly one resource produced in this Location and remove a Peasant from your Location to gain a Cultist.

Sacrifice

In the Defile Phase, you secretly Bid the Blood you have acquired to be the one to Defile a corrupted Location. To gain Blood, you sacrifice Peasants available at your Location.

Activate one of your Cultists in a Location and move them to your Ritual Book in one of the two positions adjacent to the Sacrifice Ritual.

Remove a Peasant from that Location. If there are no Peasants at your Location, you cannot perform this Ritual. Perform the Sacrifice Ritual to gain Blood. By following these steps, you can accumulate the Blood needed to Bid for Defiling corrupted Locations, thereby advancing your path to victory.

Warlocks sacrifice themselves, not Peasants. Here's how it works:

Activate one of your Warlock Cultists in a Location and move them to your Ritual Book in one of the two positions adjacent to the Sacrifice Ritual.

Instead of sacrificing a Peasant, you sacrifice the Warlock. At the end of the Round, return the sacrificed Warlock to one of the lower four positions on the right side of your Ritual Book.

If there are not enough empty spaces in the lower four positions, you cannot sacrifice a Warlock, as you can never have more than four inactive Cultists.

Necromancers do not receive Powdered Bones as they animate them into Cultists. If a Necromancer performs this Ritual and does not have an inactive Cultist, they only gain the Blood from the Ritual.

Hint: Blood wins the game. Enough said.

Example: A hapless Peasant is about to be sacrificed.

Sacrifice Rituals

• Demonologist:
  • Consume one of your Silver and remove a Peasant from your Location to gain one Blood and one Powdered Bones.
  • Consume one of your Silver and remove a Peasant from your Location to gain two Blood and one Powdered Bones.
• Warlock:
  • Consume one of your Silver and remove a Cultist to gain one Blood and one Powdered Bones.
  • Consume one of your Silver and remove a Cultist to gain two Blood and one Powdered Bones.
• Necromancer:
  • Consume two of your Silver and remove a Peasant from your Location to gain one Blood and one Cultist.
  • Consume two of your Silver and remove a Peasant from your Location to gain two Blood and one Cultist.
• Doomsayer:
  • Consume the resource produced in this Location in the amount indicated by the Hex, or by the number printed on the Main Board if no Hex is assigned to this Location. Then, remove a Peasant from that Location to gain one Blood and one Powdered Bones.
  • Consume exactly one resource produced in this Location, then remove a Peasant from that Location to gain two Blood and one Powdered Bones.

Spell

Spells are unique Rituals available to each Cult. There is only one position adjacent to a Spell and therefore you can perform only one Spell every Round.

Killing Cultists

Remove the enemy Cultist and return it to the enemy Ritual Book. Its position is now free for another Cultist to be used.

If there are available spaces in the inactive Cultist area, move the Cultist there. If not, move them to the active Cultists area.

Returning Cultists

Remove the enemy Cultist and return it to the enemy Ritual Book. Its position is now free for another Cultist to be used. Place the returned Cultist in the active Cultists area.

Hint: Killing or Returning enemy Cultists will not only deny your opponent actions but can also ruin their strategy. Do not hesitate to destroy their plans and control the flow of the game.

Spell Rituals

• Demonologist:
  • Consume one of your Blood and Kill an enemy Cultist from your Location. You gain one Cultist.
  • Consume one of your Sulfur and Kill an enemy Cultist from your Location. You gain one Cultist.
• Warlock:
  • Consume one of your Anvil Dust and Kill an enemy Cultist from your Location.
  • Consume one of your Anvil Dust and Kill up to two enemy Cultists from your Location.
• Necromancer:
  • Consume one of your Graveyard Dirt and return up to two enemy Cultists from your Location.
  • Return up to three enemy Cultists from your Location.
• Doomsayer:
  • Move a Peasant from your Location to any other Location or from any other Location to your Location. Gain one resource from either of the two Locations.
  • Move up to two Peasants from your Location to any other Location or from any other Location to your Location. Gain any two resources from either of the two Locations.

Example: A warlock performing a Voodoo Ritual to Kill enemy Cultists.

Incantation

Similar to Spells, Incantations are unique Rituals for each Cult. Incantations emphasize each Cult's unique powers and offer valuable utility.

Hint: You should always try to perform an Incantation Ritual as they are the most powerful utility Rituals.

Example: A Demonologist performing an Atrocity Ritual placing their Sigil on their Location.

Incantation Rituals

• Demonologist:
  • Consume one of your Blood to place one of your Sigils in this Location.
  • Consume one of your Sulfur to place one of your Sigils in this Location.
• Warlock:
  • Select one enemy Cultist in your Location and destroy up to three resources of any type from the Resource Area of their player's Ritual Book.
  • Select one enemy Cultist in your Location and steal up to three resources of any type from the Resource Area of their player's Ritual Book.
• Necromancer:
  • Consume one of your Silver and Powdered Bones. You gain one Blood.
  • Consume one of your Silver. You gain two Blood.
• Doomsayer:
  • Draw two Hex Wooden Discs from the Game Pouch. Select one of them and receive resources of the same type produced by the Location, equal to the number displayed on the selected Hex. Alternatively, you can choose to activate any other Hex drawn, such as your Cult's Hex to place a Sigil, or the Two-Peasant Hex to place additional Peasants.
  • Draw four Hex Wooden Discs from the Game Pouch. Select one of them and receive resources of the same type produced by the Location, equal to the number displayed on the selected Hex. Alternatively, you can choose to activate any other Hex drawn, such as your Cult's Hex to place a Sigil, or the Two-Peasant Hex to place additional Peasants.

Upgrading Rituals

Each Ritual can be upgraded into a more powerful version. To upgrade your Rituals, follow these steps:

Gather Resources: Collect the required resources in the middle Resource Area on the right part of your Ritual Book. Adjacent to this area, there are five triangle spaces with three icons each, indicating the resources needed to upgrade one of the two adjacent Rituals.

Upgrade Process:

During your Turn, you can upgrade any number of Rituals, provided you have enough resources.

• Move the required resources indicated by the icons printed on the triangle to the triangle space.
• Choose one of the two adjacent Rituals to upgrade by flipping it and revealing its backside.
• If you have additional resources, you can repeat this process in the same triangle to upgrade the other adjacent Ritual.
• Once resources are placed in a triangle, they cannot be removed or used for other purposes, including performing Rituals, upgrading different Rituals, or being destroyed or stolen.

Example: The Warlock has enough resources in their Resource Area to upgrade either the Witchcraft Ritual or the Path of Eve Ritual. They move the required resources to the triangle adjacent to the two Rituals and decide to upgrade the Path of Eve Ritual to the Eidolon Ritual.

Gaining the Spellbook Token

Upon fully upgrading your Ritual Book, remember to gain the Spellbook Token with the highest available points.

Hint: Rituals are the core of the game. Upgrading Rituals adds value to the actions of your Cultists, as they will perform more powerful versions of each Ritual. Additionally, the more you upgrade your Ritual book, the more Taint (Victory Points) you will receive.

Passive Rituals

Your Cult has 4 two-sided Passive Rituals at the bottom of your Ritual Book. At the start of the game, these Rituals are covered by your Cult's Hexes and remain inactive while covered by a Hex. When you use the Corrupt action, remove the Hex from the left-most Passive Ritual and place it in the Game Pouch. Unlike other Rituals, these Passive Rituals cannot be upgraded. You can select the side of the token you wish to activate and place it face-up on your Ritual Book. The Passive Ritual remains active as long as it is uncovered, and you may flip it any time you remove the Hex from on top of it or at the end of each Upkeep Phase. The next time you use the Corrupt action, if you have one or more uncovered Passive Rituals, remove the Hex from the next left-most slot and activate the Passive Ritual below it.

These Passive Rituals are numbered 1 to 4, with each level featuring progressively stronger abilities. The more Hexes you place in the Game Pouch, the stronger your Cult becomes. This balances the luck factor of having your Hexes drawn during the Upkeep Phase by granting you a powerful ability to use in the upcoming Round, instead of a Sigil.

Passive Rituals

• Demonologist — Blasphemy:
  • When you lose a Bid during the Defile Phase, you may move one of your Sigils from the Location that was Defiled to another non-Defiled Location.
  • When you win a Bid during the Defile Phase, you may move one of your Sigil from the Location that was Defiled this turn to another non-Defiled Location.
• Demonologist — Desecration:
  • Before Bidding, you may select a non-Defiled Location to be Defiled for this turn. You cannot choose to Defile the Church.
  • When placing one of your Hexes in the Game Pouch, for example when using the Corrupt Ritual, you may place two of your Hexes at the same time instead.
• Demonologist — Diabolical Revenge (Defensive Ritual):
  • When Attacked by another Cult, you may place one of your Sigils in the Location where the Attack took place if the Location is not Defiled.
  • When Attacked by another Cult, you may draw Hexes from the Game Pouch until you find one Hex of the Cult that Attacked you, or until the Game Pouch is empty. Return that Hex to its owners Ritual Book. Return all other Hexes inside the Game Pouch.
• Demonologist — Limbo:
  • During Bidding calculation, your Sigils count as three Blood instead of two.
  • At the start of the Defile Phase select one enemy Cult. All their Sigils count as only one Blood instead of two during Bidding calculation.
• Warlock — Dark Pact:
  • When gaining exactly one resource of any kind from any effect, gain one additional resource of the same kind.
  • When consuming resources, you may substitute one resource for one of any other type. You can use this effect only once per action.
• Warlock — Eclipse:
  • When you upgrade a Ritual, gain two Blood.
  • When you have Majority in a Location, you may consume one Blood to place one of your Sigils. You may use this effect only once in each Location per Round.
• Warlock — Eye for an Eye:
  • When Attacked by an enemy Cult, the Cult that Attacked you suffers the same effect they used against you.
  • When Attacked, you may upgrade one of your Rituals, if able.
• Warlock — Alchemy:
  • When you Bid Blood to Defile a Location, you may use three resources of any kind instead of one Blood. You may do this any number of times. Use the ability before Bids are revealed.
  • When you Bid Blood to Defile a Location, you may use two Silver instead of one Blood. You may do this any number of times. Use the ability before Bids are revealed.
• Necromancer — Bloodthirst:
  • When you win a Bid during the Defile Phase, gain one Blood.

Hint: Passive Rituals usually synergize with your other Rituals, or resource gathering. Try to activate them before using another action to gain the most value.

Defile Phase

Bidding on Location

The Defile Phase occurs in Rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5, where Cults Bid Blood to determine who will Defile a Location. In the 5th Round, both of the last two Locations will be Defiled. One Bidding will occur for the 4th Location, followed immediately by another Bidding for defiling the Church.

Determining the Location:

Identify the most corrupted Location, which has the most Sigils.

In case of a tie or no Sigils, the Location among the tied ones with the lowest Priority Token will be Defiled.

Example: The Necromancer has corrupted the Cemetery with 3 Sigils, while the Warlock has 2 Sigils. This is equivalent to 6 Blood versus 4 Blood.

Bidding Process:

• Players secretly gather the Blood they accumulated in their player pouch.
• Players secretly decide how much Blood to Bid, placing the Bid amount in a closed palm and Returning the rest to their pouch.
• All players simultaneously reveal their Bids by stretching their arms and opening their palms.
• For each Sigil a player owns in the Location, calculate 2 Blood to their total Bid.

Determining the Winner:

• Compare the total Blood Bid, including the bonus for Sigils.
• The Cult of the player with the highest total Defiles the Location.
• In case of a tie, the Unholy Favor Order resolves the winner.

Hint: Strategically plan where to Bid and where to fake a Bid. Try to outsmart your opponent by gaining Bids with the minimum Blood possible. While the last two Locations offer more points, do not hesitate to try to get the Tokens from the first Locations, as you might need much less Blood to exceed your opponent's Bid.

Example: The Necromancer Bids 4 Blood for a total of 10 Blood. The Warlock Bids 5 Blood for a total of 9 Blood. The Necromancer will Defile this Location.

Defiled Location

Once it has been determined which Cult will Defile the Location, follow these steps:

Flip the Location Card

• Turn the Location card face down. This disables the Location's ability, making it less attractive for Cultists.
• Hex Wooden Discs in this Location now follow the Rule of Darkflow (see the Darkflow section under Upkeep Phase).

Receive Defiled Token

• The Cult that Defiled the Location receives this Round's Defiled Token.
• Defiled Tokens offer increasing Taint (Victory Points): the first Defiled Location grants 2 Taint, the next 3 Taint, and so on.

Place Hex in Game Pouch

• Place available Hex(es) underneath the Token (Two-Peasant Hex, and if using the Inquisitor Module, one of the Inquisitor Shields) into the Game Pouch.

Lose Committed Blood

• The Cult that Defiled the Location loses all the Blood they committed and returns their Sigils to their Ritual Book.

Other Cults Gain Blood

• Cults that lost the Bid regain half of their committed Blood (Rounded up). For example, if you Bid one Blood and lose, you get that Blood back.
• They also gain one Blood for each of their Sigils, which are removed and returned to their Ritual Book.

Example: The Necromancer Bids 4 Blood and has 2 Sigils, totaling 8 Blood. The Doomsayer Bids 6 Blood and has 1 Sigil, also totaling 8 Blood. The Cult higher in Unholy Favor will Defile the Location. Assuming the Doomsayer is higher in Unholy Favor and wins the Bid: the Doomsayer loses all committed Blood and returns their Sigil to their Ritual Book. The Necromancer receives back half of their committed Blood (2) plus 1 Blood for each of their Sigils (2), for a total of 4 Blood returned.

Hint: Do not forget that Blood remaining in your Player Pouch after the last Bidding will also award Taint (Victory Points). Sometimes luring your opponent to over-commit to a Bid is the best strategy. Returning some Blood back is an easy catch-up mechanism.

End of Game

Total Taint

At the end of the game, tally your accumulated Taint (Victory Points) to determine the winner. Here's how you gain Taint:

Defiled Locations

Each Location you Defile awards you a Defiled Token with Taint ranging from 2 to 5.

Cultists Count

Count the number of Cultists each Cult possesses. The Cult with the highest number receives the Cult Token awarding 3 Taint, the next receives 2 Taint, and the third receives 1 Taint. Unholy Favor breaks ties.

Spellbook Tokens

The first Cult to upgrade all five Rituals on their Ritual Book receives the Spellbook Token awarding 3 Taint, immediately upon their last Ritual upgrade. The second Cult receives 2 Taint, and so on. If there are Spellbook Tokens remaining at the end of the game, they're awarded to the Cult with the highest number of upgraded Rituals at the end of the game. Unholy Favor breaks ties.

Blood Tokens

Compare the remaining Blood in each Cult's player pouch. The Cult with the most remaining Blood receives the Blood Token awarding 3 Taint, and so on. Unholy Favor breaks ties.

Unholy Favor Tokens

Your position in the Unholy Favor grants significant Taint. The Cult at the highest position receives the Unholy Favor Token awarding 6 Taint, and so on.

Position Tokens

As Cults are randomly placed on the Unholy Favor track, this is now evened out by calculating the Taint indicated on their Token.

Starting Points Tokens

Randomly distributed starting points Tokens balance out Cults that began with less Blood, offering additional Taint.

Objective Cards

Hidden objective cards offer additional Taint if the goals described on them are successfully achieved.

Total up these Taint points to determine the winner. You never know who the winner will be until the end of the game. Thanks to catch-up mechanisms, the eventual winner usually only prevails by a narrow margin. Therefore, never give up and fight for every last point. Victory might be closer than you think.

Example tally: 2 Taint from Defiled Token + 4 Taint from Defiled Token + 1 Taint from Cult Token + 3 Taint from Spellbook Token + 2 Taint from Blood Token + 4 Taint from Unholy Favor Token + 1 Taint from Position Token + 3 Taint from Starting Points Token + 2 Taint from Objective Card = 22 Taint.

Co-op Mode

Co-op Mode Main Board Setup

1. Space for the 3 Taint Spellbook Token.
2. Space for the 3 Taint Blood Token.
3. Space for the 3 Taint Cult Token.
4. Space for the Inquisitor Miniature.
5. In these two spaces, place respectively one Two Peasant Hex Wooden Disc beneath each of the second and third Defiled Tokens. Then, place the two Shield Hex Wooden Discs on top of them in the order shown.
6. Space for the 5 Defiled Tokens, on their Location as indicated by the Grayscale print on the board.
7. Remove the following Hex Wooden Discs from the Game Pouch: 1, 2, 3, and 4, and Shuffle those Discs and place them face down on top of the second, third, fourth, and fifth Defiled Tokens. These will be used later during the Defile Phase. The first Defiled Token has no Wooden Hex Disc assigned to it.
8. Printed Area for the Tree of the Damned. If you have the Tree of the Damned miniature, please place it here.
9. Three Spaces for placing your Cultist when you want to increase your position in the Unholy Favor Order.
10. Place an Acrylic Blood Drop on top of the three spaces to remind you that you must pay an additional Blood every time you hang a peasant, in addition to the printed resources.
11. In these spaces, each Cult must place one Sigil to form the Unholy Favor Track. Players collectively decide where each player's Sigil should be placed on the track.
12. Leave the spaces for the 3 Unholy Favor Tokens empty; they are not to be used in Co-Op mode.
13. Space for the area of a Location: Miniatures, such as Cultists, Sigils, Peasants, Monstrosities, or the Inquisitor are placed in or around this area.
14. Spaces for the Priority Tokens.
15. Printed Icon of the resource the Location produces.
16. Space for the Hex Wooden Components to be placed.
17. Spaces for the Location Cards. Shuffle the Location Cards into a deck and randomly place one in each Location.

In a Co-Op game, 2-4 players work together against the Inquisitor. Your collective goal is to collect enough Taint to successfully corrupt the village, while the Inquisitor and his Peasant army try to foil your sinister plans. Each player selects a Cult, and after the initial setup, they begin placing their Cultists as if it were a competitive game of Dark Blood. But be careful, the Peasants also act in this game mode, with potentially devastating effects!

Goal of the Game

To win the Co-Op mode of Dark Blood, you will need to collect enough Taint based on the player count.

Player Count	2	3	4
Taint	15	18	20

You can collect Taint by completing the following objectives:

1. Defiling Locations – Each Location awards you the indicated Taint.
2. Collecting The Spellbook, Blood, and Cult Tokens – Each of these Tokens awards you with 3 Taint. See more on how to win these Tokens in the Special Rules.
3. By Sacrificing Peasants to the Tree of the Damned – Each Peasant you successfully sacrifice to the Tree of the Damned awards you with 1 Taint.
4. The maximum Taint you can gather is 34 (9 from the Spellbook, Blood, and Cult Tokens, 8 from the Sacrificed Peasants, and 17 from all Defiled Tokens).

Co-op Setup

• Each player selects a Cult of their choice, takes their Ritual Book, their Cultists and the Monstrosity, and assembles them as normal with the differences listed below.
• Do not use a player pouch as the amount of Blood each player has is public information.
• Place the Passive Rituals as shown in the image, you cannot flip them when you remove the Hex Wooden Disc.
• Each player starts with 1 Blood and 1 Silver.
• Remove the following Hex Wooden Discs from the Game Pouch: 1, 2, 3, 4.
• Shuffle those Hex Wooden Discs. Place them face down on top of the second, third, fourth, and fifth Defiled Tokens. These will be used later during the Defile Phase. The first Defiled Token has no Hex Wooden Disc assigned to it.
• Place the Inquisitor's Shield Hex Wooden Discs as shown in the setup image, over the two Two-Peasant Hexes.
• Place all other Hex Wooden Discs inside the Game Pouch.
• Two players remove their leftmost Hexes and place them in the Game Pouch. Consult as a team to decide which players perform this action.
• The Game Pouch should now have a total of 10 Hex Wooden Discs: 1 Shield Hex, 1 Two-Peasant Hex, the 6 remaining Hex Wooden Discs with Numbers, and 2 Cult Hexes.
• Place all Location Cards as Normal.
• Place all Peasants as Normal.

Special Rules

• The Hex Wooden Discs that are placed on top of the Defiled Tokens represent a hidden value that is added to the Bidding Difficulty, so you will have to calculate and bid with some risk during the Defiled Phase. Flip them face up to reveal their value after all players bid during the Defile Phase. The number of the Hex is added to the Bidding Difficulty of the Location. When you reveal these Hex Wooden Discs add them inside the pouch together with the Hexes under that Defiled Token.
• The Bidding Difficulty of the Location is calculated as follows: add the number on the Hex Wooden Disc + the Taint score written on top of the Defiled Token + the number of players + any Blood stored on top of the Defiled Token. If your collective bid value exceeds the Bidding Difficulty, you win the Defiled Token. All players win and lose a bidding together.
• Players bid together when Defiling a Location. Pool all Blood you wish to bid from all players and add the Blood value of the Sigils in that Location; this is your collective bid value.
• When the players win a bid, all Blood bid is lost, and all Sigils are returned to their Ritual Books, as in a competitive game.
• When the players lose a bid, each player gets back half of the Blood they pledged in the collective bid, always Rounded up. They also gain one Blood for each of their Sigils, which are removed and returned to their Ritual Books.
• The Two-Peasant Hex moves two Peasants to the Location where it appeared in the following way: First you check to see if there are any available Peasants and place them on the Location where the Two-Peasant Hex appeared, then if you have not moved enough Peasants, take the rest from the Location with the Highest Priority Token (highest number) that does not have a Two-Peasant Hex. Repeat this process until you have placed two Peasants or run out of Locations.
• Peasants are considered both Enemy Cultists and Peasants for all purposes and effects. When an effect would instruct you to kill or return one or more Enemy Cultist you temporarily remove that many Peasants from the game.
• Sacrificing Peasants to the Tree of the Damned costs 1 extra Blood.
• When Players lose a Location bid that Location becomes Consecrated. Place the Defiled Token on top of the Location Card to mark it as a Consecrated Location.
• Peasants in a Consecrated Location cannot be sacrificed to the Tree of the Damned and the Location Card can no longer be activated.
• Inquisitor Shield Hexes and Two-Peasant Hexes are considered enemy Hexes for all purposes and effects.
• When an ability would instruct you to destroy resources from another player, gain those resources from the available ones and place them near your Ritual Book. The next time any player collects resources from a Location, they also gain 1 of those resources.
• When an ability instructs you to steal resources, gain that number of resources from the available ones instead.

Milestone Tokens

The Spellbook, Blood, and Cult Tokens function as milestones in the Co-Op mode and are awarded immediately once a condition is fulfilled by one player. After completing a milestone, you cannot lose these points even if that condition is no longer met in the future.

• Spellbook Token: The player who first upgrades all of their Rituals is awarded this token.
• Blood Token: The player who collects 10 Blood is awarded this token.
• Cult Token: The player who controls all 8 of their Cultists is awarded this token.

Peasant Activation Rules

Players activate their Cultists normally by following the Majority and Dark Favor rules. After all players have resolved their first Cultist, a Peasant also activates. To activate a Peasant, place their miniature in the open Incantation slot of the last player in Dark Favor. If this slot is occupied, place the Peasant in the Spell slot. If both slots are occupied, the Peasant moves to the next player in Dark Favor. When a Peasant is placed in an Incantation or Spell slot, the effect of the Incantation or Spell is immediately activated. If all slots are occupied the Peasant is not activated.

When Peasants activate Incantations and Spells

• If an Incantation or Spell would cause a Peasant to gain Blood, add that Blood to the next Location bid instead.
• If the effect would place a Sigil, add 2 Blood to the next Location bid.
• Peasants can steal and destroy resources from another player in that Location but can never collect them. They always target the player in that Location with the most resources.
• Peasants cannot gain Cultists, other Peasants, or resources; these effects are ignored.
• When drawing Hexes, Peasants can return player Hexes to their respective Ritual Book.

Inquisitor Movement and Actions

• When you take any action involving a Peasant, the Inquisitor moves one Location closer to where that action took place. For example, if you sacrifice a peasant in Area 1 and the Inquisitor is in Area 3, the Inquisitor will move to Area 2. This action happens before you resolve the effect, so the Peasant you will interact with is still in the Location, allowing the Inquisitor to destroy a Sigil and kill that Cultist if he is the last Cultist to act in that Location. The Inquisitor still needs to have a Shield Hex or a Peasant in the Location when the last Cultist performs an action to kill that Cultist.
• As the Inquisitor moves, if he passes through an area with at least one Peasant or an Inquisitor Shield Hex, he destroys a Sigil in that area.
• The Inquisitor will kill the last Cultist in the Location he is in after they perform their Action, if there is at least one Peasant or a Shield Hex in that Location.
• The Inquisitor Shield Hex disables resource gathering from the Location it appears in. Leave that Hex on top of the Location to remember the effect. Abilities that return Enemy Hexes may return that Hex to the pouch, allowing resource gathering to resume at that Location.

Example: The Inquisitor Moves from Location 4 to Location 3, as It Is the Closest Location to Where the Cultist Interacted with the Peasant. The Inquisitor Moves to Location 2 After the Cultist Interacts with the Peasant, Destroying the Sigil, and Killing the Cultist.

Co-op Mode Phases

Upkeep Phase

During the Upkeep Phase, do these steps in order, as normal:

1. Randomly place the 4 Priority Tokens.
2. Randomly draw and place 2 Hex Wooden Discs in each Location from the Game Pouch.
3. Immediately resolve the Hex Wooden Discs, the Cult Hexes, the Inquisitor Shield Hexes, and the Two-Peasant Hexes.
4. Place any available Peasants.
5. Move the Inquisitor to each Location with a Shield Hex, as instructed by the Priority Tokens, and destroy Sigils where applicable.

Placement Phase

After you have completed the Setup, and the Upkeep Phase; you can start placing your Cultists in each Location like normal. Other players limit you in how many Cultists you can place in a region like they would in a competitive game. Peasants do not affect your Cultists' placement.

Resolve Phase

Collect resources, perform Rituals, and interact with the Peasants from each Location in the order that the Priority Tokens dictate. Remember Peasants are considered enemy Cultists for all effects and purposes.

Defile Phase

Like in a normal game, the first Round has no Defile Phase.

After the First Round

When the first Round ends, shuffle all available Hex Wooden Discs back into the Game Pouch, except for the two Cult Hexes that were placed in the Game Pouch at the beginning of the game; those Hexes return to their respective Ritual Books after they have been resolved in the Upkeep Phase, as normal. Then follow the rules as normal by reshuffling the Priority Tokens and Hex Wooden Discs. If no player has used the Hex Ritual, it is possible for the Game Pouch to have fewer than 10 Hex Wooden Discs. In this case, leave the remaining Location slots empty after dealing all the Wooden Discs.

Defile Phase

When you reach the Defile Phase, each player decides how much Blood to bid. All players' bids pool together, forming the Collective Bid. Then reveal the face-down Hex Wooden Disc and calculate the Bidding Difficulty of the Location. If the Collective Bid is larger than the Bidding Difficulty, you win the bid and successfully Defile the Location. Players always lose in the event of a tie. If you win the bid, take the Defiled Token and its respective Taint. Remember that players either win or lose together.

End of the Game and Scoring

The game ends at Round five after bidding for the final Location, the Church. Calculate all the Taint you have collected as a team. If you didn't manage to collect enough Taint for your player count, you lose the game. Remember, Cults that work well together win together!

Tips and Frequently Asked Rules

• During the Upkeep Phase, if the Inquisitor's Shield Hex Wooden Disc appears in a Location in the left slot and the Cult's Hex Wooden Disc is on the right, the Inquisitor is first moved into that Location, and then the Cult's Sigil is placed there, effectively making it unaffected by destruction from the Inquisitor. If the Hexes appear in the opposite order, the Sigil is destroyed.
• The Inquisitor's Shield Hex only disables resource gathering from the specific circle of the Location it occupies, not from both circles.
• You can return the Inquisitor's Shield Hex from a Location to both reopen resource gathering in that Location and protect your Sigils and Cultists from the Inquisitor's wrath.
• Remember that the Inquisitor moves only one Location closer to where you interacted with a Peasant. Think a few moves ahead to trap the Inquisitor in a Location where there are no Cultists or Sigils.
• Remember that the Inquisitor's Shield Hex uses the rules for Darkflow.
• From Locations 1 and 5, the Inquisitor can only travel to Locations 2 and 4, respectively.
• Removing Peasants from a Location by any means (returning, killing, sacrificing them to rituals, etc.), except for sacrificing them to the Tree of the Damned, temporarily removes them from the game and makes them available for placement.
• Sacrificing Peasants to the Tree of the Damned removes them for the rest of the game. This means that the Inquisitor will have a harder time destroying your Sigils and Cultists, and there will be fewer Peasants available to perform actions.
• "When attacked" Rituals trigger both when the Inquisitor destroys a Sigil or kills a Cultist and whenever the Peasants would perform an action that is considered an attack by normal rules.

Solo Mode

In a solo game, you face off against all enemy Cults who don't use the normal rules for placing Cultists and corrupting a Location. This solo mode is designed to be played with any of the four Cults and consists of 3 Victory Conditions you must meet, and a scoring system centered around the Defiled Tokens. Keep in mind that every Cult has its own playstyle, that creates a unique experience while playing with each different Cult.

The Goal of The Game

To win the solo of Dark Blood you will need to fulfil all 3 Victory Conditions at the end of the game.

1. Fully upgrade all of your Rituals.
2. End the game with all 8 of your Cultists Active.
3. Reach the highest position on the Unholy Favor track.

Then you count your score by adding the Taint of the Defiled Tokens you managed to win during the Defile Phase. The maximum score in this game mode is 17. If you fail to meet any one of those conditions, you are considered to have lost the game and should not count your score.

Difficulty

The solo mode can be played on 4 difficulties:

• Easy: Place only 1 enemy Hex under each Defiled Token.
• Medium: Place 2 enemy Hexes under each Defiled Token.
• Hard: Place 3 enemy Hexes under each Defiled Token.
• Nightmare: Place all 4 enemy Hexes under each Defiled Token.

Set Up

• Select a Difficulty.
• Select a Cult of your choice, take their Ritual Book, their Cultists and the Monstrosity, assemble them as normal.
• Start with 2 Blood and 1 Silver.
• Remove the following Hex Wooden Discs from the Game Pouch: 1, 2, 3, and 4.
• Shuffle those Discs and place them face down on top of the second, third, fourth, and fifth Defiled Tokens. These will be used later during the Defile Phase. The first Defiled Token has no Wooden Hex Disc assigned to it.
• Place the enemy Hexes under each Defiled Token depending on the difficulty. If any are left unplaced, remove them from the game.
• Place all other Hex Wooden Discs inside the Game Pouch.
• Remove your leftmost Hex and place it into the Game Pouch.
• The Game Pouch should now have a total of 10 Hex Wooden Discs: the 3 Two-Peasant Hexes, all remaining Hex Wooden Discs with Numbers, and 1 of your Hexes.
• Place one of your Sigils at the bottom of the Unholy Favor Track.
• Place an enemy Sigil in the second from the top position on the Unholy Favor Track. As long as this Sigil is higher than yours, you lose all ties.
• Place all Location Cards as normal.
• Place all Peasants as normal.

Special Rules

• The Hex Wooden Discs that are placed on top of the Defiled Tokens represent a hidden value that is added to the Bidding Difficulty, so you will have to calculate and bid with some risk during the Defile Phase. Flip them face up to reveal their value after the player bids during the Defile Phase. Their number is added to the Bidding Difficulty of the Location. When you reveal these Hex Wooden Discs add them inside the pouch together with the enemy Hexes under that Defile Token.
• The Bidding Difficulty of the Location is calculated as follows, add the number on the Hex Wooden Disc + the amount of Blood from enemy Sigils + the Taint Score written on top of the Defiled Token. If your Bid value exceeds the Bidding Difficulty, you win the Defiled Token. Ties are resolved as normal based on the Unholy Favor positions.
• When a Two-Peasant Hex appears, place 2 enemy Cultists instead of the 2 Peasants you would normally place in that Location.
• Special Solo Rules for Cultist Placement: Only up to 6 Cultists can occupy a single Location, if there is 1 enemy Cultist you may place 2 Cultists as normal. If there are 2 enemy Cultists you may either place 1 or 3 Cultists. To place in a Location with 3 or more enemy Cultists, you must place enough Cultists to bring the total number of Cultists at the Location to 6. Example: If there are 4 enemy Cultists in the Lava Pit, you can place 2 Cultists in that Location, as 4 enemy Cultists + 2 of your Cultists = 6 total Cultists.
• You have Majority if you have placed more Cultists in a Location than enemy Cultists. Although you always play first as the enemy Cultists do not collect resources or perform other actions, majority is still important for allowing you to activate the Location card.
• The main role of the enemy Cultists is to restrict the number of Cultists you can place in each Location and make you vie for Majority.
• At the end of each Round, remove all but 1 enemy Cultist from each Location, assuming that there is at least 1 enemy Cultist in that Location.
• For the rest of the rules, follow the same rules as you would in a normal game.

Upkeep Phase

During the Upkeep Phase, do these steps in order, as normal:

1. Randomly place the 4 Priority Tokens.
2. Randomly draw and place 2 Hex Wooden Discs in each Location from the Game Pouch.
3. Immediately resolve the Hex Wooden Discs, the Cult Hexes, and the Two-Peasant Hexes.
4. Place any available Peasants.

Placement Phase

After you have completed the Setup, and the Upkeep Phase; you can start placing your Cultists in each Location according to the Special Solo Rules for Cultist Placement. Like in a normal game, you may place 1 of your Cultists in an empty Location, and then place 2 more, and so on. This even works if there are 2 enemy Cultists corrupting a Location, as you can place 1 Cultist and then 3 Cultists, for a total of 6 Cultist. The maximum number of Cultists in each Location is limited to 6.

Resolve Phase

Collect resources, perform Rituals, and interact with enemy Cultists and Peasants from each Location in the order that the Priority Tokens dictate, as you normally would in a game.

Defile Phase

Like in a normal game, the first Round has no Defile Phase.

After the First Round

When the first Round ends, shuffle all available Hex Wooden Discs back into the Game Pouch, except for your Hex that was placed in the Game Pouch at the beginning of the game; that Hex returns to your Ritual Book after it has been resolved in the Upkeep Phase, as normal. Then follow the special solo rules for removing Cultists and continue to the Upkeep Phase of Round two as normal by reshuffling the Priority Tokens and Hex Wooden Discs.

Defile Phase

When you reach the Defile Phase, secretly bid any amount of Blood and add it to your Bidding Power as you would in a normal game. Then reveal the face-down Hex Wooden Disc and calculate the Bidding Difficulty. If you win the bid, you take the Defiled Token and its respective Taint. Ties are resolved as normal based on the Unholy Favor positions.

End of the Game and Scoring

The game ends at Round five after bidding for the final Location, the Church. If you didn't manage to complete all 3 Victory Conditions, you lose the game. Adjust your strategy and try again next time!