Dubious Alliance Fantasy Card Trading Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Set Up
• How to Play
• The Dealer
• Unrevealed Card
• Trading
• Trade Tracker
• Revealed Card
• Active Cards
• Winning or Losing Key Words, Card Types and Special Instructions
• Sample Cards

Set Up

Separate the Player Cards, Game Summary and Trade Tracker cards from the Dubious Alliance Game Cards. Have each Player select (or randomly deal) a Player Card. Deal each Player a Trade Tracker card. Place the Player Card on the table and the Trade Tracker above it with the "Traded" side facing center table. Shuffle the deck of Dubious Alliance Game Cards. Place them at center table as the Draw deck. Determine the Dealer by drawing cards from the Draw deck. The Player with the lowest blue Prestige value card is the Dealer. Once the Dealer is determined have that Player place their Trade Tracker card with the "Dealer" side face up. Reshuffle all Dubious Alliance cards back into the Draw deck. You are ready to start playing.

Players take turns as the Dealer. Each Dealer's turn follows these steps:

1. The Dealer distributes 4 cards to each Player to create a Player's Hand.
2. Players each select one card from their Player's Hand and place it FACE DOWN. This is the Unrevealed card.
3. Players may lie, make promises and Trade Unrevealed cards by swapping them during Trading.
4. Once Trading is complete, Players Reveal their card and update their Trade Tracker.
5. Special instructions on Revealed cards are Resolved in clockwise order starting with the Player left of the Dealer.
6. After all cards are Resolved, cards with Survival and Prestige values are moved next to the Player Card to become Active Cards.
7. Players take turns adding the Survival (Red) and Prestige (Blue) values of their Active Cards to see if there is a winner or a death. First sum Survival and add/subtract it from the Survival score on the Player Card (bottom left). If any Player's Survival is reduced to zero (0) or less, that Player was killed. The game ends and the entire band loses. Then sum all Prestige. If the sum meets or exceeds a Player's Prestige goal (bottom right), that Player is the winner.
8. If there is no winner or deaths, repeat another Round (steps 2 through 7) until there are no more cards in the Player's Hand.
9. Once all 4 cards from the Player's Hand have been used, the Player on the Dealer's left becomes the new Dealer and starts a new Turn. Each Dealer repeats steps 1 through 9 until there is a winner or death that ends the game.

How to Play

Indicate the Dealer by using the Dealer side of the Trade Tracker card. Orcs despise serving others, so being the Dealer is not a good position. The Dealer is last to resolve their Revealed card, risking other Player actions interfere. Further, in any round of Trading where all Players do not make a Trade, the Dealer must discard their Revealed card. Finally, the Dealer is last to count their score, meaning others could win (or die) before the Dealer can score their Active Hand. Once all 4 Players' Hand cards have been Resolved (step 9 above), the Dealer passes to the left.

The Dealer

The face down card (Step 2) is the Unrevealed card for Trading. Place the Unrevealed card face down and towards the center table. Once an Unrevealed card is placed on the table it cannot be changed. Once all Players have placed their Unrevealed card on the table, a round of Trading begins.

Unrevealed Card

The goal of Trading Unrevealed cards is to keep it or exchange it for a card with better Prestige and Survival. The Trade is where alliances, treachery, plotting and deceit is rewarded. Players may make any claim they like to negotiate a Trade, within these rules:

• Players cannot read the name, text or details of the Card.
• Players cannot identify any numbers or values (such as a negative or positive value) from the card.
• Players can describe a card in indirect terms. For example, you may describe the Empty Chamber card as "a safe place to rest".
• Players do not have to tell the truth about their card or any promises they make.

Trading

When a Trade is accepted, both Players slide their Unrevealed cards to each other. Players may not look at their new Unrevealed card during Trading. Players may not undo a Trade once made. A Player may not Trade again with the same Player in a round of Trading, but can trade the new Unrevealed card with other Players. It is possible to regain a card previously Traded through multiple trades. To end Trading a Player declares "Done" and gives the "Tusk's Up" sign to ensure everyone knows who is still Trading. Once all (but the last) Players declare "Done", Trading ends. Once Trading ends, Players update their Trade Tracker before Revealing their card.

Trade Tracker

Orcs who hoard treasure and hog all the glory are eventually pressured by their envious band to share the wealth. After each round of Trading, Players track this pressure using the Trade Tracker. The Trade Tracker starts with the word "Traded" oriented to the table center. If a Player DOES NOT make a Trade during a round of Trading, that Player turns the Trade Tracker to the next level. There are three Trade Tracker levels:

• TRADED - The starting position. The Player made a Trade the last round. After ANY Trade, return the Tracker to this position.
• DID NOT TRADE - The Player did not make a Trade last round. If the Player does not make a Trade this round the Player will be forced to Trade next round. If a Trade is made, return the Trade Tracker to the "Traded" position.
• MUST TRADE - The Player did not make a Trade the last two rounds and is now a target! The Player must accept the first Trade offered. Once a Trade is made, return the Trade Tracker to the Traded position. If other Players will not make a Trade, keep the Trade Tracker on Must Trade.

Revealed Card

Starting left of the Dealer, each Player reads aloud their Revealed Card and resolves any special instructions. Then the next Player resolves their Revealed card, and so on, until all Revealed Cards are resolved. The Revealed Card always affects the Player who Revealed it, unless special instructions permit otherwise.

Revealed Cards are added to the Active Cards or Discarded only after all Players have resolved their Revealed card special instructions. Keep the following rules in mind when resolving Revealed Cards:

• The Revealing Player and all other Players may use one of their Active Cards with special instructions to assist or hinder a Player who is resolving their Revealed Card. Players can use only one Active Card per Revealed Card.
• Once the Revealed Card is Resolved and added to the Active Cards, it is too late to affect the card as a Revealed Card.
• Some cards take immediate effect when Revealed. These cards do not have Survival or Prestige values and are discarded once Resolved.
• If a Revealed Card's special instruction cannot be completed, ignore the instruction if the card has Survival/Prestige values and will be added to your Active Cards OR discard the card if it does not have Survival/Prestige values.
• If another Player takes a Player's Revealed Card, the Player does not get a replacement Revealed card.

A Revealed card with a Survival and Prestige value must be placed on the table next to the Player Card as an Active Card. Active Cards (sometimes called the Active Hand cards) represent the events, traps, monsters and items the Player has endured (or claimed to endure) during their adventure. Active Cards are usually displayed to the right of the Player Card with the most recent card on top. Location cards are stacked in the same pile, but oriented sideways so others can see the Player's current and past Locations.

Active Cards

After all Revealed cards are Resolved and placed as Active Cards, Players take turns checking their Survival, then their Prestige, to see if there is a winner or death. Starting to the left of the Dealer, the first Player adds and subtracts the red Survival points from their Active Cards to their Player Card's Survival score. If a Player's Survival score is ever zero (0) or lower, that Player has died. The game ends and NO ONE wins. As A Band of Orcs, you must work together to keep the tribe alive.

Then the first Player sums the blue Prestige points of their Active Cards. If this sum is equal to or greater than their Player Card's Prestige Goal, they have achieved enough Prestige to command the tribe and win. Because scores are determined by Player order starting left of the Dealer, if two or more Players' Prestige points exceed their goals and they are tied, the winner is the Player closest to the first Player. If a Player wins by killing another Player (probably by stealing a card), the Player still wins as long as they score before the Player who was killed. Malicious Players add a friendly kill to their victory. Likewise, an envious Player may race towards their own death to prevent a winner!

Winning or Losing Key Words, Card Types and Special Instructions

Many cards have special instructions, icons and key words. Key words are words in the card name, card type or special instructions (not flavor text).

• ARMOR - A Player may wear only one icon and must discard any previous when a new one is placed as an Active Card.
• CARDS WITHOUT A SURVIVAL OR PRESTIGE VALUE - These cards take effect when Revealed. They are not added to the Active Cards and must be discarded once Resolved. Treat all cards without a Prestige or Survival value as a zero (0) for any Draw checks.
• CARDS WITH A SURVIVAL AND PRESTIGE VALUE - These cards must be added to the Active Cards once Resolved. Many have special instructions that May be used in future rounds (see key word "May" below). Often they are used to respond to another Player's or your own future Revealed card. For example, if you wanted to use the Healing Ointment from your Active Hand to Discard another Player's Revealed card (even without their permission!), you could do so when they Resolve their negative value Revealed card by Discarding your Healing Ointment card.
• DISCARD - Place the card face up in the Discard deck. Reshuffle all discarded cards to replenish the Draw deck whenever it is emptied.
• DRAW - This means take the top card from the Draw deck to Resolve and then add to your Active Hand. If a certain type of card is required (such as "Draw a Monster Card"), continue to Draw and Discard until the condition is met.
• GAINING AN ACTIVE CARD - When a card is added to the Active Hand follow its special instructions, even if it was Resolved before.
• ITEMS - These cards represent all types of equipment and material, both good and bad. There is no limit to the number of Items a Player may have in the Active Hand. Weapon and Armor cards are also Item cards with limits on the number a Player can have in the Active Hand.
• LOCATIONS - These cards represent places in Hirntodia, both exciting and mundane. Location cards are added to the Active Card stack sideways so they are readily seen. The most recent Location card in the Active Hand is the Player's current Location. The instructions in the current Location remain in effect as long as the Player is in that Location. Former Location cards remain in the Active Hand, but ignore their instructions.

WHEN A SPECIAL INSTRUCTION SEEMS TO CONTRADICT THESE RULES, ALWAYS FOLLOW THE CARD INSTRUCTION.

Sample Cards

The sheet prints the following sample cards. Names, card types and special instructions are as printed; numeric values are not recoverable from the text layer.

• The Throne Room (Location) - "You May force a Trade for your Unrevealed Card once during each round of Trading." Flavor: "Ascend the throne and rule them all."
• Gogog's War Axe (Weapon) - Flavor: "A Chieftain can choose any weapon, but Gogog would never surrender his mighty blade."
• Protection Scroll (Magic Item) - Flavor: "As you read the mysterious words aloud, all are protected from harm." Special instruction: "May Discard any Revealed Card, then Discard Protection Scroll."
• Ring of Regeneration (Magic Item) - Flavor: "Jewelry that makes a warrior jealous."
• Healing Pool (Magic Location) - Flavor: "Drink... each swig restores your health!" Special instruction: "May Discard your Revealed card if it has a negative Survival."
• Dragon Slayer (Dragon Event) - Flavor: "Snarl shall menace your tribe no more!"
• Tortured (Event) - Flavor: "Wracked, scourged and tickled into submission."
• Gogog Bloodthroat (Player Card, Chieftain) - Ability: "May Draw once during Trading. If Prestige is 2 or more, force a Trade for an Unrevealed card." The sheet shows the labels "Prestige needed to win" and "Beginning Survival" with the values 15 and 20 printed beneath them.