Godsforge Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay Summary
  • 1. Upkeep Phase
  • 2. Forge Roll Phase
  • 3. Reveal Phase
  • 4. Attack Phase
• The Cards
• Card Costs
• Veilstones
• Empowering Spells and Creations
• Sacrificing Creations
• Phase 1: Upkeep
• Phase 2: Forge Roll
• Phase 3: Reveal
• Phase 4: Attack
• Life and Death
• Godsforge Solo Play Rules
  • Setup: Nemesis Deck
  • Setup: Your Deck
  • Gameplay: Nemesis Rules
• Credits

Components

• Board
• 56 Cards:
  • 33 Creations
  • 19 Spells
  • 4 Reference Cards
• 30 Veilstone Gems
• 17 Custom Dice
• 4 Scoring Tokens
• This Rulebook

Setup

1. Place the board in the middle of the table, and put the Veilstone gems inside their square on the board.
2. Give a matching set of four dice to each player. Unused sets go back in the box. The extra black die will only be needed if the Scepter of Fortune card is played.
3. Place a scoring token on the board's life track for each player, matching their dice color. A two-player game starts at 30 life, three players start at 25 life, and four players start at 20 life.
4. Remove the reference cards from the deck and place them so players can see them.
5. Shuffle and deal four cards to each player. Players may look at their cards now.
6. Place the rest of the deck face down on the board's "Fate Deck" space. A discard pile will form face-down off the board (not pictured) for discarded, sacrificed, and destroyed cards.

Advanced Setup: Draw 10, Keep 4. After players are comfortable with gameplay, use this setup to give more options in your starting hand. Deal 10 cards to players instead of 4. Look through them and keep 4, then shuffle the remaining 6 back into the deck.

If you're playing with the Twilight of the Great Houses expansion, choose which side of your Great House card to use after looking at your 10 cards.

Gameplay Summary

Overview: Players roll dice and play cards powered by them. Your played cards let you collect resources, set up defenses, and attack the opponent to your left. You win if you're still alive after all the other players are at zero life or less.

Phase Sequence: Play follows a sequence of four phases: Upkeep, Forge Roll, Reveal, and Attack. Within each phase all players act simultaneously. So everyone discards and draws at the same time, then they roll their dice at the same time, next everyone plays a card at the same time, and finally the played cards all attack at the same time.

No player may move on to the next phase until all the players are done with the current one. All four phases together make up one round. When all the phases are finished, a new round starts.

Roll dice to pay the costs of cards. (Example card: Veilstone Beacon — cost 3, Reveal effect "Gain 3 Veilstone," Recurring effect "Each Upkeep phase, gain Veilstone.")

Tied Card Effects: While combat is simultaneous in Godsforge, sometimes non-combat card effects — like Reveal, destroy, and steal-a-card — need a designated order. In this case, the tied player with the lowest life decides who goes first, second, and so on. If life totals are even, randomly decide the order. If your own card effects tie, you choose the order.

1. Upkeep Phase

• Each player may discard up to two cards.
• Then draw new cards up to your hand size (usually four).
• Upkeep phase card effects (Recurring effect icon) happen now, as well.

2. Forge Roll Phase

• Everyone rolls their four dice at the same time. You can re-roll up to two dice. Etherium (the one-die face) is wild, and a six or a Veilstone gem can shift a die up or down 1 (but not to Etherium or more than a six).
• You may add your dice together to meet card costs. Use each die only once, though.
• After your roll is done, choose one card to play and put it face down on the table with any Veilstones you're using.

3. Reveal Phase

• All face-down cards are revealed at the same time.
• After the reveal, pay the cost of your card.
• Reveal phase card effects trigger simultaneously now, but only once per card on the turn they're revealed.
• Collect extra Veilstones from unused Etherium (one) or six results, and from unused dice added together to total 6. If you didn't play a card, take 4 Veilstone total with no extras from dice.
• Spells may be empowered now, multiple times if you have the Veilstone needed.

4. Attack Phase

• Each player attacks to their left, and defends to their right, as they duel.
• Attack phase effects (red borders) happen simultaneously now.
• Add up all your card attack values. The player to your left subtracts the damage they can prevent and moves their scoring token, but not above 30 if life was gained.
• You may empower each of your Creations one time each Attack phase.
• Any player at zero life or lower is eliminated. The player targeting them gets 3 Veilstones. The first kill triggers acceleration toward the end of the game, as all players take 7 extra damage per round.
• Some end-of-the-round destroy and Spell effects happen after the Attack phase.

These are the basics of gameplay, for quick reference. See the full Phase descriptions below for the complete description of the phases.

The Cards

Cards fall into two main types: Creations and Spells. There are also four reference cards.

• Creations have illustrations and a white color scheme, and stay in front of you from round to round until they're destroyed, sacrificed, or die along with you.
• Spells show geometric art and a gold color scheme, and have a one-time effect that lasts only during the round in which you play them. They're then discarded at the end of the round.

All cards have a name, a card cost, and various effects.

• Card costs are shown as numbers or number sets at the top left of the card, which are paid using your dice during the Forge Roll. See "Card Costs" below.
• Reveal effects (the Reveal phase effect icon, an eye) are shown at the top of the card under the name. Unlike other effects, Reveal effects occur only once per card, when first shown in the Reveal phase.
• Recurring effects (a circular arrow icon) are shown toward the bottom of the card and occur every round, when specified.
• Attack phase effects (red borders) are toward the bottom of the card. Some cards have an attack value, which is a number on a red circle with a sword. Some cards have a damage prevention value, which is a number on a blue shield with a sword. These indicate the amount of damage that card can deal and prevent, respectively, during the Attack phase.
• Other effects don't have icons or special borders. They're in effect all the time the card is in play (Creations) or when specified (Spells).

Attack Phase Effects: Attack phase effects have red borders. So Celestine Shield's empower effect (Pay Veilstone) occurs during the Attack phase. Shatter's effect (destroy a Creation) does not. See the Phase 4: Attack section below for more info.

Card anatomy example — Celestine Shield (a Creation, white-framed title bar): Card cost 5 (dice roll), Reveal effect icon with "Gain Veilstone," Card cost 6+11 (dice roll, an alternate cost), Recurring effect icon with "Each Upkeep phase, gain Veilstone," and an Attack phase effect showing damage prevention value 2 with "Pay Veilstone for +2" (an empower effect, red border).

Card anatomy example — Shatter (a Spell, gold-framed title bar): Card cost 3, Reveal effect icon with "Gain 2 Veilstone," card cost 4, attack value 3, and an "Other effect" reading "At the end of the round, destroy a Creation."

Card Costs

The dice results of your Forge Roll are how you pay a card's cost (shown in the top left corner), so you can then play the card. But dice can be strategically re-rolled and combined for a better result.

The card costs 2, 3, 4, and 5 can be "channeled" by rolling that exact number, or by combining multiple dice to equal that number (without going over it).

Other card costs always require multiple dice to pay for them. Sometimes those dice must be added together (as with 9+, 10+, and 11+), and sometimes they must all have shared characteristics (as with Two Even, Two Odd, Three in a Row, and Four of a Kind).

Each of these numbers corresponds with an element, to evoke the backstory of great mages weaving the elements together to craft Creations and Spells.

• 2 — Fire
• 3 — Air
• 4 — Water
• 5 — Earth
• 9+ — Feywood. Two or more dice that add up to that number or higher. For example, a five and a six pays for 9+, 10+, or 11+.
• 10+ — Bloodstone. Two or more dice that add up to that number or higher. For example, a five and a six pays for 9+, 10+, or 11+.
• 11+ — Mythril. Two or more dice that add up to that number or higher. For example, a five and a six pays for 9+, 10+, or 11+.
• Two Even — Light. Two even dice, like a two and a four.
• Two Odd — Shadow. Two odd dice, like a three and a five.
• Three in a Row — Crystal. Three dice with sequential values, like a two, three, and four.
• Four of a Kind — Godstone. Four dice with the same value, like four threes.

Etherium: A rolled one is Etherium, which is the "wild" element. It has two uses:

• Use it for a card cost as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.
• OR gain a Veilstone gem. (See "Veilstones" below.)

Never re-roll Etherium! It's always better to just use its one-result as whatever result you'd want on a re-roll.

Veilstone: A rolled six is a Veilstone, which has two uses:

• Use it for a card cost as 6.
• OR gain a Veilstone gem. (See "Veilstones" below.)

Veilstones are unique because they can be saved from round to round as gems, unlike other dice results. They can also be called for as part of a card's cost, with the Veilstone symbol.

Veilstones

Veilstones are a resource represented by golden gems that players take from and return to the board when they're generated and used. They're referred to with a Veilstone symbol in text.

Collecting Veilstones: You can get Veilstones three ways.

• A rolled Veilstone (six) collects a Veilstone.
• Dice added together to total 6 collect a Veilstone.
• A rolled Etherium (one) collects a Veilstone, since Etherium is wild and can be used as a 6.

Dice used for card costs don't collect Veilstones, though, and vice versa; dice used for gathering Veilstones can't be used for card costs. So a roll of six-six could be used for an 11+, for example, or to collect two Veilstones, but not both.

Using Veilstones: Veilstones have three uses.

• Shift a die result up or down by one number per Veilstone spent during the Forge Roll phase. So you can make a three into either a two or a four. (See the Metallic Dragon Forge Roll example.) Multiple Veilstones work together on a die, too. You can turn a four into a two or a six if you spend two Veilstones. But Veilstones (and similar card effects) can't lower a die to a one, to become "wild" Etherium. They also can't raise a single die's result to more than a six.
• Pay the Veilstone portion of a card's cost by spending Veilstones during the Reveal phase.
• Empower a Creation or Spell you control by spending Veilstones. Empower effects let you pay to boost a card's effects, during the Attack phase for Creations and during the Reveal phase for Spells (see "Empowering Spells and Creations" below).

You can use a Veilstone as soon as you get it, even during the same Forge Roll. (See the Pyrite Golem Forge Roll example.)

Veilstones don't need to be spent in the round they're generated, either. Any Veilstone can be saved for later use by taking a Veilstone gem from the board to track it.

If you have dice leftover after playing a card, and haven't used all your re-rolls, it's generally wise to try to get Veilstones with your extra dice. (See the Jade Clover Forge Roll example below.)

Running Out of Veilstones: If you run out of Veilstones on the board, then you can't gain any more. If two players both gain Veilstones at the same time, and there are only a few left, the player with the lowest life takes Veilstones first. If life totals are equal, decide randomly.

Optional Rule: Endless Veilstone Gems. You may decide to add additional tokens to the game, like pennies, so you never run out of Veilstone gems. Agree to this at the beginning of the game.

Pyrite Golem Forge Roll example: You roll a two, a two, a four, and a six. You can immediately use the six as a Veilstone to change a two to a three. So now you have a two, a three, and a four for Three in a Row, and can play your Pyrite Golem! (Pyrite Golem: cost Three in a Row; "Gain 3 Veilstone.")

Metallic Dragon Forge Roll example: You want to play Metallic Dragon. Your dice show a two, a three, a five, and a six, and you have two Veilstone gems. You have Two Odd dice already, but the even dice can't total the 11+ you need. First spend a Veilstone gem to shift the two to a three. Now you have three and three, which make Two Odd, and five plus six for the 11+, plus one Veilstone gem. That's exactly what you need to play your Metallic Dragon! You don't collect another Veilstone, even though you have a six, because that die was used for the 11+. (Metallic Dragon: cost 11+ and Two Odd; "Sacrifice for 6 damage prevention.")

Jade Clover Forge Roll example: You have Jade Clover. Your dice are a two, a five, a five, and a six. A five and the Two Even dice combine to pay the card's cost. The extra five isn't needed, but you can re-roll it twice to try to get a one or a six, and gain a Veilstone gem during the Reveal that way. (Jade Clover: cost 5 and Two Even; "Gain 3 life and 3 Veilstone.")

Empowering Spells and Creations

Some cards have empower effects that let you pay Veilstone(s) for more attack strength, extra damage prevention, life gain, or other boosts.

You spend Veilstone(s) to empower cards to get the listed effect, but it lasts for that round only. Spells and Creations are empowered at different points in the round, in slightly different ways.

• Spells are empowered during the Reveal phase. So you empower them as you play them, using Veilstones set aside for that purpose earlier during the Forge Roll phase. Spell empower effects read, "You may pay any amount of additional Veilstone…" This lets you spend any number of Veilstones for a variable effect that depends on your investment, but the effect only lasts until the end of the round.
• Creations are empowered during the Attack phase. Their empower effects read, "Pay Veilstone for …" A Creation can only be empowered once per round, for exactly the cost listed to get exactly the effect listed. That is, you can't pay twice as much for twice the effect. But as long as it remains in play, it can be empowered each round. Those effects last until the end of the round.

Designating Empower Veilstones: During the Reveal, make sure it's clear which Veilstones you're using for empowers, versus ones you're saving or using for card costs. But not too soon! Push forward the Veilstones right when you flip your card for the Reveal, and put the Veilstones next to the card. This way you don't project the fact you're playing a big Spell before the Reveal, for example.

Oakenshield Creation Empower example: You have Oakenshield already in play. The player to your right, who attacks you, plays Divine Wrath dealing 7 damage. Oakenshield prevents 3 damage every attack, so if you do nothing else, you take 4 damage. You decide to pay two Veilstones, which adds 4 damage prevention, for a total of 7. You've avoided taking any damage this round! (Oakenshield: cost 9+ and Two Even; "Your other Creations cannot be destroyed"; damage prevention value 3; "Pay 2 Veilstone for +4" empower.)

Fireball Spell Empower example: The player to your left has 12 life left. You have one Veilstone, and Fireball in your hand. You roll a one, a two, a six, and a six — perfect! You don't even need any re-rolls to take your target out. You use the one — "wild" Etherium — along with the two to pay for Fireball. With the six and six you gain two Veilstones, which you use immediately to empower Fireball along with the other Veilstone from your supply. You pay 3 Veilstone for a total of 12 damage (6+2+2+2) in the Attack phase, and defeat your foe! (Fireball: cost 2; Reveal effect "You may pay any amount of additional Veilstone"; attack value 6, "This damage cannot be prevented"; "For each extra Veilstone paid, +2" attack.)

Sacrificing Creations

Some Creation cards have sacrifice effects — which always use the word "sacrifice" — that let you discard one of your Creations for the effect described. Sacrifices are simultaneous with the other events of the Attack phase. So sacrificed Creations still deal damage to the player on their left in the round of their sacrifice. Sacrificed cards are then discarded.

You can only sacrifice your own Creations, and only those that are already in play.

Sacrifice example: You have 5 life, and the player targeting you says they're doing 7 damage. You've already played Metallic Dragon, and one of its abilities is that you can sacrifice it for 6 damage prevention. You don't want to die, so you sacrifice Metallic Dragon and take only 1 damage. Metallic Dragon still does its 6 damage to the player on your left. Then it's discarded, but you've survived another round!

Phase 1: Upkeep

In the Upkeep phase, players do some quick maintenance tasks.

1. Everyone may discard up to two cards from their hand. Discard them face-down, into a pile off the board.
2. Everyone draws back up to their hand size, which is four cards unless an effect says otherwise. If the Fate Deck runs out, reshuffle the discard pile to create a new Fate Deck.
3. Resolve Creation effects that begin "Each Upkeep…" These effects happen simultaneously. This is only for Creations already in play during the Upkeep phase.

The Discard Pile & Card Destruction: Discarded, sacrificed, and destroyed cards all go in the discard pile, located face-down off the board. Note that when you use a card that destroys an opponent's Creation, but they don't have one, you don't need to destroy your own Creations.

Phase 2: Forge Roll

In the Forge Roll phase, everyone rolls their four dice to meet the card cost of playing one card from their hand. Dice must remain visible to all players.

1. Roll your dice. During your Forge Roll, you may:
   • Take two re-rolls. You can re-roll one die twice, or two dice once each. Not all four dice.
   • Add dice together. For example, a five plus a six equals 11, and so would let you channel 9+, 10+, or 11+ (see "Card Costs" above).
   • Use Etherium (one) as wild, and use Veilstone gems or a rolled six to shift results 1, but not down to Etherium or up to more than a six (see "Veilstones" above).
   • Only use each die once.
2. Designate a card and Veilstones. When you've decided which card to play, and your dice show its needed card cost numbers, put the card face-down in front of you. If you're using Veilstones to shift dice results, place those next to the card. When playing a Spell, also set out any Veilstones you want to use to empower it, separate from those used to shift your dice. You must decide before the Reveal if, and how much, to empower your Spells. (See "Empowering Spells and Creations" above.) You typically may only play one card per round. You're allowed to play a second card if your first played card says "(Reveal) You may play another card this round." You must also have enough leftover dice or Veilstones to play the second card. You may put out the second card face-down during the Forge Roll, or immediately face-up during the Reveal.

When you can't play a card. If you're not able to play a card, or if you choose not to, you gain 4 Veilstones during the Reveal phase. You can't collect extra Veilstones from dice in this case.

Doppelganger Scepter: If you use the Doppelganger on the Scepter of Fortune, just roll the extra black die and remember what it was, then roll it again. Count both results.

Jade Clover Forge Roll example: You have Jade Clover. Your dice are a two, a five, a five, and a six. A five and the Two Even dice combine to pay the card's cost. The extra five isn't needed, but you can re-roll it twice to try to get a one or a six or a Veilstone icon, and gain a Veilstone gem during the Reveal that way.

Phase 3: Reveal

In the Reveal phase, players each turn over the card they've picked to play, and use any Reveal effects that card has.

1. Players reveal their cards together after everyone has the card they want to play ready face-down with its Veilstones (if any). One player may want to call out "Ready? Flip." Used Veilstones are paid by putting them back on the board. Unused Forge Roll dice results are ignored.
2. Reveal effects of cards played this phase happen now, simultaneously, only once per card on the turn they're revealed.
3. Players collect any extra Veilstones now from unused Etherium (one) or six results in their Forge Roll, and unused dice added together to total 6 (see "Veilstones" above). You gain 4 Veilstones if you didn't play a card, but don't get to take extra Veilstones from unused dice in this case.
4. Spell cards can be empowered now, multiple times if you have the Veilstones and the Spell says you can (see "Empowering Spells and Creations" above).

"Phantom" Card Effects: A Creation must be in play for most of its effects to happen, like repeating combat or end-of-round effects. But a Creation with a one-time Reveal effect that occurs later in the game (like during a future phase or round) resolves even if that Creation has been destroyed, stolen, or otherwise removed from play. However, if the controlling player is killed during the Attack phase, all effects (including any Spells) that would happen in a later phase or round are cancelled. If you steal a Creation, you get any of its later-round effects. So if you stole it after the Reveal, you'd gain all its effects during the Attack phase or end of round.

Topaz Basilisk example card: Cost 2, 5, and 10+; Reveal effect "At the end of the round, you may destroy a Creation that can prevent damage"; attack value 3.

Phase 4: Attack

In the Attack phase, all players simultaneously attack the player on their left — known as their target opponent — clockwise around the table.

1. To attack, add the attack values of your cards and announce the total.
2. Your target subtracts the damage they can prevent from that total.
3. The result lowers their life, and they move their scoring token on the board.
4. Use Attack phase effects now (with red borders), which can include attack values, empower effects, and/or sacrifice effects. These effects happen at the same time attack damage is taken. Attack phase effects from Creations happen every round, for as long as the Creation stays in play.

Some Attack phase effects let you gain life. This happens at the same time attack damage is dealt, so if you gain more life than the damage you take, your life total goes up rather than down. You can't gain more than 30 life, but you can drop below 0 life. Note that "gain life" abilities are different from "prevent damage" abilities. Your life total does NOT go up when you have more damage prevention than attack damage taken.

5. Some Creation cards can be empowered one time or sacrificed during the Attack phase for even stronger effects (see "Empowering Spells and Creations" and "Sacrificing Creations" above).
6. End-of-round effects happen. Some destroy and Spell effects happen at the end of the round, after the Attack phase is complete.

Attack Left, Defend Right: Think of combat as a multi-foe duel. The player on your left is your target, the player on your right is targeting you.

Attack Example: You have Onyx Vampire and Lightning Sword already in play, and this round you're playing Divine Wrath. You deal 14 damage during the Attack phase (3 + 4 + 7). And you gain 10 life (3 from Onyx Vampire, 7 from Divine Wrath). You could do even more damage if you sacrifice Lightning Sword. It has the ability "Sacrifice for +6 attack value," so that's 20 damage total! (See "Sacrificing Creations" above.) (Divine Wrath: cost Four of a Kind; "Pay 3 Veilstone to have all opponents take damage from this"; attack value 7, "and gain 7 life." Lightning Sword: cost 11+; "Pay Veilstone for +2" damage prevention empower and "Sacrifice for +6" attack.)

Airship Forge Roll example: You have Airship, Drain Life, and Malachite Manticore in your hand, and one Veilstone gem. You roll Etherium (one), a two, a two, and a five.

You could play Malachite Manticore without re-rolling. You already have a two, so you only need Three in a Row. Just use your Veilstone to shift the other two to a three, use the wild Etherium as a four, and then the five will complete your Three in a Row.

But to expand your options, you re-roll a two. The result is a three, so now you have Etherium (one), a two, a three, and a five. You can still play Malachite Manticore, but don't need to use the Veilstone. Also, now you can play Drain Life by using the wild Etherium as a six added to your five to get 10+. Then use your Veilstone to shift your two to a three, giving you the Two Odd dice you need.

If you had Etherium (one), a two, a three, and a five and wanted to push even further to try for the Airship, you'd re-roll the two. Any result other than another two would let you do it, and you'd spend your Veilstone as part of the card's cost. It's all about the dice odds and tactics you choose! (Malachite Manticore: cost 2 and Three in a Row; "Sacrifice for" damage prevention value 5.)

Life and Death

Gaining Life: You can sometimes go above your starting life, but can't have a total of more than 30 life.

Winning & Dying: If you fall below 1 life, you die and are out of the game. But since attacks are simultaneous, your Creations and any Spell(s) you played this round still do their damage, so it's quite possible to kill another player as you die. Your effects that occur in later rounds, or that say "at the end of the round," don't happen if you're dead.

When a player dies:

• Put all of their cards in the discard pile.
• Give 3 Veilstones to the player targeting the eliminated player, at the end of the round if they survive the attack phase.
• After the first player dies, all remaining players take 7 extra damage in every subsequent Attack phase. Blood has been spilt and the Godsforge grows stronger!
• The last surviving player is the winner, and is declared Champion of the Godsforge!

Ties: If all players still in the game die at the same time, track how much damage each of them takes, and how far negative each life total goes. The player whose life total is closest to zero — the one who has the most remains to be sent home to their Great House — wins the game, despite being dead. Players eliminated in previous rounds aren't eligible.

If several dead players are still tied, they play another round to determine the winner.

Godsforge Solo Play Rules

Face off against a mystic Creation of the Godsforge, the champion of a Great House, even an ancient Dragon God! Solo Play lets you battle a Nemesis deck — a pre-built deck of Godsforge cards that follows set rules for combat.

Setup: Nemesis Deck

Design Your Nemesis: To create a Nemesis, write up a list of 12 cards from the core Godsforge game or expansions, chosen based on a theme you pick. Above the cardlist add an evocative name, estimate the difficulty, specify which game sets the cards come from, give its starting card, and list its theme. (See "Reginault" sample cardlist.)

Set Up the Deck: Find all the cards for your Nemesis deck, and set aside the starting card. Shuffle the remaining 11 cards to create the Nemesis deck. Put the starting card on the top of the Nemesis deck as the first card to be drawn.

Setup: Your Deck

After creating the Nemesis deck, shuffle the remaining cards together from the core Godsforge game and/or any expansion. You must have at least 36 cards in this draw pile. Then you'll draft your own 12-card deck by drawing three cards from the draw pile and choosing one to put in your deck, discarding the other two. Repeat this until your deck has 12 cards.

Optional Rule: Scaling a Nemesis. If you want to power up a Nemesis, or even rein it in a bit, try swapping out cards from their cardlist.

Optional Rule: Nemesis-Slayer Challenge. For your deck, choose your favorite 12 cards rather than drafting them. Then use it to defeat the series of six Nemesis decks in turn, from Easy to Hard, available to download at atlas-games.com/godsforge. If there are cards you're using that are in the Nemesis list, replace the missing cards with random cards. Can you beat all six Nemesis decks with your single created deck? For a tougher challenge, draft a deck as normal and see if you can still beat all six Nemesis decks!

Gameplay: Nemesis Rules

You and the Nemesis both start at 30 life. You'll play and use your own cards as per the standard rules for Godsforge. (Don't use the "Draw 10 Choose 4" option.) Use these new rules for running the Nemesis deck, though:

Two Discard Piles: You and the Nemesis don't share discard piles. If a card is stolen (changing the controller of the card) and then discarded, it goes into the discard pile of the original deck it was from.

Playing Cards: Each round, flip the top card from the Nemesis deck into play as if it were played during the Reveal. Enact all Reveal effects. Keep your Creations and those of the Nemesis organized by the order they were played, as it will affect play; see Targeting Cards. If a card played by the Nemesis says "you may play another card this round," then flip another card into play.

Hand Size: The Nemesis is considered to have a hand size of 4. If an effect allows you to look at or take cards from their hand, treat the top 4 cards of the Nemesis deck as that hand. Shuffle those cards before placing them back on top of the deck. If the Nemesis has to choose a card in their hand or from the discard pile, they choose the top card of the deck. If they have to choose a card in your hand, choose it randomly. If a card would get added to the hand of the Nemesis, it goes on the top of their deck.

Using Veilstones: If the Nemesis has Veilstones, it Upgrades any Creation it can during the Upkeep (this is a new mechanic in the Return of the Dragon Gods expansion), It favors Upgrades that provide more stats, then favors defense over attack if there's a tie on highest stats. If there's a tie on priority, Upgrade the most recently played Creation.

During the Reveal, the Nemesis fully empowers any Spell it can, using up any available Veilstones.

If the Nemesis has any available Veilstones during the Attack, it will empower its Creations as much as it can but not more than necessary. Use the best empowers possible, favoring 5 prevention for 2 Veilstones over 2 prevention for 1 Veilstone, for example. The Nemesis will use any ability on a Creation that is currently available.

Targeting Cards: Any destroy effects on cards with a target that are played by the Nemesis are used on your last played Creation or last legal target. If the Nemesis must target their own Creations, they target their last played one.

Sacrificing Creations: Creations only use sacrifice effects if they could keep the Nemesis alive. If they target another Creation of their own with a beneficial effect, they always do this when possible, and they target the last legal target played.

Running Out of Cards: If your deck or that of the Nemesis runs out of cards, shuffle the discard pile of that player to create a new deck. In the unusual situation that your discard pile, or that of the Nemesis, has no cards left to reshuffle, then that player continues to fight each round but gains no new cards.

Card Interactions & Special Rules: The Godsforge FAQ lists the cards to avoid in Solo Play, and those that have special interactions or rules for Solo Play. You'll find the FAQ at atlas-games.com/godsforge.

Share Your Nemesis! Got a great Nemesis deck? Share it on your favorite social media for others to try! Tag us at: @AtlasGames on Twitter or Facebook, @AtlasGamesVideo on YouTube.

Credits

Game Design: Brendan Stern

Illustration: Diego L. Rodriguez

Art Assistance: Dean Cook

Production & Development: Kyla McT

2nd Ed Production: Michelle Nephew

Graphic Design: Nicolas Gluesenkamp, Nathan Paoletta, Diego L. Rodriguez, and Brendan Stern

Rulebook Editing: Cam Banks, Michelle Nephew, and Jeff Tidball

Publishers: John & Michelle Nephew

Publisher's Special Thanks: Justin Alexander, Cam Banks, Jess Banks, Bob Brynildson, Jerry Corrick, Woody Eblom, Jenae Floerke, Nicolas Gluesenkamp, Ben Hartfield, Jackie Sue Lozano, Heather O'Neill, Jeff Tidball, Travis Winter, and everyone at The Source. And thank you to our Kickstarter backers who made this product possible!

Lead Playtester: Matt Schempp

Playtesters: Josh Ackerman, Justin Alexander, Tim Armstrong, Cam Banks, Jess Banks, Zack Berchenko, Adam Biessener, Tony Biessener, Carl Bisciglia, Wendy Brunsman, Dustin Bruzenak, Dylan Bruzenak, Ed Bryan, Holly Burd, Adam Burr, Fir Carnes, Kevin Chamberlin, Alex Conic, Josh Dahmes, Alex Dixon, Jim Dunaway, Brian Edwardson, Dave Fankhanel, Carolyn Faust, Jeff Foxwell, Jenae Floerke, Nouma Fonkoue, Bree Fram, Audrey G., Troy Gaul, Anne Gerrietts, Nicolas Gluesenkamp, Rachel Hall, Anwar Hanano, Jody Henning, Matthew Henning, Ben Henry, Peter Hentges, Randy Herold, Justin Jacobson, MaDonna Karels, Erik Kemnitz, Kay King, Bryan Kromrey, Persephone Kromrey, Sarah Kromrey, Juan Kuffner, Molly Kulzer, Lissanne Lake, Elisse Laroche, Kane Larson, Deanna Leahy, Dante Longoria, Joaquin Longoria, Jackie Sue Lozano, Ninotchka Mantrom, Kevin Matheny, Aaron McClintock, Corey McCorkle, Samuel Jeffrey Nelson, Michelle Nephew, Clorpy O'Brien, Heather O'Neill, Jason Osborne, Jason Paulson, Ryan Pedersen, Ellie Perry, Anne Petersen, Derek Prichard, Mike Prellwitz, Evan Pundsack, Andy Rahn, Becka Rahn, Mark Redacted, Adam Rehberg, Matthew Riordan, Francisco Rivera, Mike Roberts, Rob Rubinas, Matt Schempp, Stephanie Schempp, Mike Schuller, Kelvin Schutz, Tanya Seward (HaiKulture), JT Smith, Erin Edwardson Stern, Mia Stern, Ryan Stern, M. Craig Stockwell, Bob Strootman, Jeff Tidball, Matt Thompson, Alisha Volkman, Eric Wahlstrom, Steven Warzeha, Lee Weisbecker, Danny Wilson, Travis Winter, Seppy Yoon, Marcin Zarycki, and Cole Zimanski.

©2023 Trident, Inc., d/b/a Atlas Games. All rights reserved. Godsforge is a trademark of Trident, Inc., d/b/a Atlas Games. Atlas Games, 202 3rd Ave, Proctor MN 55810 USA. www.atlas-games.com