Grifoni: Blades for Hire Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Before You Start
  • Goal of the Game
  • Golden Rule
• List of Components
• Setup
  • Players
  • Setting Up the Game Area
• Game Overview
• Game Flow
• Part 1 - Story
• Part 2 - Game Turn
  • Phase 1 - Planning
  • Phase 2 - Actions
  • Phase 3 - Quest
  • Phase 4 - End of Turn
• Part 3 - Plot
  • Phase 1 - Squire
  • Phase 2 - Choice
  • Phase 3 - Resolution
  • Phase 4 - Time
  • Phase 5 - New Act
• Part 4 - End of Game
• Other Rules
  • Camp
  • Squires
  • Resources
  • Market
  • Wagon
  • Glory and Supremacy
  • Distance
• Mercenaries
  • Types of Mercenary Cards
  • Status of a Mercenary
  • Mercenary Class
  • Mercenary Skills
  • Arming a Mercenary
  • Expertise
• Equipment
  • Types of Equipment
  • Equipment Category
• Locations
• Tasks
  • Completing a Task
  • Surroundings Tasks
• Adventure
• Plot Choice
  • Plot Choice Placement and Reserve
• Epilogue
• Legacy and Ambition
  • Legacy Cards
  • Ambition Cards
• Prototype Errata

Before You Start

Goal of the Game

In Grifoni – Blades for Hire, players take on the role of commanders of the Company of Grifoni, competing for fame and power in a game at once competitive and narrative. Each turn is not just about hiring mercenaries, purchasing equipment, or completing tasks: the commanders' choices will shape the course of history, and guiding its outcome will be decisive in gaining Victory Points and winning at the end of the game.

Golden Rule

The rules dictated by a game component take precedence over the general rules described in this rulebook.

List of Components

Boards

• Camp (1)
• Market (1)
• Location (4)
• Wagon (4)
• Tabula (1)

Camp Tents

• Tent I-V
• Tent II-VI
• Tent III-VII
• Tent IV-VIII

Cards

• Aid Card (8)
• Mercenary Card (44)
• Task Card (32)
• Equipment Card (36)
• Surroundings Task Card (3)
• Legacy Card (12)
• Ambition Card (18)

Meeple and Cubes

• Squire (12 total, 3x player)
• Cubes (21)

Adventures

• Story Book (3)
• Epilogues Book (3)

Tokens

• Wood Token (24)
• Potion Token (24)
• Crystal Token (24)
• Plot Token: Stalemate (3)
• Plot Token: Supremacy (3)
• Plot Token: Glory (3)
• Clinks Token (24)
• Supply Token (24)
• Ore Token (24)
• Distance Token (4)
• Score Token (4)
• Obol (4)
• Equipment Token (46)

Setup

Players

Each player performs the following:

1. Take 1 Wagon.

2. Choose, either randomly or by mutual agreement, a faction from among those available: Longtail Squadron, Ravens Flock, Claw Army, or Woodland Gang.

   Get all components of the corresponding color: 3 Squires, 1 Faction Mercenary Card, 1 Faction Equipment Card and the corresponding Faction Equipment Token, 1 Score Token, 1 Obol.

3. Place a Blue Cube on slot "0" of the Glory Track and a Red Cube on slot "0" of the Supremacy Track of your own Wagon.

4. Place your Faction Mercenary Card on one of the Mercenary slots on your Wagon, then assign that Mercenary the Faction Equipment Card (this way, they will be armed) and place the Faction Equipment Token on your Wagon.

5. Draw one Ambition Card and one Legacy Card from the respective decks, look at them, and place them face down next to the corresponding slot on the Wagon.

   Once all players have drawn these cards, return the remaining Ambition Cards and Legacy Cards to the box without looking at them.

6. Take the initial supply of Resources: 3 Clinks, 2 Supplies, 1 Ore, 1 Wood, 1 Potion, 1 Crystal, and place them on your Wagon. The indicated positioning is suggested so as not to weigh down the Wagon during Quests (see p. 19), but everyone is free to arrange the Resources how they want!

7. Take the two Aid cards.

8. Proceed to Setting Up the Game Area.

Setting Up the Game Area

Forward, comrades-in-arms! Ere we set forth upon the venture, the field of play must be made ready: let every board, token, and card be set in its rightful station. And fret not should their use seem dark to thee—anon shall I reveal their true meaning.

Camp

1. Place the Camp board and Camp Tents, with the Market below it as indicated.
2. Place the Surroundings Task cards stacked on top of each other facing up as indicated, so that the card with the Act III symbol (on the bottom right) is at the bottom and the card with the Act I symbol is at the top.

Mercenaries and Equipment

3. Shuffle and place the Mercenary Card deck and the Equipment Card deck on the corresponding slots on the Market. Place the top five cards from each deck face up on the corresponding slots and one on the discard pile.
4. Turn the top card of each deck face up.

Locations

5. Place the four Location Boards randomly.
6. Place a Distance Token randomly on each Location Board to determine their order, with the lowest number being closest to the camp.
7. Prepare the 4 Task decks as follows, then place them on the corresponding Location.
   • Divide the cards of the deck according to the number of dots (•, ••, or •••).
   • Mix the three piles thus formed and, keeping them face down, form a single pile placing the pile with three dots ••• at the bottom, then placing the pile with two dots •• on top of it and the pile with a single dot • as the topmost pile.
   • Turn over the first card of each Task deck face up.

Tabula and Adventure

8. Place the Tabula as indicated.
9. Randomly place each player's Score Tokens on slot "0" of the Tabula, stacked on top of each other.
10. Choose the Adventure to play by mutual agreement or at random and take the corresponding Story Book. Place the Book on the central space of the Tabula and open it to Paragraph 61.
11. Keep the corresponding Adventure Epilogues Book at hand.
12. Take any Mercenary cards and Special Equipment associated with the chosen Adventure, recognizable by the Adventure name on their back.
13. Place the black cube (from now on referred to as the Time Token) on the leftmost slot of the Time Track.
14. Place each player's Obols on the Priority slots of the Tabula, from left to right in the order determined by the Score Token stack: the first Obol goes on slot I, the next on the following slot, and so on, until the last Obol is placed on the slot with the highest Roman numeral.
15. Place a Blue Cube on slot "0" on the Glory Track and a Red Cube on slot "0" on the Supremacy Track of the Power Balance.
16. Place the Glory, Supremacy and Stalemate Plot Tokens next to the Tabula.

Shared pool

17. Create a shared pool with all Resource Tokens remaining after the initial allocation to players.
18. Create a shared pool with all Equipment Tokens remaining after the initial allocation to players.

If you would like a brief overview of the game, flip to the next page. Otherwise, skip to page 10 and start playing.

Game Overview

Now then, since the field is set and each piece stands in its place, let me grant thee a foretaste of the venture that awaits. In but a few lines shall I recount how the tale unfolds, that thou mayst grasp its meaning ere we march into the finer stratagems.

The Story Begins. Players choose the Adventure they want to play and begin by reading the first paragraph of the Story Book, which shows the possible ramifications of the story based on the players' choices.

The Turn

1. The Squires Act. Each player has three Squires at their disposal, whom they will send to the camp tents to reserve the Effects most useful to their strategy.
2. Tents and their effects. Once all Squires have been placed, the tents' effects are resolved in order from I to VIII: In this phase, players gain resources, hire Mercenaries, purchase equipment, influence the Power Balance, or choose from the Story Book to advance the plot.
3. Mercenaries on an adventure! Once you have assembled your Mercenary Band, choose which Mercenaries to put in the front line and set off on an adventure to tackle the Tasks on the four Location Boards. Those who complete them will gain riches and prestige, while less well-equipped bands can still tackle the Basic Task to guarantee a minimum haul in the next round.
4. Power balance. Once the adventures are over, check if a band has managed to influence the Power Balance to the point of advancing the Story: Those who succeed can choose whether to lead it towards heroic and glorious, tyrannical and violent, or indolent and neutral outcomes, each with its own advantages and plot twists that provide end-game bonuses.

The story develops... The turns continue until the story ends due to the players' choices or automatically at the ninth turn, an event that penalizes indecisive bands.

...and comes to an End. The Legacy and Ambition cards will provide secret Victory Points that can change the outcome of the game, turning the tables and crowning the best Band among the Grifoni.

Game Flow

A game of Grifoni – Blades for Hire is divided into Acts, within which players take a series of Turns until the game ends.

• Act I (Turns 1-3)
• Act II (Turns 4-5)
• Act III (Turns 7-9)

At the end of the last Game Turn, players enter the Epilogue, where Victory Points are counted.

The game flow loops as follows:

1. Story: Players read the narrative text and any special elements are introduced.
2. Game Turn: Planning, Action, Quest, and End of Turn (see Part 2).
3. Plot: A Plot Choice may be made that advances the story. Players check whether the Game is over, whether the Act continues, or whether a new one begins.
4. End of Game: Players read the Epilogue and the winner is determined.

Part 1 - Story

At the beginning of each Act (Turns 1, 4 and 7):

1. A player reads aloud the narrative text of the current paragraph from the Story Book.
2. If specified, add any special components to the Tabula.
3. The designated player reads the three available Plot Choices to all players and clarifies the requirements and rewards (to learn more, see p. 22).
4. Go to Part 2 - Game Turn.

The printed sample Story paragraph and Plot Choices on page 10 are placeholder text (lorem ipsum) in this preview build and are not reproduced here.

Part 2 - Game Turn

Phase 1 - Planning

1. Starting effects. In Priority order, each player resolves any effects that trigger at the Start of the Planning Phase.
2. Placing the Squires. Each player, in Priority order, places one of their Squires in one of the Camp Tents, on one of the 3 Action Slots of their choice from among the ones still available, proceeding until all players' Squires have been placed.

Phase 2 - Actions

Starting from Tent I - Inn and proceeding in ascending order with the subsequent Tents, resolve all Camp Actions, following the order of the Squires placed in each individual Tent from left to right.

• Action Slots of this type require payment of a cost to perform their effect. The printed example shows the cost icons "−2 Potion / Crystal" above "+/−2 Balance".
• Action Slots of this type allow you to perform one or more effects. Printed examples:
  • You must choose between one of the effects: +2 Potion or +2 Crystal.
  • You can perform one effect, both effects, or neither effect: +1 Potion or +1 Crystal.

For each Squire, choose whether to perform the Action. If so, pay any costs and perform the effect (to learn more about Camp effects, see pp. 14-15).

Phase 3 - Quest

In Priority order, each player:

1. Starting effects. Resolves any effects that trigger at the start of the Quest Phase.
2. The Front Line of the Band. Form your Front Line by choosing up to 3 Mercenaries to place in the Front Line Slots and equip them with 1 Equipment each. Then place any other Mercenaries and Equipment you have in the Reserve (to learn more, see pp. 18-19).
3. Task. Complete a Task if you meet the Distance and Power requirements (to learn more, see p. 21).

Phase 4 - End of Turn

At the end of the turn, perform the following steps:

1. Market. If there are cards in the rightmost slots of the Market, discard them. Slide the other cards over to fill all the rightmost slots. Fill the empty slots in each row with new cards drawn from the deck (to learn more, see p. 16).
2. Priority. Update player Priority by moving the tokens on the Priority Track so that they reflect the reverse order of the scores on the Score Track: Place the token of the player with the fewest points on the left, ending with the token of the player with the most points on the right. If a group of at least two players is tied, the Obols of that group are swapped (to learn more, see p. WIP). (The printed cross-reference reads "p. WIP", an unfinished page reference in this preview build; transcribed as printed.)
3. Squires. Retrieve your Squires from the Camp.
4. Go to Part 3 - Plot.

Part 3 - Plot

Phase 1 - Squire

If a Squire is on the Plot Choice Slot of the Tabula, the player who owns it performs the following Phase; otherwise, skip to Phase 4.

Phase 2 - Choice

1. Requirements. The player adds (or subtracts in the case of negative numbers) the Glory and Supremacy values of the Power Balance to the personal value on their Wagon and compares them with the Requirements in the current paragraph. If at least one requirement is not met, skip to Step 4.
2. Plot Choice. The player retrieves their Squire from the Tabula and selects a Plot Choice for which they meet the requirement; otherwise, they choose the Stalemate path.

Phase 3 - Resolution

The player who made the Plot Choice or the one in charge of managing the Story Book proceeds as follows:

• They place the Plot Token relating to the Choice made in the Plot Slot of the Tabula for the current Act.
• They read the narrative text of the Plot Choice made.
• If they actively made the choice, they get the Reward for the corresponding Plot Choice.
• They read any Introduction.
• They open the pages of the Adventure Book at the Paragraph indicated by the Plot Choice made.

Phase 4 - Time

Is the Plot Token for the current Act present?

No: The Plot Choice has not been made.

• If the Time Token is in the last slot (9), perform Phase 3 - Resolution with Plot Choice: Stalemate, then skip to Part 4 - End of Game.
• Otherwise, advance the Time Token to the next slot on the Track:
  • If you enter a new Act this way, perform Phase 3 - Resolution with Plot Choice: Stalemate, then skip to Phase 5.
  • If, after moving, the Time Token is still within an Act, skip to Part 2 - Game Turn.

Yes: The Plot Choice has been made.

• If Act III is in progress (slots 7-9), skip to Part 4 - End of Game.
• Otherwise, advance the Time Token to the first slot of the Act following the current one (4 if moving to Act II, 7 if moving to Act III) and proceed to Phase 5.

Phase 5 - New Act

• Each player's Glory and Supremacy values and the Balance are reset to zero.
• Remove the Surroundings Task Card of the completed Act.
• Go back to Part 1 - Story.

Tabula (board key as printed): A Adventure Book Slot; B Power Balance; C Plot Slots; D Priority; E Time Track; F Score Track; G Plot Choice Slot.

Note: the printed Phase 2 requirement reads "skip to Step 4"; it is transcribed as printed.

Part 4 - End of Game

The Balance of Power and the company's bearing do shape how the world greets their deeds. To choose a side and show certain comportment doth move, in first person, the fortunes of the game—and may lead to triumph or to ruin. Even a stalemate, rightly used, can serve as cunning: a moment to gather thy wits, or to let thine inconveniences fall upon other venturers.

When Act III ends, the game ends and the players proceed with the End of Game Tally by following these steps:

1. Open the Endings Book and find the Epilogue paragraph indicated in the Story Book by the Third Act Plot Choice, then read the Epilogue.
2. Assign Victory Points for the Epilogue. Starting with the player with the most Victory Points, each player adds the Victory Points determined by the modifier of the Epilogue of the current Adventure.
3. Assign Victory Points from Legacy and Ambition. Starting with the player with the most Victory Points, each player adds the Victory Points obtained from their Legacy Card and Ambition Card (to learn more, see p. 23).
4. Determining the Winner
   • The player with the most Victory Points wins the game.
   • In case of a tie between players with the most points, the player with the lowest priority wins.

Congratulations to the winning Band!

Other Rules

Camp

In the Camp, you gain Resources and benefits thanks to your Squires, hire new Mercenaries, craft Equipment, and get ready to take on Tasks.

The Camp consists of eight different Tents. In each of these Tents, there are 3 Action Slots where Squires can perform actions. Below is a complete list of the Tents and the corresponding Actions, described in order from left to right.

Tent I - Inn. This is where you can recruit new Mercenaries.

• Gain a Mercenary from the Market.
• You may spend 1 Supply. If you do, discard 2 Mercenaries from the Market and replace them with two others drawn from the top of the Deck. You may get a Mercenary from the Market.
• You may spend 1 Supply. If you do, discard 1 Mercenary from the Market and replace it with another drawn from the top of the Deck. You may get a Mercenary from the Market.

Tent II - Bookkeeper. This is where you can gain Clinks and collect your reward for completed Tasks.

• Gain 3 Clinks or Discard 1 Task. If you do, gain 3 Resources.
• Gain 2 Clinks or Discard 1 Task. If you do, gain 2 Resources.
• Gain 1 Clink or Discard 1 Task. If you do, gain 3 Clinks.

Tent III - Field Kitchen. This is where you can gain Clinks and Supplies.

• Gain 2 Supplies and 1 Clinks.
• Gain 2 Supplies or Gain 1 Clinks.
• You may spend 2 Supplies or 2 Clinks. If you do, +2 or -2 to the Balance. or +1 or -1 to the Balance.

Tent IV - Quartermaster. This is where you can gain Wood and Ore.

• Gain 2 Ores or Gain 2 Wood.
• Gain 1 Ore and 1 Wood.
• You may spend 2 Ores or 2 Wood. If you do, +2 or -2 to the Balance. or +1 or -1 to the Balance.

Tent V - Fortune-Teller. This is where you can gain Potions and Crystals.

• Gain 2 Potions or Gain 2 Crystals.
• Gain 1 Potion and 1 Crystal.
• You may spend 2 Potions or 2 Crystals. If you do, +2 or -2 to the Balance. or +1 or -1 to the Balance.

Tent VI - Sutler's. This is where you can sell old Equipment and exchange Resources.

• Discard 1 Equipment. If you do, gain 4 Clinks. You may exchange 2 Resources for 2 other Resources.
• Discard 1 Equipment. If you do, gain 3 Clinks. You may exchange 3 Resources for 2 other Resources.
• Discard 1 Equipment. If you do, gain 2 Clinks. You may exchange 4 Resources for 2 other Resources.

Tent VII - Forge. This is where you can craft new Equipment.

• Gain 1 Equipment.
• You may spend 1 Clinks. If you do, discard two Equipment from the Market and replace them with two others drawn from the top of the Deck. You may gain one Equipment card from the Market.
• You may spend 1 Clinks. If you do, discard one Equipment from the Market and replace it with another one drawn from the top of the Deck. You may gain one Equipment card from the Market.

Tent VIII - Council. This is where you make your Plot Choices.

• If you meet at least one Glory or Supremacy Requirement, place this Squire on the Plot Choice Slot on the Tabula.
• Place this Squire on a free Action Slot. You may immediately resolve an Action of that Slot.

(The second Tent VIII action icon is printed with the marking "x3"; it is transcribed as printed.)

Squires

The Squires are assistants to the Band, responsible for carrying out tasks at the Camp and supporting the expedition's activities.

During Phase 1 - Planning players place their Squires, one at a time, on the free Action Slots of the Camp Tents, gaining the benefits and performing the associated action.

Resources

Resources are the goods that a Band transports in their Wagon: materials, riches, and supplies that are essential for paying the costs of Mercenaries and Equipment.

Resources are used to pay costs and activate the effects of Mercenary Cards or to complete Tasks. There are six types of Resources:

• Supply
• Clinks
• Ore
• Wood
• Crystal
• Potion

The Resource symbol "?" represents a generic Resource chosen by the player from among all the various types.

Each Resource occupies a single slot in the Wagon Load. A player may discard Resources only if they have no space for new Resources or Equipment, but never to voluntarily make space.

Market

The Market is where the Bands meet, recruiting Mercenaries and equipping them with what they need for their quests.

The Market consists of two rows of cards: one for Recruitable Mercenaries and one for Purchasable Equipment. Each row features:

• 4 face up cards, displayed and available for purchase by players.
• The card on top of the Deck, always revealed and also available for purchase.
• A Discard Pile, where cards discarded from the Market or other game effects end up, revealed but not directly purchasable except through special game effects.

In total, each row of Mercenaries and Equipment contains 5 cards available for purchase.

If an effect requires you to draw from the deck and the deck is empty, reshuffle the Discard Pile to form the deck again. If an effect allows you to look at more cards from the top of one of the decks, the effect includes the first card already revealed. Do not reveal any other cards from the top of the deck until the effect is resolved.

During the End of Turn Phase, the last card (on the far right) of each row is discarded, the remaining cards are moved to the right, and the empty slots are filled with new cards drawn from the corresponding Deck.

Market Board (key as printed): A Mercenary Deck Slot; B Mercenary Card Slot (x4); C Discard Pile - Mercenary Deck; D Equipment Deck Slot; E Equipment Card Slot (x4); F Discard Pile - Equipment Deck; G Surroundings; H Distance indicator "0"; I Surroundings Task Cards Slot.

Wagon

"This is my Wagon. There are many like it, but this one is mine." (Beto, the Keeper)

The Wagon is the space where players organize their Mercenaries and Equipment, whether they are in the Reserve or in the Front Line.

The Load provides space for Resources. Be careful not to overload it and decrease its Distance value.

Next to it, there is room for Ambition Cards, Legacy Cards, and completed Tasks. In addition, here you can keep track of your Glory and Supremacy values.

Wagon board (key as printed): A Load; B Glory Track; C Supremacy Track; D Front Line Slots; E Ambition and Legacy Slots; F Task Slot; G Personal Reserve.

Glory and Supremacy

Glory and Supremacy represent the identity of the Band.

When a player increases one of these values, they move the corresponding cube on their Wagon a number of spaces equal to the bonus received. The higher the value, the easier it will be to meet the requirements for a Plot Choice.

Distance

When the Wagon is empty, it provides a Distance modifier of +4, as the four Distance bonuses, each consisting of four slots, are free.

It is sufficient to cover one of the four bonus slots to nullify its effect. In this example, the Distance modifier is +2.

Mercenaries

Mercenaries are the main force of the Band. They are essential for completing Tasks and gaining benefits: choosing the right ones is the key to victory.

Mercenary Card (key as printed): A Name and Title; B Class; C Cost; D Expertise; E Skill; F Power Value; G Distance Value.

Types of Mercenary Cards

There are three types of Mercenary Cards:

• Faction. Faction Mercenaries are gained by players at the start of the game. They bear the symbol of the corresponding Faction on both sides.
• Recruitable. Recruitable Mercenaries can be obtained by completing an action on Slot I - Inn of the Camp and paying the cost.
• Special. Special Mercenaries can be gained through Plot Choice. The front displays the Plot Choice, and the back indicates which adventure they belong to.

A Mercenary gained through a game effect must be placed in the Personal Reserve on the Wagon. When a Recruitable Mercenary is discarded, its card is discarded to the Market Discard Pile. Faction and Special Mercenaries are not discarded to the Discard Pile: If an effect requires it, they are instead removed from the game.

Status of a Mercenary

During the game, a Mercenary can be in the Front Line or in the Reserves and can change this status from turn to turn.

• Front Line. The Mercenary is in the Front Line Slots and is Armed. They contribute their Power and Distance values and their active Skill to resolving Tasks or performing other assignments.
• Reserves. The Mercenary is in the Personal Reserve. They don't contribute to the Front Line and their Skill isn't active.

Armed. A Mercenary is Armed if they have an assigned Equipment. The Power and Distance values of the Equipment are added to their own.

Mercenary Class

Each Mercenary belongs to a Class indicated by a symbol in the upper left corner, inside a banner. Ambition Cards provide additional Victory Points at the end of the game based on the combinations of Classes of Mercenaries in a Band.

The Classes are: Disgraced, Brute, Occultist, Cleric, Explorer, Artisan, and Any.

The "Any" symbol indicates a Mercenary that counts as any Class. In the End of Game Tally, a Mercenary with the "Any" class counts as just one Class chosen by its owner for the calculation of Victory Points provided by their Ambition Card.

Mercenary Skills

Mercenaries may have Skills, which are special effects that modify the game and change the rules. A Skill is only active if the Mercenary is in the Front Line.

Arming a Mercenary

A Mercenary may only be armed during step 2 of the Quest Phase, assigning them a single Equipment compatible with their Expertise.

Expertise

A Mercenary may only be armed with Equipment of one Class from those listed in their Expertise.

Equipment

Equipment consists of weapons and tools that prepare Mercenaries for any venture. It allows them to activate skills and tackle the toughest challenges, however, it must be used wisely: an overloaded Wagon can slow down the Band and become a burden.

Types of Equipment

Just like with Mercenaries, there are three types of Equipment:

• Faction
• Purchasable (as Recruitable for Mercenaries, however, the action is featured in Tent VII - Forge)
• Special

Once the player gains the Equipment through a game effect, they take:

• The Equipment Card, which is to be placed in the Personal Reserve.
• The Equipment Token, which is to be placed on the Load of the Wagon.

Equipment can only be discarded using the special effect of Tent VI - Sutler's. A player can free up space on the Wagon at any time by removing Resources, but not other Equipment. If there is insufficient space on the Wagon, Equipment can't be purchased.

When a Purchasable Equipment is discarded, it is moved to the Market Discard Pile. Faction and Special Equipment are not discarded to the Discard Pile: if an effect requires it, they are instead removed from the game.

When a Mercenary is assigned Equipment, place the corresponding card under the Mercenary card, making the Distance and Power bonuses it provides visible to everyone.

Equipment Category

Each piece of Equipment belongs to a Category, indicated by a symbol in the lower left corner, inside a banner. Ambition Cards provide additional Victory Points at the end of the game based on the combinations of Equipment Categories owned by a Band.

The Categories are: Weapon, Armor, Arcane, Relic, and Any.

The "Any" symbol indicates Equipment that counts as any Category. During the End of Game Tally, Equipment with the "Any" symbol counts just for one Category, chosen by the owner, for the Victory Points provided by their Ambition Card.

Equipment Card and Token (key as printed): H Name; I Illustration; J Cost; K Token; L Category; M Card ID; N Power Value; O Distance Value.

Locations

Locations are areas outside the Camp, both near and far, where the Bands face challenges and undertake Tasks. Each one presents different obstacles and offers unique opportunities.

• The Surroundings represent the Location closest to the Camp. This is a Location at Distance 0 and is therefore always available.
• The four most distant Locations are represented by Location Boards, which are randomly assigned a Distance Token, which determines how difficult they are to access.
• Each Location has a Task Deck, which must always be placed on the corresponding Location Board.

Location Board (key as printed): A Task Deck Slot; B Distance Token Slot; C Distance 0; D Location Symbol.

Tasks

Task Cards represent the challenges the Band must face, from the Camp to distant lands. These may offer opportunities or dangers, and often require decisions that influence the Band's alignment and moral identity.

Completing a Task always guarantees a reward and follows some specific rules:

• Each Task deck is always associated with a specific Location (recognizable by the Illustration).
• When a Task is completed, the player gains the card, revealing the next card on top of their Location deck.
• When a Task card is discarded, it is placed back in the box and will no longer be available for the rest of the game.

Task Card and Surroundings Task Card (key as printed): Name; Lore Text; Power Required; Choice; Reward; Illustration; Identification Dots; Act.

Completing a Task

Tasks may be completed during Phase 3 - Quest. To do so, a player must follow these steps in order:

1. Meeting the Distance Requirement. The player may choose a Task if the total Distance value, given by the sum of their Armed Mercenaries in their Front Line and the completely free Movement Bonus slots of their Wagon (highlighted in green in the example), is equal to or greater than the Distance value of the Location where the Task is located.
2. Meeting the Power Requirement. If the player has reached the Distance Requirement, check whether the sum of the Power of all their Armed Mercenaries in the Front Line is equal to or greater than the Power value required to complete the Task. If it is, they gain the Task card.
3. Make the Plot Choice. After completing the Task and gaining its card, the player reads the narrative text aloud and chooses one of the three available options, immediately gaining the Reward. Finally, they place the Task card in the dedicated area of their Wagon.

Surroundings Tasks

A Surroundings Task represents events that occur in the areas surrounding the Camp.

• Since it always has Distance 0 and Power 0, to complete it, you only need to have at least one Armed Mercenary in your Front Line.
• Each Act has its own specific Surroundings Task, offering different challenges throughout the game.
• At the beginning of a new Act, the Surroundings Task card changes accordingly.

Adventure

Grifoni – Blades for Hire features three Adventures:

• Assault on the Castle
• Adventure 2 (TBA)
• Adventure 3 (TBA)

Each Adventure consists of the Story Book (1) and the Endings Book (2), which together tell the narrative evolution of the story that players experience during the game.

The current Adventure Book is placed on the Tabula, which keeps track of the passing of time and the 3 Acts (3 slots per Act), the Power Balance, the Plot Choices made by the Players between Acts, the Turn order and each player's Victory Points.

The game always begins with Paragraph 1 of the chosen Adventure's Story Book and continues by following the Paragraphs indicated by the Plot Choices throughout the three Acts, concluding with the reading of an Epilogue, which assigns modifiers to the End of Game Tally.

Note: the Setup step for the Story Book (p. 6) says to open the Book to Paragraph 61, while this section says the game begins with Paragraph 1. Both are transcribed as printed.

Story Book and Endings Book (key as printed): H Paragraph Number and Title; I Act; J Lore Text; K Setup (optional); L Plot Choice (x3); M Requirement; N Reward; O Introduction (optional); P Target Paragraph; Q Epilogue; R Modifier.

Plot Choice

Each Paragraph of the Story Book features three possible Plot Choices, which influence the story:

• Glory (blue): Praising heroic deeds.
• Supremacy (red): Imposing yourself by force or through subtle manipulation.
• Stalemate (white): Sloth gets the upper hand.

Plot Choice Placement and Reserve

The first player to place a Squire on Tent VIII - Council and meet at least one of the requirements for Glory or Supremacy may reserve the right to choose the direction of the story at the end of the turn. To do so, place your Squire on the Tabula in the Plot Choice Slot.

Until the choice is resolved, other players may still influence the Power Balance through certain Tasks, attempting to prevent you from fulfilling the requirements and altering the course of the story.

Epilogue

• The Epilogue marks the grand finale of the story chosen for the game.
• Each Epilogue presents a unique narrative.
• It includes a modifier for the End of Game Tally, which awards players a bonus to Victory Points based on the events of the game.
• Each Adventure contains 27 Epilogues, each with a different modifier.
• Each Epilogue is always preceded by an Introduction, related to the Plot Choice linked to Act III.

Legacy and Ambition

Legacy and Ambition cards are gained at the beginning of the game and are one of the ways players can gain more Victory Points at the end of the game.

Legacy Cards

Legacy Cards represent the moral and ideological heritage of the Band, what they have always believed in. They represent the harmony between the Band's life choices and the direction taken by the world.

Legacy Cards award Victory Points based on the correspondence between the Glory, Supremacy and Stalemate Tokens on the Tabula and those indicated on the card.

In the final tally, for each Act in which the Token on the Tabula matches the one on the Legacy Card, the player gains the Victory Points indicated. However, for each other player with the same match, they gain 1 Victory Point less.

Legacy Card (key as printed): Name; Legacy; Victory Points.

Ambition Cards

Ambition Cards represent the Band's dream of greatness, or rather its members' vision of how their group should be composed and how it actually is.

Ambition Cards award Victory Points to players who manage to form a set of Mercenaries and Equipment that is as similar as possible to what is indicated on the card.

In the final count, each player compares Mercenaries and Equipment in their possession with Ambition Card.

If the minimum requirement to gain the bonus is met, the player gains the points corresponding to the box on the left of the card for Mercenaries and the box on the right of the card for Equipment.

Ambition Card (key as printed): Name; Mercenaries; Equipment; Victory Points.

Prototype Errata

The final page of this preview build lists errata for the Camp Tent icons. The fixes below match the printed Tent text above.

• Error on I Inn effects: the third action slot's Mercenary discard icon was printed as 2. Fix: 1, as printed under Tent I.
• Error on II Bookkeeper effects: the second action slot's reward was printed as 3 Resources. Fix: 2 Resources, as printed under Tent II. The third action slot's reward was printed as Resources. Fix: 3 Clinks, as printed under Tent II.