Inferno
Inferno Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Main board (double-sided)
- 4 Free-access locations
- 4 Special locations
- 8 Phlegethon cubes and 71 Soul meeples (2, 11, 10, 9, 9, 8, 8, 7, 7 of each Sin color)
- 6 Spare Soul tiles
- 3 Shortcuts
- 4 Silver bonuses
- 4 Gold bonuses
- 12 ½ Diplomas
- 1 Dante meeple
- 16 Guests (4 of each of 4 colors)
- 16 Barrels (4 of each of 4 colors)
- 56 Coins (28 Florins, 28 Drachmas)
- 6 Guardian standees, 6 plastic stands and 39 Guardian-specific tiles: Geryon, Cerberus, Medusa, Minotaur, King Minos, Antaeus the Giant
- 9 Pits (Geryon)
- 9 Bones (Cerberus)
- 9 Petrified Souls (Medusa)
- 4 Labyrinths (Minotaur)
- 4 Tails (Minos)
- 4 Chains (Antaeus)
Player Components
- 52 Cards
- 32 Skulls (8 per player color)
- 16 Tower floors (4 per level) and 4 player boards
- 16 Nobles (4 per player color)
- 3 Red Guardians
- 3 Black Guardians
- 24 Frauds
- 16 Urchins (4 per player color)
- 4 Boats
- 8 Families
- 10 Plagues
- 4 Player aids
- 4 Apprentices
- 32 Diplomas (8 per player color)
- 4 Infamy tokens
- 20 Discs (5 per player color)
- 4 +60 Tokens
Infinite Components
All components are infinite except for Urchins, Barrels, Fraud Cards and Guests. If any other components run out, you may use appropriate marker(s) as a substitute.
Game Setup
If this is your first game, we recommend implementing a few adjustments to the standard setup. They are indicated by a special symbol in the rulebook.
- Place the board on the side matching the number of players. Regardless of the number of players, place the board on the side matching the icon.
- Randomly place the 8 locations in Florence, each on an outline matching its shape.
- For each player, place a set of four different Guests in the PALACE location.
- Create a supply of Souls, Florins, Drachmas, and "½ Diplomas" near the central board.
- Place Dante on the step of his path corresponding to the number of players. Place Dante on the last step before the River Acheron. (In a 3-player game only.) Place a Shortcut on the depicted position of Dante's path.
- Place the 8 Phlegethon cubes on their marked spaces on the board.
- Shuffle the gold and silver bonuses and place them on the board, covering the printed bonuses. Place 4 silver tiles over the first 4 bonuses and 4 gold tiles over the last 4 bonuses on the board. (First-game adjustment: don't use these tiles. Leave the bonuses printed on the board uncovered.)
- Select one Black and one Red Guardian card at random, and place them face-up near the game board. (First-game adjustment: choose Medusa and Minos.)
- Place the standees for the Guardians chosen in the previous step on shields in Hell, as shown on their cards (see pgs. 22-23).
- If the selected Guardians include Medusa, Geryon, or Cerberus, add their respective elements to the supply, within everyone's reach.
- Place an individual player board in front of you, with one floor of each Tower level (1-4). This is your personal play area.
- Choose a player color. Take all player components belonging to that color (see Components above). Also take a matching-colored tile belonging to Minos, Antaeus, or Minotaur if any of them was chosen in the Guardian selection step.
- Shuffle the Family deck and deal one card to each player. Return any unused cards to the box. (First-game adjustment: use the Apprentice deck instead.) Take the Resources indicated on the card (see pg. 24 for explanations of Family card icons). Place any coins and Fraud cards in your play area, then place any Nobles, Urchins, Tower floors, Barrels and Guests on your player board.
- Every player begins the game by advancing on 1 or 2 Sin Tracks. Your family card specifies how the players adjacent to you will advance on those tracks. The icon in the top-left corner indicates the track along which the player to your left should advance. In a 4-player game, also use the icon in the top-right; this indicates the track along which the player to your right should advance. Place a Skull on the first space of the indicated Sin Track(s). (Example: advance on the yellow and blue Tracks.) (First-game adjustment: place 2 Skulls on the first spaces of the Sin Tracks indicated in your Apprentice card.)
- Place the Boats at the starting position of the Loan track.
- Place the Infamy tokens at the starting position of the Infamy track.
- For each player, place one Barrel of each color in the MARKET.
- Shuffle the Plague cards into a face-up deck. Move the Souls shown on the topmost card to the Graveyard. Move that card to the bottom of the deck, face-up. This will reveal the next card in the deck.
- Shuffle the remaining Fraud cards into a face-down deck, placed near the central board. Reveal the first 3 cards next to the deck, face-up. This is the Fraud card market.
How to Play
In Inferno, your family will win the game if you earn more Infamy points than your rivals. You can earn Infamy points in 4 main ways (see notes A, B, C and D) during the game and at the end of the game.
Players will take turns over successive rounds until Dante signals the end of the game.
Each turn consists of 2 Phases:
1. Hell phase: Move a Soul in Hell from its current shield to another one in a lower circle.
If you move the Soul to the circle matching its color, you will earn Infamy points. The lower the circle, the more points you will receive.
The shield where you place the Soul during the Hell Phase determines the locations in which you can play your Florence Phase.
A) You'll earn approximately 1/3 of your Infamy points by placing Souls in Hell.
2. Florence phase: Take an action using a family member. Choose an option:
- 2.1 Move a family member to a location in the city and perform that location's action.
OR
- 2.2 Accuse a sinner: Each location in the city attracts sinners of a particular type. Use one of your family members at a location to accuse a sinner there. Sinners will be executed and their Souls placed in the Graveyard.
The Sin Tracks at the bottom of the main game board keep a record of how many Souls of each kind you have accused.
Whenever a player accuses a sinner, Dante moves to the next stop along his path. Each time Dante reaches a new circle, the person with the highest score on the matching Sin Track earns its Diploma.
B) In the Florence Phase, you will earn points mainly by moving Barrels to the Supply panel on your Player board.
OR
- 2.3. Call a family council if you cannot perform either of the previous actions.
Endgame: The game is over when Dante reaches his final stop after a player accuses a sinner.
C) Your Fraud cards and your Reputation in Florence will provide you with points at the end.
D) You'll earn approximately 1/3 of your Infamy points through the Diplomas.
Final scoring: Proceed to tally up the Infamy points from your cards, Diplomas, and the Reputation you've achieved in Florence.
Diploma scoring
Each Diploma is associated with the circle of Hell and the Sin Track that correspond to its color.
The Diplomas you obtain as Dante descends will earn you Infamy points at the end of the game.
Diplomas are worth more points the further you have advanced on their matching Sin Track. Filling the matching circle of Hell with as many Souls as possible will help you earn a higher score.
Manage your family
Your family members start the game at home on your player board. Over the course of the game you will take them to different locations in Florence to perform actions. At some point you will use one of them to accuse a sinner (by choice or by having no family members left at home). When this happens, all your family members in Florence will return home except for the accuser, who will be placed in your Tower. Family members in the Tower cannot be moved directly to locations in Florence.
Each time the cycle repeats, you will have one fewer family member available to perform actions, and one more housed in your Tower.
Several locations in Florence will help you manage this dynamic: the COURTYARD will allow you to return family members from the Tower back home; the HAYSTACK will enable you to expand your family; the BANQUET will let you build a new floor in your Tower to increase its capacity.
Game Boards
FLORENCE contains: the Quartieri, Locations, Dante's Path, the Graveyard, the River Acheron, the Loan Track, the Walls of Dis, the Infamy Track, the Bonuses, the Death Log, the Sin Tracks, the River Styx, the Diploma Area, the Phlegethon, and the Fraud Card Market.
HELL is where the circles of Hell and their shields are found.
PLAYER BOARD contains: the Supply Panel, the Tower, and Home.
- RIVER ACHERON: Charon the ferryman assists Souls in crossing the river, in exchange for a coin.
- WALLS OF DIS: The magnificent and terrible city of Dis is surrounded by impregnable walls. Medusa and the Furies guard its entrances.
- RIVER STYX: In this muddy river, the slothful struggle to stay afloat. If ever too many Souls accumulate in the Graveyard, some might be led to this river and then submerged in the mud. Nobody will miss these unfortunate Souls.
- PHLEGETHON: Guarded by vigilant centaurs, this river of blood marks the border between the sixth and seventh circles. When Souls attempt to escape it, the centaurs shoot arrows, submerging them into the river's dark depths.
General Concepts
Florence - Quartieri and Locations
The city of Florence is divided into 4 quartieri: Porta San Piero, Porta del Duomo, San Pier Scheraggio, and Il Borgo.
The symbols of the quartieri are also depicted on the shields of Hell: there is a connection between the city and sections of the underworld.
Types of location: There are 8 locations in Florence where you can perform actions and accuse sinners. Each quartiere contains 2 of them: one with free-access location and a special one.
- Free-access locations don't have access requirements. You can accuse sinners in those locations without the permission of a Guest (see: Guests).
- Special locations have access requirements, shown in the top left section of their tiles. To accuse a sinner at a special location, there must be a Guest in your Tower who matches the color of that location.
Types of Family Members
Your family consists of 4 Nobles and up to 4 Urchins, who you will send to locations in Florence to perform actions and accuse sinners.
Nobles are available from the start of the game, while Urchins must be adopted by going to the HAYSTACK.
Nobles and Urchins function similarly, except that some locations include Urchins among their access requirements (see: Florence).
Guests
There are 4 influential characters you can invite to your Tower when you go to the PALACE. You will need them to accuse sinners at the 4 Special locations. They will order their execution.
- Vescovo: Orders heretics to be burned at the BONFIRE.
- Condottiere: Executes infiltrated Ghibellines at the WALL.
- Console delle Arti: Condemns fraudulent artisans at the MARKET.
- Gonfaloniere di Giustizia: Brings traitors in the PALACE to justice.
Sinners and Souls
Each location contains sinners of a specific type. For example, in the BANQUET you can find gluttons, in the BANK the greedy, and in the HAYSTACK lustful people.
Sinners are not represented in the game. When one is accused and executed, they transform into a Soul, which is represented by a meeple. The newly created Soul will be placed in the Graveyard ready to descend into Hell later on.
Each Sin is represented by the same color in all of the game elements: Gluttony, and the other Sins.
Money and Loans
Inferno uses 2 different currencies:
- Florins are used to pay the access costs of certain locations in Florence. They are obtained in the BANK and the PALACE.
- Drachmas are used to cover Hell's costs, including paying for Souls to cross the River Acheron. Drachmas can only be obtained by converting Florins at the BONFIRE and the WALL, or by taking out loans.
If you have no Florins, you can't perform any actions that require them. But, since you can borrow Drachmas (see next section), you always have access to actions that require them. If you are required to perform an action that requires Drachmas (e.g., for a Soul to cross the Acheron) when you have none, you must take out a loan.
Loans of Drachmas: Whenever you need Drachmas, you can borrow from Charon. As repayment, he demands your Infamy points. To take a loan: Move your Boat down one space the loan track and take 2 Drachmas from the reserve.
If your Boat passes the instant effect symbol, you immediately lose 5 Infamy points. If you are already on the last step of the loan track and need a new loan, take the 2 Drachmas without moving your Boat and lose 5 Infamy points.
There is no limit to the number of loans you can take, but keep in mind that at the end of the game you will lose the Infamy points shown next to the symbol at your Boat's position.
Infamy Points
Infamy points determine which family wins the game.
If you exceed 60 points, place your +60 marker in front of you and continue scoring from position 1.
If you complete a second lap, flip the marker to show the +120 side and begin the next one.
Although unlikely, it is possible early in the game to have a negative score. If this happens, move your Infamy token backwards to position 60 and count backwards from there.
Round any fractional scores downwards.
Advancing on the Sin Tracks
Each Sin Track shows how much you have contributed to filling that same-colored circle in Hell. The main way to advance through the Sin Tracks is to accuse Sinners of the matching color in Florence. Sin Tracks are an important source of Infamy points at the end of the game.
When you want to advance on a Sin Track, place a Skull from your reserve on the 1st level of that track or, if you already have a Skull on that track, move it 1 space to the right.
If you reach the 4th position of a Sin Track, take a "1/2 Diploma" token from the reserve.
If you would progress beyond the 4th position of a track, keep your Skull at the 4th level and receive the Infamy points indicated to the right of your marker.
The Graveyard and Plague Cards
The Graveyard must always contain at least one Soul. If the Graveyard is ever empty, refill it immediately with the 4 Souls shown on the topmost card of the Plague deck. Then place the used card at the bottom of the deck and reveal the next one.
Playing Fraud Cards
Fraud cards provide numerous benefits and ways to gain Infamy points. Review your player aid to learn more about card effects.
Every card is divided into 2 parts: left and right.
The left half is instantly activated when the card is played. When you play the card, you can choose 1 of the 2 benefits at the bottom, but only if you meet the requirement shown at the top. Otherwise, the benefit is lost.
The right half will activate at the end of the game, if you have met its endgame requirement. If you do so, you may choose 1 of the 2 benefits shown. Otherwise, any effects are lost.
Card Requirements: You must have the indicated Barrel anywhere on your player board (either in your Tower or on the supply panel). There is no need to pay the Barrel — having it is enough to fulfill the requirement for any card with that symbol.
Playing Fraud cards: Some location or bonus will allow you to play a card. To do so, you must choose 1 of the 2 in your hand, OR 1 of the 3 visible in the Fraud card market, OR the top card from the Fraud deck. To play a card from anywhere other than your hand, you must pay 1 Drachma in addition to the cost of the action.
After you have played a card and resolved its instant effect, place it to the right of your board so that the card's leftmost section is hidden under the board or the previous card.
If you played a card from your hand, draw a new card at no cost. You may select 1 of the 3 cards visible in the market OR the top card from the deck. If any of the 3 cards are missing from the market, replace them with cards from the top of the deck.
The River Styx
This action allows you to move forward on the Sin Tracks without the need to accuse a sinner. You may take this action at the BONFIRE, with a gold bonus, or with a Fraud card.
To take this action, remove a number of same-colored Souls from the Graveyard and return them to the reserve. Then choose Sin Tracks to advance along, based on the number of returned Souls:
- 1 Soul: Advance 1 level on any of the first 4 tracks.
- 2 Souls: Advance 1 level on any of the last 4 tracks.
- 3 Souls: Advance 1 level on any of the first 4 tracks, and 1 level on any of the last 4 tracks.
If there is only one Soul in the Graveyard, you may only perform a 1-Soul River Styx with it. Then, 4 new Souls will immediately arrive in the Graveyard (see: The Graveyard and Plague Cards).
Overview
The Circles of Hell
My abode consists of 9 concentric circles, each reserved for a category of sinner. As one descends, the gravity of the Sin and the severity of the administered punishment increase.
- LIMBO: In this first circle reside the pagan Souls who, like me, did not know Our Lord. Our punishment is the impossibility of ascending to Purgatory. If we get lost and Dante finds us in his wanderings, he will lead us to the entrance of Hell.
- LUST: Souls who in life were guided by passionate winds, here, in the second circle, are pushed by an eternal gale, slamming them against walls and the ground.
- GLUTTONY: The Souls who suffer in this third circle are pelted by eternal hail and soaked by a rain as unrelenting as their appetite was insatiable.
- GREED: Those who in life hoarded excessive possessions or squandered them are condemned in this fourth circle to push gigantic rocks in opposite directions.
- SLOTH: Those who in life were ruled by idleness, in this fifth circle sink into the foul mud of the River Styx, where they mercilessly fight each other to stay afloat.
- HERESY: The corrupted Souls of those who deviated from divine doctrine burn within flaming tombs in this sixth level of Hell.
- VIOLENCE: In the seventh circle, those who were violent towards others sink into Phlegethon, the river of blood; those violent against themselves become trees, pecked at by harpies; those violent against God are showered by a rain of fire.
- FRAUD: This eighth circle is divided into ten Pits, where each type of fraudster suffers their punishment. From thieves bitten by snakes, to embezzlers condemned to wear lead capes, to counterfeiters plagued by rage and leprosy.
- TREASON: The deepest place in Hell is reserved for traitors. There, they suffer submerged in the ice of the River Cocytus. At its center, Lucifer devours Judas, the great traitor.
The person who has most recently committed a Sin will play the first turn, followed by the rest in a clockwise order, until the first round is completed.
Rounds will continue until Dante reaches the last stop on his journey during someone's turn. The remaining players will play one additional turn and the game will end, followed by final scoring.
Turn Overview
Each turn is divided into 2 parts, both mandatory.
- HELL PHASE: move a Soul lower into Hell.
- FLORENCE PHASE: choose between sending a family member to perform an action at a location in Florence OR accusing a sinner with a family member already at a location. If you can't perform any of the above, you must convene a family council.
1. HELL PHASE
- Move a Soul lower into Hell.
2. FLORENCE PHASE
- 2.1 – Send a family member to Florence Or
- 2.2 – Accuse a sinner Or
- 2.3 – Convene a family council
There is a link between the 2 phases: In the Hell phase, the displaced Soul ends its movement on a shield. The symbol on that shield determines the quartiere in which that player must play their next Florence Phase.
However, you can bribe Charon and pay 2 Drachmas to the general supply to play your Florence Phase in a different quartiere.
Family members start the game at home. When you take them to locations to perform actions, they stay there and cannot be played again. When you accuse a sinner, you retrieve your family members and bring them back to your board, ready to be played again.
Whenever you accuse a sinner Dante will advance one step, bringing the game closer to its end.
If you cannot perform either of the 2 options in the Florence Phase, you must convene a family council. This will allow you to take an action on your next turn, but will penalize you with the loss of 2 Infamy points.
1. Hell Phase
In Hell, your primary mission is to lead Souls to the same-colored circle for punishment. Doing so will earn you Infamy points, whose value increases with deeper circles.
To move a Soul in Hell, you can:
- Move a Soul that is already in Hell but hasn't yet reached the same-colored circle. You can easily recognize these Souls because they are the only ones in Hell that are still standing.
- Take a Soul from the Graveyard and place it on any square within the first circle. To do so, the Soul must cross the River Acheron and you must pay Charon one Drachma for his services (move the coin from your play area to the reserve).
If you cannot move any Soul in Hell and you have no Drachmas to move one from the Graveyard, you must take out a loan (see pg. 8) and use one of the 2 Drachmas received to make the Soul cross the river.
If you run out of Souls of a particular color and you need a new one, replace an already laid-down Soul of that color with a spare tile.
Soul Movement Rules
When moving a Soul, it must always descend along one of the lines originating from the shield where the Soul is located. If the destination shield is already occupied (by another Soul, a Guardian, or any other element), you must move again to a lower shield, along the lines originating from that occupied shield. Repeat the process until the Soul arrives at an empty shield.
If you move a Soul to an empty shield in its same-colored circle, lay it down to indicate that it has reached its destination. You immediately receive the Infamy points reward indicated to the right of the level.
A Soul may never descend beyond its color level. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Example A: In her Hell phase, Monica has 3 options:
- Move the brown Soul from the first circle (Limbo) to the free shield in the second circle, following one of the lines coming out of its shield.
- Move that same Soul to one of the 2 empty shields in the third circle, passing through the shield with the purple Soul.
- Pay a Drachma to the reserve and move the blue Soul from the Graveyard to any free shield in the first circle; to a free shield in the second circle, passing through the shield with the brown Soul; or to either of the 2 empty shields in the third circle, passing through those with the brown and purple Souls.
Monica cannot move the purple Soul because it has already been laid down (it has reached its destination circle).
Example B: Paco wants to move the green Soul to one of the 2 empty accessible shields in the third circle, which matches the Soul's color. He can move through the blue Soul on the left or the Petrified Soul on the right. He finishes this movement by laying the Soul down on a shield in the third circle, earning him the 2 Infamy points shown to the right of the circle.
Paco may not move the green Soul through the yellow one to reach the fourth Circle, as a Soul may not descend lower than the Circle matching its color.
Walls of Dis
To move a Soul from the fifth circle down to the sixth circle, it must go through the Wall of Dis. To do so, you must have previously placed a safe passage (one of your discs) on the gate of the Wall just above the destination shield. You cannot use other player's safe passages.
You can place safe passages by going to the BONFIRE, or through a silver bonus reward.
Example C: Monica has 2 options to move the red Soul: 5. Move the Soul to the free shield in the fifth circle. 6. Pass through the shield with the blue Soul, cross the Wall of Dis (having the necessary safe passage), pass through the shield with the yellow Soul, and end up in the shield of the seventh circle, earning the 4 Infamy points of the level.
Monica cannot move the Soul over the shield with the blue Soul and end up in the empty shield in the sixth circle, because she doesn't have the safe passage that allows her to cross the Wall through that passage.
Sudden Death
In the rare case that you cannot move a Soul during this phase (if there are no empty spaces left in Hell, or if the only remaining spaces are beyond the Wall of Dis and you don't have a safe passage), the game ends — even if someone else could make a move through the required safe passage.
In this case, proceed with the Sudden Death section of the Endgame (see pg. 16).
2. Florence Phase
When you bring your family members to the city, they can develop their intrigues, establish influential contacts, and earn Florins to increase the family's prosperity.
2.1 – Send a Family Member to Florence
Take a family member from your home (not from your Tower), place it on a location, and perform that location's action.
You can place a family member at a location even if you cannot or do not wish to take that location's action. You may place a family member at an already occupied location, whether it is occupied by your family member or one belonging to another player.
Remember! You must choose a location in the quartiere whose symbol matches the shield on the space where you finished the Hell phase, or you may spend 2 Drachmas and place your family member in any quartiere.
To access special locations you must meet the entry requirements listed in that location's upper-left corner. Example: play the action with an Urchin or pay 1 Florin.
Free-Access Locations
Children of the street are born from lust and fornication. Adopt one for little more than the cost of a bowl of soup.
HAYSTACK — Adopt an Urchin Place an Urchin from your reserve next to the family member you just brought in. Urchins allow you to expand your family and meet the entry requirements for some locations.
Earn the respect of the entire city by growing your Tower. Find various builders at the banquet today who are celebrating with great gluttony the completion of a project.
BANQUET — Add a floor to your Tower Take the next floor from your reserve (in ascending order) and place it in your Tower. Expanding your Tower's capacity allows you to accommodate more Guests, store more Barrels, and shelter more of your own family members when they accuse sinners. Having the tallest Tower provides points at the end of the game.
Banking is a crowning jewel of Florence, yet its interest rates walk a fine line with usury. Secure favorable conditions through the cachet your esteemed Guests bring.
BANK — Get Florins Receive 2 Florins, plus one for each Guest (not family member) housed in your Tower. Use Florins to pay the entry costs for some locations or to convert them into Drachmas at the WALL and the BONFIRE. Having the most Florins at the end of the game provides Infamy points.
The guards watching your Tower are now lazily lounging on the grass. Hurry! Take advantage of their negligence to move some of your sheltered family out of the Tower.
COURTYARD — Move family members from your Tower to your home Perform up to 2 optional actions:
- Transfer 1 or 2 of your family members from your Tower to your home.
- Reorganize your Tower: arrange the Guests, Barrels and family members however you like, without adding or removing any element.
Your Tower fills up with family members who accuse sinners. Here, you make up to 2 of them available again while creating space for other uses. Reorganizing your Tower can improve your efficiency by making space next to your Guests.
Having the most family members in your home at the end of the game provides Infamy points.
Special Locations
The entire city gathers to watch as these misguided beings are purified by the flames. Their abominable beliefs build a bridge between earth and Hell. Seize the opportunity to communicate with the other side.
BONFIRE — Make infernal purchases Perform up to 3 optional actions:
- Exchange up to 3 of your Florins into Drachmas.
- Choose between:
- Phlegethon: Move a Phlegethon cube one space to the right.
- Safe Passage: Place a disc on a gate of the Wall of Dis (each can contain one disc per person).
- Choose between:
- Pay 1 Drachma, move the Guardian (pg. 22) and play its effects.
- Pay 2 Drachmas and play the River Styx (pg. 9) to advance on 1 or 2 Sin Tracks.
The city is under siege by the faithless Ghibellines. Acts of violence are horrific during times of scarcity and disease. Prolonging death and suffering by supplying Resources to both sides would be the work of the devil himself.
WALL — Supply Barrels to the siege Perform up to 3 optional actions:
- Exchange up to 2 of your Florins into Drachmas.
- Pay 2 Drachmas and play a Fraud card (see player aid).
- Move a Barrel from your Tower to its space on the supply panel for an instant reward:
Supply Panel rewards:
- 1 Infamy point for every 2 spaces your Skulls have advanced.
- 2 Infamy points for each of your diplomas in the Diploma area.
- 1 Infamy point for each of your Skulls on the Sin Tracks.
- 4 Infamy points OR ½ Diploma token.
The market is rife with all kinds of Fraud: soothsayers, pimps, and forgers jostle for a front-row spot. Send your little ones with their nimble fingers to get lost in its alleyways.
MARKET — Steal Barrels Place a Barrel from the market on an empty space in your Tower. You cannot steal more than one Barrel of the same color in a game. Barrels are used to unlock benefits from Fraud cards and allow you to earn Infamy points when you place them on your supply panel (at the WALL).
The palace is teeming with intrigue and betrayal. Watch your back when you go there. You'll encounter influential figures — invite them to your Tower and they'll know how to return the favor when you need it.
PALACE — Host a Guest Take a Guest from this location and place them on an empty space in your Tower. Earn Florins equal to the height of the floor on which they are hosted (from 0 to 4). Your Tower can only host one of each type (color) of Guest. You can rearrange Guests by going to the COURTYARD, but you cannot evict them. Guests allow you to accuse sinners at the location that matches their color. At the end of the game, the player who hosted the most Guests will earn Infamy points.
2.2 – Accuse a Sinner
Every corner of Florence hides those infected by vice and sin. Should you encounter any, they must be accused. Let us pray for their atonement, that they may repent of their Sins before their execution.
Accusing a sinner results in their immediate execution. Perform this action to send a Soul of a specific color to Hell and advance on the corresponding Sin Track.
To do so, you must already have a family member at the location where you want to accuse a sinner and meet the requirements imposed by that type of location (see below).
Remember! You must accuse in the quartiere where you finished the Hell phase or else spend 2 Drachmas to choose a different quartiere.
STEPS FOR ACCUSING:
Choose a family member at a location and follow these steps in order:
- Send the accuser to your Tower: Move the family member who accused to an empty space in your Tower. If the accusation took place in a special location, do so on the floor where the Guest matching that color is housed.
- Bring your remaining family members home from Florence: If you have more family members in Florence, return them to your home.
- Move the sinner's Soul to the Graveyard: Move a Soul from the supply to the Graveyard that matches the color of the location where you accused. Important: The new Soul has no owner. Anyone can move it in a later turn.
- Advance your Skull and obtain the bonus: Move up one level on the Sin Track corresponding to the color of the moved Soul (refer to pg. 9 for details). Obtain the bonus indicated on the bonus tile to the left of that Sin Track. See its effects on the following page.
- Move Dante: Move Dante to his next step (shortcuts must be bypassed) and receive the reward that matches one of the icons below:
- Place a cream-colored Soul in the Graveyard. It belongs to a pagan. Like any other Soul, it will score points when taken to its corresponding circle (the first one). Additionally, you have the option to play a Guardian. See how on pg. 22.
- (Optional) Play a Fraud card.
- Awarding the Diploma at Dante's current level: The player with the highest-positioned Skull on the Sin Track that matches Dante's current level should place a diploma in the Diploma area of the same color. In case of a tie, multiple players may do this. At the end of the game each circle will award points to those who have the corresponding Diploma.
Tip! Remember that without its Diploma, a Sin Track won't provide you with points at the end of the game. If any escape you, do not despair: Later, you may exchange 2 '1/2 Diploma' tokens for any that you missed.
E.g.: In her Florence phase, Araceli accuses a sinner and advances Dante to the blue circle. Monica places a diploma in the Diploma area of that circle since her Skull is the furthest ahead on the blue Sin Track.
- Earn 2 Infamy points. Award the ice blue Diploma. Proceed to the endgame (pg. 16).
Accusation Requirements
Free-access locations:
- You must have an empty space in your Tower to accommodate the accuser.
Special Locations:
- You must have a Guest in your Tower of the same color as the location where you wish to accuse.
- There must be a free space for the accuser on the same floor as the Guest.
Tip! Without enough space in your Tower, you won't be able to accuse. Some locations may help you create some: The COURTYARD removes up to 2 family members, the WALL removes 1 Barrel, and the BANQUET allows you create free space by building a new floor.
Bonus
SILVER BONUSES:
- Play a Guardian (pg. 22) AND Earn a Drachma.
- Play a Guardian (pg. 22) AND Earn an Infamy point.
- Earn 3 Drachmas.
- Place up to 2 safe passages (discs) in Dis (pg. 13) OR Earn 2 Infamy points. Each gate in Dis can contain one Safe Passage of each player.
GOLD BONUSES:
- Play a River Styx (pg. 9) AND Earn one Infamy point.
- Move a Phlegethon cube one space to the right AND Move a cube one space to the right or left. You can move a cube 2 spaces to the right.
- Play a Fraud card (pg. 9).
- Advance one space on any Sin Track, including this one. You don't receive the new bonus, but you do get the "1/2 Diploma" if you reach the fourth level.
2.3 – Family Council
When you have no more family members to send to Florence, or you can't accuse a sinner, you are obligated to convene a family council. This may happen if you have no family members at any location, if you have no free space in your Tower, or you don't have the appropriate Guest.
Tip! Being forced to call a family council demonstrates poor leadership on your part. When you send your last family member to Florence, make sure that you will be able to accuse on your next turn.
After completing your Hell phase (ending on a shield with any district symbol), lose 2 Infamy points and choose ONE of these options:
- Move a family member to your home from your Tower or a location.
- Return a Guest from your Tower to the PALACE.
- Return one Barrel from your Tower to the MARKET. Upon losing a Guest, you lose the power to accuse sinners in their same-colored location. Lost Barrels cannot be used to fulfill the requirement of a Fraud card.
Endgame
Your main mission is to fill Hell with sinners. If you have been negligent, you will be punished. The emptier a circle is, the more your Infamy will suffer.
The game ends when a player accuses a sinner and makes Dante advance to his final stop, where the ice blue Diploma is awarded. That will be that player's last turn.
The remaining players will then each take one last turn, in order. If any other player uses that turn to accuse a sinner Dante will not move, but the Skulls will advance on the Sin Tracks, and that player will receive the corresponding bonus.
Final Scoring
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Scoring of Fraud Cards: In reverse order (starting from the player who took the last turn to the one who moved Dante to his final stop), check to see if any of your played Fraud cards meet the endgame requirements (your player board must contain the Barrels shown in the top-right corner of a given Fraud card). If so, apply 1 of the 2 effects on the right side of the card (or choose not to play either). Consult all possible effects on page 4 of your player aid.
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Adjust the River Phlegethon score: (If Geryon was in play and there are Pits on the board, remove them, leaving those shields empty.) Move the Phlegethon cubes one space to the left for each empty shield left in Hell in the circle of that color. 'Empty' means without any Soul, Guardian, or other element in them. Do this one circle at a time, from top to bottom.
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Gain additional Diplomas: In reverse order (starting from the player who took the last turn), for every 2 "1/2 Diploma" tokens in your possession, you will be awarded an additional Diploma. To take one of them, place one of your diplomas in the Diploma area of your choice (where you don't have one already). Any remaining "1/2 Diploma" tokens provide no benefits.
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Scoring Diplomas: Starting with the purple circle: the player or players with a diploma in the purple Diploma area will score that circle. To do so, they multiply the score on the purple Phlegethon cube (1-5) by the level where their Skull is on that Sin Track (1 to 4). The level will therefore provide between 1 (1 x 1) and 20 (5 x 4) points. Similarly, score the other circles, one by one, ending with the ice blue one.
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Repayment of Charon's loans: Each person loses the endgame points indicated on the square where their Boat is located (0, -2, or -4 points).
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Reputation in Florence: The player or players who achieve certain milestones will score the following Infamy points: Highest Tower; Most Florins; Most Guests; Most family members at home.
The player with the highest infamy score wins the game. In the event of a tie, the player with the most diplomas will win. If the tie continues, the tied players will share the victory.
Sudden Death: If the game has ended early because someone could not play their Hell phase (see pg. 11), follow these steps:
- Move Dante from stop to stop, placing diplomas in the Diploma area if your Skull is the farthest along at that level. No one will receive the 2-point reward for the final stop.
- For the priority in the final scoring phases (order to play cards, etc.), treat the person who could not play their Hell phase as the player who moves Dante to the last stop.
Example of Steps 2, 3 & 4 of Final Scoring
Here, we will focus on scoring 4 of the circles of Hell (Blue, Yellow, Red, and Gray). At the end of the game, the Phlegethon cubes are at certain levels, and the status of these 4 circles is as shown in the example.
Step 2 - Adjust Phlegethon score: Count how many empty spaces there are in each circle. Move the matching Phlegethon cube to the left by that same number, stopping at a minimum value of 1 Infamy point.
- Blue Circle: There are no empty spaces in this circle, so its cube stays where it is.
- Yellow Circle: There are 3 empty spaces in this circle, so its cube moves 3 spaces to the left (to the minimum of 1).
- Red Circle: There are 2 empty spaces in this circle, so its cube moves 2 spaces to the left.
- Gray Circle: All 3 spaces in this circle are empty, so we move its cube to the minimum.
Step 3 - Gain additional Diplomas: Paco is the only player with 2 '1/2 Diploma' tokens. After returning them to the supply, he places a white diploma on the blue level Diploma, as this will grant him the most points.
Step 4 - Scoring Diplomas: one circle at a time, calculate the point value of each Diploma.
- Blue Circle: Araceli scores 15 points for her Diploma (5 x 3), and Paco scores 10 (5 x 2) for the Diploma he gained in the previous step.
- Yellow Circle: No one has Diplomas, so no points are scored.
- Red Circle: Monica scores 6 points for her Diploma (2 x 3).
- Gray Circle: Paco scores 3 points (1 x 3) and Monica 4 (1 x 4).
The rest of the circles are scored in the same way.
Tip! Being awarded a Diploma doesn't grant any points in itself. It is easy to get distracted by Dante and try to get every Diploma, but it is usually wiser to focus on getting perfect scores for 1 or 2 circles.
A common mistake is to forget about Phlegethon. Even if you advance to the top of the track with your Skull, you will only get 1 point per step if you don't fill the corresponding circle of Hell. Most Fraud cards will assist you with this. The Guardians and their elements can also be used to fill empty shields in Hell.
Variants
Use these setup variants to increase player interaction in your games:
Diplomatic Crisis
Before placing Guests at the PALACE, randomly remove from the game as many Guests as there are players.
Example: In a 3-player game you would pick 12 Guests (3 of each color), and then randomly remove 3 of any color(s). Leave the remaining 9 at the PALACE.
Time of Thieves
Before placing Barrels at the MARKET, randomly remove as many units as there are players.
Example: In a 2-player game you would pick 8 Barrels (2 of each color) and randomly remove 2 of them. Leave the other 6 at the MARKET.
If your family card includes this symbol, take another one, also add a 4th Noble to your home. No Sin Track advances are granted.
Dante's Rush
You may add additional Shortcuts during the set-up. This will shorten the game, creating tighter gameplay.
In a 4-player game, add 1 Shortcut. In a 3-player game, add 2 Shortcuts. In a 2-player game, add 1 Shortcut.
Place these Shortcuts randomly on any of Dante's stops without Diplomas.
Solo
This solo mode and three challenges will allow you to explore every corner of Hell. Please observe the following changes:
Changes to Setup
Introduce these changes during setup:
- Place 3 Shortcuts on each stop on the left side of the stairs.
- Randomly choose a single Guardian from the black deck and place it face-up near the board.
Rule Changes
- If your Infamy token falls below the starting position (into negative points), the game ends and you lose.
- Each location can only hold 1 family member at a time.
- No points are awarded for achieving Reputation in Florence.
- HAYSTACK: if you bring a family member to this location, you must exchange it for an Urchin from your reserve. Your family will never exceed 4 members.
- MINOS: each time you score a Soul in a circle with your Tail on it, you receive 2 additional Infamy points.
Solo Mode - A Journey into Infamy
The goal is to gain the most Infamy points, following the general rules of the solo mode.
RULES CHANGE: Use your Infamy token to keep score during the game. For endgame scoring (Fraud cards, Diploma points, and Charon's penalties), use a token of a different color. Your final Infamy will be based on the lower score of the two tokens, comparing your score to Hell's most notorious inhabitants.
Those deprived of faith — These Souls barely qualify as sinners. Your journey to true Infamy has just begun. Strive for greater depths!
- 0 – 9 points: Socrates
- 10 – 19 points: Aristotle
- 20 – 28 points: Homer
- 29 – 36 points: Electra
- 37 – 43 points: Hector of Troy
- 44 – 49 points: Julius Caesar
Those driven by incontinence — Your wickedness is budding, yet there's room to descend into viler deeds. Embrace your darker self!
- 50 – 54 points: Helen of Troy
- 55 – 59 points: Paris
- 60 – 64 points: Dido
- 65 – 69 points: Cleopatra
- 70 – 74 points: Achilles
Those who were violent to others — Ah, the path of violence you tread is commendable! May your wrath bring forth greater Infamy.
- 75 – 79 points: Attila
- 80 – 83 points: Sextus Pompey
Those who committed Fraud — In the arts of deception, you excel. Infamy suits you well. A devious salute to your cunning!
- 84 – 86 points: Diomedes
- 87 – 89 points: Ulysses
Traitors! The worst kind of sinners — A toast to the vilest of betrayals! Your Infamy, echoing through the deepest Pits of Hell, is unmatched.
- 90 points or more: Brutus
The Challenges
These 3 unique challenges introduce changes that will force you to work hard for each Infamy point.
Select a difficulty level. The score required for success is indicated at the top of each column. The rows show the requirements you must meet when Dante reaches the stop with that Diploma, including Drachma costs. If you do not meet or exceed those requirements, you will lose the points indicated in the "X" column on the right of this table.
Challenge 1 - Payback Day
Charon has had enough. Not only will he not be lending any more Drachmas, but he also demands a payment plan.
RULES CHANGE: You may not ask Charon for loans. (If, due to this restriction, you can not perform your Hell Phase, the game ends.)
Difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard (see player aid/scoring table in the physical rulebook for exact values).
Challenge 2 - The Black Death
The Black Death has crowded the Graveyard with Souls. Guide them to their destined circles quickly, before their flesh rots away.
SETUP CHANGE: Move the Souls for the first 7 Plague cards to the Graveyard. Add also one cream-colored Soul. Remove the remaining Plague cards from the game.
RULES CHANGE: If the Graveyard becomes empty, do not replenish it with new Souls from a Plague card.
ADDITIONAL VICTORY REQUIREMENT: At the end of the game, none of your Skulls can be on levels 1 or 2 of the Sin Track (they may be on levels 3 and 4, or not present on the track at all).
Difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard (see player aid/scoring table in the physical rulebook for exact values).
Challenge 3 - A Descent to Remember
Try to impress Dante by showing him the most dreadful horrors within your power.
Difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard (see player aid/scoring table in the physical rulebook for exact values).
Requirements Iconography:
- Number of Souls lying down in the circle of this color.
- Number of Souls lying down in the circle of this color, which are adjacent only to empty shields.
- Number of Souls standing up in the circle of this color.
- Number of Souls lying down in all circles of Hell.
- Level of your Skull in the Sin Track of this color.
- Number of safe passages (discs) at the Walls of Dis.
- Number of Drachmas to be paid.
- Number of Fraud cards played.
- The cube of this color must be at Level 5 of the Phlegethon.
Guardians
As ancient as Hell itself, these Guardians wield powers that, in capable hands, can prove invaluable. Yet, heed my counsel: at times it is wiser to avoid their path of death and destruction.
There are six Guardians of the circles of Hell, 3 red and 3 black.
General Rules
- Remember that Souls cannot descend beyond the circle of their color. The effects of Guardians cannot alter this rule.
- You're allowed to move Guardians without activating their effects, but if you want to use them, you must move their standee to a different shield from the one they are already on.
- The effects of Guardians always affect Souls, never other standees or elements.
Adjacency
A Guardian can move to any empty shield in Hell. If they have the ability to affect a Soul on an adjacent shield, this can also occur on the circles above or below.
E.g.: After her move, Medusa can petrify any Soul marked in green.
Red Guardians
MEDUSA — Listen to her voice, but avoid her gaze, or her monstrous face will become your last memory. Her victims turn into grotesque statues, trapped forever in a state where life and death blur into one.
Setup: Place Medusa's standee in the far-left shield of the YELLOW circle. Leave the Petrified Souls near the playing area.
How to play: Move the standee to an empty shield. Choose a Soul from an adjacent shield, remove it, and place a Petrified Soul in its place.
Effect: Petrified Souls cannot move for the rest of the game.
ANTAEUS — When asleep, the titan resembles a hill. Yet, when he awakens, the clanking of his Chains scares even the cold hearts of the harpies. Should his Chains capture a Soul, it will be condemned to eternal servitude.
Setup: Place Antaeus' standee in the far-left shield of the ICE BLUE circle. Leave the Chains of your color in your play area.
How to play: Move the standee to an empty shield. Choose a Soul from an adjacent shield and place your Chains under it. If you had Chains under another Soul, you can move them to the new one.
After effect: Only you can move a Soul with your Chains. If the Soul reaches its circle, retrieve your Chain token.
GERYON — Don't be fooled by his human face. If his claws don't knock you down, his stinger will pierce your back. Then, as he flies, he'll destroy everything in his path with his Tail.
Setup: Place Geryon's standee in the far-left shield of the GRAY circle. Leave the Pits near the playing area.
How to play: Move the standee to an empty shield. Then, choose another empty adjacent shield and place a Pit in it.
Effect: At the end of the game, remove all Pits. During the final scoring, as the Phlegethon cubes are adjusted, each shield that previously held a Pit will now be empty, causing that circle's cube to move one space to the left.
Black Guardians
MINOS — The ancient king who judges the Souls grants special favors to those who remain loyal to him.
Setup: Place Minos' standee in the far-right shield of the PURPLE circle. Leave the Tail token of your color in your play area.
How to play: Move the standee to an empty shield. Place your Tail token to the right of the circle, on the Infamy points symbol. You cannot place your Tail if there is already another one there. If your Tail is on a different level, you can move it to this circle.
Effect: Each time another player brings a Soul to the circle of its color and scores it, if your Tail is there, you will also receive the Infamy points for that Soul's placement.
CERBERUS — Hunts down fleeing Souls relentlessly, herding them away with the thunderous barks of its 3 heads. If you find a way to attract its attention, you can use the power of this beast to your advantage.
Setup: Place Cerberus' standee in the far-right shield of the GREEN circle. Leave the Bones near the playing area.
How to play: DO NOT move its standee. Instead, take a Bone. You can use it in the Hell phase of a later turn. You can accumulate more than one Bone.
Effect: At the beginning of a turn, instead of moving a Soul in the usual way, return a Bone to the reserve and attract Cerberus' attention. Move the standee to the shield with the Soul you want to displace, scaring it away. You can move the Soul down as many shields as you like, landing it in an empty space. It may pass through empty shields, or shields occupied by other Souls or elements. It can even cross the Wall of Dis, if you have the necessary safe passage. The Soul must move in a straight line.
E.g.: Monica places Cerberus on the shield with the yellow Soul, scaring it away. She can move the Soul to any of the shields marked in green. She cannot move it to the red square on the left because she doesn't have a passage. She cannot move it to the shield on the right crossed in red, because that would require a turn.
MINOTAUR — Imprisoned in the depths of the Labyrinth since the dawn of time, this formidable Guardian awaits. Should you discover an entrance, it will guide you to his presence.
Setup: Place Minotaur's standee in the far-right shield of the RED circle. Leave the Labyrinth entrance of your color in your play area.
How to play: Move the standee to an empty shield. Place your Labyrinth entrance on any other empty shield (if it's already placed in Hell, change its position). You cannot choose to move the Guardian without also moving your Labyrinth, and vice versa.
Effect: When you place your Labyrinth entrance (A), a 'tunnel' is formed between it and the Minotaur (B). If you move a Soul to the shield with your Labyrinth, it becomes directly connected to the shield where the Minotaur is located. However, since that shield is occupied by the Minotaur standee, you must move the Soul again to a lower free shield, as usual. For other players, your Labyrinth is simply another occupied shield.
The shield with the Minotaur will be the exit that all Labyrinths share. The Minotaur allows a Soul to cross the Wall of Dis without a safe passage.
E.g.: Paco wants to move the ice blue Soul. He can move it to any of the shields marked in green. Although others can jump over his Labyrinth entrance to the shield marked in red, he cannot.
Iconography
The rulebook uses icons throughout for: Advance on a Sin Track, Barrel (Any), Bread, Cloth, Wine, Weapons, Circle (Any), Circles 2-5, Circles 6-9, Diploma, ½ Diploma, Instant effect, Endgame effect, Graveyard, Guest (Any), Urchin, Noble, Guardian, Phlegethon, River Styx, Bonus, Home, Tower, Access requirements, Accuse a sinner.
Family Cards Initial Resources
Family cards show, via icons: an extra floor in your tower; 1 Guest, Barrel, or Noble of your choice at the marked position in your tower (in the Apprentice deck, the color of the Guest or Barrel must match that shown on the card); the number of Drachmas and Florins shown; 2 Fraud Cards; the number of Nobles and Urchins at home.
Credits
Game Design: Fernando Eduardo Sánchez Art: David Benzal & Cristian Casado Otazu Development: Lolo González Editing: Red Mojo Games Rulebook: Diego Martínez Rulebook Editor: Michael Schemaille Rulebook Layout: Ana Conde 3D Sculpting & Video: Mimic Box Graphic Consultants: 221B Estudio Art Concepts: Araceli Martín Historical Consultant: Sergio Bravo Sánchez Cultural Consultant: Jason Perez Main testers: Araceli Martín, Román Gacho, Mónica Ospina y Paco Ocaña. Testers: Antonio Díaz, Alicia Higuera, Verónica Higuera, Álvaro Pielo, Javier García, Víctor Ausín, Alberto Sanchez Oliva, Imanol Múgica Lesmes, Ulrike Meyer, Carlos Cerrato Rodrigues, Jose Camarasa Monzón, Luis M. Prieto, Gabriel Trujillo Hernández, César Villar, Carlos San Emeterio, Víctor Bello de Valle, David Díaz Carnes, Amelia Jiménez Plaza, Daniel Kelevras, Alvaro Adrada, Alejandro Adrada, Adolfo Martinez, Elián Schechtel, David Rubio, Paloma Jiménez, Rubén Nieto, Susana Escribano Cuesta, Abraham Sánchez, Pablo Jiménez & Konstantin Wöbking.
Designer's Note: I would like to extend my thanks to all those who playtested this game during its development, whether at a game fair or a home session. Special thanks go to my dear Mónica and Paco, for testing the game in all its early versions; to my friend and loyal tester Román, for the many games and his valuable advice; and above all to my adventure partner, Araceli, for her fabulous prototype illustrations, her commitment, and her constant support. A large part of this game is thanks to you all.
Publisher's Note: A game is only as good as its playtests, and we have been fortunate to have played with dozens of Souls who have gifted us their time and feedback. In particular, support from the board game associations 'Mecatol Rex' in Madrid and 'Juegos Comuneros' in Valladolid has been fundamental in the development of this project. Thank you all for your generosity.
Dante, Please Forgive Us: While we have strived to be as faithful as possible to both the period and the work, the setting of Inferno includes some artistic liberties. There are major inaccuracies, such as transforming the Arno and Acheron into tributaries on the board, and minor details, like the depiction of iconic buildings not yet completed in the period. These decisions are not the result of negligence by our historical advisor (who has heroically fought for accuracy), but rather concessions in the name of gameplay, accessibility, simplicity, and the appeal of the game.
We trust that these peccadilloes will be forgiven.
Published by Red Mojo Games S.L. (www.redmojo.es), in partnership with ZATU Games – UK (www.zatu.co.uk) and Grand Gamers Guild (grandgamersguild.com).