Kinghill
Kinghill Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Story
- Components
- Game Board – The Map
- The Castle (2)
- Action Tiles (12)
- Power Tokens (12)
- Outskirt Offer Cards (50)
- Unit Cards (51)
- Spell Cards (14)
- Force Cards (10)
- Heroes Cards (10)
- Resources
- Peasant Tokens in Two Colors
- First Player Token (1)
- Damage Counters (20)
- Trackers (6)
- Gurum the Destroyer (1), Greivras the Seeker (1)
- Terminology
- Board Overview
- Setup
- Game Round
- Actions
- Action Spaces Details
- Castle Actions
- Resources
- Action Tiles
- Meet the Specialists
- Peasants
- Powers
- Moonstone Force
- Castle Sheet
- Buildings
- Caravans
- Units
- Unit Abilities
- Combat
- Castle Attack Order
- Quick Summary
- Castle Fight Example 1
- Castle Fight Example 2
- Unit Fight
- Quick Summary (Unit Fight)
- Damage Deal Example
- Unit Fight Example 1
- Unit Fight Example 2
- Magic
- Casting a Spell
- Victory and Game Length
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Credits
Story
Hope. That is the name of the moon that shines down upon the lands of Kinghill night and day.
During clear and bright nights, you can see with your bare eyes where the pieces of Hope shattered. These fragments are known as 'Moonstones'.
Right now, two mighty kingdoms each hold a stone. Unwilling to relinquish the promise of power to the other, they have plunged Kinghill into war.
You are one of the rulers of these kingdoms.
Break down the walls of your rival's castle. Seize that which is rightfuly yours, the the moonstone which they hold, and the power with it.
Components
Game Board – The Map
The Map forms the center of the game, offering actions to play, units to hire, and buildings to construct.
The Castle (2)
At the beginning of the game each player receives a Castle sheet. See page 17 for details.
Action Tiles (12)
Action tiles offer new action spots for players and provide new opportunities and strategies. In addition they serve as a round tracker for game end. See page 6 (step 4), page 8 (step 4), and page 13 for details.
Power Tokens (12)
Power tokens (Powers) represent the growing influence of the Moonstones. They will have a significant permanent effect for both players for the rest of the game. See page 15 for details.
Outskirt Offer Cards (50)
The Outskirt Offer deck consists of 10 legendary buildings (yellow gem), 17 level 1 cards (green gem) and 23 level 2 cards (blue gem). See page 18 for details.
Unit Cards (51)
The Unit deck contains units that players will hire and use to fight their enemies. See page 19 for details.
Spell Cards (14)
Spells provide means to swing combat in player's favor or give variety as single-use bonuses. See page 25 for details.
Force Cards (10)
The Force deck represents the mighty power of the Moonstones. Players will wield this power once their Moonstones have been empowered. See page 16 for details.
Heroes Cards (10)
Each Kingdom is unique. The Heroes deck provides players with unique starting abilities and attributes.
Resources
Stone (30x), Lunarus coins (20x) and crystals (20x). See page 12 for details.
Peasant Tokens in Two Colors
Basic peasants (6x), Soldiers (3x), Miners (3x), Mages (2x), Ranger (1x), Assassin (1x) and Sage (1x).
First Player Token (1)
Damage Counters (20)
Trackers (6)
Gurum the Destroyer (1), Greivras the Seeker (1)
The Gurum and Greivras cards are considered to be units, but they are not part of the Unit deck. They will only be used in certain situations.
Terminology
Castle Endurance
Castle endurance represents the condition of players Castles. Destroying the enemies Castle is the main goal and win condition of the game.
Courtyard
The Courtyard is where Peasant tokens are kept on player's Castle sheets. All peasants return here at the end of each round.
Explore
For each Explore symbol, reveal a card from the Unit deck. Gain the resources shown in its top right corner and then discard it.
Outskirt Offer / Unit Offer
Offers are located on the game board. Players can purchase new buildings, use caravans and hire units.
Discard the last two cards in each offer at the end of each round and fill the remaining cards in the farthest right available spots on the board.
Outskirt Deck
Buildings and Caravans. Level 1 Outskirt cards have green gems on the back side and are dealt first. Once the level 1 cards are depleted, the level 2 cards (blue gem) are used. The deck also contains random legendary buildings (golden gem).
Specialist
A Specialist is a peasant that has been upgraded to one of 6 unique types: Soldier, Miner, Mage, Ranger, Assassin, and Sage.
Note: Specialists are always considered peasant's.
Dragons are legendary and godlike creatures of Kinghill. Each has a long history and its own worshippers.
There is one dragon which has never been seen, Mother of Moon.
Legend says her home is Hope itself and when the time comes, she will awaken and eclipse the sun for eternity.
Board Overview
Game Board
- Heroes deck (p.7), Spell deck (p.25), Outskirt offer deck (p.18), Unit deck (p.19)
- Mine area actions (p.10)
- Explore, Steal and Kill action (p.11)
- Outskirt offer (setup p.6, Buildings p.18) and Unit offer (setup p.6, Units p.19)
- General supply (resources p.12, damage counters)
- Action tile spaces (p.6, 8, 13)
- Train action (p.11)
- Legendary building space (p.18)
- First player, Hire action (p.11)
- Power space (p.15)
- Powers (p.15)
- Castle endurance (p.17)
- Buildings slots (p.17,18)
- Moonstone Force (p.16)
- Castle actions (p.12)
- Courtyard (p.12)
- Personal supply
- Space for units
- Action tiles (p.13)
Setup
If this is your first game, check the first play variant on the next page. It simplifies some of the setup to decrease the time spent setting up your first game.
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Place the game board on the table.
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Shuffle the Unit deck and place one card face-up on each designated space on the game board.
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Prepare the Outskirt offer deck.
Separate and shuffle all 10 legendary building cards (golden gem symbols on the back side) without looking at them.
a) Select 4 randomly and return the unused legendary cards back to the box, they will not be used in this game.
b) Shuffle 2 of the remaining legendary building cards into the Outskirt deck marked with a green gem symbol. Shuffle the other 2 into the Outskirt deck marked with a blue gem symbol.
c) Place 5 cards face-up from the green gem deck onto the regular Outskirt Offer spots on the board.
Whenever a player draws a legendary building, place it on the designated space for legendary buildings and continue with the card distribution. Note: In case a legendary building already exists on the legendary building spot, place the newly drawn legendary building on top of the existing one.
The Outskirt deck also contains Caravan cards. Caravans usually provide temporary action spaces, passive bonuses or one time-effects. See details on page 18.
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Shuffle all Action tiles and place them face-down on the action tile spaces on the board. Return the unused Action tiles back to the box, they will no longer be used in the game.
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Reveal the first Action tile (upper-left).
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Shuffle all Power tokens and place them face-down near the game board, creating a single stack.
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Take all the resources (stone, coins, crystals) and damage counters and place them next to the game board, creating the general supply.
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Set the Gurum The Destroyer and Greivras the Seeker cards aside at the beginning of the game, they will only be used in certain special game circumstances.
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Each player takes one Castle sheet and all the peasant tokens of their chosen color. We recommend sitting opposite each other as this is 1vs1 game.
"The Dead make good soldiers." - Ultah, Necromancer
- Each player places 2 peasants in the Courtyard area on their Castle sheet. In addition, each player places 1 peasant on top of each of the Action tiles as shown below (this is also indicated with icon on the board under the Action tile).
This icon on the board indicates where to put the Basic peasant on the top of the Action tile.
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Set starting Castle endurance to 14 and Moonstone Force to 0 (use trackers).
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Randomly determine a starting player and give the First Player token to that player.
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All other players receive one Lunarus coin from the general supply.
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Shuffle the Heroes deck. Each player draws two cards. Return the unused cards back to the box, they will no longer be used in the game.
Starting with the first player, choose one Hero card, reveal it next to the Castle sheet and gain starting bonuses (if any). Adjust the initial values of the Moonstone Force and Castle endurance according to the selected Hero.
Special events can cause hero abilities to be upgraded. Upgraded abilities can give players a one-time boost, passive abilites or unique end of turn abilities.
- Shuffle the Spell and Force decks, place them near the game board.
First Game Variant
For your first game, make the following changes to the game.
- Set starting Castle endurance to 12 instead 14 (step 11)
- Take all the Legendary Buildings cards (Golden Gem) and remove them from the game (the step 3 of setup).
- Do not deal Hero cards (skip step 14 of setup).
- Remove the "Power of the Heroes" power from the Power stack (setup step 6).
- Each player starts the game with 1 Stone, 1 Lunarus coin and 1 Crystal. Second player receives 1 additional Lunarus coin as part of setup step 13.
Game Round
Round – Action Phase
Starting with the first player, players take turns taking one action in clockwise order by assigning peasants to uncoccupied action spaces.
You can find a detailed description of each action on page 10-13.
Players continue taking actions, one action at a time. The round ends when both players run out of available actions or do not wish to play any further actions (e.g. cast spells, use special actions) and pass. Note: If a player runs out of peasants they may still cast spells or use special actions if able.
Whoever has the First Player token starts each round and takes their first action. The token remains with the same player until the First Player action is taken.
Enjoy the game and never give up the fight. The minute you do that, you have lost.
Round – End of Round
At the end of each round perform as follows:
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Resolve effects of all cards with the "at the end of round" effect (represented by the Hourglass icon.) Don't forget to resolve the end of round effects on Powers, Buildings, Units and Starting Hero cards.
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Each player gains 1 Moonstone Force.
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Each player returns their placed peasants, including any newly gained, to their Courtyard. Note: Whenever you flip an action tile with a peasant on it (end of second and fifth round) players receive this new peasant in their courtyard to be used for the rest of the game.
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Flip over one new Action tile.
Reminder: The first Action tile is flipped during setup of the game.
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At the end of the second and fourth rounds, reveal a new Power from the top of the Power stack and place it into play face-up.
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At the end of the fifth round, before refreshing the Outskirt offer, remove any remaining green gem symbol cards from the Outskirt deck.
- Refresh the Unit offer and the Outskirt offer.
Discard all cards on spaces with the discard symbol and slide all remaining cards in the Unit and Outskirt offer to the right. Reveal and place one new card from the Unit and Outskirt offer decks on each empty respective space. The discarded cards are placed face-up near the game board to form a discard pile.
Discard the last two cards from each row.
Slide all remaining cards to the right and fill empty spaces with new cards.
Note: Legendary buildings are not considered part of the Outskirt offer, and have their own dedicated space on the board. Whenever a new legendary building is revealed, place it on top of the old one.
- Replenish all resources on cumulative Mines. See page 10 for details.
Actions
The following apply to taking any action:
- Use only unused peasants from your Courtyard (not from your personal supply).
- Only one peasant may be placed at a time (with the exception of the Defend action).
- Each action space can only be occupied by a single peasant with the exception of action spots showing a green gem. An unlimited number of peasants can be placed on green-gem circle actions.
Note: in the base game, there are only two green-gem actions - Hire and Spell Study.
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Whenever an action is used, immediately carry out the described action fully. Actions are usually indicated with icons or text inside a connected frame. All the details for individual actions are listed on the next pages.
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Peasants can be played in any order the player chooses to use them.
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If a player has unused peasants on their turn they must still take one action. If players have no available peasants on their turn, they are still allowed to play Spells and/or play Force cards in addition to using any revealed special card effects.
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All players take their peasants back to their Courtyard at the end of each round.
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If there is a cost on the action space, players need to pay all the displayed resource(s) as part of the action, before resolving it.
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Actions with a specific Specialist icon may only be occupied by the required specialist shown on the action space.
Example: Only the Mage Specialist is able to take this action. Since it is also a green action, it is open to any number of Mage Specialists.
- This icon represents the Train action, which follows the same rules as any other single-use action. It is simply a reminder that a placed peasant is replaced with the given specialist.
Sending thieves turned out to be obsolete and expensive. Those birds will do a similar job for just a pinch of grain - Parrot trainer
Action Spaces Details
Train
The Train action represents the basic way to train a peasant into a specialist. Training is available for Basic peasants as well as for specialists from one type to another.
Once taken, players replace the peasant with any specialists from their personal supply. The original peasant goes back into their personal supply, while the newly created specialist stays on the action space and returns to the Courtyard at the end of the round.
Example: The Blue player decides to make a Mage specialist. They place a Basic peasant on the Mage Train action and it is instantly replaced with a Mage specialist. They then return the Basic peasant to their personal supply
This way each particular specialist can be trained only once per round (except Assassin as you will read below).
The basic Train action on the game board also provides you with an immediate one-time bonus for each particular specialist: Miner (1 stone and 1 stone/coin), Ranger (1 Force/1 Explore), Mage (draw 1 Spell card or 1 crystal). The Soldier provides a passive bonus to Castle attacks, but no immediate one-time bonus. If players use a Ranger to retrain as an Assassin, they will receive the Assassin specialist immediately into theirs Courtyard (the Ranger is still lost during this process though). This way the action space will not be occupied and players can use newly acquired Assassin in the same round. This is unique to training an Assassin with a Ranger.
Specialist types: Soldier, Ranger, Miner, Mage, Assassin, Sage.
Mines
Mines are one of many ways to gain resources. Once the action is taken, players immediately take the displayed number of resources from the general supply and place them into their personal supply.
Bonus: If players take an action with the specified specialist, they also gain any bonus resources displayed to the right of the action.
Cumulative Mines
Some actions can accumulate resources. If the space has a cumulative resource symbol(s), place the displayed number of resources from the general supply on that action at the end of each round. These resources are added to any resources that may already be there from previous rounds. When such an action is taken, players take the displayed number of resources as usual + take all the stored resources directly from the action and place them into their personal supply.
Players may store accumulated resources just aside to the Mines.
Example: If the action displayed above is taken, gain 3 coins (2 displayed and 1 stored) and 1 extra stone OR 1 coin if the action was taken with a Miner specialist.
First Player
Immediately take the First Player token, and receive 1 stone and 1 resource.
If player currently has the first player token, they are NOT allowed to play this action.
Hire
Any number of peasants can occupy this action space.
Choose 1 Unit from the Unit offer, pay the hiring cost, and then place it in front of your Castle sheet.
Explore
Send the Ranger specialist into the wilderness for exploration. Turn over the top 2 cards from the Unit deck (1 for each Explore symbol). Gain all resources displayed in the upper-right corner, then discard both cards into the discard pile.
Steal
Take 1 resource from the personal supply of the target enemy player, and gain 1 basic resource from the general supply (stone/coin).
Kill
If the moment is right, the Assassin can strike! If a Unit has only 1 HP remaining, take this action to kill it instantly and gain 2 coins from the general supply. Note: Kill action is not dealing any damage. It kills a Unit.
The House of Dagger is secret organization where you can hire Shadows - deadly assassins. — Samuel Rub, City guide
Castle Actions
Castle actions are actions displayed on Castle sheets, and are invidual to the player.
Atack and Defend
+1 per any peasant + sword icon; +1 per any peasant + 2 per shield icon.
See combat on page 20.
Build
Choose 1 building in the Outskirt offer, pay its cost and place it on 1 of the empty Castle sheet spaces. If the Build action is activated with the Miner specialist, gain 1 stone. This stone can be used to pay cost of the building.
Note: If all slots are full, players can replace an old building with a new one (put the old building into the discard pile).
Study Spells
The Study Spell action is open to any number of Mages. Draw 2 spells from the Spell deck. Look at both secretly and choose 1 of them to keep. Put the other on the bottom of the Spell deck. See Spell details on page 25.
Resources
Resources are represented by physical tokens which are stored in the general supply. Resources may be obtained and spent in many ways.
Whenever the player gains any resource, it is stored in their personal supply nearby their Castle sheets in clear view of all players. Stone and coins are considered to be basic resources while crystals are unique.
Stone
Stone is the basic building material but it has a wide range of uses. Stone can be fired from catapults, lowering your opponent's Castle endurance if the Catapult action tile is revealed. Stone might also be needed to protect against dangerous earthquakes.
Lunarus Coins
Lunarus coins are the universal currency used by the majority of Kinghill's population.
The dragon silhouette displayed on Lunarus coins represents the ancient dragon Lunarus, the oldest dragon. It's shrouded in legend and hasn't been seen in Kinghill for centuries.
Magic Crystals
Magic crystals are quite an expensive substance. Luckily, they grow in the wilderness. Magic crystals are required for casting Spells, hiring mystic units, and purchasing powerful buildings.
Crystals are commonly used for enrichment of expensive jewelerly for the nobility. Some of them even provides small magical improvements.
Action Tiles
Extra Peasant
Grants an extra peasant directly to a players Courtyard. Pay 1 coin + 1 extra coin for each unrevealed action tile on the map, e.g. in the ninth round this action will cost 1 coin.
Copy Action
Copy any action on the map. An occupied action is an action where a peasant is already placed. Players may also copy occupied Caravans. Players receive all bonuses of placed peasants. i.e. Copying a Mine action where a Miner is placed, grants extra resources.
Gain Force / Explore Force
Gain 2 basic resources (stone/coin) and 1 Force.
Explore twice and gain 1 Force.
Crystal Study / Spell Focus
Draw a Spell. Using a Mage allows players to immediately cast it with a discount of 1 crystal.
Gain 2 crystals and draw a Spell if the action was played with a Mage specialist.
Build and Hire
Take the Build Action or Hire Unit action (or vice versa). Each action is resolved invidually.
Super Build
Take the Build action. If the Miner specialist is used, gain 2 basic resources which may be used to pay for the Build action.
Double Hire
Hire up to two Units. Each hire is resolved invidually.
Catapult
Only a Soldier specialist is allowed to take this action. Pay 2/4/6 stones to deal 1/2/3 damage directly to an enemies Castle. Players may play this action even if they do not wish to pay any stones.
Extra Attack
Only a Soldier specialist is allowed to take this action. This action is similar to the Castle Attack action, however passive Soldier bonuses for the Castle attack phase do not count. All other castle bonuses still apply.
Trade
Gain 1 resource (coin/stone). Trade 1 gold for 2 stone or vice versa. Trade two crystal for three coins or vice versa. Players can trade any number of resources. i.e. trade 6 stones for 3 coins and then trade these coins for crystals.
Stone Golems are quite common creatures roaming the coutryside. Nobody knows what is true purpose of these elements.
Meet the Specialists
Mage
Mages that practice protective magic have a good reputation amongst the common people, altough many use crystals for greed and corruption. Mages are the only ones able to study mighty Spells and gather more crystals.
Soldier
Soldiers assist with tactics and combat. Their primary ability is to provide a passive attack bonus when attacking the enemies castle, but they are also able to play many different military actions and provide extra defense.
Miner
Miners are not afraid to work hard all day and descend deeper into the mines. They gain bonus resources while mining, shown by the Miner icon on the far right of each mine action. They are also helpful with kingdom development.
Ranger
Rangers are elite explorers. They can search for additional resources in the wilderness and explore places of power. Each player is limited to 1 Ranger.
Assassin
Assassins are the marauding type of peasant. Once trained, they unlock the usage of the Steal and the Kill action.
Sage
Little is known about Sages. They are sometimes seen wondering in the wilderness. If players are able to persuade them to join their ranks they will not regret it, as they have knowledge of all other professions.
Peasants
Peasants are loyal servants who help players achieve goals and secure victory.
A non-specialist (Basic peasant) is a peasant without any special training.
A specialist is a Basic peasant that has been trained and upgraded and will always count as a peasant.
Basic peasants can take any non-specialist action (such a mining, trading, building and recruiting units.) Specialists are experts in their filed. Players will be able to train specialists such as: Mages, Rangers, Soldiers, Miners, and Assassins.
Fortunately, specialists have not forgotten their previous professions and may always be used as a Basic peasant.
Each player has access to a limited number of each type of specialist:
3 Miners, 3 Soldiers, 2 Mages, 1 Ranger, 1 Assassin and 1 Sage specialist are available to each player.
Each player is limited to having a maximum of 6 peasants at any one time. Each player starts the game with two Basic peasants in their Courtyard. Players automatically receive 1 new Basic peasant at the end of the 2nd and 5th round when the Action tile is revealed. A peasant icon is located on the board as a reminder. Note: Taking the Train action only allows a Basic peasant to be trained into a Specialist, it does not allow a player to gain a new peasant.
Powers
The Moonstone's Power is wild, and as the war drags on, both Moonstones begin to tear the continent into pieces. Powers are strong effects which will change flow of the game for all players.
Powers are revealed and placed on Power spaces on the left side of the game board.
Once a Power is revealed on the game board (face-up), it is immediately active and will affect play for the reminder of the game. Some Powers have effects which are resolved at the end of each round and some are passive abilities that will change the rules.
Two powers are automatically revealed and put into play at the end of the 2nd and 4th round as indicated by the Power icon on the board next to the action tile slots.
Remember to check end of round steps. At the end of second and fourth round, reveal one Power face-up and place it on the first empty Power slot.
Using the Moonstone Force will also cause even more Powers to come into play. See the Force chapter on page 16 for details.
Powers are either negative or positive and apply to all players.
A maximum of 5 Powers may be in the game at any one time. If a 6th Power should ever be put into play, ignore it.
Edification
At the end of each round, starting with the First Player, each player draws a spell card from the Spell deck.
Earthquake
At the end of each round, starting with the First Player, each player must pay 3 stone or take 2 Castle damage.
Echoing Wrath
At the end of each round, place 1 damage counter on each Unit in play. A unit with only 1 HP remaining is ignored.
Adaptation
All Train actions are now instant for Basic peasants – trained specialists are immediately returned back to the players Courtyard and may be used in the same round to play further actions. Training itself still counts as playing an action.
Power of Heroes
All starting Hero cards are immediately upgraded. One-time Hero powers are triggered at the moment when this Power is activated (starting with the First Player).
Time for War
Basic Hire/Build actions do not require a peasant to be used. This still counts as playing an action.
The Clatter of War
Continue to refill the Outskirt offer as normal from the Outskirt offer deck, afterwards replace any non-Caravan cards in the Outskirt offer with cards from the unit deck. Legendary buildings are still placed as normal.
Black Moon, Moon Seekers
These are Boss Powers. When a Boss is drawn, place its associated card on top of the legendary building slot. Legendary buildings are not available while a Boss is in play. If a new legendary building is drawn, place it below the Boss card. Drawing another Boss will replace the current one. A Boss can be attacked as part of the Unit fight phase and Bosses will deal damage to each unit equal to its Strength. A player who kills a Boss receives the reward displayed on the Boss' Power card, and the Boss card is discraded.
Moonstone Force
Moonstone magic is wild and unpredictable and each player has one of the Moonstones at their disposal. Although Mages warn against using it, this ancient force may just decide the war.
The Moonstone Force tracker is found on the Castle sheet. By default you start with 0 Moonstone Force (Force).
One Force is gained automatically at the end of each round.
The Force icon signalizes gaining +1 Force on a players Force tracker. Players are not allowed to go below 0 Force but may go above 10 Force.
Moonstone Force is supported by many cards. Be warned, as Force results are often quite random.
As an action players can spend 5 Force to tap into force and draw one force card from the Force deck.
On a players turn players can always play a Force card as an action.
Once drawn, reveal it to all players and resolve one of the available effects immidiately.
Force effects are superior to any spell effects - players can even target Units immune to magic. Some Force cards provide players with new passive abilities for the rest of the game. If a player chooses the passive Force effect, place the Force card onto an empty building slot on their Castle sheet (players can always replace one of their buildings in case all five slots are full). If a player chooses one of the one time effects, after resolving it, the Force card is discarded. Passive Force cards cannot be removed or destroyed untill end of the game.
Whenever a Force card is drawn, immediately put one Power tile face-down on the first empty Power space - the Power is not yet active.
If a Force card is ever drawn and the Power tracker is full, choose and flip one of the Power tiles into play instead.
Note: Many Force cards have the option to re-draw. Be careful about using these effects as this will bring new Powers into the game quickly.
Remember that 2 Powers enter the game automatically at the end of second and fourth round. These Powers are active immediatelly.
Crystaline beast are loners, roaming the empty Crystal plains seeking for its only feed – rare crystals.
They are relatively rare to be seen, yet to be tamed. Some kind of natural mutation provides them with resistance to magic as well as many injuries.
Castle Sheet
01 - Castle Actions
Castle actions are: Attack, Defend, Build, Study Spells. All Castle actions are explained on page 12.
02 - Castle Endurance
This represents the condition of a players Castle. Destroying the enemy Castle is the main objective of the game. A Castle endurance tracker is placed during setup.
By default each player starts the game with 14 points of Castle endurance. At any moment if Castle endurance is lowered to 0 or below, that player is immediately defeated and eliminated from the game. Players can have up to a maximum of 20 Castle endurance.
03 - Moonstone Force
This represents the power of the Moonstone artifact in a players possession. Players are able to awaken its power and use it against their enemy.
04 - The Courtyard
At the beginning of the game, each player receives two Basic peasants. These are placed in the Courtyard area. Only peasants in the Courtyards are able to be used to take actions.
05 - Buildings
Newly acquired buildings from the Build action are placed on one of the available building slots (5 slots). If all slots are full, players cannot construct new buildings without replacing one of their occupied buildings slots. The replaced building is discarded.
Buildings
Buildings are the main part of the Outskirt Offer deck which consists of Level 1 (green gem) and Level 2 (blue gem) cards. Level 1 cards are dealt first.
The Outskirt deck also contains legendary buildings (golden gem cards). Check setup step 3.
At the end of round 5, discard any remaining Level 1 cards in the deck, from now on, only blue cards will be dealt. Using the Build action allows players to buy any available building in the Outskirt Offer. Pay the cost of the card in the upper left hand side, place it on the Castle sheet.
A building card shows: Cost, Name, Ability, Quote, and Rarity.
Note: Some buildings have endurance. Use damage counters to track damage, if the number of counters is equal to or higher than its endurance, the building is destroyed.
Legendary Buildings
Legendary buildings work just like regular ones, and have a special space next to the Outskirt offer.
Whenever a legendary building is drawn, if there is already a legendary building in play, place the newly drawn legendary building on top of the current one. Only the top most card can be built.
Caravans
Caravans are also part of the Outskirt Offer deck. Caravans represent roaming traders, adventurers and random events. Whenever a Caravan is drawn from the Outskirt offer deck, place it in the Outskirt offer as normal.
Caravans usually provide temporary action spaces. Players may use it as they would any other action spot on the board. In case of 2 effects, players may only choose 1 of them. Note: Caravans can never be built.
Some Caravans only trigger once whenever they are placed in the Outskirt offer. Effects are resolved for all the players, starting with the first player.
Example: All players choose one option. Then Wisp of the Moon is discarded from the Outskirt offer and replaced by another card from the Outskirt deck.
Caravans leave the game the same way as any other building would, during the end of round phase.
Caravans are always considered part of the game board.
Moon Cult is the most well known "guild" in the whole of Kinghill. It is one of the main force driving pillars of events.
As the threads of their powers reach the highest places, with unlimited budget they have the only goal - seek the Moonstones before anybody does. Beware of it's leader Greivras.
Units
As soon as the war broke out, different kinds of individuals were attracted to it. These include but are not limited to: elite mercenaries, monsters, and adventurers and are always considered to be Units.
Some fight for money, others fight for pure pleasure and blood. It is up to the players which they will use. Units are the main path to victory and form the Units deck. Units are available to hire in the Unit offer.
Unit Offer
Check initial setup and end of the round details for deck management and Unit offer details.
Units - Details
A unit card shows: Cost, Explore value, Name, Ability, Strenght, Defense, and Rarity.
Cost
If you want to hire a Unit, they must pay its cost. There are no limits to the number of Units a player can control. The most common way to hire a Unit is by taking the Hire action.
Explore Value
This is only used when taking the Explore action. It does not affect combat in any way and it has no relation to rest of the card.
Ability
Some effects are passive, some trigger only once per game. The most common abilities are explained on the next page.
Rarity
Number of card copies inside the deck. Green (3) common, blue (2) uncommon and purple (1) unique.
Strength and Defense
Strength and defense values show how powerful a Unit is. Strength expresses how much damage a Unit can deal. Defense is used for both Castle defense and hit points (HP).
Whenever a Unit is damaged, it loses HP. In addition its Castle defense is lowered.
Damage is represented by damage counters, which are placed directly on the Unit.
If the number of damage counters on a Unit is equal to or higher than its Defense value, the Unit is defeated and is discarded.
Note: Damage counters remains on damaged Units and can only be removed with Spells or specific effects. Damage counters do not have any impact on Strength.
Example: Iron Servant normally has a Defense value of 2. As it has 1 damage counter, it now only has 1 HP and 1 Castle Defense. One more damage counter and it is destroyed.
Unit Abilities
When Hired
One-time effect which is performed immediately after the Unit is hired.
Wage
Some units require an extra cost to make them attack. Wages are paid once per attack and will cover both attack phases. Units can always defend without paying wages.
Bonuses for Castle Attack and Castle Defense
Extra bonus whenever attacking or defending an enemy's Castle. Extra bonuses are only applied during the Castle attack phase and do not count during the Unit fight phase.
Immune to Magic
Players are not able to target a Unit immune to magic with spells (even friendly Units). Force cards however are always able to target Units immune to magic.
Regeneration
Remove up to X damage counters from the card at the end of each round.
Combat
The Attack action is available to each player on their Castle sheet. The player who took the Attack action becomes the Attacker, and the enemy becomes the Defender.
Combat has two phases. The first phase is called the CASTLE ATTACK, when players try to attack the enemy Castle's walls. In the second phase of combat, the Attacker fights with enemy units. For that reason, the second part of combat is called the UNIT FIGHT.
Castle Attack Order
Attacker Assigns the Units
Announce which units are attacking, or move them a little bit forward on the table. If there are any wages to be paid, they must be paid now. If a Units wage is unable to be paid, or players do not wish to pay the wage, the unit is unable to participate in combat.
- Resolve all "at the start of combat" abilities (Attacker then Defender resolves).
Play Spells and Defend
Players can play spells (See page 26 for spell priority). Defender can play the Defend action. The Castle Attack step ends when neither player wants to play any more spells and the Defender doesn't wish to add more peasants to the Defend action.
Action - Defend
As the Defender players can use unused peasants from their Courtyard to defend (moving them onto the Defend action). Players gain a bonus +1 Castle defense for each peasant and +2 Castle defense bonus if a Soldier was used.
- The number of peasants on the Defend action is not limited.
- Defend action is the only action which may be played during an opponents turn. Players may use this action consecutively in combination with spells.
- Defending peasants are NOT able to do anything else this round.
Castle Attack - Continue
As the Attacker, count the total Castle Attack Strength.
- Sum the strength of all the attacking Units. Note: Strength may be affected by different effects.
- For each Soldier a player controls (even if already used on an action), grants +1 Castle Attack Strength. Note: Sage specialist grants +1 as well.
Rule: The only exception is when a Soldier is placed on the Train action, in which case there is no bonus.
A Soldier does NOT increase a units strength during the combat (unless unit has such an ability).
- Add any other bonuses from effects and abilities that may increase Castle Attack Strength (Hero powers, buildings, revealed Powers, etc.)
As the Defender count the Castle Defense Strength.
- Sum defense value of all defending units. Note: Defense may be affected by different effects.
Note: Do not forget that damage counters reduce the defense value of a Unit.
- Add any Castle defense bonus from the Defend action if it was used.
- Add any bonuses from effects and abilities that increase Castle defense (Hero powers, buildings, Powers, etc.)
Castle Attack - Result
Subtract the Defender's Castle Attack Strength from the Attacker's Castle Defense Strength. If the result is positive, reduce the Defender's Castle endurance by an equal amount.
The Defender lowers their Castle endurance.
If the result is 0 or negative, the Castle attack was not successful and no damage is done.
In both cases, the Castle attack phase is finished, and the second phase of combat (Unit fight) follows.
Quick Summary
- Play the Attack action. One player is Attacker, the other is Defender.
- Spells may be played. Effects are resolved, the Attacker specifies the attacking units and pays their wage if neccessary.
- The Attacker calculates their Castle Attack Strength as the the sum of the Strength of all attacking units + all Castle attack bonus effects.
- The Defender calculates their Castle Defense Strength as the sum of the Defense value of all defending units + all Castle defense bonus effects.
- Subtract the Castle Defense Strength from the Castle Attack Strength. Any positive result is direct damage to the enemies Castle. If the result is 0 or less, no harm was done.
- The second phase of the combat follows.
Castle Fight Example 1
Red player controlling a Soldier and 3 Units is the Attacker. Blue player is the Defender with 1 Unit and 2 peasants in their Courtyard area (a Miner and a Soldier).
Red player assigns their attacking Units. Stone Golem and Elite Guard both require a wage to be paid. Red player decides to pay for both Units to participate in the combat (2 stones for Stone Golem and 1 coin for Elite Guard).
At this moment Spells can be played. After Spells have been cast, the Attacker sums their Castle Attack Strength while the Defender sums their Castle Defense Strength.
Note: Do not forget many units actual Strenght / Defense is depending on external factors, like number of specific peasants you control.
The Castle Attack Strength is 2 (Stone Golem) + 3 (Elite Guard) + 2 (Enforcer has 2 Strength because of his ability) + 1 (passive Soldier bonus) = 8 The Castle Defense Strength is currently 3 (Elite Guard +2 and has +1 from its bonus ability). Blue player can increase it by moving any number of their available peasants into the Defend action, and decides to use their available Soldier to gain +2 making his total Castle Defense Strength = 5.
Players may assign any number of peasants from their Courtyard to gain extra Castle defense bonus.
As the Castle Attack Strength exceeds the Castle Defense Strength by 3, Blue player is dealt 3 damage and loses 3 Castle endurance. The next phase follows.
Castle Fight Example 2
Red player controls 2 Soldiers and 1 Mage and is the Attacker. Blue player is the Defender with 2 Units and 2 peasants in the Courtyard area (Soldier and Miner). Note: Some Units are already damaged from a previous fight. Damage counters do not have any effect on a Unit's Attack, but do reduce the Castle's Defense. This is important to remember.
Damage counters decrease the Castle defense value during the Castle fight phase.
Red player assigns attackers and decides both of their Units will attack.
At this moment spells can be played.
After Spells have been cast, the Attacker sums their Castle Attack Strength while the Defender sums their Castle Defense Strength.
The Castle Attack Strength is 2 (Spellsword Knight +1 and has +1 from its bonus ability) + 3 (Enforcer) + 2 (passive Soldier bonus) = 7. The Castle Defense Strength is currently 2 (Elite Guard has bonus +1 but -1 from damage) + 1 (Burrowed Wurm has bonus +1 but -2 from damage. It's still alive from its bonus ability) = 3 Blue player can increase Castle Defense by moving any number of their available peasants into the Defend action. They decide not to defend at all, thus their Castle is dealt 4 damage. The next phase follows.
Unit Fight
The Unit fight is the second part of the Attack action. All attacking units from the first phase participate. The Attacker is not able to add any new Units at this point. Only the Attacker decides which and how Units will fight.
Decide
- In any order, the Attacker decides which of the attacking Units will attack enemy Units.
Each Unit can attack only one target OR Two or more units can attack one target.
Attacker should clearly announce which units will attack other units. It is suggested to place these "unit pairs" opposite each other. The Attacker does not need to attack any Units if they wish. Once decided, spells may be played. Note this is the last chance to affect the Unit fight with spells. Check page 26 for rules about spells priority if required.
Fight!
Once spells are resolved, the attacking Unit and chosen target deal damage to each other equal to their Strength.
Damage is dealt simultaneously.
Use damage counters to mark the damage, put a number of counters corresponding to the received damage directly on the card(s). If a Unit has damage counters equal to or higher than its Defense, discard it immidiatelly. It is NOT possible to play Spells at this stage.
In case of multiattack, all the attacking Units deal damage equal to the sum of their strength to the enemy Unit and the defending player chooses how to distribute damage from the defending unit amongst the attacking Units.
End of Attack
Once the attacker has resolved all attacks with the Units that they choose, the Attack action is finished. Note: The defending player cannot initiate their own attack during an opponents Unit fight phase.
Quick Summary (Unit Fight)
- Unit fight is the second phase of the Attack action.
- Only Units which are attacking the Castle may participate.
- The Attacker decides which Units will attack enemy Units.
- Each Unit can attack only 1 enemy target or multiple Units can attack 1 target.
- Units do damage to each other simultaneously (use damage counters to mark it). Damage is equal to their Strength.
- if a Unit has damage counters equal to or higher than its Defense, discard it.
Damage Deal Example
Night Lurker is attacking Crystal Seeker. It deals 3 damage, while Crystal Seeker deals 1 damage.
Both units die. The player controlling Night Lurker can prevent this by paying 1 crystal, as this is Night Lurkers unique ability.
In the second example Wild Griffin and Iron Heart is attacking Xanar the Mighty. The attacking units deal 7 damage to Xanar, while Xanar deals 6 damage back, amongst the attacking units (Defender chooses how damage will be distributed). Probably the best solition is to kill Wild Griffin (because of its Regenerate ability) and deal 2 damage to Iron Heart).
Unit Fight Example 1
Unit fight is the second step of the Attack action. In this example Blue player is the Attacker and they want to kill Xanar the Mighty (6 HP). Blue player has to announce which Units will attack Xanar. The only solution here is to choose all 3 Units in order to kill Xanar. Before damage is dealt, Spells may be played. Once Spells are resolved (in this case let's pretend no Spells were cast), Units deal damage to each other simultaneously. Blue Units deal 6 damage in total (place 6 damage counters on Xanar, which means it is dead). Xanar's Strength is equal to 6 meaning Xanar will deal 6 damage back. The defending player decides how to distribute 6 damage counters amongst the attacking units. Probably the best solution is to kill Wall Defender (4 damage) and Elite Guard (2 damage). Another good option would be to kill Stone Golem (3 damage), Elite Guard (2 damage) and dealing 1 damage to Wall Defender.
Unit Fight Example 2
Red player is the Attacker here.
Their best choice is to use Shadow to attack Xanar causing both Units to die (thanks to the Shadow ability).
Elite Guard and Exploding Gnome can attack Iron Horse and deal 4 damage to it. Iron Horse deals 4 damage in return, and can place damage counters on cards up to the number of the Unit's HP. So, the only choice is to deal 2 damage to Elite Guard and 2 damage to Exploding Gnome. Since Exploding Gnome has the "when dies" ability, it deals 1 extra damage to Iron Horse and all the units are dead. The Attack action is finished.
If the Blue player were the Attacker, they would most probably want to attack Elite Guard with Xanar and Exploding Gnome with Iron Horse. Another option would be to attack Shadow with Iron Horse (both would die) and Elite Guard with Xanar. This way, the Blue player would still have Xanar on the battlefield with 3 damage counters, while the Red player would only have Exploding Gnome left. As you can see, being the Attacker can be very important.
Magic
Kinghill has always been a sanctuary for mages, apprentices and magical beings. On the battlefield, you might rely on a sword and armor, but even an elite knight isn't able to control the mind of the enemy, summon lightning storms, or demolish castle walls with rumbling earthquakes.
To cast a spell, you need to meet several prerequisites.
Although there are many ways how to gain spells, the simplest way is to have Mages study spells in their towers, available at any Castle. Each player is limited to two Mage specialists.
The last piece is the magic crystals, which are unique resources required to cast a spell.
"A rare alchemistic resource which usually only grows in hard-to-reach places."
Study Spell
The Study Spell action is open to any number of Mages. Only the Mage specialist can study spells.
There are more ways to gain spells, however the Study Spell action is the most basic way.
Once a player plays the Study Spell action, draw two spells.
Look at both spells in secret and keep one. The second is put at the bottom of the Spell deck.
Note: Whenever you would draw a spell and the Spell deck is empty, shuffle the discarded spells and create a new Spell deck. We suggest to have a separate discard pile for spells.
Spell Effects
Each spell has two parts – top (1 crystal cost) and bottom (2 crystals cost). This is the cost for casting the spell.
Each part contains 2 different spell effects.
When a player plays a spell, they must choose 1 spell effect to cast.
Example: If a player has 1 crystal, they can pay it and use Furious Hold effect to give target unit +1 Strength OR gain +2 Castle defense. If a player has 2 crystals, they can choose either to cast one effect from the upper part (for one crystal) or they can pay both crystals and choose one effect from the bottom part. Regardless of the effect chosen, only one Spell effect per card played may be cast.
Note: Spells are strong enough to create and develop a whole strategy around or just support your units. That being said, they are quite expensive and remember, crystals do not grow on trees! (Actually they do, but speaking figuratively).
Crystal Seekers are elite members of the Crystal Circle, one of the many guilds in Kinghill.
Led by Archdruid Delorian, their main purpose is unknown, even to the common guild members. For appearances' sake, they gather crystals from all across the kingdom and trade them with whoever may need them.
With only a little research, you would realise that only a handful of crystals end up on the streets. What happens to the rest remains shrouded in mystery, yet to be seen.
Casting a Spell
As soon as a player has a spell in their hand, they may cast it. There is no limitation to the number of spells a player can hold in hand. Casting a spell is NOT an action - this is quite important as spells may be cast at almost any time.
Players cannot cast spells retrospectively. Once a spell is cast, it is resolved fully before another spell is able to be cast. If more then one player wants to cast a spell at the same time, priority is in clockwise order starting from the player whose turn it is. Note: Some spells can only be cast at a specific time indicated on the spell card.
To cast a spell, players place the spell on the table and announce which effect they wish to cast. Pay the required amount of crystals depending on which effect is chosen. Resolve the effect and discard the spell card. Each spell is a single use only.
When can spells be cast?
During a players turn - Priority is always given to a player on their turn to cast a spell. Therefore if an enemy announces they wish to cast a spell during a players turn, the player whos turn it is decides if they wish to cast a spell first, then the enemy is able to cast their spell.
During an Enemies turn - Spells can be cast either before or after an enemy takes an action. Players must announce they wish to cast a Spell, the enemy has priority and decides whether they wish to cast a Spell first, after the other player(s) may cast the spell they want.
During Castle attack - The Attacker can cast spells first, after declaring units to Attack. During Unit fight - The Attacker declares which units are attacking enemy units. At this moment, spells can be cast again in the same manner as during the Castle Attack phase. It is not possible to cast spells after this step. (i.e. during damage dealing, etc.)
Victory and Game Length
Once a Castle's Endurance is reduced to 0 or less, that player is eliminated from the game immediately. The last remaining player is the winner. This is the fastest way to win. If no player has been eliminated after the last and final 9th round, the game ends immediatelly at the end of the last round after resolving end of round effects. The end of the game is naturally tracked by the action tiles. In this case the player with the most Castle Endurance wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the most Force wins. In case of a tie still, all players lose the game as the Moonstones have destroyed both Castles completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many spells I can hold/cast? A: No limit/check spell priority p.26
Q: Is a speacialist still a peasant? A: Yes. All the specialists/Basic peasants are peasants.
Q: Can I target Units immune to magic with force cards? A: Yes, Force effects are superior to the spells.
Q: Do damage counters stay on Units? A: Yes. However there are certain effects that can remove them.
Q: How many total peasants can I have? A: Six.
Q: Can I have more then 5 buildings in my Castle? A: No, but you can replace an exisiting one if you wish.
Q: Is there a limit to the cumulative Mine resources? A: No
Q: How many units can I control? A: Not limited
Q: I hired the Master Slaver Unit and it is killed in the same round. Do I receive the peasant? A: Yes, you will receive Basic peasant at the end of round
Q: If Family House bulding is destroyed, which peasant do I lose? A: You can choose any (even a placed one).
Credits
A game by Petr Marek
Art: Douglas Duarte (game board, player sheet's, rules, comics and many others) Tan Ho Sim (box cover) Units, UI, icons, card back: Nathanael Mortensen, Simon Zhong, Renan Moraes, Lucio Saulino, Petr Marek, REXARD
Special thanks to many people who helped me during whole process. Testers: Martin Chrobak, Daniel Kilian, Rion Hanson, Martin "Intoš" Sedmera, Viktor Pasek, Jakub Uhlíř, John Caravella, Matěj Uhlíř, Ondřej Kuzma, Jan Kuzma, vlbarta, Tharr, CzechWin, Brettspielhero and many people I have met in Brno board club and during CGE testing!
English corrections: Rion Hanson, Gareth Pugh, Martin Sedmera, Dwill, Peter Bado, Jared Brautigam, Ales Smejkal TTS script implementation: Adam Olejarczyk
Many thanks to people who advised and helped me: Dina Ramse, Štěpán Štefaník, Matt Holden, David Lockwood, Eric Reasoner, Aleš Vítek, Tadeáš Spousta, Michal Mikeš, Ondřej Cigánek, Alladjex
Very special thanks to my family for support, especially my mom and dad for believing in me and my brother Jiří for printing all the prototype stuff.