Nemesis: Retaliation – Xyrians Expansion Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
  • Back of Cards
  • Unpredictability Warning
• Main Rules
  • Gameplay Overview
  • Round Structure
    • Event Phase
    • Xyrian Phase Card
  • Xyrians General Rules
    • Xyrians Limit
  • Exploration Cards and Trace Tokens
    • Exploration Cards
    • Trace Tokens
    • Xyrian Token
  • Xyrian Activations and Movement
• Other Rules
  • Xyrian Items
  • Xyrians Leaving the Map
  • Status Cards
  • Xyrian Allegiance
  • Xyrian Event Cards
    • When Drawn
    • Servant Hunt (Xyrian Phase)
• Neoflesh Cult Expansion
• Components

Setup

After performing the Setup of the main game (and any other expansions, if necessary), but before the Player Setup, resolve the following steps:

1. Shuffle all 3 Xyrian Exploration cards into the Exploration deck and 1 random Xyrian Event card into the Event deck. Make sure that no Xyrian card is at the top of those decks and discard the remaining Xyrian Event cards back into the box.
2. Place the Xyrian Phase card face up next to the Event deck. It will be resolved before every Event phase.
3. Place the Xyrian Help card in easy reach.
4. Shuffle: a. The Xyrian Activation deck and place it face down next to the Intruder Attack deck. b. The Xyrian Item deck and place it face down next to the Item decks. c. The Xyrian Status deck and place it face down next to the Serious Wound deck.
5. Place the Allegiance card Available side up nearby. Both sides of the card can be read at any point.
6. Take 3 Trace tokens, 3 Injury tokens, 3 Xyrian models and place them next to the map.
7. Take the Xyrian token and place it next to the Intruder bag.

Back of Cards

Note that Xyrian cards' backs differ from standard cards, and as such can be recognized in the deck. It is intended for them to be recognizable at the top of the deck. Nonetheless, trying to predict when such a card will be drawn when it isn't at the top of a deck should be avoided.

Unpredictability Warning

Given Xyrians' high unpredictability, players introducing them into the game should be ready for their involvement in their plans. It is possible for Xyrians to aid one player greatly, while interrupting the plans of others.

Main Rules

Gameplay Overview

Xyrians start the game hidden – lurking outside of the marines' detection range. Slowly they will be revealed in Rooms in the form of Trace tokens. Yet, those are only traces and clues of their existence – nothing that we can interact with, but a danger lurking.

When Trace tokens appear, the Xyrian token will also be placed in the Intruder bag. Drawing the Xyrian token will be the call for the Xyrians to come out of hiding and start being involved in the story. From that point on, Xyrians will take part in the game by drawing Xyrian Activation cards – these will cause Xyrians to move and affect Characters, Intruders, or even the Facility itself.

On the other hand, Characters may either fight against the Xyrians in order to gain Xyrian Item cards or try to create a temporary alliance by using an Allegiance card. How it will turn out for them is unknown.

Round Structure

When playing with Xyrians, 1 additional step is added in the Event Phase. This step is resolved only if any Xyrian models are on the map. If there are no Xyrians on the map, skip it.

Event Phase

1. Xyrian Phase – Resolve the Xyrian Phase card. Note: You may place the Xyrian Phase card at the top of the Event deck as a reminder that it should be resolved before the Event card.
2. Event Card Resolution – An Event card is resolved.
3. Bag Development – Intruders' colony develops.

Xyrian Phase Card

Resolve Xyrian Phase before drawing the Event card.

XYRIAN PHASE

If any Xyrian is on the map: Resolve 1 Xyrian Activation. Add the Xyrian token to the bag. If there is more than 1 Xyrian in any Room, replace the least injured one with a Trace token [icon].

Xyrians General Rules

• Xyrians are placed only in Rooms – Xyrians start in Rooms when placed for the first time, and they move by going from Room to Room. They are never placed in a Corridor. This includes their movement and any other effects (such as Repelling).
• Intruders completely ignore Xyrians – unless a specific effect states otherwise.
• Xyrians never Attack other Xyrians.
• Characters treat Xyrians as Intruders (in order to Shoot or Repel for example), but they are NOT considered in Combat when in the same Room.
  • Characters must treat them as Intruders. Effects that target "all Intruders in a Room" will also affect Xyrians there.
• Secure tokens [icon] cannot be placed in a Room with a Xyrian.
• Game effects do NOT treat Xyrians as Intruders.
  • For example, Xyrians do not suffer from Intruder Burning and they do not move as a result of Event cards.

Xyrians Limit

There is a hard limit of 3 Xyrians in the game. Any time a Xyrian dies, its model is removed from the game and can never come back. Ignore any further effects that would result in a 4th Xyrian being placed.

Exploration Cards and Trace Tokens

Exploration Cards

During setup 3 Xyrian Exploration cards are shuffled into the Exploration deck. When drawn, those cards will place Trace tokens in some Rooms and will add the Xyrian token to the Intruder bag.

Note: Before the first Xyrian Exploration or Event card is drawn, Xyrians will not functionally exist in the game.

Upon being resolved, Xyrian Exploration cards are removed from the game and can never return in any way.

Trace Tokens

Trace tokens show where Xyrians are lurking in hiding. They are placed in Rooms by Exploration cards and some Xyrian Events, but Characters cannot interact with them in any way.

Trace tokens only show where Xyrians will be placed when the Xyrian token is drawn from the bag.

Xyrian Token

The Xyrian token is the main way of Xyrians appearing on the board. It is placed into the Intruder bag by Exploration cards and some Event cards.

When the Xyrian token is drawn, resolve the following in order:

1. If there are any Xyrians on the board – draw and resolve 1 Xyrian Activation card.
2. Replace each Trace token [icon] with a Xyrian model.
3. Discard the Xyrian token.

Xyrian Activations and Movement

Xyrians move and act by drawing and resolving Xyrian Activation cards. This is done in 2 situations:

• During the Xyrian Phase if at least 1 Xyrian is already on the map.
• Whenever the Xyrian token is drawn from the bag and at least 1 Xyrian is already on the map.

Outside of those instances Xyrians do not act in any way.

For example: they do not Attack when Intruders and/or Characters enter or exit their Rooms.

Resolving Activation Cards

Activation cards are the main way through which Xyrians will interact with Intruders, Characters, and the Facility. Those cards introduce many unexpected effects, and there's a high chance that they will contain effects that would damage Characters and/or Intruders in some way.

Whenever an Activation card is resolved, each Xyrian without an Injured Xyrian token follows the Activation card effects:

• A. Xyrians in Rooms with at least 1 Character follow the upper part of the card.
• B. All other Xyrians follow the bottom part of the card.

Xyrians with an Injured Xyrian token discard the token instead.

After resolving the card, place it on bottom of the Activation deck.

Xyrian Activation Card – Upper Part (A)

Card title: XYRIANS IN ROOMS WITH [icon]

Each Xyrian in a Section with an [icon] attacks in their Room:

• Each [icon] gains 1 Status if able. Otherwise, they gain 1 Serious Wound.
• Each [icon] is dealt [icon].

Xyrian Activation Card – Lower Part (B)

Card title: OTHER XYRIANS

Xyrians move 2 times toward the Landing Zone.

• If a Xyrian and the [icon] are in the Landing Zone, remove the [icon] and this card from the game. Otherwise, move the [icon] up on the Round track by 1 for each Xyrian in the Landing Zone.
• Shuffle this card back into the Activation deck.

Note: the icons in the two lines above are not recoverable from the text layer; read them from the printed card on page 6.

Movement and Repelling

Xyrians always move from a Room to another, neighboring Room. This includes Repelling.

Doors and Intruders are completely ignored by Xyrians during movement – meaning that they can walk through them unobstructed and without any additional effects.

Xyrians Fighting Intruders

Xyrians not only interact with Intruders through Activation cards, but also with each movement:

Whenever a Xyrian moves through a Corridor containing Intruders, it deals [icon] to the largest Intruder there.

Xyrians Attacking the Queen

Xyrians may at many points deal Hits/[icon] to the Queen. It may even lead to drawing a Queen card.

In that case only resolve the top part of the Queen Health card (discarding other Queen cards), but do NOT resolve the bottom effect.

Characters Fighting Xyrians

Characters may fight against the Xyrians in a multitude of ways, but killing them is not so easy.

Since Characters treat Xyrians as Intruders, they may also Shoot at them and/or use any other effects that would be able to deal Hits/target Intruders.

Shooting at Xyrians is resolved in exactly the same way as Shooting at Adult Intruders, with the changes described below.

Note: This does mean that rolling a [icon] (or dealing it in any other way) will result in a Xyrian death. It is however resolved differently than for a normal Intruder (see below).

Loud Combat

Xyrians do not fight fair. They sooner lure the whole horde, then let you kill them for free.

After each Action in which a Character deals at least 1 Hit/[icon] to a Xyrian, the Character must make a Noise roll (regardless if the Xyrian survives that Action or not).

Xyrians appearing in the Landing Zone don't cause Characters to leave the Lander.

Xyrian Death

When a Xyrian would die for the first time, they narrowly escape death – discard all Hits from that Xyrian and place an Injury token below their model on the Injured Xyrian side.

When a Xyrian with an Injury token dies, it is removed from the game. When this happens, remove its model from the game – it cannot return in any way. Then, flip its Injury token to the other side. It represents a Xyrian Item which can now be picked up by Characters.

Note: Since Xyrians never end up in Corridors it is impossible to Burst at them.

Other Rules

Xyrian Items

Xyrian Items are high-tech equipment that Characters may pick up and use – all of those Items are especially cumbersome and are worn as Armor.

To pick up an Item, the Character must be in the same Room as a Xyrian Item token, not be In Combat, and perform an Action by discarding 2 Action cards.

When a Character picks up a Xyrian Item, they remove the token from the game and resolve the following:

1. Discard 1 Serious Wound and restore 3 [icon] (as reminded by the Item card). This is done before equipping the Item.
2. Gain 1 random Xyrian Item card.

If the Character already carries an Armor, they must decide which Armor to keep. The Character must actually equip the Item to gain the healing benefits.

When gained, Xyrian Items are treated as normal Armor Items.

Xyrians Leaving the Map

Xyrians may leave the map in other ways than being killed. For example by being replaced by a Trace token during a Xyrian Phase.

In any such case, discard their model back to the available pool. Their Hit markers and an Injured Xyrian token are also discarded.

Status Cards

Xyrians fight in many unfair ways and may apply Statuses to Characters. Status cards are NOT Serious Wounds.

Whenever a Character gains a Status, they draw a random Status card and place it face up near their Character board. From now its effect applies to that Character.

Status cards may be discarded by following the instructions on the given card – after doing so, shuffle it back into the Status deck.

A Character may have only 1 Status at any given time.

Whenever a Character would gain a Status card, and they already have one, or if there are no more remaining, they gain 1 Serious Wound instead.

Xyrian Allegiance

Xyrians are a dangerous opponent, but fighting is not the only option.

The Allegiance card is a special card that can be gained by one of the Characters. It will allow this Character to avoid some attacks made by the Xyrians or even convince them to act.

During the game, one Character may decide to pledge Allegiance to the Xyrians. To do so, they must be in a Room with the Available Allegiance token and perform an Action by discarding 1 Action card and the Allegiance token from the Room.

They gain the Allegiance card – placing it with the Gained side up next to their Character board. From now on its effects are active for this Character.

Only one Allegiance card is available in any given game. Once gained, the Allegiance card is never available again. It is removed from the game with the Character's death.

Xyrian Event Cards

Every game, one of three Event cards will be shuffled into the Events deck.

When drawn, a Xyrian Event card always modifies another card in the game (such as a Xyrian Phase card) significantly changing the game, and then another Event card is resolved (there can never be a Round without resolving an Event card).

When Drawn

Place 1 [icon] in the Hibernatorium. Place the "Servant Hunt" part of this card under the Xyrian Phase card. When resolving Xyrian Phase, resolve Servant Hunt as well. Resolve another Event.

Servant Hunt (Xyrian Phase)

Each Xyrian moves 2 times toward the [icon] with the Allegiance card.

Neoflesh Cult Expansion

Clarifications, for use with the Neoflesh Cult expansion.

1. Xyrians can kill Cultists. Do not make any Noise rolls as a result. When that happens, Deactivate the last Skill in order.
2. When a Xyrian kills an Ironclad in a Room and the Ironclads Skill is still active, Repel the Ironclad to the Corridor with the lowest ID number.

Components

• 3 Xyrian models
• 3 Trace tokens
• 1 Xyrian token
• 1 Available Allegiance token
• 3 Injury tokens
• 10 Xyrian Activation cards
• 3 Xyrian Event cards
• 3 Xyrian Exploration cards
• 1 Xyrian Help card
• 1 Xyrian Phase card
• 3 Xyrian Status cards
• 3 Xyrian Item cards
• 1 Allegiance card