One for Sorrow Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Components
• Setup
• Magpie Phase
• Fly Phase
• Cursing Trees
• Losing the Game
• Winning the Game
• Scoring
• Difficulty Levels
• Magpie Abilities

Objective

Arrange all 13 Magpies in sequential order (1 to 13) towards the top before the Spectre of Sorrows destroys the forest. At the end of the game, count the stars on the left-hand side of each card to calculate your score.

Will your Magpies triumph over the Spectre of Sorrows, or will its relentless fury destroy the forest?

Components

• 13 Magpies
• 1 Spectre of Sorrows
• 4 Trees (each with three states: Alive, Alive & Cursed, Destroyed)

Card parts on a Magpie: Magpie number, Fly number (inside the black circle), Star, and Ability. A Magpie has a Scoring State (with a star on the left) and a Used State (rotated 180°, with no star on the left).

Setup

• Arrange all cards so the black triangle is at the top right, then shuffle them.
• Find the Spectre of Sorrows and move it to the bottom of the deck.
• Each turn consists of the Magpie Phase followed (usually) by the Fly Phase.

Magpie Phase

• If the top card is not a Magpie, go to the Fly Phase.
• If it is a Magpie, turn it face up (if not already) and resolve its ability. Most begin with "You may..." so they are optional.
  • If you use the ability, rotate the card 180° to its used state (with no star on the left). If it is already in its used state, keep it that way.
  • If you choose not to use the ability, make sure the card is in its scoring state (with a star on the left).
• Cards 2 and 8 have a cooldown; they must return to the top of the deck and be reset before you can use the ability again.

If an ability changes the top card, skip the Fly Phase and start a new turn with the Magpie Phase.

Fly Phase

• After resolving abilities, choose a Fly number (inside the black circle) to move cards:
  • Use the Fly number on the top card or the card directly beneath it (if face up).
  • If the Spectre of Sorrows is among them, choose a Fly number of 1, 2, 3 or 4.
• Including the top card, move exactly that many cards from the top of the deck to the bottom, keeping their orientation and order.
• If the Spectre of Sorrows is moved to the bottom of the deck during this phase, it curses the nearest living Tree (see below).

Cursing Trees

After the Spectre of Sorrows is moved to the bottom of the deck via the Fly phase, it curses the nearest living Tree:

• Alive > Rotate the card to its Cursed state.
• Alive & Cursed > Flip the card to the Destroyed side.
• Destroyed > Curse the next closest living Tree.

If there is no living Tree to curse, you lose.

If a Magpie ability moves the Spectre, it does not curse a Tree.

Losing the Game

You lose the game if:

• No living trees exist for the Spectre of Sorrows or Magpie 1 to curse. Instead, they will curse and destroy the Magpies.
• Magpie 13 is face up at the top of the deck at the start of your turn.

Winning the Game

You win by arranging the Magpies sequentially from 1 to 13.

• All Magpies must be face up and run in order toward the top of the deck.
  • i.e. card 1 has card 2 above it.
  • The bottom Magpie can be any Magpie as long as they run in sequence. For example, 10 is the bottom card, with 11 above it, followed by 12, 13, 1, 2, 3, and so on.
• The Spectre of Sorrows and Tree cards are ignored when checking the sequence. Treat them as if they aren't there.

Scoring

Count the number of stars on the left-hand side of the Magpie and Tree cards.

• 1–4: Shadowed Protector – The forest trembles, but your efforts have kept the Magpies' spirit alive... just.
• 5–7: Forest Sentinel – A solid stand against the Spectre; the Magpies hold their ground.
• 8–10: Warden of the Flock – Your cunning shines through, and the Magpies flourish under your care.
• 11–12: Defender of the Grove – A masterful effort; the Spectre crumbles before your skill.
• 13+: Saviour of Sorrows – A legendary triumph; the Magpies prevail, the Spectre is crushed, and the forest is saved!

Difficulty Levels

The number of Trees used determines the level of difficulty. The fewer trees, the more challenging the game becomes.

• Standard: 4 Trees
• Hard: 3 Trees +2 points
• Very Hard: 2 Trees +5 points
• Extreme: 1 Tree +8 points

Magpie Abilities

#	Ability / Card copy	Notes
1	If face up before this turn, Curse the nearest tree.	Curse the nearest tree. If no living tree exists to curse, you lose.
2	You may move this card anywhere in the deck.	Once you have used this card ability, you must reset it before using it again.
3	You may rearrange the top 3 cards.	You can change the order of the top three cards, including this one.
4	You may rearrange the bottom 4 cards.	You can change the order of the bottom four cards.
5	You may rearrange the order of all cards moved.	You may change the order of cards when you move them during the Fly phase.
6	You may move 1 card beneath this one.	Choose any card to move directly under the top card.
7	You may flip a Magpie face-down.