Pariahs Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
  • Yellow Player Contents
  • Blue Player Contents
  • Other Contents
• SET UP
  • SET UP DIAGRAM
• THE CARDS
  • Follower Cards (48 Blue & 48 Yellow)
  • Location Cards (8 Location Cards)
  • Station Cards (5 Different Cards, 2 Copies Each)
  • Initiative Deck Card
• PLAYING PARIAHS
  • Playing Pariahs - Rounds
  • Playing Pariahs - Player Turns
  • Playing Pariahs - Ending The Round
  • Playing Pariahs - Ending The Game

Contents

Yellow Player Contents

• 48 Yellow Follower Cards
• 1 Yellow Reference Card
• 5 Yellow Station Cards: Yellow Support Card, Yellow Your Deck Card, Yellow Devotees Card, Yellow Converts Card, Yellow Supplicant Deck Card

Blue Player Contents

• 48 Blue Follower Cards
• 1 Blue Reference Card
• 5 Blue Station Cards: Blue Support Card, Blue Your Deck Card, Blue Devotees Card, Blue Converts Card, Blue Supplicant Deck Card

Other Contents

• 2 The Well Location Cards
• 2 The Stage Location Cards
• 2 The Hall Location Cards
• 2 The Circle Location Cards
• 1 Initiative Deck Card

SET UP

Players are encouraged to sit next to each other. Separate the cards using the Contents list.

Place the 8 Location Cards in a row in the middle of the play area between the players, ensuring that Locations of the same name are placed next to each other.

Place the Initiative Deck Card in the area above the Location cards.

Players choose a Color and take all of the cards of their Color (these contents are identical aside from their indicating Color & illustrations). Each player places their Support Card above the Location Cards on their side of the play area. This will be their Color for the entire game.

Each player places their Your Deck Card, Converts Card, Devotees Card, and Supplicant Deck Card in a row in their play area. Each player's Reference Card can be placed anywhere convenient for the player to access.

Then, each player takes their 48 Follower Cards and removes the 12 cards of Class 1 (indicated by the lines in the top corner). Each player shuffles their 12 Class 1 Follower Cards together and then randomly chooses 3 of these cards and places them face down under the Initiative Deck Card. Each player places the remaining 9 Class 1 cards in a face down deck on their Your Deck Card, forming their starting deck.

Next, each player shuffles their remaining 36 Follower Cards and places them in a face down deck on their Supplicant Deck Card, and then places the top 3 cards of their Supplicant Deck to the side of their Supplicant Deck face up, forming their Supplicants.

Finally, the 6 Follower Cards that were placed under the Initiative Deck Card are randomized, forming the Initiative Deck, and the game begins.

SET UP DIAGRAM

There should be 6 Follower Cards (3 of each Color) in the Initiative Deck beneath the Initiative Deck Card, and each player should have a starting deck of 9 Follower Cards on their Your Deck Card (these cards should all be Class 1). Each player's remaining Follower Cards should be on their Supplicant Deck Card, with the top 3 cards being revealed, showing their Supplicants.

THE CARDS

There are several different types of Cards in Pariahs.

Follower Cards (48 Blue & 48 Yellow)

Follower Cards represent the people in the game's Society. Each Follower Card is either Yellow or Blue (indicated by the card back and Color Icon in the card's top corner), belongs to 1 of the 4 Classes (indicated by the number of lines below the card's Color Icon) and has an Influence Value (indicated by the number in the card's Color Icon). Finally, each card has an Ability.

Each player begins the game with a deck of 9 Class 1 Follower Cards of their Color. Over the course of the game, players will gain new cards for their deck.

Follower Cards are multi-use, and are placed a variety of ways for various effects, and to track different things (this is covered later in the rules).

Follower Cards of a player's Color are their Follower Cards. Follower Cards of the other player's Color are opposing Follower Cards.

There is no discarding. There are no discard piles. Players may not look at face down cards.

Throughout these rules, and in in-game text, if "card" is ever referenced, it is always referring to Follower Cards, unless otherwise stated. Additionally, Follower Cards are the only cards that are ever drawn, placed, or otherwise moved.

Location Cards (8 Location Cards)

Location Cards represent important Locations in the world of Pariahs. Each Location Card has a Name, Influence Value, a space, and an Effect. These cards are stationary and never move. Later in these rules, and in in-game text, these cards are simply referred to as Locations.

There are 8 Locations (The Well, The Hall, The Circle, and The Stage). While each Location is unique, each shares a Name with another Location. Each Location has a space where players can place cards, granting Influence and Effects. A card in a Location's space is referred to as "placed."

There can never be more than 1 card at a single Location. There can never be more than 1 card of the same Color at 2 Location of the same name. Example: There can never be a Blue Follower at both of The Well Locations.

This reminder icon is found on Locations where the Location's effect allows the player to use their placed card's Ability. (reminder icon: a star burst)

These 2 Location Cards are both named The Hall. While each offers unique Effects, 2 cards of the same Color can never occupy the spaces of the 2 The Hall Locations at the same time.

Location Card Effects (the rulebook does not print these in a list; the text below is read from the printed Location Card artwork in the PDF, with the Influence Value in brackets and the Effect as printed on each card):

• The Stage (3): Gain 1 card. Draw 1 card.
• The Stage (2) - Tie-Breaker: Gain 1 card. Earn 1 Convert.
• The Circle (1): Gain 1 card. Use the Ability of the card you placed here.
• The Circle (2): Exchange 1 of your placed cards with 1 of your Supplicants.
• The Hall (2): Move 1 of your Supplicants to your hand or move 1 card from your hand to your Devotees.
• The Hall (1): Shun all Supplicants. Use the Ability of the card you placed here.
• The Well (1): Draw 1 card. Use the Ability of the card you placed here.
• The Well (0): Draw 2 cards. Use the Ability of the card you placed here.

The Stage (2) is the Tie-Breaker Location (see Ending The Round).

Station Cards (5 Different Cards, 2 Copies Each)

The Station Cards (Your Deck, Devotees, Converts, Supplicant Deck, and Support Cards) represent different areas where cards will be put throughout the game, in various ways, to track things during the game. Each of these Station Cards are stationary and are never moved. Each player has a set of these 5 Station Cards in their Color.

A player's Your Deck Card denotes where a player's deck is and offers a space to place their deck of cards in their Color. Throughout the game players will draw cards, and add cards to, their own deck. The cards in a player's deck are always of their Color.

A player's Supplicant Deck Card denotes their deck of potential Supplicants (the 3 face up cards available to the player to add to their deck).

The cards in the Supplicant Deck are always face down. However, the player always has 3 face up cards supplied from their Supplicant Deck to the side of their Supplicant deck, forming their Supplicants. If a card is ever removed from a player's Supplicants, for any reason, it is immediately replaced by the top card of the player's Supplicant Deck.

Important Game Terminology: Gain When a player is directed to "gain x card(s)," they move x of their Supplicants to the bottom of their deck.

Important Game Terminology: Shun When a player is directed to "shun x card(s)," the indicated card(s) are moved to bottom of the Supplicant Deck of the card(s)' Color.

A player's Converts Card keeps track of a player's Converts (cards of the other player's Color that have chosen to switch sides). When a player is directed "earn a Convert," they place the top card of the opposing player's Supplicant Deck face down on their Converts Card. Converts are never of the player's own Color and are always face down.

When a player has 7 (or more) Converts, they shun all cards at their Converts and secure 2 Support.

A player's Devotees Card keeps track of a player's Devotees (cards of your Color that are extra supportive of you). Throughout the game, a player will be granted the option to move cards, from various places, to their Devotees. Devotees are always of the player's own Color, and are always face up.

When a card is moved to the player's Devotees, if the player has 3 (or more) cards of the same Class in their Devotees, those cards are shunned and they secure 1 Support.

A player's Support Card indicates the amount of Support a player has secured in the game. When a player "secures Support," they place the top card of their Supplicant Deck face down on their Support Card. At the end of the game, the player with the most Support wins. Support is always of the player's Color and face down.

There are 5 ways a player can secure Support. Devotees and Converts are 2 ways, which are covered above. The remaining ways are covered later in these rules.

Initiative Deck Card

The Initiative Deck Card denotes the Initiative Deck. At the start of the game, the Initiative Deck is seeded with 6 random Class 1 cards (3 Yellow and 3 Blue), which are shuffled together, and used to determine who takes the first turn each round. It also reminds players to draw their 5 cards at the beginning of each round.

PLAYING PARIAHS

Pariahs is played over 6 rounds. Each round, players will alternate taking turns. When the round ends, players secure Support several ways. At the end of 6 rounds, the game ends, players secure Support for the cards in their decks, and the player with the most Support wins.

Playing Pariahs - Rounds

At the beginning of each round, several things happen in the following order: each player draws 5 cards from their deck and then the bottom card of the Initiative Deck is revealed.

The player whose Color is revealed from the Initiative Deck must choose one of the following:

• They shun the revealed card and take the first turn this round. OR
• They add the revealed card to their hand and the opposing player takes the first turn this round.

Note that each player will be given this choice 3 times over the course of the game, but the order in which they'll make that choice will be randomized each game.

Playing Pariahs - Player Turns

When a player takes a turn, they place 1 card from their hand face up on a Location's space and follow its Effect in the order presented. A card in a Location's space is referred to as "placed."

A player can never place a card at a Location where a card is currently placed. A player can never place a card at a Location if a card of their Color is currently placed at another Location of the same Name.

Note that some abilities and effects allow players to move or exchange placed cards. Exchanging or moving never counts as placing and never triggers a Location's Effect.

If a Location's Effect allows the player to use the Ability of the card they placed, they do so in the order presented and to the best of their ability.

After placing 1 card and following the Location's Effect, the player's turn ends.

If there are 8 cards placed at the Locations and/or if the opposing player could not place 1 card during their next turn, the round ends.

Otherwise, the round continues and the opposing player takes a turn.

Example: It's the Blue Player's turn. The arrows indicate the 3 Locations where they could place a card. They cannot place at The Stage. They cannot place at The Hall because there is already a card of their Color at the other The Hall. This leaves 3 options: either of The Circle Locations or The Well.

Playing Pariahs - Ending The Round

When a round ends, the player with the most Influence at the Locations secures 1 Support.

A player determines their Influence by combining the Influence of their placed cards and the Influence of the Locations where they are placed.

In the event of a tie, the player placed at The Stage - Tiebreaker Location wins the tie.

Then, each player who has 1 placed card of each of the 4 Classes secures 1 Support.

It's the end of the round. Both the Yellow and Blue players have 17 Influence. However, the Yellow player is placed at The Stage - Tie-Breaker, so they secure 1 Support. The Blue player has 1 card from each of the 4 Classes, so they secure 1 Support.

When the round ends, each player moves all of the placed cards of their Color at the Locations, as well as any cards remaining in their hand, to their deck and shuffles their deck. If it wasn't the 6th round, a new round begins.

Playing Pariahs - Ending The Game

The game ends after the 6th round. When the game ends, each player reveals the cards in their deck and adds together the Influence of those cards. For each 10 Influence a player has in their deck (rounded up), they secure 1 Support.

The player with the most Support wins. In the event of a tie, the player with the most cards in their deck wins the tie.