Raven Manor Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Before You Start Playing
• Package Contents and Deck Composition
  • Starter Deck (69 Cards)
  • Starting Characters (10 Cards)
  • Additional Cards (21 Cards)
  • Additional Character Cards (19 Cards)
• Card Types
• Turn Order
• Victory
• Order Tokens and How They Work
• Mechanics
• Frequently Asked Questions
• List of All Cards With Ability Descriptions
  • Character Cards
  • Rooms
  • Actions
  • Reactions
• Deck Layout Proposal
  • What to Add
• Character Suggestions
• Deck Building Tips
• Expansions
  • Character Cards
  • Location Cards
  • Action Cards
  • Reaction Cards

Before You Start Playing

1. Choose a number of Character Cards equal to the number of players and shuffle them. Be sure to include Raven in the Character Card pool.
2. Deal each player a random Character Card. Each player secretly looks at their card so that the other players don't see it.
3. Prepare your deck (choose the cards you'll be playing. Sample decks are at the end of this rulebook). For your first few games, we recommend playing the game using the starter deck listed at the beginning of this rulebook.
4. Shuffle the deck and deal 4 cards to each player. If you receive a Feather in your opening hand and you are not Raven, discard it and draw another hand. Raven may keep his Feathers, but he may also discard them if he wishes (e.g., to confuse other players). If you don't like your starting hand, you may discard it once and draw 4 new cards.
5. Once everyone is happy with their starting hand, shuffle the discarded cards back into the deck and choose the first player (you can use any method; we always let the player who died last in the previous game start).

Package Contents and Deck Composition

Starter Deck (69 Cards)

• 4x Avoid
• Axe
• Basement
• Bathroom
• Bedroom
• 4x Broken Bottle
• 3x Bottle
• 5x Candle
• Dining room
• 5x Dodge
• 5x Evade
• 8x Exchange
• Father's Study 9x
• Feather
• 4x Get Over Here!
• Guestroom
• 3x Haymaker
• Kitchen
• 2x Knife
• Library
• Manor Plan
• 2x Pillow
• Rifle
• 4x Vase

Starting Characters (10 Cards)

• Aunt Cat
• Aunt Owl
• Brother Badger
• Dog Father
• Grandfather Bison
• Grandmother Sheep
• Mother Hen
• Raven
• Sister Roe
• Uncle Horse

Additional Cards (21 Cards)

• Abandoned Mine
• Backpack
• 3x Barricade
• Cabin
• Cave
• Coast
• Compass
• Drink
• Forest
• Harpoon
• 2x Lifebuoy
• Mountains
• Rat Treachery
• Rod
• The Inn
• Torch
• Treasure Map
• Zaku's Camera

Additional Character Cards (19 Cards)

• Angler Photographer
• Brother Boar
• Bunny Barmaid
• Captain Pike
• Catfish Bartender
• Crayfish Docker
• Cthulhu Gentleman
• Doc
• Eel Fella
• Groguś
• Guardian Eagle
• Headless Horseman
• Lady Whale
• Lumbearjack
• Mayor Groundhog
• Seer Squirrel
• Shark Bouncer
• Uncle Alligator
• Wolf Brother

• 12 Order Tokens

Card Types

Character Cards (characterized by a white back) represent players and allow you to determine which player is alive and which is dead. Each player receives one of these cards and places it facedown in front of them. The card is revealed upon death or when the rules specifically instruct us to do so.

Action Cards are the main component of the deck. They allow you to perform actions by playing them during your turn.

Room Cards are marked with a key symbol. They remain in play once played. Players can use Rooms instead of playing Action Cards.

Reaction Cards allow you to defend against attacks, even on other players' turns. They are marked with a shooting star symbol.

Location Cards are marked with a mountain range symbol. They remain in play like Rooms (unless the card rules say otherwise), but effects that affect Rooms do not affect Locations and vice versa.

Feather cards are marked with the feather symbol. Raven's favorite tool, they are given to players in an exchange to win them over to his side. A player who receives a Feather from Raven cannot get rid of it themselves (unless their Character Card states otherwise). The only way to get rid of a Feather is through a random card effect ("discard a random card") or by trading hands with Crayfish Docker.

Turn Order

1. You begin your turn by taking one of the following four actions:
   • play a card from your hand;
   • use a Room or Location that is already in the game;
   • discard 2 cards to draw a card;
   • pass (remember, you can only do this if no other actions can be taken. You prove that you can do nothing else by showing your hand to the next player).
2. You then exchange one card from your hand with the player who will play next (skip stunned players for this). The default player order is clockwise.
   • When you exchange a card, you always choose it secretly from the other players, and both players exchange cards at the same time (so that the only people who know what card they received are the players involved in the trade, and they find out at the same time).
   • If you were to exchange a card and for some reason it is not possible for you, you show your hand to the player with whom you would exchange cards.
3. After exchange, you draw or discard cards until you have exactly 4.
4. Then your turn ends.

If at any point during the game you would draw a card from the deck and it is not possible to do so, shuffle the discard pile and create a new deck from it.

Victory

The Raven wins if all other players are dead or possessed.

The Family wins if they manage to kill the Raven before it possesses or kills the other players.

Possessed players win when Raven wins. In case of a tie, the family wins.

When playing against a single opponent, the game continues until they are killed, they are the only one alive, or they declare there is no longer a living player they have not possessed (by giving them a feather), which must be confirmed by the living players.

If more "Bad" characters are involved, the gameplay is slightly different - each opponent of the Family who is killed joins the family and from that point on, they play against the other "evil" characters (following the principle "if I can't win, I won't let you win either"). The game ends when the family defeats all opponents, or when another character fulfills their victory condition (located on the character card).

Order Tokens and How They Work

Tokens allow you to replace transfers in situations where you do not want or cannot switch seats.

Before the game, choose a number of tokens equal to the number of players (so for 5 players, use tokens I-V) and deal one token to each player. Your neighbors are the players with tokens one higher and one lower than your own (in the case of player number I, their neighbors are player II and V). If you were to swap places, swap tokens instead and continue the game with the new order.

Mechanics

KILL - The dead player reveals their Character Card and resolves its ability (if they have one). If Raven is killed, the game ends; otherwise, the game continues, and the dead player continues play, except that from that point on, they can no longer kill. Death can be avoided with the Evade card.

STUN - A stunned player loses their turn, cannot participate in Trades, and cannot play Reaction Cards. Place the card that caused the stun effect in front of the stunned player as a reminder - they will discard it after their turn is over. You can protect yourself from being stunned with Dodge card.

SWAP - Swap places with another player. If players switch places, they must do so physically, as this affects turn order and the exchange of cards (the player who initiated the switch takes the turn order with them - the next player will be determined by where they end their turn). Switching can be avoided with the Avoid Card.

EXCHANGE - Exchange a card with another player. This exchange differs from an end-of-turn exchange in that it can be refused with the appropriate Action Card. An exchange can be avoided with an Avoid Card.

POSSESSION - If you received the Feather in a trade, you are possessed - from that moment on you play together with Raven (the player who gave you the Feather) - you win and lose with him.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nothing in the game prohibits you from lying, but you cannot perform any actions that are not required by the rules of the game (e.g. revealing your hand without a card that tells you to do so) to support your words.

Adjacent Player - The player immediately to your left and right.

The effects of the Raven, Doc, Cthulhu Gentleman, and Headless Horseman Character Cards are always active and do not require revealing the Character Card (for example, after receiving the Feather, the Gentleman is not possessed and can immediately discard it if he wants. He can also hold it in his hand and discard it in a way that does not arouse suspicion).

To remove a Barricade, you perform an action using the "Axe" or "Rifle" card, declaring your intention to destroy the barricade. This replaces your action for that turn.

If Raven misjudges the possessed players or reveals himself in any other way, the game continues. Don't let the Family get too excited - Raven and his possessed allies are a deadly opponent, and figuring out who he is is only the beginning of the fight.

If there is more than one "Evil" character or the Doc in the game, the Raven (or Headless Horseman) cannot declare victory until the remaining characters immune to possession have been defeated.

The Headless Horseman and Raven can use Feathers received in trade to possess other players.

A played Action Card goes to the discard pile after it resolves. If you play a Location Card, it remains in play. Rooms can be used instead of playing cards from your hand.

When you play a Room card, you use it immediately after putting it into play.

The Raven can possess other players by giving them Feather cards in a trade (this can be caused by an Action Card or a peace card, or during an end-of-turn trade). If a player receives a Feather, they know that from that moment on they are on the team of the player who gave them the Feather, and that player is the Raven.

If you draw a Feather during play, the same rules apply as in the pre-game procedure.

You can't use Reaction Cards if you're stunned. You can't be forced to trade cards, but someone can trade places with you (think of it as dragging your unconscious body).

If you die while stunned, the stun is removed.

If a card effect instructs you to reveal your hand (or any other card(s)), the cards are visible to all players. If the effect instructs you to "look," only the owner and the player resolving the effect know the card.

If you receive a Pillow in a trade, you're at the mercy of the other player. After the trade, they may decide to tell you you've just been killed - there's no way to prevent this. If the player remains silent, treat the Pillow like any other card that can be traded - you're safe (for now).

If you are unable to follow some parts of a card's instructions (e.g., the card you are looking for is no longer in the deck), follow as much of the card's description as you can.

If the card says to take a random card from the player's hand, or to exchange the entire hand with the player, this effect allows the Feather to be passed between players who are not Raven - in this situation, the person with the Feather in their hand at the end of the interaction is possessed.

Discard effects that target a specific card (e.g. Drink, Zaku's Camera) do not allow you to select a Feather. Only random Discard (e.g. Cave) can do so.

To defend against Harpoon, you must play Rod or Rat's Treachery (in which case you negate the entire card). Otherwise, you must respond to both card effects separately (Death - Evade and Stun - Dodge).

Rat's Treachery and Rod are played like other reaction cards - in response to another player playing a card, but unlike other reactions, they allow you to block any card (including another reaction).

If the Whale Lady uses her ability to exchange a Character Card with a living player, she remains alive (and that player is now a dead Lady Whale).

If a player tries to kill you using the Mountain Location, you have two options: play an Evade and save yourself from death, or do nothing. If you Evade, the player who attacked you also has two options: do nothing and let you live, or play Evade as well, in which case you both die.

If more than one "evil" character takes part in the game (e.g. Cthulhu and Raven) - the game continues until one of the sides wins (i.e. Raven's death does not end the game), and the defeated "evil" players join the family according to the principle "if I don't win, then the other evil one won't either".

If the Headless Horseman and the Raven are involved, the game gets an extra dose of chaos - each player who received the feather serves the one who gave it to him (remember who possessed you), but if your Master is killed, from that moment on you serve the other evil - play carefully so as not to accidentally kill him, ruining your chance to win.

The Raven and the Headless Horseman also play differently when they're both present in a game - we recommend using cards that allow you to peek at your opponents' hands - not only to get to know your potential allies, but also to try to deduce who the other one is - after all, you have to defeat him to win.

The deck described in the component list as the basic deck is the one we recommend starting your Manor adventure with - characters without abilities and a set of cards that will allow you to familiarize yourself with the game in its most cohesive form. Once you've befriended the manor's residents, additional cards will spice up the gameplay - you can freely mix and match the deck and characters you play to best suit your group of friends. We've provided a few examples of deck compositions and character builds, but don't be afraid to experiment and find your own unique setup!

Groguś, when dying and playing a card from the discard pile, is treated as if he was still alive (that is, he can kill a player using a card of his choice).

If you were to discard a hand due to the effect of "Eel Fella" and you have a Feather in your hand, it will stay in your hand, but you will discard all other cards.

List of All Cards With Ability Descriptions

Character Cards

RAVEN - You cannot be Possessed. You can use Feathers to Possess other players. You win if all other players are Possessed or dead.

The remaining character cards in the basic deck do not have their own abilities.

Rooms

BASEMENT - Search the deck for the Axe, a Bottle or a Broken Bottle, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle the deck.

BATHROOM - Discard any number of cards. Draw a card from the deck for each card discarded that way.

BEDROOM - Search the deck for a Pillow or a Candle, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle the deck.

DINING ROOM - Exchange a single card with the chosen player, or Swap places with an adjacent player.

FATHER'S STUDY - Search the deck for the Rifle, a Bottle or the Manor Plan, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle the deck.

GUESTROOM - Search the deck for a Pillow, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle the deck. or Discard a card and draw a card from the deck.

KITCHEN - Search the deck for a Knife or a Bottle, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle the deck.

LIBRARY - Look at the chosen player's hand.

Actions

EXCHANGE - Exchange a single card with the chosen player.

GET OVER HERE! - Swap places with the chosen player or Look at the chosen player's hand.

VASE - Stun the chosen player.

AXE - Kill an adjacent player.

CANDLE - Look at the top three cards in the deck. Put one of those cards into your hand, one on the top of the deck and one on the bottom of the deck.

RIFLE - Kill the chosen player.

BROKEN BOTTLE - Kill an adjacent player.

PILLOW - If you received this card in exchange and person you were exchanging with revealed this fact to other players immediately after, you are killed. This death cannot be prevented.

FEATHER - If you are not the Raven: discard this card as you draw it and draw another card. If you received this card in exchange: keep it in your hand till the end of the game - you are now possessed.

HAYMAKER - Stun an adjacent player.

MANOR PLAN - Search the deck for any room, reveal it, and immediately play it. Shuffle the deck.

BOTTLE - Stun an adjacent player. Search the deck for a Broken Bottle, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle the deck.

KNIFE - Kill an adjacent player.

Reactions

AVOID - Play this card in response to a player trying to exchange cards or swap places with you. Refuse to exchange cards or swap places.

DODGE - Play this card in response to a player trying to stun you. You cannot be stunned this turn.

EVADE - Play this card in response to a player trying to kill you. You cannot be killed this turn.

Deck Layout Proposal

Name of the arrangement, in order: 1. Roanoke, 2. Negative Interaction, 3. Defense.

What to Add

1. Roanoke	2. Negative Interaction	3. Defense
Abandoned Mine	Cabin	Backpack
Backpack	Coast	Coast
Cabin	Drink	2x Lifebuoy
Cave	Forest	Rod
Coast	Harpoon	Treasure Map
Compass	Mountains
Forest	Rat Treachery
Mountains	Rod
Rod

Character Suggestions

Player	Don't Trust Anyone	Roanoke	Gore
1	Raven	Raven	Raven
2	Catfish Bartender	Seer Squirrel	Brother Boar
3	Angler Photographer	Brother Boar	Lumbearjack
4	Bunny Barmaid	Uncle Alligator	Brother Wolf
5	Seer Squirrel	Brother Wolf	Capitan Pike
6	Gentleman Cthulhu	Guardian Eagle	Crayfish Docker

Deck Building Tips

When introducing a character into play, remember to include their card in your deck (if they have one). For example, if you're playing Captain Pike, add Harpoon to your deck, and if you're playing Squirrel, add Rod.

Don't introduce the second "bad guy" earlier than the fifth player, unless you want very short, chaotic games.

If your games are taking too long for your liking, add characters with killing abilities.

If you want a more "deductive" gameplay - Seer Squirrel, Catfish Bartender, Angler Photographer and Doc are your friends.

If Raven is struggling in your games, we suggest adding Barricades to your deck. Making Rooms harder to use allows them to win more easily.

Expansions

Character Cards

ANGLER PHOTOGRAPHER - After you die: Look at the chosen player's Character card. or Look at the chosen player's hand and choose a card. That player discards that card.

BROTHER BOAR - After you die: Kill the chosen player.

BUNNY BARMAID - After you die: Swap places with the chosen player.

CAPITAN PIKE - After you die: Search the deck and discard pile for the Harpoon and use it on the chosen player. Shuffle the deck.

CATFISH BARTENDER - After you die: The chosen player reveals their hand.

CRAYFISH DOCKER - After you die: Stun the chosen player. Exchange your hand with that player.

CTHULHU GENTLEMAN - You win if you're the last man standing. You cannot be Possessed. You can discard all Feathers.

DOC - After you die: Kill the chosen player. You cannot be Possessed. You can discard all Feathers.

EAL FELLA - After you die: Each player has to choose: Get stunned or Discard their hand.

GROGUŚ - After you die: Search the discard pile for any card and immediately play it.

GUARDIAN EAGLE - Reveal your card to search the deck for a Location and play it (from now on you're considered dead). Shuffle the deck. You can use this ability any time you could play an Action Card, if you're still alive.

HEADLESS HORSEMAN - You cannot be Possessed. You can use Feathers to Possess other players. You win if all other players are Possessed or dead.

LADY WHALE - After you die: Exchange your character card with the chosen player.

LUMBEARJACK - After you die: Search the deck and discard pile for the Axe and use it on the chosen player. Shuffle the deck.

MAYOR GROUNDHOG - After you die: Every player votes to kill or stun the chosen player. In case of a draw your vote prevails.

SEER SQUIRREL - After you die: Search the deck and discard pile for the Rod and put it into your hand. Shuffle the deck. After that look at the chosen player's Character Card.

SHARK BOUNCER - When another player is about to die you can choose to save them. If you do, you die instead of them.

UNCLE ALLIGATOR - After you die: Search the deck and discard pile for the Treasure Map and play it. Shuffle the deck.

WOLF BROTHER - After you die: Search the deck and discard pile for the Rifle and use it on the chosen player. Shuffle the deck.

Location Cards

ABANDONED MINE - Reveal the top seven cards from the deck. Pick three and add them to your hand. Put the rest in the discard pile. Remove Abandoned Mine from the game.

CABIN - Search the deck and discard pile for the Axe, a Bottle or the Rifle and put it in your hand. Shuffle the deck.

CAVE - Choose a card at random from the chosen player's hand and add it to your hand.

COAST - If you have a Bottle, discard it. Search the deck for the Treasure Map and play it. Shuffle the deck.

FOREST - Ask the other neighbor of the player that would go after you for consent. If he agrees, kill the player in between. End your turn. The player that gave consent skips their next turn.

MOUNTAINS - Kill an adjacent player. That player can play Evade. If you play Evade as well, you die together.

THE INN - Choose a player and ask for their consent. If that player agrees give that player a card face down. That player has to add it to their hand. Treat this card as if it was exchanged.

Action Cards

BACKPACK - (If you play the Backpack place it in front of you) You can store up to two cards from your hand in the Backpack as you play it. Any time you would draw a card you can take a card from the Backpack and put it into your hand instead.

BARRICADE - Play this on a Room card to prevent it from being used. Barricade can be removed with the Rifle or the Axe.

COMPASS - Search the deck for a Location and play it. Shuffle the deck.

DRINK - Look at the chosen player's hand and choose a card. That player discards that card.

HARPOON - Kill the chosen player, then stun that player.

TORCH - Reveal the top five cards from the deck. Pick one and add it to your hand. Put the rest in the discard pile.

TEASURE MAP - Name a card. Search the deck and discard pile for it. If you find it, put it into your hand. Shuffle the deck.

ZAKU'S CAMERA - Look at the chosen player's Character Card. or Look at the chosen player's hand and choose a card. That player discards that card.

Reaction Cards

LIFEBUOY - Play this card in response to a player trying to kill or stun any other player. That player cannot be killed or stunned this turn.

RAT TREACHERY - Choose any card that that was played and put it into the discard pile. It has no effect. After that immediately end the turn of the active player. You are the next player.

ROD - Choose any one action or reaction card that was played and put it into the discard pile. It has no effect.