Rising 5: Runes of Asteros Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• I. Aim of the Game
• II. Components
• III. Setup
  • Getting started with the App
  • Example
  • Clues
• IV. Gameplay
  • 1. Actions or Pass
  • A. Movement
  • B. Encounter
    • Monsters
    • Helpers
    • Artifact cache
  • C. Seal the Gate
  • 2. Draw cards
  • Red moon crisis
  • End of Turn
• V. More on Characters
  • Supporting characters
  • Examples
• VI. More on Items
  • The Relics and their powers
  • The Artifacts and their powers
• Game End
• Appendix
  • Difficulty set up
  • App
  • Solo game (App required)
  • Game Master Mode
• Credits

I. Aim of the Game

The objective of Rising 5 is to find the answer to a puzzle consisting of 4 Runes, each related to a random astrological Symbol.

Since the App will only use these Symbols to communicate with your team, you must first explore the world to discover which Symbols relate to which Runes.

Once you have found the Runes, arrange them in the correct order and you will have saved Asteros!

However, should the Red Moon track ever reach the Total Eclipse or if the Character card deck is exhausted, your team loses the game…

II. Components

• 1 Game board
• 5 Character silhouettes and stands
• 27 Region cards, of which 6 are black and white Starting cards
• 55 Character cards (11 for each character)
• 3 Relic cards
• 4 Artifact cards
• 1 Gate marker
• 7 Rune tiles
• 1 Eclipse marker
• 4 Silk Cubes
• 1 Combat Die
• 5 Red Moon cards
• 14 Astrological Symbol tokens, divided into 2 sets (A & B)

"Rising 5" App available on App Store and Google Play. The App is free and only one device is required to play the game.

III. Setup

1. Place the game board in the middle of the table.
2. Then place the Gate marker in the middle of the four Rune slots as shown.
3. Choose 4 Runes randomly and place them on the slots around the Gate marker.
4. Place the 4 Silk Cubes near the Altars.
5. Unused Runes are placed on the bottom left of the board.
6. Place the 2 sets of Symbol tokens next to the board.
7. Keep the combat die close to hand.
8. Place each character silhouette on its portrait.
9. Next to the board, place the 3 Relics face up… as well as the 4 Artifacts face down.
10. Shuffle the character cards and place the deck face down next to the board.
11. Depending on the desired game difficulty (see appendix), insert 3 to 5 Red Moon cards in the Character cards deck at similar intervals. Don't shuffle the deck. (Unused Red Moon cards are removed from the game.)
12. Place the Eclipse marker on the starting slot (third from the top).
13. Shuffle each region deck and place them on their corresponding I, II or III slot. Each region has two Starting cards with a black and white back that are placed face up in the locations adjacent to each of these decks.
14. In a 2 or 3-player game, deal 6 character cards to each player. In a 4 or 5-player game, only deal 5.
15. Load the digital App on your chosen device and click "Game Start". The player who most recently looked at the stars starts the game. Play proceeds clockwise.
16. Start the game as instructed by the App.

Good luck!

Getting started with the App

The first thing the App will ask you to do is take a picture of the Gate marker and the four Runes around it. Place your device above the Gate so that the camera can clearly read the four Runes and try to line up the four anchor points (⌖). The App will automatically take a photo as soon as it has detected the Runes.

If the App is unable to take a photo, make sure that the Gate marker is correctly positioned. Please note that too much or too little light can also confuse the App.

If for whatever reason the App is unable to detect the Runes you can click the icon to input them manually.

Once the App has detected the starting configuration it will automatically generate a puzzle for you. To later inform you which Runes are correct and which are not, the App randomly attributes an astrological Symbol to each Rune.

At the very beginning of the game, and each time you test the Gate in an attempt to seal it, the App will ask you to take a photo of the new Rune layout and show you a series of various astrological Symbols depicted in one of four possible states:

• Outline: Relates to a Rune whose state is unknown.
• Dark: Relates to a Rune that is not part of the Code.
• Shining: Relates to a Rune that is part of the Code, but not yet in the right position.
• Golden: Relates to a Rune that is part of the Code and in the right position!

Remember: which Rune is equivalent to which Symbol is part of the puzzle!

You can swipe upwards on the app at any time to view a reminder of your previous attempts at sealing the gate.

Comparing the symbols from a layout to another and making the correct deductions will get you one step closer to saving Asteros!

Example

When Kevin and Gary start their game they are given this configuration by the App: the Sage and Gremlin relate to Runes that are part of the Code, but not in the right place, while the Spider and Worm correspond to 2 totally incorrect Runes.

During the game, Kevin and Gary manage to switch the blue and red Runes around before swapping out the yellow for green.

Then they collect enough Silk Cubes for another attempt at sealing the Gate.

After having shown the App this new configuration, it informs them that the Sage and Gremlin are now correctly placed and that the Monkey is also correct but not in the right place.

This means that the red and blue Runes are respectively Gremlin and Sage. Which is which is not that important.

What should concern the players now is 1) determining the last of the four Runes and 2) moving the green one, as it will logically be correct when placed on the slot currently occupied by the orange Rune.

Clues

When you earn a clue (for example after a successful fight with a boss), you may ask the app to indicate the symbol of a rune of your choice. This will further help you solve the puzzle.

In the bottom left hand corner, adjacent to the Rune slots, are two zones meant to help you keep track of which Rune is related to which Symbol.

• On the left you can place Symbols that have been identified but that you haven't connected to a Rune yet.
• On the right you can place a Symbol next to a Rune once you've established their relation.

IV. Gameplay

On their turn the active player, in order, must:

1. Perform one or more actions, or Pass, then
2. Draw at least 1 card from the Character deck.

1. Actions or Pass

• You may activate one character per turn. When activating a character you may perform as many actions as you wish during the turn (performing the same action several times is also allowed).
• Before taking any action, you must announce the number of actions you intend to perform with the chosen character and then discard the corresponding number of character cards (1 card for each action).
• A player deciding to pass doesn't play any cards.

There are 3 possible Actions:

A. Movement B. Encounter C. Seal the Gate

A. Movement

• You can move an activated character to any of the 6 locations on the board. Each location is related to one of the three regions (I, II, III).
• Multiple characters can be at the same location at the same time.

Each region deck contains different cards. There are weaker monsters with smaller rewards in region I while stronger monsters with bigger rewards can be found in region III.

B. Encounter

You may choose to resolve the card present at a character's location. That card can be a Monster, a Helper or an Artifact cache.

Monsters

The active player fights the monster. Each monster has:

• An eclipse value (Red Moons)
• A strength value (number)
• A reward (one or more icons)

To defeat a monster you must roll the combat die (adding any bonuses, see: Supporting characters) and score equal or higher than the strength value of the monster.

• If you win, remove the monster from the game and take the reward indicated on the card (Silk Cubes, items, clues, etc).
• If you roll the Eclipse symbol, it's always an automatic loss.
• If you lose, the monster stays in place and the Eclipse marker moves down towards the Red Moon a number of spaces equal to the number of Red Moons on the monster card.

Note: Each region deck contains a Boss monster that, along with a clue, will also reward you with a powerful relic when defeated. Take the corresponding card from the reserve when the boss is vanquished. That relic may now be played by any member of your team at any time.

Helpers

Helper cards possess no strength nor eclipse value. When encountering helpers, simply receive the reward shown at the bottom of the card.

If there are several rewards separated by a "/" you may choose which reward you wish to receive. The helper is then discarded.

Rewards:

• Sun: Move the Eclipse Tracker one space upwards.
• Silk Cube: Collect one Silk Cube and place it on the altar. You may only have a maximum of 4 cubes at a time. Any additional ones collected are lost.

Artifact cache

When the active player encounters an Artifact cache, remove the card from the game then draw 1 card from the Artifact deck. The Artifact may now be played by any member of your team at any time. (See Items section.)

C. Seal the Gate

• There must be 4 Silk Cubes accumulated on the Altars for a player to attempt to seal the Gate.
• Each time you collect a cube, tap one of the altars on your device to activate it. When all four altars have been activated, any active player can choose the action "Seal the Gate" (Important: this action still costs 1 character card).
• Sealing the Gate can be performed by a character from anywhere on the board (no specific location required).
• To begin the sealing process, swipe downwards on the App.

2. Draw cards

Before ending a turn, the active player must always draw at least 1 card. Drawing more cards is allowed, as long as the hand limit is respected.

For 2 and 3 player games the hand limit size is 6. For 4 and 5 player games the hand limit size is 5.

If you passed your turn and have a full hand, you must still draw at least 1 card from the Character deck, discarding (any card) down to your hand limit afterwards. You must declare how many cards you're going to take before drawing them one by one.

If a Red Moon card is drawn, put it on top of the deck with Red Moon side face up and immediately stop drawing cards. Your turn is over and the next player takes their turn. After that player finishes his actions, the Red Moon Crisis begins.

Red moon crisis

Total up the number of Red Moon icons on all the monster cards currently displayed on the board.

Move the Eclipse marker as many steps down as there are Red Moon icons.

If the marker reaches the last space, The Total Eclipse, Asteros is consumed by malefic powers and you lose the game!

If you haven't lost, discard the Red Moon card and then the active player draws cards immediately.

End of Turn

At the end of your turn, if there are empty region spaces on the board, draw a card for each empty space from that region´s deck. If there are no more cards in the appropriate deck, leave the space empty.

V. More on Characters

Along with the possible actions, each character has a Special Ability, listed below. You may only activate it once per turn, after having discarded the character's cards but before choosing your first regular Action.

ORAKL — Special Ability: Swap the position of two Runes.

• Option 1: Swap 2 Runes currently present on the Gate.
• Option 2: Swap 1 Rune on the Gate and 1 from the reserve.

Important! This is the only way to change the positions of the runes!

ELI — Special Ability: Move the Eclipse marker 1 space upwards.

NOVA — Special Ability: Choose any monster on the board and roll the combat die. If the score equals or exceeds the monster's strength it is defeated and you receive its rewards as usual. Any other result is ignored.

EKHO — Special Ability: Move any other character (not Ekho) to any location.

HAL — Special Ability: Copy the Special Ability of a character present at HAL's current location (characters in their starting positions do not count as being at HAL's location).

Supporting characters

Players can support one another in order to receive combat bonuses and increase their chances of winning a fight.

Powering up: Before rolling the combat die, the active player can ask for help from the other players. If the other players have cards of the activated character they can discard these cards to support the active character. The number of cards discarded is added to the value of the die roll.

Note: The active player is not allowed to play cards to power up.

Teaming up: If at least one other character is present at the same location as the activated character when a combat is initiated, you may add 1 to the die roll. Note: This bonus is always of 1, no matter how many characters are present at the location.

NOTES:

• Both types of support may add up.
• Rolling an eclipse (⏾) on the die is always a loss, no matter the support given.
• NOVA's Special Ability cannot be powered up nor teamed up.

Examples

EKHO is the active character and NOVA and HAL are at his location. EKHO encounters a Monster with a strength of 4. He rolls a 2 on the combat dice. He adds to this the +1 Teaming up bonus for a total of 3 which is insufficient to defeat the monster and therefore loses the fight.

Gary decides to play 3 Ekho cards for 3 actions with the Ekho character.

1. Gary announces he'll be taking 2 actions with EKHO this turn then discards the corresponding cards.
2. Before taking his actions, Gary uses EKHO's Special Ability to move HAL to a location containing a monster.
3. Gary then uses the first of EKHO's two actions to move him to the same space as HAL.
4. He then uses the second action to fight the Monster present at the location.
5. Before the roll, Kevin declares that he'll Power up EKHO and discards 2 EKHO cards from his hand. Gary now has a bonus of 3 to his roll (1 from Teaming up with HAL and 2 from Kevin's Powering up).

He rolls a 2, and the monster is clearly defeated 5 against 4.

VI. More on Items

There are 2 kinds of items that help the players on their adventure. Relics can be obtained by killing a boss monster and Artifacts can be obtained by visiting an Artifact cache.

When acquired, these items belong to the team and can be used at any moment by any character / active player.

Important: once played, an item is always discarded.

The Relics and their powers

• Moonfire Blade: Automatically kills a monster with a strength of 1, 2, 3 or 4.
• Staff of transmutation: Collect 3 Silk Cubes.
• Eclipse Pendant: Ignore and discard a Red Moon card.

The Artifacts and their powers

• Orb of Divination: Players can use this item to get a clue from the App.
• Silk Cube reserve: Collect 2 Silk Cubes.
• Ring of Rising Sun: Move the Eclipse marker 2 steps upwards.
• Healing balm: Re-roll the combat die.

Game End

Players win the game immediately when they successfully seal the Gate of Asteros (all 4 symbols shown by the app are golden).

The game immediately ends in defeat for all players if:

• The Character card deck is exhausted at the end of a player's turn, or
• The Eclipse Marker reaches the final space on the Red Moon track.

Appendix

Difficulty set up

The difficulty level can be adjusted by simply changing the number of Red Moon cards put in the deck during the set-up.

• 3 Red Moon cards > Beginner
• 4 Red Moon cards > Standard
• 5 Red Moon cards > Heroic

You may also shuffle the deck after inserting the Red Moon cards in order to randomize their appearance.

App

You can find the Rising 5 App on the App Store or Google Play. The App is free and only one device is required to play the game. You can find the required specs on the App page.

The App also contains a digital rulebook as well as a handy tutorial for getting started.

Reminders:

• Before attempting to seal the Gate, make sure all four Altars are activated with a Silk Cube by tapping on them.
• Should you run into any issues you can assign runes manually by tapping the icon in the top left.
• The Camera function of the App can be affected by the light in the room. Try and play the game in normal lighting conditions for best effect.

Solo game (App required)

To play the game alone:

• Start with 6 cards in hand.
• Draw 6 more cards that you place face up in front of you. They form the Support card supply.
• You can use Support cards when you encounter a monster to Power Up your active character, exactly as described previously.
• At the "Draw cards" Phase, you may draw cards for your hand first, and then replenish your Support card supply.

These changes aside, all other rules apply to solo play.

Game Master Mode

Should you not wish to/be unable to use the App then you may still play Rising 5 using the Game Master Mode.

One person will be the Game Master who takes over from the App when it comes to determining the puzzle and informing the players. The Game Master uses the game box as a screen to hide the solution to their puzzle.

Components needed by the Game Master:

• 1 Game Master board
• 1 Symbol sheet
• 7 Rune tiles
• 14 Symbol tokens (marked M)
• 1 screen (game box)

After the players have set up the game, the Game Master sets the correct configuration secretly. They then assign a Symbol to each Rune. They can do this randomly or choose them, in order to make the game easier or harder for the heroes.

Once this is done the Games Master will present the players with a series of four Symbols indicating whether the Runes on the gate are correct, incorrect, etc.

The game master will do this each time the players attempt to seal the Gate.

Giving a hint: When a player defeats a boss monster with a "?" icon or encounters a helper card, they ask to the Game Master which Symbol corresponds to a Rune of their choice.

In this example, the players ask about the Yellow Rune thanks to the helper providing a Clue. The Game Master hands them the snake outline tile.

These changes aside, all other rules apply to the Game Master Mode.

Credits

Game design by Gary Kim and Evan Song

Artwork and Graphic design by Vincent Dutrait

Thank you to everyone who contributed: Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, Sangmyung University Startup Support Group, Prof. Eui Chul Lee, Application Development Team, Aejin Kang, KBDA (Korea Board game Designers Association), Hope. S. Hwang, Jade Yoo, Donghwa Kim, Yeonmin Jung, Sangdo Nam, Myeonghyeok Seo, KJ Lee, Simon Schwanhauser, Emmanuel Beltrando, Karen, Edward, Carmen and the Longshore Team.

Special thanks to: Holy Grail Game Team (Olivier, Jamie, Eric, Vincent, Matthieu, Clément, Gareth, Patrick & Andrew), Sébastien Pauchon, Bruno Cathala & the Ludonaute Team, all our Kickstarter backers.

If you have any questions about the game, please contact: [email protected]

Copyright © 2016 Mandoo Games