Songs of Far Shores: Omen Game 1 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Omen Games
• Single Game Set Up
• Envoy
• The Cards & Coins
  • Cities/Kraters (6 cards)
  • Units (22 Different cards)
  • Coins
• Playing Omen
  • Step One: Wealth
  • Step Two: Surge
    • Playing Units To Cities
    • Using Kraters
  • Step Three: Portent
  • Step Four: War
  • Step 5: Offering
  • Ending the Turn
• Ending the Game and Scoring
• Drafting Omen Games
  • Draft and Setup Rules
• Combining Omen Games
  • Combined Games Setup and Rules

The Omen Games

Each OMEN game is a standalone, two player card game that uses this rulebook. Each standalone game features 22 Unique Unit cards and 6 Unique Krater cards, with each game offering new combinations of Traits, Effects, and combos. Each game is fully compatible with all new Omen games from Small Box Games; and the different games can be combined various ways.

These rules begin with the basics: how to play a standalone game of Omen. Later in the rules, you can find the suggested guidelines for combining games and drafting.

It is suggested to play each Omen game as a standalone game (preferably in numerical order) before combining Omen games, especially if you are unfamiliar with Omen. Each game offers its own pace and card combinations.

Single Game Set Up

Choose 1 of the Omen games. Take that game's 22 Unit and 6 Krater cards (indicated by the game lines at the bottom of each card).

Players will need to provide 20 Coins (any coins or tokens will do!).

Shuffle together the 22 Units and place them in a facedown deck to the side of the play area. Place the 20 Coins beside the deck. Shuffle together the 6 Kraters and make 3 facedown stacks, each with 2 Kraters, in the middle of the play area, forming the Cities. Each player draws 4 Units (forming their hand) and receives 4 Coins.

Envoy

Each player chooses 1 Unit from their hand and places it facedown; this is the player's Envoy. Once each player has placed a facedown Unit, both Envoys are revealed. The Cost, Offering, and Strength Values of each Envoy are combined. The player whose Envoy has the greatest combined Value is the first Active Player for the game. In the event of a tie, the Envoy with the highest Strength Value breaks the tie. If a tie still exists, the oldest player is the first Active Player.

The Active Player discards their Envoy, forming the discard pile (to the side of the deck). The other player moves their Envoy to their hand. The game then begins, with the Active Player taking their turn.

The Cards & Coins

There are 2 types of cards in Omen: Cities/Kraters and Units. Each Omen game includes 22 Units and 6 Kraters. All Units and Kraters in an Omen game have the same number of lines in their bottom right corner.

Cities/Kraters (6 cards)

Kraters represent blessed vases hidden by the gods and begin the game facedown in 3 separate stacks, or Cities. The main goal of the game is to try to win these Kraters. As players resolve Sacked Cities, players will add these Kraters to their hands.

At the end of the game, players score points based on the Kraters they have earned. Additionally, each Krater a player earns can be broken (played to the player's Rewards) for a powerful effect.

There are 6 different Kraters, each with a unique effect. When a player uses a Krater for its effect, they place it in their Rewards (in front of the player) as a Broken Krater.

At the end of the game, any Krater in the player's hand is worth 2 Points, while any Broken (or played) Krater in their Rewards is only worth 1 Point.

All cards in a player's hand are kept secret from the opposing player!

Units (22 Different cards)

Units are multi-purpose, and their uses are covered throughout these rules. Each Unit has a unique Name, 3 Values, and 2 Traits.

The Cost Value (Yellow) is the number of Coins the player must spend to play the Unit. The Offering Value (Blue) determines the number of Units and/or Coins the player receives when the card is discarded as an Offering. Each Unit has a Strength Value (Red), which is used to determine who wins a Sacked City.

There are 13 Traits, each offering special effects (covered throughout these rules). Traits can be Eternal (they're in every Omen game), Set (the effect is the same for every Unit with that Trait), and/or Variable (the effect is Unique for each Unit with that Trait and includes additional ability text).

A Unit card shows its Name, Offering Value, Strength Value, Cost Value, Traits, and Game Line(s).

Units begin the game in the deck. The top Unit of the deck is the top Unit.

Additionally, Units can be discarded (moved from a player's hand to the discard pile) and/or destroyed (moved from the side of a City to the discard pile). The faceup discard pile is located next to the deck. If the deck is ever empty, the discard pile is shuffled to form the deck. If the top Unit is revealed, unless otherwise stated, it is then discarded. If a player "searches the deck" the deck is shuffled afterwards.

Coins

Each player gains and spends (and sometimes steals or loses) Coins. Coins are gained and added to the player's play area. When spent or lost, they are returned to the middle of the play area.

Playing Omen

Omen takes place over a series of player turns. During a player's turn, they are the Active Player. The other player is the Opposing Player. Players alternate taking turns as the Active Player until all Cities have been Razed (have no Kraters remaining).

Players will gain Points when the game ends for the Kraters they've obtained, Triumphs they have accomplished, and COVETED Units in their hand.

A turn in Omen is broken into 5 Steps, taken in the following order: Wealth, Surge, Portent, War, and Offering. Once the Active Player has completed the 5 Steps, their turn ends. The Opposing Player becomes the Active Player.

During their turn, the Active Player will gain Coins, draw Units, and spend those Coins to play Units a variety of ways, with the goal of setting up combos, gaining Kraters, and completing Triumphs, all while trying to disrupt the Opposing Player's plans.

Omen is a game of sacrifice and combos. There will be big turns, and there will be small turns.

The wording on Units and Kraters is purposefully specific, and should always be followed in the order presented, and to the best of the player's ability. If a card instructs you to do something that you are unable to do, you simply do not do it.

Step One: Wealth

The Wealth Step represents the Active Player garnering their forces and resources in preparation for sacking the Cities. During the Wealth Step, the Active Player gains Coins and/or draws Units.

The Active Player has 3 Wealth Actions to spend during their Wealth Step. They must use each Action to draw 1 Unit or gain 1 Coin. The Active Player may combine these any way they choose.

However, if the Active Player uses all of their Wealth Actions to draw Units, they draw 1 additional Unit. If the Active Player uses all of their Wealth Actions to gain Coins, they gain 1 additional Coin. This is called a Wealth Bonus.

Examples: The Active Player uses 2 of their Wealth Actions to draw 2 Units and spends 1 of their Wealth Actions to gain 1 Coin. Or: the Active Player uses all 3 Wealth Actions to draw 3 Units. They draw a 4th Unit, since all of their Wealth Actions were spent to draw.

Unit Trait: SPOILS (Set) — Units with the SPOILS Trait grant an effect during the Active Player's Wealth Step. If the Active Player has at least 1 Unit with SPOILS on their side of a City during their Wealth Step, they gain 1 additional Wealth Action. This is not cumulative. If the Active Player has 3 Units with SPOILS, they still only gain 1 additional Wealth Action!

The first Active Player only receives 2 Wealth Actions during their first turn!

After the Active Player spends their 3 Wealth Actions, they move to the Surge Step.

Step Two: Surge

During the Surge Step, the Active Player spends their Coins to play Units from their hand, several different ways. The bulk of the game takes place in the Surge Step.

Playing Units To Cities

Each player has their own side of each of the Cities. They may play Units to their side of the Cities. Units on their side of a City are their Units. Units on the opposing player's side of a City are Opposing Units. Unless otherwise stated, an effect may affect any Unit.

To play a Unit from their hand to a City, the Active Player chooses a City, takes the Unit from their hand, places it on their side of the chosen City, and returns a number of their Coins to the side equal to the Unit's Cost Value.

When a Unit is played (or moved) to the Active Player's side of a City, from anywhere, it "enters that City."

A player may never have more than 5 Units on their side of any given City. This is referred to as the City Limit. A player may not play a Unit into a City in which they already have 5 Units, nor may they play a Unit into a City if it would put them over 5 Units. Remember that Units with MYRIAD count as 2 Units for the purpose of City Limit!

Unit Trait: MYRIAD (Eternal/Set) — Units with the MYRIAD Trait count as 2 Units for the purposes of City Limit, checking for requirements of a TRIUMPH, and for determining if a City is Sacked (during the War Step). Otherwise, they count as 1 Unit.

Unit Trait: BOLSTER (Eternal/Variable) — Units with the BOLSTER Trait offer an effect when they enter a City. When a Unit with BOLSTER enters their side of a City, the Active Player follows that Unit's BOLSTER text. Each BOLSTER effect is unique. Often times, a BOLSTER ability text may require some form of extra payment or conditions to be met.

While the Active Player may play any Unit to their side of a City, some Units can be discarded for an effect, based on their Trait(s).

Unit Trait: JILT (Eternal/Variable) — Units with the JILT Trait each offer a unique effect when their Cost is paid and they are discarded. The Active Player may reveal a Unit with JILT from their hand, pay that Unit's Cost, follow its JILT ability text, and then discards that Unit.

If an effect from a Unit or Krater instructs the player to "play" a Unit, from anywhere, playing that Unit never requires the player to spend Coins.

The Active player may play as many Units as they wish, to their side of any City, and is only limited by the number of Coins they have, Units in hand, and the City Limit.

Unit Traits: FATE, RECRUIT, PILFER (Set) — While Units with JILT require their Cost to be paid to use their unique effect, Units with FATE, PILFER, or RECRUIT each offer a static effect when the Active Player chooses to discard them for their Trait ability. These Trait effects never occur if the Unit with that Trait is discarded as part of another effect or game requirement.

• The Active Player may discard a Unit with FATE to draw 1 Unit or move 1 Unit in the discard pile to their hand.
• The Active Player may discard a Unit with PILFER to take 1 Coin from the Opposing Player.
• The Active Player may discard a Unit with RECRUIT to draw 2 Units and place 1 Unit from their hand on top of the deck.

Example: The Active Player must discard 1 Unit from their hand as an additional cost for a BOLSTER effect. They discard a Unit with FATE. The Unit with FATE is placed in the discard pile — its FATE effect does not trigger. Later in their Surge Step, the Active Player chooses 1 Unit in their hand with FATE and discards that Unit for its FATE effect, and they draw 1 Unit.

The Active Player may play as many Units as they wish, to their side of any City, or discarded for their Trait effect, and is only limited by the number of Coins they have, Units in hand, and the City Limit.

Using Kraters

Once per Surge Step, the Active Player may use the effect of 1 Krater in their hand. To do this, the Active Player reveals the Krater, follows that Krater's effect text, and then places that Krater in their Rewards, rotated as a Broken Krater.

At the end of the game, Kraters in a player's hand are worth 2 Points. Broken Kraters are worth 1 Point.

Step Three: Portent

During the Portent step, the Active Player uses the GLEAN effect of any Unit(s) on their side of the Cities with the GLEAN Trait, in whichever order they choose.

Unit Trait: GLEAN (Eternal/Variable) — Units with the GLEAN Trait offer a unique effect during the Active Player's Portent Step. Often times, a GLEAN ability text may require some form of extra payment or conditions to be met. During the Active Player's Portent Step, they, 1 at a time, follow the GLEAN effect of each Unit with GLEAN that they have on their side of a City. Each GLEAN effect is used once each Portent Step.

Unit Trait: TRIUMPH (Eternal/Variable) — Each Unit with the TRIUMPH Trait has a requirement that must be met during a stated Step of the Active Player's Turn. During each Step of the Active Player's turn, they check to see if they have any Unit(s) with TRIUMPH on their side of the Cities. If they do, and it is the Unit's stated TRIUMPH Step, they check to see if they have met that TRIUMPH's requirements. If they have, they move that Unit to their Rewards (facedown). Facedown Units in a player's Rewards are worth 2 Points.

Once the Active Player has used any GLEAN effects, they move to the War Step.

Step Four: War

During the War step, any Sacked Cities are resolved. A City is Sacked if: the opposing player has at least 3 Units in the City and/or there are a total of 5 (or more) Units in the City.

The player with the most combined Strength on their side of a Sacked City adds the top Krater of that City to their hand, and destroys all but 1 of their Units in that City. The other player destroys all but 2 of their Units in that City. If there are no Kraters remaining in that City, the City is Razed, and all Units, on either side of that City, are destroyed.

If there is a tie, the player with the most Units with BOLSTER wins. If a tie still exists, each player destroys 2 of their Units at the tied City.

Repeat the above steps until no Sacked Cities remain, then the Active player moves to the Offering Step.

Unit Trait: VETERAN (Set) — Units with the VETERAN Trait each offer a set effect during the War Step. If a Unit with VETERAN would be destroyed during the War Step, it is moved to its player's hand instead of being destroyed.

Example: In this example, only one City is Sacked, since the Opposing Player has 3 Units on their side of the City (2 Units, 1 with MYRIAD). In another City, there are only 4 Units total. In a third City, there are only 4 Units in the City, and the Active Player, not the Opposing Player, has 3 Units (2 Units, 1 with MYRIAD). In the Sacked City, the Active Player has 2 Strength while the Opposing Player has 5. The Opposing Player wins the City, and adds the top Krater to their hand. They destroy their Unit with MYRIAD in that City.

Step 5: Offering

During the Offering step, the Active Player may discard 1 Unit from their hand as an Offering to the gods. In return, they are granted additional Units and/or Coins.

The player chooses a Unit in their hand and discards it. They then draw a number of Units and/or gain a number of Coins equal to the discarded Unit's Offering Value. The Active Player may draw Units or gain Coins in any combination they choose.

Example: The Active Player discards a Unit with an Offering Value of 2. They can gain 2 Coins, or draw 2 Units, or gain 1 Coin and draw 1 Unit.

Unit Trait: CURSE (Set) — Units with CURSE offer a static effect when the Active Player discards a Unit with this Trait during their Offering Step. If the Active Player discards a Unit with CURSE during their Offering Step, the Active Player destroys 1 Opposing Unit in any City.

Unit Trait: WRATH (Set) — Units with WRATH offer a static effect when the Active Player discards a Unit with this Trait as part of another effect or game requirement at any point during their turn. If the Active Player discards a Unit with WRATH as part of another effect or game requirement at any point during their turn, the Opposing Player discards 1 Unit.

Ending the Turn

At the end of the Active Player's Offering Step, their turn ends. They discard Units until they have a maximum of 6 cards in hand, including Kraters. They then lose Coins until they have a maximum of 7 Coins.

If the game has not ended, the Opposing Player becomes the Active Player and they take a turn.

Ending the Game and Scoring

A game of Omen ends at the end of the Active Player's turn if all 3 Cities have been Razed.

Unit Trait: COVETED (Eternal/Set) — Units with the COVETED Trait are worth Points at the end of the game if they are in a player's hand. A player gains 1 Point at the end of the game for each Unit with COVETED in their hand.

When the game ends, players earn Points, and the player with the most Points has proven to be the greater sibling, receives the blessing of the gods, and wins the game. Points are earned as follows:

• Each player gains 2 Points for each Krater in their hand.
• Each player gains 1 Point for each COVETED Unit in their hand.
• Each player gains 2 Points for each facedown Unit in their Rewards.
• Each player gains 1 Point for each Broken Krater in their Rewards.

In the event of a tie, the player with the most facedown Units in their Rewards wins the tie. If a tie still exists, the player with the most COVETED Units in their hand wins. If a tie still exists, play again!

Cards in a player's Rewards remain there for the entirety of the game! They can never be moved, destroyed, or discarded.

Drafting Omen Games

While each Omen game was designed to be a standalone game, multiple Omen games can be combined and drafted to give players more control over the Units they can draw and play. The rules presented previously in this rulebook are largely unchanged, with a few important differences.

When drafting the Omen games, each player will have their own deck to draw Units from and search, as well as their own top Unit. Additionally, each player has their own discard pile where their destroyed and discarded Units go. If any ability or effect prompts a player to do anything with the deck (draw, search, etc.) or discard pile, using the draft rules, those prompts are referring to the player's own deck and discard pile!

Finally, the game ends at the end of the Active Player's turn when 2 (or more) Cities have been Razed. Players score points as per this rulebook.

Draft and Setup Rules

Select 3 Omen games. Separate the Units in each game by: Units with TRIUMPH, Units with COVETED, and all other Units. Place these 3 separated collections of Units into 3 facedown Stacks.

Shuffle together the 18 Kraters from the 3 selected Omen games and make 3 Cities of 4 Kraters each. Remove any remaining Kraters from the play area.

Each player draws 4 Units from the TRIUMPH Unit Stack, then may place up to 2 of those TRIUMPH Units beneath the TRIUMPH stack to draw up to 2 Units from the TRIUMPH stack.

Each player draws 4 Units from the COVETED Stack.

These first 8 Units are placed facedown in each player's play area, forming their deck.

Then, each player draws 3 cards from the remaining Unit Stack. They place 2 of those Units facedown in their play area and place the remaining Unit facedown in the other player's play area. Repeat this process 4 times.

Remove any remaining, undrafted Units from the play area.

Each player should have 23 facedown Units at the end of this draft. Each player shuffles together their 23 facedown Units to form their deck.

The game is played following the rules found previously in this rulebook.

Combining Omen Games

While each Omen game was designed to be a standalone game, multiple Omen games can be combined, leading to interesting Unit and Krater combinations, as well as slightly longer games. The rules presented in this rulebook are largely unchanged, with a few key differences found below.

Combined Games Setup and Rules

Choose any 2 or any 3 Omen games.

If 2 Omen games are combined, shuffle together those 2 games' Kraters and form 3 Cities, each with 3 Kraters. Shuffle those 2 games' Units together to form the deck.

If 3 Omen games are combined, shuffle together those 3 games' Kraters and form 3 Cities, each with 4 Kraters. Shuffle those 3 games' Units together to form the deck.

Remove any remaining Kraters from the play area and the game begins following the game rules found previously in this rulebook.

Finally, the game ends at the end of the Active Player's turn when 2 (or more) Cities have been Razed. Players score points as per this rulebook.