Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Basic Information
Tainted Grail is a solo or cooperative game for 1-4 players. Each player controls one Character. During a standard game you spend most of your time traveling across the dangerous island of Avalon, moving your Character model from one Location card to the next, spending Energy and revealing more of the map. To keep parts of the map alive you must activate the guardian Menhirs scattered across the realm; these ancient monuments go dark over time, and activating them costs considerable Resources, so plotting your route tests your planning and logistics.
At any point you may Explore a Location you visit. This launches a non-linear, branching storyline read from the Exploration Journal, which often changes the game world around you (swapping Location cards for altered versions, or granting Statuses or Secret cards). At the start of each day a new Event card is revealed, pushing time forward and giving you Quests. While playing you will run into many random Encounters, resolved using your Combat and Diplomacy decks. Rewards from Encounters let your Character advance: expand and optimize the two decks, gain Skills, and raise Attributes. Eventually you complete the current Chapter and progress through the Campaign - unless you first succumb to death or insanity.
If you want to learn the game in the simplest way, use the Open & Play guide, which walks you through an introductory solo adventure.
Version 2.0 changes
The 2.0 reprint introduced limited changes to the core rules:
- Players choose a game mode (Story, Standard, or Challenge) before starting.
- Start-of-Day and End-of-Day effects have more precise timing.
- At the Start of the Day, Guardians are moved before the Event card is resolved.
- Eating Food at the End of the Day is no longer mandatory; failing to eat no longer Exhausts the Character. During Rest, a Character may still choose to pay 1 Food to gain 1 Health and lose 1 Terror.
- Characters cannot carry more than 20 of each Resource (except Experience).
- The "Global" keyword (known from expansions) is now part of the core rules.
- The order of resolving a Combat/Diplomacy card was rewritten to be more precise.
- Two new cards were added, and many edits were made to the Exploration Journal.
Components Overview
The core box contains, among other things:
- Models: Character models (Beor, Ailei, Arev, Maggot), 3 Menhir models, and 1 Fore-dweller (Guardian) model.
- Paper components: 4 starting letters, 4 adventure maps, 30 save sheets, an Open & Play guide, the Rulebook, and the Fall of Avalon Exploration Journal.
- Trays & Tiles: 1 green, 1 blue, 1 brown, and 1 gray Character Tray; 4 Character Tiles.
- Cards: Location cards (the modular map board), Combat and Diplomacy decks (each Character has their own), four color-coded Encounter decks, an Item deck, a Secret deck, an Event deck, and a Skill deck.
- Tokens & markers: universal markers (small and large - a large marker equals five standard markers), a T-shaped Health marker per Character, Time and Quest tokens, and octagonal Dials placed inside Menhirs to track how long they stay in play.
Key components explained:
- Location cards - oversized cards forming the segments of the map of Avalon. Each has a corresponding section in the Exploration Journal.
- Menhirs - guardian stones that limit the number of revealed Location cards.
- Guardian Encounter - a powerful roaming beast that chases the Characters.
- Dials - placed and rotated inside Menhirs to show how much longer they stay in play; also used to track other values, decipher Secrets, or make coin tosses.
- Secret Deck - numbered cards that may contain anything from unique items to extra rules.
- Item Deck - standard equipment.
- Skill Deck - a pool of Skills that players choose from when advancing their Characters.
- Encounter Decks - four types of dangers, some solved through Combat and some through Diplomacy.
- Event deck - cards that drive the story forward or provide random effects; it has its own discard pile.
- Character Trays - hold the Character Tile, Resources, Attributes, and Survival Tracks.
- Skill Cards - bought with Experience and attached to the Character Tray.
- Death and Insanity cards - attached to the Trays of dying or insane Characters.
- Help Cards - icon glossaries, turn order, and basic Actions.
Campaign Setup
To set up a Campaign, follow the steps below. If you return to a Campaign in progress, do not repeat the full setup; instead use the "Saving the Game" rules.
Character Setup
Each player completes these steps separately.
I) Choose the type of playthrough. There are 3 game modes:
- Story mode - a relaxed way to enjoy the story without worrying much about death and resource management, while still experiencing all core mechanics.
- Standard mode - the standard, challenging way to play, focused on both immersion and survival.
- Challenge mode - for experienced players who do not fear death and replaying parts of the game. Using this mode before finishing at least the 1st Chapter is highly discouraged.
You may change modes between Chapters during a game. If you use Story or Challenge mode, place the corresponding Help card in the play area. Details of these modes are in "Alternative Modes & Appendices."
II) Choose your Character. Take that Character's cardboard Tile and a Character Tray of the same color. Characters differ mainly in their Character Action, negative trait, the length of their Survival Tracks, and their unique Combat and Diplomacy cards.
III) Mark the starting levels of Energy and Terror. Find the Energy and Terror tracks on your Character Tray and place universal markers in the starting slots highlighted by two red chevrons.
IV) Place the T-shaped Health marker in the Health track slot highlighted with two red chevrons. Its shape reminds you of Health's effect on the other two tracks.
V) Mark your starting Attributes, found on the back of your Character Tile.
VI) Mark your starting Resources, also listed on the back of the Tile. Place the matching numbers of universal markers in the Resource slots on your Tray.
VII) Set aside the 80 Combat and Diplomacy cards that match your Tray color. There are 50 basic Combat/Diplomacy cards matching your Tray, plus 30 advanced cards bearing your Character's name.
VIII) Create your 15-card Combat and Diplomacy starter decks. Pick the 15 basic Combat and 15 basic Diplomacy cards with a banner under the card name matching your Tray color. Shuffle each and place them to the left (Combat) and right (Diplomacy) of your Tray. In the Fall of Avalon Campaign these starter cards are numbered 1-15/25 and have no Character name on them.
IX) Create your 25-card Combat and Diplomacy Advancement Pools. Take the 15 advanced Combat cards with your Character's name, plus the 10 remaining basic Combat cards of your Tray color (those not used in your starter deck), shuffle them together, and set aside as your 25-card Combat Advancement Pool. Repeat for Diplomacy. Store both pools in a Save Compartment or under the "Advancement Pool" card.
X) Place your Character Tile on the Character Tray, setup info face down, Character Action face up.
XI) Read your Character's introductory Letter. It reveals your starting situation and contains your unique Character Number, used to break ties.
XII) Take your Adventure Map. It helps you reach important landmarks, though its cartographer worked over a century ago and it may no longer be accurate.
World Setup
After all players have set up their Characters:
I) Set the Starting Location. For the Fall of Avalon this is Location card 101. Place it in the middle of the play space and put all Character models there. (Other Campaigns start at 201, 301, or 401.)
II) Place one Menhir model on the Starting Location and put a Dial in its slot. Turn the Dial to show the number of days before the Menhir goes dark: 8 (1 player), 7 (2 players), 6 (3 players), or 5 (4 players).
III) Build the starting section of the map. Check the four Direction Keys on the edges of the Starting Location, find the four Location cards with matching Location numbers, and attach each to its matching Direction Key. (In the Fall of Avalon: 102 to the top edge, 103 to the left, 104 to the right, and 105 to the bottom.)
IV) Prepare the Encounter cards. Sort all Encounters by color into four piles of 31 cards each, including a special card marked "Your First Encounter."
V) Prepare the Secret and Item decks. Place them next to the Encounters. Sort Secrets by number for easy access; shuffle the Item deck.
VI) Take a fresh Save sheet. Used to save the game and to mark Statuses.
VII) Distribute Help cards. Each player gets an Icon Guide card and a Turn Order card (Action list on the back). Leave the Combat/Diplomacy Help card on the table.
VIII) Optional: pick your Chronicler (see below).
IX) Set up the first Chapter. Find the Chapter I Setup card and follow its front side to build the Event deck and Encounter decks. Then shuffle all Random Event cards and set them aside; draw from the Event deck (never the Random Event pile) unless told to add Random Events on top. After each Chapter you follow a new Chapter Setup card to modify your decks, phasing out easier cards and adding harder ones.
X) The first day of your journey has started. Go to "Playing the Game." Exploring your home Location is a good first step.
Chronicler (optional)
In cooperative games with 2-4 players, one player may volunteer as the Chronicler - Tainted Grail's equivalent of a Game Master. They read Exploration Journal paragraphs aloud, perform upkeep (revealing Events, reducing Dials at the Start of the Day), maintain the Save Sheet, add and remove Location cards, deal Item and Secret cards, and break ties. The role has no gameplay impact and is not mandatory, but reduces downtime and mistakes.
Playing the Game
The day is the most important time unit. It has three stages: Start of the Day, During the Day, and End of the Day. As you play, you continuously cycle through these stages.
I) Start of the Day
Skip this sequence on the very first day of the Campaign.
- Resolve Start of the Day effects (from Items, Skills, etc.), in any order.
- Remove expired Menhirs. If a Menhir has no Dial in its base slot, it becomes inactive and goes dark now - remove it. Menhirs still on the table are "Active Menhirs."
- Remove Locations out of Menhir range. Every Location must be adjacent (straight line or diagonal) to a Location with an Active Menhir. Discard any Location that no longer touches an Active Menhir's range.
- Reduce Menhir Dials on each Active Menhir by 1. If a Dial is already at 1 and cannot be reduced, remove it (but the Menhir itself stays until the next Start of the Day).
- Reduce Time Dials and remove Time Tokens. Reduce all Dials that carry Time Tokens (on Secret cards, next to Characters, etc.) by 1; remove a Time token from every Location card that has one. Only Dials with Time Tokens are reduced; Dials with Quest Tokens follow different rules.
- Move Guardians. For each Guardian on the table, roll the Direction die and move it per the Guardian rules.
- Reveal and read a new Event card. If it contains Quest text and a red padlock symbol, move it to the Quest pile next to the Event deck. Events with Quests stay on the table until their card says otherwise.
II) During the Day
Each player performs one Action, in an order the players agree on (ties broken by lowest Character Number). Every Action has an Action icon showing its cost. After everyone has taken one Action or Passed, players may each take another Action, and so on, until all players Pass or run out of Energy. Then go to End of the Day.
A group of two or more Characters sharing a Location may take an Action together as a Party (Party rules are noted for each Action). Two Characters in the same Location may join an Action even if they did not start it together, right before an Automatic Action or Guardian Encounter triggers.
The six most important Actions (also on the Action Help card):
- Explore - costs 1 Energy. Flip your current Location card and read the back. Some cards are self-contained; others point you to the Exploration Journal for more decisions. Continue until you reach "Exploration ends," then flip the card back. In a Party: cost scales to 1 Energy per Party member; most effects apply to everyone, but rewards usually do not scale and must be shared.
- Travel - costs 1 Energy. Move your model to a Location card connected to your current one by matching Direction Keys. You may only move in straight lines (no diagonal Travel). On arrival, check whether your Travel revealed new Location cards, and resolve anything on the new Location marked with a lightning symbol immediately. In a Party: any automatic Action or Guardian Encounter triggered by the new Location is resolved as a Party; Travel cost scales to 1 Energy per Party member.
- Location Action - cost shown on the Location card. Most Locations have one Action on their front, usable whenever a Character is present and not in another Action. Some are "once per day" (cover with a Time Token to remember). In a Party: pay the cost once and receive the output once; members may split the cost and, if it triggers an Encounter, resolve it as a Party.
- Character Action - fixed cost, varies per Character. Each Character's personal Action, on their Character Tile; usable only outside Encounters and Exploration. Only your own Character can use it, though Party members may help pay the Energy cost - but the acting Character must always pay at least 1 Energy.
- Inspect a Menhir - always free. If your Location has a Menhir seal by its name, you may inspect it to learn which Resources or Secret cards are needed to activate it. Flip the Location card and read its Menhir section; if you meet all requirements you may activate the Menhir right away. Menhir activation costs scale with the total number of players in the game, not just the Party.
- Pass - free. Finish your day and rest. You may Pass even with unspent Energy, but this is irreversible - you take no more Actions until the next day.
There may be further Actions on your Character Tray, Items, Skills, or Secret cards.
III) End of the Day
The day ends when all Characters have Passed or run out of Energy. For each Character, perform:
- Resolve End of the Day effects (Items, Skills, etc.), in any order.
- Rest. You may pay 1 Food. If you do, gain 1 Health and lose 1 Terror. (Characters in the same Location may trade Food when not involved in an Action or Encounter.)
- Restore your Energy. Put the marker back in the starting slot. If you are Exhausted (marker in a red slot), restore only 4 points of Energy. Your Energy marker can never be moved past your Health marker.
- Advance your Character. If you have Experience points, you may spend them to raise Attributes, gain Skills, or add Combat & Diplomacy cards (see Character Advancement).
- Build your Character decks. You may customize your Combat and Diplomacy decks with cards gained during the game, or remove cards, but each deck must always contain at least 15 cards.
- Experience Dreams. If your Location has a Dream icon, open its Exploration Journal section and read the Dream. If your Terror marker is in a red slot (the "You Are Going Insane" card is attached), read the Nightmare instead. All Characters in the same Location resolve a Dream (or Nightmare, if insane) as a Party.
Basic Rules
Survival Tracks
Three tracks on your Character Tray drive nearly everything:
- Energy - your basic stamina, renewed each day. Most Actions deplete it. Wounds and afflictions limit it. The last two slots are red: when your Energy marker reaches one of them you become Exhausted, which reduces your daily Energy recovery.
- Health - your physical condition. When it runs out you start dying and attach the "You Are Dying" card. Your Energy marker can never be higher than your Health marker (the Energy marker can never pass the T-shaped Health marker). If your Terror marker is higher than your Health marker, you Panic in Combat and Diplomacy.
- Terror - mental trauma, stress, and insanity. If your Terror marker reaches either of the two top red slots you start to go insane and attach the "You Are Going Insane" card. Additionally, if Terror is higher than Health, you Panic in Combat and Diplomacy.
Character Attributes
Six basic Attributes are grouped into three opposing pairs:
- Aggression - Empathy
- Courage - Caution
- Practicality - Spirituality
Attributes are used during Encounters and can open different story options when Exploring. After you raise any Attribute to 2, every further point in it grants a unique Skill card that attaches to your Tray. The Experience cost of raising Attributes is based on the total value of both Attributes in the pair.
Resources
There are five spendable Resources. You may carry at most 20 of each type (except Experience); any gained over the limit must be given to another Character in your Location who has room, or discarded.
- Food - eaten at the End of the Day so you can regenerate.
- Wealth - gold and riches to buy Items and equipment.
- Reputation (Rep) - fame and glory; high Rep makes people help you.
- Magic - supernatural power used in Encounters and often required to activate Menhirs.
- Experience (Exp) - spent on raising Attributes and buying Combat/Diplomacy cards.
Food and Wealth may be traded with Party members or any Character in the same Location not involved in an Action. Rep, Exp, and Magic can never be traded.
Locations
Location cards are the segments of the map. A card's front shows: the Location name, the Location number (referring to its Exploration Journal section), the Legacy Location number (the number of the previous version of this Location), up to three Location Seals by the name, a Location Action, Direction Keys (numbers indicating neighboring Locations), and a short Location description.
Location Seals:
- Menhir - this Location contains a Menhir you can activate. The Activate Menhir Action can only be done in Locations with this seal.
- Dreams - if you end your day here, prophetic Dreams (or Nightmares) come to you.
- Unfriendly Settlement - triggers an Encounter (usually diplomatic) as soon as you enter; see the card for rules.
- Friendly Settlement - rare.
Traveling and revealing Locations. As you Travel you reveal more Location cards; two Locations must be connected by matching Direction Keys to travel between them. If two cards are adjacent but their touching edges have no Direction Keys, the route is blocked (mountains, cliffs, etc.). Whenever you arrive at a new Location:
- Reveal further Location cards. Find cards matching the Direction Keys on the edges of your new Location and attach them, but only if the Location you are attaching is no further than 1 card (including diagonally) from an Active Menhir. A card whose number matches a Direction Key but that would fall outside Active Menhir range is not attached.
- Resolve any instant rules marked with a lightning symbol. If a Guardian is present, resolve its Encounter before triggering the Location's instant rule. Instant rules must be resolved even if you arrived by other means than Travel (such as being moved from a removed Location).
Special movement. Some effects move your Character to the "lowest-numbered revealed Location," "any connected Location," etc. This does not count as Travel, costs no Energy, and is instant - but it still reveals further Location cards and triggers instant Actions and Guardian Encounters.
Legacy Location numbers. Many Locations are transformed by player actions, switching a card for an altered version with a new number. The original number remains on the card as the Legacy Location number; use it when connecting Direction Keys if the numbered Location shown by a Key is no longer in the game.
Menhirs and Wyrdness
When a Menhir goes dark, parts of the land sink back into the Wyrdness. At each Start of the Day you discard any Locations no longer in range of an Active Menhir. When a Location is removed, all Characters present immediately lose 2 Health, gain 2 Terror, and are moved to the nearest remaining Location (lowest-numbered if tied) - this is not a Travel Action. Everything else on the removed card, including Guardians, is discarded.
Activating Menhirs requires Characters to use the Action on the back of the Location card (or in the Journal). Activating a Menhir requires the help of all players, so plan logistics accordingly. Activation is only possible in Locations with a Menhir seal. After activating, check all Locations with Characters for open Direction Keys leading to unrevealed Locations now within Menhir range, and reveal them immediately.
You may extend a still-Active Menhir by activating it again; any remaining power on the Dial is lost, and you do not add a new Menhir model. If the last Menhir on the map goes out, do not remove the last Location cards - Characters may keep playing there but lose 2 Health and gain 2 Terror at each Start of the Day until they die or activate a Menhir.
Events, Quests, and Tasks
Quests are the main branches of the story - large missions that lead to the end of the Chapter and let you progress. They appear on Event or Secret cards, marked by a special layout and a padlock symbol. When you draw a card with a Quest, read it and place it in the Active Quests pile. A Story Event card with a Quest shows a Title, Chapter and part (for building the Event deck), a Story description, the Quest itself, and a Hint. Never remove a card containing a Quest unless clearly instructed.
Tasks are smaller side missions or clues, with no separate cards or defined end conditions. They act as road signs pointing you toward interesting places. Unlike Quests they are not tied to the Chapter and may be completed at any time (or ignored); following them is often profitable and can permanently change a Location. Consider taking notes when you get a new Task.
Quest Tokens. Many Quests and Tasks track progress with Quest Tokens. Dials carrying Quest Tokens (Quest Dials) are not reduced at the Start of the Day - only Time Dials are reduced automatically.
Parties and Party Actions
Players may group or split freely. When any Character takes an Action, other Characters in the same Location may join to form a Party (if the acting Character agrees) and take the Action together. Party Members may trade Food, Wealth, Items, and Secrets at any time while the Party is not resolving an Action or Encounter. In a Party you may pay your own Energy or Magic in place of another member's - even the entire cost - except that when performing a Character Action, the acting Character must always spend at least 1 Energy.
Joining an Action is only possible before it begins. Once an Action begins, Characters cannot form or disband a Party unless a card or rule says otherwise. Any Character who does not want to take a specific Party Action must leave before it starts. The only exception is when a Party member cannot pay the required cost: that member is dropped, and the rest proceed. Party Members may only leave during Combat/Diplomacy if they Escape the Encounter or are removed by the "You Are Dying" card.
Statuses and Save Sheet
As you Travel, complete Quests, and solve Tasks, you are often asked to mark a Status on the Save Sheet. Statuses are story-triggers representing your impact on the world. They are not personal - a single Save Sheet is shared by all players, so a Status marked there applies to all Characters. Smaller, personal changes (being sick, having a unique magic aura) are handled by personal Secret cards.
Encounters
There are four Encounter decks. Drawing an Encounter immediately launches Combat or Diplomacy depending on the card:
- Green - mostly wilderness; wild animals or legendary beasts. Many grant Food when defeated.
- Gray - dangers of the world of men (brigands, rogue knights, the mad). Many grant Items when defeated.
- Purple - mysterious and supernatural threats.
- Blue - a special, non-combat (Diplomacy) deck used mostly at unfriendly Settlements and for personal and diplomatic challenges.
Cards in each deck have four difficulty levels; harder cards appear as the game progresses. Always shuffle an Encounter deck after searching it. (Colorblind players can use the quarter-circles in the card-back corners: lower left - gray, lower right - green, upper right - purple, upper left - blue.)
Guardians
Guardians are dangerous roaming enemies that keep chasing the Characters even after you Escape. If you Escape a Guardian, place its card on the Location where you triggered it. At the start of each day, roll a Guardian die for each Guardian:
- Cardinal direction - move the Guardian that way.
- Nothing - the Guardian does not move.
- Discard - remove the Guardian, returning its card to the bottom of its Encounter deck.
Additional Guardian rules:
- If a Guardian would move to an unrevealed or unconnected Location, move it to the highest-numbered connected Location instead.
- If a Guardian stays in a Location with Characters present, immediately start the Encounter (all Characters there must fight together).
- If a Guardian enters a Location with any Character, it immediately triggers the Encounter. Once defeated, put its card on the bottom of its deck.
- If a Character or Party enters a Location with a Guardian, immediately trigger the Encounter (choose which one if several are present).
- If a Character/Party enters a Location with a Guardian and an instant Action (lightning icon), trigger the Guardian Encounter first, then resolve the Location's rules.
Items and Equipment
Some Items bear one of these keywords: Weapon, Armor, Shield, Companion, Relic. You can have any number of Items, but you may never use more than one Item (or Secret) with the same keyword at once. At the Start of the Day, if you have several Items/Secrets with a keyword, pick one to use and turn the others face down.
Some Items have a "C" symbol - these Craftable Items are the only ones players can manufacture. When told to "draw a Craftable Item" (or a specific type such as a "Weapon Item"), keep drawing from the Item deck until you find the first matching Item, take it, and shuffle the rest back.
Characters may trade Items freely when in the same Location and not in an Action or Encounter; traded Items are placed face down and cannot be used until the next Start of the Day. Some Items ask you to flip their card in Combat/Diplomacy to show they were used; flip it back at the end of the Encounter.
Secrets
Secrets are story-related, numbered objects and powers that should never be part of the standard Item deck. They may never be lost or sold unless the rules specifically say so, and are not affected by rules limiting Items (like the "You Are Dying" card). If asked to discard Item cards, omit any Secrets even if they share an Item keyword.
Players may trade Secret cards when in the same Location and not in an Action, except for cards with the Personal keyword, which can never be transferred and of which you may hold several.
"Global" keyword. If a Secret card has this keyword, its rules apply to every Character.
Character Advancement
Experience points (Exp) are the primary means of advancement. Spend them at each End of the Day.
Advancing Combat or Diplomacy decks. Pay 2 Exp, take the top three cards of your Advancement Pool, add one to your deck, and shuffle the other two back into the pool. Your Combat and Diplomacy decks must always contain at least 15 cards each. You may swap cards in and out of your deck each End of the Day; cards not in your deck do not return to the Advancement Pool - keep them by your Tray or in a Save compartment.
Advancing Attributes. The Exp cost depends on the total value of the Attribute pair:
- 2 Exp - 1st point in a pair of opposing Attributes.
- 4 Exp - 2nd point in a pair.
- 6 Exp - 3rd point in a pair.
- 8 Exp - 4th point in a pair.
- 10 Exp - 5th and any further point in a pair.
Buying Skills. Whenever you earn a 3rd (or any subsequent) point in a single Attribute, find all Skill cards bearing that Attribute's icon, pick one, and attach it to your Tray. Skill cards are double-sided with two mutually exclusive Skills; when you gain one, choose one side and forfeit the other. All Skills are unique. Every Skill card has a point of its Attribute printed on its face, which counts toward that Attribute's total.
Death and Insanity
At Death's Door. If your Health falls to 0, attach the "You Are Dying" card, immediately Escape any current Encounter, and resolve the card's rules. The status gives you extra time to recover, but every Action could be your last.
Death. In single-player, the game ends when your Character dies. In cooperative mode, death does not end the game:
- If there is an unclaimed Character in the box, you may claim it, do standard Character Setup, and place its model in the lowest-numbered revealed Location.
- All Items left by the dead Character stay on the Location where they died and may be picked up by others until the Location disappears (picking up is a Location Action with cost 0 that gains all Items there). You cannot voluntarily leave Items on Locations - only a dead Character does.
- All Secrets of the dead Character are split among the other Characters as their owner wishes; some rare "Personal" Secrets disappear forever.
- If all other Characters are in use or dead when a Character dies, the game ends in failure.
Insanity. If your Terror reaches the two top red slots, attach the "You Are Going Insane" card and follow its instructions - this opens the way to destructive Nightmares and makes Exploration and Travel harder and riskier.
Allmother's Mercy. If you and your Party perish and do not wish to restart, mark "Saved by the Goddess" on the Save Sheet and go to Verse 500 in the Book of Secrets. This restarts you at the beginning of the Chapter with some pre-defined resources so you can continue. This is not an intended way to play; if you keep relying on it, consider restarting in Story Mode.
Saving the Game
Save and store only after completing a Chapter (when the Journal or Event card offers the option); otherwise you may forget mid-Quest details. In emergencies you may save at any moment.
I) Each player saves their Character: pick and sign a Character Tray diagram on the Save Sheet; mark Attributes, Resources, and Survival Tracks; write Skill numbers next to their Attributes; note extra info (Quest/Secret Dials); remove all markers from the Tray; place Items and Secrets in a Save compartment; and stack your Combat and Diplomacy cards with the Advancement Pool separator cards on top, in a Save compartment.
II) The Chronicler or all players save the world: note the current Location of all Character, Guardian, and Menhir models and all special Dials and their values; remove all models, Dials, and tokens; stack all revealed Locations under a "Revealed Locations" separator, then add unrevealed Locations facing the other way; store all Location cards in the oversized compartment, keeping any Locations removed from the game separate. Also store the Encounter decks behind the "Saved Encounters" separator and the Event deck and Active Quests behind the "Saved Events" separator. To restore a saved game, reverse the process.
Adding or removing players. Each new session you may add or remove players (within 1-4 Characters). Give any Secrets of removed Characters to remaining ones. Fresh Characters start in the same Location as a veteran, with standard starting Resources and decks.
Discarding and removing cards
Most cards have no separate discard piles: when told to discard a Location, Random Event, Encounter, Secret, or Item, put it on the bottom of its deck. Combat and Diplomacy cards discarded during Encounters are shuffled back into their deck as the Encounter ends. The Event deck has its own discard pile. When told to remove a card from the game, put it in the box outside the Save Compartments; it is no longer part of the Campaign unless you are told to bring it back.
Combat
Combat is a turn-based confrontation between a Character (or Party) and an enemy represented by an Encounter card. Together, the Characters build a long line (Sequence) of cards, aiming to gain enough markers in the shared Combat Pool to reach the Encounter's Value and defeat it. Markers represent tactical advantage, wounds inflicted, and the enemy's exhaustion. If you never played before, start with an Encounter marked "Your First Encounter." You may Escape any Encounter that is too difficult.
The Encounter card
- Encounter Difficulty - one of four categories.
- Guardian icon - marks a Guardian.
- Encounter Value - the number of Combat Pool markers you need to win (treat a missing Value as 0).
- Card Name and Flavor text.
- Enemy Traits - modifiers active throughout the Encounter.
- Combat Table - the enemy Attack performed based on the number of markers in the Combat Pool.
- Opportunity - what happens if the enemy uses its Opportunity attack.
- Reward & Loot - Rewards apply to each Party member; Loot is shared.
- Attribute Keys - connecting these grants bonuses if you meet the Attribute level.
Starting Combat
Combat starts when the game tells you to draw or pick a card from the gray, green, or purple Encounter deck with at least one open Key on its right edge. Set it in the play area with space to the right for your Sequence. Check the enemy's Traits (some take effect now). Then all Party members make sure they are not using more than one Item per keyword (Weapon, Shield, Armor, Companion, Relic), and may set aside Items they don't want to use - no Items may be added once Combat begins. Each member then draws:
- 3 cards if there are 1-3 Characters in Combat.
- 2 cards if there are 4 Characters in Combat.
If you dislike your starting hand, you may discard it and draw a new hand with one fewer card; repeat until you have only one card left.
The Combat card
- Attribute Keys - open Keys that may connect to a Bonus Key on the next card; icons correspond to Tray Attributes. If you lack the required Attribute level, the Attribute Key won't connect.
- Bonus Keys - may connect to an Attribute Key on the previous card.
- Magic Key - connects only if its left and right parts join AND you pay 1 Magic.
- Free Key - always connects for free and grants a bonus (empty second part = no bonus).
- Ability - special rules with various timings; only Abilities that are visible (not covered) are active.
- Card Number - unique number; the letter shows the deck/color (U - blue, G - green, B - brown, Y - gray).
Passive Combat cards always have their Ability visible in the Sequence (their Keys are on opposite edges so they are never covered). Some cards gain Charges (place universal markers on them); "Pay X Charges" Abilities discard that many markers from the card. In a Party, only the Active Character may use Charges, and the card's owner must agree.
Combat Turn
Combat consists of several Turns, each with three phases:
I. Pick the Active Character. Party members choose the next Active Character from those not yet Activated this Turn (no Time Token on their Tray). If they can't agree, the lowest Character Number becomes Active. Place a Time Token on that Character's Tray. Any gameplay effects (Damage, Terror gain, Ability penalties) during a Character's Activation apply only to the Active Character.
II. Character Activation:
- Delayed Abilities. Remove one Time Token from each Combat card in the Sequence that has any. If you remove a card's last Time Token, resolve its Ability with the Time Token trigger (once only).
- Playing Cards.
- a) Play one Combat card. Your very first Combat card this Activation needs no special requirements - it just lines up with the previous card so its bottom Key joins. After playing, resolve in order: check Attribute-to-Bonus Key connections and apply bonuses; connect Magic Keys (pay 1 Magic); connect the bottom Free Key and gain its bonus; resolve any triggering Ability.
- b) Play additional Combat cards. Every card after your first MUST connect with a lightning (Free-play) Key. If none of your cards can connect that way, you can't play more. The lightning icon must appear on the card you are playing (not the previous one) and become connected.
- c) Check for Opportunity attack. If you played no card this Activation, the enemy immediately makes an Opportunity attack, then you draw a card.
- d) Perform the Victory Check.
- Enemy Attack. Find the Attack on the Encounter card matching the current number of Combat Pool markers and apply its result to the Active Character, left to right. If the enemy Attack removes markers and the Pool can't cover the loss, see Negative Combat Pool. After modifying the Pool, perform the Victory Check.
- Check Readiness. If all Party Members have been Activated (Time Tokens on their Trays), go to End Turn. Otherwise return to Pick the Active Character.
III. End Turn:
- Discard down to 3 cards (base Hand Limit; some effects modify it).
- Draw 1 card each (do not draw if you Panic; if no cards, see No Cards in Deck).
- Clear Activations - remove all Time Tokens from Character Trays (not from Combat cards).
- Start new Turn - return to phase I.
Victory Check
Count the Combat Pool markers. If they are at least the Encounter's Value, you win: receive Rewards, share Loot, put the card on the bottom of its deck, and reshuffle your Combat deck (including played and discarded cards). Otherwise continue.
Connected Keys and Combat Bonuses
For any Key to connect, both halves must physically join. Additionally: Attribute Keys need the appropriate Attribute level; Magic Keys need 1 Magic (place the point on the Key; if you must discard a card with a connected Magic Key, discard the point too); Free Keys always connect and often carry multipliers.
Combat Bonuses (Free/Bonus Key icons):
- Marker - place that many markers in the Combat Pool.
- Draw - draw a card.
- Lightning (Free-play) - lets you play additional Combat cards during step 2; ignore it when playing your first card; it does not multiply.
- Discard last card - discard the last Combat card of your Sequence (some cards have "if discarded..." effects that then trigger).
- 2x - multiplies the next icon (e.g. 2x + marker = 2 markers).
- Void (X) - voids the next icon (e.g. X + draw = no draw).
Other Combat rules
- Panic. Panic occurs anytime your Terror is higher than your Health (the Terror marker is above the wings of the T-shaped limiter). When it happens: instead of playing your first card in step 2, draw and immediately play a card from the top of your Combat deck, then you may play additional cards normally; do not draw a new card at End of Turn (bonus/extra cards from Keys, Skills, or Abilities are still drawn).
- No cards in deck. If you must draw but your Combat deck lacks enough cards, you are forced to Escape (standard Escape rules).
- You Are Dying. If your Health drops to 0, you get the "You Are Dying" card, which immediately removes you from the current Encounter (see the card).
- Discarding from an empty hand. If you must discard from your hand but have no cards, discard from the top of your Combat deck.
- Negative Combat Pool. The Pool can never go negative. If an Attack or effect would remove more markers than exist, the Active Character's controller discards one card from their hand per excess point instead (if no cards, discard from the deck top).
Escaping Combat / Run Away
A player may Escape at any time during their Activation: lose 1 Energy, trigger the Opportunity attack listed on the Encounter card, then place the Encounter on the bottom of its deck, reshuffle their Combat deck, and set it aside. In a Party, an Escaping Active Character triggers the Opportunity attack and leaves; others remain, and their cards stay in the Sequence until the Encounter ends. When all Escape, place the card on the bottom of its deck.
Some creatures have a Run Away attack: it immediately ends the Encounter and puts the card on the bottom of its deck. Characters receive no Loot or Reward, and forcing an enemy to Run Away does not count as winning.
Combat Encounter Traits
- Ambush - the first Character Activated discards down to 1 card in hand at the start of their first Activation.
- Rush - the first Character Activated receives 2 Damage at the start of their first Activation.
- Defensive - each first Combat card played during step 2 adds 1 fewer marker to the Combat Pool.
- Fast - each Character can play at most 2 Combat cards per Activation.
- Feint - Damage inflicted during Enemy Attack can't be prevented.
- Guardian - if not defeated, this Encounter roams the map.
- Horde - at the start of each Enemy Attack step, the Active Character discards 2 Combat cards from the top of their deck.
- Opportunist - if a Character doesn't play at least 2 Combat cards in step 2, trigger the Opportunity attack.
- Rage - resolve the Enemy Attack step twice.
- Robber - when all Party members drop to 1 Health or less, they lose all Wealth and discard all Items; then the Encounter ends (counts as a loss).
- Shatter - at the end of the Encounter, all Party members discard any Weapon Items they were using.
- Slow - at the start of Combat each member draws an extra card; at End of Turn each member draws an extra card.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is a turn-based confrontation using a separate blue Encounter deck for social and diplomatic challenges. It plays much like Combat: Characters build a Sequence of Diplomacy cards, aiming to push a marker up an Affinity track on the Encounter card to the top, while the opponent pushes it down with Responses.
Some Diplomatic Encounters have alternative approaches or several numbered Stages, each requiring you to win the Affinity tug-of-war a second or even third time under different rules.
Starting Diplomacy
Diplomacy starts when the game tells you to draw or pick a card from the blue Encounter deck with at least one open Key on its right edge. Set it down with space to the right. Confirm equipment (one Item per keyword; you may set aside Items and Secrets; none may be added once it begins). Each member draws 3 cards (1-3 Characters) or 2 cards (4 Characters); you may discard and redraw a hand with one fewer card, down to one card. Place a marker in the gray slot of the Affinity track and go to phase I.
The Encounter card shows: Card Name, Flavor text, the Affinity Track, Encounter Difficulty, Avoid cost, Attribute Keys, Stages, the Diplomacy Table (which Response the opponent performs), the Failure cost (applies to each member), and the Reward (each member gains it - no need to share).
Diplomacy Turn
I. Pick the Active Character - as in Combat (place a Time Token).
II. Character Activation:
- Delayed Abilities - as in Combat.
- Playing Cards - the first card needs no requirements; each additional card must connect with a lightning Key. After each card: connect Attribute/Bonus Keys, Magic Keys (pay 1 Magic), and the Free Key; resolve Abilities.
- c) Perform the Affinity Check.
- Opponent's Response - find the Response for the current Stage and apply it to the Active Character, left to right; then perform the Affinity Check.
- Check Readiness - as in Combat.
III. End Turn - Discard down to 3; Draw 1 each (not if you Panic); Clear Activations; Start new Turn.
Affinity Check
Check the marker on the Affinity track:
- On the lowest slot - you lose the Encounter; apply Failure rules to each member and put the card on the bottom of its deck; reshuffle your Diplomacy deck.
- On the highest slot - you win the current Stage. If it was the last Stage, you win the entire Encounter (receive Rewards, bottom the card, reshuffle). If not the last Stage, begin the next Stage: move the marker to the gray slot, place a marker on the completed Stage, and go to Check Readiness.
Diplomacy Keys, Bonuses, and card icons
Keys work as in Combat (Attribute, Bonus, Magic - pay 1 Magic, Free - always connects). Diplomacy Bonuses:
- Up / Down arrow - move the marker up or down the Affinity track.
- Attribute (triquetra) bonus - determined by the Encounter card and the connected Attribute; check the current Stage's description.
- Draw - draw a card.
- Lightning - lets you play additional cards; ignore for your first card; does not multiply.
- Discard last card - discard the last Diplomacy card of the Sequence.
- 2x - multiplies the next icon; Void (X) - voids the next icon.
Card Ability triggers include On Placement, Delayed (Time Token), On Opponent's Response, Damage (lower your Health; Unavoidable can't be prevented), Connected Attribute Key, and Connected Magic Key.
Other Diplomacy rules
- Panic - as in Combat (Terror above the T-shaped limiter): play from the top of your Diplomacy deck first, then additional cards; don't draw at End of Turn.
- No cards in deck - if you can't draw the required cards, you Fail the Encounter (apply Fail rules).
- You Are Dying - if your Health drops to 0, the "You Are Dying" card immediately ends the Encounter.
- Discarding from an empty hand - discard from the top of your Diplomacy deck.
Escaping or Avoiding Diplomacy
A Party may Escape at any point by applying the Failure penalty to each member. Some cards have an Avoid section: you may Avoid only at the very start, before drawing cards, by paying all listed costs and meeting requirements; then bottom the card. Once Diplomacy begins you can't Avoid. In a Party, check the highest Rep or Attribute levels (don't sum them); Failure and Avoid costs apply to each member separately; the whole Party Avoids or Fails together, and if they can't agree they must resolve it.
Alternative Modes & Appendices
Story Mode
For a more relaxed experience, apply any or all of these modifiers:
- Encounters Setup - set up Encounter decks as if there were 1 fewer Character.
- Health Limiter - remove the plastic Health limiter and use a regular marker; Health no longer limits Energy and you won't Panic.
- Menhirs Cost - treat all Menhir activation costs as if one chosen Resource requirement were 1 lower (may make activation free); other requirements still apply.
- Starting Items - during World Setup step V, each Character draws and gains 1 random Craftable Item.
Challenge Mode
For extra difficulty, apply any or all:
- Setup: flip the Health limiter upside down so the heart's top points to the bottom of the track (making everyone more susceptible to Panic and Energy loss); take Secret card 42 (people distrust you, making Diplomacy harder).
- Escaping Combat: you may Escape only once per Activation; to Escape, lose 1 Energy, take an Opportunity attack, and toss a Dial - Skull: you remain in Combat; Grail: you Escape (if you were the last Character, bottom the card and reshuffle).
- Menhirs & Events: activated Menhirs have their duration reduced by 1 day; place 1 fewer Random Event card than instructed.
- Rest: if you don't eat Food when Resting, set Energy to 0; if already at 0, lose 1 Health instead.
- Character Advancement uses higher Exp costs: 5 Exp for Combat/Diplomacy deck advancement; and per pair of opposing Attributes 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 Exp for the 1st through 6th point, with each further point costing 5 Exp more than the last.
- Items: carry up to 5 Items (Secrets don't count).
- Allmother's Mercy: none - if you die, the Campaign ends in failure.
Free Play
At the start of the game, each player may place any Character Tile in any Character Tray (including characters unavailable in the current campaign), and pick any color of Combat & Diplomacy decks. Characters from a different time period/campaign cannot progress through their personal story, and their special Abilities may make some campaign parts easier or harder than intended.
Rules Summary
Order of the Day
I) Start of the Day: remove expired Menhirs (Menhir with no Dial); remove Locations out of Menhir range (range is 1 Location, straight or diagonal); reduce Menhir Dials by 1 (remove Dial at 1, keep the Menhir); reduce Time Dials and remove Time Tokens (not Quest Dials); reveal and read a new Event card; move Guardians (roll the Guardian die); discuss plans; equip.
II) During the Day: each player takes one Action, in any order; repeat rounds of one Action each until all Pass or run out of Energy; Characters in the same Location may act together as a Party.
III) End of the Day: Rest (may pay 1 Food to gain 1 Health, lose 1 Terror); restore Energy to full (or 4 points if Exhausted; never past Health); advance your Character (spend Exp); build decks (min 15 cards); Dream (or Nightmare if going insane) if the Location has a Dream icon.
Guardians
Roaming enemies that chase you even after you Escape; place the card where you triggered it. Roll a Guardian die each day to move it. If it would move to an unrevealed/unconnected Location, move it to the highest-numbered connected Location. If it shares a Location with Characters, start the Encounter. Once defeated, bottom its card.
Combat / Diplomacy
Starting: draw an Encounter card; check Traits; check equipment; draw 3 cards (1-3 in Party) or 2 (4 in Party); may discard and redraw a smaller hand.
Turn: Pick the Active Character (place a Time Token); Character Activation (resolve Delayed Abilities; play one card, then additional cards that must connect with a lightning Key; in Combat check for the Opportunity attack; perform Victory/Affinity Check); Enemy Attack / Opponent's Response; Check Readiness. End Turn: discard down to 3, draw 1 each (not if Panicking), clear Activations, start a new Turn.
Victory Check (Combat): if Combat Pool markers >= Encounter Value, you win. Affinity Check (Diplomacy): lowest slot = lose; highest slot = win the Stage (or the whole Encounter if it was the last Stage).
Panic: when Terror is above the Health limiter, play the first card from the top of your deck, then additional cards; don't draw at End of Turn. No cards in deck: forced to Escape (Combat) or Fail (Diplomacy). You Are Dying: at 0 Health, the card immediately removes you from the Encounter. Discarding from an empty hand: discard from the top of your deck. Negative Combat Pool: if not enough markers to remove, discard a card per excess point.