The Shared Dream Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Component List
• Glossary
• Setup
  • Example: Rotating a Location Tile
  • Preparing The Personal Reflection Decks
• Day Phase Order Of Events
  • Day Phase Actions
• Anima Overview
• Animus Overview
• Conviction, Nightmare and Doubt
  • Conviction
  • Nightmare
  • Doubt
• Channeling the Animus
• Taking Tests
• Combat
• Enemies
• Night Phase Order Of Events
• Other Rules
  • Example: Personal Reflections
• Beast at the Door
• Dead Serious
• Explosive Nightlife
• Attack of the Mindrender
• War of the Roses
• Non-Player Characters
• FAQ

Objective

The players must follow the instructions on the drawn Shared Dream scenario card in an attempt to prevent the nightmares from that dream from spreading to the innocent Sleepers of the city.

This generally includes traveling through the city to find clues, destroying Shadows and Reavers, and taking on a Nemesis born from the Shared Dream.

Each individual Shared Dream scenario card will list that scenario's specific objective and victory conditions.

Component List

• 1 Rulebook
• 8 Dice (4 blue, 4 red)
• 30 Map Tiles
• 10 Character Bifolds
• 10 Waking World Character Standees
• 10 Animus Miniatures
• 30 Animus Ability Cards
• 1 Killer Clown Mat
• 4 Bomb Cards
• 8 Player Reference Cards
• 134 Large Scenario-specific Cards
• 97 Small Scenario-specific Cards
• 4 Nemesis Miniatures
• 10 Shadow Standees with dials
• 9 Reaver Cards
• 9 Reaver Miniatures
• 30 Dark Magic Cards
• 30 Echo Cards
• 16 Artifact Cards
• 40 Conviction/Nightmare Tokens
• 9 Doubt Tokens
• 4 Rank/Animus Locked Tokens
• 12 Bomb Tokens
• 20 Rose Tokens
• 9 Grunt Tokens
• 12 Minion Tokens
• 50 Black Taint Cubes
• 50 White Event Marker Cubes
• 50 Red Wound Marker Cubes
• 12 Yellow Action Tracker Cubes

Glossary

• Anima: Those that choose to fight The Doubt by using magic and making their dreams real are known as Anima. In The Shared Dream, the term "Anima" is used to reference an Anima's real-world identity, as opposed to their dream identity, the Animus.
• Animus: The dream identity that Anima channel in order to overcome the Doubt. The Animus does not come from the Shared Dream, but instead the personal dreams of individual Anima. It is the hero that they have always dreamed of being.
• Artifacts: Objects taken from a dream into the Waking World.
• Believer: A person who can see past the Doubt and knows magic is real, but cannot perform magic themselves.
• DCMA: The Doctor Connor Marlowe Agency is the primary governing body of Anima. Many Anima work for the DCMA to handle magic related incidents within the city.
• The Doubt: The Doubt is a strange, omnipresent force that clouds the minds of all people to ensure that they do not believe in dreams and magic. The Doubt is the source of the enemies of The Shared Dream, as it creates Shadows, Nightmares, and Nemeses. It does this to force those that do believe in magic to take Doubt Points, making them unable to make magic real.
• Echoes: Effects that haunt an Anima after waking up from a dream.
• Nemesis: The central villain of a Shared Dream.
• Reaver: Dangerous agents of The Doubt.
• Shadow: Weaker manifestations of The Doubt in the Waking World.
• Shared Dream: A specific dream that all of the players have the night before game play begins.
• Sleeper: A normal human, one who cannot use or see magic.
• Waking World: The present-day "real world."

Setup

1. Choose a Shared Dream Scenario card. This card determines the play session's objective and victory conditions. The card lists the scenario's required locations, additional setup rules, and where to place starting taint. The Scenario card provides any additional rules needed for that scenario. That might include additional actions to take in the night phase, or what happens when completing a personal reflection.
2. Make a deck of Location cards. Use the chart below as a guide for the deck's size and makeup. Include all the Required Locations listed on the chosen Shared Dream Scenario card. Shuffle the deck when finished.
3. Lay 4 cards face up in a row. Then start a second row of 4 cards. Continue in this way until all cards in the deck are placed. Each card should be flush with adjacent cards.
4. Place Taint as directed by the Shared Dream Scenario card. Find the Starting Taint section of the Shared Dream Scenario card. Place the number of black cubes equal to the number in parenthesis on the appropriate Locations.
5. Follow any other instructions given on the Setup portion of the Shared Dream Scenario card.
6. Shuffle and place the Echo, Artifact, Reaver, and Dark Magic decks on the table.
7. Place the Shadow Tokens, Reaver Miniatures, Taint cubes, and Event cubes on the table.
8. Choose your character and take the appropriate Anima mat, Animus mat, Anima standee, Animus miniature, and Animus Ability cards. Each player needs 5 Conviction Tokens, 5 Nightmare Tokens, and 2 Doubt tokens.
9. Sort the Personal Reflection Decks to make sure that each deck contains only cards labeled on front with that deck's specific story. Place its Start card on top of each deck. Each player then takes 1 Personal Reflection deck, choosing at random.
10. Each player reads their Personal Reflection's Start Card out loud, placing their character's standee at the location listed on the Personal Reflection card.
11. Each player starts with 0 Conviction and 0 Nightmare. The first Day Phase then begins.

Example: Rotating a Location Tile

In this example, Melisandra's Alley cannot be reached. The second tile in the first row should be rotated until the road creates a clear path for the players to reach Melisandra's Alley.

With a quick change, Melisandra's Alley is now accessible! Changing a specific location should be done by making the minimum amount of changes to the current board as possible.

Preparing The Personal Reflection Decks

Each Shared Dream scenario contains 4 separate Personal Reflection stories, one for each potential player. During game setup, one player should take the appropriate Personal Reflection deck (as indicated by the Shared Dream title on the backs), and sort through it to create 4 smaller sets, one for each individual story.

To do this, one player should look at the front of each card and group all cards with the same title together. Once the first player has split the Personal Reflection cards into its 4 individual stories, they place that story's Start card on top of that set. Players should then each pick 1 Personal Reflection story.

Example: Barry, Pete, Rose, and Chris are playing Explosive Nightlife! Barry takes all of the Personal Reflection cards labeled "Explosive Nightlife!" on the back. He then sorts them into 4 new decks by looking at the card's title on the card front. He now has 4 Personal Reflection decks: one for The Showdown, one for Race Against Time, one for Cerca Trova, and one for Pounding the Payment. Without knowing which deck is which, each other player chooses 1 deck.

Day Phase Order Of Events

Each Turn has two phases: a Day Phase, in which the players act, and the Night Phase, in which the enemies act. Each phase has a specific order of events that the players must follow.

1) Return

Any player currently in their Animus form reverts to their Waking World self. Replace the Animus miniature with the Anima standee. Remove the Rank token from the Animus mat. Remove any Animus Ability cards currently in play.

Any player currently Doubting reverts to their normal Waking World self. Turn the Anima standee upright.

2) Echo

Each player draws one Echo card. Echoes are not drawn on the first turn.

3) Raise

Each player raises their Conviction and Nightmare by 1.

4) Determine Order

The players decide among themselves who will act first, who will act second, etc.

5) Act

After the players have decided the turn order for the current phase, each player takes 3 Actions.

Actions may be repeated within a Day Phase, except for Reflecting. A player may only Reflect once per Day Phase.

The first player takes all of their desired actions, followed by the second player in turn order, and so on, until all players have acted.

Day Phase Actions

The possible actions a player may take in their Day Phase are:

Move

A player may move a number of map tiles up to their Movement Score. Players may only move along a road, following the green arrows that point to the next map card. If there is no green arrow, a player may not move in that direction. When players land on a Stop sign, their Move action immediately ends. A player may choose to move less spaces than their Movement Score allows. If they do so, their Move action immediately ends.

Rest

Players may rest. Rest allows them to either Gain 1 Conviction or Remove 1 Nightmare from their Anima mats.

Attack

A player may Attack an enemy that is on the map card they're on. Attacking an enemy in this way requires a Combat Test. The test result determines the outcome of their Attack. See the Combat section for more information.

Draw Artifact

A player may spend Conviction to draw an Artifact from their dreams. To draw an artifact, a player spends 1 Conviction and takes the top card from the Artifact deck. A player may never have more than 2 Artifacts at one time. If a player has 2 Artifacts and chooses to draw another, or gains another through other means, they must discard down to two Artifacts before continuing.

Reflect

If a player is at the correct Location listed on their current Reflection card, the player may Reflect. The player draws the appropriate card from their Reflection deck. See the Personal Reflection section for more information.

A player may only Reflect once per Day Phase.

Other Actions

Certain Echoes, Artifacts, or scenario-specific cards may allow players to take actions not listed here.

Using a Location

Many locations allow players to take tests or use Conviction to perform a task or gain a reward. The Location lists the necessary instructions or requirements. Using a location in this way is an action. There are also locations that provide passive enhancements to a player who is at that location. These enhancements are in effect at all times while at that Location. They may be used without taking an Action.

Free Actions

Some things that a player can do not count toward their 3 actions per turn limit. These actions are called Free Actions. The two most common Free Actions are Channeling the Animus and using some Animus Abilities. Discarding a card for any reason is a Free Action, unless otherwise noted.

Channel Animus

A player may spend 1, 2, or 3 Conviction to channel their Animus. More information about the Animus can be found in the Animus section.

Anima Overview

1. Combat — Character's proficiency at Combat Tests.
2. Magic — Character's proficiency at Magic Tests.
3. Social — Character's proficiency at Social Tests.
4. Movement — The number of spaces that can be moved per Move Action.
5. Damage — Damage dealt to an enemy upon a successful Attack.
6. Health — The amount of Wounds a character can take before being defeated.
7. Conviction — A currency spent by the players to channel their Animus, draw Artifacts, and perform other actions.
8. Nightmare — Increases the chances of enemies spawning, and their strength when they do so.
9. Doubt — How many times the character has been defeated and given in to the Doubt. Once the character reaches 2 Doubt tokens, the player is removed from the game.

Animus Overview

1. Combat — Character's proficiency at Combat Tests.
2. Magic — Character's proficiency at Magic Tests.
3. Social — Character's proficiency at Social Tests.
4. Movement — The number of spaces that can be moved per Move Action.
5. Damage — Damage dealt to an enemy upon a successful Attack.
6. Health — The amount of Wounds a character can take before being defeated.
7. Animus Rank — How much of the Animus a player chooses to channel.
8. Passive Aspects — Bonuses granted to a player when they channel their Animus.
9. Animus Abilities — Special powers that the player can use when they channel their Animus.

Conviction, Nightmare and Doubt

Conviction

Conviction is currency used to perform multiple actions. It represents the character's inner strength and will. Spending Conviction allows a player to Channel their Animus and make their heroic dream self real.

The one downside is that the more Conviction spent, the angrier The Doubt becomes.

When a point of Conviction is spent, remove that token from the character's Conviction track, flip it, and place it on the next available space on their Nightmare track.

An essential key to The Shared Dream is spending Conviction at the right time.

Sacrificing Conviction

If any card says a player must sacrifice Conviction, remove that Conviction token from the character's Conviction track. Do NOT place a Nightmare token on their Nightmare track. Sacrificing Conviction is safer in this way, but can only be done in special circumstances.

Nightmare

Nightmare represents how close a character is to spawning an enemy. Nightmare increases every time Conviction is spent. Careless use of your Animus and other expenditures will cause the Doubt to send enemies after you at a more rapid pace.

In addition, the higher a character's Nightmare Score, the stronger the enemy spawned will be.

Doubt

When a character is defeated, instead of dying, they choose to give in to the Doubt and disbelieve in magic. This causes them to become immune to the nightmares chasing them, but it brings them one step closer to permanently closing themselves off from their dreams.

When a character has 2 Doubt tokens, they are removed from the game.

Channeling the Animus

The Animus is a dream identity that characters can channel to gain enhanced statistics and new abilities.

A player may spend Conviction to Channel their Animus. This is a Free Action.

The amount of Conviction spent must match the Rank level chosen. For example, if a player spends 2 Conviction, they place their Rank Token next to Rank 2.

The player gains the benefits of the Rank level where they placed their token and the benefits of any lower Rank levels. This includes the Passive Aspects and the Animus Ability cards of those Ranks.

When they do so, they replace their Anima standee with their Animus miniature and check their Animus mat for their new Scores.

They also take the appropriately ranked Animus Ability cards into their hand.

A Channeled Animus lasts until the beginning of the next Day Phase.

Passive Aspects

Passive Aspects are bonuses granted to a player when they channel their Animus.

Channeling at Rank 1 gives players access to their Rank 1 Passive Aspect.

Channeling at Rank 2 gives players access to their Rank 1 AND Rank 2 Passive Aspects.

Channeling at Rank 3 gives players access to their Rank 1, Rank 2, and Rank 3 Passive Aspects.

Animus Ability Cards

Players gain access to their Animus Ability cards when they channel their Animus. The cards that players gain access to depends on the Rank at which they channeled their Animus.

Channeling at Rank 1 gives players access to their Rank 1 Animus Ability card.

Channeling at Rank 2 gives players access to their Rank 1 AND Rank 2 Animus Ability cards. Channeling at Rank 3 gives players access to their Rank 1, Rank 2, and Rank 3 Animus Ability cards.

To use an ability, a player places the appropriate Animus Ability card face up next to their Animus mat.

Some Animus Ability cards have an effect that is immediately resolved.

Other Animus Ability cards may remain in effect throughout the turn.

Players cannot replay Animus Ability cards until the next time they channel their Animus in a new Day Phase.

Note that some Animus Abilities are Free Actions, some are Actions, and some even require more than one action to use.

Taking Tests

Many situations in The Shared Dream call for a player to take one of four kinds of Tests—Combat, Magic, Social, or Movement.

To take a test, roll a red and a blue die at the same time. When rolling, the numbers on the face of the blue die are POSITIVE, and the numbers on the face of the red die are NEGATIVE.

To determine the result of the roll, the player combines the two values (one positive and one negative).

Keep in mind that if the number on the red die is larger than that on the blue die, the result will be a negative value.

Add the die result (which will range from -5 to +5) to the Score of the test to determine your Test result.

Test results cannot be less than 0.

Tests have a range of possible successes, such as a Social Test with ranges 0-5, 6-7, and 8+. Find the range in which your Test result falls and check that range when determining the results of your test.

Some tests do not have a range of possible successes and can only be passed or failed. These tests will have the minimum result needed to pass the test listed next to the test type, such as "Take a Social Test (5)." In this example, a test result of 0-4 would fail the test, while a test result of 5+ would pass the test.

Nightmare Tests

Every Night Phase, all players take a Nightmare Test to see if an enemy spawns.

Each player rolls a single 6-sided die. If the result is equal to or lower than the number of Nightmare that player has, the player removes all the Nightmare tokens from their Anima mat and an enemy spawns. (See the Enemies section for more information about spawning an enemy with a failed Nightmare Test.)

If the result is higher than the number of Nightmare that player has, nothing happens.

Combat

Attacking an enemy

When attacking an enemy, take a Combat Test. The difficulty is the Combat Score of your target.

If you meet that difficulty, you deal your character's Damage to the enemy. If your test result is higher than the difficulty, add 1 extra damage for each point above the difficulty.

If you fall short of the difficulty, nothing happens.

For example: Nikki is attacking a Shadow that has a Combat Score of 1. Nikki rolls her two dice. The blue die shows 5, and the red die shows 4, so the result of the roll is +1.

She adds this +1 to her Combat Score, which is 2, for a Test Result of 3.

She has passed the difficulty of this Combat Test (1) and can deal 2 damage as per Nikki's Anima mat.

Since she beat this difficulty by 2 (3 vs. 1), she also deals an additional 2 damage. That makes her damage total 4.

Defending against an enemy

When defending against an enemy, take a Combat Test. The difficulty is the Combat Score of the attacker.

If the player's test result is the same or higher than the attacker's Combat Score, they take no damage.

If the player's test result is lower than the attacker's Combat Score, they take a number of Wounds equal to the attacker's Damage Score.

Multiple Attackers

Some enemies may be weak, but the cumulative effect comes into play when defending against multiple attackers.

The first time you defend against an attacker, you may use your full Combat Score.

Each additional time, you must take a Combat Test during a single Night Phase to defend against an enemy attack and take a -1 penalty to your Combat Score.

For example: Nikki is attacked by a Shadow. She defends by taking a Combat Test using her Combat Score of 2.

Once the attack is resolved, a second enemy attacks her. When she defends this attack, her Combat Score is lowered to 1.

Tracking Damage

Whenever a player, Reaver, or Nemesis takes damage, place 1 Wound token on their character mat (or card) for each point of damage taken.

Tracking Temporary Health

Some cards, abilities, or actions may grant a player Temporary Health. When given Temporary Health, place a number of cubes equal to the Temporary Health given on the appropriate character mat. When dealt damage, rather than directly placing a wound on that mat, remove one of the cubes.

Anima Defeat

When a character's real-world self has as many Wounds as they do Health, they gain a Doubt point. Place a Doubt token on the Anima mat, remove all Wound tokens from it, and topple over the cardboard standee.

The player becomes untargetable by all enemies and actions until the Refresh step of the next Day Phase.

The player's Conviction and Nightmare scores are not affected by gaining a Doubt Point.

Animus Defeat

If your Animus has as many Wounds as they do Health, you are reverted back to your real-world (Anima) self, that immediately gain 1 wound. Remove all of its Wounds.

Place the "Animus Locked" token on top of your Animus mat. The next time you Channel your Animus, you must spend 1 extra Conviction to remove it.

You may not spend Conviction to remove the "Animus Locked" token without also spending the Conviction to Channel your Animus.

Death

Once a player has 2 Doubt tokens, they are defeated and removed from the game.

Enemies

Taint

Taint shows how corrupted an area is with Nightmare.

Taint can be added to the city by Ruin Reavers, Dark Magic Cards, certain Nemesis abilities, and during the Night Phase in some scenarios.

Enemies standing on a Location with Taint receive a bonus to their Combat score.

For each Taint cube at a Location, add 1 to the enemies' Combat scores when attacking or defending.

Shadows

Shadows are smaller manifestations of Nightmare that The Doubt sends after Anima. Shadows are represented by standees with dials that allow for variable Health and Combat Scores. The number in red denotes the Shadow's base Scores.

Shadows Attack players.

Shadows have a Magic Score of 0.

Reavers

Reavers are nightmares come to life. They are dangerous foes that the players must handle with caution.

Violence Reavers — A Violence Reaver is a physical opponent that aims to destroy its enemies with brute force. It has high Movement and Combat Scores. Violence Reavers Attack players.

Torment Reavers — Torment Reavers single out a specific target and aim to disrupt their life at all costs. Torment Reavers use Dark Magic against players.

Ruin Reavers — Ruin Reavers are magic users who seek to spread Taint throughout the city. Ruin Reavers use Dark Magic against players.

Nemeses

Every Shared Dream scenario features a Nemesis, a powerful enemy unique to that scenario. Nemeses often follow special rules, as dictated by the scenario and their card.

Tracking Enemy Health

When tracking Health for Shadows, the dial will show their current Health Score. For each point of Damage done to a Shadow, turn the dial lower by 1.

Note that this also lowers the Shadow's Combat score.

If the Damage dealt to a Shadow would bring the dial below 0, it is defeated.

Other enemies have their Health tracked using the same Wound tokens used with the players.

Enemy Movement

All enemies move a number of spaces up to their Movement Score. They move once per Night Phase. All enemies move toward the nearest player within reach unless otherwise specified.

When equidistant from 2 or more players, enemies will move toward the player with the highest Nightmare score. When on the same space as a player, enemies immediately Attack or use Dark Magic, as per their cards.

Enemy Attacks

Enemies Attack players using their Combat Score unless otherwise noted on their card. Once an enemy Attacks, their turn immediately ends. When on a space with 2 or more players, enemies Attack the player with the highest Nightmare score.

Dark Magic

Some enemies use Dark Magic. When they do so, draw the top card of the Dark Magic deck and resolve its results. Once an enemy uses Dark Magic, their turn immediately ends.

When on a space with 2 or more players, enemies use Dark Magic against the player with the highest Nightmare score.

Nemeses Movement

Nemeses follow normal enemy movement rules unless otherwise noted by their scenario or on their card.

Nemeses Attacks

Whenever a Nemesis would Attack or use Dark Magic, they do so against every player on their space.

Each use of Dark Magic is resolved individually, drawing a new card each time.

Spawning Enemies

There are several ways to spawn enemies on the board:

• Cards like a Personal Reflection card or Dark Magic card cause an enemy to spawn.
• A player fails their Nightmare Test.
• Adding Taint to a Location that already has 5 Taint cubes.

When an enemy is spawned on the same space as a player, it immediately Attacks or uses Dark Magic against the player who spawned it.

Whenever an enemy is spawned on a space without a player, they immediately move and attack as normal.

Spawning An Enemy With A Failed Nightmare Test

Choose a Shadow dial at random. The number denoted by a dot is the base Combat and Health scores of this Shadow.

For every point of Nightmare the player had at the time of the failed Nightmare Test, raise those Scores by 1 by turning the dial.

Place the standee on the same space as the player who spawned it.

If the number on the dial is greater than 5, a R will be visible. When this happens, remove that Shadow and replace it with a Reaver.

Spawning A Reaver

When a Reaver spawns, draw a Reaver card to determine its type.

Place the appropriate miniature on the Location tile where it spawned.

The Reaver card will list any special abilities the Reaver has and its method of attack.

Spawning An Enemy By Excessive Taint

If a location has 5 Taint cubes, instead of placing a 6th, place a random Shadow dial (set to its default strength) there. This reduces the Location's Taint to 1.

Night Phase Order Of Events

1) Enemies Act

All enemies on the board act, starting with the enemy with the lowest Combat Score. In the case of a tie, the first player chooses which enemy acts first. Enemies only have 2 actions available in a phase: they may Move once, and they may Attack once. See the Combat section for more information.

2) Raise Taint

All locations listed on the Starting Taint section of the Shared Dream Scenario card have their Taint increased by 1. If a location already has 5 Taint cubes, instead of placing a 6th, place a Shadow token there. That reduces the location's Taint to 1.

3) Nightmare Test

All players must make a Nightmare Test. Each player rolls a single 6-sided die. If the result is equal to or lower than the number of Nightmare the player has, an enemy spawns. If the result is higher than the number of Nightmare that the player has, nothing happens. When an enemy spawns, its strength increases by the amount of Nightmare a player had at the time of its creation. For more information on spawning enemies, see the Spawning Enemies section.

4) Shared Dream Actions

Many Shared Dream Scenarios have specific cards or actions that are played or taken during the Night Phase. For example, in Beast at the Door, every Night Phase a The Beast Strikes! card is drawn and resolved. The Night Phase Actions header of the scenario card will list any required actions.

Other Rules

Echoes

Echoes represent how the previous night's dream affected the players. They may have positive or negative effects. They are drawn at the beginning of every Day Phase except the first, replacing the previously drawn Echo.

Artifacts

Artifacts are special objects that players can take from various dreams into the real world. Some Artifacts supply a passive bonus while held by a player. Others are actively used.

A player may only have two Artifacts at one time. If a player acquires a third Artifact, they must immediately discard down to two.

Personal Reflections

Although every Shared Dream scenario contains different advancement methods, they all share the usage of Personal Reflections.

While all the characters in the game wake up from the same dream, each individual character has their own story to tell. Personal Reflections show how specific aspects of the Shared Dream push individual characters to action.

This can be as simple as talking to a well-known paranormal investigator about how the dream is starting to come to life or as spectacular and terrifying as waking up covered in blood.

When playing the game, the player should read their Personal Reflection cards aloud because each Reflection contains a piece of the overall story that the characters are experiencing.

In addition to their use in storytelling, Personal Reflections play an important part in actually completing any session of the game. The victory conditions of all Shared Dream scenarios are tied to the completion of Personal Reflections.

Some Personal Reflections provide useful items so players are able to topple a Nemesis. Others are essential for completing a scenario. Each Shared Dream scenario card details the exact role the Personal Reflection decks play within that scenario.

When in doubt, advancing a Personal Reflection will always take a group one step closer to victory.

Reflection Progression

The Start card for each Personal Reflection deck will always read "Your Reflection starts..." and lists a Location.

This Location dictates where your character's personal story begins and where you should place your character's standee to start the game.

Every Personal Reflection card also includes the line "Your Reflection continues..." and gives a Location.

This line will tell you the next Location to which you must travel to draw your next Personal Reflection card.

Note that sometimes your Personal Reflection may contain a test whose result will dictate where the Personal Reflection will continue.

In those cases, always follow the "Your Reflection continues" line that is directly below your listed Test result.

Using your Personal Reflection Deck

Players may not look at the front of any of their Personal Reflection cards, except for the one that is currently active.

To progress a Personal Reflection, first a player must travel to the appropriate Location listed in the "Your Reflection continues" line of their card.

That player must then use the Reflect Action, which allows them to draw their next Personal Reflection card.

To continue your Personal Reflection, find the card in your deck that lists your current Location on its back.

Once you have found the correct card, read it aloud and follow any instructions it gives.

Some Personal Reflection cards list a Location and a number. When you continue these Personal Reflections, the card you draw must match both the Location and number listed.

Some Personal Reflection decks have multiple cards for the same Location with no number listed. In these cases, draw one at random.

Some Personal Reflection cards spawn enemies and require them to be defeated. Once they are, immediately follow the rest of that card's instructions. You do not need to Reflect again to do so.

Ending a Personal Reflection

After traveling through multiple locations, taking the appropriate tests, and facing the proper challenges, each Personal Reflection deck will eventually end.

Every Personal Reflection deck has at least 1 card that will end with the sentence "Your Reflection is complete."

The card will also list any rewards you will receive or inform you how completing your Reflection has affected the game.

Note that you may reach the end of a Personal Reflection without playing every card that is available in your Personal Reflection deck.

If that happens, you can set aside the unused cards—they have no effect on the game once the Personal Reflection is completed.

Players will often finish their Personal Reflection decks at different times in the course of a game.

If you have finished your Personal Reflection, but your fellow players have not, it is best to use your available turns to grow in power, and help manage the Taint and Enemies that are on the board.

Player Elimination

If a player is eliminated from the game, they must choose another player to continue their Personal Reflection.

The chosen player must take all of the eliminated player's remaining Personal Reflection cards.

This player must then complete both their own Personal Reflection and the eliminated player's.

When a player has two separate Personal Reflections, they must declare which one they are advancing whenever they take a Reflect action.

A player can still only Reflect once in a phase.

If you wish to play without player elimination, whenever a player would receive their 2nd Doubt point, another player may choose to take it instead. This can ONLY be done when taking a Doubt point would eliminate a player. Please note that this will make many scenarios easier to complete.

Example: Personal Reflections

In this example, Andrea's Personal Reflection story is Root of Evil. Prior to the game starting, all of the Root of Evil cards were put into one deck, with the Start card on top.

Andrea then chose the Root of Evil deck at random, and read her Start Card out loud.

Andrea's character will start the game at the Downtown Location. In order to continue her Reflection, she must first travel to the High School.

Root Of Evil (Start)

Your Reflection starts Downtown.

While standing in line at a local coffee shop Downtown, you hear a newscast that contains more details about the recent dog attack. As the newscast continues, you could swear the reporter was simply repeating the contents of your last night's dream.

It is obvious to you that brute force is not the answer to this nightmare. Finding the source of the problem should go a long way towards solving it. The victim of the "dog attack," Peter, was a student at the local High School. Perhaps can you find more there?

Your Reflection continues at the High School.

Once there, Andrea must use an Action to Reflect.

Once she does so, she goes through her Personal Reflection deck until she finds a card with the High School on the back.

She then reads this card out loud and follows its instructions.

Root Of Evil

The local high school is still buzzing with activity by the time you get there, with plenty of rumors about the recent attack and its victim.

Take a Social Test to see if you can gather details from a student

0-7: The victim's class is on a trip to the Museum. Maybe you can bump into someone who knows more there? Your Reflection continues at the Museum.

8+: Rumor has it the victim was quite the bully. James, one of his favorite targets, has apparently started preparing for a fight by training at the Boxing Gym. Your Reflection continues at the Boxing Gym.

In this case, she must make a Social Test, the results of which will determine where her Reflection will continue.

The end result of Andrea's Social Test is a 5, meaning her reflection continues at the Museum. Had her result been an 8 or higher, it would instead continue at the Boxing Gym.

Note that to ensure blind playthroughs and deck selection, the backs of the Personal Reflection decks are very similar.

Choose a player to ensure that the individual Personal Reflection decks are properly sorted before game play, and have them choose their Reflection deck last.

Each Shared Dream scenario listing in this manual will list how many cards should be in each individual Personal Reflection story.

Beast at the Door

Objective

All players must complete their Personal Reflections to obtain a Dream Fragment. Once every player has obtained a Dream Fragment, the players must then force the Beast to take physical form in the Waking World and defeat it in combat.

Victory Condition

The Beast is defeated.

Complexity Rating: Simple

Scenario-Specific Component List

1 Beast Combat Card, 7 Dream Fragment Cards, 10 The Beast Strikes! Cards, 24 Personal Reflection Cards (6 "Root of Evil," 7 "Angelic Assistance," 6 "Impact Statement," 5 "Shining in the Darkness.")

Required Locations

Boxing Gym, DCMA HQ, Downtown, High School, Hospital, Library, Museum, Melisandra's Alley, Police Station, Voodoo Shop, Warehouse

Additional Setup

1. Place the Dream Fragment deck within reach of all players.
2. Shuffle all of the The Beast Strikes! cards into a separate pile next to the Dream Fragment deck.
3. Place The Beast's Combat Card face up next to this card.

Dream Fragments Deck

Shuffle all Dream Fragment cards and place the deck on the table. When a player completes their Personal Recollection, they draw a card from the Dream Fragment deck.

The Beast Strikes Deck

Shuffle The Beast Strikes cards and place the deck on the table. When a card is drawn from the deck, follow its instruction. If The Beast Strikes deck is empty, do not reshuffle the discard pile into the deck.

Starting Taint

High School (2), Park (1), Warehouse (1)

Personal Reflections

At the end of every Reflection, a player will receive a Dream Fragment which is used to force the Beast to manifest. Each player must complete their Personal Reflection in order to win Beast at the Door.

Special Player Actions

Once every player has obtained a Dream Fragment, the players may choose to force the Beast to manifest at any time and on any space of the player's choosing. The Beast is represented on the board by a Violence Reaver miniature.

Night Phase Actions

Every Night Phase, draw 1 The Beast Strikes! card and follow its instructions. If The Beast Strikes Deck is empty, increase every Location's Taint by 1. If the Beast is manifested, draw no further The Beast Strikes cards.

Fighting the Beast

For each point of damage the Beast suffers, place a cube on the damage track located on the Beast's card. Once the track is full the Beast takes a Wound, and you immediately remove all cubes from the damage track. If there is any remaining damage to be dealt to the Beast after this, then place a cube for each point of damage on the track.

Example: The Beast is injured with 1 wound and has 4 Cubes on its damage track. John strikes it with a powerful attack in his Animus form, dealing an additional 3 damage to it. He places one cube on the damage track to indicate another point of damage. Since the track is now full, the Beast immediately suffers a wound. John then clears the damage track. He still has 2 damage remaining to deal to the Beast. He places two cubes onto the track, one for each point of damage.

Dead Serious

Objective

The players must outlast the incredibly strong Killer Clown until its Terror Rating is 0.

Victory Condition

The players must reduce the clown's Terror rating to 0 by resolving four Final Confrontation cards.

Complexity Rating: Simple

Scenario-Specific Components

1 Killer Clown Miniature, 1 Killer Clown mat, 1 Frenzied Clown Combat Card, 6 Clown Ability Cards, 4 Final Confrontation cards, 5 Dream Fragment cards, 22 Personal Reflection Cards (6 "Fear Itself" 6 "Warning Signs," 5 "Run and Hide," 5 "Child's Play")

Required Locations

Bottum's Up Bar, DCMA HQ, Downtown, High School, Hospital, McCallister's Investigations, Museum, Park, Voodoo Shop, Warehouse

Additional Setup

1. Place the Killer Clown mat face up next to the board and place a cube on each available space on his card.
2. Shuffle the Clown Ability, Dream Fragments, and Final Confrontation decks and place them within reach of all players.
3. Place the Frenzied Clown Combat Card face down on the table.
4. Place the Killer Clown miniature next to the Killer Clown's card. The killer clown is not placed on the map during Set-Up.

Clown Ability Deck

Shuffle all Clown Ability cards and place the deck on the table. Whenever an Clown Ability card is drawn, resolve the card and place it on the bottom of its deck.

Dream Fragments Deck

Shuffle all Dream Fragment cards and place the deck on the table. When a player completes their Personal Recollection, they draw a card from the Dream Fragment deck.

Final Confrontation Deck

Shuffle all Final Confrontation cards and place the deck on the table. When the Killer Clown's Terror level is reduced to 4, draw 1 Final Confrontation card. It is possible for players to complete multiple Final Confrontation cards during a turn. Once all four Final Confrontation cards are resolved, play immediately ends and the players are victorious.

Starting Taint

Hospital (1), Park (1), Voodoo Shop (2)

Personal Reflections

Each Personal Reflection deck grants the players access to powerful Dream Fragments. No Personal Reflections must be completed to win Dead Serious. The Dream Fragments they provide, however, can be the difference between life or death.

Night Phase Actions

Every Night Phase, place a number of Taint on the Killer Clown's Location draw and resolve a number of Clown Ability cards as dictated by the Clown's current Terror Rating. Once an Ability has been resolved, place the card on the bottom of its deck.

When the Clown's Terror level is reduced to 4, reveal the Frenzied Clown Combat Card and draw 1 Final Confrontation card.

The Frenzied Clown follows Nemesis movement and action rules.

Fighting The Killer Clown

The Killer Clown cannot be attacked or targeted by player abilities.

Explosive Nightlife

Objective

The players must find the Super Villain's hidden bombs by completing their Personal Reflections. At the same time, they must defeat the Super Villain's Minions to receive the Bomb Defusal cards necessary to defuse those bombs.

Victory Condition

All conditions must be met in order for the players to win.

There are no bombs left in the city.

At least 1 player is alive.

Complexity Rating: Medium

Scenario-Specific Component List

1 Supervillain Miniature, 1 Bryce the Damned Combat Card, 12 Bomb Defusal Code Cards, 4 Bomb cards, 12 bomb tokens, 12 Minion cards, 12 Minion tokens, 22 Personal Reflection Cards (6 "Cerca Trova," 6 "Pounding the Pavement," 5 "Race Against Time," 5 "The Showdown.")

Required Locations

Bottom's Up Bar, Docks, Downtown, Hospital, Museum, Police Station, Voodoo Shop, Warehouse

Additional Setup

1. Place the Super Villain's Combat Card face up next to the city.
2. Place its miniature at the Docks.
3. Place the Minions deck & tokens in reach of all players.
4. Place 1 Bomb Card for each player face down next to the city.
5. Place the Bomb Defusal deck in reach of all players.

Minion Deck

Shuffle all Minion cards and place them face down in a deck. Minion cards will be drawn by Supervillain during the Night Phase. When a Minion card is drawn, place the corresponding Minion token into the city at the same Location as the Supervillain. When the Minion is defeated, place the Minion card into the Minion Discard pile. If there are no cards left in the Minion deck, do not shuffle the discarded cards back into the deck.

Bomb Code Deck

Whenever a Minion is defeated by a player, that player draws a card from the top of the Bomb Code deck. A player will always draw a card from a Minion they defeated, even if they are not in the same Location as that Minion. Discarded Bomb Code cards are removed from the game. If there are no cards left in the Bomb Code deck, do not shuffle removed cards back into the deck.

Starting Taint

Downtown (1), Museum (1), Voodoo Shop (2)

Personal Reflections

When a player completes their Personal Reflection, they flip over a Bomb Card.

Once a Bomb Card is revealed, place four (4) bomb tokens on the Bomb Card.

Special Player Actions

Whenever a Minion is defeated by a player, the player draws 1 Bomb Code card from the top of the Bomb Code deck.

Nemesis Actions

The Supervillain activates following the Nemesis movement and action rules. If he ends his movement on a space without a player, he will spawn a Minion card and token. If there are no Minion Cards remaining, instead place 3 Bomb Tokens on each Bomb Card, even if it has not been revealed. When the Supervillain reaches 5 Wounds, he cannot move or attack in the next Night Phase, but 1 token is immediately removed from all bombs. Afterwards, his wounds are reset to 0.

Night Phase Actions

Remove one (1) Bomb token from each revealed Bomb Card. If there are no Bomb tokens left after this, the bomb immediately explodes.

Attack of the Mindrender

Objective

The players must force the Mindrender to enter the city so it may be defeated in combat.

Victory Condition

Players win if one of the two conditions are met.

Defeat the Weakened Mindrender

Defeat the Triumphant Mindrender

Complexity Rating: Medium

Scenario-Specific Components

1 Mindrender Miniature, 1 Triumphant Mind Render Combat Card, 7 Grunt Combat Cards, 1 Weakened Mind Render Combat Card, 4 Alien Invasion cards, 12 Alien Technology cards, 12 Panic! cards, 9 Grunt tokens, 17 Personal Reflection Cards (1 Prologue, 3 Mind's Eye, 1 Freedom, 1 Skepticism, 3 Customer Service, 5 Radio, Radio, 3 Special Delivery)

Required Locations

Bottum's Up Bar, DCMA HQ, Downtown, High School, Hospital, McCallister's Investigations, Museum, Park, Voodoo Shop, Warehouse

Additional Setup

1. Place the Alien Invasion Start card green side up.
2. Place, in any order, the other three (3) Alien Invasion cards green side up next to the Alien Invasion Start card until they form a row of four (4) cards.
3. Place the Alien miniature on the Alien Invasion Start card. Place the Weakened and Triumphant Mind Render Combat Cards face down on the table.
4. Place the Panic! deck, Alien Technology deck, and Alien Grunt deck within reach of all players.
5. Place the Meteorite token on any street or stop sign that is at least 3 spaces away from the Bottom's Up Bar. If there is no street or stop sign that meets this criteria, rearrange the city set up.
6. Read the "Prologue" card out loud.
7. Follow the instructions on the Alien Invasion Start Card.

Panic Deck

Shuffle all Panic! cards and place the deck on the table. When a Panic card is drawn, follow the instructions on the card. If a Panic! card affects a specific space, the card can be placed directly on the board to better track Panic! events. Discarded Panic cards are placed in the discard pile. If the Panic deck is empty, reshuffle the discarded Panic cards into the deck.

Alien Technology Deck

Shuffle all Alien Technology cards and place the deck on the table. When an Alien Grunt is spawned, draw 1 card from the Alien Technology deck and equip it to the Grunt. Place the Alien Technology card on the Alien grunt card to better track it. Alien Technology cards only affect the Grunt it is equipped to. When a Grunt is defeated, the Player that defeated them gains the Alien Technology card but cannot use it. Players do not need to take Alien Technology cards from grunts if the Customer Service Counter Invasion mission is not being played or has been completed.

Alien Grunt Deck

Shuffle all Alien Grunt cards and place the deck on the table. When an Alien Grunt card is drawn, spawn an Alien Grunt on the meteorite on the card. Draw 1 Alien Technology card and equip it to that Grunt. No other Grunts may use that Alien Technology card. When defeated, place the Alien Grunt card into the Alien Grunt discard pile. If the Alien Grunt deck is empty, reshuffle the discard pile into the deck.

Starting Taint

None

Personal Reflections

If all the player's Personal Reflections are completed, the Weakened Mindrender enters the city at the Meteorite in the next Night Phase.

Nemesis Actions

The Weakened and Triumphant Mindrenders follow Nemesis movement and action rules.

Night Phase Actions

Move the Alien miniature to the next Alien Invasion card and immediately follow the instructions on the card.

When the Alien can no longer move along the green Alien Invasion cards, them flip all over to the red side, and place the Alien on the first card before continuing as normal.

If the Alien can no longer move along the red Alien Invasion cards, the Triumphant Mindrender enters the city at the Meteorite.

War of the Roses

Objective

The players and the Seducer compete to take control of 10 Locations within the city, after which the Seducer must be defeated in combat.

Victory Condition

All Required Locations must have a red or white Rose token.

The Seducer must be defeated.

Complexity Rating: Advanced

Scenario-Specific Component List

1 Seducer Miniature, 1 Seducer Combat Card, 10 gray/red Rose token, 10 white Rose tokens, 19 Last Night cards, 10 Husk Cards, 20 Event Cards (2 each Bottum's Up Bar, Boxing Gym, Docks, Downtown, Library, High School, Hospital, Melisandra's Alley, Park, Police Station.)

Required Locations

Bottum's Up Bar, Boxing Gym, Docks, Downtown, High School, Hospital, Library, Melisandra's Alley, Park, Police Station

Additional Setup

1. Place the Seducer' Combat Card face up next to the city.
2. Place the Seducer miniature on the Bottum's Up Bar.
3. Place the Last Night and Husk decks within reach of all players.

• In a 2 player game, place a red Rose token at the Bottum's Up Bar, Boxing Gym, High School and Park. There should be four (4) red Rose tokens.
• In a 3 player game, add a red Rose token on the Police Station. There should be five (5) red Rose tokens in the city.
• In a 4 player game, add a red Rose token on the Police Station and the Library. There should be six (6) red Rose tokens in the city.
• Place a gray Rose token on every other required Location.
• There should be a total of 10 Rose tokens on the board and no Location may have more than 1 Rose token on it.

4. Place all players Downtown.

Rose Tokens

There are three types of Rose tokens: Gray, Red and White. Gray indicates neutral locations, Red indicates Locations under the Seducer's influence and White indicates Locations freed by the Players. Rose tokens may be replaced by one of another color by performing the appropriate action listed below but when no gray tokens are left, no further tokens can be changed or replaced.

Last Night Deck

If the Last Night deck is empty, shuffle all discarded Last Night cards back into the deck.

Husk Deck

If the Husk deck is empty, shuffle all discarded Husk cards back into the deck.

Starting Taint

None

Personal Reflections

No Personal Reflection cards are used.

Special Player Actions

Players may replace a gray Rose token with a white Rose token while at its Location by sacrificing 3 Conviction.

Players may replace a red Rose token with a gray Rose token while at its Location by drawing an Event card corresponding with that Location and succeeding in the event task.

The Seducer cannot be targeted until there are no more gray Rose tokens in the city.

Once the 10th gray token in the city is changed to red or white, all Rose tokens are immediately locked and can no longer be changed. The Seducer can then be targeted by players.

Nemesis Actions

The Seducer moves as normal and uses Dark Magic. If the Seducer cannot reach a player, it moves towards the nearest Location with a gray Rose token and replaces it with a red Rose token. If the Seducer cannot reach a player or a gray Rose token, it moves towards the closest player. Once there are no more gray Rose tokens, all of the Seducer's Scores are increased by the number of red Rose tokens in the city.

Night Phase Actions

Every player must draw a Last Night card. They do not look at or resolve this card until it is their turn to act during the subsequent Day Phase.

Non-Player Characters

As you go through the Personal Reflection decks, you will encounter some interesting characters who may help or hinder you on your quests to resolve your Shared Dream scenario.

Melisandra

In a different time, Melisandra had fought the demons of the Below openly in the streets, waging the final war over mankind with a zeal that even her kin could rarely match.

Mortals are endlessly amusing to her, so much so that being sent back in time to Earth before the apocalypse began was as much a blessing as it was a curse.

The curse of her predicament was that she could no longer fight for humans actively. The end time had not yet arrived, so she was forced to take no active hand while walking the earth.

While it bothered her tremendously to not be able to lay waste to those who seek mankind's downfall, Melisandra was always a promiscuous angel, looking for ways to bend rules and have fun.

Once having adapted to her new existence, she began working as a sort of street dealer, handling occult knowledge and material.

Many Anima have said that if there is something important to be found, Melisandra either has it, or once did.

Burt

In the lands where Burt comes from, minotaur act as stalwart defenders. They are given territory and a ward, which would be anything from a treasure to a living person.

Now he works as a gruff bartender at Bottum's Up, the heart of a city's supernatural nightlife.

Quickly he came to see that Anima really do have plenty to fear, most often from their own nightmares.

This lead Burt to give himself his own mission for the first time in ages.

The bar would be his labyrinth and the people in it his wards.

He would ensure that at least one place would remain safe, and Anima would come to know that the Minotaur Burt kept them safe through the long nights, so they could win their noble war against the Doubt.

John McCallister

Always a quick study, John became an Anima in his teens and rapidly learned how to use magic to make his life better. Whether he was charming the pants off his newest date, swindling gamblers out of their money, or wiping a cop's mind so they forgot he existed, John was always using his magic to get his way.

After an attempt to turn his best friend into an Anima failed, John became a mess who spent most of his time at the bottom of a bottle. Though he couldn't admit it, he was floundering while being crushed by the memories of his often terrible dreams.

Year later, a chance reunion with this friend would change both John and the city permanently.

He convinced her to help him open his own private investigation agency. Together they would help clients who had been harmed or cheated by the Doubt and give them justice or closure, whichever was most appropriate.

This new venture has given John some will to stave off his incessant nightmares, but the battle is far from over.

Asha

When Asha was summoned to a strange land called Earth, she was quick to take it upon herself to use her healing magics to help those who needed them.

Visiting a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit was a shock to Asha. All these poor mortals entering the world without magic in their blood and suffering in so many different ways was completely unacceptable. So Asha set to trying to instill magic into the newborns so they could live good and healthy lives.

Unfortunately, Asha's attempts didn't place magic in the veins of an infant. It instead created literal fire. The young mortal child died and Asha's heart shattered into countless pieces. She had done the unthinkable - worse than failing to heal, she actually did harm.

It was then that Asha learned about the Doubt and how it altered her magic to such deadly effect.

From that moment on, Asha swore an oath against the Doubt. She would help these Anima, whoever they were, whatever their cause, if they would simply continue to oppose the Doubt and the inconceivable evil it represented. She would learn to be more delicate in helping the mortals of the hospital and do so indefinitely as recompense for the tragedy she caused. In addition, she would aid any Anima who needed her services should the Anima walk into her ward in the hospital.

FAQ

Q: How do you break ties (in regards to enemy movement, attacks, or abilities) if multiple players have the same amount of Nightmare? A: Each player should roll a die. The player who rolls the lowest is targeted.

Q: Do card and/or effects that give me bonus damage apply to Abilities and Artifacts? A: No. Bonus damage only applies to your base Damage score as listed on your Anima and Animus Mats, unless they specifically state they affect damage dealt by Abilities.

Q: Do enemies obey Stop Signs? A: Yes. If an enemy can reach a player by avoiding a Stop Sign, they will do so. If they can not, they will take the shortest route possible to a player, even if this causes them to stop at a Stop Sign. If all routes towards a target would require the same amount of movement, they will take the route without a Stop Sign in their path.

If two players are equidistant, enemies will always first move towards the player without a Stop Sign in their path.

Q: Does the Lightbringer's Heal Ability remove wounds from the Anima or Animus? A: The Lightbringer may choose to Heal either the Anima or Animus, but not both.

Q: Can I channel my Animus after drawing a Reflection card? Yes.

Q: What happens if a Shadow spawns but all available Shadow Dials are already on the board? A: A Shadow does not spawn if there are no Shadow Dials available. It is still possible to spawn a Reaver.

Q: Do stop signs or road direction stop a space from being considered an adjacent space? A: No. As long as a space is next to yours, it is considered to be an adjacent space.

Q: Do ranged Abilities, Attacks, or Artifacts obey road directions or Stop Signs? A: No. Road directions and Stop Signs are only applicable when moving.

Q: What happens if I spawn an enemy while I am not a valid target (such as when doubting, or under Protective Wards?) A: The enemy will still spawn, but will not attack the player. It does not move towards or attack another player.

Q: Is there any way to make the game easier? A: If an easier play experience is desired, the play group may decide to allow each player to receive 3 Doubt tokens before they are eliminated.

Please note that this will make all scenarios significantly easier, and drastically reduces the chance of player elimination.

Q: What happens when I gain a Nightmare point when my Nightmare track is full? A: Any excess Nightmare after 5 is discarded. Note that you can still perform any actions that would grant you Nightmare as normal.