Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef
Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
City of Naviri Components: 5 Island boards; 1 Champion board; 35 Fruit tokens; 45 Shell tokens; 14 Novice dice (white); 16 Initiate dice (8 blue, 8 red); 16 Elite dice (8 blue, 8 red); 12 Guild dice (black); 3 Danger dice (white, yellow, orange); 1 Monster Invasion die; 6 Monster cards; 42 Challenge cards; 30 Stunt cards; 25 Market cards; 1 Judge standee; 1 Current Round marker; 1 Boat standee; 1 First Player marker; 1 Scorepad; 1 Rulebook; 1 Almanac*.
Player Components: 4 Character boards (1 / player); 4 Character standees (1 / player); 72 Hit tokens (18 / player); 16 Action discs (4 / player); 4 Story cards (1 / player); 52 Character cards (13 / player); 12 Secret Goal cards (3 / player); 12 Starting Challenge cards (3 / player); 4 Player Reference cards (1 / player).
Advanced Components: 29 Legendary Challenge cards; 7 Special Announcement cards; 19 Advanced Market cards; 10 Advanced Monster cards.
Solo Mode Components: 1 Solo Mode gameplay board; 5 Plot Effect cards; 1 Rival Action disc.
*See the Almanac supplementary Rulebook for details of Advanced play (page 8), Solo Mode (page 14), and Two-player Mode (page 12).
Game Setup
Is this your first game? Keep an eye out for the compass symbol, used to show recommended setup options for your first game of Tidal Blades.
Playing a solo or two-player game? For special setup and gameplay rules for Solo Mode and Two-player Mode, please refer to the Almanac.
Set Up the City of Naviri
Place the Citadel of Time Island board in the center of the table with the side that has the compass symbol face-up. (The other side is used for Advanced play; see the Almanac.)
Place the Champion board and the other four Island boards around the Citadel of Time, in the layout shown. Each Island board also has a diagram marked on the back to show where it should be placed.
Place the Shell and Fruit tokens next to the Island boards for easy access.
Separate the dice by color and type, then place them next to the Island boards for easy access.
Choose an Island at random out of Chronosseum, Lamara Stadium, and Droska Ring. Place the Judge standee on the chosen Island as the starting position.
Set Up the Individual Islands
The Fold
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST GAME: Find the three Hard Monster cards marked with a compass symbol next to the Monster's name. Shuffle the cards and place the pile face-down on The Fold.
Then find the three Easy Monster cards marked with the compass symbol next to the Monster's name. Shuffle the cards and place the pile face-down on top of the Hard Monster cards at The Fold to form the Monster deck.
IF YOU HAVE PLAYED BEFORE: The Advanced Monster cards are used only for Advanced play; see the Almanac. Put them back in the box if you are not using them. Separate the Monster cards into Easy and Hard piles by the difficulty labels on the backs of the cards.
Shuffle the Hard Monster cards and place them in a pile face-down on The Fold.
Look at the Fighting Style symbol on the back of the top Hard Monster card, to the right of the difficulty label.
Without looking at their fronts, choose two Easy Monster cards to add to the pile so that the top three cards all have different Fighting Style symbols.
Put the chosen Easy Monsters face-down on top of the Hard Monsters to form the Monster deck and return the other Easy Monster cards to the box.
ALL GAMES: Reveal the topmost Monster and place it face-up in The Fold's Edge.
Place the Monster Invasion die (light blue d8) on The Fold.
Citadel of Time
Separate the Challenge cards into three piles by the label on their backs: Starting Challenge, Challenge, or Legendary Challenge.
The Starting Challenge cards are used later; put them to one side for now.
The Legendary Challenge cards are used only for Advanced play; see the Almanac. Put them back in the box if you are not using them.
Shuffle the Challenge cards and place them face-down in the cut-out space at the Citadel of Time to form the Challenge deck. Reveal five cards from the Challenge deck and place them face-up above the Citadel of Time board to form the Challenge pool.
Place the three Danger dice near the marked positions on the Round tracker. There is one position for each die.
Place the Current Round marker on the Round tracker in the first space.
Chronosseum
Shuffle the Stunt cards and place them face-down in the cut-out space at the Chronosseum to form the Stunt deck.
Lamara Stadium
Place the Boat standee on the Start space at Lamara Stadium, marked with its symbol.
Droska Ring
The Advanced Market cards are used only for Advanced play; see the Almanac. Put them back in the box if you are not using them. Shuffle the Market cards you wish to use, and place them face-down beside the top left corner of the Droska Ring to form the Market deck.
Reveal three cards from the Market deck and place them face-up below the deck to form the Market pool.
Set Up Each Player
Give each player a set of Character items according to the list on the opposite page.
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST GAME: Keep the Secret Goal card marked with a compass symbol and place it face-up in front of you. Return the others to the box.
IF YOU HAVE PLAYED BEFORE: Randomly choose one of your Secret Goal cards to keep and place it face-down in front of you. Return the others to the box.
ALL GAMES: Place two of your Action discs under your Character standee. Place your remaining discs on the Round tracker on the Citadel of Time, near the spaces for Round 2 and Round 4.
Find the Shell Shield card in your Character cards and put it into play face-up in front of you.
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST GAME: Find your Starting Character card marked with the compass symbol in your Character cards and put it into play face-up in front of you.
- Eko - Tsuro's Transverser
- Dust - New to the Isles
- Axl - Racing Engine
- Caiman - Ancient Rivalry
IF YOU HAVE PLAYED BEFORE: Advanced players may choose from three random Character cards instead of their Starting Character card.
ALL GAMES: Shuffle your remaining Character cards and place them face-down in front of you to form your Character deck.
Set each of the four Trait dials on your Character board to the starting position, marked by a green circle.
Take two white Novice dice, 2 Fruit, and 2 Shells. Place 2 extra Shells on your Shell Shield.
Place one of your Hit tokens on the starting space on the Champion board.
Randomly determine who will start and give them the First Player marker. Give the second player 1 extra Fruit, the third player 1 extra Shell, and the fourth player 1 extra Fruit and 1 extra Shell.
Give each player: 1 Character board; 1 Character standee; 4 Action discs; 1 Story card; 13 Character cards; 18 Hit tokens; 3 Secret Goal cards; 3 Starting Challenge cards; 2 white Novice dice.
Game Overview
Each player takes the role of an aspiring hero competing to be named a Tidal Blade, an elite guardian of the Islands. The Tournament takes place over four days and nights. By gathering the needed resources, signing up to compete in Challenges, and timing your arrival at different Islands, you can make the most of your turns.
Each day you will send your Character to the different Islands to take Actions and undertake Challenges. Actions gain you the resource or effect listed on the Action space. You can also use that Island's Bonus effect. Some Islands have Arenas where you can attempt a matching Challenge, and at The Fold you can fight a Monster.
Complete Challenges and fight Monsters to advance your Character in the four Traits of Spirit, Focus, Resilience, and Synergy.
Each potential new Tidal Blade will be judged at the end of four rounds, based on Challenges completed, the level of each of their Traits, their standing on the Champion board, their Secret Goal, and the Monsters they have fought.
Your Character
After choosing your Character, you get:
- A Character board, showing your Traits on four dials.
- A Character standee and four Action discs, to mark where you are and where you have been.
- 1 Story card, with your Character's story and favored style of play.
- 13 Character cards, which unlock your Character's unique powers.
- 18 Hit tokens, used to track the damage you have done to Monsters.
- 3 Secret Goal cards.
- 3 Starting Challenge cards.
- 2 white Novice dice.
- Some Fruit, some Shells.
Dice Overview
When you attempt Challenges or fight Monsters, the dice in your collection represent your Character's strengths and skills. You roll your dice hoping to match the symbols shown on the Challenge card to complete the Challenge, or on the Monster card to kill the Monster.
When you gain a die, place it into your Active Dice area, on the bottom left corner of your Character board. After being used in a Challenge, move those dice to your Spent Dice area on the bottom right corner of your Character board.
Gaining Dice
You start with 2 white Novice dice, placed in your Active Dice area.
You can acquire new dice from the Action spaces in the Chronosseum, from Market cards at the Droska Ring, or from some Stunt cards.
DICE LIMIT: You can have a maximum of six dice at the end of your turn. You must discard from your Spent Dice area or your Active Dice area (or both) until you have no more than six dice in total.
Refreshing Dice
Moving dice back from your Spent Dice area to your Active Dice area is called Refreshing.
At the end of each round, Refresh and Upgrade your dice based on your Resilience Trait level. This represents your Character resting up and regaining their strength for the next day of the Tournament, while learning and improving their abilities.
You may also Refresh dice sooner by taking some specific Action spaces on the Island boards, or by playing certain Stunt cards. See "Stunt Card Details" on page 11 for more information.
Upgrading Dice
To Upgrade, choose a die and exchange it for a die of the next-highest level, following the Dice Upgrades chart. You can Upgrade your dice at the end of each round. Dice are divided into four levels, as shown in the chart. See "Round End" on page 19 for full details.
As the dice increase in level, they specialize in specific Trait symbols, making it easier to roll the ones you need. The four levels of dice are:
LEVEL 1: NOVICE. All Novice dice are white and have one of each Trait symbol and one wild symbol that you can use as any Trait symbol you wish. There is also one blank face. A white Novice die can be Upgraded to your choice of either a red Initiate die or a blue Initiate die.
LEVEL 2: INITIATE. Initiate dice come in two solid colors. Red Initiate dice increase the chance of rolling Focus or Spirit Trait symbols. Blue Initiate dice increase the chance of rolling Resilience or Synergy Trait symbols. Initiate dice have one wild symbol that you can use as any Trait symbol you wish.
LEVEL 3: ELITE. Elite dice have a black edge. Red Elite dice further increase your chance of rolling Focus or Spirit. Blue Elite dice do the same for Resilience or Synergy. Two sides of the Elite dice show two Trait symbols separated by a slash—you may use one Trait or the other, but not both. Elite dice have two wild symbols that you can use as any Trait symbol you wish.
LEVEL 4: GUILD. The ultimate Upgrade, each Guild die is solid black, with faces dedicated to just one Trait. They even have some faces that give you two of the same symbol. Guild dice have two wild symbols that you can use as any Trait symbol you wish.
DICE SUPPLY: If you would gain or Upgrade to a new die, but there are no suitable dice left, you may gain one of the other color at the same level. For example, if you Upgrade a red Initiate die but there are no red Elite dice left, you instead gain a blue Elite die.
On the rare occasions that there are no dice of either color left at the required level, you gain one die of your choice from any lower level.
Dice Upgrades — Choose Your Path: Novice (Level 1) upgrades to Initiate (Level 2, red or blue), which upgrades to Elite (Level 3, red or blue), which upgrades to Guild (Level 4, red or blue).
Character Traits
Each person has a Character board that records the Traits of their Character. When you complete a Challenge or fight a Monster, you advance the corresponding Trait dials one notch for every matching Trait symbol you completed on the Challenge or Monster.
SPIRIT—STUNT POWER. Each competitor is working to build up their physical prowess and force of will. Advancing your Spirit Trait increases the effect of special maneuvers represented by Stunt cards.
FOCUS—MAXIMUM ROLL. Focus controls how much of your potential you bring to a Challenge or Monster battle.
When you roll dice for a Challenge or to fight a Monster, you may only roll a number of dice up to or equal to your Focus Trait. For example, even if you have six dice, if your Focus is 2, you can only roll two of your dice in the Challenge.
You can eat Fruit to temporarily increase your Maximum Roll. This does not increase your Focus Trait dial, but for each Fruit token discarded, you may roll one additional die during that Challenge.
Eating a Fruit does not let you gain a new die. You must already have that many dice to roll.
RESILIENCE—REFRESH AND UPGRADE DICE. Resilience reflects how well you recover after your efforts. Your Resilience Trait shows how many dice you can Refresh and Upgrade at the end of each round. See "Round End" on page 19 for full details.
SYNERGY—CHARACTER CARDS. Synergy represents your Character's inner strength and destiny. By increasing your Synergy Trait, you reveal the hidden talents and special skills of your Character. Character cards are explained in the following section.
Trait Increases
The Trait level does not increase every time you advance one notch. Sometimes it takes several advances for your Trait level to go up.
The small numbers marked on the outer ring of each dial show the position where the level increases.
Bonus Points
By advancing your Traits, you can prove yourself an excellent Tidal Blade candidate. Each Trait dial is marked with awards of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 points. At game end, you score the highest number you have reached on each of your Trait dials.
For example, you might score 3 points for your Spirit, 1 point for your Focus, 3 points for your Resilience, and 5 points for specializing in Synergy, for a total of 12 points from your Traits.
Character Cards
Your Character cards are permanent abilities and effects. Some of them occur when you take specific Actions or when you attempt Challenges, and some require that you pay a cost in Shells to activate them, as noted in the card's rule.
Each player starts the game with their Shell Shield and their Starting Character card in play, and a deck of face-down Character cards. Whenever you advance your Synergy dial to reveal or pass over a Character card icon, draw two Character cards from your deck, choose one to play, and place the other on the bottom of your Character deck.
Once in play, each Character card is available to use on your turn. It is not discarded, and stays active after you use it.
You may use any number of Character cards on your turn, and you may use them multiple times if possible.
Shell Shield
Your Shell Shield is a protective device powered by Shells that allows you to avoid danger during Challenges and Monster battles. It also offers some extra abilities for handling dice.
Your Shell Shield can only hold a maximum of 6 Shells. You must discard any excess Shells at the end of your turn.
SHELL SHIELD ABILITIES
PREVENT DANGER: You may use your Shell Shield to block x symbols on the Danger die by placing Shells from your Character board onto your Shell Shield card equal to the number of x symbols you rolled.
TIME LEAP: You may spend 4 Shells from your Shell Shield to set a die you rolled to the face of your choice. Return the spent Shells to the general supply. You can only use Shells from your Shell Shield for this ability, not from your Character board.
MICHRONIC MEMORY: You may spend 6 Shells from your Shell Shield to immediately Refresh two dice. Note that you cannot Upgrade them this way, only Refresh them. Return the spent Shells to the general supply. You can only use Shells from your Shell Shield for this ability, not from your Character board.
The History of the Shell Shield: Shell Shields were one of the first michronic devices developed specifically for the Tidal Blades. They allowed the Legendary guardians to protect the city more effectively by micro-correcting any small fighting mistakes on their part as they were fighting Monsters. Shell Shields nowadays are rare and hard to come by. One of the best ways to try one is by signing up for the Tournament of Heroes, where each contestant is lent a special Shell Shield for the duration of the competition. The device can be activated using any standard Shell, but since it only allows the user to go back a few seconds into the past, it should be used wisely.
Action Discs
Action discs represent how many Actions you can take each day.
When you take your turn, move your Character standee and place it with an Action disc from your Character board onto your desired Island.
When you move your Character to another Island, leave behind the Action disc. This prevents that Action space from being used again that round if it is a single-use space.
You cannot move your Character standee without an Action disc. Once you have used all of your Action discs, you cannot take any more turns that round.
You start the game with two Action discs, and gain one more at the start of Round 2, and another at the start of Round 4.
You may play one Stunt card from your hand at any time during each turn. Discard the Stunt card after use.
DISCARDED CARDS: Cards that are discarded during the game are placed face-up near the deck for that type of card. Once the deck is empty, the discarded cards are shuffled and placed face-down to form the deck once again.
Secret Goal Cards
Secret Goals are your Character's personal motivation in the Tournament of Heroes. Each Goal can be completed at the Easy level to score 7 points, or at the Difficult level to score 10 points.
Keep your Goal face-down and do not reveal it to other players until game end.
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST GAME: Play with your Secret Goal face-up, so it is easier to track and remember what your special target is.
Champion Board
The Champion board measures your Character's standing with the Elder Tidal Blade known as the Judge.
Advancement on the Champion board is awarded if you complete a Challenge when the Judge is on the same Island, and also for racing the Boat through the treacherous reef on Lamara, for killing Monsters, and a few other ways.
At the end of each round, the player in the lead position on the Champion board earns special recognition from the Judge and places a Hit token on the Champion board, earning them 1 point at game end.
At game end, points are awarded based on your ranking and position on the Champion board. Only one Character may occupy the highest space on the Champion board.
Round Overview
Tidal Blades is played over four rounds. In clockwise order, starting with the First Player, players send their Character to take Actions, use an Island's Bonus effect, and compete in Challenges, taking turns until they have no Action discs remaining.
On your turn:
- Move your Character and one Action disc to an Island of your choice.
- If you are on an Action space, take the reward of that Action.
- Take the Island Bonus effect.
- If you are on an Island that has an Arena, you may attempt a matching Challenge. If you are at The Fold, you may fight a Monster instead.
Visit an Island
Challenges in the Tidal Blades Tournament are held on three of the Islands, known as Arenas: the Chronosseum, Lamara Stadium, and the Droska Ring.
You will also travel to the Citadel of Time to draw new Challenge cards and to The Fold to fight Monsters.
Each Island also has a unique Island Bonus effect that you can use when you visit.
Action Spaces
When you move to an Action space, you receive the reward marked on the board in that Action space, from gaining extra Fruit, Shells, or dice, to Refreshing dice or drawing Stunt cards.
There are two types of Action spaces in Tidal Blades:
OPEN/MULTI-USE ACTION SPACES. Open Action spaces are marked with a dashed circle. They appear at the Citadel of Time and at The Fold. You may use these multi-use spaces more than once in a round, and even twice in a row if you wish. You may take an Action in these spaces even if another Character's standee or Action disc is present.
SINGLE-USE ACTION SPACES. All other Action spaces are single-use, meaning that only one Character can visit them each round. To show that you have used an Action space, you leave an Action disc behind when you move to another space. You may not take an Action in a single-use space if there is an Action disc or Character standee present in that space.
You may still visit an Island even if there is no available Action space. You cannot take the Action, but you still gain the Island Bonus effect and may attempt a Challenge there.
Chronosseum
The main training ground for aspiring Tidal Blades, this is where you can increase your number of dice and learn Stunts.
BONUS EFFECT: draw a Stunt card.
Stunt Card Details: Stunt name; Icons representing the Stunt rule; Stunt rule text. (Example — Dedicated Study: "Draw a number of Challenge cards equal to your Spirit Trait level and choose one to keep.")
Lamara Stadium
The majority of the aquatic Challenges are held on this Island, and contestants must demonstrate their skill with the watercraft.
BONUS EFFECT: Move the Boat forward one space and gain the reward it lands on.
If you move the Boat multiple times in one turn, for example by using the Action space Racers' Bay, the Stunt card Expert Rigging, or a Character card ability, you also take the rewards for each space the Boat passes over.
Droska Ring
This desert Arena is also the home of many traveling caravans where you can make purchases or work for Fruit.
BONUS EFFECT: Buy a Market card or gain 1 Fruit.
Always refill the Market with a new card immediately.
Market Card Details: Cost to buy; Reward.
Taking a Turn with Axl
Axl chooses to visit Palm Plaza, at Lamara Stadium.
- The Action space there is empty, so he fills it and gains the reward of 2 Fruit and takes the First Player token.
- Axl then uses the Island Bonus effect to move the Boat. He gains 1 Shell.
- Axl has a Challenge card for Lamara Stadium, which is his current Island, and so he may attempt to complete it.
Citadel of Time
This is the Tournament HQ, where contestants may sign up to compete in Challenges at other Islands. No Challenges take place at the Citadel of Time itself.
BONUS EFFECT: Choose or draw two cards, taking your choice from the revealed Challenge pool cards or directly from the top of the Challenge deck.
Always refill the Challenge pool with a new card immediately. You may take one card, then wait to see its replacement before choosing your second card if you wish.
There is no limit to the number of Challenge cards you can have.
Challenge Card Details: Challenge name; Arena / Fighting Style (the Arena where the Challenge is held — this symbol is also used for the Fighting Style learned in that Arena); Required Trait symbols (roll matching symbols for each required Trait symbol to complete the Challenge); Push It Trait symbol (Trait symbols with a dashed line are not required to complete the Challenge, but if completed gain you one extra Trait advancement); Points for completion.
Temple of the Breaking Wave Action Space
Choose one of the three Action spaces when you visit, and place your Character and Action disc on that space. Up to three Characters can visit the Temple of the Breaking Wave, since each Action space may be used once per round. You can:
- Gain 3 Shells.
- Gain 3 Fruit. Discard two Challenge cards from the Challenge pool and refill.
- Choose or draw a Challenge card and put it into your hand. This is in addition to the normal Island Bonus of two Challenge cards.
The Fold
The previous generation of Tidal Blades created The Fold in a desperate effort to stop the Monsters and save Naviri, trapping themselves in the process. Now The Fold is starting to weaken, and as the Tournament progresses, Monsters begin to emerge again, forcing the aspiring young heroes to take up the fight.
BONUS EFFECT: Fight the Monster at your chosen Action space.
Monster Hunting
If there are no Monsters in The Fold when you visit The Fold's Edge, a new Monster is flipped face-up on top of the Monster deck and you must fight it.
This Monster will not Invade at the end of the round, but will advance to The Fold's Edge.
Perform a Stunt
Stunt cards are single-use cards that grant a beneficial effect. The size of the effect increases based on your Character's Spirit. You may play one Stunt card at any time during each of your turns. See page 11 for more information about Stunts.
Attempt a Challenge
After gaining the reward from the Action space you chose and taking the Island's Bonus effect, you may attempt one Challenge from your hand.
Each Challenge card is marked with the symbol of the Arena where it is held. You can only attempt a Challenge if you are at that location, so the symbol must match your current Island. The color scheme of each Challenge also matches the Arena where it is held.
To complete a Challenge, you must roll dice until you have matched each required Trait symbol shown on the Challenge card. Each symbol on a die may only be applied to one symbol on the card.
By completing a Challenge, you can advance your Traits, impress the Judge, learn Fighting Styles to help you fight Monsters, and become a crowd favorite by competing at all of the Arenas.
Completed Challenges are also worth points at the end of the game.
PUSH IT: All standard Challenges also have one Trait symbol marked with a dashed border. This is an optional "Push It" symbol.
You do not need to match the Push It symbol to complete the Challenge. However, if you do match it along with the required symbols, you have completed the Challenge in style, so you gain the extra Trait advancement from that symbol.
When counting the number or type of symbols on a Challenge for the purpose of Character cards or Goals, count Push It symbols the same as normal Trait symbols, whether they were fulfilled or not.
The Danger Die
The Danger die represents the difficulty faced when attempting Challenges or fighting Monsters.
You may roll dice multiple times during a Challenge or fight, re-rolling until you complete it or decide to stop, but each time you roll, you must also roll the Danger die.
If you roll an x symbol on the Danger die, you will permanently lose one of your dice unless you block the Danger die by activating your Shell Shield.
You must pay 1 Shell from your Character board onto your Shell Shield for each x symbol you roll, or 2 Shells if you roll xx.
If you cannot pay to block the Danger die in full, you lose one die of your choice from the dice you are using in the Challenge. Return it to the general supply, not to your Spent Dice area.
As the Tournament progresses, the difficulty of Challenges and battles increases.
- In Round 1, you roll the white Level 1 Danger die.
- In Rounds 2 and 3, you roll the yellow Level 2 Danger die, which has more x symbols and also one face with xx.
- In Round 4, you roll the orange Level 3 Danger die, which has three faces with xx and only one blank face.
NOTE: If you choose to block the x symbols using your Shell Shield, you must place one of your Shells on your Shell Shield for each x symbol. However, if you decide to lose a die instead, you only ever lose one die even if you rolled an xx symbol.
Challenge Steps
- Select dice from your Active Dice area to commit to the Challenge, up to your Maximum Roll (current Focus level). If you wish to commit more dice than your current Focus, you must eat 1 Fruit for each extra die. You cannot commit more dice than you have, no matter how many Fruit you eat.
- Roll the selected dice, along with the current Danger die.
- If you rolled any x symbols on the Danger die, you must immediately lose one of the dice used in the Challenge by returning it to the general supply unless you use your Shell Shield to block all x symbols rolled. (See "Shell Shield Abilities" on page 9.)
- If your dice roll has the symbols needed to match all of the required Challenge symbols, you may immediately complete the Challenge.
- If your dice don't yet match the Challenge requirements, or you wish to try for the Push It symbol, you may choose to keep your matching dice aside and re-roll the others by returning to step 2, above. Remember that you must roll the Danger die each time you re-roll.
- If you do not wish to continue rolling, you may Withdraw from the Challenge and stop without any further danger to your dice.
Withdrawing from the Challenge
Even if you did not complete the Challenge, you have learned from the ordeal, so you can advance your Traits. For each required Trait symbol you successfully matched on the Challenge before Withdrawing, advance that Trait dial on your Character board by one notch.
You do not gain advancements from Push It symbols if you Withdraw from a Challenge.
Move all dice you still have remaining that were used in the Challenge to your Spent Dice area. Any dice you lost during the Challenge stay lost.
Discard the unsuccessful Challenge card, then draw a new card from the Challenge deck to replace it. You cannot choose from the Challenge pool.
Attempting a Challenge — Example
On his turn in Round 2, Caiman chooses an Action space on the Droska Ring. After using the Island Bonus effect to buy a card from the Market, Caiman declares that he is attempting a Challenge...
- Caiman reveals Burning Sun Challenge from his hand. Its Island symbol matches the Droska Ring. Caiman needs to roll two Resilience to complete this Challenge.
- Caiman chooses to roll three of his dice. His Focus level is only 2, so he must eat 1 Fruit to allow the third die.
- Caiman selects and rolls two white Novice dice, one blue Initiate die, and the yellow Level 2 Danger die (because this is Round 2).
- On his first roll, he gets one Resilience and an x symbol on the Danger die.
- He activates his Shell Shield, placing 1 Shell from his Character board onto his Shell Shield to block the x symbol.
- The Challenge is not yet completed, so he decides to roll again. Keeping the Resilience he rolled on the blue Initiate die, he re-rolls both Novice dice and the Danger die. The result is a second Resilience and another x symbol.
- Caiman now has enough to complete the Challenge, but first must use the Shell Shield to block the x symbol or lose a die. He uses 1 Shell to keep the die.
- Caiman could continue rolling in the hope of matching the optional Push It symbol, but as his Shell supply is getting low, he decides to complete the Challenge without Pushing It.
- Caiman tucks the Challenge under his Character board, leaving the Island symbol visible to count toward a Fighting Style bonus later.
- He advances his Resilience Trait equal to the Resilience Trait Symbols on the Challenge he completed (two notches).
- He moves all three dice he used in the Challenge into his Spent Dice area.
Completing the Challenge
For each Trait symbol you successfully matched on the Challenge, advance that Trait dial on your Character board by one notch.
Move all dice you still have remaining that were used in the Challenge to your Spent Dice area. Any dice you lost during the Challenge stay lost.
Tuck the completed Challenge card under your Character board, leaving the Arena symbol showing. This symbol will count toward a Fighting Style bonus when you fight Monsters.
DIVERSITY BONUS: Each time you complete a set of Challenges (one Challenge from each of the three Arenas), move +2 on the Champion board.
IMPRESS THE JUDGE BONUS: If the Judge is on the same Island as you when you complete a Challenge, move +1 on the Champion board.
Fight a Monster
As the Tournament is ramping up and the crowds gather, troubling rumors begin to spread. Monsters from the depths, not seen in years, have been spotted coming from The Fold.
Some young contestants are not content just to compete in the Tournament, and venture to the outskirts of The Fold to prove their worth by fighting the fearsome beasts.
The Fold has two Action spaces that offer players resources and a chance to fight the Monsters. Each space corresponds with one of the Monsters and gives access to fight that Monster.
Monster Details: Fighting Style weakness; Monster name; Damage spots; Armored spots; Kill Bonus; Reward & Invasion. (Example — Colossal Spinesquid: Reward: Move +1 on the Champion board. Gain an Elite die. Invasion: Move -1 on the Champion board. Lose a die.)
Fighting Styles and the Bonus Die
Each Arena has a unique Fighting Style, and the Arena's Island symbol also represents that style. By competing in the different Arenas, you increase your skills in each Fighting Style, which is used when fighting Monsters.
Your level in a Fighting Style is the number of Challenges you have completed at that Arena.
Each Monster is weak to a specific Fighting Style, so when you fight it, you use the Fighting Style marked on the Monster to gain an advantage.
If you have reached at least Level 1 in that Fighting Style, you may gain a Bonus die from the general supply when you choose your dice to commit to the battle. Your Maximum Roll/Focus level does not apply to the Bonus die, and you do not need to eat a Fruit to add it.
If you have not completed any Challenges in that Fighting Style, you do not gain a Bonus die.
All dice used to fight Monsters are returned to the general supply after the battle. You do not keep the Fighting Style Bonus die.
Your level in that Fighting Style determines the type of Bonus die you receive:
- Level 1 - a bonus Novice die
- Level 2 - a bonus Initiate die of your choice
- Level 3 - a bonus Elite die of your choice
- Level 4 or higher - a bonus Guild die of your choice
Example of Fighting Styles and the Bonus Die
If you have completed three Challenges at the Droska Ring like Caiman in the example below, you have reached Level 3 in that Fighting Style. When facing the Colossal Spinesquid, which is weak to the Droska Ring's Fighting Style, you gain a bonus Level 3 Elite die of your choice.
(Level 3 in Droska Ring Fighting Style; Colossal Spinesquid is weak against Droska Ring Fighting Style; gain a bonus Level 3 Elite die of your choice.)
Fight Steps
To fight the Monster, you roll dice in the same way as for Challenges.
Unlike Challenges, Monsters do not need to be killed all in one turn. You can inflict some damage on the Monster, and then you or another player can return later to continue the battle.
- Select dice from your Active Dice area to commit to the fight, up to your Maximum Roll (current Focus level). If you wish to commit more dice than your current Focus, you must eat 1 Fruit for each extra die. You cannot commit more dice than you have, no matter how many Fruit you eat.
- Check the Monster's Fighting Style and add any Bonus die based on your level in that style. Your Maximum Roll does not apply to the Bonus die.
- Roll all of your chosen dice, along with the current Danger die.
- If you rolled any x symbols on the Danger die, you must immediately lose one of the dice used in the fight by returning it to the general supply unless you use your Shell Shield to block all x symbols rolled. (See "Shell Shield Abilities" on page 9.)
- You may stop fighting, and if your roll matches some or all of the Monster's remaining uncovered spots, you deal damage to the Monster.
- You may choose to keep your matching dice aside and re-roll the others by returning to step 3, above. Remember that each time you re-roll dice, you must also re-roll the Danger die.
LOSING DICE—BEWARE! Fighting Monsters is not as safe as Challenges held in the Arenas.
You lose ALL dice rolled against a Monster at the end of the fight.
They are returned to the general supply, not to your Spent Dice area.
You must evaluate the danger you face when fighting a Monster, make sure you are properly trained, and know how many dice you are prepared to lose.
Deal Damage
Once you choose to stop rolling, place one of your Hit tokens on the Monster for each symbol in your roll that matches an uncovered symbol on the Monster. Cover the matching symbol with your Hit token. In the unlikely event that a player runs out of Hit tokens, they may use another suitable token or item to track their hits.
For each Trait symbol you successfully matched on the Monster, advance that Trait dial on your Character board by one notch.
ARMORED SPOTS: Some spots on the Monster can only be damaged by higher-level dice. Solid color spots require at least a Level 2 Initiate dice of that color, and the circular colored spots with black edges require at least Level 3 Elite dice of that color. Most of these spots grants an additional reward of moving +1 on the Champion board, indicated by the trophy symbol.
Damaging Monsters — Armored Dice Spots:
- A spot with a white background matches with any level of die, Novice or higher. Trait symbol must match.
- A spot with a solid color background matches an Initiate die or higher. Trait symbol must match.
- A spot with a black edge matches an Elite die or higher. Trait symbol must match.
- Symbols paired together must be beaten on the same turn. See page 9 of the Almanac for more information.
Rewards & Penalties
Monsters pose a serious threat to Naviri's inhabitants. Aspiring heroes who fight the Monsters are rewarded, while those who ignore the danger must expend valuable resources to repair the damage when Monsters Invade, and they may also lose standing with the Judge.
Killing a Monster—Rewards
When all of the Monster's symbols are covered by Hit tokens, the Monster is killed and removed from The Fold.
All players who have Hit tokens on the Monster gain the reward shown on the Monster. The player who does the final damage to a Monster is awarded the Kill Bonus.
All Hit tokens on that Monster are stacked next to The Fold. You score 1 point for each of your Hit tokens next to The Fold at game end.
Monster Invasion—Penalties
Monsters escape from The Fold (the Monster deck) and then move first to The Fold's Edge, and then to the Inner Reef protecting Naviri, before finally being driven off from the city by the Coral Guards.
At the end of each round, a Monster may Invade the city. The First Player rolls the Monster Invasion die (light blue d8). If the roll is 1 - 5, the Monster at the Inner Reef will Invade. If the roll is 6 - 8, the Monster at The Fold's Edge will Invade.
If a Monster Invades, all players who do not have at least one Hit token on that Monster suffer the Invasion penalty marked on that Monster card.
After rolling for the Invasion effect, all Monsters advance one space, and a new Monster is revealed.
(The Bullubura is the first Monster to escape The Fold at the start of the game. It's not killed, so it moves to the Inner Reef, and the Giant Mudcrab then escapes The Fold.)
MONSTER FLEE: If a Monster advances from the Inner Reef, it is then driven off by the Coral Guards and Flees. When a Monster Flees, all players who have not damaged the Monster move -1 on the Champion board.
The Monster at the Inner Reef space leaves The Fold entirely and is discarded from play. No rewards are granted for a Monster that Flees before being killed, though any Hit tokens on the Monster are placed beside The Fold and score points at game end as usual.
Monster Hunting
If there are no Monsters in The Fold when you visit The Fold's Edge, a new Monster is flipped face-up on top of the Monster deck and you must fight it.
This Monster will not Invade at the end of the round, but will advance to The Fold's Edge.
How to Fight a Monster — Example
In Round 4, Dust goes to The Fold and chooses to fight the Colossal Spinesquid.
- Her Focus level is 2. She chooses to roll two white Novice dice from her Active Dice area.
- The Colossal Spinesquid's weakness is the sword, the Fighting Style of the Droska Ring. Dust has completed three Challenges at the Droska Ring, giving her a Fighting Style level of 3, so she adds a red Level 3 Elite die as her Bonus die for this fight. Her Focus level does not apply to the Bonus die, so she does not need to eat any Fruit for this.
- She rolls all three dice, plus the Level 3 orange Danger die (because it is Round 4). She rolls a Focus symbol on the Elite die, and Focus and Resilience symbols on the two white Novice dice.
- Since she rolled an xx symbol on the Danger die, she must pay 2 Shells onto her Shell Shield or lose a die. She chooses to lose the white Novice die showing Resilience.
- Dust chooses to stop rolling and deal damage. She assigns the red Elite die to the Armored spot, and the white Novice die to an unarmored spot, placing her Hit tokens to cover them.
- She advances her Focus Trait dial two notches for matching the Focus symbols on the Monster. She also moves +1 on the Champion board for hitting the Armored spot.
- When the Monster is killed, Dust will also gain the reward since she now has a Hit token on the Monster. If the Monster Invades at the end of the round, she will not be affected.
Round End
During the night, Monsters Invade, players Refresh and Upgrade their dice, and everyone prepares for the next day of the Tournament.
The moon and star symbol is used to mark parts of the game as a reminder that they need your attention at round end.
- MONSTER INVASION: Roll the Monster Invasion die. If a Monster Invades, each player who does not have a Hit token on that Monster suffers the Invasion penalty marked on the card, in turn order.
- MONSTERS ADVANCE: All Monsters advance one space, and a new Monster is revealed from the Monster deck.
- MONSTER FLEE: If a Monster was in the Inner Reef space, it Flees. Each player who does not have a Hit token on that Monster must move -1 on the Champion board.
- REFRESH & UPGRADE DICE: Choose a number of dice equal to your Resilience level. You can choose dice in your Active Dice area and/or in your Spent Dice area. If any dice you chose are in the Spent Dice area, Refresh them, moving them back to your Active Dice area, and then Upgrade all of your chosen dice.
- COLLECT ACTION DISCS: Return your Character standee and Action discs to your Character board.
- THE JUDGE: The First Player moves the Judge standee to the next Arena Island in clockwise order: Lamara Stadium to Droska Ring; Droska Ring to Chronosseum; Chronosseum to Lamara Stadium.
- TOURNAMENT STANDINGS: If you are the leader on the Champion board, place one of your Hit tokens on the Champion board. If there is a tie, no Hit tokens are placed. Hit tokens placed this way score 1 point at game end.
- NEXT ROUND: Advance the Current Round marker to the next round. At the start of Round 2 and Round 4, replace the current Danger die with the die of the next difficulty level, and take one of your extra Action discs from the board.
End of Game Scoring
The game ends at the end of Round 4, and final points are totaled.
Challenges
Score points for each Challenge you have completed, as shown in the bottom corner of the Challenge card.
Trait Dials
Score the highest point value you have reached on each of your four Trait dials.
Champion Board Rank
Score points for your rank on the Champion board.
The player in first place scores 3 points. Second place scores 2 points. Third place scores 1 point.
If multiple players are tied, add the awards up, and split them evenly between the players, rounding down.
For example: if two players tie for first place, add the 1st and 2nd awards and divide by two. 3 points + 2 points = 5 points, divided between two players scores 2 points each. The third player receives 1 point as usual.
Champion Board Advancement
Score points for the highest point value you have reached or passed on the Champion board. Values of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 points are marked on the Champion board. Only one player may claim the 10 point reward.
Champion Board Leader Bonus
Score 1 point for each Hit token you have placed on the Champion board during earlier rounds.
Secret Goals
Score the marked points if you have completed your Secret Goal.
Monster Hits
Remove any Hit tokens remaining on undefeated Monsters and add them to the pile beside The Fold.
Score 1 point for each damage you have done to Monsters, counting the number of your Hit tokens placed beside The Fold.
Winner
The contestant with the most points at game end is named the new Champion and the leader of the new group of Tidal Blades. All of the other contestants performed admirably and will join the Tidal Blades as junior commanders!
In case of a tie, the player who has moved furthest on the Champion board wins. If still tied, the player with the most points from Challenges wins. If still tied, it is a shared victory!
Credits
Concept: Mr. Cuddington.
Design: Tim & Ben Eisner.
Art & Worldbuilding: Mr. Cuddington.
Lead Developer: James Hudson.
Additional Development: Matthew Gould, Mac Nelson, Derek Funkhouser, Aris Bionat, Ben Kepner.
Rulebook: Tim & Ben Eisner, Joel Finch, Kate Finch.
Editor: Ari Yarwood.
Miniatures Sculptor: Heriberto Martinez.
Box Insert Design: Noah Adelman, GameTrayz.
Production: Kate Finch.
Publisher: Skybound, Druid City Games.
Playtesters: Ana Alexandrescu, Aris Bionat, Ben Kepner, Ben Walker, Brooke Kratz, Chase Van Epps, Christian Kang, Dan Fain, Dan Stong, Derek Funkhouser, Dewey Tran, Doug Butler, Estefania Baluyot, Evan Halbert, Ian Moss, Jess Braeuninger, Jon Gilmour, Joseph Owens, Joseph Sturgis, Keith Eisner, Lizzy Funkhouser, Mac Nelson, Matt Rodrigues, Matt Smith, Matthew Gould, Michael Kness, Michelle Marino, Mike Confino, Mike Vander Veen, Mohammad Ali, Mr. eCuddington, Natalie Rodrigues, Raeyn Kratz, Ryan Falls, Ryan Mauk, Ryan Spangler, Ryan Swisher, Scott Biersdorf, Svetlana Nelson, Taran Kratz, Tekela Fisher, Vince Vergonjeanne.
Copyright © 2020 Druid City Games® and Skybound™. All rights reserved.
No portion of this document may be duplicated or copied without the express written permission of Druid City Games® and Skybound™.