Valka Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Before You Start
• Setting Battle Lines
  • Frontline
  • Backline
• Know Your Fighters
• Know Your Warbands
• On Your Turn
• Events
• Tracking Damage
• Ending Your Turn
• Game Modes
• Glossary & Explanation of Cards
• Warbands
• Tips and Tricks
• Lonequest Rules
  • Gameplay
  • Components
  • Setting Up
  • Win Condition
  • Prepare for Adventure
  • Order of Play
  • Warband Resources
  • Map Locations and Quest Cards
  • Markets
  • Test Fate
  • Movement
  • Recruiting
  • Battle

Components

• 86 VÁLKA cards
  • 42 Fighter cards
  • 22 Event cards
  • 22 Buff cards
• 5 ten-sided dice (D10)
• 18 Damage tokens
• 6 Boon marker tokens
• First player marker

Before You Start

3 to 5 Players

1. Shuffle the VÁLKA Deck, then deal 10 cards to each player. Players may discard any number of cards from their opening hand then draw back up to 10 once. Discarded cards are placed face down at the bottom of the VÁLKA Deck.
2. Give a D10 to each player.
3. Place what's left of the VÁLKA deck within reach of all players. This is the Draw Pile. When cards are discarded during the game, place them face up next to the Draw pile. This is the Graveyard pile.
4. Each player rolls a D10 and the player with the highest outcome is the first player. Give this player the first player marker. Turn order moves clockwise around the table starting with the first player. In the case of ties, roll again.

NOTE: Play with lots of friends! Make lots of noise! Describe your attacks! And don't be afraid to forge alliances with another player to take on a tougher opponent!

1 to 2 Players

For the Lonequest rules, flip this booklet over and begin. For 2 players please see the Game Modes section on pg. 14.

Setting Battle Lines

At the beginning of the game, players select Fighters, Buffs, or Events from their hands, and place them face down (all cards are played face down at the top of the game) into one of two horizontally aligned 4-card rows. The row closest to your opponent(s) is the Frontline and the row closest to you is the Backline. Each of these rows may contain no more than 4 Fighters, however each Fighter may have up to 3 Buffs (1 of each type) equipped. Equipped Buffs are played face up, beneath face up Fighters, with their values visible. Unplayed cards remain in your hand, to be played later.

When everyone's Battle Lines are set, all players simultaneously reveal every card in their Frontline, then any equipped Fighters and cards that they would like to reveal in their Backlines. ("Traps" pg. 6)

Example of 3 Player Game (diagram on pg. 3): each player has a Frontline row and a Backline row, with the VÁLKA Deck, the Graveyard, the D10 and the Damage tokens placed around the table. Trap cards are shown face down in a Backline.

Example (diagram on pg. 4): the Damage tokens sit on a Fighter card in the Frontline, Equipped Buffs sit beneath face up Fighters, and the Graveyard pile is shown beside the table with the D10 nearby.

Frontline

• Fighters and Buffs in the Frontline cannot be changed unless they are defeated, or an Event card moves them.
• If there are no Frontline Fighters, your Backline immediately moves up and becomes your Frontline.
• Fighters may never have more than 3 Buffs equipped to them, and each Buff must be a different type.
• Fighters in your front line, attack and defend, and if it's your turn, they must attempt to attack. ("Combat" pg. 7)
• When a Fighter is reduced to 0 Health, that Fighter, and any Buffs equipped to it are moved to the Graveyard.
  • * If playing Bounty Hunter mode, the player who defeated the Fighter claims it to their capture pile.

Backline

• Fighters in the Backline always have full Health. And, if a damaged Fighter from your Frontline is sent to the Backline, its Health is fully restored.
• During your turn you may add new Fighters and Buffs to the Backline (minding the limit of Backline Fighters and Buff restrictions).
• During your turn Buffs and Fighters in your Backline can be moved, returned to hand, and rearranged as you choose.
• In addition to Fighters and Buffs, you can set Event cards face down, in any of your available slots. These cards are flipped face up, and immediately resolve when your Backline becomes your Frontline.
  • * Fighters may be played, face down, in your Backline, but Buffs cannot be equipped to face down Fighters. You may flip face down Fighters in your Backline face up, and equip them with Buffs anytime on your turn.
  • * Buffs can never be equipped to Event cards.

If you have no Frontline or Backline you've lost VÁLKA and are eliminated from the game.

Know Your Fighters

1. Infamy - Each Fighter in VÁLKA has an Infamy Value that can be used to determine the winning score after a game has ended.
2. Base Stats - The 3 scores each Fighter has before any Buffs or die roll outcomes are added.
   • Strike - how much damage it deals
   • Health - how much damage it can take
   • Shield - How to determine what kind of strikes hit
3. Name - This is exactly what you think it is.
4. Warband - This is the specific Warband that the Fighter belongs to. This is important because if multiple members of the same Warband enter the Frontline together, Warband Boons will trigger. (Warband Boon's pg. 16). Warbands also have an effect on the Lonequest.

Know Your Warbands

Each Fighter is a member of a Warband. This is denoted by the Warband Symbol in the bottom left corner of the Fighter card. As soon as you have 2 or more Fighters from the same Warband in your Frontline, their Warband Boon activates! If a Fighter in the Frontline is not part of a Warband with an active Warband Ability, it does not receive benefits of that Warband Ability unless otherwise noted. The intensity of the Boon is determined by the number of matching Warband Fighters that enter and remain in the Frontline.

Deadly Dyad (2 Exactly)

If only 2 Fighters from the same Warband enter the Frontline together, their Boon will activate once or persist until the start of your next turn. (depending on the Boon)

Horrible Horde (3 or more)

If 3 or more Fighters from the same Warband enter the Frontline together OR are still in the Frontline at the start of your turn, their Boon will activate at the start of that player's turn or persist indefinitely.

Persisting Warband Boons become inactive when your Frontline is reduced to 2 or fewer Fighters from the same Warband.

If a Warband Boon is marked with an exclamation icon (printed as a red "!") it happens as soon as they enter the Frontline then ends. If the Warband is Horrible these boons activate again at the start of each of their player's turns.

• Barbarian - Berserker Barrage: True Strikes and Team Strikes deal 2 Damage.
• The Brotherhood - Weird Warp (exclamation-marked, one-time): Draw three cards from the draw pile or steal three cards from any opponent's hands at random.
• Goblins - Raging Raiders: ALL of your Frontline Fighters have a +1 to Strike.
• Knights - Valiant Courage: ALL of your Frontline Fighters have a +1 to Shield.
• Monsters - Monstrous Roar! (exclamation-marked, one-time): Choose an Enemy Frontline Fighter and discard all Buffs, then send the Fighter to its owner's hand.
• Reptilios - Horde Strike: Each turn, each of your face up Backline Fighters may participate in a Team Strike.
• Tree Beasts - Nature's Wrath: Your Frontline Fighters can only be targeted by Chance Strikes, even if an enemy Fighter has a higher Strike Score than your Fighter's Defence Score.
• Wizards - Magic Storm (exclamation-marked, one-time): Deal 3 damage among any Frontline enemies.

The Jokers can be used as a "wild" and count as a Fighter of any Warband, and receive/activate all Warband Boon benefits.

On Your Turn

Draw 3 Cards - Begin each turn (including your first turn) by drawing 3 new cards from the VÁLKA Deck.

There is no limit to the number of cards that can be played from your hand during your turn and they do not need to be played in any specific order. You can do any of the following things any number of times:

• Fighter to the Backline
• Buff a face up Backline Fighter
• Play Events
• Set Traps
• Rearrange Backline Fighters/Buffs/Traps
• Attack! (depending on Frontline)

Push Your Luck?/End Your Turn. After you've finished playing cards and attacked you may discard up to 3 cards from your hand, then draw a card for each discarded card. Whatever you decide, after this YOUR TURN ENDS.

With that Turn overview in mind - let's break down each of the different things you'll be doing on your turn.

Fighter to the Backline - Place a Fighter from your hand into your Backline (until you have four Fighters or face down Traps in the Backline).

Buff - Equip a Buff card to a Fighter in your Backline, placing both cards face up.

Play Events - Events are powerful cards that have various effects. These cards are resolved as soon as they are revealed. NOTE: These cards can be played at various times, e.g. before attacking, after one or more Fighters attack, when another player does something, if set as a Trap, or after all Frontline Fighters have attacked.

You could attack with an injured Fighter then Retreat them into the Backline to heal, or reclaim fallen Fighters using the Grave Robber, and even prevent attacks with Divine Aid!

Set Traps - Play Events or unbuffed Fighters into your Backline, face down, setting them as "Traps". Setting Traps will use 1 of the 4 card slots in your Backline. When these cards are played as Traps, when your Backline becomes your Frontline they are flipped face up, and immediately resolve. This will allow Events to resolve outside your turn.

With the exception of Divine Aid, Events can only be played during your turn.

Rearrange - Move a Buff card from one face up Fighter in your Backline to another. Return a Fighter, Buff card, or Trap in the Backline to your hand.

Attack - Each Frontline Fighter must attack once per round. Declare which of your Fighters is going to Strike and which Frontline enemy Fighter you're Striking. Then declare if you are performing a True Strike, Team Strike, Reckless Strike or a Chance Strike. Strikes deal 1 damage unless otherwise noted.

• True Strike - If the Strike score of your Fighter exceeds the target's Shield score the defending Frontline enemy takes 1 damage.
• Team Strike - You can combine the Strike scores of one or more of your Fighters and overpower a strong foe. All Fighters used in a Team Strike cannot strike again until the next round.
• Reckless Strike - If a Fighter has only 1 Health, you may sacrifice it to deal 1 damage to any target. Sacrificed Fighters go to the Graveyard.
• Chance Strike - The Striking and Defending players each roll a D10. If you can't land a True, Team or Reckless Strike, take a Chance Strike.
  • The Striking Fighter adds their total Strike score to the outcome of their roll.
  • The defending Fighter adds their total Shield score to the outcome of their roll. If either player rolls a 10, they win the combat. If both roll a 10 or there is a tie of any value, advantage goes to the attacker. (This means a 10 in multiplayer.)
  • The Fighter with the higher total value wins the Combat, and deals 1 damage to the other Fighter.
• If either player rolls a 1 they automatically fail to strike or fail to defend, regardless of their equipped Buffs. If both roll a 1, they both deal 1 damage to themselves.

Events

Typically, Event cards will be revealed during your turn, and there is no limit to the number of Event cards you can reveal in a single turn. When an Event is played/revealed it immediately resolves, then goes to the Graveyard. If multiple Event cards are revealed at the same time, the active player's Events resolve first in the order they prefer, then opponent Events resolve in clockwise player order.

• Fear - Declare an enemy Frontline Fighter. All Buffs equipped to that Fighter go to the Graveyard, then send that Fighter to its owner's hand.
• Potion - Remove all damage tokens on a Fighter.
• Retreat - Move one of your Frontline Fighters and all Buffs equipped to it to your Backline. If your Backline is full return them all to your hand.
• Reinforce - Move one of your Backline Fighters and all Buffs equipped to it to your Frontline.
• Changeling - Swap a Fighter in your hand with a Fighter in yours or an opponent's Frontline. Buff cards do not move with the Fighter, all equipped Buffs remain in place and will now affect the total scores of the swapped card. Any swapped Fighter loses all damage.
• Divine Aid - Divine Aid is the only Event that can be played anytime! When an opponent does something you want to prevent (including playing an Event card), reveal Divine Aid then ignore all effects targeting you, your Fighters, Frontlines, Backlines, or Hand. In the case of a failed Shield Roll, Chance Strike or Event roll outcome, reveal Divine Aid to; negate the damage, land that Chance Strike, resolve that Event etc. (even if your opponent rolls a 10).
• Fireblast - Declare any Frontline Fighter and make a Chance Strike or True Strike against them with +3. If you strike the enemy, deal 2 damage to it and 1 damage to any other Frontline enemies on either side of it.
• Lightning Bolt - Choose an opponent's Frontline then roll a die. Starting with the chosen Frontline, deal 1 damage to X enemies where X is the outcome of your roll. If you have dealt 1 damage to all Fighters in the chosen Frontline, and have more damage to deal, continue dealing damage to Fighters in the Frontline of the player to your target's left. Continue this until X damage has been dealt. Should the order arrive at your Frontline, you must assign damage to your own Frontline. All Fighters defeated this way go to the Graveyard.

Tracking Damage

When a Fighter with more than 1 Health is dealt damage, place a Damage token on top of the Fighter card with the 1-side up, or flip a token from the 1-side to the 2-side. When a Fighter with 1 Health is dealt damage, it is moved to the Graveyard (or Claimed).

Example: The Old Gob was played into the Backline with a +2 Buff to Health and has a Base Health of 3 for a combined Health score of 5. The Old Gob gets moved to the Frontline and is attacked by enemies. The 1st time The Old Gob is dealt damage a 1 Damage token is placed on the Old Gob card. The 2nd time The Old Gob is dealt damage the Damage Token would be flipped to the 2 side, the 3rd time The Old Gob is dealt damage a 1 Damage token is placed on the Old Gob. The 4th time The Old Gob is dealt damage, flip the Damage token to the 2 side. The fifth time The Old Gob would be dealt Damage The Old Gob has been slain and goes to the Graveyard (or Claimed).

• Health Buffs remain on Fighters until they're defeated and if they are healed or Retreat retains that Buff and restored to full health.

Ending Your Turn

After you've completed all of your actions, you may Push your luck.

• Pushing Your Luck - Discard up to 3 cards from your hand and draw that number of cards. Your turn is over.

Game Modes

-1 Player-

Lonequest (Solo Play) - If you're looking to test your skills in VÁLKA alone, flip over this rule booklet and refer to the rules for the VÁLKA Lonequest!

-2 Players-

Duel - For a tight head-to-head clash, shuffle the VÁLKA Deck then:

• Reveal 10 cards face up on the table in a row creating a market.
• Determine the first player by each rolling a die, the highest result wins.
• The First player selects 3 cards from the Market then replaces those cards with new ones from the VÁLKA Deck.
• The 2nd player repeats this process.
• This drafting process continues until each player has a personal VÁLKA Deck of 18 cards.
• Then play normally using the VÁLKA core rules.

-3 to 5 Players-

Bounty Hunter - Defeated Fighter cards are placed near the player that defeated them in their "Capture" pile and scored based on their Infamy. The first player to reach 10 Infamy triggers endgame. Complete one more round. When the player who triggered endgame would start their next turn, the game is over. Whoever has the highest Infamy wins.

For slightly less math, the first player to capture 6 Fighters triggers endgame. After one more round whoever has claimed the most Fighters wins.

For a longer or shorter duration, change the endgame trigger value to your liking.

Annihilation - Moving clockwise, play continues until only one player has a Frontline in play. The last player standing is the winner. In this mode defeated Fighters are sent to the Graveyard pile and are not claimed in player Capture Piles.

In Case of a Tie!! - The player who claimed more Fighters of a matching Warband wins. If there is still a tie, add up all Strike Scores of Claimed Fighters and the highest total wins. If there is still a tie, wow.

Glossary & Explanation of Cards

• Frontline - Up to 4 Fighters and any equipped Buffs currently engaged in battle. During a player's turn all Fighters in the Frontline must take part in a Strike and attempt to deal damage to Fighters in your opponent's Frontlines. Once Fighters and Buffs equipped to them are in the Frontline, they cannot be altered, and do not leave the Frontline unless they are defeated or moved by an Event card. When your entire Frontline is defeated, your Backline immediately becomes your Frontline. If you have any face down cards in your Backline when it becomes the Frontline, flip them face up, and immediately resolve (in any order) any revealed Event cards.
• Backline - Up to 4 cards, and any equipped Buffs waiting to join the battle. Any cards in your Backline can be rearranged or returned to your hand at any time on your turn. Face up Fighters in your Backline can have Buffs equipped to them at any time during your turn. Buffs already equipped to face up Fighters in the Backline can be rearranged, returned to hand, or equipped to newly played Fighters at any time on your turn. Anytime a Fighter from your Frontline is sent into the Backline it gains full Health if damaged.
  • If you have no Frontline or Backline you've lost VÁLKA and are eliminated from the game.
• Backline Traps - Cards played, face down, into your Backline. Face down cards can be flipped face up anytime on your turn, and all Event cards are resolved immediately upon being revealed, either when moving from the Backline to the Frontline or when played during a player's turn. Fighters can be played, face down, in your Backline to fool your opponent, but Buffs cannot be equipped to face down Fighters.
• Buffs - Cards that modify your Strike, Health, or Shield scores. There are 3 types of Buff cards, with values between 1 and 3. These Buffs are equipped to Fighters while in the Backline, and are added to their corresponding Base Stat on the Fighter card. When you equip a Buff card to a Fighter in your Backline the Buff is placed under a Fighter with its value visible. A Fighter may only have 1 of each Buff card at a time.
• Total Strike - The force with which you Strike an enemy Fighter. When you target an opponent's Fighter, start with your Base Strike score, then add the score of an equipped Strike Buff to calculate your Total Strike score. If this score is higher than the target's Total Shield score, deal 1 damage to that target. If it is lower, add the result of a dice roll to determine your Total Strike score (Chance Strike).

Warbands

• Barbarians - Living on the glacial plains in the shadow of the great Spine Mountains, the Barbarians hunt the woolly aurochs, fight Goblins and raid the knightly cities for plunder. The Barbarians are a proud people, brutal in battle and quick to anger.
• The Brotherhood - The silent members of The Brotherhood, The Weird Warriors, come from all over VÁLKA. Accidents of meddling wizards, the lost, the unwanted. Their desires are unknown, but their hate can be felt throughout the land.
• Goblins - The Goblin people are a terrifying mystery to the other inhabitants of VÁLKA. From their deep mountain fortress homes, they burst forth in well organized but vicious formations to raid and kill. Beware the Goblin.
• Knights - The Knights seek to stretch their realm over all of VÁLKA. Their wish is to civilize, though their methods are harsh. Their own people live in fear of the attentions of the Queen of Love, while their enemies prepare for war.
• Monsters - From the darkness. From the forgotten places. They come from our nightmares, our mistakes, our worst desires. The Monsters of VÁLKA do not want to conquer, do not look to the future. They only wish to feed...
• Reptilios - Thought to be a myth, existing only as jumbled stories told by half-crazed travellers. No one believed their eyes, the great Reptilio wave, the Cold Army, is REAL. They will take all that they seek by fire and sword and wake the Dragon with blood.
• Tree Beasts - Great VÁLKA was once a mighty forest from the mountains to the sea. There creatures of peace tended the quiet places in solitude. But years of unfettered exploitation has left their home diminished. And now they seek bloody retribution.
• Wizards - The Wizards of VÁLKA stand apart from those they consider lesser in might and knowledge. They seek to understand the deep secrets of magic and will plumb great depths of arcane learning... whatever the cost.

Tips and Tricks

• Push Your Luck - Your hand is created by the luck of the draw, but you don't have to take what you're given. Discard weak cards, keep an eye on what's been played and save cards for later if they will help you succeed later in the game.
• Keep Secrets - Keeping unused Buff, Fighter, and Event cards in your hand allows you to protect them, and to play them when it might count the most.
• Pace Yourself - It may be a good move to set up a brutally strong frontline at the start of the game, intimidating your opponents and ending the game quickly. But it can be advantageous to start with weak Fighters, and save some of your best cards for later in the game, when you've collected even more powerful cards. Games can be won with very limited Fighters and lots of powerful Buffs, by throwing waves of weaker Fighters at your opponent, or by being cautious and saving your Buffs and Events for when they truly matter!
• Don't Get Cocky - The final rounds of the game can sometimes come down to one player having a very tough frontline simply smashing away at their weaker opponents, but a clever use of Buffs and Team Strikes can thwart a seemingly unbeatable Frontline. A well-planned final gambit can always fail, if an opponent has held on to tide-turning Buffs and Events until the end. Be sneaky and be prepared to change your strategy!
• Depend on Your Allies - True Strikes mean that a well-buffed Fighter can do a lot of damage or be very hard to hit. Rolling the dice is a gamble that will do more damage, but adding two or more of your weaker Fighters together to create a higher Strike score can offset that advantage.
• A Good Defence - It's tempting to favor Strike over Shield or Health, but beware of sending out big hitters that are very easy to knock out. It may be better to have a higher combined Health score in your frontline and be able to last longer than to go out swinging hard and lose all your cards quickly.
• Beware the Thief - Having your Backline at full strength, with each card buffed leaves you vulnerable to the Thief. It can be a good move to keep your Buffs secretly in your hand until the last moment before your Backline moves forward. But beware of waiting too long to buff your Backline, you might miss your chance!!

Lonequest Rules

For Multiplayer Core Rules flip this rule booklet over and begin.

Your Warband Elder has been lost to the wilds and woe of VÁLKA and you and your Warband are charged to find them. As the ranking member of your Warband you must conquer the north between the desert coast and the Spine Mountains, and battle across the fertile but wild lands! Armed and ready for brutal combat, you must vanquish roving Marauders and withstand the tests to come! Make use of every resource you can muster, manage your Stamina, collect Krone, and conquer the entire map! Gather your strength and lead your Warband to victory!!!

Gameplay

In VÁLKA Lonequest you will lead a Warband and manage resources in an effort to explore and conquer the lands of VÁLKA. As you travel to and reveal cards in each location you will be faced with challenges. Using the VÁLKA Core Battle Rules, fight off waves of Marauders, withstand unique Quests, gain, spend and lose Krone and Stamina and see if you can clear all locations of their cards. If all Locations are cleared you have defeated the Lonequest! Open the Lonequest Reward envelope then "rescue" the Warband Elder and add them to the VÁLKA Multiplayer deck!

Components

• 86 VÁLKA cards
  • 42 Fighter cards
  • 22 Event cards
  • 22 Buff cards
• 5 Lonequest dice (D10)
  • 2 gold for Krone
  • 1 red for Stamina
  • 1 white for Warband/Fate rolls
  • 1 black for Marauder rolls
• 18 Damage tokens
• VÁLKA multiplayer and Lonequest rule booklet
• Lonequest world map
• Lonequest player aid
• Lonequest Standee
• 36 Quest cards

Setting Up

1. Unfurl the VÁLKA Lonequest Map, setting it flat in front of you.
2. Shuffle the Quest Deck and deal 18 random cards face down into a stack. Place the remaining Quest cards back in the box (they won't be used in this game).
3. Create the Fighter, Warband, and Loot decks.
   • a. Sort all Fighter cards (white bordered) into one stack, this is the Fighter deck.
   • b. Search the Fighter deck for all 5 Fighters from a matching Warband (matching their Warband symbol in the bottom left of the Fighter card). Shuffle these Fighters and place them face down in front of you. This is your Warband Deck.
   • c. Shuffle the remaining Fighter cards and deal out 12 face down at random.
   • d. Sort all remaining Buff and Event cards into one stack, this is the Loot deck.
     • * Search the Loot deck for a +1 Health, +1 Strike and +1 Shield Buff card and place them in front of you. This is your starting equipment.
   • e. Place the Loot pile face up within reach above the map. NOTE: Buff and Event cards discarded during the game return to the Loot deck.
4. Take the 18 Quest cards and 12 Fighter cards and shuffle them together.
5. Once well shuffled, draw and place five cards from this combined deck, face down onto each Map Location in the card sized spaces on the map until each Map Location has 5 cards each.
6. Place the remaining cards from the Fighter Deck face down on one side of the map.
7. Place the Lonequest player interface board in front of you and set your starting resource values.
8. For KRONE place 2 gold 10 sided dice on the recessed spaces setting their values from left to right to 1 and 2 for 12 total.
9. For STAMINA, place one red die in the recessed space set to 3. The remaining dice are used to Test Fate and make battle rolls during the Lonequest (more on this shortly).

Setup diagram (pg. IV): the Graveyard, Fighter Deck, Loot Deck, Lonequest Map with Map Locations, Marauders Area, Warband Deck, Starting Loot, Lonequest Standee and Lonequest Player Interface are laid out around the map.

Win Condition

Defeat all roving Marauders and endure all Quests in each Location to conquer the VÁLKA Lonequest and WIN! Open the Lonequest Rewards envelope and seek out the Warband Elder from the matching Warband you defeated the Lonequest with and add them to the VÁLKA deck to be included in your multiplayer games!

Prepare for Adventure

Before you enter a Location and reveal the top card, you must prepare a Warband fighter for whatever may come:

• Reveal the top Fighter from your Warband Deck.
• You may apply Buffs to raise their stats. Once a Fighter engages in battle, these Buffs are locked and cannot be altered.
• You may spend 2 Stamina to Summon a 2nd Warband Fighter from your Warband deck (when not in combat). This can give you a stronger chance of winning the upcoming Quest or Battle. Place that fighter to the right of your first, creating a Frontline (see page 3 of VÁLKA Multiplayer Core Rules).

Begin to explore the map, starting in either of the southern most Map Locations, flip over the first card on the Location stack and either face a Quest, or if it is a Marauder, fight!

Once you arrive at a location and reveal its top card, your opportunity to prepare is over and you will not get to prepare again until you either find yourself in a location that has no cards in it or you endure or fight your way through all the cards in a location until there are none left so make sure you prepare wisely.

Order of Play

1. Prepare! - Turn over a random fighter from your Warband.
2. Equip? - Equip them with Buffs if desired.
3. Summon? - Spend Stamina to summon an additional Warband fighter if desired.
4. March! - Travel between Map Locations, spending 2 Stamina (skip this step if you are just starting the Lonequest on your first Map Location).
5. Explore! - Reveal the Top card of the Map Location you're visiting.
   • a. Fight!! - If you reveal a Marauder.
     • * Determine Battle advantage.
       1. You're victorious! Accrue Krone and Stamina.
       2. You're defeated - Your fighter is lost, draw and set up a new fighter (if able). If unable to draw a new fighter, you lose.
   • b. Endure - If you reveal a Quest.
   • If more cards remain in the location you're in EXPLORE or MARCH otherwise go to step 6.
6. Test Fate! - on each Buff card equipped to your Warband Fighters.
   • a. EVEN outcome - these items are well made and can be used again!
   • b. ODD outcome - these items are damaged - return them to the Loot Deck.

Warband Resources

Throughout your Lonequest you will manage 2 resources, in order to survive battles and traverse the harsh lands of VÁLKA;

• Krone is the spoils of war and the funds you will need to keep your army powerful. Krone can be spent to buy weapons and equipment in markets. It is represented by the two gold dice.

  The first position represents the first digit and the second represents the second digit. For instance, to show that you have 12 Krone, you would set the first dice to 1 and the second to 2. You cannot have more than 99 Krone.

• Stamina is your army's battle-readiness, general morale and strength. Stamina determines your Warband's ability to move between locations, to eat on the march and to be ready for combat. Stamina is gained when your Warband is awarded food, drink and board as they clear menacing Marauders from the lands and can be purchased in markets. It is represented by a red die.

  You cannot have more than 9 Stamina. You will lose Stamina traveling between locations and during Quests. Your Stamina also represents your Warband's readiness for battle, and a score of 3 or more will mean you get to attack first in any combat.

  PLEASE NOTE: if your Stamina drops to zero, and you cannot leave the location you are in, you have failed this Lonequest.

After emptying a Location of all Marauders and Quests, you receive 10 Krone and 3 Stamina.

Map Locations and Quest Cards

Each Map Location is specific, with their own deck of Marauders and Quests. These will impact your Warband in various ways. Quest cards will also provide effects and story to explore and may test your ability to survive.

The outcomes of Map Locations and Quests may change based on what Marauders you defeated and which Warband survived the battle. If a Quest says "played" that refers to the Warbands fighting for YOU. If a Quest reads "faced" it refers to Marauders you have fought. Take note of which cards you battle on each Map Location.

Markets

Whenever you reveal a Quest card with a Market you can buy and trade Loot. There are a number of ways that Krone and Loot can be purchased, earned and traded:

• Krone can be spent to purchase Buff cards of each attribute's corresponding color (yellow, pink, blue) at a cost of 5 Krone per point value of the purchased Buff card. For example, a player with 30 Krone buys a weapon with a +2 STRIKE Buff, they spend 10 Krone (2 x 5) and change their Krone dice to read 20.
• Buff cards can be traded at the same cost at Markets.
• You may exchange low value Buffs plus Krone to purchase high value Buffs, e.g. a +1 Shield Buff and 5 Krone can be traded for a +2 Shield Buff card.

Events can be bought when you're in a Market (when available) at the following costs:

Event / Stamina	Krone	Effect
Retreat / Reinforce	10 Krone	During a battle you may move a Fighter in battle to the bottom of your Warband deck -OR- Draw a new Fighter from your Warband deck and put into your Frontline.
Changeling	12 Krone	Swap a current fighting card with the next one face down in your Warband deck, leaving Buffs in place.
Healing Potion	8 Krone	Brings one fighter back to full HEALTH (ignore Buffs).
Stamina	10 Krone	Food and supplies for your warband.

Most event cards work identically to the Core Rules of VÁLKA, with a few minor exceptions.

• The FEAR spell will send one Marauder back to the bottom of the Fighter deck (you will not gain rewards for defeating that fighter).
• The THIEF card is used to protect you against pickpockets in certain towns or can be used in Markets to steal two random cards from the Loot deck into your hand.
• The GRAVE ROBBER can be used outside of combat to recover a defeated fighter in the Graveyard pile. They will be placed at the bottom of your Warband deck.
• DIVINE AID can be used to prevent a single attack or, Ignore one Quest card.

Once the effect of an Event card has resolved, these cards are discarded to the Graveyard.

If you have all of one type of Buff (all of the Strike, Shield or Health Buffs), you cannot collect more. For example if you already have all Health Buff cards when a Map Location tells you to collect another, ignore this instruction.

Test Fate

Throughout your Lonequest you will be asked to Test Fate. To do this you will roll a ten-sided die:

• Good fortune! An EVEN outcome (2, 4, 6, 8 or 10). The beneficial outcome resolves.
• Unfortunate! An ODD outcome (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9). The heinous outcome resolves.

Fail a Test of Fate? Make an offering to the dragon lord VÁLKA! Once per Lonequest, you may spend 20 Krone, then say a prayer to dragon lord Valka (actually do it) then that failed test of fate instead goes in your favor. Rejoice!

Movement

Spend 2 Stamina to move through Map locations.

• Map arrows indicate where you can travel to next.
• You can return to any cleared Location, for free.
• While out of combat if you have not cleared a section and wish to return to it, you will need to spend 2 stamina.
• If you are forced to move back to a previously cleared section, this will not cost you stamina unless otherwise indicated on the Quest card or by Retreating.
• If you are forced to move back a section and you are at the start of the game, ignore any stamina costs. Traveling back into the starting Location is always free.

Too Tired to Go On?: If you cannot leave the Map Location you are in because you do not have enough stamina you failed this Lonequest, try again.

Recruiting

If a market card indicates a recruit is available, you may spend 40 Krone and draw a random fighter from the Fighter deck. Place the new fighter face down on top of your Warband Deck. These new random fighters are revealed when you Summon them to battle.

Battle

Once you reveal a Marauder on a Map Location, your Warband is engaged in battle! To commence battle follow these steps:

• Strike First if Able - If your Stamina is 3 or greater at the start of the battle you Attack first otherwise skip to the Defend Step.
  • Attack! - Using VÁLKA Core Rules, your revealed Warband fighters deal damage to revealed Marauders from the Active Map Location. Do this with True, Chance, Reckless and Team Strikes (if you control 2 or more Fighters). Once all your Fighters have participated in an attack, remaining revealed Marauders will strike back!
• Defend! - If your Stamina is 2 or less at the start of the battle, or you failed to defeat all revealed Marauders after attacking with all your Frontline Fighters you Defend.
  • Strong Enuf - If the Marauder(s) strike score(s) exceeds the combined Shield Score of your Frontline Fighters, your left most Frontline Fighter will take one damage. The Marauders' turn is over.
  • Not Enuf - If the Marauder(s) strike score(s) is equal or lesser than the combined Shield Score of your Frontline Fighters, they Test Fate and try to call for Reinforcements.
    • * EVEN outcome - Draw and reveal a card from the Fighter deck. This Fighter joins the Marauders in battle. The Marauders' turn is over.
    • * ODD outcome - The Marauders' turn is over.
• Fight On!! - If you Attacked and there are still Marauders, Defend. If you've just Defended and you still have Front Line Fighters attack. Continue this until you either defeat all revealed Marauders, Retreat or get defeated.
• Reward! - Once battle is over, gain 10 Krone and 1 Stamina for each defeated Marauder you faced. Collect that before turning over the next card or moving locations.

Note: Whenever a location is cleared of ALL cards, gain 3 Stamina and 10 Krone.

Special Combat Actions

These are desperate actions you may use during a battle before your next attack. If you didn't Summon any additional fighters before entering a new location and find yourself in a tough spot, try Special Combat Actions to help you on your Lonequest:

• Reinforce - Use a Reinforce Event card to bring in a new fighter from your Warband to join the fight.
• Rally! - Spend 1 Stamina to call for help! Test Fate:
  • * EVEN outcome - Draw and reveal a Warband Fighter who joins your Frontline.
  • * ODD outcome - Oops, nothing happens (and you lose the Stamina).
• Retreat! - Pay 4 Stamina. Send all face up Marauders to the bottom of the Fighter Deck, send all your equipment to the Loot pile then move to a location you can travel to from your current location.
• Bribe - Pay 10 Krone for each revealed Marauder you're facing. Send all face up Marauders to the bottom of the Fighter deck. Then escape to a location you've cleared before and can travel to from your current location. If you can't pay 10 Krone per revealed Marauder, or you don't have a cleared location to escape to, you can't Bribe.

Defeat

If your Frontline Fighters are killed they are sent to the Graveyard. Any Buffs they are equipped with are returned to the Loot Deck. If all face up Warband Fighters are defeated in Battle, draw and reveal a new fighter from your Warband deck and equip them if able. Special Combat actions can help you avoid losing fighters if you can afford it. If you have no Warband Fighters to draw or battle with, you have failed this Lonequest. Try again.

Victory!

Once you have fought through or endured all cards in a location, the battle is over for now. Your Warband and the Marauders they faced may have an effect due to Quests or locations. Check for effects.

Test Fate on any equipped Buffs.

When you have cleared a location, collect your reward, and put the fighters you used at the bottom of your Warband deck, ready to prepare for the next battle, move, and explore the next location.

Battle Damage

Before moving to a new map location and revealing a new Fighter from your deck, determine how many of your equipped weapon Buff cards were damaged in the battles you faced (Strike, Health and Shield Buffs). Test Fate against any equipped Buff card:

• * EVEN outcome - Return the Buff card to your hand.
• * ODD outcome - Battle has damaged it beyond repair, and it is returned to its Loot deck.

Triumph!!!

You have won Lonequest if you've cleared the entire map! Each time you win a Lonequest you will unlock one of 8 additional Fighter cards to use in VÁLKA multiplayer battles! These Legendary Elder Warrior fighter cards are added to the main deck and add further mayhem and strategy to your games of VÁLKA.

Failure!

If all your Warband Fighters are defeated in battle or your Stamina is too low to move to a new location you have failed this Lonequest, try again - your Warband Elder needs you!

LET THE LONEQUEST BEGIN!!