FAQ
What exactly is Rules v1.1?
Rules Version 1.1 was released in 2016. The updated changes are:
a) The system is now A-BCDE-F, where E (ELIMINATE) and F (FORWARD) are new, allowing the option to ELIMINATE exactly 1 non-Terror card from your hand on your turn by trashing it. Also, you may always end your turn with the option to FORWARD exactly 1 unused Gold card to the top of your deck. The Turn Overview is explained well in our Tutorial Video.
b) For a 2-player setup, INCLUDE Casualty of War. Also, the game ends when the Retreat card is revealed OR a player kills 9 Invaders.
c) We fixed potential misunderstandings in the rule book: The STARTING THREAT LEVEL only occurs once, at the start, and is never used again during that game.
How does the Terror Die work?
The Terror Die is only moved for the circumstances below:
a) Starting Threat Level - Only once, during the game setup, the Terror Die is rolled by the starting player to set the initial Terror Count. This roll results in certain cards being gained to your initial discard piles according to "Starting Threat Level" in Chapter 4 of the rulebook.
b) Revealed Invader Effects - Some Invaders, like Skeletal Soldiers, trigger the roll of the Terror Die when it appears. This sets a new Terror Count but has no effect on the "Starting Threat Level".
c) Terror Count - During the game, the Terror Die increases in number each time Terror cards move from your hand, into your discard pile. Example: If 2 Terror cards move from your hand to the discard pile, the Terror Die is increased by +2.
Do you increase the Terror Count as soon as you draw a Terror card?
No. The Terror Count is only increased once a Terror card moves from someone's hand into their discard pile.
If multiple Terror cards keep appearing on one player's turn, is it possible reveal more than one Event card?
Yes! For example, if the Terror Die is currently at "5" and someone plays "City Siege", due to this card's effect, everybody around the table will discard their hands down to 4 cards. If 7 Terror cards were discarded, the Skull will appear twice on the die. So 2 Event cards are handed to the next player, who will then reveal them at the beginning of their turn.
Is there any way to defend against Terror?
Yes. Some Defenders allow you to avoid Terror gained from Invader effects. Also some Action cards allow you to discard Terror cards to gain new cards. However, there is currently no way to intentionally trash Terror cards.
Can a Terror card be randomly trashed with certain cards, like Dark Rising?
Yes! This is one of the few unlikely ways to trash Terror. Boy, you must be lucky!
We are running out of Terror cards! Now what?
In some cases, Terror runs dry. Your armies are saturated in fear.
a) If the Terror cards are gone and a card tells you to gain a Terror, ignore that effect.
b) If a card tells multiple players to gain Terror cards but there are not enough remaining, ignore that effect. Either everyone gains the correct number of Terror, or no one does.
For Events, how do you determine the player with the most kills?
The "most kills" is determined by the number of Invader cards collected by each player, not by their Glory Points. If there is a tie for Invader cards, the tie-breaker is determined by the most Gold Invader cards. If there is still a tie, those tied players will all be affected by the Event, even if you are all tied for zero kills.
Do I lose points if I don't complete all my Campaign cards?
No points will be deducted. Campaign away!
When the final Event card is flipped, do you resolve its effects?
No. It is burned (please not literally). When you remove the last Event card, the Retreat card is revealed and the game ends right after the active player finishes their turn. The King commands you to retreat. Everyone runs home to count their Glory Points.
What if the game ends and there is a tie for most Glory Points?
The tied player with the most number of Gold Invaders wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the most completed Campaign cards wins. If a tie remains, then wow, those tied players all win! Hooray!
What do we do when we run out of Blue/Gold Invader cards to reveal for negative effects?
When the Blue Invader cards or Gold Invader cards run out, no negative effect is revealed by the next card because there is no next card. So, nothing happens. Nice!
If you play an Action card that gives you +1 Buy, can you Campaign or Defeat or Eliminate, THEN Buy a card (with your additional +1 Buy)?
Nope. Cards that give you "+1 Buy" simply allow you to add an extra Buy to your Buy option. That way, you can buy more than one card on your turn.
Sending Defenders to attack is hard. Defenders are greedy and hard to pay. Am I playing this right?
Yes. The challenge of the game is having both the money and the muscle to take down those wretched Invaders. Muscle with no money will not work. Money with no muscle will also leave you helpless. Just like real life.
Is it possible to play with more than 6 players?
No. The game is designed with enough cards for 6 players max. However, if you feel like modding it on your own, anything is possible.
When Betrayal is used and the attacking player cannot kill the Invader, what happens?
If an attacking player has chosen their target but is unable to defeat it because their attack was weakened by a Betrayal, their turn is over. That player may not choose to kill another Invader. They miss their turn completely. Ouch.
Can multiple Campaign cards score for a single matching Invader card?
No. No. No. Once an Invader is used to complete a Campaign card, that Invader cannot be used again for another Campaign card. The reverse is also true for multiple Invader cards and a single matching Campaign card.
Example: To complete 2 Campaigns for "WYVERN x 1", you will need to defeat 2 Wyvern Invader cards.
Are my defeated Invader cards kept face-up or face-down?
Defeated Invader cards are kept face-down. You can personally reference them, but keep them secret from other players.
Are Campaign cards kept face-up or face-down?
Campaign cards are kept face-down, hidden from your opponents. Only at the end, when points are counted, do you reveal your completed Campaign cards to count Glory Points and break hearts.
If I'm using a Stone Titan, how many Invaders can I kill?
Your Stone Titan can cumulatively do 60 Damage. You can kill multiple Invaders for a total Damage of 60. For example, you may kill 2 Hellhounds for 30 HP each. You can also combine other Defenders with the Stone Titan's attack for a very epic kill count.
What does "gain" mean? Do you "gain" cards into your hand or your discard pile? The terminology confuses me.
In most cases, when you "gain" a card, it come from the "Table" (the shared pool of cards) and goes straight to your "Discard Pile". However, some rare exceptions:
a) If the card effect specifies a destination, follow what it says. Example: The Sorceress card states, "Gain 2 cards from your discard pile to the top of your deck."
b) If the card effect says "Gain +1 card", then the card is drawn from the top of your deck.
All terminology is explained in the rules, but here is a handy reference.
Hand - This is the set of cards that you are currently holding.
Deck - This is is the pile of face-down cards that you draw from, into your hand, throughout the game.
Gain - This moves cards from the table to your discard pile, unless otherwise specified. Gain +N moves cards from your deck.
Discard pile - This is the pile of face-up cards where you place your discarded cards.
Discard - Discarding a card places it face-up on the table. When your turn ends, that card goes onto your discard pile.
Trash - Trashing a card returns that card to the table, on top of its respective pile.
Terror Count - This is represented by the current number on the Terror Die.
Table - This is the shared pool of available cards in the game.
Why do we remove Casualty of War in a 1v1 setup?
This was true for the original game release. We have since updated the rules. Now players will keep the Casualty of War on the table for 1v1. Additionally, the game ends when a player collects 9 kills, or when the 6 Event cards run out.
Can I play this game solo? Is it fun?
Yes and yes. There are multiple reviews and comments on the interwebs about our Solo Variant and people's experience with it. We recommend doing a Google search to see if it's a good fit for you.
What if a card mentions an "opponent" or "other players" BUT I'm playing Solo? What do I do?
Some cards are not designed for the Solo variant. In these cases, ignore those effects. We also suggest solo players totally avoid including these types of cards.
I have lotsa black and white cards. What's up?
These black and white cards are the Randomizers. They are identical to the actual playing cards in the game, which are colored. Check out page 16 in the rule book, under "Battle Stage X". You can use them to create random Battle Stage setups.
What are the Elder Stone cards?
These cards are found in exclusive Kickstarter versions. Each player starts with an Elder Stone. Throughout the game, when a player reaches or surpasses a specific number of defeated Invaders, the Elder Stone allows them to immediately gain certain rewards.
If you do not have these cards but want to use one for reference, here it is.
a) When a player reaches 3 kills, they will draw 2 Campaign cards.
b) When a player reaches 5 kills, they will gain 1 Fortune card.
c) When a player reaches 6 kills, they will gain 1 extra Glory Point.
Where do I buy card sleeves that fit?
Personally I'm not a sleeve-user. I like my games used and worn. BUT I know many of you like sleeving your games. We recommend MAYDAY. They make sleeves that fit all our 3 sizes:
- 64 x 89mm (Mayday card game green - 100 pack standard)
- 80 x 80mm (Mayday medium square red - 100 pack standard)
- 57 x 89mm (Mayday chimera orange - 100 pack standard)
We recommended this sizing chart (see image) during our Kickstarter campaign. It clarifies how many sleeve packs to buy for your game.
Note: SLEEVE KINGS also fit our cards well. They are owned by Mayday and have higher quality sleeves.
Why is the game's age rating at 14+?
The game's art and theme are quite dark and maybe a bit scary for younger kids (and even some adults). Nonetheless many poeple find this game quite suitable for kids. You decide. But ask your dad and mom first.
How long does the game last? Is the 45-minute rating accurate?
As with all games, this depends largely on how quickly players play, their level of experience, and the number of players. I would say it's more accurate to say 30-90 minutes, but there is no exact science. Some games last 2.5 hours because of that one player who is super slow! Alan, you know who I'm talking about.
But on average, if all players are experienced and plan their turns ahead of time (like a true gamer should), 45 minutes is pretty accurate.