Archmage Origins
Archmage Origins Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
In the Box:
56 cards:
- 32 mage cards
- 4 hold monster cards
- 16 monster cards
- 4 spell cards
4 hold monster tokens
2-4 players
Objective
Players take turns observing and manipulating the field of monsters by peeking at cards and deviously moving the monsters. Players strategically place their mage cards to compel monsters to join their army. The mage controlling the strongest force of monsters wins.
Setup
- Shuffle the monster and spell cards and create the Realm by placing the cards face down in a 4x4 grid.
- Set aside the leftover cards – they become the Exploration Deck.
- Each player takes one set of mage cards, including the hold monster card, choosing from the Demonologist, Necromancer, Technomancer and Elementalist
- Players choose the style of mage battle:
- a. Option 1 - Each player occupies a corner of the Realm. They can play their mage cards on either of the two sides that meet at their corner of the Realm. They can play one mage card per space on their two sides.
- b. Option 2 – Players can play their mage cards on any space bordering the Realm. Each Realm border space is limited to two (2) mage cards per space.
After setting up the grid, each player shuffles their mage cards and randomly draws and reveals one card. The player who reveals the highest number goes last. All players return their mage card to their hand.
Play
On your turn:
- Peek at two monster cards on the field, secretly looking at one card at a time. If the card is a spell card, reveal it and complete the action(s) described on the card. Discard the spell card. Revealing a spell card does not count towards your two peek actions.
- After peeking, you may choose to swap the locations of the two cards you viewed (keep them facedown) or leave them in their original locations.
- Place one of your mage cards facedown outside the Realm next to a row or column as directed by the play option chosen in setup.
- You may choose to play your hold monster card. If so, place your hold monster token on top of one monster card.
- Play passes to the next player.
Notes for peeking at cards
- You may only peek at one of the two cards the previous player viewed.
- If a spell card causes you to switch the location of the first card you peeked at, that first card does not count towards your two peek actions.
Notes for the hold monster card
- The hold monster card can only be played once and then it is removed from the game.
- A card can only have one hold monster token on it.
- A hold monster token prevents the card from being peeked at or moved until it is revealed during scoring, unless directed otherwise by a spell card. For example, Divination allows a player to look at a card with a hold monster token on it (but not move it).
Scoring
After the players have placed all their mage cards, flip all the monster and mage cards face up.
Monster by monster, each player adds the power rating of their mage cards in that column and row.
The player with the higher power rating captures that card and adds it to their army.
If there is a tie, then the monster card is removed from the game.
Notes for monster cards
- Some monsters require you to exceed the next closest caster power by a minimum amount to capture the monster.
- Some monsters have bonuses or penalties listed on the card depending on the player's mage class (demonologist, technomancer, necromancer or elementalist).
- The number in the top right is the monster's power.
- When this symbol is present, remember to check for specific victory conditions when attempting to capture these monster cards.
End of Game and Winning
Players add the total power of the monsters they collected. Any spell cards left in the Realm are worth three (3) points to the player who captures it. The player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, play again!
Dawn of the Archmage
You can use the hold monster cards from this game in your Dawn of the Archmage game.