Assassin's Creed: Arena Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Event Cards
  • Action Cards
  • Dagger System
• Hiding
• Moving
• Combat Phase
  • Attacking a Target
  • Human Targets
  • Attacking a Guard
  • Attacking Another Templar
• Guards
  • Being Spotted
  • How to Avoid Being Spotted
• Death
• Treasures
• Game End
• Sample Turn
• Additional Rules
  • Guard Movement
  • Target Spawning
• Event Card Notes
  • Tunnel Shortcut
  • Leap of Faith
  • Animus Glitch
• Variant Game Rules
• FAQ
• Quick Reference

Components

• 4 Oversized Character Cards
• 90 Action Cards
• 60 Event Cards
• 4 Player Pawns with bases
• 9 Guard Pawns with bases
• 1 Rulebook
• 36 Outer City Target Tokens
• 12 Inner City Target Tokens
• 3 Mosque Target Tokens
• 12 Bonus Victory Point Tokens
• 1 Game Board
• 1 Six-sided Die
• 1 VP Token (1 VP)
• 3 VP Token (3 VP)

Game Setup

1. Shuffle the 60-card Event deck. For 2 player games, use 30 Event cards; for 3 players, use 45; and for 4, use the full 60. Place any leftover Event cards back in the box. Place the deck on one side of the board.
2. Shuffle the 90-card Action deck and place it on the opposite side of the board.
3. Mix up the three Red Mosque Targets and place one face down on The Mosque. Place the rest back in the box, still face down.
4. Mix up the 12 Blue Inner City Targets and place eight of them face down onto the map as seen below. Place the rest back in the box, still face down.
5. Mix up the 36 White Outer City Targets and place them face down next to the board or in the box top.
6. Place the Militia (White) and Elite (Blue) Guards onto the matching dots as seen on the following page.
7. Each player chooses an Oversized Character and places their pawn into the corner space nearest to them.
8. Deal five Action cards to each player.
9. Each player rolls the six-sided die. The high roller becomes player 1. Play proceeds clockwise from that player. The player going last (i.e. third in a 3-player game) puts The Mosque (Red) Guard on the Red dot of their choice.

Playing the Game

Player Turn Sequence

During a player's turn, he goes through all three phases, even if he chooses to not act during a phase. When a player has completed all three phases, his turn is over and the player to his left takes his turn.

1. Event Card Phase
2. Move or Hide Phase
3. Combat Phase

Event Cards

At the start of each player's turn, an Event card is drawn. This card must be resolved before any other actions can take place. Event cards can spawn Targets, move Guards around the board, call in Guard reinforcements, or cause an Animus Glitch.

The game can end prematurely if the Event Deck runs out of cards. The player who draws the last Event card finishes his turn, and then all players count the tokens in their Victory Point Cache. The player with the most VPs is the winner!

Action Cards

Action cards are used primarily as movement and to attack players or Targets. They can also be used to equip Weapons for your Templar or respond to PvP attacks. There are many types of Action cards, but you always follow the Golden Rule: Do what the card says, even if it contradicts a rule in the rulebook! Finally, your Action card hand serves as your Hit Points. If your hand size reaches zero, you have died and must respawn at the start of your next turn.

• Play only one Action card for:
  • Movement
  • PvP Attacks or Defense
• Play multiple Action cards for:
  • Attacks against Targets or Guards

Dagger System

The majority of Action cards serve as both attack AND movement and will have a number of Daggers between 1 and 3 (see example below). However, when you play such a card, it will be for either movement or attacking, not both. When you play an Action card to move, move your Templar a number of spaces equal to the Move value in the card text. When you play Action cards to attack, your Combat Total is equal to the number of Daggers on the cards you have played, plus any modifiers.

Example card (Counter Attack): If you play this card to Move, you will move 2 Spaces. If you play this card as part of an Attack instead, it adds 2 Daggers to your Combat Total for the Attack.

Hiding

When you are getting low on Action cards in your hand, Hiding is the best way to draw more cards. If your pawn has moved for any reason during your turn, you cannot Hide.

Hiding is easier in the Outer City, as there are plenty of nooks, crannies, and wells in which to hide. In the Inner City and The Mosque, there isn't much cover to hide behind.

When You Hide

• Outer City Building (White): Draw 4 Action Cards
• Inner City Building (Blue): Draw 2 Action Cards
• The Mosque (Red): Draw 1 Action Card

The maximum hand size is 7. If at any time you have more than 7 cards in your hand, you must immediately discard cards until you have just 7 cards in hand. You cannot perform other actions before this discard. If the Action deck runs out of cards, shuffle the discard pile and it becomes the new deck.

Moving

To Move, a player must discard an Action card with Move text, like the example on the previous page ("Move 2 spaces"). If you have no cards with Move text in hand, you can't move. If you choose to Move, you must Move before making any Attacks. Once you have made an Attack, you can no longer Move. You may choose to not Move.

You may perform adjacent and diagonal moves within the same movement action, so you do not need to move in a straight line. You must move the full amount listed on the Action card you play. You cannot move back to the same rooftop upon which you started the turn.

Diagram: All of the ways to Move 1.

When you Move from building to building, you want to avoid being spotted by Guards, or they will make things very difficult for you. More on Guard spotting later.

Combat Phase

If you end your turn on an occupied space, you have the opportunity to trigger an attack against a Target, a Guard or another Templar. You must play at least one card to make an attack. You cannot gain Dagger bonuses from Weapons or Events without playing a card.

Attacking a Target

Attacking Targets in the various buildings is the main way to score points in a game. All Targets start out face down on the board and are turned face up when a Templar ends their movement on that Target.

Target tokens are color-coded White, Blue, or Red. One Red Target occupies The Mosque, and it is the most valuable. Blue Targets occupy the Blue buildings and are medium-value Targets. White Targets are low-value and occupy the Outer City. However, fewer Guards will interfere with you there...

Human Targets

When you uncover or land on a Human Target on your space, you may assassinate it by playing any number of Action cards with Daggers on them. You may not assassinate a Target if a Guard is nearby. A Guard is "nearby" a Target if the Guard is stationed at one of the corners of the Target's building.

Target token diagram: Defense Value (the number on the white skull) and VP Value (the number on the gold coin).

The number on the white skull is the Defense value of the Target. That is the Combat Total you must meet or exceed in order to assassinate the Target. The number on the gold coin is the Victory Point value of the Target.

If your Combat Total is equal to or greater than the Defense (DEF) of the Target, you have successfully assassinated the Target. If you do, you immediately score the Victory Points (VP) shown on the Target. Place the Target token into your Victory Point Cache.

Attacking a Guard

Because of your great skill in predicting Guard movement, you are able to isolate Guards, even in a crowded area. You can Attack a Guard, even when another Guard is in an adjacent street and in line of sight of the Guard being Attacked.

When there is a Guard nearby your space (at one of the corners of the building you are on), on your turn you may play any number of Action cards from your hand to Attack that Guard. The number of Daggers on those cards (plus any modifiers) is your Combat Total. If your Combat Total is equal to or greater than the Defense of the Guard, that Guard is killed and removed from the board. A fairly common sequence might have you dispatching a nearby Guard, which then allows you to Attack the Target on your building.

The closer Guards are to the middle of the board, the more experienced they are.

• Mosque Guard (Red): 4 Defense
• Elite Guard (Blue): 2 Defense
• Militia (White): 1 Defense

These Defense values are on the Guard pawns for easy reference.

Attacking Another Templar

You may Attack your fellow players! Nothing like a little bit of healthy competition and backstabbing to keep a Templar on his toes.

When you land on another player's space, you may play one Action card from your hand to Attack that player. The number of Daggers on that card (plus any modifiers) is your Combat Total, and that is how many cards that player must discard from their hand. You must Move and land on another player in order to Attack them. You cannot make an Attack against another player if you did not Move for the turn.

Note that the player you Attack may have a card in his hand that allows him to counterattack you...

If you assassinate another player, you score 1 Victory Point. (Grab a Golden VP token.) If that player has more Victory Points than you, score 1 additional VP.

If you do wish to make Attacks, there are a few things to consider:

1. Once you make an Attack, you cannot Move.
2. Ignore all Movement-related text on the card.
3. You may Attack any number of different Targets, Guards, and players during your turn.
4. You may play multiple Action cards to attack Targets and Guards, but only one Action card to attack other players.
5. You cannot Attack a Target or another player if a Guard is nearby.
6. After an Attack has fully resolved, discard the cards you played during that Attack.

Guards

Guards come in three varieties: Mosque Guards (Red), Elite Guards (Blue), and Militia (White). Guards will always move along their color-coded path through the streets when certain Event Cards are drawn. When a Guard respawns (via an Event card), place it onto any dot matching its color.

Guards will attempt to stop you while you sneak from rooftop to rooftop. While the Guards do not pursue you (except when Event cards say otherwise), being spotted by the Guards can get you into hot water. If you can Move in such a way to avoid being spotted by Guards, you will fare much better.

A Guard can see in all four directions, to the end of the adjacent intersection. When you move across a street and through a Guard's line of sight you are spotted!

For each Guard that spots you moving across a street, discard a card. If you cross multiple streets during a Move, you can be spotted each time. Being spotted by multiple Guards at a time is a sure way to lose all of your cards in hand and die quickly! This represents the attacks and pressure the Guards can bring to bear against those who would do harm to the people of the city.

A Guard can see in all four directions at once, across each adjacent intersection. The four cones are the limit of the line of sight for a Guard. Avoid crossing streets or intersections within the spotting range of a Guard. This Guard is "nearby" all four of the buildings in the image.

Being Spotted

Templars are spotted when they cross over a street or intersection within a Guard's line of sight. A single Guard can "spot" a Templar multiple times during a longer Move, in which case the player will have to discard multiple cards.

Diagram: Both of these Moves will cause the Templar to discard a card from his hand.

How to Avoid Being Spotted

A Guard will not spot a Templar moving diagonally over his head.

Diagram: Here's an example of how to avoid Guards using a Move 2 card.

Note: In the example, if the Templar had played a Move 2 instead and then moved onto Piri Reis' Shop with his second Movement point, the Guard would then spot the Templar once. Moving over a Guard's head doesn't mean he won't spot a later segment of that same Move.

Just because you may have evaded one Guard doesn't mean you can't be spotted by other ones. In this example there is an additional Elite Guard nearby. That Guard can see across the street where his fellow Elite Guard is standing, so he will see the Templar make this diagonal move. The Move 1 onto Piri Reis' Shop will result in being spotted by both Elite Guards, so the Templar would have to discard two cards!

Death

When you run out of cards in hand, you die at the end of your turn. If it is not your turn, you die immediately. Drop any Treasures you were carrying in your current space and if you have a Weapon on your character sheet, discard it. Then remove your pawn from the board. You will respawn in your corner at the start of your next turn with two cards in hand, drawn from the top of the Action deck.

If you die during your own turn, lose 1 VP.

This can happen if you play all of your cards to perform an assassination or if you use your last card in hand to get back to your corner space to score your Treasure. In both cases, you still score the Victory Points, but you lose one Victory Point from your total. Cash in one of your scored tokens for some Golden "1 VP" tokens if you don't already have a 1 VP token to lose.

Note: You cannot go below 0 Victory Points.

Treasures

When you uncover or land on a Treasure token, you may immediately place it on your character record sheet in the "Treasure Carried" area. It does not require any cards to be played in order to pick up a Treasure, and you may even do it while Guards are nearby. You cannot pick up Treasure that you simply "pass over." You must land on the Treasure to be able to pick it up.

The image of the gold and coins tells you that you've found a Treasure. The number on the token is the Victory Point value of that Treasure. You must get a Treasure back to your corner spawn point in order to score it and move it to your "Victory Point Cache" area on your character sheet. If you die before getting back to your spawn point, you will drop the Treasure you were carrying (the one in the "Treasure Carried" box) if any. Note: You may only carry one Treasure at a time.

If you use the last card in your hand to Move and land on your corner space, you score your Treasure before dying. You don't die from lack of cards in hand until the end of your turn.

Game End

The game is over at the end of the current player's turn when a player has scored 15 Victory Points.

The game can end prematurely if the Event Deck runs out of cards. The player who draws the last Event card finishes his turn, and then all players count the tokens in their Victory Point Cache. The player with the most VPs is the winner!

Sample Turn

Diagram: sample turn on the board (Templar pawn, Guards, Piri Reis' Shop).

You're playing as Shahkulu and are going third this game. You draw an Event card that allows you to move The Mosque Guard one space in either direction. The card also instructs you to place a Target token on building 1 3, but no Guard is nearby that building, so no Target is placed.

You decide not to Hide. You then play an Action card reading "Move 2 spaces." You choose to move diagonally all the way into the Inner City and onto Piri Reis' Shop. Moving diagonally over the head of the Militia means you are not spotted by him. But as you move onto Piri Reis' Shop, the Elite Guard that is one street away spots your movement. You must now discard a card for being spotted by one Guard, so you discard a card. Now you have landed on a face-down Target, so you flip it face up. It's a Target with 3 DEF and worth 3 VPs. Only problem is, the Elite Guard nearby the building prevents you from attacking the Target. But you can attack the Guard...

An Elite Guard has a DEF value of 2, so you play a 2-Dagger card to dispatch him. That leaves the Target wide open for an attack. However, with only two cards left in your hand, it could be a risk. Fortunately, you have a powerful countermeasure in the form of a 3-Dagger Action card! You play it, which equals or exceeds the DEF value of the Target, so you score the kill and immediately place the Target in your Victory Point Cache on your character sheet. Your opponents look at you and smile, as you have but one card in hand and also have more Victory Points than they do...

Additional Rules

Guard Movement

Many of the Event cards allow the active player to move one or more Guards of a certain color. Guards only move on their matching color Guard route. Militias only patrol the White route; Elite Guards only patrol the Blue route, and The Mosque Guard only patrols the Red route. If no Guards of that color are in play, there is no effect. While moving a Guard, count spaces occupied by other Guards as usual. However, if a Guard would end its Move on an occupied space, it continues moving until it enters an unoccupied space. When you have the ability to move multiple Guards, move them one at a time and the order of your choosing. When rolling dice to move a Guard, choose the Guard you wish to move before rolling.

Target Spawning

Many Event cards also have additional text with a grid code on them. Along the left side of the board are the numbers 1 - 7. Across the top of the board are Arabic letters. Find the building in question by locating the intersection of those two grid coordinates.

If a Guard is stationed off of one of the four corners of that building, randomly choose a face-down Outer City Target token and place it face down onto that building. With a Guard nearby, the target feels safe enough to enter his home or place of work, despite the fact that he has a contract on his head. But the eyes and ears of the city never sleep, so the news of a new Target makes its way to the Templars...

If a Target spawns in a player-occupied space, immediately flip it face up.

Example Event card "Guards Close In" (Event/Spawning): Each player discards 1 card for each nearby Guard. If a Guard is nearby Building 2, put an Outer City Target on it.

Event Card Notes

Tunnel Shortcut

Each of the locations in the Inner City (surrounding The Mosque) has a corresponding Event card that will allow the drawing player to move there without being spotted. This replaces your normal Move, so once you Tunnel there, you can't Move off of that building during that same turn.

Example Tunnel Shortcut card text: "As your Move for this turn, you may immediately move unspotted to Topkapı Palace."

Leap of Faith

If you draw this card, you can choose to make the Leap, or not. If you do, discard your entire hand of cards, then move your pawn to any space with a face-down Target. If there are no face-down Targets, then you cannot make the Leap and you do not discard your hand. You also cannot Hide or Move if you make the Leap. When you have arrived at your new rooftop, flip the Target face up and draw a new hand of four Action cards. You can now Attack or pass your turn.

If you do not make the Leap, a penalty is assessed: Discard one card of your choice from your hand, and then continue your turn as usual.

Animus Glitch

When a player draws this card, the Animus has glitched, which changes the way Templars interact with the game. This card is placed face up next to the board and will be continuously affecting the game while it is in play. When a new Animus Glitch is drawn, the old one is discarded. Only one Animus Glitch will ever be in play at a time.

Animus Glitch card text (Ongoing): No PvP Attacks are allowed.

Variant Game Rules

Jewel of the City: All Treasures are worth 1 additional VP when scored. Grab a 1 VP token and add it to your VP Cache along with the Treasure.

Bloodthirsty: Targets are worth 1 additional VP when assassinated. Grab a 1 VP token and add it to your VP Cache along with the Target.

Vendetta: PvP kills score 2 VPs instead of 1.

Time is of the Essence: Play with 12 Event cards per player. When the Event deck runs out of cards, if no player has scored 15 VPs, the game ends and everyone loses.

Guards vs Templar: In this two-player variant, one player is a Templar, while the other player gets to play as all of the Guards. The Event deck is not used. Place the Mosque Target and Inner City Targets as usual. Mix up and then place an Outer City Target face down on several Outer City buildings as seen on the left. No other Targets will appear during the game. The Guard player gets to choose which Red spot The Mosque Guard starts on.

• Templar Player: Your turn sequence and victory conditions are unchanged from the basic game, except there are no Event cards to draw.
• Guard Player: The Guard player wins if the Templar player dies twice. At the start of your turn, roll the die. That result is the number of Actions you have for your turn. Now choose a color. You may only use your Actions on Guards of that color this turn.

Action	Cost	Effect
Move a Guard One Space	1	You may only move each Guard once per turn.
Respawn a Guard	2	A Guard re-enters the board onto any dot matching its color.
Attack the Templar	3	Reveal and discard the top card of the Action deck. If you reveal a card with Daggers, the Templar discards that many cards. However, a Guard cannot cause a discard of more cards than its Defense value, no matter how many Daggers appear on the card. Therefore, if a Militia Guard reveals a 3-Dagger Action card, the Templar discards just 1 card. The text on the Action card is ignored. If the revealed card has no Daggers, the Templar discards no cards.

Guards do not have to stick to their color-coded path and can move one street in any direction when they move. There is a limit of one Guard per space and Guards cannot move through other Guards. A Guard may only attack a Templar if that Guard occupies a space at the corner of the Templar's building. A Guard may move and attack in the same turn.

Diagram: Guards vs Templar, example Guard positions around The Forum of Constantine, The University, and a Templar pawn.

Alert Guards: This advanced variant does not allow you to Attack a Guard if that Guard is one street away and in the line of sight of another Guard. In the example to the left, the Templar cannot Attack the nearby Guard, as there is another Guard one street away.

FAQ

Q: If I kill another player with a Counter Attack, do I score VPs for the kill?

A: Yes, and they will lose 1 VP for dying during their own turn! Also, you may Counter Attack a Counter Attack.

Quick Reference

Player Turn Sequence

1. Event Card Phase
2. Move or Hide Phase
3. Combat Phase

Moving

For each Guard that spots you moving across a street, choose and discard a card from your hand. If you cross multiple streets during a Move, you can be spotted each time. Moving diagonally over a Guard's head will prevent that Guard from spotting that portion of your Move.

Hiding

• Outer City Building (White): Draw 4 Action Cards
• Inner City Building (Blue): Draw 2 Action Cards
• The Mosque (Red): Draw 1 Action Card
• Maximum hand size is 7 cards.
• When you Hide, you do not act during the Combat Phase. Your turn is over.

Combat Phase

You may make any number of Attacks against different Targets, Guards, and players during your turn. You may not Attack a Target or another player if a Guard is nearby (at the corner of the building you occupy).

Weapons

You may Equip a Weapon at any time during your turn, as long as it is not during a Move, Attack, or after Hiding.

Death

If you have no cards in hand, you die at the end of your turn. If it is not your turn, you die immediately. Drop the Treasure you were carrying (if any) in your current space, discard your Weapon (if any), and then remove your pawn from the board. On your next turn, you will respawn in your corner of the board with two cards in hand, and then continue your turn as normal. If you die during your own turn, lose 1 Victory Point.

Object of the Game: The first player to score 15 Victory Points is the winner! If the Event Deck runs out, the game ends and the player with the most Victory Points wins.