Battle of Gods Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Champions
• Quick Guide
  • 1. Setup
  • 2. Champion Board and Tokens
  • 3. Decide Who Starts and Place Champions in Turn
  • 4. Important Information
  • 5. Turn Overview
• How to Play
  • Turn Overview
  • Step 1: Perform an Initial Move (Optional)
  • Step 2: Boost with a Card (Optional)
  • Step 3: Roll the Power Dice
  • Step 4: Apply the Dice Results
  • Step 5: Check for Victory Conditions
  • Step 6: Pass the Dice and Pick Up Cards
• Example of a Full Turn
• Playing Cards
• Ranged Attack
• Damage and Health
• Champion Abilities
  • Thor
  • Freyja
  • Hyrrokkin
  • Surtr
• Special Spaces
• Faith Die Effect
• Team Battle
• Quick Reference

Components

• Game board
• 4 champion miniatures: Thor, Freyja, Surtr, Hyrrokkin
• 4 champion boards
• 36 champion cards
• 6 power dice
• 1 faith die
• 4 health cubes
• 40 glory tokens
• 3 champion ability tokens: Thunder Strike, Burning Ground and Giant Wolves
• 1 rulebook

Champions

Thor is the almighty god of thunder and lightning! He exudes strength and pride, and never backs down from a fight. In battle, he brandishes his legendary hammer, Mjolnir, with deadly precision. It always finds its way back to Thor's hands somehow, as if by magic. He can shatter mountains and unleash a tempestuous lightning storm of epic proportions!

Freyja reigns as the goddess of love, war, beauty and Seidr magic. She boasts an unrivaled elegance and raw strength, striking down her foes with ruthless efficiency. Adorned with the breathtaking Brísingamen necklace and a rune-woven falcon feather cloak, Freyja possesses the ability to fly to any location she desires. The valkyries escort Freyja on her daring adventures, basking in her glory and might.

Surtr, the towering king of fire giants, reigns supreme in the scorching realm of Múspelheim, commanding the elements of fire with deadly precision. With his blazing sword, he can ignite a world of destruction, raining down flames or making lava boil beneath his enemies' feet. Nothing can withstand the fiery fury of Surtr!

Hyrrokkin is the fearsome giantess of Járnviðr, a dark forest that even the bravest of souls dare not enter. With bulging muscles and a commanding presence, she is a formidable foe. Her bare hands can shape iron into deadly weapons, and she rides atop a fierce wolf. Beware the mother of Sköll and Hati, for her brute strength is unmatched, and her wrath is unrelenting.

Quick Guide

1. Setup

Place the game board in the center of the table. Place the faith die, power dice and glory tokens in a general supply next to the board. Each player takes a champion miniature and its corresponding champion board, as well as any tokens that might come with this champion.

The rune spaces (shown with a white outline on the board) are only used in games with 4 or more players. They are inaccessible in games with 2 or 3 players.

2. Champion Board and Tokens

Place your champion board (A) in front of you. Place a health cube (B) on the first space of the health track, and a glory token on each of the 4 glory token spaces (C) of the health track. Shuffle the special deck of cards belonging to your specific champion (D) and place it face down to the left of your champion board. Leave some room in front of you for a card discard pile and your collection of earned glory tokens. You start the game with no cards in your hand. You will gain cards by using dice or champion abilities.

Tokens

The tokens for the different champions. Freyja does not have a token. When a champion is defeated, their token is removed from the board immediately. It will no longer affect any of the remaining champions.

• Thor's Thunder Strike
• Surtr's Burning Ground
• Hyrrokkin's Giant Wolves

3. Decide Who Starts and Place Champions in Turn

The player who most recently wrestled a frost giant starts the game. Alternatively, decide as a group who will be the starting player. Beginning with the starting player and continuing clockwise, each player places their champion miniature (E) on a vacant (hexagonal) space that has no special effect associated with it (as indicated by the artwork). Once everybody has placed their champion, you are ready for battle!

4. Important Information

GOAL: Be last champion standing or the first to collect 10 glory points.

Activate your champion's abilities by rolling the 6 power dice and collecting the required symbols as shown on your champion board.

Cards gained are always drawn from your champion's draw pile, but placed in front of you, still face down. You only get to add them to your hand at the end of your turn.

You gain glory from damage, dice rolls, abilities, and cards. Total sum of glory = glory on champion board + collected glory.

An opponent is defeated when their health cube reaches the last rune on their champion board.

5. Turn Overview

1. PERFORM AN INITIAL MOVE (OPTIONAL)

Move to an adjacent space for free. If you step onto special spaces using your free move, apply any effects immediately. Roll the faith die on Seidr pools (purple) and apply its effect. Entering a Teleport space (blue) moves you to the other Teleport space (unless it's occupied by another player).

2. BOOST WITH A CARD (OPTIONAL)

Use 1 card to permanently boost your champion (skip this step during the 1st round).

BOOST: place the card below the champion board so its symbols align with the top 3 champion abilities. This will enhance your champion abilities for the rest of the game. Card boosts stack, but only 1 boost can be placed per turn.

Cards can be used for their text effect instead of their boost, but are then discarded after use. The card's description will tell you when you are allowed to play the card. You may use any number of cards for their text effects during your turn.

3. ROLL THE POWER DICE

Roll the 6 Power Dice. You may reroll any number of dice twice if needed.

1. Roll all.

2. Keep favorable results, reroll others.

3. Keep favorable results, reroll others. You can reroll previous dice rolls too.

4. APPLY THE DICE RESULTS

In this example, Freyja ended up with a mix of results. She activates her Seidr ritual, then uses the rest independently: 1 move; 2 partial cards, which combine to draw 1 card.

Ranged damage: deal ONE damage to an opponent. The range (R) indicates how far it can reach. Example: when Freyja activates her Glorious Attack, she deals ONE ranged damage to an opponent. The range is unlimited, as no R is shown.

Gain glory by damaging opponents. Example: you deal 2 damage to an opponent. Their health cube moves to the glory token slot. You take the token.

5. CHECK FOR VICTORY CONDITIONS

6. PASS THE DICE AND PICK UP CARDS

How to Play

Players take turns in clockwise order, rolling dice and moving around the board while trying to defeat the other players. This continues until there is only 1 champion left standing, or until a player reaches 10 or more glory points. The player who meets one of these victory conditions immediately wins the game.

Turn Overview

1. Perform an initial move (optional)
2. Boost with a card (optional)
3. Roll the power dice
4. Apply the dice results
5. Check for victory conditions
6. Pass the dice and pick up cards

Step 1: Perform an Initial Move (Optional)

Optionally, you may move your champion miniature to an adjacent empty space on the board. If the target space contains special symbols or tokens, the corresponding effects are applied immediately.

Example: Freyja has 2 options for movement: she can either move to the Seidr pool on the left and trigger a faith die roll, or move to the space between the Seidr pool and Surtr. The spaces with rune symbols cannot be accessed in a 2-player game. She also cannot move to the space with the Surtr miniature (max. 1 player per space).

Step 2: Boost with a Card (Optional)

If you have any cards in your hand, you may reveal 1 card and slide it under the right side of your champion board, making sure only the symbols on the right side of the card remain visible. You may only boost your champion with 1 card each turn.

Cards played this way add extra effects to your champion's existing abilities. The boost is permanent: it benefits your champion from this moment on, and for the rest of the game. The actual effect of the boost will be explained in "Step 4: Apply the Dice Results". Note that the text effect on the card does not activate if you decide to use the card as a boost.

Place cards so that the symbols align with the top 3 champion abilities.

Example: Freyja takes a Teleport card from her hand and slides it underneath her champion board. She already added a boost during a previous turn, so she slides the Teleport card below the card that's already there, making sure the symbols on both cards are visible and aligned.

Step 3: Roll the Power Dice

Roll the 6 power dice. You may accept the rolled results, or place any dice results you are happy with to the side and roll the rest of the dice again. After your second roll, you may decide to accept the results or roll again, even with the dice you placed aside after the first roll. However, after your third roll, you must accept the results.

Step 4: Apply the Dice Results

Each die can be used either for its symbol value, or to activate champion abilities on your champion board. You can trigger the dice results and effects in any order.

The dice symbols are as follows:

• Aegishjalmur: this particular rune was used to protect warriors and instill fear in their enemies. Unlike the other symbols, this one can only be used to trigger a champion ability. It has no effect of its own.
• Partial card: combine it with another partial card result to draw 1 card from your deck. Note: for now, place the card face down in front of you. It will be added to your hand during step 6.
• Punch: deal 1 damage to a champion on an adjacent space.
• Partial glory: combine it with another partial glory result to take 1 glory token from the general supply.
• Movement: move to an adjacent empty space.
• Heal: heal 1 damage, unless you're already at full health (in Team Battle mode you may choose to use this heal on an ally).

Champion Abilities

Each champion has 4 champion abilities, as displayed on their champion board. You can activate your champion's abilities during your turn by placing dice on the symbols to the left of the ability.

You can place dice on your champion board to activate abilities, use dice for their immediate effects, or a combination of both. However, each die can only be used one time.

The ability is triggered if all symbols on the corresponding row are covered. Each ability can only be triggered once per turn. An overview of all champion abilities can be found on page 16.

An equality symbol ("=") means that all of the dice must show the same face.

In this example, Freyja uses 4 Partial Card results to trigger her Valkyrie Strike. In this example, activating Freyja's Seidr Ritual requires 3 Aegishjalmur results.

Cards and Glory Tokens

You can draw cards from your champion's draw pile either by activating champion abilities or by rolling a pair of partial card symbols. Cards you gain are placed face down in front of you – do not look at them yet.

If your draw pile is empty, shuffle your discarded cards and create a new draw pile. If you already have all your cards in hand or tucked under your champion board as boosts, you cannot draw any cards.

Glory tokens gained from champion abilities are taken from the general supply, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Whenever you trigger an ability, you must carry it out entirely, adding any boosts from cards below your champion board, before you can proceed to using other dice results.

Example: Freyja tried rolling 3 Aegishjalmur to trigger her Seidr Ritual, which would have allowed her to draw 2 cards and heal 2 damage. Unfortunately, she only rolled 2 Aegishjalmur. She also rolled 2 Partial Card and 2 Movement, so Freyja decides to activate her Feather Cloak and Glorious Attack abilities instead, by spending 4 of her 6 dice. She can use the remaining Movement to move 1 space on the game board, before or after triggering the abilities on her champion board. The Aegishjalmur on her sixth die cannot be used for anything, since the other Aegishjalmur was allocated to the Glorious Attack ability.

Step 5: Check for Victory Conditions

If at this point during your turn, you are the last champion standing, or you have at least 10 glory points (the ones in your collection, and on your health track combined), you win the game! Congratulations on your champion's glorious victory!

Step 6: Pass the Dice and Pick Up Cards

If you didn't trigger any of the victory conditions, pick up any cards you received this turn, and add them to your hand. Pass the 6 dice to the player on your left, who may now carry out their turn.

Example of a Full Turn

In step 1, Thor moves to the adjacent Seidr pool (A) and rolls the faith die. Unfortunately for him, he rolls a Seidr Backlash (B), which damages him twice and reduces his health to the point where he loses 1 glory token from his health track (C). Since the damage wasn't dealt by another champion, the glory token is returned to the general supply.

During step 2 of his turn, Thor boosts his champion board with a card (D).

He rolls the 6 dice in step 3. After 2 rerolls, he ends up with a result (E).

In step 4, Thor uses 2 Partial Card results to draw 1 card from his deck (F), placing it face down in front of him for now. He moves his miniature 1 space closer to Surtr (G) with a Movement result. Surtr is now in range of Thor's Mjölnir Strike, so Thor spends his 2 Punch and 1 Aegishjalmur to activate this ability and deal 3 damage to either Hyrrokkin or Surtr. He chooses to attack Surtr, because this allows him to steal 1 glory token (H). Thor also draws 1 card because of the added boosting card.

In step 5, Thor now has 7 glory points, which is not enough to win the game. He proceeds to step 6, adds the card he collected this turn to his hand, and passes the 6 dice to the player on his left.

Playing Cards

Instead of boosting your champion with a card, you can play the card for its effect. Reveal it from your hand, carry out its text effect, and then discard the card to your discard pile. You can play any number of cards in the same turn, as long as the conditions described on the cards are met. Most cards can only be played on your own turn. When you play a card for its text effect, its boost symbols are ignored.

Example: in step 6 of her current turn, Freyja receives an Endurance card. On one of her future turns, she could boost her champion board in step 2 (A), which would add a movement bonus to both her Glorious Attack and Seidr Ritual abilities. Alternatively, she could keep the card and play it for its effect (B), doubling the amount of health she recovers before discarding the card.

Ranged Attack

In order to attack a champion from afar, players have to use a ranged attack. Ranged attacks are available through your champion abilities and are indicated with an "R", followed by a number. The number shows how many spaces away the target can be, in order for you to apply damage to them. For example, "R3" means the target cannot be more than 3 spaces away from you. Count the shortest path to the target to determine the range. Special spaces, tokens and other champions do not block a ranged attack and are ignored unless stated otherwise. If the ranged attack has no number, its range is infinite.

Damage and Health

The health track at the bottom of your champion board shows your champion's current health. Whenever your champion takes damage, move the health cube as many spaces to the right as the amount of damage taken.

If your health cube reaches a space with a glory token, that token is permanently lost. If the damage was dealt by another champion, or by a token or effect caused by another champion, give the glory token to that player. If the damage was dealt in any other way, return the glory token to the general supply. If damage is ever dealt to you by multiple sources simultaneously, carry out the damage in turn order, starting with the active player.

Whenever you heal your champion, move the health token the corresponding amount of spaces to the left on the health track. If your health cube is on the leftmost space of the track, it means you are at full health and healing your champion has no effect.

Glory tokens lost on the health track are permanently gone from the track. Don't replace them with new ones as your champion heals. Similarly, any glory points you receive from other champions are placed in your collection, not on your health track.

If your health cube ever reaches the rightmost spot on your health track, your champion falls and is removed from the game.

Damage is always dealt to a single champion, unless stated otherwise.

Example: Hyrrokkin has lost 6 health and 2 glory tokens since the start of the game. She now spends 2 Heal to heal and moves her health cube 2 spaces to the left. Even though she passes a glory symbol on the health track, she does not recover a glory token.

Champion Abilities

Thor

Mjölnir Strike: deal 3 damage to a champion within a range of 2 spaces.

Thunder Strike: place the Thunder Strike token on any space. Any champion who enters that space, or is already on it, suffers 2 damage. If that champion leaves - or is forced to leave - the space, they suffer 1 additional damage. The token stays on the space until the start of Thor's next turn, at which point he retrieves it.

Mead Feast: draw 1 card and gain 1 glory token.

Glorious Bash: deal 1 damage to an adjacent champion for each glory token you currently have in your collection and on your health track.

Freyja

Feather Cloak: move Freyja to any empty space on the game board. If Thor's Thunder Strike token is applied to her, she still suffers 1 damage.

Glorious Attack: gain 1 glory token and deal 1 damage to any champion (no range limit).

Seidr Ritual: draw 2 cards.

Valkyrie Strike: deal 3 damage to a champion within a range of 3 spaces. Also gain 2 glory tokens.

Hyrrokkin

Ultimate Smash: each of your Punch results deals 2 damage this turn.

Viper Strike: draw 1 card and deal 2 damage to an adjacent champion.

Giant Wolves: place the Giant Wolves token next to a champion and deal 2 damage to that champion. On their turn, the targeted champion must spend a Movement die result to defend against the Giant Wolves, or suffer an additional 2 damage. This still happens even if the champion moves, activates special tokens, or carries out special actions. Retrieve the Giant Wolves token at the start of your next turn.

Ramming Wolf: move Hyrrokkin up to 2 spaces. If she ends her movement adjacent to any champion(s) she didn't start adjacent to, she may deal 3 damage to 1 of those champions.

Surtr

Fire Strike: deal 1 damage to an adjacent champion. Also draw 1 card.

Unstoppable Flames: deal 3 damage to ALL champions in a straight line of spaces starting from Surtr, following the pattern shown on the ability. Infinite range.

Burning Ground: heal Surtr 1 damage, then place the Burning Ground token so at least 1 of the spaces is adjacent to you. It covers 3 adjacent spaces, even occupied ones. Anyone caught in the fire suffers 2 damage. Champions must leave the Burning Ground by the end of their turn, or suffer an additional 2 damage. If a champion moves into 1 or more spaces containing the Burning Ground marker, they suffer 2 damage per Burning Ground space. Surtr takes no damage from Burning Ground spaces. Any special spaces below the token lose their effect until Surtr's next turn. Retrieve the Burning Ground token at the start of your next turn.

Infernal Slash: deal 4 damage to any adjacent champion. If possible, that champion must discard 1 glory token from their collection to the general supply.

Special Spaces

There are 2 special spaces on the game board: Teleports and Seidr Pools.

Teleport: when you move into a Teleport space, you immediately move to the other Teleport space, provided it is empty. If the other Teleport space is occupied by a champion or a token, you cannot teleport to that space. You can use the Teleport multiple times on your turn, if you move away from it and back into it again.

Seidr Pool: when you move into a Seidr Pool space, roll the faith die once, and apply its result immediately. You are allowed to leave and re-enter the same Seidr Pool space during the same turn, but that will not allow you to roll the die again. Seidr magic is powerful, but also dangerous if you are exposed to it for too long. If you are still on the Seidr Pool at the start of your next turn, you must use your initial move (step 1) to leave the space, or suffer 1 damage.

Faith Die Effect

• Empowered: draw 1 card.
• Strengthened: draw 1 card and heal 1 damage.
• Rejuvenation: heal 2 damage.
• Seidr Backlash: suffer 2 damage.
• Test of Prowess: gain 1 glory token.

Team Battle

Battle of Gods can also be played in teams (2 vs 2). Teammates should sit opposite each other. In other words, both of your neighbors should be part of the opposing team.

You can use Heal to heal your teammate instead of yourself, no matter where they are on the game board. You cannot heal teammates with the faith die or through champion abilities unless stated otherwise.

You cannot move through your teammate. When targeting an enemy, your teammate does not block line of sight.

You cannot damage your teammate with effects of individual dice, but you can damage them with a champion ability that covers multiple spaces. You never receive glory tokens when damaging a teammate. Any glory tokens your teammate loses due to one of your attacks are returned to the general supply.

As soon as 1 team member reaches 10 or more glory points, their team wins the game. A team can also win immediately by slaying both opponents.

You cannot give glory points to your team member. If a team member is slain, that team member is out of the game and the glory from their collection is returned to the general supply. The other player continues playing, but must face the opposing team alone.

If you expand the game to 6 players, you can play (3 vs. 3) or (2 vs. 2 vs 2). All players must still be seated in such a way that both of their neighbors are part of an opposing team.

Quick Reference

Turn Summary

1. Perform an initial move (optional)
2. Boost your champion with a card (optional)
3. Roll the power dice
4. Apply the dice results
5. Check for victory conditions
6. Pass the dice and pick up cards

Power Dice

• Aegishjalmur: can only be used to trigger a champion ability. It has no effect of its own.
• Partial card: 2 partial cards = 1 card.
• Punch: deal 1 damage to a champion on an adjacent space.
• Partial glory: 2 partial glory = 1 glory.
• Movement: move to an adjacent space.
• Heal: heal 1 damage, unless you're already at full health.

Faith Die

• Empowered: draw 1 card.
• Strengthened: draw 1 card and heal 1 damage.
• Rejuvenation: heal 2 damage.
• Seidr Backlash: suffer 2 damage.
• Test of Prowess: gain 1 glory token.

Other

• Giant Wolves: place the Giant Wolves token next to a champion and deal 2 damage to that champion.
• Feather Cloak: move Freyja to any empty space on the game board.
• Thunder Strike: place the Thunder Strike token next to a champion. That champion suffers 2 damage and cannot leave their space without taking 1 additional damage.
• Burning Ground: heal 1 damage and place the Burning Ground token. Anyone caught in the fire suffers 2 damage.
• Unstoppable Flames: deal 3 damage to ALL champions in a straight line.
• Burn 1 opponent's glory: take it from the opponent's collection, not from their health track. Discard it to the general supply.
• Ranged damage.