Conan: el juego de cartas Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
  • Components
• Card Descriptions
  • Adventure Cards
  • Challenge Cards
  • Special Cards
  • Hero Cards
    • Hero Special Abilities
• Setup
  • Setup Phase
• Game Phases
  • 1. Card Turn
    • How and When to Play Cards
    • Limitations on Challenge Cards
    • Strategic Advice
  • 2. Hero Turn
    • Movement
    • Facing a Challenge
      • Wager
      • Resolution
      • Antagonists and Allies
    • Duel: Several Heroes on the Same Adventure Card
    • Player Defeat
• End of the Game
• Optional Rules
  • Shorter or Longer Games
  • Victory or Death Mode
  • Nothing to Lose: Tricks, Deceits and Ruses
  • Forgetting Old Dangers

Overview

Conan: El juego de cartas is a non-collectible card game for two to four players that lets you recreate the magic and adventure of the Hyborian Age. The goal is simple: you play a Hero in Conan's savage world, undertaking perilous adventures in which you must face various challenges and dangers suited to a life of a hardy adventurer, such as unexplored places, monsters, traps and mysterious, dark magic. Only success in these adventures will let you accumulate the Deed Points needed to become King by your own merits... and prevent the other players from doing so.

Components

• 110 game cards:
  • 10 Hero cards
  • 32 Challenge cards
  • 20 Adventure cards
  • 48 Special cards
• 40 counters (20 worth 5 points and 20 worth 1 point)
• 1 rulebook

Card Descriptions

The game cards are made up of four different types of card, explained below.

Adventure Cards

Adventure cards represent places full of danger in the challenging world of Conan, where each Hero must prove their worth and courage. An Adventure card can have three different indicators:

• Difficulty: the number of Challenge cards that can be placed on the Adventure card.
• Loot: the gains (Deed Points) provided by successfully completing the Adventure card.
• Special (when accompanied by the special symbol): an additional effect applies to the Hero when they complete the adventure, unless the Adventure card states otherwise.

Playing an Adventure card always gives 1 Deed Point (DP) to the player who played it. A Hero must be alone, without the presence of other Heroes, on an Adventure card that has no Challenge cards in order to complete it and claim its Loot. See the Alliances and Duels section at the end of these rules.

Challenge Cards

Challenge cards represent adverse situations and antagonists that each Hero must face during their adventures. A Challenge card can have two different indicators:

• Attributes: these represent the difficulty of the Challenge. As you will see on each Challenge card, there are three challenge values for each of the Attributes (Strength, Wit and Spirit). Each of these values is the difficulty the Hero must overcome using the chosen Attribute to face this Challenge card.
  • Strength: represents the difficulty to be overcome through muscle and brute force.
  • Wit: represents the difficulty to be overcome through cunning and intelligence.
  • Spirit: represents the difficulty to be overcome through endurance, courage and perseverance.
• Ally indicator: if the Challenge card is an antagonist, it indicates that the antagonist can become an ally if the player resolving the Adventure card pays the DP cost shown.

Note: Playing a Challenge card always gives 1 DP to the player who played it.

Special Cards

Special cards represent modifiers to situations or conditions of other cards or Heroes. They can modify any parameter of the game and take priority over the rules. A Special card can have one of these two indicators:

• Resolution indicator: the card is played during the Hero Turn when resolving Challenges, modifying the Attributes of the Hero who is resolving it.
• Magic item indicator: the card is a Magic item that provides benefits to the Hero who carries it. When played, it is placed in front of the player who owns it. Magic items are played during the Card Turn.

Hero Cards

Hero cards represent the Heroes who will face the adventures and challenges of the Hyborian Age and are controlled by the players. Each card shows the Hero's Attributes and Special Ability.

• Attributes: the innate and learned abilities of that Hero for overcoming the Adventures and Challenges of the Hyborian Age and emerging victorious. These are Strength, Wit and Spirit.
• Special Ability: each Hero has a special ability resulting from their training or natural talent.

Hero Special Abilities

• Barbarian: Rage. Once per game, at any time, the Barbarian may convert any challenge value of a Challenge card into a Strength Challenge.
• Thief: Faster than the eye. Once per game, the Thief may spend their Hero Turn to draw a card from any player's hand without looking at it. If the Thief is on the same Adventure card as another Hero, that Hero may instead choose to steal an item lying on the table rather than drawing a card from any player's hand.
• Sorcerer: I will return. Once per game, the Sorcerer may leave an Adventure card even if Challenge cards or Hero cards are played on it, and enter another Adventure card, provided that they have no Challenge card played by the player who controls the Sorcerer on it.
• Mercenary: The Brotherhood of Mercenaries. Once per game, the Mercenary does not pay the DP cost of an ally.
• Scout: Expert tracker. The Scout may see the Challenge cards on the Adventure cards they are on, and face them in any order they prefer without changing it.
  • Note: the chosen order only applies during the Scout's Hero Turn and must return to its original order at the end of that turn. Challenge cards during the use of the Scout's Special Ability can only be seen by the player who controls the Scout.
• Priest: Sermon. Once per game, the Priest may prevent two Heroes from making an Alliance or Deal, or may himself break a Deal or Alliance he has in play with another Hero.
  • Note: when the Priest prevents a deal or alliance between two Heroes, they cannot carry it out and both lose the current Diplomacy Turn. If the Priest decides to break a Deal or Alliance he has with another Hero, he may benefit from what was agreed with the other Hero while breaking his own part without giving anything in return.

Setup

The game consists of a Setup Phase and several Game Phases.

Setup Phase

1. Each player takes one of the ten Hero cards. The Hero cards are shuffled and dealt at random. If two players agree, they may exchange their Hero card. The remaining Hero cards are set aside and removed from the game.
2. Each player draws an Adventure card at random and places it face up in front of them. This card determines turn order. From this moment on, and for the rest of the game, the player with the Adventure card of highest Difficulty goes first in turn order. In case of a tie, the tied players return their Adventure cards to the draw deck and draw new Adventure cards. This process is repeated until the tie is resolved. In the case of multiple ties, only the one with the highest Difficulty is resolved. In this way the starting player is determined, and therefore the order of the other players, since play proceeds clockwise. Each player keeps in front of them the Adventure card they used to determine turn order. These are considered the starting adventures.
   • Note: placing the starting Adventure does NOT give the DP normally obtained when playing Adventure cards.
3. In turn order, each player draws a Challenge card at random. After looking at it, they place it face down on any Adventure card that is not their own. This card, and the other Challenge cards played during the game, must be placed so that the tip of the sword on the back of the card points toward the player who laid it on the table.
4. The Special cards with the Magic item indicator are set aside to form the Magic item deck.
5. The rest of the cards are shuffled to form the draw deck. Each player draws seven cards from the draw deck and takes fifteen points in counters, representing the 15 DP each player starts the game with. The remaining DP are set aside to form the reserve.
6. In turn order, each player places their Hero on an Adventure card. Each player may place their Hero on any Adventure card they wish, including one they played themselves. A Hero may never be placed on an Adventure card that contains a Challenge card played by the player who controls that Hero.

[The example diagram of a game in progress on this page is an image and is not reproduced. Its legend is kept below.]

Example of a game in progress

• Hero cards (1)
• Magic item in use (2)
• Adventure cards (3)
• Challenge cards (4)
• Draw deck (5)
• Magic item deck (6)
• Discard pile (7)
• DP counters (8)

And the game begins!

Game Phases

Play proceeds through four Game Phases in order, and they repeat from the Card Turn of the first player until the game ends. Turn order follows the order established in the Setup Phase.

1. Card Turn

The Card Turn consists of an indeterminate number of rounds, although all players must complete at least one first round.

In turn order, each player plays a card or passes the turn to the next player without playing a card, until all players have completed the first round. Once this mandatory first round ends, the player who started the turn may begin a new round if they wish. After the first round, any player, including the starting player, may end the Card Turn by passing without playing a card. The Card Turn is therefore open-ended, and several successive rounds may be played.

Example: Player 1 plays their card, then Player 2 passes and yields the turn to Player 3, who plays a card, and Player 4 plays their card and the first round ends. Since turns are open, Player 1's turn comes around again and they decide to play a card, but when Player 2's turn arrives they decide not to extend things further and pass, announcing that the Card Turn is over.

How and When to Play Cards

During the successive rounds of the Card Turn, players may place Adventure cards face up in front of them, and Challenge cards face down on Adventure cards, so that the tip of the sword on the back of the card points toward the player who placed it on the table.

Unless the card says otherwise, Special cards with the Resolution indicator may only be played during the Hero Turn when resolving a Challenge. The other Special cards specify the exact moment they can be played or, where no timing is specified, the player's own judgement indicates the appropriate and optimal moment to use them.

Limitations on Challenge Cards

• A Challenge card may be placed on any Adventure card whose Difficulty is greater than the number of Challenge cards already on it.
• A player may never place a Challenge card on an Adventure card they played themselves.
• A player may never place a Challenge card on an Adventure card on which their Hero is located.

Strategic Advice

Make sure to place difficult Challenge cards on your rivals' adventures, or you will soon fall behind in the savage world of the Hyborian Age. Whenever possible, play Adventure cards to gain 1 DP and also to increase the adventure options of your Hero.

2. Hero Turn

In turn order, each player may take one action with their Hero or pass the turn to the next player. A Hero may perform one of the following actions:

Movement

A Hero may move to a new Adventure card, even one played by the player who controls them, subject to the following restrictions:

• A player may not move their Hero to an Adventure card that has a Challenge card played by that same player.
• A Hero on an Adventure card that contains Challenge cards may not move, except through the effects of Special cards or a Special Ability.
• A Hero expelled from an Adventure card must use their next Hero Turn to enter a new Adventure card.
• A Hero who fails to overcome a Challenge must remain on the Adventure card until they resolve it, or until they can move through the effects of a Special card or a Special Ability.
• A Hero who has successfully completed an Adventure card must wait until their next Movement turn to enter a new Adventure card.

Facing a Challenge

If there is a Challenge card on the Adventure card where your Hero is located, your Hero may attempt to overcome it. The Challenge card is turned face up and its challenge values are checked. Each Challenge shows a challenge value for each Attribute. The Challenge is resolved in two steps:

Wager

The player who controls the Hero facing the Challenge and the player who placed the Challenge card each wager a value in Deed Points (DP).

The player who controls the Hero begins the wager. They may wager as many DP as they wish, with a minimum of one and a maximum determined by the number of DP their opponent has at the start of the Wager.

Then each player, starting with the player who placed the Challenge card, may on their turn:

• Withdraw from the wager: the player who withdraws loses the Challenge and all the DP they have wagered. If they withdraw before wagering, they lose the minimum wager (one DP). When one of the players withdraws from a wager, there is no need to check whether the Challenge is overcome.
• Match the wager: if they wager exactly as many DP as their opponent has just wagered, the wager automatically moves on to Resolution.
• Raise the wager: if they wager more DP than their opponent has just wagered, the opponent must decide whether to withdraw from the wager, match it, or raise it.

A player may never wager a number of DP greater than the number of DP their opponent has at that moment.

The wager ends when one of the players involved withdraws or the wager is finally matched, automatically moving on to Resolution.

Example: Player 1 decides that their Hero will try to overcome the first Challenge on their Adventure card, which was placed by Player 2. The Challenge card is turned face up and they check which Challenge it is and begin the Wager. Seeing that the Challenge is Crushing Doors, they begin with a high wager, believing their Hero (a Barbarian) can overcome it. They wager 5 DP. Player 2, who placed the Crushing Doors Challenge card, decides it will not be so easy and raises the wager to 7 DP. Player 1 still believes in their Barbarian's chances and matches the wager at 7 DP. At that point, the game moves to the Resolution phase.

Resolution

Once the wager has ended, the player who controls the Hero chooses which Attribute will be used to overcome the Challenge's challenge value (Strength, Wit or Spirit difficulty).

Placing Special cards with the Resolution indicator, and bluffs. Before checking whether the Challenge has been overcome, both players may, if they wish, play Special cards with the Resolution indicator. These cards are played face down, one at a time, taking turns, starting with the player whose Hero is facing the Challenge. Each player may play as many cards as they wish, even if the opponent does not wish or is unable to play any. Cards without a Resolution indicator may also be played as a bluff; they have no effect on the Challenge and are discarded when it ends. Their only purpose is to intimidate the Hero and make them give up their undertaking.

Success or failure. When both players have placed on the table all the cards they wish to use, they are turned face up and it is checked whether the Challenge has been overcome. To overcome a Challenge, the chosen Attribute, after adding the Special cards with the Resolution indicator and the Magic items the player has, must be higher than the corresponding challenge value. If the Challenge is overcome, the Hero receives all the DP wagered by both players. If the Challenge is not overcome, the player who placed the Challenge card on the Adventure card receives all the DP wagered.

All Special cards with the Resolution indicator (or cards placed as bluffs) are discarded once the Challenge ends. If the Challenge is overcome, it is discarded. If the Hero fails, the Challenge card remains face up on the Adventure card, with the title of the card pointing toward the player who placed it.

Example: Player 1 decides to resolve the Challenge CURSE OF NERGAL using their Barbarian's Strength attribute, which has a value of 5. The Crushing Doors Challenge has a Strength challenge value of 4. At first they should be able to resolve it, but in the Resolution phase Player 2 plays their Special card with the Resolution indicator, Curse of Nergal, which imposes -1 on the Hero's Strength attribute. Since the Barbarian's Strength is now 4, they only match the Strength challenge value of the Challenge, failing by a narrow margin. Player 1 loses their Challenge and Player 2 receives 14 DP (the 7 DP they wagered and the 7 DP Player 1 wagered on their Hero). Bad luck: the Crushing Doors were enough to leave the Barbarian in a bad situation.

Note: A player may not choose which Challenge to face, except for the Scout Hero. Challenges must be faced in the same order in which they lie on the Adventure card, starting with the one on top of the pile. Until a Challenge is overcome, the next one cannot be faced, and if it is not overcome by a Hero it remains face up until it is overcome and discarded.

Antagonists and Allies

Some Challenge cards, the antagonists bearing the Ally indicator, represent other adventurers who have also entered the Adventure card where they are. When a Hero meets one of these adventurers, they may face them as a normal Challenge card, or pay them to become allies temporarily.

In exchange for the DP cost shown next to their name, the antagonist Challenge card becomes an Ally. In this case, any of its Attributes may be used instead of the Hero's Attributes to overcome the Challenge cards on the Adventure card where the Hero is located. If the Hero completes the Adventure or leaves it, the Ally is discarded.

Duel: Several Heroes on the Same Adventure Card

If your Hero is on an Adventure card where one or more Heroes already are, you may challenge one of them to a Duel. In order to complete an Adventure and claim its Loot, only one Hero may be on it, except in the case of Alliances. The Duel works like any other Challenge, with the difference that you may face it at any time you wish, regardless of the order of the other Challenges. In addition, the player of the challenged Hero chooses the Attribute with which the Duel will be resolved.

When a Hero is defeated in a Duel, they are automatically expelled from the Adventure card and must use their next turn to enter another Adventure card. The Hero who won the Duel obtains the Magic items of the defeated Hero.

During the Duel, each player may play Resolution cards, face down on top of the Hero they wish to affect. When both players pass, all the Resolution cards are turned face up and their effects are applied to the Heroes on which they were played.

Example: The Hero of Player 1 (the Barbarian) and the Hero of Player 2 (the Plunderer) are on the same Adventure card. Neither is willing to share the Loot, so as soon as they have the chance, the Barbarian of Player 1 challenges the Plunderer of Player 2 to a Duel. Player 1 begins by wagering 1 DP. Player 2, knowing that as the challenged party they may choose any Attribute they wish to resolve the Duel, decides to raise the wager to 4 DP. Player 1, with no cards in hand that could change the final result, decides to take the risk and match the wager, bearing in mind that the Barbarian's Special Ability allows them to convert any Challenge into a Strength Challenge once per game. The Plunderer is not so sure of victory and has met a tough nut to crack: they lose the 4 DP wagered and are expelled from the Adventure card. Their next Hero Turn must be spent looking for a new Adventure card, but at least they live another day to seek glory and rewards.

Player Defeat

When a player reaches zero DP, their Hero has died and the player is eliminated from the game. All the Challenge cards they played are discarded.

Completing an Adventure

If your Hero is on an Adventure card with no Challenge cards, either because they have overcome those that were there or because none were played on it, they may spend their Hero Turn completing it and thus claim the Loot. Magic items obtained are placed face up immediately in front of the player who obtained them.

When a player has completed an Adventure card, the Loot effects, if it has any, apply immediately in addition to the DP gain, unless the card states otherwise. Once all the Loot effects have been applied, the Adventure card is placed face down. While Loot effects remain unapplied, the Adventure card remains face up until all its Loot effects have been completed.

Example: Having expelled Player 2's Plunderer in the previous Duel, Player 1's Barbarian may spend their next Hero Turn claiming the Loot of the Adventure card. On completing The Forgotten Crypt they receive 2 DP and a random Magic item, which turns out to be The Book of Skelos. This time they have been lucky, but the Hyborian Age does not smile on anyone for long...

3. Diplomacy Turn

In this Game Phase, players may make Deals and Alliances.

Deals

If two or more players agree, they may exchange DP, auction or exchange cards and Magic items, or even negotiate other elements external to the game. In a Deal, any agreement may be reached as long as it concludes, or can be carried out, in the current Diplomacy Turn. The Deal must be stated clearly and aloud, and once accepted it may not be broken, except by the Priest Hero, once per game.

Example: Player 3 and Player 4 reach an agreement during the Diplomacy Turn. Player 3, who has plenty of DP (25) but few cards in hand, offers Player 4, who is about to lose (2 DP), a Deal: 5 DP in exchange for 2 cards chosen at random from Player 4's hand. Before the Diplomacy Turn ends they declare their intentions to the other players and carry out their agreement.

In the case above, if Player 3 were playing the Priest Hero, they could break the Deal, take two cards at random from Player 4's hand, and not give the agreed 5 DP.

Alliances

If two Heroes are on the same Adventure card, the players may declare an Alliance. It is valid only while both Heroes remain on that Adventure card. At the moment the Alliance is declared, the two players involved must agree how all the gains from the Adventure card will be shared. All the factors in play must be considered, such as the Loot (DP, special effects and Magic items), as well as the DP won or lost in the Wager.

The advantage of an Alliance is that to overcome a Challenge, one of the Attributes of either allied Hero may be used, and both players may play cards in the Resolution Phase.

An Alliance may not be declared if the Heroes are on an Adventure card where there are Challenge cards belonging to either of the two players controlling the Heroes involved in the Alliance.

Note: Alliances are temporary: they last only until the Adventure card they are on is completed, and they are binding, except for the Priest, once per game.

Example: Player 3, playing the Priest Hero, has an Alliance with Player 4, and both have successfully resolved the various Challenge cards on the Adventure card. When the gains of the Adventure card are to be shared, they may choose to keep all the Loot for themselves or the share they consider appropriate. By Crom! Such a vile act must not go unpunished!

Strategic Advice

At first Deals and Alliances may seem a great strategic advantage, but do not forget that you will have to divide your rewards, and that in the ruthless Hyborian Age no one is truly an ally.

4. Draw Turn

In turn order, each player draws a card from the draw deck and places it in their hand. Once every player has drawn a card, play returns to the Card Turn.

There is no limit on the number of cards a player may hold in hand, either minimum or maximum.

Once the Draw Turn is complete, all Game Phases have been finished and they repeat, beginning with the Card Turn of the first player, until the game ends.

If the draw deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw deck.

End of the Game

When a player begins their Hero Turn with at least 30 DP, they win the game.

When a player has reached 30 DP, they must keep them until their next Hero Turn to claim victory. If several players reach 30 DP at the same time, the winner is not the one who enjoys it first before their Hero Turn, but the one who has the most DP on that turn. In case of a tie, play continues until one of them gains a DP advantage once all players have completed the next Hero Turn.

Optional Rules

Shorter or Longer Games

Although the game normally begins with 15 DP per Hero and the goal is to accumulate 30 DP, players may agree on other figures to make the game shorter or longer.

Victory or Death Mode

Players may agree to play in Victory or Death mode. In this mode, the player who controls the last Hero left on the game table wins.

Nothing to Lose: Tricks, Deceits and Ruses

In the world of the Hyborian Age, not all adventurers play fair, and some are even legendary for being miserable and sly cheats. Necessity presses hard and makes the ingenuity of adventurers shine, and many believe that the end always justifies the means. If a player is caught cheating, the trick has no effect and they also lose 5 DP as a penalty. If the player who cheated does not have 5 DP, they are eliminated from the game in the usual way as explained under Player Defeat.

Forgetting Old Dangers

Once Heroes fail to resolve a Challenge, the card remains face up in view of all players. Everyone knows the danger that surrounded each adventure. As an optional rule, Challenge cards may be placed face down, to force players to remember what dangers lurked behind each adventure... If they can.