Court of the Dead: Mourners Call
Court of the Dead: Mourners Call Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
You are a Mourner - an allegiant of Death – dedicated to realizing his noble ambition to end the celestial war and restore balance to the universe. However, Death's purpose includes your own ulterior motives. You and your fellow Mourners must unite and rise, or fall together. But only one Mourner will achieve his or her particular vision of the Underworld united.
Your task will not be easy. While the Underworld is united in its purpose, it is divided in its strategy to achieve that aim. There are three factions in the Land of the Dead: Bone, Flesh, Spirit. Each is a unique path to rise up against Heaven and Hell:
BONE — A rigid order that prizes discipline, strength and endurance
FLESH — A creed that embraces creation, emotion and adaption
SPIRIT — A philosophy that celebrates enlightenment, sacrifice and unity
(Uncertain what your faction should be? Take the faction quiz at courtofthedead.com and find out.)
You will need to strategically manipulate your influence within these factions, their strongholds and guilds, and within the Court of the Dead if you wish to achieve your ends.
But beware: The power within mortal souls - known as Etherea - is a perilous substance. Use it carelessly, and you risk invoking the Dreadsgrip - a destructive force within every mourner that consumes all it touches, including its former master.
Failing to satiate the celestials' war need, or triggering the Dreadsgrip, has dire consequences for all mourners. You must cooperate with your fellow Mourners, and rise or fall together…
Are you strong enough to achieve your own ambitions and be the champion for the uniting force for which all Mourners Call?
Components
- 1 Game Board — Map of Illverness, capital city of the Underworld, the Land of the Dead. Includes the Dreadsgrip Threat and Celestial Suspicion meters, and the Guild figure track.
- 4 Player Boards
- 45 Unity Tokens
- 27 Mourner Cards (9 Bone Faction, 9 Flesh Faction, 9 Spirit Faction)
- 14 Court Cards
- 36 Wallows Cards
- 12 Ulterior Motive Cards
- 4 Reference Cards
- 1 Death Figure — First player marker
- 1 Malavestros Figure
- 24 Wooden Trackers
- 40 Guild Figure Bases
- 50 Etherea Pieces
- 16 Bone Guild Figures (8 Mortis Knighthood, 8 Council of Osteomancy)
- 16 Flesh Guild Figures (8 Shroudrieves Coven, 8 Conclave of Shadows)
- 16 Spirit Guild Figures (8 Gravedancer's Circle, 8 Dreadsbane Order)
- 12 Faction Tokens (4 Bone, 4 Flesh, 4 Spirit)
- 14 Tracker Tokens
- 1 Dreadsbane Token
- 4 Dice
Key Concepts
Game Board
The main game board is a map of the Underworld's Capital City of Illverness. The city is divided into 12 locations, with each location being controlled by one of the Underworld Factions of Bone, Spirit, or Flesh. The city is surrounded by the Wallows, a dangerous and unpredictable wilderness. In addition to the map, the game board features 3 meters that are important for tracking aspects of the game. These are the Celestial Suspicion, Dreadsgrip Threat, and Guild tracks.
The board also features the Unity supply, the Celestial Suspicion track, location labels with effects, the Etherea supply, the Wallows card deck, the Dreadsgrip track, the Court cards deck, and the Guild figure tracks.
Guild Figure Track
The Guild figure track is used to track how many loyal Guild figures each player has within the different Guilds. When a player gains a new Guild figure they must advance their Guild figure token one space on the appropriate track. This helps all players keep track of who has the majority influence in each Guild and will make it easier to resolve the Guild abilities each round.
Celestial Suspicion Meter
The Celestial Suspicion icon indicates which game actions and events will cause the celestial suspicion to rise, or allow players to decrease the suspicion level.
Drawing too much suspicion could bring about a pre-mature war with Heaven and Hell...The Underworld cannot risk a war that it cannot win. Thus, all players must work together to keep this meter regulated.
As Celestial Suspicion increases, players will also need to pay a higher tithe of Etherea to Heaven and Hell, to ensure they remain distracted by their ceaseless war with one another.
WHEN THE CELESTIAL SUSPICION METER REACHES 13
If a player causes the Celestial Suspicion meter to reach 13, that player must fight off a Celestial Inquisitor, represented by a loss of 3 Unity points, which are removed from play.
If the player does not have 3 Unity points, they must pay any difference using Faction Influence points. The Celestial Suspicion meter token is then moved back down to 12 on the meter and play continues.
Dreadsgrip Threat Meter
The Dreadsgrip Threat icon indicates which game actions and events will cause the Dreadsgrip to rise, or allow players to decrease the Dreadsgrip Threat.
WHEN THE DREADSGRIP THREAT METER REACHES 10
If the Dreadsgrip level reaches 10, the player(s) who caused it to do so:
- Lose one Mourner card, and one Guild figure of the type indicated on that card
- The player to their left selects which card they will lose
- Additionally, all other players lose one Guild figure of that same type
- The Mourner card is removed from play and the figures are returned to the supply
- The Dreadsgrip Threat marker is then moved back down to the #9 space on the track and play continues
Player Board
The player board helps players manage their resources.
Each player has a tracker token starting location, with one tracker on each Faction track. Faction Influence points: at the end of the game, these numbers indicate how many points the Faction influence is worth, based on the location of the Tracker token. Faction Influence tracks are used to record each time a player gains or spends influence of a particular type. All 3 Faction Influence tracks have a maximum of 15. Any influence gained beyond this is not recorded and does not provide any additional points.
The "Crypt" is a ready area that can hold any number of Guild figures not currently deployed to a location in Illverness. Guild figures in the Crypt are considered to be in play. These figures should be counted for Guild majorities, and may be effected by card, location and guild actions.
The player board also has an Etherea resource space, a Unity token space, and a Faction token space.
Court Cards
The Court cards represent the most influential and powerful mourners, and Death himself. Each card has two action choices. When playing a Court card you may complete either action, but not both.
Each card shows the Faction Loyalty, the Character Name & Illustration, and Action 1 or Action 2.
The Court of the Dead, Mourners and Guilds — Death created his Court of the Dead under the guise of helping him to harvest souls from the Mortal Realm for the celestials. But, in truth, in secret, this select council of generals, spies, administrators, his oracle, and his Queen, leads the three Underworld Factions. The Court of the Dead is imperfectly dedicated to liberate mourner and mortal alike.
Mourner Cards
The Mourner cards are separated into three faction decks. Mourners cards provide special abilities to the controlling player.
- Some Mourner cards have abilities that activate instantly and are used once, others may be activated once per round as a turn action, and finally, some activate automatically when certain conditions are met or during certain phases.
- Note: Players may find it helpful to organize their Mourner cards by the phase in which their abilities are triggered.
- Each Mourner card comes with a loyal follower (a Guild figure). When a player puts a Mourner card into play, they will also take one Guild figure of the type indicated on the card.
- The Guild figures gained from Mourner cards operate independently from the associated card. Thus, if the Guild figure, or Mourner card is removed from play, the other is not effected unless this is specifically noted.
Each Mourner card shows a Faction Loyalty, a Follower (Guild figure — when a player puts a Mourner card into play, they will also take one Guild figure of the type indicated on the card), a Character Illustration & Name, and an Ability.
Mourners — The Court of the Dead may be the most powerful beings in the Underworld, but their power is continually supported and eroded by a shifting cast of skilled and devious mourners. A slice of this macabre cast of key characters is represented in the Mourner cards.
There is a limited supply of bases, Mourner cards, and Guild figures. If a player does not have any Guild figure bases left in their supply, they may not recruit additional figures, and may not pay Etherea to try to recruit Guild figures. When a player is out of base pieces, and draws a Mourner card, they gain the card, but no additional Guild figures. If a player would gain a Mourner card, and there are no cards left from the indicated faction, that player does not gain a card or figure. If a player has bases remaining, and would gain a specific type of Guild figure, but there are no figures remaining of the indicated type, they do not gain a figure.
Guild Figures
Guild figures represent six of the many guilds of the Underworld: Mortis Knighthood, Council of Osteomancy, Shroudrieves Coven, Conclave of Shadows, Gravedancer's Circle, and Dreadsbane Order.
Death – The Alltaker
In the Underworld, Death is known as the Alltaker. The Alltaker figure indicates Death's favor in the game.
The Alltaker figure is gained any time a player uses the Death Court card. The player who controls the Alltaker figure may use it once per round to win any one tie for a location or a guild during the resolution phase.
The Alltaker figure cannot be used to resolve ties for Ulterior Motives at the end of the game, or any other conflict - such as Ethereal bids that equal in the tithe phase.
Set-Up
Game Board Set-Up
- Place the Game Board with the map of Illverness in the center of the table.
- Place the Unity tokens on the Unity supply space. 4 Players = 35 Tokens; 3 Players = 30 Tokens; 2 Players = 25 Tokens. Set aside any unused tokens, as these may be needed in the final round of game play.
- Shuffle the Court cards and place them face down on the Court card space.
- Shuffle the Wallows cards and place the deck on the Wallows space.
- Place the Malavestros figure near the game board.
- Set up the Guild figures by faction alongside the gameboard near the Mourner card decks.
- Place the Etherea pieces on the Etherea supply space.
- Place a Track token on the zero spaces of the Celestial Suspicion and Dreadsgrip Threat meters.
- Separate the Mourner card decks by Faction and separate out the starting Mourner cards (cards with banner icon in the top right) and place them aside. Shuffle the remaining Mourner cards by deck and place them face down on the side of the game board.
Player Set-Up
Each player should take a player board.
- Each player collects the 10 Guild figure ring bases and 6 Guild track tokens of the color indicated on their player board.
- Collect 3 Track tokens and place them on the Faction Influence tracks on the spaces marked with the faction symbols.
- Each player takes two Etherea pieces and places them on the designated space on their player board.
- The oldest player takes the Alltaker figure and will be the first player for round 1.
BASED ON YOUR FACTION, COLLECT YOUR STARTING MOURNER AND GUILD FIGURE
After declaring their faction, each player randomly draws one starting Mourner card of their selected faction. Starting Mourner cards feature a banner in the upper right-hand corner. If two or more players select the same faction, they select their starting Mourner cards in reverse turn order ending with the first player. Shuffle any unselected starting characters into the matching Mourner card decks.
Each player places their selected Mourner card face up in front of them. They then take one Guild figure of the type indicated on their starting Mourner card, add one of their bases to it, and put it on the Crypt area of their player board.
Players then place a Guild track token on the first space of the corresponding Guild track on the game board.
CHOOSE YOUR ULTERIOR MOTIVE AND DECLARE A FACTION
Separate the Ulterior Motive cards into piles based on the factions (Bone, Flesh and Spirit). Shuffle each of these piles and deal them out such that each player receives one Ulterior Motive card from each faction.
Each player collects 3 Faction tokens, 1 for each faction: Bone, Flesh and Spirit.
Players secretly review their three Ulterior Motive cards and select one to keep. The other two are returned to the box.
When all players have selected their Ulterior Motive card, they then place the Faction token matching the Faction shown on their Ulterior Motive card face up on the indicated space on their Player Board. However, the Ulterior Motive card should be kept hidden from other players.
Game Play
The game is played over several rounds, with each round comprising 8 different phases. When the final Unity token is acquired that round is brought to an end, and should be played out as directed in the "End Game" section of the rules.
Round Phase Order
The 8 phases of a round, in order, are: 1. Ethereal Distribution, 2. Wallows Cards, 3. Court card Drafting, 4. Action Phase, 5. Dreadsgrip Threat Check, 6. Pay Celestial Tithe, 7. Resolve Location and Guilds, 8. Clean-up.
1. Ethereal Distribution
A. The first-player rolls a number of 6-sided dice equal to the number of players. They then add up the results of the dice roll and take that number of Etherea from the supply.
B. The first-player divides this Etherea into a number of piles equal to the number of players plus 1* (i.e. 4 piles in a 3-player game).
C. Beginning with the person to the left of the first player and proceeding in turn order, each player selects a pile of Etherea to keep, ending with the first player.
Note: A player may choose to pass on taking Etherea and may instead gain any 2 Faction Influence of their choice.
D. After all players have picked Etherea or passed, any remaining piles are placed onto Dirth Forge and will be used to pay the Celestial Tithe later in the round.
*A pile or piles may contain zero Etherea.
The Wallows — Outside of Illverness' city wall lie the Wallows, a dangerous and ever-shifting wilderness full of deadly threats and astonishing treasures. It is a place that even the dead fear to tread.
2. Wallows Cards
Each round every player will be dealt 1 Wallows card, which they will place face up in front of them.
Wallows cards represent quests handed down from the Court of the Dead. Players have until the end of the round to complete the objective on their Wallows card before it is discarded. Each objective can only be completed once.
3. Court Card Drafting
Shuffle the 14 Court cards, and deal them out, face down according to the table below. Return any extra cards face down to the Court card space on the game board.
Cards are passed clockwise during the odd-numbered rounds, and counter-clockwise during the even-numbered rounds, to ensure that in games with 3 or more players, each person will pass to/receive from, a different neighbor each round.
| 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deal | 6 cards each | 4 cards each | 3 cards each |
| 1st Draft | Keep 1, pass 5 | Keep 1, pass 3 | Keep 1, pass 2 |
| 2nd Draft | Keep 1 more, pass 4 | Keep 1 more, pass 2 | Keep 1 more, pass 1 |
| 3rd Draft | Keep 1 more, pass 3 | Keep 1 more, pass 1 | Keep the final card received |
| 4th Draft | Keep 1 more, pass 2 | Keep the final card received | N/A |
| 5th Draft | Keep 1 more, discard the final card | N/A | N/A |
4. Action Phase
Starting with the player who holds the Death figure, and proceeding clockwise, players take turns completing any ONE of the following actions per turn:
- Play a Court card
- Recruit Guild figures and Mourner cards
- Relocate Guild figures
- Activate Mourner card abilities
- Pass
Play during the Action Phase continues through multiple turns per player until all of the players pass in a row. If a player passes on their turn, they may take actions on future turns so long as any other player who acts after them takes an action on their turn.
Example: In a 3-player game: Player 1 acts on their turn, Player 2 passes on their turn, and so does Player 3. It is now Player 1's turn again. If Player 1 chooses to act on their turn, then Players 2 and 3 have another opportunity to act on their turns. However, if Player 1 chooses to pass, then all 3 players will have passed in row and the Action Phase will end for this round.
PLAY A COURT CARD
Players select any Court card from their hand and play it face up on the table, completing either of the actions on the card (but not both). After completing the action, they place the card face-up onto the Court card pile on the main game board.
As a reminder, cards that were not dealt out this round will be face-down, while played cards should be discarded face-up.
RECRUIT GUILD FIGURES AND MOURNER CARDS
Guild Figures — Guild figures can be recruited, as a turn action, by spending 3 Etherea. When using this action players may choose any of the 6 Guild figure types. Spent Etherea is returned to the supply, not the Dirth Forge.
When recruiting a Guild figure, the player takes the chosen Guild figure, adds one of their bases to the figure, and places it into the Crypt on their player board.
The player also moves their Guild track token up one space in the appropriate section of the Guild track.
Lastly, the Dreadsgrip Threat meter is increased by 1. The +1 Dreadsgrip icon on the turn reference cards serves as a reminder of this step.
Mourner Cards — Mourner cards can be recruited, as a turn action, by spending 5 Etherea. Players may draw the top card from the Bone, Flesh or Spirit Mourner card deck.
Anytime a Mourner card is gained, it is immediately played face-up in front of the controlling player.
When a player puts a Mourner card into play, they will also take one Guild figure of the type indicated on the card. They add their color base to the Guild figure, and place it on the Crypt space of their player board.
The player also moves their Guild track token up one space in the appropriate Guild track.
Lastly, the Dreadsgrip Threat meter is increased by 1. The +1 Dreadsgrip icon on the turn reference cards serves as a reminder of this step.
MOVING GUILD FIGURES
A movement consists of moving any number of Guild figures together from one starting location to one destination.
To complete a Guild figure movement a player must spend Faction Influence matching the faction of the destination location. The cost is one influence of that type for each figure moved.
This includes moving Guild figures from their Crypt to a location on the game board.
These Guild figures count towards that player's influence over the location where they are placed.
ACTIVATE MOURNER CARD ABILITIES
Many of the Mourner card abilities are triggered automatically by events during game play. Other cards have abilities that note they may be used once per action phase. These abilities must be triggered manually by the controlling player. Doing so counts as a turn action.
PASS
A player may choose not to take an action on their turn.
5. Resolve Dreadsgrip Threat
The Dreadsgrip Threat meter correlates to the number of Guild figures that can be present in a location before the threat is triggered.
During this phase, check to see if any location has more Guild figures than the indicated threat limit.
DREADSGRIP THREAT LIMIT
The tracker token indicates which threat limit is triggered. If any location has more Guild figures than the indicated threat limit, each player with figures in that location must roll 1 die per figure to resolves the effects as indicated on the Dreadgrip meter.
Players must roll for each Guild figure in the location, even if figures are removed during this process.
DREADSGRIP THREAT DIE ROLL
- 1: The figure becomes a Raker and must be destroyed. Remove that figure from play, return the base and the figure to their respective supplies.
- 2: The figure is weakened by the Dreadsgrip and must recover. Return the figure to its owner's Crypt.
- 3-6: No effect.
DREADSBANE TOKEN
If a player has the Dreadsbane token, they do not have to roll for any of their Guild figures in this phase.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The careless use of power always comes with a cost. In the Underworld, that price is known as the Dreadsgrip. The Dreadsgrip is a destructive force that warps the self-determining will of all that it despoils, turning mourners into rakers.
Rakers are mindless or otherwise myopic creatures bent solely on havoc, carnage and subverting everything around them into a reflection of their own destruction.
Make no mistake, plotting a rebellion against the celestial powers is fraught with risk. And there is no greater danger than the dark pull of the Dreadsgrip: The destructive nature within every mourner that is constantly striving to be unleashed through the wanton use of power. Triggering the Dreadsgrip has catastrophic results for all mourners. The Dreadsgrip Threat meter represents the looming threat of the Dreadsgrip. Players must work together to keep the Dreadsgrip threat at bay.
6. Paying Celestial Tithe to Heaven and Hell
The minimum amount of Etherea to be paid is indicated by the Celestial Tithe meter. Any Etherea in the Dirth Forge is automatically applied to the Celestial Tithe. Any remaining needed is contributed by the players through a blind bidding system.
Contributing to the Tithe will earn players Unity tokens.
3 Player Example: The Celestial Suspicion meter is at 6, which means the Celestial Tithe players collectively have to pay this round is 8 (3, the number of players, + 5). 3 Etherea from Dirth Forge is automatically applied to the Celestial Tithe, leaving players with 5 Etherea to pay. All players remove their Etherea from the table so that it is out of view of other players. Players discuss how much Etherea is needed, and how much they are willing to contribute individually. Then each player secretly places their contribution into a closed hand. (Hint: Players may misrepresent their contributions in an effort to claim more of the available Unity tokens during this phase.) After all players have decided, players simultaneously open their hands to reveal their contributions. In this example: Player 1 contributes 2 Etherea, Player 2 contributes 1 Etherea, Player 3 contributes 3 Etherea. Collectively, players contributed 6 Etherea. All of the offered 9 Etherea (3 Dirth Forge, 6 Player contributions) is contributed to the quota and returned to the supply – no player may retract or change their bid.
RESOLVE THE QUOTA
6a. If the quota is met or exceeded
- The player who contributed the most Etherea: +3 Unity. (If there is a tie for the highest contribution, the tied players each receive +1 Unity.)
- All other contributing players: +1 Unity.
- Any player who did not contribute at least 1 Etherea: -1 Unity.
No points are awarded to other contributors.
6b. If the quota is not met
+2 Celestial Suspicion, +2 Dreadsgrip Threat.
The player(s) who contributed the least Etherea (including contributions of 0): -2 Unity. Remove from play. If the lowest bidding player(s) do not have enough Unity tokens, they lose Faction points to make up the difference.
If the Celestial Suspicion meter reaches 13, the player(s) who contributed the least Etherea: -3 Unity, in addition to Unity lost above.
If the Dreadsgrip Threat meter reaches 10, the player(s) who contributed the least Etherea lose one Mourner card and the associated Guild figure (See Dreadsgrip Threat for details.)
Greed often leads to failure to meet the quota, and greed nurtures the Dreadsgrip. Meanwhile, the Etherea-hungry Celestials are sure to turn their focus on the Underworld when their expectations are not met… And this unwanted attention could ruin the Alltaker's plans to eventually rise up against Heaven and Hell.
To be drawn into a war before the Underworld is ready would be a disastrous mistake. Work together to avoid bringing down the wrath of the celestials.
7. Resolve Locations and Guilds
Location and Guild bonus actions are based on majorities. The player with the most Guild figures in a location earns that location's bonus. The player with the most Guild figures of a particular guild type earns that Guild's bonus action. In both cases, if there is a tie, no player may use the bonus action.
Alltaker Tie-Breaking
The player who controls Death, the Alltaker figure may use it once per round to win any one tie for a location or a Guild during the resolution phase. The Alltaker figure cannot be used to resolve ties for Ulterior Motives at the end of the game, or any other conflict.
LOCATIONS
Location control is resolved in order according to the location numbers. The controlling player may complete the associated location action, or may choose not to. In some cases completing the action may cause the Celestial Suspicion or Dreadsgrip Threat meters to increase so players may choose to pass on the ability in order to avoid these consequences. Players must choose to either complete the entire action or none of it, they may not choose portions of the action while ignoring other parts.
A full description of the location effects is available below (see FAQ & Clarifications).
MALAVESTROS
The Malavestros figure brings a bit of chaos with him wherever he travels. When Malavestros is in a location, the normal effect of that location is cancelled. Instead, any player with at least one Guild figure in that location will gain 1 Unity point. A player with more than 1 Guild figure in that location will still only receive 1 Unity token.
Disregard Malavestros' constant prattle at your own peril. The hardest truths are often hidden between the humorous lines that issue from the fool's lips.
GUILDS
Guilds are resolved in numerical order as depicted on the Guild track. Use the Guild track to quickly determine which player has the most figures of each Guild type.
The player with the most Dreadsbane Guild figures earns the Dreadsbane token. If two or more players are tied for the most Dreadsbane Order Guild figures, the Dreadsbane token is returned to the supply.
A full description of the Guild effects is available below (see FAQ & Clarifications).
8. Clean-up
During the clean-up phase first resolve any 'end of round' Mourner card abilities. Lastly, any Mourner cards that were activated during the round are reset and can be used again in the next round. If there are still Unity tokens remaining in the pool, begin a new round, otherwise proceed to end game scoring.
End Game
The game ends after the last Unity token is collected.
- If the last Unity token is collected during the Action Phase then each player, including the current player, takes one additional turn. Players then proceed through the Dreadsgrip Threat, Celestial Tithe, Resolve Locations and Guilds, and Clean-up phases.
- If the last Unity token is collected during any phase after the Action Phase, players complete the remaining phases for that round, including the Clean-up phase.
After the final Clean-up phase, players total their scores to determine a winner (see End Game Scoring below).
The supply of Unity tokens is not limited by the starting set-up. This number only determines when the last turn of play is triggered. Players may still earn Unity tokens throughout their final turn, and the remaining phases of the final round.
If all of the tokens that were put aside during the set-up are used, substitute other game pieces to keep track of these Unity points.
Keep in mind that Mourners are still susceptible to the Dreadsgrip Threat and Celestial Suspicion throughout the final round.
Only when the Underworld is united will it be ready to rise up and challenge the corrupt celestial realms of Heaven and Hell.
Long has every mourner waited to rise from his or her lonesome crypt, haunted armory, and forlorn shrine to stand defiantly with the Alltaker, to forever cast off the celestial yoke to seize afterlife freedom for mourner and mortal alike.
The time to Rise, Conquer, and Rule is at hand!
End Game Scoring
ULTERIOR MOTIVES
Players reveal their Ulterior Motive and demonstrate how many points they earned for their objective.
PLAYER SCORING
| Score | Scorable Items |
|---|---|
| Unity tokens Collected | |
| + | Bone Faction Influence points |
| + | Flesh Faction Influence points |
| + | Spirit Faction Influence points |
| + | Ulterior Motive Bonus |
| = | Final Score |
In the event of a tie the player with the most remaining Etherea wins.
If there is still a tie the player with the most Mourner cards in play is the winner.
FAQ & Clarifications
Court Cards
Auraghast: The Arbiter of Souls — The top ability on this card increases the Celestial Suspicion by 1, and allows a player to select any player and force them to contribute 2 Etherea to the Dirth Forge. The player who played the card, and the player who contributed the Etherea each gain a Unity token. Thus, if the player who used the card chooses to also contribute the 2 Etherea, they will gain both Unity tokens.
Cleopsis: Mortals' Sorrow — When using the first ability to steal 2 Faction Influence, the player chooses any opponent, and selects which 2 Faction Influence to steal from that opponent. It may be 2 of the same type, or 1 each of 2 different types. The opponent must have the indicated Faction Influence types. The opponent decreases their Influence tracks accordingly and the active player increases theirs.
Gallevarbe: Eyes of the Queen — When using the first action on this card a player may relocate any number of Guild figures from one location to another without a Faction Influence cost. This includes moving Guild figures from a Crypt onto the game board. Players may not use this action to move Guild figures to their Crypt.
Gethsemoni: The Queen of the Dead — When using the first ability, a player must steal one Flesh Influence from an opponent of their choice. That player reduces their Flesh Faction Influence by 1, and the active player increases their Flesh Faction Influence by 1.
When using the second ability a player may move any Guild figure to Cryptus Akhor.
Malavestros — The Malavestros figure cancels the normal reward for a location. All players with at least one Guild figure in that location will gain 1 Unity token during the Resolve Locations phase. Malavestros will stay in this location until moved again using this Court card.
When using the second ability on this card, a player may deactivate a Mourner card controlled by each opponent.
Relic Ravlatch — When using the first ability, the active player puts the selected Wallows card into play face-up alongside any other active Wallows cards they may have. Each Wallows card is treated individually and a player may earn multiple rewards, or be subject to multiple penalties for incomplete Wallows cards.
When using the second ability, if the active player keeps an artifact they do not need to complete the objective on the top half of the card. Instead they gain the benefit immediately and keep the card in play for the remainder of the game.
Mourner Cards
Severamm: The Hushed Tongue — Allows a player to exchange one of their Court cards for one of the Court cards that was not dealt to any player during the Court Card Drafting phase. The controlling player may look at these cards and choose to return them without making an exchange; however they may not use this ability if they have already played all of their Court cards for this round.
Socopharie: The Whisper Thief — The controlling player may choose any Court card that was previously played this round, they add the selected card to their hand and discard, face-up, any other Court card in their hand. A player may not use this ability if they have already played all of their Court cards for this round.
Guilds
Bone Faction Guilds:
- The Mortis Knighthood: Reaper Guardian Knights — During the Guild Resolution phase the player with the most Guild figures of this type gains 3 Etherea.
- The Council of Osteomancy: Bureaucratic Administrators — During the Guild Resolution phase the player with the most Guild figures of this type gains 2 Faction Influence of their choice.
Spirit Faction Guilds:
- The Dreadsbane Order: Inquisitor Ghost Knights — During the Guild Resolution phase the player with the most Dreadsbane Order Guild figures may take the Dreadsbane Token.
Note: The player who holds the Dreadsbane Token is immune to the location limit effects of the Dreadsgrip Threat meter. Their Guild figures may still contribute to triggering this effect, however the player with the Dreadsbane token does not roll for their Guild figures in an over-crowded location.
- The Gravedancer's Circle: Underworld Fostermurden Clerics — During the Guild Resolution phase the player with the most Gravedancer's Circle Guild figures may reduce the Dreadsgrip Threat meter by 1 and gain 1 Unity token.
Flesh Faction Guilds:
- The Conclave of Shadows: Assassin Spies — During the Guild Resolution Phase the player with the most Guild figures of this type may remove any 1 Guild figure from play, including Guild figures on the game board and in Crypts on player boards. Return the Guild figure to the supply, and the base to the appropriate player.
- The Shroudrieves Coven: Stitch Witches — During the Guild Resolution Phase the player with the most Guild figures of this type may add one additional Guild figure of their choice from the supply to their Crypt.
Locations
- Dirth Forge — Gain 3 Etherea from the general supply.
- Vadlum Gates — Reduce the Dreadsgrip Threat meter by 1 and gain 1 Faction Influence of any type and 1 Unity token. Increase the Celestial Suspicion meter by 1.
- Curio Cryptus — Gain 2 non-matching Faction Influence of your choice.
- Mortiss-Veth — Gain 2 matching Faction Influence of your choice.
- Calvum Harrows — Gain either a Mortis Knighthood or a Council of Osteomancy Guild figure or gain 1 Bone Faction Influence.
- Theaters of Memory — Gain either a Dreadsbane Order or a Gravedancer's Circle Guild figure or gain 1 Spirit Faction Influence.
- Life's Ebb — Gain either a Conclave of Shadows or a Shroudrieves Coven Guild figure or gain 1 Flesh Faction Influence.
- Higst Athenaeum — Gain 1 Spirit Faction Influence for each Gravedancer's Circle and Dreadsbane Order Guild figure you control.
- Voxxingard — Gain 1 Bone Faction Influence for each Mortis Knighthood and Council of Osteomancy Guild figure you control.
- Cryptus Akhor — Gain 1 Flesh Faction Influence for each Conclave of Shadows and Shroudrieves Coven Guild figure you control.
- HushHyde — Return any Guild figure you control to your Crypt to reduce the Dreadsgrip Threat meter by 1 and gain 1 Spirit Faction Influence and 1 Unity token. Increase the Celestial Suspicion meter by 1.
- Grendall's Pillars — Return any Guild figure you control to your Crypt to reduce the Celestial Suspicion track by 1 and gain 1 Unity token.
"Strip away the veneer of what's ugly and what's beautiful—the dark and the light themes—and there is the skeletal truth of the thing. To affect meaningful change you must galvanize the diverse elements within a system. Unite them around a purpose, then drive that combined engine forward with momentum... Rise. Conquer. Rule."
—Tom Gilliland
Icons
- Etherea — the power skimmed from mortal souls, spent to recruit Guild figures and Mourner cards, and contributed toward the Celestial Tithe.
- Unity — earned by contributing to the Celestial Tithe; the game ends when the last Unity token is collected.
- Celestial Suspicion — rises and falls with certain actions and events; reaching 13 triggers a Celestial Inquisitor.
- Dreadsgrip Threat — rises and falls with certain actions and events; reaching 10 triggers loss of a Mourner card and Guild figure.
- Any/Bone/Flesh/Spirit Guild figure
- Any/Bone/Flesh/Spirit Faction Influence
- Bone/Flesh/Spirit Mourner card
Ages 14+. 2-4 Players. 90+ Min.