Cthulhu: Rise of the Cults Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Icons in the Game
  • Keywords in the Game
  • Description of Game Components
  • Investigators
  • Rituals in the Game
• Game Setup
• Playing the Game: An Overview
• Phases of the Round
  • General Rules
  • City Phase
  • Cult Phase
  • Planning Phase
  • Action Phase
  • Hiding Phase
• End of Game
• Plans of the Cult
  • Augmentation Plan
  • Preparation Plan
  • Influence Plan
  • Dominance Plan
• Solo Mode Rules
  • Playing the Solo Game: An Overview
  • Solo Game Setup
  • Phases of the Round (Solo)
    • City Phase
    • Cult Phase
    • Planning Phase
    • Action Phase
    • Hiding Phase
  • End of Game (Solo)
  • Plans of the Cult (Solo)
  • Dominance Plan (Solo)

Components

• Rulebook
• Game board
• Players' screens (in four colors)
• Ritual markers (in four colors; per player: 1 x Level III, 2 x Level II, 2 x Level I)
• Cult Site markers (4 per player)
• Dominance markers (8 per player)
• Sanity tokens x 8
• Cultist tokens: THUG (Attack) x 34, INITIATE (Power) x 34, FREAK (Terror) x 16
• First Cultist marker
• Plan board
• Plan markers (4 per player)
• Round marker
• Investigator tokens x 16
• Unavailability tokens x 10
• Recruitment dice x 5
• NPC die (for solo mode)
• Cult cards x 166
• City cards x 15
• Initial setup cards x 4
• Objective cards x 8 (for solo mode)
• NPC cards x 6 (for solo mode)

Icons in the Game

Attack, Power, Terror, Sanity, Cult Site, Dominance, Ritual, Number of players, Cost of acquisition, Spot for Plan markers, City district indication, Drawing a card from one's own Cult Deck, Destroying a card from one's own discard pile, Investigation Track; Dominance Plan, Influence Plan, Preparation Plan, Augmentation Plan.

Keywords in the Game

• DESTROY: Return the card to the box (remains unused for the rest of the game).
• CULT DECK: The player's personal deck of Cult Cards (includes both players' starting cards and District Cards).
• DISTRICT CARDS: Cult cards in each of the districts. Can be added to player's Cult Decks.
• DISCARD PILE: The player's personal pile of cards discarded during the course of the game.
• SANITY: The level of sanity of the city's residents, may be increased by Investigator tokens.
• DISCARD A CARD: Discarding a card into the player's own discard pile.
• DRAW A CARD: The player draws a card from their own Cult Deck.

Description of Game Components

BOARD

Arkham City is divided into four districts: Northside, Downtown, Rivertown, and Uptown, possessing identical fields, where during set-up and game play, players shall place particular components.

Each district includes the following Fields and Track:

• Ritual markers (the number of available spots depends upon the number of players: three fields for two players, four fields for three players, and five fields for four players. This number is the limit of Ritual markers that can be placed in the district and it can never be exceeded)
• Players' Cult Sites (each player may have one Cult Site in each district)
• District Cards
• Dominance markers
• Investigator tokens
• Sanity tokens used to mark the sanity of its residents
• player's Plan markers
• the active city card in the current round
• the Investigation Track on which the Investigator token advances

CULT CARDS

These cards come in the following categories:

• Players' starting cards: These form the initial Cult Decks for each player and also have the following aspects: (1) Indicates the Player's color. (2) Icons (depicting Attack, Power, and Terror) that may be used when the card is in the player's hand. (3) A description of the card's special ability. As each card is different, the description will tell when and how it is used.
• District Cards: These cards (Guardian and Action) are placed in the city districts. These cards have the following aspects: (1) Indicates the card type. (2) Card's basic cost of acquisition in Power. This is equal to its base cost + number of Investigator tokens currently in the city district. (3) Icons that may be used when the card is in the player's hand. (4) Description of the card's special ability. As each card is different, the description will tell when and how it is used.
• Disorganization cards: A player may receive these cards as a result of a Confrontation with other cults or as a result of a City Card.

INITIAL SETUP CARDS

These cards alter the initial setup of the city districts and determine which components are to be placed on the board before the game begins. This card is randomly chosen at the start of each game.

Example: This card determines that four tokens of residents' Sanity need to be placed in particular districts. Other items on the board remain unchanged.

CITY CARDS

These cards determine the event that takes place in the city each round. In addition, these cards may determine in which district the Investigator token is to be advanced on the Investigation track.

RITUAL MARKERS

These markers show the Ritual Level (I, II, or III) and the player's color.

FIRST CULTIST MARKER

The player in possession of the First Cultist marker always goes first. It will be handed to person on the left at the end of each round.

SANITY TOKEN

This token shows the initial value of Sanity of the residents of the district where it is placed. The current level of Sanity in the district always equals the value on the Sanity token + number of Investigator tokens (lying next to the Sanity token) in the district.

CULT SITE MARKER

This marker represents the headquarters of the player's cult in the particular district. Each player has four of those markers, one of them is placed on the board in any district at the beginning of the game. The presence of such a marker in the district allows the player to acquire District Cards from the district when executing the Augmentation Plan, as well as placing new Ritual markers in the district when executing the Preparation Plan. Cult Site markers are very important, therefore each player should think over where to place their first Cult Site marker.

RECRUITMENT DICE

There are five Recruitment Dice in the game. They are all identical and each one has:

• 2 sides with a THUG/Attack icon
• 2 sides with an INITIATE/Power icon
• 1 side with a FREAK/Terror icon
• 1 side of Bad Luck (blank)

DOMINANCE TOKEN

Each of these tokens represents a control of the cult over a part of the district, achieved by successfully terrorizing its residents. It is also a Victory Point at the end of the game as long as it is lying on the board. However, placing a Dominance token on the board does not guarantee that it will stay there until the end of the game. Dominance tokens may be replaced by other players' Dominance Tokens, so after they are placed on the board, they should be defended.

CULTIST TOKENS

Having the particular Cultist Tokens behind the screen means that exactly these cultists belong to the player's organization at the particular moment. There are three types of the Cultist Tokens, each one offers a different bonus: THUG - Attack; INITIATE - Power; FREAK - Terror.

PLAYERS' SCREENS

Each player has an individual screen behind which they keep all the Cultist Tokens they receive, so others cannot see them. In addition the screen serves as a reference sheet as it contains the complete information about the Plans the player may execute.

UNAVAILABILITY TOKEN

This token is used to mark the areas of the board that are not available in the game. When it is placed on the field for Ritual markers, no player can place or move their Ritual marker there. When it is placed on the field for Plan markers, the entire district is out of the game (in solo mode, 2- and 3-player game).

PLAN MARKERS

Each player has four circular Plan markers, used in the Planning phase to mark the districts where players will be executing their Plans. Players decide which actions to perform during the Action phase by removing their Plan markers from the district and placing them on the appropriate area of the Plan Board.

PLAN BOARD

The Plan Board is used to keep track of the Plans the players execute during a round of the game. Each time a player removes their Plan marker from the board, they place it on the Plan Board in the area corresponding with the chosen Plan before it is executed. There is also a Bluff area on the Plan Board - if a player decides to forfeit the execution of the Plan, they place their Plan marker on the Bluff area and instead of executing a Plan, they take any 2 Cultist tokens.

A player may perform at most, any particular type of plan two times per round. In other words, no player can place more than two of their Plan markers in one area (except for Bluff) on the Plan board.

The Plan Board has areas for the Augmentation Plan, Preparation Plan, Influence Plan, Dominance Plan and Forfeit (Bluff).

OBJECTIVE CARDS (solo mode only)

These cards are used to determine the game objective for the player while playing solo. The objective is picked at random at the beginning of the game.

At the end of the game the player checks all the requirements listed on the Objective card have been met.

Each of these cards has a number indicating its difficulty level. The higher the number, the harder it is to win, which is why we recommend for your first solo game the objective card with the lowest number.

NPC CARDS (solo mode only)

These six cards are used to handle the NPC. One of them contains the overview of NPC's rules (what he does in which phases), the remaining five cards describe the execution of the NPC's Plans.

NPC DIE (solo mode only)

This die is used to determine where the NPC places his Plan markers and which Plans he executes.

Investigators

The players' dark activities attract the eyes of law enforcement as well as people who dedicated their whole lives to studying the occult and other unexplainable phenomena. These people are the Investigators, and they make it progressively harder for the cultists as the game goes on.

In the game, Investigators are represented by tokens that advance along the Investigation Track. Eventually they arrive in the district and stay there to hinder the various cults' sinister activities.

Each district has its own Investigation Track and a place for stacking the tokens of Investigators who are in that district. The Investigation Track has a starting field, labeled with a figure equal to the number of players, where you shall place new Investigator tokens.

REMEMBER: Whenever the Investigator token arrives at the district (reaches the field next to the Sanity token), it is stacked there. Immediately place a new Investigator token in the spot on the Investigation track equaling the number of starting players.

IMPORTANT: Investigator tokens on the Investigation track do not increase the cost of Plans executed by the players in the district. But as soon as the Investigator token arrives (i.e. placed in the stack next to the Sanity token), it increases the cost of the Plans executed in that district.

Example of the Investigator token entering the district during the round and placing a new Investigator token on the district's Investigation Track in a 2-player game: (illustrated on the page).

Rituals in the Game

The Rituals are an essential part of the game. As a cult leader, you will use them to Dominate (score victory points) in the Arkham districts and fight your enemies. In order to create a Ritual, a player has to spend the amount of Power corresponding to the desired Ritual Level.

RITUAL COST

• Level I = 1 Power + 1 Power per Investigator token in the district
• Level II = 2 Power + 1 Power per Investigator token in the district
• Level III = 3 Power + 1 Power per Investigator token in the district

The Ritual may be created (its miniature placed in the district) by executing a Preparation Plan in the selected district (see Preparation Plan, page 16). It grants its cult the Attacks used to fight other cults and the Terror required to dominate the district. The total value of Attack and Terror that a player has in a particular district is determined by the number and Ritual Levels they have there.

Example: If a player has one Ritual of level I and one Ritual of level II in the district, their total value of Attack and Terror in that district equals three.

THE BENEFITS OF RITUALS ON THE BOARD (PER DISTRICT)

• Level I = 1 Attack and 1 Terror
• Level II = 2 Attack and 2 Terror
• Level III = 3 Attack and 3 Terror

Game Setup

1. Place the board in the center of the table. Note: The board consists of five parts put together like a jigsaw puzzle. Start with the central part and then add the four pieces of the circle.

2. Nominate the first player, who will be the first to play in Round One of the game. You can determine the first player randomly or choose a player whose arms most resemble tentacles and give them the First Cultist marker.

3. For a 2- and 3-player game only: Place an unavailability token in the Rivertown District's Plan Field. This district is not used in the game. Also, place an unavailability token in each district on the Ritual fields marked "+3" in a 2-player game, and marked "4" in a 2- and 3-player game.

4. Shuffle the City Cards and place them face down in a stack next to the board to form a City Deck.

5. Place the Plan Board with a Round Track within reach of each player, then place the Round Marker on the spot labeled "1" on the Round Track of the Plan Board.

6. Give each player a set of components in one color:

   • player's screen
   • 5 Ritual markers (two of level I, two of level II and one of level III)
   • 4 Cult Site markers
   • 8 Dominance markers
   • 4 Plan markers
   • 12 Cult Cards (the player's color is indicated by a small skull icon in the top right corner of each card)

7. Players shuffle their 12 starting Cult Cards and place them as a stack face down next to them. This is each player's Cult Deck.

Playing the Game: An Overview

A standard game lasts six rounds. However, the players may decide before the game that they wish to play more rounds. Each round (except for the first and last round) comprises five phases.

1. City Phase: Players reveal the top card of the City Deck and resolve its effect. Note: The City Phase is skipped in the first round of the game.
2. Cult Phase: Comprises two actions resolved in the following order: Mobilization - Each player draws six cards from their Cult Deck. Recruitment - Each player, in turn order, rolls the Recruitment Dice and collects Cultist tokens based on the dice results.
3. Planning Phase: The First Cultist places one of their Plan markers on the designated spot in any district. Then the other players, in a clockwise order, do the same. Players continue placing their Plans in order until each player has placed all four of their Plan markers on the board.
4. Action Phase: This Phase is divided into turns in which the cults' Plans are executed. Starting with the First Cultist, players remove one of their Plan markers lying on top of any stack and decide whether to execute the Plan or forfeit it.
5. Hiding Phase: Players discard all the Cult Cards they have in their hands and also discard down to five Cultist tokens they have behind their screens. At the end of this phase, pass the First Cultist marker to the player on the left and advance the Round Marker on the Round Track by one. Note: The Hiding Phase is skipped in the last round of the game.

Phases of the Round

Players shall resolve each phase, in order, proceeding to the next phase ONLY after completing the current phase.

ORDER OF PLAYERS

The player who possesses the First Cultist marker is always the first player and they act first in each Phase of the current round. All actions are taken in a clockwise order, starting with the First Cultist.

General Rules

CARD'S SPECIAL ABILITY

You do not discard the card after using its special ability, unless otherwise specified.

DRAWING CARDS FROM THE CULT DECK

At the beginning of the game each player has 12 cards in their Cult Deck. In the course of the game the size of the player's deck will change. If at any point you need to draw a card and your Cult Deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile and form a new Cult Deck. Proceed drawing your remaining cards.

Note: Your Cult Deck must be empty before you can shuffle your discard pile.

USING THE ACQUIRED CARD

When a player executes an Augmentation Plan they draw a card into their hand. This card cannot be used in the same turn, but it may be used in the same round when executing further Plans. For example, a player has acquired a card with the keyword "Augmentation". They may use its ability when executing the next Augmentation Plan, but not for the Augmentation Plan during which it has been acquired.

RUNNING OUT OF ANY TOKENS OR DISORGANIZATION CARDS

The particular Cultist Tokens, Investigator Tokens and Disorganization Cards are unlimited in the game. If the common pool runs out of them, use any other components instead.

City Phase

1. Reveal the top City card from the City Deck.
2. The First Cultist reads aloud the text of the event and introduces its effect into the game.

The City cards may have a positive and/or negative effect on the cults' schemes. These effects may be a one time effect, permanent effect, or dedicated to only particular actions performed by players during that round.

The City card may also mention in which district(s) the Investigator token needs to be advanced on the Investigation Track.

REMEMBER: During the first round of the game, skip the City Phase and proceed to the Cult Phase.

Cult Phase

1. Mobilization

All players simultaneously draw six cards from their Cult Decks. If any player has drawn one or more Disorganization cards they need to discard them immediately. Hand size is common knowledge. This means the other cults can see you have fewer cards, and hence less options, to play this round.

REMEMBER: When your Cult Deck runs out of cards and you need to draw a card, re-shuffle your discard pile into a new Cult Deck.

Card's special ability: If a player has drawn any cards with the keyword "Mobilization", they may use that ability now. If the player decides to use it they reveal the card, read aloud the text of the ability, and then resolve it. Unless the ability states otherwise, the card is not discarded.

2. Recruitment

Starting with the First Cultist, players roll all 5 Recruitment Dice. If a player is not satisfied with the roll, they may re-roll any of the dice twice, keeping any new rolls they wish (i.e. the player rolls the dice, then they can re-roll any of the dice, and then re-roll any of them again). Then the player takes from the common pool the Cultist tokens with the exact same icons they have rolled. Those tokens are placed behind the player's screen, so that other players cannot see them. Then the other players, in clockwise order, do the same.

Tip: Take notice what Cultist tokens your opponents receive! It may help you plan your actions more efficiently.

Card's special ability: If a player has any cards with the keyword "Recruitment", they may use that ability now. If the player decides to use it they reveal the card, read aloud the text of the ability and then resolve it. Unless the ability states otherwise, the card is not discarded.

Planning Phase

Each player has four Plan markers. You will find the detailed description of Plans on page 16.

General Rule: Plan Marker

A cult (player) does not need to be present (have a Cult Site or a Ritual marker) in the district where they wish to place a Plan marker.

In the Planning Phase, players place their Plan markers in the districts of their choosing. At this stage, players do not declare their Plans. They just mark the spots where they want to do something. They will get to decide which actions they do in the Action Phase, when they can better see the situation on the board.

Each player has to place all four of their Plan markers on the board. They cannot place fewer Plan markers on the board unless the City Card says otherwise.

Tip: Understanding the mechanics of placing the Plan markers and then executing them in the next phase is crucial, and a core part of the strategy of the game. If a player doesn't plan accordingly, they may find out one or more of their Plans no longer will work and have no choice but to forfeit those Plans during the next phase.

PLACING THE TOKENS

1. The First Cultist places one of their Plan markers on the designated field in any district.
2. Then the other players, in clockwise order, do the same and place one of their Plan markers in any district.
3. Placement of Plan markers (steps 1 and 2) are repeated until each player has placed all four of their Plan markers on the board.

STACKING THE PLAN MARKERS

If there is already a Plan marker in the district where a player wants to place their Plan marker they place their marker on top of it, creating a stack. The top marker of the stack is always the Plan marker that was last placed in the district.

TIPS

• Think through all of your plans for the current round before you place your first Plan marker. Especially take into account that some of your Plan markers will be covered by other players' markers which means the execution of some of your plans will have to wait. For example, you might want to create a ritual in one district (Plan 1) and then move it to another district (Plan 2). But you may be forced to execute that Plan 2 early because another player covered up your Plan 1 marker and it wasn't removed in time.
• Watch carefully as the situation on the board changes and try to best determine where other players will want to execute their plans.
• When placing your Plan marker, try to react to what other players do and how they place their Plan markers. If you see that your important Plan marker has just been covered with another cult's marker you may have to adjust your plans.
• If you are the last player this round, note that when you place your fourth and final marker you know it will stay on top of the stack, so it will be resolved in that district first.
• Be a clever cultist and use your Plan markers to cover those of your opponents on purpose so their actions in the Action Phase are delayed.

Example of placing the Plan markers in a 2-player game. Yellow player goes first, because they have the First Cultist marker: (illustrated on the page; markers numbered 1-8 in placement order).

General Rule: Paying

A player may pay with the Cult Cards they hold in their hand by discarding them into their discard pile. They may also pay with Cultist tokens stored behind their screen by returning them to the common pool.

Action Phase

The Action Phase is divided into turns in which players, starting with the First Cultist, execute their plans.

IMPORTANT: During their turn, a player may only execute one of their Plan markers lying on top of any stack in any district. If there are no such Plan markers, that player passes.

1. The First Cultist removes one of their Plan markers lying on top of any stack and decides whether they want to execute it or forfeit it:
   • Execution of the plan: The player moves their Plan marker to the chosen area of the Plan board and then resolves its effect (see Plans of the Cult on page 16).
   • Forfeit (Bluff): Instead of moving the Plan marker to the Plan Board, the player places it in the bluff area of the Plan board and receives a bonus of any two Cultist tokens which they then hide behind their screen.
2. In clockwise order, the players execute or forfeit one of their plans subject to the same rules.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until all Plan markers are removed from the board.

Note: If a player whose turn it is does not have a Plan marker on top of any stack, they must pass.

REMEMBER: A player may perform at most, any particular type of plan two times per round. In other words, no player can place more than two of their Plan markers in one area (e.g. the Influence Area) on the Plan board. This limitation does not apply to the Bluff area, any player can place any number of their Plan markers there.

Example of executing Plans in a 2-player game. Yellow player goes first, because they have the First Cultist marker: (illustrated on the page).

Hiding Phase

In this phase, players do the following, starting with the First Cultist:

1. Discard all the Cult Cards from their hands.
2. Players may not store more than five Cultist Tokens behind their screens. Any extra Cultist tokens must be discarded. Note: Certain city cards may alter this rule.
3. The first player passes the First Cultist marker to the player on the left.
4. Advance the Round Marker on the Round Track by one.
5. Players take their Plan markers back from the Plan board.

REMEMBER: Skip the Hiding Phase in the last round of the game and go straight to the End of Game.

End of Game

The game ends right after the Action Phase in the final round. Players calculate their victory points and whoever has the most is declared the winner.

Each player is granted 1 victory point for:

• each of their Dominance markers on the board
• each of their Cult Site markers on the board, provided that they also have at least one of their Ritual markers in the same district
• having the most Ritual markers on the board (regardless of Ritual Levels. In case of a tie each tying player receives 1 VP)

Tiebreaking

If two or more players are tied with the most victory points, then the player with the most Dominance markers on the board is the winner. If there is still a tie, then the player with the most Cult Sites on the board is the winner. If you are still unable to name the winner, check the following: whoever has the most Rituals on the board (regardless of their levels), then whoever has the fewest Disorganization cards in their entire deck.

Plans of the Cult

The effect of any Plan is limited to the district where the Plan marker was assigned to.

The four Plans are: Augmentation Plan, Preparation Plan, Influence Plan, Dominance Plan.

Augmentation Plan

This Plan allows a player to acquire one or two different District Cards from the district where the Plan marker has just been removed. In addition to (or instead of) acquiring the District Cards, a player may destroy one card from their discard pile. The player may freely browse their discard pile and choose any card to be destroyed (removed from the game).

EXECUTION CONDITION

The player must first have a Cult Site or a Ritual marker in the district.

EXECUTION

1. Remove your Plan marker from the district and place it in the Augmentation area on the Plan board.
2. You may acquire up to two different District Cards from this district. Note: You cannot acquire two copies of the same card in one action!
3. Each acquired card has a Power cost. This cost can be paid using Cult cards from your hand and/or your Initiates (Power Cultist tokens) stored behind your player screen. Note: The cost of each card equals its base cost + 1 per Investigator token (lying next to the Sanity token) in this district.
4. Place any cards used to pay for this cost into your discard pile and return any Cultist Tokens used to the common pool.
5. Take the acquired cards into your hand. You may use them in the following turns of this round.
6. In addition to (or instead of) purchasing the District Cards, a player may destroy any one card from their discard pile. The destroyed card is put back in the box and is no longer available this game.

VERY IMPORTANT: Each Investigator token in the district (except for the Investigator token that is still on the Investigation Track) increases the cost of each purchased card there.

Example: There is one Investigator token in the district where a player is executing the Augmentation Plan, so the cost of the card acquisition is increased by one. The Yellow Player decides to purchase two cards from that district. The cost of acquisition of each of them is increased by one due to the presence of the Investigator token. The player removes their Plan marker and places it in the Augmentation area on the Plan board. Then the player pays seven Power in total: discards two cards from their hand which have four Power icons in total, and also returns three Initiates (Power Cultist Tokens) to the common pool. Also, at the end of their turn, the player destroys a Disorganization card from their discard pile.

Preparation Plan

This Plan allows a player to perform two different actions or just one of them.

BEFORE EXECUTION

Advance the Investigator token on the Investigation Track in the district by 1. Whenever the Investigator token arrives at the district (reaches the field next to the Sanity token), it is stacked there. Immediately place a new Investigator token on the Investigation track on the starting field corresponding to the number of players in the game.

REMEMBER: This Plan allows you to prepare no more than one Ritual in the district at a time.

VERY IMPORTANT: Each Investigator token in the district (except for the Investigator token that is still on the Investigation Track) increases the cost of each Preparation there.

Action 1: Preparation of the Cult Site

Execution condition: The player must not have a Cult Site in the district yet.

Execution:

1. Remove your Plan marker from the district and place it in the Plan board's Preparation area.
2. Place your Cult Site marker in the district and pay a preparation cost of 5 Power + 1 per Investigator token (lying next to the Sanity token) in this district. You may spend the Power using the icons on the Cult Cards in your hand and/or your Initiates (Power Cultist Tokens) stored behind your screen.
3. Discard all cards that you have used to prepare a Cult Site and also return to the common pool the Cultist Tokens you have spent.

Action 2: Preparation of the Ritual

Using a single Preparation Plan, you can both prepare a Cult Site and prepare a Ritual according to the following rules.

Execution condition: The player needs to have a Cult Site in the district and also there has to be an available slot for the Ritual. You cannot prepare a Ritual if all of the fields for Rituals are taken.

Execution:

1. Remove your Plan marker from the district and place it on the Plan board's Preparation area (unless you just completed it during the Preparation of the Cult Site).
2. Place one of your unused Ritual markers in the district and pay as much Power as the Ritual Level is + 1 per Investigator token (lying next to the Sanity token) in this district (Level I = 1, Level II = 2, Level III = 3). You may spend the Power icons on the Cult Cards in your hand and/or your Initiates (Power Cultist Tokens) stored behind your screen.
3. Discard all cards that you have used to prepare the Ritual and also return to the common pool the Cultist Tokens you have spent.

Example: There is one Investigator token in the district where a player is executing the Preparation Plan, so the cost of the each Preparation is increased by one. The Yellow Player decides to Prepare a Cult Site and a Level I Ritual. The player removes their Plan marker and places it in the Preparation area on the Plan board. Then the player advances the Investigator token on the Investigation Track in this district by 1. Unfortunately, this causes the Investigator to enter the district, so the costs of Preparations will be further increased. Immediately a new Investigator token must be placed on the field numbered 2 on the Investigation track because it is a 2-player game. Finally, the player gets to execute the Plan. First, they Prepare a Cult Site for 7 Power (base cost of 5 Power + 2 for the Investigator tokens in the district), and then they Prepare a Level I Ritual for 3 Power (base cost of 1 Power + 2 for the Investigator tokens in the district).

Influence Plan

This Plan allows a player to move one of their Ritual markers from any other district where they have a Ritual to this one. If you do not wish to move one of your Ritual markers, you may still draw a Cult card or destroy a card from your discard pile.

EXECUTION CONDITION

There must be an available slot for the Ritual in this district. You cannot move a Ritual marker into a district with no open Ritual Fields.

EXECUTION

1. Remove your Plan marker from the district and place it in the Influence area on the Plan board.
2. Move one of your Ritual markers from another district to this district and increase its Level by one (replace that Ritual marker on the board with your Ritual marker that is one level higher). You cannot increase the Ritual's level unless you have the appropriate Ritual marker in your stock. You also cannot increase the level if the moved Ritual marker is already at level III. However, you can still move it.
3. In addition to, or instead of, moving the Ritual you may draw a card from your Cult Deck or destroy a card from your discard pile.

Example: The Yellow Player decides to move one of their Rituals from a different district to this one. The player removes their Plan marker and places it on the Plan board's Influence area, and then moves their Level I Ritual from the chosen district to this one. They also upgrade that Ritual with a Level II marker from their supply. In addition, the player decides to draw a Card from their Cult Deck.

Dominance Plan

The Dominance Plan is one of the most sophisticated aspects in the game. It's comprised of two stages, Confrontation and Terror, and they are performed in that order.

EXECUTION CONDITION

The player needs to have at least one Ritual marker in the district.

Stage 1: Confrontation

Remove your Plan marker from the district and place it on the Plan board's Dominance area.

If there are no Ritual markers of your opponents on the board, then they cannot oppose you. Skip the remaining steps of Confrontation and go straight to the Terror stage. Otherwise do the following steps:

1. Starting with the player to the left of the player who is executing the Dominance Plan and proceeding clockwise, each opponent may choose to move one of their Ritual markers from any other district to this district, provided there is an available slot for the Ritual. There is only one "round" of moving the Rituals to the district where Confrontation is about to take place. The player executing the Dominance Plan cannot do that, only his opponents can.

   Note: If there are no available fields for Rituals in the district, they cannot move their Ritual marker. If no one else has a Ritual in this district to oppose the Confrontation, proceed immediately to the Terror stage.

2. All players whose Ritual markers are present in the district take part in the Confrontation. They can play cards from their hands (players may even play the cards without any Attack icons as a bluff) and spend their Thugs (Attack Cultist Tokens). Other players cannot contribute to the fight. Perform the following steps:

   • The player who is executing the Dominance Plan lays in front of them face down any number of cards from their hand. They then may grab any number of Thugs (Attack Cultist Tokens) stored behind their screen and hide them in their clenched fist. Their opponents can see how many cards have been used, but they do not know what they are.
   • Then, starting with the player to the left of the player who is executing the Dominance Plan and proceeding clockwise, each player in the Confrontation does exactly the same: set in front of them face down any number of cards and hold any number of Thugs (Attack Cultist Tokens) in their clenched fist.
   • As soon as all players taking part in the Confrontation have assigned the cards and Thug tokens to the fight, the player executing the Dominance plan reveals all their cards, uses the selected special abilities of the played cards with the keyword "Confrontation", and reveals the number of Thugs (Attack Cultist Tokens) in their hand. The total Attack value of that player is the sum of all Attack Icons on the played cards, the number of spent Thug tokens, and the sum of the Ritual Level markers that player has in the district. Then in a clockwise order all other players taking part in the Confrontation do the same.

3. The player with the highest total Attack value is the winner of the Confrontation. Only that player's Ritual markers remain in the district. All other players' Ritual markers are removed from that district and returned to their pool. Each player who lost the Confrontation receives a Disorganization card and places it on top of their discard pile.

If there is no winner of the Confrontation (meaning at least two players have the same highest Attack value), all Ritual markers of all the players in the Confrontation are removed from the contested district. Then all players taking part in the Confrontation receive a Disorganization card, placing it on top of their discard pile.

Stage 2: Terror

This stage is not mandatory. The player may choose to not take it.

Execution condition: This action may be taken only by the player if they played the Dominance Plan and won the Confrontation or if there was no Confrontation (see above).

Execution:

1. In order to terrorize the district's residents, the player needs to have a total Terror value greater than the current level of Sanity in the district. The current level of Sanity always equals the value on the Sanity token + number of Investigator tokens (lying next to the Sanity token) in the district.
2. The Terror level in the district is equal to that players' combined Ritual Level in that district. The total Terror value in the district may be increased by playing Cult Cards with Terror icons and/or spending Freaks (Terror Cultist Tokens).
3. If the total Terror value exceeds the level of Sanity in the district then the player may place one of their Dominance markers (or two Dominance Markers if there was no Confrontation) in that district.
4. Finally, in case of a successful Terror, that player removes any one of their Ritual markers from that district.

Tip: Try not to allow your opponents to Terrorize the district without Confrontation, because that will quickly give them an advantage.

FIELDS FOR THE DOMINANCE MARKERS: Each district has a limited number of fields where players may place their Dominance markers. If there are no empty fields available when placing a marker, they may replace any Dominance marker in that district with theirs instead. This reflects the cults fighting for dominance in the district.

Example of Dominance with a Confrontation: There is one Investigator token in the district where a player is executing the Dominance Plan, so the cost of the Terror is increased by one.

1. The Red Player executes the Dominance Plan by removing their Plan marker and placing it in the Dominance area on the Plan board. The player has 2 Ritual markers in the district: one Level I and one Level III.
2. The Blue Player wants to prevent the Red Player from dominating the district, so they move a Level III Ritual there from elsewhere on the board. Now, Red has a total Attack value of 4, and Blue has a total Attack value of 3 in that district.
3. As there are Rituals of at least two players in the district, the Confrontation stage begins. Red plays three face-down cards and grabs a chosen number of Thugs (Attack Cultist tokens) from behind their screen and hides them in their fist so that Blue does not know how many Thugs will join Red in the fight.
4. Then Blue plays two face-down cards and hides a chosen number of Thugs from behind their screen in their fist.
5. Red reveals their played cards and the number of Thugs in the hand. Then the player may use special abilities of the played cards with the keyword "Confrontation". They then count the total Attack value by summing up the Attack icons on the cards + Thug tokens + levels of their Rituals in the contested district.
6. Blue does exactly the same.
7. The winner of the Confrontation is the player with the highest total Attack value. In this example it is Red (10 vs. 9).
8. All the Ritual markers of the Blue Player in that district are removed from the board (they are returned to the player) and also Blue receives one Disorganization card and places it on top of their discard pile. All the cards played in the Confrontation are discarded and all the Thug tokens are returned to the common pool near the board.
9. Since the Blue Player chose to oppose the Confrontation but lost, the Terror starts. Note: If the Red Player had not won, there would be no Terror stage.
10. Red discards any number of Cult Cards with Terror icons from their hand and spends any number of Freaks (Terror Cultist tokens) from behind their screen, so that the total Terror value in the district exceeds the current Sanity in the district. In this case, the Sanity level is 4 (3 on the Sanity token + 1 for the Investigator token in the district). The Red Player adds the sum of their Ritual markers in the district to the total Terror value. In this case the player has 2 Rituals there, Level I and Level III, so the sum of their Terror is 4. So to exceed the Sanity in the district Red must discard a Cult card with one Terror icon or spend one Freak Token. They do and the Terror is successful.

Solo Mode Rules

So, brave, you have come to Arkham hoping that your intricate plan of leading your organization will succeed despite the reports of numerous other cults operating in the city. You think you can just walk into their turf and steal their followers? In that case prepare yourself and read these rules that must be followed.

Rules for solo mode are quite similar to regular mode, however instead of facing live opponents, you will be struggling against the mechanism built in the game, referred to as the NPC. It is very simple to use, and as your aid you will have the NPC card, containing all the vital information about the NPC's actions in the game.

ATTENTION: The following chapter is strictly rules, without any flavor texts depicting the background of the game. If you would like to get familiar with them, read the regular rules.

Playing the Solo Game: An Overview

A standard game lasts six rounds. However, you may decide before the game begins that you wish to play more rounds. Each round (except for the first and last round) comprises the same five phases.

1. City Phase: Reveal the top card of the City Deck and resolve its effect. Note: The City Phase is skipped in the first round of the game.
2. Cult Phase: Comprises two actions resolved in the following order. Only you do them. The NPC does not. Mobilization - draw six cards from your Cult Deck. Recruitment - roll five Recruitment Dice and collect Cultist tokens based on the die rolled.
3. Planning phase: You place one of your Plan markers on the designated spot in any district of your choosing. Then the NPC does the same, but the destination district is selected by rolling a die. Both you and the NPC continue placing your Plans in that order until both of you have placed all four of your Plan markers on the board.
4. Action Phase: This phase is divided into turns in which the cults' Plans are executed, starting with you: remove one of your Plan markers lying on top of any stack and decide whether to execute the Plan or forfeit it. Then the NPC takes his action, per the NPC card.
5. Hiding Phase: Discard all the Cult Cards you have in your hand and discard down to five Cultist tokens. The NPC shuffles his Cult Deck. At the end of this phase advance the Round Marker on the Round Track by 1. Note: The Hiding Phase is skipped in the last round of the game.

Solo Game Setup

1. Place the board in the center of the table. Note: The board consists of 5 parts that should be put together like a jigsaw puzzle. Start with the central part and then add the four pieces of the circle.

2. Place an unavailability token on the Plan field in the Rivertown district. This district is not used in the game. Also, place an unavailability token in each district on the Ritual fields marked "+3" and "4".

3. Shuffle the City Cards and place them face down in a stack next to the board. This is the City Deck.

4. Place the Plan Board with a Round Track within reach of each player, then place the Round Marker on the spot labeled "1" on the Round Track of the Plan Board.

5. Choose a color you want to play, and take a set of components in that color:

   • 5 Ritual markers (two of level I, two of level II and one of level III)
   • 4 Cult Site markers
   • 8 Dominance markers
   • 4 Plan markers
   • 12 Cult Cards (the player's color is indicated by a small skull icon in the top right corner of each card)

6. Choose a color for the NPC, and take a set of components in that color (place the NPC's components in a separate place on the table within your reach, so that your cards and his do not get mixed):

   • 5 Ritual markers (two of level I, two of level II and one of level III)
   • 4 Cult Site markers
   • 8 Dominance markers
   • 4 Plan markers
   • 12 Cult Cards (the player's color is indicated by a small skull icon in the top right corner of each card)

Phases of the Round (Solo)

Phases of the round must be resolved in the exact order and you cannot proceed to the next Phase until the current Phase is completed.

ORDER OF PLAYERS: In solo mode you act first in all phases.

General Rules

Card's special ability: You do not discard the card after using its special ability, unless otherwise specified.

Drawing cards from the Cult Deck: At the beginning of the game each player has 12 cards in their Cult Deck. In the course of the game the size of the player's deck will change. If at any point you need to draw a card and your Cult Deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile and form a new Cult Deck. Proceed drawing your remaining cards. Note: Your Cult Deck must be empty before you can shuffle your discard pile.

Using the acquired card: When you execute an Augmentation Plan they draw a card into your hand. This card cannot be used in the same turn, but it may be used in the same round when executing further Plans. For example, a player has acquired a card with the keyword "Augmentation". They may use its ability when executing the next Augmentation Plan, but not for the Augmentation Plan during which it has been acquired.

Running out of any tokens or Disorganization cards: The particular Cultist Tokens, Investigator Tokens and Disorganization Cards are unlimited in the game. If the common pool runs out of them, use any other components instead.

City Phase

1. Reveal the top City card from the City Deck.
2. Read the text of the event, place the card in the designated spot at the center of the board and introduce its effect into the game.

REMEMBER: In the first round of the game, skip the City phase and go straight to the Cult phase.

The City cards may have a positive and/or negative effect on the cults' schemes. These effects may be a one time effect, permanent effect, or dedicated to only particular actions performed by players during that round. The City card may also mention in which district(s) the Investigator token needs to be advanced on the Investigation Track.

Cult Phase

1. Mobilization (only you)

Draw six cards from your Cult Deck. If you have drawn one or more Disorganization cards you need to discard them immediately. This means you are weaker in this round.

REMEMBER: When your Cult Deck runs out of cards and you need to draw a card, re-shuffle your discard pile into a new Cult Deck.

Card's special ability: If you have drawn any cards with the keyword "Mobilization", you may use that ability now. Unless the ability states otherwise, the card is not discarded.

2. Recruitment (only you)

Roll all 5 Recruitment Dice. If you are not satisfied with the roll, you may re-roll any of the dice twice, keeping any new rolls you wish (i.e. YOU roll the dice, then you can re-roll any of the dice, and then re-roll any of them again). Then take from the common pool the Cultist tokens with the exact same icons you have rolled.

Card's special ability: If you have any cards with the keyword "Recruitment", you may use that ability now. Unless the ability states otherwise, the card is not discarded.

Planning Phase

Both you and the NPC have 4 Plan markers each. You will find the detailed description of Plans on page 27.

In the Planning Phase, you and the NPC, one after another, place your Plan markers in the districts of your choosing. At this stage, you do not declare your Plans, you just mark the spots where you will act. You will get to decide which actions you do in the Action Phase, when you can better see the situation on the board. Both you and the NPC have to place all four of your Plan markers on the board. You cannot place fewer Plan markers on the board unless the City Card says otherwise.

Tip: Understanding the mechanics of placing the Plan markers and then executing them in the next phase is crucial, and a core part of the strategy of the game. If you don't plan accordingly, you may find out one or more of your Plans no longer will work and have no choice but to forfeit those Plans during the next phase.

PLACING THE TOKENS

1. Place one of your Plan markers on the designated field in any district.
2. Roll a die for the NPC. If the result on the die indicates the district that is out of the game, roll again until the result is valid. Then place the NPC's Plan marker in the district with the rolled number.
3. Placement of Plan markers (steps 1 and 2) are repeated until both you and the NPC have placed all four of your Plan markers on the board.

STACKING THE PLAN MARKERS

If there is already a Plan marker in the district where you (or the NPC) are about to place your Plan marker, place your marker on top of it, creating a stack. The top marker of the stack is always the Plan marker that was last placed in the district.

Example of placing the Plan markers in solo mode. You act first, then the NPC does: (illustrated on the page).

General Rule: Plan Marker: Your cult does not need to be present (you do not need to have a Cult Site or a Ritual marker there) in the district where you wish to place a Plan marker. The same applies to NPC.

Action Phase

The Action Phase is divided into turns in which both you and the NPC, starting with you, execute your plans. The NPC performs his actions according to the NPC card.

General Rule: Paying: You may pay with the Cult Cards you hold in your hand by discarding them into your discard pile. You may also pay with your Cultist tokens by returning them to the common pool. The NPC does not need to pay for anything.

IMPORTANT: Both you and the NPC, during your turn, may only execute one of your own Plan markers lying on top of any stack in any district. If there are no such Plan markers, you skip the turn.

REMEMBER: You may perform at most, any particular type of plan two times per round. In other words, you cannot place more than two of your Plan markers in one area (e.g. the Influence Area) on the Plan board. This limitation does not apply to the Bluff area, you can place any number of your Plan markers there. This does not apply to the NPC.

EXECUTING A PLAN BY YOU

Remove one of your Plan markers lying on top of any stack and decide whether you want to execute it or forfeit it:

• Execution of the plan: move your Plan marker to the chosen area of the Plan board and then resolve its effect (see Plans of the Cult on page 27).
• Forfeit (Bluff): Instead of moving the Plan marker to the Plan Board, place it in the bluff area of the Plan board and receive a bonus of any two Cultist tokens.

EXECUTING A PLAN BY THE NPC

If the NPC's Plan markers are lying on top of more than one stack of Plan markers, then the NPC executes his Plan in the district with a lowest number of those available. If there are no stacks on top of which the NPC's Plan markers are lying, the NPC skips his turn. In any other case, remove the NPC's Plan marker from the appropriate district, place it in the NPC's pool of resources, roll the NPC die and resolve the result as followed:

1. Preparation Plan: if there are no available fields for Ritual markers in the district (all fields are taken), then go to Plan no. 3. Otherwise the NPC places his Ritual marker of the highest available level in the district and advances the Investigator Token on the district's Investigation Track. However, if there are no available Ritual markers in the NPC's pool of resources, go to Plan no. 2 instead. Note: the NPC does not pay for placing the Ritual marker.
2. Influence Plan: if there are no available fields for Ritual markers in the district (all fields are taken) or the NPC has no Ritual markers in other districts, then go to Plan no. 3. Otherwise the NPC moves to the district his Ritual marker of the lowest level from this district with a higher number (if impossible, then from the district with a lower number). After moving the Ritual, raise its level by one by replacing it with an appropriate Ritual marker from the NPC's pool of resources. Also, the NPC draws a card from his Cult Deck and places it face-down next to his resources. That card will stay there until the next Confrontation, when it will be used as a bonus to the NPC's cards.
3. Dominance Plan: if the NPC has no Ritual markers in the district, then go to Plan no. 4. Otherwise the NPC starts Dominance in the district, which comprises Confrontation and Terror, described on page 29.
4. Augmentation Plan: take a Guardian card from the district and place in on top of the NPC's Cult Deck. Then if there is a Disorganization Card in NPC's discard pile, destroy it. Note: the NPC does not pay for the card acquisition.
5. Forfeit (Bluff): if the NPC is unable to execute any of the above Plans, then he removes his Plan marker and takes 2 Thugs (Attack Cultist tokens) and places them in his resources. Those tokens will stay there until the next Confrontation, when they will be used as a bonus to the NPC's Attack.

You and the NPC execute your actions in turns until all the Plan markers are removed from the board.

Example of executing Plans by you and the NPC. You act first: (illustrated on the page).

Hiding Phase

In this phase you have to:

1. Discard all the Cult Cards from your hand.
2. Discard down to five Cultist Tokens. Note: Certain city cards may alter this rule.
3. The NPC shuffles his Cult Deck. Remember not to shuffle his discard pile until his Cult Deck is empty.
4. Advance the Round Marker on the Round Track by one.
5. Take your Plan markers back from the Plan board.

REMEMBER: Skip the Hiding Phase in the last round of the game and go straight to the End of Game.

End of Game (Solo)

Your time is up. Now, you will see if your actions for the glory of The Great Old One were effective. Now you will see which cult's reign in Arkham has just begun. The game ends right after the Action Phase in the final round. Players calculate their victory points and whoever has the most is declared the winner.

Each player (you and the NPC) is granted 1 victory point for:

• each of their Dominance markers on the board
• each of their Cult Site markers on the board, provided that they also have at least one of their Ritual markers in the same district
• having the most Ritual markers on the board (Regardless of Ritual Levels. In case of a tie each tying player receives 1 VP)

Tiebreaking

If you and the NPC are tied with the most victory points, then the player with the most Dominance markers on the board is the winner. If there is still a tie, then the player with the most Cult Sites on the board is the winner. If you are still unable to name the winner, check the following: whoever has the most Rituals on the board (regardless of their levels), then whoever has the fewest Disorganization cards in their entire deck.

Plans of the Cult (Solo)

The effect of any Plan is limited to the district where the Plan marker was assigned to.

The solo-mode Augmentation Plan, Preparation Plan and Influence Plan are worded as in the regular rules above (the player acts as "you"; execution condition for Augmentation: "You must first have a Cult Site or a Ritual marker in the district."), with these differences:

• Preparation Plan, Before execution: Advance the Investigator token on the Investigation Track in the district by 1. Whenever the Investigator token arrives at the district (reaches the field next to the Sanity token), it is stacked there. Immediately place a new Investigator token on the Investigation track on the field with a 2-player game icon.
• Influence Plan: identical to the regular rules (move one of your Ritual markers from another district to this district and increase its Level by 1; in addition to, or instead of, moving the Ritual you may draw a card from your Cult Deck or destroy a card from your discard pile).

Dominance Plan (Solo)

The Dominance Plan is one of the most sophisticated aspects in the game. It's comprised of two stages, Confrontation and Terror, and they are performed in that order.

EXECUTION CONDITION: You need to have at least one Ritual marker in the district.

Stage 1: Confrontation

If you are executing the Dominance and there are no NPC's Ritual markers on the board, then he cannot oppose you. Skip the remaining steps of Confrontation and go straight to the Terror stage. The same applies when NPC is executing the Dominance and there are no Ritual markers of yours on the board.

Otherwise do the following steps:

1. If you are executing the Dominance, then the NPC moves his Ritual marker of the highest level on the board to this district. If he has more than one Ritual marker of the same highest Level, choose the higher numbered district. If NPC is executing the Dominance, you may move one of your Ritual markers from any district to this district.

   Note: If there are no available fields for Rituals in the district, neither you, nor NPC can move your Ritual marker there. If the opponent has no Ritual markers in this district to oppose the Confrontation, proceed immediately to the Terror stage.

2. If both you and NPC have your Ritual markers in the contested district, the Confrontation begins. Perform the following steps:

   • Lay in front of you any number of cards from your hand and add any number of Thugs (Attack Cultist tokens) from your resources. Then use any special abilities from the cards you played with the keyword "Confrontation."
   • NPC reveals 3 top card from his Cult Deck. Note: if NPC has a card acquired by executing Influence Plan, lying next to his pool of resources, then that card must be revealed now and it contributes to the fight (in that case the NPC has more than three cards in the fight). Then NPC uses all the special abilities from those cards with the keyword "Confrontation." Then NPC rolls all Recruitment Dice and re-rolls any results other than Attack twice. Note: if NPC has any Thugs (Attack Cultist tokens) in his pool of resources, they all are used in that Confrontation.
   • Calculate the total Attack value in that Confrontation, yours and NPC's separately. It is the sum of Attack icons plus the sum of Levels of your Ritual markers in that district.

3. Whoever has the highest total Attack value is the winner of the Confrontation and only their Ritual markers remain in the district. All Ritual markers of the losing party are removed from that district and returned to their pool. The losing party also receives a Disorganization card and places it on top of their discard pile.

If the Confrontation is a draw (both you and NPC have the same total Attack value), all Ritual markers of both of you are removed from the contested district, and both of you receive a Disorganization card, placing it on top of your discard piles.

Stage 2: Terror

This stage is not mandatory. You may choose to not take it.

Execution condition: This action may be taken only by the player (you or NPC) who is executing the Dominance Plan and won the Confrontation or if there was no Confrontation (see above).

Execution:

1. In order to terrorize the district's residents, you need to have a total Terror value greater than the current level of Sanity in the district. The current level of Sanity always equals the value on the Sanity token + number of Investigator tokens (lying next to the Sanity token) in the district. Note: NPC never checks his Terror value, it is assumed that he his Terror value is always greater than the current Sanity in the district. So if the NPC is Terrorizing the district, skip step 2 and go straight to step 3.
2. Your total Terror value in the district is equal to that your combined Ritual Level in that district. You can increase your total Terror value in the district by playing Cult Cards with Terror icons and/or spending Freaks (Terror Cultist Tokens).
3. If the total Terror value exceeds the level of Sanity in the district then the player (you or the NPC) has successfully Terrorized the district and may place one of their Dominance markers (or two Dominance Markers if there was no Confrontation) in that district.
4. Finally, in case of a successful Terror, that player (you or the NPC) removes any one of their Ritual markers from that district.

Tip: Try not to allow NPC to Terrorize the district without Confrontation, because that will quickly give him an advantage.

FIELDS FOR THE DOMINANCE MARKERS: Each district has a limited number of fields where players may place their Dominance markers. If there are no empty fields available when you (or the NPC) are placing a marker, you may replace any Dominance marker in that district with yours instead. This reflects the cults fighting for dominance in the district.

Example of Dominance with a Confrontation: There is one Investigator token in the district where a player is executing the Dominance Plan, so the cost of the Terror is increased by 1.

1. The Red Player executes the Dominance Plan by removing their Plan marker and placing it in the Dominance area on the Plan board. The player has 2 Ritual markers in the district: one Level I and one Level III.
2. The Blue Player (NPC), to prevent the Red Player from dominating the district, moves his Level III Ritual there from elsewhere on the board. Now, Red has a total Attack value of 4, and Blue (NPC) has a total Attack value of 3 in that district.
3. As there are Rituals of two players in the district, the Confrontation stage begins. Red plays 3 cards and a chosen number of Thugs (Attack Cultist tokens). Then Red may use any special abilities of the played cards with the keyword "Confrontation".
4. The NPC reveals three cards from the top of his Cult Deck and rolls all Recruitment dice, and twice re-rolls any dice with results other than Attack.
5. Both the Red player and NPC count their total Attack value by summing up the Attack icons on the cards + Thug tokens + levels of their Rituals in the contested district.
6. The winner of the Confrontation is the player with the highest total Attack value. In this example it is Red (10 vs. 9).
7. Remove all of the Blue player's (NPC) Ritual markers from the board (they are returned to the NPC's pool of resources) and place one Disorganization card on top of the NPC's discard pile. Discard all cards played during the Confrontation and return all Thug tokens to the common pool near the board.
8. Since the Blue Player chose to oppose the Confrontation but lost, the Terror starts. Remember, if the Red Player had not won, there would be no Terror stage.
9. Red discards any number of Cult Cards with Terror icons from their hand and spends any number of Freaks (Terror Cultist tokens), so that the total Terror value in the district exceeds the current Sanity in the district. In this case, the Sanity level is 4 (3 on the Sanity token + 1 for the Investigator token in the district). The Red Player adds the sum of their Ritual markers in the district to the total Terror value. In this case the player has 2 Rituals there, Level I and Level III, so the sum of their Terror is 4. So to exceed the Sanity in the district Red must discard a Cult card with 1 Terror icon or spend 1 Freak Token. They do and the Terror is successful.
10. Red then places one of their Dominance tokens in the district. Note: If there had been no Confrontation, then the player would have placed two Dominance tokens instead of one.