Cthulhu Wars: Bubastis Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Set Up
• The Moon
• Elder Gods
  • Note for the Library of Celaeno Map
  • Note for the Shaggai Map
• Playing as Bubastis
  • Catnapping
  • Ailurophobia
  • Zagazig
  • Catabolism
  • Savagery
  • Predator
• Thwarting Bubastis

Components

• 1 Bubastis Faction Card
• 1 Faction Token
• 6 Spellbooks
• 1 Power Marker
• 1 Doom Marker
• 4 Brain Cylinders
• 4 Brain Cylinder Tokens
• 1 Moon Tile
• 1 Bastet (Elder God)
• 1 Dark Demon
• 6 Earth Cats
• 2 Cats from Mars
• 2 Cats from Saturn
• 2 Cats from Uranus

Set Up

Start with 8 Power. Place the Moon tile next to your Faction Card. Place 6 Earth Cats on the Moon. (Please note that the Bubastis High Priest, Dark Demon, and Brain Cylinder Tokens are included for your convenience if you are playing a game in which these are available to other players. Bubastis does not use these otherwise.) Here are the specific rules per Map:

The Moon

The Moon is only used in games featuring Bubastis. The Moon counts as a land Area with a Bubastis-Controlled Gate for all purposes, except that Control may not be seized by another Faction. No other Gate can be built or moved there, except for Yog-Sothoth via Catnapping. Your Units can Move and be Pained freely between the Moon and any other Map Area. Other Factions may Move or be Pained from the Moon to another Map Area, but not the reverse.

Elder Gods

Bastet is an Elder God; these beings are treated as Great Old Ones for all purposes except: they do not provide an inherent Elder Sign for a Ritual of Annihilation, though they often have other means of creating Elder Signs; and Elder Gods never roll Combat dice, but provide some fixed benefit. They do count as equal to Great Old Ones otherwise, so they can block Unit Captures. Nyarlathotep gets 2 Elder Signs or half-Power cost from his Harbinger ability compared with that of other Great Old Ones. You can use them to Capture Cultists even if an enemy Monster is present, and so forth.

Note for the Library of Celaeno Map

On the Library of Celaeno Map, Bubastis gets 2 Silence Tokens at the start of each Doom Phase, instead of 1. Bubastis can have up to 2 Silence Tokens at a time (instead of 1), and must discard all unspent Silence Tokens when the Gather Power Phase starts (as normal).

Note for the Shaggai Map

Bubastis is allowed to use the "Pay 6 Power" rule even though the Moon can't have a Worm.

Playing as Bubastis

At first, you have a clowder of Cats on the Moon. They're safe there, but it's awkward and costly to move them all to Earth. Essentially, you must Summon your other kitty types on Earth to avoid needing to Move them from the Moon. Your Spellbook requirements govern your early planning — get ready to Move your Cats off the Moon and into enemy Start Areas. Then get your Cats into Combat so they can be Killed one by one. At some point, Awaken Bastet.

Your main advantage is that you never have mediocre Power. Your main weakness is that said Power never reaches extreme levels. Fortunately, with 12 Monsters at your beck and call, you are great at Capturing Cultists, and your Spellbooks are straightforward and easy to understand.

Your route to winning is simple, too — get those Spellbooks and Ritual your way to victory. You need to seek out lots of Combat for this. Between Doom Phases, use Cats to wipe out enemy Gates (Catabolism) and Capture or Catnap their Cultists. It's super fun to watch unfold.

Catnapping

Lets you remove potential foes from a target Area, and later gives you Power when those Units must depart the Moon.

Ailurophobia

This is how to score Doom, since otherwise you'll only get 1 Doom per turn (from the Moon). We recommend taking it early. Remember, Cats on the Moon don't count toward this Spellbook.

Zagazig

Makes your Cats from Mars really mean. Also note that it does not affect Bastet's Combat. It does affect the enemy's die rolls too, though, so be careful!

Catabolism

Get this as early as possible so you can Recruit kitties on the main Map.

Savagery

Really boosts your Combat effectiveness. Often, this is better used as a defensive option, because it makes an enemy less interested in attacking a Cat from Saturn's location.

Predator

Makes your attacks horrifying, particularly against Factions which have multiple Monsters in play, such as Windwalker or Yellow Sign. Works well with Catnapping, because Monsters you've pulled to the Moon make good targets.

Thwarting Bubastis

She has no Gates to attack, which often puzzles enemies. Instead, focus on her Units — she only has 2 of each upper-level Cat, so it's not impossible to exterminate them. Also, each time you Kill a Cat, she loses Power and possibly Doom for next turn. Your best approach is a Cat-murdering rampage. Remember, Cats can't steal your Gates.

You might want to Summon a cheap Monster in your home Area as pest control. Just saying.