Cthulhu Wars: Opener of the Way Expansion
Cthulhu Wars: Opener of the Way Expansion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Faction Board
- 6 Grimoires
- 1 Faction Token
- 1 Yog-Sothoth figure
- 2 Spawn of Yog-Sothoth
- 3 Abominations
- 6 Acolytes
- 4 Mutants
- 1 Power Marker
- 1 Doom Marker
Playing the Opener of the Way Faction
The Opener of the Way is perhaps the strangest of all the factions in the game. The faction requires careful and precise calculation, but it is much more flexible than the other factions. The first strategic decision must be made at the very start of the game: you must decide where you begin play. You will have to react to your opponents' actions more often and more quickly than players of other factions. Almost always you can do something useful, but what exactly depends on the situation.
Keep a Mutant next to your Acolytes: if someone enters your zone, this is the ideal opportunity to fight and use the grimoire "Legion of the Chosen". Killed Acolytes go to the reserve and become available for hire wherever your monsters appeared through the grimoire "They Broke Through".
Although awakening Yog-Sothoth costs 10 Power (6 for Yog-Sothoth himself and 4 for the Spawn that you will have to sacrifice), this cost can be spread over time: summon the Spawn in one turn and awaken Yog-Sothoth in another. All other players pay for awakening their Great Ancient at once. Do not forget that you can summon monsters through Yog-Sothoth.
"All-Containing" works best at the beginning of the game. You not only steal gates, but also gain the ability to move over long distances and avoid threats.
Summon the Spawn of Yog-Sothoth as early as possible, despite the high cost of summoning: this way you will be able to awaken your Great Ancient at the right moment (usually when two or three rival Great Ancients are already on the table). It will be hard to gain an advantage in the early stages of the game, but gradually you will improve your figures, change the arrangement of the gates on the map and will be able to pull ahead. Moving across the map is not cheap for you, so use the "All-Containing" ability and the grimoire "They Broke Through" as alternative ways of moving.
Once you have developed sufficiently, use your numerical advantage. Do not be afraid to trade a Spawn of Yog-Sothoth even for two Mutants. Remember: when you have opened all 6 grimoires, you can fight more than once in your turn.
"Legion of the Chosen" is not the only way to bring your strongest figures into play; remember that they can simply be summoned.
Guide
The benefit here is obvious, but your faction constantly needs Power, so it is better not to overuse this grimoire.
Ascension of the Dragon
It is very important to choose the right moment to use this grimoire: it can turn the course of the game. Remember that using this grimoire is NOT an action: you can use it even if you have no Power.
Descent of the Dragon
If you wait too long for the ideal situation for this grimoire, you may miss the benefit, so seize the moment.
Azathoth's Dreadful Curse
Rain fire from the heavens upon your enemies. Usually figures are located in zones with gates, and you can drive them out with this grimoire, leaving your own figures in the zone.
Legion of the Chosen
Your fundamental ability. Acquire it as early as possible.
They Broke Through
Opponents usually dislike this grimoire more than the others.
Playing Against the Opener of the Way
The monsters of the Opener of the Way faction are very expensive, so the player prefers to upgrade their figures rather than summon them. If you manage to kill one monster in every battle, your opponent will lose more than they gain. The Opener of the Way player must be in the same zones as opponents in order to open grimoires. Turn this into your advantage and set traps: create zones where you have numerical superiority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Opener of the Way
Q. How does "Lurker at the Threshold" work?
A. The Opener of the Way player receives 2 Power for Yog-Sothoth in the Gather Power Phase. Also, he receives 1 Doom Point for Yog-Sothoth being on the table in the Doom Phase. If he performs the Ritual of Annihilation, he receives 1 point for Yog-Sothoth as for a gate (and 1 Elder Sign, since Yog-Sothoth is a Great Ancient).
Yog-Sothoth can always summon monsters into his zone, but unlike other gates, he may be in a zone with other gates and is never considered an empty gate. Acolytes cannot control him or move onto him. He cannot be moved by the "All-Containing" ability.
Q. Does Yog-Sothoth give Cthulhu Power from the grimoire "Y'ha-nthlei" if he is in a sea zone?
A. Yes, since Yog-Sothoth is a gate controlled by another player.
Q. If Yog-Sothoth is in a zone where Itaqua has awakened, must Yog-Sothoth (as a gate) be replaced by Itaqua?
A. If Yog-Sothoth is the only gate in this zone, yes. If there are other gates in this zone, you are obliged to replace those with Itaqua instead.
Q. Can "All-Containing" move gates into a zone where Yog-Sothoth is located, even though he is also a gate?
A. Even so, yes.
Q. Do Great Ancients cancel the "All-Containing" ability if their faction does not control gates in the zone? Do neutral Great Ancients cancel it?
A. Yes, to both questions.
Q. If a figure of the Opener of the Way faction became invisible due to the Flying Polyp's ability, does it count as "having taken part in battle" for upgrading with the grimoire "Legion of the Chosen"?
A. No. The "Invisibility" grimoire removes the figure from the battle, including for "after battle" abilities.
Q. If a Mutant and an Abomination can both be upgraded with "Legion of the Chosen", but there is no Abomination figure in reserve, can you first upgrade the Abomination and then the Mutant (since the Abomination figure returned to reserve)?
A. Yes, you may choose the order in which you upgrade your figures yourself.
Q. If I upgrade a Spawn of Yog-Sothoth into 2 or more Mutants with "Legion of the Chosen", and a "Pain" result was assigned to this Spawn in battle, will all the resulting Mutants receive that result?
A. "Legion of the Chosen" is applied after all "Death" and "Pain" results have been assigned and resolved, so the Spawn first moves to an adjacent zone, and only then splits into Mutants. This also means that if the Spawn is destroyed by a "Pain" result while surrounded, you will not get Mutants.
Q. If the Windwalker's "Howl" forces one of the Opener of the Way faction's monsters to retreat, can this monster still be upgraded with "Legion of the Chosen"?
A. No, since it does not take part in the battle and therefore cannot use its abilities.
Q. How do abilities that act during battle interact with "Azathoth's Dreadful Curse"?
A. "Azathoth's Dreadful Curse" is not a battle, although you roll dice. It cannot be combined with the grimoire "Guide" or with any other abilities and effects applied before, during or after battle (for example "Regeneration", "Necrophagy" or "Madness").
Q. Who chooses the targets for "Azathoth's Dreadful Curse"?
A. The victim chooses the targets; you only choose which result is assigned to which faction. So, if you rolled two "Pain" results and one "Death" result, you may assign one "Pain" result and one "Death" result to one faction, and the remaining "Pain" result to another.
Q. Where do figures that were assigned "Pain" results after using "Azathoth's Dreadful Curse" retreat to?
A. After the victim chooses which of its figures received a "Pain" result, the Opener of the Way player chooses which adjacent zone each of these figures will be sent to. He may choose zones where he has his own figures (figures cannot be destroyed by encirclement when "Azathoth's Dreadful Curse" is applied).
Q. Can the grimoire "Guide" be used more than once per battle?
A. Yes, you may keep rerolling misses (rolled 1, 2 and 3), spending 1 Power on each reroll, until all of them come up as "Pain" and "Death" results or until you run out of Power.
Q. Can "Ascension of the Dragon" be used if no Power is left?
A. Yes, since using this grimoire is not an action; it is simply an effect that you can apply at any time.
Q. If I use "Ascension of the Dragon" in the Gather Power Phase, who becomes the first player?
A. You and the other player will have the same amount of Power, so the previous first player chooses between you.
Q. To awaken a neutral Great Ancient, you need controlled gates and your own Great Ancient. Does Yog-Sothoth fulfil both of these conditions?
A. No, since technically Yog-Sothoth is not a controlled gate.
Q. If the Sleeper uses the grimoire "Blasphemous Oblivion" and removes gates from the game board, do these gates count for the purposes of opening the Opener of the Way faction's grimoires (which require 8 or 12 gates on the board)?
A. No, they do not count, because gates on the Sleeper's board are not considered gates on the map.
Q. Can the Sleeper, using the grimoire "Blasphemous Oblivion", place gates from his board into a zone where Yog-Sothoth is located but there are no ordinary gates?
A. Yes.