CVLT
CVLT Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
CVLT (pronounced 'Cult') is played over three rounds. A round consists of eight tricks, during which all eight cards in hand are played.
A scoring phase follows each round, during which players score points in two ways. Firstly, by using their face-up tableau to contribute to the temple. Secondly, by using their face-down dream pile to satisfy the conditions of vision cards.
The player with the most points at the end of the third round is the winner.
Components
- 64 Offering cards: 4 suits, values 1-16
- 1 Laurels card: to indicate the trick winner
- 35 Vision cards: from 10 different gods
- 4 Suit cards: to begin each suit in the scoring temple
- 1 Score board and 4 wooden tokens: to track player scores
Game Setup
Prepare the deck of vision cards according to the number of players.
Apollo and Athena have symbols indicating the player count. Return unused Apollo and Athena cards to the box.
Combine with all other vision cards and shuffle to form the visions deck.
Prepare the deck of offering cards according to the number of players:
- 2 players: keep cards with values 1-8
- 3 players: keep cards with values 1-12
- 4 players: keep all cards (values 1-16)
Return any unused offering cards to the box. Shuffle to form the offerings deck.
Place the 4 suit cards in a line to form the temple. This is where players will collectively place their offering cards to score points.
The temple should not be in the center of the table. There must be enough space to stack offering cards in a line above.
Randomly choose a player to lead the first trick. Give them the laurels card to indicate this.
You're ready to begin the first round!
Round Setup
Draw a number of vision cards equal to 2+ the number of players:
- 2 players: 4 vision cards
- 3 players: 5 vision cards
- 4 players: 6 vision cards
Example: 4 vision cards for 2 players (Apollo, Hermes, Poseidon, Artemis).
Each player except the one leading the first trick then selects one of the vision cards to discard. Discard the chosen card.
The remaining 3 vision cards stay in play for the rest of the round.
Dealing Offering Cards
In round 1: shuffle the deck of offering cards, and deal 8 to each player. This is their starting hand.
In rounds 2 and 3: players take their dreams pile from the previous round into hand. Deal 4 more offering cards to each player. This is their new hand for the upcoming round.
Trick-taking
The player leading the trick chooses any card in hand to play face-up in the middle of the table. This card establishes the trick's suit.
In clockwise order, remaining players choose a card in hand, adding it to the trick. They must 'follow suit' with a card matching the suit of the first card played. If a player is unable to follow suit, they must play a card in hand from another suit.
When all players contribute a card to the trick, a winning card is determined. This is the highest-value card that matches the trick's suit (as determined by the first card played). A card of the wrong suit cannot normally win the trick, even if it is the highest value.
A wrong-suit card can only win if it exactly matches the value of the first card played, in which case it 'trumps'. If multiple cards of this value are played, the one played last wins.
Remember: a player must follow suit unless they have no cards of that suit in hand.
Collection Phase
In clockwise order starting with the winner of the trick, each player chooses a card from that trick to collect.
When a card is collected, the player must either:
- add it face-up to their tableau as an offering; or
- set it aside in their face-down pile as a dream.
A player's face-up offering tableau and face-down dreams pile can each have a maximum of four cards.
If a player's offering tableau already has four cards, any remaining cards collected in this round must be added to their dreams pile (and vice versa).
The last player does not have any choice and must collect the final remaining card from the trick.
The winner of the trick then leads the following trick.
The scoring phase begins when all cards have been played and the eighth trick is resolved.
Scoring - Temple
For each suit, take each card from that suit in any player's tableau and add it to the temple in ascending order (1, 2, 3, etc.).
If there are already higher-value cards in the column for this suit, insert the new card in the appropriate place between the cards.
The player who added the card scores if every card of lower value in that suit has already been added to the temple. This means 1-value cards always score, as there are no lower cards. The player gains points equal to the value of the card.
Once added to the temple, offering cards remain there for the rest of the game. This increases the potential to score higher points each round.
Scoring - Visions
Most vision cards refer to the player's dreams pile. At the end of the round, compare the cards in each pile and assign points to the player matching each vision card's criteria.
Ties are friendly. If multiple dreams piles match the criteria, those players each score points.
Examples: Poseidon - lowest total value cards in Dreams. Athena - win a trick with 4 value card. Aphrodite - most same-value cards in Dreams.
Some vision cards (indicated with a triangular laurel icon) refer to winning a trick with particular conditions.
These cards are claimed during play and may move between players multiple times during a round. However, they only score at the end of the round.
This means it is the last player to meet the criteria who scores the points, but the cards move about during the game for clarity of tracking.
Example: Ares - win a trick with a trump card.
The points for winning a vision card depend on the player count:
- 2 players: 4 points
- 3 players: 6 points
- 4 players: 8 points
Discard these vision cards and begin the setup phase of the next round.
The player who won the previous trick leads the first of this round.
Game End
The player with the most points at the end of the third round is the winner.
Expert Variant
Once you are familiar with the game, simultaneously pass two cards at the beginning of the first and second rounds (left and then right).
Additional Notes on Vision Cards
At the beginning of the round, Hephaestus is automatically claimed by the player leading the first trick.
To calculate the total value of cards for Poseidon, add up the value of each card in the player's dreams pile.