Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne
Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal
A player begins the game with 25 health, and is eliminated when their health drops to 0. Win by being the last player standing!
Contents
Cards
- 100 Forge Deck cards
- 10 Basic Unit cards
- 36 Basic cards
- 1 The Eternal Throne card
- 7 Veteran Mercenary cards
- 8 Seek Power cards
- 4 Reference cards
- 4 Health Trackers
Tokens
- 11 Strength Buff/Debuff tokens
- 8 Warp tokens
- 6 Grenadin tokens
- 6 Yeti/Cavalry tokens
- 3 Flying/Lifesteal tokens
- 2 Extra Health tokens
- 1 Valkyrie Wings token
These tokens should be enough for most games, but they are not meant to be limited. If you need more tokens during a game, substitute other objects.
Card Anatomy
Each card shows its influence symbol, strength (if a unit), cost, name, text box, and card type.
Cost: The amount of power required to purchase a card from the forge. (Basic cards have no cost.)
Influence: Most cards have an influence symbol of one of the five factions. Influence in a faction unlocks influence abilities on other cards of the matching faction. The five factions are: Fire, Time, Justice, Primal, Shadow.
Strength: Only found on units. This represents the unit's battle prowess. The higher a unit's strength, the better it is at blocking enemy units and dealing damage to players. (In text boxes, strength is indicated with the strength symbol.)
Text Box: The skills and abilities provided by the card.
Card Type: There are four different types of cards: basic, relic, spell, and unit.
Setup
Place The Eternal Throne card to the side of your play area and then, for each player, place two Seek Power cards face up on top of it. Next to this stack, place the seven Veteran Mercenary cards in a face up pile.
Shuffle the forge deck and place it face down. Reveal six cards from this deck to create the forge row.
Give each player two Warp tokens, with the "available" sides face up.
Set the other tokens aside in a pool. They may be used during the game to represent created units and to modify cards.
Each player selects a health tracker, and sets it to 25 health.
There Is No Limit on Health Using cards that gain you health, a player's health can go above 25, with no upper limit. The Extra Health tokens are provided to help track health higher than 30.
Each player takes a deck consisting of nine basic cards: 6 Diplomacy, 1 Refresh, 1 Secret Pages, and 1 Worn Shield.
Shuffle the ten basic units and deal one face down to each player. This brings each player's deck to ten cards. Return the remaining basic units to the box; they will not be used for this game.
Randomly select one player to be the starting player.
Each player reviews their basic unit, then shuffles their deck and draws a starting hand. The starting player draws three cards, the second player draws four cards, and all other players draw five cards. Players take turns in clockwise order, beginning with the starting player.
Game Layout (2-player game)
Each player's play area includes: a health tracker, warp tokens, a deck, a play area, a battle area, a relics area, and a discard pile. Shared between players: the forge deck, forge row, and Veteran Mercenary cards. The Seek Power cards are stacked on The Eternal Throne, along with the token pool.
Turn Flow
Each player's turn consists of three steps:
Step One — Actions
The following actions are available:
- Play a card from your hand.
- Purchase a card from the forge.
- Block an enemy unit using one of your units with equal or greater strength. Put them both into their owners' discard piles.
These actions are described in detail on the next three pages. You may perform each action any number of times, and in any order. You must play all cards from your hand each turn (even if they have no effect).
Step Two — Damage
Each enemy unit that is still attacking you (after any blocking you may have done) deals damage to you equal to its strength. Those units are then discarded.
Dealing Damage Whenever a card deals damage to a player, subtract that amount of health from that player.
Step Three — Clean Up
Take all spell cards and basic cards from your play area and put them into your discard pile. (There should be no relics or units in your play area.) Then draw a new hand of five cards from your own deck.
Emptying Your Deck If at any time you need to draw a card and your deck is out of cards, shuffle your discard pile and turn it face down to create your new deck.
After you've completed all three steps of your turn, the next player in clockwise order takes their turn.
Playing Cards
You must play all cards from your hand each turn, but you may play them in any order you choose. There is no cost to playing a card (costs are paid only when you purchase a card).
Each card's text box describes what it does. This may include:
- Generating power (see Purchasing Cards below for more information)
- Skills (bold words defined in the Glossary at the end of this rulebook)
- Abilities (see Abilities below for more information)
Different card types are played in different ways:
Spells and Basic Cards: Spells and basic cards are played to your play area. You'll use their effects during your Actions step, then put them into your discard pile during your Clean Up step.
Relics: Relics are played to your relics area. They remain in play, offering you help turn after turn.
Units: Units are played to your battle area. They stay there until they block an enemy unit, are blocked by an enemy unit, or damage the player to your left (during that player's Damage step).
At the end of your turn, any of your units in your battle area automatically attack the player to your left. That player will have just one turn to deal with them, or suffer the consequences!
Purchasing Cards
Whenever you play a card with a power symbol in its text box, add that much power to your power pool. During your turn, you can spend power from your power pool to purchase cards from the forge. At the end of your turn, all unused power is lost.
When you purchase a card, place it in your discard pile. If a card has a Warp icon on it, you may flip one of your Warp tokens from its available side to its spent side to play that card immediately instead of placing it in your discard pile.
Filling the Forge Row The forge row should always contain six cards. Whenever you purchase a card (or one is removed by any other means), immediately replace it with the top card of the forge deck.
Beyond the walls, the Clans were not quiet. Their initial assault had been pushed back, but just barely. Blood had been spilled, and clouds gathered on the horizon. Sky serpents shrieked, tasting the coming rain and thunder as the Stormcallers' chants climbed and fell on the wind. From her command tent, Eilyn strode to the head of the horde, blade held high. As she walked past, each clan began its ancestral chant of war. The drums and howls built upon one another, drowning out the thunder, uniting into a single song of imminent violence. Slowly, Eilyn lowered her sword until it pointed straight at the ironbound main gate of Argenport.
There was a blinding flash and an earth-shaking peal of thunder as a torrent of lightning blew the gates off their hinges. The Clans bellowed and charged.
Blocking
You may use units in your battle area to block attacking units, so that the attacking units won't damage you during the Damage step. A unit may only block an attacking unit with equal or lower strength. When one of your units blocks an attacking unit, discard both units to their owners' discard piles.
Example: Jim plays Veteran Mercenary. He then purchases Horned Vorlunk from the forge row, spending a Warp token to put it into his battle area. He ends his turn with both those units automatically attacking Amy (the player to his left).
It is now Amy's turn. She must block Jim's units this turn if she doesn't want to be damaged by them.
Amy plays Beckoning Lumen and Grenamender to her battle area. She uses Grenamender to block Jim's Veteran Mercenary, so both are put into their owners' discard piles. With only 3 strength, Beckoning Lumen cannot block the 4 strength Horned Vorlunk.
After Amy is done with her Actions step, she takes 4 damage from Jim's Horned Vorlunk. It is put into Jim's discard pile. Amy's Beckoning Lumen remains in her battle area. When she ends her turn, it will automatically attack Gerry (the player to her left).
"As the Rebellion drew close, Rolant looked close to home: Argenport's back-alleys hold all manner of folks who'll call you their friend… for a price. The Cabal are a brutal lot, but they sure are effective."
Abilities
Most cards you play generate some sort of ability, described in the text box. You may use abilities at any point during your Actions step, and in any order. If a card has multiple abilities, you may take other actions in between resolving them.
Example: You play Mystic Ascendant and use his first ability to draw a card. If later in your turn you have generated 7 or more power, you may activate his second ability to gain 2 strength.
Unless specified, abilities do not look for or count cards in a deck, discard pile, or your hand. When you use Recogulator's ability, count only the relics in your relics area.
Some abilities persist while a card is in play, or while a certain condition is met. You do not choose when to use them.
Example: While Eilyn, Queen of the Wilds is in play, all your other units have flying.
Influence Abilities
Some cards have abilities that activate if you play another card with the indicated influence symbol any time on the same turn.
Example: If you play or have played another card with an influence symbol on the same turn, Assembly Line creates two 1-strength Grenadin.
Relics that begin the turn in your relics area do not trigger influence abilities, as they weren't played on your current turn.
Throne Abilities
Cards with the throne icon gain the associated ability if The Eternal Throne card has been revealed (that is, if all Seek Power cards in the game have been purchased).
Example: Steelbound Dragon normally has 3 strength, but if The Eternal Throne has been revealed, its strength is 6!
Mandatory Abilities
If an ability begins with the word "when," it triggers at the moment described in the text and can't be ignored.
Example: You must lose 1 health when playing Impending Doom.
Tokens
Token Units
Some cards create units that are not cards. Use the Grenadin, Yeti, and Cavalry tokens to represent them.
When a token unit leaves the battle area, return it to the token pool.
Strength Buffs and Debuffs
Many cards provide strength buffs that make your units stronger, or reduce (debuff) the strength of enemy units. Use the strength buff/debuff tokens provided in the box to mark this. Return them to the token pool whenever the altered unit leaves the battle area.
0-Strength Units If a unit's strength is ever reduced to 0, it is immediately discarded.
Some units such as Noble Firemane and Steelbound Dragon have abilities that boost their own strength.
Example: If you play Steelbound Dragon when The Eternal Throne is revealed, put a +3 strength token on it.
Flying, Lifesteal, and Valkyrie Wing Tokens
Flying and Lifesteal tokens are used when a unit gains one of those skills. Put the appropriate token on the unit, and return it to the token pool whenever that unit leaves the battle area.
Example: When you play Midnight Gale, put a Flying token on him if you played another card with Time influence. Put a Lifesteal token on him if you played another card with Shadow influence.
When a player purchases the Valkyrie Wings card, they also take the Valkyrie Wings token. They use it to mark the affected unit (using the +1 side if The Eternal Throne is revealed).
Bounties (Elimination)
Whenever a player's health drops to 0, they are eliminated from the game. If only one player remains, that player is crowned the winner and assumes their place on The Eternal Throne! Otherwise, the player to the right of the eliminated player immediately receives two benefits (no matter who caused the elimination):
- Gain 5 health.
- Take any card from the forge and put it into their hand. (If this happens during another player's turn, you'll have 6 cards in hand. If it happens during your turn, you'll play the card on that same turn.)
FAQ
If I use Seek Power to banish itself, do I still gain 2 power? Yes. You may use abilities in any order. You may add its 2 power to your power pool before using the second ability to banish it.
Can I play Diplomacy to gain 1 power and then use another card to banish it? No. Unless otherwise specified, banishing works only on a card in your hand or discard pile. You have to play Diplomacy from your hand to gain 1 power, and it doesn't go to your discard pile until your Clean Up step.
If the card draw from an attacking Acquisitive Crow causes me to reshuffle my deck, do my attacking creatures get shuffled in? No. Effects that happen when a unit damages an enemy player are resolved before attacking units are put into their owner's discard pile.
If Recurring Nightmare remains in play for multiple turns, does it continue triggering shadow influence abilities on other cards? No. Cards only contribute influence the turn they are played.
Sandstorm Titan is in play. If I play a flying unit and Read the Stars, can I use the Voidbind ability on Read the Stars? No. While Sandstorm Titan is in play, no units are considered to be flying.
My opponent has Ripclaw Rider in their battle area. If I purchase the last Seek Power, revealing The Eternal Throne, does their Ripclaw Rider immediately get +3 strength? No. A card's throne ability must be used on its owner's turn.
3-4 Player Specific Questions
If I eliminate the player to my left during my turn, what happens to my units? They are attacking the new player to your left.
If Recurring Nightmare stays in play, will it attack each player or just the player to my left? Just the player to your left. Likewise, only the player to your left may block Recurring Nightmare.
If I use an ability to eliminate a player other than the one to my left, do I get the bounty? No. The bounty always goes to the player to the right of the eliminated player.
Credits
Game Concept and Design: Paul Dennen
Executive Producer: Scott Martins
Art and Graphic Design: Clay Brooks, Nate Storm, Derek Herring, Kenan Jackson, Raul Ramos
Production: Evan Lorentz
Game Development and Additional Design: Yuri Tolpin
Additional Game Development: Corey Burkhart, Andy Clautice, Justin Cohen, Ben Lundquist, Kevin Spak, Conley Woods
Special thanks to: All of the awesome Dire Wolf Digital team members, and their friends and families, who helped to playtest this game.
www.direwolfdigital.com — www.renegadegames.com
Publishers: Dire Wolf Digital and Renegade Games.
© Copyright 2019 Dire Wolf Digital, LLC. All rights reserved.
Design Notes
At Dire Wolf Digital, we're big fans of card games of all types. We also love making card games. Clank! was our first tabletop deck-building game and we're quite proud of it. We're also very proud of Eternal, our online card battler.
Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne is a marriage of my favorite parts from two different genres of card games: deckbuilders and card battlers. I wanted to give players a wide range of strategic options to pursue, which is something Eternal excels at. At the same time, I wanted a combat system that could be dynamic enough so that the value of acquiring new cards varied significantly depending on what your opponents were playing, similar to how players in Eternal have to consider the currently most popular cards and decks when building their decks. I also wanted to find a way to capture the fun inherent in the "block or not" decision, as I think it's a fun choice and deeper than it seems at first glance.
While Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne is set in the same world as Eternal, we didn't want to simply make a direct translation of that game. Eternal was designed from the ground up to be an online game and takes advantage of digital design space, with effects such as Echo and Warcry that would either be impossible or less fun to track in a physical game.
For Eternal players, we hope that you enjoy exploring this sibling game that shares the lore and some of the mechanics of Eternal while forging its own identity. For those of you who have never tried Eternal, we've included some redemption codes in this box that will give you a good chunk of cards to play with. Regardless of who you are and how you got here, I hope you get as much joy playing Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne as we had in creating it.
Paul Dennen
Glossary
Banish: When you "banish" a card, remove it from the game. (Set it aside or return it to the game box.)
Berserk: Double any damage that a Berserk unit deals to an enemy player.
+X Defense: A unit with a defense bonus may block as if its strength is higher, by the indicated amount. When a card (such as Bolster) provides a defense bonus to a unit that already has one, the numbers add together.
Destroy: When a card is destroyed, put it into its owner's discard pile. When a token is destroyed, return it to the token pool.
Endurance: A unit with Endurance is not discarded when it blocks. It can't be used to block again on the same turn.
Flying: Can't be blocked by non-Flying units.
Lifesteal: When a card with Lifesteal damages an enemy player, its owner gains health equal to the damage dealt.
Mercenary: A card with mercenary counts as one influence type of your choice: Fire, Time, Justice, Primal, or Shadow.
The Forge: Collectively, the forge row, Veteran Mercenary stack, and Seek Power stack.
Unblockable: Can't be blocked.
Voidbind: When you play a card with Voidbind, you may banish a card in your hand or discard pile.