Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan
Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Game Overview
- Welcome to the World of Fateforge
- Campaign Structure
- The Heroes
- Skills
- Items
- Combat Scenes
- Enemies
- The Combat Round
- Ending the Combat Scene
- Knocked Out — Revive
- Playing an Extra Combat Round
- Additional Combat Rules
- Story Scenes
- Rest Scenes
- Managing Your Campaign
- Battle Mode
- Party Bag
- Combat Win Rewards
- Hardcore Mode (Optional)
- Rule Unlocks
- Glossary
- Credits
Game Overview
The game consists of three types of scenes:
- Story Scenes – You proceed through the narrative, exploring Easafir and its surroundings, interacting with characters and factions who remember your words and actions, and testing your abilities in challenges you encounter.
- Combat Scenes – The action-packed heart of the game. You try to complete a number of objectives in just a few rounds while pitted against a variety of enemies. Combat uses a set of dice, each representing an action modified through combo-able skills. You must collaborate with your party and use each hero's abilities fully, while avoiding as much damage as possible — you only recover a small amount of health after each Combat Scene, and can only heal once every two or three combats. Stock up on food and/or health potions.
- Rest Scenes – Heal, buy equipment, and learn new skills by visiting locations in and around Easafir. Each Rest Scene grants a different amount of time to spend as you like. As the campaign progresses, new Side Quests and rest locations unlock.
Welcome to the World of Fateforge
Fateforge weaves story and gameplay that evolve over time. As the game progresses, new rules and components are added, increasing the complexity of Combat Scenes. At certain points you will be asked to unlock a new rule; when this happens, find the relevant rule in the Rule Unlocks section and read it, then mark its checkbox to remember it was unlocked on subsequent playthroughs.
- Because there are different paths through the game, the same rule might come up at various points. If asked to read a rule that is already unlocked, ignore the instruction.
- Once you finish the main story you will have unlocked all the rules. On subsequent playthroughs you no longer need to worry about discovering them.
The App
To play, you must access the Fateforge Companion App ("the app"). The app handles tasks such as enemy activation in Combat Scenes and tracking/saving your story progress. The app is an essential component — you cannot play without it. A tablet is strongly recommended.
The First Campaign
- Run through the first-time setup on the separate First Time Setup sheet.
- Download the companion app via the QR code on the back of the Setup sheet, or from
www.mighty-boards.com/fateforgeapp. - Read the rest of this rulebook, leaving out the Rule Unlocks section. The app includes a combat tutorial for your first Combat Scene, but it assumes you have read the rulebook first.
- Start the app, select New Campaign, choose an empty slot, then the Chronicles of Kaan campaign. Each player selects a hero (read a hero's backstory via the top-right icon). Click Start Campaign to begin.
Solo Mode
Select the solo option in the app's main menu. The app introduces new rules for solo play that may change some rules; follow the app's instructions carefully.
Campaign Structure
The campaign is divided into three Acts of varying lengths. The game alternates between Story, Combat, and Rest Scenes. During Story Scenes the app shows a progress bar indicating how much of the Act you have completed.
- Each chapter in an Act consists of several Story Scenes and a Combat Scene. Succeeding in a Combat Scene progresses you to the next chapter. Failing either takes you to the next chapter down a different story path, or requires you to complete another Combat Scene successfully to progress.
- Rest Scenes let you heal, enhance your heroes, and embark on available Side Quests.
- For most of the game you must complete two chapters before reaching a Rest Scene, but this changes as you progress.
The Heroes
Each player plays one hero. Take their hero board, hero box, and miniature, and place them in front of you. Then take from your hero tuckbox:
- The hero's player order tile, placed beside the hero board.
- The hero's two starting skills (marked with an S on the back), placed above the hero board.
- A player screen, placed so other players cannot see behind it.
- The hero's complement of combat dice, placed on the hero board.
The hero board shows: the hero's role and name; the hero's unique ability; the hero's starting trait; a primary weapon slot; a secondary weapon slot (a cumbersome weapon takes up both slots); four backpack slots for clothing and equipment; the available box (place health and energy tokens here); the exhausted box; and the number and type of dice in your starting dice pool.
Some heroes need additional components to use their ability:
- Rogue – Place the Rogue's stealth token in the available box. The Rogue always starts every Combat Scene in Stealth (stealth token in the available box).
- Nobleman – Take the stance token and place it on your board.
- Shaman – Take the Shamanic Drum (card 150) and place it face up in a backpack slot at the bottom of the board.
Traits
Traits influence tests. Having a trait matching a test type makes that test easier. Each hero starts with a trait on their board, but you can gain more — some items grant a trait while equipped in the appropriate slot. Traits gained are limited to the number of trait cards available.
Hero Ability
Each hero has a unique ability (e.g., the Rogue's Stealth and Acrobat abilities, the Nobleman's Master Fencer ability), explained on the hero board.
Combat Dice Pool
A hero's dice pool represents their combat aptitudes. Red dice = strength, yellow dice = speed, blue dice = ranged combat skill, green dice = intelligence. As the game progresses you can add more dice to the pool. However, you only ever roll a maximum of four dice per combat round (see Preparation Phase), unless a card or effect says otherwise. Each die yields a result of that colour; cards usually express results as brown icons on a white background, meaning a result of any colour can be used.
Die results may activate a skill's or item's effect, or be played as an action on the combat map (moving one zone, attacking an enemy, etc.).
Combat Die Results
- STEP – Move to an adjacent zone.
- HIT – Deal 1 damage to an enemy in the same zone.
- SKILL HIT – Counts as a normal result unless a skill, item, or effect indicates otherwise.
- SHOT – Deal 1 damage to an enemy in an adjacent zone.
- SKILL SHOT – Counts as a normal result unless a skill, item, or effect indicates otherwise.
- FOCUS – Interact with objects on the combat map; also used to activate skills and some items.
- MISS – A failed result with no effect.
SKILL HIT and SKILL SHOT can be used as HIT and SHOT respectively to activate skills or items. If a die face shows two results separated by a line, you may use either shown result, not both.
Rerolls
The reroll icon means the associated die can be rerolled once during the Preparation of a combat round. Rerolls can only be used during the Preparation Phase. Any die a card/effect allows you to reroll can only be rolled once, but multiple abilities can be stacked to allow multiple rerolls of the same die.
Health and Energy
Keep health and energy tokens in the available box. You can never exceed the starting maximum (numbers in the upper-right corner of the available box), unless a card/effect says otherwise.
- To suffer or spend health or energy, move that many tokens from the available box to the exhausted box. For each damage you suffer, move 1 health token to the exhausted box.
- To recover health or energy, move tokens from the exhausted box back to the available box.
- If you have no available health tokens, you are knocked out (KO'd) and can no longer participate in the current Combat Scene.
- If you have spent all your energy, you cannot spend energy to activate equipment abilities or skills, but you are not KO'd.
- If you suffer energy but have none left, suffer that much health instead.
- If all heroes are KO'd, the Combat Scene ends in failure. As long as at least 1 hero survives, you may still win by achieving all objectives.
Skills
Skills influence how your hero acts in Combat Scenes — they manipulate combat die results, unlock unique abilities, and create combos. Each hero has a unique deck of skills. There is no limit to how many skills you can own, but only up to 6 can be active. You may change your active skills any time outside a Combat Scene and before the first Preparation Phase of a Combat Scene.
- Skill Cost – The gold cost to buy the skill. Skills are available from certain rest locations.
- Skill Use types:
- Recurring – May be used only once per combat round.
- Single use – May be used only once per Combat Scene; flip it face down when used, and flip it back at the end of the Combat Scene.
- Passive – May be used any number of times per combat round, as long as the criteria are met.
Skill Effect
A skill's effect describes how to use it. Some skills have unique text abilities; others convert die results or tokens into other results, actions, or effects.
- Results are brown icons on a white die face; actions are white icons on a brown background.
- The left brown box on a skill card shows the results and tokens you must spend to activate it (gained from combat dice, other skills' results, or your available-box tokens).
- The right brown box shows what activating the skill yields. If those are results (brown icons on white faces) they can be used as actions on the map or as results that activate other skills, creating combos.
- Actions are moves the hero performs on the map. Results are more powerful than actions because they can be used both to activate skills and as actions.
- After converting a result, you may use it in further skills/cards or as actions, in any order and in combination, unless otherwise specified. You may also choose not to use results.
- Some skills convert results into actions or a combination of actions; these actions cannot activate other abilities. If actions are connected by a right arrow, they must all be performed in full in that order (you must be able to do all the actions to activate the skill).
The wild icon means you can use any result other than a miss to satisfy that requirement on a skill or item.
Items
You can trade items with other players at any time except during a Combat Scene or a test, and rearrange items around your board any time outside a Combat Scene. There are two types of item cards: weapons and equipment. Both follow the same basic rules with minor differences.
Item cards show: cost in gold; the item's slot; item name; and effect. Weapons also show a weapon die.
Item Cost
Like skills, items have a gold cost to buy at rest locations. Some items are found during Combat or Story Scenes, in which case you do not pay the cost.
Item Use
Items can be used as indicated on their card (during a Story Scene, a specific combat phase, or when an event triggers them). If use is not specifically described, the effect can be used once during a hero's turn in a combat round.
- You can only use an item equipped in the correct slot (shown by the slot icon). An item placed in a backpack slot that is not its correct slot must be placed face down and cannot be used until moved to its correct slot.
- If your item slots are full when you gain an item, you may place it in the party bag instead. Heroes may exchange items with each other or the party bag any time except during a Combat Scene or a test during a Story Scene.
- Clothing goes in the clothing slot (leftmost backpack slot).
- Equipment with the backpack icon can go in any backpack slot.
- Primary weapons go in the primary weapon slot; secondary weapons in the secondary weapon slot; cumbersome weapons go between and block both weapon slots.
Item Effect
Like skills, some items convert die results into other results (usable for further skills/cards or as actions), some convert results into actions, and some describe their effects with text.
Some equipment has the "charged" keyword: these cards can only be used twice before being discarded. On the first use they instruct you to replace them with another card indicating their final use.
Weapons
Weapons are carried in the primary or secondary weapon slot, or both (cumbersome weapons). Weapon effects may be used once per combat round.
Primary and cumbersome weapons add a weapon die to your dice pool — a ranged weapon die or a melee weapon die. The weapon die is a special combat die containing a special attack icon whose effect varies by weapon. It is available as long as the item is equipped in its correct slot(s), even after using its effect. Each Preparation Phase you can choose any 4 dice from your pool, so you could roll a weapon die instead of another combat die.
Armour
The number on the armour icon shows how much damage the item can negate before becoming depleted. When you gain an armour item, place that many black cubes on it. Whenever you would suffer damage during a Combat Scene, you may remove a black cube from the armour to negate that damage instead. Black cubes replenish at the end of a Rest Scene. Moving an armour item to another hero or the party bag does not replenish its cubes.
Combat Scenes
The Combat Map
Combat Scenes take place on a combat map made of tiles, each representing one zone. Range and movement are measured in zones (a STEP action moves your hero to an adjacent zone). The app guides setup for your first Combat Scene.
The app contains these Combat Scene screens:
- Summary – Overview including narrative context, objectives, and any special enemy abilities.
- Components – Cards and tokens to take from the box.
- Layout – Which map tiles to use, how to arrange them, and where to place tokens.
- Objectives – Objectives you must achieve to succeed, plus any special rules. Make sure all players understand the objectives before starting.
Combat Map Tokens
- Start tokens – Mark the tile(s) where heroes begin.
- Exit tokens – Indicate which tile(s) may be used to Exit. There may be multiple exits, but all heroes must leave through the same one; often a specific exit is required to win.
- Objective tokens – To collect one, you must be in its zone and it must not be guarded; then place it on your hero board. If a hero carrying an objective token is KO'd, place the token in the hero's current zone.
- Guarded tokens – Tokens (objectives, exits, etc.) may be guarded by an enemy placed in the semi-circular indent on the token. Guarded tokens cannot be used until the guarding enemy is defeated. Stunned enemies still guard. Enemies guarding a token never move.
- Gem & food tokens – A hero automatically picks up gem and food tokens in their zone as long as there are no enemies in that zone. They go into the party bag. Gems and food may be carried by enemies (placed on the enemy token); if that enemy is defeated, place the token in the zone where it was defeated, to be collected normally afterward.
- Generic counters (black cubes) – Represent various effects, armour, and entities; function specified on the relevant card.
- Enemy damage cubes (red cubes) – Placed on enemy tokens when you deal damage; removed each Clean-Up Phase.
- Block tokens – Heroes can convert BLOCK results or actions from skills/items into block tokens; each avoids suffering 1 damage. Certain effects also give block tokens to enemies. Discard unused block tokens at the end of each Clean-Up Phase unless stated otherwise.
Enemies
An "enemy" is any foe you meet in battle. There are several factions, each with up to six types denoted by colour. All enemies are minions except purple enemies (leaders) and bosses. Bosses are tough enemies faced at the end of each Act; they belong to no faction, and their abilities are on their boss card and in the app.
Enemy types by colour:
- White minions – Not part of a faction; fast, hunt players down from a distance.
- Blue minions – Armed with ranged weapons, attacking from adjacent zones; less effective in the same zone as heroes.
- Red minions – Rank-and-file melee fighters; usually the most numerous.
- Green minions – Tough warriors, harder to defeat; typically have the Blocker ability, stopping heroes from leaving their zone.
- Brown minions – Veteran warriors; tough and hit hard.
- Purple leaders – Wield one or more powerful abilities; tough to kill due to heavy armour.
Enemy Action Band
When an enemy activates, it performs one of the actions on its action band. Enemies perform actions like heroes (STEP, HIT, SHOT, etc.) plus others explained in the Glossary. The action band has up to three sections dictating what the enemy does; each enemy performs only one action per turn, prioritised left to right. Numbers below the band refer to the distance of the closest hero: "0" = same zone, "1" = adjacent zone, and so on.
Action Modifiers
Enemy actions can change based on action modifiers (refer to the Enemy Action Modifiers Glossary). Examples:
- Target-earlier modifier – Targets the hero earlier (to the left) in player order. May alter STEP, HIT, or SHOT actions.
- +1 – Deals 1 additional damage. May alter HIT or SHOT actions.
Enemy Abilities
Most enemies have special abilities that take effect during Hero Turns or when enemies activate during Enemy Reactions and Enemy Turns. Ability icons appear on both enemy cards and enemy tokens. Keep an eye on enemies bearing an ability alert icon.
Initiative Number
The number on an enemy token is its initiative number, used to determine which enemy reacts or in which order they activate. The lowest number takes highest priority.
Toughness
All enemies have a toughness value — how much damage you must deal in a single combat round to defeat it. Place a red damage cube on the enemy for each damage suffered. If damage cubes equal or exceed toughness, the enemy is defeated; remove it. During Clean-Up, remove all damage cubes from enemies not defeated.
Armour (Enemies)
Unlike toughness (which resets each Clean-Up), armour is removed only once depleted. Only some enemies have armour. At the start of the Combat Scene, place black cubes equal to the enemy's armour value on its token. When dealing damage, remove 1 black cube per damage; all black cubes must be removed before you can damage the enemy. Excess damage beyond remaining armour is placed as red damage cubes. Do not replenish enemy armour during Clean-Up.
The Beastmaster
Players should familiarise themselves with enemy abilities before a Combat Scene. A player not handling the app should be the Beastmaster: they take the Beastmaster token, ensure enemy abilities are adhered to, and carry out enemy activations.
The Combat Round
Each Combat Scene is played over a set number of rounds indicated by the app. Each round has three phases in order:
- Preparation Phase
- Action Phase (Hero Turns, Enemy Reactions, Enemy Turns)
- Clean-Up Phase
When the stipulated number of rounds is over, heroes must Exit through a viable exit. Select Begin Combat in the app to start a round.
Preparation Phase
Roll combat dice, determine player order, and discuss strategy. The heroes must work as a team; discuss who will do what. However, you cannot show or explicitly discuss die results during this phase.
All players perform these steps simultaneously, in order:
- Roll 4 combat dice. Choose and roll a total of 4 combat or weapon dice from your pool behind your player screen. If you have more than 4 dice, you may choose a different complement of 4 each round.
- Perform one or more optional actions in any order (Energy Reroll, Three-of-a-Kind, Dash).
- Set player order.
Optional Actions:
- Energy Reroll – If you roll any miss results, spend 1 energy to reroll any number of dice showing a miss. Once per combat round.
- Three-of-a-Kind – If you roll 3 of the same die face (excluding misses), you may change 1 result to a result of your choice. The faces must be exactly the same (colour may differ).
- Dash – Decide if your hero will Dash. You may Dash regardless of whether your results already provide a STEP. Move into any adjacent zone. This does not count as a STEP action and cannot trigger map elements requiring a STEP. If there are any enemies in the zone you Dash out of, suffer 1 damage; otherwise no penalty. This penalty applies only when you Dash, not when you STEP during your turn.
Set Player Order – Decide the order players take their turns and arrange the player order tiles accordingly, with the Enemy Reactions tile in the space indicated by the app and the Enemy Turns tile at the end. Enemies act twice in the Action Phase: Enemy Reactions occur between or before Hero Turns; Enemy Turns happen at the end. Player order also affects which heroes enemies target — some enemies prioritise heroes higher (earlier) in player order, so the sooner a hero acts, the more likely they attract attention. Tap Start Action Phase when done.
Action Phase
Each hero takes their full turn in player-order sequence before the next entity acts. Some enemies react at a point indicated on the track. When all heroes have acted, all enemies take their turn.
Hero Turns – In any order you may: perform actions, spend energy to move once, and activate skills and items.
- Perform actions – Play combat dice to take actions on the map, use die results to activate skills, and use items.
- Spend energy to move – Once per turn, spend 1 energy for an additional STEP action. This counts as an action, not a result, so it cannot activate skills/equipment but can activate map tokens.
- Activate skills and items – Assign die results to skills, weapons, and equipment to activate their effects, which may yield further results or actions usable any time during your turn. Unused results are discarded at the end of your turn unless a card says otherwise.
Ending Your Turn – Your turn ends when you run out of actions, choose to stop, or an in-game effect ends it.
Enemy Reactions – At the start of the round the app specifies where in player order the reactions happen. Click Enemy Reactions; the app shows two types (colours). One enemy of each type activates; a present boss also acts. Enemies perform the actions shown in the app (often different from their physical card). If the app shows a type no longer present, click Already Dead to generate a new reacting enemy.
To determine which tokens activate:
- Start from the leftmost enemy shown in the app and check if a hero is within the distance in the leftmost space of its action band ("0" for all enemies except blue minions, which show "1").
- If a hero is in range, an enemy activates. If multiple could activate with the same action, the one with the lowest initiative number activates.
- If multiple heroes are viable targets in the same range, refer to Targeting Heroes.
- If no hero is within the leftmost range, check the next space to the right and repeat steps 1–3.
- If no enemy token of the shown type has a hero in range, none activate; move to the next type.
If a specific enemy meant to activate cannot perform its action (due to stun, map-token restrictions, etc.), ignore it and activate the next viable enemy of the same type; if none are available, none activate and you move to the next type. Tap Continue when all activations are complete.
Enemy Turns – After all heroes act, all surviving enemies take their turn (including those that already reacted). Enemies activate in order of priority: first by type/colour in the order white, blue, red, green, brown, purple, then bosses, and within a type by lowest initiative number first.
For each enemy of a type, starting with the lowest initiative:
- Check if a hero is within range of the leftmost action-band space (often "0" — same zone).
- If a hero is in range and the enemy can act (e.g., not stunned), activate that action.
- If a hero is in range but the enemy cannot act (stun, map-token restrictions), it does not act; move to the next enemy in priority order.
- If no hero is in the leftmost range, check the next space to the right and repeat. If no space has a hero in range, that enemy does not activate.
Remember to check enemy and boss abilities; abilities with the Enemy Turns/Reactions icon come into effect and are always triggered if possible.
Targeting Heroes
If multiple heroes are within range of an enemy's activation, the enemy card either lets players choose the target or specifies it.
- No modifier – Players choose which eligible hero within range is targeted.
- Target-earlier modifier – The enemy targets the hero earlier (leftmost) in player order within range.
- Target-later modifier – The enemy targets the hero later (rightmost) in player order within range.
Most targeting-modifier enemies use target-earlier, so the leftmost player attracts the most attention. All movement actions target heroes in the order they activated, while attack targeting is most often assigned by players. Brown minions, leaders, and bosses tend to have specific targeting. Enemies can only attack valid targets; if a hero's skill/item/map token makes them non-viable, treat them as absent and select another hero. If none is available, the enemy does not act (during Enemy Reactions, select another enemy of the same type if possible).
Clean-Up Phase
The final phase of each round. Some enemies have Clean-Up abilities.
On the combat map:
- Return unused block tokens (heroes and enemies) to the supply.
- Remove stun cubes from enemies.
- Remove red damage cubes from enemies not defeated.
In the app: If any heroes are KO'd, mark them; if all are marked KO'd, the app ends the Combat Scene. After Clean-Up, proceed to the next combat round starting from Preparation.
Ending the Combat Scene
In the final round, do Clean-Up as usual, then heroes must Exit the map unless the scene specifies otherwise.
Exiting the Combat Scene
At the end of the final round's Clean-Up, heroes trace a path from their current zone to an exit that is not guarded (a guarded exit has an enemy token attached). Other enemies may be in the exit's zone as long as the exit is not guarded. Heroes suffer 1 damage for every zone they move through that contains any enemies, including the starting zone and the zone containing the exit. Exiting is automatic in the last Clean-Up Phase and requires no actions. Heroes may only Exit in the last round as stipulated by the app. All heroes must leave through the same exit.
Combat Success or Failure
After the final round, the app prompts you to mark completed objectives. Achieve all objectives to succeed; otherwise it ends in failure (even partial completion is a failure, though the outcome may differ). Unless the app says otherwise, you keep items and resources collected in the party bag. If you complete all objectives before the final round, you must still complete all specified rounds before ending the scene. Successful Combat Scenes contribute toward Combat Win Rewards.
In most Combat Scenes the game progresses even if you fail; the outcome may be worse but the game continues. Sometimes you must make tough choices about what to prioritise — e.g., if you start with low health/energy and no food or potions, it may be better to collect gems and food than to succeed at the objective.
Recovery and Reset
Whether the scene ended in success or failure, you recover 1 health and 1 energy. If you were KO'd, take a Corruption card and set health and energy to 2 each instead. The app asks you to enter each hero's current health after recovery. Reset single-use skills and items by flipping them face up. Gems in the party bag stay there (spent during Rest Scenes on skills, equipment, food, etc.).
Important: Conserving Health. Your health and energy do not reset between scenes, so minimise damage and energy use. Energy can be recovered for free in Rest Scenes, but health costs 1 gold per 2 to heal — gold better spent on skills and items for harder combats ahead.
Knocked Out — Revive
If your hero is KO'd during a Combat Scene, you cannot take actions. Place your miniature on its side; if it is your turn in player order, skip it entirely; ignore any passive abilities.
A hero may revive a KO'd hero by moving to the same zone, spending 1 focus + 1 energy (see below), and suffering 1 health and 1 energy. The KO'd hero recovers 2 health, draws a Corruption card (immediate effect), and stands their miniature up. Enemies can attack that hero from then on. Revived heroes resume in the next combat round; mark the hero as no longer KO'd during Clean-Up.
- If your hero is KO'd at the end of a Combat Scene, do not recover 1 health/1 energy; instead draw a Corruption card and set health and energy to 2 each.
- If your hero is KO'd during a Story Scene, you can no longer perform tests; remaining tests you would take are automatically failed. Other players' heals can revive you (you are then no longer KO'd). At the end of a Story Scene, if still KO'd, draw a Corruption card, then recover 2 health.
- If KO'd as a result of a Corruption card, do not take an additional Corruption card.
Playing an Extra Combat Round
At the end of the last round, the app may ask if you want to play an extra round — at a cost. Each non-KO'd hero draws a Corruption card, applies it, then all those heroes play one more combat round. If any hero already has 4 or more Corruption cards, the party cannot choose to play an extra round.
Corruption
When you play an extra round, each hero draws a Corruption card, applies the effect, and either keeps it next to their board or discards it as indicated. Corruption cards can stay permanently, but a way to remove them presents itself during your travels. You also draw a Corruption card if your hero gets KO'd or the game prompts you; only that hero draws, even if they already have 4+ cards. If a Corruption card tells you to suffer energy but you have none, suffer that much health instead; if this KOs you, do not take a second card, but you are out for the rest of the scene.
Additional Combat Rules
Stun
A stunned minion's abilities (e.g., Blocker, Frontliner) are ignored while stunned. During Enemy Reactions a stunned minion does not react (another token of that type reacts instead); during Enemy Turns it does not activate. When a hero stuns a minion, place a green stun cube on it; it is removed during Clean-Up. When a hero is stunned, place a green stun cube on their board; in the next Preparation Phase they roll one less die and remove the cube. Heroes and minions can have only one stun cube at a time; ignore additional stun effects.
Push and Pull
- Push – Move an opponent out of the current zone into an adjacent one. Heroes may only push minions, not leaders or bosses. A hero pushing a minion chooses the adjacent zone, but an effect letting a hero push a minion in an adjacent zone may not push it into the hero's own zone. If an enemy pushes a hero, the destination zone is randomised.
- Pull – Move an opponent from an adjacent zone into the puller's zone. Enemies follow normal targeting rules; heroes may only pull minions, not leaders or bosses, and decide which minion is pulled.
- If an enemy action deals damage and a push or pull, the damage can be blocked but the push/pull cannot.
Randomisation
When there are multiple equally viable outcomes not covered by the rules (e.g., an enemy has 2+ equally distant paths to a target, or an enemy pushes a hero), assign D6 results 1–3 to one option and 4–6 to the other, then roll the D6 to determine the outcome.
Story Scenes
The events take place in Easafir, a city within the region of Kaan in the world of Eana. You interact with a varied cast of characters and explore the surroundings. Throughout the story you make choices the world remembers and reacts to; multiple paths are shaped by story choices, tests, and Combat Scene objectives. Choices in the story and actions in Combat Scenes have lasting consequences — minor or major — that branch the story and can affect the final outcome.
Tests
Certain situations require heroes to perform tests. Some are taken by all heroes, others by only one; unless specified, select a hero to take the test. Three difficulty levels:
- Easy – roll 1 die.
- Medium – roll 2 dice.
- Hard – roll 3 dice.
To succeed, you must score successes on every die rolled. A success result yields 1 success. A trait-success result scores a success if you have a trait matching the test type; a matching trait also lets you spend 1 energy to reroll all test dice once. Successfully completing medium or hard tests earns trait points in the app, granting the party new traits later.
Reputation
The app tracks your hero's reputation. Your choices affect reputation with characters and factions, and the story develops based on it. The higher the reputation with a character/faction, the more positively they view you. Check the app to view your standings.
Map Exploration
In Map Exploration sequences you navigate the streets of Easafir using the physical map provided. The app displays a hint and a description of where the party stands; find that location and place your party miniature there. Decide a direction to walk and select it in the app, which tells you where you arrived. Find and move to that location, and proceed until the section is complete. One player controls the app while others follow on the map. These sections can be part of the main story or Side Quests.
Story Deck
Your party collects story cards as a record of your adventure, forming your story deck. When the app instructs, take the required card from the unlock box and add it to your deck. Save the story deck after every play session.
Rest Scenes
Time Tokens
The time heroes have to rest is represented by time tokens, spent to visit rest locations or undertake Side Quests. At the start of each Rest Scene the app tells you how many tokens to place in the heroes' collective pool. Time tokens do not carry over; discard unused ones at the end of each Rest Scene.
Rest Locations
Rest locations are friendly places and characters where heroes recuperate, train, buy items, and explore. Some are available from the start; others unlock based on your actions, choices, and story progression. They cost a variable number of time tokens as shown on their cards. Locations with a shop icon (instead of the standard icon) have items for sale — you may browse without paying a time token, but must spend the indicated time tokens before buying. When a Rest Scene is over, place rest location cards into the party bag for later use unless the app says to discard them.
Energy and Armour Recovery
All heroes recover all exhausted energy tokens at the end of a Rest Scene. Black cubes on armour cards are also fully replenished.
Healing
At a rest location offering healing, spend any number of gold to recover 2 health per 1 gold spent. Recovered health can be distributed freely among heroes (not necessarily in multiples of 2 per hero).
Food
Some locations sell food, generally 1 gold per food token, placed in the party bag. A hero may discard a food token any time outside a Combat Scene to recover 1 health and 1 energy per token. Because you only heal 1 health/1 energy automatically after each combat and can only pay to heal during Rest Scenes (which occur every 2 or 3 Combat Scenes), stock up on food and/or healing potions.
Side Quests
Certain cards are Side Quests the party can attempt during a Rest Scene (any story/combat handled by the app). They can be attempted before, after, or between visiting rest locations. Each has a threat level from 1 to 4 (a row of skulls) indicating danger. Most Side Quests are removed after 2 or 3 Rest Scenes, so prioritise the ones you want.
Managing Your Campaign
Card Management
As you play, you take cards from the unlock box; keep some and remove others after use.
- Returned cards go back into the unlock box in numerical order (if numbered) or into their respective deck (if unnumbered, then shuffle the deck).
- Discarded cards go to the graveyard section of the unlock box and are not used again. Some cards ask you to replace them: discard the current card and draw the indicated one. Corruption cards are discarded to the graveyard.
- Enemy cards used in a Combat Scene are often reused; place them in the "Enemies Encountered" section. When a scene lists needed enemy cards, browse this deck for already-used cards and pull new ones as usual.
Saving a Campaign
Physical components – To save, take your hero's purchased skills, current items, Corruption cards, and available tokens from your hero board, and place them in the provided ziplock bag. Place that bag with your exhausted tokens and all remaining unpurchased skills into the hero box. In the party box, store shared components like gems and your story deck. When ready to play again, give each player their hero board and hero box and place shared components within reach.
Digital app – The app saves automatically on closing. On relaunch you can resume a previous campaign or start a new one. The app saves up to four campaigns.
Changing Player Count and Restarting an Act
You may restart an Act any time outside a Combat Scene via the Settings menu. The app remembers the story choices and combat outcomes in place at the start of the current Act. You may change player count and swap heroes. On restart you get all non-consumable items you had at the start of the Act, keep all trait cards, return all Corruption cards, recover all health and energy, and are given gold to spend on skills available at the start of the Act.
Swapping heroes – Any time outside a Combat Scene, swap an active hero for a new one (no Act restart needed) — use this only when a player has been replaced. The new hero can buy skills equal in gold value to the sum of the departing hero's skills, and retains the departing hero's Corruption cards and traits.
Battle Mode
For those who would rather skip high adventure, Fateforge offers an alternate, standalone, single-session Battle Mode.
- Battle Mode has questlines of varying difficulty. Each takes 2–3 hours and is made of Combat Scenes; there are no Rest Scenes and you may only heal by consuming food or potions. Combat Scenes are more challenging versions of the campaign's, with thematic changes to avoid spoilers.
- Complete all primary objectives of all Combat Scenes in a questline to win and earn a rating — Copper, Silver, or Gold — based on performance. If the whole party is KO'd in any one Combat Scene, you lose the questline.
Getting Started – Select Battle Mode in the main menu, then New Game (or Continue). Only one questline may be active at a time. Select a questline and your heroes. Each questline gives a pool of gold to spend on skills before you set off.
Corruption – In Battle Mode you cannot play extra rounds, so you do not take Corruption cards from them. Heroes normally draw a Corruption card if KO'd at the end of a Combat Scene. Recovery and reset rules apply as usual, but only if the scene ends in success.
Rewards – Rewards are spread around the Combat Scene; it is up to you to collect them.
Party Bag
Whenever you gain gems or food during a Combat Scene, place them in the party bag unless instructed otherwise. Anything in the party bag cannot be used until after a Combat Scene. Contents are shared and kept regardless of success/failure or KO. When given the opportunity, players decide together how to spend items. Gem values: yellow gem = 1 gold, red gem = 3 gold, blue gem = 5 gold.
Combat Win Rewards
Every time you successfully complete a Combat Scene in the main story (not Side Quests), you gain a victory point. When you accumulate a certain number of victory points, the app awards a choice of two rewards. Follow the app's instructions to claim it.
Hardcore Mode (Optional)
For an added challenge, players may discuss plans and strategy only during the Preparation Phase. During the Action Phase, only the active player may speak; other players may not talk or influence the active player's decisions. This represents the party preparing before battle, then each hero making their own decisions in the heat of battle.
Rule Unlocks
Do not read these until the app instructs you to. Once a rule is unlocked, mark its checkbox to indicate it has been discovered.
Chests
Chests contain valuable loot. To open a chest, spend a focus action and tap the chest token in the app. The hero who gains a new item may equip it in an appropriate slot and use it immediately. If you have no free backpack slot, or prefer not to equip it, place it in the party bag.
Barricades
Barricade tokens protect a zone from ranged attacks and display crossed-out arrows. Heroes and enemies cannot shoot into a zone containing a barricade token from the direction the arrows point; they may shoot normally from other directions, and into zones beyond the protected one if their range is sufficient.
Difficult Terrain
Zones with a difficult terrain token slow heroes. You cannot Dash out of a difficult terrain zone. You must spend a focus result in addition to the standard action to leave the zone.
Healing Fountains
A healing fountain has a number of black cubes on it (per the app). Whenever a hero starts or ends their turn in a zone with a healing fountain and no enemies are present, that hero can remove black cubes from the fountain to recover the same amount of health or energy. When no black cubes remain, the fountain is depleted.
Portals
Portal tokens connect non-adjacent zones. Sometimes the destination is specified, sometimes not; the app explains portals per scene. To use a portal, spend a focus action (not a Dash) while in the same zone as an unguarded portal; guarded portals cannot be entered. Place your miniature on the destination tile or tap the portal token and follow instructions. Zones connected by portals are considered adjacent only for hero movement, not for shooting or other ranged effects. Enemies cannot target heroes through portals nor move through them. Portals cannot be used when Exiting, unless the app specifies otherwise.
Guarded Enemies
Some scenes have enemies guarding other enemies (the app shows two stacked enemies). Place the guarding enemy's token on top of the guarded one. Guarded or guarding enemies never move, regardless of actions, effects, or abilities. Guarded enemies cannot be targeted until the guarding enemy is defeated.
Upgradeable Skills
Some level I skills are upgradeable to a level II version (a "II" in the title, such as Charge and Charge II). You must first have the level I version to acquire the level II version by visiting the relevant rest location and paying its cost. Once upgraded, discard the level I card and replace it with the level II version.
Allies
During the first Preparation Phase of a Combat Scene, select up to one ally to join you (some scenes require a specific ally). Select a hero to accompany the ally; place the ally card above their hero board. Each ally has 2 combat dice; during setup roll them and place them on the ally's card, rerolling misses until both are non-misses. On their turn, any hero in the same zone as the ally's accompanying hero may either discard one of their own dice to use one of the ally's die results that turn, or discard one of the ally's dice to activate one of the ally's abilities — the ally die used is consumed and does not replenish during the scene. Allies take exactly as much damage as their accompanying hero, as soon as they receive it. If an ally suffers as much damage as their health, they are out for the scene (flip the card face down); remove damage cubes and flip it back at the end of the scene. Allies never heal during a Combat Scene. If a hero is KO'd before an ally, the ally is also out, even with health remaining.
Exploration Tokens
An exploration token indicates something of interest in a zone. Spend a focus action while in the same zone, then tap the relevant icon in the app, which tells you what you discovered and guides you.
Traps
Trap tokens represent unpleasant contraptions. When you enter a zone with a trap token (voluntarily or not), you may either a) discard a focus to ignore the trap, b) trigger it by drawing a card from the trap deck and suffering its effects, or c) trigger an ability that removes a trap. If you take a card, discard the trap token. Traps count as an enemy for the purposes of Exiting and deal damage if in the Exit path.
Doors
Doors have two states — open and closed (the two sides of the door token). To open or close a door, spend a focus action while in the same zone, tap the token in the app, and flip the token. Heroes and enemies cannot move or shoot through a closed door. Doors can be opened and closed any number of times. Guarded doors cannot be interacted with by heroes. Enemies do not open or close doors unless specified by the app. Zones connected by a closed door are not considered adjacent.
Weak Spot
Some bosses have weak spots as indicated on their cards. To damage a weak spot, play die results matching the boss's weak spot icons; place a black cube on the corresponding icon for each result played. Once all icons are covered, the weak spot is exploited — tap the weak spot icon in the app and follow the instructions. Black cubes on weak spots are not removed during Clean-Up.
Fear
Some enemies instil Fear. When entering a zone with a fear-inducing enemy, or when one moves into your zone, immediately draw a card from the fear deck and suffer its effects, then place the card face up or down as indicated (face-up cards are active until the end of the Combat Scene). Each hero only ever draws one Fear card per combat round. If you draw a Fear card currently active on another hero, discard it and draw another. At the end of the scene, return all Fear cards and shuffle the deck.
Toxic Damage
When you suffer toxic damage, remove 1 health token per toxic damage and place it beside your hero board (instead of in the exhausted box) — these are not usable. If you lose all health tokens you are KO'd. At the end of the Combat Scene, return all health tokens to your available box. If KO'd and you have suffered toxic damage, return the related health token(s) after completing the KO process. Any effect that recovers health can recover these. You can block toxic damage just as normal damage, and armour can negate removing 1 health. If a hero suffering toxic damage is accompanying an ally, the ally is not affected.
Glossary
General Icons
- Toughness – When this reaches 0, the enemy token is removed. If not defeated, remove all damage cubes during Clean-Up.
- Armour – Protects the wearer from damage. On enemies, does not reset during Clean-Up; on heroes, replenishes at the end of a Rest Scene.
- Recurring – May be used once per combat round.
- Single use – May be used once per Combat Scene; flip the card face down when used.
- Passive – May be used any number of times per combat round.
- Reroll – Reroll the indicated die once.
- Stun – The affected hero rolls one less die during the next Preparation Phase.
- Pull – Move an opponent from an adjacent zone into this zone. Heroes may only pull minions.
- Push – Move an opponent from this zone to an adjacent zone. Heroes may only push minions.
- Call – Move the closest minion token of the indicated type (not already in this enemy's zone) towards this enemy.
- Block – Use to activate a skill or gain 1 block token. Discard the block token during Clean-Up. Block results are not on any dice and can only be gained through skills.
- Wild Result – Any result except a miss.
Enemy Action Modifiers
- Target earlier – Targets the hero earlier (to the left) in player order.
- Target later – Targets the hero later (to the right) in player order.
- +1 – Deals 1 additional damage.
- Modifies STEP toward exit – Move toward that specific exit. If not possible, do nothing.
- Target minion of a type – Targets a minion of the indicated colour. If not possible, do nothing.
- Target minion, left-or-right type – Targets a minion of the left colour if possible; otherwise the right colour; if neither, do nothing.
- Range +1 – Targets opponents up to 1 zone beyond normal range.
- Toxic Damage – Remove 1 health from your available box and place it next to your hero board; return it at the end of the Combat Scene. This modifier can be in addition to damage dealt by an enemy attack.
Credits
Game Design: Gordon Calleja. Additional Game Design: David Chircop. Writing: Daniel Vella. Published by Mighty Boards. © 2023 Mighty Boards. The Fateforge world is © 2023 Studio Agate; FATEFORGE and its logo are trademarks of Agate Editions.