Favor: Gods of Oethera

Favor: Gods of Oethera Rulebook

Table of Contents

Overview

In Favor: Gods of Oethera, you will play as 1 of 6 unique characters. Starting from the Altar, you will venture into the Forest, Mountains, Marshlands, and Wastelands, placing Region Tiles in search of Ruins. Delve into these Ruin Tiles to find powerful Relics. Bring these Relics back to the Altar and offer them to the Gods for points of Favor.

The first player to reach 10 points of Favor wins the game!

Offering Relics to the Gods is not the only way to earn Favor. Engage with the people of Oethera through Event Cards and Settlement Banners, and interact with other players by playing Action Cards and unique player Boons as you compete to earn Favor.

Game Contents

6 Reference Cards
6 Character Cards and 6 Favor Trackers
6 Character Pieces
1 Trap Bag
33 Heart Tokens
16 Trap Tokens
6 Energy Tokens
8 Ruin Tokens
6 Boon Tokens
10 Wasteland Region Tiles
10 Marshland Region Tiles
10 Mountain Region Tiles
10 Forest Region Tiles
1 Challenge Die
36 Relic Cards
1 Altar Tile
40 God Cards
4 Settlement Banners
4 Settlement Tiles
16 Event Cards
60 Action Cards

Board Setup

Place the Altar in the center of the table. Shuffle the God Cards and place them face down on the center of the Altar.
Randomly place the 4 Settlement Tiles against the 4 sides of the Altar, with the Settlement symbol furthest from the Altar. Place each Settlement Banner on their respective Settlement Tiles (Forest Banner on the Forest Settlement Tile, etc).
Find the 4 blank Tiles in each Region (a blank Tile contains no symbols or text). Randomly insert the blank Tiles into each respective Region stack according to the number of players:
- 2 Players - 0 blank Tiles
- 3 Players - 1 blank Tile
- 4 Players - 2 blank Tiles
- 5 Players - 3 blank Tiles
- 6 Players - 4 blank Tiles
Then, place each Region Tile stack beside their respective Settlement Tiles.
Shuffle the Relic Cards, the Action Cards, and the Event Cards. Set them to the side of the board where they are easy to reach. Place the Trap Tokens inside the Trap Bag. Set aside the Ruin Tokens and 1 Heart Token.
Each player selects 1 of the 6 characters and places their Character Piece on the Altar. Deal each player their Character Card, Heart Tokens (equal to their Hearts), Action Cards (equal to their Wit), an Energy Token, a Favor tracker, and a face-up Boon Token.
Roll the Challenge Die to see who goes first. Highest roll begins the game.

Objective

As soon as a player has reached 10 points of Favor, the game is over and that player wins!

Earn Favor by:

Offering Relics to the Gods
Stunning opponents
Capturing Settlement Banners

Alternatively, if any player is in control of all 4 Settlement Banners at one time, they win the game!

There is no way to lose points of Favor.

Choosing a Character

Each Character wields a unique Boon and a different number of Hearts, Charm, and Wit.

Favor Tracker is used to track how much Favor you've gained throughout the game.
Energy Tracker is used to track when you spend Energy on a turn.
Hearts determine if you are Stunned or not. If your Hearts reach 0, you become Stunned, but will come back to full Hearts on your next turn.
Fight is used to attack other players and succeed Fight Challenges.
Charm helps you capture Settlement Banners and succeed Charm Challenges.
Wit helps you succeed Wit Challenges and determines the number of Action Cards you draw at the end of your turn.
Boon is a unique and powerful ability, replenished by offering Relics to the Gods.

On Your Turn

Each turn consists of 3 steps, which can be found on your Reference Card. Once you end your turn, play continues to the left.

Draw a God Card. Read the card aloud and do whatever the Gods decree. Then, discard the card. If the God Card pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile and place the God Cards back on the Altar.

Take your Actions. Spend Energy on a variety of Actions. You may take any number of Actions as many times as you'd like, so long as you have the Energy. You do not have to spend all your Energy each turn, but unused Energy does not carry over to your next turn.

Action	Cost
Basic Movement (p. 7)	1 Energy
Delve into a Ruin (p. 9)	1 Energy
Offer Relics to the Gods (p. 9)	1 Energy
Settlement roll (p. 11)	1 Energy
Daily Boon (p. 12)	0 Energy
Play Action Cards (p. 13)	0-3 Energy
Daily Basic Attack (p. 16)	1 Energy

Basic Movement & Revealing New Tiles

It is possible for Tiles from different Regions to connect.

Each Tile on the board counts as 1 space, including the Altar. Spend 1 Energy to move from Tile to Tile. You can only make a Basic Movement between Connected Tiles, meaning the path continues across the Tiles.

To reveal a new Tile, spend 1 Energy to make a Basic Movement in the direction of a path where there is no Tile. Draw a new Tile from the top of the Region stack that belongs to the same Region you move away from.

You may orient the new Tile however you'd like on the board, so long as it makes a connection from the Tile you moved away from. If there are no more Tiles in that Region's stack, then you may not reveal any more Tiles from that Region.

There are two paths on each corner of the Altar where you can make a Basic Movement.

When revealing a Tile from the Altar, always draw from the same Region as the Settlement Tile in that direction.

Example: the Sapling wants to step off of the Altar, so they decide to spend 1 Energy to make a Basic Movement. If they wanted to move to the left, they would reveal a Forest Tile. If they wanted to move to the right, they would reveal a Marshland Tile.

Regions and Tiles

The Altar counts as its own Region.

Each of the 4 Regions have 10 Tiles: 2 Ruin Tiles, 2 Terrain Tiles, 1 Event Tile, 1 Warp Tile, and 4 blank Tiles.

Ruin Tiles are marked with the Ruin symbol. Once a Ruin Tile is revealed, place a Ruin Token on the Tile with the green "check mark" face up. See "Delving into Ruins" (on p. 9) to learn how to earn Relics from Ruin Tiles.
Event Tiles are marked with the Event symbol. Each time a player moves onto an Event Tile, they trigger an Event. (See "Events" on p. 12).
Terrain Tiles are marked with a text box. Each time a player moves onto a Terrain Tile, follow the instructions written in the text box. Each Region has 1 "positive" Terrain Tile and 1 "negative" Terrain Tile. Many of the Terrain Tiles require a Challenge roll. (See "Challenge Rolls" on p. 10.)
Warp Tiles are marked with the Warp symbol. Players may make a Basic Movement between revealed Warp Tiles or to the Altar.

It is possible to trigger the same Event Tile multiple times in a single turn.

Delving into Ruins

Delving is one of the Actions you can make on your turn by spending 1 Energy.

To Delve, stand on a Ruin Tile that has a Replenished Ruin Token, meaning the "check mark" is face-up, and spend 1 Energy. Flip over the Ruin Token to the "x" and draw 1 Relic.

Place any Relics you draw face up in front of you, activating their effects immediately. (See "Relics" below).

Ruins can be Replenished by God Cards or Action Cards. When this happens, flip the appropriate token(s) back to the "check mark" side.

Relics & Offering to the Gods

When offering Relics, you may choose to keep some and offer others for the same 1 Energy cost.

There are 4 types of Relics and 36 unique Relics in total: Charm Relics (12), Fight Relics (12), Blessings (6), and Curses (6). Anytime a player earns a Relic, it immediately goes into play, triggering its unique effects. There is no limit to the number of Relics a player can have.

Charm Relics grant you +1 Charm, along with a unique effect.
Fight Relics grant you +1 Fight, along with a unique effect.
Blessings grant you a powerful unique effect.
Curses grant you a negative unique effect.

Each Relic is worth 1 point of Favor if you offer them to the Gods. To offer your Relics, you must be on the Altar and spend 1 Energy.

Then, choose any number of Relics to offer to the Gods and do so by discarding them. You earn 1 point of Favor for each Relic discarded this way.

After offering Relics to the Gods, Replenish your Boon Token. (See "Boons" on p. 12).

If the Relic Card draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to make a new Relic Card draw pile.

Challenge Rolls

Challenge rolls can be found on Terrain Tiles, God Cards, Event Cards, and are used to capture Settlement Banners. You may encounter Charm Challenges, Fight Challenges, or Wit Challenges.

To make a Challenge roll, roll the Challenge Die, then compare the roll with either your Charm, Fight, or Wit, depending on the type of Challenge.

If you roll BELOW your character's value for that type of Challenge, you have SUCCEEDED.
If you roll EQUAL TO or ABOVE your value for that type of Challenge, you have FAILED.

Example: The Gods decree that "All players make a Charm Challenge roll. Failure, take 1 damage."

The Geodyte has 1 Charm and +1 Charm while in possession of the Royal Circlet Relic. If they roll a 0 or 1 on the Challenge Die, they have SUCCEEDED! If they roll a 2, 3, or 4, they have FAILED and take 1 damage.

Settlement Rolls

Each of the 4 Regions has a corresponding Settlement Banner. To capture a Settlement Banner, you must be on that Settlement Tile and spend 1 Energy to make a Charm Challenge roll. (See "Challenge Rolls" p. 10).

If you SUCCEED, you have captured the Banner. Take that Region's Banner off the Settlement Tile, place it in front of you, and gain 1 Favor. If another player has possession of that Banner, take it from them instead.

If you FAILED the Challenge roll, the Banner remains where it is.

You may make as many attempts to capture the Banner as you have Energy, spending 1 Energy for each attempt.

While you have control of the Mountain Banner, you get an extra Heart Token. This Heart Token enters play face up and full. If you lose your Mountain Banner, discard the extra Heart Token. If able, discard a face-down, cracked Heart Token.

Each Banner grants the player a unique effect while captured:

Forest Banner +1 Wit
Wasteland Banner +1 Fight
Marshland Banner +1 Charm
Mountain Banner +1 Heart Token

If at any point you control all 4 Settlement Banners at once, you immediately win the game!

Banners are not lost if you become Stunned.

Boons

Each Character has a unique special ability called a Boon.

Every player begins the game with their Boon Token face-up and Replenished.

Boons can only be activated on your turn and only once per turn (Daily). Boons do not cost Energy. To use a Boon, flip the Boon Token to the face-down purple side, and follow the Boon's effect.

Boon tokens are Replenished each time you offer Relics to the Gods on the Altar.

If the Event Card draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to make a new Event Card draw pile.

Events

Draw an Event Card each time you move onto an Event Tile. If the card says "Choose one", select one of the bullet point options at the bottom of the card and do what the text says. If there are no bullet points, do whatever the text says. Then, discard the Event Card.

Several Event Cards offer you the chance to earn an Item. If you secure one of these Item Event Cards, keep it in front of you until you chose to play it during your turn.

Example: this Charm Event has a Charm Challenge roll. (See "Challenge Rolls" on p. 10). If you succeed the Charm Challenge, you have earned the Invisibility Cloak Item.

There is no way for other players to take away your Item cards.

Action Cards

Action Cards are held in your hand and kept secret from other players. You may only play Action Cards on your turn. Every Action Card has an Energy cost, found in the top left corner of the card.

There are 4 types of Action Cards: Attacks, Spells, Hexes, and Traps.

Attack Action Cards are used to deal damage to other players who are in range. If this damages an opponent's final Heart Token, you have Stunned them and earn 1 Favor. (See "Becoming Stunned & Stunning an Opponent" on p. 15).
Spell Action Cards offer utility, often involving movement around the board, healing Hearts, and gaining Energy.
Hex Action Cards add debilitating effects on other players and can be played to any opponent regardless of their Character's position on the board. A player cannot have more than 1 of the same Hex afflicting them at the same time. All Hexes are discarded at the end of the Hexed player's turn.

If the Action Card draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to make a new Action Card draw pile.

Trap Action Cards cost 0 Energy to play. Once you've played a Trap Action Card, draw 1 Trap Token at random from the Trap Bag. Look at what the Trap is, then place it face down on a Tile according to the Trap Action Card. Once a Trap has been placed on the board, you may not look at it again.

Traps cannot be placed on Tiles with other Traps, Characters, or on the Altar.

Traps are triggered as soon as a player moves onto a Tile that has a Trap Token on it. Flip over the Trap Token, take damage equal to the number revealed (0, 1, or 2 damage), then return the Trap Token to the Trap Bag.

You can trigger your own Traps.

Traps take priority over other Tile effects. If you step on an Event Tile with a Trap Token, resolve the Trap first, then draw your Event Card.

Key Words

Cold – Basic Movement costs 1 extra Energy.
Poison – take 1 damage after each Basic Movement.
Silenced – cannot play Action Cards.
Invisible – cannot be the target of Action Cards.
Daily – once per turn.
Connected Tiles – Tiles connected by the path.
Replenish – flip a token to its face-up, ready side.
Stun – when all of a player's Hearts are cracked.

Keywords can also be found on the back of your reference card.

Becoming Stunned

Your health is tracked by Heart Tokens. When you take damage, flip your Heart Tokens over equal to the amount of damage received. When you heal, flip your broken Heart Tokens back to the healthy, full side.

If all of your Heart Tokens are flipped over and cracked, you become Stunned.

When you are Stunned, turn your Character Piece on its side on the same Tile where you were Stunned. Then, discard half of your Relics rounded down. You choose which Relics.

Example: If you had 3 Relics when you were Stunned, choose 1 of them to discard. If you had 1 Relic, you discard 0.

At the beginning of your next turn, put your Character Piece right-side up, heal to full Hearts, then start your turn as normal by drawing a God Card.

If it is your turn when you become Stunned, your turn is immediately over. Reset your Energy to 4, draw Action Cards until the number of cards in your hand matches your Wit, then play passes to the left. You cannot be the target of Action Cards while you are Stunned.

Stunning an Opponent

If another player brings your full Hearts to zero by dealing damage to you, they have Stunned you, and the attacking player earns 1 point of Favor.

Basic Attack

You cannot exceed the number of Heart Tokens equal to your Character's "Hearts", unless you have the Mountain Banner.

Once per turn (Daily), you may spend 1 Energy to make a Basic Attack. This deals damage equal to your Fight to an opponent occupying the same Tile as you.

Example: The Human has 1 full Heart, 1 Fight, and the Crystal Scepter Relic, which gives them +1 Fight. (Crystal Scepter: +1 Fight. Heal equal to the damage you deal.)

On their turn, they can make a Basic Attack that deals 2 damage to the Sapling, who is on the same Tile as them.

Then, the Crystal Scepter Relic allows the Human to heal 2 Hearts, matching the amount of damage dealt.

You are now equipped to play the game! If you'd like to learn more about the history and lore of Oethera, read on.

God and Character Lore

The Gods of Oethera

Celdium – Persuasive, imposing, and stoic, Celdium is the leader of Oethera's Gods. They are highly intelligent, eternally serious, and made the decision to reveal the Gods to the people of Oethera so they could be worshiped. Celdium is often associated with stars, moonlight, and the heavens.

Gruuvda – Charismatic, boisterous, and fierce, Gruuvda lives life to the fullest. They love a good bar fight and an indulgent feast. Gruuvda lives day-to-day, laughing the loudest, drinking the deepest, and fighting the hardest.

Aagaru – Wise, adaptable, and pensive, Aagaru is the most connected with the cosmos. They spend much of their time meditating, where they channel the natural chaos of the world to glimpse into the future. Aagaru's council and guidance is frequently sought after by the other Gods.

Broki – Nimble, impulsive, and a trickster, Broki is always causing trouble for both Gods and mortals. They are sharp tongued, quick witted, and prone to pranks. Broki is commonly blamed for everyday mishaps and unexplainable accidents.

Wylip – Reserved, nurturing, and considerate, Wylip loves mortals more than any other God. They are kind, optimistic, and encourage the best in others. Wylip spends much of their time disguised amongst the mortals, helping and motivating those in need.

The People of Oethera

Seridian – Native to the Marshlands, the Seridians are best known for their prowess as inventors and explorers. Thanks to their technological ingenuity and adventurous spirit, they were the first people to chart the different regions of Oethera, establishing trade routes and connecting the other races of the land. Employing their keen interest in biological studies and infrastructure skills, they have molded the Marshlands into a stable and habitable home for many people.

Sapling – Small in stature but mighty in numbers, Saplings have short lifespans and live in enormous communities within their Elder Tree. The Elder Trees are magical behemoths residing deep within Oethera's Forests and give birth to new Saplings. A Sapling's leaves mimic the shape and texture of the Elder Tree they budded from, and the colors of their leaves match the season in which they were born. Saplings rarely leave the Forest, but some have been known to journey the lands of Oethera. When Saplings reach the end of their lives, they plant themselves in the ground to become a new tree in the Forest.

Human – When Earth's climate became uninhabitable, Humans fled across the galaxy in search of new homes. The Humans of Colony 2247 landed on Oethera, and for centuries, enjoyed an age of peace and prosperity. But it was not to last. The Humans became sick, infected by some unknown disease. In their attempt to cure themselves, they unintentionally altered their DNA so that only their central nervous tissues could replicate. Now, Humans operate mechanized bodies, scuttling about the Wastelands in small communities called Scraps.

Abutian – Once domesticated dogs from Human Colony 2247, the Abutians were granted advanced intelligence by the Gods of Oethera when the Gods imbued an ancient Human text with divine power. This text, along with the humanity it provided, served as the foundation for Abutian civilization. The Abutians now enjoy a seat of wealth and power in the Wastelands, specializing in the crafting of fine jewelry and resource distribution.

Geodyte – Millenia ago, long before people roamed the world, the land was flat and devoid of magic. The Gods, young by their measure, imbued crystal seeds with divine power and planted them in the rocky, barren soil. Centuries followed and the seeds grew, seeping magic and fertilizing the land as the ground stretched up toward the heavens. As the mountain peaks finally crested the clouds, the Geodytes emerged fully grown from their Crystal Chambers. In doing so, magic spilled out across the lands, bringing life and energy to what we now know as Oethera.

The Attuned – The Attuned are composed of no one race of people. Instead, their order is open to all who share their ideology of elasticity and the natural order within chaos. The only constant in the universe is change, and those with the power to influence this change are the Gods themselves, whom the Attuned are wholly devoted. To become one with nature, with change, with the ever swirling energy that dances between all things and within ourselves is what it means to be Attuned. Only then can one truly be in control.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a list of rules gathered from frequently asked questions during Favor's development. If you cannot find an answer to your question here, check out the Favor: Gods of Oethera page on BoardGameGeek.com.

The Altar and Other Tiles

Adjacent refers to orthogonal directions (up, down, left, right), not diagonal directions.
The Altar counts as its own Region.
You cannot move or rotate the Altar or the Settlement Tiles.
You can fight other players on the Altar.
A straight line of Connected Tiles includes the Tile you are on.
If you capture a Settlement Banner that is controlled by an opponent, take the Banner from them and gain 1 Favor. They do not lose Favor.

Tokens, Traps, and Action Cards

When gaining or losing Heart Tokens, lose broken Hearts and gain full Hearts (if able).
If an opponent becomes Stunned by triggering a Trap, the player who placed that trap does not gain a Favor.
Placing a Trap Token with the Sapling Boon still follows the rules of placing Traps. It cannot be placed on Tiles with other Traps, players, or on the Altar.
There is no way to discard Action Cards without an effect that allows you to do so.
To resolve the Transcend Action Card, first pay the Energy cost, take 1 damage, then double your Energy. For example, if you have 4 Energy when you play Transcend, you will spend an Energy going down to 3, then double that for a total of 6 Energy.

God Cards

"All players make a Wit Challenge roll. On success, heal 2 Hearts" does not heal Stunned players.
"All players teleport to the Altar" includes Stunned players.
"Move and/or rotate a Tile without a player on it" means you pick up any Tile that is not the Altar or a Settlement Tile and rotate it and/or move it to a new spot that creates a connection. This change cannot leave any Tiles unconnected to either the Altar or a Settlement. If there are no viable options when you draw this God Card, do nothing and discard the card.
"Reveal a Tile from any Region and place it anywhere that makes a connection" means you draw a Tile, look at it, then place it anywhere that forms a connection, even if it connects to a different Region.
"Switch places with an opponent of your choice" can include Stunned players.
"The player(s) with the smallest sum of Favor + Relics draws 1 Relic" includes ties. Each tied player draws 1 Relic, starting with the current player and going clockwise around the board.

Events and Items

Black Box Item: redirecting an activated Trap to an opponent can cause you to Stun them, collecting 1 point of Favor.
Broki Event: if you succeed the Wit Challenge and there are no Action Cards in the discard pile, you do nothing and continue your turn.
Power Berry Event: you must make at least 1 attempt, if able, by discarding an Action Card to roll the Challenge Die. If you don't have any Action Cards when you draw this Event, discard the Event.
Tourmaline Effigy Item: this Item can be played when it's not your turn. Discarding this Item removes an entire instance of damage, meaning if an opponent Snipes you for 3 damage, you take 0 damage.
Traveling Bard Event: if you fail the Charm Challenge and discard a random Banner, return it to its rightful Settlement Tile.
Two Stone Hands Event: if you succeed the "Unlimited Power" option, the damage you deal can Stun opponents and earn you Favor. If you choose the "System Overload" option, damage is dealt to you as well. You do not earn any Favor if an opponent becomes Stunned from the "System Overload" choice.

Relics

Blind Fold: this effect can only be used on your turn.
Coffee Maker & Cursed Map: if you have already played an Attack Action Card or made a Basic Movement before obtaining these Relics, you don't activate the Relic effects this turn.
Crystal Scepter: if a player becomes Stunned by your attack, heal equal to the damage you would have dealt, regardless of how many Heart Tokens the Stunned player flipped over.
Duck Pool Floaty, Discordant Flute, and Cracked Mirror: the relevant stat is zero and cannot be greater than zero.
Hiking Boots: you may discard an Event Card after drawing it and without taking any actions from the Event Card.
Quartz Pendant: reducing the cost of an Action Card by 1 Energy only applies to a single card, not all Action Cards of the same name. Energy cannot be less than 0.
Spike Shield: damage from this Relic happens before other effects, like healing from the Crystal Scepter.
Trap Pack: if you lose this Relic while standing on a Trap, immediately trigger the Trap.