Firesiege: A Feralis Story Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Introduction
  • On your turn
  • Winning and Defeat conditions
  • Solo mode
• Avenues and Regions
• Goals
• Setup
• Valkun Army
• Skreel Horde
• Power-Up Board
  • Power-Up tracks
  • Advance/retreat on the power-up tracks
  • Icons
• Command Tiles
  • Playing a command tile
• Valkun Action
• Breaches
  • Breach action
• Horde Track
• Horde Card
  • Horde advancement order
  • The Skreel horde through the breaches
• Blocking the Horde
• Marall Mercenaries
  • Icons
• Valkun Hero Cards
  • Reshiner
  • Gestha
  • Hurtlyn
  • Thanah
• Warlords
  • Ye'Puk
  • Tu'Ulum
  • Xe'Ragt
  • Ye'Xet
  • Urg'Axul
  • Ra'Krat
• Goal Cards
  • Destroy the nests
  • Ally with the Marall
  • Defeat Zagal
  • Inner power
  • Close the breaches
  • Rescue the civilians
  • War machine
  • Control orbs
  • Skreel Slimes
  • Save Norad
• Campaign Mode
  • DAY 1 - Choose your counteroffensive!
  • DAY 2 - Who will you save?
  • DAY 3 - Do you want to accept the risk?
  • DAY 4 - Do you want to follow the scouts' tracks?
  • DAY 5 - How do you plan to save Norad?
  • DAY 6 - How will you use the tunnels?
  • DAY 7 - How will you face the final battle?
  • Epilogue
• Icons Summary

Components

• 1 gameboard
• 1 power-up board (two sides: 1 to 3 players / 4 or more players)
• 4 player boards
• 4 Valkun hero cards
• 4 player bags
• 64 command tiles (16 per hero, in the color of the hero)
• 15 horde cards and 2 secret maneuvers horde cards
• 6 warlord cards
• 10 goal cards
• 9 Marall cards
• 1 Norad meeple
• 1 Zagal meeple
• 4 Valkun hero meeples
• 10 Valkun soldier meeples
• 12 Skreel hunter meeples
• 7 Skreel queen meeples
• 6 warlord meeples
• 6 track markers
• 8 breach tokens
• 20 constitution tokens
• 6 banner tokens
• 3 nest tokens
• 3 civilian tokens
• 3 orb tokens
• 3 war machine tokens
• 3 Skreel slime tokens
• 1 battle die
• 1 horde die

Introduction

Firesiege is a cooperative game where players take on the roles of Valkun heroes, who are generals with unique characteristics and abilities. Their mission is to fight the Skreel horde and defend the city of Eldor and its ruler, Norad. The main objective is to contain the Skreel siege and achieve tactical goals that can turn the tide of battle. However, every action triggers a counteroffensive from the enemy, and not all information is available: each player can only see one side of the played tile, while the other side is visible only to other players. Resolving both sides requires communication and is essential for making effective choices.

On your turn

The youngest player goes first and then players keep playing in turns in clockwise order:

1. It is possible to discuss with other players what game strategy to adopt. In this way, players can indicate which command tile works well and which is best avoided.

   Golden Rule: Please refrain from explicitly stating the icons on the command tiles. Instead, you can communicate your intentions (e.g., attacking a nest, awakening your hero, healing yourself, etc.), and other players can respond with comments such as:

   • "If you play this command tile we lose!"
   • "If you would play this one, then in my turn I could play another one that makes us defeat that enemy..."
   • "The middle command tile is strong, the other two a little bit less but in any case, the left one is better to play before the right one."

2. Based on the information received, choose which command card to play from the available ones; execute the icons on the visible side of the command card;

3. Flip the command tile over and execute the icons on the other side;

4. Discard the played command tile and draw a new one from the bag to have 3 command tiles on the player board again (without looking at it!).

During your turn, you can perform optional actions at any time, except when resolving a command card icon. These actions include activating the passive trait, awakened state, or special ability of a Valkun hero, as well as activating an objective card if the special rules allow it.

Winning and Defeat conditions

If any of these conditions occur, the game is immediately lost:

• a Skreel enters the citadel;
• Skreel queens or hunters should be placed on the boardgame, but they are all already in place;
• a Valkun hero is defeated, so all constitution tokens are turned to the damage side (constitution tokens have a life side and a damage side);
• the horde marker reaches the end of the track ("red skull" symbol).

To win, players must turn over all 6 banner tokens (by fulfilling the goal cards).

Solo mode

The game setting and rules for the solo mode remain the same, except for the following differences:

• Once per turn, before playing a command tile, you may lower the energy track marker by 1 square to take one of the 3 command tiles available to you and flip it to the other side;
• The defeat condition is fulfilled when two Skreel enter the citadel (leave the first one who entered the citadel as a reminder).

Avenues and Regions

Eldor is the capital of the kingdom. The walls have been built to form three avenues that lead, through a spiral path, to the citadel at the center of the city. This architecture allows for slowing down and dividing enemies in the event of a siege.

The walls divide the gameboard into 3 avenues, recognizable by the color (green, red and yellow) and shape of the buildings. Each avenue is divided into 5 regions. Each region can contain any number of Valkun and Skreel.

Note: we will identify the regions with roman numbers from I to V, where region I is the outermost and region V is the innermost.

Regions are defined as adjacent if they share a common border through which movement is possible. It is possible to move through a border in the regions of the same avenue or in regions of another avenues if there is a breach on the walls (see "Breaches"). The central region, or citadel, is considered a neutral region and is adjacent simultaneously to all three avenues. Also, is colorless.

Example: the green region V is adjacent to the citadel and the green region IV because there are no walls preventing passage.

Goals

Goal cards define the strategic tasks to be pursued to win the game. Each goal card may add special setup and/or introduce special rules (see "Goal cards"). Each goal card can be completed only once unless otherwise specified. Once a goal has been completed, you turn over the indicated number of banner tokens shown on the card.

Note: The difficulty level of a game is also influenced by the goal cards. The more banner tokens a goal card awards, the higher the difficulty of the game.

Setup

1. Place the gameboard at the center of the table. Players should sit so they can only see one side of the command tiles of all other players.
2. Place the power-up board (according to the number of players) next to the gameboard and place the 4 markers on the colored squares of the corresponding power-up track.
3. Place the battle die, the horde die, Valkun soldiers, Skreel hunters, queens, and warlords beside the gameboard.
4. Choose a Valkun hero and take the corresponding player board and Valkun hero card, then:
   • 4.1. place the Valkun hero card on the player board turned to the normal status side;
   • 4.2. take a number of constitution tokens equal to the constitution indicated on the Valkun hero card and place them on it to the life side, except for one, which must be turned to the damage side;
   • 4.3. shuffle the 16 command tiles into the bag of the corresponding color of the chosen Valkun hero;
   • 4.4. randomly draw 3 command tiles and insert them into the designated slot on the player board. When drawing a command tile from the bag, be careful to look at only one side of the tile.
5. Shuffle and place:
   • 5.1. the face-up deck of Marall cards in the bottom left slot of the gameboard;
   • 5.2. the face-down deck of horde cards near the horde track;
   • 5.3. the face-down deck of warlord cards near the gameboard;
   • 5.4. the face-down target card deck near the gameboard.
6. Place on the gameboard:
   • 6.1. 1 Valkun soldier in region III of each avenue;
   • 6.2. 1 Skreel hunter and 1 Skreel queen in the region I of each avenue;
   • 6.3. 3 nest tokens in the corresponding color slot in the region I;

Valkun Army

Valkuns have two main characteristics: strength and constitution. Strength is the amount of damage that can be inflicted during an attack; constitution is the amount of hit points a Valkun can take.

You can move Valkuns by performing the Valkun action (see "Valkun action"). The number of movements is influenced by the power-up track (see "Power-up board").

Valkun soldiers: they have 1 of strength and 1 of constitution. When a Valkun soldier is defeated, remove it from the gameboard.

Valkun heroes: the game begins with heroes in normal status. Here you find strength, constitution, and the awakening trigger (see "Valkun hero cards"). Performing an optional action, you can activate the awakened status:

• when the awakening trigger is met;
• by retreating the energy power-up track marker by 5 spaces (see "Power-up board").

When you trigger the awakened status, flip the hero card and gain the following benefits:

• flip all constitution tokens to the life side;
• the passive trait becomes effective and the special skill can be used (once or more times during your turn);
• obtain the new strength and/or constitution values. If the constitution increases, add additional constitution tokens turned to the life side;

Note: once the awakened status is triggered, you cannot return to the normal status.

Note: regardless of what is indicated on the hero card, your hero's strength is considered to be 1 during another player's attack.

When a hero is defeated, the game is lost (see "Winning and Defeat conditions").

Hero card layout: strength, constitution, normal/awaken status, awakening triggers.

Skreel Horde

The Skreel have only one task: to reach the citadel and assassinate Norad. They do not waste time engaging in battle, but if attacked they defend themselves, inflicting backlash damage (see "Valkun action"). The main characteristics are:

• Constitution: is the amount of damage you must inflict to a Skreel in a single attack to defeat it;
• Movement: is the number of regions through which a Skreel moves when the "horde movement" icon is activated (see "Horde card").

Skreel hunters: they have 1 of constitution and 2 movement. Whenever there are 3 Skreel hunters in the same region and no one is supposed to move further, remove them from the gameboard and spawn a Skreel queen in their place. When you defeat a Skreel hunter, remove it from the gameboard.

Skreel queens: they have 3 of constitution and 2 movement. Whenever a Skreel queen spawns or is blocked (see "Blocking the horde"), inflict 1 damage to one Valkun of your choice in that region. Whenever a Skreel queen moves past one or more Valkun, inflict 1 damage to one Valkun at your choice in the region just left. When you defeat a Skreel queen, remove it from the gameboard.

Skreel Nests: they have 4/6/8 of constitution and cannot move. You can only inflict damage to a nest if there are no other enemies in the region, or if there are enemies but they all get eliminated with the nest. When you defeat a nest, flip the nest token to the other side and flip the number of banner tokens indicated for the nest of that color on the "Destroy the nests" goal card.

Skreel warlord: when you draw a warlord card, place the Skreel warlord in the region I of the avenue of the color indicated on it. Each Skreel warlord has a unique constitution, movement, and effect (see "Warlords"). When you defeat a Skreel warlord, flip the banner tokens indicated on the warlord card, then, remove it from the gameboard and discard the warlord card.

Warlord card layout: name, spawn nest color, constitution, movement, banner reward, effect.

Power-Up Board

It contains the four power-up tracks that you can utilize during the game to enhance the actions. The power-up board has two sides, one side for games with 1 to 3 players and the other one for games with 4 or more players. On the tracks of each power-up, the square where to place the markers at the beginning of the game is highlighted.

Power-Up tracks

• March: each square indicates the number of movements you can make during a movement action (see "Valkun action"). Note: you can move your Valkun hero or a Valkun soldier more than once and in any order as long as you have movements available.
• Recruitment: each square indicates the quantity of Valkun soldiers you can place in the citadel with a single recruitment action (see "Valkun action").
• Ferocity: each square indicates the amount of strength you can add to the total strength during an attack action (see "Valkun action"). You can use the ferocity power-up only once per attack. Once activated, retreat the marker by a number of squares equal to the added strength.
  • Example: if you activate the ferocity power-up while the marker is on a square indicating 2 swords, you will add +2 to the total attack strength and set the marker back two squares on the track. If the marker is on the red value -1, the attack in any region will be the total of all Valkuns minus 1.
• Energy: each square indicates the amount of energy stored. You can use an optional action (see "On your turn") to activate a special ability or awaken a Valkun hero. Set back the marker on the energy track by a number of squares equal to the activation cost.

Advance/retreat on the power-up tracks

Activating the "Catalyst" icon allows you to advance (upward) on a power-up track. Conversely, activating the "Curse" icon or the special effect of a Skreel warlord can cause you to retreat (downward) on a power-up track.

Note: whenever you have to retreat one or more squares on a track that is already at minimum, choose another track on which to retreat; likewise, whenever you have to advance one or more squares on a track that is already at maximum, choose another track on which to advance.

Icons

• Valkun action: perform a Valkun action (see "Valkun action").
• Draw horde card: draw a card from the horde deck and immediately resolve it.
• Catalyst: choose a track on the power-up board and advance the marker by a number of squares equal to 1/2/3.
• Horde advancement: advance the horde track marker by 1 square.
• Breach: perform a breach action (see "Breaches").
• Damage: inflict 1 damage to your Valkun hero.
• Heal: heal your Valkun hero or another Valkun hero in the same or adjacent region as you.
• Horde dice: roll the horde die and resolve the icons on the resulting face.
• Recharge: advance the energy track marker by 2 squares.
• Curse: retreat the indicated power-up track marker by 1 square.
• Marall ally: move the Marall track marker 1 space towards the allied side.
• Marall traitor: move the Marall track marker 1 space towards the traitor side.

Command Tiles

Each Valkun hero has a set of command tiles, recognizable by the color of the frame. The command tiles have a light side (white background) and a shadow side (black background):

• The icons on the light side produce only positive effects for the players. Activating the icons on the light side is optional and can be activated in any order.
• The icons on the shadow side mainly produce negative effects, but it's not excluded that they may contain positive effects. Activating the icons is mandatory and must be performed from top to bottom.

Each set of command tiles features a different combination of light-shadow sides compared to the other sets. When playing a command tile, first resolve the icons on the side visible to you. After doing so, flip the command tile and resolve the icons on the other side. When there are icons separated by "/", it means the player can alternatively choose which of the two icons to activate.

Note: when there are no more command tiles left in the bag, reshuffle all discarded command tiles back into the bag.

Playing a command tile

Choose a command tile to play. Resolve the visible side first, in this case the shadow side shown in the figure. Perform a Valkun action, then advance the horde track marker by 2 squares. After having all the icons resolved, you must flip the command tile. Choose a track on the power-up board and advance the marker by 2 squares. Then, perform a breach action.

Valkun Action

For each Valkun action, you can choose one of the following effects:

• Movement: move your Valkun hero or a Valkun soldier from one region to another adjacent region (see "Avenues and regions"). The number of movements you can make is equal to the value indicated on the march track.

• Recruitment: you can take a number of Valkun soldiers equal to the value indicated on the recruitment track and place them in the citadel. Note: If there are not enough Valkun soldiers, any additional recruitment is to be considered lost.

• Attack: You can attack in a region that contains at least one Skreel and one Valkun. Once the region is chosen, perform the following steps in order:

  1. Roll the battle die and apply the result (the die faces are: +1 to the total strength of your attack; +2 to the total strength of your attack; inflict 1 damage to a Valkun in the attack region; skip the backlash damage at the end of the attack (skip the step 5)).
  2. Calculate the total strength as the sum of the strength of each Valkun present in the region plus any bonus from the battle die (keep in mind that other Valkun heroes are considered to have 1 strength).
  3. (Optional) Increases overall strength by activating the ferocity enhancement (see "Power-up board").
  4. Defeat the Skreel: the total strength represents the amount of damage that you can inflict to Skreels. A Skreel is defeated when you inflict damage equal to its constitution. Note: all unused damage is lost.
  5. At the end of each attack, you take 1 backlash damage. Assign the damage to a Valkun present in the region where you performed the attack.

Valkun attack action example: You declare an attack in green region I against 2 Skreel hunters (each with 1 constitution), 1 Skreel queen (3 constitution) and the green nest (4 constitution). You have your Valkun hero Reshiner in normal status (1 strength), a Valkun soldier (1 of strength), and an allied Valkun hero (also with 1 of strength). First, roll the battle die: the result indicates a +1 to strength, which brings the total strength to 4. Using the ferocity power-up track, increase the total strength by 1 (while moving the marker back 1 square), bringing it to 5. Choose how to distribute the damage: since you cannot damage the nest, deal 3 damage to the Skreel queen and 1 damage to the 2 Skreel hunters, who are defeated. After the attack, deal 1 recoil damage to a chosen Valkun present in the region.

Breaches

Breaches cause two regions separated by the walls to become adjacent, allowing both Valkun and Skreel to move through.

Breach action

When you activate the breach icon, you can open or close a breach in the region occupied by your Valkun hero.

When you open a breach, place a breach token on a wall in the region. When you close a breach, remove a breach token from a wall in the region. Either way, before, after or instead of that, you may move any number of Valkun through any open breach present in the region.

Breach action example: by playing a command tile, you activate the breach icon. You decide to move your hero and the other Valkun soldiers present in the region through the breach and to close the breach. Remove the breach token from the gameboard.

Horde Track

The horde track represents the advance of the Skreel horde toward the city of Eldor. When the marker reaches the skull in the center of the spiral, the game is lost (see "Winning and Defeat conditions").

Each time the horde advancement icon appears, move the marker forward one space on the horde track. Resolve the icons one by one.

When the marker reaches a space with the draw-horde-card icon, draw a horde card and immediately resolve its effects.

When the marker reaches a space with the warlord icon, draw a warlord card and place the corresponding Skreel warlord on the gameboard.

Horde Card

When you draw a card from the horde deck, resolve the icons from top to bottom. Afterwards, discard the card. When there are no more horde cards to draw, shuffle the discard pile to form a new horde deck.

• Proliferation: take a Skreel hunter and place it in region I (the one with the nest) of the avenue with the same icon's color.
• Horde movement: the color of the icon indicates in which avenue the movement is activated. First, move the Skreel warlords, starting from the closest region to the citadel, then move the Skreel queens and/or hunters, giving priority to the Skreel hunters if both are in the same region.

If there is a "nests" symbol enclosed in the icons "proliferation" and "horde movement", they are activated only if the nest token of the corresponding color is not defeated.

• Hire a Marall: activate the card at the top of the Marall deck and perform the corresponding icon on the traitor or ally side (see "Marall mercenaries").

• Secret maneuvers horde cards: these cards should be added to the horde deck only if the difficulty is set to "Hard" or "Heroic" (see "Setup"). When you draw a secret maneuver horde card, follow these steps:

  1. remove this card from the game;
  2. shuffle the discard pile into the horde deck;
  3. perform the "draw horde card" icon.

  Note: if there are no cards in the discard pile, shuffle the secret maneuver card into the horde deck and draw a new horde card in its place.

Horde advancement order

The movement icon is activated in the red avenue:

1. Move the Skreel warlord Xe'Ragt by 1 and activate its special effect.
2. Move the Skreel hunter in the region III by 2.
3. Move the Skreel hunter in the region I by 2.

The Skreel horde through the breaches

If there is a breach in a region where one or more Skreel are about to move, they will move through the breach if it leads them closer to the citadel; otherwise, they will proceed down the same avenue they currently are.

Skreel movement through a breach: The movement is activated in the red avenue: 1. Move the Skreel hunter by 2. 2. Move the Skreel queen by 2. Both move through the open breach, which leads them in to the green avenue leading them into the city.

Blocking the Horde

To resist the advance of the Skreel horde, Valkun soldiers and heroes can prevent the movement of enemies in the same region by following these rules:

• Valkun soldiers can block only one Skreel hunter per region;
• Valkun heroes can block either a Skreel queen or hunter per region;

When a Skreel is blocked, its movement in the region of the blocking Valkun is immediately halted. Skreel warlords cannot be blocked by Valkun soldiers or heroes, but they can be blocked by Norad (see "Goal cards").

Note: a Skreel queen inflicts 1 damage even when blocked (see "Skreel horde").

Blocking a Skreel hunter and the spawn of a Skreel queen. The movement is activated in the green avenue: 1. Move the Skreel hunter by 2. When it enters the region with the Valkun soldier, stop it; the movement of the Skreel hunter is blocked. 2. Move both Skreel hunters by 2. After the movement, the 3 Skreel hunters in the same region merge to spawn a Skreel queen. When the Skreel queen is born, it inflicts 1 damage to the Valkun soldier, who is defeated.

Blocking a Skreel queen. The movement is activated in the green avenue: move the Skreel queen by 2. 1. With the first movement, the Skreel queen bypasses the Valkun soldier: inflict 1 damage to the Valkun soldier. 2. The second movement is blocked by the Valkun hero: inflict 1 damage to the Valkun hero.

Marall Mercenaries

The Marall track will reflect the mercenaries' inclination towards alliance or betrayal. The Marall card is activated by the "Marall recruitment" icon:

• when present on a horde card;
• when the Marall track marker reaches the Marall recruitment icon placed at the ends of the track.

Marall cards have a traitor effect (in red) and an ally effect (in yellow). The activated effect will depend on the position of the marker on the Marall track:

• If the marker is on the "0" space, the Marall card does not activate.
• If the marker is on the traitor side (in red), the Marall card activates and produces the traitor effect.
• If the marker is on the ally side (in yellow), the Marall card activates and produces the ally effect.

When the Marall card is activated, replicate the effect as many times as the number shown on the space of the Marall track occupied by the marker (3 times if it reaches the Marall recruitment icon). After activation, place the marker on the "0" space and discard the Marall card. If there are no more Marall cards in the deck, shuffle the discard pile to form a new one.

Activating a Marall card: The Marall track marker is on the 2nd space on the ally side. When the Marall card is activated, you resolve the icon on the ally side. In this case, the player can perform either the breach action or the catalyst action twice.

Icons

• Aid: advance the indicated power-up track marker by 2 squares.
• Valkun Action: perform a Valkun action.
• Heal all heroes: all Valkun heroes heal by 1.
• Catalyst/Breach: choose a power-up track and advance the marker by 1 square or perform a breach action.
• Marall ally: Advance the Marall track marker 1 space towards the allied side.
• Horde advancement: move the horde track marker forward by 1 space.
• Curse: move back the marker of the indicated power-up track by 1 square.
• Damage: one Valkun hero of your choice takes 1 damage.

Valkun Hero Cards

In the special skill descriptions, the number before the energy icon is the number of squares the energy track marker is moved back to activate the skill.

Reshiner

• Normal status: 5 Constitution, 1 Strength
• Awaken status: 5 Constitution, 2 Strength
• Special skill - Battlecry: 2 energy - You don't take any backlash during the next battle.
• Passive trait - Furious: During your turn, if you defeat a Skreel queen or warlord with an attack action, you can heal yourself by 1 at the end of the attack.
• Awakening trigger: During your turn, defeat a Skreel warlord, or move the energy track marker back by 5 squares.

Gestha

• Normal status: 4 Constitution, 2 Strength
• Awaken status: 4 Constitution, 3 Strength
• Special skill - Dart: 1-3 energy - During your turn, you can choose an adjacent region to Gestha containing one or more Skreel and inflict 1-3 damage, equal to the number of squares moved back on the energy track. You can distribute the damage as you wish within the chosen region.
• Passive trait - Steady: During your turn, when you roll any die, you can reroll it, ignoring the first result.
• Awakening trigger: During your turn, move any power-up track marker to its highest square, or move the energy track marker back by 5 squares.

Hurtlyn

• Normal status: 5 Constitution, 1 Strength
• Awaken status: 6 Constitution, 1 Strength
• Special skill - Halo: 2 energy - During your turn, heal by 1 all Valkun heroes (including yourself) in the same avenue as Hurtlyn. If Hurtlyn is in the citadel, you cannot use this effect. You may use this effect multiple times in the same turn.
• Passive trait - Resilient: During your turn, whenever you can perform a Heal, alternatively, you may perform a Valkun action.
• Awakening trigger: During your turn, recruit one or more Valkun so that in the Citadel there are at least 5, or move the energy track marker back by 5 squares.

Thanah

• Normal status: 4 Constitution, 2 Strength
• Awaken status: 5 Constitution, 2 Strength
• Special skill - Gash: 2 energy - During your turn, defeat 1 Skreel queen or up to 2 Skreel hunters in Thanah's region.
• Passive trait - Savage: During your turn, gain +2 to the total strength of your hero if you make an attack action in a region containing a nest while there are no other Valkuns in that region.
• Awakening trigger: During your turn, defeat one or more Skreel in a region containing a nest, or move the energy track marker back by 5 squares.

Warlords

Ye'Puk

Spawn nest: green. Constitution: 4. Movement: 2. Special effect: you cannot inflict damage to Ye'Puk if there are other Skreel in its region.

Tu'Ulum

Spawn nest: green. Constitution: 6. Movement: 1, only through the breaches (see special effect). Special effect: Tu'Ulum can only move through breaches (if it approaches the citadel). If there are no breaches, Tu'Ulum creates one, place a breach in the region through which it can move next time and place a Skreel hunter beyond that breach.

Note: If there are no more breach tokens available, Tu'Ulum moves by 1. Tu'Ulum does not need to go through a breach to enter the citadel.

Xe'Ragt

Spawn nest: yellow. Constitution: 3. Movement: 1. Special effect: when Xe'Rgat's movement is activated, move back all power-up markers by 1 square.

Ye'Xet

Spawn nest: red. Constitution: 2. Movement: 1. Special effect: when you defeat Ye'Xet, place 2 Skreel hunter in all adjacent region.

Urg'Axul

Spawn nest: yellow. Constitution: 5. Movement: It moves from nest to nest in a clockwise direction. Special effect: after the movement, place 2 Skreel hunter in the region where Urg'Axul is located.

Ra'Krat

Spawn nest: red. Constitution: 5. Movement: (see special effect) Special effect: As long as Ra'Krat is on the gameboard, command tiles are not drawn at the end of your turn. Until it is on the gameboard, players must choose in their turns whether to play 1 command tile or draw until they have 3 command tiles in the hand. If a player chooses to draw, Ra'Krat moves 1 region towards the citadel.

When Ra'Krat is defeated, you draw command tiles until you have 3 tiles again.

Goal Cards

Destroy the nests

Special setup: This goal card is present in every game! Place the 3 nest tiles in the appropriate spaces (of their respective color) located in the region I of each avenue. Special rules: When you destroy a nest, flip it on the other side (it affects the icons of horde cards). Fulfillment: Destroy the green nest to flip 1 banner token. Destroy the yellow nest to flip 2 banner tokens. Destroy the red nest to flip 3 banner tokens.

Ally with the Marall

Special setup: None. Special rules: This goal card can be fulfilled multiple times. Fulfillment: Activate a Marall card by moving the Marall track marker to the Marall recruitment icon at the end of the ally side. Flip 1 banner token.

Defeat Zagal

Special setup: Place Zagal on the second warlord-icon space on the horde track. Special rules: When the horde track marker reaches the space occupied by Zagal, place him in the region I of the red avenue. Zagal is considered a Skreel warlord with a constitution of 10. When Zagal's movement is activated, he first deals 1 damage to all Valkun present in the region and then moves 1. When you deal 5 or more damage to Zagal, push him back 1 region if possible. Fulfillment: Defeat Zagal. Flip 3 banner tokens.

Inner power

Special setup: None. Special rules: None. Fulfillment: Activate the awakened status of all Valkun heroes. Flip 1 banner token.

Close the breaches

Special setup: Instead of placing the breach tokens as described in the setup, place 6 breach tokens as shown in the figure on the goal card. Fulfillment: When there are no breach tokens on the gameboard, flip 2 banner tokens. Special rules: None.

Rescue the civilians

Special setup: Place a civilian token face up underneath each Skreel queen. Special rules: When activating the movement of a Skreel queen placed on top of a face-up civilian token, toss the civilian token (like a coin) and reposition it under the Skreel queen (in this case, the tossing of the civilian token is considered as the movement of the Skreel queen). When activating the movement of a Skreel queen placed over a face-down civilian token, the civilian is captured instead: remove the civilian token from the gameboard and place 2 Skreel hunters in its place. Keep the civilian token thus removed above the goal card. The next time a Skreel queen is generated, place the civilian token face up under it and place 2 Skreel hunters in the region. Fulfillment: Every time you defeat a Skreel queen with a civilian token underneath it, flip 1 banner token.

War machine

Special setup: Place the 3 war machine tokens on the gameboard, in the region II of their respective color. Special rules: Whenever a horde movement is activated in an avenue, before moving the Skreel, move the war machine of the corresponding color by 1 region:

• towards the citadel if there are only Valkun in the region;
• towards the nest if there are at least one Skreel in the region;

If there are no Valkun or Skreel, the war machine does not move.

Note: war machines do not move through breaches.

When a war machine that is in region I moves back to the nest, remove it from play and deal 1 damage to each Valkun in that avenue and in the citadel. When a war machine reaches the citadel, remove it from play and deal up to 5 damage to the Skreels in the avenue of the color of the removed war machine. Fulfillment: Bring 2 war machines into the citadel. Flip 2 banner tokens.

Control orbs

Special setup: Place the 3 orb tokens on this goal card. Special rules: Instead of activating a breach icon, you can place an orb token on a breach token. Breaches cannot be closed as long as the orb token is on them. If a Skreel hunter moves in the region through a breach with an orb token on it, place that orb token under the Skreel hunter: it is now under your control and behaves exactly like a Valkun soldier. When it is defeated, remove the orb token from the game.

Note: Skreel queens and warlords do not trigger the orb token. Fulfillment: Activate all 3 orb tokens. Flip 1 banner token.

Skreel Slimes

Special setup: Remove the Valkun soldiers placed as described in the setup. Place 3 slime tokens on the gameboard, in the region III of each avenue, and 2 Valkun soldiers on each slime token. Special rules: The Valkun soldiers placed on the slime tokens cannot move, attack, block, take damage, or be defeated. The slime tokens cannot move, have 4 of constitution, and can be attacked. When defeated, flip the slime token and free the 2 Valkun soldiers, which now act normally. Moving a Valkun into or onto a region containing a slime token costs 2 movement instead of 1. Fulfillment: Free all 6 Valkun soldiers. Flip 2 banner tokens.

Save Norad

Special setup: Place Norad on the power-up track. Special rules: When a marker of any power-up track reaches the highest square, as an optional action, you can place the marker on the lowest square to save Norad. While Norad is on the gameboard, she cannot be defeated. You can move Norad like any Valkun. You cannot attack if Norad is the only Valkun in the region. Norad can block all types of Skreel (hunters, queens, and warlords), up to a total strength limit of 7 (all enemy units exceeding the 7 strength value pass) at the same time and in any number. In addition, a Skreel warlord blocked by Norad does not activate its special effect. When performing a Valkun attack action in a region where Norad is present, +2 is added to the overall strength of the attack. Fulfillment: Use the optional action to save Norad: place Norad in the citadel and flip 1 banner tokens.

Campaign Mode

In this game mode you can play seven unique games with branching options and an increasing challenge from the first to the last scenario. Start from the "DAY 1" scenario and proceed to the other ones after the other to discover the story of the siege of Eldor and save the citadel from certain destruction!

For each game you can decide to play in "Standard", "Hard" or "Heroic" mode. If you win, continue to the next scenario, until you reach the epilogue narrating your victory (we recommend you to use the "DAYS track" to keep trace of the advancement of the days).

However, every time you lose you must advance the wall marker in the track of the card by one square, and replay the scenario trying to win (you can choose a different difficulty level if you like, as well as opting for a different branching option among those possible).

Warning: when you put the "X" on the seventh square of the defeat track, you have lost the campaign and the city of Eldor will fall into enemy hands!

Each scenario tells the story of a day of siege, and gives the players a choice among two or more branching options: it's up to you to decide what to do, and consequently, which "Special Setup" and "During the game" rules to follow! All other rules described in the main rules apply (unless otherwise specified).

DAY 1 - Choose your counteroffensive!

The city of Eldor was beautiful, with its sprawling gardens and towering spires stretching toward the heavens. But as the sun began to set on the horizon, an ominous feeling crept through the streets, and buzzing claws could be heard in the distance. The Valkun kin, a proud and noble race, knew all too well the danger that approached: a horde of Skreel, ruthless creatures that resembled giant insects, was on the warpath and heading straight for Eldor. The city guards stationed at the gates and walls were on high alert, weapons at the ready. But even as they stood watch, their hearts sank as they saw the massive cloud of Skreel on the horizon, blackening the lands with their numbers. The stakes were high - if the Skreel breached the walls, the city would be lost, and countless Valkun would perish. Just before the first wave of attack, a frantic messenger arrived, bringing news of a weakness in the eastern wall. The guards knew this was it: the Skreel were upon them, and they had to fight for their lives. With grim determination, they prepared for the siege, hoping their strength and courage would be enough to hold off the relentless horde of insects and a new kind of menace: Skreel warlords...

A. Regardless of the losses it will entail, you must destroy the Skreel nests before they hatch again...

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Destroy the Nest" goal card. Place 1 randomly chosen Skreel warlord in each nest.
• Special rules during the game: When you defeat a Skreel warlord you don't flip a banner face up as usual. You win only by destroying all 3 Nests.

B. The protection of the people of Eldor and your leader, Norad, is a priority. You must stop the warlords before they cause too many victims...

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup no goal cards. Place 1 randomly chosen warlord in each nest.
• Special rules during the game: Nests cannot be attacked. Everytime you defeat a warlord, immediately draw a warlord card and place it on the gameboard (if any). Note: if any effect would cause you to draw a warlord card but there aren't any, ignore the effect. You win only by eliminating all 6 warlords.

DAY 2 - Who will you save?

On the second day of the siege, the city of Eldor was in chaos. The Skreel had breached the walls, and the Valkun were fighting for their lives in the streets. The city was a battleground, with the sound of clashing weapons and screams of the wounded echoing through the air. No one was safe...

A. You must save soldiers first, then strike back!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Destroy the Nest", "Skreel Slimes" and "Rescue the civilians" goal cards. Place 2 banner tokens face down on the "Skreel Slimes" goal card.
• Special rules during the game: When you fulfill the goal card "Rescue the civilians" you don't flip banner tokens face up as usual. In order to win, you must fulfill the "Skreel Slimes" goal card. The remaining 4 banner tokens can be flipped face up in other ways (e.g., defeating Skreel warlords, destroying nests, etc...).

B. Your duty is to save helpless civilians first...

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Destroy the Nest", "Skreel Slimes" and "Rescue the civilians" goal cards. Place 3 banner tokens face down on the "Rescue the civilians" goal card.
• Special rules during the game: When you fulfill the goal card "Skreel Slimes" you don't flip banner tokens face up as usual. In order to win, you must fulfill the "Rescue the civilian" goal card. The remaining 3 banner tokens can be flipped face up in other ways (e.g., defeating Skreel warlords, destroying nests, etc...).

C. You must save both!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Destroy the Nest", "Skreel Slimes" and "Rescue the civilians" goal cards. Place 3 banner tokens face down on the "Rescue the civilians" goal card and the remaining 3 on the "Skreel Slimes" goal card.
• Special rules during the game: When you defeat a warlord or fulfill the "Destroy the Nests" goal card you don't flip banner tokens face up as usual. Nests cannot be attacked. In order to win, you must fulfill both the "Skreel Slimes" and "Rescue the civilians" goal cards. Banner tokens cannot be flipped face up in other ways.

DAY 3 - Do you want to accept the risk?

On the third day, Valkun's leader, Norad, stood atop one of the city's tallest towers, surveying the battlefield with a grim expression. She knew that the situation was dire. Nothing had been able to destroy the nests entirely; they would regenerate themselves overnight, no matter what. And until the nests were in place, Skreel would never stop hatching. But she had a plan: Norad called for her best engineers to bring forth the war machines - giant trebuchets powered by catalysts that could rain destruction on the Skreel from a distance. However, the plan could backfire. The machines were hidden right in the middle of the battlefield, and if brought to light, the Skreel could slow down their rescue, or worse, steal them and fire them against the city of Eldor!

A. Yes, retrieve the war machines and fire at the nests!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Fire with the Warmachine" and "Destroy the Nests" goal cards. Put 2 banner tokens face down on the "Fire with the Warmachines" goal card.
• Special rules during the game: In order to win, you must fulfill the "Fire with the warmachines" goal card. The remaining 4 banner tokens can be flipped face up in other ways (e.g., defeating Skreel warlords, destroying nests, etc...).

(The goal card is printed as "War machine" in the Goal Cards section of this rulebook.)

B. Bold move, but there's a smarter way! Better to keep Skreel at bay while pursuing an alliance with the Marall mercenary army...

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Ally with the Marall" and "Control orbs" goal cards. Put 1 banner token face down on the "Control orbs" goal card.
• Special rules during the game: Nests cannot be attacked. In order to win, you must fulfill the "Control orbs" goal card. The remaining 5 banner tokens can be flipped face up in other ways (e.g., Defeating warlords, allying with Marall, etc...).

DAY 4 - Do you want to follow the scouts' tracks?

By dawn of the fourth day of the siege, the Valkun had managed to hold off the Skreel, but only just. The streets were littered with dead and wounded on both sides. The entire citadel was in chaos. Norad and her generals held a council of war to discuss their next move. They knew they could not hold out forever, and the Skreel showed no sign of relenting in their attack. Eventually, they decided to send a small scouting party to investigate the reasons for the sudden horde of angry Skreel against Eldor, hoping to turn the tide of battle... but the scouts never returned. However, the last location from which they had managed to send a messenger was known. Therefore, the possibility of retrieving useful information by daring to follow their trail was high... but no one would accept such a dangerous task.

A. The scouts investigating Skreel's attack have left fresh tracks; we should follow them before they vanish like the explorers themselves!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Inner Powers" goal card. Remove the following number of banner tokens from the game depending on the number of players: 1 player: 3 banner tokens; 2-3 players: 1 banner token; 4-5 players: none. Place 1 banner token face down in each nest. Nest tokens cannot be attacked.
• Special rules during the game: When a Valkun hero ends their turn in a nest region: flip the banner token face up. The remaining banner tokens can be flipped face up in other ways (e.g., defeating Skreel warlords, destroying nests, etc...).

B. Better be careful, it could be a trap. You have to outsmart them: distract the enemies with a huge army on one side and sneak through on the other!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Inner Powers" goal card. Place 1 banner token face down in each nest. Nest tokens cannot be attacked.
• Special rules during the game: Remove from the game board all Valkun soldiers. When you defeat a Skreel warlord you don't flip a banner token face up as usual. Nest tokens cannot be attacked. In order to win, the goal card "Inner Powers" must be fulfilled and there are 10 Valkun soldiers on the game board.

C. True power lies not in games of chance and knowing the enemy but rather in knowing oneself...

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Inner Powers" goal card. Each player takes a banner token and places it face down in front of themselves. Whenever a Valkun hero achieves their awakening status, flip their banner face up. Once all Valkun heroes have achieved their awakening status, flip another banner face up according to the standard rules for fulfilling the goal card.
• Special rules during the game: Nest tokens cannot be attacked. When you defeat a Skreel warlord you don't flip a banner token face up as usual. In order to win, you must achieve with all your Valkun heroes the awakening status, and then, and only then, a nest can be attacked to finally win the game. Depending on the player count, attack the indicated nest: 1-2 Players: Red nest. 3 Players: Yellow nest. 4-5 Players: Green nest.

DAY 5 - How do you plan to save Norad?

Your leader, Norad, has hardly slept since the siege began, dedicating most of her time to studying strategies and overseeing the defense. Despite growing tired, she refused to leave Valkun's army. One night, while monitoring the scouts' progress, Norad was ambushed by a sneaky Skreel, who managed to sting her with its venomous stinger. The poison quickly took effect, and Norad fell into a deep sleep. The healers worked tirelessly to save her, using all their knowledge and skills to create an antidote to the poison. However, finding an effective antidote would require the blood of some Skreel queens.

A. Use the civilians to lure the Skreel queens into a trap and then ambush them before they kill them!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Save Norad" and "Rescue the civilians" goal cards. Return the leftover banner tokens to the game box.
• Special rules during the game: Nests cannot be attacked. When you defeat a Skreel warlord you don't flip a banner token face up as usual. In order to win, you must first fulfill the "Rescue the civilians" and then "Save Norad" goal card. You cannot take the optional action to save Norad until you have fulfilled the "Save Norad" goal card first.

B. There must be another way to save Norad, you cannot put innocent lives at risk...

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Save Norad" goal card. Reveal and resolve two horde cards instead of one (See page 8 in the core set rulebook).
• Special rules during the game: Nest tokens cannot be attacked. When you defeat a Skreel warlord you don't flip a banner token face up as usual. In order to win, you must fulfill the "Save Norad" goal card 3 times - each time with a different power up marker. However, as soon as you fulfill it for the first time, put Norad into play.

DAY 6 - How will you use the tunnels?

The search for information about the Skreel attack initially resulted in a waste of time, but on the fifth day the scouts returned, finally bringing with them valuable information! The enemy was using a network of underground tunnels to move undetected and launch surprise attacks against your army! Norad ordered her engineers to create traps and barricades to slow the Skreel's advance, giving the Valkuns a chance to fight and seal those tunnels. With any luck, they would also uncover the hidden truth behind the Skreel attack.

A. Ambush the Skreel before they ambush you!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Close the Breaches" and "Destroy the Nests" goal cards. Put 2 banner tokens face down on the "Close the Breaches" goal card.
• Special rules during the game: In order to win, you must fulfill the "Close the Breaches" goal card. The remaining 4 banner tokens can be flipped face up in other ways (e.g., defeating Skreel warlords, destroying nests, etc...).

B. Investigate deeper into those tunnels, using the Skreel as your minions!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Control orbs" and "Destroy the Nest" goal cards.
• Special rules during the game: If you should flip banners face up for controlling Skreel hunters, you don't. Nest tokens cannot be attacked until they are investigated. To investigate a Nest: use a Valkun action when a "controlled Skreel" is on the nest token space. You can then place its orb on the nest and remove the Skreel hunter from the gameboard. As a reward for your investigation, you also immediately gain a catalyst (advance a power-up track). From now on, that nest can be attacked. Whenever a nest token is attacked, restore the orb token on the "Control orbs" goal card. It is possible to deploy it again. In order to win, you must destroy all 3 nests.

DAY 7 - How will you face the final battle?

The final confrontation came on the seventh day of the siege. The Valkun had successfully defended the city for a week, but their forces were at exhaustion and they knew that the greatest threat was yet to come. Rumors had spread about Zagal, one of the most powerful Aesyr in Morkh. He was behind the Skreel attack! And on the seventh day they had confirmation: Zagal entered the battlefield, proud and fearsome, at the head of a Skreel army more ferocious and implacable than its predecessors. The Valkun fought desperately, but it seemed they were no match for Zagal's cunning and power... At least until help arrived unexpectedly: Karst, a faithful ally of Norad, joined Eldor's troops along with her own, and hope returned to warm the hearts of the Valkun. Norad, meanwhile, from the top of his tower, did not seem ready to surrender. She shouted a plea, which resounded in the minds of every Valkun still standing: 'Fear is treacherous, my faithful Valkun, but there is one thing it cannot defeat: hope. Provide me with enough energy and I will unleash my secret weapon: a mighty burst of energy that will decimate Zagal's forces and put him on the run.

A. Face Zagal and try to kill him directly!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Defeat Zagal" and "Destroy the Nests" goal cards.
• Special rules during the game: Even if Zagal is in play, it cannot be defeated until you have attacked all 3 nests. Note: Even if you can't defeat him, you can still attack Zagal and make him move back. In order to win, you must first destroy all 3 nest tokens and then manage to defeat Zagal!

B. Provide Norad with enough energy to help her unleash a final magic blast that can wipe out the enemies in one shot!

• Goal cards and other special setup rules: Setup only the "Save Norad" and "Defeat Zagal" goal cards. Return all the 6 banner tokens to the game box.
• Special rules during the game: Nest tokens cannot be attacked. When you defeat a Skreel warlord you don't flip a banner face up as usual. Even if Zagal is in play, it cannot be defeated as you normally would do. In order to win, you must fulfill the "Save Norad" goal card with any one among the power up markers except the energy one before Zagal enters the battlefield. Then, wait for Zagal to enter the battlefield, and finally have both Norad and Zagal miniatures in the same region, while the Energy Marker is on the 10th space of the track. This will power Norad's final magic blast and bring you finally to victory!

Epilogue

At the end of the seventh day, the Valkun finally achieved victory, repelling the siege! A few had kept hope alive, but the battle had finally ended with the surrender of the enemy army and Zagal's escape. Norad, exhausted by the battle, fell into a long sleep, and Karst reacted quickly: knowing that she could not leave the kingdom without her Oracle and risk dangerous instability, she commissioned an elite troop to go and retrieve some catalysts to help her regain consciousness. Meanwhile, Valkun army generals began to coordinate the rebuilding of the citadel and restore order. This will not be an easy task and they will not be the only obstacles in their path, but that, my dear heroes, is another story...

Icons Summary

• Raise by X / lower by X space the Energy, March, Ferocity and Recruitment track.
• Inflict 1 damage to your Valkun hero. (Marall effect: one Valkun hero of your choice takes 1 damage. Battle die: one Valkun hero in the region of your choice takes 1 damage.)
• Heal by 1 all Valkun heroes.
• Heal by 1 your Valkun hero or another Valkun hero in the same or adjacent region as you.
• Perform a Valkun action.
• Perform a breach action (create a breach or destroy an existing one) and/or move your Valkun through the breach.
• No backlash in this attack.
• Your attack in this space gains +1 strength against enemies.
• Move the Marall marker 1 space towards the traitor side of the track.
• Move the Marall track marker 1 space towards the allied side.
• Roll the horde die 1 time.
• Advance by 1 the horde track marker.
• Play the first warlord card of the deck.
• Spawn 1 Skreel hunter in the yellow - green - red nest region.
• Spawn 1 Skreel hunter in the yellow - green - red nest region, only if there is a nest.
• Move all the Skreels in the yellow - green - red avenue.
• Move all the Skreels in the yellow - green - red avenue, only if there is a nest.
• Re-shuffle all used horde cards, this card included, to create a new deck.
• Remove this card from the game.
• Activate the Marall card on the top of the deck.
• Flip the card on the top of the horde deck.

Warlord effects:

• Ra'Krat Effect: Until it is on the board, players must choose, in their turns, if play 1 command tile or draw until having 3 in the hand, move Ra'Krat by one region towards the citadel.
• Tu'Ulum Effect: Each time it should move, but cannot, opens a brach on the wall nearest to the citadel, so it can move through it next time.
• Urg'Axul Effect: Each time it moves, spawn 2 Skreel hunters in its region.
• Xe'Ragt Effect: Each time it activates, lower by 1 all tracks in the power up board.
• Ye'Puk Effect: Can take damage only if there are no Skreel in its region.
• Ye'Xet Effect: When defeated, place 1 Skreel hunter in each adjacent space. This can generate Skreel queens.