Graal Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
  • The First Three Rounds: The Quests
  • The Fourth Round: The Tournament
• Content
• Setting Up
• The First Three Rounds: The Quests
  • A Player's Turn
  • Structure of a Card
  • Play a Card
  • Winning a Round
  • Before a New Round
• The Powers of Cards
  • The Grail Card
  • Artifact Cards
  • Lancelot's Shield Cards
  • Power Cards
  • Merlin Cards
  • Excalibur Card
• Rules for Attack and Duel
  • Attack
  • Duel
  • Example of a Duel
• Legend Cards
  • Arthur
  • Elaine
  • Guinevere
  • Iseult
  • Lancelot
  • Perceval
  • Tristan
  • Viviane
• Quest Cards
  • Camelot
  • The Fisher King
  • The Siege Perilous
  • Salomon's Ship
  • The Adventurous Castle
• Fourth Round, The Tournament

Goal of the Game

Graal is a discard game that is played in four rounds.

To win a round, be the first to get rid of all your cards.

To win the game, be the winner of the Tournament.

The Grail also allows you to win the game if it is played as the last card...

The First Three Rounds: The Quests

In the first three rounds, if no player brings back the Grail, the winner of the round wins a Quest.

The Fourth Round: The Tournament

If no player has brought home the Grail in the previous three rounds, the players will have to fight against each other in the Tournament to become the last survivor and win the game!

Content

• ARTIFACT cards (x30)
  • Talisman x10 (5 colors)
  • Grimoire x10 (5 colors)
  • Runestone x10 (5 colors)
• POWER cards (x10)
  • Merlin's hat x5
  • Round Table x5 (5 colors)
• MERLIN cards (x20)
  • Illusion x5 (5 colors)
  • Confusion x5 (5 colors)
  • Spell x5 (5 colors)
  • Darkness x5 (5 colors)
• RELIC cards (x11)
  • 1 Grail
  • Excalibur x4
  • Lancelot's Shield x6 (5 colors + 1 multicolor)
• QUEST cards (x5)
• LEGEND cards (x8) (silver back)
• GAME AID cards - FR/ENG (x6)

Setting Up

1. Each player randomly draws a Legend card and places it in front of him. The other Legend cards are put back in the box and will not be used.
2. Shuffle the Quest cards and then reveal one that will be the quest for the ongoing round.
3. The last person to read a heroic fantasy novel becomes the dealer. He shuffles the other cards, and gives 6 cards to each player.
4. The remaining cards are placed in the center of the table: the Draw Pile.
5. The first card of the deck is placed next to it: the Discard pile, face up. This card is considered to be played by the dealer and all rules apply.

NOTE: If the first card is the Grail card, the dealer chooses the color.

The First Three Rounds: The Quests

• For the first three rounds, repeat the following instructions.
• For the fourth round, refer to the Tournament chapter.
• Once the possible effects of the first card played have been resolved, the player to the left of the dealer begins.

A Player's Turn

In turn, each player must perform one of the following actions:

• PLAY A CARD from his hand on the discard pile and apply its effect. This card must be of the same symbol or color as the first visible card on the discard pile.
• PLAY A QUEST card on the discard pile and apply its effect.
• USE HIS LEGEND CARD and apply its effect.
• DRAW A CARD. If possible, it can be played immediately. If not, it is kept in hand.

It is then up to the next player, until one player has no more cards in hand.

NOTE: If the draw pile is exhausted before the end of a round, the discard pile is shuffled and becomes the draw pile again.

Structure of a Card

Each card shows a card color, a card symbol, an ongoing color, and card effects. Multicolored cards (Lancelot's Shield) show several colors.

NOTE: A MULTICOLORED CARD CAN BE PLAYED ON TOP OF ANY COLOR.

Play a Card

• Example 1: Here, a Talisman card is played on top of another Talisman card.
• Example 2: Here, a blue Grimoire card is played on a blue Talisman card. The Excalibur card can be played on any card.
• Example 3: The Shield and Round Table cards can be played on any card, but cause a color change. Here, red for the Round Table.

Winning a Round

The first player to run out of cards wins the round.

• If the last card played is the Grail, he wins the game immediately!
• Otherwise, he is declared the winner of that round and wins the Quest card. He places it next to his Legend card and can use it in one of the following rounds.

NOTE: A used Quest card goes in the Discard pile, so it may later end up in another player's hand.

Before a New Round

The cards from the Discard pile, the Draw pile and all cards remaining in hand are combined into a single deck to be shuffled and dealt by the player to the left of the dealer from the previous round.

Remember to reactivate your Legend card by straightening or flipping the card over.

The Powers of Cards

The Grail Card

It can only be played as the last card of your hand, on any card, and allows you to win the game immediately, regardless of the current round.

Artifact Cards

These are the Talisman, Grimoire and Runestone cards.

When a player plays an Artifact card, he can play other artifacts identical to it at the same time.

Example: A player has three Grimoire cards. She plays her red Grimoire on a red card by playing it on the discard pile. Then she can put her other Grimoire cards in the order of her choice: she will have played three cards in her turn.

Lancelot's Shield Cards

They can be played in three ways:

• On any card, as long as it is not the last card in his hand. It will have no effect other than to change the color.
  • EXCEPTION: One of the cards is doubly multicolored, it is the ENCHANTED SHIELD, which allows its owner to choose the next color.
• When you are being attacked, it allows you to cancel the effects of the attack card.
• During a Duel, it ends the duel and cancels the effects of the last played attack card (see Duel rules below).

Power Cards

• Merlin's Hat: When a player plays this card, he or she can choose the upcoming color.
• Round Table: When a player plays this card, the direction of play changes.

Merlin Cards

• ILLUSION: When a player plays this card, he must immediately play again.
• DARKNESS: When a player plays this card, he forces the opponent of his choice to skip his turn.
• CONFUSION: It is an attack card. When a player plays this card, he will force an opponent of his choice to draw two cards from the draw pile.
• SPELL: It is an attack card. When a player plays this card, he will force an opponent of his choice to draw a card from his hand.

Excalibur Card

It is an attack card. When a player plays this card, he will force a player of his choice to draw four cards from the draw pile.

Rules for Attack and Duel

The three attack cards are Excalibur, Spell and Confusion.

The defense card is Lancelot's Shield.

Attack

When an Attack card has been played, the targeted player is allowed to:

• Do nothing and suffer the effects of the Attack card.
• Defend himself/herself by playing a Lancelot's Shield card.
• Fight back but only with the same Attack card (identical symbols), which triggers a Duel (see Duel rule below).

Duel

• During a Duel, the two opponents can, each in turn, play a card identical to the first Attack card.
• The Duel ends when one of the two players:
  • Cannot play a card identical to the first Attack card. He suffers and accumulates all the effects of the cards played during the duel.
  • Plays a Lancelot's Shield card. It cancels the last played Attack card but suffers and accumulates all the effects of the other played cards since the beginning of the Attack.
• If Excalibur cards have been played, the winner of the Duel announces the color that the next player will have to play. In any other case, the visible color applies.

Example of a Duel

• Guilhem attacks Mimi by playing an Excalibur card (draw 4 cards).
• Mimi fights back by also playing an Excalibur card and initiates a Duel.
• If Guilhem could not play, he would lose the Duel and would have to draw 8 cards, i.e. the cumulative effects of the 2 discarded cards. Mimi would, in this case, choose the next color. But Guilhem plays an Excalibur card again.
• If Mimi could not play, she would lose the Duel and would have to draw 12 cards, i.e. the cumulative effects of the 3 played cards. Mimi no longer has an Excalibur card but protects herself with her Lancelot's Shield card.
• The Duel stops, Guilhem is the winner and Mimi draws 8 cards instead of 12.
• The next player will take into account the color or symbol of the Lancelot's Shield card played (here, blue).

NOTE: After an Attack/Duel sequence, the next player is always the one who has to play after the attacking player, keeping the order of the turn.

Legend Cards

There are 8 different ones. All Legends have specific conditions of use and effects when they are active (visible).

When you use the power of your Legend, flip the card over to let your opponents know that you have used its power for that round.

If your Legend can be used twice in a round, turn it a quarter turn, then flip it over after the second use.

Arthur

• USE: Once per round, can be used to attack or defend but not during a Duel.
• EFFECT: Allows you to take another player's Legend card and immediately use its power in accordance with the conditions attached to it, even if the Legend card was already flipped over or slanted. The card returns to its owner at the beginning of the next turn, fully active.

Elaine

• USE: Twice per round, neither to attack nor during a Duel. Cannot be used if there is only one card left in the owner's hand.
• EFFECT: Gives one of his cards to another player.

Guinevere

• USE: Once per round, during an Attack but not a Duel.
• EFFECT: If the Guinevere player is attacked, he can designate an opponent who will become the attacked player (he cannot designate the attacking player).

Iseult

• USE: Twice per round, neither for Attacking nor in a Duel. Cannot be used if there is only one card left in the owner's hand.
• EFFECT: Allows you to turn an Artifact card from your hand into a:
  • Merlin's hat. The next player will take into account the color announced by Iseult or the symbol of the card played for his turn.
  • Round Table. The next player will take into account the color or symbol of the card played for his turn.

Lancelot

• USE: Once per round, during an Attack or a Duel. Cannot be used if there is only one card left in the owner's hand.
• EFFECT: Allows you to turn an Artifact card into an Enchanted Shield card. The next player will have to take into account the color requested by the Lancelot player or the symbol of the card played for his turn.

Perceval

• USE: Twice per round, can be used during an Attack or a Duel. Cannot be used if there is only one card left in the owner's hand.
• EFFECT: Allows you to turn an Artifact card from your hand into a Merlin card (choice of symbol and color). The next player will have to take into account the color or symbol of the card played for his turn.

Tristan

• USE: Twice per round, neither for Attacking nor during a Duel. Cannot be used if there is only one card left in the owner's hand.
• EFFECT: Allows you to turn a Merlin card from your hand into an Artifact card (choice of symbol and color). The next player will have to take into account the color or symbol of the card played for his turn.

Viviane

• USE: Once per round, to Attack but not in a Duel. Cannot be used if there is only one card left in the owner's hand.
• EFFECT: Allows you to turn an Artifact card into an Excalibur card. The next player will have to take into account the color or symbol of the card played for his turn.

Quest Cards

There are 5 different ones. To be used, they must be played on the discard pile, on any card, in its turn of play (with the exception of the Fisher King, which can be played out-of-turn).

NOTE: After playing his Quest card, the player announces the color to follow.

Camelot

"Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot" Alan Jay Lerner, Camelot: Vocal Selection

• Allows to reactivate his Legend card (the player can flip or straighten his Legend card completely).
• Or prevents an opponent from using his Legend card for the rest of the round (that player turns over his Legend card as if it had been fully used).

The Fisher King

• Protects from the effects of all Quest cards or an Excalibur card.
• Can be used during a Duel, which ends the Duel.

The Siege Perilous

"This is the Siege Perilous. Reserved for the knight with the purest heart... The one destined to carry out the most sacred quests." King Arthur to David Nolan, Once Upon a Time - Jane Espenson, Ralph Hemecker.

• Banishes an opponent of your choice, who can do nothing until the next round. His cards are placed under the discard pile.
• If the banned player has the Grail card, he can play it immediately, even if it is not the last card in his hand, and win the game with panache!

Salomon's Ship

• All players, except the one using this Quest card, draw two cards.

The Adventurous Castle

• Requires two players to exchange the cards in their hand (can be the hand of the player using the Adventure Castle).

Fourth Round, The Tournament

If at the end of the three rounds no player has managed to win with the Grail card, the Tournament begins.

The goal in this round remains to play the Grail as the last card or to be the last survivor of the tournament.

When setting up this round, no new Quest card is revealed before the cards are dealt. All other rules apply.

The big difference is that once a player has discarded his last card and after applying the effects, he does not win the round. He chooses one of his opponents, eliminates him by taking his cards and the round continues, until only one player is left who will be designated the winner of the game.

NOTE: Legend cards are not reactivated after a player is eliminated.