Hercules Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Game Flow
  • Phase 1: Consult the Oracle
  • Phase 2: Perform an Action
    • Perform a Labour
    • Receiving Demigod Cards
    • Receiving Vase Cards
    • Receiving God Cards
    • Rest
  • Phase 3: Move Pegasus
• End of the Game
• Scoring
• Simplified Variant
• Solo Mode
  • Setup
  • Game Flow
  • End of the Game
• Card Abilities
  • Using Demigod Card Abilities
  • Using God Card Abilities

Components

• This rulebook
• 48 cubes (12 of each colour)
• 1 game board (made up of 5 parts)
• 1 white die
• 8 coloured dice (2 of each colour)
• 1 scoring pad
• 1 Pegasus card (starting card)
• 12 God cards (front with ability / back without ability)
• 4 Apprentice cards
• 4 Apprentices
• 10 Vase cards
• 3 Pantheon cards
• 1 Hades card (for Solo Mode only)
• 48 Demigod cards, split into six decks:
  • 12 Hestia cards (+)
  • 10 Pan cards (×)
  • 6 Aeolus cards (÷)
  • 5 Hecate cards (−)
  • 8 Tyche cards (1–3)
  • 7 Morpheus cards (4–6)

Setup

1. Place the board in the middle of the table: the narrow piece goes all the way to the left, and the other 4 pieces are laid out so that the numbers along the top edge increase from left to right.
2. Place the white die at the spot shown.
3. Each of you chooses a colour and takes: 2 dice, 12 cubes, 1 Apprentice, and 1 Apprentice card, all in that colour.
4. Place your Apprentice on the starting space as shown.
5. Place your cubes on the 12 empty spaces to the right, in the row with your Apprentice.
6. Place your dice and your Apprentice card in front of you.
7. Sort the Demigod cards and form a stack for each demigod. Shuffle each stack separately and place them face up, ready below the game board.
   • If you are playing with three, first put the Demigod cards with 4 torches back in the box.
   • If you are playing with two, first put the Demigod cards with 3 and 4 torches back in the box.
8. Lay out the Pantheon cards above column 12 on the game board and place the Zeus card on top of the stack.
   • If you are playing with three, put the Pantheon card with 4 torches back in the box.
   • If you are playing with two, put the Pantheon cards with 3 and 4 torches back in the box.
9. Shuffle the remaining God cards and place 1 randomly drawn God card face up above each of columns 1–11. (The Hades card is not included!)
10. Sort the Vase cards by the numbers shown on the vases. Arrange these 5 stacks in ascending order from left to right, ready for play. Arrange the cards within each stack so that the card with the most victory points is on top.
    • If you are playing with two, put the Vase cards with 3 torches back in the box.
11. The oldest person takes the Pegasus card and begins.

Game Flow

A game of Hercules runs over several rounds. Each round consists of 3 phases:

• Phase 1: Consult the Oracle
• Phase 2: Perform an Action
• Phase 3: Move Pegasus

Phase 1: Consult the Oracle

All players roll their dice at the same time.

Phase 2: Perform an Action

Whoever has the Pegasus card takes the first turn. The others follow in clockwise order.

On your turn, choose 1 of the following actions and carry it out: Perform a Labour or Rest.

After you have carried out 1 of these actions, your turn ends.

Perform a Labour

Add, subtract, multiply, or divide the two numbers on your dice. The result must be a whole number between 1 and 12.

You may use the abilities of your Demigod and God cards to influence your result, by placing cubes on them or turning them over. A detailed description of the abilities of the various Demigod and God cards, and how to use them, can be found under Card Abilities below.

Your result determines which of the 12 Labours you perform. Take your cube from the column with that number on the game board and place it in front of you. It is now in your supply.

You can perform each Labour only once per game!

Example: Julia has rolled a 6 and a 3. She could use this to perform Labour 2 (6÷3=2) or Labour 9 (6+3=9) – she cannot perform Labour 3 (6-3=3) again, because she has already done so! She also cannot multiply the numbers on her dice (6×3=18), because the result would not be a number between 1 and 12. After she has decided on a result, she takes her cube from the corresponding column and places it in her supply.

After you have performed a Labour and taken your cube from the corresponding column, you must move your Apprentice as far right as possible, until it comes to a stop before the next cube.

Apprentices can never skip over the die.

Example: Laura performs Labour 7 and takes her cube from this column. Her Apprentice is on column 6, and she has no more cubes on columns 7 and 8. Laura therefore advances her Apprentice to column 8. Since Laura still has a cube on column 9, she cannot move her Apprentice any further to the right.

Receiving Demigod Cards

After you have performed a Labour, you receive 1 Demigod card. Place it face up in your supply. The Demigod card must show EITHER the arithmetic operation you used, OR the number from one of your dice that you used. If there is no Demigod card that meets one of these conditions, you receive none.

You may always only take the top Demigod card of a stack.

• If you added, you receive a Hestia card.
• If you subtracted, you receive a Hecate card.
• If you divided, you receive an Aeolus card.
• If you multiplied, you receive a Pan card.
• If you used a die showing a number between 1–3, you receive a Tyche card.
• If you used a die showing a number between 4–6, you receive a Morpheus card.

Note: Tyche and Morpheus cards always show a black die symbol with a number. You only receive these cards if the number on one of your dice matches the number on the top Tyche or Morpheus card.

Example: Hugo has rolled a 5 and a 1. He divides the two numbers (5÷1=5) to perform Labour 5, and takes his cube from this column. He then receives 1 Demigod card: he may take either the Aeolus card (because he divided), or the Morpheus card (because it shows the number 5). Hugo places the chosen card in his supply.

Receiving Vase Cards

Whenever you advance your Apprentice at least 3 spaces at once, you receive the top Vase card matching the number of spaces advanced. Place it in your supply. At the end of the game you receive the victory points from this card.

If the Vase card stack for the matching number of spaces is empty, take the top Vase card from the next available stack with a lower number of spaces (if one exists).

Example: After Charlotte performs Labour 3 and takes her cube from this column, she advances her Apprentice 6 spaces, to column 8. For this she receives the top Vase card for 6 spaces – this one is worth 12 victory points.

Receiving God Cards

If your Apprentice comes to a stop on a column above which a God card lies, you receive this card and place it face up in your supply. God cards give you abilities (see Card Abilities below) and victory points at the end of the game.

Example: Laura's Apprentice is on column 4. She performs Labour 5 and takes her cube from this column. She advances her Apprentice 2 spaces, to column 6. For this Laura receives the Hephaestus card, which lies above column 6, and places it face up in her supply.

Important:

1. Per turn you can receive at most 1 card of each type – so at most 1 God card, 1 Demigod card AND 1 Vase card within a single turn. You always place these cards in your supply. You may use them to help perform Labours, and at the end of the game they can bring you additional victory points.

2. If, AFTER you have used your Demigod and/or God cards, you do not get a result with which you can perform a Labour, your turn ends and the person to your left is next.

Rest

If you do not want to PERFORM A LABOUR with your dice, and you have not yet used a Demigod or God card this turn, you may REST to do the following:

• Take back up to 3 cubes into your supply that you have already placed on your Demigod cards. This allows you to use the abilities of these Demigod cards again starting from your next turn.

AND/OR

• Turn 1 of your God cards that you have already used back face up. This allows you to use the ability of this God card again starting from your next turn.

Afterwards, your turn ends.

Example: On this turn, Charlotte decides to REST. In previous turns she has already used 4 Demigod cards – placing 1 cube on each of these cards – as well as the abilities of her God cards. Since she is resting, she may place up to 3 cubes back in her supply, and also turns one of her God cards back face up – she chooses Apollo. Her turn then ends.

Phase 3: Move Pegasus

After you have all carried out 1 action each, pass the Pegasus card to the left, to the next person. They begin the next round.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as a person's Apprentice reaches column 12. That person receives the Zeus card, which is worth 5 victory points.

Everyone else who has not yet taken a turn this round still takes their turn, so that everyone has had the same number of turns.

Anyone whose Apprentice also reaches column 12 in doing so receives a Pantheon card, which is also worth 5 victory points.

Scoring

Take the scoring pad and each count your victory points (VP). Whoever has the most victory points wins!

Write your names in the scoring pad, and write the sum of your victory points in the total row. Score the following:

• Victory points from cards: Count how many victory points you receive from your God, Demigod, Pantheon, and Vase cards (whether or not you used their abilities).
• Majorities among symbols: Compare how many symbols of each type you each have on your cards. If you have the most symbols of one type, you receive 5 VP for that majority. In case of a tie, everyone involved receives 5 VP. Note: for the black die symbols, the numbers on the dice do not matter – count only the number of symbols here too.
  • Example: You have 5 symbols of this type for this majority scoring.
• Complete sets: You receive 5 VP for each complete set of 5 different symbols across your Demigod and God cards. Note: for the black die symbol, only the symbol itself matters (not the number on it).
  • Example: You have 1 complete set.
  • In this combined example, you receive 16 VP in total.
• Cubes: You receive 1 VP for each cube in your supply. Cubes placed on Demigod cards do NOT count towards scoring!

Whoever has the most victory points wins! In case of a tie, resolve it among the tied players as follows, from top to bottom:

1. Whoever's Apprentice reached the column with the highest number wins.
2. Whoever has the most majorities among symbols wins (ties still count).
3. Whoever has the most cubes in their supply wins. (Cubes on Demigod cards do NOT count.)

If there is still a tie, the tied players share the placement.

Simplified Variant

Change setup and game flow as follows:

• During setup, lay out the 11 God cards face down above the game board. You play without the abilities of the God cards, and receive only victory points for them at the end of the game.
• When you REST, you may only take back cubes (up to 3), but you may not turn God cards back face up.

Solo Mode

The following rules apply ONLY to Solo Mode. Here you take on the role of a hero and face off against Hades – the God of the Underworld – who tries to score the most victory points with his own Apprentice.

Setup

Follow the setup for 2 people, with the following changes: you take the Pegasus card and begin. Give Hades the Hades card, the white die, and 1 Apprentice and 1 die in the matching colour. Lay out the Demigod card stacks in the order shown: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Note: for Hades, the numbers of the black die symbols on the Tyche and Morpheus cards do not matter.

Game Flow

The 3 phases proceed as usual, but in Phase 2, Hades always carries out the PERFORM A LABOUR action. This action works differently for him, because he uses each of his dice in a specific way, always in the following order:

White die

With this die, Hades steals 1 Demigod card from one of the stacks and places it in his supply. The number on the white die determines which stack he steals the top card from. If the corresponding stack is empty, he steals no card this turn.

Important: If you have the Pegasus card and use the white die on your turn (through an ability), Hades does not then roll the white die – instead he uses the number that the white die shows at the end of your turn.

Coloured die

With this die, Hades moves his Apprentice on the game board, as many spaces as the number on the die indicates. In doing so, he may skip over cubes. If his Apprentice has reached column 12 and must move further, it starts again at column 1 and continues moving. Depending on where his Apprentice comes to a stop, 1 of the following three cases occurs:

1. There is a cube in the column where his Apprentice stops: Hades takes this cube and places it in his supply. His turn then ends.

2. There is no cube in the column where his Apprentice stops, but there is a card above it: Hades receives this card and places it in his supply. His turn then ends.

3. There is no cube in the column where his Apprentice stops, and there is no card above it: Hades must move his Apprentice as far right as possible, until it comes to a stop before the next cube. If he thereby advances at least 3 spaces at once, Hades receives the top Vase card matching the number of spaces advanced. If the Vase card stack for the matching number of spaces is empty, Hades receives the top Vase card from the next available stack with a lower number of spaces (if one exists). His turn then ends.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as 1 of the following conditions is met:

1. You, as the hero, reach column 12,

OR

2. Hades has taken all 12 of his cubes.

Finish playing the current round, so that you and Hades have had the same number of turns. Count your and Hades' victory points as in a normal scoring. Whoever has the most victory points wins!

Card Abilities

After you have rolled, you may use the abilities of your Demigod and God cards on your turn. With them you change the numbers on your dice, to get a desired result. Within a turn you may use as many abilities as you like, as well as both types of cards in any combination. You may use the same ability multiple times per turn, but you can only use each card once per turn.

Important: You cannot raise the number on a die above 6 or lower it below 1.

Using Demigod Card Abilities

To use the ability of a Demigod card, you must place 1 cube from your supply onto that Demigod card. If you want to use the ability of this card again later, you must first REST to remove the cube again.

• Use the white die: Take the white die and roll it. You may still only use 2 of your 3 dice to perform a Labour. Place the white die back on the game board at the end of your turn.
• Re-roll a die: Re-roll 1 or more of your dice. This may also be the white die, if you are using it this turn.
• +1: Increase the number on one of your dice by 1. (Turn this die to the corresponding face.) This die may also be the white die, if you are using it this turn.
• Copy another die: Turn your dice to the same faces as the two dice of another person.
• -1: Decrease the number on one of your dice by 1. (Turn this die to the corresponding face.) This die may also be the white die, if you are using it this turn.
• Bonus: You receive additional symbols that help you during scoring. You do not place cubes on these cards.
• Flip a die: Turn one of your dice to the opposite face. This die may also be the white die, if you are using it this turn.
• Victory points (VP): You receive 2 VP at the end of the game. You do not place cubes on these cards.

Using God Card Abilities

God cards have the same abilities as Demigod cards. However, to use a God card you do not need a cube – instead you simply turn it face down. This shows that you have used its ability. If you want to use the ability of this card again later, you must first REST to turn it back face up.