Hidden Leaders Duel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Idea
• Components
• Setup
• Course of the Game
  • Your Turn
• End of the Game
• Scoring
• Scoring Example

Game Idea

Over 7 rounds, you take turns placing cards into the shared display and into your collection.

At the end of the game you receive cards from the shared display. To determine which, you add up the values on your role and on the cards in your collection.

The cards you received from the display reward you with points. Whoever has the most points wins!

Components

• 6 roles
• 28 cards (7 cards in each of the 4 colors with the values 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3)

The color and the symbol on the front and back of a card show which faction it belongs to:

• Imperial Army (red)
• Hill Tribes (green)
• Sea Folk (blue)
• Undead (black)

Setup

1. Shuffle all roles face down. Each of you draws 1 role. Place it face down in front of you in your collection. Keep the cards in your collection secret until the end of the game. You may look at them yourself at any time. Put the remaining 4 roles back into the box face down, without looking at them.

   Each role belongs to 2 of the four factions: Imperial Army, Hill Tribes, Sea Folk, Undead. And each role has the value 1 for both of its factions.

   (Example: Enned belongs to the factions Undead and Sea Folk.)

2. Shuffle all cards and form a face-down draw pile from them. Each of you draws 3 cards. This is your hand. Always keep your hand secret. The backs of the cards must, however, always be clearly visible to your opponent.

   Each card belongs to 1 of the four factions: Imperial Army, Hill Tribes, Sea Folk, Undead.

   There are 7 cards of each faction with the values 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3.

3. Lay out 2 horizontal rows between you, each with 7 random face-down cards from the draw pile. These rows are the shared display.

4. Leave the remaining 8 cards as a face-down draw pile between you.

5. Determine at random who begins.

(Illustration labels: shared display; draw pile; your role in your collection; your hand cards; faction; value (0-3).)

Course of the Game

Play 7 rounds. In each round you each take 1 turn.

Your Turn

Carry out the following steps one after another:

1. Take 2 cards of your choice (face up or face down) from the shared display into your hand. You may take them from one or both rows. You cannot take a card that is blocked (more on this in step 3).

2. Place 2 cards of your choice from your hand face up onto the spaces freed in step 1 in the shared display. You may also place into the shared display cards that you just took.

3. Carry out exactly 1 of the following two actions:

   • Block: Place 1 card from your hand face down onto a non-blocked face-up or face-down card in the display. Both cards are now blocked – you cannot take them into your hand in step 1.
   • Collect: Place 1 card from your hand face down into your collection. Its value does not give you any points. But it contributes during scoring to determining which cards of this faction you receive from the shared display.

4. Draw 1 card from the draw pile.

   In the last 3 rounds the draw pile is empty. Skip step 4.

End of the Game

As soon as you have both played your last card from your hand after 7 rounds, the game ends. Proceed to scoring.

Scoring

Reveal all cards: the face-down and blocked cards in the display, your role, and the cards in your collection.

Go through the 4 factions one after another. Begin, for example, with the Imperial Army. Add up the values that your role and the cards in your collection bring for this faction. This is your total value. Compare your values:

• You have no cards of the Imperial Army: You receive no red cards.
• You have the higher total value of the Imperial Army: You receive all red cards from the row in the display in which more red cards lie.
• You have the lower total value of the Imperial Army: You receive all red cards from the row in the display in which fewer red cards lie.
• There is a tie in total value for the Imperial Army: You each receive all red cards from the row in the display that is closer to you.
• If both rows contain an equal number of red cards (and you have at least 1 card of the Imperial Army): You receive all red cards from the row in the display that is closer to you.

If red cards are still in the display afterwards, remove them.

Do the same for the remaining factions: Hill Tribes, Sea Folk, Undead.

Always place the cards you receive in front of you, but not into your collection. At the end, remove all cards from your collection – they bring you no points.

Then add up the values on your received cards – these are your points. Whoever has the most points wins!

In case of a tie, whoever received more cards wins. If it is still a tie, simply play another game!

Scoring Example

(Illustration: opponent's role, collection and the two display rows, plus your own.)

• Imperial Army: Your total value (4) is higher than your opponent's (2), but both rows contain an equal number of red cards. You each receive all red cards from the row that is closer to you. This brings you 3 points and your opponent 4 points.
• Hill Tribes: Your total value (5) is higher than your opponent's (3). You receive all green cards from the row with more green cards – that is 4 points. Your opponent receives the cards from the other row and thus 1 point.
• Sea Folk: You have no blue cards. Your opponent has the higher total value and receives all blue cards from the row with more blue cards. That is 4 points. You receive no blue cards and remove the remaining ones from the display.
• Undead: Your total value (3) is lower than your opponent's (5). You receive all black cards from the row with fewer black cards – that is 3 points. Your opponent receives all black cards from the row with more black cards – that is only 2 points.

Your opponent wins 11 to 10 points.