Hidden Leaders: Forgotten Legends Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Game Setup: Base Game
• Module 1: Guardians
  • Components
  • Changes to Game Setup
  • Playing Guardian Heroes
  • Winning with a Guardian Leader
  • Other Rules to Consider
• Module 2: Corruption
  • Components
  • Changes to Game Setup
  • Spread Corruption
  • Effects of Corruption Tokens
  • Other Rules to Consider
• Module 3: Artifacts
  • Components
  • Changes to Game Setup
  • Artifact Abilities
  • Variation: Royal Influence
• Summary
  • Guardian Leader Setup (p. 5)
  • Key Guardian Rules (p. 6)
  • Using the Guardian Protection Token (p. 10)
  • Triggering Artifacts (p. 13)

Overview

This expansion for Hidden Leaders comes with 3 modules:

• Guardians
• Corruption
• Artifacts

You can add any number of these modules to the base game.

We recommend starting by playing the Guardian module (1) without modules 2 and 3 before you combine multiple modules at the same time. This will make it easier to get started.

If you have first-time players at your table, we recommend playing the base game at least 3 times before adding additional modules.

Game Setup: Base Game

1. Shuffle the 6 Leader cards and deal 1 to each player face down.
2. Place the 2 markers (red and green) on the starting position of the power track.
3. Find the special "Buried Emperor" Hero card and place it face up next to the Graveyard slot on the board to form the Graveyard.
4. Shuffle the remaining Hero cards and place the pile face down next to the Harbor slot on the board to form the draw pile.
5. Draw 3 Hero cards from the Harbor and place 1 face up next to each of the 3 Tavern slots on the board.
6. Randomly choose a starting player.
7. Deal each player 5 Hero cards. After looking at them, each player must perform the following steps in turn order:
   • a. Place 1 card face down in front of them (into their party of Heroes).
   • b. Place 1 card face down next to the Wilderness slot on the board to form the discard pile.
   • c. Keep 3 cards as their starting hand.

Module 1: Guardians

Components

• 4 Leader cards
• 21 Hero cards
• 6 Fate cards
• 1 Marker

Changes to Game Setup

During Step 1: Randomly and secretly pick Leaders from the base game and Guardian Leaders according to the numbers in the table below. Then shuffle these Leader cards and deal 1, face down, to each player. Put the remaining Leaders back into the box without looking at them.

Player count	Base Game Leaders	Guardian Leader(s)
2 players	4	2
3 players	3	1
4 players	4	2
5 players	5	2
6 players	6	3

During Step 2: Place the Guardian marker on space 1 of the power track.

During Step 4: Shuffle the 21 Guardian Heroes into the deck of Hero cards from the base game.

Step 8: Place the 6 Fate cards near the board.

Follow all other steps as in the base game.

Playing Guardian Heroes

Guardian Heroes work exactly like normal Heroes except for the following changes:

• They have a Guardian icon in the top-left corner, in addition to any other faction icon. This indicates that they belong to the Guardian faction.
• Whenever a Guardian Hero's ability is performed, move the Guardian marker +2 on the power track. The Guardian marker doesn't move +2 if the Guardian Hero is being turned over, exchanged with another card, or placed in the party without being performed.
• Whenever a Guardian Hero is placed into the Graveyard, the player who performed this move does the following:
  1. Draw 2 Guardian Fate cards.
  2. Choose 1 of the cards, reveal the chosen card and perform it.
  3. Then shuffle the 6 Guardian Fate cards again.

Hint: Guardian Heroes' abilities can be powerful. However, you may support a Guardian Leader by playing Guardian Heroes.

Winning with a Guardian Leader

The Guardian module comes with 4 additional Leaders. Each of these 4 Leaders can either win with 1 of the 4 factions from the base game or claim victory with the Guardian faction.

A Guardian Leader can claim the Guardian victory if the Guardian marker is ahead of both the red and green markers at the end of the game.

• A Guardian victory trumps all other factions' victory conditions.
• If the Guardians win the game but no Leader is supporting the Guardians, you ignore the Guardian marker and judge the winner as if there was no Guardian marker in play.
• If 2 or more Guardian Leaders claim the Guardian victory, resolve the tie as in the base game, starting with checking which player has the most Guardian Heroes.

Other Rules to Consider

• If a Hero card refers to the leading or trailing marker, only consider the red and green markers. The Guardian marker must be ignored for these abilities.
• If a Hero card refers to a faction, Guardians also count as a faction.
• If you play the Guardian module in a 2-player game, remove the following 4 Guardian Heroes: Crabbing Clamp Monster, Possessed Poodle, Half-Sleeping Hobgoblin & Well-Ironed Golem.

Module 2: Corruption

Components

• 1 Corruption card
• 18 Corruption tokens
• 1 Bag

Corruption tokens are double sided: The back shows the Corruption icon, the front shows icons with certain effects. The front shows four faction icons (one per faction, used for Faction Change), the Guardian Protection icon, and a "2x" icon (used for Loyalty).

Changes to Game Setup

To set up the Corruption module, you add an 8th step to the Game Setup (9th if you also include the Guardian module).

8. Set up the Corruption bag
   • a. Put all Corruption tokens in the bag.
   • b. Place the Corruption card next to the Harbor. Place it face up for 2-5 players or face down for 6 players.
   • c. Draw a handful of Corruption tokens. Take 2 tokens with the Corruption icon facing up and place them on the Corruption card. Return the remaining tokens to the bag.

Spread Corruption

Corruption can be spread 2 times during the game. You can trigger spreading Corruption at any time during your turn if any player has fulfilled one of the requirements stated on the Corruption card. To spread Corruption, follow these steps:

• Once the requirement has been met, the player spreading Corruption takes the relevant Corruption token from the Corruption card.
• Starting with the player who is spreading Corruption and continuing in turn order, all players draw 1 token from the Corruption bag. You may look at your own token.
• In turn order, all players may place their token(s) face down on any Hero (in your party or another player's party). This Hero is now corrupted. You cannot place a Corruption token on a corrupted Hero. The player who is spreading Corruption may place both tokens. If you do not wish to place a Corruption token, return the token to the bag.

You can only spread Corruption once per turn, even if a player fulfills both requirements. If the bag runs out of Corruption tokens at any time, no more tokens can be drawn.

Effects of Corruption Tokens

1. Faction Change (the four faction icons)
   • a. The corrupted Hero changes faction when determining the winner at the end of the game.
   • b. During the game, the corrupted Hero keeps their displayed faction for performing Hero abilities.
2. Guardian Protection (Guardian Protection icon)
   • a. When any player wants to bury the corrupted Hero, you may flip the token and prevent the corrupted Hero from being buried. Return the Corruption token to the bag.
   • b. When a player wants to bury a Hero, they may flip 1 Guardian Protection token and bury this Hero instead of the Hero that was supposed to be buried. Return the Corruption token to the bag.
   • c. The corrupted Hero counts as a Guardian at the end of the game if they still have the Corruption token on their card.
3. Loyalty ("2x" icon)
   • a. The corrupted Hero counts as two Heroes in their faction when determining the winner at the end of the game.

Other Rules to Consider

• If a corrupted Hero is buried or taken into a player's hand, return the Corruption token to the bag without revealing it.
• If a corrupted Hero is turned over, the Corruption token remains on the card face down.
• If the corrupted Hero is exchanged with another card, the Corruption token remains on the corrupted Hero.
• If a player wants to look at a face-down Hero, they may look at a Corruption token instead.
• Players may always look at any Corruption token placed on Heroes in their party.
• If you're playing with the Guardian module, corrupted Guardian Heroes with a Faction Change Corruption token remain Guardians.
• Heroes whose abilities affect Corruption tokens can never affect the Corruption tokens on the Corruption card.

Module 3: Artifacts

Components

• 6 Artifact cards
• 18 Artifact tokens

Changes to Game Setup

To set up the Artifacts module, add an 8th step (9th or 10th if you also include other modules of Forgotten Legends).

8. Every player chooses 1 Artifact. Alternatively, randomly deal 1 Artifact card to each player.
   • a. Each player places their Artifact face up next to their face-down Leader card.
   • b. Each player takes the number of Artifact tokens indicated on their Artifact (2 or 3) and places these tokens on top of the Artifact token icons on the Artifact card.

Artifact Abilities

Every Artifact comes with a unique special ability to be used as specified by the card. Whenever a player uses their Artifact's ability, they return 1 Artifact token from their Artifact card to the box.

Artifacts with a lightning-bolt icon: A player can use this ability at any point during step 1 of their turn (play a card or discard cards). This can be done before or after playing a card and performing its abilities or discarding cards.

Artifacts with an hourglass icon: A player can use this ability after step 4 of their turn (refill the Tavern).

Variation: Royal Influence

If you have the Queens & Friends mini expansion pack, we recommend the following adjustments to make the Artifacts module even more exciting.

When setting up the Artifacts module, add the following sub-step:

• c. Search the Hero cards for the 3 Queens, "The Emperor's Best Friend" and the "Mother of Guardians" (if you're playing with the Guardians module). Place them face up, in a row, above the Wilderness.

When you use an Artifact's ability:

1. Instead of returning the Artifact token to the box, choose 1 of the 4 face-up cards (5 with the Guardians module) and place your token on this card.
2. Guess 1 of the 4 factions from the base game.
3. Reveal cards from the top of the Harbor pile, according to the number of tokens on your chosen face-up card.
4. If you guessed correctly, take the chosen card into your hand and return the token(s) to the box.
5. Place all the revealed cards on the bottom of the Harbor pile in the same order. Continue with your turn.

Summary

Guardian Leader Setup (p. 5)

Player count	Base Game Leaders	Guardian Leader(s)
2 players	4	2
3 players	3	1
4 players	4	2
5 players	5	2
6 players	6	3

Key Guardian Rules (p. 6)

• +2 for the Guardian marker whenever a Guardian Hero's ability is performed.
• Draw 2 Fate cards whenever a Guardian Hero is placed into the Graveyard.
• Guardian Leaders win if the Guardian marker is ahead of both the red and green markers at the end of the game.

Using the Guardian Protection Token (p. 10)

1. Flip the token and protect this Hero from being buried.
2. Flip the token and bury this Hero to prevent any other Hero from being buried.

Triggering Artifacts (p. 13)

• A player can use a lightning-bolt Artifact ability at any point during Step 1.
• A player can use an hourglass Artifact ability after Step 4 of their turn.