Hordes of Grimoor
Hordes of Grimoor Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Shuffle together the 42 Cohort cards and deal 3 to each player, face down, forming their hand. Place the remaining Cohort cards in a face up deck in the middle of the play area. Place the bottom card of the deck next to the deck, forming the discard pile.
Shuffle together the 8 Curio cards. Deal 1 Curio card to each player. These are added to each player's hand. Place the remaining Curio cards in a face up deck in the middle of the play area.
Setup Continued
Shuffle together the 6 Commander cards and deal 1 to each player. These are added to each player's hands. Return any remaining Commander cards to the side of the play area.
Give each player 3 Unbuilt Stronghold cards, one of each type: Olatha, Duskgil, and Gaunt. These cards are placed in each player's Horde (or play area).
Give each player a Score card and a Reference card. Players set their Reference card on top of their Score card, set to 1.
Place the 3 End of Conflict cards to the side of the play area.
Players use whatever means they see fit to choose a Start Player for the game, and then the game begins.
The Setup page shows the three Cohort type icons: Duskgil (anglerfish), Olatha (club), and Gaunt (helmet).
Cohort Cards
When a Cohort card is added to the player's Horde, from anywhere, it "joins their Horde." Cohort cards are always placed face up and "Readied" into the player's Horde unless otherwise noted on specific Cards. The opposing player's Horde is referred to as the Opposing Horde.
Each Cohort card has several important parts:
- Cohort's Type
- Cohort's Strength
- Cohort's Name
- Cohort's Trigger
- Cohort's Ability
Unless otherwise noted, Cohorts join a player's Horde Readied (face up and upright). Certain events in-game may cause Cohorts to become Focused. A Focused Cohort is rotated 90 degrees. Regardless of what is listed on the Cohort's Strength, all Focused Cohorts have a Strength of one.
A Focused Cohort cannot be Focused and a Readied Cohort cannot be Readied.
Example card (printed on the Cohort Cards page): DUSKGIL MAGUS, Strength 3. Trigger: "You may play this Cohort Focused. If you do:" Ability: "Look at the bottom four cards of the deck. Place one in your hand and the rest on the bottom in any order."
Commander Cards
Commander Cards are a special type of Cohort card that offer a very special Ability. While they are played like normal Cohort cards, they are never part of the deck or discard pile.
Commander cards contain all of the same information as a normal Cohort card, however, they can never be drawn or moved to the discard pile, by any means.
As such, if a player would discard a Commander, or a Commander would leave a player's Horde for any reason, it is moved to the side of the play area instead.
Reference and Score Cards
Each player has a Reference and Score card. The player's Reference card is placed over their double sided Score card and is moved to indicate the number of points the player has earned.
In the event that the player earns more points than indicated on their Score card, the player flips their Reference card to the +30 side, flips their Score card, and resets their Reference card on top of their Score card.
Curio Cards
Each player has access to powerful Curio Cards, either in their hand, or on the top of the Curio deck.
When a player uses a Curio, they either select a Curio from their hand, or the top of the Curio deck, and moves that Curio to their Horde. They then Focus up to three Cohorts in their Horde and perform the Curio's Ability. They may gain points based on the Cohorts they choose to Focus.
Stronghold Cards
Each player has three Unbuilt Strongholds. Each of these Unbuilt Strongholds belong to one of the three different Cohort types.
During a player's turn, they may discard three cards from their hand to flip one of their Unbuilt Strongholds into a Stronghold. Depending on the cards that the player discards, they may gain points for flipping the Unbuilt Stronghold.
Strongholds offer an ongoing Ability when a certain type of Cohort joins the player's Horde.
Once an Unbuilt Stronghold is flipped to its Stronghold side, it cannot be flipped back to its Unbuilt Stronghold side, by any means.
Example cards (printed on the Stronghold Cards page):
Unbuilt Stronghold: "To Build this Stronghold, discard three Cohort cards from your hand and flip this card over. Gain two points for each Cohort you discarded to build this."
Duskgil Stronghold: "After a [type icon] Cohort joins your Horde, and its ability is resolved: Ready or Focus one [type icon] Cohort. Or, if the top card of the deck is a [type icon] card, you may draw that card instead."
Note: the type icons in the two Stronghold examples are graphic symbols in the printed PDF that do not survive as text; they are shown as [type icon] here.
Conflicts
Grimoor is played over a series of three Conflicts. During each Conflict, players alternate taking turns until the Conflict ends.
Player Turns
During a player's turn, they perform two Actions from the following list of Actions, in any order (Any Action can be selected twice):
- Draw the top card of the deck.
- Draw the bottom two cards of the deck.
- Play a Cohort from their hand to their Horde.
- Play a Curio from their hand or the top of the Curio deck.
- Build a Stronghold.
Once a player has completed their two actions, their turn ends. If there are five or more Cohorts in the opposing Horde, the Conflict ends. Otherwise, the opposing player takes a turn.
The Start Player for each Conflict only receives one Action on their first turn of the Conflict.
Drawing Cohort Cards
In Grimoor, players do not automatically draw cards at any point during their turn. For one Action, the player may draw the top card of the deck or the bottom two cards of the deck.
Additional Card, Hand, and Deck Rules
The top card of the Cohort deck is always face up. The discard pile is always public information.
Players' hands are kept secret from the other player. There is no maximum hand size.
In the event that there are no cards remaining in the deck to draw, the discard pile is shuffled to form a new deck and the bottom card of the deck is set to the side of the deck forming the discard pile.
Abilities and Effects that reference discarding card(s) are always referring to Cohort cards.
If a Commander is ever discarded, or would leave a player's Horde, it is moved to the side of the play area instead of the discard pile.
Playing Cohorts
For one Action, the player may play a Cohort from their hand to their Horde.
Each Cohort has an Ability and a Trigger. When a Cohort joins the player's Horde, from anywhere, if the conditions of the Cohort's Trigger are met, the Ability is used.
Triggers can be passive, or they may have a cost, such as discarding a card or having the Cohort join the player's Horde Focused.
Triggers are optional, and a player may play a Cohort to their Horde, regardless if the Trigger is met or can be paid for.
Abilities, if triggered, are not optional and are performed to the best of the player's ability.
If an Ability allows the player to "copy" another Cohort's Ability, it is copied and used, regardless of the copied card's Trigger.
If an Ability does not specify ownership of a Cohort, it can affect a Cohort in either player's Horde.
Building Strongholds
Each player begins the game with three Unbuilt Strongholds, and each of these can be built into a Stronghold.
For one Action, the player may build a Stronghold. To do this, they select one of their Unbuilt Stronghold cards and discards three cards from their hand and flips the selected Unbuilt Stronghold. They may gain points depending on discarded cards.
Each Stronghold, when built, offers the player an ongoing Ability that triggers after a Cohort of the indicated type joins their Horde.
Playing Curios
For one Action, the player may play a Curio from their hand, or the top of the Curio deck.
To play a Curio, the player either selects a Curio card from their hand, or the top card of the Curio deck, and places that Curio card in their Horde. They then Focus up to three Cohorts in their Horde. Based on the type and number of Cohorts focused, they will score points and a scalable effect.
End of Turn
At the end of the player's turn, if the opposing player has at least five Cohorts in their Horde, the End of the Conflict occurs. Otherwise, the other player takes their turn.
End of Conflict
At the End of the Conflict, players add together the Strength of the Cohorts in their Hordes.
The player with the most Strength gains a number of points equal to the difference in points, and takes an End of Conflict card. If a tie exists, the player with the most Cohorts in their Horde wins. If a tie still exists, the player with the most points wins the tie.
If this was the end of the third Conflict, the game ends and the player with the most points wins the game.
If this was not the third Conflict, a new Conflict begins.
New Conflict
Each player moves all non-Commander Cohorts in their Horde to the discard pile. Any played Commanders and Curios are returned to the side of the play area.
The discard pile and deck are shuffled together, as per the initial game set up rules, and each player is dealt three Cohort cards.
Shuffle together the Curio cards and deal one to each player. Place the remaining Curios in a face up deck in the middle of the play area.
Shuffle together any remaining Commander cards and deal one to each player.
The player with the most End of Conflict cards is the Start Player in the next Conflict.
Ending the Game
After the end of the third Conflict, the game ends and the player with the most points wins the game.
In the event of a tie, the player with the most End of Conflict cards wins.