Kalesia: the card game
Kalesia: the card game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
These rules and 110 cards divided as follows:
- 5 Secret Alliance cards (2 Centaurs, 2 Mermaids, 1 Forest)
- 25 Forest Area cards (numbered 1-25)
- 55 Magic Weapon cards (20 Centaurs and 20 Mermaids, with values 1-4; 15 Forests, with values 1-3)
- 25 Colony cards (Centaur/Mermaid)
Object of the Game
Your goal is to help your secret Alliance (Centaurs, Mermaids, or the Forest) conquer three adjacent Forest Areas, along a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line. The first Alliance to conquer three such areas can build their temple and wins the game! If no alliance is able to build a temple, the Forest wins.
[Diagram: three possible winning combinations.]
Preparation
Note: the following rules are for 3-5 players. Special rules for 2-player games are included at the end of this book.
- Sort the cards by type.
- Secret Alliances: Take Secret Alliance cards as shown on the table below (for the number of players), shuffle them, and deal one face down to each player. Remove leftover Secret Alliance cards from the game. Look at your Alliance, but keep it secret. Your card shows which Alliance you must try to lead to victory.
| Players | Centaur Cards | Mermaid Cards | Forest Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Note: In a 4-player game, the Forest is not championed by any player. It is still possible for the Forest to win. If this happens, all players lose!
- Prepare the Forest: Shuffle all 25 Forest Area cards and place them, number side up, in a 5 x 5 grid. This is the forest of Kalesia.
- Deal Magic Weapons: Shuffle the 55 Magic Weapons and deal 11 to each player as a starting hand. Remove any leftover weapons from the game.
Keep the Colony cards handy.
[Diagram: a sample set-up for 5 players, with the Forest Areas laid out in a grid and player positions labelled A to E.]
Playing the Game
The game is divided into a series of rounds. Each round is split into four hands. During each hand, the Alliances will try to conquer one Forest Area, starting with the lowest number and going up.
Playing Hands
At the start of each hand, slightly rotate the Forest Area with the lowest visible number (the "1" in the first hand, for example), to highlight which area you will compete for. Then, each player secretly chooses two Magic Weapons from his hand and places them face down in front of him.
Once all players have played, the weapons are revealed. Add together the values of the cards played for each Alliance. The Alliance with the highest total conquers the Forest Area. If there's a tie, the Forest wins:
- If the Centaurs or Mermaids win, discard the Forest Area and replace it with a Colony (with the winning side up);
- If the Forest wins, flip the Forest Area card so the Forest side is showing.
Example: It's the first hand of a five-player game, so they compete over the Forest Area marked "1". The Magic Weapons played are: 5 Centaurs (3+2+2+1+1=9), 4 Mermaids (4+3+2+2=11) and 1 Forest (3). The Mermaids win, so the area is replaced with a Mermaid Colony.
In the second hand, they compete over area "2". This time, the weapons are: 4 Centaurs (3+2+1+1=7), 3 Mermaids (3+2+2=7), and 3 Forests (2+2+1=5). The Centaurs and Mermaids are tied, so the Forest wins the area. The Forest Area card is flipped to the side with no number, and play continues with area "3".
Once the Forest Area has been conquered, that hand is over and a new one starts. Players now compete for the next area in ascending order. Do not discard the Magic Weapons you played: keep them in front of you. For the new hand, choose two more weapons and place them face down, covering the cards you used before. In each hand, count only the two cards played during that hand, ignoring any cards played earlier in the round.
End of the Round
After four hands, the round ends (i.e., once you have played eight weapons and have only three in your hand). Before the next round begins, pass all three Magic Weapons still in your hand to the player on your left (you will receive three weapons from the player on your right, of course). Then, take the eight cards in front of you back into your hand (the ones you played last round) so you again have a hand of 11 cards.
The new round is then played as above.
End of the Game
The game can end in either of the following ways:
- One Alliance conquers three adjacent areas in a line: That Alliance builds its temple. Reveal your Secret Alliance card: if you belong to the Alliance that built its temple, you win!
Example: When area 19 is conquered, the game will end because one Alliance will control three adjacent areas in a line: horizontally by the Forest, vertically by the Centaurs, or diagonally by the Mermaids.
- All 25 Forest Areas are captured, but no temple is built: The Forest wins. Reveal your Secret Alliance card if you have the Forest card: you win! If it is a 4-player game, all players lose!
Rules for Two Players
Before the game begins, take one Secret Alliance card per type (Centaur, Mermaid, and Forest), shuffle them and deal one face-down to each player. Set the last card aside without looking at it. The game is played normally. If the Alliance not represented by either player wins, both players lose!
Variant for Experienced Players
If you want a game with less randomness, divide the Magic Weapons into five identical sets, each with four Centaurs (1, 2, 3, 4), four Mermaids (1, 2, 3, 4), and three Forests (1, 2, 3). Each player starts the game with one set of cards (remove any leftover sets from the game). Or, you can shuffle the sets together and deal 11 random cards to each player.
Kalesia for 6 - 10 Players
You can combine the cards from two sets of Kalesia and play with more players! The Secret Alliance cards you need are as follows:
| Players | Centaur Cards | Mermaid Cards | Forest Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 |