Kinfire Council
Kinfire Council Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Winning the Game
The game takes place over 5 rounds, with the Council attempting to build a kinfire lighthouse in a nearby village each round. At the end of the 5th round, when the final lighthouse is built, the Councilor with the most victory points (VP) wins.
The Cult of Altan, in their attempts to sabotage the Council, will also have their victory points tracked over the course of the game. If the Cult ends with the most victory points, the Councilor who earned the title of Cult Conspirator will be awarded the victory instead.
Game Contents
- 3 City boards, 1 Threat board, 1 Status board
- 50 Coin tokens, 25 Food tokens, 25 Common tokens
- 25 Rare tokens, 25 Magic tokens, 20 Trouble tokens
- 35 Threat cards, 35 Research cards, 40 Decree cards
- 18 District tiles, 1 Shady Dealer tile, 14 Threat tiles
- 36 Skill tiles, 1 Lighthouse tracker and progress token, 5 Lighthouse sites
- 6 Councilor sheets, 6 Worker sheets, 30 Worker chits
- 6 Seeker standees, 12 Sentry tokens, 48 Influence tokens
- 7 Score markers, 18 Cultist chits, 2 Cult Leader chits
Also included:
- 2 plastic City board trays
- City Coffers bowl
- Cult of Altan bag
- 7 +50/+100 tokens
- 2 Location reference guides
- 1 Speaker's Medallion
- 1 Hidden Threats tile
- 6 Player aids
Setup
1. City Boards and Resources
A. Put the 2 city board trays next to one another in the middle of the table. Place the board labeled "Tier 3" on the taller tray and the board labeled "Tier 2" on the shorter tray. Then place the "Tier 1" board on the table so that the boards align as shown in the diagram.
B. Place each district tile (numbered 1-18) on its indicated space on the city boards with the basic (tan) side faceup.
C. Place the Shady Dealer/Black Market special tile in its indicated space on the bottom city board with its Shady Dealer side faceup.
D. Make a supply of the resource tokens near the city boards, separating them into coin, food, common, rare, and magic resources. Place the coffers bowl next to them.
2. Status Board
A. Unfold the status board and place it near the city boards as shown.
B. Shuffle the research and decree decks separately and place them face down in their indicated spaces on the status board.
C. Separate the skill tiles by type (there are 3 types, each with a different front and back) and stack them on their indicated spaces on the status board, either side face up.
D. Take 3 food resources from the supply and place them, 1 per space, in the top 3 spaces of the right column of the City Needs track.
E. Place the Cult (black) score marker on the 0 space of the score track.
3. Threats and the Cult
A. Place the threat board near the city boards. Shuffle the threat deck and place it face down by the threat board, along with the supply of trouble tokens.
B. Without revealing them, draw the top 3 cards of the threat deck and put them near the play area in a face down pile. Place the Hidden Threats tile on top. These are known as hidden threats and should not be revealed until the end of the game. Any hidden threats gained over the course of the game should be added to the pile beneath the Hidden Threats tile.
C. Place the special threat tiles (e.g. Rubble and Sea Beast) near the threat board.
D. Place all 20 cultist chits in the Cult bag, lightly mix them up, then place the bag within reach of the players.
4. Player Setup
A. Lay out the 6 worker sheets. Then, shuffle the Councilor sheets and randomly deal one Councilor sheet faceup next to each worker sheet.
B. Randomly select a player to go first and give them the Speaker's Medallion (first player marker). Play will move clockwise around the table. In clockwise order, choose a Councilor and its assigned worker sheet and place these in front of you. Any unpicked Councilors and worker sheets are returned to the box.
C. Give each player the Seeker standee, worker chits, influence tokens, score marker, and +50/+100 token matching their worker sheet.
D. In player order, place your score markers on the score track, with the first player placing theirs on the "1" space, the second player on the "2" space, etc. Place the +50/+100 tokens (including the one corresponding to the Cult) near the status board.
E. Each player places their Seeker on its indicated space on their worker sheet. The number of additional worker chits the players receive depends upon the number of players. Refer to the chart below, placing the indicated number of workers on their matching spaces on the worker sheets. Return any remaining workers to the box.
| Players | Workers |
|---|---|
| 2 players | All 5 workers* |
| 3 players | 4 workers |
| 4 players | 3 workers |
| 5-6 players | 2 workers |
Note: For a 2-player game, please also see the rules changes on page 20 ("Two-Player Games" below).
F. Each player begins the game with 3 coin from the supply, as well as 4 influence tokens. Place your 4 starting influence tokens on the indicated spaces on your worker sheet and place the remaining influence tokens near the +50/+100 tokens.
Additional Setup: Some Councilors require additional setup. Please refer to the abilities on each Councilor sheet.
Note on Influence Tokens: Each Councilor begins the game with 4 available influence tokens on their worker sheet. Additional influence can be gained when you see the influence icon. Once you gain them, influence tokens are never lost. Apart from patronages on upgraded tiles, influence tokens are returned to your worker sheet during Night's Fall. For more on influence, see "Influence" below.
5. Lighthouses and Sentries
A. Place the lighthouse tracker near the city boards with the progress marker on the bottom space of the track. Shuffle the 5 lighthouse site sheets, then place them in a facedown stack next to the lighthouse track before turning the top sheet face up.
B. Place the sentry tokens faceup near the city boards, spread out so that each player can see which sentry tokens are available.
YOU ARE READY TO BEGIN!
Gameplay
Kinfire Council is played over 5 rounds, each of which is divided into 3 different phases: Sun's Rise, Day's Light, and Night's Fall.
At Sun's Rise, you will set up for the round by filling the docket with new decrees and drawing and resolving cultists from the bag.
During Day's Light, you will take turns clockwise, beginning with the Councilor with the Speaker's Medallion. On each turn, you will place one of your workers on an available space and take the associated action for that space before running an errand to help the city.
At Night's Fall, you will check to see how you did meeting the city's needs, constructing the lighthouse, and maintaining order in Din'Lux that day. Then, the Speaker's Medallion will be passed to the next player to the left and a new round will begin.
The game ends at Night's Fall of the 5th round, when the final lighthouse is built.
Phase 1: Sun's Rise
A. Prep the Docket
Draw 2 decree cards and place them faceup side-by-side above the status board. These decrees will be voted upon during the Day's Light phase (see "Decrees" below).
B. Unleash the Cult
Draw 3 cultist chits from the bag and add them to the Cult Hideout area on the status board (along with any others that might have been added during the previous round).
Resolve the cultist chits in numerical order beginning with the lowest numbered cultist. If any cult leaders were drawn, resolve these last.
When resolving a numbered cultist, place it on the worker space on the city board with the matching number (e.g. if the '3' cultist is drawn, place it on the worker space numbered 3). This worker space will be blocked during the Day's Light phase.
Then, on the threat board, find the card slot with the number range corresponding to the cultist's number. For instance, cultist 3 corresponds to the slot labeled 1-6.
If the corresponding slot has no card, draw the top card from the threat deck and place it faceup on the threat board in the corresponding slot.
If there is already a threat card in the corresponding slot, place a trouble token on the threat card.
Once the number of trouble tokens on a threat card is equal to its threat level (shown in its upper left corner), the effect on the card is triggered and resolved. If a card's threat level is 0, it triggers immediately when drawn and is then discarded. 0-level threat cards cannot be thwarted.
Unless the card says otherwise, discard the card after it triggers and return any trouble tokens on it to the supply.
When resolving a cult leader, all 3 slots on the threat board will be affected (in order from left to right). For each slot with no card, draw a card from the threat deck and add it faceup to the threat board. For each slot that already has a threat card, place a trouble token on it.
After resolving a cult leader, discard it to one of the 2 cult leader spaces on the status board. If both cult leader chits have been discarded to their spaces on the status board, the Cult bag immediately resets.
When the Cult bag resets, return the following cultist chits to the bag:
- Any arrested cultists possessed by Councilors
- All cultists in the discarded cultists area on the status board
- The 2 cult leaders
Leave any other cultist chits in play (such as those on the board and those remaining in the Cult Hideout).
Threat Cards
Countless threats from beyond the city walls put Din'Lux in peril–from the Cult of Altan, lurking in the shadows, to the monstrous creatures left behind by the Starless Nights.
Threat cards represent events or creatures that pose a dangerous threat to the city of Din'Lux. In order to thwart these threats, you will need to send your Seekers out to deal with them by paying specific resources (see "Thwarting Threats" below).
Whenever a threat card has trouble tokens on it equal to its threat level, its effect triggers. Cards with a threat level of 0 immediately trigger when added to the threat board. Cards with no threat level ("-") stay in play until they are thwarted.
A threat card shows:
- Threat Level — The number of trouble tokens it takes to "trigger" a threat.
- Effect — What the threat does while in play, when a trouble token is added, or once triggered.
- Thwart Cost — The cost for a player to thwart the threat.
- Thwart Reward — The reward that a player receives for thwarting the threat.
Phase 2: Day's Light
A. Dispatch Workers
Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, the Councilors take turns placing one worker at a time and resolving a location's action. Play continues in this way until all workers have been placed.
On your turn, do the following in this order:
- Place a worker. You must place one of your workers on an empty worker space and immediately pay any required taxes (see "Taxes and City Coffers" below). Then you may either take ONE of the actions at that space OR arrest an adjacent cultist.
- Run an errand. You may then run ONE errand (see "Run an Errand" below).
1. Place a Worker
When you place a worker, choose one of the worker chits remaining on your worker sheet and move it to an available space that doesn't already contain a chit.
If you place a worker on the city board, you may be required to pay taxes to the city coffers, depending on which tier your worker is in (see "Taxes and City Coffers" below).
After paying any necessary taxes, you may take the action associated with the worker space or arrest an adjacent cultist (see "Arresting Cultists" below).
Types of Workers
As part of a new city rejuvenation initiative, the Council has partnered with the Seekers' Guild, whose well-trained Seekers and their comrades have agreed to aid the Councilors in their efforts to return Din'Lux to the beacon of hope it once was.
There are two types of workers on your worker sheet: Seekers and regular workers.
Seekers are represented by standees with hexagonal bases. They begin the game with a skill and may be placed on any available worker space, including those outside the city board.
Regular workers are represented by round chits and may only be placed on available spaces on the city board. They begin the game with no skills, though they may receive training to acquire skills during the game.
Worker Spaces
Though Din'Lux isn't the metropolis it once was, it still retains a bustling economy of taverns, apothecaries, and bounty houses. Specialty shops selling clothing, decor, and even hats are also making a resurgence–though not many can afford such luxuries.
There are three types of worker spaces: numbered, open, and Seeker-only spaces.
Numbered worker spaces are found on the three tiers of the city board and are represented by circular worker spaces. Any type of worker may be placed here, but only one worker or cultist may be on a numbered space at any given time (unless a worker has the Spy skill).
Open spaces are found on the bottom tier of the city board and are represented by a rectangular space next to the location. Any type and any number of workers may be placed on open spaces.
Seeker-only spaces are found outside the city board (on lighthouse site sheets and on the threat board) and are represented by hexagonal worker spaces. Because the area beyond the city walls is dangerous, only Seekers can be placed on these spaces. Only one Seeker may occupy a Seeker-only space at any given time (unless your Seeker has the Spy skill).
Worker Skills
The Planning Ahead training program, recently established by the Council, is intended to alleviate the city's shortage of skilled labor.
At the beginning of the game, all regular workers are unskilled and have no special abilities. Over the course of the game, Councilors may have the opportunity to train their workers in special skills. The Apprenticeship location at space 1, for instance, allows you to pay a coin to teach the worker there either the Artisan or Scholar skill.
When you teach a worker a skill, take the appropriate skill tile from the supply and place it on your worker sheet in the space corresponding to the worker you are training. If you are using a location action to train, you must train the worker placed on that space.
If the worker you are training already has a skill, you must return that skill to the supply, as each worker may only have one skill at a time. Seekers may not be trained and may not gain new skills.
Taxes and City Coffers
The city board is divided into 3 separate tiers, which represent the major areas of Din'Lux. Some parts of the city require taxes to be paid in order to gain access to them.
If you wish to place a worker in a section that requires taxes, you must first be able to pay those taxes in coin. If you cannot afford the tax, you may not place your worker in that tier. Locations outside the city are not taxed.
Spaces on the bottom tier (Tier 1) are free.
Spaces on the middle tier (Tier 2) cost 1 coin in taxes.
Spaces on the top tier (Tier 3) cost 2 coin in taxes.
All coin paid as taxes are paid to the city coffers bowl instead of the supply. Coin paid for any other reason go to the supply. Only taxes are placed in the coffers.
When paying taxes, if a magic resource is paid in place of a coin, return the magic resource to the supply and add a coin to the coffers from the supply.
Location Actions
District Tiles With Two Locations
Most numbered spaces have two locations, each with an associated action(s). When you place a worker at one of these spaces, you must choose one of its locations before taking its associated action. For example, at space 5, you must choose between the Fishing Fleet or the Sea Trade, but you may not choose both.
Trades
Some locations allow you to simply take resources, cast votes, or run additional errands. Many, however, will require you to trade coin or other resources for these items. The trade symbol indicates an available trade that you can make as an action at a location.
When taking the action of a location with multiple trades available, you may only make one of the available trades unless the location indicates otherwise with a 2x, 3x, etc. next to the location name.
For example, if you go to space 5 and choose the "Sea Trade (2x)" location, you may take up to 2 trade actions from the list of available trades because the location name is followed by a "(2x)."
When performing multiple trades at a location, they take place one after the other, so resources you gain in the first trade could be traded for something else in a later trade.
Casting Votes
Only through engaging in honest discourse and participating in the sometimes brutal processes of governing can we truly call ourselves effective leaders.
When you obtain a vote from a location, card, or other game effect, you may place one of your available influence tokens above the decree you wish to pass in order to cast a vote on it.
If you have no available influence tokens, you must either take one from somewhere else on the board or choose to not cast a vote.
Upgrading District Tiles
Recent events have left the city in partial ruin. After outcries from the people, the Council has started a city planning campaign to improve every part of Din'Lux, from the Stumps all the way to the Coping.
The City Planning space can be visited by a worker in order to upgrade (flip) a numbered district tile on the board. On the backside of each district tile is an improved version of that district.
When you make an upgrade, you must first pay the cost based on the tier of the district tile you wish to upgrade, as shown on the City Planning space on the board.
Flip the district tile over to the upgraded side and immediately gain victory points (5/8/10) based on its tier (1/2/3).
Once you've upgraded, you may place one of your available influence tokens next to the upgraded district in order to become its patron.
Throughout the remainder of the game, as long as your influence token is on this space, you will gain the patron bonus (indicated in the upper left corner of the tile) whenever an opponent places a worker there (whether they take a location's action or arrest a cultist).
If an influence token is ever removed from an upgraded district, that space no longer has a patron and no patron bonus is awarded when a worker is placed on that space.
Thwarting Threats
The wilderness beyond the city walls is a perilous place. Only the Seekers, armed with their kinfire lanterns, are able to venture out and protect us all.
To remove a threat card from the threat board, on your turn you must either send a worker to the Seeker's Guild (at space 6), or else send your Seeker directly to the threat's space on the threat board in order to thwart it.
Once you've placed your worker or Seeker, pay the thwart cost (shown on the bottom of the threat card) to the supply and immediately gain the indicated victory points for thwarting it (shown in the lower right).
Return any trouble tokens sitting on the threat card to the supply and then collect the card and add it to your personal supply. Threat cards may be spent at some locations as a cost or as part of a trade.
Arresting Cultists
The Cult of Altan continues to infiltrate Din'Lux. Action must be taken! We can't let them overrun our city!
When you place a worker on a numbered space, instead of taking one of the location's actions, you may choose to arrest a cultist in an adjacent space. Spaces on the same tier are adjacent orthogonally (up, down, left, and right, but not diagonally). Spaces on separate tiers may only be adjacent if there's a staircase showing a link to that space.
For example, in the diagram, the blue worker is adjacent to the cultists marked with a green check, but not the cultists with a red X. A worker at space 9 would also be adjacent to the cultist to the worker's left because of the linking staircase.
If you choose to arrest a cultist, you do not get to take one of your space's actions (unless your worker has the Guard skill).
When you arrest a cultist, take the cultist chit into your personal supply. Cultist chits may be spent in some locations as a cost or as part of a trade. Spent cultist chits are placed in the chit discard area. If the Cult bag is ever reset while you have a cultist in your supply, the cultist will escape from you and be returned to the bag.
2. Run an Errand (Optional)
After placing a worker and resolving your action or arresting a cultist, you may run one errand. As an errand, Councilors may complete one of the following actions:
- Meeting a City Need (see "Meeting a City Need" below)
- Sending a supply shipment to the lighthouse site (see "Building Lighthouses" below)
Be aware that some Councilor abilities grant special errand actions. Some locations and abilities also grant extra errands, giving Councilors an opportunity to run more than one errand on a turn.
Meeting a City Need
When the Starless Nights returned, the city became overcrowded with refugees seeking shelter from the storm. The people are starving and in need of supplies. As the City Council, it's up to you to find a way to provide for them.
The food and supplies needed by the city are symbolized by the City Needs track on the status board. Each resource token on the track represents a resource that needs to be provided each round. The game begins with a number of resources already on the track, but more City Needs can be added as the game continues.
As an errand, you may meet one City Need by paying one of the required resources to the supply. If you do, you may place one of your influence tokens on the track next to the need you met (see "Influence" below).
For example, if there's a food token on the City Needs track, you may pay a food token to place one of your influence tokens next to it, indicating that you've met that need for the round.
City Needs can be met in any order. Victory points for City Needs are not awarded until the end of the round at Night's Fall. Any unmet needs will result in additional cultists being drawn for the next round.
Adding City Needs
If a new need is ever added to the City Needs track, place the resource token in the first available empty spot in the right column, starting from the top.
If the City Needs track is full, add the resource token to the top slot instead, doubling it up with the token already there. That City Need will now require 2 resources in order to be considered met (but still only counts as one City Need for purposes of scoring). If more needs are added, double up each need in order until all have 2 resources, then start adding a 3rd resource to each need, etc.
Building Lighthouses
Din'Lux is overcrowded and on the brink of starvation. Our only hope is to expand our borders by building new kinfire lighthouses to protect the villages and farmland beyond our city walls.
Sending Supply Shipments
As an errand, you may send a supply shipment to the current lighthouse site in order to build 1, 2, or 3 floors of the lighthouse. The cost of shipments is shown on the lighthouse site card, with the number of dots shown to the right of the cost representing how many floors the shipment will build.
After paying the required resources, place one of your available influence tokens next to the shipment you made (see "Influence" below), adding it to any other influence tokens that might already be there. Then, move the lighthouse progress marker up by the number of floors that you built.
For example, if you pay the cost for a 2-floor shipment, first place your influence token next to the 2-floor shipment cost. Then, move the progress tracker up by 2 spaces.
Adding more floors to the lighthouse means that each floor constructed will be worth more victory points at the end of the round while the Cult will receive fewer victory points.
Note: Players may build more floors than the lighthouse track will allow. The lighthouse progress marker simply cannot go any further up.
Phase 3: Night's Fall
A. Resolve City Needs
If there are any needs on the City Needs track, resolve them one at a time. For each met need, the owner of the influence token next to that need gains 2 victory points. For each unmet need, draw 1 cultist from the bag and place it in the Cult Hideout.
Unless this is the final round of the game, these cultists will be resolved in the next round when the Cult is unleashed. If, however, this is the 5th round, after scoring City Needs, immediately resolve any cultists in the Cult Hideout.
In the above example, red and blue each receive 2 victory points for meeting 1 Need each, while the 3rd Need has gone unmet and a cultist is drawn and then added to the Cult Hideout as a result.
After City Needs are resolved, Councilors should reclaim any influence tokens on the track and return them to their worker sheets for the next round.
B. Resolve the Docket
Count the votes (influence tokens) above each decree on the docket. The decree with the most votes is passed. If there is a tie, the Councilor with the Speaker's Medallion breaks the tie, even if this Councilor did not vote.
The passed decree is then resolved, along with any crisis decrees that did not pass.
Decrees
The city is short on resources. If we're going to have any hope of protecting our civilization and the people within it, we need to be ready to make difficult decisions.
Each round, two new decrees are added to the docket to be voted on during the Day's Light phase. You may only vote on decrees by gaining a vote. Votes may be acquired from certain worker spaces and research cards.
When you gain a vote, take one of your available influence tokens and place it above the decree you wish to vote for (see "Influence" below).
At Night's Fall the docket will be resolved and the decree with the most votes will pass.
The Councilor who placed the most votes on the passing decree is known as the lead sponsor. Any other Councilors who voted for a passed decree are known as sponsors.
In the case of a tie, the Councilor with the Speaker's Medallion decides which of the tied Councilors will be considered the lead sponsor. However, if no votes were placed on the decree, there is no lead sponsor.
Some decrees have permanent effects that change the rules of the game. These decrees remain in play until some other game effect (from a research card, for instance) causes them to be repealed or discarded.
Types of Decrees
Law - If passed, a law is placed above the board where all Councilors can see it. This law stays in play for the rest of the game.
Order - If passed, an order takes effect immediately and is then discarded.
Election - If passed, an election decree is given to its lead sponsor. It stays in play for the rest of the game.
Crisis - A crisis is only triggered if it is not passed. In this case, the effect is resolved after the passed decree is resolved and then the crisis decree is discarded. If, however, the crisis is passed, the decree has no effect and is discarded.
C. Resolve the Cult
If there are any cultist chits remaining on numbered spaces, these will be resolved a second time. For each remaining cultist, look at its corresponding card slot on the threat board. If there is a card in the slot, place a trouble token on it. If there is no card, draw one and place it face up in the corresponding slot. Then, discard the cultist.
Next, resolve any damage on the lighthouse (see "Damage to Lighthouse Sites" below) by moving the lighthouse progress marker down one space for each trouble token on the lighthouse. The Cult then receives the amount of victory points shown to the right of the marker. The trouble tokens used to track the damage to the lighthouse are returned to the supply.
Grievous Damage to the Lighthouse
If resolving damage to the lighthouse would move the progress marker below the bottom of the track, it stops at the bottom of the track. After awarding the appropriate victory points to the Cult, draw a threat card without revealing it and add it to the hidden threats. Only one hidden threat is added regardless of how far below the bottom of the track the lighthouse progress marker would move.
D. Build the Lighthouse
Find the number to the left of the lighthouse progress marker. This will be the amount of victory points awarded for each floor of the lighthouse built. For every influence token next to the lighthouse sheet, award the necessary victory points to that Councilor.
For example, in the diagram above, the purple Councilor has 1 influence token on the 3-floor slot and 2 influence tokens on the 1-floor slot, while the yellow Councilor has 2 influence tokens on the 2-floor slot. The purple Councilor has built a total of 5 floors (3+1+1), while the yellow Councilor has built 4 floors (2+2). Since the lighthouse progress marker shows 3 victory points to its left, Purple and Yellow will receive 3 victory points for each of the floors they've built. Therefore, Purple gets 15 victory points (3x5), and Yellow gets 12 victory points (3x4).
Once all lighthouse victory points are awarded, return any influence tokens there to their owners' worker sheets. Reset the lighthouse progress marker to the bottom space of the lighthouse tracker sheet.
Discard the lighthouse site and draw a new one. If there are no lighthouse sites remaining, the game is over (see "Ending the Game" below).
E. Workers Head Home
Each Councilor retrieves all of their workers from their current spaces and returns them to their assigned places on their worker sheet.
F. Cede the Floor
The first player passes the Speaker's Medallion to the Councilor on their left. This Councilor will be the first player for the next round.
G. Government Waste
Remove any coin from the city coffers and return them to the supply.
Ending the Game
After 5 rounds, the game ends.
When resolving City Needs in the final round, if any cultists are drawn from unmet needs, they are immediately resolved.
Once the fifth and final lighthouse site has been scored, the game ends and final scoring takes place:
If there are any cards in play that grant victory points at the end of the game (such as Laws that have been passed), award those next.
Then, reveal the cards beneath the Hidden Threats tile. For each card, the Cult gains the victory points shown in the bottom right.
The Councilor with the most victory points is the winner. If the Cult has the most victory points, then the player who is the current Cult Conspirator is the winner instead (see "Cult Influence" below). If the Cult has the most victory points and no player is the Cult Conspirator, the Cult wins the game and all the players lose.
Exception: In a two-player game, if the Cult has the most victory points, both players lose (see "Two-Player Games" below).
In the event of a tie, ties are broken in the following order.
- The Cult wins all ties.
- The tied player who is the patron of the most spaces wins the tie.
- The tied player who has the most unspent resource tokens wins the tie.
- If the players are still tied, they share the win.
Other Rules and Concepts
Influence
A Councilor can achieve little on their own. Holding sway over the wealthy and the powerful while maintaining the admiration of the common folk is the only way for a leader to truly make a difference.
Influence tokens have a variety of uses. They are not spent, but are instead used to signify ownership, votes, or achievement.
You begin each game with only 4 available influence tokens on your worker sheet. Additional influence can be gained throughout the game from some effects.
Once an influence token is gained, it is never returned to your supply but is instead available for the remainder of the game. When the docket, City Needs, and the lighthouse site are resolved, any influence tokens used as votes or to signify fulfilled needs or constructed lighthouse floors are returned to your worker sheet.
If you find yourself in need of an influence token but with none remaining on your worker sheet, you may always choose to remove a previously placed influence from the board, the lighthouse site, or the docket. You may NOT, however, remove any influence from the Cult influence area. That influence must remain there for the rest of the game unless a game effect specifically says otherwise.
Cult Influence
The way of the Hidden God is a path to true power. Help us in our cause and you will reap the rewards.
Cult influence can be gained from some worker spaces and cards. Most actions that grant Cult influence also grant victory points to the Cult, indicated by the Cult victory points icon. For example, The Red Gull at district 4 allows you to trade 2 common resources for Cult influence and Cult victory points. Paying two common resources here would allow you to gain 1 Cult influence and would also grant the Cult 1 victory point.
IMPORTANT: In a two-player game, see "Two-Player Games" below.
When you gain a Cult influence, take it from your unused supply of influence tokens if possible. If you have gained all of your influence tokens already, you must choose one of them to convert into a Cult influence.
Take the influence token and place it in the Cult Influence section of the status board. Then, if you have Cult influence equal to or greater than the current Conspirator, place your new Cult influence token in the Conspirator space (in the top right of the Cult Influence area), replacing any token that was already there and returning it to the Cult Influence area. Thus, the Conspirator will always be the player with the most Cult influence, with ties going to the player who has most recently gained a Cult influence.
At the end of the game, if the Cult has the most victory points, the Cult Conspirator becomes the actual winner of the game!
Magic
Magic is one of the most valuable resources available. While it is sometimes required to pay for various costs in the game, it also acts as a wild resource and may be used in place of a coin, food, common, or rare resource.
City Coffers
Taxes paid to the city are placed in the city coffers bowl. Some game effects will allow players to collect or spend coin from the city coffers. If the coffers are empty, the players may not take any more from them and any effects that require coin to be spent from the coffers cannot be completed.
Councilor Abilities
Each Councilor has one or more abilities listed on their Councilor sheet that they may use as indicated. Players should make use of these abilities when they can, but they shouldn't feel limited by them. Sometimes, the best strategy is to step outside your Councilor's comfort zone.
Damage to Lighthouse Sites
The damage icon represents damage to the current lighthouse site. Most site damage will come from triggered threat cards, but some decrees and research cards may also cause damage.
For each point of damage a lighthouse site receives, add a trouble token to the lighthouse site card. When the Cult is resolved during Night's Fall, the lighthouse progress marker will move down one space for each trouble token on the site (see "Resolve the Cult" above).
Exceeding 50/100 Victory Points
If a Councilor reaches 50 victory points during the game, they claim their +50/+100 token, turning it to its +50 side, and then move their score token back to the 0 space of the scoreboard before continuing to score any additional victory points. Similarly, if a Councilor reaches 100 victory points, they flip their +50 token over to its +100 side and move their score token back to the 0 space of the scoreboard. In the unlikely event a player exceeds 150 victory points, make a note of the excess on a sheet of paper.
Similarly, if the Cult score marker reaches 50/100 victory points, place the Cult of Altan +50/+100 token near the Cult area on the status board, with the appropriate side faceup.
Research Cards
The Scholars' Circle–a remnant of the dwarven kingdom of Dwar Fell–is secretive and strict, but they provide the city with advanced scientific research, some of which seems to find its way into the wrong hands.
Research cards can provide a variety of effects when played. Each card explains when it may be played, whether on a Councilor's turn or during a specific phase of the game.
Multiple research cards may be played at once, and there is no limit to the number of cards a Councilor may have in their hand. If more than one player wish to play a research card at the same time, they are resolved in player order.
Should the research deck run out, turn its discard pile over and shuffle it to form a new research deck.
Sentries
Sentry tokens award additional victory points when performing certain actions or fulfilling certain requirements and can be gained through the use of some locations or cards. When you gain a Sentry token, place it near your Councilor sheet as a reminder.
+1 victory point per City Need - When City Needs are resolved, score 1 additional victory point for each need you met.
+1 victory point per lighthouse shipment - When you deliver a supply shipment to the lighthouse, immediately gain 1 victory point, regardless of the number of floors constructed.
+2 victory points per arrested cultist - When you arrest a cultist, immediately gain 2 victory points.
+2 victory points per district upgraded - When you upgrade a district, gain 2 additional victory points.
+3 victory points per threat thwarted - When you thwart a threat, gain 3 additional victory points.
+5 victory points per lead sponsorship - If you are the lead sponsor of a passed decree, gain 5 victory points when the docket is resolved.
Shady Dealer/Black Market Tile
When things are desperate, you may wish to send a worker to the Shady Dealer to trade your victory points or a research card from your hand for coin.
If the Tumbles (district 3) is upgraded, flip the Shady Dealer tile over to its Black Market side, which allows you to use it twice a turn instead of only once.
Two-Player Games
When playing with only two players, there are a few changes to the rules to keep things running smoothly. Most importantly, players cannot gain Cult influence or become the Cult conspirator. This means that if the Cult ends the game with the most victory points, then both players lose.
A couple of the symbols on the map also have a different meaning during 2-player games:
Cult influence icon - Instead of gaining the Councilor a Cult influence, this symbol allows the Councilor to remove 1 trouble token from a threat card in play of their choice.
Cult victory points icon - Instead of causing the Cult to gain the indicated victory points, this symbol causes the Cult to lose the indicated victory points.
Round Structure
1. Sun's Rise
Prep the Docket — Draw and place 2 decrees.
Unleash the Cult — Draw 3 cultists from the bag to add to the Cult Hideout. Resolve all cultists in the Cult Hideout.
2. Day's Light
Dispatch Workers — Take turns placing workers in clockwise order until all are placed. On your turn: 1. Place a worker and either use one location action of the space or arrest an adjacent cultist. 2. Then, you may perform 1 errand.
3. Night's Fall
Resolve City Needs — Councilors receive 2 victory points for each of their influence tokens on the track. For each unmet need, draw a cultist and add to Cult Hideout. Retrieve influence tokens. If this is the final round, resolve any cultists in the Cult Hideout.
Resolve the Docket — Resolve the passed decree, then resolve any crisis decrees that were not passed. Clean up the docket and retrieve influence tokens.
Resolve the Cult — Resolve any cultists remaining on the board. Reduce the lighthouse progress tracker by 1 for each trouble token on the lighthouse. If the tracker would go below the bottom level, add a hidden threat. Award the Cult victory points according to the right side of the track.
Build Lighthouse — Councilors collect victory points for constructed floors and retrieve their influence tokens. Reset the track, removing all damage. Discard the lighthouse site and reveal a new one for the next round. If this is the final round, the game ends and final scoring begins.
Cede the Floor — Return workers to their worker sheets. Pass the Speaker's Medallion to the left.
Government Waste — Remove any coin from the city coffers and return them to the supply.
Credits
Game Design: Kevin Wilson
Art Director: Katarzyna 'Ulvar' Bekus
Game Development & Editing: Cathy Bock
Graphic Design & DTP: Ines Możdżyńska
Product Development: Zack Marsh
Concept Art & Illustration: Katarzyna 'Ulvar' Bekus, Sandra 'Razuri' Chlewińska, Wiktor Kozyra
Marketing & Community: Ilya Ushakov, Jane Chung Hoffacker
Project Management & Operations: Kris Green, Elle Lee
Finance & Strategy: Robert Hunt
Senior Playtesters: Cathy Bock, Ilya Ushakov
Partners: LongPack Games, All About Games Consulting, Oniro | George Georgeadis
Incredible Dream: Jamie Seltzer, Jane Chung Hoffacker, Tucker Roberts
Playtesters: Jane Chung Hoffacker, Robert Hunt, Katarzyna 'Ulvar' Bekus, Ines Możdżyńska, Zack Marsh, Kris Green, David Bock, Tommy W. Demsky, Dan Evans, Dante Gagelonia, Ashlee Gonzales, Parker Herrera, Lola J, Pagnini Marco, Jules Patalita, Davi Paulino, LaVonne J. Stamper, Van Tuan Tran, Kandi J. Williams, Matthew Zymet
Founder Tier Backers: Christina Costanza, Jeremy Gibson, Andrew Hoffacker, Rusty North, Jamie Seltzer, Joseph Spalding
Special Thanks: Felicia Day, Kevin Reilly, Nicole Lewis, Jake Perlman-Garr, David Bock, Ezra Bock, Jaion Chung, Andrew Hoffacker, Warren Hoffacker, Karolina 'Kej' Kruszewska, Matt Molandes, Grzegorz Możdżyński, Tylor Murray, 'Vesner' Redesiuk, Tommy Sinbazo, Devan Malhotra
Copyright © 2025 Incredible Dream Studios Inc. Kinfire, Incredible Dream, and the D logo are registered trademarks of Incredible Dream Studios Inc. All rights reserved.