Kingsport Festival: The Card Game
Kingsport Festival: The Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Idea and Purpose of the Game
Silent wanderers have already been called to the profane celebration that is Kingsport Festival, the board game originally published in 2014. Now, in the cavern of Erebus, the ancient mysteries of the Yule-rite return in Kingsport Festival: the Card Game.
Even if you are familiar with the board game, we recommend you to read all the rules carefully: although some concepts will be familiar to you, the details of this game are completely different.
The Master of Weird's pen returns in this bizarre game for 3-5 cultists from 13 years and up. This time, you are the bad guys of the terrifying universe of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Why settle for the lesser evil?
Game Components
- 66 Elder Gods cards
- 14 Investigator cards
- 1 white Time counter
- 5 pink Sanity counters
- 5 grey Domain dice: Evil, Death and Destruction
The Cards
Elder God cards
The characteristics of an Elder God card are:
- Invocation cost: paid in Domain resources (shown as Domain dice symbols at the top of the card).
- Level of the Elder God: a Roman numeral shown in the circle on the card.
- Minimum number of players: the number in the small box beside the card name. The card is added to the starting layout only when there are at least this many players (see Set-up).
- Expansion effect: activated when the card is played from a Cultist's hand.
- Raid effect: the effect shown in the lower part of the card's text box.
- Strength against the investigator: the number shown in the blue raid icon at the bottom of the card, used when the Elder God is involved in a Raid.
- Cult Points: the row of pentagram symbols at the bottom of the card. Cult Points determine the winner.
Investigator cards
The characteristics of an Investigator card are:
- Scenario Effect: lasts for the whole game.
- Strength of the investigator: three Raid turns are shown along the bottom of the card, each with its own strength value (the card in the rulebook illustration shows 3, 6 and 9 for Raid turns 1, 2 and 3).
- Raid turn: the turn of the Raid to which each strength value belongs.
Investigator cards can be chosen or drawn at random.
Set-up
- Each Cultist receives 1 pink counter, which they use to keep track of their own Sanity. The counter is placed on the game board in front of the player, with a starting value of 10.
- Sanity is a precious resource which must be preserved as much as possible.
- With fewer than 5 players, any unused pink counters are placed back in the box.
- Arrange the Elder Gods cards on the game board as in the layout shown in the rulebook (the layout diagram is labelled "Layout for Elder Gods who can be invoked"). Depending on the number of players, the number of Elder Gods cards in play changes.
Source note: the Elder Gods layout is a card diagram in the printed rulebook, with no text listing. The individual card names are not transcribed here; the card set itself defines them.
- The cards have a reference which indicates the minimum number of players required to add that card to the starting layout. Any cards which are not put into play are put back in the box and are not used in the game.
- Shuffle the 14 Investigator cards and draw one at random. Put the card into play. The Investigators are cards which introduce the characteristics of the 3 Raids and the Scenario effects, additional rules which last throughout the game.
Example (handwritten annotation in the rulebook): In this game, the investigator drawn is William Dyer. His effect means that on each Expansion phase, the Cultists risk losing 1 Sanity on their turn if they have not obtained Death (by rolling the dice or thanks to the effect of an Elder God card). The first raid is during round 3, played with Strength 1; the second during round 6, played with Strength 3; and the third during the last round, played with Strength 5.
Editor's note: the Strength values in this handwritten example (1, 3, 5) differ from the Strength values printed on the Dyer card illustration in "The Cards" (3, 6, 9). The transcription follows the printed text; the values on the card itself govern play.
Important (Investigators)
If this is your first game, we recommend you ignore the Scenario effect of the Investigator card and use only the characteristics of the Raid. If, on the other hand, you are expert players, you may choose the Investigator you wish to come up against instead of drawing it by chance.
Preparing the Game
- Keep all five grey Domain dice at hand.
- Determine the first player (the person with the closest birthday, for example). That player receives the white Time counter, which they place in front of them, showing the face with the Watch symbol.
- You are ready to begin.
Example (handwritten annotation): During the Set-up, Larry received the white Time counter. The first turn begins and Larry has to give it to Lucy, the player to his left. Larry, in return, gains 1 Sanity, bringing his total to [number not legible in the scan]. Lucy places the white counter in front of her, revealing the face for round 1, as it is the first round.
How to Play
A game is composed of 9 rounds, in each of which every person, playing an evil Cultist, has the right to act.
Before starting the round, the person who holds the white Time counter must pass it to the player to their immediate left, who must rotate it so it shows the face with the number of the current round. The player who previously held the white counter receives 1 Sanity in return, which they immediately add to their total by updating their pink counter. The person who now holds the white Time counter is the first player in this round.
During the round the Cultists operate in turn, starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise. Each round is composed of 3 phases, plus an optional one for the Investigator Raids, which is added to the turns indicated on the Investigator card:
- Expansion: each Cultist receives 1 grey Domain die on their turn, which they must roll; they may then play any number of Elder Gods cards from their hand one at a time, generating and applying the effects, as long as they are able to pay all applicable costs.
- Invocation: in turn order, the Cultists may spend the Domain resources accumulated with the results of the grey dice (Evil, Death and Destruction) to invoke 1 (and only one) Elder God.
IMPORTANT: No Cultist may hold two identical Elder Gods, and no more than the five grey Domain dice supplied in the box may be accumulated.
- Raid: if indicated by the Investigator card, the Cultists must resolve the Raid in turn order (see the Raids section further on in these instructions).
- End of the round: in turn order, the Cultist must pick up all cards played to pass the turn to the Cultist to their left.
Example (handwritten annotation): It is turn 2. James throws the Domain die to start his Expansion phase: he rolls Death. He decides to play the Nightgaunt Elder God card from his hand, which he obtained in the previous round, thus obtaining a second die with the result of Death. Having no more cards to play, he declares his turn over. Having received at least one die with the result of Death, he does not lose Sanity to the effect of William Dyer. During the Invocation phase, he will be able to spend the two equal results (2 Death) to obtain the Yithian card.
When all Cultists have been able to play their phases, the round ends and a new one begins. The white Time counter passes to the next player to the left, who then becomes the new first player for that round. Remember that the person giving away the counter receives 1 Sanity as a reward, which they add to their total on the pink counter.
At the end of round 9, the game ends and the winner is declared (see The End of the Game).
Domain Resources
Domains are the resources of this game, and are obtained by rolling the grey dice or else directly obtaining given results as a consequence of the Expansion effect of some cards. There are three types of these resources, some more common than others:
- Evil (purple): this is the most common Domain; three faces out of six on the grey die give this resource.
- Death (black): this is a less common Domain; two faces out of six on the grey die give this resource.
- Destruction (red): this is the rarest Domain; only one face on the grey die gives this resource.
Some Elder God cards have Invocation costs in specific resources. For example, Tulzscha requires 4 specific Domains: 2 Evil (purple) and 2 Destruction (red).
Other Elder Gods cards require a choice of Domains (grey): in this case it is the Cultist who chooses the type (Evil, Death or Destruction). Choices of Domains can have restrictions depending on how the symbols are shown on the card. When the Domains are separated, the chosen resources must be different. For example, Flying Polyps require a choice of 2 Domains, but these must be different (1 Evil and 1 Death, for example).
When the Domains overlap slightly, on the other hand, the chosen resources must be the same.
For example, Haunter of the Dark requires 1 Evil and a choice of 2 of the same Domains which are not Evil: these can therefore either be 2 Death or 2 Destruction.
You must also consider that the keys to the Invocation costs in Domains can also be found in combination. For example, Nyarlathotep requires a choice of 3 Domains in addition to a choice of another 2 Domains. The two groups must be of different resources, but each group must be composed of the same type of resources (e.g. 3 Evil and 2 Death).
Sanity
Many Elder Gods require an additional cost from the Cultist in Sanity points in order to activate their Expansion effect. When the Cultist receives or loses Sanity, they must update their pink counter so that it always shows their current total. The maximum Sanity value is 12 and the minimum is zero. To indicate such a lack of Sanity, the counter must be removed from the game and may only be retaken when the total returns to positive figures (at least 1).
If a Cultist must pay a cost in Sanity but they do not have sufficient points on their pink counter, they must make up the difference with an equivalent number of Cult points by discarding Elder Gods cards they possess in their hand or the game (any excess points are wasted). A discarded card is immediately replaced in the layout of Elder Gods cards in the centre of the game board: this Elder God can now once again be invoked according to the normal rules.
Example (handwritten annotation): James plays Nodens from his hand in order to be able to throw 1 additional Domain die. In order to activate the effect of Nodens, however, James must pay 2 Sanity, but he only has 1. As a consequence, he loses his last Sanity point, removing his pink counter temporarily from the game, and he must discard one of his Elder Gods cards from his hand or the game; he chooses to discard Nightgaunt from his hand. As this is worth 1 Cult point, he thus makes up the Sanity deficit.
Example (handwritten annotation): James could also have discarded the Yithian card from the game, which he played immediately before Nodens, but as it is worth 2 Cult points, he would have wasted the extra point.
Raids
The Investigator cards indicate the three rounds in which the Raids take place. Raids are resolved by the Cultist in turn order by playing Elder Gods cards from their hands; the Elder Gods possess Strength against the Investigators. The starting Strength of all Cultists is zero. The Strength values of the Investigator for each Raid are indicated on the Investigator card. When a Cultist resolves a Raid, they must calculate the difference between their own Strength, obtained by playing Elder Gods cards from their hand which offer Strength against the Investigator, and that of the Investigator, by counting the number of blue symbols with "points" of the corresponding Raid:
- If the Cultist's Strength is higher, they gain the difference in Sanity points;
- If the Cultist's Strength is lower, they lose the difference in Sanity points;
- If the strengths are equal, they neither gain nor lose any Sanity.
IMPORTANT: The blue symbol on the Elder Gods cards represents 1 unit of Strength against the Investigators. Each blue symbol with "points" on the Investigator cards represents 1 unit of the Investigator's Strength.
Example (handwritten annotation): It is round 6, and Larry must deal with the Investigator's second raid. William Dyer has a Strength of 3. Larry plays the Mi-Go, Hydra, Yig and Flying Polyps Elder Gods from his hand for a total of 4. Having beaten the Investigator's total by 1, Larry receives 1 Sanity in return. On her turn, Lucy is able to play a Strength of 3, which is equal to the Investigator, so she neither gains nor loses anything. James, on the other hand, is in trouble: during his Raid phase, he is only able to play Cthulhu, with only 1 Strength point. James thus loses 2 Sanity.
End of the Game
A game always finishes at the end of the ninth round, unless a Cultist is able to invoke the Elder God Azathoth. When the game finishes, each Cultist counts up the Cult points from all the Elder Gods cards they hold.
The Cultist with the most points is declared the winner.
In the event of a tie, the player with the most remaining Sanity on their pink counter is the winner. If the game is also tied after comparing Sanity, then the greatest number of Greater Gods invoked by level (in descending order) is compared.
IMPORTANT: Each green symbol on the Elder Gods cards represents 1 Cult point.
Example (handwritten annotation): Larry adds up all the Cult points for the Elder Gods he holds, giving a total of 21. Lucy has only 18, and James 20. Steve also has 21 points, but he still has 5 Sanity, while Larry only has 3. Steve is declared the winner. If the two players had also been tied on Sanity, they would then have had to compare the Elder Gods: neither invoked Azathoth (level VI), but Larry invoked 2 level V Elder Gods, compared to only 1 for Steve. Luckily for him he had been able to retain his Sanity, otherwise he would have lost the tie breaker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some symbols have 'points' and others don't? The symbols with the 'points' represent a cost for the Cultists, generally in Domain resources (Evil, Death or Destruction). The symbols without 'points', on the other hand, indicate rewards. The invocation costs are indicated at the top of the Elder Gods cards, any rewards in terms of Cult points on the bottom left, and any Strength they possess against the Investigators on the bottom right.
There are only 5 Domain dice supplied: what happens if effects are activated which generate further grey dice but these aren't available? It is not possible to generate effects on Domain dice which cannot be satisfied. The Cultists must plan out their strategies so as to be able to make the best of the available possibilities.
What does it mean to 'invoke' an Elder God? Invocation allows a player, upon paying the required cost in terms of resources, to take the card of that Elder God from the layout and add it to their hand.
When the effect of a card says 'to receive X new dice', where do I take them from? The game provides for the use of 5 grey Domain dice which are available from the beginning of the game. It may occur that the sum of the effects on the cards makes it theoretically possible to receive more than 5 dice. But, as we have already seen, 'It is not possible to generate effects on Domain dice which cannot be satisfied'.
Can I play an Elder God as soon as it has been invoked? No, this is not possible because phase 2. Invocation follows phase 1. Expansion, in which it is possible to play Elder Gods cards from the hand in order to obtain their effects.
Can I count the Strength against the Investigators from an Elder God which I played in phase 2. Expansion? No, because phase 3. Raid follows phase 1. Expansion, and requires Elder Gods to be played from the hand to generate Strength against the Investigators. Therefore, an Elder God played in phase 1. Expansion cannot supply Strength against the Investigators, even if it possesses this, if it was already in play at the beginning of phase 3. Raid.
Editor's note: the question above reads "phase 2. Expansion" as printed; the answer refers to phase 1. Expansion, which is the Expansion phase described in How to Play. The question is transcribed as printed.
At the end of the ninth round, if I was the first player in that round, do I receive 1 Sanity when I give up the white Time counter? No, because the game terminates immediately at the end of the ninth round without the white counter being passed on. Therefore, the 1 Sanity reward is not assigned.
How does the effect of Azathoth work? Azathoth has different rules from the other Elder Gods, indeed its effect is activated 'at the end of the round and the game' instead of during phase 1. Expansion. Azathoth assigns Cult points to the Cultist who invoked it at the end of the game, instead of the Cult points being valued as for the other Elder Gods. This means that it is not possible to discard Azathoth to pay any penalties in Cult points.
The backs of the Elder Gods cards are not all the same – why is this? Its purpose is to give a player's adversaries indications about the cards they have in their hand, allowing the other players to make use of this information to offer up a possible further level of strategy.