KUR-NU-GI Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Symbols
• 1. Introduction
• 2. What You Will Find in the Game Box
• 3. Board Setup
• 4. Player Setup
  • Two-Player Game
• 5. Turns and Their Division
  • Regular Turn
  • Special Turn – Time of Lament (CL)
• 6. Game Components
  • The Board
  • Board – Area A
  • Board – Area B
  • Board – Area C
  • Player Board
  • Vri-il
  • Sacrifice Dice
  • Identities
  • Influences
  • Demons [Priest]
  • Altars
  • Death Triad [Priest]
  • Temples [Priest]
• 7. Actions
  • Taking an Initiative Marker
  • Invocation
  • Manipulation
  • KUR
  • Ritual
  • Path of the Soul
  • Path of the Shadows
  • Sacrifice
  • Identity
  • Altar
  • Dance of Shadows
  • Temple [Priest]
  • Influences
• 8. End of the Game
  • Final Scoring Card
• 9. Solo Variant
  • Setup
  • Planning Phase and Action Phase
  • Time of Lament
  • End of the Game
• The Gods and Their Strategies

Symbols

Gods and the Tombs of the gods: Anu, Enlil, Ninhursag, Enki, Dumuzi, Undefined Tomb.

Components and concepts: Soul, Shadow, Identity (T), Bonuses from Identity cards, Sacrifice Die (KO), Undefined Influence card, Influence cards of individual gods, Altar, Temple, Triad, Demon, Gate, Pact, Bonus from Pact cards, Initiative, Escape Points (PU), Vri-il (+X / -X / 0), Player marker, Event (Solo variant), Time of Lament (CL), Lament Strength (SL), End of game.

Some additional markings on the board and cards:

• raise your OWN Soul or Shadows by 1 SL (Lament Strength);
• place a player marker on a free Influence card;
• re-roll any of YOUR OWN Sacrifice Dice;
• Time of Lament: raise or lower by 1 the value on ANY Sacrifice Die (your own or an opponent's);
• perform any action and gain or lose the corresponding amount of Vri-il;
• raise YOUR OWN Altar level by 1.

Actions: immediate effect; moving components; "to the game" (green square), "within the game" (white square), "out of the game" (red square); onto the board; from the board; decrease a value by 1; increase a value by 1.

IMPORTANT! All symbols that occur in the game are described on the back of the cover.

1. Introduction

See the introductory text above.

2. What You Will Find in the Game Box

• Board
• 5 player boards
• Influence cards (8 per each of the 5 gods = 40 cards)
• Identity cards (25)
• Demon cards (5)
• Altar cards (5)
• Death Triad cards (3)
• Temple cards (5)
• Pact cards (15)
• Gate cards (7)
• Vri-il markers (50)
• Pact markers (5)
• Lament Scoring cards (10)
• Final Scoring card (1)
• Solo Event cards (10)
• Aid cards (5)
• Initiative markers (5)
• Turn marker
• A5 aid cards (5)
• Soul markers (5)
• Shadow markers (15, 3 per player)
• Demon markers (5)
• Altar markers (5)
• Demon stands (10)
• Death Triad markers (3)
• Sacrifice Dice (35, 7 per player)
• Player markers (55, 11 per player)
• Action Block markers (10)
• Lament Strength markers (5)

Note: the draft PDF contains a second version of this components spread in which the counts differ: 35 Influence cards (7 per god), 20 Identity cards, 10 Pact cards, 8 Lament Scoring cards and 8 Solo Event cards, and no separate listing of the 5 A5 aid cards slot; the counts above are those of the first version.

3. Board Setup

1. Place the board and the Vri-il markers so that every player has free access to them.

2. Choose one of three game variants:

   • [Novice],
   • [Priest],
   • [Archpriest].

   To better understand the game and its mechanics, we recommend starting with the [Novice] variant. In this variant only the cards marked as [Novice] are used.

   If the players are already familiar with the mechanics of the Novice, they can try their hand at the [Priest] variant. This variant uses cards marked both [Novice] and [Priest].

   The third and most advanced way to play is the [Archpriest] variant. It includes all available cards and game components.

3. Shuffle the Identity cards and place them face down in their designated place. The top card must be turned face up.

4. Shuffle the Influence cards of each god and place them face down in their designated place. The top card of each pile must be turned face up.

5. Place the Final Scoring card with the chosen variant side up.

6. Place the Turn marker on the space marked 1 on the Turn track.

7. Lay out as many Initiative markers as there are players on the appropriate spaces of the Initiative track.

8. [Priest] Choose the Lament Scoring deck appropriate for the number of players, shuffle it and place it in its designated place. Turn the top card face up.

   NOTE! In the [Novice] variant take only one appropriate Lament Scoring card.

4. Player Setup

Each player chooses a colour and takes: a player board, a Soul marker, 3 Shadow markers, 3 Sacrifice Dice, 11 player markers in their colour.

1. Each player places their player board in front of them.
2. The Soul is to be placed on the board in the starting Tomb (described on the player board).
3. The Sacrifice Dice are to be placed on your player board in the place designated for them.
4. The Shadows are to be placed on your player board in the place designated for them.
5. One of the player markers is to be placed on the board on space 0 of the Scoring track, and the rest next to the player board.
6. Each player takes three Vri-il markers of value 1.
7. The Lament Strength (SL) marker of the Soul and Shadow is to be set on space 5.
8. Players simultaneously roll their three Sacrifice Dice. The player who obtained the lowest sum of pips places his player marker on the first space of the Initiative track, next to the Initiative marker already lying there, and the other players follow in order from the lowest sum to the highest. Ties are resolved by a roll of a die from the supply.
9. Only in the [Novice] variant: each player receives the Altar card corresponding to the starting god and places it next to his player board.
10. [Priest] Each player receives two Demon stands in his colour, which he places next to his player board.
11. [Archpriest] Each player receives a Gate marker in his colour and places it next to his player board.

Two-Player Game

In a 2-player game the players choose a Neutral Soul with 3 Neutral Sacrifice Dice in any colour not chosen by a player, which they place on the board in the corresponding starting Tomb.

Then the Dice are to be rolled and moved according to the diagram placed in the given Tomb.

The Lament Strength (SL) of the Neutral Soul is 5, and the values on the Sacrifice Dice change during the game.

Diagram of movement of Neutral Souls and Dice: it is found in every Tomb. It shows the direction in which the Dice and/or Soul are to be moved after a roll at the indicated moment of the game. A result of 1/2 means that the Soul/Dice remain assigned to the given Tomb.

5. Turns and Their Division

The Turn track is a symbolic river along which Urshanabi, the ferryman of the dead, travels. Reaching the other end of the river means the end of the game and the final Time of Lament. (Sidebar: KUR-NU-GI described as the "lower world filled with dread"; the river Hubur separated it from the world of the living, also called the river "devouring man".)

A game of Kur-Nu-Gi consists of a series of turns:

• 6 regular + 3 special for the solo variant;
• 8 regular + 4 special for 2-5 players.

During a regular turn the players plan and then perform actions. In the Special Turn, called the Time of Lament (CL), the players will gain the key Escape Points (PU) that allow them to win the game.

Regular Turn

A REGULAR TURN consists of five (and in the [Archpriest] variant, six) consecutive phases:

PHASE 1 – GAINING RESOURCES Some of the Identity cards and Altars allow us to draw an additional Vri-il. These abilities work precisely in the gaining resources phase.

PHASE 2 – PACTS [Archpriest] In the [Archpriest] variant, in the area of the Pact cards next to the board, reveal the first or next Pact card.

PHASE 3 – PLANNING PHASE In this phase the players send their Shadows to the action spaces and may take an Initiative marker (only one per turn). The player whose marker is in the first place of Initiative begins.

A player may place his Shadow on any unoccupied action space, or take an Initiative marker. Then the next player places his Shadow or takes an Initiative marker, etc., in the appropriate order according to the number on the Initiative markers being returned.

IMPORTANT! If a player takes an Initiative marker from spaces III, IV, V, he immediately receives the Vri-il bonus assigned to that space (+1, +2, +3 respectively).

This phase ends when all players have sent their Shadows onto the board and all Initiative markers have been taken.

PHASE 4 – ACTIONS In Initiative order each player takes one of his Shadows from an action space on the board, receiving the Vri-il bonus or paying Vri-il for performing the action, and performs the action assigned to that space. Each action space is described in detail on page 24. This phase lasts until all Shadows not in Tombs have returned to the players' boards.

IMPORTANT!

• In this phase the Initiative from the beginning of the turn applies.
• A Shadow that is in a Tomb cannot be taken.

PHASE 5 – CHANGE OF INITIATIVE Players return the Initiative markers to the board and place their player markers on the Initiative track in the appropriate order according to the number on the returned markers.

PHASE 6 – CHANGE OF TURN Move the Turn marker to the next space. If it is a space marked with a number, the next Regular Turn begins. If the marker has reached a Time of Lament (CL) space, the Special Turn takes place.

Special Turn – Time of Lament (CL)

It consists of four consecutive phases:

PHASE 1 – GAINING RESOURCES Some of the Identity and Altar cards have special abilities that work during the Time of Lament (CL). They are shown in the example below (Altar of Dumuzi). These abilities work precisely in the gaining resources phase.

EXAMPLE: during the Time of Lament (CL), in the Gaining Resources phase, the owner of this Altar receives, among other things, 1 Vri-il for each Altar (including the Triad Altar) in play. Altars are described on p. 18.

PHASE 2 – MOVEMENT OF SOULS In Initiative track order, players may decide whether to move their Soul to an adjacent Tomb. An adjacent Tomb is one to which the lines forming the pentagram on the board lead. For each Neutral Soul, a die is rolled and the Soul is moved according to the Movement of Souls and Neutral Dice diagram found in each Tomb.

[Priest] [Archpriest] – in these variants the players may control Demons, which in this phase can also move analogously to the Movement of Souls described above.

(Diagram: the arrows indicate the adjacent Tombs; the pentagram connects Anu, Enlil, Ninhursag, Enki, Dumuzi.)

PHASE 3 – LAMENT Starting from the Tomb of Anu, players will resolve Lament Strength (SL) in each Tomb. The graphic shows the correct order of resolving the Tombs: 1 Anu, 2 Enlil, 3 Ninhursag, 4 Enki, 5 Dumuzi.

To determine each player's Lament Strength (SL), perform two simple steps:

3.1. In Initiative order, the players may declare the use of the ability of one of the Influence cards (on which they have their player marker) in this Tomb. The effect of such a card is resolved immediately upon use.

Such a card must be moved from the Influence card area on the board to the played Influence card area next to the player board, face down. The player marker returns to his pool of markers.

3.2. All players Present in a given Tomb add up the number of pips on their Sacrifice Dice. To the sum obtained they add the Lament Strength (SL) of the Shadows, Soul and Demons Present in that Tomb, and any other possible modifiers.

Presence: a player is Present in a Tomb if he has in it at least one Sacrifice Die, Soul, Shadow or Demon. A Soul or Shadow with Lament Strength 0 still gives the player Presence in the given Tomb.

IMPORTANT! Except for the exceptional situations described on Altar cards, Altars do not give Presence in Tombs.

Players who are Present in a given Tomb gain Escape Points (PU) according to the Scoring card in this Time of Lament (CL). The number of Escape Points (PU) depends on the number of players Present in the given Tomb during this Time of Lament (CL).

Additionally, the player who has the greatest Lament Strength (SL) in the given Tomb chooses one of the rewards and marks it with a marker in his colour – receiving that reward. No one else can gain it any more.

If several players have equal Lament Strength (SL), the one whose marker is higher on the Initiative track wins.

EXAMPLE: In the Tomb of Enki four players check their Lament Strength (SL). The first step is declaring the use of their Influence cards according to Initiative. A player who declares the use of a card plays it, and its effect is resolved at once. After the other players have passed, the yellow player (last on the Initiative track, 1) decides to play into this Tomb the card Deadly Visions (2). He must first pay the cost of playing, which is 2 Vri-il (3). The other players, as they have passed, can no longer react to the playing of the card by the yellow player, who may now play another card. (Another round of playing cards follows and only players who have previously played a card may play further ones.) However, he passes, and the players move on to the next step.

The second step is adding up the pips on their Sacrifice Dice and Present (in this example) Soul and Shadow (4). The Lament Strength (SL) of the yellow Shadow is 10, and the Lament Strength (SL) of the green Soul is 0. After adding up, the scoring resulting from the revealed Lament Scoring card (5) is as follows:

• 7 PU (5 + 2 – fulfilled the condition from the Influence card) for the yellow player – his total Lament Strength is 10;
• 2 PU for the green player – his total Lament Strength is 9;
• 1 PU for the blue player – his total Lament Strength is 3 and he is higher on the Initiative track than the red player;
• 0 PU for the red player – his total Lament Strength is 3 and he is lower on the Initiative track than the blue player.

The third and last step for this Tomb is the choice of a reward by the yellow player for winning the Time of Lament. He places his player marker on one of the available Reward spaces – receiving at once the reward on the space on which he placed the marker.

PHASE 4 – RENEWAL In this phase preparation for the next Regular Turn takes place:

1. The Conditions for early end of the game are checked.

2. All Shadows from Tombs return to their player boards.

3. Unplayed Influence cards on which player markers are placed are taken and placed face down next to the player board in the played Influence cards area. The player markers return to their pool.

4. The revealed Influence cards of each of the gods on which there is no player marker are removed from the game;

5. New Influence cards are revealed.

6. If in any Tomb there are two or more Demons – they are removed, and their cards and markers return to the common pool.

7. In the Solo and 2-player game – the Neutral Sacrifice Dice are re-rolled and moved according to the Movement of Souls and Neutral Dice diagram found in each Tomb. A result of 1 or 2 means the Sacrifice Die is not moved.

   Additionally, one Neutral Die is added for each Neutral Soul, to the Tomb occupied by it. The Die is to be rolled and moved according to the diagram.

8. Moving the Turn marker.

6. Game Components

The Board

On the board three main areas can be distinguished:

• A – the action area, to which we send our obedient Shadows;
• B – the area from which we will take Influence cards, Identity cards and Triad Altars;
• C – the area of the Tombs of the five gods and the remaining actions.

Apart from the main areas, on and around the board we will find:

1. the Escape Points (PU) track;
2. the Initiative track;
3. the Turn track;
4. the Final Scoring card;
5. the area for the Lament Scoring cards;
6. the Reward space areas at the individual Tombs;
7. [Priest] space for the Triad markers in play;
8. [Priest] the area for Temple cards and Altar cards;
9. [Priest] the area for Demon cards;
10. [Archpriest] the area for Pact cards;
11. [Archpriest] the area for Gate cards.

Board – Area A

This is the main area of the Shadows' activity. Each space makes it possible to perform a specific action – paying for it or receiving the indicated amount of Vri-il. The operation of each space is described later in the rulebook.

Action spaces: Invocation (1), Manipulation (2), Sacrifice (3), Identity (4), Altar (5) have more than one space for a Shadow. They differ only in the price or bonus in the form of Vri-il. One player may use more than one of his Shadows to occupy more than one space of a given action.

Example action for which we must bear a Vri-il cost (-5): Identity. Example action for which we receive Vri-il (+1): Path of the Soul.

Board – Area B

Here the shuffled Identity cards (1), Influence cards (2) and [Priest] Death Triad cards (3) are to be laid out.

Additionally, the top Influence card of each of the gods, as well as the top Identity card, should be revealed, and the others left face down.

Board – Area C

In the Tombs (1) players will place their Souls and Sacrifice Dice. Here they will also bring in Shadows by means of the Dance of Shadows action space (2), [Priest] Demons, and place Altars. [Archpriest] Gates will be placed on specially designated spaces (3) by means of the Gate action (4).

Each of the Tombs is assigned to one of the five gods. The Tombs form a pentagram symbolizing KUR (the land of the dead). (Sumer, 3500 BCE – the oldest known pentagram.)

Player Board

1. Starting Tomb and a historical note.

2. Sacrifice Dice area (a player may have from 0 to 7 such dice).

3. Area for three Shadow markers.

4. Lament Strength (SL) track of the Soul and Shadows.

   Important! The Lament Strength (SL) of the Soul and of the Shadows are linked. Each time the value of one rises, the value of the other falls.

5. Space for the Initiative marker taken.

6. Area for controlled Altar cards.

7. Area for Identity cards.

8. [Priest] Area for used Influence cards.

9. [Priest] Area for controlled Demon cards.

10. [Archpriest] Area for Pact cards.

11. [Archpriest] Area for the controlled Gate card.

Vri-il

Vri-il comes in the form of markers of value 1, 5 and 10.

Vri-il markers are a form of currency in Kur-Nu-Gi. We obtain it by performing some actions, and we also pay with it for some of them.

In certain situations we can exchange Vri-il markers for Escape Points (PU).

The word Vri-il, also used as a synonym of power, derives from the ancient Sumerian word meaning "to be like a god". It was an ancient concept of a breath-spirit (Vri-il) present in every living person. It was originally believed that its seat was certain organs in the body, which is why it was not obvious what happened to the human body after death. Remaining unburied or being restless in the grave was the worst imaginable fate after death.

Sacrifice Dice

Sacrifice Dice represent the value of the offerings that the living make to the gods on behalf of your soul. They are one of the main ways of building your Lament Strength (SL) in the Tombs.

In Sumerian mythology the fate of the dead depended largely on the memory and care of the family left behind on earth.

Dice can get into a Tomb in four ways:

1. The Invocation action allows you to move any number of Sacrifice Dice from the player board to the board, to any number of Tombs.
2. The Sacrifice action allows you to split one of your Sacrifice Dice into two whose sum of pips equals the value of the divided die.
3. The Ritual action allows you to place a new Sacrifice Die directly in any Tomb.
4. As a result of the effect of some cards.

IMPORTANT! If a Sacrifice Die returns to the board from the player board for any reason, it must be re-rolled.

A Sacrifice Die whose value rises above 6 or falls below 1 is: a) on the board: returns to the player board and is re-rolled, b) on the player board: is re-rolled.

Identities

FRONT:

1. description of the special ability;
2. crystal of additional effects;
3. marking of the game variant.

BACK: 4. information about the maximum number of cards a player may have.

In the planning phase, send your Shadow to the Identity action space. Pay the appropriate Vri-il cost (5 or 6), and your Shadow returns to you with two Identity cards. Choose one of them and place it in any free place in the Identity cards area above your player board, and discard the other.

If it is already your turn's Identity card and you have managed to arrange the cards so as to form a closed crystal, then you receive an immediate bonus if the crystal has next to it the symbol for an immediate effect, or you will receive it every regular turn (in the planning phase) if it is marked (*/turn), or in the Time of Lament if it is marked CL.

IMPORTANT! The special abilities described on Identity cards work only for those cards that are placed above the coloured mask symbols (the two middle cards). The remaining two, marked with grey mask symbols, serve only to complete the crystals of additional effects.

Example: The red player has already revealed 3 Identity cards. He chose that in life he was a monarch, a saint and a tax collector. The saint and tax collector cards are placed above gold masks – thanks to which their special abilities work. The monarch card, placed above a silver mask, does not allow use of its special ability. In addition, the red player has three closed bonus crystals. Thanks to the connection of the monarch and saint cards he will receive 2 Vri-il each turn, and at the moment of placing the monarch card he received 1 Escape Point. Thanks to the connection of the saint and tax collector cards he will also receive 2 Vri-il each turn, which already gives 4 Vri-il each turn. Of course – he was a monarch, and a tax collector besides. IMPORTANT! We receive bonuses only from closed crystals.

Influences

FRONT:

1. play cost (Vri-il);
2. effect;
3. historical note;
4. marking of the game variant.

BACK: 5. name of the god; 6. symbol of the god; 7. half of the Demon action space.

Influence cards are special one-time abilities which players can use during the Time of Lament (CL). To be able to use an Influence card, players must fulfil one of two conditions:

1. During the planning phase they must send their Shadow to the Influences action space, and in the action phase they must mark with their player marker one of the available Influence cards (of a god in whose Tomb the players are Present).
2. During the planning phase they must send their Shadow to the Dance of Shadows action space, and in the action phase they may mark the Influence card of the god into whose Tomb their Shadow entered (they do not then take Vri-il for entering the Tomb).

During the Time of Lament (CL), a player who has a player marker on any Influence card may pay the cost of playing the card in order to apply its special ability in the Tomb currently being resolved. Such a card goes to the used Influence cards area next to his player board.

[Priest] When a player has used at least two Influence cards, a unique Demon action space is created. Only the player who used these cards can use this action.

IMPORTANT!

• There can be a marker of only one player on a single Influence card.
• An Influence card can be played into only one Tomb – the played card goes to the used Influence cards area next to the player board.
• A player may play an Influence card into ANY Tomb regardless of whether he is Present in it.

Demons [Priest]

FRONT:

1. Lament Strength (SL) of the Demon;
2. special abilities;
3. historical note;
4. marking of the game variant.

BACK: 5. name of the Demon; 6. Tomb in which his marker is to be placed after using the Demon action.

Demons are powerful allies:

• they can move through the Tombs like a Soul;
• they add their SL to the player's SL during the Time of Lament (CL);
• each has a unique ability;
• if after the Time of Lament (CL) a Demon in a given Tomb is the only Demon, he remains in it;
• if after the Time of Lament (CL) there are two or more Demons in a Tomb, their markers and cards return to the common pool.

To be able to summon a Demon, it is enough to play at least two Influence cards in the Time of Lament (CL). At the moment when two played Influence cards lie in the played Influence cards area next to the player board, a unique Demon action space is created.

A player may choose a free Demon card of one of the gods whose cards make up the action space created in this way. The Demon must be the same colour as one of the 2 cards making up the action space.

The Demon marker appears in the Tomb of the god to whom it belongs, and from that moment the player takes control of it.

IMPORTANT!

• The Demon action space may be made up of Influence cards of different gods, but it MUST ALWAYS BE ONLY ONE SPACE. Each subsequent played Influence card goes on top of one of two piles in the played Influence cards area.
• Only one Demon of a given god can be on the board.
• A player can have a maximum of two Demons.

Example: The green player has in the played Influence cards area the cards of Anu and Dumuzi. They created a Demon action space to which the green player sent his Shadow. Now he will be able to choose whether to summon the Demon of Anu (Lamashtu) or the Demon of Dumuzi (Huwawa). He must remember that the Demon of each of the gods appears on the board in that god's Tomb (Lamashtu in the Tomb of Anu, and Huwawa in the Tomb of Dumuzi, etc.).

Altars

FRONT:

1. abilities of the Altar from level 1;
2. abilities of the Altar from level 2;
3. information on which Temple in the world of the living the Altar is connected with;
4. marking of the game variant.

BACK: 5. abilities of the Altar from level 3; 6. Tomb in which the Altar marker is to be placed after using the Altar action.

To build the first level of an Altar, send your Shadow to the Altar action space. After paying the Vri-il cost:

• in the [Novice] variant take the Altar card belonging to you and place it next to your player board in the controlled Altar cards area, so that you see only the text of the current level of the Altar, and place the Altar marker in the appropriate Tomb;
• in the [Priest] and [Archpriest] variants take an Altar marker and place it in a Tomb in which you have Presence (your Shadow, Soul, Demon or Sacrifice Die is in it). Then take the Altar card of the god in whose Tomb you have just built it, and place it next to your player board in the controlled Altar cards area, so that you see only the text of the current level of the Altar.

If you are raising the level of an Altar, then after sending the Shadow and paying the cost, turn the card in such a way that the abilities of the current level are legible.

IMPORTANT!

• Building and raising the level of an Altar takes place through the same action.
• A player may have any number of Altars in the game.
• Altars, with the exception of the Altar of Dumuzi, do not give Presence. Their markers serve as information that the Altar of the given god is already in the game.

Example: The green player used the Altar action, and as he has Presence only in the Tomb of Anu, he built it there. Now he must place the Altar marker in the Tomb of Anu, turn the Temple of Anu card over (see page xxx [sic – page number left blank in the draft]) and take the Altar card. After sliding the Altar card under his player board, the player at once increases the Lament Strength (SL) of his Soul by 1, and additionally will receive +1 Vri-il each turn.

Death Triad [Priest]

The Death Triad is a special type of Altar dedicated to one of the three Sumerian rulers of the land of the dead – Ereshkigal, Nergal and Neti. All rules concerning Altars also concern the Triad.

To build the first level of the Triad or raise its level, send your Shadow to the Triad action space. After paying the Vri-il cost, place a Triad marker on the appropriate space on the board.

Then take the Triad card and place it next to your player board in the controlled Altar cards area, so that you see only the text of the current level of the Triad.

IMPORTANT! To build the Death Triad, you must first fulfil the condition: have any Altar of the third level.

Temples [Priest]

FRONT:

1. the god to whom the given Temple is dedicated;
2. action available after the Altar of this god is built;
3. fragment of the map of Sumer with the marked place where the Temple dedicated to that god was located;
4. place for laying the given card.

BACK: 5. special action space created after the Temple card is turned over; 6. cost of the action for the player who has the Altar of the god of this Temple; 7. cost of the action for the other players; 8. description of the action.

After the first level of an Altar is built, the Temple of the given god in the world of the living becomes active. After the Altar marker is placed in the appropriate Tomb (Altar of Anu in the Tomb of Anu, Altar of Enki in the Tomb of Enki, etc.), the Temple card of that god must be turned over.

From this moment all players have access to a new action space. During the planning stage each player may place his Shadow on it; however, the cost of using this action depends on having the Altar card of that god. If a player who has the Altar of that god wants to use the Temple action – its cost is lower.

Example: The green player built the Altar of Enki, unlocking its Temple. If he now wanted to use the Temple of Enki action and obtain 3 Escape Points (PU), he must pay only 6 Vri-il. Each of his opponents who would also like to gain 3 Escape Points (PU) from this card will have to pay 8 Vri-il.

(Sidebar: the five Temple cards together form a map of ancient Sumer. The cult centre of each god was in a different city, and Kur-Nu-Gi reflects this in accordance with current historical knowledge.)

Lament Scoring

[Novice] In the [Novice] variant only a single Lament Scoring card is used.

• Novice variant card for a SOLO, 2- and 3-player game:
  • 1 player Present in the Tomb: 1 PU.
  • 2 players Present: 3 PU (most Lament Strength) / 1 PU.
  • 3 players Present: 5 PU / 3 PU / 0 PU.
• Novice variant card for a 4- and 5-player game (in a 5-player game each player always receives -1 PU):
  • 1 player Present: 1 PU.
  • 2 players Present: 3 PU / 1 PU.
  • 3 players Present: 4 PU / 3 PU / 1 PU.
  • 4 players Present: 5 PU / 4 PU / 2 PU / 0 PU.

Depending on the number of players, choose the appropriate card and place it in the Lament Scoring cards area on the board.

[Priest] [Archpriest] In the remaining variants all available Lament Scoring cards are used, for the appropriate number of players. The back of the card shows which cards are to be chosen for the appropriate number of players.

Card for a 4-player game (in a 5-player game each player always receives -1 PU):

• 1 player Present: 0 PU.
• 2 players Present: 3 PU / 1 PU.
• 3 players Present: 4 PU / 2 PU / 1 PU.
• 4 players Present: 4 PU / 3 PU / 2 PU / 0 PU.

Example for the card above in a four-player game:

• In a Tomb in which only one player is Present, he receives 0 Escape Points (PU), but even in such a case he chooses the reward for winning the Time of Lament (CL) in that Tomb.
• In a Tomb in which two players are Present – the one with the greater Lament Strength (SL) receives 3 Escape Points (PU), and his competitor only 1 Escape Point (PU). Ties are resolved in favour of the player who is higher on the Initiative track.
• In a Tomb in which three players are Present – the one with the greatest SL receives 4 PU, his competitors: the stronger 2 PU, and the weaker only 1 PU. Ties are resolved in favour of the player who is higher on the Initiative track.
• In a Tomb in which four players are Present – the one with the greatest SL receives 4 PU, and his competitors: the strongest 3 PU, the weaker 2 PU, and the weakest 0. Ties are resolved as above, by place on the Initiative track.

Pacts [Archpriest]

FRONT:

1. description of the Pact's effect;
2. number of Escape Points at the end of the game, after the Pact's condition is fulfilled;
3. Pact action space;
4. crystal and description of the Pact's condition;
5. marking of the game variant.

BACK: 6. Pact symbol.

Pacts are used only in the [Archpriest] variant.

Pacts are one of the additional ways of gaining Escape Points (PU).

To obtain a Pact card, you must:

• in the planning phase, send a Shadow to the Pact action space on a revealed Pact card, OR
• win a pact as a Reward for winning the Time of Lament (CL) in a Tomb and mark this on the Reward space on the board (do not forget to add the appropriate Pact marker to each of the five Reward spaces, replacing the +1 PU reward).

After collecting two Pact cards, create a set from them (as shown in the example), so that the joined parts of the crystal create two conditions. Pact cards are placed in the Pact cards area next to the player board. After fulfilling the conditions on both sides of the joined crystal, at the end of the game you will receive the Escape Points (PU) assigned to both conditions.

IMPORTANT! Pact cards are laid out in a row. Remember that once a crystal is joined, it can no longer be disconnected. A player may have any number of Pact cards.

Example: The red player made pacts with the gods. He chose the Pact cards "Chosen One" and "Awakened". He chose such a layout that to gain an additional 4 escape points at the end of the game he must own any Altar of the 3rd level and 3 Identity cards.

Gates [Archpriest]

FRONT:

1. description of the Gate's abilities;
2. description of the special ability of the given Gate;
3. availability condition of the given Gate;
4. marking of the game variant.

BACK: 5. availability condition of the given Gate; 6. graphic numbering of the circle of the given Gate (from 1 to 7).

Gates are used only in the [Archpriest] variant.

Gates represent the passages between the seven circles surrounding Kur-Nu-Gi. Controlling a Gate expands scoring possibilities and the gaining of Vri-il.

In the planning phase, send your Shadow to the Gate action space. Pay the Vri-il cost during the action phase, and your Shadow gains control over the chosen Gate. You may raise only those gates that correspond to the current Strength of your Soul or Shadow. This means, for example, that with a Lament Strength (SL) of the Soul equal to 6 or 7 you can raise the Gate of the Third Circle.

The Gate marker is to be placed on one of the roads leading through the action space to which we sent our Shadow. From this moment every Soul, Demon or Shadow that passes through our Gate will have to give us part of their Vri-il. In addition, the Tomb indicated by our Gate has all the special abilities of that Gate in effect.

IMPORTANT!

• The level of the Lament Strength (SL) of the Shadow and Soul matters only at the moment of taking the card.
• A player may have only one Gate, but with each subsequent use of the Gate action he may move it to another place and/or change the card accordingly to the current SL of his Shadow and Soul.

Example: The blue player decided to acquire a Gate which will help him during the Time of Lament in the Tomb of Anu. To place a Gate acting on the Tomb of Anu, the blue player must send his Shadow to one of the marked spaces. After performing the action he must place the Gate marker so that it indicates the Tomb of Anu and at the same time blocks the road between the Tombs of Ninhursag and Enki. The blue player must now check access to the Gate of which level he has. The Lament Strength of his Shadow is 7, so he can place the Gate of the Third Circle here. From now on he will gain an additional 2 Escape Points (PU) in the Tomb of Anu each time he wins the Time of Lament there and has his Shadow in that Tomb, and opponents passing through his Gate will have to pay him 2 Vri-il.

7. Actions

Taking an Initiative Marker

(this action must be performed by every player once per turn)

Vri-il 0/0/+1/+2/+3 (according to the Initiative marker space: I, II, III, IV, V).

Invocation

Vri-il +2/+1/0 (according to the action space used).

EITHER: move any number of your Sacrifice Dice from the player board to the board. OR: move X of your Sacrifice Dice from the board to the player board and gain an additional +X Vri-il. Remember to re-roll the dice.

Manipulation

Vri-il +2/+1/0 (according to the action space used).

EITHER: add one pip to any X of your Sacrifice Dice on the player board and gain an additional +X Vri-il. OR: subtract one pip from any X of your Sacrifice Dice on the board and gain an additional +X Vri-il.

KUR

Vri-il -3/±X

EITHER (-3): return your Shadow from outside the game and place it on a free action space. OR (?): remove your Shadow from the game and perform any other action, paying its cost.

Ritual

Vri-il -6/+6

EITHER (-6): take a new Sacrifice Die from outside the game, roll it and place it in any Tomb. OR (+6): remove your Sacrifice Die from the board or player board out of the game.

Path of the Soul

Vri-il +1

Raise the Lament Strength (SL) of your Soul on the player board by 1 and lower the Lament Strength (SL) of your Shadows by 1.

Path of the Shadows

Vri-il +1

Raise the Lament Strength (SL) of your Shadows on the player board by 1 and lower the Lament Strength (SL) of your Soul by 1.

Sacrifice

Vri-il -3/-4 (according to the action space used).

Split your Sacrifice Die (on the board or on the player board) into two with the same sum of values.

Identity

Vri-il -5/-6 (according to the action space used).

Draw the two top (one face up and one face down) Identity cards. Place one of them in a free place in the Identity cards area next to your player board, and discard the other out of the game. Then turn face up the top card of the Identity card pile.

Altar

Vri-il -6/-7 (according to the action space used).

[Novice] Build or raise the level of your Altar.

[Priest] [Archpriest] Build the Altar of the god in whose Tomb you have Presence, or raise the level of an Altar you already control.

Dance of Shadows

Vri-il +X/0

EITHER: move the Shadow marker to the given Tomb and gain X Vri-il (X is the number of players in the given Tomb, including you). OR (0): move the Shadow marker to the given Tomb and place your player marker on the (free) Influence card of the given god.

VERY IMPORTANT! Shadow markers placed in Tombs return to the pool only after the end of the nearest Time of Lament. During one turn a player may place a maximum of one Shadow marker on one of the five Dance of Shadows action spaces.

Temple [Priest]

(actions unlocked after the appropriate Altars are built)

Each Temple action costs the higher amount for a player who does not control the Altar of that god, and the lower amount for the player who does (see "Temples").

• Temple of Ninhursag (Vri-il -5/-3): remove your Sacrifice Die from the game to gain 3 Escape Points.
• Temple of Anu (Vri-il -5/-3): remove your Shadow marker from the game to gain 3 Escape Points.
• Temple of Enki (Vri-il -8/-6): pay Vri-il to gain 3 Escape Points.
• Temple of Dumuzi (Vri-il -2/0): perform an action from another revealed Temple card, paying its cost.
• Temple of Enlil (Vri-il -6/-4): remove your player marker from an Influence card to gain 3 Escape Points.

Influences

Vri-il 0

Place your player marker on the Influence card of the god in whose Tomb you have Presence. Remember that only one marker can lie on a card.

Demon [Priest]

Vri-il 0

Place the Demon marker on the board in the appropriate Tomb and take its card, corresponding to the god whose Influence cards you used. The action is available from combining two Influence cards.

Madness [Priest]

Vri-il -2

Discard any card from the Identity cards area next to your player board. Then draw a new (face up) Identity card from the board and replace the discarded card with it. You gain all bonuses created in this way. Then turn face up the top card of the Identity card pile.

Death Triad [Priest]

Vri-il -3

Build or raise the level of the Death Triad. CONDITION: you must have an Altar of the 3rd level.

Gate [Archpriest]

Vri-il -2

Place your Gate marker on the board and take or change the Gate card corresponding to the Lament Strength of your Shadows and Soul.

Pact [Archpriest]

Vri-il 0

Take a Pact card, from which you remove a Shadow marker. The action assigned to the Pact card. In each turn, therefore, another possible Pact action appears.

VERY IMPORTANT! In the Action Phase a player who is taking a Shadow marker off any action space may give up performing it and instead take 2 Vri-il.

8. End of the Game

The game ends at the end of the Time of Lament (CL) if at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled:

1. It was the fourth (for 2-5 players) or third (for the SOLO variant) Time of Lament (CL).
2. One of the players has fulfilled at least one End of Game Condition from the SOUL COLUMN and at least one End of Game Condition from the SHADOW COLUMN.

SOUL COLUMN:

• Lament Strength (SL) of the Soul equal to 10;
• 23 Escape Points (PU);
• 17 Escape Points (PU) and 0 Sacrifice Dice;
• Won the Time of Lament (CL) in every Tomb.

SHADOW COLUMN:

• Lament Strength (SL) of the Shadows equal to 10;
• 20 Escape Points (PU) and 4 Identity cards;
• 20 Escape Points (PU) and 7 Sacrifice Dice;
• 3 Times of Lament (CL) won and an Altar of the 3rd level in the same Tomb.

Final Scoring Card

If the end of the game has been initiated, to the standard Escape Points (PU) we additionally count those from the Final Scoring card. This card reminds players of the bonuses or penalties that will be awarded at the end of the game:

• Additional 5 Escape Points (PU) for fulfilling both End of Game Conditions (from the Soul and Shadow columns). This is at the same time the maximum number that can be gained in this way;
• 1 Escape Point (PU) for each 5 Vri-il owned;
• For each of your Shadows left in play, the player must subtract 2 Escape Points (PU).

Additionally in the [Priest] variant:

• 2 Escape Points (PU) for each Demon controlled by you;

and in the [Archpriest] variant:

• Escape Points (PU) for fulfilled Pacts (in the amounts described on the cards).

(The Final Scoring card for the [Novice] variant lists: +5 PU for the End of Game Condition; +1 PU for each 5 Vri-il markers; -2 PU for each of your own Shadows in play. The card for the [Priest] and [Archpriest] variants adds: +X PU for each fulfilled Pact; +2 PU for each Demon.)

9. Solo Variant

In this variant the player will face two Neutral Souls whose movements he is unable to foresee.

To win, after the third Time of Lament (CL) the player must have the greatest number of Escape Points (PU).

Setup

Set up the game as for a normal multiplayer game, but additionally:

1. Draw at random two colours of Souls you will face.

2. Place the drawn Souls in their starting Tombs.

3. Each of the Neutral Souls receives three Sacrifice Dice in its colour, which it places in its Tomb.

4. Each set of Sacrifice Dice is to be rolled and then moved according to the diagram on the board. Sacrifice Dice with a value of 1 and 2 stay in the starting Tomb.

5. Shuffle, and then reveal the top Event card.

6. [Priest] Shuffle the Lament Scoring deck intended for 1-, 2- and 3-player games and reveal the top card.

   NOTE! In the [Novice] variant take only one appropriate Lament Scoring card.

7. The player's Initiative marker is to be placed on space number one, and the Neutral Souls' markers randomly on spaces two and three. Initiative remains unchanged until the end of the game.

Example of board setup in a solo game in the [Novice] variant: the green player will face two Neutral Souls in blue and yellow.

Planning Phase and Action Phase

Neutral Souls do not have Shadows, so only the player will use the action spaces on the board.

Time of Lament

It proceeds according to the rules of the multiplayer game with the following exceptions:

MOVEMENT OF SOULS PHASE After the player's move, for each Neutral Soul roll a die from the supply, and then move it according to the result on the die. A result of 1 and 2 means that the Neutral Soul remains in its current Tomb.

LAMENT PHASE Neutral Souls gain Escape Points (PU) according to the current Lament Scoring card. For those who had the greatest Lament Strength (SL) in the Tombs, a player marker is placed on the appropriate Reward space. It is to be placed on the first free space in the order shown in the picture alongside (the Reward spaces numbered 1 to 4). A Neutral Soul does not receive the reward from the space it covered, but each such marker is worth 1 Escape Point (PU) to it at the end of the game.

IMPORTANT! Scoring is done according to the modifiers imposed by the current Event card.

RENEWAL To each Tomb in which a Neutral Soul is located, an additional Sacrifice Die in its colour is added. Then all Sacrifice Dice belonging to the Neutral Souls are to be re-rolled and moved according to the diagram on the board. A result of 1 and 2 means the dice remain in the Tomb. After performing these steps the player reveals a new Event card.

End of the Game

Neutral Souls receive an additional bonus of +1 Escape Point (PU) for each player marker in their colour in the Reward areas at the Tombs.

The player can receive only a bonus of +5 PU at the end of the third Time of Lament (CL), if he fulfils one End of Game Condition from the SOUL COLUMN and one from the SHADOW COLUMN.

The player wins if he has more Escape Points (PU) than the Neutral Souls.

The Gods and Their Strategies

Anu – In Sumerian mythology Anu was the personification of the heavens. He was the first in the pantheon of the gods and at the same time the first causal force in the work of creation and the creator of the Anunaki, judges in the underworld of the dead. His main Temple, E-ana, also called the White Temple, was in the city of Uruk.

• Direct influence on the Souls of all players is a strategy we will be able to pursue by reaching for the Influence cards of this god.
• Thanks to the Altar of Anu we will be able to quickly strengthen the Lament Strength of our Soul and obtain a steady inflow of Vri-il – the resource necessary for performing most actions.

Enlil – The son of Anu, Enlil was the lord of the air, that is the space between heaven and earth, co-creator of man and at the same time the Destroyer who sent the Flood to earth. His main Temple, E-kur, was in the city of Nippur.

• Strengthening your own position in the Tombs by increasing the Lament Strength of your Shadows is a strategy we will be able to pursue by reaching for the Influence cards of this god.
• The Altar of Enlil will allow us to strengthen the Lament Strength of our Shadows even faster, and access to a greater number of Influence cards are assets that we will gain thanks to it.

Ninhursag – In Sumerian mythology Ninhursag represented the mother earth. She gave form to life in the mother's womb and passed on divine nature to it. Her main Temple, E-mah, was in the city of Adab, in the cult district known as Kesh.

• The Influence cards of the goddess Ninhursag allow us to gain an advantage in the Tombs thanks to strengthening a strategy based on Sacrifice Dice.
• Thanks to the Altar of Ninhursag we will be able to gain further Sacrifice Dice faster, and also re-roll those dice that have low values.

Enki – In Sumerian mythology Enki was considered the god of wisdom and knowledge. He was the ruler of the underwater depths on which the world floated. His main Temple, E-abzu, was in the city of Eridu, considered the oldest city of Sumer.

• Manipulation of the position of Souls, Shadows and Sacrifice Dice directly in the Tombs is the strength of the Influence cards of this god.
• The Altar of Enki is a way to change the arrangement of your own Sacrifice Dice outside the main planning phase and to recover part of the lost Vri-il more quickly.

Dumuzi – The god of vegetation, who by deceit became one of the gods of the Underworld. The cyclical nature of his stay on earth was connected with reviving nature. His cult was widespread throughout Sumer among all social classes. His Temple, called the Temple of Wonders, was in Akkad.

• Support of Demons and use of the power of everyone's Altars in the Tombs are the most important features of the Influence cards of this god.
• The Altar of Dumuzi, as the only one, gives Presence. It allows manipulating the values on the Sacrifice Dice of other players as well, and strengthens the Lament Strength in the Tomb of Dumuzi.