Machina Arcana: Recurrence
Machina Arcana: Recurrence Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapters
Each chapter card has a story side and a rules side. Only the rules side is transcribed. The two numbers at the top of each rules side are printed as badges (left and right); a brown empty circle in place of a number is printed on the card. Chapters are listed in order from 1 to 10, followed by the Endgame card.
1. Chamber of Natus
Top badges: 8 (left), 2 (right).
- [spiral icon] Place entry token
- [spiral icon] Monster threat is 4
Ingredients
- 0: On any horror event: [+1 icon]
- 1: [3x icon] [3 icon] [lightning icon] [+1 icon]
- 2: When new map tile is explored: [+1 icon]
Evocations
- [1 icon] [-1 icon]: Invoke explorer event
- [1 icon] [-3 icon]: Go to next chapter
2. Warped Corridors
Top badges: 6 (left), 4 (right).
- On explorer phase, [triangle icon]: Units move up to 4 spaces toward their nearest spawn space, otherwise units move up to 4 spaces toward their nearest chapter space
- Explorers restore 2 essence instead of 1
- Explorers lose 2 health instead of 1
3. Blast Room
Top badges: 7 (left), 4 (right).
- [spiral icon] Add items level 2
Ingredients
- 0: When workbench is activated: [+1 icon]
- 1: When trap lever is activated: [+1 icon]
- 2: When exploding barrel is hit: [+1 icon]
Evocations
- [1 icon] [-1 icon]: Gain item
- [1 icon] [-2 icon]: Take any consumable
- [1 icon] [-3 icon]: Place exit token
4. The Hall
Top badges: 8 (left), 5 (right).
- Destroy any 2 items
- Gain item
- [lightning icon] [lightning icon]: Reduce monster threat by 1
- [spiral icon] Start a new round
- [spiral icon] Explorers are at max health
- [spiral icon] Explorers trade with each other
- [spiral icon] Explorers use their inventories
- [spiral icon] Place entry token
5. Mirror
Top badges: 6 (left), 6 (right).
- Destroy bound explorer event
- Go to next chapter
6. Cache
Top badges: 7 (left), 5 (right).
- [spiral icon] Add items level 3
Ingredients
- 0: When any explorer gains item: [+1 icon]
- 1: When any explorer gains item: [+1 icon]
- 2: When any explorer activates trap lever: [+1 icon]
Evocations
- [1 icon] [-3 icon]: Go to next chapter
7. Beyond the Gates
Top badges: brown empty circle (left), 3 (right).
- Spawn limit is 6 instead of 4
- On horror phase: Explorers spawn monsters
- [5x icon] When any monster is destroyed: Go to next chapter
- [spiral icon] Skip explorer phase [1 icon]
8. Hole in the Wall
Top badges: 9 (left), 3 (right).
Ingredients
- 0: On any explorer event: [+1 icon]
- 1: When new map tile is explored: [+1 icon]
- 2: On light chapter: [+1 icon]
Evocations
- [1 icon] [-3 icon]: Go to next chapter
9. Blood Trail
- [spiral icon] Enter endgame
10. Broken Circle
The rules side has no effect text. Its only printed text is:
- The End
Endgame
Top badges on the rules side: brown empty circle (left), 3 (right).
The Endgame card has a setup side and a victory side (left) and a modifier side (right).
Setup
- Refresh map spaces
- Explorers are at 0 essence
- Explorers are at max health
Victory
- All chapter spaces are lit
Modifiers (right side)
- Explorers restore 2 essence instead of 1
- On horror phase: Explorers lose 1 health and spawn monsters
Explorers
Each explorer card has a front side with its abilities and a flip side with the rules for the token it places. Stat values are printed on the front as five icon-marked numbers, listed here in the order printed, left to right.
Danai Kasumba (Mystic)
Stats (left to right): 2, 3, 6, 4, 6.
- [1 icon] Place raven token (max 1)
- [4 icon] Activate raven token
- [4 icon] Move both yourself and raven token up to 3 spaces
Flip side: Raven Token
When you activate raven token:
- Teleport to raven token
- Return raven token to your player board
When you place raven token, put one of your available explorer markers on your position.
Raven token can only be placed on a passable space with no tokens on top of it.
Raven token isn't an obstacle, and units can move through it.
On start of explorer phase, you can choose not to return your raven token in play back to your player board.
Günther Bergman (Bruiser)
Stats (left to right): 3, 2, 4, 6, 6.
- If adjacent to open door [1 icon]: Place tripmine token
- When any monster moves on top of tripmine token: Activate it
Flip side: Tripmine Token
When you activate tripmine token:
- Attack [3 icon] unit on top of tripmine token
- Return tripmine token to your player board
When you place tripmine token, put one of your available explorer markers on your position.
Tripmine token can only be placed on a passable space with no tokens on top of it.
Tripmine token isn't an obstacle, and units can move through it.
On start of explorer phase, you can choose not to return your tripmine tokens in play back to your player board.
Sam Fairbanks (Gunman)
Stats (left to right): 3, 2, 5, 5, 6.
- [1 icon] Place remote token
- [1 icon] Activate any remote token
Flip side: Remote Token
When you activate remote token:
- Activate trap levers adjacent to remote token
- Attack [1 icon] exploding barrels adjacent to remote token
- Return remote token to your player board
When you place remote token, put one of your available explorer markers on your position.
Remote token can only be placed on a passable space with no tokens on top of it.
Remote token isn't an obstacle, and units can move through it.
On start of explorer phase, you can choose not to return your remote tokens in play back to your player board.
Ser Nikola Frankopan (Crafter)
Stats (left to right): 2, 2, 5, 5, 6.
- [lightning icon] Place lure token (max 1)
- [1 icon] Move lure token up to 3 spaces
Flip side: Lure Token
Monsters treat lure token as an explorer that has 1 armor and 1 will.
When lure token is hit, it is returned to your player board.
When you place lure token, put one of your available explorer markers on your position.
Lure token can only be placed on a passable space with no tokens on top of it.
Lure token isn't an obstacle, and units can move through it.
On start of explorer phase, you can choose not to return your lure token in play back to your player board.
Monsters
Each monster card shows its level in the badge at the left of the name bar, and up to four attribute values in a column on the right. The values are listed in the order printed, top to bottom; the icons themselves are not named in the scan, except that the heart-marked value is health.
Bokrug
Level 2. Attribute column (top to bottom): 5, 3, 1, 5.
- [5 icon] [target icon]: Target explorer spawns monster
- [2 icon] [2 icon]: Reduce target explorer's attack rolls by 2 [2 icon]
Color Out of Space
Level 1. Attribute column (top to bottom): 1, 3, 1, 1.
- Roll [1 icon]:
- On 0: units move up to 2 spaces
- On 1: teleport this monster's adjacent units to chapter space
- On 2: reinvoke horror event
- Immobile
Dark Young
Level 3. Attribute column (top to bottom): 8, 8, 1, and a fourth slot with no value printed.
- Monsters don't lose health
- When any monster is pushed or pulled into pit: Destroy this monster
- If current chapter is endgame: Banish this monster
Envoy of Hastur
Level 4. Attribute column (top to bottom): 7, 7, 3, 5.
- [3 icon] [2 icon]: Arcane attack 3 3; explorers targetable by [2 icon]
- Explorers can't exit or move to other map tiles
- [spiral icon] Close doors
Fire-Vampire
Level 3. Attribute column (top to bottom): 6, 4, 1, 5.
- [2 icon] [3 icon]: Attack 2 2; Attack 1 2 explorers adjacent to target explorer
- When this monster attacks: Reduce explorers' attack rolls by 2 [1 icon]
- Ethereal
Ghast
Level 1. Attribute column (top to bottom): 0, 0, 1, 2.
- [1 icon] This monster teleports to its nearest action space, then destroys that space
- This monster can't be targeted by active abilities
- On light chapter: This monster is banished
Ghoul
Level 2. Attribute column (top to bottom): 4, 3, 2, 5.
- [2 icon] [target icon]: Attack 3 1
- When any unit loses health: This monster moves up to 1 space
Rat-Thing
Level 1. Attribute column (top to bottom): 1, 1, 3, 2.
- [1 icon] [target icon]: Attack 1
- On horror phase: This monster teleports to its nearest explorer
- When this monster attacks: Reduce blocker's max stamina by 1 [2 icon]
Explorer Events
Each explorer event card has a flavour paragraph above its rules text. Only the rules text is transcribed, in the order printed on the card.
Barrel Detonator
- [1 icon] [⊗ icon]
- Exploding barrels are hit
Bloom
- Destroy adjacent recharge station [1 icon]
- Attack 3 1 monsters adjacent to that recharge station
Calm Through Pain
- When any explorer is hit: Reset horror rating
Horror Rebuff
- [spiral icon] Skip horror phase [1 icon]
Maneuvering Ruin
- Destroy adjacent action space [1 icon]
- Move up to 3 spaces
Monster Rebuff
- [spiral icon] Skip monster phase [1 icon]
Phantom Visage
- [1 icon] [lightning icon]
- You are ethereal [1 icon]
- [heart icon] [heart icon] [heart icon]
- Banish adjacent ethereal monsters
Recoiled From Fright
- Destroy adjacent action space [1 icon] [target icon]
- Banish target wounded monster
Shifting Trenches
- When any explorer moves into pit: They teleport to space adjacent to any pit
Solace Through Pain
- When any explorer is hit: Reset spawn rating
Soothing Ruin
- Destroy adjacent action space [1 icon]
- Restore 1 health
Spawn Rebuff
- [spiral icon] Skip spawn phase [1 icon]
Stroke of Luminosity
- [2x icon] When you light chapter: You are at max essence; [⊗ icon]
Transportable Emission
- [spiral icon] Swap position of any 2 units
Waning Death
- [2x icon] When any monster is destroyed: Reduce monster threat by 1
Horror Events
Each horror event card has a flavour paragraph above its rules text. Only the rules text is transcribed, in the order printed on the card.
Arcane Veto
- Artifacts can't be equipped
- [spiral icon] Explorers unequip artifacts
Brawling Shroud
- This monster can only be targeted in melee
Creeping Shroud
- When this monster hits: Reduce horror rating by 1
Draining Chant
- [3 icon] [2 icon]
- Target explorer loses 2 essence
Draining Shroud
- When this monster is destroyed: Attacker loses 2 essence
Eye Infection
- Explorers can't activate action spaces
Face Infection
- When any explorer restores essence: Increase monster threat by 1
Foot Worms
- Explorers can't move diagonally
Ghostly Shroud
- Ethereal
Hand Infection
- When any explorer attacks: Increase monster threat by 1
Nail to Nail
- Explorers can't play items' active abilities
Sewn Face
- Explorers can't trade with each other
- Explorers can't play ranged abilities
Specter's Shroud
- This monster can move through obstacles
Spiked Shroud
- When this monster is hit: It attacks 3 attacker
Surging Shroud
- Increase this monster's attack rolls by 1