Moonstone
Moonstone Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- What You Need to Play
- Game Definitions
- Characters
- Starting a Game
- Winning the Game
- Playing a Turn
- Who Activates First
- Activating a Model
- Line of Sight
- Engagements
- The Arcane Deck
- Playing Active Abilities
- Playing Arcane Abilities
- Terrain
- Cover Modifiers
- Falling, Jumping & Pushing
- Removal From Play
- The Board Edge
- Using Energy Outside of Activation
- Holding & Dropping Moonstones
- The Melee Deck
- Making a Melee Attack
- Round of Melee – Example One
- Melee Rules Continued
- Round of Melee – Example Two
What You Need to Play
To play Moonstone, in addition to these rules you will need:
- 2–4 players
- A 3' by 3' playing surface with fantasy terrain
- 3–6 Moonstone Miniatures for each player, with accompanying Character Cards.
- A tape measure or precision measuring instrument(s)
- A 21-card Arcane Deck
- An 18-card Melee Deck
- A pile of small blue disks to use as Energy Tokens
- 7x four-sided dice to act as Moonstones
- 1x six-sided die for each player
Game Definitions
Character – A unique inhabitant of Tauber represented by both a model and a character card.
Target – Many abilities require you to choose a target. The target is any single model (friendly, enemy or even the originator) that fits the requirements listed in the ability, such as range or keyword.
Originator – A character that is currently using an ability with a target.
Range – All distances are measured in inches. Players can take measurements at any time and for any reason.
Within – The distance between the originator's base (or other given point) and the nearest part of the target's base is equal to or less than the given range.
Entirely Within – Where the distance between the originator's base (or other given point) and the furthest part of the target's base is equal to or less than the given range.
Line of Sight / LoS – The ability to draw an unobstructed line along the playing surface from one model's base to another model, Moonstone or terrain piece that the active player wishes to target with an ability.
Pulse – An area of effect (AoE) that affects all models within a given range, including the originator, regardless of LoS.
Friendly – Characters you brought into the game.
Enemy – Characters brought into the game by another player.
Damage / Dmg – A common effect that causes a player to fill in health boxes on the affected model's character card. Damage always has a type: Impact, Piercing, Slicing or Magical, which can cause its value to be modified by other abilities or effects.
Wounds / Wds – Similar to damage, but does not have a type and cannot be modified. Filled in health boxes are also referred to as Wds.
Slain – A character that has filled in all their character card's health boxes as a result of wounds and must now be removed from the game, after first dropping any Moonstones carried.
Gains / Restores – Some abilities allow characters to 'restore' resources such as energy or Wds while others specify that the resource is 'gained'. When 'gain' is used the character can exceed their usual maximum, whereas 'restore' does not allow a character to exceed the starting values printed on their card.
Characters
Each character in Moonstone should be represented by a suitable 32mm scale miniature from Goblin King Games. They each also have their own Character Card containing the following information:
Name: The character's name. If the character has been updated since first publishing then a version number is also given after the name.
Keywords: Describes the character's race and sometimes other attributes. Keywords have no direct affect but may be referenced by rules or character abilities.
Melee Stat: The number of Melee Cards the character draws when fighting in a Round of Melee.
Melee Range: The maximum range an enemy must be within for this character to declare it as a target of a Melee Attack action.
Arcane Stat: The number of Arcane Cards this character draws when performing an Arcane Ability.
Evade Stat: This represents how difficult it is for enemy characters to hit this model with a ranged attack by modifying the number of Arcane Cards they draw.
Faction Symbol: This indicates which faction can take this character. For example: Commonwealth (sun symbol), Dominion (moon symbol) or Leshavult (stag skull symbol) faction.
Passive Abilities: These are 'always-on' effects that apply bonuses or penalties to events that occur in the game.
Active Abilities: These are simple abilities that can be taken as actions by expending the amount of energy noted in the brackets.
Arcane Abilities: These are special abilities that can be taken as actions by discarding the amount of energy noted in the brackets. They always begin with one or more coloured icons representing the Arcane Cards which cause an effect when played. The active player draws a number of Arcane Cards equal to their Arcane Stat and selects one to determine the success or failure of the action while another player 'resists'.
Base Size: The diameter of the base the character must be placed on.
Energy: Energy is a character's main resource. It is discarded each time the character takes actions and is replenished at the start of each turn during the Replenish Step. However as characters suffer wounds they begin to generate less energy. A character generates an amount of energy equal to the number of blue dots remaining on their energy chart.
Health Boxes: Each character has a certain number of health boxes which represent the amount of damage they can suffer before being Slain. Each time the character suffers one or more wounds, the controlling player should fill in a corresponding number of health boxes, starting from the right. When all health boxes are filled in, the character is Slain. If the character was carrying one or more Moonstones, the player who inflicted the fatal wounds should place those Moonstones (i.e. dice) in base contact with the slain model, displaying a depth value of '1'. Then the model is removed from the board. It will take no further part in the game.
Example Character Card: Flintlock
The following is an example of a Character Card, using Flintlock (Human, Soldier) to illustrate where each piece of information appears:
Flintlock v.2 — Human, Soldier
Melee 3, Range 1", Arcane 3, Evade 0
Dagger: If this character deals Piercing Melee Dmg, increase the Dmg dealt by +1.
Reload [Shoot Musket] (2) — The named ability can be used again. This ability cannot be used while this model is engaged.
Take Aim (1) – Once per turn. Increase this character's Arcane stat by +1 until end of turn.
"Look out!" (1) 6" — Target friendly character's Evade stat is reduced by -1 until end of turn.
Shoot Musket (1) 12" – Once per game, unless reloaded. Green X: Target suffers X+2 Impact Dmg. Catastrophe: This model suffers 2 Wds and the Reload ability cannot be used for the remainder of the game.
Signature Move on a High Guard. Base: 30mm.
Starting a Game
These rules explain how to start a friendly game of Moonstone. The pre-game sequence is slightly different for tournament and campaign play as described in the Organised Play Document and Campaign rules respectively.
1. Set up the Board
Moonstone is played on 3' x 3' playing surface. Players should arrange some terrain in a mutually agreeable and aesthetically pleasing manner. Avoid placing terrain on the very centre of the board.
2. Choose Troupes
All players start the game with an equal number of characters chosen from their collection. Agree with your opponent(s) how many characters you each want to play with. This is known as your troupe size. The larger the troupe size chosen, the longer you can expect the game to take.
At the time of writing there are four factions in Moonstone: Commonwealth, Dominion, Leshavult and Shades of Moonreach.
Commonwealth typically includes humans, giants and gnomes; Dominion typically includes goblins, faeries and trolls; Leshavult typically includes fauns, spirits and cultists; and Shades typically include spirits, risen and psychopomps.
Players must first choose a faction and may only pick characters that belong to that faction (as indicated by the crest at the top right of their Character Card).
Some characters are cross-faction as indicated by the following symbols: Commonwealth & Dominion, Commonwealth & Leshavult, Commonwealth & Shades, Leshavult & Dominion, Dominion & Shades, Leshavult & Shades.
Cross-faction characters can be selected by troupes who have chosen either of the parent factions.
Each character can only be selected for your troupe once. Beyond that, there are no restrictions to which characters a player may choose to take.
For a 1.5-2 hour game, the following troupe sizes are recommended:
- 2-Player Game: 6 characters each
- 3-Player Game: 4 characters each
- 4-Player Game: 3 characters each
3. Grow Moonstones
After characters have been chosen, players should determine the position of the Moonstones on the board. To do this, one player should take seven 4-sided dice, hold them in a fist, palm down, about 12-16" above the centre of the board, then open their hand so that the dice drop. Leave them where they fall. If any dice fall outside of the 3' x 3' play area, they should be re-dropped from the centre of the board.
Each die represents the location of a Moonstone. The number shown on each die represents the difficulty of extracting it from the ground and is referred to as the Depth Value. The example above has a depth value of '1'.
During the game, characters may take possession of a Moonstone, by performing the Harvest action. Models may move freely over Moonstones but may not end a move with their base overlapping the dice.
Optionally, for games with fewer than usual characters, players can agree to use five Moonstones instead of the usual seven.
Mulligan — If any player is unhappy with the Moonstone spread they may request a re-drop, called a Mulligan. No player can call a Mulligan more than once.
4. Deploy Troupes
Next, each player rolls a 6-sided die. In the case of ties, roll again.
2-Player Game — The player with the highest roll chooses if they want to be the Early Bird or have Initiative.
The Early Bird chooses a table edge and places down one model from their troupe, entirely within 10" of the table edge. Then, the player with Initiative places down their first model entirely within 10" of the opposite table edge. Players continue to take turns placing one model at a time, always entirely within 10" of their own table edge, until all models have been placed on the board.
3-4 Player Game — The player with the highest roll chooses a table edge and places down one model from their troupe, entirely within 10" of the table edge.
Then, the player with the next highest roll chooses an unclaimed table edge and deploys their first model entirely within 10" of that table edge. Then the player with the third highest roll does the same, choosing from the remaining two unclaimed table edges to place down their first model. Finally, if there is a fourth player, their table edge must be the remaining unclaimed edge.
Players should then continue in that order, each placing one model at a time, until all models have been placed down.
No player is considered to have Initiative.
Note that in the case of tied dice rolls, only the tied players roll again to determine which of them places first. This does not affect the order of the other players.
Winning the Game
The player with the most Moonstones in their possession at the end of Turn 4 (sunrise) is the winner. If two or more players have an equal number of Moonstones, begin a new Sudden Death turn. During the Sudden Death turn, if any player is in possession of more Moonstones than all other opponents at the end of any action, they immediately win the game.
Playing a Turn
1. Replenish Step
At the start of each turn, including the first, all players should place one blue energy token on each of their character cards for each blue dot remaining on that card's health bar.
Example: During the replenish step, while at full health, Greymair would be allocated back up to 3 energy tokens in total since his health chart has 3 blue dots. Unfortunately though, he has suffered 2 wounds earlier in the game, and one of the blue dots has now been filled in. This means his controller can only assign him 2 energy tokens this turn.
2. Activation Step
During the Activation Step, the first player chooses one of their characters to activate. While activated, a character may do as many actions as it wishes, until it is unable to take any further actions or the player wants to end the activation. At that point, the player to the left chooses one of their characters to activate, and so on. Once a player has activated all of their characters they are skipped over, but other players can continue to activate models when it is their turn.
Once all players have activated all of their characters then move to the Discard Step.
3. Discard Step
When all characters have completed their activations any unspent energy tokens left on character cards are removed and a new turn begins with the Replenish Step.
Who Activates First
To determine which player activates first each turn, all players should roll a 6-sided die. The player with the highest score chooses which player activates first. If there is a player with Initiative, they are automatically considered to have won the roll off on Turn 1 and receive a bonus to their roll.
- Turn 1: If a player has Initiative, do not roll-off. That player is automatically considered the winner. Otherwise, roll-off.
- Turn 2: Roll-off. A player with Initiative adds +2 to their roll.
- Turn 3: Roll-off. A player with Initiative adds +1 to their roll. Re-roll any ties.
- Turn 4+: Roll-off.
Activating a Model
During its activation a character can take any of the following actions, in any order:
Step. Cost: (1) energy. This model discards 1 energy, then can be moved up to 1" in any direction.
Jog. Cost: (0) energy. Once per turn. This model can be moved up to 4" with as many changes of direction during the move as desired. However, if at any point within this move you are engaged by an enemy model, you may not increase the distance between the engaging model and your own model. Moving closer to, or circling around, engaging enemy models is allowed.
Traverse. Cost: (2) energy. This action can only be taken if the model is in base contact with an obstacle that is 1" thick or less, such as a hedge or closed door. This model discards 2 energy and is moved into base contact with the opposite side of the obstacle, up to a maximum of 1" from the starting location of the model. For more details see the Terrain section on page 10.
Harvest. Cost: (1) energy. This model discards 1 energy and may then reduce the Depth Value on any Moonstone it is in base contact with by -1. If the Moonstone's Depth Value is reduced to '0' or less then this model takes possession of the Moonstone. Place it on this character's card. You may not take this action if this model is currently engaged by an enemy.
Melee Attack. Cost: (1) energy. This model discards 1 energy, then makes a Melee Attack (described on page 15) against one model within its Melee Range and LoS.
Active Ability. Cost: (X) energy. This model discards the amount of energy listed in brackets after the ability name and then performs the effect listed in the ability's text.
Arcane Ability. Cost: (X) energy. This model discards the amount of energy listed in brackets after the ability name and then resolves the Arcane Ability as described on page 9.
Moving Through Gaps
Usually during moves, a model's bases may not overlap another model's base, Obstacle or Barrier terrain at any stage. However, an exception is permitted to avoid unrealistic situations where a model might otherwise be unable to move through spaces a real individual clearly could squeeze through. During a character's own activation, while performing any kind of move, the model can 'squeeze' though gaps between two items of terrain; or between an item of terrain and a friendly model; or between two friendly models, even if the gap is smaller than their base size. They must be able to end the move with sufficient room for their base to be placed flat on the table without overlapping another model's base or terrain. You may not squeeze through gaps created between enemy models; or enemy models and terrain. You cannot use abilities to move other models through gaps.
Line of Sight
Unless otherwise noted, players need Line of Sight (LoS) between an active character and any target they may wish to choose when taking an action.
A character has LoS if a straight line could be drawn between any part of the originator's base and the target's base, without crossing over another model or item of Barrier Terrain.
Engagements
A model is considered to be engaging any enemy models that are within its Melee Range and LoS.
A model is considered to be engaged by any enemy models if it is within their Melee Range and LoS.
The Arcane Deck
The Arcane Deck is shared by all players and contains 21 Arcane Cards: a green suit, a blue suit and a pink suit, each with three 1s, three 2s and three 3s, plus a Catastrophe card in each suit.
Playing Active Abilities
Playing Active Abilities is simply a matter of declaring the action, discarding the amount of energy tokens listed in brackets immediately after the name of the ability, and then performing the action as described in the text.
If the ability requires a target, then the title of the ability will include a range in inches. The target must be at least partially within this range and within LoS in order to be chosen. Active Abilities can be used even if the originator or target is engaged by an enemy, unless specified otherwise in the ability's text.
Unless otherwise stated a character can always target itself, providing it meets all listed requirements.
Some Active Abilities require you to 'flip an Arcane Card' to determine an effect. To do this, turn over the top card of the Arcane Deck. Replace any 'X' symbols in the ability description with the value on the flipped card. If you are unfortunate enough to flip a Catastrophe card, disregard the usual effect of the ability and apply the effect listed after "Catastrophe :" in the ability description instead. After the action has been resolved shuffle the flipped card back into the Arcane Deck.
Example: The character Hoff has the Active Ability 'Furious Charge (1) 4" — Move this model 3" directly towards target enemy model. If this character's next action this turn is a Melee Attack against the same target then it deals +1 Dmg.' His controller announces will be their next action, discards 1 energy token and chooses a target enemy model that is within 4" and LoS. Hoff is moved 3" directly towards that model (stopping if the move would cause his base to cross another model or item of terrain).
Usually this move will bring to within 1" of the enemy and if his next action is a Melee Attack against that enemy, he will gain +1 to his Dmg for that attack.
Example: Angerboda has the Active Ability 'Ice in the Veins (1) – Once per turn. Flip an Arcane Card. If the card is Blue X, restore X+1 Wds.' Her controller announces that this will be his next action, discards 1 energy and flips over the top Arcane Card from the deck.
The flipped card is Blue-2. Because the card is Blue, Angerboda restores (X=2)+1 = 3 Wds.
If any other colour or a Catastrophe Card was flipped, there would be no effect and the energy spent was wasted.
Playing Arcane Abilities
To play an Arcane Ability, the controller of the character, known as the active player, first declares the action, then discards the amount of energy tokens listed in brackets and selects an applicable target within range and LoS.
The active player then draws a number of cards from the top of the Arcane Deck equal to the character's Arcane Stat. If the target of the ability is an enemy model, then the number of cards drawn is modified by the target character's Evade Stat. This may either increase or decrease the draw size; however, the draw cannot be reduced to less than 1 card.
If the target of the Arcane Ability is an enemy character, then the owner of that character is known as the resisting player and now draws 6 Arcane Cards of their own.
If the target of the Arcane Ability is not an enemy character then the player to the left of the active player is the resisting player and draws 6 cards.
Unlike Active Abilities, Arcane Abilities always include coloured icons such as "Green X :" or "Blue 2, 3 or Pink 3 :" before listing their effects. In order to get the effect, the player must declare a card of the type listed before the colon. An 'X' means a card featuring any number can be declared, provided it is the correct colour.
Unless specified otherwise, a character can always use their Arcane Abilities even if they, or the target, are engaged by an enemy. However, intervening models may provide cover reducing hand size as described in the Cover section of the rules on page 12.
Example: Flintlock is targeting Beaky Bobby with his 'Shoot Musket' ability. Flintlock has an Arcane Stat of 3 and Beaky Bobby has an Evade Stat of -1, so the Flintlock player draws 2 cards.
Having drawn a hand of cards, the active player may choose one of the Arcane Cards in their hand and place it face down on the table in front of them. Players do not have to play and can simply end their action and shuffle the Arcane Cards back into the deck instead. If they do play, they then declare what the card is; number and colour, or catastrophe. They do not have to tell the truth.
The resisting player must then call either "OK" or "Bluff".
If "OK" is called, the active player does not need to reveal the card. Compare the declared value of the card to the requirement(s) listed in the ability. If a requirement was met, then the effect after the colon takes place. Where an 'X' is listed in the effect, this is equal to the number that the Arcane Card was declared to be (either 1, 2 or 3).
If "Bluff" is called, the active player must reveal their face down card. If the active player was lying, the resisting player can choose a card from their hand to replace the active player's Arcane Card - ideally a Catastrophe card which will trigger the catastrophe effect listed in the ability!
Example: Back to our example where Flintlock is using the 'Shoot Musket' ability with Beaky Bobby as the target. Flintlock has drawn 2 Arcane Cards while the Beaky Bobby player draws 6 Arcane Cards to resist with.
Flintlock chooses a card from their hand, places it on the table face down and declares "Green 3". If the Beaky Bobby player calls "OK" then he will suffer X+2 (with x=3) making 5 Impact Damage. However, since the Beaky Bobby player is holding a Green-3 in their resist hand and they know there is only one in the Arcane Deck, they know for certain it's a lie so calls "Bluff". Flintlock flips the card and reveals it was in fact a Pink-3. This is enough to cause the ability to have no effect, however the Beaky Bobby player may now replace Flintlock's card with one from their hand, if they wish. Unluckily for Flintlock, Beaky Bobby's controller also has a Catastrophe in hand and places that down. The 'Shoot Musket' ability now has the effect listed after 'Catastrophe :' instead. Flintlock's round explodes in the barrel causing 2 Wds to himself and preventing the ability from being used again this game. Not exactly what the Flintlock player was hoping for...
If a Bluff is called and the active player is proven to have been telling the truth, then the ability's effect takes place as normal. However after the effect resolves, the active player may, if they wish, play the ability again at no additional energy cost, using the remaining Arcane Cards in their hand. A new target may be chosen, but the new target must be controlled by the same player as the original target. The resisting player retains their hand, and must call "OK" or "Bluff" again as normal. This continues until the resisting player calls "OK", a Bluff is correctly called out, or the active player decides to stop the action and discard their hand.
Example: Let's say instead that Flintlock choose to target Doug the Flatulent (Evade Stat 0) and had previously used the 'Take Aim' ability; he draws an extra card, making 4 Arcane Cards in total. After looking at their hand, his controller once again places a card face down and declares it to be a "Green 3". Doug the Flatulent's controller once again calls "Bluff". However, this time when the Flintlock player flips the card it is indeed a Green-3! Doug suffers 5 Impact damage and Flintlock may now choose to play the ability again using the remaining 3 cards in hand, choosing to target Doug again (representing the bullet hitting the jugular for extra damage) or a new target within range and LoS (representing a freak ricochet). He places another card face down declaring it to be "Green 1" this time targeting poor Beaky Bobby who happened to be nearby. The Goblin player must once again decide to call "OK" or "Bluff"...
After an Arcane Action has been resolved, shuffle all Arcane Cards that were drawn back into the Arcane Deck.
Terrain
Moonstone uses a handful of simple terrain types which can affect models actions during a game. Terrain offers players a great opportunity for creative modelling projects as well as introducing some additional strategic considerations.
Open Ground
Any ordinary surface on the tabletop on which a model's base can stand is considered Open Ground. This includes grass, cobble stones as well as indoor spaces, and archways.
Movement: No effect.
Line of Sight: No effect.
Obstacles
An Obstacle is a small 3D terrain piece which a character might reasonably be able to traverse, albeit with some difficulty. Examples include boxes and barrels, low walls, fences and hedgerows.
Movement: A model cannot move onto or through an Obstacle during a Jog or Step action. However, they may move across an Obstacle that they are in base contact with by taking a Traverse action. A Traverse action costs 2 energy. Place the model in base contact with the opposite side of the Obstacle. The action cannot be taken if it would result in the model being placed further than 1" from their starting point. If an effect would move your model through an Obstacle, the model stops immediately on first contact.
Line of Sight: Obstacles do not block LoS but do provide cover from Arcane Abilities.
Barriers
Barriers are larger 3D terrain pieces that a character cannot see through or reasonably expect to cross without specialist equipment. Examples include tree trunks, high walls and buildings.
Movement: A model cannot move onto or through a Barrier during a Jog, Step or Traverse action. If an effect would move your model through a Barrier, the model stops immediately on first contact.
Line of Sight: Barriers completely block LoS. If all lines between the originator's base and the intended target's base cross a Barrier, then the target cannot be chosen. Barriers also provide cover if LoS is only partially blocked.
Water Feature
Water Features are flat terrain representing streams and ponds.
Movement: A model cannot move onto or through a Water Feature during a Jog action. However, it may make Step actions over the Water Feature as normal.
Line of Sight: No effect.
Wooded Patch
Wooded Patches are terrain representing an outcrop of trees or scrub-land. The whole patch is considered terrain rather than individual tree trunks being barriers which would be the case for large or lone trees.
Movement: A model cannot move onto or through a Wooded Patch during a Jog action. However, it may make Step actions through the Wooded Patch as normal.
Line of Sight: The Wooded Patch provides cover. It is possible to draw LoS into and out of a Wooded Patch but no LoS can be drawn completely through a Wooded Patch to a target beyond.
Faeries can fly! When a character with the Faerie keyword takes a Jog action, they are not affected by Water Features or Wooded Patches and may move over Obstacles and other models during the Jog, provided their base does not overlap at the end of the move. In addition, Faeries do not suffer Wds from Falling as described on page 12.
Buildings
If players wish, buildings can be thought of as an arrangement of Barriers (the walls), Obstacles (any closed doors and windows) and Open Ground (all interior spaces and open doors). In this way, models are free to enter buildings through doors and windows using a Traverse action and continue to take actions as normal within the building's interior.
Stairs
In most cases, stairs can simply be treated as Open Ground and so models are free to move up or down using Jog and Step actions as normal. Occasionally, it may be necessary to use a marker to represent a model's position on stairs if the base will not fit.
Ladders
Ladders should be treated as Obstacles but with the usual 1" maximum distance restriction lifted. Therefore a model in base contact with the top or bottom of a ladder can be placed at the other end by taking a Traverse action. A single Traverse action should not allow a model to move up or down more than a single story of a building. If a very long ladder is modelled onto the terrain piece, multiple Traverse actions will be needed to reach the other end and players may need to use a marker if the model doesn't have enough energy to reach the top in a single activation.
Elevated Positions
Models which are positioned on balconies, rooftops and behind upper story windows find it easier to draw LoS to models on the ground. To represent this, if the originator is higher than the target then they will gain +1 Arcane Stat for the action, and for each full 2" higher the originator's base is than the intended target's base, they may add +1" to the range of their ability, to a maximum of +6".
Cover Modifiers
When using Arcane Abilities, intervening objects between the active model and the target can make the target harder to hit. This is referred to as cover.
Light Cover: When determining LoS, if any of the possible lines that could be drawn between the originator's base and the target's base cross any other model's base, or any Obstacle, Barrier or Wooded Patch terrain piece, you must decrease the draw size by -1 Arcane Card, to a minimum of 1 card.
Heavy Cover: However, if the line from the centre of the originator's base to the centre of the target's base crosses any other model's base, or any Obstacle, Barrier or Wooded Patch terrain piece, you must decrease the draw size by -2 Arcane Cards (to a minimum of 1 card) instead.
The active player may choose to ignore any friendly models, Obstacles, Barriers or Wooded Patches that are within 1" of the originator of the ability for the purpose of determining cover (the character is assumed to lean over or around the obstruction).
Example: Flintlock is using his 'Shoot Musket' action. Seasick Stu is benefiting from Heavy Cover since the centre line between Flintlock's base and his own crosses a tree (Barrier). Beaky Bobby is benefiting from Light Cover, as while the centre line between their bases is clear, at least one of the lines that could be drawn between their bases crosses the tree terrain.
Falling, Jumping & Pushing
To jump from a terrain piece, a model within 1" of the edge of a raised platform may spend 1 energy to take a Step action. Place the model directly below and in base contact with the platform base (or as near as possible if the exact location below is obscured by terrain, Moonstones or other miniatures). Then, unless the character is a Faerie, or has fallen into a Water Feature terrain piece, they suffer wounds according to the height of the fall.
Wds Suffered From Falling
- 0-2" : None
- 2-4" : 1/4 of total health boxes, rounding up
- 4-6" : 1/2 of total health boxes, rounding up
- 6+" : The character is Slain
Many abilities in Moonstone allow one character to move another. In most cases these moves may not be used to force an enemy to step off an elevated position. However, the exception is abilities that use the term 'Directly Away' to describe the nature of the move such as Gotchgut's Ooga Booga, or Young Jack's Shield Bash. These such abilities can cause a target to fall and suffer wounds as if they had jumped.
Removal From Play
Some abilities state that a character is Removed from Play. This is different from Slain which occurs when a character has no remaining health points. Characters which are Removed from Play do not count as Slain and do not drop Moonstones they are in possession of. Instead any Moonstones they are carrying are considered safe and included in the total number of Moonstones your troupe is in possession of at the end of the game. Characters which have been Removed from Play can only return if a specific ability instructs you to do so. Removed from Play characters receive no energy during the Replenish Step and do not activate during the Activation Step.
The Board Edge
If a character's base would overlap the edge of the board during a move, either voluntarily or as a result of an enemy ability, then the character is Removed from Play.
Using Energy Outside of Activation
Characters are permitted to spend energy in limited ways outside of their activation, such as Go For It mentioned in the Melee Attack rules, but there is an even more important use for out of activation energy:
Reaction Steps
After each action a character takes has been fully resolved, each opponent, beginning with the player to the left of the active player may declare that one of their models is making a Reaction Step. This can be used to move behind cover or step out of engagement for example.
The model making the Reaction Step must discard 1 energy and is then able to move up to 1". Only one model per opponent is able to do this and only once per action.
Example: Negroli begins his activation with a Jog action that gets him in a position where he is engaging Mr Toodles and Hoff. Both of the fauns are controlled by Sarah. Once Negroli's model has been moved, the action is complete and Sarah has the option to make a Reaction Step of 1" with one model, if she wishes.
Predicting that Negroli's next action will be a Melee Attack against the vulnerable Mr Toodles, she decides to spend 1 of his energy tokens to make the Reaction Step out of Negroli's Melee Range.
Negroli can now make his next action. He could make a Melee Attack action against Hoff but decides instead to chase down Mr Toodles by spending 1 energy for a 1" step. Another action completed, Sarah can now make a further Reaction Step, continuing a chase sequence that eventually exhausts both characters and ends with Mr Toodles escaping harm but without enough energy remaining for his 'Healing' action this turn – a compensation prize for the Shades of Moonreach player or perhaps all part of the plan?
Holding & Dropping Moonstones
If an event in the game allows a character to gain possession of a Moonstone (such as a Harvest action), the 'Moonstone' die is placed on the character's card to signify that they are now holding the stone.
There is no limit to the number of Moonstones a character can carry but once a character is in possession of a Moonstone, they will not let it go easily! A character cannot voluntarily drop a Moonstone (they are far too precious!). However, some characters have specific abilities printed on their cards that allow them to force another character to drop or transfer possession of a Moonstone. If the ability states that the Moonstone is dropped then the active player simply places the Moonstone (die) that the target was carrying anywhere in base contact with the target displaying a Depth Value of '1'.
Additionally, when a character is Slain it drops all of the Moonstones it is carrying immediately. The currently active player (usually the one that caused the character to become Slain!) places all Moonstones (dice) that the victim was carrying anywhere in base contact with the victim, displaying a Depth Value of '1' before the model is removed from the board.
Slow Carry
Moonstones are awkward and cumbersome things that often get stuffed into a character's pantaloons in order to leave their arms free for fighting. To represent this, any character in possession of one or more Moonstones suffers from the following passive ability:
Slow: This model's Jog actions are limited to 2".
If the character already has the 'Slow' ability then there is no further cumulative effect.
The Melee Deck
The Melee Deck is shared by all players and contains 18 Melee Cards; 3 each of the following. Each card's table lists what the card Deals / Suffers against each card the opponent could play. "W" means no damage can be caused, regardless of any modifiers, while a plain number can be modified by passive abilities. A damage value shown in a yellow circle grants a Follow-Up Attack (see page 17).
Falling Swing — Aggressive Move
Your character delivers a powerful attack by driving their weapon down from above.
Damage Type: Choose Impact or Slicing.
| Opponent Plays | Deal | Suffer |
|---|---|---|
| High Guard | W | W (Follow-Up) |
| Falling Swing (I or S) | 0 | 0 |
| Thrust (P) | 0 | 2 |
| Sweeping Cut (S) | 3 | 2 |
| Rising Attack (I, S or P) | 3 | 1 |
| Low Guard | 2 | W |
Falling Swing deals severe damage to a handful of enemy moves and is particularly punishing against Rising Attacks and Low Guards. However, by using this move you can expect some damage in return from most cards. It can be devastating if deployed at the right moment against a High Guard by enabling a Follow-Up Attack of your own!
High Guard — Defensive Move
Your character holds their weapon high to block lines of attack to the head and shoulders.
| Opponent Plays | Deal | Suffer |
|---|---|---|
| High Guard | W | W |
| Falling Swing (I or S) | W (Follow-Up) | W |
| Thrust (P) | W | 0 |
| Sweeping Cut (S) | W | W |
| Rising Attack (I, S or P) | W | 2 |
| Low Guard | W | W |
This move deals no damage but will generally suffer little to no damage in return from most cards. It can be devastating if deployed at the right moment against a Falling Swing by enabling a Follow-Up Attack of your own!
Thrust — Aggressive Move
Your character lunges forward to strike the opponent with the tip of their weapon.
Damage Type: Piercing.
| Opponent Plays | Deal | Suffer |
|---|---|---|
| High Guard | 0 | W |
| Falling Swing (I or S) | 2 | 0 |
| Thrust (P) | 3 | 3 |
| Sweeping Cut (S) | W | 0 (Follow-Up) |
| Rising Attack (I, S or P) | 2 | 1 |
| Low Guard | 1 | W |
Thrust has a decent potential for damage and can be a strong move to use against a Falling Swing. However, it is a somewhat risky move with mirrored Thrusts being a messy affair and Sweeping Cuts another hazard to watch out for...
Sweeping Cut — Neutral Move
Your character sweeps their weapon horizontally to deflect incoming blows or cut at the enemy's hands.
Damage Type: Slicing.
| Opponent Plays | Deal | Suffer |
|---|---|---|
| High Guard | W | W |
| Falling Swing (I or S) | 2 | 3 |
| Thrust (P) | 0 (Follow-Up) | W |
| Sweeping Cut (S) | 0 | 0 |
| Rising Attack (I, S or P) | 2 | 2 |
| Low Guard | W | W |
Sweeping Cut deals a relatively small amount of damage in most cases but is a brutally effective counter to the Thrust, enabling a Follow-Up Attack.
Rising Attack — Aggressive Move
Your character swings or stabs up from below, a difficult move for the enemy to avoid.
Damage Type: Choose Impact, Slicing or Piercing.
| Opponent Plays | Deal | Suffer |
|---|---|---|
| High Guard | 2 | W |
| Falling Swing (I or S) | 1 | 3 |
| Thrust (P) | 1 | 2 |
| Sweeping Cut (S) | 2 | 2 |
| Rising Attack (I, S or P) | 1 | 1 |
| Low Guard | W | W (Follow-Up) |
This is a versatile attack, capable of delivering all damage types (Impact, Slicing or Piercing) and deals moderate damage to almost all enemy moves. However, beware the Low Guard!
Low Guard — Defensive Move
Your character holds their weapon low to block lines of attack against the legs and belly.
| Opponent Plays | Deal | Suffer |
|---|---|---|
| High Guard | W | W |
| Falling Swing (I or S) | W | 2 |
| Thrust (P) | W | 1 |
| Sweeping Cut (S) | W | W |
| Rising Attack (I, S or P) | W (Follow-Up) | W |
| Low Guard | W | W |
This move deals no damage but will generally suffer little to no damage in return from most cards. It can be devastating if deployed at the right moment against a Rising Attack enabling a Follow-Up Attack.
Making a Melee Attack
To conduct a round of melee, the active model, or Attacker, takes a Melee Attack action by paying 1 energy then declaring a target enemy model within their Melee Range and LoS to be the Defender. The attacker first draws a number of Melee Cards equal to the Melee Stat +2 of their character. Then the defender draws a number of Melee Cards equal to their Melee Stat. Note that a player must always draw at least 1 Melee Card, even if their character's Melee Stat has been reduced to 0 or less by game effects.
Each player then chooses one of their Melee Cards and, when both players are ready, simultaneously place their chosen card face up on the table in front of them.
Players announce their own card, and on it, find the name of the Melee Card their opponent has played. Read off the amount of damage you have inflicted with your move from the Deal column of your Melee Card.
Both attackers and defenders are capable of inflicting damage during a round of melee. However, if you are a defender, and the attacker is outside of your Melee Range, you automatically deal W damage instead of the value on your card.
Critical Hits
Sometimes a skilled fighter is able to place their attack just right for maximum damage. After players have revealed their card selection for the melee round, if they have any duplicates (2 or 3 of the same card) of their selection in their hand, they may place them down on the table along side their selection. This is referred to as making a Critical Hit.
When checking the damage you've inflicted, you may add the score from all the cards you have placed down together, multiplying the damage by 2x or 3x respectively. This multiplication takes place before any further modifiers are added or subtracted.
Damage Modifiers and Damage Types
Many characters have passive abilities that increase or decrease the damage they are able to deal or receive and a number of these abilities reference a damage type. For example:
Dagger: If this character deals Piercing Melee Dmg, increase the Dmg dealt by +1.
At the top of each Melee Card is a list of available damage types the card can deal (either Slicing, Impact or Piercing). Players must choose one of the damage types listed on their Melee Card. Depending which type they select, some of their own character's, or their opponents character's, abilities may take effect. All modifiers from passive abilities are applied simultaneously.
For example Jayda has the 'Dagger' passive ability. If she plays one of the Melee Cards which have that damage type printed on them (Thrust or Rising Attack) she may declare that the damage type is 'Piercing' and increase her damage output by +1. However if Jayda plays a Sweeping Cut card, the damage type can only be 'Slicing' and so she cannot benefit from the increased damage.
Once all modifiers have been added/subtracted, each player should fill in a number of health boxes on their character card equal to the net damage their opponent was able to deal.
The "W" Symbol
The W symbol means that no damage can be caused, regardless of any modifiers, while a '0' can be affected by modifiers such as passive abilities, and therefore has the potential to cause damage under certain circumstances.
The End Step
After players have completed any Follow-Up Attacks and have marked off any wounds they have suffered then the round of melee enters the End Step. Some Signature Moves (see page 17) include events at the bottom of the card that occur now. Once all events have occurred, players shuffle their Melee Cards back into the Melee Deck and the Melee Attack action is complete.
Round of Melee – Example One
1) Hoff declares a Melee Attack action against Serif who is 1" away.
Hoff (Attacker) has a Melee Stat of 4 so he draws 4 Melee Cards, plus an additional 2 for being the attacker, making 6 cards in total. Serif (Defender) has a Melee Stat of 2 so his controller draws 2 Melee Cards.
2) Both players draw hands and study their cards to decide what move they are going to play this round.
The attacking player is hoping to cause some serious damage and seeing that they have drawn 2x Rising Attack cards, prepares to play a Critical Hit. With only two options, Serif chooses the Sweeping Cut card.
3) When both players are ready, they simultaneously reveal their choices and read off the damage they have dealt to their opponent this round.
The Rising Attack deals 2 damage to the Sweeping Cut, however since Hoff played two copies as a Critical Hit, they are added together and he deals 4 damage instead. Sweeping Cut deals 2 damage to Rising Attack.
4) Players then declare their damage type and apply any modifiers.
The Rising Attack card offers a choice of damage types: Impact, Slicing or Piercing. Hoff chooses Impact, allowing him to add +2 damage from his 'Felling Axe' ability bringing his Melee Dmg up to 6. Sweeping Cut only offers Slicing as its damage type so that damage type must be used. Serif has no passive abilities to boost Slicing damage and neither character has a Passive Ability that reduces Melee Dmg of any type.
5) Players mark off the damage suffered on their health charts.
Hoff suffers 2 wounds and has 7 remaining. Serif suffers 6 wounds, leaving him with only 1 health box remaining!
Melee Rules Continued
Distractions
During a round of melee, for each enemy model that is engaging your model, other than the attacker/defender, you draw -1 Melee Cards, to a minimum of 1.
Going For It
After drawing Melee Cards, but before making selections, either player can discard 1 energy from the active character or defender respectively to draw +2 cards, if there are sufficient cards remaining in the deck. Only 1 energy can be spent by each player in this way during any round of melee.
Follow-Up Attacks
Some damage results on Melee Cards are inside a yellow circle. This means you get to make a Follow-Up Attack. Resolve the round of melee as normal, then provided your character was not Slain, before moving to the End Step, you may choose another card from your hand and place it on the table face up. It deals damage based on whatever card your opponent originally played, modified in the usual way. This is a completely free hit, it costs no energy and you suffer no damage. Critical Hits can be played as normal.
In the unlikely event that both players can make Follow-Up Attacks, the new cards are chosen simultaneously and are resolved against the opponent's Follow-Up card, rather than their previously played card. In this situation both players may deal (and therefore suffer) damage.
Follow-Up Attacks can be upgraded to Signature Moves as normal if the correct card type is played.
Signature Moves
On the back of each Character Card is a Signature Move which looks like a Melee Card. Each Signature Move is an enhanced version of one of the six regular Melee Cards. The standard card that each Signature Move is able to replace is printed just under the Signature Move's name on the card ('Rising Attack' in the example Groin Tickler below).
Groin Tickler — Upgrade for Rising Attack. Damage Type: Piercing.
| Opponent Plays | Deal |
|---|---|
| High Guard | 3 |
| Falling Swing | 3 |
| Thrust | 2 |
| Sweeping Cut | 2 |
| Rising Attack | 0 |
| Low Guard | W |
Damage from this attack cannot be reduced by Passive abilities.
End Step Effect: You may place this model anywhere in base contact with the enemy model.
To use Signature Moves, conduct the round of melee as normal. Once all cards have been revealed, but before damage is calculated, if either player has a Signature Move that matches their Melee Card, they may declare that they are upgrading their Melee Card(s) to their Signature Move; use its damage table when determining the amount of damage you deal to your opponent. The amount of damage your opponent deals to you is not affected by your choice to upgrade; read off their damage as normal against the name of the regular move that was replaced.
As well as a unique damage dealt table, many Signature Moves include additional effects such as reducing damage suffered or moving a model. These effects are printed below the damage table. Some effects modify the damage while others are listed as End Step Effects. End Step Effects occur after damage has been resolved. End Step Effects happen simultaneously where possible. If effects cannot occur simultaneously, the attacker chooses the order in which effects occur. Unless specified otherwise, End Step Effects occur even if the controlling character was Slain. However if the defender was out of range, then only End Step Effects that affect themselves (such as damage reductions and moves) may occur, while End Step Effects that affect the attacker are ignored.
If the Melee Cards being upgraded were a Critical Hit then all cards played become a copy of the Signature Move. This means that the damage dealt from the Signature Move is multiplied, and so are other effects printed on the bottom of the Signature Move!
Round of Melee – Example Two
Moments earlier... Baron von Fancyhat takes a Jog action which brings Grub into his 2" Melee Range. Sensing that the old fopp is going to make a Melee Attack with his next action, the Grub player declares a Reaction Step (see page 13). He could step back out of the Baron's Melee Range to avoid the attack, but fortune favours the brave and so Grub instead steps forward, engaging the aging aristocrat within his own Melee Range and ensuring that if the Baron is foolhardy enough to attack with his next action, the mischievous Grub can inflict damage in return.
1) Baron von Fancyhat declares a Melee Attack action.
The Baron (Attacker) has a Melee Stat of 5 so he draws 5 Melee Cards, plus an additional 2 for being the attacker, making 7 cards in total. Grub (Defender) has a Melee Stat of 4 so he draws 4 Melee Cards.
2) Both players draw hands and study their cards to decide what move they are going to play this round.
3) When both players are ready, they simultaneously place their choices on the table.
Baron von Fancyhat is delighted to see in his hand two Falling Swings, enabling him to use his Signature Move. He first places one down as his choice, then places the second copy alongside signifying a Critical Hit! The clever Grub, knowing full well that the Baron's Signature Move is on a Falling Swing, chooses the High Guard.
4) Players next decide if they are going to use Signature Moves.
Baron von Fancyhat has chosen the Melee Card that enables his Signature Move upgrade ('Master Strike', an upgrade for Falling Swing), if he wishes. Unfortunately, against a High Guard, even the enhanced Signature Move deals W damage so there's no benefit this time. Grub's High Guard also deals W damage against the Falling Swing but crucially the yellow circle behind the symbol indicates a Follow-Up Attack can be made!
5) Players mark off the damage suffered in this initial exchange on their health charts.
Fancyhat suffers 0 wounds. Grub suffers 0 wounds.
6) Follow-Up Attacks.
Baron von Fancyhat has no Follow-Up Attacks. His original card remains face up, but does not get the chance to deal damage again this step no matter what move the opposing player chooses. The Grub player looks at their unused cards and selects a Rising Attack. Turning the tables, now he can upgrade to his Signature Move!
7) Players again decide if they are going to use Signature Moves.
While the Baron takes no part in this step and is stuck with his original choice, Grub decides he does want to upgrade his Rising Attack to his Signature Move 'Insatiable Hunger', increasing the Dmg dealt against a Falling Swing from 1 up to 3. Even better, since Insatiable Hunger causes Magical damage, the Baron's 'Plate Armour' is useless!
8) Players mark off the damage suffered on their health charts from the Follow-up exchange.
Fancyhat suffers 3 wounds. Grub suffers no wounds.
9) End Step.
Grub's Signature Move also includes an End Step Effect which allows him to restore all his wounds and energy, turning fallen enemies into a nutritious snack. Unfortunately, as the Baron is still alive and merely wounded, this End Step Effect does not take place this time. But he does look delicious. A couple more rounds of melee like this and Grub might just fill his belly!