Mortum: Medieval Detective – The Shelter
Mortum: Medieval Detective – The Shelter Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Time Track
The amount of time allotted for the scenario is limited and is tracked by moving a token along the time track. The track is assembled from two cards. The starting card of the scenario will tell you which space to place the TIME token on.
Advancing the Time Token
The TIME token advances along the track in several cases.
- A symbol in the top-left corner of the card. If the top-left corner of the card you played shows one or more "clock" icons, move the token forward by the corresponding number of hours.
- A direct instruction to advance the token. Some cards may directly state which space on the track to place the TIME token on.
- A decision by the players. You may simply skip hours by advancing the token, but this is not efficient, so try to avoid doing so.
Fatigue
By continuing to act after sunset, the heroes build up fatigue. It is marked on the time track (at 19:00 you have one unit of fatigue, at 20:00 two, and so on). Some scenarios set a time limit after which you will be required to send the heroes to rest.
Fatigue is a loan of time from the next day, not a penalty. During rest you must get rid of every unit of fatigue, and the more you have built up, the later your next morning will begin. But don't be afraid to use the nighttime hours: in some scenarios they open up additional options unavailable during the day.
When moving on to the next game day, the game will require you to get rid of all units of fatigue. This can be done in two ways:
- advancing the TIME token 1 hour forward (the new day will thus begin later);
- discarding 1 Surveillance, Search, or Raid token.
End of Scenario
The scenario ends when the TIME token reaches a certain hour. You will learn how much time is allotted for the investigation during play, when you take the card that gives you this information.
Decks
Various Decks
While preparing for the scenario, you will be instructed to separate several additional decks from the main deck. You will not need to think about which deck to draw a given card from: whenever one of the additional decks is meant, the game will always state its name. If only a number is given, you should draw a card from the main deck.
Main Deck
Cards in the main deck are most often two-sided (they have no card back), so try to draw them in such a way that you do not glimpse the others. The reverse side of these cards is distinguished by the addition of the letter B to the number. Sometimes the game may direct you straight to side B. In that case, do not read the text on side A.
Additional Decks
Cards in these decks are one-sided — they always have a back showing the deck's name, its special symbol (the symbol for Search, Surveillance, or Raid), and the card's number. You will draw cards from these decks in two cases:
- when carrying out the corresponding special action on your own initiative;
- when the game directly instructs you to draw a card from a specific deck.
Card Structure
Any game action, whether it is a decision to visit a location, to do something, or to talk to someone, is always accompanied by drawing a specific card. Cards may look different, but they all share a similar structure and use the same design elements.
Time Spent + Free Card Flip
Sometimes these two symbols sit next to each other, but they are two independent symbols. They should be read as follows: on drawing this card, you must advance the TIME token by 1 hour, after which you may freely flip the card and look at its reverse side.
Free Card Flip. A flip symbol in the top-left corner of the card means you may freely flip it over without spending anything for it.
Time Spent. This symbol means you must advance the TIME token. The symbol triggers ONLY ONCE! If you flipped the card and then returned to the side bearing this symbol again, you do not need to advance the TIME token a second time.
Instruction in a colored block. An instruction in a colored block must be carried out. Cards often have either several such blocks, or several instructions at once within one of them. In any case, the instructions are carried out strictly in order from top to bottom. Be careful not to skip such instructions, or you will break the game's logic and will not be able to complete the scenario correctly.
Card chains. Sometimes such instructions will make you draw another card, occasionally more than one. The cards you draw may carry similar requirements. In this way, one card can set off an entire chain of cards. Chains are played out without interruption. This is important to keep in mind in cases where chains lead to advancing the TIME token and triggering other events. Remember that you must first fully read and carry out all the instructions of the current chain before drawing the card for another event.
Text block. This is flavor text that reveals part of the story. Sometimes it contains instructions to do something, but in that case the text is highlighted in color.
Possible Actions
This block lists the actions you may carry out if you consider it necessary. Each action is followed by a number — this is the number of the card you will draw if you carry out that action.
Rest Action: the game day always ends with the group going to rest. Actions that let you do this always carry the note "Available from 18:00."
Missing number: if a card with that number is missing from the deck (for example, it was drawn earlier or the game required it to be removed), the action is considered impossible.
Several possible actions: if a card offers several possible actions, the card is NOT discarded after carrying out one of them. You may (if you wish, and if you have enough game time) carry out all the actions, not just one.
Conditions for carrying out an action: to carry out some actions you must satisfy a requirement written before it. This may be spending a particular token or something else. The action can only be carried out once all its conditions are met.
Possible night actions: actions given in such a block can only be carried out after the rest action has been played. The game itself will offer you the chance to carry out a night action at that point. These actions cannot be carried out at any other time. Carrying out such an action always increases the group's fatigue by 1.
Hero Card
The hero card shows their portrait, as well as a set of special-action tokens you receive the moment the game tells you to take them (at the start of the scenario). These and other tokens obtained during play form the group's supply. A reminder of the rules for using and restoring special-action tokens is given on the back of the hero cards.
Card with a Keyword
On receiving a card with a keyword, keep it together with your hero cards. These cards carry over from scenario to scenario. If you are in doubt whether a card is a keyword card, simply treat it as one and keep it until the end of the last scenario to avoid confusion.
Keyword cards are not kept if you replay a scenario from the start.
Location Card
This is an illustration showing a map of the area, along with individual locations on it. Almost always such locations have a unique number. It is needed to carry out special actions (Search, Surveillance, or Raid) at the location and points to the number of the card in the corresponding deck that you must draw.
Moving between locations: the game does not require you to specify exactly where the heroes are at any given moment. Players do not need to spend time moving between locations.
A location with no number means that no special actions can be carried out there.
Example: the players use a SURVEILLANCE token to carry out surveillance at location 1, "The Ruins." When the action is complete, they must draw and read card 1 from the Surveillance deck.
Special Actions
Tokens
Most of the tokens you have represent the possibility of carrying out one action or another. The decision to use them is yours to make. After the introductory part of the first scenario, you will not encounter reminders that you can spend tokens to carry out Search, Surveillance, or Raid actions.
The phrase "Spend a token" means removing it from the group's supply. The token may be returned to the box, or it may be placed at the location where the action was carried out, for clarity.
Surveillance and Search Tokens
These actions represent covertly observing a location or thoroughly searching it. The action takes 3 hours and requires you to do the following:
- place the token you have at the chosen location;
- take another token from the box and place it on the space of the time track three hours later than the current one;
- when the TIME token reaches the token placed on the track, return that token to the box and draw the card with the number of the location where the action was carried out from the corresponding deck;
- before reading that card, fully finish reading the chain that triggered the advance of the TIME token;
- the token lying at the location remains there until the end of the game, so it is easier for you to track where and which special actions you have already carried out.
Simultaneous execution: Surveillance and Search can be carried out at the same time if these actions are shown on the cards of two different characters. The locations at which these actions are carried out must also be different. But this does not mean that Search and Surveillance cannot be carried out at the same location. You may surveil a location where a search was previously carried out, and vice versa.
Locking a location: until a special action is complete, the location is considered unavailable for any other actions (including actions given in "Possible Actions" blocks that involve visiting that location).
Important!
- If you go to rest without waiting for the TIME token to reach the token placed on the track, the action is still completed and you will draw the corresponding card before all tokens are restored.
- Sometimes the game instructs you to take a token from the box and place it at a location. This means that the corresponding action can no longer be carried out at that location, and by placing this token you should not draw a card from the corresponding deck.
Raid Tokens
This action represents the heroes bursting into a location, binding everyone there, interrogating them, and conducting a thorough search of the location. Carrying out a Raid requires the presence of every member of the group (no Surveillance or Search action may be in progress). To carry out a Raid, do the following:
- place the token you have at the chosen location;
- immediately afterward, draw the card with the number of the location where the action is carried out from the Raid deck.
After a Raid: the location is locked and becomes unavailable. No actions (including actions given in "Possible Actions" blocks that involve visiting that location) can be carried out there anymore. The location is NOT locked if the Raid could not be carried out and the players were forced to return the spent Raid token.
Combat Tokens
These tokens are spent during combat encounters. If a card's text requires spending a certain number of Combat tokens, players must do so. For every missing Combat token the group receives a Wound token.
If a card's text offers the option of spending some number of Combat tokens to carry out an action, players may only do so if the group's supply has the required number of these tokens.
Wound Tokens
Every Wound token counts as an additional unit of fatigue and forces the heroes to spend more time resting.
Mental Power Tokens
Magic allows contact with the spirits of the dead and finding solutions that would normally take hours or even days to seek out. You will be able to use these tokens whenever the game offers you the chance to do so.
Coin Tokens
Coins let you obtain items and information without entering into conflict. If a card's text offers the option of spending some number of coins to carry out an action, players may only do so if the group's supply has the required number of coins.
Restoring Tokens
Surveillance and Search tokens are restored every morning, so don't hesitate to use them. Raid, Combat, and Mental Power tokens are restored only at the start of the next scenario. Coin tokens are given once for the whole game; the coin supply is not restored. Wound tokens remain with the group until the end of the scenario.
Frequently Asked Questions and Common Mistakes
Mistake: Players spend game time moving between locations.
Explanation: There is no movement on a map in this game. The settlements where the action takes place are not so large, so advance the TIME token only when the cards being played require it.
Mistake: When replaying a scenario, players keep the keyword cards they received on their first playthrough.
Explanation: Keyword cards define the decisions and events that happened to your characters during the current playthrough. If your story unfolds differently on a replay and you did NOT receive a card you had received previously, you should not keep it. Otherwise you will run into inconsistent in-game events.
Mistake: The game required flipping a card to side B, and having done so, players consider side A to no longer be available.
Explanation: Players always retain access to information and cards they have already read. Thus side A remains available to them if they read it earlier. There is an important nuance here: in rare cases, players may gain access directly to side B. In that rare case, side A remains unavailable.
Mistake: Players carry out a Raid on a location, then carry out actions connected with it (for example, going to talk at the farm after placing a Raid token on it).
Explanation: A Raid token rules out any possibility for players to carry out any actions whatsoever at that location.
Mistake: Players carry out a Raid without waiting for the Surveillance or Search action to finish.
Explanation: To carry out a Raid, all of the players' characters must be available. In other words, it cannot be played in parallel with any other actions.
Mistake: Players choose and act on behalf of one specific character, assuming that it is that character who is carrying out the actions on the cards.
Explanation: All players play cooperatively as the whole group of agents. If any of the possible actions is carried out, it is assumed that the whole group is devoted to carrying it out (except for characters who have split off to carry out Surveillance or Search).
Question: Some cards have a night-action option that involves a Raid on a location. Do you need to spend a Raid token for such an action?
Answer: No. If the action is offered to you by a card and its text does not state that you need to spend a token, you do not spend one.
Question: A card offers a possible action at a location where Surveillance or Search is currently being carried out right now. Can this action be carried out?
Answer: No, it cannot, until the special action is complete.
Question: Can special actions be carried out at locations not yet visited?
Answer: Yes.
Question: How can the group start growing fatigued as early as 7 p.m.? Isn't it too much for experienced agents and fighters to go to rest at 6 p.m. and sleep until 7 a.m.?
Answer: The division of time into waking hours and rest in the game is somewhat conventional. Rest does not represent sleep alone. It includes all the time the heroes spend preparing food (both in the evening and the morning), cleaning and maintaining their equipment, discussing and drawing up plans for further action, and so on.
Question: Can time be skipped if there are no actions available right now?
Answer: Yes, it can.
Credits
- Game Designer: Sergey Minevich
- Creative Director: Denis Plastinin
- Artists: Igor Kozlov, Igor Savchenko, Maxim Kozlov
- Designer: Alisa Argat
- Project Manager: Roman Shamolin