Mythic Battles: Isfet
Mythic Battles: Isfet Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
I • Presentation
A • The Objective of the Game
Mythic Battles: Isfet can be played in two modes: skirmish or adventure.
In skirmish mode, regardless of the number of players, there are two ways to win. The game ends immediately:
- When one side destroys an opposing divinity.
- When the divinity or divinities of one side or team absorb four divine stones.
The first player or team to kill a divinity or absorb four divine stones wins the game.
In adventure mode, players choose a scenario with its own specific victory conditions. These are not necessarily the same for each side.
The composition of your army will be based either on alternating selection between players with a shared reserve (draft) if you're playing in skirmish mode, or on scenario-specific conditions if you're playing in adventure mode.
B • Hierarchy of Rules
Some rules are designed to override others. For example, this happens when a power modifies or contradicts the rules in this book. When two rules contradict each other, the one with the higher priority must be applied. The order of priority is as follows, from highest to lowest:
- Scenarios
- Powers
- Talents
- Class
- The rest of the game rules
Remember: certain rules on the resolution of effects are not subject to this table of priorities and systematically take precedence over all other rules and/or effects.
Ignored effects. When an effect is ignored, it is not applied and therefore has no priority whatsoever.
Simultaneous effects. If several effects must be resolved at the same time, the active player decides the order of resolution. One effect must be fully resolved before another takes effect.
Triggered effects. A triggered effect must always be fully resolved before any other effect is resolved. An effect is not cancelled if its triggering conditions are no longer met when it is resolved. For example, an effect that causes a land unit to enter an aquatic area is fully resolved even if it could not be triggered in an aquatic area.
Mythic Battles: Isfet requires the use of various types of game components, such as boards, miniatures, control panels, and maps.
II • Game Overview
On the game board, your units, represented by miniatures, will battle it out until the conditions for victory have been fulfilled. Depending on the game mode and the board, 3D elements such as trees and statues, Kheper beetles, and tokens can be found on the board.
Your units each have their own identity, with different combinations of characteristics and talents, as well as unique powers, represented on a card (for Troops, weak, numerous, and inexpensive units) or on dashboards (for Titans, Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, with many powers and much greater might). During attacks, which consist of one or two dice-rolling phases, the characteristics of units with a dashboard will change to represent their weakened state, using sliders.
Aside from the game board, there are two types of area used for playing: the shared reserve, where players place everything that doesn't belong to any of them (uncollected Khepers, Kheper or Art of War cards, scenario tokens, etc.), and the personal reserve, which contains everything that belongs to the player in question (undeployed units, dashboards, cards, absorbed Khepers, etc.).
Your deck and your hand will comprise up to 3 types of cards: Activation cards (which allow you to make your units act), Art of War cards (which allow you to perform special maneuvers, such as drawing a card you want from your deck, or paying the cost of certain powers for your units), and Kheper cards (which allow you to mimic the effects of an Art of War card, but above all, to use a powerful effect specific to each Mythic Battles mythology).
A • Units
Each player's army is made up of a certain number of units.
- A unit is allied to another if both are controlled by the same player or if the two players controlling them are on the same side.
- A unit is always considered to be allied to itself.
- A unit controlled by an opposing player is an enemy unit.
These units are represented by miniatures on the board and associated with dashboards or troop cards during the game. There are 5 different types of unit: Gods and Titans (both grouped under "divinity"), Heroes, Monsters, and Troops.
1 • Titans, Gods, Heroes, and Monsters
Each of these units is usually represented by a single miniature on the game board and associated with a dashboard during the game. A dashboard shows:
- Unit type, shown by color: blue for titans, yellow for gods, green for monsters, gray for heroes.
- Stat slide: this clips onto the dashboard rivets. The window shows the unit's current characteristics. A unit starts the game with its slide placed on the highest line.
- Characteristics table: each line in the table corresponds to a unit's vitality point. Depending on the wounds it sustains, the set of characteristics change.
- Powers: the entire right-hand side of the dashboard contains the unit's powers. Each one is presented in the form of a box containing the type of power, the cost, the name, the number of tokens if any are associated with the power, and a detailed description.
- Activation cards: the number of Activation cards provided by the unit. Each icon represents one of the unit's activation cards.
- Strategic value: each icon represents an Art of War card.
- Recruitment points: how many recruitment points (RP) the unit costs.
- Unit name.
- Talents.
- Origin: indicates the product the unit is from (Core Box, or the first 3 letters of the extension name).
- Class: a unit can be aquatic, fireproof, flying, boreal, huge, or terrestrial. If none of these icons is present, the unit is terrestrial.
2 • Characteristics
- Offense: the number of dice the unit rolls for its first attack.
- Defense: this value reflects how hard it is to injure the unit.
- Range: the maximum distance (by number of areas) at which the unit can make an attack. A range of 0 corresponds to the area in which the unit is located.
- Movement: the number of areas the unit can perform a walk.
- Available power: the number of dice used for offensive power attacks (number) or the availability of the power (symbol). A dash means the power cannot be used.
- Vitality: the number of vitality points remaining.
Modifiers (powers, talents, terrain, etc.) cannot decrease offense, defense, range, and movement values below 0, nor increase them above 10. A unit's vitality can never be increased beyond the maximum value indicated on its troop card or dashboard.
3.a • Troops
Unless otherwise stated, a troop unit always costs 1 RP, and a troop unit can always benefit from an attachment (see 3.b below). It is represented by one or more miniatures on the board. All miniatures in play in the same troop unit must always be in the same area. These miniatures are also used to represent the unit's vitality points. A complete troop is a troop unit with all its miniatures in play. A destroyed troop unit can be brought back into play through troop recall (see Troop Recall).
A Troop card shows the same characteristics as other unit types (offense, defense, range, and movement). However, its vitality characteristic is not shown on the card, as this is represented by the number of miniatures on the board. When a troop unit is no longer complete and contains only one miniature, its talents are ignored. Troop unit powers are permanent and always available (see Use of Powers).
3.b • Troop Attachments: Tjati
Tjati are attachments, i.e. recruitable cards (with an RP cost), which can only be linked to units to give them various powers, as indicated on their card. These powers are always available and permanent, like those of troop units. They can be constant or circumstantial bonuses, and in exceptional cases they can be single-use powers with the attachment removed from the game after use.
An attachment is always linked to a unit. An attachment has no characteristics, cannot be targeted directly, and is not represented by a miniature. Unless otherwise specified, a Tjati always costs 1 RP, and can only be attached to one troop unit. Only one Tjati can be attached to each troop unit.
You can add Tjati attachment cards by including them in the units available during the draft phase. By spending 1 RP, a player can recruit a Tjati instead of a unit. At the end of the recruitment phase, each player, starting with the first, attaches the Tjati to one of their troops, which then gains its power. A troop can only have one attachment.
A Tjati is destroyed if the troop is destroyed, and comes back into play if the troop comes back into play (for example, following a troop recall), so long as the use of its power has not previously removed it from play.
B • Powers
Powers enable the units that possess them to benefit from specific effects. These powers can be of 4 types: permanent, passive, active, and offensive. On a dashboard or troop card, a power is shown with its type, its cost (the total number of icons indicating the cost of using the power in Art of War cards), its name, whether it uses tokens and how many, and a detailed description of its effect.
1 • Description of Troop Powers
The powers of troop units are all permanent and are presented with a detailed description of the power, and sometimes a bonus indicating that the power adds a bonus to an associated characteristic.
2 • Description of Powers on a Dashboard
If a unit has several powers, they will alternate between white and black backgrounds. This color corresponds to the icon or number on the colored background of the power characteristic in the characteristics table. The available power icon indicates whether the corresponding power can be used. If it is not represented by a number, it corresponds to the power whose icon is identical (shape and color). If it is represented by a number, it corresponds to the power whose description includes an X-value icon of the same color. An unavailable power icon indicates that the power is no longer available.
3 • Use of Powers
A power can only be used by a unit if it is available – for example, if its icon (or a number with the same background color for certain offensive powers) appears in the dashboard stat slide window. Troop and Tjati powers are always permanent and available. A player must pay the cost of the power in Art of War cards to apply its effects. If nothing is indicated on the dashboard or troop card, the power does not require the use of an Art of War card. When an X value is displayed in the power description (or when a characteristic icon associated with an X value is displayed on a black or white background), this means that the actual value of the characteristic can be read in the stat slide.
Powers triggered by an effect must be resolved. The first letter of powers and talents are always capitalized, e.g. Combustion, Initiative, Mobility.
- Permanent: the unit can use its power whenever its conditions for use are met, even if it is performing a complex action or is not yet on the board.
- Passive: the unit can use its power whenever its conditions for use are met, unless it is performing a complex action or is not on the board.
- Active: the unit can only use its power once per turn during its activation, but not if it performs a complex action.
- Offensive: the unit can use its power upon activation, but not if it performs a complex action. Its use replaces a simple attack action, and therefore counts towards the limit of the two simple actions the unit can perform in a turn. If nothing is specified in the power description, the attack follows the normal attack sequence.
4 • Power Tokens
Some powers require the use of tokens. When setting up, each player must take as many power tokens as indicated on their dashboard, and place them in their personal reserve. These form the power token reserve. Unless otherwise stated (such as being removed from the game), when a token is discarded or removed from the board, it returns to this reserve.
A token retains its effect as long as it is in play, regardless of whether the corresponding power is active, passive, permanent, or offensive, and even if the unit using it is destroyed. Some tokens have a defense and vitality characteristic, so they can be the target of an attack as if they were a unit. However, the attacker's talents are ignored. When a token has no more vitality points, it is removed from the game.
C • Game Boards
Game boards define the battlefield on which the game will be played. They are divided into areas, which are outlined by boundaries. Each area is marked with an icon. This allows you to trace lines of sight, and its shape indicates the type of terrain in the area. This icon also contains a number: the area's capacity. When the number of units (not miniatures) present in the area reaches this capacity, the area is said to be "full," meaning that it can no longer accommodate additional units.
Two areas are said to be adjacent if they share a boundary. A unit's surroundings consist of the area in which it is located AND all adjacent areas.
Effects in surroundings. An effect that affects a unit's surroundings must target a visible area in the surroundings of the unit causing the effect.
3D elements. Two types of terrain place 3D elements on the board. These are Forests, which place trees, and Ruins, which place statues, in numbers that vary according to the capacity. These elements enable the use of certain talents (such as Force of Nature) for attacking an opponent from a greater distance and with greater force, after which they are removed from the board.
Khepers. There are various divine stones associated with the different mythologies of the Mythic Battles universe. The divine stone of Egyptian mythology is the Kheper. In Greek mythology, it's the omphalos, and in Scandinavian mythology, it's the rune. These are represented by plastic scarabs and symbolize the primordial energy required by divinities to increase their power. A divine stone is free (if it is located on a board area), claimed (if it is on a unit base following a claim action), or absorbed (by a divinity). In skirmish mode, Khepers are placed on the board before the game starts, depending on the board chosen and the number of players. They offer one of two ways to win, if one side manages to absorb four of them before the other side. In adventure mode, certain scenarios may use Khepers, with different or similar rules to those in skirmish mode, which will be specified in the special rules of the relevant scenarios.
Scenario tokens. In adventure mode, you'll frequently use scenario tokens. These will be used to represent some of the special rules associated with them, and will be described in the relevant scenarios in the Scenario Booklet (or in any expansion book containing scenarios).
D • Hand Composition
Your deck and your hand are made up of up to 3 card types: Activation cards, Art of War cards, and if you absorb Divine Stones during the game, their corresponding cards. In the case of Mythic Battles: Isfet, these are the Kheper cards.
Activation cards. Each unit has its own set of identical Activation Cards (3 for troops, 3 to 5 for other unit types). An Activation card displays only the unit's name and illustration, and the number of Activation cards it has. During the game, they are used to activate the units they represent, as well as to trigger a retaliation (see Combat). A player is limited to 2 unit activations per turn. The same unit can only be activated once per turn.
Art of War cards. These cards are all identical and have a wide variety of uses. They allow players to activate a second unit during their turn (by also using the Activation card of the unit that is activated second), to pay the cost of certain powers, and to perform maneuvers. When a player has to pay for an Art of War card, they can discard 1 Art of War card, 1 Kheper card, or 2 Activation cards of destroyed units (other than troops).
Kheper cards. These cards are obtained when a divinity absorbs a Divine Stone. When a divinity absorbs a Kheper, its player takes a Kheper card from the shared reserve and adds it to their hand. A Kheper card can be used in two ways:
- At the end of their turn, the player may remove one or more Kheper cards from their hand. All allied units in their divinity's area gain +1 defense per discarded Kheper card until the start of the player's next turn.
- A Kheper card can be discarded in place of an Art of War card.
Hand limit. There is no limit to the number of cards in your hand.
Discard pile. Each player discards their cards in a pile, face up, to form their discard pile. All players can consult their discard pile at any time.
Can't draw. When a player can no longer draw because they have nothing left in their deck, the game is momentarily paused. All players reform their deck according to the following steps:
- Each player adds all remaining cards from their deck to their hand.
- Each player shuffles their discard pile to form a new deck.
- Each player draws, if necessary, until they have 3 cards in their hand.
- The game starts again where it left off.
- The player who caused the momentary interruption of the game draws the cards they had not been able to draw before.
E • Other Game Elements
Recruitment cards. These optional cards summarize the characteristics (at full vitality), types and names of powers, tokens, talents, class, RP cost, strategic value, origin, and number of activation cards of titans, gods, heroes, and monsters (this information is already available on troop cards). They allow you to save space on the table during the draft phase by only bringing out the dashboards once the units have been selected, or as a way to quickly consult profiles.
Book of the Dead cards. Book of the Dead cards are used specifically in certain campaigns (such as "Check Maat" in the Adventure Book) and several scenarios. They allow you to temporarily or permanently upgrade your units. These cards are not used in skirmish mode.
Dice. Dice are used for attacks in combat. They are composed of the following results: blank, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In skirmish mode and in some scenarios, they are also used to determine which player has the initiative (and therefore starts the game). In some scenarios, they can also be used to determine the outcome of random effects.
III • Set-Up
Each game of Mythic Battles: Isfet is set up according to the game mode chosen by the players: skirmish or adventure.
A • Choosing the Game Mode
Skirmish
- Choosing the board. Players agree on which board they will use for the game.
- Determining the first player. Each player rolls a die. The player with the highest score wins the initiative and is the first player. The next player clockwise chooses the color of their side, which determines the areas in which they can deploy their units.
- Recruitment. Each player recruits all the units they will control during the game. These make up their army. See B • Recruiting an Army below.
- Preparing the table. Together, the players set up all the game elements as described in D • Preparing the Table.
- Starting the game. The first player starts the game, then the other player(s) take turns playing clockwise.
Adventure
- Choosing the scenario. Players choose a scenario adapted to their numbers.
- Determining the first player. Scenarios sometimes use the same method as skirmishes to determine the first player, but they also each have their own rules, explained in the scenario itself.
- Recruitment. Scenarios that don't use a normal draft will require you to recruit some or all of your units. If they only require you to recruit some of the units, then recruitment takes place in two stages: first, you collect the units required for each side from your army, then proceed to a draft, using the recruitment points indicated for each side; unless otherwise stated, this part of the draft contains no divinities (only heroes, monsters, troops, and Tjatis).
- Preparing the table. Together, the players set up all the game elements as described in D • Preparing the Table.
- Starting the game. The first player starts the game, then the other player(s) take turns playing clockwise.
B • Recruiting an Army
1 • Draft
Drafting allows you to recruit units from all those you own, or from a selection of units previously defined between the players.
In adventure mode, the scenario determines the number of RPs each player can spend on their army, as well as the first player and any limitations on unit selection.
In skirmish mode, the number of players determines the number of RPs each player can spend on their army:
- 2 players: 18 RP
- 3 players: 16 RP
- 4 players: 14 RP
To recruit their army, players follow these steps:
- Dashboards, or to save table space, Recruitment cards, Troop cards for available units and Tjatis are all laid out on the table.
- Starting with the first player, then moving clockwise, players take turns choosing a divinity (a god or a titan). If one side chooses a titan as its divinity, sides selecting only gods as their divinity will in return be able to deploy one of their units for free when deploying troop units (see D • Preparing the Table), regardless of the type of unit chosen, including a god.
- Starting with the last player to have chosen a divinity, then moving counter-clockwise, all players take it in turns to recruit a unit to form the rest of their army, going around the group until there are no RPs left.
Each player must respect the following restrictions:
- When a player recruits a unit, they must be able to immediately pay the RP cost.
- An army must include a single divinity (god or titan).
- An army may not contain more than one unit, as well as its divinity, whose cost in RP is greater than or equal to 5.
- The same army, or the same side in a team game, cannot have the same unit or attachment twice.
If a player can no longer recruit any of the available units, the remaining RPs are converted into Art of War cards, and the player takes one card for each unused RP. These cards become part of the player's starting hand. If a player has no more RPs, the other players continue to choose their units in the same order, skipping the player whose recruitment is finished.
2 • Limited Draft
If you have a large number of units or are just starting out, you may want to reduce the range of units available during this phase, using methods for limiting the draft such as those given in Draft Examples.
C • Team Games
For four-player skirmish games, we recommend that you play with two teams of two players, rather than every player for themselves. Players on the same team form a side. All units on the same side are allies. The game works in the same way, with one exception: as well as sharing victory with your teammate, there is a different rule for the placement of players around the table, which impacts the order of turns.
Since players on the same side deploy their miniatures on the same side of the board, it's easier if they sit next to each other. This is why it's best to play in a "Z shape": Player 1 and Player 2 across from Player 3 and Player 4, with teammates seated so play passes 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 in turn order. This order works both for army recruitment and for the game itself. If the rules impose a clockwise order, go through the "Z" in that order; for a counter-clockwise order, follow the same seating but starting with player 4.
Each player has 14 RPs for their army, and the set-up is the same as for a two-player game.
Important: in a 4-player team game, the game is played with a 2-player set-up.
D • Preparing the Table
During set-up, regardless of the game mode chosen, the table is prepared by following the steps below:
- Place the board in the center of the table. Add any 3D elements, divine stones, tokens, and miniatures shown on the scenario diagram. If the placement of 3D elements is not specified in the scenario, they are placed according to the description of the corresponding terrain type (see Battlefields).
- Place the dice, Art of War cards, and Kheper cards near the board. This is the shared reserve.
- Each player places their unit's dashboard, Troop and Tjati cards, tokens, and miniatures in front of them. This forms each player's personal reserve.
- Starting with the first player, then moving clockwise, each player in turn places a troop unit on one of their deployment areas (see Skirmish Set-Up). Continue in this way until all players have placed all their troop units on the board.
- Each player forms a draw pile by shuffling all Activation cards contributed by the units in their army, plus a number of Art of War cards equal to the sum of all their units' strategic values.
- Each player creates their hand with: 3 Art of War cards from the shared reserve; the first 3 cards from their deck; and any Art of War cards obtained while recruiting their army if they could no longer recruit any units.
IV • How the Game Is Played
Mythic Battles: Isfet is played in a series of rounds. A round consists of one turn per player. Each round begins with the first player's turn and continues clockwise.
A • Turn Sequence
Each turn is divided into several phases. The player whose turn it is becomes the active player and must complete the following phases in order to activate their units.
Reminder: a player's activation limit is 2 activations per turn. Certain talents (such as Leader) or powers can be used to circumvent this limit. A single unit can only be activated once per turn.
1 • Start of Turn Phase
- 1.a: The effects of any powers triggered during the active player's previous turn, and which last only one round, come to an end.
- 1.b: The active player draws 1 card.
- 1.c: They choose whether to pass their turn or continue. If they pass their turn, they draw 1 more card, then go directly to the end of turn phase (4).
2 • Unit Activation Phase
- 2.a: The active player discards 1 Activation card for the unit they want to activate. They then announce whether the unit will perform up to 2 simple actions or a single complex action.
- 2.b: The player resolves any powers triggered at the beginning of the unit's activation.
- 2.c: The unit is activated and can perform 0, 1 or 2 simple actions, OR 0 or 1 complex action.
- 2.d: The player resolves any powers triggered at the end of the unit's activation.
3 • New Unit Activation Phase
- 3.a: If the active player has activated a number of units equal to their activation limit, or if they do not want to activate another unit, they go directly to the end of turn phase (4).
- 3.b: If the active player wants to activate another unit, they discard 1 Art of War card and return to the unit activation phase (2).
4 • End of Turn Phase
- 4.a: The active player chooses whether to discard 1 Art of War card to carry out a troop recall.
- 4.b: The next player clockwise becomes the new active player. They begin their turn with the start of turn phase (1).
B • Troop Recall
When a player performs a troop recall, they choose a troop unit (in play or destroyed) that they control. All the unit's miniatures (in play or not) are placed in its divinity's area. If the unit was carrying a divine stone, it is dropped in the unit's original area. Any tokens placed on the unit area are also returned to their original personal reserves and their effects cancelled. It is impossible to perform a troop recall if the divinity's area is already full.
C • Maneuvers
A player can perform maneuvers at any time during a round (both during their turn and their opponents' turns). Each maneuver can only be performed once per round, per player. A player wishing to perform a maneuver must pay the cost in Art of War cards in order to resolve its effects. Each maneuver costs 1 Art of War card.
Reminder: a player can always pay the cost of a maneuver in Art of War cards with the equivalent in Kheper cards, or with double the cost in Activation cards of destroyed units other than troops.
Maneuvers list
- Draw cards: the player immediately draws 2 cards.
- Search for a card: the player immediately takes 1 card of their choice from their deck and adds it to their hand. They then shuffle their deck.
- Evade (only units with flying class): the player declares that they are performing an Evade with a flying unit, other than a troop, targeted by a range 0 attack. The attacker can redirect their attack to another target at a distance less than or equal to its range. If the attack is not redirected, it is cancelled and lost. It is impossible to use Evade against a retaliation.
V • Actions
A • Simple and Complex Actions
The active player can choose from 7 actions for their unit, or 9 if the unit is a flying unit. There are two types of action: simple and complex. An activated unit can either perform 1 complex action, or up to 2 simple actions. It can also activate and perform no action. Attack and aerial attack actions are covered in detail in the next chapter: Combat.
If the unit performs 2 simple actions, they must be different, and the unit can only perform its second simple action after completing the first. If the unit performs an attack, it can no longer perform a walk during this activation.
B • List of Actions
A unit can never enter a full area.
Travel-related actions
- Deploy (complex): this is the only action that can be performed by a unit that has never entered the game. A unit performing this action is placed in one of the deployment areas defined by the scenario in adventure mode or by the set-up in skirmish mode. The area must be of a terrain type that allows the unit to enter. A unit that is in play or has been destroyed can no longer be deployed.
- Walk (simple): a walking unit can enter as many areas as its movement characteristic. Each new area must be adjacent to the previous one. A unit's walk ends immediately if it enters an area containing one or more enemy units. A unit can only enter an area whose terrain type allows it to do so. A unit can also only cross a boundary if its boundary type allows it to do so.
- Run (complex): a unit performing a run may enter as many areas as its movement characteristic +1. Each new area must be adjacent to the previous one. A unit's run ends immediately if it enters an area containing one or more enemy units. A unit can only enter an area whose terrain type allows it to do so. A unit can also only cross a boundary if the boundary type allows it to do so.
- Ascend (complex): a unit performing an ascend can enter a Rock-type area if it begins its move in an adjacent area, and if the Rock-type area is not full. Ascend and the Climb talent are the only ways to enter a Rock area.
- Fast Flight (complex, only units with flying class): a fast-flying unit can enter as many areas as its movement characteristic + 1, ignoring all terrain effects. The unit can fly over Cliff and Rock-type areas. It can also cross Wall and escarpment-type boundaries. It cannot enter a full area, but it ignores the Block talent. Fast-flying units are not halted by enemy units in the areas they fly across. However, they must respect all other boundary effects. During this action, the unit cannot drop a divine stone.
Actions involving divine stones
- Claim (simple): a unit can claim a free divine stone (placed on the board) from its area if it doesn't already have one. When a unit performs this action, the controlling player places the now-claimed divine stone on the unit's base. A claimed divine stone is no longer considered free. A unit can only carry one divine stone at a time. A unit can drop a claimed divine stone in its area at any time during its activation. Dropping a divine stone is not an action. When dropped, a divine stone is free again. Some game elements are treated as runes or divine stones. Whenever a rule or effect indicates that an element represents a rune or divine stone, it follows all the rules and effects applied to divine stones, with the exception of absorption.
- Absorb (complex): only divinities located within the area of a free divine stone or one claimed by an allied unit can perform an absorption. When a divinity performs this action, the controlling player takes a divine stone and places it on or next to the divinity's dashboard.
Combat-related actions
- Attack (simple): discussed in detail in the next chapter: Combat.
- Aerial Attack (complex, only units with flying class): a unit with a Flying class making an aerial attack applies a normal attack sequence, with the following exceptions: it ignores the terrain effect of its area; it benefits from a +1 range bonus; when this unit is determining whether its target is visible or not, it ignores all obstacles.
VI • Combat
An attack allows you to roll a number of dice equal to your offense value (applying any modifiers) to inflict wounds on a targeted opposing unit for each die result equal to or greater than the attacked unit's defense value. The attack will consist of a single assault if the defender has an effective defense value of 5 or less, and two assaults if it's equal to 6 or more. This second assault enables you to re-roll any dice with a score of 5, adding them to the subsequent score obtained to oppose defense values ranging from 6 to 10. At the end of each assault, you can also discard dice that have obtained results too low to increase the result of others.
There are two types of attacks: a normal attack and an area attack. The attacker is the unit declaring the attack and the defender is the unit that is the target of the attack. When the attacker or the defender is referred to, it can either mean the unit, or the player controlling the unit.
Important: the use of an offensive power replaces the simple attack action, and therefore counts towards the limit of the two simple actions the unit can perform in a turn. If nothing is specified in the power description, the attack follows the normal attack sequence.
A • Normal Attack
A unit carrying out this action resolves the following steps: 1. Target choice; 2. Attack resolution; 3. Retaliation.
1 • Target Choice
The attacker can only target enemy units that fulfill at least one of the following conditions:
- The unit is both visible and at a distance that is less than or equal to the attacker's range. A unit can always target an enemy unit in the same area (range 0).
- The unit is in an adjacent area that is full. In this case, the attacker can decide to attack as if they were in the target's own area (range 0). Certain talents (like Guard) and powers can force a change of target.
Visible units and obstacles. There are different kinds of obstacles: an area if it contains at least one unit; or an area or a boundary that specifies in its description that it constitutes an obstacle. To determine if a target is visible, the active player draws an imaginary line between the center icon in the attacker's area and that of their target. If this line does not encounter an obstacle, ignoring its departure and destination area, the target is considered visible. A target that occupies the same area as the attacker is always considered visible.
Distance and range. A target is in range if the attacker's range stat is equal to, or greater than, the shortest distance to it. To calculate this distance, a player must count the minimum number of areas necessary to go from one area to the other without taking into account boundary and terrain types. The attacker's area is not taken into account in this calculation. Where reference is made to range X (X being a number), it refers to a distance less than or equal to X. Where reference is made to range X+, it refers to a distance more than or equal to X. Therefore, range 2 enables a unit to attack at a distance of 2 areas or less, whereas range 2+ enables an attack at 2 areas or more.
The terrains that act as obstacles are: Building, Divine Growth, Forest, Rock, and Ruins.
2 • Attack Resolution
To resolve an attack, carry out the following steps in order: A. Effective value calculation; B. First assault; C. Second assault; D. Wounds.
2.A Effective value calculation. The attacker and the defender each calculate their effective offense and defense values. These are the values of the unit's stats after any applicable modifiers have been taken into account. If, in a scenario or in a power, it refers to attacking with a certain number of dice, this corresponds to the effective offense of the attack. The modifiers (powers, talents, terrains, etc.) cannot reduce offense or defense below 0, or raise them above 10.
2.B First assault.
- The attacker rolls a number of dice equal to their effective offense.
- Any blank results are immediately removed. For each step, once a die has been removed, it is set aside and takes no further part in this attack.
- Among the remaining dice, the attacker can discard as many dice as they want to get bonuses for the other dice. Each discarded die adds +1 to the result of another die. The new value of the remaining dice is equal to their result increased by the number of dice discarded to give them bonuses. At each step, as soon as the value of a die equals or exceeds the effective defense of the target, the die is immediately placed on the attacker's dashboard or troop card to signify that they have inflicted a wound on the target.
2.C Second assault. If, during the first assault, the attacker rolled one or several dice with a result of 5, no matter if it was a direct result or after modification, they can carry out a second assault. If not, go straight to 2.D Wounds.
- The attacker rolls as many dice as they wish from those of the first assault with a result equal to 5.
- Any blank results are immediately removed. Their previous result is thus lost.
- The new results of the rolled dice are added to the 5 from the first assault.
- Among the remaining dice (including any dice not discarded during the first assault), the attacker can discard as many dice as they want to get bonuses for the other dice. Each discarded die adds +1 to the result of another die. The new value of the remaining dice is equal to their result increased by the number of dice discarded to give them bonuses.
2.D Wounds. Each die result equaling or exceeding the effective defense of the defender unit inflicts a wound. For each die on the attacker's dashboard or troop card, the defender loses a vitality point:
- If the defender is a Divinity, a Hero or a Monster, the player moves the dashboard's stat slide down a number of lines equal to the number of vitality points lost, in order to reveal the unit's new stats.
- If the defender is a troop unit, the player removes as many of the unit's miniatures as lost vitality points and places them on their troop card.
Destroyed units. A unit is destroyed when its vitality reaches 0:
- Divinities, Heroes, or Monsters: this means when the player can no longer push the slide down on the dashboard. The miniature is then removed from the board and placed with its dashboard back in the box. These units cannot return to the game.
- Troops: this means when the player has removed the last miniature of the troop from the board.
A destroyed unit (or a unit leaving the board) drops any elements it may be carrying (divine stones, etc.) in the area in which it was destroyed. If it had one or several power tokens attached to it, these are replaced in the appropriate reserve pool. A destroyed unit's activation and Art of War cards remain in play.
3 • Retaliation
If the defender is the target of a range 0 attack, they can retaliate against the unit who carried out the attack. The defender becomes the attacker and vice versa: the retaliator must discard 1 of their activation cards then resolve the retaliation as a normal attack (see 2 • Attack Resolution). A retaliation is just like a normal attack in that a unit cannot retaliate against a retaliation. A unit cannot retaliate more than once per turn.
B • Area Attack
An area attack is available to some units as their attack action and cannot be retaliated against. An area attack targets all units, allies and enemies, in the area except the unit making the attack. The target area must contain at least one enemy unit. The area itself is not attacked.
A unit that performs an area attack action resolves the following steps:
- Area choice: the attacker chooses the area to be attacked. The area must be within range and visible to the attacker.
- Target choice: the attacker chooses the target unit. Each unit in the area can only be targeted once.
- Attack resolution: the attacker resolves the attack against this target in the same way as a normal attack. If an allied unit is the target, the attack is resolved by the enemy player as if they owned the attacking unit. The enemy player cannot spend Art of War cards but can otherwise freely decide which of the attacking unit's talents and powers to use in the attack.
If there is at least one unit that has not been targeted in the area, the attacker returns to step 2 of this sequence to target the new unit. If not, the area attack is over.
Important: the defender cannot retaliate during an area attack. Unlike a normal attack, an area attack does NOT allow an adjacent full area to be considered to be at range 0.
VII • Battlefields
A • Boundaries
The areas on the board are separated and defined by game elements known as boundaries. A boundary is represented by a line or artwork, for example a wall, which defines its type. Each is only one type and only separates two areas. However, two areas can be separated by several different boundaries. When moving between two areas separated by several boundaries, the least restrictive one is taken into account.
The different types of boundaries and terrain indicate: if the boundary or terrain is an obstacle; if movement across them is forbidden or limited, either to enter the area (in the case of certain terrain) or to enter areas separated by a boundary; and if the terrain functions with 3D elements. Boundary effects do not count as terrain effects.
- Escarpment boundary: no special effect.
- Heights boundary: the Heights icon does not affect unit movement actions – the boundary type on which it is placed does. The arrowhead points towards lower level areas. A unit standing behind the arrowhead, on the higher side, gains +1 offense and +1 range for attacks targeting a unit in any lower level area. In addition, obstacles are ignored when determining if a target in a lower area is visible or not.
- Wall boundary: this boundary is an obstacle. A wall boundary is represented by a wall image surrounded by a continuous red line. The image itself is not an area.
- Normal boundary: no special effect.
B • Terrains
Each area is a single terrain type, indicated by its area icon. If, in the description of a type of terrain, it is indicated that the terrain uses 3D elements, like trees or statues, the effects can only be applied if at least one 3D element remains in the area. If all 3D elements are removed, the area becomes open ground.
- Building: a unit in this area gains +1 defense against any attack at range 1+.
- Burning: a unit entering a Burning area immediately suffers 1 wound. The controlling player must then move the unit to an adjacent non-Burning area of their choice. The movement action ends immediately.
- Divine Growth: a unit in this area gains +1 defense. The player who controls it can use any card from their hand to replace an Art of War card (1 max) to pay the cost of one of its powers.
- Forest (3D elements: the number of trees per area is equal to the area's capacity divided by two and rounded up): a unit in this area gains +1 defense against attacks of range 1+.
- Open Ground: no special effect.
- Quicksand: a unit entering into this area immediately ends its movement. The talents of units in this area are ignored.
- Rock (obstacle; movement limited): movement only authorized with a complex Ascend or Fast Flight action, or with a simple action for units that have the Climb talent. A unit in this area gains +1 range. For range 1+ attacks, they gain +1 offense. In addition, the unit ignores obstacles when determining whether a target is visible. The unit also becomes visible to all other units as long as it occupies this terrain type. A unit can enter this terrain type by a complex ascend action, or by a simple walking action using the Climb talent.
- Ruins (3D elements: 1 ruined statue per area): a unit in this area gains +1 defense against range 0 attacks.
- Sacred Waters: a unit entering this area immediately ends its activation and regains 1 vitality point. It cannot regain any other vitality points during the turn.
- Solar: a unit entering this area suffers -1 defense. It can re-roll 1 blank die during the first assault of an attack action.
- Steps: a unit in this area gains +1 range. For attacks of range 1+, they gain +1 offense. In addition, obstacles are ignored when determining whether a target is visible or not.
- Water (aquatic): active and offensive powers and talents of units in this area are ignored.
VIII • Talents
Some units have talents. Using a talent is optional and at the player's discretion. A unit affected by the effect of a talent is the target of the talent. Multiple talents of the same name cannot target the same unit. If a troop unit is no longer complete and there is only one miniature left of the troop, that troop's talents can no longer be used.
Archery
During the calculation of the effective offense value of a range 1+ normal attack, the unit with the Archery talent gains +1 offense.
Blessed by the Gods
The unit never loses its talents and powers. During the enemy's turn and until it ends, the unit gains +1 defense if it discards a Kheper card.
Block
An enemy unit that is in the area of a blocker unit cannot carry out a walk, run, or ascend action. An enemy unit cannot claim a divine stone that is in the area of a unit with the Block talent, but may still absorb a divine stone if that blocked unit is a divinity. A unit with the Block talent ignores these effects.
Bolster
During the calculation of the effective offense and defense values of a normal or area attack, the allied troop units in the same area as the unit with the Bolster talent gain +1 offense and +1 defense.
Climb
A unit with the Climb talent can walk into Rock or Cliff areas. The unit may cross escarpment boundaries. In a Rock area, the unit gains +1 defense against units who do not have the Climb talent.
Close Protection
During the calculation of the effective defense value of a normal or area attack, if another allied unit is in the same area, the unit with the Close Protection talent gains +1 defense.
Curse
The attacked unit may have 1 die of its choice re-rolled during the attacker's first assault.
Force of Nature
Before selecting the target of a normal or area attack, if the unit with the Force of Nature talent is in an area with at least one 3D element, they can remove one of these elements from the board to gain +1 offense and +1 range until the end of their current activation.
Gem Collector
During their activation, a unit with the Gem Collector talent can carry out a claim action from any visible area in their surroundings.
Guard
After the choice of the target of a normal or an area attack by an enemy, if the unit with the Guard talent is in the same area as the targeted allied unit, they become the new target. This talent cannot be used against a retaliation.
Initiative
After the choice of the target of a range 0 normal attack, if the target is the unit with the Initiative talent, they can retaliate before the original attack is resolved. After the retaliation, if the attacker is further away from the target than their range, the action ends. If not, the attacker carries out the attack without the target retaliating again. If both the attacker and the target have this talent, the effect is ignored.
Leader
At the end of their activation phase, the active player controlling a unit with the Leader talent chooses an allied troop unit in their surroundings and activates it. The player takes control of the allied unit if it belongs to another player on the same side. This activation counts towards the maximum number of activations for the active player. The activation of the chosen unit does not require the spending of an Art of War card. Instead of using the unit activation in their hand, the owner of the allied unit can look for the activation card of this unit in their deck, show it to their opponents, play it immediately, and shuffle the deck. The player then puts the played card in their discard pile.
Mighty Throw
Before the second assault of a normal or area attack, a unit with the Mighty Throw talent can move the attack targeted unit one area, if there are enough blank results generated during the first assault die roll to discard: 1 to throw a troop or a hero unit, 2 to throw a monster or a god unit, 3 to throw a titan unit. The unit is thrown if it is able to enter a destination area, if the area is not full, and doesn't cross a boundary the unit is unable to cross, or enter a terrain type the unit cannot enter. If thrown, the targeted unit immediately drops any claimed divine stone in the area they were thrown from. After having been thrown, the attack is then resolved as normal even if the targeted unit is no longer at a distance less than or equal to the attacker's range. If the defender is no longer at range 0 from the attacker, they cannot retaliate.
Mobility
A unit with the Mobility talent can walk even after having carried out an attack.
Slayer
Slayer is always linked to a unit type, such as "Monster Slayer." During the first assault, before discarding blank results, the unit may re-roll up to 2 dice against a target of the unit type corresponding to its Slayer talent.
Sneak Attack
During the calculation of the effective offense value of a range 0 normal attack, if another allied unit is in the same area, the unit with Sneak Attack gains +1 offense until the end of their current activation.
Terror
An attacking unit performing a range 0 attack against a unit with the Terror talent suffers -1 offense.
Torment
During the calculation of the effective defense value of a range 0 normal attack carried out by a unit with the Torment talent, the targeted unit suffers -1 defense until the end of the attack.
IX • Class
All units have a class that is defined by an icon on their dashboard or troop card. If there is no icon present, then the unit is considered as being of the Terrestrial type.
- Terrestrial: no special effect.
- Aquatic: aquatic units gain +1 movement for walk or run actions if they start in, and only enter, Aquatic areas during that action. Aquatic units ignore all Aquatic terrain effects (Water, etc.).
- Boreal: boreal units ignore all Polar terrain effects.
- Fireproof: fireproof units ignore all Burning terrain effects.
- Flying: flying units can deploy on a Cliff or Rock area of their deployment zone. A flying unit has access to 2 additional complex actions: Fast Flight and Aerial Attack, as well as an additional maneuver, Evade.
- Huge: a huge unit can never enter an area with an area capacity lower than 3 except during the unit's deployment. The area this unit occupies is always considered full, regardless of its area capacity. In addition, the talents and powers that could move a unit are ignored.
X • Skirmish Set-Up
We recommend playing a few games in skirmish mode before trying out the Scenario Booklet's Adventure mode. Skirmish mode is designed to be played almost endlessly and is easily adaptable. It can be played with any combination of divinities leading a myriad of units on different boards, with different numbers of players, in teams or every person for themselves.
Skirmish scenarios can be played on any board. The Core Box includes four boards: The Breach, Court of Osiris, Nun, and Memphis. Each board's set-up card illustrates the different deployments for 2–4 players, and lists that board's special terrain features (boundary and terrain types present on it). Place the divine stones as indicated on the card, and use the deployment areas indicated for the number of players.
Important: in a 4-player team game, the game is played with a 2-player set-up.